Kelly Russell And The Planks With Bob Hallett...Happy St. Patrick's Day, 2018.

The traditional media and social media tells me that St. John's, Newfoundland is always a great place to be when the Irish and those people of Irish descent and their friends celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

This year the St. Patrick's day celebrations were made extra special when Great Big Sea member Bob Hallett and Rum Ragged joined Kelly Russell and The Planks for a concert at The Rockhouse on Friday, 16 March. What a concert that would have been!

An awesome bootlegged video of Bob Hallett performing with the band and singing 'I'm A Rover' was circulated on Facebook by a fan. I have circulated an official recorded copy of Kelly Russell and The Planks with Bob Hallett singing 'I'm A Rover' from their YouTube site on my Google + page. 

I have also included some screen shots about the concert from various social media sites. As always no copyright infringement intended.

Last year Kelly Russell and The Planks with Bob Hallett performed a concert at the Newfoundland Folk Festival on 13 August, 2017. Prior to the concert Kelly Russell did an interview with the local newspaper The Newfoundland Herald titled 'Herald's Q & A with Kelly Russell and The Planks' published on 4 August, 2017 by Dillion Collins.

They discussed the type of music the band plays, being advocates for traditional Newfoundland music and how Bob Hallett become a member of the group. The article contains some beautiful photographs of the band performing including Bob Hallett.

I have copied a couple of paragraphs here for those interested. The full article and photographs can be found at the Newfoundland Herald site nflherald.com. As always no copyright infringement intended.

https://nfldherald.com/heralds-qa-kelly-russell-the-planks/

"....The group currently consists of yourself, Sean Panting, Chris Batstone, Adam Staple and now Bob Hallett. Take me through the addition of Hallett to the lineup?

Chris had kind of been nagging us all for the past couple of years, ‘By’s we should get back together, do a few gigs, what’s on the go?’ Sean had a conversation with Bob Hallett one night who expressed a desire to play music, not necessarily being in a big touring band out on the road, but just to keep his hand in playing occasionally. We said that there might be a little revival of The Planks and we asked him if he’d be interested in playing with us and he said he certainly would be. Bob is now a full-fledged member of the group. We are now a five-piece.

Something like the Folk Festival has been a tremendous vessel for the betterment of local folk and trad music, certainly within the young community. What’s your take?

Something like the Folk Festival makes this music accessible and makes the stage accessible to the younger players. Outside of the festival setting and maybe one or two other events, people and musicians under 19 do not have access to a stage to perform, because all of this music happens in the bars. That’s a criticism that I’ve always had about the music scene here, it’s bars and late nights. Even for people of age going in the bars some stuff doesn’t start until 11:30-12 at night. We really need to revisit that and have more venue like the Folk Festival where the young people have an opportunity to perform.

You’ve always been a huge advocate and spokesperson for Newfoundland music, especially abroad. What would be some things you hear when you travel outside of the island?

I’ll go into schools and do presentations on Newfoundland music and Newfoundland culture and I try to emphasis to my students and open their eyes to the fact that Newfoundland music is not just for Newfoundlanders and not just popular here in Newfoundland. Whether you take this music on stages around the world people take notice. They recognize it as being similar to Irish but also recognize it has aspects to it that are very unique. It’s always fun, exciting and upbeat and Newfoundland musicians are popular everywhere and Newfoundland musicians are being recognized worldwide...."

Bootlegging And Concerts...Some Good Advice.

Recently Alan Doyle wrote on Twitter that he had been recording some of the concerts from the 'Come Out With Me' Tour. So I thought I would do some current research on the topic of bootlegging by fans and the impact on artists and musicians.

I am came across a brief article in the online music site npr.org where one of their readers and a music fan asked the question 'Is it ok to bootleg concerts? for our personal use, and on the ethics and the the impact of bootlegging on the concert experience and how bootlegging affects the music recordings for artists and musicians.

