Introspective views, self definition and understanding, the song “You’re So Afraid”

We are the composite of our own personal experiences, circumstance, situations and background. Nothing in the universe is static, so what we are will evolve into what will become. Many people define themselves as being this or that. I for example, when asked about myself will usually reply, “I’m a musician”. But of course we are all more than just one thing or the other. A father, a brother, a friend, a husband, and a multitude of other attributes, functions and skills. In the stream of life as we flow along, the achievements, interactions, possessions, accumulate to form our history, but underneath this we are humans and all basically the same. As such we should strive to treat each other with benevolence and respect, loving kindness, forgiveness and due regard for the sanctity of life. Each and everyone of us is trying to be happy. We are all acting and reacting in a manner that we think is best, at that moment, in any given situation. This can be hard to remember when faced with someone who is angry, not willing to listen to reason and no longer is seeking the reality or truth, but rather some form of vindication. If you can remember that we are all the same, you may be able to remember frustrations in your own life and relate in a more forgiving humane manner. Again seeking what is best.

The point of the song “You’re So Afraid” is to remember to not box yourself in. As life progresses, the repertoire of what composes who you are changes. Also, to remember that everything is connected and we are all basically the same. We each want love, comfort, food and shelter. We are bound together with all that is through water, air and this planet earth. We are bound together with the plants and every other living creature.

Tesla said that we are energy and frequency. Einstein concurred saying this was a matter of physics, not philosophy. As a musician I understand that frequency vibrates, it resonates and emulates. This relates to the inner self as your feelings emulate an energy wave. This is how animals discern how to react to you. How it is that you can “feel” if someone else is angry, sad or exuberant, when they walk into a room in a heightened state of emotion. The feelings, the frequency, the energy, the life force within you is the mortar that binds us to the mind, our consciousness, our perception of life and our biomass, our animal nature. Not any of these elements on their own, but rather a balance or blend of these characteristics.

Lets strive to treat each other with truth, love and respect. We can change the world one step at a time.

Until next time, Brother T

A few thoughts and observations from a life long musician

Nothing good in this life comes easy and if it did for you, be damn thankful. I have, during the past several months, been running a variety of shows which included featuring other musical artist. It’s a great way to keep things interesting for the audience that come out to my shows locally and a great way to expose the amazing talent that resides here in the central Vancouver Island region. One of the things that has amazed me is the number of performers that are not very astute when it comes to self promotion. In today’s entertainment business you have to constantly strive to keep up with technology and trends. Learn your craft. That means more than just wood-shedding guitar chops or honing the craft of songwriting. It means learning about all of the aspects of your endeavour. How to maximize on social media, press releases, networking, socialize at jams and open mics, find out what’s going on in your area. I have been amazed that many musicians don’t even know the ropes of facebook!

John T the Drifter AKA John Massop

My two oldest brothers helped me along in the early part of my musicianship, my apprenticeship if you will. Brother John showed me the street level skills required to find gigs, work a stage and an audience. He showed me a lot of things our parents wished he wouldn’t have being 18 years senior to me and being quite the “rounder”. Brother Gerry, my eldest brother, started to give my musical endeavors a guiding hand when I was about 24. I had over 10 years of performing under my belt at that point and showing no signs of slowing down. Gerry saw that and taught me about the “pro” side of music. He was a well respected musical journalist who had lots of savvy and always drove home how important understanding the business side of music was. “When you look at the words ‘music business’ you’ll notice that the word business is nearly twice as big as the word music. Treat your career the same way, you need more than just talent to survive” he would say.

JR and brother Gerry jamming with Chico

Gerry also told me often to think globally and act locally which has proven to be valuable advice over the years. International radio airplay and sales wouldn’t have happened for me without thinking globally.

