JunoFest, Gateway Festival, Here We Come!

When yours truly was a lot younger, I heard of these mythical things called sweet summer jobs.  You applied for them in early spring or even late winter, but didn't actually start to do them until May or June or July.  I was a pretty lazy student, so that explains that, but now that The Lonesome Weekends are the ones looking for summer gigs, I understand the excitement of good news when the snow is still here!

While accidentally reading The Leader Post I was blindsided by the headline on page B2 in the Arts & Life section, "Earle and Lund will be heading to Bengough".  We already had confirmation of our participation in the 9th Annual Gateway Festival, July 26 - 28 (online tix: http://www.ticketedge.ca/index.php?page=EventDetail&id=2046), but I did not know about that stuff!  Some of the players in the band, along with others in bands we're tight with that'll also be at Gateway were stoked about the chance to play on the same stage as Corb Lund and Steve Earle, and I feel incredibly giddy at the prospect myself.  Any chance you get to even come near your heroes is just plain awesome.  I almost interviewed Earle once upon a time, and feel grateful that while I did not get to, all others were equally denied!  Even so, playing the same stage/festival is a few notches higher on the 'fu$# yeah' scale, wouldn't you say?  After all, one of these guys is a stone-cold legend, and the other is working towards that in his own way.  If any of us get to even one-tenth of where they are at and/or have been (except jail....and seven or so divorces), that is icing on what has been a pretty sweet musical cake so far.

Bengough is still months away, however, while the Junos are just around the corner.  As a band that hasn't clarified any long term plan beyond "world domination", being included in this is something of an honour to be sure.  A colleague of a friend mentioned how so many bands felt it would be an easy thing to get into JunoFest, or that it one wouldn't need to work at it.  That man scoffed at both notions.  I can't help but agree, as being part of something like Bengough is awesome, but being part of hosting the country's awards on some level is pretty mind blowing.  Spend the 30 bucks and dig into plenty of music that, in this fashion, won't be here again any time soon.  Details at http://junoawards.ca/events/juno-week-events/junofest/  But make sure that on Saturday, April 20th you are at The Artful Dodger to get cozy and boozy in time for our set.  We've never played there, we've never played JunoFest.  This is what it is all about.

I'll let the men I gushed about earlier have a little battle here.  Until the next one, remember that for every mile of highway, there are two miles of ditch.

Hat

 

 

 

January Rockin'

Happy New Year fine feathery friends of TLW!  And a big thanks to all of you who came out to any of the shows in December.  We certainly had a blast playing Amigo's in Saskatoon with Young James, enjoying Bugsy's in Moose Jaw, and playing in perhaps our favourite local venue The German Club with Erin Passmore and Jeans Boots.  Of course, ending the year in 13th Ave Records Rendevous at The Artesian was nothing short of amazing, and a few members of the band are still getting over it!

We're off on the road a bit this month, and are heading once again to new territory.  Saskatoon has been very welcoming over the last little while, and that trend continues this month when we share a stage with Zachary Lucky at Vangelis Tavern.  He's an awesome singer/songwriter, and you might've seen him play the same night we opened for The Deep Dark Woods a few months back.  Check him out here: http://www.zacharylucky.com/  It'll also be interesting to play the same place a day after our friend Belle Plaine does, and we'll be sure to keep things hoppin!

We're also heading to the deep west of Saskatchewan later in the month, as Lucky Charlie's has graciously given us a two night stand to proffer our wares.  Two night stands are always "intriguing" propositions, and one of the more "intriguing" ones we' had was in the deep east of the province at The Beef in Estevan.  Noting how different (or not) these corners of the province are in their love for drinkin', dancin', and rockin' will be a time, and should give us a few more stories and/or songs in the near future.

So head on out, embrace what Saskatchewan has to offer in the wintertime.  Watch out Swift Current, here we come!  And to get you in the road mood, here's one person's wonderfully blurry take on our time in Estevan. 

'Tis the Season for Giving

So, we shall!

