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May 8, 2012 Well, I'm nearly finished all of the recorded bits for my new record. Next we mix the whole thing. That will take a some doing. Fortunately Nick makes a mean home-brew red wine. That's bound to help keep our heads on right for the task. I'm playing in Toronto this Saturday at Rancho Relaxo. Hope you can make it. I had a killer time in St. John's, Newfoundland the other weekend. Mathias, Arial, Dave and the gang really know how to do it right. It was an incredible festival. The whole thing has given me a taste for the wayward way again. I'm looking forward to the summer. This time I'm bringing the family in tow. April 15, 2012 have some interesting things happening these days. 1. I'm recording a new thing at the White House. The Kettle Black is helping me. It is going very well. It will be out in the summer. 2. I'm playing a show in London, Ontario on Saturday, April 28th at Fitzray's (110 Dundas St.). Entry is Freeeeeee! (eeeeee!) 3. I'm flying out to St. John's Newfoundland for the Lawnya Vawnia festival (April 19, 20, 21, 22). Too much time has passed since my last visit to SJ. I have had daily chills and spine-aches since leaving. 4. A friend invited me to play in Montreal's One-Man-Band fest. on May 18, 19, 20. I don't know exactly when and where I will be playing yet, but I'll let you know. You might find it here: onemanbandfest.com 5. On this very same weekend (May 18 - 21) I will be playing at the Come Together Festival in Frontier Ghost Town, Northern Ontario. Busy, Busy. http:// www.cometogethermusicfest.c a/ 6. I'm heading out to the Sweetwater festival near Dawson's Creek BC. for June 15, 16, 17. http:// www.sweetwater905.com/ index.html 7. I will be touring westward in July and August. In addition to many, many dirty bars, I will be performing at the Brandon Folk Festival, the Artswells Festival and the Music on the Mountain Festival: www.momfestival.com February 11, 2011 What are some of the things that we can do together? We can play a paper/scissors game. We can do cutsypasties. We can make cakes. There are many more things that I can think of doing together with you!!! What do you think??? My friend Mark Bragg is coming to town soon. Mark is the best guy from the second best town: St. John's, Newfoundland. It's the oldest city and it's where the best people from the other cities decide to live when they come to their senses. Think of someone great that you don't see around anymore -- "Yea. That guy (or girl)! Where did she (or he) go?"... moved to St. John's. Well Mark has lived in SJ all of his life, but he comes to Ontario once a year to tour. He sings a song about how he lets his four-year-old drive a pickup truck. He actually has a lot of songs and the driving-four-year-old one is not even his best (though still damn good). Mark Bragg and I are doing three shows together this month (See them listed below). You can find out about his other shows here: www.markbragg.com My upcoming performances: Fri, Feb. 11 - North Bay- The Opera Cafe Thurs, Feb 16 - Toronto - The Drake - Alphabot's CD release party Sat. Feb 18 - Kingston - The Mansion w/ Mark Bragg Sun, Feb 19 - Hamilton - Casbah w/ Mark Bragg Fri, March 8 - The Pearl Company w/ Jean-Paul De Roover and TBA Thurs, Mar 15 – Toronto - The Piston – w/ The Jilted Lover’s Club Sat, March 17 - Ottawa - Irene's w/ Spookey Ruben What else... I'm working on a new album. In April I will be flying to St. John's, Newfoundland to play the Lawnya Vawnya festival. That will be fun. I'm planning on travelling westward in the summer again for performances at the Music on the Mountain festival, Artswells, and Dawson Creek Sweetwater Festival among others. In the Autumn I will be back in Europe for a spin. That's all for now. Goodbye, W.M. December 6th, 2011 Oh my filthy goodness! Happy Xingnesstimes. I have some shows coming up and I mean to tell you about them, but first I will type a thing or two about my days these days. In November I toured Ontario -- just on the weekends -- with my pal BA Johnston. We had a very nice time. Things finished off with a debaucherous run through Kingston, Montreal and Ottawa. I think I busted the joy noodle in my brain at Irene's. Remi Royale opened the night in a sultry leisure suit singing raunchy karaoke versions of all the hits -- from Neil Diamond to Journey -- and getting uncomfortably close to Everyone in the crowd. Reme is a master of glitter, singsong and whiskey smells. Later, BA and I got to visit Remi's luxurious homestead -- a nest-like den, every micrometre covered with pristine, carefully posed action figures from the 70s and 80s. These days I'm trying to perfect my own fortress of solitude. I'm making a tiny little studio in my basement so I can start recording some new acoustic things. I have a new batch of songs that I'm dizzy with excitement about and I should be spending what little free time I have preparing them for my next record, but I've managed to get addicted to a stupid video game on my computer... Terraria. It's everything I used to hallucinate about in my youth after endless hours of NES. A think-and-thin-dream come to life. Once I kick this nasty habit I'll hit a very prolific recording steak. I promise. Here are some shows: Thurs, December 15 HAMILTON THE CASBAH - 306 King st W. w/ Spookey Ruben, The Donefors, Blind Mule Spherical Christmas Party Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/324085840938326/ $10 Fri, December 16 BURLINGTON Burly Calling Festival - THE RUDE NATIVE w/ Sarah Blackwood (The Creepshow) Thurs, December 22 TORONTO THE PISTON 937 Bloor st. W. w/ The Rest $10 Fri, January 6 PORT DOVER NORFOLK TAVERN 200 Main st. w/ The Donefors Sat, January 7 LONDON GIG'S GRILLHOUSE 420 Talbot St. w/ The Donefors $8 Sat, January 28 GUELPH CORNERSTONE 1 Wyndham st. N. w/ The Donefors $10 Have a good time. WM October 11, 2011 I'm home from my recent tour of Europe. It was a doozy! The shows were wonderful. The travel was harrowing. I dearly miss my German friends already. I took the train to some strange new towns -- Mannheim, Crailsheim and Bielefeld (it is real... else I was having a fever-dream) -- as well as many places I know and love from past travels: Berlin, Hamburg, Winterthur. Thanks to everyone who stopped by a show. The Wagonplatz in Cologne was a highlight for me -- an epic squat in the middle of the city -- replica stage-coaches from the mid 1960s, trailers, trucks and little wooden houses. We had a great, firey party that raged 'til the early morning. Germany, and Cologn in particular, have a well-established tradition of squatting -- since the economic turmoil of the 70s. I think this is of great cultural credit to the country, though in recent years many squats have been shut down -- especially in Berlin; Cologne's Wagonplatz holds strong though. Maybe that's what folks will do here in Canada if our middle-class continues to collapse. We'll park ourselves firmly and stubbornly in any number of abandoned houses and buildings that stand neglected around town. I must publically thank my good friend Josh Indig who more-or-less saved my life. He lives in Toronto, but was able to help me unlock my cell phone so it would work in Germany. Without him I would probably still be stuck in Halle. If you have a phone that needs to be unlocked, he's you're guy: joshindig@gmail.com (address posted with his permission) My son turned 1 today. He ate chocolate cake. It's on his face and he's smiling at me as I type. I'm having a Devil's Night party in Hamilton on Oct 30th. It's at 667 1/2 King st. E. You should come. The details are to the left. Throughout November I will be playing many shows around Ontario with my good friend BA Johnston. I hope you can make it if you are nearby. Thank you. W.M. September 16, 2011 Just realized I haven't updated this for a while! I'm touring Germany at the moment. It's still plenty amazing here. They let me drink beer on the streets, buy espressos made by big, noisy machines at the trainstation... but you have to pay to use the washroom. I'm travelling by train. It's slightly more classy than the greyhound, but slightly harder to do, because all of the words sound funny. I'm in Mannheim tonight at a western bar called Der Bock -- which means the Buck. There is a Burning Hell poster on the wall... Miss Emily Brown too. August 24, 2011 Hello, I'm at home in Hamilton now, spending a few more lovely days and nights here before I travel once again (the last for a long while... I swear). We just had a Tornado warning. It lasted about 40 minutes and then was promptly cancelled. Fun things are always called-off in the last moment here. The wind has picked up though... and some fierce lightning. We'll see. My Western tour ended well and without further fiasco. The long, dark nights on the Greyhound let me get a some writing done, even if I wasn't able to sleep much -- all the better for penning