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Spring
2006
This
year’s edition of Stephen Fearing’s - Alive and Picking (groan)
- Newsletter contains:
- NEW recording release dates!!
- A brief letter full of gossip and hearsay.
- An outline of February tour dates in Western Canada (+ 1 US
show) and other dates comprising some of my exciting (and stylish)
touring-life, in the months ahead.
- An incomplete itinerary for the
upcoming April/May UK and Irish tour.
Dear E-mail listies,
Oh my… it seems to have been a long, long time since last I wrote
(so you see, when I told you to sign my e-mail list and not expect
to hear from me… I wasn’t kidding). Anyway, there are several
reasons to drop you a line, not least of which is to wish you
a Happy New Year. Ok. Cut to the chase…
Firstly, I’ve just finished a new solo recording! (Din of applause,
yelling and emotional outpouring.) It’s called Yellowjacket
(gasps of happy-disbelief and euphoria) and it’s supposed
to hit the shelves in Canada and the UK by early April (April
17th in the UK I believe - more cheering). Yes indeedy
my friends, after a year of scribbling in my notebook, puttering
back and forth in my driveway (for that authentic “on the road”
vibe) and playing ‘till my fingers got sore, papa’s got a brand
new bag… or should I say - Grandpa’s got a brand new bag…
but I’m getting ahead of myself. You see at the rag end of 2004,
B&RK came off the road after a year of van touring (tour and
torture are just a few letters apart!) and basically shut ‘er
down for the foreseeable future. I, being a sucker for punishment,
and a bit of an eejit to boot, stopped at home long enough to
do laundry, kiss the missus, and then headed back out for a three
week solo tour of Western Canada. When I finished that leg I requested
that I be left alone to sleep, eat and repair my marriage for
the next year or so. This flash of strategic brilliance on my
part, dovetailed rather nicely with the fact that since I (Stephen
Fearing solo entity) had not released a new recording in several
years, (That’s How I Walk was released in 2002) and given that
this business is all about “what have you done for me lately?”
well, it seemed like a good idea to go away for a while and see
if anybody missed me. I figured I could spend my mornings writing
and then had vague plans to putter in the garden, and generally
do all those things I dream about whilst laying between nylon
sheets in small town HoJos. Dear Reader, do you know the law of
physics that deals with vacuums? Apparently, nature can’t tolerate
‘em, and no sooner had I cleared my schedule of trivial stuff
like playing music and driving around in tinny rental cars, then
all sorts of “life” stuff came rushing in… including my Granddaughter!
And, not to put too fine a point on it, things got really freakin’
busy! (Yes she is a gorgeous little thing and I am besotted. We
both have a lot of fun watching Gramps try on his new title).
So after returning from my annual spring tour of the UK/Ireland,
including a week in Austria, the summer arrived with a bang, and
I hit the tarmac running. On the music front, I played a few festivals,
including a couple with my good friend and co-writer Andy White
(Andy and I have, to date, written enough material for a recording
but that will have to wait for a year or two as I’m going to have
my dance card plenty full over the next 12 months). So to cut
a long story shorter (hah), I spent my summer, playing the odd
show, and in between much family and friend - time, writing, writing,
writing (FYI, I did manage to tick off a few of the more pressing
items on the “honey-do” list, including single-handedly re-roofing
my office… and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my neighbours
for not laughing hysterically at my “on the job” training). Before
I knew it, the pumpkins were in the fields and Halloween was leering
around the corner. By this time I had enough material to book
myself into the studio and so began recording (for the first time)
here in Guelph at my good friend - Scott Merritt’s, “Cottage”
studio. The plan was to produce it myself (another first), spend
a week doing bed tracks, a week doing overdubs + special guests
and a week mixing. In the middle of the recording I snuck away
for several days to play 5 shows with Blackie and The Rodeo Kings
at The Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield Quebec (just outside Ottawa).
The idea behind these shows was to get us together for an extended
period to workshop new material for the next B&RK recording
and generally prime the pump. We demo-ed songs by day, writing
the lyrics out on huge cue cards, and played shows at night, mostly
trying out the new tunes, our stage covered with cue cards and
notebooks. It was a gas, albeit a little weird to pull my head
out my ass, in the middle of producing and recording my own record,
so I could drive 6 hours to hang out recording and playing with
my crazy brothers and contemplate another chapter in the Rodeo
Kings story.
I’m going to resist the temptation to tell you all the ins and
outs of my solo recording and mixing sessions (record, rewind
play, blah,blah,blah…), because you’ve heard it all before and
if my memory serves me, the saying goes – records are like sausages,
if you enjoy consuming them, it’s best not to watch them being
made. Suffice to say it was exhilarating and exhausting. Scott
and I worked the usual long hours, ate a ridiculous amount of
scones and I learned a truckload more about the whole process
and will probably do it differently next time. The first day of
recording, I cycled to the studio in shirtsleeves. The last night,
I drove home in black ice ‘n blizzard conditions – Oh Canada indeed.
I can’t say enough good things about the musicians who worked
with me and especially about my friend and host – Scott Merritt.
If you get a chance to hear the record and want to know more,
come up and ask me sometime, I’m always happy to prattle on about
it.
So now it’s January, I just turned 43 (yikes) in Woodstock NY,
playing and recording with B&RK (but that’s another story)
- I simply can’t think of a better way to spend one’s birthday
than making music with great friends … the last piece of music
we recorded at quarter to midnight on Jan 11th was ‘When The Red
Red Robin Goes Bob Bob Bobbin’ Along” A perfect little motif for
my 43rd year and one I intend to use as my mantra.