After a brief break to simultaneously sip flasks, shovel snow and ponder the validity of van maintenance (it is valid, the vote is in), we are back with a slew of shows to end 2012.  This season also marks our third anniversary as a band.  We still don't know how accurate the Mayans are vis a vis 2012, so come on out to any of these shows and help celebrate by buying us a drink or two.  Even if the Mayans are proven wrong, you will have done the right thing!

Kicking things off will be, perhaps, the most fun show of them all.  The German Club has always been a ball for us, whether we'ver been on the stage or just whoopin' it up, so a big shout out to Bryce and Svetlana for such a killer venue is in order.  Huzzah!  We always have an awesome time playing in the downstairs lounge, and the place is always conducive to what we like in a gig: drinking, dancing, and rocking, in no particular order.  It is also going to be an exciting night as we welcome Erin Passmore (Rah Rah, solo-gold fame) AND Saskatoon's Jeans Boots (Jeanette Stewart and band) to warm up the night before we hit the stage.  Check out Erin's tunes at http://www.erinpassmore.com/ then check out Jeans Boots http://jeans.bandcamp.com/ .  I don't think there'll be a better way of gettin cozy come December 7th, so do pencil that one in.

If what you fancy is three full sets of killer diller fun from The Lonesome Weekends, head east with us to Bugsy's in Moose Jaw on the 8th.  It is hard to believe that after rockin' the province for nearly three years that this will be the first time we play in what used to be known as "The Friendly City".  You might say that the show will be "Surprisingly Unexpected"  More on that at http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/whats-in-a-slogan-42573097.html .

Another first for us that we're stoked about is playing Amigo's in Saskatoon.  That place has had sooo many amazing bands play there over the years, it feels a bit like an "arrival" to get on that stage, yet it also feels a bit daunting in its own way.  One of us is flipped out about playing the same place that Swervedriver once did, a top 10 all-time gig for that cat.  I doubt that we'll get as epic as they did, but one of us will certainly be trying!  Find out for yourself on Friday, December 14th.  We'll be sharing the gig with Young James, the fine, um, young gentlemen who graciously opened up for us at our album release back in April.  Good, fun cats, so, why not leave it with a clip of them doing their tune "Family Farm".

Back in the city that rhymes with awesome!

Last communique The Lonesome Weekends were set to take on southern Saskatchewan by way of Wood Mountain and Gravelbourg. I'd like to say that everyone won down there: the Wood Mountain Folk Festival was big fun, freakin' cold, crazy windy, and wonderfully hospitable, while Jackie at The Mayfair in Gravelbourg was a generous host, knowing that a band that sings and/or drinks about booze would be fine with a 40 and 48 beer on ice (right beside Hat's keys, no less), and the crowd reciprocated on all fronts. Three cheers to the south!

It's been a few months since we played Regina, but the end of September sees us doing a couple of real cool gigs. First, we are super stoked and proud to be part Breakout West (The Western Canadian Music Awards) this year. Though we are not blessed with anxiety over winning any awards this time around, we are playing Friday, September 28th at The Artesian. We'll be closing the night out (1am, Saturday, September 29th to be technically accurate), but will be sharing that stage with acts such as Rococode and Indigo Joseph. Check out all the awesome options you have for both evenings that weekend here: http://breakoutwest.ca/2012-festival/schedule/ .

If life happens and you're not able to stay up that late on Friday night, we'll be rocking The German Club the Saturday evening as part of Cam Wensel's Buffalo Jump venture, finishing that night off after The Sumner Brothers and Black Drink Crier have taken the stage. There's a rumour there could be some sort of jam that sends everyone home happy and less sober than earlier in the night, so come on down....more details here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/476946058991382/ .

Finally, if you've not had enough of the band by then - and truthfully, we won't be doing any typical three set marathons through these shows - there's a chance we'll be streching out a bit more at a gig in the northern climes of our fair city in early October. Third time's the charm they say...but only for those that are in it for all three, yo......

