Workin' for them future prospects

Good Morning everyone...we here in the music business are often working for "future prospects. A day's work may not yield an immediate pay cheque, but one hopes that the work accomplished will one day lead to a revenue stream. For me, a portion of the day's work (and what great work it is!) will be writing songs with one of my writing partners, Brian Vollmer of Helix.

I was once a member of Helix as a bassist, but had to leave that post when I got the gig playing guitar with Nelly. However, I have developed an amazing working relationship with Brian that involves writing, producing and playing guitar for the latest Helix recordings. So far I have been involved with three official releases Vagabond Bones, Smash Hits...Unplugged!, and the latest EP Skin In The Game.

Brian and I have already begun work on two new songs for the next Helix record, and we are continuing on with that today. Brian calls songs and their inherent publishing qualities "the gift that keeps on giving", as you never know which tune could end up in a movie, on a tv show, in the hands of another artist or even as a radio hit. As the years you go by, if you stick at it, you can amass quite the collection of ditties, and as that ball o aluminum foil keeps growing, so do the royalty cheques. While I haven't struck it rich with my publishing income (or even come close to it), I have been pleasantly surprised in the last few years.

Of course, financial considerations aside, it is a great satisfaction in my life to hear songs that were written in my living room become cuts on albums by one of my favourite bands...looking forward to sharing this next collection with everyone!

Studio Work in 2011

Just reflecting on some of the studio work I've done this year...it's so great to look back on the releases, like a rock n roll yearbook! Here is a list of projects that were officially released in 2011 that I was involved in

Sean Kelly - Where The Wood Meets The Wire (Opening Day/Universal/E1)
Helix - Smash Hits...Unplugged! (EMI)
Helix - Skin In The Game EP (Helix Records)
Carole Pope - Landfall
Warren Dean Flandez - Seven singles from Cover Me Canada (various producers including Hawksley Workman, Gavin Brown, Kuya Bros, John and Me)

I also worked on albums from Nelly Furtado and Gilby Clarke, which will likely see release in 2012...I plan on recording some new Crash Kelly material in 2012 as well, and hope that the universe will throw me some more interesting projects!

Welcome to the show...

Hey y'all,

Welcome to my Blog....here, I will  be sharing my experiences as a guitar slinger here in beautiful Toronto and around the globe, expounding on all things rock (with a focus on AOR, Hair, and 70's glam), and basically reaching out to like-minded individuals interested in geeking out on music!

Today, having just completed a 7 week stint on CBC's Cover Me Canada (where I helped put a band together for the most talented Warren Dean Flandez), i am focusing on ways to promote my new Opening Day/Universal release Where The Wood Meets The Wire...gonna harangue my booking agent to line up some dates for 2012, and try and get creative with some ways to spread the word!

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