I know that these blog updates come few and far between. But, in all honesty, I like it that way. It gives me time to get out there and not have to stress about it. Tonight, the second coming of the great flood is going down outside. Aka it’s a rainy/sloppy/wintery mess out there and I am bunkering down with lots of great records and my MacBook. So, here goes:

-Tattoo! I got tatted up this weekend at Utility Tattoo here in Halifax and I am really happy with how it turned out. It’s a tall ship with a banner and there’s a picture up in the photoset I posted just before this…

-Recently I have been continuing my escapades into photography, and I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying it. In the past, I have to admit that I have fallen victim to the temptation that lies within using “presets”. Presets are cheating, and I am determined (like anything I take on) to do it the right way and to ultimately take some fantastic photographs. It’s a challenge, and I enjoy that. I’ll post my pics to this blog along the way, and hopefully there’s some improvement…

-Kestrels recently played a show in Fredericton, NB. We played at The Capital, which if you’ve never been to is an awesome bar. The set that Kestrels played was tight, we were well received, and we sold a bit of merch too. Not a bad haul. I had never played the Capital before until two weekends ago and I am really looking forward to the next show we get to play there in the Spring…

-I have recently gone to see two excellent art gallery openings; Ambera Wellman, http://www.amberas.com/, and Amelie Jerome, http://www.ameliejerome.com/. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to meet both of these ladies several times, and can certainly say that both are great people. So do yourself a favor and check out both of their sites.

-My friend Kirstan Moore (Kestrels) and I will be playing with The Devil’s Half Acre on March 16^th at The Paragon here in Halifax. This is a project that I am excited to be apart of, as it is a bit of a departure from what I am used to playing (i.e. BIG DRUMS). The songs are bluesy and folky, yet still have an element of garage rock to them. The song that I posted beforehand is more reminiscent of that garage rock influence I’m referring to. But, you can check out our bandcamp site at http://thedevilshalfacre.bandcamp.com/ to get a better feel for the songs…

 -The Vagrant Hearts. This project still soldiers on, and I am determined to get this off the ground. For the time being I am still having a lot of fun writing songs and rocking out with my 2 great buds; Adam Barrett & Rod Affleck… stay tuned for more action from this band. Check out our myspace at http://myspace.com/thevagranthearts

-Ty Segall writes epic, fuzzy and catchy garage rock songs. I like Ty Segall. There is a car driving from Halifax to Montreal next weekend with a car load of people who want to go see him… this very well might be my car! Excited… http://www.myspace.com/tysegall

-7” Release Show: This past weekend we (Kestrels) had our EP Release Party at the Seahorse Tavern in Halifax. The bottom line is that it was an awesome night and the show went off without a hitch. We got a great turnout too, which is always nice. It was great to step up to a more legit venue like the Seahorse for a change too, instead of slogging it out at Gus’ Pub as per usual. Kestrels are trying to book more shows like this in the future under the “less is more” mantra. Simply put, playing a downtown venue like the Seahorse on a Saturday night rocks. Most importantly, the sound at that venue is a cut above compared to most of the venues we’ve been playing lately, and my drums sounded pretty stellar when they were mic’d up as well. the great thing about the Seahorse is that you don’t have to pull anyone’s leg to come to the show, and they give you some free beer… Hurrah!

-The Vagrant Hearts: This band project has taken on an interesting form as of late. I feel guilty that this doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. For those who don’t know of this project; this is my band with Adam Barrett (Halifax legend) that writes insatiable power-pop hooks and fast rock & roll. Currently, we are recording piano tracks with our friend Padraig O’Hagan. Paddy has been great, but we find it difficult to sync our schedules up. Ultimately, this makes it difficult to complete a demo that we have been working on since October. Kestrels also has a bit of a role in impeding progress with the Vagrant Hearts as that band takes up a huge chunk of my time… Patience young grasshopper! Once we have completed this demo, we will be in search of a keyboard player, and will begin booking shows. Keep an eye out for the Vagrant Hearts this Spring/Summer.

-Our Band Could Be Your Life: This is the current book that I am reading, by Michael Azerrad. This has been a really great book so far that sums up the life and times of many of America’s most influential indie bands from 1981-1991 (Sonic Youth, Husker Du, Minutemen, Black Flag, etc). I am really enjoying the chapter on Minutemen right now, which talks a lot about how the band tried vigalantly to influence their own blue collar society with more art and culture. The band placed a great importance on the role of both of these in society, and had very interesting political views as well. Mostly, I love reading about how they were “Jammin’ Econo” aka doing things on the CHEAP. Fun Fact: Henry Rollins’ name was Henry Garfield and he managed a Baskin Robbins in DC before he became the singer of Black Flag… what!?!

-Giant Hand: Tonight I am going to see Giant hand with one Ms. Emily Blythe at The Company House here in Halifax. This is set to be a pretty low key, but very excellent show. Giant Hand brings a very unique form of indie-folk to the table that I’m looking forward to hearing live. That, and Winchester Warm (his Ottawa buddies) are opening and they have some great songs too. Check out Giant hand’s myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/gianthand

-Photography: I have been fortunate to have been lent a Nikon SLR. On top of it running 35mm film, it will be my reintroduction into trying to take a daily photograph. I really enjoy doing this, I just feel as if I never have the time. But, you have to MAKE time for these things, and I’m really looking forward to taking some pictures and dicking around.

-Bowling with EB + Epic Sunday dinner: Yesterday marked a fun Sunday afternoon adventure and the best serendipitous event of the weekend. For starters, Emily and I had lunch at The Paper Chase followed up with an excursion into the depth’s of Dartmouth for some good old fashioned BOWLING. I will spare the details, but I can proudly say that I eventually won on the day after having my ass handed to me by Emily in the first game. It was a close one! Afterwards we were luck to stumble upon some friends cooking an epic Sunday Night Roast Beef. Which, after convincing them to let us contribute yorkshire puddings and wine, we were able to join in on the feast. It was a great dinner with lots of laughs, and my desire to get my hands dirty and start cooking again (like the Catered Fare days!) has officially been reinvigorated. Paul Brown (aka Donnie Drama) is a cook/chef again… so watch out kitchen!

Jolly Old England: “LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN!”. I have a trip scheduled to jolly old London England with my Dad & Brother for some good old fashioned soccer hooliganry. We were originally scheduled to go the Weekend of March 19th to go catch a London Derby; Tottenham Hotspur vs. West Ham. But, we fell short with our “inside source” who couldn’t end up scoring us the tickets we needed. Thus, the trip is delayed… again. Last year we got stopped by that pesky Scandinavian Volcano that erupted and grounded all European flights. This year, however, we will stop at nothing (NOTHING!) to get there. I look forward to eventually posting the pictures from match day up on this fair “blog”.

-Alex & Luke: I am currently working on a TOP SECRET project that will allow me to finally go and visit my friends (and favourite travel bloggers) Alex Sabine, and Luke Vigeant down at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch, NH. More details on this to come in the near future… In the meantime, check out their site; www.alexandluke.com 

That’s my life, in bullet form, for now…

PB