In the meantime, there's really only one way to end this post. No other 71 year old does what Bob does, we should all be so lucky to achieve 1% of his....anything!

The Lonesome Weekends vs. Southern Saskatchewan

Ok, well, it's not really an "us" versus "them" kind of mentality, but we are excited and stoked to bring our goods to both the second annual Wood Mountain Folk Festival and The Mayfair Inn in Gravelbourg at the end of August.

Friday, August 24th sees us sharing a stage with such talent as Rosie and the Riveters, Norman Walker and Petunia and the Vipers, as Judy Mergel hosts tons of Saskatchewan talent on the Mergel Ranch in Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan.  Noted dance-aholic, party fiend and all around awesome guy Keith Lee tipped us off to this festival at a smoky party, dubbing it a sort of Ness Creek in its infancy, and it certainly seems to have all that sort of vibe surrounding it.  Add in hiking trails, delicious pancake breakfasts, and music that goes for three days, and the incredibly cheap price of $50 for the weekend sounds like the best summer deal going.  Check out the website http://www.mergelranch.com/wood-mountain-folk-festival then check us out on the mainstage at 8pm sharp!

Roughly 24 hours later - and if you are intimate with The Lonesome Weekends, roughly is likely the appropriate word - we'll be gracing the stage of The Mayfair Inn, Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan.  It'll be an interesting return of sorts, as the band's first out of town gig was at a festival in the town, which led to a party at the Inn, which led to drinking, and a fight, and some other stuff, which led to the lurvly and talented Belle Plaine (who was along for the ride, and then some) penning her awesome tune "Brawlers", which led to it being recorded with a few members of the band, The Lazy MKs, and one of Ms. Plaine's secret weapons, Anna Rose.  Check it out here http://thelazymks.bandcamp.com/track/brawlers .  As a band, we're hoping to capture the spirit of that tune August 25th, if not the hazy memories of poor decisions, so come out and encourage any and/or all of the above! 

If you's got the summertime blues, head down south and rock it just a little bit with The Lonesome Weekends!  See ya there!

Hello Scarth Street, Whatcha Knowin!

Howdy folks, long time no post, but no matter, we've been busy doing nothing but preparing to rock the socks off of the downtown as part of the Casino Regina Summer Stage series.  Summer is short, so the less reading and the more rockin', the better.  Thursday, July 5th, noon, Scarth Street stage.  Find a patio that serves refreshments, find some food that nourishes your belly, find a friend to dance and sway with, and open your ears for some rockin' local tunes.

Thanks to Rage Regina for, oh, I don't know, lots of things, but mostly for the little clip that follows. See ya Thursday!

First we take The King's Head, then we take Holy Rosary Park

One of the best perks of being in The Lonesome Weekends is getting to experience different gig cultures wherever we play.  O'Hanlon's is not The Beef in Estevan; The Beef is not Lydia's in Saskatoon; etc.  The King's Head Tavern is nothing short of North Regina awesome: all sorts of gambling, cheapish booze, fun staff, and gregarious clientele that don't mind catcalling you (keeping you on your game, eh) or looking over your shoulder and/or hand while you play or buying a round of shots for the band.  The only bands I've seen play there are The Lonesome Weekends and Halteras, but Wednesdays there are just rad.  Really big ups to all the fine folks that made us welcome this past hump-day, and we look forward to seeing you (again) at The King's Head in the future.

Next Thursday during the Cathedral Village Arts Festival you can catch us in a drier (read: sober-er) venue, Holy Rosary Park.  It'll be a chance to get just as up-close-and-personal with us as the King's Head folks did, but in an all ages environment.  So, if your eight year old needs a bit of rock and twang and you don't mind the occasional colourful lyric, as John Hiatt once said, bring the family! And remember, if you come wearing one of our shirts, get a free peck on the cheek from one of the boys.  I don't know if Jeff knew this, but he didn't get kissed the other night.  It sort of feels like a missed opportunity.  It would be nice if it doesn't happen again.


This one is for Ozzie; here's hoping he's feeling just fine today...