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NEWS

July 29th, 2008 - # 1 - pretty sweet

Hi all.  Well, it's official.  Dreams of Grey just hit # 1 on the National Aboriginal Top 30 this past weekend.  This Nationally Syndicated programs ensures that we're being played right across the country which is pretty cool. 

We had a great time at the Folk Fest this past weekend.  I think the shows went pretty well.  The highlight for me was the show in the Chapel which literally is an old church hall.  The acoustics were amazing and the room had a wonderfull natural reverb to it that made it really special. 

I was out on my boat all day yesterday driving a camera crew from APTN around.  They are shooting a documentary on the Tribal Journey this year.  I felt very lucky to be play a small role in this powerful event and was able to visit each canoe on the water as we filmed their progress.  One setup that really stuck on on my mind occured with the camera set up on a point of land called Octopus point.  The crew filmed as the canoes paddled right past the point.  It was very moving to think that travel such as this was commonplace in the not too distant past.  It is truely special to see such a rebirth of these long ocean canoe voyages here on the coast.

The North American Indigenous Games also promises to be very busy and I'll be sure to keep you posted on all the events. 

Also, if you are a regular follower or a one-time visitor, please be sure to cast your votes in the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards this year!!!!  We're up in 6 categories.

Thanks for reading!

July 22nd, 2008 - Upcoming Dates and Contests

Howdy!  For those of you on Vancouver Island, I thought I would make note of a few upcoming dates.  I'll be at the Islands Folk Fest Saturday July 26th and Sunday July 27th.   For more information, click on the Islands Folk Fest Box to the right.

I'll also be playing at the North American Indigenous Games.  Click on the graphic to the left for the full schedule. 

Lasty I'm in the running for the 2008 Aboriginal People's Choice Awards in six categories.  This is a supporter based voting system and every vote counts.  To sign up and vote, click on the graphic to the right.   Your support would be awesome!!!


Thanks for reading!  Hope to see you at one of the shows!


July 16th 2008 - The past two months and the next month

Hi there.  Well, the last few months have been a whirlwind...some of the busiest for me in recent memory.  Two Fest went really well.  There are now videos up on this site for you to take a look at.  We played to a sold out house in Victoria and great crowds in Nanaimo and Vancouver.   It is pretty addicting playing on those large stages. 

Following Two Fest I had the honor of being flown out to Ottawa where I was presented with a National Aboriginal Role Model Award by the Governor General.   You'll see a picture to the right.  This was truly and amazing experience and I was both deeply humbled and honored to have recieved the award.  I was also given the honor of making the acceptance speech on behalf of the other role models.  Click here to read it.

We also ran a National Aboriginal Day Celebration on the Victoria Waterfront which went very well.  I was one of the organizers along with Ron Rice and Shannon MacGillivary.   After all the work I put into it, I was away for the big day but from what I hear the event went really well attracting about 10,000 people over the course of the afternoon. 

I've also been working on the soundtrack and original music for a television program called Tiga Talk.  I am quite happy with how the music has turned out to date and can't wait to share it with all of you.  The series will be broadcast on APTN in the fall and I'll be sure to give you more details as they arise.

The next few weeks look quite busy for me. I'll be playing at the Island Folk Fest at Providence Farm on July 25 and 26th.  Following that I'll be performing a number of shows at the North American Indigenous Games in Duncan.  I'll be sure to post the specific dates and show times soon.

You will also note that we've updated our store.  I am very happy to feature one of the first Apricado Stores, an awesome webtool designed by my good friend Jeff Ward.  Feel free to have a look, and, as always, buy the songs to your heart's content.

Thanks for reading.

R


May 11th, 2008 - the Two Fest

Here's the poster and a link to the site for the Two Fest Festival I will be playing at in June. Should be a great show. My good friend JB will be there. Don't miss it!

May 11th, 2008 - An update and a show in Vancouver
Alright. Posting time again. Sorry to all of you who are checking in regularly that there hasn't been much to content up here to check out. So what's been going on? Well, we wrapped up our tour of Southern Ontario. Played a few great shows with the guys out there. We managed to get stuck in that monster blizzard which was pretty interesting. Dan and I, (Dan plays guitar in the band and is a great guy) were staying a little outside of town with a good friend of mine and had to fight our way in to make it to our show. The storm seemed to peak right when we were on stage. It was madness.

