Shows and more shows!

March is almost here and I’ve got some new shows lined up. On Saturday Feb 25th we’ll be saying “so long” to February at the Saskatoon Event Centre opening for The Northern Pikes and the Grapes of Wrath! I’ve been a big fan and good friends with Jay Semko for many years and I’m looking forward to sharing a stage with him and the band.

Jen and I met Kevin Kane from Grapes a few years ago when he kindly played on the 2010 Jen Lane album “For The Night”. Kevin also added his guitar talents to my 2012 album “Always With You” and  came to Saskatoon to play at my cd release at the Broadway Theatre! I’m very excited to see both these bands in action on Saturday, and feel blessed that I get to start the night off.

In March I’ll be heading back to Regina for a couple of great shows. On Thursday March 9th I’ll be at the Fat Badger slinging the hits and then some for your listening pleasure, but that’s just the teaser! On Friday March 10th I am very fortunate to get to open for Blake Berglund and the Vultures at O’Hanlon’s. Blake and I have been friends for sometime now and he is getting ready to release a new album this year. I know it’s going to be a gooder, and this will be a night you won’t want to miss for sure. Blake is pulling out all the stops with a full band and I can’t wait to take it all in myself.

This month I’ll also be back in the studio with Paul Kuzbik (Pistolwhips) finishing up a few tracks that I’m producing for him. I didn’t realize how much I really enjoy the process of helping another artist fulfill their vision and I hope I get to do it more often.

Life is getting pretty exciting right now and I’m lucky to have these people as friends in my life. I’ve been living the dream for so long now that I don’t remember what it was like before I dove in head first and made my dream a reality. There are going to be some big things coming this year and I’ve been working hard to get everything ready. Stay tuned and be good to each other.

On Tour in Ontario/Quebec

Had a great summer tour with Jen Lane, who released her amazing new album on 180g vinyl just in time for festival season. Thanks to all the wonderful venues and fans who came out and supported live music. We couldn’t do this without you!

We are heading back out into the wild frontier of Ontario and Quebec this November and you can check out the tour dates tab for all the show info. Really excited to be back at the Cameron House for our residency. I’ll be on at 6pm sharp every Tuesday in November and then joining the Jen Lane band for 2 sets of sweet Americana roots!

This will be our last run of shows for the year and I will be testing some new smokekiller material in their pure, acoustic form. It’ll be a great opportunity to road test a few new tunes before we hit the studio in December to record a new album! Really pumped to share the new Smokekiller material with all of you. It’s been a little too long since we rock n rolled together and I can’t wait.

See you on the road!
john

Writing songs, booking tours, and in the studio!

Why hello there 2016! Figured I better get caught up and get posting on the ol’ website! It’s been a busy year so far and we are only in the middle of February! Thanks to FACTOR Canada and Creative Saskatchewan for supporting our trip into the studio at the beginning of January. I’ve been holding onto some heavy songs with a solid rock vibe and life decided that it was time for me to get them out of my head and into your ears! Thanks to Enver Hampton (bass) and Billy Tataryn (drums) for taking on the project with me. Their youthful energy is super apparent on the recordings, and they’ve inspired the hell out of me. We took the songs that we recorded and have reapplied for support for a full album. Finger crossed we can take it to the next level with FACTOR and Creative Sask, but as always, we’re going to make a record one way or another. All we really need is me, and you!

Things have been incredibly busy with my partner in life, Jen Lane, as of late too. She’s been dropping video bombs left and right and her new album is going to hit the streets on February 26th! Check out her website at www.jenlane.com for more details! I’ll be playing with Jen for her CD release shows on Feb 26th at the Artful Dodger in Regina and Feb 27th at the Bassment in Saskatoon. Click on the venues for tickets, or again, go to Jen’s website for more info! Have a great week, and we’ll talk to you soon. Lots more great news coming in the near future so stay tuned!
john

FOLK ALLIANCE IN KANSAS CITY! SPRING TOUR IN MARCH!

I’ve been spending a lot of time writing and rehearsing lately. Feeling very grateful to get to work on my music right now. I’m excited to get back into the studio and start recording. I’m hoping to be laying down some tracks come April! Before that, in February I’ll be attending the Folk Alliance International Conference and Festival with my good friend Geoff Smith (Gunner and Smith). I’ll get to play some shows with Geoff as well as a few of my own showcases thanks to SaskMusic. In March I’ll be hitting the road with Young Benjamins on a short tour of Western Canada. We had so much fun on the road last October that we decided to do it again. Hope to see you at a show in the future and thanks in advance for all the support.
john

NEW FALL TOUR DATES ADDED!!

Hey kids!  I’ve added a couple of shows to the fall tour.  Most notably a Grey Cup Weekend party at TCU Place in Saskatoon with THE SHEEPDOGS!!  So excited to share the stage with the guys.  Been a long time since we’ve done that.  Heading out to Music On The Mountain in Fort. St. James, BC this weekend.  Jen and I play on Friday night at 7pm and Saturday at Noon. After that we’ll be catching a ferry to Salt Spring for a house concert and some lake swimming.  Been a great summer so far, hope you all enjoy the rest of it!