While Dave Findlay and I were working on Craftsman, we were confident we had a good album. The music was good, the performances from all the musicians were good, the artwork was good, but there's always a feeling of trepidation when you show off your baby to the world for the first time. We needn't have worried. We've just had the first review and the news is good. Bill Binkleman likes it too. Cue the huge sigh of relief.
Here's a couple of snippets from Bill's review:
Craftsman is a delightful album,
one that, if you are a fan of "down home" acoustic music,
with influences from the rich tradition of folk and roots music, as
well as hints of Appalachian hill music, you are certain to enjoy it.
Craftsman is an apt title for
this highly listenable and hugely entertaining recording. Bob Ardern
takes the making of music seriously, but not the music itself, i.e.
there is a lot of fun present on the recording, and while there are
some quieter or slightly darker moments, they are few and far
between. Along with his guest players, Ardern puts his "craft"
on display throughout the album, not in an overly showy "look-at-me"
way, but in simple, unostentatious fashion that leaves no doubt as to
the quality of the "product."
The review will be posted on Binkleman's Corner at Zone Music Reporter in a few weeks, but in the meantime you can read the entire review on my website at:
http://www.bobardern.ca/reviews/binklemancraftsman.html
Our Indiegogo fundraising campaign is winding down. We haven't raised as much as we'd have liked so we're asking one more time for any support you can provide. Many thanks to those who have pre-ordered the CD and thanks in advance if you're planning to join in the next few days.
The manufacturing is done for Craftsman and I have copies of the disk in my office so if you order the CD before the end of the campaign, an autographed copy will be sent to you as soon as we process the order.
Now, in an agony of haste, I have to get ready to go out on tour. At the end of the month, I'm hitting the road for three weeks to do a couple of solo shows and several double bill shows with my good friend Manitoba Hal. The All Day Breakfast Tour will take us into New England, New York and New Jersey.
We're still looking into the details but there may be a stop in Lunenburg at the end of the tour as well. Watch this space.
March 3, 2014
January 28, 2014
Craftsman CD is just about ready ...
Hi everyone. I’m pleased to be able to let you know about the progress on my new CD Craftsman. It’s a follow up to Wires Rosewood & Roots released in 2012 and we’re hoping Craftsman will be at least as big a success. Featuring musical contributions from David Findlay, Kev Corbett and Alyssa Wright, the album was recorded, mixed and mastered in Lunenburg, NS at Otitis Media and produced by David Findlay.
The music is completed but before we release the CD, we’re launching a fund-raising campaign to help with the next stages in the process. We’d like to ask for your help in raising a portion of the funds we need to manufacture the disks and get the new music out. For as little as 20 bucks, you can help get the new music into your hands and other fans’ hands. As well, you will be helping us broaden our horizons and reach out to new fans.
The campaign is being managed through Indiegogo and we’re asking for your support to cover some of the costs of manufacture, promotion, and distribution. With your help, Craftsman will be available for purchase and for listening on folk and new age radio programs around the world. We are targeting an official release date of March 15 and as a thank you to everyone who contributes to the campaign, we'll be sending out pre-ordered CDs at the end of Febuary so you’ll get yours before the general release.
Follow this link to Indiegogo for more information and to make a contribution.
The campaign page contains a video of one of the new songs, more information on the music, and a set of contribution amounts and the perks you will receive for your contribution.
We know that in these tough economic times, you have a lot of demands on your wallets and we are extremely grateful for any contribution you can make to the project - whether it be a financial contribution or other non-monetary support. Any musician will tell you that the appreciation of the fans who listen to us is one of the main reasons we make music. Without you, our audience, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.
One last favour. . . Even if you can’t contribute financially, we would be incredibly grateful if you would share the link to the campaign with your musical friends and help us to get the word out. As they used to say on the old wine commercials: Thank you for your support.
