Axes of Ego

I installed n-Track Studio for Android on my phone a while ago.  This afternoon, I decided to try it out.  I recorded one of my old songs in six tracks on my phone, using just my acoustic guitar and my voice.  I added the effects and did the final mix on my PC.  Here’s the result.

– Brad

Later:

Some people found that the play link above wasn’t working for them.  So, here’s a link to the song on Sound Cloud.

We are sorry to announce that Heather finds that she needs to step away from performing with Axes of Ego.  We will miss her talent, her ideas, and just having her around.

Every loss means change.  We’ll be looking for a new member.  Steve is interested in moving from bass to guitar.  So, if we find a suitable bassist who wants to join us, Steve will be our new guitarist.  If not, Steve says he’s okay with continuing on bass if we find the right guitar player.

A new member would need to be able to get him or herself to Two Mile (Hazelton) at least once a week for practice, more often when circumstances make it necessary and should have their own gear.  An ability to sing would be nice but not absolutely necessary.

Good times!

The loving couple arranged to have their dance in the pub at the Lakeland Hotel and arranged for our rooms in the same establishment.  The place is a bit older and the rooms aren’t fancy but they’re clean.  The bed was certainly comfortable enough, which is about all that matters after a late night when you’re no longer a youthful party animal. 😉  It’s certainly a plus for the rooms to be at the same location as the gig.

The stage in the pub isn’t very big but we made it work.  The staff were friendly and helpful.  We played, people sang along, people danced, people cheered, plenty of fun was had.  There was only one fight, as far as I could tell.  It stopped when some really big guy put the aggressor in a bear hug until he calmed down.

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We had a small but vocal audience for our set at the Kispiox Valley Music Festival, small in number but loud in going “Woo!”.  😉

Funny how we generally draw more people at non-festival events than at music festivals.  Hmm.

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Really looking forward to this weekend at KVMF.  Friday, July 26, 11:30 pm, we will ROCK the Hall Stage at the Kispiox Valley Music Festival!  It’s always fun to be the last act of the night.

We played okay at the Smithers Midsummer festival.   However, we were on stage 3 opposite a very popular headliner on the main stage, Compadres (James Keelaghan and Oscar Lopez), whom I’d hoped to see myself.  Our audience was very small but they clapped and cheered and whistled.  Thanks and thumbs up to everyone who came to see us instead of the guys I would have gone to see if I hadn’t been otherwise engaged.  😉

We’re playing at 8 pm on Friday, July 5th, at the Smithers Midsummer Music Festival on Stage 3. We’re doing a rockin’ set like we always do but with a difference: this time, we’re playing all original songs.

What a pain in the ass, though, that they’re only giving us half an hour playing time. This makes me question whether or not we should even bother sending in an application next year.

We’re scheduled to play at the Main Street Festival in Smithers on Saturday, June 15 at 1:30 pm.  Hope to see you there!

We played at Relay for Life in Smithers last night (Saturday, June 8).  Thanks again to Lauri Deveau and the rest of the organizers for having us there.  It was a privilege. Apparently, they raised more than $52,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

This was our third or fourth time (we’re musicians, not calendars, Jim!) playing for this annual event.  This year, it meant more to us and especially to me.  Just a few days ago, my wife, Sylvia, had her final chemotherapy treatment and was informed that she is now officially a cancer survivor.

The entertainment ran from noon to just before midnight and we were the final act.   Some people were dancing and we could see some shadowy figures watching out there despite the stage lights obscuring our view.  This was the first time Laurette Tesla appeared with Axes of Ego.  She was a member of The BRB, an extinct band that included several members of AoE.  She’s been practising with us for a little while and we hope to have her doing some lead vocals the next time we play.

– Brad

Here’s what we’ve got scheduled so far for the next few months:

• Rock the North Benefit Jam at ‘Ksan on the third weekend of May.

• Relay for Life cancer benefit in Smithers on June 8.

• Smithers Street Fair on June 15.

• Smithers Midsummer Music Festival the first weekend of July.

• Kispiox Valley Music Festival the last weekend of July.

• A dance for Smithers Homecoming Week on August 4 at the fair grounds in Smithers.

• Tentatively scheduled: a private event for August 16 in Burns Lake.

Note: Steve won’t be around for Kispiox or for August 4 so Karl Wyssen will be filling in on bass.  Also, Heather may or may not be around for those gigs but we’ll figure out something if she’s not.