National Steel “Darker Ways” Blues Tour5th Annual Blues Event will be 100 Solo ShowsDarker Ways. Roads less travelled. Blue highways. Places found in the crease of the map. Encounters with strangers on strange days. A money candle in a broken window. It’s Doc MacLean, watching the tail light reflections tracking in the rear view mirror. Doc, drinking bourbon by the roadside. Doc with his battered 1929 National steel guitar.
Doc MacLean. He’s a blues vagabond writing from the dark side of the blues highway. He’s spent the last forty years exploring the road atlas from A to Z— surfacing sometimes on big stages in fancy halls, sometimes streetside trolling for change and a meal. No managers, agents, record companies. No fancy new guitars. He’s a traveller, a collector and teller of songs and stories— a songster in the blues tradition. Blues Revue magazine called him “the Prince of Darkness.”
Darker Ways will be the 5th annual outing of the all acoustic, coast to coast National Steel Blues series. In a departure from large venue, songs and stories in the round presentations, Darker Ways will be a solo show focused more on smaller towns and smaller rooms. “I’m looking forward to exploring some deep blues in these settings,” says Doc, “I’m planning the most intimate, story filled shows that I’ve had a chance to do in years.”
Last season Doc MacLean’s National Steel “Century” Blues Tour played 104 back to back shows in nine provinces and two territories. Over ten thousand people took in the live, all Canadian show which encompassed major festivals, theatres, casinos, concert halls, bars, cafés, gas stations and kitchen parties from coast to coast. With guest star Big Dave McLean, and sponsorship from music giant Long and McQuade, the Century was the most comprehensive blues tour ever mounted in Canada. Upcoming broadcast recordings on CBC’s “Canada Live,” and “Saturday Night Blues” will share the Century Blues with an even greater audience. “It was a giant tour,” reflects Doc, “and this year’s Darker Ways presentation will actually be a huge tour as well— only this time it will be a very, very big tour of Small.”
Doc MacLean’s National Steel “Darker Ways” Blues Tour. September through December 2010. One hundred shows, coast to coast. No venue too big or too small, no place too forsaken. Now booking and accepting expressions of interest from all Canadian territories. Bring The Blues to Your Town. Check the developing Tour Schedule in the Blog Sidebar below.
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Visit Some Previous Tours:
http://centurybluestour.blogspot.com (2009)
http://nationalsteelblues.blogspot.com (2008)
http://bigroadblues.blogspot.com (2007)
Hear Stuff, Read Bios:
http://www.sonicbids.com/docmaclean (go on, play Jimmie Lee Jackson’s Blues)
http://www.docmaclean.comContact, Info and Bookings:
Doc MacLean: doc@docmaclean.com
Who could ask for a nicer day than this? It's crisper than it looks, but still nice. Very nice. These are my digs for the layover— Eagle's Landing. The river behind the house roars and splashes past. The air is taunt and clean. No traffic on the road today. Relax and catch up on the paperwork, laundry, inventory...
I'm alone here. So very nice to be so sheltered for a short time. Catch my breath. I slept for twelve hours last night...
There's no cell service here. No internet. I don't mind— much anyway. I'll drive into town later and do breakfast at the Packinghouse. That's the hub of this town, and Steve's got a pretty good connection I can use.
Maybe I'll play some guitar. Maybe I'll write. Maybe I'll sleep some more while the washer and drier hum along. It's a great day to be alive. I'm very thankful for the hospitality!
