He's back

I'm happy to say that my son Dan is back home for Christmas. Dan did his first tour of Canada earlier this year, promoting his first CD and video from the stage in Vancouver, Cakgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Just him and his guitar and a back pack of songs he wrote the year before. Great CD. Watch and listen:

A great year...

Yes, it has been a great year. Great gigs in Qualicum, Sooke and Deep Cove. The highlight of the year: the Quartet's appearance at the Filberg Festival near Courtney-Comox. There's nothing like a captive audience of 150 music fans surrounded by ocean and lush parkland. A wonderful audience, a great arts and crafts venue and some pretty good singing back at the hotel later in the night.

My personal best moment: when Marc Jordan, Murray McLauchlan, Ian Thomas and Cindy Church brought their "Lunch at Allens" partnership to the festival. I interviewed Murray in my previous life as a radio producer, met Ian Thomas at one of his gigs in Montreal (met his brother Dave, too) and spent many an evening listening to Marc at Edgerton's, a famous Toronto waterming hole that helped spawn the likes of Sting and the Police years ago.

Another great moment: the Comox Music festival, in particular Eric Bibb with his father the legendary Leon Bibb. Both were in fine voice as we gathered fotr a good old Sunday Gospel Music Hour and the senior Bibb's pride in his son was plain to see to everyone.

What are we doing right now? Freshening up the group a bit by working on some new tunes and a few instrumentals. Our hope is to hit the road again in the New Year. And who knows: perhaps a new CD in 2010.