These days the music industry is changing more rapidly than ever. It can make your head spin trying to keep up with emerging technologies and trends. As a modern musician you have to constantly be searching out not only new venues to perform at, but also keeping your ear to the ground in an effort to understand trends and what’s coming. Yes, maintaining web sites, facebook, twitter, blogs and all may cut into a little practise time. Still, you have to find a way to balance all these elements in today’s music world in order to survive and thrive. The music is the muse and sharing the music is why we all get into this. It is easy to get hooked on that stage time adrenalin, so you have to have a good musical foundation. Without that element, you’ve got nothing. In reality it’s not all that you need. Raw talent on it’s own does nothing to help you through the maze of today’s industry. Everywhere you turn companies stand with their hand out offering to help you for a fee. It seems to be a trend many are using for survival, so be cautious. Talk to others who have used these services before signing up to anything that puts it’s hand in your wallet. Some companies are reputable and will deliver as expected, others are less scrupulous and once they have your money can be difficult to deal with. While no one is an army by themselves and your career will be helped along with the right people assisting you, choose carefully and wisely who you tie yourself up with. Un-doing those ties can be costly and difficult. As my life long friend and ex-bandmate Dennis Olsen use to say, “love many, trust few and always paddle your own canoe”.

Until next time, happy gig hunting and trail blazing through the mind boggling maze of the music biz. Brother T.

Music on Vancouver Island, gigging and busy boy...

The previous blog I posted was in January. I can’t believe how time goes flying by. Here we are in March and I’m finally getting a chance to get back to the blog. The first quarter of the year has been a busy one with the “Acoustic Monday” shows at the Queen’s Hotel in Nanaimo and the Hygrade party rock cover band picking up pace as well. Hygrade has done a series of shows at different venues in the Nanaimo area, as well as up and down the island. The repertoire of well known dance and sing-a-long rock tunes played with a wailing harmonica in the mix seems to be going over very well and gaining popularity. Hygrade has shows coming up at the Timberland Pub in Cassidy, the French Creek Marine pub in Parksville and the Cranberry in Cedar over the next couple of months. Dates can be found on my BoodAbooM website. Beyond some recording projects and working on new videos, the “Acoustic Monday” shows have been great fun working them as the BoodAbooM Duo with my friend, bassist Marisha Devoin.

Click here for a video clip from one of the shows. The Next Queen’s Acoustic Monday show is on St. Paddy’s day March 17th starting at 7 PM. Elf Song is on the line up with their penny whistles and Celtic flavour to honour the day. 4 acts for a low $5 cover charge and there is a great chinese food kitchen associated with the venue. Dinner followed by a great music show.

This week I am the featured artist on Tom Lambert’s syndicated show from Ireland which rebroadcasts on over 200 internet and other radio stations. This of course brought a huge smile to my face as it helps the music and the message reach out across the world. What message? That love is “The Answer”. As well, I was asked to write a blog / article for Canadian Musicians. So, remember to be kind to each other and here’s what I wrote about being a musician on Vancouver Island.

Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful places in Canada to live. Most times the winters are mild, spring and fall are wet but it give folks more reason to go to the night clubs. Summer time on Vancouver Island is festival season, time for the outdoor art shows which often feature music performances as well. In the early Fall the community fairs and exhibitions offer places for island musicians to perform and for others to listen to the abundant musical talent living on Vancouver Island.

Let me enlighten you as to why I think Vancouver Island is a great place for musicians. First off the climate means very little travelling in sub zero weather. Although we do get our occasional big dump of snow, the norm around here is decent travelling weather and reputed to have the mildest climate in Canada. Having literally performed from one tip to the other of this paradise island, I speak from experience when I say the next gig up the street is not really that far away. The entire island is 460 Km long and 80 Km wide at it’s widest point. Vancouver island is covered with vast uninhabited areas which are mostly forest, mountains and valleys. With a decent industrial base, folks do have money for entertainment of one form or the other which always helps the musicians cause. The bulk of Vancouver Island’s 760,000 people live in the greater Victoria area on the southern tip of the island consisting of about 360,000 folks, about 98,000 in the mid island Nanaimo region. Duncan, Courtney, Campbell River, Parksville / Oceanside and a host of other small communities comprise the rest.  Obviously gigs are more plentiful in more populated areas, although for myself being based out of Nanaimo there isn’t a single music venue anywhere on the island that isn’t within a days drive.  Vancouver, being a North American major music center is only a ferry ride away.