En route to the gig we saw a homeless fellow fall in the snow, totally hammered, and proceed to lay right on the middle of the tram tracks as he was too drunk to stand up again. It was pretty harsh...for a second I figured we were going to watch this poor guy get run over by the tram. Fortunately, with our honking and the tram drivers attention the guy avoided getting squished. I did have to run out and help the guy to the side of the road though as he still couldn't get up.

We made it all over the place in Ontario including Ottawa, Waterloo, London and Toronto. We had a really good time at the boathouse in Waterloo and it was really great to connect with some of the people from the radio station there that have been so good to us.

Things since then have been good. I'm busy right now working on one of the language projects that I have been working on for the past few years. Across Canada and the United States many aboriginal languages are either threatened or endangered. Michif, the language of the Metis, is considered to be critically endangered. I'm part of a team that is creating an interactive website to try to preserve and revitalize this language. It is a pretty major undertaking and we're really trying to improve the site a lot this year. You can have a look at it at www.learnmichif.com

I'm now getting ready to play a bunch of shows in the near future including a showcase a New Music West. We're playing Friday, May 16th a 930 pm at Cafe Deux Soleils on Commercial Drive. Should be a pretty good time. We're also going to be playing at a touring festival called Two Fest with shows at the McPherson Theater, Port Theater and Centennial Theater in Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver.

So that's a little mini update for now...I'll be sure to write more soon. If you're around the Vancouver area, come check out the show on Friday. I think tickets are $10.00 at the door.

Peace



March 4, 2008 - See you in Ontario
Well, things are getting busy here in the lead-up to the trip out to Ontario. As mentioned, we'll be playing at Canadian Music Week, a CIUT broadcast and a show for the University of Waterloo's radio station. The radio show is scheduled from 830-10am Friday morning, the Showcase 10pm on Saturday night at the Dakota Tavern and the Waterloo show Wednesday at 10pm.

Hope to see you there!

February 22, 2008 - A month already
Howdy. Well, I can't believe it has been over a month since I have last updated this. My apoligies to those who are checking in regularly. Things have been going great out on this end here. I've been busy with a couple projects lately which has kept things pretty busy. We also took a ski trip to Whistler a coupld weekends back which was excellent. We got to ski the Blackcomb Glacier with knee deep powder. Pretty lucky...

A large part of my business in the last bit surrounds a project I am working on. One of the areas that I have done a lot of work in over the years is Aboriginal Language Revitalization. It is a long story how I became involved in the work but I have been fortunate to work with a number of speakers and on a number of large projects. Aboriginal languages in Canada and the world are in decline. Some bands or communities are at crisis level with only one or two speakers remaining, most have suffered a very significant loss of their language. For many years now, I have worked hard to contribute in whatever way I can to combat this continued loss. At the moment, I am working on a project to preserve and revitalize the Metis language which is called Michif.

On a music note, somehow I just managed to discover the song Four Strong Winds. I know, probably one of the most famous songs ever and one which I should know but it just seemed to skip by me until now. What a great song. I've been scratching away at some new material lately and songs like Four Strong Winds sure are inspirational. It really is a simply story and told completely truthfully. It's also written around three chords which to me just goes to show that you don't need a lot to create a timeless song...you just need the heart and the story.

Thanks for reading. I hope to see some of you in Toronto or Waterloo for the shows we'll be playing there!


January 14, 2008 - Dates for Toronto and Ontario
Hi all. I'm pleased to let you know that I'll be heading out to Toronto for a showcase slot at Canadian Music Week. I'll be playing on the Saturday night at the Dakota Tavern which looks like my kind of place...kind of an upscale honky tonk. Following that show, we will head over to Waterloo to play a show in support of the radio station there. This show will be highlighted in a live to air broadcast which I'm pumped about. They've been great to me there and I am very happy to be giving back to them.

