October 13, 2022
Hello everyone. I wanted to share an updated list of shows for the upcoming European and Canadian tour. This is in support of the new album, Voyeurs In The Dark, out on Monotreme Records
Thank you to Born! Music and Jose Luis Cuevas for organizing the European dates. And special shout out to the man in the shadows, Christophe Gr. As well, a big thank you to musicians who will be accompanying me on this tour, Nick Zubeck, Tim Shia, and Joseph Gallo Jr..
Here are the dates:
Oct 19 @ La Salvaje in Oviedo, Spain
Oct 20th @ Altxerri Jazz&Bar in Donostia-San Sebastian
Oct 22 @ Cultura Contemporània in Reus, Spain
Oct 23 @ Centro Cívico Delicias in Zaragoza, Spain
Oct 24 @Teatre del Raval in Castellón, Spain
Oct 28 @ Le Pingouin Alternatif in Arthez-de-béarn, France
Nov. 19 @ Small World Music in Toronto, Canada
Dec. 2 @ Silence in Guelph, Canada
Dec. 16 @ Phog Lounge in Windsor, Canada
Art design by Mahdieh Farhadkiaei, representing the ongoing protest in Iran. In support of all the brave individuals, specially the fearless women, who are standing up to this barbaric regime in Iran.
May 18, 2022
The new album, Voyeurs in the Dark, is officially out today. It is available on all the various streaming platforms. You can find them here.
For those interested in physical copies you can obtain vinyl or cd through Monotreme Records or through Bandcamp.
A tour in support of this album will be taking place in the Fall. Canadian and European dates will be announced sometime in July.
Feb. 2022
I wanted to share with you the first single from my new album, which is set to be released May 2022, through Monotreme Records. The first single is entitled, Voyeurs in the Dark. You can hear it on all the different platforms using the following link: https://orcd.co/voyeursinthedark
The new album can be pre-ordered ahead of the release date through Monotreme Records. It will be available on both vinyl and cd format. A new collection of poems, in book form, will also be included when the album is pre-ordered. To pre-order the album, click the following link: https://monotremerecords.limitedrun.com/products/719448
An upcoming European Tour will take place in May 2022 in support of the new album. Dates will be announced shortly via the website.
Voyeurs in the Dark is a video directed by jmystudio.com, shot by Martin Hill (B Camera by BD Harrington) and starring Emma Bugg.
Over the past several years I have been working on a new collection of poems. I have finally compiled them under the title, Playboys in the Holy Land. The poetry collection will be available in May during the tour and to those who pre-order the album. Here is a poem from the collection. I wrote it after learning that a great Canadian songwriter had taken his own life.
Poem About a Drunken Girl and a Dead Musician
It is late at night or early morning,
I can’t tell.
Through my thin walls
I can hear the girl who lives next door.
She is drunk again.
I can tell from the way she knocks over the glasses.
I’ve caught a glimpse of her once.
A pretty girl,
like Marilyn Monroe on a cigarette lighter.
She’s the type that likes to get drunk.
Once was found topless,
passed out in front of her house.
This is all I know about her.
She keeps me up at night.
And sometimes I’ll sit and listen to her
as she flings abuses across the room
at the man she lives with.
It’s tempting not to want to listen
to voices coming through your walls.
“My neighbor, how does he live,
I wonder?” writes Basho.
Tonight, as I lie in my bed listening to her
I am reminded of someone else:
a man who made a living singing songs
in any place that would have him.
I use to go and watch him back when he played
at a bar I was living on top of.
It didn’t get any better than him.
He was born with that golden voice.
Today I found out he had killed himself.
Hung a rope around his neck and ended it.
I picture him late at night in his room
drunk on too many bourbons,
tired of the life in songs,
thinking of a girl
whose face he had scarred
in a moment of rage.
Maybe regret had caught up with him.
Maybe just age.
Maybe the drinks.
But no matter how much I think about it,
I’ll never understand why a person
would raise his hand against himself.
They who are desperate to be anyone,
anyone except themselves.
All my life I have been surrounded by such people,
their voices are always coming through my walls.
They keep me up at night,
and I am not the type to bang on walls
so, I sit and listen
or maybe get up and pace the room,
and look at the city
that looks peaceful late at night
like a sleeping child,
maybe write a few lines
pour myself a drink
and prepare for when my time arrives.
September 2020 updates
Over the past three years, I’ve divided my time between working on a new album, as well as a soundtrack to a film entitled, Viewfinder. The new album is nearing completion and is set to be released next year. The soundtrack work has wrapped up and it is being made available, through Monotreme Records, ahead of the release of the film. You can find the music through all the various platforms including Spotify: https://sptfy.com/9b0Q
For other streaming services: https://orcd.co/ma7vwlb
About the Film
Viewfinder is a feature film by the British director, Jason Yeomans (https://vimeo.com/user8769853). It explores themes of alienation and isolation and one’s attempt at finding meaning and connection through art. The story follows a misfit photographer who begins shooting a project on the streets of London, inspired by the last image he has of his ex-girlfriend, while an altercation with another troubled soul leads him towards an unhealthy obsession.
To inhabit such roles is not an easy task and the lead actor, Josh Sutherland, gives a convincing portrayal of a person whose interior world is unravelling. But one can never be sure what forces are being unleashed within oneself by taking on such difficult roles and tragically, several months after completing shooting, Josh took his own life. Despite casting a shadow over the film’s post production, Josh’s family encouraged the film to be finished.
