The Wheaties had a great set and everyone enjoyed them. My thanks to Steve Gidora, Mark Dowding, Nicole Scoffield and Jan Sentell for steppin’ up to cover for the original opening act who cancelled at the last minute. Thanks to Steve as well for helping me organize the event.

Thank you as well to Deb and Don and the other volunteers who helped out. We couldn’t have made this happen without you.

We also celebrated Anne Wall’s birthday. Hope you had an awesome night Anne.

Me and the band had so much fun. We didn’t even realize we had played close to 2 1/2 hours by the time we stopped. Wow! Talk about being in the moment. I want and need more of that.

And, what a band!!. Thank you to Shawn Soucy on drums, Lee Oliphant on bass and very special guest Darryl Havers on Keys. These lads are absolutely awesome and I am so lucky to have such great musicians and friends to play music with. I love these guys.

I also want to thank Dave and all the folks at Tapestry Music for helping us sell tickets. It is much appreciated. Also, a huge thank you to Maryellen and all those at the Legion for selling tickets and for the use of the venue and their wonderful service during the event.

Thank you as well to Phil Q Davey for contributing some sound and lighting gear. Speaking of sound – what an awesome job my dear friend Gregg Gorrie did. Thank you so much Gregg. You have great ears dude.

Tom Zillich from the Surrey Now did a wonderful story for the show. Thank you very much Tom. You can still see it here: www.thenownewspaper.com/news/Music+helps+Harnett+family+heal+after+devastating+crash/8226551/story.html

My only regret is that I ran out of time to get my video camera setup. Next time I’ll hire someone to take care of video and photography. Speaking of photography, I want to thank my good friend Guy Patterson of http://www.photosbythatguy.ca for taking some great photos. I will try and get them posted on my website but in the meantime you can see them here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.487427951310279.1073741826.396374323748976&type=3

Also, Georges Teite took some cool video and photos which you can find on Facebook. Thank you Georges.

I plan to produce more of these shows and it would help me immensely if I had some idea how often I could put on a show of this nature and still have a decent turnout. Drop me a line and let me know – neil@neilharnett.com or you can comment on my blog via this post.

In between the larger events I am also looking at producing smaller, pseudo unplugged, coffee house feeling shows where it would be a couple of duo and/or single acts with good sound and lower ticket prices in the range of $10-$12. Let me know what ya’ll think.

Words cannot convey the depth of my appreciation. Thank you, thank you… – Neil

I’m heading off tomorrow with my amazing musician friend Darryl Havers to hook up with the rest of the lads for our first night of the Soul Summit tour. We play tomorrow night (Thurs, April 4) in Sechelt then off to Powell River and then Courtenay. Here’s some info that Duane Burnett posted. Just scroll down the page a bit. http://www.duaneburnett.com/8495/soul-summit-rock-blues

Next weekend, Sat, April 13 at the Crescent Legion it’s Neil Harnett & The Deep Groove with special guests. The Deep Groove is myself, and my good friends Lee Oliphant & Shawn Soucy. Darryl Havers will also be joining us that night so it’s going to be a super fun musical journey.

Medderick is opening the show with his usual awesomeness and then Steve will accompany him for some tunes after which the band will join in for a few Jokers & Prophets tunes.

Then me and The Deep Groove take the stage and we’re gonna play a nice, long, adventurous set. Bring your dancing shoes cuz we’ll be playing everything from folky, esoteric to rockin’ the house.

The theme(s) for the night are Amy’s upcoming five year anniversary since her accident and her amazing recovery and we are celebrating friends and family and springtime which represents rebirth to me. Tickets are $20, available at Tapestry Music and The Crescent Legion. Partial proceeds will be donated to The Semiahmoo House/ABI Program.

The poster and more info are available here - http://www.neilharnett.com/april13show

You are all invited to be with your friends and family and celebrate with us. See you there.

Be well – Neil

It’s been some time since I updated my website, other than my gigs page, so I am typing this in Maui.

I sure do love Hawaii. Wow! It’s been many years since I’ve been here and our holidays are nearly over so a melencholy cloud is hanging over my head. I never like to leave paradise. Who does? However, such is life and my wife Julia and I will make the most of the couple of days left, so I better make this update quick. :-)

On the musical front – I recently played for the TuneCity launch party at Blue Frog Studios in White Rock, BC. It was a blast. If you haven’t heard about TuneCity you would be well advised to check it out. Essentially it’s a multi-level marketing platform for artists, their fans and entrepreneurs in general. The founders really care about artists and this is the first of it’s kind among the plethora of digital distributors and virtual storefronts.

In a nutshell – artists can sign up just as an artist or as both an artist and a distributor, or, if, for some reason, you didn’t want to sign up as an artist you could just sign up as a distributor. Non-artists, such as music fans, can sign up as a distributor. TuneCity calls distributors IMDs (Independent Music Distributors).

