New Album on the Horizon

It's been an excruciatingly busy time over the past few months. This is good though. The April US tour was a heavy one and a bit of a hard slog. Many a Walmart parking lot and too much fast food. The schedule was chock full and there was not much time for sightseeing...unless you count the interstate rest stops. Such is the glitz and the glamour of the independent touring musician. That said, many interesting characters met and many songs to be harvested. And that is a very important factor for why touring is important. Honing the craft, shaping the songs, and finding the stories. It damn sure ain't about the money.

Speaking of songs and stories, upon returning from the US tour I headed into North Of Princess Studios the last week of April to record with my good friends Tony Silvestri, Bonz Bowering, and Seamus Cowan. A lot of it live off the floor, it was a spirited session, and I think you all will be very pleased with the results. It's a bit of a different direction for me and I hope you are all willing to take the trip. The album is scheduled for an official release in October, but I hope to have copies available for MUSICWestport in August (where I'll be performing with the band) and for my Canadian Tour in September.

Early May saw the release of Al Duquette's new record, Tales of the Wild West. A project I had the pleasure of acting as producer on. Al has lived a life and his experience and authenticity comes through in the way he delivers his songs. There is no pretence here. A beautiful collection of songs that will fit nicely between Hank and Lefty on the shelf. Head over to Bandcamp and download your copy today.

Early June was all about the East Coast of Canada. Always good to get down there and catch up with friends, and perform for friendly faces. Highlight of the tour was a Monday night concert in a little church in Alma, NS. Google didn't even know where it was! Great acoustics and good vibes.

That's it for now. I'll be around the Kingston area for the summer. check my site for dates, and stay tuned for more details about the new record.

First Listen : New Tracks From Debut Foley Mountain Playboys Album

Excited to share a couple of tracks from the upcoming debut album of The Foley Mountain Playboys. This project has been quite off-the-grid as far as any kind of web presence is concerned, so I put together a Reverbnation page and a twitter account ( @FMPlayboys)for the band today to bring us into the 21st Century. Come hang with us in cyber-countrymusicland folks. Looking at late spring to release the record. Stay tuned for a firm release date and CD release shows this summer.

We're really diggin' the ways these tracks are coming together. A nice live off the floor, down and dirty sound. Check them out and let us know what you think.

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One From The Vault : Barstool Conversations (Live)

I was going through my music over at Reverbnation, adding some new solo recordings, and deleting some older tracks, when I stumbled across an old live jam of Barstool Conversations recorded at the Wild Stallion in Kingston some years back. I thought I'd share it with all y'all. It's pretty kickin'! You can download it if you like ( for free).

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Song #30 Week #30 - Rainfall

Well, it has been 30 weeks of songs, so I figured it was a good time for my first instrumental. This really is an improvised piece that I recorded on my ipod while it was raining. The background noises are really what made me want to share this one with you. The rain hitting the rooftop.Cars swishing by. Even a cricket hangs out for the whole song.

I'm playing my newest guitar. An El Degas classical guitar that I found used for the low, low price of $40!!

It's sounding and playing pretty nice.