It is wayyyyy to early and I went to bed wayyyyy too late, but honestly I am more excited than I have been in a long time as there are so many cool and great things happening!

First, it’s my first anniversary with Amy and I have an entire weekend full of surprises for her, so I can’t wait to share that with her! Secondly, we are getting ready to head off to the farm in Melfort for some lake and family time, and then on to Dauphin MB for Dauphin’s Christian Music Festival July 16-18 where I will be performing on a couple of stages.  Thirdly (is that proper word usage?)  the new ‘EP’ Come Inside is almost ready to be sent to Nashville for mastering.

I am really stoked for this album.  I think that Derek (Steinbrenner of Bentley Studios Edmonton, AB) and I have worked really hard to make this EP something that every person who has ever heard me sing or play can find accessible and enjoyable while at the same time stretching ourselves as musicians, producers and engineers.  I am proud to say that I played multiple instruments on this album as well as engineered alot of it, and co-produced it with Derek.  I had some great talent come alongside of me to fill in some pretty big gaps with my old friend Dean Dynna driving all the way from Prince Albert, SK just to lay down 4 bass tracks, Jared Salte on keys, and my drummer Bryan Boyce taking care of the grooves.  Derek also played a lot of guitar and even stretched out into some mean slide playing!

On July 21 at 6:00 p.m. the Qualico Patio Series at Festival Place in Sherwood Park, AB will be the place to be as I unveil for the first time my songs with a full band.  We have been rehearsing for a couple of weeks now, and the band is getting tighter by the minute, and I think this will be one show you don’t want to miss with more to follow as I take my music to the next level by playing more live band shows as well as continuing to do the ‘smaller’ gigs as an acoustic solo artist.

Life is moving very fast it seems and before we know it the summer will be over, my cd will be on sale, and the shows to come will be shows to be remembered.  You don’t want to miss out on any of it!

See you down the road!

Blake

Working hard in the studio!  This past month has seen me spend more time in the studio as I am preparing to get a new six-song ‘ep’ ready to go before the summer hits.

This ‘ep’ is starting to shape up into something really big for me.  I am playing most of the instruments, as well as tracking most of it myself.  My co-producer Derek Steinbrenner (Drentch, Friday’s Cry, Everyother, Define The Line) is handling all the editing and mixing.

It has definitely been a challenge, but I think that this will showcase in a light it has never seen before so I am super excited for you all to hear it!  There will be 5 brand new tracks, and 1 that is completely re-worked from my last ep.

Anyways, back to work!

Blake

I am so excited to announce to all my fans, friends and family that I have officially started working on the next album.  This new release should be finished sometime in June 2010 just in time for my summer gigs.

I am really excited about the project.  This time around I am co-producing it with Derek Steinbrenner who will also be handling all the editing and mixing.  Bryan Boyce (Higher Power), and Jared Salte (Junkyard Poets) along with a few other friends are also lending their talents to this 6 song ‘ep’ which will also feature 2 singles that will be released to radio.  So keep your ears tuned, and your eyes riveted as we bring you some video updates from the studio, and maybe even some sound bites!

Love you all!

Blake

Hey everyone, it’s been awhile since I was able to update you all on the happenings!

I have been editing the site a little, adding new shows for the month of April.  I am still trying to nail down my schedule for the next few months, but there are some very exciting things happening!

This month I am playing at a couple of Coffeehouse (Jo-Jo’s, and Catalyst Cafe) be sure to check out my shows page for all the info.

Probably the most exciting news is that starting on Sat. (hopefully as I have been sick this past week) I am going into the studio with my drummer Bryan Boyce to start the first stage of recording my next ‘EP’.  This EP will feature 4 of my newest songs that have been getting great responses in the different venues where I have played.  I will also be re-recording two songs from the current ‘EP’.

We will be releasing a couple of tunes to radio as soon as they are recorded, so when I announce that do me a favour and call your local radio station and request it!

Thanks for all your support

See you down the road !

Blake

ps. you can also catch me on my new fitness blog at http://thejourney-blake.blogspot.com to read about a new adventure that I am on!

I write this with a heavy heart.  My wife’s sister’s husband passed away suddenly last Friday morning.  Cardiac arrest was the cause of death, and as he was driving at the time it was a miracle that Tina escaped unharmed.

Death makes you measure your life.  Death brings all things into focus.  Death has a way of revealing what is truly worth my time.  A few days ago before all this happened I felt really impressed in my heart that I have been spending too much time running after ‘my kingdom’ rather than running after the ‘kingdom of God’.  In essence I have been focused so much on my career and self-promotion, and not enough about why I am making music in the first place.

It’s one thing to really care about what you do, and want to succeed in it.  It’s great to see your dreams come true and know that it was in large part because you risked and worked hard, but in the middle of that we sometimes lose sight of why we started in the first place.  Sometimes money  and worries of finances becomes my focus and I can’t see the big picture for the sake of my need to earn enough for my next cd or project.

Sometimes I just want to ‘make’ it because then my dream would be ‘fulfilled’.  But that dream would be simply based around the need to look good for other people and my desire to say ‘I did this my way’

I don’t know what it looks like for an independent musician to pursue the things of God over and above his own self-promotion and desire to succeed in the music ‘ business’ but one thing I can tell you is that my dream must not be just about me ‘making’ it, it can’t be about me ‘doing it’  because all that in the face of death lies in ruin.  However, if my music makes a difference in one person’s life, if it answers one question, if it gives someone an expression in their grief, joy, and pain then I will have accomplished what I was put on earth to do.  That’s success that will last for eternity.

May you and I live lives that matter.

It is really nice to be home in Edmonton.  It was a busy busy week of traveling.  I went to Canmore for a Pastor’s retreat with our team from Calvary.  What a great time to reconnect with each other and our wives.  It was a great trip despite a small scare with a trip to the emergency room in Canmore as Amy had a serious asthma attack.  The hospital staff were great and we were out of there within a couple of hours!

Monday was a ‘day’ off for me as I prepared to head out for a week of gigging, but I thought I should play a game of squash with my buddy Keith and ended up aggravating a back injury from earlier this summer.  I was walking which is something I wasn’t last time, but man it was slow and it was painful!!!

On Tuesday morning bad back and all  I went back to the mountains to support my friend Landen Dorsch by playing lead guitar in his worship band for the PAOC Minister’s Gathering.  It was a great time to worship and hang out with old friends.  Thursday saw me driving home from Banff, into Stoney Plain to play bass with amazing guitar player/worship leader Bill Olsen and Greg Kurjata at another conference.  It was a great time, with some great musicians!  Saturday Morning came early for Amy and I as we packed up and headed to my hometown of Melfort, SK (7.5 hours away from Edmonton) to perform for a fundraiser coffeehouse at NCF my old stomping grounds.  I also was able to lead worship at my buddy’s (Kevin Shiach) church in Melfort Sunday morning and then back to Edmonton Monday afternoon. WHAT A WEEK!  that’s a lot of driving in a tiny Honda Fit !

Anyways, there are lot’s of things upcoming as we get into the Easter season, and with Spring around the corner there is soon to be lot’s of opportunities to play and perform.

I am also anticipating a spring release of a single so stay tuned for that.

See you down the road!!!

Blake