Cheers, Bob
bobardern.ca
The music is completed but before we release the CD, we’re launching a fund-raising campaign to help with the next stages in the process. We’d like to ask for your help in raising a portion of the funds we need to manufacture the disks and get the new music out. For as little as 20 bucks, you can help get the new music into your hands and other fans’ hands. As well, you will be helping us broaden our horizons and reach out to new fans.
The campaign is being managed through Indiegogo and we’re asking for your support to cover some of the costs of manufacture, promotion, and distribution. With your help, Craftsman will be available for purchase and for listening on folk and new age radio programs around the world. We are targeting an official release date of March 15 and as a thank you to everyone who contributes to the campaign, we'll be sending out pre-ordered CDs at the end of Febuary so you’ll get yours before the general release.
Follow this link to Indiegogo for more information and to make a contribution.
The campaign page contains a video of one of the new songs, more information on the music, and a set of contribution amounts and the perks you will receive for your contribution.
We know that in these tough economic times, you have a lot of demands on your wallets and we are extremely grateful for any contribution you can make to the project - whether it be a financial contribution or other non-monetary support. Any musician will tell you that the appreciation of the fans who listen to us is one of the main reasons we make music. Without you, our audience, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.
One last favour. . . Even if you can’t contribute financially, we would be incredibly grateful if you would share the link to the campaign with your musical friends and help us to get the word out. As they used to say on the old wine commercials: Thank you for your support.
Cheers, Bob
bobardern.ca
January 2, 2014
Welcome to 2014 and The All Day Breakfast Tour
A year or so ago, my friend Manitoba Hal and I were chatting during the break when Hal was playing a gig in Lunenburg. I commented on a restaurant that I'd stopped in on a recent tour saying that they served breakfast all day so it was my favourite kind of place. Hal commented that it's a shame our music wasn't more compatible because we'd travel so well together. Turns out all day breakfast is one of Hal's favourite things too.
Hal went back on stage and finished his show and life moved on but the seed found a little corner of my mind in which to germinate. During a conversation with our mutual manager, Nicole Colbeck at Little Acorn Music Management, I asked her if she thought it was a silly idea because I thought it could work. Hal and I have travelled together for short periods and we do get along so maybe we could tour together. Nicole was encouraging and said we could call it The All Day Breakfast Tour so Hal and I started talking about the concept.
I can hear some of you thinking, but Bob is a mostly instrumental finger-style guitar player and Hal is a ukelele bluesman. How would that work? Well, when I met Hal, he was a fine finger-style guitar player in his own right and still is. He has a number of instrumental pieces that he originally wrote for guitar then transposed to ukelele and his fans have been asking for more.
Fundamentally, we are both finger-style musicians. Although we have differing styles we have worked out a format that will be appealing to both Hal's fans and mine. We tried it out at the Folk Music Ontario Conference in October. We played together at a Private Showcase and several people came up to us after and said we sounded good together. The structure of the tour show is that we each do a solo set and then have a grand finale set of duets.
The planning for the tour is now underway. Your humble correspondent is heading back into New England at the end of March and Hal is returning from a tour of Australia through Florida and we're planning to meet in Boston and play some dates together. Three weeks in April will see us in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine and we're looking to add more dates to the schedule.
There will be more to come on The All Day Breakfast Tour in later posts but for now, keep watching this space. As more details are confirmed, we'll let you know. Also visit us online at alldaybreakfasttour.com - the site is still under construction but please bookmark us.
In the meantime, best wishes for a happy and healthy 2014. It's been pretty chilly where we are so I hope it's warm where you are.
Cheers, Bob.
bobardern.ca
Hal went back on stage and finished his show and life moved on but the seed found a little corner of my mind in which to germinate. During a conversation with our mutual manager, Nicole Colbeck at Little Acorn Music Management, I asked her if she thought it was a silly idea because I thought it could work. Hal and I have travelled together for short periods and we do get along so maybe we could tour together. Nicole was encouraging and said we could call it The All Day Breakfast Tour so Hal and I started talking about the concept.
