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out The Perps on myspace: THE PERPETRATORS' NEWS Some of you may've heard it through the grapevine but to many of you this will probably come as a complete surprise. I am leaving the Perpetrators. J and Chris Carmichael will be rockin' as a duo. Having so much time at home these last coupla months has made it abundantly clear to me: I need to be not touring right now. I need to be home. People change, priorities change; such is life, however private or public it may be.
To answer a few questions of your questions beforehand...
- Yes, the Perps rock and it was a lot of fun to be in the band. They will continue to rock and to provide the soundtrack to some of the best nights of your life, and they will continue making kick-ass records. I still think they're a totally cool f**kin' band and I'm sure you will, too.
- Yes, I will continue making music. I've just had my fill of life on the road for now.
- Yes, I still love you and wish everybody nothing but the best,
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Alberta
3:30pm Feb. 18th - Edmonton, AB - Live on K-Rock's "The Drive" with Rob Berg(97.3FM)
The U.S.A.
Mar. 7th - Bozeman, MT - The Filling Station
Back in Canada
They will have copies of the new album, "Live at the High & Lonesome Club". Also, Chris Carmichael has just released his self-titled debut album. I love it; it's a thing of beauty and you should really own that, too.
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oops...
Scott Pinder at Polyphonic Mastering Labs
THE PERPETRATORS - Live at the High and Lonesome Club 4 stars out of five - Darryl Sterdan, The Winnipeg Sun, January 2009 Come get your copy at your choice of either the 7pm or 11pm shows, Friday and Saturday, January 30th & 31st at 234 Main Street. October 22nd, 2008 To promote their fourth album, "Live at the High & Lonesome Club", The Perpetrators are returning to Europe with the godfather of prairie blues, Stony Plain recording artist and Winnipeg's own, Big Dave McLean. This will be the first time in Europe and only the second time out of North America for Canada's legendary bluesman, who has been a mentor to and a huge influence on not only the Perps, but Colin James and pretty much anybody else who's picked up a guitar and tried to play blues in this part of the country in the last thirty years. To celebrate this, join us at the site of Big Dave's long-standing Sunday night jams and the Perps' live recording, Times Change(d), for a going away party this Friday and Saturday (October 24th and 25th).October 17th, 2008 Tomorrow (Saturday, the 18th) we will be on Live in Canada on CBC Radio 2 from 8-10pm. It was taped last night (Thursday) at the WCMA's - our first show with Scotty Hills in 3 years. For those of you in Winnipeg, it's 98.3 FM, everybody else is on their own. For those of you in Edmonton, on Sunday we will be playing the afterparty for the WCMA's at the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel at 11:45pm with Grant Stovell on drums. October 14, 2008 As October rain drips from the sparse polychromatic leaves that still cling to their branches, snow and winter wait restlessly in the wings and things keep moving right along in Perpdom. We've logged relatively few stage hours these last few weeks, playing only three shows with original Perp, Chris Carmichael, on drums - Dryden; a concert at Debra's and Ken's gorgeous house in Cochenour, Ontario and the good ol' Brunkild Bar & Grill. Our days have been busy with the harvesting of tunage - writing new ones and bringing some 'oldies-and-almost-forgotties' out of the woodwork - to bring into the studio in February of '09. Stay tuned for some exciting news regarding the details of this next recording. For now, suffice to say that we are very excited with the new stuff and reasonably confident that fans of the first three records will be, too. Speaking of records, we now have copies of our fourth album, "Live at the High & Lonesome Club" in our little paws and will be selling them on our European tour. Canuck fans might hafta wait a bit for this one (I know, us Moose Jockeys always get the short end of the ol' hockey stick, especially in this half of the year but whaddyagonnado?). On the weekend of January 30th and 31st, we will be doing an official release at the place where the magic all happened back in July of '07. (If it makes you feel any better we will likely have not one but TWO new records the next time we hit many of our favourite Canadian haunts again so, if you look at it that way, you're pretty lucky, really. And, if you're finding the prospect of waiting that long really distressing, the live album should be available through CDBaby soon for online sales and downloads.) This week, we're heading to the Western Canadian Music Awards in Edmonton where we will perform three shows with Scotty Hills (who played on the first two albums, and a dynamic singer and performer in his own right) behind the drumkit. On Thursday night, Oct. 16th, we will headline the showcase at the Starlite Room (which will be recorded by the CBC and air on Canada Live on CBC Radio 2 on Saturday, Oct. 18th from 8-10pm). In what is sure to be a very special moment at the awards show itself on Sunday the 19th, we will share the stage with our good friends from Nokomis, Saskatchewan and fellow nominees, Little Miss Higgins. And, after the envelopes have all been opened and most of the fireworks have gone off, we will perform at the wind down party afterwards at the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel. No rest in sight; after a weekend at our home base, we hop across the pond again to celebrate the release of "The Perpetrators Live at the High & Lonesome Club" with our fourth European tour, this time with Canada's legendary bluesman and Stony Plain recording artist, Big Dave McLean, onboard. Tour Send-Off Party Oct. 24 & 25 - Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada The Perpetrators and Big Dave McLean in Europe "No Shame Tour 2008"Oct. 28 - Verviers, Belgium - Spirit of 66 Oct. 30 - Apeldoorn, Netherlands - Blues Café Nov. 1 - Duisburg, Germany - The Red Rooster Nov. 3 - Detmold, Germany - Kaiserkellar Nov. 5 - Celle, Germany - Herzog Ernst Nov. 7 - Diest, Belgium - Borderline Nov. 10 - Lille, France - MJC-St.André Nov. 13 - Schweinfurt, Germany - Tapas December 31st celebrate a High & Lonesome New Year's Eve with us, Nathan and the gang from Times at a yet-to-be-named venue. And remember, you don't necessarily hafta be high or lonesome (or various strains, variations and combinations thereof) to be welcome. As always thanks for all of your support as we negotiate the twists and turns of this crazy business of trying to sculpt and whittle the stuff of our dreams into some kind of viable financially-rewarding business enterprise. It's been a long strange trip already with no view of it getting boring from what we can see coming up on the horizon. See you down the road and best wishes until then. We would like, once again, to thank Chris "MAMA" Bauer for all of his contributions to the band and to wish him all the best in his future endeavors - Rock-related or otherwise. Also, thanks to everybody else who was in any measure or fashion a part of our last Ontario/Quebec tour, be it in the clubs, at the festivals or elsewhere. People like Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland (who once again entrusted us with their place), Rick and Marilyn Clarke, and likely you (you know who you are). Some highlights: at Trout Forest, clouds vapourizing in front of my eyes to reveal the clear blue sky while Righteous Ike plays... The New Meanies giving everybody a lesson in Rock, lit only by northern lights... and the food!; at Eaglewood, Trevor Mills putting us onstage for our first ever workshop with our brothers-in-arms fighting the good fight - bluegrass renegades, The D.Rangers... so many great musicians and people... and more vapourizing clouds; William et le gang at Zaricot in Ste. Hyacinthe (incidentally, recently named the safest city in Canada); our home in Toronto, the Dakota; and on and on. Sept. 19th, 2008 Ladies and gentlemen, voting is open now but won't be for long for the Western Canadian Music Awards. You can vote for The Perpetrators for Outstanding Blues Recording and Outstanding Independent Album Award here. In order to cast your ballot, you must be a member of one of the following music industry associations: Music BC, Alberta Music, SaskMusic, Manitoba Music, Music Yukon. If you're not a member, you may want to consider joining, as they offer many interesting workshops and networking opportunities. And of course I'm not saying this just to get you in so that you can vote for the Perps. Either way, have a very Happy Friday, everyone! Sept. 9th, 2008 The Perpetrators have made a difficult decision and parted ways with drummer, Chris "MAMA" Bauer. This will be a new beginning for everybody and we wish MAMA the best with his future and have absolutely no doubt that he will be successful with his music. July 31st, 2008 We are very pleased to announce that "Tow Truck" has been nominated for two Western Canadian Music Awards: Outstanding Blues Recording and Outstanding Independent Album. Thank you to Mr. Len Milne who produced the album with us, our intrepid manager, Ms. Heather Shaw, and everyone who has supported us. Come down to Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club this Friday and Saturday (August 1st & 2nd) to celebrate with us. And remember, we are doing an early show (9:30 p.m. start, $7) and a late show (12:30 a.m. start, $10). The awards will be given out Sunday, October 19th in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.July 27th, 2008 Happy Monday, folks! The Perps' only Winnipeg shows this summer will be this Friday and Saturday (August 1st and 2nd) at Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club. We'll be doing things a little bit differently: an early show (9:30 p.m. start, $7) and a late show (12:30 a.m. start, $10). Hopefully in this way we can accommodate everyone who needs a Perpetration fix. And we didn't come all the way back from Europe NOT to rock your socks off. The following weekend we will start out August Ontario/Quebec tour in Ear Falls at the Trout Forest Music Festival. With Scott Nolan & Joanna Miller, Righteous Ike and his band, and the New Meanies on the bill, it's guaranteed to be almost way too much fun. We are honoured and pleased as punch with all the attention we've been getting across the pond. This Wednesday, July 30th, there will be another Perpetrators' internet radio show hailing from Germany at 10 p.m. CET (3 p.m. CST, a.k.a. Winnipeg Time). Thank you, Carsten from MOD-Bluesmake (www.radio-comtogether.de) for putting it together. Listen here
August Urban and Timberland Tour of Ontario and Quebec
de Zomer in Europa Our flight was drawn out a bit waiting for a replacement for the copilot who called in sick but a ray of sunshine in the form of Thilo Küppenbender picked us up at the Frankfurt airport in the wonderfully-named "Fahrtwind" (things can be gained in translation, too). Our initial wave of excitement being back in Europe was overpowered by the relentless Morpheus, the god of sleep, and Thilo's zombie passengers' heads bounced along in and out of sleep as the kilometers rolled by and we eventually reached the village of Isernhagen (just outside of Hannover, home of the Blues Garage, and bearing a very Tolkein-esque moniker) and Henry, Ramona and the family's newly-finished (and very cool, replete with antique radios in every room) Motel California. After dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant conveniently located across the street, everyone slept. Twelve or so hours later, everyone awoke in excellent pre-show condition, jet lag wiped away with eye gunk, for a beautiful, sunny Saturday. Florian Damm joined us in the evening for a front porch chat. Jason Plumb played a great opening set, beginning three weeks of us all having his songs takeover our brains and we hit the stage to make some overdue rock. We were Köln-bound (a.k.a. Cologne, sight of the breathtaking gothic Dom) the next day but, had we stuck around, MagaScene (the Hannover-area music magazine), suggested our friends, Twilight Hotel, as the musical event of the day (Yea for Winnipeg music!). Monday we returned to Spirit of 66, Francis Geron's great music club in Verviers, Belgium, where our good friend, Dr. Boogie showed up with his friend, Philippe, a man who once had a surprisingly amiable Rick James (who could give Ike Turner a run in the Bad Reputation Department) stay in his home for four days and make a recording. The good doctor once again brought the beautiful '59 Gibson Les Paul that Alan Wilson (guitarist for Canned Heat), played at the Woodstock and Monterey Pop festivals. It feels so good to be coming back to these rooms and feeling something build. Two nights in another old haunt, the Blues Cafe in Apeldoorn; our friendly proprietor, Jan, was even coaxed to sing "Stay Strong" on the mic from the bar and we got to see and stay with the one-of-a-kind "WOW!" Benno at the Bella Vista. On the second day Heather made us a lovely meal (a very welcome change to the European norm of cold cuts for two out of every three meals). Thanks to the very nice folks from bluesmeetsrock.nl for their support and for showing up to do a post-show interview (we'll let you know when airtime is approaching). The tour then brought us to less-familiar ground, the Bourbon Street Blues Cafe in the Venice of the north, Amsterdam. 3 a.m. came mighty quick with so much energy flowing back at us from the stage (and from our honourary 'Perpette for the Day' cheerleaders onstage... yeah, life sucks). No rest for the wicked, after a bit of sleep it was off to our first ever European festival and the cornerstone of our tour: the Belgian Rhythm & Blues Festival in Peer. We had way too much fun rocking out for the crowd of four-thousand. Here are some reviews of the show to check out. Not sure how your Flemish is but we're told the reviews are good... and there are pictures for the less linguistically-agile.