hallucinatory rants and fevered, homesick songs. My riotous shows in Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury were as fine and fit an ending as I could have wished for. Someone has given Sudbury's Townhouse Tavern a meaty facelift. I had heard it was being renovating and could barely fathom the place without its collapsing ceilings, leaky, streaming urinals and louse-ridden band-room beds. I loved the Townehouse the way it was, but I'll admit that the new decor retains the bare-bones rock&drunkseriousness (my word) that the venue always had; the place is just cleaner-smelling, slightly more colourful and surely less of a liability for the owners -- ready for another thirty years. The staff hasn't changed. They are as supremely down-to-earth and as awesome as ever. I think I've undergone a similar renovation over the past few years. My last show of the tour took place here, at the Townehouse, as it often does. After my set, I immediately caught a cab to the Greyhound station only to find my overnight bus home was full. The cabby graciously gave me a lift back to the venue, gratis. I was bitter that I wouldn't see my son in the morning, but it was the only scheduling hiccup of the entire tour. I suppose the wily Void couldn't let me off too easily. I have a couple of performances coming up in Ontario with The Burning Hell. Then I'm off to Europe for a spin before settling back at home for a good, long break. I'm a Dad you see (did I mention that?), and I love it. I'm well aware that I need to act like one again. Here are my upcoming performances: (Don't see a Facebook event for a show near you? Please make one!) Wed, Aug 31 Guelph The Ebar w/ The Burning Hell + Skeletones 4 Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/ev ent.php?eid=26503128350960 2 Thurs, Sept 1 Hamilton The Casbah w/ The Burning Hell + Lowlands Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/ev ent.php?eid=25404112128133 9 The Dayzeit Nachttime Tour- September in Germany and Switzerland: Sun. Sep 4 - Dresden at Sound of Bronkow Festival 2pm Mon. Sep 5 - Hannover at Sing Sing Am Küchengarten 3-5 9pm Tues. Sep 6 - Berlin, Germany at Sputnik Kino Hasenheide 54 9pm Wed. Sep. 7 - Halle, Germany at Objekt 5 Seebener Staße 5 9pm Fri. Sep 9 - Bielefeld, Germany at Extra Blues Bar Siekerstr. 20 9pm Sat. Sep 10 - Koln, Germany at Bauwagenplatz "Wem gehort die welt" 9pm Mon. Sep 12 - Mainz, Germany at Hafeneck Frauenlobstraße 93 8pm Tues. Sep 13 - Trier, Germany at Brunnenhof Simeonstiftplatz 6 8pm Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/ev ent.php?eid=22430922095533 7 Thurs. Sep 15 - Dortmund, Germany at Subrosa Gneisenaustraße 56 9pm Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/ev ent.php?eid=18171859189869 7 Fri. Sep 16 - Mannheim at Der Bock I7 3, 68159 9pm Sat. Sep 17 - Trogen, Switzerland at Viertelbar 9pm Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/ev ent.php?eid=20054546666723 0 Sun. Sep 18 - St. Gallen, Switzerland at Grabenhalle 9pm Mon. Sep 19 - Winterthur, Switzerland @ Portier 9pm Wed. Sep 21 - Basel, Switzerland @ Cargo Bar Sankt Johanns-Rheinweg 46 9pm Thurs. Sep 23 - Furth, Germany Babylon Kino Nürnberger Straße 3 9pm In November I will be playing many shows in Ontario with BA Johnston. Thank you, W.M. August 14, 2011 I only have a few shows left on this Western Insomnia Tour! I'm sitting in the Saskatoon Greyhound station, waiting for the bus to Bruno, SK. There I will be playing a matinee show in an old bank that has been converted into a curious music venue. My friend Tyler runs the place. He bought it for $25. He has managed to bring the whole community together in support of strange, traveling musicians. He always presents me with a gift when I visit... but I think he does that for all of his special guests. It's the kind of town I would like to run aground or retire in. Today might be the day. More likely I will catch an overnight bus to Kenora for my show with Carolyn Mark tomorrow at the Community Arts Hub. My coming European tour has been announced! Look at the list of dates on the left. Thank you. WM August 3rd, 2011 Thank you to everyone who donated or offered encouraging words after my cash and ID were stolen in Calgary. This tour would not have continued without you. I should be able to hack into my bank account today and start piecing my identity back together. Yesterday I left Wells BC. with the sun at my back and a bittersweetness plucking at my catgut heart. This year's Artswells was a marvel of sheetmetal, twine and rainbows. It's a confounding place. I'd like to buy or build a little shanty there one day. My family and I could settle for weeks at a time as I tour about the BC interior. I would need to find a looping peddle and a djembe for that to really work, but one can dream. Kirby and I played in William's Lake last night to an unsuspecting crowd at CJ's bar and grill. They got us drunk and gave us William's Lake buttons before we left. We drove to Penticton overnight to stay at our friend Paul's house. Now I have few hours to regroup before starting the whole thing again at Voodoo's here in town. I have posted my upcoming September European tour dates below. November will be in Ontario with BA Johnston. Things are Fine. Sun. Sep 4 - Dresden @ Sound of Bronkow Festival 9pm Mon. Sep 5 - Hannover @ Sing Sing 9pm Tues. Sep 6 - Berlin @ Antje Oklesund 9pm Wed. Sep. 7 - Halle @ Objekt 5 9pm Fri. Sep 9 - Bielefeld @ Extra Blues Bar 9pm Sat. Sep 10 - Koln @ Bauwagenplatz "Wem gehort die welt" 9pm Mon. Sep 12 - Mainz @ Hafeneck 9pm Tues. Sep 13 - Trier @ TBA 9pm Thurs. Sep 15 - Dortmund @ Subrosa 9pm Fri. Sep 16 - Mannheim @ Der Bock 9pm Sat. Sep 17 - Trogen @Viertelbar Switzerland 9pm Sun. Sep 18 - St. Gallen, Switzerland @ Grabenhalle 9pm Mon. Sep 19 - Winterthur, Switzerland @ Portier 9pm Wed. Sep 21 - Basel, Switzerland @ Cargo Bar 9pm July 28, 2011 Help! Since The Burning Hell recently made 'getting robbed' seem like so much fun, I thought I'd try my hand at it. All of my money, cards and ID were stolen last night. Turns out it's Not Fun after all. Jesse Hildebrand has generously offered up the use of his paypal donation site to help me recoup some funds. If you'd like to make a donation, please go here: http://jbhildebrand.com/helpwax/ Thank you. June 19, 2011 Hello friends and everyone, About a year ago, in the spring of 2010, I went on a dangerous Western Canadian adventure with two friends of mine. As you may remember, Mathias Kom, (aka The Burning Hell), Vish Khanna and I traversed the Shield, the Praries and the Rockies in my declining 1992 Honda Accord. We battled mountain goats, malicious show promoters and rivers of searing-hot candle wax. It was The Hear Some Evil tour. You can still watch many of the videos that Vish made about our adventure on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/res ults?search_query=Hear+som e+evil+tour&aq=f At the apex of our journey, in Courtney BC, we met with seasoned alt-folk songwriter and record producer Corwin Fox. Corwin helped us document three songs that were very important to us at the time: my weird folk-pop tune 'Black Bells', The Burning Hell’s riotous acoustic-rock number ‘My Name is Mathias’, and a Secret Cover Song -- a duet by Mathias and I that will make you shake, lurch and swoon. I tell you all of this now because these songs have just been released as the Hear Some Evil 7” -- a limited vinyl pressing by Guelph-based Label Fantastic. Now, barely one year after the Hear Some Evil tour, and in the midst of separate cross-Canadian journeys, Mathias and I reunite for a series of six band-backed prairie shows in celebration of our vinyl release. Soon The Burning Hell (also on tour in support of their incredible new release Flux Capacitor) and I will be close to your home. Catch us separately in Ontario and B.C. or Hear More Evil as we share the stage throughout the prairie provinces. My Western Canadian tour dates are as follows: (More dates are being added frequently, so check back! Can you help promote a show in your town? Let me know.) Wed, July 13 - North Bay - 100 George's Thur, July 14 - Sault Ste. Marie - Coch's Corner Fri, July 15 - Thunder Bay - The Black Pirate's Pub Sat, July 16 - Rossport - Serendipity Gardens Sun, July 17 - Kenora - Fragile Glass Studio Wed, Jul 20 - Edmonton - Haven Social Club w/ The Burning Hell (Hear More Evil) Thur, July 21 - Saskatoon - Amigos w/ The Burning Hell (Hear More Evil) Fri, July 22 - 24 - Brandon Folk Festival w/ The Burning Hell (Hear More Evil) Tues, July 26 - Regina - The Exchange (The Club) w/ The Burning Hell (Hear More Evil) Wed, July 27 - Calgary - The Marquee Room w/ The Burning Hell (Hear More Evil) Fri, July 29 t0 Aug 1 - Wells BC ArtsWells Festival of All Things Art Tues, Aug 2 - William's Lake - Big Mama's w/ Kirby Tues, Aug 3 - Penticton - Voodoo's w/ Kirby Thurs, Aug 4 - Vancouver - The Railway Club w/ Collapsing Opposites and Role Mach Fri, Aug 