news archive
january 5th: happy new year, everyone.
i'm just putting the finishing touches on my packing job. in a few hours (weather permitting) i'll be on a flight to new york. the new CRANKED company and i are on our way to the new victory theater in the heart of manhattan for a three week run off-broadway. what a way to kick off the 2009 tour. for details, check out the theatre page.
this of course means that there'll be little to no acoustic music on my horizon for awhile. the show requires a lot of creative (not to mention vocal) energy, and leaves little room for other endeavours. in the meantime, you can continue listening to "all my expectations" here, and head to youtube to check out a couple of my newer songs as performed last summer. there's "grace" and "sunstroke", both from pride's "picnic in the park"; my version of prince's "when you were mine", live at c'est what in toronto; and a rendition of "midway" recorded live in front of an actual ferris wheel. sound quality is hit or miss, but you'll get the idea.
see you in new york!
october 11th: yikes. almost four months since my last update.
i'm sitting outside wicked cafe; on what might well be one of the last sunny afternoons of the year. i just finished doing an interview for Téléjournal, vancouver's french CBC newscast, about the history boys. there's been a lot of publicity for this show (including some great reviews), as well as a fair amount of buzz around town. in fact, audiences have been so positive that they've just announced a one-week holdover. this gives you all three more weeks to see it, which you should, not only because it's my first mainstage show in vancouver, but also because it's a solid piece with great performances across the board. check out the theatre page for details.
on the music front, there is little to report. a few weeks ago, i went to see my friend andrew austin play at the wired monk cafe; in kitsilano, and ended up playing a few songs at the open mic that followed. after playing for beer gardens during pride, it was a real treat to play indoors. i even got to play a nice, quiet rendition of "my songbird". i think it went over well.
i've also posted some footage on youtube. check out performances of two of my newer songs, "sunstroke" and "grace", both at pride's "picnic in the park". sound quality is not tremendous, but it's a taste. this one's a little tidier: my version of prince's "when you were mine", live at c'est what in toronto. there's also a version of "midway" recorded live in front of an actual ferris wheel; the midway sounds override the song a bit, but it's charming in its way. hope you enjoy.
i've got a fair amount of free time these days, doing shows at night and having no day job (what a priviledge and a thrill, by the way!), and so i've decided to spend some time renovating around here. i'll be putting up some new shots on the photography page, adjust this, tweak that. feel free to let me know what you think.
july 27th: a lazy sunday off. what a treat.
thanks to everyone who came out to the pride festivities. playing outdoors is a challenge for someone who writes wordy folksongs, but it's always fun to get out and perform. especially when there are actually a few new songs to be played. i'm working on getting some footage from my performances up on youtube and i'll post links here when they're ready.
in the meantime, it looks like some more downtime for me. just working and relaxing on my balcony, as well as gearing up for a busy 08/09 season. things start off with my first mainstage gig in vancouver, playing "Rudge" in the history boys at the arts club in september/october, which is going to be a blast. this will be followed by another 5-6 month tour of CRANKED beginning in january at the new victory theater in new york city. should be a great year.
july 18th: another gig, all of a sudden.
i'm playing a short set at another pride event this weekend. i'll be onstage at gayday at playland around 12:45. if you're into good music and roller coasters, it's the place to be! and if you wanna get in on the gayday support, wear something red. those are the rules, apparently.
and as i mentioned before, i'll be playing picnic in the park, another family-oriented pride event, next saturday the 26th. this one's free, so i hope some of you will come down & enjoy.
check out the gigs page for info on both shows.
june 24th: couple of upcoming things.
i'm playing this saturday, june 28th, at east side pride in grandview park. i had fun playing there last year and got some really warm feedback, so i'm happy to be doing it again this year. i'll be playing a short set around 1:45. hopefully the sunshine that's pouring in my window will still be around to keep us all warm in the park!
i'll also be playing a set at picnic in the park, another family-oriented pride event. it's at the brockton oval in stanley park on july 26th. check out the gigs page for details on both shows.
apart from that, i'm just settling in to a new job and visiting old friends. it's good to be back in vancouver. i've been seeing some fantastic shows, which i've written about (extensively) on the theatre page, and enjoying the comfort of familiar surroundings.