Perpetrators' Peer Pics and Reviews Then back to Amsterdam for two nights off, where the Fahrtwind rested in the quiet Schiphol airport Hilton parking lot while everybody did their own thing in a city that definitely does its own thing. It was great to see Robert Collomb on the 20th anniversary of Rob & the No Goods' (soon to be renamed "The Blues Puppies" by Curtis Riddell) historic show at the Hi Neighbour Festival in the heart of scenic downtown Transcona, Manitoba, Canada. We're lovin' the Tapas Bar in Schweinfurt madly. Michael and Kurt, provided plenty of fantastich food, beer and hugs. Shawzy captured some fine video of the guitarist for Burnout Syndrome rocking out with us that will likely surface some day in one form. Some of the best food of the tour came at "the High & Lonesome Club of Germany", the Kaiserkellar in Detmold. Good times with Stefan, Jörg, Ulf, a few other familiar faces and plenty of new ones. From there it was up early to hit the road, bound for our second festival, the Blues & Jazz Rallye in the tiny country of Luxembourg. Anyone who has the opportunity to should visit the gorgeous Luxembourg City. I felt like a kid (or a hobbit) climbing along the thousand-year-old walls of the city... peering through iron barred-lookout... watching bats fly across the full moon. A two-minute walk off the road packed with Rallye revelers and you are alone in a dense forest, only the music from the stages wafting through the trees to let on that you are not far away from civilization; truly something out of a fairy tale. After we had all fueled up on the tasty first of two tasty steak dinners, the rain clouds opened and laid a downpour on the city as we climbed the hill to our stage. Within half an hour the sky had cleared with a rainbow across the fleeing cloud and the sun shining over the castle across the valley and we had a great crowd for our show. Then we bid adieu to the prairie-bound Jason Plumb before returning to Germany for our last show, opening for Eddy Kirkland at FZW in Dortmund. A few friends showed up, a few new fans were won (the solo dancing guy - very unusual in Germany - ruled!) and Sven on the board made us sound especially good. All in all, the tour was a big success and we eagerly await the end of October, when we'll return, along with our good friend, Big Dave McLean (who's new album, "Got 'Em From the Bottom" is a must-hear). Thanks to Robert, Kathrin and Thilo (and Kirkwood, the wunderhund) from Gate to Hell Backline. A little amendment from the last newsletter: Deborah Murray is the Alberta-based designer and the website should have been deborahmurray.com. Deborah Coleman is the blues singer/guitar player (who, coincidentally-enough, was recently on tour in Germany). Enjoy the rest of your summer!
June 26th, 2008 Check out this article from the new issue of exclaim! magazine. This week is a little break - the eye of a whirlwind of a summer. Having arrived home from our western tour on June 23rd, we set out again on the July 2nd to Edmonton, where Cara Van Halen will rest for a spell while we're jetsetting across the pond. As some of you may remember from the back issues, last fall we played live in the Okerwelle studio in Germany. In anticipation of our upcoming European tour, Florian Damm has put together a two-hour Perpetrators' radio special featuring some of those recordings along with some other previously-unreleased live tracks and an interview from the BluesGarage in Hannover. It will air this Saturday (June 28th) from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. CET, which translates to 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. CST (a.k.a. Winnipeg Time). I'm guessing that some of you reading this will be outside of the radio reception radius (which, albeit, ain't all that shabby); with the aid of your trusty (or at least not entirely capricious) computer, you can still listen online We are very excited to make our European festival debut, to see many of our friends from our last two visits, and to have another Canadian artist on board this time: fellow prairie boy, the very talented Jason Plumb.
de zomer in Europa (été en Europe) (Sommer in Europa) We started off our June "Going Out West Where the Wind Blows Tall" Tour in Nanton, Alberta where, in a bit of Euro-foreshadow, we met two travellers from France. Besides visiting Barb and Larry (and Bandit, the infamous resident feline) at the Auditorium for music and beverages, next time you are in Nanton be sure to check out the air museum (and clamber around inside the Lancaster), enjoy some tasty coffee on the patio of the Main Street Café, and make use of the free wireless at the Library for all your interwebbing needs. From there, we spent the good part of a week hanging around Canmore and Banff. Saturday night at the 'Ho with Standby for the Bomb, followed by a mini-set at Murph Martin's Sunday night jam before making the short jaunt up the road to Banff Tuesday for a coupla nights at the Rose & Crown. Some people work hard, make lotsa money and then spend it on vacations; we just skip the "making lotsa money" part. "I knew it was gonna be good, but I didn't know it was gonna be THAT good." - Sadie Chubey, age 3 1/2 Great to get back to Lorenzo's Café in Ashton Creek, British Columbia. Lorne's got a beautiful spot out there - "God's country" as they say around those parts and hard to argue strumming a guitar with your feet on the back porch bowling lane (I'd apologize for my shoes but I have a feeling I don't hafta worry about it). It's always inspiring talking to people who are so moved by music (something akin to reverse pollination) like the guy who, talking about seeing bands for the first time said, "you never know, the next song you hear may be your favourite." And we had the whole Chubey family dancing. We didn't play on the Sunshine Coast this time but made it there for a visit and left Cara in the care of our good friend (and 'Toban ex-pat) Pete Friesen for a few days while we each went our separate ways. Congratulations to Jay and Carol who are getting married very very soon; sorry we can't make it to the wedding. British Columbia is beautiful but it felt great to get back to Mikey's Juke Joint in Strong and Free Calgary, Alberta and see Darren, Mike and so many of our AB Perpheads. Speaking of which, a big thanks to our super fans, Deborah and Michael, for all of their support and for elevating our comfort level on those long drives with Cara Van Halen by a few hundred per cent with some wonderful blanket/throws. I think that deserves a plug: deborahmurray.com From there it was north on Highway 2 to celebrate a quintet of beautiful Edmontononians' birthdays: Shawzy, Andrew White, Shelaine, Shar and Megan. It was a real pleasure meeting James, Brian and everybody at the Haven Social Club. At the risk of getting mushy and sentimental, there's a lot more to this music game than dollars and cents and I love seeing a new venue with heart, a view of the big picture, and a genuine love of music. The Haven is a beautiful room. Finished off the tour "good and proper-like" surrounded by friends in good ol' Black Diamond, including Rick, Suzanne, Rod, Ginette, Hoogie, Rachael, Paula Sue, Craig, Deborah, Michael... and Barb & Larry were even able to get away from the Auditorium and make it out to our show, somehow bringing things full circle. On a slight tangent, one more bit of complimentary Alberta travel advice: after dark, you might want to avoid the Friendship Trail which runs along the Black Diamond / Turner Valley if you're not on the friendliest of terms with moose (or you just don't like the idea of running into animals in the dark who are taller than you, tens of times heavier, and topped with a big-ass rack). June 6th, 2008 On the night of the summer solstice, June 21st, The Perpetrators will be performing in Edmonton along with Michael Rault at the Haven Social Club at 15120 A Stony Plain Road. It's our only show in the City of Champions this summer and it coincides with the Gemini birthdays of two lovely E-Town ladies - our indomitable manager, Heather, and Shelaine - and the Cancer bday of the winsome gent, Andrew White. So, if you are a friend of Shawzy, Shelaine or Andrew, a Gemini, a Cancer, a fraternal or identical twin, a pagan/hippy-type who celebrates the solstice for your own kooky pseudo-religious reasons, you wish you were any of these, or just want an excuse for a party - come early, stay late and prepare to lose your socks to the rock. As an added incentive, since it's the summer solstice you can stay up really late without it seeming quite as late. So there you go... with so many reasons to come out, you'd almost be stupid not to. Also, on the eve of our third European Tour, "Tow Truck" has been chosen as CD of the mounth June by The Netherlands' Blues Meets Rock radio show. We eagerly look forward to seeing all of our friends in Strong and Free Alberta and Beautiful British Columbia this month. May 25th, 2008 The Perpetrators love Belgium and are very excited to return to Spirit of 66 in Verviers on July 7th and to make our Belgium Rhythm and Blues Festival debut in Peer on July 11th. Check out out the Rootsville Belgian music magazine CD review by Patrick Van Hauwaert. May 8th, 2008 Thursday is finally here, which for many of you means that you've gotten over how crappy you felt on Monday and are ready to do it all over again this weekend; but this general plan of debauchery in celebration of a few days away from the yoke of work requires a little further planning to be done up good and proper, and this is where we come in. Friday night we're doing a double-bill at Ozzy's with the great Studebaker John. Saturday, come to Ozzy's again, when our shaggy friends and the crown princes of Saskatoon rock 'n' roll, the Sheepdogs, are coming in to town to join us for a night of all-around Rcknfcknrll madness. We even promise to do a different show each night (not that doing the same thing two nights in a row is necessarily a bad thing... use your imagination and you will see that I am right). "First take two weeks off... then quit." - Advice to aspiring career musicians via Loplop's resident bartender/comedian A part of me tends to agree. Of course we're way beyond that. I mean... what else would we do? It's not gonna happen. In all likelihood, you're now all breathing a collective sight of relief. After that (don't rush it... give it a second) you're probably wondering what's new in the world of Los Perpetratos. Well... We're up to 26,000 km this year of cruising around North America with Ms. Cara Van Halen (nee Blais), her trusty Pilsener hat tucked into the back window the whole way as we cruise down highways, streets and boulevards. We've had a great time back in Canada, although perhaps not quite as eventful or novel as touring the U.S., which was so action-packed I neglected to mention the muffler falling off in rural Texas (some of you may have deduced this from seeing the picture of J holding a broken-off muffler against a back drop of Cara Van Halen in what appears to be rural Texas) or the Stadium Motel in Lubbock, where the number on the phone was mysteriously the same as the number of the Comfort Inn in that same Buddy Holly-proud town (the room number on the phone not matching the one on the door might have been a give away). For the second time this year, we based ourselves out of Toronto for a month in an effort to play for as many folks as possible in those parts, or 'expand our fan base', as they say in the biz. And