Done Like Dinner

Hey, I'm back alive and well! Thanks for following my National Steel "Darker Ways" Tour across Canada. As always it was a real thrill to visit so many parts of the country, to visit so many old friends, and to meet so many new ones.

The Lincoln performed wonderfully in her support role, as did the Long and McQuade, Yorkville Sound, PA system. The 1929 National lead the way again. Not a single broken string across nine provinces and nearly 100 back to back shows. I didn't change 'em either.

The final figures are in. By land I travelled just over 23,000 km, most of it on two lane highways, and at least half of it on snow covered roads. I burnt up 2800 litres of gasoline, 25 litres of oil. How many litres of red wine and scotch? How many quarts of bourbon?

Seven Canadian blues societies presented shows. Numerous local and regional radio and television stations helped to promote or sponsor, as did various Folk Societies, Guilds and Clubs, and Arts Councils. Mitch Podolok's Home Routes organization presented me in 12 house concerts. I played another 18 house concerts on my own. I also played numerous Legion Halls, theatres, cafes, churches, community halls, coffeehouses, bars, saloons... I played a benefit show for Vancouver Native Health on Hastings St. East, and a food-raiser for the Underground Gym in Thunder Bay. Nearly 5000 paid admissions were recorded. This Tour was, as always, organized and conducted by myself without any government funding. No grants. No agents. No record company. I would, by the way, sell my soul for any of these. Meanwhile, I continue as a proud indy blues artist...

CBC Radio recorded me for their Canada Live series, which will also be available on the digital, Concert on Demand. I also made my third appearance on Alberta's flagship radio station, CKUA, to help with their yearly fund raiser.

I did a show with the Chairman of the National Film Board. I hosted a government delegation from the Faroe Islands– including their Minister of Culture and some MPs. I drank all afternoon with a bunch of old Haida guys.

I presented a bunch of masterclasses in Long and McQuade locations from coast to coast. I also gave free guitar lessons to anybody under 16 who brought a guitar to a show. I left a genuine satin, white stripe Tour jacket behind at nearly every show.

This "big tour of small" was everything I had hoped it would be. I enjoyed every show, and these were all successful events. I think I made some strides as an artist, and I'm looking forward to recording the next project. I'm also looking forward to getting back on the road as soon as possible. That's my life. The first real tour of 2011 will take me to the Yukon, NWT, Alaska, with a possible stop in Alberta or British Columbia. That will be March, so still a little frosty! I'll be leaving the Lincoln at home for this one! Meanwhile, I'll be quite busy with performances, writing, recording, and the business end of this whole, crazy adventure.

The 2011 Maple Blues Award nominations and Blues Summit have been announced, and I'll be attending in Toronto next week at my own expense. It's always a treat to come in off Tour and hang out at the Maples. Sometimes a substantial amount of the next National Steel Tour is booked at the Maples. Did I mention that Big Dave McLean will be back for next year's National Steel? The "Bad Boy" Blues Tour is now booking September- November 2011. Don't miss this one!

Ironwood Concert Stage – CBC Canada Live Recording

It's a cold, cold sucker today. I roll out of Golden, the ground snow crackling and squeaking under the tires. Everything in the car is frozen solid. It is -32 C. I can't find my gloves. Go figure. But it is bright and clear to start. Thank goodness. I came in over the Rodgers Pass last night on black ice, blowing snow, clouds, fog. A white knuckle journey. I was not going to go past Golden. I've done that Kicking Horse in bad weather before, and it is not to be trifled with. You've got to respect these mountain roads.

I'm through the Pass soon enough, the roads still partially snow covered. It's a slow ride past Lake Louise, Banff, Canmore. The highway opens up a little as I approach Calgary. We are still in a deep freeze. One of the coldest places in the world today. Wonder what the wind chill brings to that!

I'm to be recorded tonight by the CBC at the Ironwood Concert Stage, an amazing room crafted out of the historic old Fort Garry Theatre. So I'm in town early for soundcheck and set-up. As I pull up front I'm met by the CBC audio engineer, Bob Dobble. He's an old hand here at Calgary, a really experienced engineer with a good ear. We are joined shortly by the Ironwood's in-house audio tech, J.T. They've got a great sound system here, and J.T. is probably the best in-house tech in the country. There may be guys this good out there with the mega shows– and JT has done these– but in the last six years of extensive Tour he's hands down the best audio guy I've had. And I've had some real good ones. It's a treat to work with these guys, I'll have no worries outside of delivering my show.

We discuss strategy and dig in. I'm a very simple set up anyway, but we go the extra mile and use a couple of narrow condenser mics to stereo record the guitar. One on the plate for the treble, one on the f-holes for the bass. They are not set at 90 degrees, but phasing does not seem to be a problem, and we get a great guitar sound right out of the gate. Monitors are up. I ask JT to back 'em down on the vocals. I can hear everything really clearly through the mains. I will regret this a little bit later, once the show starts. But it's my call, and it's nothing significant.

It's still historically cold, and we take turns running outside to start our cars. Tuesday night in Calgary. This is a big room, and I wonder what's going to happen.

Ironwood owner and janitor Patrick MacIntyre arrives and we have a drink. He's wearing a colourful shirt and he moves around the room greeting people, checking up on stuff, doing little things. He's a hands on guy, and he's built a great team to run this place. Patrick and I go back a bunch of years now, and I really like him and the way that he does business. He's not a performer, but this room is his art, his expression. It's a great community. It's carried by a quality kitchen and the bar, but it's all about the music. It is always a pleasure to stop here.

The Tour camera was frozen this morning, and I've neglected to bring it in to the club for some reason. Producer Catherine McClelland arrives with her camera, and we take a couple of pics backstage, do our paperwork for the recording. It's a CBC Canada Live project. I guess it will go to Concert on Demand, and then they may package it for a variety of other radio shows across the country. I'm getting a little worried as the crowd in this big hall is not growing as we near show time. I've had a few fans come in. One bunch from Cochraine, AB, is pretty noisy– so I ask them if they will sit up front! I'm worried that my live, national radio broadcast will sound like one hand clapping!

We start in, and it's a bit strange being this loud in a half empty hall, and for the first couple of songs I am a little distracted by this fact, unfocused. I'm not usually bothered by recording or broadcast, but here I find myself flubbing lines, repeating verses. By the second set I've let this go and, at least from my point of view, the performance is pretty good. Of course, I haven't heard it yet. And I did play a bunch of songs I have never recorded– therefore never heard– before. Go figure. Do that for national radio! The evening wraps well in spite of the smaller than hoped for turnout. I'm pretty confident that Bob and Catherine will do a magnificent job of editing and packaging, so it should be fine when it hits the air sometime in the future.

Despite being a member of AFM Local 1000 for several years, the Calgary AFM local treats me as a non-member and strips $75 from my paycheque. Emails from the New York office do nothing to mitigate this. Apparently because I was "erased" from the Toronto Local many years ago they can squeeze a vein, and squirt out a little of my blood. My option would have been to pay the Toronto local for two quarters and "resign." Maybe, someone suggests, I can still do this? And why should I? Because it's a rule? Old school rule. I'm a paid member of Local 1000. I've done piles of union-sanctified broadcast for years, and nobody has ever pulled this card before. This is a musicians union, not a bike club. Anyhow, you can gather I'm unhappy– but this is not a major crisis, just a little poke in the eye... and I'm pretty sure we'll resolve it somewhere down the line.

I pack out and GPS my way to a Best Western. It's after 2:AM when I check in. Sleep.