Journal
Dec 3, 2004
“Give me a sound warning. Give me a trace of love. Give me Hell for effort. Listen to the crows cry for sustenance – they know more than we give them credit for.
My story is a long time coming…”
I’ve been AWOL for some time now and I promise that I will try to give a [...]
Dec 2, 2003
I’ve not written for sometime - not sure what happened though… When we played in Saskatoon last week, I went out a few days early to hang with Don and Jacque at their new house north of the city, which, by-the-way, is fabulous. Very private and very quiet. We ate and drank and watched movies [...]
Sept 19, 2003
Iron Horse, Kingston. We’ve had a hit and miss history with Kingston. I remember some great gigs and a couple of disasters and some strange, “coming of age” times as well. Lakeview Manor was an early show experience here—and my first exposure to bill sharing with women who wear little-to-no clothing. We played a show [...]
Sept 18, 2003
I love my cowboy suit. I love the hat. I feel like Tim McGraw when I put it on. I feel like a mysterious, dangerous character. I feel like a fun-loving redneck ready for a rock’n good time.
The first few numbers in the set are very upbeat and with the cowboy suits it’s like HeeHaw [...]
Sept 17, 2003
Cambridge. Fiddler’s Green. Some shows are difficult to describe only because I can’t remember anything of any real significance happening. We played and it all came together nicely. I think we have mastered the ability of putting on a solid show that continually builds through out the night. When you have as many relatively recognized [...]
Sept 12, 2003
Every now and then, we play a gig that’s a bit of a freak show. The venue or the audience or a certain combination of both qualify the gig to “freak status”. Enter the Brampton Fairgrounds. This one was certainly hovering close to freak status. We were picking up after the demolition derby and the [...]
Aug 4, 2003
Right: The Pikes and Rob Wells aka Ricky from Trailer Park Boys
This is arguably the tastiest date on this little tour - figuratively and literally. The Marquee club is owned and operated by one of the coolest guys in town: Victor Syperek. The host of hosts makes us feel like royalty when we are there. [...]
Aug 3, 2003
Last night we played a private party in Fredericton. Super-fans Krista & Geoffrey Downey celebrated their recent marriage (together 12 years before tying the knot - heads up to all of you twenty somethings wanting to get married!!!) by throwing an amazing bash at a beautiful hotel on the outskirts of town. Two tons of [...]
Aug 2, 2003
OK Enough loafing around. Time to get back to work. New Glasgow’s Jubilee Festival last night. Pretty typical show for us. Several thousand people seemed to have a good time. Weather was perfect. Patrick was a great help. And a fantastic venue! Thank you Emma.
Got back to the hotel in time to see the second [...]
July 29, 2003
Left: Jay, Merl, Jeffrey Liberty, Don & Bryan
Good morning Fish-Heads. O’Leary’s in St. John last night. Absolutely amazing. A small club filled to the rafters. The best kind of shows. The audience was so much fun to play for. Hot, sticky, sweaty fun. Steve, Craig, Sherrie and Stephanie were all very kind and generous. Tech-extrordinaire and [...]
July 28, 2003
Greetings from Eastern Canada. We’re en route to St. John NB this morning. Last night’s gig in Port Hawkesbury was interesting. Temperamental weather played havoc on the set and things got pretty wet up there - I hope the gear works tonight! Do you know how cool Don looks when water is pouring down from [...]
July 28, 2003
Greetings from Eastern Canada. We’re en route to St. John NB this morning. Last night’s gig in Port Hawkesbury was interesting. Temperamental weather played havoc on the set and things got pretty wet up there - I hope the gear works tonight! Do you know how cool Don looks when water is pouring down from [...]
Dec 2, 2003
I’ve not written for sometime - not sure what happened though… When we played in Saskatoon last week, I went out a few days early to hang with Don and Jacque at their new house north of the city, which, by-the-way, is fabulous. Very private and very quiet. We ate and drank and watched movies and we walked over frozen water on the lake. I’ve been mucking my way through a Trailor Park weekend-cold from Halifax for days now so the fresh air did good. And I intended to write about not only the NS trip but BC and SK when I was there. And Don said a funny thing: if you feel like there is nothing much worth writing then don’t feel like you MUST write about something. Good point, maybe I felt at the time there was not much to say - however I do believe I’ve started a bit of a dialogue with anyone who cares to listen (read) so I’m trying to be the responsible friend by staying in touch.
Let me tell you about the last few shows - what I remember.