it's also an excuse to hang out with lotsa good people, and good people lots - especially staying on Oxford with Josey Krahn, Corin Raymond (who inspired us in our quest with his song 'Small Time') and Sean Cotton. The cornerstone show this last time out was Luke Doucet and the White Falcon's "Blood's Too Rich" CD Release Party at the Horseshoe Tavern; the crowd was great and the Falcons kicked ass. We also did a coupla shows at the Boathouse (as is often our wont when we are in that part of the world) and, thanks to Brian Mortimer, made some headway in good old London town (insert obligatory UK reference here). Thanks to the gang at the Bristol Place: John & Kim, Katelynn, and our new favourite waitress, Kathie. John Hoevenaars from CHRW radio posted some pics of us and our friend, Charmain Bailey, onstage. After being somewhat spoiled this last winter, we drove back into striking distance of the mean season's claws. Heading north from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay, we missed a closed Highway 17 by one day and were able to finish up the tour in good and proper style with Sheila, Tina and everybody at the Apollo. As an added bonus, the lovable Todd and Jen Baumann crossed the border to come to our show, driving up from Duluth, Minnesota. We had a great homecoming weekend at The Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club. Everybody who has ever been in the band was in the room on Saturday (Scotty Hills and the two Chris'- Carmichael and Saywell). That was followed up by hosting a Sunday night jam at Times Change(d) with Chris Carmichael, pulling Neil Young's "F**kin' Up" out of the old bag of tricks/tunes and dusting it off for the listening enjoyment of the gathered audiophiles/revellers. We in Perpdom are proud of our fair and noble stickman, MAMA, who released a new album, Activate, with his other band, American Flamewhip, on May 2nd at Ozzy's. The other two Perps have been doing some sidemen work, adding a little variety while keeping their fingers in shape for Perp axwork. Next weekend, in true rock star fashion, we take off for one night in Van (that's rock star lingo for 'Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada') to add our part to the fun and festivities of Wipple Fest - the wedding of Mr. Leathan Milne (come to think of it, flying off to a friend's wedding on a long weekend is the kind of thing anybody would do... it's not especially 'rock star' at all). A few days after that, we head west again, this time in more usual Perp fashion (carried at a much lower altitude in the loving arms of Ms. Cara Van Halen).
"Goin' Out West Where the Wind Blows Tall" Spring 2008 Tour Then we'll be off to spend July in Europe (ok, that sounds kinda rock star, I'll admit), followed by a few August festivals in Ontario (Trout Forest Music Festival in Ear Falls, House Full of Blues Festival in North Bay and Eaglewood Folk Festival in Pefferlaw). We're looking at a vinyl Greatest Hits release and we'd like to open the flood gates to your suggestions as to what you think needs to make the cut. So please email us at band@perps.ca or get a hold of us via myspace or facebook and let us know what you think. We'll even sweeten the kitty with prizes for choice submissions (I'm thinking perhaps something in the way of a copy of the The Perpetrators' Greatest Hits... on vinyl!). March 25th, 200820,010 - A Perps Odyssey No this isn't a futuristic space story, this is a modern day yarn: a tale of the road - the same "road that's a b-i-itch, my friend, but it's the only f**kin' road [we] know," and that's the kilometerage we've added to Cara Van Halen's odometer since she joined the team on Dec. 28th. We set out together on our last adventure on St. Valentine's day. After a solid van day crossing the prairies, we found ourselves Razamanazing the town of St. Albert, Alberta with Mr. Andrew White and we were off and running. (As I sit writing in one of the rooms at the Canho, "Sweet Home Alabama" wafts upstairs from the bar. Whaddya say... next time, Andrew?) From St. Alberta, your brave protagonists endured a blizzard en route to show #2 in Coleman. Shawna Hudson is doing a magnanimous thing by coaxing bands a little bit off the beaten path for the folks there. If you're ever in the Crowsnest Pass, drop into The Daily Do's and let her set your coiffure right. The Perpetrators celebrate Family Day(s)... "I didn't see one unhappy person in here all night." - Barb Wynnyk, owner of the Auditorium Hotel, Sunday, Feb.17th As some of you may remember, last April at the Auditorium with the Poor Choices, we had the distinct and unusual pleasure of having a donkey shit on the dancefloor. We played an early (and rather burro-free) show with a little help from our good friends, Scott Nolan and Joanna Miller, who got up and treated the crowd to some songs, including "Driving Day," a tribute to the late great musico, Willie P. Bennett, who's passing last month left a big hole in the Canadian music scene. It seemed just about right to spend Family Day (that's what they call Louis Riel Day in those parts) with Suzanne, Hoogie, Rachel, Scott, Jo, Oscar Pug and Louis. A day abounding with coffee, beer, wine, crepes and the cheeseboards... never mind leaving town, it's hard to even get up from the kitchen table during "easy time" in Black Diamond (we did eventually leave but we came back two weeks later for a 'Rick Premachuck Presents' double-bill with Lance Loree's Alien Rebels). We also had the great pleasure of a coupla "bar-free" days in Salmon Arm with the Chubeys: Mike and lovely gals - Lisa, Sadie and Allie - who, as usual, were wonderful hosts, not only setting us right with delicious home cooking and fresh vegetable juice but introducing our van to their mechanic for a little tune-up.... and, later that week, another tasty dinner in another X chromosome-heavy household with Councillor Shane Jonker and his gals - Jenn LaBelle, Sage and Fiona - in Canmore. When you're on the road as much as we are, one wish would be to have every gig a good'r where you work with nice folks who take care of you and do what they do well. In a word: simpatico. We're always on the lookout for a few more Blue Grotto's. Surprises are never in short order in the life on a travelling band but some are better than others, like Leathan Milne driving hours through various mountains to get to your show. We'll see you at the wedding, Mr. Wipple. If we had Fan Appreciation Awards (there aren't going to be any awards), the "new" one would go to our new biggest fans, Deborah and Michael, who made it out to four shows in a week in three different locales - Banff, Canmore and Calgary. I can't think of anybody but the ever-resolute Shawzy that has showed that degree of Perpsistence. Our first foray into the U.S. with the current line-up was as easy and as fun as humanly possible. You never know what to expect in such situations so, although our paperwork was all in order and we had nothing to hide, we were less than 100% relaxed as we entered the Department of Homeland Security in Sweetgrass, Montana. "Where are you headed?" "Austin, Texas." "What's the purpose of your trip?" "We're performing at SxSW Music Conference." "Oh man, I did that three times back in the day." The officer proceeded to list off a couple of places we had to check out. Before we knew it we were on the interstate; a few hundred miles later we were in Bozeman playing for a small but appreciative Monday night crowd we got to know by name: Grant, who arranged the whole shebang and put us up for the night; Dean on sound; Matthias behind the bar and our new buddy, Mike, who stuck around much late than the clock told him to. The Perpetrators do their best to stay out of the "phyco ward" "If you should go skating..." The next night, Cara Van Halen was doing her best impression of a curling rock. After much gentle coaxing and convincing her that we didn't miss Canada quite that much yet, we got off the ice at Casper, Wyoming and rolled into our home for the night, the illustrious Sage and Sand Motel, where each room houses a copy of "the book" - a binder of rules and advisories like: "To match flippers this motel is worth more than you will earn while you are serving time in the pen for burning it down & you may take an innocent life which will probably get you life" and "If they find matches all over the room you will be going to stay somewhere else possibly jail or the phyco ward because you have to be nuts to risk other people lives." The next night we were in the second Golden of the tour at the Buffalo Rose where, for the first time ever, we literally played to nobody. Thanks to Mike on the sound for recording the night for posterity; we'll play our best no matter what but it still helps to know something (if not someone) is listening. We spent that night and the next few at the Interstate Inn in Wheat Ridge, Colorado - eating daily (at least) at the Village Inn and making pilgrimages to Red Rocks Ampitheater and Casa Bonita - before exchanging our suburban digs for the country, and one of our new favourite spots: LaPorte, Colorado. Grant Siemens rules for introducing us to Kristy and Paul Burnett and all the nice folks of the Swing Station (including our fellow road warrior, Bugface). It actually feels funny not being in Texas anymore. Not that I was so used to seeing cowboy hats and spurs everywhere ("that's not Texas, that's Alberta" - Bart Willis, proprietor of Southside Tattoos). We all fell in love with the city of Austin and can't wait to go back. Thank you so much to Alana and Bill, who offered to billet one of the horde of random bands invading their beautiful city each year for South by Southwest. The luck of the draw gave them us and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for opening their home to us. We really do appreciate it. Also a big thanks to Shauna DeCartier and everybody at Six Shooter Records as well as our old Transcona buddy, Jeff Leake, and the fellas from XM Satellite Radio who squeezed us into their Live from The Six Shooter House radio special (and the lovely and talented Ms. Carolyn Mark for singing with us). Also thank you, Dawn from Saved by Vinyl for inviting us to fill in for The Ultimate Power Duo (who, unfortunately, couldn't make it across the border) and spend a beautiful afternoon taking in some great Canadian bands at the Saskmusic BBQ at The Compound. With so much music floating around all week, if you ask three Perps, you'll get three different lists but it was great to be out in full strength attending church at the feet of the Black Godfather (and one bad bad man), Mr. Andre Williams. Some other highlights: Howik, N.Q. Arbuckle and the Elliot Brood boys stepping up to the mic and joining The White Falcon to help out a voiceless Luke Doucet on Saturday night for what turned out to be not only a one-of-a-kind show but also a damn fine hour of music; Jimmie Vaughan; the sun; Steve from Winnipeg and all the wonderful staff at the Continental; Motorhead; cacti (catuses); getting to hang out with fellow moose jockeys like Johnny Mac, Rob Williams, B. Ehinger, and the MARIA gang; the guy working at 7-11 who, unsolicited, handed me his cell phone; and, of course, the scrumptious bbq & tacos. A twenty-something drive got us home to catch up on our sleep, make rock at the Times Change(d) on Maundy Thursday, and spend Easter with family and friends. Now we're off east again for a few weeks in Ontario before returning to Manitoba to recharge our batteries before a busy summer.
