Hi Everyone,
There is a lot to let you in on this time. The last few weeks have been busy on the music front and lots of good things happening.
I know this may sound small but to me it's a really big deal. I got a new pickup in my guitar. It’s a brand (fishmen) that I really like and have used before but it’s a high-bread with a pickup under the saddle AND a microphone. It just sounds real nice and acoustic and that is a big part of the battle to getting things out to the listeners the way I want 'em.
So it’s kind of like an early Christmas present to me, or a late birthday present...in any case I plugged it in at Mike’s house for a practice and it sounds beautiful. Lots of tone and wood it the soft finger picking stuff and then big punch in the hard driving. Yup, good stuff! (Big Grins)
I was at a gathering of people who want to put on a folk festival in Victoria last weekend. (Some of you may remember that we did have a festival here for a time but lost it) A very wonderful thing happened to me there. A friend and his wife came over to listen and talk a bit and in our greetings she says "Hi Jim I was just listening to you on the drive over". I figured she meant they were listening to my CD on the car player but no, she went on to say " I heard you on CBC they were playing Blues Man" Well you know that is the first time anybody ever told me they heard me on the Radio! It felt pretty good. Thank you CBC. Please play me some more. :-)
This month there are a couple of gigs and the first one is a week from today at the Deep Cove Folk Club. This is a well established long time running club and I am honoured to play three. Mike and I are practicing and we even have a new tune or two that I have written and we are working up. This will be fun with a bit more lively punch than some shows but even before that show starts we are hosting the 'Art of the Song" writers group here tomorrow.
The writers group meets every other Saturday at 2 pm in our home. We spend 2 hours learning about song writing and construction and generally having a good time among friends. It’s open so if you are in the area feel free to drop in.
Below is a like to jango radio. It is a free online station where you can hear music that you want to hear including my own or tune into shows and hear what’s programmed; including my own music (do you sense thyme here?) Check it out would you.
Now I am going out to listen and support my one of my "bestest" old friends, Jenny Allan and my new friend Leslie Alexander, in their tour through town. If you ever get a chance to hear them then take it cause they are worth it.
......................
OK I am back. Jenny and Leslie stayed over night at our house and we are up first thing in the morning so they can catch the ferry to their next gig on Pender Island. I am hoping to meet up with them at the Cowichan folk club where they are playing on the 11. I figure me and Mike will go up and play the open stage and give them a listen too.
Well they are loading out as I type this so I am going to sign off and say good bye to you and then to them. I hope to see you at a gig sometime soon
Jim
http://www.jango.com/music/Jim+Moffatt
Reply
Hi Everybody,
Well it was pretty cool. I got emails from a lot of folk who either were never Kids or (Heaven Forbid) never saw Winnie the Pooh.
The worst guess was from a fan/fellow musician in a punk band who guessed "That, That F_-Ken Nimrod!" I sent him a downer and told him to have a nice sleep. (Grins) he replied with something about being cut off of his bike by a guy on a cell phone.
There were about 30 wrong guesses all toll and they went from that to this...
A Face Book Fan who guessed Take That For Now. Much closer but not right.
On the other side of the coin there were a lot of right guesses and they are still coming in. I used a service called Artist Data and it sent out the Fan letter as a blog post to a bunch of sites and I am still getting responses. That why I am announcing the Winners this way... hopefully it will push this out too and stop the flow.
The three winners of the "What does TTFN stand for?" contest are.
Graham Chapman, Patty Hunter, Jane Briscoe
Congratulations you three. To all the others who guessed correctly, better luck next time. Got to be a little faster on the draw.
If the three winners could please email me with your snail mail addressers I will send you your CDs.
jim@jimmoffatt.ca
Congrats and thanks for a bit a fun everyone.
Jim
Reply
Well that time again. I don't know about you but with summer coming ot a close I have really been busy.
I just took a week of holiday time form the old grind to catch up on taxes. I have an appointment with an accountant tomorrow and I won't be ready. I just totally under-estimated the amoount of work and time this will take. But hay i gotta get it done before Rev Canada gets upset.
I will be playing a few feature gigs in the near. Starting on the 10th of next month. These are the best to me cause I get an hour of stage time to build a repore with everyone and guide them through my musical landscape. Not to mention its fun!
Also with suptember fast approaching I am going to get the lowdown on the Feb tour and I am excited about that also. So Musically everything is going great. I have just released Truth and Lies as a roots recording. Just go to my site to see. www.jimmoffatt.ca OH YA !! Lots of changes on the site please feel free to go and check it out. Your feed back is really needed!! I mean it :-)
I will write again at the end of the month and give you all an update on things.
Untill then please know that I thank you all for your support.
I don't just mean the music you all have bought from me but I mean for all the notes, emails, facebook and myspace contacts that you have given which tell me I am on the right track.
