Alan's From The Road : Tour Diary - July 13, 2010 Washington, DC (On the Bus)

Tour Diary - July 13, 2010 Washington, DC (On the Bus)

GBS CD #10
CD#10
Jaysus.

I remember the day our first indie CD was delivered to St John's. I showed up the day before the CD Launch, which, I believe, was August 3rd, 1993. It was the coolest day of my life. I've probably mentioned this before here, but I'd spent much of my young life in bands and choirs and playing on concerts of varying types. Always dreaming of having a professionally manufactured CD of my band's own music. I'd though of it as the most legitimizing business card in the music industry. It is the biggest separation between those who want to be in a band for a living and those who undeniably are in a band for a living.

So what then should I think of being in a band that now has 10 CDs? Can we now finally say that we can do this for a living? If releasing CD #1 is the great divide in real and pretender bands, what then is the significance of releasing CD #10? Does this finally justify us as a career band or something? I don't know yet. I am just glad this day is finally here, and another batch of our musical offerings is born onto the world.

Thanks for all the congrats and well wishes. I feel pretty cool today.
Hope you do too.

Cheers,
Alan

Published Tuesday, July 13, 2010 6:34 PM by BevW
Filed Under: ftr2010

Comments

	schace said: Downloaded the new album this morning and my son and I will be enjoying it all day!! Congratulations and many thanks!! We wish you all safe travels and CAN'T WAIT for Saturday's show at Artpark! Sharon July 13, 2010 1:59 PM
	annathepiper said: Congratulations on making it to #10. :) Home sick with a cold but very much looking forward to this album showing up in my mailbox! July 13, 2010 2:09 PM
	Loulabelle said: The number of CD's released is equal to the coefficient of your legitimacy as a band, Thus, GBS is now 10 times cooler than a band with one CD out! That's pretty damn cool. See you in Roseburg and on up the coast! And thanks for the shout out on the radio! I feel cooler! Peace, Love and Infinite Coolness, Jamie July 13, 2010 2:14 PM
	PhoneBillGirl said: Just downloaded and LOVE the entire thing! Will still purchase a "hard" copy to add to the CD shelves - all 10 in a row! Great job guys!Keep up the AMAZING work! See you at the Amphitheatre in Toronto on Aug 22! ~PhoneBillGirl (Beth) July 13, 2010 2:17 PM
	Liza said: I LOVE THE SONGS GUYS THEY ARE ALL SO GREAT~!! and congratz on the new one guys~!!! July 13, 2010 2:27 PM
	KarinaFrandsen said: Congrates boys :D 10 cds.. wow that is amazing :D And so is the music i might add. Dare i say it - the best one yet (and the competition is stiff). Good work boys - as always. And be safe out there on the road :D July 13, 2010 2:38 PM
	RookWoman said: I drive 1000 miles every 10 days or so for work, and your music is what brings me safely home each night. I wish I had a 10-CD player in the car; the new album is another awesome addition to my travelling music. Congratulations on the new album and I'll see you on down the road! July 13, 2010 3:56 PM
	slang73 said: Thanks guys for all the great music, and for never letting us down! See you on the road... July 13, 2010 4:17 PM
	Di said: My pre-order copy arrived safe,sound and on time in my mailbox today! It is simply fantabulous!! October 24th cannot come soon enough! Good luck on the tour and let's see this #10 skyrocket up the charts!! Cheers! Di July 13, 2010 4:35 PM
	filleduroi said: Hey Alan, You should feel pretty cool today, as do I! New GBS material is always a reason to be joyful!This album takes me from giddy to tearful. Looking forward to seeing you in Ottawa in three sleeps...maybe this time I'll actually fulfill a dream and get to thank you for all of this joy in person. Been a fan since parliament hill 1996 and hoping it continues for a long long time! A bientot! July 13, 2010 4:53 PM
	Lynda said: Alan, you were already cool before today - you have always been and will always be cool by my definition, the one that says there's nothing cooler than a man who makes his dreams come true. Today you just became even cooler. Could not happen to a more deserving man. I'm glad this day is finally here too, glad for Today and looking forward to Tomorrow, all the Tomorrows and all the dreams that lie ahead. May each and every one of all those remaining dreams come true for you too. (And now I will go back to listening for to CBC Radio 2's Drive program for your phone-in interview as I wait at the airport. And here you come...) July 13, 2010 5:07 PM
	Lynda said: Drat...shouted out too soon. Still waiting not-particularly-patiently for you. Congratulations, Alan. July 13, 2010 5:12 PM
	CapeCodRower said: Congratulations on CD #10. Myself and some of your other American cousins will be at the Boston show, looking forward to it. Safe travels to you all! July 13, 2010 5:30 PM
	Lynda said: You were worth the wait. Of course. Never any doubt about that. And as I was unapologetically listening to Nothing But A Song and Long Life fairly loud through the laptop speakers, a woman across from me said, "What nice harmonies. Who is that?" July 13, 2010 5:41 PM
	mmp said: Yes, I would say you are now qualified as a career band. Well sung and well played - as anticipated! July 13, 2010 8:04 PM
	basalb said: Mr. Doyle, thank you for a wonderful summer! Discovered GBS via RH. Have made inroads in Oklahoma and will be in Portland. Your (read GBS's) enjoyment of your life and your appreciation for all that you have (from music, and, in your case, "the fairest maiden" and The Prince) is one of the most positive things I have witnessed in a very long time. Thank you for the joy! July 13, 2010 9:06 PM
	marikochurst said: Congratulations on #10 Alan!! I wish you & b'ys continued success in everything you do! I've listened to the CD several times & I love every song... great job!! I look forward to seeing you live on August 20th in Toronto!! July 13, 2010 11:03 PM
	lawest said: Way to go, Alan! Congrats & here's to the next 10. July 13, 2010 11:08 PM
