mighy foo September!

plenty of fun with the Mightabins & Frankie Foo in our September 2016 Shows! 
Thursday Sept 1: Drums with the Mightabins at the Horseshoe Tavern (9p set)

http://www.horseshoetavern.com/event/1261531-copper-crown-piffbreak-toronto/

Friday Sept 2: Bass with Frankie Foo at a BBQ party

Thursday Sept 8: Drums with the Mightabins at Lee’s Palace (11:30 set)

http://www.leespalace.com/event/1292167-tonemirror-sevilles-dorval-toronto/

Friday Sept 9: Bass with Ausfunkt at Cherry Cola’s

Tuesday Sept 13: watching the SPECIALS at a SOLD OUT Danforth Music Hall

Thursday Sept 29: Bass with Frankie Foo at Grossmans Tavern (8-midnight)

Friday Sept 30: Drums with the Mightabins at the Silver Dollar (early set)

Friday Sept 30: Bass with Frankie Foo at Grossmans Tavern (10:30 til close)

upcoming gigs and parties update!

catch us LIVE at these upcoming events! (last updated March 31, 2016)

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Saturday  April 3: bass with Lazarus & the Luddites at the Tennesse, Toronto 5-7p

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Monday April 4: bass with Lazarus & the Luddites at Castro’s, Toronto 8-11p

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Thursday April 7: bass with Mixtape at the Study in Midland time TBA

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Saturday April 16: SKIPAPALOOZA VI featuring CATL, The Huarches & Dub Trinity at the Foxx Lounge Rock Bar and Hotdoggery, Barrie 9p+ https://www.facebook.com/events/1553027724987861/

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Friday April 22: bass/percussion fun with  Bruce at the Local Gastropub, Barrie 7-11p

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Friday May 20: bass/percussion fun with Hayley Carro at the Local Gastropub, Barrie 7-11p

is it even worth wasting our breath?

ah, maybe.  if you don’t try, then you will never know. we’ve been giving this a lot of thought over the past two weeks so in the spirit of Canadian Thanksgiving, lets giv’r.

so after 2 yrs back with TooNice, we were blindsided to find out via text early one recent Sunday morning that our services were no longer required. we were floored!  did not see this coming at all! hindsight being 20/20, perhaps the signs were there earlier when plans we being made without or with minimal consultation, we were being left in the dark and our ideas weren’t getting any consideration.  but in the heat of those moments, you don’t add things together quite that way until you have been kicked to the curb. playing over 200 shows in 2 years was definitely a treat and something we will never forget but the way we were shown the door will leave many a memory tarnished.

which led us to thinking about how horrible most (and there are exceptions to everything) musicians treat each other. its not just this situation in particular but others we have experienced or heard of other musicians experiencing. its one thing to treat friends, co-workers and family with civility and common sense courtesy despite some of their short-comings but then it appears to be a completely different way amongst musicians.  the way we treat each other with a certain absence of ethics just sadly seems to be the norm rather than the exception.  its hard to take the knife sometimes yes.  we’ve been fired before but it always comes as a shocker.  the apparent lack of rules and then suddenly “rules” come out of nowhere and get applied when the ends justify the means. it is a quite humourous and ridiculous way of going about relationships and is hardly a healthy way for an industry to run.  especially when one considers the tasks at hand are based on a high level of passion, commitment and also can be physically and sometimes stressfully demanding.  then boom, they are gone. all of the sudden the rug is swiped out from under you.

don’t get us wrong, its a LOT OF FUN being a musician and that’s why we love it so! but perhaps that’s also why a lot of the basic ethical treatment of fellow human beings gets cast aside as well.  we will put up with a lot to reap the rewards but along the way, we let a lot of ugliness rear its head without much second thought. then at crunch time, points of view don’t get considered and before you know it, its my way or the highway or you get run out of town and in the end you just gotta say “its a crazy musical ride” and carry on.  is music a business?  is it friends?  is it a family? is it all the above, some or none of the above? is it an entity onto itself? the blurring of the lines and addition of so many factors and viewpoints really make the music industry unique. there truly are 2 sides to a coin. then you get into perception playing a big part when there is a lack of communication while living in the fast lane. who’s in the right? who’s in the wrong? who knows but we may even be breaking some mythical “rule” by even posting about this and trying to create some food for thought.