If you ever want to send me a message please feel free jim@jimmoffatt.ca
TTFN
Jim
Oh yes I almost forgot. To the first 3 people who email me what TTFN stands for. ( and are correct) I will send you a free CD. The Live at Crystal Gardens one.
Reply
How's your last couple weeks been? I don't hear from many of you but don't be shy. If you want to send me an email feel free to go ahead. I would welcome that chance to get to know you all a bit better if you are willing.
On my end of the email stick I just finished playing a gig at the Spiral Cafe and it was fun with a twist.
Two things really stood out. First, Mike got himself booked at Vista 18 with his guitar partner and so I had to play alone. I really had a good time and I think everyone there did too but I have to admit that I forgot how tough it is playing alone. You see with Mike there I don't have to sing all the time and I even get breaks during songs where he gets to shine. Without him it was put out 100%, one hundred percent of the time. I forgot how much I loved being alone on stage but you know I am glad that Mike is there too cause with him I have a lot more fun and less work. (Not to mention that he covers my mistakes :-)
Second was, I have a friend I met through Reverbnation named Ian and he is a good player of the ragtime type. I had a jam with him earlier that week and although we don't gel well together he is a very good player and I offered him some stage time and he took it. It was a real pleasure, him on stage and me sitting in the audience all ears. Man I like his style.
The song Drill Baby Drill was just released and I produced it through UpPer RoOms Studio with Gordon Oliphant. Gord has the song on Reverbnation too so look him up http://www.reverbnation.com/label/upperroomsstudio#/gordonoliphant
is his site and the song is there. Gord is a fresh water marine biologist and a member of the Canadian Emergency Cleanup Team that was/is waiting for the call to go to the Gulf to assist. As such he has some real strong opinions about what is happening and as a song writer he just did what comes naturally.
On the Gig front I have a feature show at the Deep Cove folk coming up in Sept and will let you know.
Hey do you remember me wanting to get into the house concert tours but not making it? Well guess who called (thank God). Yup you got it, and it looks like I am heading out in February to tour central Canada. No details yet. Not even sure if Mike will come or not. In any case wish me well and I will keep you all informed as things get solidified.
My Jan got to go to the main land and do some shopping....do you all know what Fluvogs are? I am pretty sure form the smile on her face that she liked it.
As always ...to all the friends/fans who come to gigs and say Hello... I can't tell you enough how much it means to me when you say "Hi Jim. I am you friend _____ from Facebook".... or Reverbnation or Myspace, what-have-you. Making friends and meeting people is what it’s all about for me. (Besides how else am I going to get material for songs and make a buck) :-) I love each and every one of you, from the 350 pound 6'6" biker to the navy dude to the grand old lady in the back row with her beautiful daughter and son in law. Each and every one of you is why I play. Thanks for you support.
Jim
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I have been working hard with Mike and it showed at the conference (Vancouver Island Music Business Conference) and in the reception we received from the patrons and management of a venue that we just played, called Café Fantastico.
The Vancouver Island Music Business Conference was a real eye-opener and one of the most stressful yet enjoyable things I have done in a while. Let me tell you a bit about it.
I heard some really outstanding talent but by far the best thing of all was Dan Hill (Sometimes When We Touch) singing a duo with one of the organizers Susie McGregor. Now I as well as most of the world know Dan can sing but I have only heard Susie at a song writer’s workshop in Summerland. So when I read the program I was ready to hear Dan sing and Susie do the good supportive vocal…they blew me away. They sang as equals with full power and performance, well matched and received a standing ovation for their efforts. Its was beautiful, muscular and touching all at the same time.
…I recommend any one in the music business go next year and bring 25 – 30 PR packs. Be well rested and stay at the bed in breakfast. I can’t tell you which one but just chat a bit when you call and you will find the one I am talking about cause many of the big name performers are staying there on the ranch and have jams around a camp fire at night.
Ah yes, next thing is the Duncan Garage Showroom. This was one good gig and should have been a great success. There weren’t many folk there but the real power of the thing was that it was to be streamed live and then archived and lived on for posterity and marketing.
Start time was 8 ish and I was raring to go but we didn’t get started till around 8:30. Not until after the phone started to ring and we were getting calls from my fans as far away as Tenn. and Florida (Thanks to you all who called in) asking what was wrong and why it hadn’t started yet. That really got things rolling and I was able to start my performance not long after the phone calls started and I put out hard, sweet and with everything I had. The feature came on and did her set too and was a sparkle to behold. One little spitfire is Tony.
When all was done we packed up and said our normal so-longs the owner pulled me aside and told me I "really did the place proud". Needless to say this feed back made me feel good but the next day I tried to find my performance online and couldn’t. There was some chatter saying “Oh Tony is now on the screen where Jim was” and that was all. I don’t know if anything I did played live or not. I can’t find it anywhere.. After one email and two phone calls to the venue, 3 weeks time had passed and I got no call backs or emails.
