I’m working on my tan, here’s a photo…

I’m here till Thursday, try the poi.

upcoming…

I’m still here in Hawaii, Magnum-ing out! I hang out most evenings at the Lahaina Starbucks chatting up the Maui P.D. I’ve told them I’m a private dick from the mainland looking for action: recon jobs, stake-outs, any kind of “black ops”. So far, no takers, but I’m here till next week, so who knows…

It’s with great pleasure that I can say that Moon Violet, Lee McCormack’s rockin combo (featuring myself, Mike Pelletier and now Mike Bowell on lead guitar) will return to Clinton’s on March 2. Lee’s a great musician and helluva guy, so it’ll be great fun when we get back together. Plus, I get to use my rock cymbals, 20″ Signature Dark Full Ride, 15″ 2002 heavy hihats (well, those are on every gig these days, they can do it all) and I’ll use my 20″ Giant Beat as a crash. Last gig with MV I used an 18″ crash off to my right side, but I think I’ll ditch that this time out. Also, the gig is a three-band bill and I’ll be using someone else’s kit (a luxury!, I just have to bring cymbals + a snare drum) so there may only be 2 cymbal stands.

Until next time, Mahalo for checking in with my blog!

I will join your band if…

OK, the sushi is, well, it’s currently my foot. I sliced my left foot open in the ocean today so I’m on the couch checking out Maui craigslist. This, so far, is my favourite post, it’s classic. This particular person is a 28-year old professional student looking to extend his stay in Hawaii. He aims to do this with this sales pitch:

“I will join your band if you let me live with you. I can play guitar/bass/& sing.”

I like to think it’s even more terrifying if you reverse it: “If you let me live with you, I will join your band.”

Allright, aloha and “Mahalo for Not Smoking”.

FIVE-OH

(sunset in Maui, 1/21/07)

I’m on vacation, for the first time in years. It’s an entire clan expedition involving my parents, my family and my brother’s family. Nine of us, from 22 months to 59 years (I’m somewhere in the middle…).

We’re staying right on the ocean in Maui, and the gentle lulling of the waves, the whales breaching offshore, the perfect weather and the ultra-pimptastic rented Chrysler 300 I’m driving is just so annoying.

On top of that, there’s some magical free WiFi that we’re picking up on, but the Internet is as crappy as ever, even in paradise.

While we’re on Maui I’m hoping to investigate the existence of Hyperbolic Sound, the studio that Walter Becker recorded out of when he lived here in the 90s. His “11 Tracks of Whack“ was recorded there, and that’s one of my favourite albums of Hawaiian music, ever. I think this studio may have simply been his home, but maybe not. If not, I’d like to take a picture of myself out front of it. I spent precious hours of my honeymoon a few years ago driving around Oxnard, California trying to find the Teatro that Danny Lanois used as a studio. I found it and got my picture, it was pretty cool.

Ok, mahalo for reading this far, I’ll report back to let you know how the sushi is.

more photos

Max has posted a bunch of photos on his MySpace blog.

photo from Centenary (solo drums), Hamilton ON 1.13.07

a great photo by Brandon Sprouse, from a fun little gig. I hope we can do it again (maybe April…). BTW, I’m playing a tin whistle, not snacking on a SlimJim or biscotti.

late night load-out/load-in

Ah, the life of a professional musician. It’s 1:33am, I just got home from a gig with Starry Nights up in Newmarket. The band played well but the vibe in the room was horrible almost all night. To start, the manager comes over during set-up to tell us that we can’t use the front/main door of the club because it lets too much cold air in (even though we are parked in front of the club); never mind that all of the customers use this door, repeatedly throughout the night, because, well, IT’S THE F-ING FRONT DOOR!

So, now we’re set up and decided to retire to the bar for a beverage (ice water) before the set. Soon after we sit the manager (he’s a real people-person, loves the arts) comes over and tells us “Guys, I need the seats…” and motions for us to GET OUT OF THEM. Well, here’s a tip for any would-be club owners who would strive to be complete dumbasses: IF YOU DON’T WANT THE BAND TO SIT IN PLAIN VIEW OF YOUR CUSTOMERS THEN GIVE THEM A DRESSING ROOM AND PUT SOME BOTTLED WATER ON ICE IN IT. I guarantee, you won’t see me hanging in the club if you give me that.

Then the music begins, the band sounds great, and so do the screaming, bellowing audience members, who are completely oblivious to the presence of the band or the fact that “BLUES STREET” on the muzak system has been shut off and now actual living, breathing, and humiliated musicians are onstage. At one point in this ridiculousness two mostly drunk women decide they need somewhere “private” to talk and console one another away from their 8-person table of co-dependents. Where do they choose? Literally INCHES away from Dagmar’s (Starry Nights’ singer) microphone, WHILE SHE IS SINGING. So, their conversation can now be heard on the P.A.

Kill me now. Oh, no wait. Let me live long enough for a drunk patron to come over to the side of the stage and ask/demand that, before our set is over, the bartender is allowed to come up and sing “Blue Skies” because she’s his buddy’s girlfriend.  OK, now I can expire peacefully.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So now I’m home, I should be asleep, but I’m going to load my drums from one car to our other car, since circumstances dictate my family use our Element tomorrow, and I’ll be in the SMART. That’s cool, I just wish this is something I could deal with during the day. Tomorrow (today) is a busy one: dance classes from 10-2 in Pickering and then the solo drums show in Hamilton (which should be a blast, please come and support a good cause, the Hamilton Food Bank) in the evening.

Speaking of drums, I spent yesterday and today re-furbishing my very first set of drums, which have been hiding in Mike Pelletier’s basement for a few years. They’re late 60’s Pearl drums, called “RIDEAU” for the Canadian market, but they were also sold as STEWART, KENT, etc. I think, depending on where you bought them. 12,14,20, ultra thin scrapwood shells with re-rings and a blue Ringo finish. With good heads and good tuning these sound like great vintage bebop/blues drums. They sounded awesome tonight and I’m going to use them at the solo gig too tonight. I get all warm and fuzzy thinking about playing these drums; they were given to me by my grandfather, and he played them at my parents’ wedding. Of the thousands of dollars I have spent on drums over the years and the myriad of drumkits that have come and gone, these drums have never become obsolete. That perseverance gives them soul, and I do my best to give that soul a voice.

(pamplemousse) sample

here’s a taste of the new record

cc3 – (pamplemousse) NOW AVAILABLE

It’s with great pleasure that I let you know that you can now purchase cc3’s brand-new (and debut) recorded release, (pamplemousse) at chriscawthray.com

I’m very proud of this recording, and everyone involved (mike pelletier, eric boucher and pacy shulman) did some very fine work. The CD release may be a month or more away, so please don’t hesitate and give us your 8! (dollars CAD for the download)

new cc3 record soon!

Happy New Year!

I should be taking delivery of the master CD of the new cc3 record, (pamplemousse), tomorrow.

Presuming  it’s all OK, expect it to be available online at chriscawthray.com by Monday! I can’t wait to release this, it’s a really good record. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Here’s the link to the mp3 store: http://www.chriscawthray.com/buymusic.html