Journal
TeleMiracle 34 Regina – March 9, 2010
TM34 The Pikes were bestowed with the honor of being included in the national cast of TeleMiracle 34 in Regina, the band’s first TM experience. It was a fantastic event – the cast and crew were exceptional and being ‘home’, it was also a wonderful way for us to catch up with old friends. It [...]
We’re back… June 25, 2009
Hi gang, I write this as we travel west on the #1 from Winnipeg (aka Winterpeg aakkaa Summerpeg, today very warm) to Brandon for a play at The 40 tonight. Like the unconditional love of a best friend, the good souls of Manitoba’s capitol were out in full force at the McPhillips Station Casino last [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
July 29, 2003
Left: Jay, Merl, Jeff 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 [...]
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 [...]
TeleMiracle 34 Regina – March 9, 2010
Pikes soundcheck at TM 34 with fiddle extraordinaire Donny Parenteau
TM34
The Pikes were bestowed with the honor of being included in the national cast of TeleMiracle 34 in Regina, the band’s first TM experience. It was a fantastic event – the cast and crew were exceptional and being ‘home’, it was also a wonderful way for us to catch up with old friends. It truly felt at times like a bit of a family reunion.
I believe I was the hands-on favorite for ‘cast member who traveled the furthest to participate’. I am presently working on a Discovery Channel documentary series that had me start this journey back to the prairies from the south of Madagascar. I departed on my first of five flights with a severe fever and an inner ear infection. Though the fever broke somewhere over the Mediterranean Sea, the ear infection continued to worsen. By the time I arrived in Regina I was in desperate need of a doctor. During my stop over in Toronto I contacted a friend on the crew and explained my situation and asked him if he could reach out to the producers of the show to help me find some medical attention when I land. And sure enough, as soon as I did land I was whisked off to a clinic directly from the airport and had my problem attended to.
This was indicative of the entire weekend and what TeleMiracle is really about.
Love is not a feeling. It is not something written on a Hallmark card or the sensation of butterflies in your stomach when someone special walks into a room. Love is a verb. Love is action. Love is feeding a baby. Love is taking care of your parents when they are too old to take care of themselves. Love is picking up a pen and writing a cheque to help someone you don’t know. Love is arranging a doctor to see a sick musician whom you’ve never met.
TeleMiracle is about love – pure and simple.
During the wrap party Sunday night, testimonial after testimonial from cast members and volunteers spoke of the ‘full hearts’ everyone felt. Its not surprising at all because every one of us were cogs in this giant love machine that was firing on all cylinders for an entire weekend. Jay had the unique opportunity to visit various facilities and meet with staff and especially recipients of the donations made by the good people of Saskatchewan. He said it was a life changing experience and I have no doubt that he will view his own life moving forward through a different paradigm.
I want to thank everyone who made the Pikes experience at TM 34 special and I want to extend a personal thank you to Heidi for simply caring about my condition when I arrived.
Sincerely yours,
Bryan
c/o the Pikes