I drove up to Duncan yesterday and got a chance to talk to the owner. He blew me off saying he was "too busy to talk and didn’t have time to look at things in the past." He sounded angry that I was asking. The whole experence just made me think that sometimes it's just not worth the effort. I thanked him for his time and left.
The music business is a team sport and I don’t think he gets it, maybe that's the reason he feels so stressed. We can’t do it all ourselves. We need help from our loved ones and friends to be successful. I wish him well and good luck. Its been very nice meeting you..
A Big THANK YOU to Luke and Ali Guthrie for putting me up during the conference and… IF YOU ARE IN THE VICTORIA AREA BE SURE TO COME TO HEAR THEM AT THE VFMS at Norway house. Don’t know the exact dates but hay! They are really good and fun on stage.
There is a new song/video coming out shortly called "Drill Baby Drill, Spill After Spill" I have produced this for a friend who wrote it and he is out promoting it soon and should be getting air time shortly ...real powerfull, lots of chours vocals and a very timely message. I will let you know with an announcement when it goes out so you can give it a listen if you wish.
A pleasure.
Reply
It's about 10 on Sunday and I am bushed and happy. Been a good couple of weeks.
I got as close to finished with recording my new song "Truth and Lies" as I can in the time I have. I wanted to have it ready to go up to Comox for the Vancouver Island Music Business Conference and wanted something a little more Country for this and I got pretty close. Its' a rebuttal song to a lost love. You know. The kind where "if only I could understand you it would be all right," country song with a folksy Canadian twist. Anyway it's posted on Reverbnation and you can certainly give it a listen and tell me what you think.
http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/song_details/4365200?play_now=true
It will be on a PR CD that I am giving away at the conference as part of my PR packet. I think it will bring some smiles. Now all I have to do is design and print a CD cover, Promo blurb and put together a packet, do the Laundry, Work my day job, print 100 CDs, Business cards, arhhhhhHHHHHH! But it will happen.
And get ready for my showcase gig at the Duncan Garage showroom on Sunday.
Yup that’s right I will be playing at the Duncan Garage on Sunday the 27th from 8ish to 9ish and then I get to go home. Going to be a fun 4 days!!
I will be staying at my friend Luke and Ali Guthrie's house and with any luck I will get Luke to give me a few licks. Man the boy can play and he's a pleasure to be around too. Hi lovely Ali is a great fiddle player and she will be joining me at the conference too. Ya know ya gotta love when a plan comes together.
On a personal note I had the great pleasure and honour of meeting my long lost son Jesse. It was just stunning and I know once I get over it there is probably a song in this but to be honest he just blew me away. He is 33 and he really looks like me. We were sitting with a group of friends talking and they all started laughing. The boys and I stopped and looked at them and they were all gigging and laughing and pointing at us (the "boys" how easy that is to say) (oh BTW Jordan was there too) and we asked what was so funny and we were sitting the same, talking the same, waving our hands the same, both had long hair tied in a pony tail and 2 earrings in out left ear and they couldn't believe we hadn't seen each other in 30 years. It looked like we called each other the night before to make sure we were dressed the same (oh ya we both had shirts, shorts and sandals) It was too funny. We both laughed and both kept on talking and left thinking it was well meet. I have two sons and 3 grandchildren. WOW!!!
I hope you enjoy the song and remember to pass the widget around so others get a chance to get in on it and I get more fans.
Like I said "I love it when a plan comes together"
See you in 2 weeks unless you come to Duncan or the Vancouver Island Business Conference.
Jim
Reply
Well the last few weeks have been a whole hell of a lot of fun.
Mike and I are spending as much time in the studio as we can and will have a new song out soon called "Truth and Lies" We have played it at a couple of shows and everyone loved it so we are going to start there. I am excited and really proud of this one. It is a reflection on a lost relationship and the struggle to make it work when only one party is really trying. I am sure you will like it.
Another friend in my writers group has a new song called 'Drill Baby Drill". He is a freshwater marine biologist and a member of the Canadian "Oil Spill Emergency Response Team" and at one point was on call to fly down to the gulf and assist but that call never came. So he wrote a song and it’s right on the money (pardon the pun). We are working on it in the studio now and hoping to get it released within 2 weeks. Timely if nothing else but this song has a message and I am happy to support that.
I just got back from the Georgia Straight Guitar Workshop and had a good time there. I was able to do an accompaniment workshop with Canadian icon "Valdy" and a blues guitar lesson with Doug Cox. Yup I was in finger and strings heaven. :-) Funny part is we got home Sunday night, went to sleep at about 10:30 and didn’t get up until 1pm the next day….whew too much fun but I picked up some great licks.
On a personal note I am looking forward to visiting with my son Jesse on the 19th and this will be wonderful. I will let you know more after.
