POUZZA FEST, SPRINGSTEEN, SNFU AND MORE
February 18, 2014
Hey friends, there’s lots going on these days. Last night I was interviewed on StenchRadio.com and we talked about Punk rock, Wrestling, the snow, Johnny Cash, Chicago vs Toronto, and Pouzza Fest. Thanks to Starsky Starcevich for the great interview!
My good friend Hugo (Sainte Catherines, Yesterdays Ring, and Miracles) hosts the Pouzza Fest every year in downtown Montreal. I was fortunate enough to play it a couple of years ago with The Class Assassins and it was a great time! This year I’ll be playing two sets. One of which will be a solo set on the same bill as Tim Barry. The second set will be with none other than a band called Dogs. I was a member of Dogs for several years before parting ways with them a few years ago. I was recently asked to play the Pouzza Fest set with them and possibly a new recording. I’m really looking forward to jamming out those tunes once again. The Fest takes place from May 16th to the 18th and there’s a whole lot of awesome bands playing. Check out this link for more info.
The newest release from Anxiety Attack Recordings will be a folk-punk tribute to Bruce Springsteen featuring an all-Canadian line up. Some of the artists confirmed so far include Jesse LeBourdais, Ben Sir, The Matchup, Jon Creeden, James Renton, Swiss Knife, Summer Of 92 and myself just to name a few. Expect a digital download spring release. There will be more info coming very soon.
I am very happy to be playing a gig next month with Chi Pig, the legendary front man of Canadian punk icons SNFU. He’ll be performing an acoustic set as he tours Canada with punk rock author Chris Walter. The show is taking place at the Bovine Sex Club on Sat March 2st. For more info check out the event page. I met Chi many years ago at a boozcan late one night. He was a really cool guy and I’m stoked to have this opportunity to share the stage with him.
STENCH RADIO AND REVERBNATION
February 17, 2014
This Monday I’ll be the special guest on Stench Radio out of Illinois. I’m pretty excited to talk about some new stuff like upcoming Cactus shows, The Class Assassins, Whiskey Hearts, Pouzzafest, the new Anxiety Attack Recording, the Toronto scene, and more. I’ll also be making a very special announcement…. The show airs Monday Feb 17th at 10pm on stenchradio.com
Just a reminder for all of you who use ReverbNation to check out my page. I have songs and videos posted, as well all of my show listings are kept up to date. I’ve also created some cool tshirts that you can order directly from the site. Click here to check out my page and become a ‘fan’.
KING X KING WEST AND MORE
December 11, 2013
I recently was asked to play the King X King West 2013 Music Festival at Bar Hop.The Music Festival is already in its 4th year I shared the stage with my friends The Deforesters as well as Joan Smith (Little Foot Long Foot). The night was sponsored by Beau’s Beer, and if you ever get the chance to play an event with beer sponsorship chances are you’ll be drinking for free! I stage-tested some new material that night and some of it went over very well. Some not so much…. Ha!
I also recently played a great show with my friends Jesse Lebourdais and Jon Creeden who just released a split inch. Jesse and Jon were making their way across Canada on tour and I booked us a gig at the Bovine Sex Club. Those two dudes are some of the hardest working Canadian folk-punkers I know!Be sure to check out their split 7inch here.
And lastly, I forgot to share this a few months ago. I’m really honored to have been included in the most recent Toronto Scene Report in Maximum Rock And Roll Magazine. The report incuded Sinkin’ Ships, The Class Assassins, Whiskey Hearts and my solo stuff! I’ve been reading MRNR since 1991 and it always makes me happy to get any kind of mention.
WHISKEY HEARTS 7INCH, NEW SOLO MATERIAL AND MORE
October 26, 2013
Summer is over, and it was a great one! I was fortunate enough to play 4 festivals including CMW, NXNE, SceneFest and Envol Et Macadam. But more important than that, The debut 7inch from Whiskey Hearts was released! The good people at Stereo Dynamite Recordings have released this limited edition record in 4 colors. It’s available for purchase at all shows I play, as well you can order it directly from Stereo Dynamite at this link.
I have been writing away for my next solo album. I have about 4 completed songs and 6 half finished songs. My goal is to get to about 15 songs and choose the 8 or 9 strongest for my next release. I am also thinking about releasing a covers EP in the meantime.
And finally, The Class Assassins filmed some live footage for a music video recently while we were opening up for The Dropkick Murphys. The footage was shot by our good friend JDM of Rubber Factory Records. Hopefully we’ll have something to show everyone later this winter.
SCENEFEST AND NXNE
June 3, 2013
This Sunday in St. Catharines, I’ll be doing double duty at SCENEFEST as I play a show with The Class Assassins, as well as a solo set later that evening. It’s not the first time this has happened. Two years ago I was booked with both The Class Assassins and Sinkin’ Ships at SCENEFEST.
For those unfamiliar with the music festival, SCENEFEST is in it’s 18th year, and takes place in downtown St. Catharines Ontario on Sunday June 9th. The festival will feature over 160 performers across multiple stages and venues.
I’m pretty stoked about the punk stage this year. It’s presented by Punknews.org and features Careers In Science, Brutal Youth, Teenage X and of course The Class Assassins. I’m also really excited about my solo set, as it will be my first solo gig in St. Catharines.
Less than a week later will be NXNE. Probably the coolest fest we get here in Toronto every year. The quality of touring acts really has improved over the years. We’ve had Iggy, Bad Religion, Off, The Descendants, Hot Water Music, and so many others. And this year is no exception. I’m very honored to be a part of the Stereo Dynamite Recordings and Riot Rock Management NXNE Showcase. I’ll be performing with The Whiskey Hearts Collective at 10pm at the Hard Luck Bar. You can bet your ass that I’ll be running to the Opera House shortly after our set to catch (Black) Flag.
BLOG: Exclaim shoot & Whiskey Hearts music video
April 29, 2013
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Exclaim headquarters to film a few songs. The shoot took place on the back patio in the same spot where Chuck Ragan was filmed a year earlier. I performed “Summer Nights” and my newest song “Ship Wreck”. It was pretty cool playing back there, and the neighbors seemed to enjoy it. The two-man crew were great to work with, and I’m very thankful for the experience. Exclaim will post one of these videos on their website in the near future.
Whiskey Hearts recently filmed our debut music video with director Brendan Coutts. Brendan was the guitarist in the Ontario based punk band The Heatskores. But more than that he is an exceptionally talented director.
The video was shot at The Press Club during a Whiskey Hearts event. The crowd was unaware of the video shoot for the most part. The end result is a very honest music video. The video also features our good friend and part-time Whiskey Heart Lionel Stanley on the Mandolin.
The good folk at Exclaim were kind enough to premier our debut music video for us!
Check it out the article here. Or go straight to the video here.
BLOG: Whiskey Hearts, Class Assassins and more…
April 2, 2013
I’ve been pretty busy these days making music with my band The Class Assassins, as well as the Whiskey Hearts Collective.
Whiskey Hearts recently recorded two songs that will be on our debut 7″.
The songs were produced by Dave Baksh and mastered by Jon Drew.
The 7″ will be available via Stereo Dynamite Recording this June. You can pre-order your limited edition color vinyl here.The debut Whiskey Hearts 7″ single is available in 3 different limited edition color vinyl options: Clear, White, and Purple.
If you can’t wait until June you can download the two songs through bandcamp right now. Read the rest of this entry »
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