Lovestruck Blues CD release event was a blast!
The Cottage Bistro on Vancouver’s Main Street was the perfect venue for the Lovestruck Blues CD release on May 9th .
The evening featured guest performances from some of the talented folks who performed on the album including vocalists Michelle Baynton and Cecile Larochelle.
It was great to see so many old and new friends out at the show and a special thank you to all those who bought the new CD!
Spring, Wine and Music at Dakota Creek Wineries
Thanks to Ken and Jill Peck from Dakota Creek Wineries for inviting me to perform on May 10th at their annual Springfest Art Tour and wine release event on mother’s day weekend. The Dakota Creek Winery is set on beautiful grounds just outside of Blaine, WA. It was a truly inspiring location for playing music, sampling the Jill’s blend wine and checking out the wares of some great local artists.
CD Release Show – Friday May 9th!
I am pleased to announce the CD release party for my new CD, Lovestruck Blues on May 9th at the Cottage Bistro in Vancouver, BC. I’ll be featuring some special guests from the recording and we plan to have a whole lot of fun. Hope to see you there.
The Cottage Bistro
4468 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
Show: 8:00pm
Cover: $10 at door
Featuring: Jill Newman – lead & slide guitar, vocals
Brian Scott – bass and Loren Etkin – drums
My new CD, Lovestruck Blues is finally ready!
I’m very pleased to announce that my new CD, Lovestruck Blues is hot off the presses and finally ready! Lovestruck Blues features ten original blues and roots tunes and showcases my lead and slide electric guitar work, vocals and songwriting. The CD was recorded over the past year in two of my favourite cities, Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, BC . 
Lovestruck Blues features tracks with some great guests including Vancouver musicians, Keith Bennett – harp, Scott Smith-rhythm guitar and Seattle musicians Polly O’Keary- bass, Tommy Cook Jr.- drums, and Seattle Slim- rhythm guitar. It was a long time coming, but I’m delighted that it’s finally ready.
CD’s or digital downloads can be purchased at CD baby, Amazon or iTunes and samples of tracks can be found under the music tab.
Check out the new CD and let me know what you think or leave a review.
Washington Blues Show at the Muse
It was a lot of fun playing the Conway Muse on Saturday Night during this holiday long weekend.
The Muse is an eclectic venue that features original music and has hosted a lot of great blues and roots acts, most recently Karen Lovely and Margaret Wilder. Situated in rural Conway, WA just south of the tulip fields that envelope the Skagit Valley and on the banks of the Skagit River, the Muse was an old dairy barn from the 1900’s that has been converted into a two level arts/music venue. It’s got a warm and welcoming vibe, a funky atmosphere complete with lights and a soundman (Kevin). The boys in the band, Kelly Van Camp (drums and harmonica) and Rob Mitchell (bass) did a great job holding down the rhythm. I look forward to returning to the Muse.
Blues Therapy at Guilt & Company
There’s nothing like good blues therapy and we had a great session last Sunday at Guilt & Company. Guilt & Company is hidden away in a corner basement location in Gastown, Vancouver, but when you walk in there’s a great vibe with warm wooden furniture in a cavernous room and a big sparkling stage outlined with rough hewn logs and stone. I always love a stage where I can set up my three guitars, Fender amp and pedal board and still have space to walk around without tripping. Guilt & Company not only has a great stage, but a helpful sound tech and attentive and friendly staff. The room’s big enough that I got to really wail on some slide guitar and the audience seemed to dig it. We had a blast playing there on Sunday night.
CD is almost ready…..
February 2014
Sitting home on this snow day got me to thinking about music and why we all make so much effort to create music and play music when most of us won’t even come close to a financial return on our investment of time, energy, touring, practice. I recently attended a music industry event in which the keynote speaker told the university crowd that if you’re willing to make music despite the fact that most musicians struggle to make a living and that being on the road is a hard life, then you’re probably ready.
On that note, the new CD, Lovestruck Blues is now mastered and awaiting final design followed by pressing. I’m planning to release the CD in May 2014 with some shows booked in Vancouver, BC and in Washington. I’ll be posting the details soon so please check back.
Happy New Year 2014
December was a busy month. I’ve been finishing the final mixes for my upcoming CD in the studio.
But I did take some time for performances in Washington and Vancouver, BC. Among the highlights, was a benefit for hurricane victims in the Phillipines: Reach Across the Water at the Silver Reef Casino with Andy “Badd Dog” Koch.
Janice Cleven Gage, host of the Blues Note at KSVR 91.7FM, invited me to play at the Washington Blues Society Christmas Party at the fabulous Conway Muse. I had a lot of fun playing and listening to some great local talent.
My pre-Christmas performance at the FanClub in Vancouver, BC on Dec. 21st was really special. I invited my daughter to join me on stage to sing harmonies on a couple of my original songs. I’m looking forward to more live shows in the New Year, CD release parties and some touring too.
Happy New Year everyone and please support live music!
New Album Update
It’s been a busy fall. I’ve been in the recording studio finishing up the final touches on my new album. We’ve finished all the overdubs with brilliant harmony vocals from Vancouver R & B singer, Cecile Larochelle , and some bluesy harp work from Keith Bennett. It was a great experience recording with my opera singing daughter, Michelle, as a harmony vocalist on two of my songs.
The new CD features 9 original songs and one a co-write with my former band mate and award winning songwriter, Lynna Goldhar-Smith.
With all the tracks recorded, the engineer and I have been working long hours on final mixes. This album has truly been an international effort with great players and engineers from the U.S. and Canada.
Special Thanks to Tommy and Polly, former Seattle based rhythm section for Too Slim and the Taildraggers and Conrad Uno from Egg Studios.
I’m looking forward to scheduling some CD release shows in the New Year.
So stay tuned.
Summer in the City @ Lions Park
Summer in the City at Lion’s Park in POCO was a blast. I had the great opportunity to kick off their summer concert series and played a bunch of my newest songs from my upcoming album with my blues trio.
My daughter, Michelle, an opera/musical theatre performer agreed to join me for a few songs and it was so fun having her up there.
The Lion’s Park venue was gorgeous with lots of trees and shade and a hardworking crew of volunteers and staff……an awesome way to spend a summer Sunday afternoon. 
Now it’s back to the studio in Vancouver where I am busily doing guitar and vocal overdubs, with bed tracks finished and ready to go. Check back in for more news and updates on shows.