I'm going to try to line up a few more dates in there so I'll keep you posted on further details. We had a good show the other night at an event I am hosting called the Soul Cafe. The event features both speakers and performers coming together for a worthy cause. The theme of this first event was the Environment. Cheryl Bryce from the Songhees Nation discussed how ineffective land-use planning affects tradition and life for First Nations communites. Sara Webb discussed steps the University of Victoria has taken to promote sustainability. Dylan from the Western Canadian Wilderness Committee discussed the effects old-growth logging has had on Vancouver Island. Performers included Jeremy Walsh, Aiden Knight, Zinnea Harper, Chris Fretwell, and myself. The next event in this format will happen February 29th so be sure to keep an eye out for the details.

Thanks for reading

January 3, 2008 - Friends in trouble - Kenya
Hi everyone. I just recieved an email from my friend Jon Rezin. Jon is the fellow who did the excellent mixing job on Groundwater. His wife comes from Kenya and as many of you know, things in Kenya have rapidly detioriated in the last week. I have included the email that he wrote to let you know more details about what is happening there. It is very bad, one that certainly isn't summarized by 20 second news clip on the news.

His email:
I am writing to request your assistance with an extremely challenging issue.... As some of you are aware my wife is from Kenya. Our family lives their now.. and are in grave danger...

Within the the last 3 days there has erupted a huge campaign of violence, ethnic cleansing and tribal warfare from the alleged rigging of the presidential election leading to the re-election of Kibaki. I
will not relate the details as they are all readily available on the websites I include at the bottom of this email... but the basic reality is that the country is entering a state of warfare... Marshall law has been declared by the president... a curfew... riot police are out in streets throughout the country... if you are out past curfew you are beaten or shot... looting and rioting has decimated many of the shops in the town centers... many I and my family would frequent...leaving many without basic supplies to live. The President
has shut off all the radio stations... all you hear is the eerie sound of static as you scan the airwaves... The television stations are only broadcasting un-interupted movies... no news.. no announcements...
Everyone in Kenya uses pre-paid calling cards for cell phones.. and the president has ordered them to stop being sold... He has stopped all flow of information internally... We had to ask our mom not to call her friends and conserve what little credit she has.. we now have to call regularly to check on the situation... even the phone networks have been going down... He has shut the water supply off to Nairobi City (the largest and most developed city in east africa)... There are frequent blackouts... The two major tribes representing the presidential opponents are Kikuyu and Luo. My Wife and Family are Luo. Kikuyus are attacking and killing Luos en-masse throughout the country... and Luo are killing Kikuyu around the country... within the last day.. mass killings have begun.. In Lou towns Kikuyus have begun
killing Luos.. locking Luo social clubs while people are inside and burning them down... over 50 Kikuyu women and children sought refuge in a church after their homes were burned and an angry mob of youth
locked them in the church and set fire to it killing 35... those who escaped were met on the outside with the mob... beaten... and burned to death in a kitchen garden outside the church... decimation of
neighborhoods, slums, and villages where supporters of either candidate are being burned to the ground.. with people inside.... This is only a small fraction of the injustices being committed.... Yet these atrocities are reminiscent of the beginnings of the Genocide which took place in Rwanda (The next Door neighbor to kenya)...

My Mother In Law in kenya received word from a friend in government that Kibaki was about to be announced the winner off the election and that she should rush to the grocery store because it was about to get very bad... she sent my cousins to the store to buy what food she could afford... that night 3 local social spots where my family would regularly hang out were locked up and burnt down with people inside...
Luckily my family was all at home anticipating the violence to come...They are locked in their small apartment.. 2 small bedrooms in a stone apartment structure. They have a small security gate before
the front door which they have padlocked shut... My brother in law...lost track of his family when their neighborhood was attacked, people killed, and burnt to the ground... he ran around searching all night
and luckily he was able to locate them... they rushed to my mother in laws home... He, His Wife, and Small children had to pass through streets littered with bodies... there are now over 14 people in this tiny apartment... they only have food for a couple more days... the stores are dangerous if impossible to get to... most stores have been shut or ransacked so there is no food anyway... what food is left is being sold at very high costs... Gunshots are heard round the clock and throughout the night...

