Hey all,

2 things of interest to point out right now.

1: Oh My Darling Music Video
It’s still on it’s way! The editing has just taken longer than expected (with there being 4 shots simultaneously on screen at pretty much any given time!) so it’ll be a little while longer before that’s officially released. But it’s coming. Soon!

2: I’m taking a small break from Stone Orchard
While I’ve still been making music and playing the odd show, I’m taking a break from the Stone Orchard persona to pursue some more electronic ambitions, namely , which combines my love for groups like Crystal Castles, Junior Boys, Holy Fuck and Teen Daze. My friend Lesley Davies of Bad Passion sang on 2 of the tracks and I think it all turned out quite well! You can hear it on , and if you like it, like me on too!

The debut Make Haste show is on October 6th at Milk Glass and I”m super excited!

And don’t worry, Stone Orchard will be back soon

Excitement’s brewing for the Oh My Darling video, set to be released (hopefully!) in the next month or two. Here’s a first look from behind the scenes.
(all photos courtesy of Laura MacKenzie)

Hey Friends,

So, apart from all hassle of regular life (moving into a new place, buying furniture and preparing things), I’ve been undertaking a few things lately. I’ve been recording a few friends’ projects, I’ve been working on a new covers series, and I’m embarking on a little tour-cation out West this Summer.

First, recording projects. I’ve been recording a wicked pop-reggae project for my friend , and concurrently have been doing some dark murder-ballady folk recordings for Ty ‘Scoop’ Trumbull. Everything’s going really great, and they’ve been helping me on some recordings of my own too!

Also, it looks like I’ll be playing a few dates in Vancouver late June/Early July. I’m heading out there for a weeks’ vacation… But what’s a vacation without a few concerts along the way? There will be more info on those as it evolves, but that’ll be soon enough.

And lastly, I’m doing a new Cover Series! I tested the waters with an Elliott Smith cover earlier this year, but I’m doing a bunch more in higher quality video, with better sound too. In fact, here’s the first one right now. It’s a cover of Robyn’s Dancing On My Own

Anyway, that’s all the updates for now!

It’s been (I think) almost 3 years since I graduated from Music Industry Arts at Fanshawe College, and a lot has changed in that time. Some friends have record deals, others scrape by. Some own studios, others make basement records. A few have went on to other ventures, and some went back to old ones.

But so many of the friends I’ve made at Fanshawe (and in the time since) are out there therethis weekend: grinding, practicing, writing, recording, building, touring and doing what they can to find their own little plot of land in the high-rent, low-income world of the music industry.

So I congratulate all my friends playing CMW this week, and all those who are doing great things. You are an inspiration.

A Happy New Year to everyone who has made 2011 so amazing. Next week is the official release of The Darling EP, and hopefully lots of things to come soon, including perhaps an east coast tour?

We’ll see! 2012, here we come!

On Wednesday I was invited to be the musical guest on Nat&Marie a live streaming TV show! It was a great experience, and you can see the whole performance

And a special thank you to the girls on the show. It was a blast!

Hola!

So, The Darling EP is officially done and it’s on the website now for download. Head on here to listen to it now! Please share it with your friends, and don’t forget to follow me on twitter or facebook if you like it.

Physical copies will be ready in 2 weeks or so. Until then, enjoy!

Hey fellas,

Sorry for the lack of update in the past few months. I’m back from Europe! It was a great success of a tour-cation. However, although I brought a version of The Darling EP on the road with me, I’ve decided to remix one of the tracks and have it mastered properly.

So with that, the REAL Darling EP will be here soon. CD Release details, etc to follow.

stay tuned!

Two nights ago I performed in Zurich at a venue called the Kafi FurDich. It was a beautiful little cafe/bar/hotel right near the train station in the city. I took a night train from Berlin and arrived around 10am, gathered my things and walked 1.5 km to the venue, meeting some interesting people along the way.

I dropped off my things and explored the city, which is very beautiful, by the way. What I didn’t realize, however, is just how small the city is. As a capital city, the perception of Zurich is one of a metropolis. In reality, only bout 350,000 people.

I took a walk around some of the streets by the University there, checked out the Cabaret Voltaire, then came back to perform.

All in all, it was a great success, and everyone that I met was so incredibly nice that I can’t wait to come back. Thanks so much, Zurich!

Now I’m in Cologne with my brother, spending a few days here before taking off to Brussels for a day. But for now, it’s time for some family catch-up.

I’m in Berlin right now, sitting in a Starbucks. Wi-Fi isn’t always the easiest thing to find, turns out. Anyway, two nights ago, I took an overnight train from Rome to Munich, but due to delays, I wasn’t able to transfer to Berlin until around 2pm. I arrived at 6 and went immediately to my couchsurfing hosts.

Those hosts included Christian Radmann, a fellow musician and web designer who graciously took me in, fed me and even brought people to the show I played last night, so I feel it necessary to mention him. (Check out his music here)

Anyway, speaking of music, this is where I performed last night:

(photo credit not mine)

It’s a bar called the Ä, and it exists in a neighbourhood of Berlin called Neukolln. Locals said that Neukolln is a gritty neighbourhood, but it’s where a lot of the arts community congregates for cheap drinks (many of which were 2 EUR for a .5 litre beer). Also, the Ä’s Wednesday acoustic nights are a mainstay of the neighbourhood. I noticed that when the bar became packed at 9:30, just before I started playing.

I performed before LadyBabyMiss, who sounds very much like a Southern-style Regina Spektor. Really cool music. Anyway, being a wednesday night, the concert was over by 11 and after having a little too much to drink we went back to Chris’s place for the night.

I met some really awesome people, though, and it was a great first show to play in Europe. Now, on to Switzerland…