oh, and if you're looking for some great music, check out veda hille's new record, this riot life. amazing work. gripping and inspiring. go listen to it. now.
june 2nd: wow. i'm writing this from my own living room.
can you believe it?
i barely can. i mean, i've been here a little while now. but the tour only ended last friday so i'm kinda still settling in and feeling a little discombobulated. it's strange to come home after five months. strange but good. my apartment's a total mess and i'm not sure what i'll be doing for the next little while (well, for the next seven months, i guess), but i'm happy to be here.
at least the next two weeks should be fairly busy 'cause there's a lot of good theatre happening in town. had the great pleasure of seeing the leaky heaven circus' production of "bone in her teeth" and it was gorgeous. wild and wacky and poignant and biting and utterly insane. it closed last night, so i hope you saw it.
if not, check out the magnetic north theatre festival, opening this week, with all kinds of work from across canada flowing into vancouver for 10 days. well worth checking out. i don't know much about what's playing but i must highly recommend blood.claat written and performed by d'bi.young.anitafrika. it's a stunning show and an unmissable performance.
there's another event i must mention, called HIVE2. 11 different shows by 11 of vancouver's best independent theatre companies, all running concurrently in the same space with audience members wandering around, trying to find their way into each piece. the original HIVE, mounted in 2006, was fantastic, and the reprise promises to be even better, so check it out. plus there's live music from some of canada's best indie bands, curated by none other than veda hille. come for the theatre and stay for the tunes.
so i'll have a few weeks of buzzing around, seeing shows, volunteering, and hoping to get some relaxation and recuperation in there, too. after which i guess i'll make some plans. wish me luck.
may 18th: a dreary day in toronto...
a day for paperwork, knitting and catching up on things. (yes, knitting -- it's a time-consuming and productive pastime. great for tour.) and of course, watching trashy tv. anyone ever seen celebrity rehab? yeesh. i'm really looking forward to getting home where i don't have cable and won't even be able to watch stuff like this.
our last performance of CRANKED is scheduled for may 30th, in brackendale, BC. after that, there will be time to relax and recover from five months of tour. which is not to say that this hasn't been an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable experience, which it has. from vancouver to charlottetown, response to the show has been stellar, (check out the review in the toroto star as an example), and while i haven't seen the totals i'd guess we've performed for at least 15 to 20,000 people this year. congratulations to green thumb on another successful run.
most importantly, i want to acknowledge the talents and dedication of two people, evan bee and natalie macgregor. as dj bee-side and stage manager extraordinaire, respectively, they have made the show what it is, and they have both been more patient with me than i deserve. thank you both so much.
at this point i'm looking forward to some home life again. cooking dinner and riding my bicycle and seeing friends i've missed while on the road. there are a few possibilities for work on the horizon, but i'll be laying low for awhile. hopefully getting back into the habit of playing guitar and maybe even writing some new material. i suppose now that the album is out, it's time for me to be a musician. response so far has been very warm; thank you to all who have shared support and kind words. they mean a lot. head to the shop if you want to buy a copy, and keep an eye on the gigs page, 'cause hopefully there'll be a few things popping up there.
anyway, it's a my super sweet sixteen marathon on mtv. i'd better sign off or i'll miss it. i say again, yeesh.
april 8th: two bits of news, folks -- one regarding the album, and one regarding CRANKED.
a couple weeks ago, i was in winnipeg, performing CRANKED at the manitoba theatre for young people as part of our current four-month, cross-canada tour, and i got a phone call. it was my dear friend caleb bouchard in vancouver, who did the design for the album. turns out, there are several boxes full of copies of "all my expectations", just sitting there in his office.
just sitting there. i couldn't believe it.
after nearly three years of hard work and patience, the cds are finally finished. which means they're available. of course, they're in vancouver, and i'm on the road until june, but i had a box shipped to me just in case, and they look great if i do say so myself. thank you again to caleb for doing such a fantastic job. (you should probably visit the sequence post production website to see some of caleb's other work. check out the "i am legend" animations. they're stunning.)
anyway, if you are interested in buying a copy of the cd, click here, or visit the recording page for details. i'm on vacation in san francisco until the 18th of april, after which i'll be in toronto with a box of 80 cds. so if you buy one now, it may take a little longer than expected, but i should be able to get it to you soon.
