new mp3s

2 tracks from 5/19/06 are up at the LISTEN page at chriscawthray.com

photos from Sunday @ the NOW Lounge

Thanks to our friends at Sevenstock, here’s a few pictures from our set at the NOW Lounge:

You Tube’n

From 5.21.06, three songs. The last two songs in the set are too long to be broadcast in their entirety at YouTube, so these three’ll have to do for now…

where it snows
mouse game
paper tiger

wrap-up

The Cawthray/Price/Zankowski trio debuted this weekend at two gigs, as you probably already know. Immense thanks to all of you that came out to see us and support us!

After yesterday’s set at the NOW Lounge, Friday felt like a warm-up. Yesterday felt like a band, where Friday at Leftover Daylight felt like a pick-up game. I can’t with any certainty say we played better on Sunday than on Friday, but the feeling onstage on Sunday was that we could really throw something down as a trio. What a great feeling; needless to say we’re all very anxious to do this again.

Both gigs were recorded. Friday was recorded professionally by Blair Langley, we should have a copy by week’s end, and I think we did a particularly good version of RP’s tune “Mango”, so stay tuned for a free download of that. Sunday, the only recording was my trusty DV camera, so I hope to have the whole gig up at YouTube at some point in the near future.

All in all a great weekend. The downtime was spent enjoying Rob’s company as a houseguest (dining out and catching up on DVDs was the order of the weekend), and plans are already afoot for the next gigs.

last night

This week one of the “alternate” cc3 lineups is working: myself, eric boucher on organ (as opposed to piano) and mike occhipinti on guitar. We played our first gig at Canyon Creek Vaughan Mills last night and we’re in Burlington tonight.

Last night was indoors due to weather and the room has tons of carpet and high ceilings; it made for a very acoustically satisfying evening. Eric’s organ sound was much fuller and more bass-y (in a good way) in this room than it is in Burlington (hardwood floors, etc.). So, I think thanks to good sound we made some headway in terms of this “conversationality” of this trio (we’re hearing each other better, and playing as such). I hope it carries over tonight.

Then tomorrow Rob Price is here, so y’all have to make sure you see at least one of the shows. No excuses!

Friday’s LoD lineup

here

All About Jazz

this is a link to the Daily Download page at AllAboutJazz.com

A while back I had submitted a track from fruits… for inclusion in this programme. Nothing ever came of it and I didn’t really think twice; there are musicians and/or record companies doing way more promo and press work than I ever will, so I just figured I wasn’t making enough noise on that end for them to bother.

Well, last night I got three emails from the Daily Download editor at All About Jazz, the first being an apology for them overlooking my submission (apparently I submitted early in the programme and there were some tech issues with early submissions…) and request for me to resubmit so that they might feature me soon. The second and third emails were actually notifications from PayPal that this individual BOUGHT two of my records as downloads from my site. Cool!

It’s very flattering that someone who receives free music all the time (and one would imagine in theory he receives more music than he can ever listen to in full) would actually go out and purchase two of my albums. So, thanks to him and to all of you who support what I do.

This is a slow weekend for me, my gigs are already done till Monday (I played a couple of dance classes this AM). I’m going to try and get some repair/modification work done on my SONOR Phonic Plus 18″ drum, and otherwise be kind to mothers with the rest of my weekend.

CC hanging out in the mainstream…

In the last week I’ve bought both the new Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers albums (I bought them both as downloads…). The PJ record is fabulous; I haven’t made it all the way through the RHCP yet, so I don’t know. It sounds good though. This is a rare time when the two of the most anticipated releases for the major labels are actually music worth hearing, I’m so woefully out of touch most of the time I find it strange to know that my iPod contents are probably very similar to many others these days (then again, how many folks listening to these records have 80s country from Alabama, The Bad Plus, and Rough Trade’s “All Touch” on there too… what? you haven’t heard “All Touch”?, oh man, a truly original groove, what a band….). And, a friend loaned me Death Cab for Cutie; the jury’s still out on this one. The bass player is kinda cool, very Paul McCartney-ish playing…

The skinny these days is mostly getting excited about Rob Price’s visit next week. Please come and see this wonderful musician in his Toronto debut. Friday night and Sunday afternoon (see the site for info), may 19 and 21.

Also, cc3’s schedule is HUGE this summer, between now and September we have 47 dates. We’re basically on a constant tour of the surrounding area of Toronto. It’s so humbling to have so much work for a band that is so much fun. Many thanks to MikeP and EricB for being part of it!

Last summer was the summer of Hot Buttered Soul, so far it’s relatively quiet, only a handful of dates as yet. I’m hoping to be part of more Drum Cafe events this summer too.

rock

Moon Violet rocked tonight, the Tempus drums sounded great, and we even had a “Bob’s Country Bunker” moment at the end during load-out.

I hope this band plays again soon…

The Summer of cc3

Starting Tuesday May 30, you can catch cc3 from 6pm-9pm at Canyon Creek in Scarborough (at Scarborough Town Centre, or near it, you can’t miss it, really!) every Tuesday night till September.

This means you can spend 3 nights a week with us this summer, and visit three exciting suburban locales (Scarborough, Vaughan, Burlington). Compare and contrast, there will be a test in September.

I like to joke, but the fact that this group of restaurants likes what we do this much is a good feeling; and musically, getting nine hours a week with the same band and getting paid is an awesome thing, no matter where we’re playing! I hope we’ll catch some of you somewhere this summer.