I paint this picture to give an idea of the severity of the situation... I watch and feel helpless... Many who have watched Hotel Rwanda can remember that feeling of "What did we / could we have done to prevent this..." This is a similar situation... I am not sure of the best remedy for it.. but it is apparent that something needs to be done before the violence, civil unrest and massacres extend any further... How can I sit by and watch another Rwanda or Somalia take place without so much as opening my mouth... and the fact that my family is directly involved impels me to act with determination. Things may get better on their own... maybe in a few days... a few weeks... a few months... but for each day it doesn't... lives are
lost.. families shattered.. and we inch closer to genocide... how many times did people assume that it would probably work itself out in Rwanda or Somalia.... and thereby delay their own action... inaction
enabled a spark to become a flame and a flame into an inferno.

I am writing to my congress people in Los Angeles... imploring them to press the US govt. and the UN to intervene... The only way to ensure my families safety is to ensure peace in Kenya... Please take a moment
to do something... write to your congress person or call them and urge them to address the issue of the unrest in Kenya with haste... Each day that passes people are dying and being ripped from their homes...
only 250 people have been documented killed so far... thousands injured and over 70,000 made homeless in 3 days... This does not include those who are fleeing and are undocumented by the statistics. I mentioned hotel Rwanda.. and the vivid picture it painted which brought us all a bit of shame... now picture your family in that hotel... being left to die as other countries get their own people out... this is more than a movie... My family is at serious risk...and I am praying for their safety. Please take a moment and help be a part of bringing about peace... not only for my own families but for all of Kenya...

And Above All Pray For Them...

SITES WITH INFO ABOUT THE SITUATION IN KENYA:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/africa/default.stm
http://www.nationmedia.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/

HOW TO FIND YOUR CONGRESS PERSON:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

December 28, 2007 -- Festivals and Gorillas and Macro Economics
Howdy all. Happy upcoming new years to all those reading if I don't get a chance to say so before the big night. 2008...wow. Time flies and it certainly seems to be flying faster. Recieved some good news that I will be playing a showcase at the Canadian Music Week festival in Toronto in early March along with the Islands Folk Fest in my neck of the woods on Vancouver Island in late July. I'll put the dates up on my Dates page so you can check the shows out if you are around.

I had a really interesting conversation with a friend of mine the other night...one that made me take pause and really reconsider how we think about our individual roles in the world. My friend was telling me how he became directly involved with one of the two remaining Silverback gorilla populations in the world. One population lives in Rwanda, the other in the Congo. While these populations are not huge, they have been stable over the past while.

My friend was telling me that the guards watching over the park where the gorillas live get paid a mere 2 dollars per month to guard these last remaining areas. When I heard this, it took a moment for my brain to register what this exactally meant...2 dollars per month, not per day, per month. Two dollars...you can barely buy a coffee at Starbucks for that price.

The gap that exists between the rich and the poor is incredible.

I think it is important to question our global priorites. In most industries today, massive companies dominate the economic landscape. In the music industry for example, four companies control much of the big music out there. Further, Sony BMG is just but one arm of the far larger corporation of Sony International. Super companies such as Wal-Mart also dominate. The size and scope of these companies is a result of a general trend towards mergers and away from direct competition. Fewer companies means fewer people to argue over the prices...it also means that fewer individuals can set trends for global business.

Through this, it becomes possible to create a general trend away from a more equal distribution of wealth to a more concentrated, unequal balance of wealth. In recent years, and in many sectors, both the CEOs of major corporations and corporations themselves have been posting record profits. Below are a couple brief quotes that highlight this

"[In 2007] Royal Bank reported a Q4 profit of $1.32 billion and its best-ever annual profit as its Canadian retail banking operation helped it overcome hits from shaky credit markets." (Source: CBC News)

A typical chief executive at a U.S. company earned 262 times the pay of a typical worker in 2005, according to a recent report. With 260 workdays in a year, that means that an average CEO earned more in one workday than a worker earned in 52 weeks. That pay gap is the second-highest in the 40 years for which data are available, reports the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. American CEOs fared even better in 2000, when they made an average of 300 times the salary of their workers. Executive pay has become a hot-button issue with shareholders around the country. (Source: MSN News)

There are two ways to approach the unequal balance of wealth in my opinion. One can target this on an economic level or on an ethical level. The ethical approach would state that it is simply not fair that there is such an unequal distribution. What does a CEO do 300 times greater than your average worker to merit such exhorbitant wages? An ethical discussion would also involve asking whether or not it is fair to have people making such crazy wages when so many in the world are making so little, going back to our guards in the Congo who make 2 dollars per month.