I can hear some of you thinking, but Bob is a mostly instrumental finger-style guitar player and Hal is a ukelele bluesman. How would that work? Well, when I met Hal, he was a fine finger-style guitar player in his own right and still is. He has a number of instrumental pieces that he originally wrote for guitar then transposed to ukelele and his fans have been asking for more.
Fundamentally, we are both finger-style musicians. Although we have differing styles we have worked out a format that will be appealing to both Hal's fans and mine. We tried it out at the Folk Music Ontario Conference in October. We played together at a Private Showcase and several people came up to us after and said we sounded good together. The structure of the tour show is that we each do a solo set and then have a grand finale set of duets.
The planning for the tour is now underway. Your humble correspondent is heading back into New England at the end of March and Hal is returning from a tour of Australia through Florida and we're planning to meet in Boston and play some dates together. Three weeks in April will see us in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine and we're looking to add more dates to the schedule.
There will be more to come on The All Day Breakfast Tour in later posts but for now, keep watching this space. As more details are confirmed, we'll let you know. Also visit us online at alldaybreakfasttour.com - the site is still under construction but please bookmark us.
In the meantime, best wishes for a happy and healthy 2014. It's been pretty chilly where we are so I hope it's warm where you are.
Cheers, Bob.
bobardern.ca
December 4, 2013
December and Home Again.
It's great to be back on the South Shore after 6 weeks on the road. It was a fabulous tour with a couple of conferences, many new friends, invitations to come back and play again. One of my favourite comments from a host after my performance, "That was absolutely great. This is why I host house concerts."
But that was then and this is now. The life of an independent musician comprises so much more than the time on stage. I had a conversation at the NERFA conference with someone who is not a musician and she asked if I did music full-time. I said, "The short answer is Yes. The long answer is that I'm a small-business entrepreneur whose product is music, so I do booking, rehearsals, recording, bookkeeping, sales, purchasing, etc, etc, etc."
The next project is the completion of Craftsman, the new album. The CD will comprise 11 instrumental pieces. Three of them are guitar solos and the other eight have other instrumentation on them to complement the guitar sound. There will also be a bonus track, which will be a guitar-only version of one of the eight. The album is being produced by David Findlay at Otitis Media in Lunenburg, NS. The recording is more or less complete and we still have final mixing and mastering to do which will take place over the next couple of weeks.
To help with the cost of production and marketing, we're going to be launching a crowd-funding campaign in January. Details are still being worked out but the campaign will allow you to pre-purchase CDs and downloads of the music - you'll get your copy in advance of the official release. You will also be able to arrange a house concert - I will come to where you are and play for you and your friends or you will be able to book a two-hour instructional workshop with your humble correspondent and learn some of the techniques and tips and tricks of finger-style guitar.
In addition to finalizing the CD, I'm booking some tour dates in the spring to coincide with the official release. The current target date is the beginning of April and I already have a couple of dates lined up. The spring tour may also tie in to a collaborative project with another South Shore musician. Watch this space for more details.
Finally, a huge Thank You to all the people who supported me along the Finger-Style and Fall Colours Tour. Meeting house concert hosts and becoming friends, sharing a stage with other musicians, just hanging out at conferences listening to others play and seeing places in the world I've never been before - these are some of the reasons I became a musician.
Best wishes for the holiday season - Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice - whatever your reason to celebrate, we wish you a happy time.
Cheers, Bob
Visit the website at bobardern.ca
But that was then and this is now. The life of an independent musician comprises so much more than the time on stage. I had a conversation at the NERFA conference with someone who is not a musician and she asked if I did music full-time. I said, "The short answer is Yes. The long answer is that I'm a small-business entrepreneur whose product is music, so I do booking, rehearsals, recording, bookkeeping, sales, purchasing, etc, etc, etc."