We have a thriving music scene with each major community having a host of coffee house venues, pubs, nightclubs and bistros with live music. Rock, reggae, folk, celtic, bluegrass, country, jazz, childrens music, metal and funk, you name it and it can be found on the island. There are more recording artists living on Vancouver Island than I can mention in this blog. Nearly all the larger population centres have first rate recording studios, many of which are so busy they do little if any advertising. We even have our own “Vancouver Island Music Awards” which is a well attended annual event hosted by James Kasper honouring the best of the previous year’s V.I. artist releases. Musical gatherings are happening up and down the island on virtually a daily basis. There are several songwriter circle gatherings, folk guilds, open mics, showcases and jams in nearly every community. A little networking, attending a few open stages and it doesn’t take long for the musical world of V.I. to open up for you.

We’ve had quite a few award winning musicians come from Vancouver Island from Carly Rae Jepson to David Foster, Diana Krall, Nelly Furtado, Christine and Ingrid Jensen, David Gogo, Randy Bachman, Valdy and the list goes on. Many more musical artists of notoriety have migrated to Vancouver Island as a place of refuge and inspiration. Places like Cathedral Grove and Long Beach Tofino are the kinds of locations that are steeped in spirit and offer the sort of environment songwriters thrive on.

There are many relatively unknown stellar musicians on this magnificent island and with a little ingenuity, effort, networking and diligence, everything a musician could want is here. From the weekend rock shows to the bars, night clubs, bistros, coffee houses, restaurants and lounges, there are plenty of places to catch some live music and obviously just as many places to perform. Small, medium and larger concert halls in most communities host music acts from classical to jazz, rock, blues and children's music. During the summer months Vancouver Island blossoms with farmer’s markets, free outdoor shows in community amphitheatres, all of which provide platforms for potential performances as well as entertainment. Come on out to the west coast and join the fun on Vancouver Island. It’s a different pace in a different place, you may never want to leave.

Until later, Brother T

Wishing you an amazing 2014

Once again, this is my third attempt at getting back to the blog. 2013 has finished it’s run and it’s on to 2014. What’s coming down the pipe for 2014? Who knows which way the wind blows? Tomorrow is after all, just another day albeit January 1st or the 31st. Not that new beginnings aren’t special, I do my best to keep aware that every moment is a new beginning. I have my moments of frustration, times when my annoyance with situations seems to out weigh my ability to stay balanced. When I find myself feeling that way, I try to remind myself that everything changes. One of the basic truths taught by the Buddha is that of impermanence. Permanence is the grand illusion. Hence, the good times never last and the bad times never last. Reminding oneself to stay aware is a little like trying to see the forest when you’re surrounded by trees. Perspective is required from time to time.  All in all I am very blessed to be able to do what I love to do in sharing music and ideas with so many people. Consequently, I look forward to whatever 2014 brings. One needs to stay focused on savouring every moment this life has to offer.

2013 was quite a year starting with great shows like the Red Willow Coffee House, a myriad of private shows, farmer’s markets, dinner shows and pub gigs. The Release of The BoodAbooM album "The Answer - Songs of Theo Massop" complete with video releases for the songs "Run" and "Not for me" and more. "Run" was big fun with the zombie apocalypse theme brought to the table by my daughter Angela and video director Marius Tecumseh von Lohmann. "Not For Me" featured "Pepper the feathered philosopher" giving us the Ok to be different set to a rocking harmonica track. Live performances, other bands and interviews cans be found on my YouTube channel if you are interested. 

Red Willow Coffee House - Photo by Paul Jay

Solo, duo, trio and quartet in the band “Hygrade”. The Hygrade band had a busy fall season as we shifted gears and picked up the pace. In the Hygrade band I play mostly harmonica to favourite party rock songs. Classics to current tunes including songs from the Black Keys and White Stripes which don’t have harmonica in the arrangement. 

Hygrade in action - Photo by Paul Jay

Big fun and a musical challenge for me. My fall season was made extra busy with a weekly dinner show in Nanaimo. I brought in guests for the first 12 weeks and closed the series off by performing the last few shows myself followed by an open mic till closing time. I compiled a video of some of the highlights of my fall dinner show series which covers 19 artist in 6 ½ Minutes. Click here to check it out.