as for CRANKED, the tour is going extremely well and we may be performing a public show in a town near you if you live in toronto or on the east coast. visit the theatre page for details on where and when.
march 18th: i'm in montreal, hanging out at a beautiful little b&b called le gîte. it's run by a lovely woman named diane who makes the most wonderful breakfasts every morning. i'm here in town with green thumb theatre's CRANKED, which is halfway through its 2008 cross-canada tour. things are going well and we may be performing a public show in a town near you if you live in toronto or on the east coast. visit the theatre page for details on where and when.
i've been updating the site like mad, getting ready for the release of the album which will take place any minute now. i'm just waiting on confimation that i've been granted a license to record and release my version of jesse winchester's "my songbird". i'll send out a big email when it's all ready. keep your fingers crossed for me.
november 3rd: developments, folks.
big developments.
first: in the music industry. so few people buy cds anymore. so many people download all their music for free. or if they're considerate enough to pay for it, they buy it electronically, in the form of mp3s. many people do this through iTunes, but there are a few other ways of going about it.
second: with regards to the album i've been working on. the mastering of "all my expectations" is finished. at last. so the tracks themselves are complete, and my friend and designer caleb bouchard is working on the design of the actual cd case. but i'm not entirely sure how long it'll be before it's finished.
now. there's a new website out there called projectopus.com. based in vancouver, it has a worldwide following of musicians and fans alike. the aim of the site is to get new, independent music out there, and support the artists who make it. it has been compared to myspace, but it's focussed entirely on the music. the player is smarter, the sound quality is better, and you can actually buy and download the songs. it's only a dollar a song and -- here's the kicker -- fifty cents of each sale goes back to the artist.
in light of all this, i've decided to post the entire album here on kylecameron.ca using the opus player. you can either listen to it absolutely free, or buy the tracks in mp3 format. the sound quality of the downloads is not quite as good as an actual cd, so you purists will have to wait, but it is quite good nonetheless.
the drawback is this: it is a flash player. you can download flash here, as long as your computer meets the system requirements. if not, i'm afraid you may have to wait for the actual cd to come out. which will still happen. asap.
if you're ready to check out the tunes, click here.
i hope you enjoy them.
august 14th: ah, summertime. kinda hard to come by this year in vancouver. i'm told by locals that this is one of the worst summers on record -- started very late, and doesn't stick around longer than a week or so at a time without switching back to distinctly novemberish weather. but today, it's sunny. a beach day perhaps.
things feel a little slow right now. i've decided to spend most of august working hard at the restaurant; try to recoup some finances and lay plans for the upcoming record release. as i said, the master has been completed (mostly) and i've given my dear friend caleb bouchard an arsenal of photos and a sample of the cd case i'll be using. i'm excited to see what he'll come up with. with CRANKED going out again next year, i'm not getting involved in anything terribly large-scale, acting-wise. so yes. for now, not much goin on. but keep checking back. more'll happen in the fall.
thanks to everyone who came out and showed support on pride day. was a lovely day to play outside.
july 31st: i'll never believe it. i'm sitting at my computer, and playing on the speakers is the master of "all my expectations". after all the work and waiting, it's actually here. 'course my speakers are crap so i can't entirely appreciate the improvement of quality that mastering has brought to the tracks, but nonetheless, it's here. which means i'm going to get a move on the artwork and manufacture of the thing and who knows -- maybe it'll be ready by my birthday (i.e. late august). cross your fingers and wish me luck.
the only other piece of news is that my timeslot for sunday at vancouver pride has changed slightly. it's still 10 minutes (two songs) but it's now at 1:03 instead of 12:41. probably during the parade i know, but it's a short set, so you won't miss too many floats. thanks to rod zelles for getting me on board and for trying to get me the best timeslot he could muster. check out the gigs page for details.
that's all for today -- it's too nice outside to be sitting here any longer.
june 26th: y'know those people who sit in coffee shops and work on their laptops? well this afternoon, i'm one of them. didn't feel like sitting at home. the apartment's coming along nicely, but it felt like time for a change of scene. and commercial drive's great for coffee shops, so here i am.
ottawa was a great success. a lovely city to visit -- i don't miss living in that heat, but for two weeks it's a delicious break. plus it's always nice to see old friends and family, not to mention get some national and international exposure for myself and for green thumb at the magnetic north theatre festival. CRANKED was extremely well received, and i'm thrilled that so many people had a chance to see it. a warm and sincere thanks to everyone who came out.
