Well, the semester is over, grades entered, students graduated and now I'm sitting in my best friend's home in Toronto watching weird cartoons with his 8-year-old.
A break, and planning for the future.
I have been hungry for a long time to get to the next level in my own music. Finding the time to do some severe shedding has been challenging when working an overload at St.FX and I'm grateful for that. Starting next week (because I'm taking some vacation time in Toronto right now) I've worked out a rather rigorous practice schedule for the Spring, to be revised in the summer and have some focused practice time! I'm very, VERY excited for this period and really hope to fix some holes and bring up some new, constructive habits.
This summer is looking light, and that is intentional. I will be performing with my Brother at the Halifax Jazz Festival on the 12th of July with a quartet featuring (obviously) my brother Josh on piano, bassist Paul Rushka and drummer Tom Roach. We'll be playing music from the NSTX record and some other original jazz tunes. I'm not %100, but I think this is the festival's opening act, and we're looking forward to getting out there and performing for you all.
Sporadic other gigs will interrupt cottage time this season, family time and maybe some adventure (heaven forbid).
I recently purchased a Helix (Stomp) and have yet to even plug it in. Wondering if I'm resistant to such technology or just really didn't feel like trying to learn a new piece of gear so soon after the academic year ended. I am, however, very excited for what this little box is going to offer me as a musician who must often travel to perform, and flying with an Amplifier is a complete non-starter. Even my pedal board I don't want to fly with. I leave a guitar in Toronto as I do come out fairly often to play and would rather not check a bag… the challenges of travel post Covid… is it even post Covid?
I've dodged it thus far…