The economic approach would state that unequal distribution of wealth is bad for business. Shareholders do not recive the dividends they might recieve if the CEOS were not paid as much. Also, workers and people who are paid more participate more in the global economy. If you are poor, you can't buy consumer goods, therefore, spending in local, national and international economies is reduced.

In my opinion, both approaches are valid. Ethics cannot be ignored in any discussion. Where are we going in the world...how will we get there? Will we get there together or divided? What are the environmental ramifications to our spending? What does one person really need at the end of the day?

Below are some statistics that I came across. What do you think after reading them?

Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day.

The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world’s countries) is less than the wealth of the world’s three richest people combined.

Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn't happen.

The wealthiest nation on Earth has the widest gap between rich and poor of any industrialized nation.

20% of the population in the developed nations, consume 86% of the world’s goods.

The top fifth of the world’s people in the richest countries enjoy 82% of the expanding export trade and 68% of foreign direct investment — the bottom fifth, barely more than 1%.

In 1960, the 20% of the world’s people in the richest countries had 30 times the income of the poorest 20% — in 1997, 74 times as much.

An analysis of long-term trends shows the distance between the richest and poorest countries was about:
3 to 1 in 1820
11 to 1 in 1913
35 to 1 in 1950
44 to 1 in 1973
72 to 1 in 1992

The developing world now spends $13 on debt repayment for every $1 it receives in grants.

A few hundred millionaires now own as much wealth as the world’s poorest 2.5 billion people.

“The 48 poorest countries account for less than 0.4 per cent of global exports.”

“The combined wealth of the world’s 200 richest people hit $1 trillion in 1999; the combined incomes of the 582 million people living in the 43 least developed countries is $146 billion.” source 16

The richest 50 million people in Europe and North America have the same income as 2.7 billion poor people. “The slice of the cake taken by 1% is the same size as that handed to the poorest 57%.”

The world’s 497 billionaires in 2001 registered a combined wealth of $1.54 trillion, well over the combined gross national products of all the nations of sub-Saharan Africa ($929.3 billion) or those of the oil-rich regions of the Middle East and North Africa ($1.34 trillion). It is also greater than the combined incomes of the poorest half of humanity.

A mere 12 percent of the world’s population uses 85 percent of its water, and these 12 percent do not live in the Third World.

These statistics came from the Globalissues.org website. Here's the link.

Thanks for reading.

December 17, 2007
Where does the time go? The last 10 days have been great. I've been hard at work getting a proposal together to shoot a music video for Dreams of Grey. We've got what should be a pretty cool concept for it and I'm really looking forward to digging into it. I've also been hard at work on a dancy/clubish remix for Dreams of Grey. Give me a couple more days and I'll put a rough up for you to have a listen to. It won't be mixed yet but it'll give you an idea on where it's heading. Also had a good meeting with some friends of mine regarding the tour for next year. Lots of exciting stuff coming in the future.

Hmmm, any other comments. I guess the only thing I can really say is that for whatever reason, the holiday season really has not hit me this year. Usually I love this season and feel really good about the it. I'm fortunate to have a great family and we always spend a lot of time together over the holidays. For whatever reason though, it could still be October for me as it just really doesn't seem to be as close to the holidays as it actually is. The bad part about this is that the first time I even thought about doing any shopping was on the weekend so yikes...I've got some work to do. I'll refrain from making any comments about the buying frenzy of the holidays as it is something I'm not really too involved with. For me, it's all about family and friends and my favorite part about this time of year is just sitting around the couch with the people that are close to me, having a drink or two and 'telling lies' as my Dad calls it.
All the best for you and your families!

Ry

December 7, 2007 - On TV for all you locals...and new videos
Howdy. You can see an interview with me the Daily, running on Channel 11 at 6pm running tonite. The episode will be rebroadcast every half hour for the remainder of the day through until and tomorrow. Enjoy!