Because this is multi-level marketing it’s a good idea to get in early. What’s so cool about this platform is that it’s win/win/win. The modern day music industry paradigm is a major challenge so one has to look under just about every rock on the beach to see if there could be an opportunity worth participating in and TuneCity is like a no-brainer to me. It’s a non-exclusive agreement for artists and although there are a couple of clauses in the agreement to be aware of, there is nothing that will impact one’s career in a negative way.

The win/win/win aspect refers to the fact that revenue is split three ways – the TuneCity infrastructure, the distributors and the artists. Because of the three way split the artist will make less than they would via iTunes, Reverbnation, BandCamp, CDBaby etc… BUT because the distributors, who will often also be fans of your music, will actually make money if they help to sell your product, it’s added motivation for them to take some time out of their day to do some business.

I know from asking around that most artists are not selling much product by way of the aforementioned storefronts, even with large fanbases. The world is what the world is. Everyone is so busy with life that sometimes some extra motivation is required to get folks to spread the word and there is no better motivation, it seems, than the potential of earning some extra cash.

Another very important aspect of the business model is that in order for a distributor to receive full compensation they need to activate their downline which requires an investment of $25 a month purchasing TuneCity products. This equates to $300 a year, which for most, is a very reasonable investment. Now, here’s the really interesting part of this – If a distributor needs to purchase $25 a month worth of music from TuneCity whose music are they going to buy and who will they suggest to their downline? For the most part they’ll obviously be looking for the best music available and that’s where there’s serious potential for the artists especially if they get on board early. I’ve listened to a reasonable amount of artists on the TuneCity site and there is no doubt they would benefit from having more top notch, professional artists, so I encourage all pros out there to get involved asap.

So, yes, as an artist, I technically can make more per sale from the other storefronts but as the old adage goes – 100% of nothing is nothing. I believe the concept of profit sharing, the motivation to buy product in order to activate one’s downline and the entire TuneCity community as a whole could easily result in many more sales than the typical storefronts. Bottom line is – why not? Artists can still be part of the other distribution networks, so they lose nothing, but gain another outlet via TuneCity.

If you’d like more info please go to http://neiljames.tunecity.com. This will take you to all the information including some well done videos and it will also load my ID# in the event you choose to join up. If, for some reason, my ID# doesn’t load it is 1053501. Whether you signup under my downline or someone else’s it would be great to have you on board.

Mahalo and Aloha.

Be well.

Neil

Well, I have to say, I completely misplaced 2012. It went by so fast I have no idea what happened. Jeesh!

Me and the trio are playing at the Washington Avenue Grill yet again this year for New Year’s. It’s always fun so if you have no plans as yet come and join us. This year I have Shawn Soucy on drums and Lee Oliphant on bass. Call the WAG for resos and more info – 604 541-4244. I do know it’s $75 for a 3 course meal and all the usual ‘stuff’ plus yours truly and his band bringing in 2013 with ya’ll.

Speaking of the WAG, the trio is there this weekend (Dec 21, 22). Linda Kidder is on bass & vocals and Shawn Soucy is on drums & vocals. 8:30-11:30pm.

Next weekend I’m playing solo at a cool new room in Newton called Bistro 72. It’s in the basement of the legendary Old Surrey Restaurant at 13483 – 72 Ave, Surrey, Tel: (604) 599-1972. I play 8:00-11:00pm. They have awesome brews, wine and awesome food at reasonable prices. 

Jan 4, 5, the first weekend of 2013, I’m playing the Tudor Ale House with the trio. Please support these rooms that are going the distance hiring live music. The only way they can continue is if they get good turnouts. The Tudor Ale House has gone through many changes since the old Tudor Pub days. It now has a cool vibe, ambiance and great staff.

Wishing you all the best this holiday season and a Happy New Year. Be safe, be happy, spend some quality time with those you love and have some fun.

Neil

I have a couple of new venues coming up in the next few weeks I want to let you know about. It’s always awesome to see places take a chance on live music so I want to give them a big kudos and ask you all to please make an effort to show them how much we music fans appreciate what they’re doing. I apologize in advance for repeating this theme throughout my post but I truly believe that pro level live music can survive in these ‘hard times’ if the fans show their support.

I’m playing with the trio this coming weekend (Nov 2,3) at The Tudor Ale House at 187 – 176th Street, in South Surrey, right by the border truck crossing. The venue has been updated a lot since the old Tudor Inn days and has a cool vibe. Yes, the pole is gone.

There’s a large party booked for Sat night but I’m sure they could still squeeze you in if you can’t make it Friday . There’s room to dance so we plan to rock it up more than usual. The Tudor is planning to have a band each weekend, if they get decent turnouts, so, if at all possible, come on out and support live music and the venues that make it possible. And, they are offering a shuttle by ‘tip’ only, which you can reserve by calling 778-294-1080.