As I write to you, I’m on my way home from Charlottetown PEI,
where I just recorded a show for CBC’s Madly Off In All Directions.
When I get home tonight, I hope to get my first look at the artwork
package that Michael Wrycraft has been designing for the new recording.
In a couple of weeks I’ll head out west for a brief tour (see
dates below), then in March, I’ll fly down to Nashville to finish
the B&RK recordings with Tom and Colin. In April, after Yellowjacket
is released here and overseas, I’ll head to The UK for my annual
tour of great clubs, fabulous beer and lots of lamb and new potatoes
- yum. With a new recording out, I should be a little more visible
than usual in print and on radio so keep an eye or an ear out
for interviews etc. Alas, I have no immediate plans to tour south
of the border, but I’m sure that will change, so for those of
you in the US, stay tuned. When I return from the UK in early
May, I’ll start my Canadian touring and as the summer arrives,
hit the festival circuit. I hope to see you when I’m out and about,
please come and say hello, or drop me a line via my web site.
And by the way, my web site will be undergoing a large overhaul
at some point soon, so keep clicking. Also the songbook idea is
resurfacing… I know you’ve heard that before…yeah... anyhoo I’ve
gotta run, thanks for reading and listening, I hope you like the
new recording, if you don’t, send your complaints in a SASE to
Stephen Harper I KNOW he cares.
Oh, one more thing, don’t forget the CBC in your nightly prayers
(even if you don’t like promo-girl…). These are tough times for
our national broadcaster and believe it or not, we need the corp.
now more than ever.
Cheers.
=SF=
January/’06
February – July – Canadian dates so
far. For Itinerary updates, please go to http://www.stephenfearing.com
and click on Itinerary.
Feb-10-06 Vancouver BC CAN - Vancouver East
Cultural Centre
Feb-11-06 Duncan BC CAN - The Duncan Garage Showroom
Feb-12-06 Snohomish WA US - Keebler Concerts
Feb-15-06 Kelowna BC CAN - Kelowna Rotary Centre
Feb-17-06 Yellowknife NT CAN - Northern Arts & Cultural
Centre
Feb-18-06 Yellowknife NT CAN - Northern Arts & Cultural
Centre
Feb-25-06 Haliburton ON CAN - Northern Lights Performing
Arts Pavillion
Feb-26-06 Chatham ON CAN - Chatham Cultural Centre
Mar-09-06 Saint John NB CAN - The Loyalist City Folk Festival
Mar-10-06 Saint John NB CAN - The Loyalist City Folk Festival
Mar-11-06 Saint John NB CAN - The Loyalist City Folk Festival
Mar-25-06 Mississauga ON CAN - Living Arts Centre
Apr-07-06 Innisfil ON CAN - Peter's Place
Apr-20-06 Toronto ON CAN - Hugh's Room
Apr-21-06 Aylmer ON CAN - Aylmer Old Town Hall Theatre
Apr-22-06 Blyth ON CAN - Blyth Memorial Arena
Jul-29-06 Calgary AB CAN - Calgary Folk Festival
Jul-30-06 Calgary AB CAN - Calgary Folk Festival
April/May – UK “More lamb please” Tour.
For Itinerary updates, please go to this page.
This tour is a work in progress and dates are still being added.
Mon 24/04/2006 Turners Hill
Acoustic Sussex, Upstairs @ the Red Lion, Lion Lane RH10 4NU
www.acousticsussex.org.uk
Tel: 01342 714810/716975
Tue 25/04/2006
Weymouth
The Centenary Club, 21 Jubilee Close Tel: 01305 778689
toobyheron@hotmail.com
Wed 26/04/2006
tbc
Thu 27/04/2006 Budleigh Salterton
Otterton Mill, Otterton, Devon
www.ottertonmill.com
Tel: 01395 568521
Fri 28/04/2006 Marlborough
Marlborough Folk-Roots @ venue tbc
www.marlboroughfolk-roots.co.uk
Tel: 01672 512465
Sat 29/04/2006 Litton
Old Down Acoustic Club, Kings Arms, BA3 4PW
www.theolddownacousticclub.co.uk
Tel: 01761 241235
Sun 30/04/2006 Twickenham
Twickenham Folk Club, Cabbage Patch, 67 London Road
www.twickenhamfolkclub.com
Tel: 020 8991 5461
Mon 01/05/2006
Hempstead?
Tue 02/05/2006 Newcastle on Tyne
Jumpin Hot Club @ Morden Tower
www.jumpinhot.com
Tel: 0191 2321232
Wed 03/05/2006
London
The Spitz, 109 Commercial Street, Old Spitafields Market E1 6BG
www.spitz.co.uk
Tel: 020 7392 9034
Thu 04/05/2006 Biddulph
Biddulph Folk Club, Biddulph Arms
Tel: 01782 514896
Fri 05/05/2006
Tregaron
Cambria Arts @ Talbot Hotel, Tregaron, Ceredigion SY25
6JL
www.cambriaarts.org.uk
Sat 06/05/2006
Kingsbridge
Hazelwood House, nr Loddiswell, Kingsbridge, Devon TQ7
4EB
www.hazelwoodhouse.com
Tel. 01548 821232