Even though the article was over three years ago I found the response really thoughtful and relevant. For example the author writes 'it is up to the bootlegger to ask permission rather than request forgiveness...after the distribution of recorded concerts...'

Firstly, I do disagree with the author about how bootlegging impacts on artists and musicians and the sale of albums and music. From my research I believe that bootlegging and live recordings do impact on sales and that artists and musicians now make their money through concerts and merchandise sales rather than the sale of their music.

I agree with the author in that bootleggers should consider the recording policies of the venues and other concert goers before recording concerts...'Many venues have strict policies about recordings made on their premises — they get a say in whether it's OK, too. When done in a boorish, thoughtless way, recording shows can intrude on the concert-going experiences of others. And why, many ask, do so many people focus on documenting shows instead of simply enjoying them?' I have raised and discussed these points on many occasions (as have music fans in this fandom) but still these points are ignored by those who bootleg concerts on a regular basis.

The author provides further excellent advice... 'Taken together, it all adds up to a simple piece of advice: You have to take this stuff on a case-by-case basis, and the central question you ask — "Is it ethical?" — can only be answered through the pursuit of permission. Ask the sound engineer onsite if you can plug into his or her board. Check the FAQ on the band's website to see if it has a policy on concert recordings. If you don't see your question answered, ask it via social media. As with so many ethical questions, you should always be willing to take no for an answer.'

I absolutely agree with the author in that today bootleggers really need to ask permission and that isn't too hard to do since most artists and music groups have social media pages. And ditto if they don't see their question answered, ask it via social media. And fans should always be willing will to take no for an answer.

The Good Listener: Is It OK To Bootleg Concerts?' by Stephen Thomson on the 25 April, 2014 at nrp.org (no copyright infringement intended).

https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2014/04/25/306519670/the-good-listener-is-it-ok-to-bootleg-concerts
'
We get a lot of mail at NPR Music, and alongside the two quart-size tubs of barbecue sauce is a slew of smart questions about how music fits into our lives — and, this week, thoughts on recording and trading live shows for our private enjoyment.

Wesley Warren writes via Facebook: I have a question about trading (not buying or selling) audio recordings of concerts — sometimes from a handheld mic, sometimes directly from the soundboard. Is it good for music and/or bands, or does it detract from sales? Is it ethical? Does it minimize the exclusivity and uniqueness of the concert-going experience? Does it detract from the time, attention and craftsmanship a band puts into recording those songs for an album?

In 2014, most bands will tell you that concert bootlegs have slid pretty far down the list of factors that threaten their livelihood; that they rank well below piracy, minuscule royalties for online streaming, the din of thousands of other bands, short and fickle audience attention spans and so on. Besides, with the rise of YouTube, most artists have had to come to terms with their shows being recorded in one way or another, and are frequently willing to (at the very least) look the other way. Compared to the number of people who circulate low-grade cell-phone recordings on the Internet, audiophile bootleggers who plug into the soundboard aren't plentiful, and are widely seen to have a negligible impact on sales either way.

But you're also wise to consider some caveats, too — starting with the fact that it's up to the taper to ask permission rather than request forgiveness. Among other things, there are factors and third-party players to consider that go beyond financial concerns. Many artists, past and present, have been horrified by the proliferation of muffled, badly mixed, amateurishly recorded representations of performances that were never meant to be heard outside the rooms in which they took place. Some artists record and sell their own soundboard recordings, and don't need competition from their fans. Many venues have strict policies about recordings made on their premises — they get a say in whether it's OK, too. When done in a boorish, thoughtless way, recording shows can intrude on the concert-going experiences of others. And why, many ask, do so many people focus on documenting shows instead of simply enjoying them?