On a sad note I lost a good friend in the past 2 weeks. George Smith. He passed away a week ago Tuesday after a long illness. George and his lovely wife were the first friends I made here on Vancouver Island when I moved here in 1991. He was my first real fan and supported me and my music in both word and deed. George a strong man with a gentle sprite and I will miss him. All that knew him, will miss him but those of use still here must carry on, and that's just what he would say too. :-)
Well that’s pretty much all the news in my life. Look for an email about a new song shortly.
Until next time, have a great time.
OH by the Way!!! If you are in the Duncan area on June 27th come to the Duncan Garage Showroom. I am playing there with another songwriter name Tone. This promisses to be a good show.
In harmony
Jim
Reply
Hi Friends
I have some good news and some bad news
First the bad news
I heard back from the 2010 Island Songwriting contest and i didn't make the regionals.
I am bitterly disappointed but this is what I do and I have to take the bad and the good and try to learn in the process.
Now the good news
I can share my song with you and have posted it as a fan exclusive on Reverbnation and included the link below. The Title is Island Time.
http://www.reverbnation.com/jimmoffatt
So give it a listen, give it a thought and if you have a moment tell me what you think.
:-)
Jim
Reply
Hi Everyone
It has been a bit longer than I like sense my last email to you all but it’s worth it this time.
I finished a song and entered the 2010 Islands Singer Songwriter Contest.
In 2 days (Friday) you can log onto their site at
http://www.folkfest.bc.ca/index.php?page=islands-songwriter-contest-2
and see how I did. I am more than just a bit nervous but this is what I do and so it goes. If I go through to the next round I will tell you all by email if not I will quietly never mention it again. :-0 :-)
The theme of the contest was "write a song about why you live here. What makes us different or want to be here” etc. Mine is called Island Time and I really wanted to send it to all of you with this email but I am not allowed to yet by the contest rules. I am looking to get that double checked and I promise to give you all a link where you can download a free copy ASAP. I am in the South Islands Region and if I make it into the next step I will send you all an invitation to come hear my play it live then.
The Studio is up and running like a top. For all you tech heads out there, I put a 30 gig solid state drive in and now there is 0 latency. Very cool. Means I can do lots of things in real time and that works great for me.
On a more personal note...I got a phone call from my son Jordan today and he was lost in Nanaimo and wanted directions to this place he was going. I surprised myself when I was actually able to give directions to it from where he was. Nanaimo is a city about 120 km from where I live in Victoria. And I didn't even have to use Google Maps! For all you wondering, So what? This is the first time I have been able to do something for my sons in 25+ years. Felt good. For both of us :-).
I am playing at the Spiral Cafe this Saturday. If you are in Victoria come hear. I will play the new song then. :-)
I hope that past 2 weeks have been good to you and yours.
In harmony
Jim
Oh yeah! As always please feel free to pass this off to any who you think might like my songs. Thanks
Reply
I’d like to start by giving a warm welcome to all the new folk in our email family. There are a lot of you and I really appreciate everyone spending your time to show an interest in my music and musical life. Thank you.
So what has been happening? Lots.
For one thing I found out that I was one of the featured artists in the “the Province”. Here is a link …
http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/music/downloads/mar-23.html
Just copy and paste it in a browser and it will take you there to see. I am a “Music BC Pick”. How cool is that ah? It’s good to get a little recognition. I think this little bit of ink is directly responsible to all the new members in the email family so thank you to the Province. Did I mention there is a place there to download free music too?
Mike and I have worked up a few new tunes and are working up more all the time.
The recording studio is down for the last couple weeks. Turns out the power problem I had with the city did toast my power supply in the computer and after a few weeks of starts and stops it finally gave up and I couldn’t get it to boot at all My buddies at DTI computers are fixing it as I write and should have it tomorrow at the latest. I am telling you all this because I haven’t posted a new song in too long and we have at least one to post but I can’t until computer is ready. I will soon and I will let you all know via the list when its there so you all get a crack at it first.
For those of you around Victoria Mike and I will be at the Moss St Market playing their stage on May 29th.
I am planning on attending the Vancouver Island Music business workshop on the days of June 24th till the 27th This is going to be both fun and a challenge cause I am slated to play the Duncan Garage Showroom opening for Tone Indbryn at 8pm Sunday so I have to get from the conference to Duncan and be ready to play. Mike can’t make this one so I am solo. This is going to be fun!
On a personal note I am in contact with both my sons and we are growing. It’s a slow process but headed in the right direction. For all you new comers go to my blog at Reverbnation and read more there the catch up..
Well that’s it for now. I still can’t quit my day job but I am very thankful for all of the new friends and fans I am making. And you never know.