5 - Courtenay BC - Joe's Garage w/ Fish and Bird Sat, Aug 6 - Victoria - Logan's Pub Sun, Aug 7 - Nanaimo - Queen's Inn Mon, Aug 8 - Duncan Garage Showroom Wed, Aug 10 - Penticton - Voodoo's Thur, Aug 11 - Nelson - Royal Pub Fri, Aug 12 - Lethbridge - The Slice Sat, Aug 13 - Bruno SK - Arts Bank Sun, Aug 14 - Winnipeg - house show - email for details Mon, Aug 15 - Kenora - Community Arts Hub w/ Carolyn Mark Tues, Aug 16 - Thunder Bay - House concert (email for details) Wed, Aug 17 - Sault Ste. Marie - Coch's Corner Thurs, Aug 18 - Sudbury - The Townehouse See you then, W.M. May 11, 2011 www.waxmannequin.com http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/ban ds/Wax-Mannequin HINT: The Wax Mannequin/Burning Hell 'Hear Some Evil' vinyl 7" is finally ready! I will have it with me for my upcoming Eastern Canadian Tour. It's a neat little thing that Mathias Kom, Vish Khanna and I recorded last year with Corwin Fox in sunny Courtney BC. It will be released on Label Fantastic!. Hello friends, My facebook group somehow survived the Great Facebook Apocalypse of 2011. From what I understand, FB groups are being shut down quicker than safe injection sites these days, but when I logged-in yesterday there were shiny buttons asking me if I'd like to 'upgrade' or 'archive' my group. I clicked 'upgrade'... and there was my WM group, exactly as I had left it. I don't know what that was all about. Safe for now I guess (Zuckerberg must be a fan... shudder). I'm heading east with Jenny Omnichord in a couple of days. It's an eleven-day tour. The longest stretch -- and my first real tour -- since my son was born seven months ago. I have very mixed feelings about leaving him for so long; actually my feelings about it aren't really that mixed. I feel shitty about leaving for eleven days. But you can make me feel better about it by bringing lavish gifts for my son. Preferably things that you Make, Bake or Take from people with more money than you! So now I'm looking forward to all of the stuff that my son is going to get. That's Awesome! But most of all I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in the Maritimes (except Newfoundland. It pains me to say that I won't make it there this time. It's my favorite place, but... no time! I'm gonna fly out for a long weekend of shows in a few months though). Good. Hey, Mayor McCA and I stopped by the Exclaim house for a little video interview and performance. You can find it here: http://exclaim.ca/MusicVid eo/ExclaimTV/mayor_mcca_wa x_mannequin_hang_out_on_ex claim_deck-part_i Part 2, in which I play the song 'Feelings', will be up soon. Thanks for reading this far. Here are the shows: Fri. May 13 - Ottawa Irene's Pub 885 Bank Street w/ Jenny Omnichord 10:00 sharp Sat. May 14 - Quebec L'Agitee 251, rue Dorchester w/Jenny Omnichord and Jane Ehrhardt Sun. May 15 - Alma NB @ An Octopus' Garden w/ Jenny Omnichord Mon. May 16 - Hampton NB @ Shiretown Publican 274 Main St w/ Jenny Omnichord 9pm Tues. May 17 - Rothsay House Show 23 Johns ave. w/ dog is blue Contact me for details Wed. May 18 - Charlottetowne The Alibi 77 University Avenue w/ Jenny Omnichord 9pm Thurs. May 19 - Saint John NB The Bourbon Quarter 112-114 Prince William St w/ Jenny Omnichord 9pm Fri. May 20 - Halifax The Seahorse Tavern 1663 Argyle St w/ Jenny Omnichord and TBA 10pm Sat. May 21 - Sackville Strutt's Gallery 7 Lorne st w/ Jenny Omnichord MATINEE: 1pm Sat. May 21 - Fredericton The Capitol Complex (upstairs) Early evening show w/ Jenny Omnichord and Andrew Sisk Sun May 22 - Montreal Secret Show. Rhymes with Dead Battery (sort of) w/ Jenny Omnichord and Jane Ehrhardt and guests Contact me if you'd like to attend. If you just show up, we will Fucking Destroy You. Oh! And when I'm back in Ontario, I'm performing on... Friday, May 27 in Sarnia at Paddy Flaherty's In July I'm heading west. In September I'm going back to Europe. See you there. WM -------------------------------------------------------------------------- April 13, 2011 Hello, My dear old friend Mayor McCA is back in Canada for a couple of months. Mayor McCA, if you don't know, is one of the finest and most charming one-man-bands around. He has been living in the UK for the past seven years, recording albums, making stop-motion-animated videos, playing festivals, growing an other-worldly beard and starring in commercials for blue jeans. My very first music tour was with Mayor McCA. We drove westward from Hamilton to play four rather unsavory shows in Regina, Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon. Then we drove 31 hours straight home! I had just purchased a video camera and I remember the only way I could cope with the experience was to film Mayor McCA's face for the entire time. Sometimes he would get so mad. He yelled and yelled for me to stop -- to Stop Filming his Then Beardless Face! I still have that video somewhere in a box downstairs. Touring like that was a stupid and reckless thing to do -- for me, it was the start of many years of reckless and blissfully stupid road-trips -- many years since and many more to come. Each one traumatic, yet strangely invigorating... addictive. Mayor McCA, on the other hand, wised up quick. He moved to England and grew a big-ass beard. That seems to be working for him. So here is a music video and a blue jeans commercial by Mayor McCA... Drinkalottawater: http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=8wD2cqdijYE Blue Jeans Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=tUUVP5fhIdw And did I show you the video that Jesse Ewles made for me? I know that I did, but watch it again: http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=afmWN5xYZoc Here are a bunch of my upcoming shows. Some of these are with Mayor McCA. I wrote his name under the ones that he is playing. Apr 16 - Guelph, ON - Kazoofest @ Synnema Apr 22 - London, ON - Gig's w/ Mayor McCA Apr 29 - Kingston, ON - The Mansion House w/ The Stanfields + TBA Apr 30 - Montreal, QC - Casa Del Popolo w/ Deer Ashes, Dear + The Sunnies May 1 - Peterborough, QC - The Red Dog with Mayor McCA May 4 - Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel with Mayor McCA + Doctor Ew May 5 - Hamilton, ON - Casbah with Mayor McCA May 6 - Eugenia, ON - Flying Chestnut Kitchen Eastern Canada (sorry, no Newfoundland this time) The Grownups Tour Wax Mannequin + Jenny Omnichord May 13 - Ottawa, ON - Irene's Pub w/ Jenny Omnichord May 14 - Quebec, QC L'Agitee w/Jenny Omnichord + Jane Earhardt May 15 - Show TBA May 16 - Show TBA May 17 - Rothesay, NB House Show Contact me for details May 18 - Charlottetowne, PE The Alibi w/ Jenny Omnichord May 19 - Saint John, NB The Bourbon Quarter w/ Jenny Omnichord May 20 - Halifax, NS The Seahorse Tavern w/ Jenny Omnichord + TBA May 21 - Sackville, NB MATINEE: 1pm Strut's Gallery w/ Jenny Omnichord May 21 - Fredericton, NB Capitol (Upstairs) Early Evening Show! arrive at 7pm Sharp! w/ Jenny Omnichord May 22 - Montreal - House Show contact me for venue information --- Here are 2 shows that Mayor McCA is playing in the East Coast May 20 - North Street Church - Halifax, NS w/ Silly Kissers + Doldrums + Crosss + Cursed Arrows May 21 - Plan B - Moncton, NB w/ Deadhorse --- In July and August I will be going west with Heather and our baby boy. In September I will be going back to Europe for a few weeks. I hope to see you soon. Your friend, Wax Mannequin March 27, 2011 I've started recarding something new with my friend Mark. I have many shows coming up in April and in May I am heading east with Jenny Omnichord. February 5, 2011 Hello there, Jesse Ewles surprised me earlier this week with a delightful new video for Something to Hide. It is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afmWN5xYZoc It's based on footage he secretly captured from a show I did at the Rivoli a couple of months ago. Jesse is the fellow who made the stunning and weird animated video for The Price a few years back. He's been keeping busy ever since, making amazing things. After you watch this video, please explore the rest of his work. http://jesseewles.blogspot.com/ And would somebody please give him a whole bunch of money for me? Or erotic kisses if you're good at that kind of thing. In a few hours, the Black Blood Band and I will be in Toronto at the Garrison with Spookey Ruben, Jenny Omnichord and Alphabot. We will make raging mess of the place. Balloons, Crystals, a Chrysalis and plenty of pulsing veins. I hope you will be there. If not, here are several other Ontario shows that I have coming up before I begin touring a little further afield again in May: Upcoming Shows: HINT: I'm always interested in doing shows. If you want me to play somewhere but don't see it on this list, get in touch. We'll set something up (especially if you live overseas and have a lot of money to fly me around places. I love stuff like that). Sat. Feb 5 - Toronto - The Garrison w/ Spookey, Jenny and Alphabot Fri. Feb 11 - Brantford - Alexander