Still, for many artists — not all, mind you, but many — it's easy to imagine that it might be viewed as a privilege that someone would go to the trouble of documenting and circulating a single random concert, especially given how often today's musicians are expected to perform sessions and concerts for free public consumption. Taken together, it all adds up to a simple piece of advice: You have to take this stuff on a case-by-case basis, and the central question you ask — "Is it ethical?" — can only be answered through the pursuit of permission. Ask the sound engineer onsite if you can plug into his or her board. Check the FAQ on the band's website to see if it has a policy on concert recordings. If you don't see your question answered, ask it via social media. As with so many ethical questions, you should always be willing to take no for an answer.

Dean Brody, Great Big Sea and 'It's Friday'...Throwback Thursday.

While researching photographs and articles for my blog I came across a totally gorgeous photograph of Alan Doyle down on one knee kissing the hand of a newly married bride Chantelle.

In 2012 Dean Brody, Great Big Sea (Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett and Sean McCann) plus a collection of Canadian and Newfoundland musicians came together for the making of a music video for the Dean Brody written song 'It's Friday'. The song was released on the 12 September, 2012 and reached 60 on the Canadian Hot 100. The music video was directed by Jeth Weinrich.

The music video for the song was filmed on a roof top in St. John's, Newfoundland. As news of the making of the music video spread throughout St. John's, locals gathered to watch and sing-a-long and were included in the filming as opportunities arose.

On the day Rob and Chantelle's wedding party happened to be travelling by, heard the music and stopped to watch the video shoot. Dean Brody and Great Big Sea came over and started to perform for the couple and their group. What a thrill for them, not only to be married in front of family and friends but also to be included in a Dean Brody and Great Big Sea music video.

The beautiful photographs of Rob and Chantelle's wedding and their appearance in the 'It's Friday' music video were taken by their photographer Colin Peddle for a testimony for his webpage. I have included one screen shot of Alan Doyle kissing the bride's hand and him and Dean Brody playing for the group.

I hope you enjoy this story and these photographs as much as I have and as always no copyright infringement intended. I have shared a copy of the 'It's Friday' music video on my Google + page. The music video has received over 1. 6 million views. 

Russell Crowe And 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts Groupies...Throwback Thursday.

I have been researching Russell Crowe and his band the 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts (TOFOG) concert at the Lookout Hotel in Scarborough, Western Australia and their tour of Australia for a Throwback Thursday post. While I was only able to find a photograph without going to the state archives, I came across this really interesting article about his early music fans titled '30-odd foot groups' in Australia published in the same year.

I found this insight into who were the fans and their interactions with Russell and his band, their participation at concerts and in fandom really interesting. Despite the article being written nearly 15 years ago some things remain the same. Russell still loves and plays music with some variation of the TOFOG, now called the Indoor Garden Party band. Last year some of his fans, who are mostly mature age women spend thousands of dollars following Russell and his current band the Indoor Garden Party band around at concerts in the United Kingdom.

Some things are different. Many of the Russell Crowe fan sites established in the early years of the Internet that recorded and share information such as interviews, articles and photographs are still available. In the early years fans connected through group forums run by fans as social media was in its early years. Today many fans share a connection through social media with the main official sites run and controlled by Russell Crowe himself.

I was also interested to read how these early fans met and interacted with Russell Crowe through chance encounters after the event. Last year fans with enough money who travelled to an Indoor Garden Party concert and buy a ticket to a concert could also buy a meet and greet with Russell Crowe and the band. Those fans who did this shared their photographs via social media. As a consequence their fan status increased as they became known to the band members themselves and fans.





I have copied this early article below for those fans interested. I was also lucky enough to have found a photograph of Russell and his band playing at the Lookout Hotel in Scarborough, Western Australia in 2003. No copyright infringement intended.

'30-odd foot of groupies' published in The Sun-Herald on 17 November, 2003. The article can be found at https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/16/1068917672468.html

For a band of diehard fans (many old enough to know better), it's Russell Crowe's music, not his on-screen machismo, that has them crossing the world for front-row seats, Christine Sams reports.

