Tag: Contemporary Instrumental

Port Moody (Live in the Studio)

I don’t think it’ll come as a huge surprise that “Port Moody” (from my 2007 EP “5”) was indeed written for my current hometown of Port Moody. Now some of the music I write is specific and some more nebulous; “Port Moody” is somewhere in between. It really is about the feelings I had (and still currently have) for the area. But it’s also about the sky that can have stunning dark clouds, the incredible wildlife, and of course, the ever-present mountains.

I wrote “Port Moody” in a bedroom in my mother-in-law’s house in Port Moody and recorded the track back in my condo in Toronto. For this Live in the Studio video, I went back to the original recording to try to capture the overall mood for this now-over eighteen-year-old piece. I stuck mostly to what I recorded back in 2007, but there are a few minor changes to the guitar part.

As always, thanks for taking the time to watch the video, and I hope you like it!

Summer in the Round (Live in the Studio)

Toronto in the late seventies/early eighties was an incredible time for music. Even for someone like me, who was a little too young to get into the clubs, there was so much great live original music happening. Got to see Yes at Maple Leaf Gardens, Kraftwerk at the Masonic Temple and the Police (and a bunch of other terrific bands) at the Police Picnic.

All of that was (obviously) amazing, but what really stands out to me was the Ontario Place Forum. For just the cost of getting into Ontario Place (I think it was something like $5), I was able to hear music SO many first rate bands/artists. Like who? How about Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Chuck Mangione, UZEB, Michael Hedges and many, many more.

Which brings me to this “Live in the Studio” video of my tune “Summer in the Round”. For those of you who don’t know the Ontario Place Forum, it was an outdoor, covered venue that was built around a circular, revolving stage. Of course, being an outdoor venue, the concerts were held during the summer and the seating was festival, so it was first come, first serve. I would get to the venue crazy early to get front row seats (if they were available), and often I could listen to the bands/artists soundcheck. So… circular stage/venue, summer concerts… “Summer in the Round”… never said I was a deep thinker : )

This “Live in the Studio” version of “Summer in the Round” features Dave Patel on drums and Henrik Bridger on bass. The piece was originally on my 2009 EP “St. Joseph Street” which, in addition to Dave and Henrik, also featured the phenomenal Bill McBirnie on flute.

As always, thanks for listening/watching and I hope you like the video!