Deets on the new record...

Yikes!
Hard to believe it's been over a month since my last posting!
But when I think of all the things I've been up to, it's obvious why it's been so long...
Since October, I've been to Nashville, showcased and was nominated at the Western Canadian Music Awards AND... Recorded a brand new record!
The band and I just finished recording my 4th album. Unlike last record which took over 3 years to finally complete, this one has been recorded in less than a year since the last one (In Transit) was released.
For the first time, I am producing the record on my own. This is a very exciting endeavour for me. I get to make the record that I really want to make. I've been producing several records for other artists along with my studio partner, Chris Wynters for the last 3-4 years and felt that it was definitely time to try my own material.
We rented a space and brought in a bunch of gear from my studio. The idea was to capture the band in a very live state. I was really looking to limit the amount of overdubs and record the band the way we sound live at a show. The production was also very "dry" sounding and by that, I mean that the use of reverb and delay are limited, consequently the songs sound like they are being performed in your living room. The band lent their skills as well and were really able to shine. The feel of the record is slightly more mellow than previous recordings. There are also a few departures song-wise; there are two songs that we did that are very much story driven. By that I mean that the lyrics are very much a narrative. We recorded one song, "Canadian Summer", with just one microphone. We all sat in a circle around the mic and played it completely acoustically, in a very stripped down, rootsy feel.
At any rate, I'm excited for the record to be mixed and ready to be released for the spring of '09.

Ahhh, Nashville!

So my trip here to Nashville is rapidly winding up.
I've been staying at the SOCAN Nashville House. It's a house that is graciously provided, free of charge to members of Socan, who successfully apply. This is an amazing tool to have at our disposal and my hat is off to both Socan and the house hosts, Lee Ann and Darrell Burgess.
This is a truly amazing town. Music is everywhere.
And if ever there were a great example of how lucrative a business the arts/music can be, it's here. And by no means does it mean that money usurps creativity. In fact if anything, they go hand in hand.
You can't help but feel inspired by the history of the place. The Ryman Auditorium (original home of the Grand Ol' Opry) is a beautiful old building. Brown's Diner is the great, seedy, greasy spoon where all the great writers through the town's history drank and commiserated.
There are plaques everywhere, each one explaining some historical event or another that took place in that spot.
I was lucky enough to be able to meet up with a friend who lives down here, Mike Plume.
Mike was just finishing up the polishing touches on his new record the first day I was in town and he was good enough to let me hang in the studio with he and his producer. I was even able to contribute a small, line change for Mike's tune "8:30 Newfoundland", a song you will all be hearing soon, as I'm sure it will be a hit.
The producer Mike was working with was a walking storybook. Brent Maher has worked with Elvis and Carl Perkins and pretty much every other successful musician Nashville has ever produced...
I managed to finish off 4 new songs and may still complete one more before I head home tomorrow.
We'll be starting to pre-produce the songs with the band as soon as I get home and we'll hit the studio shortly thereafter.

Great shows

Just got home after seeing two fantastic shows:
Andrea House and then Smashula. Complete dichotomies. But both excellent.
Unfortunately being able to see both meant leaving Andrea's early, which broke my heart because it was so beautiful.
Andrea and Smashula were both releasing their CDs. I strongly suggest you check them out.
I have a big show tomorrow with the band at the Haven Social Club. We're going to be recording the show for eventual release...
I have two shows on Saturday for the Arts on the Ave/Kalideo Festival and then on Sunday, I'm flying to Nashville to do some writing.
I'll be sure to keep you all posted...
J.M.

So if you count the Caribbean as a separate ocean (sea), then I have visited 3 in as many weeks...
First the Pacific for the Edge of the World Music Festival, then the Atlantic for my East Coast tour, which I'll get into later and now... The Caribbean where I am currently hanging out, pen and paper in hand working on tunes for the new record. Don't expect any steel drums...
Great cigars and the rum flows like water. Trust me, you get more hydrated from a bottle of rum here than you do from the tap water...
My east coast tour was a great success. Nick and I managed to finally be in Fredericton and actually have a gig, instead of a dead car. All the shows were excellent but what stood out were the people. Be that the family that let us crash at their house after our gig in Annapolis Royal or the great folks at the Union Street Cafe in Berwick who took us to a fantastic gathering/kitchen party after our set.
I managed to get a few songs written and recorded a demo of one.
Next week, when I get back, I'll start getting together with the band to run new material for our show at the Haven Social Club and for the new record.
Gotta go, time for a swim!