New Album. Rolling Stone premiere
The new album, To Live Alone In That Long Summer, is finally completed. It will be released worldwide on Feb. 25th through Monotreme Records, excluding Italy. It will be released in Italy through Ghost Records on March 2nd.
You can listen to a track from the new album at RollingStone.com. The song “All The While” premieres today on their website.
The album will not be available until end of Feb. but you can pre-order it now through Monotreme Recordsand Ghost Records.
I couldn’t have made this album without the help of some very wonderful and talented musicians. You can see the list of people involved in the making of this album here.
March 2012 News
Tues. April 10 – Groningen, NL @ Wishful Music (without Great Lake Swimmers)
Wed. April 11 – Amsterdam, NL @ Sound Garden Cafe (without Great Lake Swimmers)
Thu, April 12 – London, UK @ Cargo
Fri, April 13 – Birmingham, UK @ The Rainbow
Sat, April 14 – Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Insitute
Sun, April 15 – Brighton, UK @ Green Door Store
Mon, April 16 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Tue, April 17 – Diksmuide, BE @ 4AD
Wed, April 18 – Ottersum, NL @ Roepaen
Thu, April 19 – Groningen, NL @ Vera
Fri, April 20 – Berlin, DE @ HBC
Sat, April 21 – Hamburg, DE @ Prinzenbar
Sun, April 22 – Munich, DE @ Kultur Schranne – Dachau
Mon, April 23 – Basel, CH @ Sud
Wed, April 25 – Brest, FR – InStore @ Dialogues Musiques
Wed, April 25 – Brest, FR @ Le Vauban
Thu, April 26 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain
Fri, April 27 – Turnhout, BE @ Warande
Mon. April 30 – Varese, IT @ La Sauna Recording Studio (Without Great Lake Swimmers)
Tues. May 1st – Rome, IT @ Blackmarket as part of ‘”unplugged in Monti’ series (Without Great Lake Swimmers)
April 2010 News
7 inch release
The Spanish label, Acuarela, has started a 7 inch series and were kind enough to ask to me to contribute music to it. Two new songs have been recorded for this project. July 2010 has been set as the release date for the 7 inch. Various other musicians such as Mount Eerie, Tara Jane OÂ’Neil, Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, and many more, will be contributing songs to it. This will be limited release. You can obtain the 7 inch through Acuarela Records directly. http://www.acuareladiscos.coam/index.php?/en/noticias/el_club_del_single_de_acuarela
A final word about the 7 inch–In order to bring these songs together, I received help from many wonderful musicians and engineers. Here is the list of contributors:
The song “There will be Time For” was recorded by Jeremy Darby at Canterbury music. Mixed by David Hermiston at Inception sound. Musician: Nick Zubeck on electric guitar, Dee Planche on backing vocals, Darren Wall on double bass. Marshal Bureau on drums. Burke Carroll on pedal steel guitar. Robbie Grunwald on vibraphone and piano.
The song “Sad and Beautiful World” recorded and mixed by Chris Stringer and Jamie Bunton. Musicians: Mike Findlay on lap steel guitar. Chris Stringer on Bass. Jamie Bunton on drums.
Cover design by Gabriel Mastey.
Film
“Nuummioq” is the first international film from Greenland, directed by Torben Bech and Otto Rosing. The song “Over My Blue” was chosen by them for this film. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance festival.
As well, the Italian filmmaker, Luis, Prieto, has used the song “Past All Concerns” in his latest film, “Meno male che ci sei.”
European Tour
A European tour will be undertaken with a full band at the end of April. Here are the dates.
April 27 Paris, France @ Espace B
April 29 Varese, Italy @ Twiggy
April 30 Pisa, Italy @ Caracol
May 1 Verona, Italy @ Il Primo Maggio Del Kroen festival
May 2 Ariano Polesine, Italy @ Porcupine Club
May 4 Roma, Italy @ Init (TBC)
May 5 Cuneo, Italy @ Condorito
May 7 Donosti, Spain @ Lugaritz Kultur
May 8 Santander, Spain @ Café de las Artes
May 10 Algeciras, Spain @ University auditorium
May 12 Vitoria, Spain @ University auditorium
May 13 Madrid, Spain (TBC)
May 14 Valladolid, Spain w/ Retribution Gospel Choir (TBC)
May 15 Zamora, Spain, Sala Berlin
For more updates about the tour please check the website.
Videos
On our last trip to Europe we were fortunate enough to shoot three videos for the French music site “La Blogotheque.” The videos were shot by Nathanaël Le Scouarnec during our time at the Kill Your Pop festival in Dijon (http://killyourpop.blogspot.com/) The videos are finally available. You can watch the videos here: http://www.blogotheque.net/Kill-Your-Pop-2009-Dijon
“Southern Souls” can be said to be the Canadian counterpart to La Blogotheque. This project is the brainchild of Mitch Fillion. He is single handedly documenting the entire Canadian music scene. A very admirable task indeed. You can watch the two songs we recently recorded for Southern Souls: http://www.southernsouls.ca/barzin.html
Thank you for your time
Barzin
http://www.monotremerecords.com
http://www.weewerk.com
http://www.barzinh.com
http://www.myspace.com/barzinh