Jim
Reply
Jim Moffatt / Blog
Jim Moffatt link to Jango
Hi Everyone, There is a lot to let you in on this time. The last few weeks have been busy on the music front and lots of good things happening. I know this may sound small but to me it's a really big deal. I got a new pickup in my guitar. It’s a brand (fishmen) that I really like and have used before but it’s a high-bread with a pickup under the saddle AND a microphone. It just sounds real nice and acoustic and that is a big part of the battle to getting things out to the listeners the way I want 'em. So it’s kind of like an early Christmas present to me, or a late birthday present...in any case I plugged it in at Mike’s house for a practice and it sounds beautiful. Lots of tone and wood it the soft finger picking stuff and then big punch in the hard driving. Yup, good stuff! (Big Grins)
I was at a gathering of people who want to put on a folk festival in Victoria last weekend. (Some of you may remember that we did have a festival here for a time but lost it) A very wonderful thing happened to me there. A friend and his wife came over to listen and talk a bit and in our greetings she says "Hi Jim I was just listening to you on the drive over". I figured she meant they were listening to my CD on the car player but no, she went on to say " I heard you on CBC they were playing Blues Man" Well you know that is the first time anybody ever told me they heard me on the Radio! It felt pretty good. Thank you CBC. Please play me some more. :-) This month there are a couple of gigs and the first one is a week from today at the Deep Cove Folk Club. This is a well established long time running club and I am honoured to play three. Mike and I are practicing and we even have a new tune or two that I have written and we are working up. This will be fun with a bit more lively punch than some shows but even before that show starts we are hosting the 'Art of the Song" writers group here tomorrow. The writers group meets every other Saturday at 2 pm in our home. We spend 2 hours learning about song writing and construction and generally having a good time among friends. It’s open so if you are in the area feel free to drop in. Below is a like to jango radio. It is a free online station where you can hear music that you want to hear including my own or tune into shows and hear what’s programmed; including my own music (do you sense thyme here?) Check it out would you. Now I am going out to listen and support my one of my "bestest" old friends, Jenny Allan and my new friend Leslie Alexander, in their tour through town. If you ever get a chance to hear them then take it cause they are worth it. ...................... OK I am back. Jenny and Leslie stayed over night at our house and we are up first thing in the morning so they can catch the ferry to their next gig on Pender Island. I am hoping to meet up with them at the Cowichan folk club where they are playing on the 11. I figure me and Mike will go up and play the open stage and give them a listen too.
Well they are loading out as I type this so I am going to sign off and say good bye to you and then to them. I hope to see you at a gig sometime soon
Jim http://www.jango.com/music/Jim+Moffatt
Reply
Who Won the TTFN Contest announced
Hi Everybody,
Well it was pretty cool. I got emails from a lot of folk who either were never Kids or (Heaven Forbid) never saw Winnie the Pooh.
The worst guess was from a fan/fellow musician in a punk band who guessed "That, That F_-Ken Nimrod!" I sent him a downer and told him to have a nice sleep. (Grins) he replied with something about being cut off of his bike by a guy on a cell phone.
There were about 30 wrong guesses all toll and they went from that to this... A Face Book Fan who guessed Take That For Now. Much closer but not right.
On the other side of the coin there were a lot of right guesses and they are still coming in. I used a service called Artist Data and it sent out the Fan letter as a blog post to a bunch of sites and I am still getting responses. That why I am announcing the Winners this way... hopefully it will push this out too and stop the flow.
The three winners of the "What does TTFN stand for?" contest are.
Graham Chapman, Patty Hunter, Jane Briscoe
Congratulations you three. To all the others who guessed correctly, better luck next time. Got to be a little faster on the draw. If the three winners could please email me with your snail mail addressers I will send you your CDs.
jim@jimmoffatt.ca
Congrats and thanks for a bit a fun everyone. Jim
Reply
JimFormation Contest Aug 15
Well that time again. I don't know about you but with summer coming ot a close I have really been busy.
I just took a week of holiday time form the old grind to catch up on taxes. I have an appointment with an accountant tomorrow and I won't be ready. I just totally under-estimated the amoount of work and time this will take. But hay i gotta get it done before Rev Canada gets upset.
I will be playing a few feature gigs in the near. Starting on the 10th of next month. These are the best to me cause I get an hour of stage time to build a repore with everyone and guide them through my musical landscape. Not to mention its fun!
Also with suptember fast approaching I am going to get the lowdown on the Feb tour and I am excited about that also. So Musically everything is going great. I have just released Truth and Lies as a roots recording. Just go to my site to see. www.jimmoffatt.ca OH YA !! Lots of changes on the site please feel free to go and check it out. Your feed back is really needed!! I mean it :-)
I will write again at the end of the month and give you all an update on things.
Untill then please know that I thank you all for your support.
I don't just mean the music you all have bought from me but I mean for all the notes, emails, facebook and myspace contacts that you have given which tell me I am on the right track.
