We're off to BOOT CAMP! Thanks Peak 100.5

So 3 or 4 years ago, whichever year it was that i came back from Germany, i was determined to start a career in music. i was telling all my family and friends of my new plan and they, of course gave all the reactions from "way to go, way to follow your dreams' to "is there any money in that industry?", and to those doubters, i say, no, of course there is no money in this.

one very important relative/family friend of mine took her own course of action. this one day i opened up my email and i'd received an email from my auntie melinda which already had about 8 or 9 response emails on the thread. in her message she advised me that the Canadian Idol try outs were coming to vancouver on such a such date and that she vehemently believed this was the best option for my career, what with me wanting to be a musician and all. to further encourage me, melinda had cc'd all of our mutual friends and encouraged them tell me that i should audition.

of course in the 8 or 9 additional emails other friends and family continued this advice, but of course, i didn't really listen to any of this, as we all know canadian idol just isn't rock'n'roll. i mean look at hedley, right?

then again, i wouldn't consider myself rock'n'roll. i just never want to become part of that game. M

when josh told me, that he'd entered us in the Peak Performance Project, i had much the same thought (this is going to be like indie band idol). But now that i've actually read up on it, i'm stoked.

So yes, the Painted Birds were selected amongst 20 BC bands to enter in the Peak performance project, in which we will attend a boot camp at the end of august with many industry professionals who will whip us into shape and teach us the ropes of touring and image, and publicity, and how to do the splits in the air with or without an instrument strapped to you.

The prizes are immense, and actually the prize of just going to the boot camp is already pretty awesome.

So Yay! Be happy for us and many of the bands that we love, incl. we are the city, adaline, bend sinister, adrian glynn, the list goes on. WOOOO!!!

Dom

Father's Day - Epilogue

Story to come. For now sit back and enjoy. And here are the lyrics if i tend to mumble from time to time.

Epilogue

Now, that I see you shining down on me
Is all this history?
And they come like rain, again

Today, was the day they took you away
So fuck today

I’ll show you things you never knew
Similar things that you would do
And since those roses turned from red
I’ve started talking to the dead

When I can see what’s in the air I breathe
I need you here with me
And we’ll speak in words unheard
For me

So only, tell me to go
I’m scared to choose if you
Have insight on just where I’ll fall
I’ll follow you
To short, and along way from reaching all
Your dreams (of ours)

I’ll show you things you never knew
Similar things that you would do
And since those roses turned from red
I’ve started talking to the dead

I’ll show you things you never,
Similar things that you would,
And since those roses turned from,
I’ve started talking to you..

I know, I’ll never be alone again
With you my friend
Today, you ask yourself how we could be
Alone in me
Did you program in this part
This trapdoor pop up specter in my heart

Now that I feel you deep inside of me
A sigh of deep relief
And we’ll float away, I pray.
Forever.


D

www.thepaintedbirds.blogspot.com

Ode to Vancouver - Vancity Medley

Ahhh... Sorry, yet again for the hiatus. I haven't had the equipment as of late to upload any more videos. This past week, however, i visited my two lovely sisters in Canmore and Calgary and I managed to snag one of their lap tops for long enough to knock out a few more tunes. So here's the first and stay tuned for a couple more oldies of mine. Songs from different life times almost. I'm trying to come up with a rhythm with this, a song and a story per week, i figure. That's the gist of the sidewalk if you haven't figured it out yet. I figure the two things i like doing the most are singing songs and telling stories. So if you like my songs and you like a good story, subscribe to my blog and join me on this adventure. (www.thepaintedbirds.blogspot.com).

This next song, isn't one of my own, although, i often feel as if it were. I think it was in the spring of 2008 when i came up with the idea to start playing covers of the people around me in Vancouver.

It must have been march or april when i first met Hannah Georgas. I was at the Railway club watching a group that i have since forgotten and Winston Hauschild walked in with this curly auburn haired girl. I'd heard some of her stuff on Myspace and I admitted to her that one of her tracks had really impressed me. Hannah shyly inquired if i wanted her recently completed EP. Being quite interested, I took one.

I had no idea what was in store. This girl seemed so modest, so green, so naive. Her CD had "Hannah Georgas EP the Beat Stuff" written in permanent marker and was neatly tucked in one of those white paper/plastic holders you use for your burned CD's like "summer mix 07" or "Radiohead b-sides".

"Cute" I thought.

The next morning while making breakfast, I decided to give her CD a spin. Before I knew it I couldn't stop listening to it. It was a fever, a sickness. For the next 2 days I played it over, and over and over again. If it ended, i'd get anxious and need to put it on again.

A couple of months later I was in Toronto with the Birds for North by North East. During an after party at the infamous Queen Street Studios, Shawna Beesley, AKA Adaline, snaked the guitar and started figuring out songs of the Vancouver musicians present. She played a bit of my song 'sidewalk', a hey ocean song, a said the whale song, and finally she sang a verse and a chorus from Dan Mangan's soon to be famous sing along 'Robots'.

It suddenly occurred to me. I needed to cover songs from my friends and the musicians around me. I don't know why but the urge was just too overwhelming. In my mind, playing their songs was the highest form of compliment that i could offer. It's a confession of my admiration for those around me and a thanks for their inspiration. A thanks for the days i've put everything on hold cuz i can't stop listening to Elias' 'Whale Watching', Hey Ocean's 'mama cries' or Moses Joans' 'Skin'. An admission that every time i hear Dan Mangan belt out 'Baskets' i feel the world stop. A confirmation that every time i sing with Adaline i feel as though if i died right then, i would die content...happy.

Later last summer the birds had an acoustic show and i decided to finally put together a medley. It all came together by chance and manages to work quite nicely.

So here it is, it includes sections of these songs.

Said the Whale - Curse of the Currents
Hannah Georgas - the National
Moses Joans - Angel or Marathon
Adaline - We've Got Something

Enjoy,

Dom