Upcoming Shows We'll be spending July across the pond, and then balance that out with some űber-Canadiana at the Trout Forest Music Festival in Ear Falls, Ontario August 8th to 10th. As always, stay tuned for more dates to be added and thank you so much for your continued support. March 20th, 2008 Although the are all now in love with Austin, Texas; after spending twenty-seven straight hours in the van, The Perpetrators are very happy to be home. In the past twelve weeks, we have shared 20, 010 kilometres with the newly christened, Cara Van Halen, and soon that number will be 2 or 3 higher as we make the trek to Main St. and St. Mary on the eastern edge of downtown Winnipeg to play The High & Lonesome Club tonight. In less than a week, we’ll be heading off again - this time to parts east - so hopefully you can make it down for this last minute whoop-up. February 27th, 2008 Since the beginning of Perpstory, the cities of Alberta have been very gracious to us, earning a sweet spot in our hearts. This weekend we return to the big two: Friday, the 29th, in Calgary at Mikey's Juke Joint; and Saturday, March 1st, in Edmonton at the Pawn Shop as part of a triple-bill for Sally's Krackers' CD Release Party with The Uncas. We eagerly await the chance to see some old friends, make some new ones, show them all some tunes and rock out in general. Sunday, we hit the Black Diamond Hotel before heading south across the border, Texas-bound.February 12th, 2008 What do I have for you this time? Let's see... Well, historically this is a big week for rock 'n' roll music. It was on February 9th, 1964 that droves of teenagers were impelled to empty America's music store shelves of Rickenbacker guitars and Ludwig drums after the Beatles appeared for the first time on the Ed Sullivan show. Forty-four years later, the Perps made their Ozzy's debut. Here's to "the start of a beautiful friendship". Unfortunately, the weather didn't co-operate with the rest of our plans for the weekend... we got as far as Headingly (about ten minutes past Winnipeg's western perimeter at the best of times; an hour on Saturday morning) before a closed Highway 1 sent us back home. We apologize to the good folks of Saskatoon and promise to come back to make it up to y'all as soon as possible. This Thursday we hit the road again and this time we're in for the long haul: west to BC; south to Texas; northeast to Toronto and many points between. It's looking like we won't be seeing the Winnipeg skyline till April, just in time to see the city rustle from it's hibernation and come to life for four months of the year (like a cat, our home town appears to be asleep much of the time, only to pounce with spirited energy and sinuous grace when the moment is right). We are very pleased to say that our month spent in residency in Southern Ontario was a rousing success. Before I say anything else, three names are held in reverence in Perpdom these days: Emory Blais, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. Emory for the wonderful van which has served us so well all month... especially when we put 'er to the test on the long drives through the seemingly endless (but in fact only 1542 km or so) thin strip of blacktop winding through the pine trees from Falcon Lake to Sudbury. Luke and Melissa for opening up their home to us while we were in Toronto. It couldn't have worked out any better... we had a place where we weren't in someone's hair day and night, and they trusted up with their apartment while they were touring Canada with Blue Rodeo. House guests for a day or two can be nice. After a month, it gets a little old. And so we played for, and did our best to win over, as many "downtown Canadians" as possible. I've said this before but it's worth saying again: do yourself a favour and pick up "Blood's too Rich", the new album by Luke and the White Falcon (featuring Melissa on vocals, and our taste buds' new favourite bass player, Rich Levesque - the Hot Sauce King of Canada). I found myself a few weeks ago thinking that l that I had kinda painted myself into a corner with all the thank you's in these newsletters. Then I realized how ridiculous this was. If you have too many people to thank because so many people have treated you so well, you really should find something better to complain about. That or take up a hermitage at the top of a mountain. That said, this last month in Ontario has been a testament to the power of the kindness of others. As this is the season of awards shows (with the Whiskeys, the Junos and most of the other ones falling in this section of the calendar), it'd be nice to give little trophies out to all these deserving folks but that's not gonna happen so here are some honourable mentions (and "everyone's a winner, baby"): People Who may or may not have known us previously who took us into their homes and treated us like kings: Maureen and Kevin in Cambridge; Corin Raymond (the Crown Prince of Kensington); Rick, Chantelle and Riley Patrick in Frankfort; Kirsten, our fellow Winnipegger in Quebec City; Perpcousin Chris English in Lindsay; Lindsay Hutton (and housemates) in Hamilton; Samantha Martin; and Liz Malloy The venues: Of course this whole thing is kinda about the music (although one could argue that really it's about people and connections, and quote the I Ching: "It is of great importance that the need for creating unity be recognized. The human spirit is nourished by sense of connectedness..." and posit that the music is merely the conduit which facilitates this. And I would say that argument was kinda valid but for the time being let's focus on the music, and the venues that made the whole thing possible)... First and foremost, our homes for the last month, The Dakota and The Boathouse - we couldn't have done it without you. Also a big thanks to The Silver Dollar, The Horseshoe, The Starlite, The Phog, Pepper Jack's, Brando's, Le Bal du Lezard, The Red Dog and Zaricot. We had a great time and were welcomed graciously everywhere we went. Our musician friends for the great shows and just for their smiling faces: The Beauties, Flash Lightnin, The Stables (who braved one hellva stormy 401 to warm up for us at the Silver Dollar), Shawn Kellerman, Sno-Heel Slim and the Boogie Infection, John Lee, Samantha Martin, Lucie Idlout, Little Miss Higgins (congratulations on the Juno nomination for your great new album, "Junction City"), The Undesirables and The Trews. Friends in the biz (also beautiful smiling faces, although behind the scenes): Shawna DeCartier and everybody at Six Shooter Records; Larry and Sheryl Wanagas at Bumstead Productions; and Dr. Feelgood from CKLN 88.1 FM.
Upcoming Shows If you need a quick shot of Perpetration to tide you over till then, check out this video from the Dakota Tavern last month One final note, The Perpetrators want to say how proud they are of their tireless manager, Heather Shaw, who'll be road managing Hawksley Workman's next tour. As for anybody I neglected to mention, well it's because I can't put into words how much you mean to us (and I'm kinda embarassed to even try). See you in the clubs! January 23rd, 2008 Happy Wednesday, folks! Congratulations to Big Dave McLean on his Lifetime Achievement Maple Blues Award. I know that we and many others wouldn't be doing what they do if not for him. The Perpetrators are in the last half of their Southern Ontario residency and things are, to quote a song I heard somewhere, "movin' right along" nicely. Between the band's doing there best to rock the socks off everyone they can on stage every chance they get and Shawzy's working her ass off to make things happen behind the scenes, we seem to be getting some of these big city folks all excited about the little boogie band from Manitoba. We just might get this cake baked yet. As many take their annual break from their favourite vices - whether for religious or health reasons - The Perpetrators will be taking the '92 Caravan (have we mentioned recently how much we love Emery Blais?) across Western Canada to perform for both the faithful and the somewhat-less-ascetic alike. Since their last time west of Winnipeg, the boys have had a very successful return to the lands of chocolate, beer, etc. (Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands) in October; a few precious weeks away from each other to recharge their batteries (even Perpbrotherly love needs a break from the 24/7 togetherness of touring); capped off 2007 by learning some amazing songs to perform a three-night stint at the High & Lonesome Club with Luke Doucet (who has just put out a killer record, "Blood's Too Rich"... buy it now!); and a fresh and productive start to 2008 with a January residency in (somewhat) warmer climes. But we don't want to deny our loyal fans out west (some of whom have been in the depths of Perpemania for nigh on a decade now). So give up meat, alcohol, eggs, whatever but don't abstain from live Perpetration. Before that, though, we will play our first ever show at Ozzy's (downstairs from the Zoo in the Osborne Village Motor Inn), a room two of the Perps used to haunt back in their Blues Puppies days.