now that CRANKED has been put to bed until next year (when we'll be touring across north america for five months), i've got some time to focus on the musical side of things. as you saw on the welcome page, i've begun working with my dear friend caleb bouchard on publicity for the new record. mixing is finished, and mastering is underway (possibly as i write this). it'll be ready before i know it, and then i'll be canvassing all of you for orders. heh heh... i'm really proud of this thing and i look forward to getting it out there into the world. get in touch if you want more information.
which brings me to the last piece of news i have today -- i'm hoping to get some shows together for when the album actually comes out, and have a few coming up to tell you about. the first is this weekend: i'll be playing a few tunes onstage at east side pride in grandview park on saturday the 30th. then, at the beginning of august, i'll be playing on the pride mainstage at sunset beach. i'm afraid i'm playing during the parade, but it's only a 10-minute set, so you won't miss too many floats if you wanna come show your support. check the gigs page for details. hope to see some of you there!
may 24th: i'm sitting in the living room of my new apartment and i finally got my internet service hooked up. so hopefully i'll keep more on top of updating the site.
check out the gigs page! there're more things on there than i've ever had up at one time, i think. you'll notice i'm performing green thumb theatre's "CRANKED" at the croatian cultural centre tomorrow night. (for details on CRANKED, check out the theatre page, or click here; click here to watch a clip of CRANKED on youtube.) it's your last chance to see it before we head to ottawa in early june for the magnetic north theatre festival. the flights and hotels are booked and we leave in just over a week. very exciting.
two dear friends of mine, caroline liffman and tanya podlozniuk, invited me to perform in a piece they're doing at 12 minutes max. this is an annual dance show that takes place at the firehall arts centre in vancouver. the piece is called "Regarding Steve and Pat's 1977 Honeymoon Debacle", and coming from the minds of these two girls, the piece promises to be as wacky as the title.
finally, i'm gonna play a few tunes at "Once in a Blue Moon". it's an event being put on by proximity arts; it's a fundraiser and art show closing. good food, good tunes and fabulous art on sale. come down and check it out.
thanks so much to all of those who came out to the cafe deux soleils show. it was a pleasure to share the stage with johnny eden, derek olive, and sarah noni metzner. good luck to all three of you on your various tours.
may 15th: it's been a long coupla months -- not really a whole lot going on since "CRANKED" finished up at the end of february -- but i've been through a lot of transition in that period. so things 'round here have been a bit dry. far too dry, indeed. if you're still checking this page periodically for updates, i thank you for your dedication and patience. if this is your first time here, thanks for stoppin' by.
the biggest piece of news is that green thumb theatre's CRANKED is coming back. for those of you who don't know, CRANKED is the one-man show i've been performing. for details, see the theatre page; for a clip from the show, check out green thumb's new you tube channel. i toured with the production from october to february, covering the majority of bc and performing for upwards of 30,000 people in that time. and now, after a two-month break, we will be giving three shows in vancouver at the end of may (click here for details), and then heading to my homewtown of ottawa for the 5th annual magnetic north theatre festival. the festival runs from the 6th to the 16th of june; we're kicking things off at 1pm on the 6th, and there are seven shows total before we close on the 10th. for schedule and ticket information, click here.
the show is designed for high school students, but it is accesible and relevant to audiences of nearly all ages. while the feedback from youths has been stellar (click here to read some reviews), we've also been thrilled to find that adults have responded just as enthusiastically, be they staff at high schools or grandparents in rural communities. and though the show is recommended for ages 13+, there have been instances where parents, confident in their childrens' abilities to stomach difficult and somewhat disturbing material, have brought kids as young as 4 and 6 years old. so if you're in ottawa at the beginning of june grab your kid or your parent and come see CRANKED.
on the music front, the album is so close to completion i can nearly taste it. moving apartments and catching the stomach flu have delayed my proposed due date, but it is nearly ready. in the meantime, i'm performing at cafe deux soleils on may 20th, opening once again for my friend johnny eden. check out the gigs page for details. four players on the bill, great coffee and, yes, even booze! c'mon down for some tunes on a mild spring sunday night.