If you ever want to send me a message please feel free jim@jimmoffatt.ca
TTFN
Jim
Oh yes I almost forgot. To the first 3 people who email me what TTFN stands for. ( and are correct) I will send you a free CD. The Live at Crystal Gardens one.
Reply
jims news july end of
How's your last couple weeks been? I don't hear from many of you but don't be shy. If you want to send me an email feel free to go ahead. I would welcome that chance to get to know you all a bit better if you are willing.
On my end of the email stick I just finished playing a gig at the Spiral Cafe and it was fun with a twist.
Two things really stood out. First, Mike got himself booked at Vista 18 with his guitar partner and so I had to play alone. I really had a good time and I think everyone there did too but I have to admit that I forgot how tough it is playing alone. You see with Mike there I don't have to sing all the time and I even get breaks during songs where he gets to shine. Without him it was put out 100%, one hundred percent of the time. I forgot how much I loved being alone on stage but you know I am glad that Mike is there too cause with him I have a lot more fun and less work. (Not to mention that he covers my mistakes :-)
Second was, I have a friend I met through Reverbnation named Ian and he is a good player of the ragtime type. I had a jam with him earlier that week and although we don't gel well together he is a very good player and I offered him some stage time and he took it. It was a real pleasure, him on stage and me sitting in the audience all ears. Man I like his style.
The song Drill Baby Drill was just released and I produced it through UpPer RoOms Studio with Gordon Oliphant. Gord has the song on Reverbnation too so look him up http://www.reverbnation.com/label/upperroomsstudio#/gordonoliphant is his site and the song is there. Gord is a fresh water marine biologist and a member of the Canadian Emergency Cleanup Team that was/is waiting for the call to go to the Gulf to assist. As such he has some real strong opinions about what is happening and as a song writer he just did what comes naturally.
On the Gig front I have a feature show at the Deep Cove folk coming up in Sept and will let you know.
Hey do you remember me wanting to get into the house concert tours but not making it? Well guess who called (thank God). Yup you got it, and it looks like I am heading out in February to tour central Canada. No details yet. Not even sure if Mike will come or not. In any case wish me well and I will keep you all informed as things get solidified.
My Jan got to go to the main land and do some shopping....do you all know what Fluvogs are? I am pretty sure form the smile on her face that she liked it.
As always ...to all the friends/fans who come to gigs and say Hello... I can't tell you enough how much it means to me when you say "Hi Jim. I am you friend _____ from Facebook".... or Reverbnation or Myspace, what-have-you. Making friends and meeting people is what it’s all about for me. (Besides how else am I going to get material for songs and make a buck) :-) I love each and every one of you, from the 350 pound 6'6" biker to the navy dude to the grand old lady in the back row with her beautiful daughter and son in law. Each and every one of you is why I play. Thanks for you support.
Jim
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JimFormation July
I have been working hard with Mike and it showed at the conference (Vancouver Island Music Business Conference) and in the reception we received from the patrons and management of a venue that we just played, called Café Fantastico. The Vancouver Island Music Business Conference was a real eye-opener and one of the most stressful yet enjoyable things I have done in a while. Let me tell you a bit about it. I heard some really outstanding talent but by far the best thing of all was Dan Hill (Sometimes When We Touch) singing a duo with one of the organizers Susie McGregor. Now I as well as most of the world know Dan can sing but I have only heard Susie at a song writer’s workshop in Summerland. So when I read the program I was ready to hear Dan sing and Susie do the good supportive vocal…they blew me away. They sang as equals with full power and performance, well matched and received a standing ovation for their efforts. Its was beautiful, muscular and touching all at the same time. …I recommend any one in the music business go next year and bring 25 – 30 PR packs. Be well rested and stay at the bed in breakfast. I can’t tell you which one but just chat a bit when you call and you will find the one I am talking about cause many of the big name performers are staying there on the ranch and have jams around a camp fire at night. Ah yes, next thing is the Duncan Garage Showroom. This was one good gig and should have been a great success. There weren’t many folk there but the real power of the thing was that it was to be streamed live and then archived and lived on for posterity and marketing. Start time was 8 ish and I was raring to go but we didn’t get started till around 8:30. Not until after the phone started to ring and we were getting calls from my fans as far away as Tenn. and Florida (Thanks to you all who called in) asking what was wrong and why it hadn’t started yet. That really got things rolling and I was able to start my performance not long after the phone calls started and I put out hard, sweet and with everything I had. The feature came on and did her set too and was a sparkle to behold. One little spitfire is Tony. When all was done we packed up and said our normal so-longs the owner pulled me aside and told me I "really did the place proud". Needless to say this feed back made me feel good but the next day I tried to find my performance online and couldn’t. There was some chatter saying “Oh Tony is now on the screen where Jim was” and that was all. I don’t know if anything I did played live or not. I can’t find it anywhere.. After one email and two phone calls to the venue, 3 weeks time had passed and I got no call backs or emails. I drove up to Duncan yesterday and got a chance to talk to the owner. He blew me off saying he was "too busy to talk and didn’t have time to look at things in the past." He sounded angry that I was asking. The whole experence just made me think that sometimes it's just not worth the effort. I thanked him for his time and left. The music business is a team sport and I don’t think he gets it, maybe that's the reason he feels so stressed. We can’t do it all ourselves. We need help from our loved ones and friends to be successful. I wish him well and good luck. Its been very nice meeting you.. A Big THANK YOU to Luke and Ali Guthrie for putting me up during the conference and… IF YOU ARE IN THE VICTORIA AREA BE SURE TO COME TO HEAR THEM AT THE VFMS at Norway house. Don’t know the exact dates but hay! They are really good and fun on stage. There is a new song/video coming out shortly called "Drill Baby Drill, Spill After Spill" I have produced this for a friend who wrote it and he is out promoting it soon and should be getting air time shortly ...real powerfull, lots of chours vocals and a very timely message. I will let you know with an announcement when it goes out so you can give it a listen if you wish. A pleasure.