Winter 2008 "Ain't Giving Perpin' up for Lent" Western Canadian Tour From there, The Perps dip south of the border for the first time since their show at the 2005 Chicago Blues Festival as they make their way to guitar town, U.S.A. to play South by South-West in Austin, Texas on March 12th. There's a whole buncha exciting stuff in the works after that but, as the saying goes: "leave them wanting more," so... As for those of you in the east half of The Great White North (see note below), we are still in the Ontario region for a week or so and will be playing a few more shows in the area (on three of which sharing the bill with a killer band and our brothers in the boogie, Flash Lightnin). So come on down (if I haven't alienated you with my geographical nitpicking) to:
The Perpetrators' Southern Ontario Residency (remaining shows) * (The longitudinal centre of Canada is basically Anola, Manitoba - an hour's drive east of downtown Winnipeg and "a rather nice town with two bars" according to Wikipedia... and yes, like all proper prairie folk, we do measure distance in hours) Dec. 14th, 2007 Happy Friday from the winter wonderland that is Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. We hope that 2007 was as good for you as it was for us. If not, there're only eighteen days left so, to quote John Scoles, "what are you waiting for, dammit?" ...just a reminder: Perpetrators' CD's make great stocking stuffers. The Perpetrators and Luke Doucet at the Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club Dec. 27th to 29th
Our good friend and one of Winnipeg's favourite sons, Luke Doucet is going to be coming home for the holidays. And not only will he be taking time off of the road and from his lovely digs in downtown Canada, but he will be spending three nights with us (and YOU!) at our favourite little club on God's good Earth (you'd think there was a Christmas tree in my peripheral vision...), the High & Lonesome Club at the corner of Main and St. Mary. We'll be mixing it up a bit... Luke's songs, our songs (hell, maybe even YOUR songs!) until the clock forces us off the stage. Last year we were lucky enough to catch him doing something similar with bluegrass madmen, the D.Rangers and, in case you haven't already guessed, we're big fans of Luke's music. Whether or not you can make it to any of our shows together, you should definitely check out his stuff... Apparently he likes us, too, as he had this to say: "J Nowicki has been my favorite guitar player since we were both 15 years old at the Blue Note Cafe in Winnipeg... & it's taken over 15 years for me to get over my initial fear, which has only subsided into a tingling sort of awe. The Perps' committment to the things they have loved (& mastered) since they were kids, is a template for what every artist should endeavour to achieve. Ironically it's their dedication to the tradional elements of blues, country music, & dirty rock & roll, that, combined with just the inevitable doses of ingenuity & personality, makes them possibly the most honest & unique band i've ever heard. In this arena, there is no other band that i know who can touch them." Speaking of Luke, last summer we shared the bill on one of his Tuesdays at the Dakota Tavern - Toronto's bourbon capital and site of The Big Smoke's largest indoor patio. The good folks there have been nice enough to give us Tuesdays in January to win over as many Hogtown music fans as we can, and our good friend, Kevin Doyle, is giving us Thursdays at the Boathouse in Kitchener. This jaunt will also will see our debut at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern, as well as shows with Flash Lightnin, Shawn Kellerman and Blyther Smith. A Saturday at the Silver Dollar Room will cap off our time in Southern Ontario. Our whole residency in that part of the world is going to look something like this:
January 2nd - The Dakota Tavern w/ Flash Lightnin - Toronto, ON After that, another homecoming of sorts... before heading out west again, on February 8th we make our Ozzy's debut. Beneath the Zoo in the Osborne Village Motor Inn, it's a room two of the Perps used to play quite a bit in their Blues Puppies days. As always, stay tuned for new dates, new releases, etc. Best wishes and happy holidays to everybody... be safe, be kind and thank you so much for all your support in the past year. Here's to a great '08... Cheers! October 31st, 2007 Happy Halloween! For the second autumn in a row, The Perpetrators left the soccer mom mobile in the able hands of the good folks at Avis and spent two weeks styling around Europe in a Mercedes Sprinter with our new friend Thilo behind the wheel (Thilo also rocks the bass). Both of our drivers have been beyond compare but I will say this: Georg is great but Thilo likes bacon and beer (when he's off the clock). The tour was great mix of some of our favourite stops from last year - like the Spirit of 66, The Blues Cafe, Meisenfrei and the Blues Garage - and a few new homes-away-from-home like the Kaiserkellar in Detmold and the Nekkarsdaal Cafe (Brussels' version of the West End Cultural Centre, not that this means anything to our dedicated readers outside of the Perimeter Highway) - merci beaucoup, Dominique et le gang, for making our first show of the tour so memorable. We arrived in Frankfort at 7 a.m. on Monday, October 8th with our brains lagging a little behind (especially with a handful of large beers each under our belts from half a day earlier at the Pearson Airport in Toronto). Georg, our faithful and beloved driver from last year, was a welcome sight to tired eyes. He drove while we alternately dozed off and gazed out the windows, reflecting and convincing our brains that we actually were back in Europe. When we hit Dortmund, we loaded our gear from Gate to Hell (home of heavenly back line) before a lazy day of coffee, food and rest at the home of Gate to Hell proprietors, Robert and Katherine. Looking on the internet, we discovered that Mr. Nanaimo himself (I believe he was a bodybuilding champ in his younger days but you'll hafta ask him about that), David Gogo, was playing that night in Belgium. We missed the show but got to have a beer and chat with the man whose path of destruction, strewn with cruel, taunting notes we would pick up here and there in the days to come... As I've said before, it's always a real treat to get to play with other bands and hear live music other than our own on the road. The next two nights found us at Meisenfrei in Bremen (where we saw much of the old school beauty of the city that eluded us last year) with Captain Howdy, and at the Blues Garage in Hannover (home of the ever gracious Henry, Ramona and family) with speed dating raconteurs, BB Blackdog. A packed house showed up for Friday night with the Perps at the Kaiserkellar. If the Nekkarsdaal was the WECC, the Kaiserkellar was the High & Lonesome Club (those of you who have never been inside the legendary Perimeter Highway please bear with the references, or Google either of the above for an idea of what we're getting at). Always a good sign when all the staff hangs out at a club on their night off... Steve must be doing something right. After five overcast days in a row, the sun came out to greet us in the Netherlands and stuck around for he duration of our stay there. Good times in Apeldoorn at Jan's Bluescafe followed by JD, Rimbaud, The Doors and spray painting "RCKNFCKNRLL!" across the living room wall at the Bella Vista (the one on Koening & Regent, not the one on Maryland & Wolseley) with the hostest with the mostest, Benno... "Wow, man!" Photographing bands seems to be a popular pastime in the Netherlands (Peter and Richard to name two of our friends with the shutterbug-itis)... expect oodles of new pics to be posted anon. We had a great time at Spirit of 66 in Verviers last year and this show was even better.... such an honour to have Francis list us on the calendar as "one of the best shows of 2006." I'm just honoured to play on the same stage as Maceo Parker and Paul Di'Anno. It was a treat to see Dr. Boogie in Brussels but this time he brought out the Alan Wilson guitar that was played at those historical 60's music festivals in Monterey and Woodstock for all three Perps to take turns playing as the set list dictated. So, it seems that the music of the Great White North is currently huge in Europe. In addition to a steady stream of Feist and Nellie Furtado on the airwaves, touring the Continent at the same time as us were (in addition to the aforementioned guitar slinger from the Island): Ontario's prog rock legends, Rush; Ms. Romi Mayes; our good friend, Edmonton bass wizard Chris Brezezicki; and the pride of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Got an obscure, somewhat tingly feeling (perhaps that elusive and somewhat shy beast - Canadian pride) watching The Trews open up for Status Quo (this is the band who kicked off Live Aid back in '84) at the Galaxie in Amneville, France. Status Quo was very good but the Trews kicked ass. On a side note, I haven't ventured to find out for sure, but I'm guessing that Belgian beer would taste better the second time than French beer the first. Maybe it's just me but, although the land was beautiful, there seemed to be a vague sense of rudeness and arrogance in the air. Sorry, France.... Not to be mercenary but, give us a gig in your country next time and I'll find something nice to say about you. Until then... The next morning, we headed West like Horatio Alger heroes (they say fortune favours the brave), and soon we were cruising down the Autobahn once again. Thilo usually caps off around 120-130 kph. One of our mile-melting pass times is watching cars whiz by us in the left lane and guestimating their speed. Fun for children of all ages! Soon (things on the Autobahn tend to come somewhat sooner than expected) we were in Wurzburg, adopted home of former Transcona resident and Blues Puppies frontman, Robert Collomb, who got us a two shows in the area - Omnibus (where we worked with our new friend, Christine, to entertain a small but receptive crowd) and Tapas in Schweinfurt (that's pig crossing for all of you translating at home as we go). This was our last headlining show of the tour and we were glad to have it at what turned out to be one of our new favorite pubs. One of the best things about playing these shows was staying on the Gueder farm, where (blame it on the fresh air) we tend to eat and sleep much more than usual. Vielen dank, Ingrid und Herrs Gueder. In the words of John Scoles, "you're all good people, dammit!" A nice break from the cities (you know you're getting spoiled when you say it's nice to get a break from the cities of Europe)... dogs, goats, roosters, chickens and geese (honking away like a gaggle of John Zorns)... their beautiful wood home (do you still call it a cabin if it has two levels? this I don't know) all on the spot that his family has had for hundreds of years. There was a monastery here before that and one building that still stands although it was built a thousand years old and damaged during WWII bombing raids by the Allies (which they're nice enough to not hold against us... seriously, though I'm extremely fortunate to have no firsthand experience, war is hell and very very few of the participants on any side ever want to be involved). Speaking of the power of the internet (were we? ...I figure its always kinda implied, isn't it?), another nice thing about our night in Schweinfurt was meeting our myspace friends, The Ghost Rockets, as well as one of the fellas from Black Rabbit, face-to-face.
The tour wrapped up with a weekend in that hub of modern zeitgeist - Berlin. Once again, thank you to The Magnificent Brotherhood, BB Blackdog and Captain Howdy (whose bass player, Sebstian, came up with my favourite one-liner of the tour: "I can drink without having fun"); to everybody we met - staff and patrons- and, last but most definitely not least, to our dedicated manager, Heather Shaw, for putting the whole tour together. Now for a little break in the action to catch our breath and regroup for the next tour de force... Happy Halloween! Oct. 27th, 2007 Happy Saturday, folks! The Perpetrators are happy to report a very successful second tour of Germany, Netherlands and Belgium. For anyone wanting a taste of The Perps in Europe, you can catch J playing live on Dr. Boogie's radio show next Sunday (November 4th) at 11:00 a.m. (CST) online. Also, here are some pics taken during our October 11th Hannover show at Henry and Ramona's Blues Garage with speed dating raconteurs, BB Blackdog.Hopefully this will tide you over until your next live Perpetration. Stay tuned for a more detailed blog to be posted online on myspace in the next coupla days. And more pictures, pictures, pictures... Oct. 6th, 2007 Judging by the leaves, the Summer has moved right along into Fall. In addition to the nights growing colder and longer and the growing nakedness of our deciduous friends, autumn finds the Perps returning to Europe; trading in the soccer mom mobile for a big ol jet airliner. Thanks to everyone who came down to our Send-Off Bash at the Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club. Well back at the Times on Dec. 27th to 29th for a Christmas weekend with our good friend, Luke Doucet. Best wishes and happy Thanksgiving to one and all...