So far 2014 is shaping up to be an interesting year. The Hygrade band has plans to complete a recording project and shoot a video. Tentative shows for Hygrade are in the wind although details need to be confirmed. Gigs will be posted on the BoodAbooM web site along with my other solo and upcoming BoodAbooM shows. January 20th will be my first show of 2014 at the Queens Hotel in Nanaimo. Acoustic Monday’s are proving to be popular amongst Nanaimo-ites. I will be sharing the stage with Jeffrey Randle, Glen Foster and Jupiter Jill. Each of us will make a 45 minute musical offering. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door as well as in advance at Fascinating Rhythms and at the Queen's Hotel. All proceeds are going directly to the artist involved and each artist will have CD’s for sale as well. I hope you can come out and support this event.

Here’s hoping for a great year in 2014. Remember that radical changes never stick, so while the world needs some fixing, let’s nudge toward a better future one step at a time. I’m still a big believer in the idea that if we all strive to be loving, kind, forgiving, truthful and respectful, the world will become a better place. Wouldn’t it be great if we (humankind) could become the first species to evolve by collaboration rather than domination and elimination. Come out to one of my shows this year and let’s share the joy of music.

Namaste, Brother T 

M.I.A.? Nope, just gone video crazy!!

Crazy days of summer are winding down as we can feel the autumn coming on. Maple trees are beginning to turn colour and the air is far more humid than it has been for the past three months. Speaking of which it’s been nearly three months since I sat down to blog.  I have actually started a blog several times throughout the summer, but got swept away in the tides of life.

Normally I tend to spout off about what I find disturbing in the world with links to things that the mainstream media doesn’t want you to know about. For this blog I will dispense with the rantings and stick to the music. I do try to bring into the light only that which is founded in truth. That is why I always try to back up things with links to the source. It’s not that Steve’s antics or his cousin puppet Obama haven’t stirred my ire, but so much has gone on in my musical world and that’s ‘mostly’ what this blog is focused on.

So here’s my best attempt at a recap of the last three months. A lot of attention was paid to getting things ironed out with my new distributor. Thanks to the people at Indie Pool, the BoodAbooM album “The Answer” is available through a secure purchasing portal and of course where would we be without iTunes. There are still some things that are being worked out over at Indie Pool and it would have likely been easier to stick with CD Baby as I did for the “Choices” album. Both companies have their advantages and disadvantages, the problem is disadvantages are not usually discovered until after the deal is done.

There has been a whole lot of video getting done since my last blog entry. The video for the song “Run” was done back in June. Shot in the backwoods of Vancouver Island we choose a remote location since there was to be shot guns fired off, flash bombs and a lot of zombie characters running around. For most of the videos I’ve done there is usually only a handful of people. In this case we had a lot of bodies running around and doing things. Jeffrey Randle joined me in the shooting of the “Run” video for the musical portion and director Marius Von Lohmann did the headless chicken routine directing the actors, setting up scenes and zipping around with the camera. Also, this is the first time I've let anyone else take control of the script for my videos. Check it out and tell me what you think. We felt a little tongue in cheek approach offset the more serious subject matter of the song.

Shooting Zombie video for "Run"

I went a little video crazy after that and produced another video on my own.  I had been pondering on how to present the song “Not For Me” in it’s video form when a little experimenting lead me to featuring “Pepper the feathered philosopher”, along with some video taken in the studio during the recording of the BoodAbooM album. Again a bit of a humourous tact and a lot of fun. I must admit that lip sync is much harder with someone who has no lips!

The video madness didn’t stop there as I rediscovered some clips from previous concerts and shows I’ve performed at and began a series on my YouTube channel called “Raw and Organic”. I’ve posted a video clip on myself and Marisha Devoin playing the song “Living Peacefully” from my BoodAbooM album “The Answer”. Just the upright bass, guitar and voices in this stripped down version. No editing, no digital wizardry, just straight from the heart raw and organic performances. Check back on my YouTube channel as there are more of these “live” videos coming soon. To hear the studio version of “Living Peacefully”, check the sample tracks on my iTunes site.

