First of all a huge thank you to everyone who sponsored your humble correspondent for the Artists For ArtsCan Circle Showcases at the OCFF Conference. Through your generosity, we raised over $7,000 for the cause. Of that total, I am honoured to have raised $1,400 which is the most of all the artists participating. (Cue the Cheering Section - "We're Number 1!") Many people have been involved in the fund-raising and I salute all my fellow musicians who have raised their own amounts and all the sponsors who have donated to this incredibly worthwhile project.
I'll be heading down the road to Ontario tomorrow, with a stop or two along the way to visit family and I'll be arriving in Mississauga on Thursday just in time for the start of the Conference. I'm looking forward to catching up with some old friends and to meeting some new ones. The Conference is always a bit of a whirlwind but it's educational as well as being fun and entertaining.
I had a great start to the Thanksgiving weekend by taking off to The Dunk in Prince Edward Island to perform an opening set for my friend Ian Foster. It was a small crowd but very appreciative and I'm pleased to say that the host of The Dunk, Hal Mills, has invited me back to perform my own feature show in March. (Sheesh, are we that close to 2013 already?)
While I'm in Ontario, aside from the Conference, I'll be playing three dates. On Monday October 15, I'll be the Feature Performer at the Hamilton Guitar Association.
Then I'm off to be the dutiful son and going to visit my Mom, followed by a rare visit with Jives - the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Live From The Rock Folk Festival held in Red Rock, Ontario every August. There will also be a couple of days downtime which I'm planning to spend at my Mom's cottage doing some writing. It's an internet-free zone so I won't be distracted.
On October 19th, I'll be appearing live on Window of Opportunity on CKCU-FM - Ottawa's Community Radio Station. Laurie-Ann Copple is your gracious host for the show, which runs from 3:00 to 4:00 pm on Friday afternoons. You can listen live on-line at the CKCU website.
On the evening of the 19th, I'll be performing at a house concert in Perth, Ontario. Please e-mail me for Mark and Alexis's contact information if you'd like to attend.
On the 20th, I'll be at Westboro House Concerts in Ottawa, hosted by the gracious Nicole and Roger Colbeck. Again, e-mail me for directions if you're in our nation's capital area and want to come out to the show.
After the Westboro House Concert, I'll be heading back to the South Shore where there's no rest for the weary. I have several instrumental pieces in various states of completion and several household tasks are also waiting which I've been putting off while I get ready for the road trip. Once I'm back, I'll have no excuses.
I hope to see some of you at OCFF. In the meantime, be well and keep playing.