The next project is the completion of Craftsman, the new album. The CD will comprise 11 instrumental pieces. Three of them are guitar solos and the other eight have other instrumentation on them to complement the guitar sound. There will also be a bonus track, which will be a guitar-only version of one of the eight. The album is being produced by David Findlay at Otitis Media in Lunenburg, NS. The recording is more or less complete and we still have final mixing and mastering to do which will take place over the next couple of weeks.
To help with the cost of production and marketing, we're going to be launching a crowd-funding campaign in January. Details are still being worked out but the campaign will allow you to pre-purchase CDs and downloads of the music - you'll get your copy in advance of the official release. You will also be able to arrange a house concert - I will come to where you are and play for you and your friends or you will be able to book a two-hour instructional workshop with your humble correspondent and learn some of the techniques and tips and tricks of finger-style guitar.
In addition to finalizing the CD, I'm booking some tour dates in the spring to coincide with the official release. The current target date is the beginning of April and I already have a couple of dates lined up. The spring tour may also tie in to a collaborative project with another South Shore musician. Watch this space for more details.
Finally, a huge Thank You to all the people who supported me along the Finger-Style and Fall Colours Tour. Meeting house concert hosts and becoming friends, sharing a stage with other musicians, just hanging out at conferences listening to others play and seeing places in the world I've never been before - these are some of the reasons I became a musician.
Best wishes for the holiday season - Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice - whatever your reason to celebrate, we wish you a happy time.
Cheers, Bob
Visit the website at bobardern.ca
November 11, 2013
Musings from The Road
This will necessarily be a quick note. Your humble correspondent has been on the road for nearly 6 weeks and have been having great fun and adventures. I'm sitting in the foyer of the Outer Space in Hamden, CT doing a quick update while waiting for sound check for the gig.
Last weekend was my first attendance at the North East Regional Folk Alliance Conference (NERFA) in Kerhonkson, NY and it was a great experience. Thanks to the NERFA board for all the organization that goes into putting on a conference of that size. I met a number of people during the weekend and as soon as I get home next Sunday, I'll be updating my e-mail list and a putting in a much longer blog entry with some stories from the road. I've been pretty good about keeping a journal so I can remember all the details of the Finger-Style and Fall Colours Tour.
The tour so far has included Montreal and Missisauga, Williamsport and Lock Haven PA, Hopkinton and Westborough, MA, Tiverton, RI, Kerhonson and Hyde Park, NY, Montpelier, VT and soon-to-be the afore-mentioned Hamden, CT. Still to come are Morrisville, VT, Framingham, MA, Lubec, ME and Breadalbane, PEI. Details of the remaining dates are on my website Performance page and I'd be honoured if you get a chance to come out to one of them.
Many thanks are due to a load of people we've met along the way. Aside from new fans, I have a load of new friends. One of the benefits of playing in new places is meeting new people and when those people make me their friend it's a additional plus.
Keep watching this space for more details. One of my favourite places is coming up - Lunenburg, NS. I won't be playing out but it's my own home and my own bed and my sweetie, Julia. And we've just added a date in December at Fundy Folk at the Evergreen Theatre in Margaretsville.
Hope to see you on the road and wish you safe travelling wherever the music takes you.
Cheers, Bob
bobardern.ca
Last weekend was my first attendance at the North East Regional Folk Alliance Conference (NERFA) in Kerhonkson, NY and it was a great experience. Thanks to the NERFA board for all the organization that goes into putting on a conference of that size. I met a number of people during the weekend and as soon as I get home next Sunday, I'll be updating my e-mail list and a putting in a much longer blog entry with some stories from the road. I've been pretty good about keeping a journal so I can remember all the details of the Finger-Style and Fall Colours Tour.
