There is no ABC Songwriters’ Circle this Tuesday, October 31, as they have a Halloween event planned, but it will be back on November 7, with guests Tyler Ellis, m.e. law, and Lilly Mason. I’m very excited about this one, and I urge you to make it down for what I am confident will be an amazing evening.

So, if you are searching for something to do this week, do come out to the Beach House, which I wrote about here previously, have some dinner, and catch a set or more of yours truly solo on Thursday, November 2. The show starts at 8.

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Songwriters’ Circle #2

The second ABC Songwriters’ Circle had a very different feel than the first, as the music was more ecclectic than the blues-based début. This is a good thing! Although I try to blend guests that will work well together, it doesn’t mean that they sound the same, and the variety is to a large extent what makes the evening unique. Each artist may come in with a set list, although I may through him/her off track with a request or idea, but the ensemble becomes synergistically original. At least that is what is aimed for.

Thanks to spouse, garden coach and expert photographer Helen Battersby‘s skills on the iPhone, here are videos of each performer’s opening song below. Enjoy!

Until next week, be well!

I’m really chuffed about the first ABC Songwriters’ Circle show last week. By all accounts, it was a great mix of performers, and entertaining for all the friends who attended, some of whom will be on the same stage later in the fall. I am very grateful to Ryan, Sal and Sam for doing this for such small financial reward, and particularly to Sam who very professionally dealt with a challenge before the show.

Ryan’s grittiness and heartfelt singing and playing have never sounded so good, and the acoustic format really allowed the lyrics to shine through. Sal’s wittiness and raconteur skills were a perfect fit for the evening. Sam surprised and impressed us all with some excellent new material—I thought I knew his entire repertoire—that he will be performing with his new group Gem. All three were gracious and generous with their time, and I appreciate the positive comments about my songs during the course of the evening.

The next show is this Tuesday, October 24, 2017 from 9-12PM. Guests are Fraz Milne, T.C. Folkpunk and Greg Todd (check out the links for their music). It promises to be another great evening. More information on these artists is available on the ABC Songwriters’ Circle page. Please tell your friends and come on down!

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As mentioned above, Sam Taylor has a new venture called Gem. I had a chance to catch their début, performing on the same bill as upcoming Circle guest Lilly Mason, and surprise guests Altameda at the Supermarket this past Wednesday. Until Tuesday, hopefully, be well! I’ll leave you with a little sample of something funky from Sam.

 

My first evening hosting the ABC Songwriters’ Circle is almost here. While very exciting, it’s also a big responsibility to showcase the guests in the best possible way, as it’s their show, not mine. I’m just along for the ride. The next few days, and indeed the next many weeks will be in great part dedicated to listening to my guests’ material and reading their websites, so as to best prepare for their appearance. It’s very important to me that ALL guests finish the night feeling the experience was worthwhile, cause they sure aren’t doing it for the money!

Speaking of which, for anyone attending as part of the audience at the Amsterdam Bicycle Club, note there is a “tip box” to the left of the stage next to the exit. You are warmly invited to show your appreciation to the artists on stage,  if you like what you hear, by making a contribution on your way out or during the intermission. Thank you!

Show #1 lineup is on the ABC Songwriters’ Page, with bios of the performers, and updates to upcoming shows. Check it out!

Finally, a shout out to Gary 17. He and I have been conversing for a while, and I made the commitment to subscribe to his online Toronto Moon Magazine. The reason is partly because of the extras I get from the subscription, but mostly it is a recognition of the extraordinary effort he puts into peparing the daily updates on who-is-playing-where that I have quite often referenced for free! As artists, we are quick to recognize that we invest a lot of work and skill into our craft, and therefore expect some return for it. Same can be said for information. Writing this short weekly blog has given me some insight into what Gary puts forth daily, which is considerably more work. In the end, it’s only $0.16 a day! This is just my opinion and have no benefits coming back to me for saying it.

Please do try make it down to the Amsterdam Bicycle Club this Tuesday for Sal Indigo, Sam Taylor, Ryan Schmidt and me. I hope to make it the beginning of something very special!

Until then or next week, be well!

Yes, I missed the post on Sunday again, but it was well worth it for family/Canadian Thanskgiving time. I also got to enjoy an awesome TGD feast put on by Relish on Monday, with a host of great players for our entertaining pleasure.

