VIDEO : "Rascal" Featuring Tony Silvestri on Keys. It's Funky!

Excited to share the latest Dead Root Revival video with you, an instrumental number called Rascal.
I wrote this song over twenty years ago while living in Vancouver and playing with the band Al Dente Inferno. When DRR began rehearsing last Spring I resurrected this tune; our mandate being that our songs need to have elements of one or more of these genres: Rock, Funk, Blues, Jazz, or Soul.
As much as I enjoy the singer/songwriter material I perform, and the material I've released over the years, DRR has given me the opportunity to push outside of genre constructs, and has opened up new creative doors. We had the incredibly talented Tony Silvestri joining us on this gig. Check out the back and forth solos at the 2:57 mark. So much fun!

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Hometown Concert at The Mansion
For those of you in the Kingston area, we have a show coming up on Friday February 1st at The Mansion. This band is progressing at break neck speed. We are adding 2-3 new (original) songs every time we rehearse! This train is a chuggin' along!

We look forward to playing the new songs for you. Get your tickets today over at Eventbrite and let us know you're attending by clicking "Going" on the Facebook event or shouting it out on Twitter or Instagram.

w/ special guest Connor Poulain
$10 at the door/ $8 in advance
Doors @ 8:00 PM, Show at 9:00 PM

Music to check out
Inspiration has been coming to me from the past and the present lately. From the past, a couple of recent vinyl purchases:
Al Green - Gets Next To You

and John Coltrane - Blue Train.

....and from the present, Vulfpeck. Though I don't have anything from them on vinyl, I am enjoying their youtube offerings immensely. Such as this full concert from Brussels.

They've got a unique approach to putting together a concert. Variety show style. If they ever tour Canada, I'm there!

Naked Songs 2 : This Thursday at the Mansion

I'm looking forward to this gig. I'll be trying out a few new ones that look like they are destined for the new record. Hope to see some Folks out!

Here's the facebook event .

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NAKED SONGS 2

A songwriter's circle curated by Megan Hamilton. This is the second instalment of Naked Songs, and it's a stacked line up.

Doors: 7:30pm, show 8-10pm
$8 at the door (come for dinner!)

Short version: enjoy some songs, stories and *sarsaparilla early on a Thursday. The food is pretty great, too!

Detailed description: What is a song? How do you make a song?

The premise behind Naked Songs is to present the songwriter's material in it's most raw form so that you can focus on the words. Often, production values play such a key role in a song that it's easy to lose the poetry or the value of the words.

Storytelling and discourse about the writing process between the artists is encouraged, as is audience participation and questions. All 4 artists will be on stage at all times save for an intermission somewhere between the 45 minute to an hour mark. The show will last 2 hours, and each songwriter will play in turn until the show is finished.

Artists may come prepared with songs, or may decide to go with the flow and let the previous work inform what they play. New material is appreciated as are old favourites.

The second instalment has a killer line up once again:

Megan Hamilton: http://www.meganhamiltonmusic.com/
Listentojayharris: http://listentojayharris.com/
Rae Corcoran: http://www.youtube.com/user/Hustlerae
Tom Savage : http://tomsavagetrio.blogspot.ca/

Sunday Song Summit

Let's hear it for live music on a Sunday afternoon! Great idea! And The Living Room (upstairs at The Mansion) is a great venue for it. The Sunday Song Summit has been going on for a few weeks and, by all accounts, has had some great performances and has been well-attended (which is of great importance to keep these kind of events going). Each week there is a featured songwriter performing and guest musicians are encouraged to come sit in. Last week I was one of the guest musicians ( had a great time). This week I am the feature performer.

I'm calling on all my Kingston musician friends to come out and make it an afternoon to remember. And for all of those who tell me that they would love to come to a show but it always starts too late, here is your chance! This thing goes from 4-7. Bring the kids( I brought mine last week)! Bring Grandma ( I'd bring Grandma, but sadly she is no longer with us. But if she were still alive, she'd be there)!

Thanks to Derrick Claridge for coming up with this idea. Looking forward to sharing my songs on Sunday. Also looking forward to some epic jams!

Song #29 - Chicks Dig Guys Who Play The Piano

Song #29 of my Song A Week Challenge, and my first co-write. Wrote this one with Tony Silvestri and Geoff Chown (who added a word or two while he was cooking shrimp in the kitchen).

This is the first and only performance of the song, recorded live at The Mansion in Kingston. The audio is a little rough, but this video really captures the fun that the crowd was having with the song.







Some guys play guitar
Some guys play the bass
Some guys play the drums
Though they are easily replaced

Some guys write the songs
Some guys lug the gear
But there's just one thang that the girls want to hear

The guitarist has the looks
But he just can't stay in tune
The bass man holds it down
But he started drinking way too soon

The drummer we all know
Someday he'll end up in jail
But there's one guy in the band
That you know will never fail


Chicks dig guys who play the piano
They don't need a band they can do it all on their own

They got the rhythm
Thy got the touch
They got everything that the ladies love So much

And baby I'm gonna play this one for you.

The guys in the band don't understand
How complicated that just was
But when my fingers play that 6\9
I know it augments your love