In Halifax, it rains and then stops. And then rains again...

Sitting on the patio of the Economy Shoe Shop, a regular musician/artist haunt here in Halifax.
I arrived this morning at 6:30am, local time. 3:30am, my time.
I've arrived earlier and my touring partner, Nick Perreault is arriving on a 5pm flight...
Needless to say, I have about 10 or so hours to kill in Halifax.
I was in no hurry and next to no sleep to go on so, upon my arrival at Halifax Intl. I found a bench and slept for an hour or so, at which point I was a little more with it and rented a car.
The fog was so thick when we landed, that half the plane gave out a bit of a yelp when we landed, thinking we were still up in the clouds... I was not among the yelpers but don't blame them, as it was a bit of a shock.
So I rented a car and drove in to downtown. As soon as I hit the city limits, it just began pissing rain. I figured I was going to be held up in some cafe for the duration of my layover. But it let up, just as I parked the car and I was able to get out and go for a bit of an exploration. As luck would have it, I parked right beside the Alexander Keith's Brewery building which also is the home of the local farmer's/artisan market.
Truly an amazing spectacle. The building was packed with shoppers feasting on the plethora of incredible products and edibles. It dwarfed the Edmonton Farmer's Market in comparison.
I settled on a breakfast wrap, which was sauteed up, right in front of me with my choice of veggies and meats. Best $5 I've ever spent on a breakfast wrap.
At this point, all the excitement had taken whatever reserves my 1 hour airport nap had provided and it was time to go back to sleep. Besides, the rain had started up again so I drove up to the Halifax Citadel, the 200+ year old fortress in central Halifax.
I parked the car and slept for another 2 hours. I awoke inspired and began jotting down lyrics for my next #1 hit...
Keep your ears peeled when the next album comes out, you may just hear a few Halifax references in a tune which, at the moment is called, "Canadian Summers".
Time to go get Nick and make the 2 hour drive to our first gig...

Driving and more driving

Just returned from the beautiful Queen Charlotte Islands.
Dave and I were playing the Edge of the World Festival.
We drove 1500 kms to Prince Rupert, got on a 6 hour ferry and arrived on the pristine island where we were greeted by our excellent billet hosts, Pat and Lucy.
We had a bit of a scare on our drive to Prince Rupert when we caught a rock in the windshield. Now this is a fairly common occurrence except that this chip made such a huge bang when it hit, I had ringing in my ears... The result was a massive spiderweb smash in the middle of my window. So hard that you can feel the crack on the inside of the window...
We were treated to local hospitality. This included a small army of a dozen or so people searching the island for diesel when we went exploring the island on an empty tank...
There were plenty of gas stations, just none with diesel. Oh, except the one that was closed...
We played a short set on Sunday to an appreciative crowd. Couldn't help but think that we would have gone over better at this particular festival if we were playing with the full band. Here's hoping we get the chance to do that next year!
The drive home was extreme to say the least. We got on the ferry at 9am, arrived in Prince Rupert at 6pm and drove straight home through the night arriving in Edmonton this morning at 10am. Now I'm off to play at the Druid open stage tonight...
Then bed.

Craziness....

Phew....
This summer seems to be flying by!
I've been zigging and zagging across the country with no end in sight.
The day that we flew out to Toronto to play with Spirit of the West at the Horseshoe, we found out that the new record, In Transit, was nominated for THREE Western Canadian Music Awards; Outstanding Pop Album, Album design and Video of the Year for Transportation!
In case you're wondering where you can find the video, we haven't released it yet but it will be coming soon so keep an eye out for it on YouTube.
This year's WCMA's will be held in my adopted home town of Edmonton from Oct 16 to 19. Congrats to all the other nominees.
Check the website or click here for pictures of the craziness at the Horseshoe.
If you're on the East coast, mark you calendar for the last half of August as I will be out there on tour for a handful of shows.
Thanks for tuning in!