Pub w/ BA Johnston Fri. Feb 18 - Hamilton - w/ Blind Mule and Spookey Ruben Fri. Feb 25 - Windsor - Phog - w/ Jenny Omnichord Sat. Feb 26 - London - The Black Shire Pub - w/ Jenny Omnichord and Pat Maloney Sat. Mar 4 - Sarnia - Arts Fest at Trinity Wed. Mar 23 - Waterloo -- Jane Bond with... Mayor McCA??? I hope so. Stay tuned. Sat. Mar 26 - Hamilton -- Pearl Company w/ Steve Brockley and TBA Fri. Apr 29 - Kingston -- Mansion with... Mayor McCA??? I hope so. Sat. Apr 30 - Montreal - Casa Del Popolo w/ TBA Fri. May 6 - Eugina, On -- Flying Chestnut May 13 - Ottawa -- Irene's Pub More shows in this timeframe are being confirmed daily, so keep checking my Interzones. I'll be heading east in late May... west for much of the summer with the Lady and the Baby. Then... who knows if the world will even still exist!? It doesn't matter (except for babies. They matter the most and will exist forever no matter what)! So make a nice time of it. W.M. January 6, 2011 Hello, Has everyone emerged from their Specialmastime comas? I hope so. If you haven't, then you're probably not reading this, and you're probably in a better place. A dreamy place, far from this world that is quickly crumbling into something out of a crappy, adolescent-pulp cyberpunk novella. Long ago I figured out that my car can run for about 70 km with the gas light on. It's impressive indeed, but knowing this has done more harm than good. This one time I was running low on my way home from Thunder Bay, Ontario in the deep winter. My numbers were off and I ran out about 20 km before Marathon. Thankfully at the time there were rangers employed by the province who would travel those highways at night to help out people like me. We drove to the next town where he had a little shack with some gasoline and shortbread cookies that he gave me for the overnight drive. I don't think they have those Rangers and cookies anymore due to cutbacks. If you're like me, it's better to not know your limits. That way you don't try to brush up against them 'til skin is rough and ugly and calloused... or frozen and crinkly the in a northern Ontario ditch. Here are some upcoming shows! Fri, Jan 7 - Hamilton @ This Ain't Hollywood Video Launch Party! Marc Brenzil made a glittery, mind-busting video for my song Something To Hide. The video was inspired by Hilarious House of Frightenstein. You can see it on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=-btcerqud94 It gets pretty exciting near the end. Performing at the show: Wax Mannequin and Black Blood w/ Matt Jelly and Jon Epworth DJ Xmas Loaf will be making noise too. $8 Fri, Jan 14 - London @ Fanshawe College / The Out Back Shack w/ TBA Thurs, Jan 20 - Peterborough @ The Spill Wax Mannequin & Black Blood w/ Spookey Ruben Fri, Jan 21 - Ottawa @ Irene's Pub Wax Mannequin & Black Blood w/ Spookey Ruben Sat, Jan 22 - Montreal -- secret party show! contact me for the address Sat, Feb 5 - Toronto @ The Garrison Wax Mannequin & Black Blood w/ Spookey Ruben & Jenny Omnichord $10 Feb 11 - Brantford @ Alexander's Pub w/ BA Johnston Contact me if you would like to help promote in your town. I will give you stuff! I recently inherited a collection of rare and powerful crystals. I have been giving them away. I will give you one of those. Please consider starting a facebook event for local shows and inviting all of your friends. I think I will be heading east in mid March. Get in touch if you live that way and would like to set something up. Thank you. W. M. December 19, 2010 Hello everyone, Come to our Hamilton Napmas show on January 7th at This Ain't Hollywood.. It's nearly a week after New Year's Eve because everyone will need more party by then. Maybe not. But I called it Napmas because of how sleepy we will be. First I will play a set of quiet music with the band and there will be comfortable chairs. Then later we will get rowdy, dancy and drunk of course, because that's what always happens. Then we'll break all of the chairs apart and by the end it is the CHAIRS who will be napping... Forever. November 15, 2010 Hello people, I have a baby boy now. He is a shining, screaming little person. He cries a lot and he makes the nicest faces when he's calm. I love him very much all the time. We love him very much. The three of us are happy as can be, trapped in this most joyous, ceaseless battle. It feels like we fight for our lives every day, and every day we win. It is unnerving and inspiring. I didn't think much about music during the month of October. I'm starting to get music-busy again in November. I have a bunch of shows listed below. Soon I'll be releasing a new music video for Something to Hide that Marc Brenzil made. I'm very excited to show that to you. I'm also preparing a weekly internet thing. Something that keeps me touring all over the place... sort of -- from my basement -- even during this next, very busy winter and spring. After that, baby, lady and I will find a way to all travel together. I'm not sure if that's the right way to raise a kid, but I hope so. Here are some upcoming shows. I hope you'll tell the people around you, then all come together. 11 Nov -- London -- The Black Shire -- w/ BA Johnston 12 Nov -- Sarnia -- Cupper's Cove -- w/ BA Johnston 17 Nov -- Waterloo -- The Jane Bond -- w/ BA Johnston 18 Nov -- St. Caths -- The Mansion House -- w/ BA Johnston 20 Nov -- Oshawa, ON -- Murphy's Pub w/ BA Johnston 24 Nov -- Toronto, ON -- Korova Milkbar w/ Sean Nicholas Savage 25 Nov -- Kingston -- The Mansion w/ Steven McKay 27 Nov -- Windsor -- Phog Lounge w/ Dog is Blue 4 Dec -- Montreal -- Tyler's House (you know.. Tyler from Telefauna... addy TBA) Dec 17 -- Toronto -- The Rivoli -- w/ TBA Jan 8 -- Hamilton -- This Ain't Hollywood -- w/ TBA Jan 21 -- Ottawa -- Irene's Pub July 29, 2010 Hello friends, A week ago I started my Western Canadian Candle Release Tour! I’ve been so busy that I haven't had a chance to write a bit about it until now. I call this my candle release tour because, in case you haven't heard, I have a new line of scented candles. They are shaped like my head (see figure A), and they are imbued with various restorative properties. Fragrances include Rose, Lemon, Lavender, Mint and Lemon-Rose. They take a long time to make, so I’m actually trying not to sell them very much. Even still, I’ve almost sold-out already. There are a few left and I’m going to try to hang onto at least one to have with me for the tour home. I should tell you that I’m writing to you from the basement of the Raging Elk Hostel in Fernie BC. I’ve never performed in this town before last night because, to be honest, it always scared the shit out of me. It seemed Bourgey and alcoholic. Not good drunk, like Hamilton or Saint John’s -- more of a repressed, moneyed volatility with an international flair. On the fernie.com site there is a page called “Taking Care of Yourself“. It reads “Don’t trust the RCMP. Most are respectful, but some are young men looking to prove themselves through the abuse of authority.” Sound advice! Fernie is lovely to look at, but it is close enough to the Alberta border to be a perfect, scary, blend of the two provincial cultures. You see, Albertan conservativism and the green leftiness of BC don’t mix well. Oil and water -- or maybe baking soda and Vinegar. That’s what I figured before I visited, anyway. But in spite of my initial pessimism, I had a fun time here. The locals at the Brickhouse Pub were very friendly and bought all of my t-shirts. And they bought me beer. They were hippies with money, not the junior-RCMP-snowboarders I thought they'd be. I even met a table full of cheerful folks who were organizing a music festival in town. I think I will come back for that next year. It's been a good tour so far. Among many other places, I got to perform in Thunder Bay, Bruno SK and at the Brandon Folk Fest. There I saw Buffy Saint Marie perform a set that was completely balls out... Balls. Out. Soon I will be in Wells where I will meet my lovely, super-pregnant wife, along with many friends -- The Burning Hell, Geoff Berner, D. Trevlon, Corwin Fox, Lisa Poushinski, Maria in the Shower and others. Maybe you will be there too. So here are some of the shows that I have in the coming weeks: (Hint: As always, I recommend that you help promote your local Wax Mannequin Party by starting a facebook event and inviting your friends, and/or by putting up posters. If you do stuff like this, tell me. You will get presents). July 1, 2010 I had a nice time on my recent trip overseas. I travelled with new friends Tory, Tommy and Claire, making music in cities and towns throughout Germany and Switzerland. After a day of rehearsal in Frankfurt, we made our way to Mainz. We stayed in a hotel where they had left us bottles of bad but wonderfully effective wine in our rooms. In the morning we played at a town-wide music festival called the Open Ohr. We were lucky enough to perform in the early afternoon on a hilltop stage with