Between mouthfuls of food, I had a chance to chat with some of the guests slated for my ABC Songwriters’ Circle announced in the last blog and starting in a week. It became clear that going from a threesome to a foursome would be even more awesome. Some guests are already added, and more should be soon so please check the page on this site for that purpose.

Thanks to Joanne for including me in the “feastivities”, and I promise to keep the volume reasonable.

Until next week, be well!

My, how things can change in a week!

A very exciting opportunity presented itself to take on Tuesday nights at the Amsterdam Bicycle Club, for a special brand of music night. Instead of the standard single performer/band format, each Tuesday will feature two guest songwriters who, along with myself to moderate, will talk about the thoughts, feelings and writing process of the songs they have composed, and perform them.

This is a wonderful and unique opportunity for other songwriters and fans to gain insight into how songs come about. Interested songwriters not already booked can reach me at abcsongcircle@icloud.com. Please include an artistic résumé and some links to demos or performances.

Please come down for a fascinating evening of storytelling and music. Things kick off on a bluesy note with Sal Indigo and Sam Taylor on October 17. Regular updates will be posted on the ABC Songwriters’ Circle page of this site.

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Shows This Week

I will be performing twice this week, so I hope you can make it out to see me and the great talent with whom I will be sharing the stage: John Mahler and Gary Edward Allen on Tuesday, October 3 at the Linsmore, and again on Thursday October 5 with Gary along with Amber Durette for a feature set at the Legends open mic, which will also include a great lineup of cool performers.

The song mentioned the last two weeks is still in the woodshed, so we’ll see. Until next week, be well!

It’s been a rough month on the health front. Nothing major, but just annoying and limiting to plans made: first food poisoning a few weeks back from bad oysters, now a persistent summer cold probably from a fellow passenger on the return flight from Ireland who had not learned what all school kids now know: sneeze and cough into your arm.

As a consequence, I did not get to finish the new/old song mentioned last week as I’ve been too croaky to sing anything, and generally baffed out anyway. Some work has begun, so I hope it will be done for next time.

In the interim, please enjoy this read from Digital Music News, on a theme I have written about before, but explores the angle of the major labels vs. new talent (sic) Danielle Bregoli aka Bhad Bhabie even better of Cash Me Outside infamy. Nice to see creative spelling making a comeback; I missed you Slade!

Until next week, I will try to be well!

Nice to be back with you, glad you could stick around!

While I was away, it seems there has been a new kid in town.

The Peppery Cat, home to many successful and super well-attended Blues Jams with guitarist extraordinaire Mike Sedgewick, has changed hand over the summer, and rebranded itself The Beach House. It is already garnering excellent reviews for the quality of the food offerings.

Not content with the extensive renovations which really lighten up the atmosphere, owners have committed to providing live entertainment for their patrons. The Beach House has lined up what looks to be a stellar roster of soloists and duos into 2018, with many of their performers coming back on a monthly basis. They are showing a strong commitment to entertainment. Two residencies anchor the week: Wednesday evenings feature guitarist Bob Wegner (from the hit musical We Will Rock You), and Saturday nights will have Amber Durette starting in late October. Sunday afternoons will close the week with a jazz brunch with Wayne Neon or Glendon James on rotation.

Thursdays and Fridays will feature a variety of great performers, many of whom I know, and I am chuffed to be part of that line up, on Thursday, November 2.

Please continue to check the sidebar for upcoming shows. I’ll also try to reach as many of you as possible as well through the usual social media channels.

Next week, I hope to have ready for upload a first mix of an old/new song that I’ve been workshopping for a bit. Until then, be well!

After all that build up regarding sitting in at a local pub, the whole thing just fizzled like dew on an Irish Spring (but I like it too). A brief conversation with the barkeep made it plain that “All musicians welcome” as stated on the sandwich board outside Ma Bakers  required the addendum “as long as you only play traditional Irish music. All others, feck off!” Okay, I’m exaggerating but I did not want to make a cultural faux-pas, like mentioning the war to Germans, ordering a black-and-tan in Ireland or playing Bowie covers at an all-blues jam.

Nevertheless, time was well spent and I recorded a song written back in Toronto, but entirely captured here in Ireland on my pokey iPad Mini, 1st generation. Results are as good as can be expected, and I’ve posted it below.

