Hey all,
Well big news today!!!! Our cd Redemption has been honoured with a nomination for Best Blues Recording by the East Coast Music Association. The Conference is held in Charlottetown in April and its always a major good time coupled with some great business opportunities.
We’re in the same category as many friends, mentors and hero’s. Thom Swift, Matt Andersen, John Campbelljohn, just to name a few!!! These guys are all amazing and deserving. We’re still very proud of our record and when it gets acknowledged like this I am adamant about making sure you, our fans, know that it also means an acknowledgment for you. We would never have been able to make this record without your help so it makes me really happy to tell you folks when the record is given a nod for excellence.
So beyond that great news I am still in Toronto. I’ve been up here since Friday. I attended a Blues Summit/Conference on the weekend and had a great time. I was able to meet quite a few people from Festival programmers to fans to performers and it was great to put faces to names and real handshakes to the previous cyber ones. I got to listen to a few record company owners, like Andrew Galloway from Electro Fi and Michael Burke from Cordova Bay, talk about their business experiences. Man it was informative. I saw some great tunes from bands like CATL, Dylan Wickens and I got to speak on a social media panel with the brilliant David Newland, Sarah French and the one and only, Richard Flohill. What an experience. I learned so much in just a few days and got to have fun while doing it.
On Monday evening I attended the Maple Blues Awards. It was at Koerner Hall which is a beautiful room. It was very classy. Lots of killer performances. Notably from the great Matt Andersen and Shakura S’aida. I also got to sit RIGHT NEXT TO Bruce Iglauer. Bruce is the founder and president of Alligator Records. I had a hard time not gushing but I think I kept my composure. You have to understand that I have been listening to Alligator artists everyday of my life for the past 20 years. Without his work I don’t know if I would have my work. What a thrill!!!! Nice guy to boot! Anyway it really was a special night. A few of my best friends took home trophys and more importantly to all of us (I think) we all got to hang out and spend some quality time together. Since we all travel so much it only happens a couple times a year so when it’s possible it’s some of the best fun you can have. Here is a pic of the end of the night….
Thats Matt Andersen, Thom Swift, Steve and Matt from Monkey Junk and Steve Antle
I’m getting ready to do my last Toronto show till March. Tonight I play the Local on Ronces. It’s always a good time there. Then I make my way east with Picton Show and a Peterborough house concert Sunday before making the long over nighter to freddy beach where the Bastards will join me in rocking the snot out of the Snooty Fox. Maybe y’all should come down and help us celebrate our nomination if you’re in the area?
So before I go I want to hip you also to a new free music compilation recently made available from our Label friends at Thorny Bleeder Records. Two discs worth of free, legal tunage. Check it out right here and share it around with yer pals. Free stuff is good. Go ahead, Free the Music.
Much Love
MB