I need your help

Maybe by now you know that I've been recording a new CD called HUCKSTER. Maybe not. Either way I need your help. After months of work getting my home studio set up and working, fixing hardware failures and handling software upgrades I'm almost done the actual recording of the CD however I'm still trying to raise the money needed to actually manufacture the project. I have set up a funding page at Rockethub.com that is handling all the collection duties. All I'm asking is that you consider pre-buying the CD. It's important that you know that 1) Rockethub isn't a charity, it is an exchange of goods for money between fans and artists. You pre-order the CD or one of the other packages I've put up for sale and when the project is complete you get what you paid for; and 2) It's all or nothing. What that means is that if the project doesn't achieve it's funding goals in the timeline laid out then all the money is returned to the fans. I don't receive partial funds at all. That means that without your help the recording won't get manufactured into a finished CD. Ok, enough of the guilt trip. It's not like this is for starving people or a great tragedy. It's just my CD project but if you are a fan of ukulele blues and you want to hear more from me then please take a moment to visit the page and consider donating. Thanks.

http://rockethub.com/projects/370-huckster-cd-ukulele#

OCFF, Recording, Tour Update and more

I'm sitting here at 7:50am on Sunday Oct 17th. I've just spent the weekend at the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals conference in Ottawa ON. Three nights of performer showcases, three days of workshops and conference info and three solid days of networking. It's been awesome and I have reconnected with old allies and made some new connections that I hope will help me as I go forward into booking next year. One thing is becoming clearer to me. I need to scrap some of my recording efforts and start over. Good thing that there is a recording pannel this morning chaired by several great record producers. Maybe I'll learn something? We can only hope.

As for the fall tour, I'm sad to say that it's not much of a tour. Due to family issues and timing I wasn't able to book very much work so I'm going to table the grand tour idea for now and start working on a proper tour next spring. Fear not maritime fans I'll get to your town to bring the gospel of blues ukulele to you! I'm also beginning the process toward working in Germany in 2011. If you have any contacts in Germany you'd like to share, please send them my way! It's a very exciting prospect and I think it will be an awesome tour but for now it's just thinking. I need help.

I think sometimes as artists we stare into the abyss that is our career choice and can whither and fade or feel energized. I have felt the fear and found myself second guessing my gut and I'm sad to say that I gave in briefly to that fear. But I have found my resolve and turned the car around and am now headed down the path I had intended to travel once again. After my summer tour I was a little freaked out by my choice to play only the ukulele going forward and started to think I needed to showcase guitar as well. I think that is true in my live show but the real special thing I do is play the uke. I play it like the devil is dancing on my fresh dug grave and that needs to be seen and heard. So in so much that I am a ukulele player and that my passion and joy is the ukulele I hearby resolve to not shrink in the face of adversity but instead to buckle down and overcome the challange with the four strings that have sustained my spirit thus far. Do I hear a seconder for the motion?

Ukulele Cabaret Roundup

Manitoba Hal (left), Bert Jackson (middle), Anna Hirst (right)

The ukulele cabaret was awesome. The event was a fund raiser for an Orleans youth group and it was a total success! We raised over 150% more than last years cabaret did. Anna Hirst was incredible. She's a 17 year old student and writes incredible songs. Bert Jackson plays jazz instrumentals and really swings. 

Tim Sweeney and Ed Banks and his drummer (Lucas?) played great popular songs  from the American Songbook. Tim was the organizer of the Cabaret and is a real inspiration to Cape Cod uke players. Tripping Lily and Bert Jackson acknowledge him as the reason they play the ukulele. Awesome!

Tim Sweeney (left), Ed Banks (right)

Tripping Lily

I'm off to Ottawa now for a house concert with Westboro House Concerts and then the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Conference this coming weekend. Should be exciting!