The Perpetrators October 2007 European Tour Sept. 23rd, 2007 Check out the Skiffle Session... The Perps live and unplugged at the Vue Weekly studioA podcast will soon be available on iTunes... stay tuned for details August 29th, 2007 David Barnard of Exclaim! Magazine reviews "Tow Truck" in the September issue... Read the Review August 18th, 2007 The Perpetrators are more than pleased to announce that "Tow Truck" received an A+ rating in the August 2nd Uptown Magazine. Read the reviewBacking up Big Dave McLean, returning to the Boathouse and seeing "the High Sheriff of Hell" himself, David Wilcox, made the Kitchener Blues Festival a fitting wrap to our Ontario Summer tour. A big thank you to Claude and all the organizers as well as Kevin Doyle and everybody at The Boathouse (a.k.a. The High & Lonesome Club East). No trip to Southern Ontario would be complete without a stop in the Big Smoke. Thanks to everybody in Toronto who came out to the Silver Dollar and the Dakota Tavern, and to all those who helped get us there. As much as we'd like name everybody we can't, but we can start with: Luke Doucet, Rich Levesque & Chang; and Gary Kendall from the Dollar. Even musicians on the road have to sleep sometimes - thanks to Rick & Chantelle in Frankford, and Corin Raymond and all of our other friends who took some prairie bumpkins into their homes in downtown Canada (you know who you are and we do appreciate it). Also, we'd like to thank Rick and Marilyn Clarke from Bruce County Blues for all their support and, at the risk of this turning into one big thank-you note, the folks in Windsor who came out to the Phog Lounge (especially Kelly "Mr. Chill" Hoppe, who joined us onstage with some nasty-ass harp-playing) "...make my Hog the P-Hog..." We're home for a brief rest before starting our western tour next week. As we said to the folks out East, if you can't wait for the show nearest you, go to !earshot magazine and tell the station in your part of the nation that you want some Perpetration and you want it now. Or, perhaps: "I've got a fever and the only cure is more Perps." I'm sure you can come up with something, you're all intelligent people.
The Perpetrators Summer Movin' Right Along Into Fall Tour
After that, we hop across the pond for our second European tour. Stay tuned for news about the live album we recorded at Times Change(d) last month. And, to all our hometown friends: A fall Winnipeg show will be posted soon. Till then, for up-to-the-date news, vids and other foolery, keep looking to: July 27th, 2007 As July's end approaches, it's time for the Perps to hit the road again. The next few weeks will find us touring Upper Canada, or "Ontario" as folks have taken to calling it lately.
The Perpetrators' Dog Days of Summer '07 Ontario "Tow Truck" CD Release Tour Not to make anybody feel left out, after a brief stop at home, we'll be returning to the Western provinces once again, followed by what we hope to make a Fall routine - another European tour. Watch our web site for new dates to be posted. We've got some brand new vids posted on youtube - please check 'em out and drop us a line on our guestbook or on our myspace and let us know what you think. Also, photos of our snazzy new merch will be posted on perps.ca very soon. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everybody in radio land who's spinning our tunes (people like Bruce Leperre from CKDM in Dauphin). If you can't wait for the show near you to get your copy of "Tow Truck" go to earshot, find the station nearest you and request it. They'll have a copy. Everybody's support and encouragement is much appreciated, we couldn't do it without you. Special thanks to everybody who helped make our live recording at Times Change(d) a coupla weeks back such a success. July 17th, 2007 We're proud to announce that for 24 hours on Wednesday, the 18th of July, 2007 (PST) "Movin' Right Along" will be Track of the Day at GarageBand's Blues Rock front page.
The Perpetrators took part in a commando mission last week
We'd like to send a big thanks out to Corb Lund (a true country gentleman), Deb, Scott, Grant, Alice (who we were lucky to have joining us onstage) and them other Hurtin Albertans for inviting us to be part of their show and treating us so well. Cant wait to do it again soon June 30th, a 14-year-old who played a cover of "Turn on Your Receiver" at the 1988 Transcona Hi Neighbour Festival was giddy with delight as Nazareth came out for their encore at Dauphin's Countryfest (I swear I felt him poking my ribs, ear-to-ear grin on his face) and dedicated the tune to the three thirty-somethings who had just had the pleasure and honour of warming up for them. So inspiring to see guys who've been at it for so many years givin' 'er like that and sounding so sweet doing it As good as it felt to be back onstage again, it was great to be taken back to the School of the Naz. Thank you, guys, any time you need an opening band... July 4th, 2007 Best wishes to our American friends celebrating today... As a result of some very enthusiastic reviews from GarageBand members, for 24 hours on Thursday, the 5th of July, 2007 (PST) "You're Gonna Kill Me" will be Track of the Day at GarageBand's Blues Rock front page.
June 19th, 2007 The Perpetrators Perpetrate the Calgary Stampede The Perpetrators will be warming up for Canada's most authentic country music makers, Corb Lund and The Hurtin' Albertans. Following up the Juno-nominated and WCMA-winning "the gas and the clutch" - their third album, "Tow Truck," is attracting fans from all genres. Hurtin Albertan Grant Siemens, no stranger to The Perps' brand of blues music, can be heard on the hit song, "Josco."
Corb Lund's Cabin Fever Party For those of you a coupla provinces over, tickets for our show at the Silver Dollar in Toronto on August 4th will be available for pre-sale online at Ticketpro for $12.50. In the meantime, you can get a quick Perps fix by checking out our live videos on youtube. June 11th, 2007 You can now download "Josco" (featuring Grant Siemens of the Corb Lund Band on lap steel) free on our myspace. Just click on download under the song title. June 6th, 2007 It has come to our attention that Brad Mennie out on the Sunshine Coast has been giving our tunes a fair spin. For more info, we'd like to invite you all to check out his show, The Big Groove, at 8PM PDT on Tuesdays and 5PM PDT on Fridays at civu.net. Thanks for that, Brad. We love it when anybody plays our tunes but especially those in radio land because they tend to catch more ears that way. No offense to everyone else but more is definitely the merrier in Perpland. While we're at it, we'd like to acknowledge people like Rockin' Ronnie, who played three cuts from "Tow Truck" last night on CKUW. The Perpetrators are on down time for the rest of June but that doesn't mean there isn't anything going on. As always, stay tuned for further and more insightful details into the future of Perpetration. June 2nd, 2007 "Tow Truck" is currently sitting at #9 on the Earshot Canadian College Radio Charts! May 31st, 2007 "Tow Truck" is currently sitting at #2 on the UMFM Charts! There's some good news to come home to... We made it back to Winnipeg safe and sound after a hard rock and caffeine-fuelled all-day/all-nighter from Fruitvale, B.C. in the heart of the Kootenays. Longevity John's good luck charm guided us safe and clear of all of the wayward animals and humans with or without a cause to be on Canada's highways. We seemed to run into (no pun intended) more than our fair share of wildlife this trip. The biggest ham of the bunch was Beatrice the bear, using a tree for a little back scratching for the entertainment of the gawking, camera-totin' motorists. One guy, seeing the cars stopped, had the brilliant idea that this would be a good place to stop and take a leak. Luckily for him, Beatrice was more interested in dropping science than in creating an eyewitness-newsworthy moment (the news knows no right or wrong... speaking of which, keep your eyes on youtube for Perps flicks). The Perpetrators and the good people at Avis would like to thank Captain Howik, whose eagle eyes prevented run-ins with a coupla deer and a big-ass moose who decided to mosey into our path at the last minute. But we didn't spend all of our time in the van (thank God)... As an excuse to see all of our Edmonton friends, we did a surprise last-minute triple-bill show at the Rosebowl with one of our new favourite bands, the Kent Boys (currently #3 on the good ol' UMFM charts) and the all-star trio of Swifty, Grant "Stovetop" Stovel and Clayton "Eville" Sample (do I dare go out on a limb and say it was their first show?). From there, it was off to a spot familiar to many Canadian bands, Castaway's in Edson (home of the largest Canadian liquor store West of Edmonton and apparently a hotbed for girlfights on youtube, you'll hafta check that one out on your own if you're so inclined). Two years had passed since our last visit but we still found some folks who remembered us. Makes a little touring ensemble feel right at home. But getting too comfortable wasn't in the cards the early a.m. fog and the West Coast beckoned. That night was our best Vancouver show ever at the Railway (a big thank you to the fellas from Foundation). Rather than mess with long weekend traffic, we headed straight to the ferry from the club. Arriving a good four hours early, we found ourselves fifth in line (makes you wonder when they showed up). We killed one hour with a little hike down to the restaurants by the water(I'm gonna reach for another branch - monkey-style - and call the village Horseshoe Bay, too). Finding nothing open to warm and soothe the bellies of cold hungry Island-bound travelers, it was back to the van. Next time we'll bring beer and snacks to sell and put on a little impromptu gig for everyone waiting for the first ferry of the day. Once across, we hit an outdoor farmers' market and mingled with the locals. Then a few precious hours of sleep before our first of many shows (I'm sure) at the inimitable Longevity John's Duncan Garage Showroom (thanks to John, we have a new side project... if anybody need a somewhat half-assed nose flute section for recording or touring, give us a shout). Speaking of firsts, we have to send a big shout out and thank you to everybody that came down to our Kamloops debut at the Blue Grotto on a Wednesday - a small but appreciative crowd, for sure. From there, it was a short skip to Kelowna where we got to catch up with some old friends. Thank you, Clare Anderson and all the staff at the Minstrel Café for treating us so well. There won't be any Perpetration until Countryfest on June 30th, where we'll be warming up for Nazareth. Two of the Perps covered "Turn on Your Receiver" the very first time they performed in public at the 1988 Hi Neighbour festival. After that, it's off to Calgary, where we've just been added to the bill for Corb Lund's Cabin Fever Party at Ranchman's Outdoor Event Tent on July 12th. Should be a blast Speaking of that Hi Neighbour show, we'd like to send a shout out to former Gutter Cats and Blues Puppies front man and current Wurzburger, Rob Collomb. See you in October, brother Thanks to everybody who came out to all of the shows and to all the staff who made our jobs easier... also to the good folks at the CBC to do a feature on us that brought at least a coupla people down to see us and pick up our albums. And, last but most definitely not least (well maybe least), to XM Radio's The Boneyard (the unofficial tour sponsor) - occasionally inspiring, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes unintentionally funny and always kickin' ass!
