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Feb 15: Olympic Fever and other exciting news!
This week Ally and I land in BC to begin my most intensive touring period to date in Vancouver, just in time for the 2010 Winter Games!
We are stoked to join many other Canadian voices who are also participating in the 'More Than Gold' effort to bring music to a host of venues across
the city during the coming days. Performing 'Subdivisions' for Rush
This was an honour that I did not see coming. The guys from Rush saw my little youtube tribute last year, and thought that I was on to something with the arrangement. So much so that they asked me to perform it for them at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame press conference, and the gala in March. Every year for the past 5, they have inducted a major Canadian songwriter, including Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Leaonard Cohen. This year they thought it would be cool to recognize the work of Rush, who are 35 years into a record-breaking career, and just as hot as ever. I think it's great that they are recognizing a rock band for a change, and I am honoured to be asked to represent their song, 'Subdivisions' at this year's festivities. The experience of performing at the press conference was both terrifying and exhilirating. I was reminded of that queasy while watching some of the downhill skiing this weekend as our Canadian athletes prepared to take on the challenge of being summarized by one performance...seeing the crowds cheering below, but also the steep and tricky course ahead of them. I felt a bit of that as I was getting ready to take the stage in front of the national news media and the music gurus. It all came out clean in the end, and my preparation paid off. Even with a sleepless night and fraying nerves, I was able to pull off a performance that I felt good about. I'm excited about the upcoming gala in March, and also excited to play at the Toronto Centre for the Arts (the Hall of Fame venue) in April 10th, as a follow up show. The Haiti Fundraiser: Feist, Farley Flex and Filming 'Bend and Break'On a fateful day in mid-January, the news flooding the airwaves declared that Haiti had been hit with a 7.1 earthquake. After a stunned couple of days, I called up my good friends Tom Hogue and Glen Marshall and said: "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?". Turns out they were, and our 'Hamilton's Heart for Haiti' fundraiser was born. For years now, Hamilton has been active in relief efforts for the impoverished nation of Haiti, and millions have been raised and spent on improving health and quality of life for our neighbours there. We made some calls, and discovered that the goodwill that Hamilton people have for Haiti was very strong indeed. Within days, we had Hamilton Place confirmed as a venue, the Hamilton Spectator onboard as a media partner, and Feist headlining. The roster was impressive and locally based, with Tom Wilson, Harlan Pepper, Brian Melo, the Arkells, Melissa Mclelland, Luke Doucet, and others joining the bill. For my part, I decided to perfom Sara, The Pearl and a new arrangement of a Keane song ('Bend and Break') with my string quartet, led by Michael Schulte. When we were done, Farley Flex, the MC on the night (from Canadian Idol fame) called me over and declared himself to
be a new fan. Excellent! His kind words, and the warm memory of that magical evening stayed with me for a long time. And last week, I made the decision to go out on a limb and record 'Bend and Break' at Glen Marshall's studio, and tape it for an upcoming youtube video.
Watch for that one in the coming weeks! It will be dedicated to the people of Haiti, and their resilience and strength during this time of tragedy.
Nov 8: "Maybe Sunshine": Now Available!
It's finally done! I spent a long time writing, recording and crafting this one, and I can hardly believe I am holding it in my sweaty palms at long last.
Kudos to Jeremy Johnson, Greg Reely and all the players who made such a vital contribution to this record, and to all you who pre-ordered it online...my hat's off to you.
I could never accomplish what I set out to without the help of this amazing team of supporters.
Sept 4: "Maybe Sunshine": New CD this fall! ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... July 27: Trip to El Salvador July 10th we left for a week-long advanture south to El Salvador, to learn more about the work of Compassion International, and organization that you might have heard me mention at past shows. They fight poverty using a child sponsorship program that links churches, needy families and sponsors around the world in a strategic alliance that is incredibly effective.
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... June 23: Videos! I got a kick out of doing that Subdivisions video, so I have decided to plow forward with filming a handful of songs on rooftops around Hamilton this summer. It should be a blast! ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... June 8: Recording under way!Armed with a new clutch of songs and ideas, I have boldly made my way back to the studio to begin work on my 7th CD. This one will be released in two parts, a six-song EP in the fall, and then another in the spring. ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... May 12: NEW CD on the way this fall!I have been writing some new songs, and trying them out on unsuspecting audiences, slipping them into sets like some kind of mad scientist, to see how they react. ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... February 25: Eastern Ontario in MarchAt the end of March, I will be attending the StreetLevel Conference in Ottawa with my wife. I'm looking forward to meeting with people from across the country who are committed to doing something about poverty in Canada. This harmonic convergence of like-minded people brings together folks from across the political and religious spectrum as well, in an effort to learn from one another and to purpose together to look for ways to bring justice and mercy to those among us who are homeless. The credo of the conference is simple: "The truest hallmark of real justice is that every person, regardless of economics, age or culture, has the extraordinary opportunity to leave a legacy of meaning; legacies of hope, redemption, restoration, reconciliation, relationship � indelible imprints of truthtelling and peacemaking. Justice, demonstrated and experienced, always leaves a legacy." I will be performing two shows while there (well, three if you count my guest appearance with Outrider, Tim Huff's terrific band, at the Hard Rock on Friday the 27th). I will be in Perth on the 28th at the Studio Theatre, and in Ottawa on March 29th at Parkdale United for a very special fundraiser for the Ottawa Mission, with special guests the Hallelujah Gospel Chorus. 3 pm show on that day... ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... February 2: Simple Plan for 2009So the video I did of 'Subdivisions' by Rush has now taken off and really caught fire around the world! It's been really fun to hear from folks out east, across the pond in the UK, and all the way south into the heart of Texas and beyond to Brazil. The trail has even led into the hallowed halls of Anthem Music, where I receved this message from Geddy Lee (lead singer of Rush): "The guys have all seen this and think it's terrific. There you have it. I have the blessing of the man himself! I would consider it a failure if the guys didn't dig it, but the idea that this little video that we shot has had this kind of success tells me that maybe this is the new plan... Perhaps this year is not the year to make a CD, but rather a series of videos! Why not? Now that my little 'TV channel' has produced a minor hit, perhaps it's time to roll out new episodes for the rest of the season, with the hopes of picking up a wide range of new fans in the process. Watch for updates and sign up for the channel over at www.youtube.com/jacobmoon. ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... January 15: SubdivisionClick through to www.youtube.com/jacobmoon and you'll see my Subdivisions video up there starting to get a nice following. I guess there are lots of Rush fans in the world...here's hoping that I can reach lots more. Please post this video on your facebook/myspace/blog, and let's see if we can work together to make this thing go viral! Please visit: http://jacobmoon-the-loop.blogspot.com/ ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... |
That's the cover
for this collection of 6 new Jacob Moon recordings, called "Maybe Sunshine". I am excited for you to hear this one,
as it represents one of my most personal and hand-carved efforts to date. I played all the guitars,
and there's lots of em! There's 4 full band songs, and two more solo numbers, including an instrumental.
The record seems to be leaning towards themes of children, hope, and faith. So it's a different kind of record for me,
and I wanted it to look and sound like it. As I said to the guys when we were recording drums and bass,
I want to make a new Jacob Moon record, not just another one. 