The air has cooled and the light has changed. And so the transition begins into the next chapter of the year. It's been a good summer despite the rain – which has made me homesick for Scotland and my mum's soup – but I look forward to the fall and the adventures it will bring. The Celtic part of me will enjoy rocking out at the Owen Sound Celtic Festival and the rootsy country part is looking forward to a Gospel Showcase at the Canadian Country Music Conference this September in Winnipeg. This fall, I hope to bring my new record into its final stages. Check out the Live Dates to see where I'm making music and test driving some of the latest tunes. You'll often find a great session at my weekly Sunday gig at Mullins' Pub on Kingston Rd. in Toronto so bring your voice, instruments and ears for a good old time.
Thanks for checking in. I hope to see you soon.
Peace,
David
March 3, 2008
WHAT ABOUT SOME WARMER WEATHER!?
Never mind the winter! That's what I am telling myself these days. I am looking past the bitter cold windchills and messy sidewalks and visualizing how my spring and summer schedule will look. It's shaping up nicely and I am looking forward to getting out on the road and playing lots of shows this year. Please keep checking back here regularly and see if I am playing in a town near you.
It may not have been first place but I finished 10th place in the Mix 99.9 FM song competition with a song called " Heart Attack" co-written with Doug Romanow. While it never won, it's still nice to place in the top 10 out of more than 1500 entries with a new song, and my first rock entry in a while.
Speaking of songs, I am back on the song trail to Nashville next month on a writing trip. I will be writing with a bunch of talented folks down there hoping to find some magic in the air. My album is slowly but surely coming together and hopefully you'll find it worth the wait. As my mum used to say "you have to let all the ingredients slowly combine to make a great soup", so you could say I'm still stirring the pot!
Yours in song,
David
September 28, 2007
FALL NEWS Now that we have passed the autumnal equinox I thought it would as good a time as any to send you a little fall news and let you know what's going on.
A "SONG FROM THE HEART" WINNER I was delighted to learn that the song "Freedom By The Barrel" co-written with Alec Steinwall won the political category of the Ontario Council Of Folk Festivals "Songs From The Heart" contest. I have been invited to perform the tune at the conference next month in London, Ontario and look forward to spreading the words and music around.
COUNTRY MUSIC WEEK IN REGINA Earlier this month I traveled to Regina, Saskatchewan to perform as part of the Songwriters' Café during Canadian Country Music Week. My songs went over really well and I made some new friends and contacts. I also acted as a "guinea pig" at a Tom Jackson workshop - Tom is one of the world's top performance coaches. It was a learning and ego bruising experience to be under the microscope but I came through it with some new insights so look out for the "new and improved" David Leask at the next show!
A SPECIAL CONCERT I have a very special concert coming up at the new Rose Theatre in Brampton on Friday October 12th which will include some fab acts like guitarist Rik Emmett of Triumph fame. The reason this will be a special night, is not just because of the talent, but because it is a fundraiser for a close friend and fellow musician, Amy Doolittle, who is battling ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
I met Amy 10 years ago through the Mississauga Arts Council where she worked tirelessly to promote artists in her city and we became fast friends. This vivacious woman in her 40's has been a flute player and singer for years and now, because of the disease, has to face the fact that her joy of playing will be gone. The costs she and her family face in customizing their home to deal with her ongoing muscle degeneration will amount to as much as $50,000 hence, the coming together of the arts community to present this concert.
It would be great to have your support by buying a ticket for the concert. Please follow this link to The Concert web site where you can purchase your tickets.
Thanks for your support.
David
July 20, 2007
Summer 2007 Greetings Everyone,
Is it just me or do the summer months move at a faster clip than normal? There always seems to be so much going on it's hard to sit back and catch your breath. Although maybe that's just the high level of smog days!
I've had some fun gigging so far this summer and there's been a bit of nautical theme. I was on the "L'Art Boat" as part of the Toronto Luminato Festival and then played 2 nights on the tall ship "Empire Sandy" so I'm definitely getting my sea legs. I have some more gigging adventures coming up so please check the Live Dates page for more details.
SONG CONTESTS I was delighted to learn that I had placed second in the Unisong International Song Contest Topical/Political category for "Freedom By The Barrel" - co-written with Alec Steinwall. That same song and the song "Between Him and Me" (co- written with my wife Mary Ellen) got me selected for the Canadian Finals of the Mountain Stage New Song Contest which means I will be performing at the final in Toronto at the NOW Lounge on Monday July 23rd. It's kind of like a North American Singer-Songwriter Idol -just kidding. It's actually a cool way to bring artists together from across Canada who have been selected because of their songs and should make for a wonderful evening of music. The winner from that night will be selected to represent Canada at the Grand Final in New York in September. I'd love to have your support at the NOW Lounge if you are anywhere near Toronto on July 23rd .
ALBUM UPDATE I am still riding the wave of excitement from last month when I went into the studio and cut six brand new songs live of the floor with some awesome session players and my old pal Michael Banton-Jones engineering the sounds. I still have more work to do but am hopeful I will have another album by the end of the year.
RUGBY & GUINNESS A friend of mine, Shiraz Tayeb, recently wrote a song for the Canadian Rugby Team to help inspire them at the Rugby World Cup this fall in France as part of a competition run by Guinness. He asked me to sing the song "One For The Lads" and as I have been known to drink Guinness and play rugby - although not at the same time, I agreed to add my voice! You can add yours and vote for his song by following the link below and clicking on "we need a song". Take me to www.guinness.ca