	bigmelon said: Enjoying the new album from the SF Bay Area. Great sound. Nice job on Safe Upon the Shore Sean. Looking forward to seeing you guys again in November. July 14, 2010 1:01 AM
	JanaBanana said: Oh it is beautiful! Had to go out during my lunch hour to buy Safe Upon the Shore. Then I had to drive around for awhile till I'd heard most of it. What beautiful harmonies! I love how you continue to explore your own individual musical sensibilities as well as what it means for you to be a band. Saw you for the first time in Ames Iowa in 2007. I hardly listen to anything else anymore! Thanks for all the joy! July 14, 2010 1:45 AM
	Cherry4ever said: YAY! I will be puchasing the CD today! Can't wait! July 14, 2010 1:44 PM
	JohnnyFingers said: Congrats!! I remember the day when I bought my first GBS CD--Rant and Roar. It was in good timing too. The demo cassette was wearing out. Cheers. July 14, 2010 1:53 PM
	djstash said: I do believe this is the best collection to date...you guys get better and better while your peers coast by on minimal efforts..... July 14, 2010 7:56 PM
	djstash said: Forgot to mention...really looking forward to the Wolf Trap and Pittsburgh shows..can't beat my third row seats for each.....by the way, great job, Alan, in ROBIN HOOD!!! Hope a sequel will follow (kinda promised there, wasn't it????) July 14, 2010 8:00 PM
	danarion said: getting my first real listen to the album as we speak (unfortunately don't get much time on the web that is not devoted to working and so had to wait for the cd to show up in the mailbox). Think it will be another great album and only about half way through. there is something about gbs that rings with authenticity. it wouldn't matter if it was album one or album ten. it wouldn't matter if there was one person in the audience or one million. they always sound like they are singing their hearts out, and that there is nothing they would rather be doing. Whether they are singing about exhuming a dead horse or singing about seeing an old lover on the street, the music, the lyrics and the harmonies always sound to me like home. (a place to laugh, a place to think or cry, a place with family, a place among friends, a place where you are always welcome) July 14, 2010 10:01 PM
	SaraPetersen said: Congratulations! It couldn't happen to a cooler, more deserving band and that is why I pre-ordered "Safe" and why I am going to see you in Portland and Seattle. And looking mightily forward to it, too. I've been a loyal fan since Darrell was with the group, and found no reason to leave. Your music has always made me feel better, stronger, more inspired. Just one question, PLEASE: Seattle will be my twins' first GBS show. They are 7-year-old girls who have been listening to your music since literally before they were born (since I went to a show five months pregnant) and "Run Runaway" is their favorite song. Is there any way you could play it??? Pretty please? July 15, 2010 2:17 AM
	Amethyst said: "10=1=Rebirth-that which stirs and awakens your soul at this time" "It is seen as the perfect- the return to unity" "Ten is also the number of completion of journeys and returns to origins" "Ten is the sum of the number nine of the circumference with the one of the center---being perfection" (-info from www.crystalinks.com-) "Safe upon the Shore", #10 CD - Perfection! Congratulations! July 15, 2010 7:29 AM
	Paddy said: After much scientific, philosophical, and logical pondering, I have come to a conclusion: you, Sean, Bob, (and Darrell) cannot sing, play, and produce a bad album. Time, logic, and experience have proven that it is nearly impossible for you guys to release a bad song (in my books, you haven't failed yet) and absolutely impossible that you could release a bad album. Safe on the Shore is great! Loved every song! . . . but did I really expect any less? But, I have to say, it doesn't quite make the top of my list of favourite GBS CDs; that list currently contains Play, Turn, and Fortune's Favour. 10 CDs is a lot. Congrats! Here's hoping for #20! Yes, I'd definitely say you're a career band and that you've been one for quite some time now. I'd say that what makes a musician--or any artist, for that matter--a career artist is two things: (1) the ability to support yourself financially through your art and (2) your decision to call yourself a career artist. On the radio call-in interview you guys did, I think it was Bob who said something like: "This is what we've done for all of our adult lives. This is it. There is no Plan B." To me, that statement encapsulates the definition of the career artist. And, while I'm at it, I'll just say one more thing. You and the rest of GBS have helped a lot of people--myself included--through a lot of tough times with your music. I don't know if you intended to do that or not, but that's what happened. And I think there's two reasons--or types of songs--for this. First, you guys have a lot of optimistic, everything-will-be-alright, fight-hard-to-live-life -type songs like Ordinary Day, Consequence Free, Here and Now, Walk on the Moon, etc. Second, you guys have a whole bunch of songs (Paddy Murphy, Old Black Rum, Charlie Horse, Hit the Ground and Run, etc.) that are just pure fun and cannot help but put a person in a good mood. So, thank you. It's been a pretty hellish year for me. I don't know if I could've gotten through it without you. Stephanie July 15, 2010 11:15 PM
	alan-rocks said: Congrats on CD #10. It must seem like only yesterday that the indie CD was released. I bought the the new CD on the day it came out, and I received the copy I won on Wednesday. Was wonderful talking to you guys! Hoping for a show soon. Take care and have a great summer! Be safe! Cheers, Krista P.S: Lynda is right. You don't need a CD to make you cool. You've always been that. At least to all of us. ;) Thanks for doing what you do. :) July 16, 2010 9:41 PM
	landinn said: You guys are waaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy past the "legit". I'd say it's safe to say you are in a band for a living. And heck, I'll come see you anytime I can! Thanks again for the wonderful music that speaks to my Celtic roots! July 18, 2010 11:35 PM