Tuesday 14 November 2006
Monday - worked like mad on a new blog-based web site for Spinglobe, and several other projects.
Tuesday - more of the same; nearly burned myself out. Largely self-inflicted. Must remember to take breaks. At least I didn’t spend ten hours straight at a desk again. Blog is looking good though.
Wednesday - jammed and hung out with the gang out High Park way, which made everything all better again. I didn’t have my bass with me, so among other things I tried to get as many different sounds as I could out of one cymbal and one gong suspended from a radio-style mic stand.
Thursday - recorded bass tracks for Ellen Carol’s upcoming CD, at Don Kerr’s brand new basement studio. I’ve recorded myself a lot, of course, and been in lots of studios, but it was my first Actual Recording Session. And it went quite smoothly, too. Afterward, went bowling as part of a fundraiser for Gallery 44‘s youth programs. I am a terrible bowler.
Friday - All a blur. I think I worked on the company blog some more.
Saturday - much sleeping in. Also headed in to the new office-to-be to help install some receptacles for the network. In the evening, some very adventurous jamming with Roulette and friends (I played mostly bass and drums).
Sunday - sore as hell. Must have been playing like a maniac last night.
Monday - met up with office mates at the new space again. It’s gonna be pretty cool. And as a sort of reward, I finally snagged those monitors I’ve had my eye on for months. Lots of work to do on the studio now to get it into shape. But: progress!
Monday 8 May 2006
I’m a frickin’ spaz today. So far I have lost (or discovered missing):
- my glasses
- a shock mount for a microphone (later found)
- a bodhrán
- my Metropass
- my wallet
The good news is, Midsummer Night’s Dream is looking awesome. I’ve got a lot of work to do. And between rehearsals, an open stage, and our Friday gig, this is going to be one busy week.
Saturday’s gig (‘twas Nigel‘s CD release) rocked. Packed house, great crowd, awesome openers. I’d never seen David Celia before, and he and his cohorts Joan Besen and Mike Celia were an absolute treat to watch). The rest of the band played a terriffic show - especially considering three of them had had only one rehearsal with us. Really great to play with such an experienced crew. And Don Kerr played cello! I’m thinkin’ his Gas Station studio might be a place to record our upcoming CD…
Wednesday 23 November 2005
Crossposted from flickershow.com - which also has the details on where-when-how much.
Catch our final headlining gig of the year this Friday at the Renaissance, along with Jess Graham and Uncle Seth. And on the 8th we’ll be opening for Archery at the Cameron House. Come out and catch some new tunes!
In side-projectland, Clark will be drumming with our man David Hein on a couple of upcoming gigs (Catch-22, Oshawa on the 29th and Healey’s in Toronto on December 2nd). Davey’s got a kickass new CD on the way in the new year, so watch his site for news. I’ll be playing bass with Some of the Parts at the Renaissance on December 3rd.
Meanwhile, if you’re into podcasting, or indie music, or both, check out Jay Moonah’s Toronto Independent Music Podcast on BlogTO.com. Each week, Jay spins half a dozen tunes from cool bands you might not have caught anywhere else. And this week, we’re leading off the show!
Wednesday 26 October 2005
Second rehearsal tonight with the Parts. It’s a good workout, since Nigel writes catchy songs with lots of tricky changes and twists, and there’s lots of room to do cool stuff. My playing continues to improve, and I’m finding my way around the fingerboard with a lot more confidence - in terms of finding the right notes, improvising, and intonation.
The Fender Jazz is still an alien beast… I’m used to the ultra-light touch of the fretless, so my playing is clumsy, with lots of missed notes. I’ll have to see if lighter strings help.
Oh, and we had a puppy at rehearsal. At our first practice, about a month ago, another member of the band brought in a tiny retriever puppy. Young Sammy whined a bit when we started, but once we sat her down in the midst of the band, next to her adopted mum, she was fine. Now, Sammy is about four times the size, and on the verge of being too big to fit in laps and duffel bags. She’s a sweetie and has ears like boat sails.