The tour so far has included Montreal and Missisauga, Williamsport and Lock Haven PA, Hopkinton and Westborough, MA, Tiverton, RI, Kerhonson and Hyde Park, NY, Montpelier, VT and soon-to-be the afore-mentioned Hamden, CT. Still to come are Morrisville, VT, Framingham, MA, Lubec, ME and Breadalbane, PEI. Details of the remaining dates are on my website Performance page and I'd be honoured if you get a chance to come out to one of them.
Many thanks are due to a load of people we've met along the way. Aside from new fans, I have a load of new friends. One of the benefits of playing in new places is meeting new people and when those people make me their friend it's a additional plus.
Keep watching this space for more details. One of my favourite places is coming up - Lunenburg, NS. I won't be playing out but it's my own home and my own bed and my sweetie, Julia. And we've just added a date in December at Fundy Folk at the Evergreen Theatre in Margaretsville.
Hope to see you on the road and wish you safe travelling wherever the music takes you.
Cheers, Bob
bobardern.ca
October 6, 2013
Finger-style and Fall Colours
I'm excited. It's almost time to get out and play some music. Your humble correspondent is just about ready to load up the tour bus, plug in the tunes and let it roll down the highway. On October 10th, I'm starting out on a 6-week adventure to play 17 shows and a finger-style workshop and attend two conferences. All the details of dates, locations and time are on the Performance page of my website.
The Finger-Style and Fall Colours Tour first date is October 11 at the Side Door CoffeeHouse in Pierrefonds, QC (Montreal - the west island). From there it's a family Thanksgiving weekend, then off to Toronto on the 17th to play The PaintBox Bistro for Coast to Coast Folk - four fine musicians from BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia. As soon as we finish that show, I'm heading off to Mississauga for this year's Folk Music Ontario conference.
I'll be playing some private showcases at FMO followed by a feature set at the Hamilton Folk Club on October 22. Then I'm then off to the Northeastern US to play Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine. Nestled in there is my first attendance at the North East Regional Folk Alliance in upstate New York, where I'll be playing a few guerrilla showcases. After all the US dates, it's back across the border and over to PEI for a return to The Dunk to make up the date that was snowed out in March.
In between all the preparation for the tour, I've managed to get into the Otitis Media studios in Lunenburg and spend some time with producer David Findlay. We're working on my new CD, titled Craftsman, which is scheduled for release in early 2014. Aside from the acoustic guitar by yours truly, Craftsman also features musical contributions from Kev Corbett, Alyssa Wright and David Findlay. We've completed a preliminary mix of the tunes and I'll have a few pre-release copies with me on the road. It's going to be a good one. If you liked Wires Rosewood & Roots, we think you'll love Craftsman.
I hope to see you out at a show on the tour or just hanging out along the way. I have some off days in the schedule which I'm hoping to get some more writing done and start organizing some spring and summer shows. - Ah, the glamourous life of an independent musician. I'd give it all up but it's just too much fun.
See you on the road.
Cheers, Bob
bobardern.ca
The Finger-Style and Fall Colours Tour first date is October 11 at the Side Door CoffeeHouse in Pierrefonds, QC (Montreal - the west island). From there it's a family Thanksgiving weekend, then off to Toronto on the 17th to play The PaintBox Bistro for Coast to Coast Folk - four fine musicians from BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia. As soon as we finish that show, I'm heading off to Mississauga for this year's Folk Music Ontario conference.
I'll be playing some private showcases at FMO followed by a feature set at the Hamilton Folk Club on October 22. Then I'm then off to the Northeastern US to play Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine. Nestled in there is my first attendance at the North East Regional Folk Alliance in upstate New York, where I'll be playing a few guerrilla showcases. After all the US dates, it's back across the border and over to PEI for a return to The Dunk to make up the date that was snowed out in March.
In between all the preparation for the tour, I've managed to get into the Otitis Media studios in Lunenburg and spend some time with producer David Findlay. We're working on my new CD, titled Craftsman, which is scheduled for release in early 2014. Aside from the acoustic guitar by yours truly, Craftsman also features musical contributions from Kev Corbett, Alyssa Wright and David Findlay. We've completed a preliminary mix of the tunes and I'll have a few pre-release copies with me on the road. It's going to be a good one. If you liked Wires Rosewood & Roots, we think you'll love Craftsman.
