Canadia Beats

Yo, people, know this. A fish can’t change his stripes, and I don’t eat fish. Or animals. As such, I am a vegetarian, and me and a bunch of other vegetarians are throwing a little shin-dig this Sunday at the Kings Arms. It’s part of international Meat Out Day, and there will be a vegetarian barbecue as well as performances by vegetarians. I hear tell there will even be Meat Out Pledges. Y’all know how I dig a good pledge.

The gig starts at 12pm this Sunday 22nd March, and runs until 6pm at the Kings Arms Tavern, France Street South, Newton, Auckland (I know I already mentioned this). Also on the bill: New Telepathics, DJ Balkanetic, Zilko, Lisa Crawley and the Conversations, El Gato Negro, Big Music, DJ Nick F, DJ Canvas and DJ WUT.

It’ll cost a tenner, and the proceeds go to SAFE’s Love Pigs campaign.

Meat out.

And I’m resurrecting this website for the sake of announcing a gig tomorrow night. The patented Canadia gig-getting method has come true once again, in the form of someone I know saying “hey, man, wanna play a gig this week?” People know they can count on me, that’s what this is all about. Until that time the Canadia abides.

Tomorrow night, Wednesday 11th February, 2009, is go time, people. From 8pm Canadia, Bear Cat and Darren Hanlon will be shaking out some jams at the Wine Cellar, St Kevins Arcade, in Auckland. You know: the place where Canadia gets called in for gigs without much warning. It’s like a fun lounge, or maybe the living area at a camp site. Or a Scout Lodge.

For those of you following my progress during NaSoAlMo last November, I’ll have an update for you soon. I just have to check in with Holly and see if she found any of the stuff Eunice was working on before she disappeared.

It is important to note that this Thursday 13 November, some time after 10pm at Whammy Bar in Karangahape Road, I and Gestalt Switch will be playing our last show together. And you should come. It’ll be a right old laugh, a good time, and a gig in a bar.

Support is from George & Queen and Sora Shima. Also from drinking beer, or whatever you prefer. See you there, champs.

The irregularly scheduled train that is Canadia busts back onto the tracks in a convoy of Fun and Good Times on Thursday 5th June. Come see Canadia, Kittentank and Yule at the Wine Cellar from 9pm.

On Saturday 17th May Canadia is performing live in the Onehunga Community Library as part of New Zealand Music Month at Auckland City Libraries. Come down to 85 Church Street at 1pm for good times, and books. And music. Hell, if you’re super-keen we have a children’s story time starting at 10:30am. I never miss it.

Not the first time I’ve played in a library, and I hope not the last. Onehunga’s a cool little library, and Canadia is me. What a formula!

As you may know my trusty iBook G4, Pants, died on Friday 14th March 2008. Well I’m not one to waste time (yes I am), so I’ve gone and recorded an EP, called One Dog Clapping, in tribute to Pants. In less than a week, mind. So I guess that makes up for me sheepishly bowing out of NaSoAlMo.

It’s got five tracks, which you can listen to through the Music page. Not only that, I’ve quickly done a run of copies on CD, which can be bought from me on tour with Marystaple. All proceeds from the EP will go towards me adopting a new laptop and continuing Pants’ legacy.

Two posts in one day? How terribly like me! It must be about time for winter again.

Just a quick note to point out that as of today there is a Canadia Page on Facebook. The whole world is on Facebook, and you should be too! Help provide hungry marketers with personalised data!

There’s some music up there, and all kinds of whizz-bang things I could take advantage of eventually, and one I already have. This is the ability to give far too much information about one gig.

Put your face on my list! Say words on my wall!

I’m finally taking this thing out of the garage and taking it for a few laps around the lagoon. Only I’m taking it much further, really. The Canadia machine has shows booked up and down the country, so let’s hope my metaphor holds up.

Damn, broke the illusion.

Head you on over to the newly created Gigs page to have a look at the shows I’ve got coming up. You’ll notice most of them are part of a Marystaple tour. That’s because those rocking Porirua dudes have asked me to come be ballast on their No Need to be Nervous album release tour, and I do love being ballast.

Want to know more? Marystaple have some tunes on their MySpace page, and the lovely team at Amplifier have posted the whole press release. Oh noes, the inner workings of the industry! I don’t know about the ’staple stuff, but my contribution remains unchanged. They obviously recognise good work when they see it.

The one anomaly on the gigs page is a one-off show at the Kings Arms this Sunday, where I’ll test out the arrangements for this tour. File under experimentation, or maybe just preparedness. Which just seems anathema to me.

See you at the shows, hot sauce!