Sometimes projects are born in a second of inspiration, but bringing them into the world always takes much longer. I just released the music video for a song called "Flying High", but it was a long time in the making. In fact it was almost two years ago, on a break between sets at a live performance that the idea was born. I was playing some old school jazz live for a swing...
Yesterday I performed what has become a December tradition: attempting to finish a 50 kilometer hike through the mountains on Vancouver’s north shore. “Why?” you may ask. It’s a good question. A non-stop march through rugged terrain that takes between 13 and 18 hours to complete is no laughing matter. It helps to love mountains of course, but there is no denying the fact that such a trip will involve a certain degree of...
When I was a kid I listened to a lot of Nat King Cole. His smooth vocals and almost confidential tone were part of my early exposure to jazz. I also listened endlessly to an album by his daughter, Natalie Cole, whose versions of "Nature Boy" and "Lush Life" still dominate my memory. When I started writing the songs for this album, it was inevitable that these experiences would colour my style. I think of...
When I am not writing songs, I write poetry. In fact, reading and writing poetry was a regular part of my life for almost as long as I can remember...
I am very fortunate to live in one of the world's most beautiful cities. I love Vancouver for its mountains and water...
Voice of the lonely You were the bard Of the famous blue raincoat And the end of love The growling conscience of the future Poet of backroom drunks And solitary hearts Who walk the city streets Alone with their longings Nameless and reckless You lived intensely In the bareness of your white rooms Distilling the marrow of desire Maps of flesh Tracked relentlessly Tracing the lust and the hallelujah On bended knee Speaking aloud what we barely knew But felt without words Fedorad monk of debauchery Drunken poet of grace With your canticles of longing And...
I just released the music video for my song “Voodoo Magic Man”, and I can’t quite believe we pulled it off. Getting to the finished product was a long series of twists, uncertainties and last minute crises. Somehow it all came together and everything found its place. You could say it was luck …or maybe a bit of magic. It all started about a month ago when I had coffee with my friend and filming...
Let’s not pick out curtains Life’s moved us too far To think of shared addresses Or quarrels in the car There are too many pieces Now to rearrange But if I tell you this Will you think it strange Chorus: There’s a hidden place No eye can see Sheltered from the storm Of reality And when I close my eyes That’s where I’ll be In the secret world of you and me We will never work out How to pay the rent Or have conversations About how much we’ve spent You’ll always live about...
Well you’ve driven me to music I hope you’re satisfied I’m drunk on a longing That will always be denied I write these songs like sonar Or stones into a well I’m looking for an echo But the silence tells Chorus: And I’m singing in the dark For a man who isn’t there But I’ve learned to love the aching And the wistful smile I wear I’ve studied all the poets But you don’t read that stuff Pages of perfect sonnets Would never be enough I’m looking for the words The right...
I got a fever Can’t clear my head All I want to do Is crawl back into bed I called the doctor But he didn’t have a plan The only one left to call Is the voodoo magic man Chorus: Oh….the way he works Is something I don’t understand But he leaves me feeling better That voodoo magic man He mutters about chakras And evil spirits too Even said my aura Was looking kind of blue He said, “We got to treat this With the laying on of hands” I said, “Do what...