Joshua Van Tassel

We just hit the highway, roads are clear, so are the skies.The first day of a tour is always an interesting one, thinking about alot of things. It’s exciting to be on the road and have lots of shows ahead, but it’s also daunting for the same reasons. I’m lucky and the three of us in the van are all great friends, and that makes a big difference, makes It a bit easier to be away for a stretch. We’re all happily taken and well kept at that, so it’s a shenanigans free tour, don’t you worry.
I also left my current apartment on Ontario street for the last time. I had a lot of fun there, and made a lot of music, and will miss a lot of things about it. Not the neighbors and the incessant pot smoking by half the floor or the mice and the heat. But other stuff for sure. Like the sword on the wall shown below by Devon the samurai.
That’s all for now. Current van music is -
“Bonnie prince Billy and the Cairo gang “- the wonder show of the world

…..and I’m going again. I’ve been slacker then ever on here, but for various reasons* -

* some reasons more valid then others

- I’m moving and packing is a bitch

- I’ve been playing lots of shows

- I had to get my haircut

- I’ve been playing the Legend of Zelda for Nintendo DS

- I haven’t had time to work on new music and that makes me sad and not want to blog about anything

- my computer is about to explode

ANYWAY I’m starting a month long cross canada tour with my friend and yours Joshua Cockerill. Tonight we play at the Dakota then leave tomorrow and work our way out east, then  back across to almost BC, then back again. I love vans and being in them.

What I’m going to try to do while I’m out  is give you at least a photo a day so you can feel like you’re right there with us, how about that? I promise that as long as there’s cell reception ( which is questionable across certain parts of fair country contrary to what Rogers says you lying bastards) or a wifi I’ll give you something. So wish us luck, come out of you can, and if you can’t keep an eye here. Or both unless you’re winking at the screen or you’re a pirate. Or you actually have real sight problems and I’m an asshole. Never mind.Just keep checking back, it’ll be fun.

xo

Sunshine! Water!beach!dogs!music!coffee! Happy Victoria day.

…….is awesome. Great singer, super interesting song writer, and rocks really really hard. I was lucky enough to play drums on her new record appropriately titled Disaster Fantasies. Chris Stringer produced/engineered it, and I think made my drums better then I could have thought my drums could be sounding.  It kicked my ass in all the right ways, made me play loud and bashing while thinking and feeling all at once. Here’s a particularly spirited tune called No Form. Her release party is July 8th and it should be a fun one, keep an eye out for it.

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ps – I met this pig at a gas station an hour outside of Sudbury this weekend. I don’t know if he liked me. Actually, I don’t know if he could even see me to like me.

The people are super friendly and so are the animals. Our host was kind enough to let us use the local church to do some demo recording, I’ll throw some audio up soon. We’re in Rossport tonight and it’s riculously beautiful here. Back in Toronto tomorrow.

I’ll be in Northern Ontario for a quick tour with Carly and Mark this weekend, so updating may be sketchy or non existent depending on cell reception up there. If I don’t see you earlier, I’ll be back Sunday to regale you with tales of lakes and forest and mosquitoes large enough to ride. Have a great weekend…..

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I’ve spent the past couple weeks chipping away at total weirdo sound pieces, so it’s time to get back to something a little song like at least for today. I’ve had some ideas lurking for the past little while, so I figured its high time for some documentation before things get busy with summer and touring etc. The idea is to assemble a little dream team I have in mind together in late August, track a few things, and then take all the fun little sounds and sonic tricks I’ve been collecting and pour them all over the otherwise acoustic pieces making a nice messy mess. I’ve not been one to actually follow my own schedules very well, so feel free to verbally and email-ally kick my ass if things get off track. I’ll make up some excuse that will hopefully be convincing, then stay up for the next three days feverishly music making in shame.

Anyway, above are 2 ideas that I honestly don’t know what will happen with. Its hard for me to not fill them up with tons of instruments and color, because that’s what I rely on so heavily to make up for lack of song writing ability. They could end up being shorter, longer, faster, who knows. That’s the exciting part about this stage for me, things could go anywhere, including no where I suppose.