start the scratch tracks

Well Christmas came and went and now I've some more time to myself. The second week of January marks the official beginnings of the production process for my new full-length album. I'll be heading up to Three Hills to see Mark Troyer at the Muzik Haus - where we'll start recording scratch tracks and narrowing down the final selection of songs for the album. I'm really excited about the new material that I've come up with since the release of 'the RED ep' and I hope you're all looking forward to hearing it as well. Happy belated holidays folks.

-J04L

new site complete

The new website is finally done and I'm stoked to have it all done with for now. There is some pretty cool stuff to check out - especially the option to 'Partner' with me on the new album. Check it out!

-J04L

new website approaches

Yes, finally, an updated website is on the way. I'm stoked to have it up and running and there will be lots of cool things to check out - especially partnering on the new full length album!

I hope everyone in my hometown, Calgary, is liking this weather better than me. The winter has really been getting my goat the past couple of years. Hopefully this will be a mild one.

-J04L

dry bones

The past month has been an interesting time for me. I've spent lots of time in reflection and have been having many realizations about the lifestyle that I had been living for the last 5 years. It's been a very rough road at times, filled with ups and downs, and yet somehow, I've been seen through it all.

I was able to shoot this video right before I took off to Holland this past Summer, and there is almost a hauntingly prophetic quality to it. I hope you're able to reflect upon it.

-J04L

busy time of year

I figured I'd throw out a quick update if I ever want this blogging thing to become a reality. A lot of things have been happening this past while and time management and organization have never been my strong points. Seems there's something in the air... driving me wild - and all over the place at the same time! I was out in Victoria a couple weekends ago, and then up in Edmonton last week.

I've finished off a few work commitments for the next while so I'll be sitting down this week(end) and actually begin recording the scratch tracks needed for pre-production. I'm quite excited to do this cause the new songs are KILLER.

Amsterdamned Video

This past Summer I had the pleasure of touring in Europe for my first time. Late one night, while I was in the Netherlands, I was walking around Leiden Centraal and I stumbled across an 'antikraak' pad that was filled with paintings and other artwork. My curiosity got the best of me and I wandered into the building to see if the space was inhabited.  I was immediately greeted by a man who introduced himself as "Justus the painter".  He gave me a brief tour through his antikraak gallery and we ended up chatting into the wee hours of the morning, talking of life, love, music, and song.

I was so inspired while I was there that I decided to film a live performance.  I ended up shooting a video for the song 'Amsterdamned' - a song that talks about the traveling lifestyle, the struggles therein, and the self-reflection that almost always ensues.

Justus Donker is a talented painter currently based out of Leiden, Netherlands.  He was recently featured in an article in the Leiden University newspaper.  Check out his his website and admire his works - I know I certainly enjoyed them.

-J04L

fabulous fun at the farm

Last night I performed at Festival at the Farm - and it was a blast! This was my second year performing, and it actually marked the second festival this Summer where I played on a flatbed truck stage. Very exciting stuff. There's something about rocking out in the back of a truck that just gets the Albertan blood pumping. The whole atmosphere of the event was super chill and I'm really looking forward to next year!

Some of my great musically talented friends performed at the festival as well - and as usual rocked it. Lauren Mann and Katelyn Steinwand are two local gals that you should definitely check out - and listen to their music as well. (Hahaha - see what I did there?)

To finish off this post I'll leave you with a quote from last night:

"Life without music and art? Uh... fail."

-J04L

'Hollandbound' 2009

This past summer during the months of June and July I flew to the Netherlands with my younger brother, Jonah.  We shared all sorts of exciting experiences: hitchhiking, meeting all sorts of new people, pseudo-physical altercations, the most epic soccer games ever, an incredible wedding in the forests of Belgium, and a host of other adventures.

This time spent traveling also marked my first official performance in Europe - at Opwekking Festival - which turned into a 18 date tour through the Netherlands and Belgium, called the 'Hollandbound Tour'.  I've compiled a brief series of clips from some of the footage we shot during the trip.  Many of my good Dutch and Belgian friends are featured throughout the video; who can guess them all?



I plan to be back in Europe again next year for more tour dates - this time hitting a few extra countries along the way. If you know of events or festivals that would make a good fit, fire me an e-mail.

Shout-outs to all of my favorite Dutchies! I love you and miss you all!

-J04L

25 songs!?

So last night my good buddy Jon Purschke and I sat down to review the possible songs for the full length.  By the time we finished, several hours had passed and I had a chicken-scrawled list of 25 songs to choose from... How did this happen?

Just so you know, we're looking at putting 12 songs on the new full length - and it's gonna turn out to be quite the eclectic record.  I'm very excited and getting ready to begin on pre-production in a month or so from now.

-J04L

a functioning blog ...finally.

Yes indeed I've finally got a functioning blog up and running.  I know that it really shouldn't have taken me so long, but it's here, it's functioning, and I'm pretty happy with the layout.  I'll be releasing an updated version of my official website in the coming weeks as well, so keep posted.  There is so much happening right now and I'm really excited to share some of the most recent developments with you.

For now, however, you can kick back and take it easy.  I suggest listening to some of the soothing tunes off  my newest release: 'the RED ep' on myspace, and leave a comment if you have anything to say.

I look forward to hearing from you all.

Much love,

-J04L