Home is where the work is for Koko and me as we settle into preparing for a major change to the touring calendar and a return to the recording studio. While catching up on my household chores will occupy some of my time and alternate -week appearances hosting the open mic at the Redline Diner in Spruce Grove are booked thru August, upcoming appearances featuring either the outlaw country string trio or the electro/acoustic duo will be receiving the majority of my focus over the next several weeks. To say that I’m excited about the impending change would be an understatement, as early reviews for the new trio have been excellent and I’ve enjoyed performing in a multi-player environment on stage more than I thought I was going to. The end result being that my days of working primarily as a solo performer are taking a hiatus of sorts, as shows featuring the duo, trio, or band will shortly begin to dominate my touring calendar until further notice.
It’s a treat to work with talented people and I’m always thrilled to share the stage with some of the best country and roots music professionals in Alberta.
I’m certainly not saying goodbye to life as a solo performer however, as there are times when going it alone is the only way to get it done, on stage or in life, and I do suppose that I’ll always enjoy the challenge of delivering a show on my own. The simple reality is that after more than a decade of almost constant travel and well over a thousand solo performances I’ve been a little worn out by the surprisingly intense demands that the stripped-down approach has placed upon both the man and the music. Fortunately it’s a never-ending highway a man travels, and my hope is that a detour and some time spent working with friends old and new will help to restore my energy and enable me to continue to deliver the goods on stage for as long as my journey lasts.
Until further notice then my harmonica collection will be kept in storage, with my ‘Lightning Lips’ available at a moments notice should the need, or a solo performance, arise.
Thanks for being here and see you at the show.
– TH, 05/21/2013