Joshua Van Tassel

(can’t see the full post? Because facebook is absurd. Go to www.joshuavt.com for the real thing)

My favourite record label Soundway, that I’ve talked about at least 4 other times on the site, has done it again and introduced a whole new world of music to me, literally. This time around we’re listening to “The Sound of Siam”, music from 60′s and 70′s Thailand. Really funky, psychedelic, and quite beautiful, it’s moving music that makes me want to move in a very Thai way. Whatever that means. Anyway, check out the site for more info…..

In other news, December means lots of time for me to get busy and practice and make some things again. I got a composition grant from the Ontario Arts Council which I really really really appreciate big time, so I’d better not let them or myself or anyone else down. In other other news, I had a coffee from Rocket Fuel on Parliament and it damned near gave me a heart attack. It’s been four hours and I still feel like an unstable human.

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every day. Stringer is breaking us down, little by little, to mold our sound into what his own nefarious mind desires.

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It comes in all shapes and sizes and types here folks. Everywhere you turn another star falls as one more rises. This man too shall have his time, mark my words.

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Mandobass!!!

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We’re making a record and it’s fun. My job is to play drums and percussion and hang out with some of my best friends and coincidentally favorite songwriter/musicians. That’s a great job if you ask me. I”m very lucky and I know it, don’t you worry.

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looong drive and saw too much of this for my liking.

Heading into the studio with Kate Rogers tomorrow, we’re excited, great new songs and working with Chris Stringer producing who is my favorite. He looks like a bear and he has a big smile, and he gets amazing sounds. Good combination.

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(on facebook? Go to www.joshuavt.com for the full post)

Played beaver mines last night, a town you would miss if you blinked 4 times at a place called Stellas, and it was awesome. Saw and talked to some real life cowboys who know to dance and definitely know how to drink. By 9 one of them was intoxicated enough that he got literally carried to the back of his truck to pass out, and by 10 he was back in the bar looking for a drink and a two step. They also had three cats around the bar and a fireplace, which is on my imaginary rider for gigs. Should be union rules I tell you what.
We head to Saskatoon tonight for the second last show of the tour. It’s been a show every night since we left, and we’re all feeling it, but having fun, playing well, and spending lots of time discussing if the new Taylor Swift record is better then the last.

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Had a great night in Calgary last night. Saw some really great fellow nova scotioners who just relocated out here, which is a tough thing to do, I know. Calgary is such a different city then Halifax or even Toronto. It’s so spread out and still spreading that it makes walking around and discovering a cool neighborhood a bit of an impossibility. There’s definitely really cool parts to this city, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that as a newcomer it’s not the most welcoming or accessible of places. Is that offensive to calgarians? I don’t mean it to be, the people here are great.
Cockerills brother has 2 giant beast dogs named Dude and Gordon. I tried wrestling with even one of them and got paw bitch slapped hard enough that it knocked my glasses off. Lesson learned. Pit the two against each other though and you’ve got a fair fight. They’re also the sweetest most loving animals I’ve met.

Tour is going great, good shows and people, but very weird weather. We’re currently in a snow storm, but yesterday we were in a giant fog? I actually really like driving through Saskatchewan but I can’t see much lately. Headed to Calgary for tonight, should be fun.