Wild Turkeys, WILD LIFE SKETCHES and the Wild West

.....And as I was driving late into the night and stomping my feet to the insatiable groove of Cymande, the waxing crescent moon cocked her head and gave me a crooked smile as she invited me to follow her over the Western horizon!

As day broke in Minden, ON, the wild turkeys stood sentinel while I prepared for the last push toward the first stop on my Western Canada tour!

Tuesday, March 19

The Old Station

Bracebridge, ON

Wednesday, March 20

Griffin Pub

Bracebridge, ON

Saturday, March 23

The Auld Kirk

Thessalon, ON

Friday, March 29
Living Room Concert
Winnipeg, MB

Saturday, March 30

The Double Decker

Brandon, MB

Wednesday, April 3

Living Room Concert

Saskatoon, SK

Monday, April 8

The Elk and Oarsman

Banff, AB

Tuesday, April 9

The Elk and Oarsman

Banff, AB

Thursday, April 11

Voodoo`s

Penticton, BC

Saturday, April 13

The Art We Are

Kamloops, BC

Saturday, April 20

Earth Club Factory

Denman Island, BC

Tuesday, April 22

Char`s Landing

Port Alberni, BC

More dates TBA!

GO WEST when the wind blows east GO WEST

After 2 weeks on the road, I'm resting my bones and stocking up on mom-made meatloaf before heading into the uncharted waters of the wild and wonderful west. I have not been beyond the great lakes since I was 12 years old, so it feels a bit daunting knowing that the immeasurable beauty of the land out there has held so many of my central Canadian friends captive for years. I'm excited to see their smiling faces again after so long. Joining me along the way will be Banjo-Mandolin-Dobro-Lapsteel-and-all-around-string-wizard known as the Midnight Dreamer. He's flying in to Edmonton to meet me and spend the month of April driving through the Rocky Mountains and the Okanagan Valley playing shows, meeting people, eating baloney sandwiches, and taking in the fresh air. After a month and a half on the road, I will be very happy to have a co-pilot/partner-in-crime for this incredible part of the journey!

In other good news Independent Music News featured Cougars in America as one of the top 50 unsigned/independent Folk acts on their website. What a nice surprise! 

Also, the first 100 hand-numbered copies of WILD LIFE SKETCHES are almost all gone so this week I'll print off 100 more (and so on and so forth...). If you want one, please drop me a line! If you're in Belgium, Spain, Italy, or Germany and I promised to mail you one, make sure I have your address so I can send it before I leave Ottawa!

photo courtesy of Professor Humperdink

WILD LIFE SKETCHES

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered in 2 weeks in North Gower, Ontario, WILD LIFE SKETCHES is a raw pressing of songs that have been stuck in my head for the past few years. Recorded with two borrowed microphones on guitar, ukelele, melodica, harmonica, shakey-egg, tambourine, a box of paper clips, and a guitar case for a bass drum, this album is a sketch book. These songs have evolved through many live performances and WILD LIFE SKETCHES is the first time they are put together in an album that lets them rest in one form. Enjoy!

WILD LIFE SKETCHES is now available in 2 ways:

ONLINE and via digital download from my bandcamp site.

IN PERSON at any of the concerts on my Canadian tour.

The CDs are numbered and come in a booklet with hand-written lyrics and sketches by my sister. If you can't make it to a concert and can't wait to get your hands on one of these, contact me by email and maybe I can mail one to you!

cougarsinamerica@gmail.com

In this Age of Hope and Golden Mountains - Live in Maastricht

Forest City Dreamin'

....Always at the last minute, I've got a big weekend coming up in the forest city with 4 shows in the next 24 hours!

Friday March 1st, 3PM

East Village Cafe

785 Dundas St.

Friday March 1st, 8PM

The Grad Club

University of Western Ontario

Saturday March 2nd, 1130AM

Organic Works Cafe

222 Wellington St.

Saturday March 2nd, 1PM

The Root Cellar

623 Dundas St.