July 2007

July 31, 2007

Blessing and curse yesterday. I finally got canned from my job.
So I only have to tell it once....
I got fed up last Thursday, really fed up, and basically yelled at my boss (with some colorful metaphors and deleted explicit) and said I had it and couldn't do this crappy job anymore.
Then she said, well, I should think it over, and not make any rush / emotional decisions and to give her an answer on Monday if I really wanted to quit.

Then they fired me on Monday.
Nice...

....so that's the story sports fans.

So on to bigger and better things. Thank goodness that Harry Potter book came out so I have something to do....
So....don't be afraid to buy an awful lot of copies of my cd Tourist this month....tell your friends, buy one for your friends.
At least go to cdbaby and check it out :

July 29, 2007

I'm not updating this as much as I should. Just in a bad mood lately about my job I guess. Bit of a crossroads. Really have to quit, but it's a little like jumping out of an airplane...it's nice to have that parachute. You can always hope someone will hand you one half way down....but it's more risky and harder to take that step out of the plane.
The gig at the Bovine was a LOT of fun. I broke a strap during a song, sat for a song...figured that sucked, then ran out to the car during a song and grabbed a spare.
....you don't have a spare guitar strap in the trunk of your car? What do you have...things like....a first aid kit and emergency candles?

We have a gig at the Cadillac lounge in Toronto coming up in September....you should check it out.

Beach gig today. Hamilton area....I wish those were more often...I could love the job. The act of starting up a working band seems a little overwhelming...I should just jump in and hit the pavement.

This website is...a little too yellow for me.

July 22, 2007

Just to let everyone know...I have a gig tomorrow at the Bovine Sex Club in Toronto (542 Queen St. W) playing guitar for Amer Diab....we start at 10:30. We'll be there in all our loud, country/rock glory. There are a couple of covers we do that are loud and heavy and unexpected.
Unexpected to me, cuz I usually forget the chords.
I did a surf's up gig the other day at some racetrack near Burlington. Lot's of fun. I've never been that close to the track before....they really beat the hell out of those horse's . Not sure how I feel about that. There was one rider who wasn't hitting that hard, and was more encouraging sounding.....I was rooting for him.
Anyway...Geoffrey Tyler was on the gig playing guitar and singing....mixed things up and added some beef to some of the songs.
.....I need coffee.

July 17, 2007

Did my first gig with Amer. Went well....I flubbed a few times, but I don't think it was noticeable too much. Playing again on Monday at the Bovine in Toronto. Monday. Not a huge fan of Mondays in general....but it still should be fun. He's hoping to get into the studio soon to record a new album....looking forward to that. Maybe give me some insights into my own....which has come to a ...well, not screeching halt...let's say a rolling stop.
So much so a rolling stop that a cop would probably bust you for it for actually not stopping...
It's the playing everything myself which takes so long...on one hand...TOTAL CONTROL. on the other hand it'd be nice to play the song a few times with a band...get the sound, record it...add the bells and/or whistles after. done. Basically by myself, for every instrument I put on a song, I have to play/listen to the song again.....kind of kills the spark.
So if you know some musicians that are great and want to work for free or next to nothing....send them my way.

July 10, 2007

I just read that "Women demand female Pamplona bull run, with cows" .
Maybe it's because I haven't had any coffee yet...but that seems like the dumbest thing I've heard in a while. I never thought the actual bull run was a very smart thing to do.....a bit entertaining to watch, but not a smart thing to actually participate in if you think about it.

....I just went and got coffee and I lost my train of thought. I saw teeny tomatoes in the fridge and starting thinking about a little teeny tomato fight, then started thinking about salads, then what I'm going to eat for breakfast.

some cereal....and I'm off the bull thing.

Almost took some pictures of cows on the side of the road on the way to a gig on Sunday, but didn't bother stopping, getting out, and running up to cows....I was in a bit of a fit thinking I was never going to find the place. I got there 2 hours early.....don't need to say I was the first one there. Wasn't that bad, got a diet coke and practiced for a bit.

I have no real way to end this.

July 7, 2007

just flipped on the earth concert, or whatever it's called. Spinal Tap is on.....Greg Bissonette on drums (from David Lee Roth circa 1987) and Superman's mom from Smallville on backing vocals...I think anyway.

I had to turn it off...freaked me out a little.

Gig with surf's up tomorrow...the grand something resort....it's a trailorpark, albeit a nice one...and if I recall the best club sandwich I'd ever had last year...so it just might be a good gig.
I'm debating going to long and mcquade to get some pickups for my guitar but I'm truly too lazy.....that or go upstairs and find out why they are banging and stomping from noon till 4 in the morning.

I've never actually banged on the ceiling of my apartment to get someone to shut up before...(could be because the last ten years I've lived on the top floor, and I've possibly been that guy...) but I got out a stick last night and cranked on my ceiling....

July 3, 2007
2007.....wow. Am I ever old.

I can think of walking in Machenback as a 12 year old listening to Van halen on one side of a 30 minute tape, and cyndi lauper on the other side....1984. Probably the best year for music that I've seen. Probably cuz I was 12. It just seemed to all come to gether...70's vibe with 80's production.....any style that wanted to be in a song could be in the song. You had Duran Duran on the radio.....men at work.....prince...toto...and all the music featured a song...with great production. music is cool now..don't get me wrong...it's just harder to find.
so ....frankenmuth gig with surf's up. fun.

I got to meet lynn's grandfather.....fun old guy........I rarely say this about old guys.....but he was cute. And has a sweet car. I love that at one point he asked me...and you have to understand.....I'm a big burley looking dude with a beard that's dating his grand daughter....
...."what do they call you??"

......."err....sh...er...umm...well, I've been called a lot of things...I mean...my name's shawn...but people call me a lot of things...."

yah..I babbled.....I think he just was unsure of my name.

looking back...Zoltan would have been a funny answer...if only just for me.
ok...the gig. nice motel. nothing fancy.....but there was a working AC, and a tv with cable.....I'm in. The gig.....open air ampitheatre....you could whisper something, and someone could hear it on the top of this place.....so my new amp got to sing a bit.....(although, Guy was not impressed with my voume...I didnt' think it was that loud, and if you ask Amer I , and I quote...."need to play with some balls..."

....come out on the 12 of july at mitzi's to see/hear some balls.
I digress.

They fed us. Chicken....like home made deep fried american chicken.
hey...I did mention this gig was in the states, yah? Cross the border was, at this point in my "career" fun. I just know how it works....A) takes a while B) it's all bark no bite
custom guy to lynn..."who's she???"
"it's her car...she's coming to hang out...."
......"so she's a groupie........"
me: "I know you have a gun and all...but hey man, that's my girl friend....."
....after that, we're in.
ok...so...hmm..what was I talking about?
oh yah...nice chicken.......played the gig.....pretty much 5000 people.
back to the motel....some beer..yapping...sleep.....wake up....breakfast.
crappy breakfast. waited too long, shit omelette.
how do you mess up 3 eggs and toast??? well they did.
then outlet mall shopping. nice.
bought a bunch of crap..including a talking c3po, and some kids percussion stuff.....declared a 6 pack of mountain dew at the border...and we're home.
and then back to work being called an asshole on the phone because I won't refund some tickets to some dill hole that bought the wrong date, read the part about final sale, and decided that's no good.

one day: playing for 5000 people wanting you to play more songs
2 days later....being called an asshole by some knob that thinks the world owes him something for his presence.

rock and roll baby.