Posts By Lewis Handford
0 Juno weekend and April: where has it gone already?
I am realizing more and more how hard it is to keep up with blogging.
It’s been almost 2 weeks since The Junos and I haven’t even written about it.
April was supposed to be quiet with lots of downtime but I find myself
just as busy as I always am.
My friend Geoff says I should have a bunch of blogs in reserve. Always
staying ahead of the game. I should have planned this out better.
Well; The Junos were fun. Lots of elbow rubbing with stars, riding
around in vans, cool shows(Hugh’s Room and the Dakota Tavern), great
hotel rooms, whiskey, sushi, plus I got to wear my black biker boots
and my Frys!
Here are a few sample pictures of the weekend.
Now here we are coming up to the 2nd week of April. I have a small
holdout of snow in my backyard that refuses to go away, I still need a
sweater, my scarf remains a permanent fixture on my neck, but the
forecast calls for double digits on Monday.
Wow. Double digits above zero. How great is that?
So even though I am living in the present; I look to the future. I
have some great shows in town coming up. The Dirty Grants tomorrow and
Saturday, Satori on the 16th, and I’m heading to Ottawa with Laurel
Jackson and The Attractives on the 23rd. Next month takes me and Cash
across the country with Ladies Of The Canyon and 2011 Juno award
winner Old Man Ludecke. We’re packing up and hitting the road. All
the way to my home town of Sooke, BC.
Hopefully I can keep up with this whole blogging consistently idea.
We will see won’t we
-Lewis.
0 Quebec Tour March, 2011
Well; here we are. Yet another successful tour under our belt. This was a great one! Sold out shows(almost all of them), great staff at all the venues, appreciative crowds, wicked dressing rooms stocked with all sorts of yummy treats, and Cash got to learn a new lots of new things, especially the french word “loge” which means dressing room.
He learned that on the first evening of the tour in Rimouski. This was an absolutely incredible venue as evidenced by the following shot:
We even got to drive through one of the worst winter storms the region has had all year when we drove to Matane from Carleton. They weren’t lying. We had some slippery moments and weren’t quite sure what was going to happen but we got to the venue. A little stressed, hungry, but glad to be safe and sound.
After making it to Matane we discovered that it is one of the quaintest towns we have seen in a long time. The venue is run by some great artists and it attracts a thriving artists community. We even met a waitress from Wisconsin that decided to stay.
Then we got to cross the St. Lawrence on a ferry. Took us 2 hours and was pretty good. We didnt even hit any rough weather! That evening we were in Port Cartier at one of the most amazing venues. In fact, all the venues were spectacular. Full of character, and great sound. Quite a nice side of Quebec to see. Here are just a few examples.
After Port Cartier we drove back down to Montreal. There were so many amazing sights, incredible vistas, and we got to cross the Saguenay river.
Through it all Cash was a trooper. He had fun, he ate all of the riders, watched his movies, chased the band, tickled his mum and giggled like a mad man, thoroughly enjoying himself and all that he had offered. Plus he got to see a whole lot of this province and met all the great people in it.
0 Rock N Roll parenting in the winter. . .
So; alot of time in winter in Montreal has to do with thinking about going outside, getting dressed to go outside, clearing the walkway, warming up the car, then getting to where we have to go as quickly as possible.
When you have a 2 year old son, this process gets very tricky. Especially if he doesn’t want to leave the house. Couple that with being 2 parents who tour most days of the year, and you can get a good idea of what it takes.
Here we are in March. The days are supposed to be getting warmer, the birds are supposed to be returning, and we just got another huge dump of snow. My backyard is starting to resemble the Russian north and I cant find my doormat through 3 inches of ice.
All my friends out west ask why I would do such a thing like move to Montreal. “But its so beautiful here. Why would you move there???”. Well, to be blunt, because Quebec is the best province to raise a family as far as the government goes, and its the best place to be a musician because of the government’s love and support for the arts.
So. . . .this province may be buried under snow, and sometimes I look outside with dread and fear about hauling my drums through snow or driving for hundreds of kilometers for the next tour, but then I remember why I live here.
I figure 4 months of cold snow and frigid temperatures is a fairly decent trade off for and economy that allows me to get by as a musician. I’m not driving a new car or living that sex, drugs, and rock n roll life, but I am able to have a roof over my head and spend more time with my family than 99% of the world does. Not bad Quebec. Not bad.
Lewis Handford 