CONGRATULATIONS ALAN! That is just beyond cool, I can't imagine how incredible that must've felt! WHOOHOO!

P.S. "the details are below" for the theatre fundraiser in Toronto...but no details to be seen. Helen? Alan? Anybody? Help us out here? Doubt I'd be able to make it (Really would like to though, especially since I'm such a theatregeek. Bugger living so far from Canada right now!) but I'm sure some of our fellow southern Ontarioans might like to come out and show their support!

---

"We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us."
-Charles Bukowski

"Bad as I am, I'm still here."

Sorry about that folks, the details are up now!

Wow, that just warms my heart to hear that songwriters of their stature can get such satisfaction from playing music with each other -- that they have such respect and admiration for one another...Performing hasn't become ordinary or ho hum for any of them.  Thanks to the podcasts, I heard Alan sing part of No Kathleen andwhen I was in Nova Scotia I picked up one of Ron Hynes cds that had that song on it.  It is truly a beautiful song both musically and lyrically.  I have since passed it along to many friends and even bought the songbook for a musician friend of mine.

Check out Alan's newest journal entry!

In this journal, Alan writes:

"...Myself and Sean entertained one another a few nights back.  The soundtrack for a portion of our soiree was Chris Trapper’s new CD.  Chris, as many of you know, was/is the lead singer of the Push Stars who opened for GBS on a number of US Tours.  We loved his songs so much that we recorded “Everything Shines” for the Road Rage CD and asked him to come to St. John’s to write with us for the “Sea of No Cares” CD.  Together, we wrote the title track, as well as “Clearest Indication” and a few others."

I hope Chris Trapper plays in Halifax. Haven't seen him play since the GBS tour with the Push Stars in 1998. It's been too long, and I can't remember much except that I would go see him play again anytime.

Alan, maybe GBS can do another big multi-act show here again sometime and bring Chris along. But, it looks like the US is the new frontier for the long-term, so I'm not holding my breath, justing hoping.

BIG congrats on your baby's 4 month milestone. It's a big one. Now he's going to start to take off like a rocket and astound you every day with his brilliance. Buckle up!

Thanks for the info-entry. It's good to know what's going on.

---

Free Cruise Clocks

You know... I'm now sitting here with Hey, You on endless repeat as I try to figure out which song the lads might choose to cover.

I know... the hardships I endure... ~ALAS~

---

~Kes

Desperate times call for desperate measures
Open your mind to all life's little pleasures
The hole in this world could be healed if by chance
everyone just stood up, took their pants off and danced

~Bruce Guthro

I was fortunate to see Chris Trapper play a solo show back in my neck of the woods the night after I atteneded the GBS Albany show -- a bit of travelling and a monster of a hangover but both shows made it worthwhile.  I hadn't seen him perform in a while and he played Sea of No Cares at my request...it was so very cool to hear another interpretation of the song. 

I  love that new CD -- great job adding to In From the Outside and I like the studio version of Lonely Valentine, but live, wow!!  I love to hear songwriters tell how songs came to be but somehow I just don't see him as "a geek every day of the week" in Wish I was Cool, but hey, you never know. 

Kestrel,  maybe we'll have to have a friendly little wager on the boards of what song we think might make it as a cover?  I'll give it a listen again tonight and make my pick. 

I vote for "In From the Outside" and against "Wish I Was Cool." Tough decision though. There's a lot of sad and lonely in there that works great for Chris, but it's hard to imagine GBS doing it. But, hey, I'm all for branching out. The album is fantastic.

Happy 4 month birthday to Prince Henry, who I'm certain is adorable and brilliant. Time DOES fly! I remember being 7 months pregnant at a GBS show at Wolftrap in 2005 and thinking the baby would never get here. Now she's 13 months old and walking around shouting "bus" at everything on wheels.


Kathy

---

"...I am lifted. I am lifted..."

While I can hear them doing In From the Outside in my head, my interpretation of Alan's entry was that it might be a different song.  Maybe Better Half?  Or even Perfumed Hair?  I'm still listening and imagining them singing the songs... how would they arrange them and such... But I do think they could have a lot of fun with Wish I Was Cool! *LOL*  Can't you just see them playing that one up on stage? Just before WIAK perhaps?

For anyone interested, you can listen to clips of the songs on Chris's website.

---

~Kes

Desperate times call for desperate measures
Open your mind to all life's little pleasures
The hole in this world could be healed if by chance
everyone just stood up, took their pants off and danced

~Bruce Guthro

Alan's Newest From The Road journal...

 

In the newest journal, Alan writes:

"...Courage and Patience and Grit hit the stores a few days ago.  I feel I can brag about this DVD more than any of our CD’s because I had so little to do with the making of it. "

Go Alan!

Steph

---

Great Big Stuff!


"I'm still in diapers, actually." - Ron Hynes

"Any people from Newfoundland? Whaddya doin' here?! Taking all the jobs?! REVENGE!" - Ron Hynes

"You're like Bob with tits." - Candace

"Pierre and Francois from Fogo (the company, not the Island where Gideon lived; coincidence eh?), captured the sights and sounds of a GBS show without asking us to do so much as iron our shirts. "

That may be beacuse only BOB can iron properly, and Alan is a self-confessed lazy ***** and uses the steamer instead....or was that Jorge?

As always, I love to read Alan's FTRs.  Glad to see a new one pop up today!

---

Helen




I'm goin' Straight to Hell-On-Wheels!

Good for you Alan, and a raspberry to the critics.

love it, "guilt free celebration"

Good for them for providing a wonderful event that helps those who really need it.

---

it's not so bad.

**before you get mad at someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Because then you will be a mile away, and you will have their shoes**

Maybe he should write a song about living guilt free.....oh....wait......

---

In the social order, I accept the bottom rung, until the wine is pouring and the Lord commands a song!