*for Canadians 2 new shows to tell you about. But first, some news: Last week I spent some time in the studio. If you're not an artist, you may not have spent much time in studios. Let me contextualize it for you, because I like you and because that's what bloggers do: (Note: let me also preface this by saying I loved my experience and I recommend Aman, the engineer I worked with, and the studio itself wholeheartedly to anyone interested in a professional experience.) The studio of the modern, indie artist is not the giant wooden expanse you see on "That Thing You Do." (Thanks, Hanx.) These are one, maybe two-room affairs that would embarrass your average cubicle-dweller. In fact, this studio had cubicles in it. The soundroom is downstairs, and the upstairs is crammed full of expensive things. Climb the stairs and turn left; here's a large computer interface where Aman sits. Then, turn right and see a frightening tower of amps and wires. Pull up a microphone, put on some headphones (or 'cans,' as we call them in the industry), and let's do this thing. Still, glamourous or not it was a grand old time, and I think Aman and I came out of it with some great tracks. I'll keep you posted on the results! I have two new shows up on the Tour page of this illustrious website! If you enjoy white males singing into microphones at various volumes, please come see me play at the British Ex-Servicemen's Society and Raw Canvas in November. Both are going to be great shows, and I will keep you posted when I find out who's going to be opening. As always, I'll leave you with a riddle of a video (apologies to old fans who've seen this before - I just can't get enough of this gold): CFord is out! I love you guys!!
-CFord
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Begin the Halloween countdown, ladies and gentlemen! I've been thinking of going as the MacKeeper guy (note - please, please, please don't download MacKeeper), but it's hard to say if that would have a big enough audience to 'get' the costume. You really have to walk a fine line between an easy joke and obscurity. Not that there's anything wrong with obscure costumes - I applaud anyone who's willing to stand up and be counted as weird. There will be a Christopher Ford show on Saturday October 13th at the Princeton Pub in Vancouver. Joining me will be my friends Jess Martin (Jess, if you're out there, send me links to your stuff so that I can tell everyone about your music!) and Dylan Murphy (a Galway lad who's relatively new to Vancouver). If you need more details, let me know - the venue's mapped to Google on the Tour page. Big news indeed as this is the first headlining show I've put on since moving to Vancouver! Please all come out and, y'know, take pictures and stuff! Here's the Facebook event if you want to RSVP - http://www.facebook.com/events/287313134717109. That's right, this will be the 287,313,134,717,109th Facebook event. What a special night! Also, a show is shaping up in November at the Raw Canvas downtown. No firm date yet but it's bouncing back and forth between a couple of weeks; I'll keep you posted when we finally nail down the slot. Mad props this week go to my beautiful wife for successfully getting older! All the best, babe! And of course, no CFord bloggery is complete without an unrelated music video. This week's UMV? Not Gagnam Style (which I'll admit was a tempting choice), but a stuffed boiled-goose's worth of The Lonely Island: Stock tip - buy stocks in fingerless gloves. Thanks everyone, see you in a week!
-CFord First: Here's a collection of cat sweaters. Second, I got iced last night. That's right, iced (the bizzare frat trend from a couple years ago). But it was still a great night - many thanks to everyone who came out to the show. Unfortunately, it seems there was some confusion between exactly *which* Trees Organic I was playing at; if you're one of the poor souls who got duped and trickled in at the end of the set, then my thoughts and sincere concerns go out to you. Third, an update on what I'm working on at the moment. I will be heading into the studio again very soon - and for the first time in, well, ever, that studio will not be mine. I admit that the thought of not being the sole creative presence in the recording process scares me. To my hardcore fans I realize that this news may come as a bit of a surprise, considering I just released my second self-pressed album this summer. However, there was a lot left off of that collection, which was really sort of a 'best of' collection of work I had done since 2009 and "Secrets for the Sleeping Giants." There's actually quite a bit that I've been holding a little closer to my chest - a great example is the song I took on tour this summer - and I'm planning on taking a few of those to what I hope will be a higher level than what I've been able to produce on my own. I don't have hard dates as to when I'll have a product for you guys, but I am optimistic that I'll deliver you something before Christmas. It won't be an album. It might not even be an EP. Let's just call it a surprise. The Community episode where the Dean and Jeff sing "Kiss from a Rose" is playing in the background as I'm typing this. In the spirit of 'misery loves company,' please watch the official video by Seal (below) and join me in having this song stuck in your head for what I would estimate is going to be a heck of a week: You're welcome, y'all. Cheers for now and I'll check in with you guys again soon.
Peace, CFord I'm waiting for the opportune moment to make some eggs. Cath is talking to a girlfriend and it's impossible to predict when she'll be done, but she asked me to start making eggs 'halfway through' the conversation. To be fair, the concept of breakfast is something that appeals to me as well, but let's face it - the risk of 'jumping the gun' and having her eggs being disappointingly cold when she gets off the phone is pretty high. I think instead I'm going to update you all on my movings and shakings over the past week. We had two good shows on Tuesday and Thursday at the Cellar and the Princeton. Tuesday Night Music Club at the Cellar was tons of fun, with great bands and a huge crowd. I'd definitely recommend it to any artist or fan, and the crew that organize it are a hardworking bunch. I myself experienced some technical difficulties, but the MC laid some schtick down atop my troubles and the crowd didn't notice a thing. Mad respect! Thursday at the Princeton was also a great time - the venue has, erm, lots of character, and the crowd was attentive if not overflowing. I had a great time getting to know the other performers on Thursday - Dan Hudson was especially amazing, but everyone we saw was talented and soulful. I met a decidedly interesting and unabashedly friendly Tom Petty impersonator named Dan Mathieson. I was told I look like a man named Feargal Sharkey of the Irish 80s punk/new wave band The Undertones: We also managed to get a good video of Nothing on Me - it's over here at the videos section. I'm working on getting that and a couple of other songs recorded and deployed to my loyal fans; stay tuned for more info...