trees, sun and lovely German people all around us. Shortly after our show, we hopped in our touring van and went to Trier. We arrived at the venue -- Exhaus -- at about 5pm. Exhaus is a pretty massive complex. In the seventies it was some kind of government consulate or something. Throughout the eighties it was abandoned, but it became a heritage building in the nineties and has been used as a sort of community funded youth centre ever since. So understandably, it has become a dangerous, graffitied, beer-soaked, glorious place. Our show was the next night but we were told there would be a comfortable place to sleep if we arrived a night early. The building was all locked up when we arrived, so we set up our equipment in the courtyard and practiced until it got dark. Then the kids arrived for a cool-ass rap show that was happening, so we packed up our things and went to a secret room upstairs for a thoroughly enjoyable set by Babel Fishh – a clever hip-hop two-piece from Texas. The guy with the key to the band suite never did show up, so we snuggled up on some sofas and blankets that we had in the van. The next night we played music in that same secret room and made a triumphant mess. Music venues in Germany often have exciting, decorative themes. In Hamburg there is a little place called Hasenschaukel (which translates to swinging hare, I think). Hasenschaukel is dressed up like an old lady’s Victorian-style house. There are cloth doilies on the tables and the lamps are made out of porcelain dolls. All of the music and the audience in this room need to be very quiet. Apparently there is an old lady who sleeps in the basement. If ever she is ever to awaken, everyone listening will turn into spinning children and the musicians will become screaming rabbits. We will all be trapped! I have a few Ontario shows coming up in London, Toronto and Hamilton. Then I will zoom west in late July. (Hint: You can help promote locally by starting a facebook event or putting up posters. If you do stuff like this, you get presents!) June 15, 2010 Europe was delightful. I'll tell you all about it soon. But right now I just want to tell you about a few upcoming shows: On June 25th I will be in London at the Black Shire with Jenny Omnichord and Richard Laviolette. On July 2nd** my band and I will be in Toronto at the Rivoli with J. Omnichord and J.J. Ipsen. Do as we tell you and go to these shows! May 20, 2010 Hello, I'm in the midst of an an all-night party in preparation for my trip to Europe. It's less party, actually, and more tired scavenger-hunt. Soon I'll take a short nap and catch a plane to Frankfurt to start my tour. But before I go, I will do something far more important and life-changing than a silly trip overseas; I'm going to see blurry pictures of my baby for the first time! You see, there is this baby and it's growing inside my lovely wife. We have a child on the way. And if things go well, he or she will arrive in October. I've always known this would happen and I've always known it would change me in interesting ways. I already feel quite different. The main way that I've changed is that I'm thinking less about the stuff that I'm doing, and more about baby. I can't stop thinking about the little baby person, actually. I'm thinking so much that this time it's very hard for me to go away from my lady for another dangerous tour. Don't misunderstand me. I am excited for my travels and I will enjoy myself on this adventure. Indeed, it will be a good trip... but I will miss my home more than ever, I think, and it may be my last adventure over the ocean for a little while. This time, as I travel, I will collect odds and ends for my wife and for my baby. If you come to one of my shows, please bring a unique item for my my baby. Something unique to your country, city, town or person. Also, if you live in one of the following places, I would be grateful if you would start a local Facebook event, or otherwise help spread the word about my show. This is where I am going to be: SPRING EUROPEAN TOUR: Germany: May 22 - Mainz - Open Ohr Festival 12:30pm May 23 - Trier - Cafe Exact @ Exhaus \ May 24 - Chemnitz - Exil May 25 -- Dresden - Societaetstheater May 26 - Berlin - Schokoladen Switzerland and Slovenia: May 27 - Zurich - La Cantrina May - 28 - Ljubljana - Tovarna ROG May 29 - Trogen - Viertelbar May 30 - Winterthur - Dimensione May 31 - Castrop-Rauxel (Germany) - Baha de Conchinos Norway: June 2 - Oslo - Sound of MU June 3 - Olso, Mir June 5 - Oslo - Music Day Festival In June I will be playing several shows throughout Ontario. I will be heading west in late July/August. These dates are on my myspace and website. Bye, Chris Wax Mannequin April 23, 2010 Hello, News: That secret video for End of Me is back up. Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcUuHtrCBbE I just finished touring western Canada with Mathias Kom (The Burning Hell) and Vish Khanna. We had an awful lot of fun. You can see our video tour updates and hear some of the podcasts from Vish's radio show, The Wrath of Khanna, at www.cbcradio3.com/thewrathofkhanna . In one of these podcasts, Mathias, Vish and I recorded songs for an upcoming 7-inch with our friend Corwin Fox in Courteney BC. We recorded one of my songs, one of Mathias', and then a special duet cover song. Fancy. It's been a pretty adventurous tour so far. Bruno SK is a town of 600. A fellow named Tyler opened up a little shop called All Citizens there. It's right next door to a tiny Senior Citizens centre. Tyler's place has lots of curious hand made odds and ends, coffee and cookies for sale. Lately he's been hosting a lot of musicians for quiet performances. Tyler prepares something special and rediculous for each musician. Julie Doiron got a day named in her honour. Geoff Burner and Bob Wiseman got a key to the city. For us, Tyler prepared powerful glass-and-wood turtle sculptures with our names engraved into them. I hope to retire in Bruno SK, or at least get a little job sweeping the streets there to carry me through my sunset years. March 26, 2010 It's been a pretty adventurous tour so far. Bruno SK is a town of 600. A fellow named Tyler opened up a little shop called All Citizens there. It's right next door to a tiny Senior Citizens centre. Tyler's place has lots of curious han-hand made odds and ends, coffee and cookies for sale. Lately he's been hosting a lot of musicians for quiet performances. Tyler prepares something special and charmingly rediculous for each musician. Julie Doiron got a day named in her honour. Geoff Burner and Bob Wiseman got a key to the city. For us, Tyler prepared powerful glass-and-wood turtle sculptures with our names engraved into them. I hope to retire in Bruno SK, or at least get a little job sweeping the streets there to carry me through my sunset years. Vish and I are holed up in a little bar-hotel in Kimberly right now. Mathias flew to Vancouver last night for a show with Kim Barlow, but he'll be meeting up with us again today. This evening we will all head to Cranbrook for a show at Finnegan's Wake. March 8, 2010 Hello, My friend The Kettle Black moved to Hamilton recently. He is refinishing a space above my Mum’s art studio east of downtown. It’s a ragged old building in a broken part of the city. So far he has fixed the plumbing, patched the crumbling roof and built some walls that will cleverly divide up the space in order to make it a bit more liveable and functional. I’m surprised by how quickly things are changing there. It’s the kind of place where there might be tons stuff hidden in the walls from previous tenants. We’re not trying to expose anyone’s buried past. We mostly just want to make it into a good building for living and music-making. Nick and I drove to Ottawa last night. I had a solo performance at Algonquin College and Nick wanted to pick up some things from his old place. I played the show with Billy the Kid. I met her a few years back when she fronted a punk band from Alberta called Billy and the Lost Boys. These days she performs her sturdy, resounding songs solo with a guitar and piano. She will be around Ontario for a couple of weeks . After the show, Nick drove us back to Hamilton. I napped and went to an afternoon teaching job where I pretend that nothing strange had happened the night before. In a few days I will be heading west for a big tour. This time I will be travelling with my friends Mathias Kom (The Burning Hell) and Vish Khanna (CBC 3 radio personality and fancy-pants percussionist). You can visit us at one of the events listed below. Over the three weeks, Vish will be documenting our travels, so all of our triumphs and embarrassing missteps will be featured each morning on national radio between March 10th and April 3rd on Sirius 86 or at http://radio3.cbc.ca . If you'd like to help spread the word about this tour to your music and media minded friends, you can find more information here: www.waxmannequin.com/tour epk (copy and paste that into your browser) I've found that local facebook events helps out a lot too. Would you consider starting one and inviting people to the show near you? I bet that would make us all feel good about things. Below I have listed all of my upcoming Canadian tour dates. In May and June I will be returning to Germany, Switzerland, Norway and the Netherlands, so if you live there, check back soon. December 14 I'm home from the East. We Rae and I had a really nice time out there. Jay Vauture and Mike Belyea were performing with me in the band. In Halifax we shared the night with my friends Julie Fader and Brian Borcherdt. Julie joined me on stage for an impromptu rendition of the Logdriver's Waltz. The song stuck and has become a semi-essential part of my setlist these days. In St. John's Rae and I joined forces with Mark Bragg again at the Ship Inn. Rae flew home after our second show in that fine town because he had tickets to Superdogs. That's a special show where dogs do tricks and win prizes. I have a couple of shows coming up. One in Guelph and one in Hamilton. Then I will be taking a little writing break until February. Then the traveling starts again. October 25 Hello, First, NEWS: 1. I did an interview with an internet TV show in Hamburg. We were on a balcony. I dangled my machine like it was Michael Jackson's baby. Here is the video: http://www.balconytv.com/ 2. Chartattack.com did a little interview with me recently. If you're interested, you can find it here: http://www.chartattack.com/news/75719/wax-mannequin-destroys-andy-magoffins-studio 3. CBC 3 has been playing my music a lot lately. Every time they play one of my songs, somewhere a fairy dies and turns into an indestructable zombie fairy. Right now Everything and Everyone is at number 17 on their top 30. If you happen to be snooping around on their website, you might want to email the friendly folks there to let them know how nice it is when they play my songs. http://radio3.cbc.ca (You can also join their facebook group by just searching R3-30 on Facebook). 4. Local facebook events have been created for shows on the eastern tour. If you want to invite friends in your city, you can go to the main Wax Mannequin group page and invite folks using the events that Heather made. Or, of course, you can start your own event and be the coolest kid in town. 5. I need a little bit of help getting posters up and around. Let me know if you'd like to help in your town. I'll send you some stuff or, of course, you can design your own poster for the show. In Rotterdam I picked up my rental car. I couldn't figure out how to put the thing in reverse. The standard transmissions always have a trick to them in Europe. For the first few days I thought it was broken. I'd just put the thing in neutral and push with my foot to back out of sticky situations. After Rotterdam, I drove down the western edge of Germany to reach Castrop-Rauxel. There I performed for two nights in a cozy little pub called Bahia De Conchinos – the Bay of Pigs. Cuban themed clubs are fairly common in Germany. I haven't figured out why yet. The place was run by a charming couple who set out traditional German breakfasts for me in the mornings – bread, meat, cheese and black coffee. In Hamburg I performed at Hasenschaukel as part of a music festival. It's a very quiet, very busy venue, decorated like an old Victorian lady's home, with ornate rabbits and porcelain dolls set just so. Someone at this show told me how to put my car in reverse. I played in lots of different places -- spooky little towns and stunning cities. The back roads wind through all sorts of villages that aren't on maps and weren't touched by the war... castles are still perched on hills over tidy old towns, but even the smallest places feel oddly metropolitan. Much of Nurnberg was pummeled to bits during the war -- then rebuilt -- drab and boxy in the decades to follow, but the broken parts of the old, walled downtown were reconstructed to look very much as they did before being ruined. It's all medieval and castley. I performed in a tiny pub called Mata Hari. The venue was hard to find – hidden amid slopes and winding, cobbled streets. It was a small room with a wrap-around bar in the centre. Three narrow isles surrounded the bar. I was tucked into one of these isles while the audience sat around the others. It was one of the strangest, nicest shows I've done. Someone talked about how artists rebuilt the broken culture after those dark things happened. The friendly owner Stephan gave me a bottle of Hazelnut booze made right there in Nurnberg. It's one of my favourite bottles of booze. I'll never drink it. Now Nurnberg is my favourite place. October 17 I made it home from Europe. The trip was even more debautcherous, glourious and exhausting than I had hoped it would be. The cobbled streets of old town Nurnberg are forever stained red with rose-juice. I'll go back there there within the year. For now I will rest until November. That's when I will be going east. See the dates to the left, and on myspace. September 20 Hello, I've been napping in the back room of Exit – it's the dark, empty rock club in Rotterdam where I'll be performing tonight. The cleaning lady just left. The night staff won't be in for a couple of hours. I've got some time to write stuff down. I arrived in Amsterdam at 11 am on Wednesday morning. I snuck a lot of things past the baggage check -- way too much to carry. Nothing elicit. Just my merch and gear. Things I probably should have declared. I inched my stuff over to an information booth down the hallway. The lady behind the shatterproof glass spoke decent-enough English (better than my Dutch) and directed me to other side of the city where I would catch my overnight bus to Berlin. I only had three shows in the first week, so to save a few euros, I opted to bus from place to place, rather then rent a car for this time. I slouched towards the underground train that, after a couple of hours and mistaken transfers, finally took me to the station – a small facility where I could sleep for a while as I waited. Sprawled across my packs and cases, I napped, fitfully for most of the day, waking only occasionally to use the nearby Internet station and the pay-to-piss washroom. At one point a patient transit staffer said that I had to move because my campsite was upsetting the flow of passengers to-and-from the front desk. She directed me to a small bench in the back corner of the station. Here bewildered travelers would frequently stand inches from me as they read the city map perched on the wall above my camp. 8 pm rolled around. I balanced my precarious load up and around me and hobbled to my bus, where I continued to peacefully sleep off my jet lag as the dark dutch countryside rolled by. I arrived in Berlin at 7 am and I took the underground across town. I met my friend Mathias not far from the stop and we brought my stuff to the apartment where he and his band – The Burning Hell – had been staying. We went for breakfast at a little place in a low-income, arty district -- Treptow -- southwest of downtown. The rest of my morning was spent making funny things happen with some new German friends, and looking for a used pair of dress shoes. After a few hours of napping, it was time to head to Zapata for our show. The band took a cab over. Kim Barlow and I foolishly decided that we'd bike with all of our equipment. I took my backpack filled with stuff and a huge guitar case that I balanced on one of the handle bars all of the way. It was an incredibly treacherous and exhilarating 40 minute ride. Berlin drivers are used to dangerous cyclists, so they all calmly steered around my erratic swerving without so much as a honk. We did get some polite swears from other cyclists. Germans aren't afraid to tell you what they think of you, and they do it in a very direct yet oddly respectful way. I'll be renting a car on Thursday for the rest of my trip. We arrived at Zapata – a beautiful, trashy old squat on a very popular strip in downtown Berlin. The interior of the venue is decorated with dark metal pipes and sculptures. There is a makeshift bronze dragon that towers above the bar with an acetylene torch perched in its mouth. After every song the bartender pulls the cord and the dragon shoots fire over the crowd. I stayed in Berlin a couple of days, biking from place to place and visiting friends. On Sunday, I piled on my heavy gear and took the overnight bus to Rotterdam. When I arrived, a cleaning lady let me in to the venue early. I stowed my gear and have been napping here ever since. Hello, I've been hiding out in France for a couple of weeks. In Paris they've got these underground tunnels that are filled with skulls. Two centuries ago they decided that the cemeteries were full, and not nearly scary enough, so they started putting the dead people in caverns under the streets. It was a clever solution, because