Come be on my record! Here, you'll find me bloging as I cross the country to record my new album with every musician and their dog that I can track down while on tour. If you want to take part, this includes you too so check back to find out how you can put your magic down on tape. There's lots more to tell you about syncs, raising money for charity, studios and how I'm not going to get hunted down by any more legal issues from my childhood hero's estate.

So, in the meantime, check out these Exclaim! stories to fill yourself in on what has been happening so far:
Pop Rocks - Jun 07
Concert Reviews - Oct 07
Concert Reviews - Mar 08

DAN DEACON! One of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen; this guy is able to carry the audience to whatever heights they want without even needing to play a note (and then when he does the show reaches proportions you thought impossible). Opening for this great (who, in turn, flew the next morning to open for other greats Devo), was completely great greatness. Isn’t great, great?

Deacon bridges each song with banter so fit that it’s as much of the show itself as the music (something I haven’t seen since Billy Bragg; who, if you ever see is just giving a public talk, go see as he’s an incredibly interesting speaker as well as musician speaking on everything from politics to YouTube). Deacon also has everyone feeling completely comfortable to rock out and enjoy the show with lots of audience participation activities. As he says at the beginning of the show “we all makes choices” (it’s a great show which is even more enhanced by choosing to become a part of it).

I HIGHLY recommend you attend a concert of his and become a part of it.

Remember: Fitness tools like seeing live bands increase the challenges and adds variety to your workouts.Until next time, keep fit and have fun.

Rich

 

After a busy day of recording in Vancouver with Edo Vanbrudon of The Clips & Brasstronaut (totally check both these bands out) and Cary of Prairie Cat, it was off to start working on the album art with the insanely creative Vancouver-based photographer, Todd M. Duym.

On my last visit, Todd and I did this experimental series of shots that required me to stay still for 30mins at a time while we time-lapsed the photo with the only light being emitted from my projector and the entire duration of the Grinch projected on me. Look for a very unique cover soon by Todd for the new You Say Party! We Say Die! remix record.

I flew to Calgary next to get ready for Zak Pashak’s amazingly put together festival Sled Island. Wow, flying with the new personal TVs is fantastically distracting; on these short flights from Vancouver to Calgary though you can only make it through your plane films one chunk at a time; still working my way through the Definitely, Maybe (which is still good for a flight film 65mins in).

Remember: when getting ready for the ski season, work the back muscles of your upper legs. It will help to stabilize your knees and that’s important especially for carving those turns and avoiding injury.

Until next time, keep fit and have fun.

Rich

So close but yet so far… that is the mindset for everyone who has ever traveled from Vancouver to the wonderful city of Victoria. A quick directional query into Google Maps gives the distance of 109km and give the approximate time of 2hrs47mins for the one way jaunt in between these great cities. Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn’t account for Ferries and their almost inevitable delays along with other trials incurred by public transit and missed buses. All in all, this short journey took me from 1:15pm - 8:20pm mostly on account of missing a key transfer by seconds to make the 3:00pm ferry and having to wait until 5:00pm as it was still a day or so before the hourly ferries kicked into operation.

Amidst all this hectic travel, I was still excited to relax and listen to the new Major Grange recordings and some Brian Eno while enjoying the BC Ferries’ wonderful shiatsu massage chairs that are equipped on all the ferries to touring musicians and traveller’s delights. I have some bad news though for all those musicians who enjoy that 6min, toonie’s worth of electronic pounding, the CHAIRS ARE GONE! I guess one of them caught fire and it scared BC Ferries into pulling all them from their vessels (which is too bad; anyone who’s used them would agree if we had to abandon ship once or twice because of them it’d more or less be worth keeping them on board).

Arriving to soundcheck an hour and 20 minutes late, I found I was just on time; musician time. The show was great with a very spectacular group called Ravens & Chimes and the always impressive Mother Mother.

While recording the next day with Brooke of Immaculate Machine and Tom and Matt from Run Chico Run, I luckily still found time to win a free breakfast from Floyd’s (this great breakfast shop that lets you gamble your breakfast price to either be free or double-priced) and play a game of softball in the Sunday pickup game where I was fortunate to play last summer before my bicycle tour kicked off.