The Devil’s Blues ©2017 R. Pelletier/Félix & the Cats

Verse 1
I ran into the devil just the other day
At the coffee shop just along the way
He put aside his sudoku and looked me in the eye
“I’ve been expecting you, he said, I knew you’d come by
I can tell you’re wondering what the hell comes next
How all of this has come to pass
You seem so perplexed
Ooooh, you know, it’s my time at last.”

Verse 2
The devil said,
“When the penny drops
And you realize,
Where the buck will stop
When …..
…the fuse is lit
And the sword is plunged…
…right up to the hilt
When…
…the scale has tipped
And the die is cast
And the switch is flipped
When…
…the gavel drops
And the sentence passed
And the bars slam shut
Ooooh, you’ll know, it’s my time at last.”

Bridge
He stood up to make his point
My soul was filled with fright
His left hand shielded his eyes
From the harsh morning light
Fragments of the holy tablets
Were crumbled in his right
He looked at me in my distress
And cackled with delight.

Verse 3
I soon calmed down and realized
That none of this was true
He is the devil after all,
So what else can he do
But lie about the state of things,
So I live in despair
And I believe all hope is lost
And life is so unfair
But I am onto him,
And he can’t fool me twice
It’s not yet time for me to pay
The last and final price
Ooooh, I say, this too shall pass

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More Good NewsEldest dot has earned first prize for her singularly original pottery at the Cabbagetown Arts & Crafts sale this weekend. Family and friends are very proud of her!

On that high note, be well!

“O Oysters,” said the Carpenter,
“You’ve had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?’
But answer came there none–
And this was scarcely odd, because
They’d eaten every one.

Lewis Carroll (from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

Curiouser and curiouser. That seems to summarize the past week. Many intentions were stated, but some did not come to pass, for good and sometimes unpleasant reasons. With expat daughter and boyfriend visiting, sightseeing became the priority (more on that later), and by the time Thursday rolled around, the aforementioned open mic escapade at Ma Bakers was one-too-much activity for the day. Hoping for this week instead.

Recording of the new song has gone well so far but I have now encountered the 8-track limit of my old iPad Mini. It’s bouncing time now. Mostly though, a batch of bad oysters (we presume, but likely since 3 of 4 of us ate them and the same 3 ended up sick) had us waylaid for a couple of days. A completed recording looks promising for next week’s post. Please check back!

Despite some hangups, we were able to get to one of the great natural wonders of the world, the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. My somewhat somber tribute to that inspiring location (i.e., Star Trek the Motion Picture) is on the right (or below on mobile). Classic rock fans should get it, and might be interested in the backstory. Worth the read.

Time to go finish recording that new song now. Until next week, be well!

The title above means “welcome” in Irish, which pretty much describes how the missus and I feel so far here.

The Dano Pro made it safe and sound and is reassembled. I hope to use it no only for practice, but maybe also for an open mic and an attempt at a demo on Garageband, iPad edition. Hopefully, that will be done for next week’s blog.

Last Thursday, I caught a partial set by a couple of local lads at a local Carlingford pub called Ma Bakers. Here is a bit of that.

I’m thinking of doing a couple of my tunes with them next week at the open mic session they host after 11, although they may need some altering to better fit in the Irish vernacular. How about “The Difficult Little People” or “Ladders” (no Snakes because St. Patrick chased them all away)? What do you think?

Today though was extra special, attending one of the best concerts I’ve heard in years, along with Mrs. FatC, and expat daughter and boyfriend.

The show took place in a small church now housing the Carlingford Heritage Centre and presented entirely unplugged. No PA, mics, nothing. Just guitar, fiddle, and singing out loud. It was traditional Irish, mostly with Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre, and featuring special guest Declan O’Rourke. All three not only dazzled with their musical prowess, but were utterly charming in that uniquely Irish way: funny, thoughtful, and slightly cheeky.

Zoë’s violin/fiddle playing in many genres was truly stunning, and beautifully supported by John’s perfectly balanced and creative guitar. Declan joined the duo further into the performances and wowed everyone, particularly for me with a poignant rendition of “Poor Boy’s Shoes”. And that final note he sang was unreal!

It was a extraordinary event and I urge you to use the links to find out more about these remarkable musicians.

Until next week so, be well!