now the skulls make money for the city. If you have fifteen euros and a couple of hours to burn standing in a sweaty, meandering line, you get to see the long- dead people and take their pictures. Paris has lots of greasy secrets like this. This town has a great tradition of low culture – trashy cabarets and street performers, drug-addict artists painting dirty pictures on their patron's dollar. But all of the opportunism and self-destruction of the past has now been idealized into untouchable high-art. I'm probably not looking in the right places, but I can't find modern examples of this desperate but essential low culure. There are hardly any rock shows; the artists are all hiding out; the cabarets have become safe, ironical tourist affairs. Fancy culture is going to starve in a few decades if there are no corpses for it to feed on. Dig up the skeletons. They should pour out of the catacombs and cemeteries. They should line the streets and play their bones to scare off us crappy, crappy tourists. September 8th, 2009 Now I'm home and heading to Europe soon. I'm in the midst of a series of southern-Ontario performances with a cuban art-grunge band -- Popeye's Golden Theory. They are very thoughtful and witty off-stage. When they perform, they scream and wear big red machines made of cardboard on their heads. Tonight we'll be performing in Windsor. I'll be in Guelph on the 11th with the band. Europe soon. August 16, 2009 The Toronto record launch is happening at the Horseshoe on Thursday, September 3rd, with Parlovr and Sister. Exclaim! Magazine in Canada wrote some nice things about me here We are in Medicine Hat tonight. The stage lights up and it makes my legs sweat. Things are fierce crazy times! July 29, 2009 After much toil, hard work and shenanigans it pleases me to announce that Saxon, my new album with Black Blood (Mark Raymond and Aidan Campbell) is ready. You can buy either the MP3 or FLAC downloads from Zunior.com here or order the CD with an instantaneous MP3 download here July 26, 2009 I've been hiding out in France for a couple of weeks. In Paris they've got these underground tunnels that are filled with skulls. Two centuries ago they decided that the cemeteries were full, and not nearly scary enough, so they started putting the dead people in caverns under the streets. It was a clever solution, because now the skulls make money for the city. If you have fifteen euros and a couple of hours to burn standing in a sweaty, meandering line, you get to see the long- dead people and take their pictures. Paris has lots of greasy secrets like this. This town has a great tradition of low culture – trashy cabarets and street performers, drug-addict artists painting dirty pictures on their patron's dollar. But all of the opportunism and self-destruction of the past has now been idealized into untouchable high-art. I'm probably not looking in the right places, but I can't find modern examples of this desperate but essential low culure. There are hardly any rock shows; the artists are all hiding out; the cabarets have become safe, ironical tourist affairs. Fancy culture is going to starve in a few decades if there are no corpses for it to feed on. Dig up the skeletons. They should pour out of the catacombs and cemeteries. They should line the streets and play their bones to scare off us crappy, crappy tourists. THE BLACK BLOOD TOUR: On August 4th, I'm releaseing a new record called Saxon. I'm touring the hell out of it in Canada and Europe for the forseeable future. It's the best thing that I've made. You can get a couple of tracks for free here: July 4, 2009 The album will be released in early August. I've been piecing together the last few dates of my Western Canadian and European tours. Things are feeling fancy. You can download a couple of free songs from the record at www.zunior.com. You should see what I did to my face. It's pretty neat. June 18, 2009 I started using the internet twitter so I can tell you generous things about my own life experiences. Twitter, as it turns out, is a new piece of computer software invented by Ashton Kutcher. Actually, I almost probably have some even more interesting feelings than him. If you join me, I will give you news about all of the luxurious things that I have happening right now, and about the ways that you can make yourself have better, more refined feelings. With time, you can be a luxurious person, with nuanced feelings and an overall better face. We all like to feel less empty when you read my messages. My messages have the power and the glory that can fill you up. I won't send you an advertisement about anything but me and my important feeling activities. I will offer you special incentives for living with pain-free and serious abilities. I will just make you think about these things more and more all of the time. And the more you think about things, the more you will think about me. And the more you do that, the more I go inside of you... and that's good for both of us, because I can tell you many more important things about yourself and about what you should do to be more honest with your innermost parts. May 20, 2009 Two new tracks are available from www.zunior.com. You can get them. They have a sing-song way about them. You get to dance with friends, and then you can make mistakes all over one another. Tomorrow I am visiting the House of Miracles one last time to finish my new record. It will be out in the summer. But don't forget to get those songs from Zunior. They will be on the new record, but for you, today, they are free. March 27, 2009 I will be releasing a track from my new record soon. It will be available for download from this site, and at www.myspace.com/waxmannequin. It is a song called End of Me. It's about traveling and decaying in this crumbling country. December 29th, 2009 I performed two nights in Rotterdam with my friend Mark. The first was a silent disco party -- part of a ritzy festival taking place downtown. It was disorienting to walk into a room with dozens of people moving and giggling to invisible music. I was a change of pace from the dance music. The listeners stoicly bobbed their heads and made quiet grunting noises. It wasn't much different from a Toronto crowd. That made me homesick. The next night we performed at the Ridder -- a tiny folk pub that was uttlerly rammed with mature poets and artist types. There was nearly no room to open the front door, let alone bring in any equipment, yet I managed to perform, as did my friend Mark Lotterman, an opera singer, various poets and a jazz quartet. Things have a way of working here, however improbably. December 22, 2008 There. I got this thing up and running again. We just got back from Amsterdam where Mark recorded some stuff for his new record. It's really something. I'm gonna get Mr. Lotterman back over to Canada for a tour. I'm trying to figure out gifts to bring home, but wooden shoes just won't cut it. I need something that really sums up this place and what I'm doing here. I'm in the right place. Tomorrow we'll be in Tiel at Jam Inn. A couple more shows have been added for Rotterdam too. December 19, 2008 I skipped out on updating this site for a while, but I've still been doing lots of things. I finished my tour with Buttless Chapps, then did a run with the seering and awe inspiring Kettle Black in October. I just finished traveling through Ontario with Rae Spoon, and now I'm flying to Munich in the midst of a snow storm for a run of shows in Germany and Holland with Mark Lotterman. Check www.myspace.com/waxmannequin for dates and updates. September 28, 2008 I'll be starting up my tour with the Buttless Chaps. By day I'm a mild mannered grade two teacher! August 30, 2008 I'll be at the Pepperjack in Hamilton on Sept 6th with The Kettle Black. He's great. Have I really neglected this page for a full month? Impressive. I was on tour, so I didn't get to be all internetty all of the time. I'm home now. I'm going to get back into the studio soon. People with no pants on are coming to get you!!! July 31 , 2008 We're going to be at the Sappy Fest soon in Sackville. The tour is neat. I'm traveling with a whole group of people. So much for the long lonely drives. We had to change a tire on the way to Ottawa. Rich and I did it very quickly, because we're so good at roadside calamaties. I'm heading west soon. I'll be at the Railway Club in Vancouver on August 5th. Spread the word. July 26, 2008 Hey! I update my myspace and facebook way more than this crappy site! You should always check there first. I'm leaving for the East with Richard L, The Burning Hell and others now. Life is super fun and scary all of the time. I'm probably playing music near you, on you and in you soon. I hope to see you when I do. You can help promote the parties by starting a facebook event for your town, and by printing this poster: www.waxmannequin.com/posters/Generic August Tour.jpg If you help, let me know and