It's a long way from the pristine white beaches of Panama City, Florida, to the darkened front row of the Campbelltown Catholic Club in Sydney's west. But no distance is too great for 61-year-old grandmother Carol Atkinson, who has travelled across the world to worship at the shrine of 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts (TOFOG). And her idol of choice is the band's lead singer, Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe.

With her thick glasses and ample build, Atkinson looks more like a girl guide leader than a rock groupie who has come to Australia three times this year to see Crowe perform. "I have children the same age as Russell," she laughs. "It's disgusting, isn't it? But I've spent more than half my life caring for my children. Now it's my turn."

Atkinson estimates she has spent thousands of dollars ("if you don't add it up, you don't feel bad") and a stack of frequent flyer points on her passion for Crowe. She's seen the 39-year-old New Zealander perform in Australia, Chicago and Canada. Along the way, she's bonded with 15 groupies who have travelled variously from Japan, the US, Britain and, of course, Australia. "Most of us came to the band through Russell," she says. "But now we're genuine TOFOG fans. You don't come all this way just to see one guy."

Joining the diehard fans are hundreds of Campbelltown residents - some curious about seeing the Hollywood star, others simply wanting a good night out for $22 - who sit up the back of the auditorium with their beers. But even among the most reluctant attendees (mainly blokes who've been dragged along by their wives) there is a frisson of excitement when Crowe steps up to the microphone.

As a teenager in New Zealand, Crowe - who acknowledges the influences of singer/songwriters Billy Bragg and Elvis Costello - performed under the stage name Russ Le Roq. He still tells stories about busking on the streets of Sydney in the 80s with his mate Dean Cochran, now lead guitarist in TOFOG. (The band's name refers to a sound effects request Crowe found amusing while working on the 1995 film Virtuosity.) But much like Keanu Reeves and his band Dogstar, Crowe and TOFOG are regularly derided and mocked by some critics. "TOFOG is horrible by any standard: lyrics a teenage poet would be ashamed of, barely passable musicianship ... and Rusty's hulking physique and quavering, off-key voice out front," wrote one Australian critic.

Not that such opinions matter to Crowe's fans.

"I grew up with the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel, whose lyrics meant something," says Atkinson, "and it's the same with Russell and the band. I've got all the CDs - in my car, on my computers at work and home - and I enjoy the songs. When you see them live, it's electrifying. I don't really understand the criticism. I find it strange. It could be the tall poppy syndrome. The band perform a type of music and, just like opera or pop, it might not be your thing but it's still good."

Backstage in Campbelltown, Crowe says he often recognises the fans - mainly women - who've followed the band's entire Australian tour. Since July, TOFOG has performed more than 24 gigs throughout the country including dates in Darwin and Mildura and a free outdoor concert on Palm Island, 65 kilometres north-east of Townsville.

Atkinson came face to face with her idol during a gig at Coffs Harbour in July when he stepped off the stage to speak with her. She was jet-lagged and "lucky to remember my name". "He asked me where I was from and was very polite and friendly," she recalls. "I've spoken to him three or four times since. I don't approach him. That's not my style."

After a show, it's not unusual for the singer/guitarist to receive congratulatory cards - his first child with wife Danielle Spencer is due in January - as well as gifts and fan letters. The actor even announced the gender of his unborn baby - a boy - during a gig in Chicago.

On stage, Crowe gives the fans a little wave as they sing along to every word of every song. That's no mean feat - most Australian music fans would struggle to sing one chorus or even name a TOFOG song. But dedicated fans - here and in the United States - have embraced the band's latest album, Other Ways Of Speaking, which was released in Australia in July.

The technology-savvy groupies also rely on internet chat forums to brag about their encounters with Crowe throughout TOFOG's tour. Favourite sites include www.gruntland.com (the band's official site) and www.russellcroweheaven.com where fans write poems dedicated to Crowe and buy merchandise including posters and photographs. Among the free gimmicks available are Crowe paper dolls. Think Crowe in casual gear, Crowe in Gladiator mode as Maximus.