so regardless, its fun times indeed.  past, present and future(yet to be written).  there were many fun and great moments that we we will keep as learning experiences and this is now the end of TooNice v3.0 (read about 2.0 here).  now we very much look forward to whatever lies ahead but it will be with more humility and knowledge than before. hope springs eternal but now we are somewhat wiser!

PartyTober Dates!



October Fun!

Friday Oct. 2nd – Resident Dj for Montreal Ska Fest at Petit Campus, Montreal – 8p til close
https://www.facebook.com/events/1615684882048528/
Saturday Oct. 3rd – Resident Dj for Montreal Ska Fest at Petit Campus, Montreal – 8p til close
https://www.facebook.com/events/1064695006873912/
Friday Oct 16th – Bass/Percussion with Hayley Carro at the Local Gastropub. Barrie – 7 til close
http://thelocalgastropub.com/
Friday Oct 23 – Bass/Percussion with Hayley Carro at the Sawdust City Saloon, Gravenhurst – 8 til 11
http://www.sawdustcitybrewing.com/events-news/
Thursday Oct 29 – Drums with The Mightabins at Silver Dollar, Toronto – Set time TBA
http://www.silverdollarroom.com/ https://www.facebook.com/themightabins

Girl I’m Gonna Make U Sweat

morning dew?

so over the weekend, we took the bass outta the case to find it covered in a coating of damp dew.  which has us wondering if this happens more & we just don’t know it?

here are the deats of the events:

• gig the previous night ended around midnight beside Georgian Bay
• bass loaded & stayed in the vehicle overnight
• took out bass around 11am the next morning when we arrived at our next show only to find it soaking wet

how it ended up this way has us scratching our heads.  was is the temp change from night to day? was it cuz we were further inland?  did it have to do with the time of night we put the bass in the case?

usually (ok, 9 times outta 10), we bring the bass inside with us overnight but since we were back on the road again in 6 hours, we didn’t this time.  if that was the big factor, we will never do it again.  if this has been happening more often and we just didn’t realize it, we will be taking it out of the case or opening the case every night as well.  from now on, we will be tracking this phenomenon!

New Dynablock in da Hood!

Blue Mtn Crowd!

twas a great weekend of 3 shows with TooNice & we had a new piece of equipment with us as well.  we managed to score a slightly used Traynor Dynablock 400 from a moving sale in the days prior to the shows.  we played an acoustic night with it, then a big stage the next afternoon & then as part of our live rig with a soundman later that same night.  essentially, running it thru our bassic usual paces & it passed with flying colours!

Traynor Dynablock 400!

we are still getting used to the finer points of the controls & finding our sweet spots with it but that will come with time.  already though, the low frequency expander seems a bit silly to us.  a “sound” investment that we hope will last a lot longer & with a lot less headaches than our previous Markbass Little Mark II head.

best buddies!

jazz jag!

so we picked up a 2005 MiM Jazz Jag over the weekend.  it came on the cheap cuz the body is a tad rough. we guess at some point the body had some stickers on it.  when they were peeled off, the coating came off with it and the previous owner attempted to repaint. so it feels rough to the forearm. in reality, it looks fine from afar and the neck is super great. & that’s the most important aspect for us.  it plays really funky and gritty.  we dunno if most jazz/jags play that way or if its only this one with its sorted history.  we are tempted to make this into a “project” bass and see if we can tweak the pickups into providing more low end.  it really does play more like a “geetar” than a “bass” at the moment.  there is one sweet spot with both pickups set in a particular way. that should do for the time being.  we think this will be our “gig spare” and we’ll use it for a few songs in the current set that require a more high end funk sound (cuz this bass is great at that) and keep it handy in case something happens to our main bass of the night.  it is set up with a brand new set of D’addario lights & we shouldn’t let those go to waste just yet! 😉