you'll get a firm bonus! June 22, 2008 We're in Cranbrook tonght playing at the Baker. We are leaving Nelson now. This town is different than it used to be. It's still beautiful and wholesome. They have moved the buildings all around. The people are more suspicious but say more meaningful things. June 12, 2008 Tonight we're at the Sirdar Pub in Sirdar BC. We're not playing Cranbrook just yet... soon though (show is TBA) June 8, 2008 You can help me put posters up for shows! Download a tour poster here: www.waxmannequin.com/posters/ BrokenFriendsTour.jpg May 26, 2008 I'm travelling soon with Andy Magoffin. He makes thinky/feely pop songs of the finest grade. He's a neat guy. Andy will be playing drums for me on some of the shows. We're almost done making an album together. We're going west and back. The gas makes travel tough, but when we tour in pairs, it's a bit easier and cheaper. May 1, 2008 I worked a lot on my new record the other day. Recording with Andy Magoffin is very easy and fun. He gets up late and works till a ridiculously late hour. That's when the ideas get spooky and warm... and drunk. I'm doing a bunch of shows in Ontario with BA Johnston in May. Then I'm traveling west with Andy Magoffin in June. There are still some dates open for June. Let me know now if you want to set something up. April 15 Hello again. I feel good about everything. I ran out of the feel-nice pills that the dentist gave me a while ago, so it can't be that. My normal job is proving good for my soul. It makes the rest of my life more strange and superheroish. I'm going to be heading west in June, East in August, and to Europe in September. If you're interested in helping me set something up in any of these places, now's the time to get in touch. April 1, 08 I got a wisdom tooth out. What I lost in wisdom, I gained in little 'feel nice' pills. It's a whole bottle of them. March 26, 08 I just woke up from a dream about a totalitarian state. There were still good ragged folk around, but we were so, so suspcious of one another. And even the most minor transgression -- the sort we thrive on -- needed to be confessed to the state. They'd probably know about the misdeed already, but they make us tell just to keep us honest, and in case they missed something. March 18, 08 I got a normal job that goes well with my music job, but it keeps thretening to suck me in for good. I won't ever be happy again if that happens. Now I'm trying to find a way to resist its pull. Why do they make jobs so cultish? Where did my poverty go? My sweet, enabling poverty. March 8, 08 We're in Halifax now. It's been a pretty nice little tour, but BA and I are both pretty screwed up and tired. My fingers and my voice are aching. I'm turning into a fragile old man who drinks too much... so I'm recording a lot of folky material for my new record. I'm going to try to book a tour where I don't destroy myself each night. I need to keep making shit for at least a couple more decades. I've got a pile of shows in April that I haven't announced yet. They'll be up soon. Feb 29, 08 I'm heading east with BA Johnston. We're leaving Sunday afternoon and driving for a long, long time. We'll be in Sackville, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Halifax and other places. It's scary to know bad things, but it's really for the best. Feb 7, 08 I just got back from Thunder Bay where mum and I set up the art at the Definitely Superior Gallery. It will be up there for a month. On the way home I crashed Joey's van. Then I got parts from a scrapyard and fixed it. I bent the frame back into place with a hammer and painted it. He'll never know. I'll be in Hamilton on the 8th at the Print Studio on James st, and I'll be in London on the 9th at Call the Office. Jan 24, 08 I played at the Rockey Saugeen house in Hamilton the other night. The rock was anything but soggy. I stopped being sick and scared. Now I'm ready to hit the road again. I'll be heading up to Montreal for the 25th and Ottawa for the 26th. Then it's off to north western Ontario. I've got some shows along the way, but I'm mainly going becuase Mum and I are setting up an art show in Thunder Bay at the Definitely Superior Gallery. The show opens on February 1st and will be up until March. Jan 15, 08 I'm sick in bed and I'm scared of something. It's like a breathin or sumthin. I'll get over this scare soon. I'm sure. I'll clear up my own damn skin. Now I know for sure there ain't no doctor gonna clear it for me. I got a lot more stories to tell, and I ainna gonna tell'm through sick, scared lips. Jan 3, 08 I'm holding onto my skin with all that I have. I have a new instrument. Back in the studio soon. I'm playing some of the new songs at the shows. That helps me make them better before I record them. 3.Dec.07 Myspace made me a featured artist for this week! So if you like seeing my face all over the place as much as I do, go to myspace.com and visit the music section... and there it is. My face. 20.Nov.07 They gave me a Hamilton Music Reward the other night. They said I was the best. Try as I might, I can't help but feel nice about that. I don't believe it though... don't worry. I just feel nice about it. I'm heading east with Spiral Beach in early December. I'm putting the dates up now. I hope you'll be there with me. 30.Oct.07 New shows added. I'm playing a good few with my friends Spiral Beach in November. I'll be touring East with them in December. We moved recently, and there's a place near by that has a rotting carton of milk in the window! 15.Oct.07 Whew. I finally got this intershit happening again. This isn't really a blog site. It just looks like one. I have a bunch of shows coming up, and I've got some stories for you... some I wish I could write about, and other's I wish I couldn't. .Sep.07 I'm recording again. I'm working with my friend Andy at the House of Miracles. My voice gets ruined whenever I'm on the road singing my loud songs. I try to use all of the clever singy techniques that I've learned over the years, but still, my voice can only hold out for so long. When I get home I always wonder if I'll ever sing again. So far it's always fixed itself, but there's still that fear... So I'm recording a lot of pretty quiet song nows. That way I'll get to keep my voice for longer. I'll also be able to trick all the folk festivals into letting me play. I think my father will really like these new songs too. 2.Sep.07 You should join my facebook group by going... here (log into your facebook and it'll take you to my group). That way I can harvest your information... and your spine. 1.Sep.07 Hello. I have a new web site. It's still being made. I'll have everything up here and working soon. I'm back from tour for now. My whole summer was dizzy and blasting. I can remember one part where there was an amazingly long, broken road through the mountains. Eventually it reached a fierce, white river. We stayed there one night and everybody got naked. I'm finishing a bunch of songs and will be recording them soon. My new album is in stores, and you can hear some of the songs here. 28.Aug.07 I have many shows from now until oblivion. Go here for details: www.myspace.com/waxmannequin. Right now Wax Mannequin is the only knife-face. He is the fighter. He is roses out of his skin that bleed him as he pulls. But most important, he is music of the biggest fight styles. It's where you punch and slice your own dying stuff into fresh, ripe meats for selling and sharing. It's where you give everything you had for an instant in his arms. Because he can seriously change the way you feel inside. Do you know that painting you see on some greeting card where all of the animals are sitting together, stoic and proud in the forest, and there in the background, rising in the sky, it's the earth? I mean... why aren't the animals trying to fight and eat each other? They are fucking enemies! And why is the earth rising into the sky? If the earth is in the sky, then where the fuck are we? That shit is Wax Mannequin. 7.Sep.07 29.May.07 I have many shows from now until oblivion. Go here for details: www.myspace.com/waxmannequin. Right now Wax Mannequin is the only knife-face. He is the fighter. He is roses out of his skin that bleed him as he pulls. But most important, he is music of the biggest fight styles. It's where you punch and slice your own dying stuff into fresh, ripe meats for selling and sharing. It's where you give everything you had for an instant in his arms. Because he can seriously change the way you feel inside. Do you know that painting you see on some greeting card where all of the animals are sitting together, stoic and proud in the forest, and there in the background, rising in the sky, it's the earth? I mean... why aren't the animals trying to fight and eat each other? They are fucking enemies! And why is the earth rising into the sky? If the earth is in the sky, then where the fuck are we? That shit is Wax Mannequin.