I relish trips to the west coast and have lately been learning that when you land in Vancouver and turn the van eastward there are some equally stunning whistle-stops on your journey. The two most memorable gigs for me were Nelson and Fernie (the former sadly being the night the Riders missed their chance of playing for the Grey Cup at HOME). Jay has family in Fernie (and Don has family everywhere else in Canada!) so it was nice for him to parlay work into “quality time”. There was some pretty intense weather over the Kootney pass and Don and Merl both displayed some solid driving.
BC is very much home for me. BC (Victoria) is where I became a person (ages 7 to 15). I have spent so much time on the road during the adult years of my life that pretty much everywhere in the country holds something special for me - it is a people connection. I will confess that there are numerous places I would rather not live but prying specifics out of me could prove challenging - for obvious reasons. Let’s just say I’m flexible!
I live in Toronto and I like it. I lived in Ottawa for a year (07/2002 - 07/2003) and I liked it. And then getting the Don and Jacque perspective recently has me of the opinion that diversification is the key. I encourage any of you to take advantage of the increasingly cheap airfare that can be had these days and see the country.
Halifax was party time. I got pretty shnockered the first (and last) night(s) I was there. I believe that was when I empregnated myself with the cold. Rob and Mike and Jonathan were holding court at the Shoe. We landed on Wed night and immediately went out for dinner and ran into the guys at the restaurant. There was one particularly drunk lady who was trying to kick people as hard as possible. Charming. The gigs were especially fun. No Tiki Lounge sadly as Master Campbell was in Toronto doing his thing. Maybe next time. Slightly embarrassed to say that the outdoor hockey on TV was one of my highlights that weekend. I thought the “real” game was fantastic. It just looked very freak’n cool. Vince Lombardi hockey.
We were guests of the Casino Nova Scotia and they really took great care of us - made me feel like Wayne Newton.
One night I tries me hand at gambling and puts 20 bucks into a slot machine and nothing came out and I feels completely ripped off and left. Luck is expensive no matter what you do in life. If you get lucky and raise kids into smart, strong, compassionate adults, you pay for it with time and patience. If you get lucky and make a solid career for yourself you usually pay for it with effort and persistence.
I guess I didn’t have the $500.00 required to “win big”. Nonetheless, even if I did I think I probably would have still walked out after the first twenty disappeared…
No rest leaving Halifax again. Rob, his lovely date and I headed out for some fun after work Saturday night. I got on the plane without sleep and nothing ingested but alcohol around 6:00AM and simply have not felt the same since. Ah, the maturation process. Wise or whimpy or a combination of both? The answer lies within…
Saskatoon was and continues to be a strange place for us to play. The city must entirely be Gemini’s because you just never know which Saskatoon you’re gonna get. And in true split-personality form, over the coarse of two nights, we got both. I must admit that I “phoned in” the Friday show. All I could think about that night was going to bed. But Saturday presented a larger, rambunctious crowd that wanted to party, which can quickly change one’s mood mentally and physically - suddenly the cold you’ve been hacking begins to clear for a little while.
We tinkered a little with the set those two nights and I think it’s starting to solidify.
Just for a laugh Don and I did a White Stripes version of “Believe” Saturday which we bashed out that night and it was fun… but we’ll see if it makes it to the next show. I’m not sold yet.
Yeah, Saskatoon has always been a little surreal, Rod Serling-ish. There is a museum quality to life there that reminds me of those wildlife displays where all the animals are taxidermied and frozen in time, immobile, usually in attack mode. But with that breeds a sense of familiarity which, take it or leave it, can seem reassuring sometimes - at the very least endearing. Gets back to what I was saying earlier: there are some places I wouldn’t want to live in and some I would. But clearly there is a people connection with Saskatoon that is in ways unrivaled. Funny thing is so many of the people that I associate with my Saskatoon years don’t live there anymore (plus or minus 1 to 3 percentage points!).
Speaking of which, my twenty-five year high school anniversary is coming up and I would like to participate in a reunion if indeed it exists. If any of my graduating class reads this (Evan Hardy Collegiate 1981) and knows anything upcoming please let me know. My hunch is it will be fun. Jay went to his recently and had a ball. Email the site - I will get the message.
I’m looking forward to this weekend. I think we sound better right now than any other time recently - we’re playing well.
So, evidently the record is in stores today. I wouldn’t know that for sure because it is 3:30PM and I am still in my underwear. Been one of those days. The children will be home soon from school so it is probably wise that maybe I try washing myself and putting clothes on so I don’t completely scar them for life.
Adios Amigos
bp
c/o the pikes