Remember: The muscles you develop with moderate exercise hold the enzymes that are your body’s best burners of fat.

Until next time, keep fit and have fun.

Rich

 

Show #2 in Vancouver was hosted by Edo Vanbrudon (of amazing bands: The Clips and Brasstronaut) at the wonderfully DIY space, The Peanut Gallery (which, if you live in Vancouver and have not been to, you really need to check out). The space looks like you’re entering the seediest of unfinished basements with uncovered brick sprinkled with graffiti and cigarette stains but, once you enter, it opens up into an art space of incredible uniqueness and spectacle; murals line the walls, light trickles in from the glass ceiling with shadows cast from the footpaths of sidewalk walkers on the street above, an old antique bed frame provide the backdrop to the wood-crate assembled stage and Christmas lights and coloured bulbs provide just enough light to see the musicians and find your way to the lounge of couches and speakeasy chairs. Edo performed a very atmospheric spellbinding set at this space which welcomes artists like this with open arms so try to catch something here while you can.

Photo Credit: Peter Holmes

Remember: Being active with your kids can help their eye-hand co-ordination, concentration, and memory. It can also help them form positive attitudes and increase their self-esteem.

Until next time, keep fit and have fun.

Rich

Wow, writing blogs while touring is tough to keep up with; a constant flow of stuff happening which you both want to write about and, at the same time, which physically keeps you from writing. So, for my show at Vancouver’s Railway Club I just thought I’d post what someone else was kind enough to say about the night:

Taken from Ronatron.net:

“Hey kids! Remember when MuchMusic used to rule? I know, I’m having a hard time remembering that too, but I vaguely remember flipping back and forth from that channel back in the day. You know, back before they turfed George Stroumboulopoulos and decided not to play music anymore. There’s a lot of mysteries when it comes to that station, but the real melon-scratcher is why they still continue to produce their two most excellent and obscure shows, The Wedge and Going Coastal. Today these are really the only programs worth a damn on Much, and respectively they continue to showcase some of the weirdest and most awesome music this country produces. Like The Wedge and Going Coastal last Thursday’s performance by Halifax’s Rich Aucoin at the Railway not only bolstered my love for alternative and East Coast Canadian music, but reminded me just how good the combination of the two can be.

 

Aucoin hit the stage between Catamaran and Jackfruit wearing an entirely white suit, surrounded by a synthesizer, a keyboard, a laptop computer, a trumpet, and no band in sight. He did, however, hang a big white sheet that acted as a movie screen upon which he accompanied his music with the most eclectic selection of films imaginable. A small sampling of the ones I recognized were; Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, the original Superman animated television show, old nuclear blast footage, and so on. Strange and powerful images that perfectly accompanied the strange and powerful music performed by Aucoin.

 

So what does he sound like? It’s actually quite difficult to say. Like most artists who are truly worth listening to, Rich Aucoin produces songs that defy genre categorization. On his MySpace page, under “Sounds Like” he simply writes “You tell me.” and then reprints several positive reviews including a few that compare him to American singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens. I personally haven’t heard enough of Sufjan Stevens music to say whether that’s an accurate assessment or not. So I’ll just say that Rich Aucoin’s instrumentation reminded me of Radiohead at their most kind, Kraftwerk at their most danciest, and The Concretes at their most, um, xylophonist? Really wonderful stuff. And the man can sing too. Kind of a Canadian David Bowie, although not as goofy and over the top. Like a lot of bands I’ve seen and reviewed and totally loved Aucoin isn’t going to win American Idol anytime soon (or even Canadian Idol) but in my mind he’s far better than any of the soulless contestants on those shows.

 

When all was said and done, I left the Railway Club with a sense that Rich Aucoin is a performer that you simply must see live in order to understand. His music is wonderfully recorded and I honestly need to find a copy of his new album. However, to truly get Aucoin as a performer and as a humanitarian, I think you have to see what he’s all about in person. “

Photo Credit: Ace & Melissa

Remember: Parents and kids playing tag can help children learn to play with others.

Until next time, keep fit and have fun

Rich

 
Arriving in Vancouver is like almost leaving Canada most of the time as its climate feels like your plane was re-directed into the tropics instead of the west coast of Canada but, after leaving Ottawa and Toronto where it was tropical already, it feels like a very similar city to these eastern cities for the first time.

