Thursday 31 January 2013

Upcoming show, the BoodAbooM project, songs, about words and permanence

My first blog of 2013! Let me start by wishing all of you readers peace and blessings in this coming year. The Christmas season was great with family and friends sharing a meal at our home. I was a little worried as we did have snow on the 25th and although many are delighted with a white Christmas, I am not a fan of snow. So I cleared the stairs and did the best I could with the driveway. As it turned out the snow, while annoying, didn’t stop anyone from coming over and sharing a great evening.

On the BoodAbooM project since my last blog entry, Tina Jones of the Kerplunks and Wunderbread came in and added her voice to the upcoming album. She did a fantastic job and I am thrilled to include her energy to this collection of songs. I am anxious to have these recordings heard and exposed for all to hear. The hardest part of recording a new collection of songs is to wait until the process is complete. After all the musical nuances have been mused over and the last guitar strum has been recorded, the task of mixing and mastering is next. As of tomorrow I believe the last thing to be recorded will be done. Plans are to add a harmonica part in the song “I’m Worried”. I wrote the song after a trip to L.A. in 2001 which was one of the more bizarre journeys I’ve made. I came home with a feeling that everything we encounter that comes from Hollywood has to be put into question, including the influence it has on our society. If all goes really well and there are no stumbling blocks the songs should be ready for the next step by mid month.
Photo by Jan Stephens

When I started this blog I told myself not to get too controversial or political. There are so many stories to be shared and things going on in this country, the continent, this world! It’s hard to know where to start or what to focus on. So please, excuse me while I side step music for a moment.

I read an incredibly good blog on what happened with the “Occupy Movement”. It hasn’t died, but it has seen much change. This article gives an interesting insight. Click here to read. Next was finding a video from “Anonymous” warning Canadians about the Harper regime that boiled the blood while sending chills up the spine. No wonder they are trying to warn us, between Bill C-45 gutting our environmental laws and more, the Canada / China trade deal the Harper cooked up, Mr Harper’s smear campaign against those who would oppose him, accusations of big oil companies guiding Harper’s decisions, the words “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes dutytake on a sense of urgency. One can quickly understand why the “Idle No More” movement has sprung into action and why it is important to all of us Canadians. I don’t want to form your opinions for you, read the article links and decide for yourself a course of action.

I try to be careful with words because while that is what we have to communicate with, words are incredibly powerful and at the same time horribly ineffective. You must chose your words wisely as is pointed out in the third step of the noble eight fold path and the third of the five precepts that the Buddha taught. I think we are well advised to learn to listen before jumping to conclusions as well. That allows for a clearer perspective without preconceived notions or judgement. Not always easy to do, but it does seem like the most advantageous choice. It is good to strive for these things, even if we find ourselves falling short of the mark. After all, we are all just humans trying to find our way through the maze of life.

Back to the world of music, I was invited to perform a song live on air and be interviewed on CHLY’s “Songwriters Circle” show Dec. 30th. Nice way to end the year! Host Dave Kilbank and co-host Pam Edgar chatted with me about the upcoming BoodAbooM album. The interview was captured on video for those who may be interested. Click here to see the interview. I love doing “live on air” radio because it heightens the sense of being “in the moment” and it is always a lot of fun going down to the station. I will be there for February 3rd for another chat around 11 AM to talk about the upcoming album and my next Nanaimo performance. Tune in or listen on line at CHLY.

February 8th is going to be my first performance for 2013, being the featured act for the Red Willow Coffee House. I played this coffee house gathering a couple of years back and had a wonderful night. The acoustics are superb, the hosts gracious and of course this is also a night to pitch in for the local “Loaves and Fishes” food bank. Everyone is asked to bring a nonperishable food donation to help out those who need. I am looking forward to presenting songs from the BoodAbooM album in an up close and personal form, voice and guitar. The lyrics and stories stand out beyond any audio dressings to be offered and examined by all in attendance. If you the reader are in the mid Vancouver Island area, please come and share some music with me. Admission by donation, open mic performers are free.

I also recently posted the songThe Light Within” from my “Choices” CD on my Reverbnation site for anyone to listen to. Eventually songs from the “BoodAbooM” will also be posted for listening purposes. Links to where the songs will be able to be downloaded will be posted as soon as things are ready.

The next Nanaimo show will be announced with the next blog, until then the venue and date will stay undisclosed. The one of the dates has been booked, but a lot of details still need to be worked out. There are irons in the fire for more live performing now that the BoodAbooM album is nearing completion and my focus is changing, so check back and see what’s up at the BoodAbooM web site or check back here at the blog.

I will leave you with these thoughts. Permanence is the grand illusion, nothing stays the same. Everything that comes into being eventually changes or goes away. Every choice you make alters the path of your life and obscures the path of the other choice. Enjoy life for what it is and as it unfolds itself before you. This journey of this life is the gift we need to pay attention to. Please have a listen to the title song from my previous album “Choices” at this link, then go hug someone that you love. Love is the answer.

Until later, Brother T