Joshua Van Tassel

Lots of my favorite people are from Truro, NS, and so is the best open mic in the world.

….would love this. I grew up in NS for 20 years and didn’t think this actually happens, but here is the proof Ontario.

People actually get together in pub just to play music for fun in the Maritimes.

Not for an audience, not for fame, money, or sponsorships from deodorant companies, but because they want to. Everyone wins in this relationship: the pub is happy because they have a real live genuine tourist attraction hanging out in their business drawing a crowd. The crowd is happy because they get to hear great music, but not too loud of course, if you can’t talk over it it’s just annoying, right? And most of all the musicians are happy because they’re having fun playing music. The key word is playing. It’s fun. We love doing it. Here it is in multimedia form - - -

If you were a guard on Citadel Hill this is what you would see/hear for a really big part of your day. I saw some kids with rifles who I followed for a while in hopes they were going to fire them, but security seemed to think I looked “threatening”. hey man, I’m not the one with the rifle.

I’ve been able to spend the last few days at my folk’s place and it’s been great. This is what it sounds like here during the day -

Don’t hear anything? Me either. Because it’s soooo quiet. I love it.

Here’s a picture of possibly the best place to eat lunch in the world, according to not just myself. The La Have Bakery. It’s a super interesting building, housing a bakery, skate board shop, a hostel, conference room, craft co-op, you name it.

Only in northern New Brunswick would you see our finest in red blaze through the ditches of the trans canada highway mounted on beasts of snow and steel. Actually, you could probably see it in every province but whatever, I hadn’t seen it til yesterday.

I’m back in Halifax after an amazing long weekend in NB with David Myles. We played quiet and people seemed to be really into it. There’s so many amazing venues and people around here that really care about music; it’s super inspiring. One of the theaters was attached to a high school and I couldn’t resist hearing that old locker banging sound and running down the hall. It’s as rebellious as I get - 27 and sprinting gleefully through a dark empty hallway. Bad ass, I know.

Renaissance man D. Myles. he talks real talk. 

Those are actually red lasers that burn my wrists when I play too loudly. I can show you the marks. 

My friend’s record player makes sounds like this.

This morning I’m in Saint John, NB ( where apparently there was a giant fire in 1877). As I discovered last night DO NOT cal it Saint John’SSSSS, because that my friend, is in Newfoundland and people take that very seriously here. The shows are going great, we’re in a small town called Hampton tonight and everyone here says that it’s a rocking little place. We got a board recording of the show last night so once I get a chance to chop it up I’ll post something here.

Everything smiles in the maritimes. everything.

Here’s a NS cab driver’s thoughts on drunk people and red bull,

and a picture of my good friend Butch playing Galga. Old school arcade games make me happy. In other news I’m very sick and partially delirious.

And I’m back. It’s been a couple of soundless days, I know. The tour is going super well. We’ve played 2 shows that were he quietest most intense experiences I’ve had in a long time. Quiet enough that I can literally run a single brush strand against my nare drum, and people in the back of the theater here it. I love it. Here’s a photo from the Astor theater in liverpool courtesy of my sister Rita, dig the salmon background.

I’ve been meeting some interesting folk around the city as well. There’s a man who walks from open mic to open mic wearing his guitar and a portable amp, practicing all the way. I was across the street when he walked by, but you can still hear it . . .

And here’s the sound of an old school cash register at one of my favorite places in the world, the La Have bakery.

More to come later…

Liverpool at night, jut before we found a dog skeleton. Long story.

This is another one of the promising warm weather sounds: the bbq. Delicious , warm, smoky goodness. If you close your eyes you can almost convince yourself that everywhere is as warm as the radius of heat given off by the grill when you stand next to it…..

I like my steak well documented.