The next day, Chris Kelly (who’s fantastic band Analog Bell Service is nearly impossible to find online but I’ve tracked them down for you HERE) and I recorded at CBC Studio 2 and even managed to sneak a quick recording in with Grant up in the Radio3 studio during a song break; thank you to Hey Rosetta! for your songwriting style of long epic builds to facilitate this.

Remember: Parents and kids playing catch can help the child learn to perform everyday skills such as handwriting or playing a musical instrument … since the same motor skills are used.

Until next time, keep fit and have fun.

Rich

This picture depicts the hectic mess that was my final 3 days in Toronto recording with: Shaun Brodie (trumpeter extrodinaire), Jenny Omnichord (omnichordist virtuoso), Woodhand’s Dan Werb (above synthesizing gusto), Henri Faberge and his Adorables friends (everything [including puppet filmmakers] experts), Stevie of The Heart Beats (banjo wizard), The Old Soul’s Luca Macolini (shared Morricone enthusiast), Mike Fluery and Mike Reid (impecable Spinal Tap impersonators), Julie Penner (concert violin maestro), Colin Munroe (the unsung hero of one-man bands), Pete Carmichael of The Diableros (12 stringing genius), Do Make Say Think’s Jimmy Payment/P/Lightning (drumming connoisseur and man of man aliases), and Roxanne & Jenine (vocalists till Tuesday) and Bob Wiseman (one of Canada’s most unique and interesting artists).

Remember: Build more physical activity into your family’s lifestyle even before kids start school. The earlier you start making healthier habits; the easier it is for habits to last a lifetime.

Until next time, keep fit and have fun.

Rich

If you drive around the country in the same way as most bands do, it means you’re without the ideal situation of having a map. This makes for wrong turns and tight situations for making engagements and/or show times. For the most part, it’s easy to rely on the good ol’ Trans Canada signedge as your co-pilot to get to your destination but we’re not going to see “TransCan Signs Are My Co-Pilot” on anyone’s bumper soon.

In the case of driving to Guelph from the metropolis that is Toronto, there is a tempting “Guelph Line” route to take (which will eventually end you up in Guelph but not until after hacking your way through some country roads). If this alluring sign doesn’t pull you off the main highway, then the confusing Hamilton split may as there’s a sign in Hamilton that states Hamilton to the right and left (with the right also including a passage to Guelph though the sign is less than reassuring; it’s like a fed up backseat driver finally saying, “hey, you find Guelph, Mr. I-don’t-need-you-to-tell-me-how-to-drive”.

At least AM radio kept myself and my driving companions; Prairie Cat and The Bicycles company on the way to our show with some classics trigging some sort of want for ice-cream and fried food and to be an extra in American Graffiti. Turning to Dana from the Bikes who was in the middling of a ripping air-guitar solo, I observed she was left handed so I stated “you’re a left-handed guitarist” to which she replied, “only left-handed while playing air guitar”.

The show was excellent with The Bicycles backing up Vancouver’s Prairie Cat who is also on their Fuzzy Logic Label. Check them out !!!

Remember: Families can be active regardless of the season. They can ice-skate, toboggan, bowl, play dodgeball, and basketball. Ideally, adults and children should be active 3 to 5 times a week.

Until next time… keep fit and have fun.

Rich

Today was day two of Halla. In addition to Taylor Knox of Major Grange playing some sweet sweet drums, my brother playing some vibraphone like I could only hope to play so well (see: The Hylozoists). Doug MacGregor dropped in too and we utilized Halla’s main room to get a particularly boomy beat; this is as rock as the new record gets.

Remember: The muscles you develop with moderate exercise hold the enzymes that are your body’s best burners of fat.

Until next time… keep fit and have fun.

Rich

Today was day one of two at HallaMusic with my brother. Dave and Jess from The Golden Dogs dropped in to drop some of their magic before going on tour with Sloan. Halla is a beautiful space too with it being carefully constructed for sound while being located in an empty warehouse itself.

Remember: Sixty percent of Canadian Children do not meet average fitness standard and about 40% are overweight. Parents and children need to exercise together such as cycle, play soccer and walk after dinner.

Until next time… keep fit and have fun.

Rich