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New Song, Meet Jesse and Jordan, Going to VIMBC
It's about 10 on Sunday and I am bushed and happy. Been a good couple of weeks. I got as close to finished with recording my new song "Truth and Lies" as I can in the time I have. I wanted to have it ready to go up to Comox for the Vancouver Island Music Business Conference and wanted something a little more Country for this and I got pretty close. Its' a rebuttal song to a lost love. You know. The kind where "if only I could understand you it would be all right," country song with a folksy Canadian twist. Anyway it's posted on Reverbnation and you can certainly give it a listen and tell me what you think. http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/song_details/4365200?play_now=true It will be on a PR CD that I am giving away at the conference as part of my PR packet. I think it will bring some smiles. Now all I have to do is design and print a CD cover, Promo blurb and put together a packet, do the Laundry, Work my day job, print 100 CDs, Business cards, arhhhhhHHHHHH! But it will happen. And get ready for my showcase gig at the Duncan Garage showroom on Sunday. Yup that’s right I will be playing at the Duncan Garage on Sunday the 27th from 8ish to 9ish and then I get to go home. Going to be a fun 4 days!!
I will be staying at my friend Luke and Ali Guthrie's house and with any luck I will get Luke to give me a few licks. Man the boy can play and he's a pleasure to be around too. Hi lovely Ali is a great fiddle player and she will be joining me at the conference too. Ya know ya gotta love when a plan comes together.
On a personal note I had the great pleasure and honour of meeting my long lost son Jesse. It was just stunning and I know once I get over it there is probably a song in this but to be honest he just blew me away. He is 33 and he really looks like me. We were sitting with a group of friends talking and they all started laughing. The boys and I stopped and looked at them and they were all gigging and laughing and pointing at us (the "boys" how easy that is to say) (oh BTW Jordan was there too) and we asked what was so funny and we were sitting the same, talking the same, waving our hands the same, both had long hair tied in a pony tail and 2 earrings in out left ear and they couldn't believe we hadn't seen each other in 30 years. It looked like we called each other the night before to make sure we were dressed the same (oh ya we both had shirts, shorts and sandals) It was too funny. We both laughed and both kept on talking and left thinking it was well meet. I have two sons and 3 grandchildren. WOW!!!
I hope you enjoy the song and remember to pass the widget around so others get a chance to get in on it and I get more fans.
Like I said "I love it when a plan comes together"
See you in 2 weeks unless you come to Duncan or the Vancouver Island Business Conference. Jim
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JimFormation June 2010
Well the last few weeks have been a whole hell of a lot of fun. Mike and I are spending as much time in the studio as we can and will have a new song out soon called "Truth and Lies" We have played it at a couple of shows and everyone loved it so we are going to start there. I am excited and really proud of this one. It is a reflection on a lost relationship and the struggle to make it work when only one party is really trying. I am sure you will like it.
Another friend in my writers group has a new song called 'Drill Baby Drill". He is a freshwater marine biologist and a member of the Canadian "Oil Spill Emergency Response Team" and at one point was on call to fly down to the gulf and assist but that call never came. So he wrote a song and it’s right on the money (pardon the pun). We are working on it in the studio now and hoping to get it released within 2 weeks. Timely if nothing else but this song has a message and I am happy to support that.
I just got back from the Georgia Straight Guitar Workshop and had a good time there. I was able to do an accompaniment workshop with Canadian icon "Valdy" and a blues guitar lesson with Doug Cox. Yup I was in finger and strings heaven. :-) Funny part is we got home Sunday night, went to sleep at about 10:30 and didn’t get up until 1pm the next day….whew too much fun but I picked up some great licks.
