I’m in my kitchen on day 4 of my return to ‘normal life’ and still processing all the good, and the challenging from what was one of the most memorable tours I’ve ever taken on.

In terms of sheer size, I hadn’t been away from my family, friends & home for 4.5 weeks straight since I was 28 (I’m not 28 anymore).  Generally most of my stretches away had always been about a 3 week max, which might seem small but when you’re doing all or most of the booking, driving, performing, & admin work along the way, it’s a bunch.  It doesn’t sound like rock n roll but that’s what it is in the DIY world.

I left home at the end of February, just when the weather in BC was rounding the corner into ‘fake spring.’ It was beautiful here… Birds started to dominate the soundscape in the mornings & things were getting green.

During one of my Vancouver days, I took a very long & nostalgic walk all across North Vancouver, where I lived & recorded for a few years.  It seems like a million miles ago, and I felt like I missed it, but also didn’t.  Maybe that resonates with some… “they were the best of times, and the worst…”

Anyway, it was beautiful.

A killer night in Chilliwack led me to a funny happening in Osoyoos, BC the next day.  I had been booked for a matinee in Osoyoos, and my hotel was in nearby Oliver.  Osoyoos starts with an O and so does Oliver, so I went to the wrong venue, in the wrong town and nearly missed my soundcheck.  If you know me at all, this ain’t my usual MO.  I got to where I was supposed to be, and the place filled up and it ended up being one of my very favourite gigs of the entire tour.  I love you, wine country.

Big thanks to my friends Deb & Craig in Summerland (and their new/old addition Zion) for the accommodations…

I made my way into Alberta, where the gigs seem to nearly always make sense to me…. I love touring that province.  Calgary’s Ironwood Stage,  Fensala Hall in historic & tiny Markerville & Ponoka United provided me with enough juice to make it to Saskatoon where my partner Shari was flying in to join the rest of the tour.  I’ve known Shari as a friend for most of my life, and finding love in each other later in the game has been such an amazing stroke of luck for us both. To be able to spend so many days together in succession was a gift.

Above: Andrew Mayes photo

Cue the challenging part:

I haven’t spent as much time in central Canada in recent years, so it’s harder getting those audiences out.  Full transparency – I don’t draw everywhere!  Saskatoon at the Bassment was a really nice night, and my opening act Conor Cassidy was so killer.  He’s a star, you guys. Check him out.  http://www.conorcassidy.com

The weather got colder, but the audiences in Inglis & Gimli Manitoba were so great to us.  The Ship & Plough in Gimli is such a throwback venue and they do everything right for both audience & performer.

I was to make my way to Fort Frances Ontario, the site of my last gig before the pandemic a few years back.  These folks at ‘Tour de Fort’ have long been supporters of mine, and I wanted badly to make my way out to Northwest Ontario to see ’em, but Mother Nature had other plans this time.  A sizeable snow & ice storm made it’s way into that area, and travel was not advisable.  Next time, you guys…. Next time.
Cancelling shows for any reason is loathsome.

As we made our way back to Alberta, I started getting that ‘what’s next?’ vibe in my gut.  I’ve been at this 25 years.  Great. What’s next?  I am to the point where I’ve grown tired of doing this solo.  I want to make music with people again; get noisy & give some of my catalogue the volume & distortion it deserves.  My hope is to put a new show together in the coming months… something that’s a little bigger & snarly; some tools that I can use to starve off the Middle Ages.

The home stretch of the run featured dates in some of my favourite hot spots in cold areas: Red Deer, Calgary (again) for house concerts, as well as Medicine Hat, Cochrane, Cranbrook, Penticton & Kelowna.  I was able to catch up with many friends, old bandmates & really marinate in the feeling that I’ve connected with some great human beings over my lifetime.  Some of these songs matter to people, and I tend to forget that as I’m ruminating over not getting a festival I want, or struggling with aging in this business…  I’m so grateful for every single person that’s continued to come out to gigs & support me & put food on my table for myself & my family.
I’m an indie.  I have a small support team still, but everything you see with me is essentially farm to table music.  I don’t autotune my voice or my spirit, and I try to be as authentic with my audiences as I can… I believe there’s still room for that in today’s AI-generated abyss, and I couldn’t be happier still plugging away, making my art my way.

Thanks everybody.  Hope to see you, and more, along for the ride for the next 25.

Above: 3/4 of Citizen Strange – circa 1998-2000
Brad Looyen & Steve Metz

Ryan McMahon