2014:
At the dawn of 2014, my wife and I separated after five
short months of marriage. Needless to say, it was devastating for both of us. It’s
been almost a year now and life is much better. While it was difficult to
reconcile the split, I thankfully had plenty of positive work to keep my
professional life on track. Completing Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-1985, by
then over four years in the making, was priority number one. With 23 separate
artists and groups involved, this was also a very challenging experience, without
a doubt my most ambitious archival project to date. To those who may not know
me well, I am a very empathetic person and the songs and stories of NNA V1
affected me to the core. When tapping into such important music and culture
there was a lot to live up to and I wanted to give the artists the utmost
respect in presenting their music and history to fans old and new. With the
cooperation and help of many, NNA V1 was released on November 25 to
international acclaim. I am very happy and feel blessed to have played a part
in helping to make this happen. Of course, and as I’ve said many times before,
there would be no project w/o the music and music makers from this decisive
era! Sending eternal love! I also can’t forget the many heads, hands, and
hearts that helped me to complete this massive undertaking. Lastly, I’d like to
say “cheers!” to all of the fine folks at Light in the Attic Records for
believing in this music enough to release and promote it to the world! We (finally)
made it! Good things ahead!
At my lowest ebb earlier this year, there was a new album
that lifted my spirits and made me think very deeply about life and the world
in which we live, Vancouver-based Dada Plan’s monumental A Dada Plan is Free. The self-released album (now available from
Kingfisher Bluez) touched my soul like no other contemporary sounds in recent
memory and certainly evoked the excitement of the emergence of Black Mountain
and Pink Mountaintops on Vancouver’s musical landscape way back in 2003/4. The
ol’ 10-year cycle come true? Funny enough, Black Mountain drummer, producer,
DJ, and overall music man Joshua Wells (Lighting Dust, Sur Une Plage) first played
me the group’s songs, which he recorded to tape w/ his trademark deft touch.
The material sounded fluid, funky, and lyrically focused, perfect for
contemplative introspection or dance floor abandon. Upon repeated listens, A Dada Plan is Free revealed even more...
Not many musicians today are touching on the madness of this digital age, and
none w/o the finesse of Malcolm Biddle and crew. Live, the group has emerged as
a beast (as in HEAVY, dig?) with each member contributing a necessary element
to the stew: upright bass, congas, synth, sax, guitar, and words of wisdom.
Dada Plan is currently completing their second long player and I can’t wait to
hear the results! Once again, good things ahead!
The Lido has been another positive change for Vancouver this
year. Located at 518 East Broadway, this neighbourhood bar, meeting place,
pickled egg vendor, and concert/DJ venue has people talking, drinking, linking,
and grooving like nothing else in recent memory. Do I feel a renaissance? YES!
BIG thanks to Matt and Kim for bringing this legendary building back to life in
such a vital way.
What’s ahead then? Well, more titles in the Native North America series for one.
Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more details as they appear. As for the
rest, all material fit for print will be shared here, Voluntary in Nature!@#$%!!! PEACE
VIBRATION(S) LIST:
Hong Kong, Vietnam, four Bia hơi glasses for four friends, Hội An fancy dinner,
MOR Talk Radio, Powell River, CJMP 90.1 FM, Seekers International,
WZDRY/AV, Transmolecular, The Stunt Man, Dada Plan, Thomas Anselmi, Brit Pop Night(s)
at the ANZA, Rolling Stone, RIDE reunion, diving, lake swimming, to all of the
babies (!!!), Frost-Forward/Hersey/Heedram-Lane/Thompson/Howes clans, Echo & The Bunnymen,
.99 cent Plastic Cloud, Radio Maria, General Public,
Commodore/Bottleneck/Lido/Reposado DJ’ing, Willie Thrasher/Linda Saddleback at
Khatsahlano Festival, Toronto and Vancouver NNA V1 gatherings, Wayne McGhie
& the Sounds of Joy re-release, BBNG, The Canadian Romantic, reggae, Raincoast
Kombucha, HK BBQ Master, Prontino playlist, digging deeper, Birdapres, Cratery,
Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Ali’s Roti, Bitundo’s Pizza, Town Pump/Hogan’s Alley, etc… vintage Vancouver matchboxes (thanks Kamandi!!!), The
Sadies, Duke Redbird, howdy neighbour, DP for short, road trips, mad mass media, wave maker, Courtenay
Tie Dye Arts, Jack Frost’s flowing mane, Ronnie’s Local 069, The Castle of No Return, Willie Dunn
(and family), Willy Mitchell, Lloyd Cheechoo and all of the talented artists featured
on NNA V1 (and beyond!@#$%!!!), You’ve Changed Records, Dave Doolittle, Rick, The
Keg, On Lok, Goldstone Bakery solo sessions, Chinatown, Sound Canada, Jennifer
Forward Frost photography, 40 feels, Bron, NNA V1 art director Chris Gergley,
UMFM, CBC, APTN, NCI, The Guardian, Record Collector, Lewis Furey (not L'Amour), UK 12”s, CDN 7”s, Pub
Nite, Mood Jga Jga, missing an old friend dearly, “Simple Stuff,” the ultimate
digging touch of Catalist, The Mighty Pope, Chrana anything, Kaewonder turns
30, tunes, Kokanee crash, China Cloud, Brooks Norman, homemade Willie Thrasher
CDs, posters by Sipreano, Webber twins Birthday jam, Will Lawrence (In House
Press), Matt Kyrsko visuals, Poppy Family Experience, The Fox, Wang’s Taiwan
Beef Noodle House, Salmongang Instagram, Kreative Kontrol, Double Double Land, Jennifer Castle, mono LOVE Da Capo, Kraftwerk
LIVE, Michael Head, The Rutles, "Palm of My Hand," Beatball Records, The Mutual Understanding’s In Wonderland, NNA V1 trailer editor Louvens Remy, Tla’amin
Convenience Store, Desolation Sound tour, killer killer whales, 80s Dance, healthy food gift basket, Koko sushi booth sessions,
the promise of 2015, and on and on and on...