May 16th, 2007 Don't miss this show! We've just added a surprise last-minute free show tomorrow (Thursday, May 17th) at the Rosebowl Pizza (Jasper Avenue & 117th Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). The show will kick off at 8 p.m. with Swifty, followed by The Kent Boys at 9 p.m., with the Perps onstage from 10 p.m. till late. Get there early as seating is limited. The bands are working for tips so please feel free to part with anything burning a hole in your pocket when the hat is passed around if you're enjoying yourself and the music. "No sleep till Black Diamond " Our May 2007 Western Tour kicked off last weekend good and proper with a drive to The Gaslight in Regina Saturday and an after-show all-nighter to the foothills of the Rockies. Thanks to Rick, Ginette, Suzanne, Hoogie and Rachael for their hospitality (I'm not quite sure how brunch turned into five p.m. but I'm thinking the cheeseboard somehow acts like a magnet for hungry Winnipeg musicians). Now we're holed up at Perpetrators Headquarters West in Edmonton. Since Heather can't do everything herself (it's hard for us to believe, too), we're doing all the behind-the-scenes, office-type things that you might have a hard time picturing a Perpetrator doing but which pave the way for the rock n' roll juggernaut you see rolling from town-to-town and flattening all of the unsuspecting music fans in its path. You know how they say an hour's sleep before midnight is equal to two after? Well, that's how it is for musicians working before noon ("you mean Clark Kent?"). we want your pics for our next album cover As some of you may know, we're going to be recording a live album at the Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club this July, showcasing the band's current take on some of our older (and newer) songs. Make sure you come down and bring your "oh my God, you can hear me screaming on Six Pack!" voice. The last time we asked for your album titles. Well, that worked so well (thanks again, Kirby) that this time we want your pictures (preferably of the Perps but you never know) to put together a collage for the CD cover. More on that to come I know we always say to check our myspace but now, as an added incentive, we've added some new songs. Also, speaking of Times Change(d), videos of last month's CD Release Party are being posted on this decade's Molly Ringwold, the oh-so-popular youtube. May 12th, 2007 As the mercury rises, The Perps are getting restless again. And you know what that means... It's time to hit the road. This tour will take the band across British Columbia right to the Island, including a show at the Railway Club in Vancouver on Sunday, May 20th.
MAY 2007 WESTERN TOUR The weekend of July 13th & 14th marks our return to the site of the band's first ever show, The Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where we'll be recording our first live album. Seating will be limited so get your tickets as soon as you can and don't forget to bring your "Holy s**t! I can hear myself cheering on the album!" voice.
We'll be working our way through what the locals there call "Central Canada" and back west again before the kids are back in school (they're not our kids but they gotta be somebody's...) The fall will see the Perpetrators skipping back across the pond to build on last year's success with another European tour. April 23rd, 2007 OUR NEW CD, "TOW TRUCK" IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE AT CDBABY.
April 14th, 2007 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "TOW TRUCK" CD REVIEW BY ROB WILLIAMS Anyone who has seen a Perpetrators live show knows the local trio isn't strictly a blues band. Oh sure, they can bash those familiar 12 bars into the ground, but they can also duke it out with the best rock bands around. They take the roller-coaster frenzy of their live show and channel in into their third album, kicking things off with a surf-rock instrumental and ending with a frantic jam. In between, vocalist-guitarist Jason Nowicki, bassist Ryan Menard and drummer Chris Bauer dabble in country-blues (Honeypie), fuzzed-out garage (You're Gonna Kill Me), avant-psychedelia (Toe Stub), back-porch country (Josco) and even some distorted boogie-woogie (Happy Friday). Their experimentaion with sounds and genres doesn't mean the end of the kind of music for which they are best known. Blues remains the foundation of much of the material, especially on tracks like I Can't See, Baltimore, Movin' Right Along and Call Me. Tow Truck finds the Juno-nominated group moving from blues-rockers to blues-adventurers, which ain't no crime at all. See for yourself tonight and tomorrow when they release the album at Times Change(d). (4 1/2 Stars) VUE "TOW TRUCK" CD REVIEW BY EDEN MUNRO The Perpetrators' third album opens wide up with the crazy surf-riffing of "The Z-Rays Cured My Hangover." It's surf music, all right, but the kind of out-of-control soundtrack that you'd expect to accompany a dangerous ride through shark-infested waters while you're dripping blood. The disc closes tight at the end with the title track, "Tow Truck," a grimy, grungy, grease-covered groove that creaks and groans while the three Perps scream until you can practically hear their vocal cords ripping and tearing. The sonic landscape between those two bookends veers from the sort of roadhouse blues that usually comes from a stage protected by a chain link fence kind of joint to the pedal-to-the-metal stomp of "You're Gonna Kill Me" to the old school country of "Josco" to the crazy, carnival-rodeo sounds of "R Cowboy" to the apocalyptic wonderland of "Woman of My Dreams." There's a lot of ground covered on Tow Truck, and the album is a fine example of just how good the blues can be when the players are pushing and pulling the music, stirring it up constantly to keep it from stagnating. It's nice to hear a band that continues to evolve naturally instead of chasing the latest musical fad. The Perpetrators do what they do not because it's the cool thing, but because that's who they are. And that's what makes them so damn cool. eden@vueweekly.com April 11th, 2007 For a preview of this weekend's CD Release Party, catch the Perpetrators performing live on UMFM's "From the Floor" at 8 p.m. CST, Thursday, April 12 at 101.5 FM on your radio dial in Winnipeg or online. Don't be surprised if you see us sleeping somewhere on the Fort Garry campus because we'll back on UMFM the next morning at 9 a.m. CST to spin some tracks from our brand new CD, "Tow Truck" on Cretin Radio with Rob Williams. April 10th, 2007 "TOW TRUCK" CD RELEASE THIS FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY! We're very pleased to announce that our CD Release Party has been held over for a third night. This weekend, we'll be at the Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club (234 Main St. at St. Mary, in the gateway to the west, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) Friday, April 13th to Sunday the 15th. We are honoured to have one of our favorite bands, The Sheepdogs, coming in from Saskatoon to open Friday and Saturday nights' shows. Catch at least one of these nights if you can cuz after this we won't be playing around town for a while. Plans are in the works for something extra special in this summer but that's all we're gonna say right now. A little teaser for you, bait the hook and all that... Well, the Montana (a.k.a. the soccer mom mobile) is back on the rental lot. Our Spring 2007 prairie tour was capped off good and proper Saturday night with Andrew Neville and the Poor Choices. Don't be surprised if you hear a song or two about April 7, 2007 at the Auditorium Hotel in Nanton, Alberta, where there was plenty of whiskey and beer, a donkey, an easter egg hunt and two bands singing about Winnipeg, whiskey and beer. Some other tour highlights: All the friends, old and new, who make us wanna keep doing what we do... including a surprise carload of Winnipeggers - Josco, JoMills and Billy "Let 'er Buck" Merritt - who showed up at the Red Onion in Calgary to celebrate Rick "just a guy" Premachuck's big 5-0... All of the staff and sound engineers who were so warm and hospitable... Our best show yet at our #1 home away from home, the Tongue 'n' Groove in L.A., Canada... Our best show yet in Edmonton at the Powerplant (thanks to Heather Shaw for organizing the whole shebang, Caitlin and Ashley for working the merch booth, and The Sheepdogs and Darrek Anderson for kicking ass)... The fine people of Roundhill, Nokomis and Coleman/the Crowsnest (thanks Shawna Hudson) for making us feel so at home (lovin' the small towns)...
The longest day of the tour: (3 a.m.) Before the smoke had cleared the stage from the bar formerly known as Packer's Place in Golden, B.C, we were on the road and headed for the CITY-TV studios in Calgary in time for their breakfast show. March 21st, 2007 Happy Spring, Folks! Here's a head's up of our for all of you Albertans and Saskatchewanians: In support of the brand new album, Tow Truck, The Perpetrators are coming to your town. So start making plans - finding d.d.'s, hiring babysitters, booking the morning after off work, whatever it takes to make it out to the show. See you there...
