Lost radio Interview

As I have been writing my memoir over the past couple freezing winter months I dug up some old radio interviews I had done for various projects. I found this INTERVIEW that I did in 2008 talking about the Lost Vegas Art Project on ThatRadio.com . It was around this time when the idea telling my own story began to emerge and will result in my book "Point & Shoot - The Death Of Photography"

NO $IGNAL - LIVE IV - Re cap

FUCKINg EH !

     Rock n Roll.  01/26/14

My band No $ignal held our annual recital  last week at "Measure Bar" on Brunswick Avenue just south of Bloor Street in the heart of the Annex. I would like to thank them for hosting the evening and treating us well. It was the first time a bar has ever supplied us with drinks during the sound check and during the show! By 9:15 PM, on a wickedly cold and windy saturday night, the bar was filled with over 150 friends, family and a few strangers and stragglers. The band was introduced by the great "Shecky Wiggles" after he performed a few minutes of stand up comedy on a Toronto stage, for the first time in over thirty years!!! 

Shecky Wiggles warms up the crowd.

No $ignal took the stage at nine thirty and worked through our two set, forty one song marathon performance. I may be a little biased but I think our little band is beginning to sound quite good. We have come a long way since we struggled through six songs at my 50th birthday party back in 2010. 

Famous Vamos & Handsome Paul.

I am almost beginning to feel comfortable on the stage now while performing in front of people? I tried to channel Johnny Cash by wearing my favorite black Johhny Cash T-shirt.  As well as Handsome Ned, for whom I donned my straw cowboy hat and blue bandana. I wasn't sure if I would ever get to this stage musically but I no longer play by rote and can actually get into the music while singing and playing harmonica. During the break my friend (& author of  Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys) Mark Dillon came over and called me "The Bono of Brunswick Avenue"... I'll take that ! 

That is not to say that it isn't nerve wracking ! It truly is, but that is the reason why I wanted to start this process back when this all began. We were joined again by a great group of musicians as special guests including Andy Maize, Stephen Stanley, Gregor Beresford, Jason Cresswell and Mike Binnendjyk.  Each of whom  gave the evening a sort of 'professional' air to it. Thanks guys.

Stephen Stanley and Andy Maize.

As usual I am already thinking about LIVE - FIVE. I am hoping to convince the boys that it is time for us to write and record an album during the next twelve months. It would seem to be the  next logical step and I know that the six of us are ready to do it.  'The Lost Vegas Soundtrack' maybe ? That would be cool. 

Till then keep this date open and we will figure out next years Rock Show venue...

Welcome to Fabulous Downtown Toronto.

This is a cartoon I did (my second ever) about our great Mayor...Influenced by the Lost Vegas art Project...

Stolen ... World Class Topless Girls.

I went to pick up the Lost Vegas Art Project pictures that had been hanging at the Silver Dollar Room since my band played there in late January. Unfortunately the pictures were not returned as delivered. On one image the glass frame was broken while another had some bad water (or beer?) damage to the matt and print itself. The kicker was that someone stole the "Girls Of Glitter Gulch" picture right off the wall. Oh well I hope that wherever it is, that it hangs in a good home and is loved and respected by the people who took it. I would always welcome it back if you want to return it to it's home.

No questions asked... I'll say you borrowed it.

I plan to continue to show the LVAP and will leave all images as they are ... it kind of ads some authenticity to them, in a sense.

Here comes the summer.

To kick off the summer celebrations, my band No $ignal is playing it's first ever professional paying gig at an outdoor M*A*S*H themed party in beautiful Aurora Ontario. When we started the band about four years ago our only goal was to improve as musicians. We scheduled one Live show a year that was free for anyone interested in what we were doing. At our last gig at the legendary Silver Dollar (which is closing after over 100 years) one of the people in attendance asked us to perform at an annual party that he throws. So hopefully Lady Luck is on our side when we perform the theme song to The Lost Vegas Art Project "Lucky Lady".  Happy summer solstice and beyond.

Point and Shoot - The Death of photography. A memoir.

It has been another crazy year and to add to the craziness I have decided to write a memoir based on my life experiences. Want to throw your already surreal life into overdrive? This is a road map. Take a look at the Indiegogo campaign I have set up. Thanks for your interest.

PP

Post Dollar Post

         So my band 'No $ignal'  played our annual Live show this last weekend at the legendary Silver Dollar Room in Toronto. What started as a dare four years ago resulted in our first public performance at my house on my 50th birthday in January of 2010. About thirty friends came over and we squeaked out 6 songs that evening. My daughters had upstaged us with a song they performed on the piano but it was still playing in front of an audience. We upped the anti the past two years and played our January gig's at Clinton's Tavern. It was great for us to play live in a place like that and make lots of mistakes.  I was getting to do what I used to fantasize as a kid in my bedroom blasting Springsteen songs from my stereo. This years show was of Springsteen proportions. We did a marathon 37 songs
(One short of his record 38 song set list from New Years Eve 1980. We even sang 'Sherry Darling'). The band has come a long way and I think we sounded pretty tight and we all seemed to be having more fun with less anxiety while performing. One of our special guests Suzanne Jarvie performed an original song of hers called 'Spiral Road' which we only got to practice once, and I think it came off really well. We could not have done that last year! I think it is a pretty unique experience for people who have caught some of the shows over the years to see the development and progress of a live show.
          The Lost Vegas images are at a one month residency at the Silver Dollar in the back pool room. There couldn't be a more apt space for them to hang than there? What is next ->>>>>