That's all for me right now - don't forget to check out my next show at Trees Organic (Water Street) on September 15th! Peace, my friends. -CFord New show booked for the 30th of August - it's a pass-the-hat situation at the Princeton Pub on Victoria and Powell. Expect the unexpected and I suspect you'll enjoy yourselves! Also: Cath and I have been watching (well, for the most part, re-watching) the 90s cult sci-fi Jerry O'Connell vehicle Sliders. We started it on our honeymoon, and most of it is set in San Francisco, so it's really been a way to extend the romance of those two weeks. At least, I seem to have convinced my wife of that fact, because she's just as into it as I am. Conceptually speaking, I remember the show from childhood, and I watched a bit of the first season in reruns during the last year of university, but most of the plots and characterization are new to me. It's actually remarkable how differently you perceive a show as a child: from major details (an adolescent Me remembered Professor Arturo as the villain of the series) to minor ones (I have no memory of any of the characters - ever - referring to Rembrandt Brown as "The Crying Man," despite their insistence on doing so at least twice an episode). It's also a lesson in adult versus childhood expectations from a TV show. The first two seasons boasted low production values, a 90s guitar-driven opening credits series, and thoughtful explorations of alternate history. The third season, which we're halfway through, has marked a pointed turn: the production values appear to have improved considerably, with major changes in lighting and editing, but it seems to have come at the expense of plotlines. It's almost as if the studio re-structured the entire budget of the series, but rather than trying to work with what was already there, siphoned the money out of the only thing that had made the series successful (the writing) so that they could blow more things up (and make a CGI dragon). But it's fun. I can say decisively that I like Sliders. I'm not sure why I'm blogging about this here; I felt compelled. I just thought you all should know. Before I sign out (see you at the shows next week - Tuesday at The Cellar and Thursday at The Princeton), I'm just going to leave this here: B-bye now!
-CFord CFord, back in the house!! And that house got a little more crowded... I'm married now. It rocks. So hard. Harder than Zep. We had an awesome honeymoon, ate a lot of Mexican food, beached, pooled, drove, slept in, and ate a lot of Mexican food. We also fed some Galapagos tortoises at the San Diego Zoo. Not Mexican food. Kale. We probably should've had some kale ourselves, but there was just so much Mexican food to be had. Chips, salsa, burritos, you name it! In serious business, I've got another show lined up for August, so check that out on the tour page. I've also got pictures back from the shoot we did in June with Katrina Gurr. THEY ARE SO RAD. I will put them up tonight and you will see. THEY ARE REALLY RAD. Here's one: So handsome.
I have a few new duties as a husband that I should've seen coming - we have some new furniture to build, some old pictures to put on new walls, and some things to hang from the ceiling. Apparently this is a man's job. I went to the hardware section of Walmart in search of flathead screws and felt strangely self-actualized. I am a man. And a husband, now. And of course, to all of you I remain a devoted art-provider, and I have even more exciting things in the works. Until then, keep tuned and stay posted. Or something like that. CFORD OUT! Hey there ho there CFord fans!! I just thought I'd poke my head in to give you a quick update, then I'll be on my way (I know you're all very busy with your 3-piece suits and your horse jumping). A couple of announcements are in order: first, I'm a week and a half away from marital bliss and two weeks of honeymooning in California! Pretty big news, pretty exciting, pretty standard rock'n'roll lifestyle. I try not to let it go to my head. I have been working on lining up some shows for September and later on into the fall, and I'm pleased as punch to announce I've got a small gig lined up on Saturday, September 15th at Trees Organic Cafe (Water Street). Come one, come all, come showering apples (see picture for more information on that last point). Despite the packed schedule, I also managed to squeak in a photo shoot with a great local photographer - Katrina Gurr. Hopefully by the time I'm back from California's beaches (one tan heavier) I'll have the results for you. In the meantime, you can check out Katrina's website at www.katrinagurr.com. Anyways, that's all for now, homies far and wide! The new CFord website is go for launch, and now you can spend your lunches, evenings, and weekends checking in for the latest CFord bloggitude. We've added some videos, some links to CFord meccas around the web, a gallery of some of the things your guy's been up to, as well as some general information about the enigmatic yet ebullient Christopher Ford. Tunes continue to be hosted by our good pals at ReverbNation, so head on over there (follow the 'Music' link) if you'd like to hear some tasty jams. Anyways, explore a little bit and check back over the coming weeks for more content and updates!
Best intentions, CFord Major, major thanks to everyone who came out during the tour - whether you were in Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna, Edmonton, or Calgary; whether you were there in spirit or there clapping along. This was an amazing experience: I learned a lot, made some great connections, played the biggest stages I've ever played, rocked a few houses, and brought a few rhymes. One of the most exciting things about being on the tour - in fact, top three after getting to see Campus Thieves every night and watching This is Spinal Tap with a bus full of rock'n'rollers - is that so many high-quality pictures and videos were taken of the performances. I'm going to do my best to hunt down as many as I can so that you guys can see what all the venues looked like and watch me play the songs over and over (I choose to believe that all of my fans click 'play' again after every song finishes). Incidentally, for those of you who came out to every show but Kelowna (overly dramatic sad face), you heard a song of mine you probably hadn't heard before - Nothing On Me, which is a new rock-steady beat that I've been dropping on unsuspecting ears for only a few months. I expect we'll get a high-quality video of that song up on the site here and follow that with a recording after this marriage business settles down. CFord out (for now)! |