Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Express Post

Tomorrow night is the first practice with the new band. I've been busy writting out tabs and chord charts for the tunes. It's amazing how little lead-guitar I remember -- and my ear and guitar technique are conjoined enough to make it easy to decode.

I'm working on content for the new website -- I really like when bands take the time to write some stuff for their online world, so I sent an Email out to the Barn Flyz down in Guelph -- I got back a "from the desk of a barn fly" letter in about 10 minutes (I guess the -10 weather is giving the boys some time for internet use). I need to write some more stuff, and do some more graphic design.

Ex-Parkas frontman Grady Kelneck is coming down to hang out with Peja, Sienna, and I, and do some recording in the studio. I'm going to drag him along to the Barn Flyz practice -- he plays a mean accordian, and I want to use it to fill in for the harmonica parts I'm not so adept at playing avec guitar.

Did I just use some french to get out of a messy sentence?

Whoops.

Thanks to Adam and Tara for always carting out the comments.

In Grand Caymen, we had this bus driver from Jamica who would always ask us to "speak to me, when you speak to me, it makes me feel better".

Off to the post office -- I hope there's a line-up, and that the person in front of me is express-posting invitations to a 300 person wedding.

Jay.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Promotion. . .


I'm hangin' with Peja today -- she's getting a bit of a cold, and it's just plain COLD outside, so I'm splitting my time between pretending I'm a dinosaur, and playing with Peja (that joke depends entirely on how seriously you take your commas).

The show is still a couple of months off, but I'm working on the poster. So, the big ol' picture of yours truly is either the saddest acceptance of personal vanity, or my attempt to connect with people using a face instead of a name. Well, I guess it doesn't have to be 100% one way or the other. . . But, I mean, to pretend that I'm not REALLY aware that my image is there (look up in the right hand corner of this blog for what I prefer to appear as), would just be so dishonest. I mean, when the shop windows are reflecting outwards, it's time to make sure your ass isn't hanging out, right? (sorry mom, I've been trying really hard not to swear).

Oh, hey, google analytics (www.google.analytics) have been telling me that a few people have been stopping by, so I just wanted to say "hi" to anyone who hasn't been here before.

Hi!

A skeleton of the new website is up somewhere online, when it's done, it'll be moving over to somewhere easier to find, and then I'll give you the link. Want it done faster? Head over to www.adamhewgill.com and give him hell.

This blog will still live here, because blogger is so easy, but there'll be links from here to there and from there to here.

Jay.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The kid calls me "man"

Went to the Banff Mountain Film Festival last night -- it's a touring festival that Sienna's work sponsors every year. I worked the raffle table, smiling at people while wishing them luck at winning the size 14 right boot in the prize display. The show was quite good, and even better, Peja went to sleep for her Ba-Chan, a.k.a. Sienna's mom, and was still asleep when we got home at 10:45 -- I think our first evening out that didn't end with the consolation of screams. High times indeed.

It's all part of the general trend back towards being human beings, a trend that is sure to waver as we move through this bizarre adventure of parenting, but right now, the skies are clear and the Dad to Jay ratio is looking better all the time. The kid has started to call me "man", and that alone makes me happy about everything.

The first all-band rehersal has been scheduled for next week. Lead guitarist / head Dorian guy Tim Tran has been kind enough to donate the music school for jams, so Sienna and Peja won't have to suffer through our awkward phases. The band is a 5 piece, a number that gives me pause; with a 3 piece, a band is almost assuredly going to sound tight, as long as everyone is listening to someone, the whole band will be locked together. With 4, you can pair-off and lose cohesion fairly easily. But I am hopeful, I think the musicians I've somehow bribed, borrowed, and/or stolen are all very good, thoughtful players, and I'm really excited about hearing them all play together.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

The Piano Man

Today I jammed with a fellow BMLSS Grad, one Nick Peat, who plays some mean keys. Grady did not lie, the kid is great. We worked on the new folk/country version of City Lights, and a few other things, and each time he came up with something great to play.

And, although I have yet to manage to get the whole band in a room together (I'm hoping to do so sometime in the next couple of weeks, I swear), I'm really started to think you should all buy advance tickets for the show and help us sell it out!

The challenge is going to be getting my electric piano to the venue - they have a grand-piano there, but Nick was coming up with some great Rhodes, Organ, and Vibrophone stuff, so I think I'm going to have to find someone who's back seats fold down (alas, mine do not -- why, Ford, why?).

Had a very nice dinner tonight with Sienna's folks -- they were kind and had a fork, knife, and spoon waiting for me. I practiced with her dad for a while after dinner, picking up raw rice, and I think next time I'm going to brave the chopsticks at the inlaws dinner table. I mean, Peja's actually getting pretty good with them, I could at least try.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

The New Barn Flyz. . .


The live show is planned for Saturday, March 24 -- it'll be at the Salvation Army Church by Victoria Park. It's funny that two main choices for downtown venues are bars or churches.

Because the real Barn Flyz aren't even speaking with me right now (enough re-takes will test any friendship), I've been putting together another kingston set of Barn Flyz to fill in.