THE PERPETRATORS SPRING 2007 PRAIRIE TOUR March 15th, 2007 Happy Thursday, Folks! The Perpetrators are excited about hitting the road again next week and particularly about next Saturday (March 24th), when we'll be releasing our CD to Edmontonians at the Power Plant with Darrek Anderson and a great young band from Saskatoon - the Sheepdogs - who we met when we had the pleasure of playing a show with them last year in Sudbury. Trust us, these guys rock. Great songs, a great live band and nice guys to boot. Even if you can't make it to this show, keep your eyes open for the Sheepdogs. We're looking forward to seeing Darrek as we've heard nothing but good things from our Edmonton friends whose opinions we value about such things. Stay tuned for more news... February 12th, 2007 Happy Monday, folks! We had a great time at our first all-ages show at the Label Gallery on Friday night. Thanks to our host, Dan Saidman, all the other performers: Empty Bottle, The Ruckus and emcee/organ maestro Smoking Tiger, and to everybody who braved the wind chill to come to the show. Last night at the Cavern was also a gooder (what? sober Perps?) This weekend (Thursday to Saturday) we return the the historic Windsor Hotel in scenic downtown Winnipeg, where Charlie Chaplin once laid his hat and his head. On a side note, the Sunday night jam at Times Change(d) will not be happening this week as our courteous hosts will be on their way to bask in the Mexican sun (you might be expecting some sarcastic, negative comment here but you're not gonna get it). Good for them, they deserve it. In roughly two months time, on April 13th and 14th, that same Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club (234 Main St. at St. Mary, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) will also be the site of the Official Release of our new album. Cheers! and stay warm... January 31st, 2007 Happy Wednesday, folks! We're as happy as chipmunks in a peanut gallery to announce that our contest was a success. We have a title for our new album and the winner is Kirby Paul of Whitefish Bay, Ontario. Congratulations, Kirby... we're gonna keep the cat in the bag for now but Mr. Paul has been contacted and will receive the previously mentioned plethora of fabulous prizes next time we see him. The official CD Release Party is going to be April 13th and 14th at Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club on the corner of Main & St. Mary in scenic downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. We'd love to see you there. While I've got you here, I'd also like to tell you we've got new videos on Revver and Youtube, including our historic visit to Ryerson Elementary School in the south end of lovely Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Check 'em out and let us know whatcha think. As I've said before many times (welcome to the Department of Redundancy Department) thanks you so much for all your support and miscellanious kindness, we couldn't do it without you... January 24th, 2007 Happy Wednesday, folks! We're pleased to announce that the long wait is over. On Thursday, January 25th at 6:30ish Central Standard Time, Power 97 (97.5 FM in Winnipeg, request line 204-780-7625, to request everywhere else) will be the debuting "You're Gonna Kill Me", the 1st single from our upcoming album. If we can be so bold as to ask a big favour (I know, we ask for alot but I think you're up to this one), we're starting a campaign to get people (that would be you) to call in and request the song. Call every day...hell, call twenty times a day if you have nothing better to do. Of course, if you hear the song and don't like it, we would never ask you to request it but we're keenly hoping that isn't gonna happen... for a lotta reasons. Also, for those of you in the Winnipeg/Peg City area, you can catch us over the next few days on Shaw TV... just keep watching and it'll come around on the rotation. As always, thanks for your ongoing support. While I've got you here... we're still looking for a title for our upcoming album and we'd like to open it up to the public (that's you, too). Email us (band@perps.ca) with any ideas you may have. If we choose yours, you will be lavished with not only love but a plethora fabulous prizes as well, including a copy of the brand new Perpetrators disc named ??? Cheers!
January 17th, 2007
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y!
Happy Wednesday, everyone
As some of you may know, this weekend is not only the anniversary of the High & Lonesome Club but also the 125th of the Fortune building at the corner of Main and St. Mary in lovely downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in which everybody's favorite little bar is located (sorry, Daniel, but you're up against some mighty strong tenure here... talk to me in a coupla years). On Saturday night, you are cordially invited to participate in the fun and festivities with live music provided by us, the D.Rangers and Ms. Romi Mayes. If you wanna pack as much listening pleasure as possible into one evening, here's your chance.
And the perfect warm-up would be to come down to the Cavern on Friday for a dose of Perpetration (am I back in your good books?). We played our first of four Tuesdays at Dylan O'Connors on Pembina last night to a good & rowdy reception. Thank ya south enders for spending (at least part of) your night with us. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday and to quote Kojak (kinda) 'don't forget who loves ya, baby.' On a serious note, our condolences go out to the Stovall family.
We're gonna miss you, Bruce.
December 20th, 2006
Happy Holidays, everybody! Hope Santa is kind to kiddies of all ages. But whatever your beliefs and however you choose to celebrate, here's wishing everyone a great 2007. And remember: Christmas is the perfect time for random acts of kindness. (If you don't believe in Santa, you are truly a deprived, if not depraved, person. haha...) "It may be the shortest day of the year but it's also the longest night."
- ODL The past twelve months have been very good to the Perpetrators and for that we are very thankful. We'll keep on doing what we do if you'll keep doing your part and being so supportive (actually we'll keep doing what we do either way but it makes us extra-happy campers to know that you're rooting for us). Our new album is almost done and is still slated for an early '07 release, followed by coast-to-coast and European tours. We're really excited about this one, proud parents-to-be (and who knows... it just might be a soccer player). Keep checking out the web site and our myspace for tour dates, new pics and other miscellania. Cheers!
December 4, 2006 For some good brunch
music, or if you're curious how the Perps sound on Belgian radio,
listen to Dr. Boogie's radio
show online Sundays from 11 a.m. in Winnipeg (Central Standard
Time)
November 28,
2006 Hi folks, Well, we made it
back from our first hop across the pond and our tour of Germany, The
Netherlands and Belgium. From our first show in an Irish pub under an
Australian pub in Frankfurt where our crowd was Canadian, Aussie or
British (except for the bartender, he was from Los Angeles) to The
Spirit of 66 in Verviers where we were called back for two encores
capped off by a bow at the front of the stage to Alfred Newman's 20th
Century Fox fanfare. We couldn't have asked for a better reception.
Of course, with any success there are many to thank: Walter Trout and the
fellas - Sammy, Rick, Joey, Phil & Andrew, as well as Thomas from
Ruf Records. Pretty great feeling to walk onstage in front of five
hundred people who've never heard of us before and win them over. And
then to do it all over again the next night. All of the
promoters, venue staff and fans. Everybody made us feel so at home.
Vielen dank. Merci beaucoup. There are way too many to mention but a
special thanks goes out to Walter "Dr. Boogie" du Paduwa for spinning
our songs on Belgian radio and inviting us into his home for an
unforgettable night playing for twenty people packed into the Boogie
House. You'd be hard pressed to find a funkier little
venue. Bob MacDonald,
Chuck, Rob Collomb and Leah DeGagne. Familiar faces are always a
welcome sight but especially far from home. We would've been
lost (literally and linguistically) without Georg, our
driver/translator/German tutor and an all around nice guy... so far.
"Germany is great but Georg is greater. Germany builds the car but
Georg drives the car." Also thanks to Robert and Catherine from Gate
to Hell productions for their hospitality, excellent backline gear
and for introducing us to Georg. And of course our
fearless manager, Ms. Heather Shaw, for getting the ball rolling to
begin with and then following through until the idea was a reality.
We couldn't have done it without you. Also, thanks to Johnny
Mac. For the last month
of '06, we'll be spending time with family (thanks to our gals and
other kin for keeping the homefires burning while we trek across the
globe), playing shows around Winnipeg and putting the finishing
touches (paint, light fixtures, that sort of thing) on our third
album, making it right presentable for release in the
Spring.Once
again, thank you all for your support. For video clips from
the tour, check us out at revver.com November 18,
2006 Hello folks, October 24,
2006 Hey
folks, September 16, 2006 Hey folks, September 8, 2006 Happy Friday, everyone! Come and see us at: Then, we'll be taking a coupla weeks off but we'll be doing
a weekend of shows at Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club with
our brothers, bluegrass madmen, The D.Rangers
(<drangers.ca>). We'll keep you abreast of other news as it develops. For
now, we can tell you that our 3rd CD is slated for a January release
date. Cheers! Hi friends, fans and other interested parties, June 7, 2006 "I'm goin' out west where they'll appreciate me" We're happy to announce that, for the first time in nigh a
year, the Perpetrators are heading west, across the boundless praries
that make up the breadbasket of this nation. As we travel these many
miles, we eagerly look forward to the smiling faces, both new and
known, that we will see. Our recent Eastern tour took us as far as la belle province
and was a rousing success on all counts, thanks in no small part to
the tireless efforts and managerial skills of Ms. Heather Shaw. Even
the Big Shmek trembled under the weight of a full-on sonic
Perpetration. Six words: "Toe Stub" at the Silver Dollar. "London, England, consider yourselves warned" Newest Perp, Chris "MAMA" Bauer, proved himself a highly
valuable travel companion with his quick wit and pleasant demanor.
His propensity for ass-kicking when placed behind a trap kit was
never in question. Likewise, the '90 Dodge Ram van also proved highly
valuable: our camel in the Sahara, our yak in the Himalayas, our
tauntaun on the ice world of Hoth. Unfortunately, regulations of a
legal and codified nature directly related to the quality of the
floor of said beast, and regulators in charge of such things, have
deemed the willing beast unsuitable to provide us carriage on this
upcoming trip. Therefore, we must rent and, although we do now have a
Juno nomination under our belts and accolades so accorded, we are
still as poor as church mice. So we hope to see you out at our
shows. Thanks, p.s. We just spent our last band money on t-shirts so please
bring lots of money to the shows and, contrary to popular wisdom, do
spend it all in one place. May 10th, 2006 "The road is hard and the road is tough." - Tenacious
D I'd like to send a big thanks out to Shelagh Rogers, Ian
Clayton, Tim and everybody at the CBC. You've been so good to us. The
Mother Corporation is lovin' the Perps and the Perps are givin' the
lovin' back. Hey folks, April 9, 2006 Hi folks, we're back from the craziness that was Juno
weekend in Halifax. Thanks to our Winnipeg friends that made the trip
out to Nova Scotia to suport us - Seonaid, Megan and the Hooligans'
crew. It wouldn've been nice to have brought back a trophy but
there's always next year and the year after that and the year after
that and... Congratulations to Kenny Wayne for taking home the blues
award. I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish we'd won but Kenny's very
deserving - not only a great player but a true gentleman. Thanks
again to everybody who has supported and encouraged us. We couldn't
do any of this without you. To everybody in Ontario and Quebec (or with friends there):
we're heading out your way in a couple of weeks. Please check our
"gigs page" to see if our tour stops anywhere near you. It's updated
often and we'd love to see you out at a show. March 27, 2006 The greatest band featured on this web site, The
Perpetrators, will be performing live in the studio this Wednesday,
March 29th, at noon on The Grooveyard (CKIC Red River College radio).
If you live less than ten or twelve miles from the Exchange District
(if you don't know where that is, you don't) tune into 92.9 FM. If
not, you can still hear it if your computer-friendly and you have a
friendly computer at www.kick.fm March 24, 2006 Well, we're off to Halifax for the Junos next week. Thanks again, Sharon and the nice folks at the Windsor will be having a
social to send the Perps to Halifax for the Junos. The party's on
Tuesday, March 7th and the ticket price is only five bucks so what
are you waiting for? Windsor Hotel February 16, 2006 The Perps are up for a Juno! February 2,
2006 The Perpetrators The Perpetrators |