I've also been hard at work cutting a new video and should have that up shortly. Stay tuned! Until then. Ry

December 2, 2007 - A great time had in Ontario
Wrapped up a great time in Ontario. Met a ton of great people and really enjoyed the Folk Music Awards. I heard a singer tonite that I had never heard before...a fellow by the name of Ron Hynes. He sang just an incredible song. It was one of those songs that had you from the first line, and while I probably didn't hear every single line, the whole song really moved me. The gang from the Duhks played a great show as well and it was great to see them play. I had a great conversation with Shelagh Rogers. She is truely a pleasure to be around and carries a great spirit about her.

Another artist to be on the lookout for is the young and very talented Kyrie Kristmanson. Her music is very well worth a listen. It's about 2 am here now and I'm supposed to head out on the plane tomorrow. Supposedly there's a good snow storm blowing in so hopefully we make it out. Talk soon. Ry.

November 28th, 2007 - Made it to Ontario
Out in Ottawa now...flight to Toronto was uneventful. They had excellent in flight entertainment in the form of touch screen TVs on the back of the seats. Made the flight go very quick. Arrived to find it snowing here which is always a bit of a shock when you leave the wet and relatively balmy west coast.

I am always moved every time I fly over the Canadian Prairies; blown away by the size and the scope of the land and how much it has been altered. On the coast, there are few ways to see land mass of the magnitude of the Prairies. You can head out on a boat and gaze out towards Japan...4000 miles of nothing but the water hides much of what has happened out there. In most ways, the surface of the ocean appears the same today as it would have 10 000 years ago. The patchwork quilt of farms on the grasslands of Central Canada stand in stark contrast to unspoiled, vast wilderness. Where are the buffalo? Where are the people who once roamed these lands? I can't help but wonder this. Wish me luck tomorrow...it's the awards show. :) Thanks for reading

November 28th, 2007 -New site, radio interview and folk music awards
Hi everyone. Welcome to the new site! Once again, my good friend Jeff Ward has helped me enourmously. This fancy new website is thanks to him. A very sincere thank you to Jeff! This website is built with a Content Management Software that Jeff created, designed and owns. What this allows me to do is to update my with ease so be on the lookout for frequent updates and news from yours truely. His product is called YikeSite. Take a look at it....really easy to use and a super great product! I recommend it to anyone who wants to create a website that is easy to maintain, that they have a lot of control over and that is super easy to use.

On another note, I did an interview with The Village 900 radio this morning. I'll have the interview up on the site by tomorrow so you can check it out. It was early and I'm just getting over a cold so hopefully I came across alright in it.

I'm off to the Canadian Folk Music Awards on Friday as well. Plane leaves at 630am so it will be a long day. I havn't been to Ottawa since I played at National Aboriginal Day in 2005 so it will be nice to get back there. Thanks, as always, for reading!

October 30th, 2007 - Number 1 at CKMS 100.3....sweet
Hi all. Looks like we hit Number One last week at CKMS 100.3 in Waterloo! Check it out here. A very special thank you to Katie Wreford for all the excellent support. Katie has been supremely keen to help and played an instrumental part in promoting the CD out there. I really want to thank her for this! Thank you Katie!? Here's a link to Katie's studio and business. Looks like the studio is great. Thanks for reading! Ry

October 25th, 2007 - A very flattering review at Amie Street.com
We received a very flattering review of the album today on Amie Street.com. For those of you not aware of this site, it is a popular on-line music store. Here's what they had to say:


This review was followed up by these two reader comments:
AND

Link directly to the reviews here.

It's nice to get a good review of the CD. We certainly worked our butts off on this album and really wanted to make something that had broad appeal, without of course taking the middle road. Thank you for all you your support.

October 19th, 2007 - CD availible in Victoria for all you locals
Howdy all. Just thought I would let you know you can pick up copies of Groundwater at Lyle's Place. Enjoy!

October 17th, 2007- Canadian Folk Music Awards Nominee
Right on....Just recieved news that Groundwater has been nominated for the Best Aboriginal Songwriter Award the Canadian Folk Music Awards. I look forward to keeping you all posted on the progress of the event and letting you know how we do!?? Thanks for reading.