Josh from Cedar Speeder will be rockin' the bass, and my very cool boss Tim Tran will be taking lead guitar duties. I'm meeting with a keyboard player tomorrow, Nick, who was recommended for the gig by a Grady Kelneck, ex Parkas singer/guitarist. So the band is just about put together. Now, uh, all we have to do is, you know, learn the songs. . .

I put together a set list, and dug through and found all the cd's and stuff to make up mix cd's with the right tracks in the right order. Man, I couldn't find a copy of Free Soup to save my life -- I had to download 15' away from the Radical Dudez website.

Oh, and Peja and I bought a new Harmonica Brace yesterday -- live harmonica is going to take some practice. . .

Monday, January 15, 2007

Winter Wheat. .


Barn Flyz Web-Guy Adam Hewgill has come through with a first mock-up of the website that'll promote and sell the new record. So, someday, you might be able just to head over to a website that doesn't end in .blogspot.com to get your Barn Flyz info. The album still appears to be called "songs for my seaweed girl", and it will be out sometime in late March or early April. Packaging design, a little more recording, some mixing, some mastering, and a big ol' live show will follow. News as it happens. Comics as I post them. Snow as it falls.

Quick news about the real barn flyz, they got their winter wheat planted just before Christmas, and during that time they were making some pretty insane treks to K-town in the night to record. I'd sneak the 24 track down to the basement so we wouldn't wake the kid (the basement is dank, mouse infested, and bosts at 5'5" ceiling), and we'd generally wrap up around 3 am, when they'd get into their 1984 GMC sierra and start the long drive home, getting there just in time to start work. To be honest, I think I kind of burned them out -- their answering machine right now just answers "you've reached 547-28##, if this is Jay, the last take was perfect, leave us alone; otherwise please leave a message".

Friday, January 12, 2007

A funny thing happened on the way to the studio. . .

So they're here.

Sienna's folks.

Peja's grandfolks.

And they love the kid. And the kid loves them. And I got freed for like 4 hours on a wednesday morning.

You know that look that a lost dog has when it's wandering through a strange neighbourhood, and you just KNOW that it's lost and you grab it's collar and check it's tags? Well, I think that's what I looked like when I realised that I had my first chance in about a month and a half to really get some work done in my studio. I didn't know where to start, where the album was at, what songs to work on, if I should be writing, or finding old lyrics, or what.

I decided to evaluate all the work I've been doing since the band break-up. Somehow, there's a lot of songs done, 10, in fact, that I think are pretty much on-target for the kind of album I wanted to make. So, I finally get time to do some recording, and it's already done. . . But mixing and mastering and artwork and lots of other fun stuff will fill my newly found spare time.

The 30 brave comics have all been mocked-up. I printed the first 2 today and inked all of the first and half of the second. Inking is so terrifying - I spend most of my creative life using word processors and multi-track recorders completely married to the undo and redo short-cuts.

I guess it's kind of like a live performance - high-risk and high-reward.

I need to get some wite-out

Jay.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Doesn't everyone do it?

Ray, Layla, and Sierra. . .

Hey, just a quick note for comic readers -- I've changed everyone's name. You'll probably figure out who's who. If you have any trouble, just ring your call button.

Vick to Clue

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Monday, January 08, 2007

I was back at work tonight, teaching drums over at Dorian. It's a job I'm really starting to enjoy -- the commute is the only burn, because I'd really rather not own a car, but 15 minutes of driving compared with and hour of bus riding is just a bad trade. Also, we use the car on occasion to buy apple juice and to visit family.

Tomorrow, I think, my in-laws are moving to town. They're coming to see Peja, and see Peja they will! We're hoping to set up some stable times so they can hang with her and I can get some work done in my studio. Production on the new album should really pick up. I'm still aiming for a late March, Early April release. Adam over at Average Adam is signed on for some web-design, and we're hoping to have the capacity to sell the record not only mail-order, but with options for downloading too.

Over at Zunior you get PDF's of artwork and stuff with the downloads, so maybe we'll try for that kind of thing too. I'm sure there's a service, possibly even Zunior itself, that would manage that stuff for me, but it'd be really neat to be able to sell digital files directly without any middle-man. I mean, what's the point of selling online if your still paying someone to "stock" the music? It's just a lower-quality product with less money going to the artist.

So we'll see about all that. And I'll try and get some new comics up. And get the 30 inked. And sent away to be rejected.

Maybe finish my novel.

Miles to go before we sleep.

Jay.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Bringing it all back home




Faithful friends and readers, and specifically the disgruntled Kevin Plested; firefighter, computer-nerd, balding late twenties icon of success and familial bliss,

This morning I woke up on a soft warm bed, in a beautiful state room, on a luxury cruise ship in the golf of mexico. 2 baggage checks, 2 bus-rides, 1 air-port shuttle, 2 pilots (first one got sick), 1 plane-ride, 17 semi-platonic security pat-downs, 2 customs questionaires, and a 3 hour drive on the 401 later, I find myself back in my house in Kingston, freezing on a 2nd hand couch, writing to y'all.

And, yes, it's very, very good to be home.

Jay.

P.S. Comics, music news, and lots of other stuff very soon. Maybe even some pictures from the trip. Isn't that just what everyone wants to see? Uh. . . I'm the guy with the serious lung infection and the 101 fever. . .