Ahoy Hoy friends and loved ones,

We hope this message finds you well. We are in the middle of our western Canada tour, kicking it off last night in the lovely city of Saskatoon. That was our first time time playing a show in the prairie hotbed, and we had a lovely time. Our house-hosts Dean (who played guitar on our record and joined us for the set last night, melting face after face with his tasteful mastery of the instrument) and his wife Shauna were exceptionally kind and gracious and we couldn’t have asked for a better start as we head into the unchartered waters that lay ahead.

And by unchartered waters, I mean unchartered frozen waters. It’s snowing. Looks like we got out of Saskatoon and into Edmonton at the perfect time, as Sasky is expecting 50 centimeters (wtf!!!???) of the white stuff this weekend. In April??? Late April???? Yes. And Alberta is seeing the start of it right now. That’s spring in the prairies for you. Luckily our rental car got upgraded to a rental mini-van. Sure, they scoffed at us as we rolled through the neighborhood in “the complete antithesis of what it is to be a rock star, all rolled up into an automobile,” but you just can’t put a dollar amount on that traction control system when you’re cruising the highway in a blizzard. Eat your heart out Toyota Yaris!!! Until you offer us a fat tour sponsorship, we’re stickin’ with our Pontiac minivan with my guitar strapped into the rear facing car seat in the back.

Met some very cool people in Sasky last night. Most notably was a gentleman who spent a few years living as a monk in a Buddhist temple in Nepal. He eventually left and came to live his life back in Canada with his wife. Then a few years back, she died suddenly. He was living in BC and on a friends wall, he saw a beautiful picture of a city and asked his friend where the picture was taken. “That’s Saskatoon,” says his friend. “Really?” he replies, “I’m going to go there.” And with that, he packs up and heads east. He always wanted to be a musician and write songs, but never had. Being in his fifties, he thought it the perfect time to learn. So he’s learning to play the guitar because he feels it will give him a deeper connection to the harmony of the universe, and ultimately bring him closer to God. And he wasn’t high, he really means it.

Deep, hey? I guess that’s really what music is about, when you boil it right down to it’s essence: connection, being part of something, you know?. His story hit me in the gut, so I thought I’d pass it on.

So, we’re in Edmonton now, bracing for the storm. Can’t wait to see some of you peeps at the upcoming shows. We’ll try to check in here a couple more times over the next weeks. Keep it real out there, homies.

M@