Hey Folks.
Last week was CRAZEE with my musical direction gig on "The Ecstacy Of Rita Joe" opening in Ottawa at The National Arts Centre AND the kick off of our Spring Tour in Hamilton. BUT working with the cast and creative team on "Rita Joe" was very interesting and enjoyable.
The new score really recasts the whole tale as a spiritual journey that Rita is on so she's less of a victim and more of a seeker.
Given the unreported and unpunished rape and murder rates for native women I think thats an important change in this historical work which opened the National Arts Centre in the 70's. The current cast is strong indeed and the story is sadly still topical.

So, the very next night after opening I flew back to Toronto and Shannon and I kicked off the tour at The Corktown in Hamilton! A perfect night to start things rolling with a full house and a strong opening set by Janine Stoll and her group The Donefors! (Janine designed our excellent tour poster which really gives us class and swank).
Shannon and I tried the Beatles "The Two Of Us" (from the Let It Be album) as a duet and it worked like a dream...
The picture above is us at the stage door before loading up on greasy fries. Looking forward to London Ontario tomorrow!

Up Jumped Micah

Queen Street West is so nice and quiet first thing in the morning. No shoppers yet. No clubbers left from the night before. Only the birds and the sun peeking up over the buildings. Different from Venice Beach where I ran on the beach all those years in the morning...ah but Trinity Bellwoods park is the reason I held out for this apt!!

OK. This whole getting ready to tour thing is a lot more details that you ever think of right? Like where does the band stay in Montreal? And what duet are Shannon and I going to sing? AND AND AND..but I am reminded that this whole idea is about being able to play the music and bring it to the people man! So we're out talking to the press and updating our You Tube with new clips and making sure that the folks know we're coming to their town on Facebook etc and in all of this I am trying to stay focused on the reason ...by playing over the new songs Daniel and I are arranging for the upcoming disc every morning (driving my hard working neighbors crazy I'm sure). The Gypsy Heart tune might be a good title for the collection. We'll see.

"Up Jumped Spring"!

So, today my partner in crime Shannon Butcher and I filmed and posted our first You Tube Video Clip announcing the SPRING TOUR DATES! The whole thing was fun and breezy. (We are holding back the outtakes because they are just so damn cute and really we dont want to swamp the internet with too much charm all at once).

The whole reaching out to "new audiences thing" (which is what this spring tour is all about ),is feeling really exiting. For the past year or so my brother Daniel Barnes (drummer-composer extraordinaire) and I have been creating the material and arrangements for a new collection of songs. But of course that means lots and lots of time down in the rehearsal studio.

Joining forces with Shannon Butcher for tour dates is an opportunity to bring this music to a whole bunch of new faces who might remember me from my years singing as a member of The Nylons. Hope to see you out at the shows.