The postman is dead, long live the postman!


Presenting...: Postcards

A new EP from Cougars in America coming in January 2014.

NEW unreleased recordings from and about this year's criss-cross-Canadian adventure.

Coming soon: sneak previews and details on how to get one delivered to your mailbox (if you still have one). 

Production is limited so send me an e-mail (or a letter) if you want to be on the waiting list!

Silver Shadow

Here is a song that I wrote by the light of this year's 'Super Moon' while camping at Miles Bay on the Bruce Peninsula. Hope you enjoy it and BIG thanks to Antoine and Jennifer for recording this video outside their yurt in Douglastown, Quebec.

I see 67 hundred million burning lights
Beyond the silver shadow of an afternoon
Blazing through this sleepless night
To serenade the crickets
As they dance beneath the moon
And I'm waiting
Waiting for the Sun

Still beyond the silence
I can feel a sinking urge that I call
Hope to find a remedy
Ever present, Ever clear
Ripples form an orchestrated march that's everlasting
And the loon has finished calling on her mate
All the birds have left the scenery
To let the night-time sparkle on a lake that I have known since I was young
And I wonder
What have I become

And I'm waiting, waiting for the sun
And I'm waiting, waiting for the sun
I hear buses full of hopes and dreams
Rumbling down the highway somewhere distant
Orion, arms and legs out wide
Hung up on the sky
Just like the fly stuck on my windshield
Hear the highway crying wolf
I will not shy away from any place
That leads me through this silky haze of mystery
I cannot see the road beyond my nose
But I can feel it moving quickly as I run
Into the morning sun
 And I'm waiting, waiting for the sun
And I'm waiting, waiting for the sun
....

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:


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!


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.


Peterborough Gig!

....Here's a last minute addition to my last-minute jaunt up and down the 401. 
I'm playing at the Spill in Peterborough! 
I love that place and it's been a couple years since I saw Dave Tobey and the gang.

Friday, February 18th
THE SPILL
5-7pm

414 George St. N
Peterborough, ON

See you soon!

In Love With Leaving - Festivus Edition


ALBUM UPDATE:
Cougars in America became Cougars in the Studio in November and soon enough we will have a 3-song EP ready for your ears! I think Paolo took some pictures so I will upload them as soon as I fix my computer.

COMPUTER UPDATE:
Irregular electricity has zapped my means of updating the blog but i'll do my best to post pictures/videos/news as I get them - you can help by emailing me things I can post! A funny aside for anyone who has seen where I live: the computer repair man asked me if I live in Africa when he saw the state of my computer's fried interior.

CONCERT UPDATE:
In Brussels I'm playing a bunch of solo shows over the next month.
These include:
Friday Dec. 7 - El Turco, Place de Londres, 19h-21h
Sunday Dec. 16 - Lava Café, St Gery, 20h
Saturday, January 19 - 12 Chaises, St Gilles, 20h ***POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE***

CANADA UPDATE:
I'm going home for Christmas and staying for a month - stay tuned for details about any of the small concerts I hope to play while I'm home.

GENERAL UPDATE:
All is well!
If you want to listen to me trying to speak French about various things cougar-related and not with Nicolas, Dany and the DI crew at Radio ALMA, you can! They "got to know me" a couple weeks ago and you can listen by clicking HERE. They also let me pick the music and play songs on the guitar. I still have not had a chance to listen (see computer update, above) so I can only hope I didn't swear or sing off-key or tell jokes that weren't very funny.

The Long Road Home!

After a month on the road I'm on my way back to Brussels! Travelling 7500km with 2 bands, official documentarian, driver (qui Guida? Antonio guida), a 24 hour cocktail bar (and the barman, of course), the Dean of the university of Smastro, Tico, and a few friends who joined us along the way in a van with most but not all of the windows has been oodles of fun, but I'm ready to come back to Brussels! Pictures and videos of the tour are on the way. 

For now, here are some concerts to look forward to:

August 30th
Lausanne, CH - Cougars in the Garden

Sept 1st
Frankfurt, DE - Private Party following the 100 car car chase

Sept 7th
Brussels, BE - Concours Circuit @ Botanique

Sept 13th
Brussels, BE - Rock Classic Bar


The Endless Beards of Summer 2012


On the road again in Italy with
BENITO BAND
ANTONIO & FRIENDS
and
COUGARS IN AMERICA

July 27@Spazio 4,Piacenza

July 28@Bascherdeis, Vernasca
July 29@Bascherdeis, Vernasca
July 31@Circolo Ribalta,Vignola
August 1@Circola Aurora, Firenze - SOLD OUT
August 3@Marianiello Jazz Cafe,Sorrento
August 4@Countryclub Primi faggi, Santo Stefano in Aspromonte
August 5@Oceanomare, San Leone,Agrigento
August 7@Baia, Lido Rossello, Agrigento 
August 10@Notte sotto le stelle, Santa Elisabetta
August 11@Bacco Wine, Raffadali
August 12@Oceanomare, San Leone, Agrigento
August 15@Steccato di Cutro - Beach Party with Bruno Selecta!
August 17@Pineta Belvedere, Santa Cesarea di Terme
August 21 - Barrueca!!!! Santa Caterina LE

Last Minute Gigs in Brussels!

...Because things keep popping up when you least expect them :)

First, a return to the Urban Ecology Centre in Uccle on Friday, July 6th. 
It starts with a barbecue around 17h30 and we should be on a couple hours after that.

On Monday, July 9th, we will play a special living room concert alongside a screening of a documentary of the Hard Rain Project.
Rue Blaes 96, B22 - 20h00.


Stay Tuned!

There are no concerts this week because I'm going to play in Norway with Benito Band. BUT please enjoy this video of 'The Tower' from a concert in May (Thanks for the video, Avud!) and check back soon for details of the forthcoming summer tour from Belgium to Sicily and back again :) 


The next concerts in Brussels will be on July 8th in the gazebo (kiosk) of parc central with Emmanuele from the Marichka Connection and then on July 12th at a screening of a documentary from the hard rain project - more details to follow...