First, the upcoming. Recklessly Yours has been out for a bit, but we’re doing a proper album release show at Amigos this Saturday. Amigos this Saturday. Rocanville’s own Lachlan Neville, who sang on Pronoid and Poor Fool’s Mind, will open with a solo set.
Next, a little look back.
Ok, not that far back. On July 9th, we played our first big show at Saskatoon’s JazzFest in Victoria Park. We played ninety minutes (JazzFest sets are long) with twelve originals, covers from John Prine, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Cockburn, and wrapped up with a big California Stars singalong.
Liam Richards of Electric Umbrella (no relation 😁) recorded the whole show. Josh Berson took the stills in this post (you may remember him from the photo essay we did on TB a couple of years back). We’ll get the whole show up on YouTube soon. Here’s a preview with Ignorance:
SaskJazz features local artists in their free program, and it doesn’t get a lot more local than Blue Umbrella. All but one of the band lives in the alphabet avenues of Saskatoon’s West Side. We could see Burke’s house from the stage. I hauled my gear over in a red wagon. Most of us caught Modest Mouse the night before or Bruce Cockburn (we covered Tokyo in our set) the night after. We would have been there anyway, we just got to be on stage this time.
It was a beautiful night for an outdoor show. Golden hour with a God-sky sunset beaming down on the second half of the set.
The pre-show dread, especially getting up in front of a few hundred people after not having played in front of a crowd in years, was a lot. Fortunately, I knew I could count on the amazing musicians in the group to keep things steady even if I was shaking.
Tyson McShane played bass, departing from his usual role as guitarist and lead singer with his band Slow Down Molasses, who are celebrating twenty years with a bunch of shows and new music this fall. And, because he is endlessly engaged, also played JazzFest with Lévi Soulodre’s the Pxrtals.
Luke Ryalls brought the hooks with his guitar solos, harmonica and vocals. He also played two unreleased songs, Lover I Can’t Fall Asleep Tonight and Make It Through the Night, a moving tale of the realities of homelessness in Saskatoon. Look for them when we post the full show!
Sam Corbett, who produced Recklessly Yours, kept us in line and in rhythm on drums and sang a very local tune, Avenue H Blue, from his solo record NUTANA.
It may have been the wonderful pre-bedtime slot on the program, or the fact that there were so many dads onstage with offspring in attendance, but the kids twirling, careening about and yelling “Hi Sally’s dad!” kept us smiling through the set.
Nearby neighbour Burke Barlow, formerly of The Deep Dark Woods, added layers to the sound with his versatile work on the pedal steel, managing to add very different tones and textures to each song (while looking badass I might add).
A delightful addition to the group was Aiden McRorie Wilson. She plays in femme country duo Gil and Wil and joined up for the show. Not only did she add beautiful harmonies, she also ruled the stage banter, out dad-joking us all. I’m thrilled she’ll be joining us for the Amigos show as well!
Of course, I sang some songs and played guitar. And also of course, messed a few things up, fumbling the words or the chords here and there. Classically, that’s what stuck with me for the first few hours of the show, the perfectionism always gets in the way of the pleasure of performing. With a few weeks past, and having watched the footage and being barely able to find the mistakes, I’m able to really enjoy the sweeter moments of playing together and connecting with the crowd.
The sweetest of all was watching my folks get up to dance. Lea and Wally have always danced when the spirit moved them: in the kitchen, in a restaurant, in the aisles of the grocery store. Their being so affectionate and silly was embarrassing for us as kids, but now I see what a great example they were for us, celebrating life and love.
This moment was even more special because my dad had a major stroke a few years ago. He very nearly died and has been left with disabilities and personality changes. But there he was, nearly eighty, dancing with his wife of fifty-plus years to his son’s band on a beautiful night.
I don’t know how long I’ll keep making music and performing. How could I know? Maybe this is the start of much more, maybe this upcoming show at Amigos wraps up a chapter. We'll find out eventually. All I’m sure of is that life continues to twist and turn and surprise, and with thanks to so many, I’m up for the ride.
Launching a new project always begs the question, will anyone care? Jury’s out on that still, but we did have some great coverage of the album launch.
Check out interviews with CBC BlueSky, CKOM, CTV Morning in Saskatoon and Regina, et même en français a Radio-Canada.
Global Saskatoon even had Aiden and me on to perform Laid Back and Out of The Way.
Thanks for reading and listening. A reminder that paid subscribers (new or pre-existing) receive a free copy of the vinyl record. Just let me know and I’ll get you yours. Or better yet, show up at Amigos and I can hand you one!