Last Wednesday evening, my brother Chris, sent me a text message telling me that Stompin’ Tom had passed away at the age of 77.

The first thing I thought was “Well that’s the end of era…”

But I didn’t realize the impact that his death would have on me.
I didn’t realize the void I’d feel.

Last Thursday morning, after taking Ruby to school, I sat down and wrote a song called “So Long Stompin’ Tom”.
I recorded it Thursday afternoon.
While I was recording it, I started to get the feeling the song was special.
Like there was something about it that I couldn’t put my finger on.
It was certainly having an effect on me.

I contacted my buddy, Riss Wiebe, to see if he could compile some footage of Stompin’ Tom from Youtube and maybe we could do a little tribute video for him.

Thursday evening, Riss sent me the video.
I watched it.
I watched it again.
I watched it a third time.
I loved it.
I loved the song.
I loved the video.

But I wasn’t sure I should release it.
I was concerned with how it would come across.
Would it look like I was trying to cash in. 

So slept on it.
Friday morning, at 6AM, I watched it 3 more times.
I really liked it.
But, still I wrestled with what, if anything, I should do with it  Read more

Jenny and I moved to Toronto in August of 2003.

The day of the Blackout, to be exact.
I remember joking that maybe the city of Toronto didn’t want us to move in.
Like maybe, they figured, if they’d just off turned the lights, we’d roll right on past.

Our first year in Toronto was pretty close to perfect.

I played the odd show.
I started painting.
Life was good.
I hung around.
Went to pubs.
Became a regular.

For the first time in years, I was in one place.

No agent.
No manager.
No nothing.
I couldn’t have been happier.
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Well…

In late September it dawned on me that I didn’t have a vehicle for the upcoming
tour which was due to kick off on October 15th in Summerside, PEI.

I looked into renting a van but that was gonna cost me a fortune.
500 bucks a week.
500 free miles a week.
9 weeks.
20 cents a mile after the first 4500 miles.
Then I did the mileage for the entire tour on google maps and discovered that the tour.
Leaving Nashville on October 13 and deadheading to PEI.
Then traveling all the way west to Vancouver and then head east back Ottawa and then down to Nashville by December 14th.
All told, this tour was gonna be a conservative 13,000 miles or 22,000 km.
That meant an additional, give or take, $1700.00 in mileage charges.
That didn’t seem like an option or at least not a very good option.

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Well…

I woke up on the morning of October 31st, 2009 in Thunder Bay.
The tour with Corb Lund and Hurtin’ Albertans had finished the night before and for whatever reason I was up early.
The guys in the band were still sleeping off the roaring bender from the night before.
I went out for coffee at the Starbucks in the local Chapters bookstore.
I sat there for a couple of hours.

Just before noon, I made my way back to the hotel.
The guys were slowly coming back to life.
We checked out of the hotel and went for breakfast across the street at the
Boston Pizza.
Steak and eggs.
There really is nothing better.
Ben, Ernie and I all ordered coffee.
Jackson as usual had a pint of Keith’s.

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