I hope to see you out at a show on the tour or just hanging out along the way. I have some off days in the schedule which I'm hoping to get some more writing done and start organizing some spring and summer shows. - Ah, the glamourous life of an independent musician. I'd give it all up but it's just too much fun.
See you on the road.
Cheers, Bob
bobardern.ca
September 3, 2013
September in the rain
September has started with rain and more rain and we had to move the Lunenburg Heritage Bandstand Concert inside. The sun came out about 10 minutes after the show was over — good to see that Murphy's Law hasn't been repealed. It was a pleasure to play both Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival and the Bandstand Concert series and I want to say thank you to the good people at the FH Society for inviting me to participate in both events. I love living in a town which has its own folk festival.
Now that the summer is winding down (I refuse to believe it's over yet), it's time to start getting ready for October and November happenings. Given the whirlwind that was August, I'm happy that there is very little on my calendar for September. I will be playing and playing and playing to get ready for a fall tour and also to finalize the music for the new album (as mentioned in last month's post).
October sees me off on my travels to attend a couple of conferences (Folk Music Ontario and North East Regional Folk Alliance) and play some gigs over a 6-week spell. The tour will take me through Quebec, Ontario, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachussets, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine and Prince Edward Island. More details on dates and locations will be coming out soon. My most recent purchase was a GPS to help me navigate.
The tour will be a big adventure. In order to play in the US, I acquired a P-3 visa which is good for a year and I'm planning on doing more in 2014 in support of the new CD. I have a few opportunities out west and in between the practice sessions, I'll be spending my time arranging dates. Ah, the glamourous life of an independent musician.
But before September is over, I have one more gig booked. I'll be down at The SeaDog Saloon in beautiful Shelburne, NS on Sept 27 to play the Friday Night Hootenany. Come on down to Dock Street for some good food and good tunes. There may be a couple of others that I'm working on as well. I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, enjoy the musical journey, wherever it takes you and I hope to see you along the road.
Cheers, Bob
bobardern.ca
902-640-2892 (voice)
Skype: bobardern
Facebook: /BobArdernGuitar
Twitter: @BobArdernGuitar
In management partnership with littleacornmusicmanagement.com
Now that the summer is winding down (I refuse to believe it's over yet), it's time to start getting ready for October and November happenings. Given the whirlwind that was August, I'm happy that there is very little on my calendar for September. I will be playing and playing and playing to get ready for a fall tour and also to finalize the music for the new album (as mentioned in last month's post).
October sees me off on my travels to attend a couple of conferences (Folk Music Ontario and North East Regional Folk Alliance) and play some gigs over a 6-week spell. The tour will take me through Quebec, Ontario, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachussets, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine and Prince Edward Island. More details on dates and locations will be coming out soon. My most recent purchase was a GPS to help me navigate.
The tour will be a big adventure. In order to play in the US, I acquired a P-3 visa which is good for a year and I'm planning on doing more in 2014 in support of the new CD. I have a few opportunities out west and in between the practice sessions, I'll be spending my time arranging dates. Ah, the glamourous life of an independent musician.
But before September is over, I have one more gig booked. I'll be down at The SeaDog Saloon in beautiful Shelburne, NS on Sept 27 to play the Friday Night Hootenany. Come on down to Dock Street for some good food and good tunes. There may be a couple of others that I'm working on as well. I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, enjoy the musical journey, wherever it takes you and I hope to see you along the road.
Cheers, Bob
bobardern.ca
902-640-2892 (voice)
Skype: bobardern
Facebook: /BobArdernGuitar
Twitter: @BobArdernGuitar
In management partnership with littleacornmusicmanagement.com
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