During the summer of 1988 I was fortunate enough to have one of my songs reach the #1 position for Canadians on the RPM Weekly Adult Contemporary charts. “The Voyager” was the title song from my album which had already seen action with the songs “Lot On My Mind” and “Mephisto Waltz” from that collection. At the same time as “The Voyager” was playing in every major market in Canada, my distributor of the time lost every piece of inventory they had at the warehouse. So while the title track was receiving great reviews and radio support, I had nothing on the shelves to sell. A year later my vinyl and cassettes were discovered during an inventory. They had the wrong numbers on the outside of the boxes and hence were continually overlooked. A year after the album had run it’s course, the inventory represented far less value.

Still I am grateful for the radio exposure and the chart numbers. Digging through the archives I decided to compile a  video for this song as well. So check out this very “late 80’s” sounding rendition of “The Voyager”, my A/C hit from 1988.

Beyond the world of video, I have been performing throughout the summer at various gigs and open mic nites. I like the open mics because not only is it an “audience building” experience, but the social aspect of hanging with your musical peers and meeting music enthusiasts is fantastic. The people you meet and the sharing of ideas is amazing. Jeffrey Randle joined me for a few shows including a private hall “pub night” and the “Nanoose Art in the Garden” festival which was also a fundraiser for the local food bank. Just prior to the “Arts Festival” show, Jeffrey also joined me in support for an interview / performance video segment we did with Shaw Cable TV.  Kait Burgan conducted the interview which can be seen here at this link.  

Jeffrey Randle

I’ve done a couple of shows at the Corner Bistro which is a new establishment in a renovated familiar location. Phil from the Corner Lounge has taken on 75 Front Street in Nanaimo and turned it into a top rate Bistro with incredible cuisine, roomy surroundings, great service and a focus on live entertainment. Being a bistro also means that minors are welcome, as long as they don’t indulge in alcohol libations available from the full service bar. It has been mostly music shows so far, although I know that Phil is planning to host a comedy night as well. Who couldn't use a good laugh every now and then!

As for me, plans are to be hosting a series of “Singer / Songwriter Showcase” nights starting on September 11th at the Corner Bistro. Starting a little after 6, I will open an evening of music after which I will bring on an invited guest for an hour concert of songs and stories from their respective albums. All of the invited guests are recording artists with CD releases starting with Glen Foster on the 11th, Jeffrey Randle on the 18th, Brian Hazelbower on the 25th and Ira Pelletier on October 2nd. After their concert I will close the night out. It should prove to be a great dining and musical experience for the patrons and audience in attendance. September 20th I will be taking the stage with a party rock cover band that I joined called Hygrade. We are working on getting our ‘web presence’ in order, but these things do take time. The Hygrade band is a four piece ensemble, but we are all busy campers managing other careers and endeavours.

Me and the boys in the band

The show takes place at the Sportsman Hotel in Ladysmith. The twist with this band is that I sing only a few songs while drummer Dean Doyle ( part of the BoodAbooM family ) takes the lion’s share of the lead vocals. We play all the party time rock favourites with a twist, tons of harmonica on songs that don’t usually have harp on them. Here’s a “raw and organic” video of an early jam we had on the Tragically Hip tune “New Orleans is Sinking” to give you an idea. Come on out and see what else we have in store for you. I am belting out a few songs a night which is fun for me as I don’t always include songs from “The Black Keys” in my solo / duo shows.

Ok, I’m over shooting my word count so let me leave you with these links to ponder. Sad to hear that J.J. Cale passed, Greta (my sweetie) and I saw him perform many years ago in Victoria. A treasured memory.

A statistic most aren’t aware of, in 2009 over 50% of Canadians were living on or below the “low income cut off”. That’s the more semantically soft version of “the poverty line”.

Not sure if Canadians realize that the Snowden / NSA fiasco is not just a USA modus operandi. In Canada we have our own snoopers at the CESA.

A 2 minute brilliant discourse from author Robert Anton Wilson on belief systems, even your own. Check what he says about everyone’s B.S.

And finally, I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard a better social commentary than this on “Why everything sucks”. Craig Ferguson is a very funny man, but in this 3 minute clip he delivers a very brilliant observation on today’s world in his own hilarious way.

Let me end as always with a reminder to be mindful of others. Do your best and strive to approach every situation from the standpoint of loving kindness and forgiveness. Conquer hate with love, evil with good, falsehood with truth. Let’s bring the humane back into the human being.

Until next time, Brother T