October 6th, 2007 - More Radio Action
Hi All. Some more news about the radio exposure we are garnering. Looks like Groundwater was number 7 on the charts at the University of Waterloo for the month of September. Good progress! We're still climbing on the National Aboriginal Chart and are sitting at number 17 for this week. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

September 25th, 2007 - National Radio top 30
Howdy. I am very pleased to announce that I am in the National Aboriginal Top 30 Music Countdown which came as a complete and total surprise to me. I was recently in Winnipeg while making stops at radio stations across Canada and found myself at NCIFM. For any aboriginal artists reading this, this is definetly a station you want to have the support of. They create nationally syndicated programs and have 25% more towers in Manitoba than the CBC. The story goes, I walked into the office without an appointment and introduced myself. No sooner had I done so than the station manager comes out and says "oh, you're here," as if he was expecting me. Much to my surprise. I'm whisked down the hall to the music directors office where by fluke he is reading my Myspace page as I walk in. To make a long story short, without ever sending them a song or the album, apparently my song was charting in the National Aboriginal Top 30 Countdown. I ended up visiting with them for a least an hour. We did an interview and a bunch of station IDs which was great. Anyways, if you are interested following this program, check it out online at NCIFM. If you are digging the music, send them a request by email or phone. Here's a link to their site.

August 2nd, 2007 - Get the album for cheap!!
Hi all. The Cd is up on Amie Street now. If you are not aware of what Amie Street is, it is an online community where the songs are priced according to demand. Here is the link. Since this album is hot off the press, the album is still set at a very low price. Last time I checked you can buy it for $1.11. This is a great chance to get the album before it goes up in price, and to hear all of the songs! If you dig the tunes, make a recomendation and the price will go up, which would be good for me ... ;) Thanks for reading. Hope you are all well. Ry

May 28th 2007 - CD is is done like dinner!
Yikes! The CD is finally done with the first pressings in my hand and copies available. They are for sale through the store on the website and in person. We were tracking vocals right up to the very last minute with mixing, mastering, graphic design and last minute tracking all happening at the same time! I think this was the craziest process I have ever been through in my entire life.

May 17th 2007 - Fiddles, Fiddles, Fiddles
Back up to Canada to track fiddles with Trent Freeman at Paul’s Dove Creek Studio in Comox BC. Check out their website, Paul’s got a great place. The sessions should be good...Trent is an amazing fiddler and I know he is going to rip through the songs.

April 20th 2007 - Lost Angles, Los Angles, oh and Chicken and Waffles
Back from LA....yikes what a whirlwind. JB had a photoshoot and a bunch of other stuff to take care of while we were down there so I really got the deepdive treatment in LA. We were in El Dorado studio for a day which was a pretty smokin; place...fairchilds and the whole bit. A nice big room. We tracked drums with Pauly at his studio which went great. He is a super nice guy and a killer drummer. His room works great too. Jon Rezin, our mix engineer, came by and tweaked the mics for us a bit before ww got going which made a huge difference in the sound.

I also have to tell you about Rosco's Chicken and Waffles. I'm not too sure how many of you know about the cuillinary experience to be had at Rosco's. It was awesome. Rosco's is a small place somwhere down in Hollywood. I really have no clue where we were, depsite the fact I was driving. JB took me there on his insistence that no trip to LA would be complete without a trip to Rosco's. Well, believe it or not, the sign didn't lie and the specialty at Rosco's Chicken and Waffles is truely, chicken and waffles.

Now, somethings in life, when combined, form to create a new whole. Take stew for example. Take potatoes, some meat, onions, spices, etc, cook it for a while, and a few hours later you have stew...a distinctly different substance than the individual parts that went into the pot at the beginning.

At Rosco's, I ordered Chicken and Waffle plate number three; two pieces of chicken, two waffles and a side of gravy....figured I might as well go all out. Well, I, in fact, received, two pieces of chicken, two waffles and a side of gravy, all in separate dishes. It also came with a side of butter and syrup just in case the gravy didn't quite cut it.

Now unlike stew, chicken, waffles and gravy do not combine to form a magical fourth substance. Nope, no stew there. When you start with Chicken and waffles you end with chicken and waffles. For as much as I am speaking tounge in cheek, I'm not saying this was bad...I actually enjoyed it. I'm not a big breakfast guy anways so I actually kind of embraced the dinner meets breakfast vibe they had going on.

You've got to check it out. It's totally awesome and you will dig the food and the vibe at the place. JB was right when he said no trip to LA is complete without a trip there. Until you do, here's a little more info on it.

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