 

 

 

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Can’t believe its been almost 6 months since our last post! So much fun has happened since then!  The Mtn Dukes are no more. We’ve rejoined TooNice for the 3rd time (is the 3rd time the charm?…haha) and still playing with Hayley Carro as well.  We’ve relaunched our ska radio program, SKA PARTY that is sporadic but a hoot when it happens!  Great times away from the blog indeed! Shows have been a plenty and here’s some video evidence with the reggae band:

For new gear, we’ve got a new TC Electronics BG250 amp that is lightweight and is great in all situations!  We’ve also added some light percussion instruments for our acoustic shows. A tambourine we can kick at and a stomp box… yes, a stomp box!  It gives us a great kick drum sound that keeps the acoustic shows pumpin’.  Our Cajon is still a heck of a lot of fun to play as well!

Also, been groovin‘ to some great new/old tunes recently so here’s 10 recents that we just can’t seem to get enough of & we are diggin this month.  Feel free to add in the comments what has been tickling your ears of late!  We are always on the look out for new music!

talking heads – the big country
lindi ortega – high
iceberg – les barques
emile simon – desert
cartoon violence – better
dilip & the davs – like a king
flock of seagulls – wishing
spoon – mystery zone
pixies – alec eiffel
ini kamoze – wings with me

Til next time & see you on the dancefloor!

getting the chance to play feels like being lost in the best dream…

peter hook & the light!

the dream continues & what a week that was! lets lay it out in quick fashion!

Tues: got to see the Selecter!  one of the essential 2-tone era ska bands that we had not yet had the pleasure to see live.  we even met the singer Pauline while she sat behind the merch table.  a steady stream of pics & book signings were the order of the moment.  she was great to chat with & share a few laughs.  their set was energy filled from start to finish.  we dared not leave the dancefloor so we could soak up the entire event. well worth the muscle soreness the next day & the chance to hear “celebrate the bullet” live.  that song is pure magic. we posted some pics on our Flickr.

Thursday: Mightabins first full band jam of the year followed by a Peter Hook and the Light concert! first off, the Mightabins have been wanting to jam for a long time but every1’s sked’s have been just too haywire of late.  but things now have cooled down & more jams are in order.  2 new punky songs came out of our first full band jam of the year. could a show be next?  then after the jam… the Peter Hook show was literally off the hook!  great to hear the early New Order material done so well & witness 2 bass players on stage!  & a father/son combo to boot!  memorable show indeed! we posted a few pics on our Flickr here. our ears just couldn’t get enough!

Friday: Gig! Amazing full night at Bigfoot Smokehouse!  Very casual atmosphere there & we played well with the Hayley Carro Trio. can’t wait to return! debut of a new cajon kick device went well (more on that in another post).  its a great step fwd that can’t be “beat”… hahaha.

Satuday: Outdoor Gig!  Stage got flooded.  Show cancelled.  ah well… the thing about outdoor shows is that they are absolutely the best when the weather co-operates but on the flipside can be a nightmare when the weather takes a turn for the bad.

Sunday: Open Mic! always a treat!  got to play a lot of bass & some cajon.  many hilights but one in particular had to be learning & then playing Duran Duran’s “Rio”(not once but twice!) that SAME day.  crazy fun!

its actually been a hectic past week & a half with 7 dates in the span of 11 days if u include our Open Mic duties.  well worth every note & every moment. as we like to put it:

playing music is like reading a good book you can’t put down.

every note a word.

every jam a page.

every show a chapter.

& we cant wait for what is next.

Trio Vizness!

Got the sublime opportunity to play last Sunday at the Riverwalk Commons with the talented Hayley Carro!  Here’s some vizness of the show we did in front of an estimated 400 ppl.  Dig that cowbell!  If you listen closely, u can hear what’s inside it!  Now if only we could mic the cajon that well…. Enjoy!