Seasons Greetings

Hi. This is me, now. Well, before I shaved off my big beard. I have a few things to say, it’s an unsettling one-way conversation in my head lately so here I offer it to you – dive in if you’d like. Lately I am quiet artistically but I have been busy backstage.

I can sum this long list of announcements up by saying: I have finished a piano oriented jazz-rock/classically-infused double-album, will be releasing a handful of classic retro tunes fronting a new rock/punk/metal band, sharing live performance videos from my tour out West, starting to record a new coast-to-coast Canadian folk album, and more – I talk about it all below, to bore or enlighten you. Cheers.

An update on my music, the next month(s), my projects that are currently on the go, a predicament, the ongoing charades, my output as The Sun Harmonic, my life’s work… all of this I would sleeplessly finish by tomorrow if I were able to.

a. This winter season, I will finish a double-album – “Winter” – a piano oriented record that I’ve been writing/recording/creating for the last 6 years. It scares me that it’s almost over. Somehow, I will release it or make it available in some capacity big or small. What is Winter? 22 songs, 88 minutes, jazz + folk + rock + classical, all infused in to one wild concept album that I never expected to be. In light of a dire situation, there are no concrete plans for how or when I will release it at the moment – but, I will put it to rest and let it go when this season comes around, for my own sanity if anything. More on this below… Bare with me.

b. A 5-song classic rock n’ roll album will be released in the near future, I am “frontman” of the band – just me and a microphone (harmonica + tambourine for fun) for the first time ever in a group. I love the songs, oh man do they kick it. It’s punk, blues, metal and classic rock in a swift 18 minutes of sound. I am much more proud to share these tunes than I am of most of my own work I do on a daily basis. And to think, it all came together and split apart in one month last year.

c. I will put together live performance/studio videos shot on my West Coast tour this past Summer, some new and some old songs that I’d like to share. I will also be shooting new videos sitting at the piano and singing my new material, most likely in the dead of our cold Canadian winter.

d. I hope to demo all of my new and unreleased songs, 11 new songs to add to 20 demos from the Spring, then I may find a way to continue offering my Demonstrations project to the public (catalogue #58 – 88 and continued). This will be decided and compiled when the time is right.

e. I have started recording a folk album, with the working title ‘Coast To Coast’, which began in rural Comox Valley, British Columbia, with three songs completed in a night. I plan to record a song from the road (or from the sky, written on a plane) at home in Toronto, sometime soon I hope. Then I will travel to Ottawa, Montreal, PEI and Nova Scotia perhaps to continue recording the foundations of this album where I finally get back to the guitar, since all of this piano-centric work has kept me very very busy. Anyways, this album will be incredibly fun and unscripted. Stay tuned…

f. In regards to the fast approaching ‘Winter’ album etc, I cannot make any more plans, or put a date to it, because at this point I am not in control of how fast or slow I can reach the finish line. Although I’d love to, I cannot release the full album publicly/independently (at least in the same capacity as before) due to the weight and obligations of this endeavour that I know all to well, but I promise it will be made available in some form. Remember, Winter comes again… To be continued.

g. I have to take time away from playing shows, being with the guitar or the piano as much as I’d like, sitting in my home recording studio for the countless hours it demands, and more. Doctors orders. I promise, to you and to myself, that in 2016 I will take to a stage near you and sooner or later tour across the country again (maybe in one go this time, I miss it all).

Thank you if you’ve read this far and are genuinely interested in my grand scheme of things. I think of most or all of these ideas every single day, so it is nice to share this with you and to open my mind to those who will listen.

Sincerely.