On a personal note I am looking forward to visiting with my son Jesse on the 19th and this will be wonderful. I will let you know more after.
On a sad note I lost a good friend in the past 2 weeks. George Smith. He passed away a week ago Tuesday after a long illness. George and his lovely wife were the first friends I made here on Vancouver Island when I moved here in 1991. He was my first real fan and supported me and my music in both word and deed. George a strong man with a gentle sprite and I will miss him. All that knew him, will miss him but those of use still here must carry on, and that's just what he would say too. :-)
Well that’s pretty much all the news in my life. Look for an email about a new song shortly. Until next time, have a great time.
OH by the Way!!! If you are in the Duncan area on June 27th come to the Duncan Garage Showroom. I am playing there with another songwriter name Tone. This promisses to be a good show. In harmony Jim
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Followup on Islands Song Contest
Hi Friends I have some good news and some bad news First the bad news I heard back from the 2010 Island Songwriting contest and i didn't make the regionals. I am bitterly disappointed but this is what I do and I have to take the bad and the good and try to learn in the process. Now the good news I can share my song with you and have posted it as a fan exclusive on Reverbnation and included the link below. The Title is Island Time.
http://www.reverbnation.com/jimmoffatt
So give it a listen, give it a thought and if you have a moment tell me what you think.
:-)
Jim
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Jimformation Mid May 2010
Hi Everyone
It has been a bit longer than I like sense my last email to you all but it’s worth it this time.
I finished a song and entered the 2010 Islands Singer Songwriter Contest. In 2 days (Friday) you can log onto their site at http://www.folkfest.bc.ca/index.php?page=islands-songwriter-contest-2 and see how I did. I am more than just a bit nervous but this is what I do and so it goes. If I go through to the next round I will tell you all by email if not I will quietly never mention it again. :-0 :-)
The theme of the contest was "write a song about why you live here. What makes us different or want to be here” etc. Mine is called Island Time and I really wanted to send it to all of you with this email but I am not allowed to yet by the contest rules. I am looking to get that double checked and I promise to give you all a link where you can download a free copy ASAP. I am in the South Islands Region and if I make it into the next step I will send you all an invitation to come hear my play it live then.
The Studio is up and running like a top. For all you tech heads out there, I put a 30 gig solid state drive in and now there is 0 latency. Very cool. Means I can do lots of things in real time and that works great for me.
On a more personal note...I got a phone call from my son Jordan today and he was lost in Nanaimo and wanted directions to this place he was going. I surprised myself when I was actually able to give directions to it from where he was. Nanaimo is a city about 120 km from where I live in Victoria. And I didn't even have to use Google Maps! For all you wondering, So what? This is the first time I have been able to do something for my sons in 25+ years. Felt good. For both of us :-).
I am playing at the Spiral Cafe this Saturday. If you are in Victoria come hear. I will play the new song then. :-)
I hope that past 2 weeks have been good to you and yours. In harmony Jim
Oh yeah! As always please feel free to pass this off to any who you think might like my songs. Thanks
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Jimformation May 2010
I’d like to start by giving a warm welcome to all the new folk in our email family. There are a lot of you and I really appreciate everyone spending your time to show an interest in my music and musical life. Thank you.
So what has been happening? Lots. For one thing I found out that I was one of the featured artists in the “the Province”. Here is a link … http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/music/downloads/mar-23.html Just copy and paste it in a browser and it will take you there to see. I am a “Music BC Pick”. How cool is that ah? It’s good to get a little recognition. I think this little bit of ink is directly responsible to all the new members in the email family so thank you to the Province. Did I mention there is a place there to download free music too? Mike and I have worked up a few new tunes and are working up more all the time. The recording studio is down for the last couple weeks. Turns out the power problem I had with the city did toast my power supply in the computer and after a few weeks of starts and stops it finally gave up and I couldn’t get it to boot at all My buddies at DTI computers are fixing it as I write and should have it tomorrow at the latest. I am telling you all this because I haven’t posted a new song in too long and we have at least one to post but I can’t until computer is ready. I will soon and I will let you all know via the list when its there so you all get a crack at it first.
For those of you around Victoria Mike and I will be at the Moss St Market playing their stage on May 29th.
I am planning on attending the Vancouver Island Music business workshop on the days of June 24th till the 27th This is going to be both fun and a challenge cause I am slated to play the Duncan Garage Showroom opening for Tone Indbryn at 8pm Sunday so I have to get from the conference to Duncan and be ready to play. Mike can’t make this one so I am solo. This is going to be fun!
On a personal note I am in contact with both my sons and we are growing. It’s a slow process but headed in the right direction. For all you new comers go to my blog at Reverbnation and read more there the catch up..
Well that’s it for now. I still can’t quit my day job but I am very thankful for all of the new friends and fans I am making. And you never know.
Jim
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