On Thursday, Nov 1 at 6:30pm I’m playing solo at the Vault and then I’m back at the Vault again Fri, Sat/Nov 9, 10 starting at 8:15.

On Fri, Sat/Nov 16, 17 from 8:30-11:30 I’m playing solo at Bistro 72, a new venue in Newton, which is a very cozy, cool, Tapas/Tasting style restaurant with great food, wine and brew – and reasonable prices. It’s in the newly renovated basement of the well established and popular Old Surrey Restaurant at 13483 – 72 Ave. They don’t have a website up quite yet but I found this number on yellow pages – 604-599-1972. Again, these folks who take the leap to support live music deserve a chance to make it work, so, if you can, please come by and check it out.

You can find more gigs and info here.

I wish you all peace & health.

Neil

Just got a call for a gig this Sat, Sept 1 at Westbeach Bar & Grill and wanted to let you all know. I’ll  be playing some music with my good friend Steve Gidora from 7:30 – 11:30pm. Come on by for a dinner/appy or just a drink and some music.

You can find more gig listings on my gigs page.

Wishing you all Peace, Health & Happiness

Neil

I’m also playing on Sat, Aug 25 for the good folks at God’s Little Acre in Surrey at 16582-40th Avenue for their Volunteer Appreciation Day. Things kick off around noonish. Jas and company provide fresh, organic vegetables for the Food Bank. Pretty cool. Check out their FB page for more info. They always need more volunteers.  in Surrey.

- Peace

Boy, was that a fun weekend of playing music and hangin’ out with family, friends and fans.

The Music in the Park show in Kamloops was awesome, as was the audience. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the show and live music in general. When my first record, ‘Times Like These’ was released back in 1989, Kamloops played a big role in supporting my career. You folks are special. Thanks to Henry Small for getting us in the lineup and to the City of Kamloops and the BCLC for funding the Music in the Park event. Thanks as well to Mike and the folks from Lee’s Music for setting up and running the sound system. Last, but certainly not least, my heartfelt thanks to the boys in the band – Lee Oliphant on bass and my dear friend Rick Clark on drums. You guys rock!!

After the Music in the Park event, Lee and I headed straight back home to get a little sleep before our next show in my hometown of White Rock for the Spirit of the Sea Festival. The amazing Shawn Soucy (drums & vocal) joined Lee and I for our 3:00 set on the West Stage. It was super fun and made for a very cool musical adventure.

During our show, there was a Flash Mob Wedding, which was a blast. At one point the wedding party was dancing and singing along to ‘I Got My Mojo Working’. We invited Jim Black to the stage for ‘Mojo’ and he played a smokin’ guitar solo. Thanks Jim. Congratulations to Kevin & Alina on their wedding.

My heartfelt gratitude to Lee and Shawn for their awesome talent as well as to my good friend Steve Gidora for joining us on stage for a few tunes. Man, I love playing music when it’s about the music. Much appreciation as well to my friend Al Riede for all the wonderful photos (including the ones in this posting).

As you can see, Amy had a fun time celebrating her 30th birthday and four year anniversary of her accident and her amazing journey back. You can also see a bit of my wife, Julia’s, gorgeous smile. I love you both very much.

Thank you to all the fans who came out to support our show and the Spirit of the Sea Event. One portal to a higher resonance is through live, meaningful, original music so it’s always great to see folks fostering such undertakings. Turn off the computer, the TV and the virtual world and get out and see players making live music. We love it and appreciate you being there soooooo much!!

For those who’ve already read my Facebook posts much of this is reiteration but there is no other way as many folks on my fan list do not participate in Facebook, hence the website – PLUS – artists have way more control over a website than Facebook – and I like that.

With that said, here’s another repeat – Thank you to all the organizers/volunteers of the Spirit of the Sea event and to Phil Davies, Rob Nelson and the other folks providing gear and ears to help make us players sound good.  It’s all a ton of work I know and we appreciate your time and effort very much. Thanks as well to the sponsors who made the event possible and to good folks from the Semiahmoo First Nations.

And there you have it. Big Fun!!! – Wishing you all Peace, Health & Happiness.

Doing the Chuck Berry walk.

Me and the lads. Photo by Al Riede

]]> http://neilharnett.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/big-fun/feed/ 0 neilharnett Amy Having Fun neil-seafest-rampwalk Me and the band http://neilharnett.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/ps-amys-30th-birthday/ http://neilharnett.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/ps-amys-30th-birthday/#comments Sat, 04 Aug 2012 19:22:08 +0000 neilharnett http://neilharnett.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/ps-amys-30th-birthday/ ]]> PS. – Not only is the Spirit of the Sea show special because it marks four year’s since Amy’s accident and her amazing journey back, it is also Amy’s 30th birthday. A brand new decade sweetie. – Neil