But even for web-obsessed fans - including those wielding scissors and a glue stick - there's nothing like seeing life-sized Crowe in the flesh. Atkinson has befriended a Tasmanian named Sunnie Gill, the founder of the Russell Crowe Heaven website. Gill is thrilled to see the star on stage but, after seeing the fans in action, admits to having reservations about the Grunt groupies. "It's so competitive among them, it's actually a bit scary," she says warily. "These people are hardcore. I thought I was a fan but now I'm like, 'Whoa!'"

Atkinson is unfazed. "We're just here for fun," she says. "We certainly don't want to make Russell feel uncomfortable in any way and I think he knows that. It doesn't seem to matter whether people are here for the gladiator, for Russell Crowe or because they won tickets in a radio show. I've seen the way he pulls them in, the way he involves them in the show. It's just phenomenal to watch."

Russell Crowe And 'A Less Contentious Australia Day Tweet'...An Australian responds (Update and Repost).

I have reposted this post as while researching I found a photograph of Russell Crowe (and Alan Doyle) and The Ordinary Fear Of God performing at the Australia Day Live Concert at Parliament House in Canberra on the 25 January, 2006. What an awesome concert that would have been.




(no copyright infringement intended)


Russell Crowe And 'A Less Contentious Australia Day Tweet'...An Australian responds published on 27 January, 2018.

On the 25 January, 2018, the day before Australia's national day of celebration Russell Crowe wrote on his official Twitter site... 'I am going to say Happy Australia Day , on a different date. Take away the contention , let's have a date we can all embrace. We should be sensitive enough to recognise all those who have lived in this land before us , if you live here , you belong to them , and they to you.' 

One of the reasons I love writing my blog is that I always find so many interesting things to research and write about. And this topic is definitely one of those. Two days on from when the tweet was first posted the responses keep coming. Well over 600 responses from fans, Australians (both indigenous and non-indigenous) and foreigners who have weighed into the discussion. And what a discussion this has been for Twitter and social media.

There were the loyal Russell Crowe fans from overseas (and Australia) who agreed with Russell again, over something that didn't affect them or their family and they had no trouble criticising Australia and telling Australians what to do. Most of these fans from overseas don't have a clue about Australia's history, have never been to Australia and nor have they ever met an Australian or an indigenous Australian yet they weighed in.

There were those who responded and told Russell 'politely' that he was a Kiwi who has never taken citizenship and voted and that he should mind his own business and keep his opinions to himself. There were many of those who wrote and I agree with that there is no 'we' as long Russell doesn't do his time and take his citizenship and vote. He doesn't have the right to speak for me as an Australian and what we should do about anything in this country even though he lives here beyond the scope of his own family and investments. I was initially peeved at his comments and for taking yet another dig at Australians and Australia the country he says he calls home.

There was also a really interesting educational and informative discussion by many Australians about the history of colonisation in Australia and the possibility of changing Australia Day to another date. Of course I wouldn't take anything I read in a Twitter or a social media timeline as the absolute truth and would check the comments made against reliable sources, but I was heartened by the informative, non abusive and non name calling discussion in order to attempt to resolve this issue.

The traditional media also caught on about Russell's comments who use Twitter and social media as a source of 'news'. At the time of writing this post there were stories on Yahoo and from the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom. These articles describe how there are a number of Australian celebrities joining the 'Change the date' cause. These 'news' stories were supplement with screen shots of tweets and beautiful pictures of flag waving Australians.

I am sure Russell Crowe (as are a number of celebrities) are fully aware of the power of their Twitter and social media accounts to created publicity for any cause. Like a range of social media has the power to make most participants whether they are a celebrity or not feel better about themselves without having to do anything substantial. For Russell there is the extra advantage of using Twitter to take a dig at Australia and Australians with his 'loyal' followers trolling them and dividing Australians themselves.

Russell posted the tweet on his official Twitter account on the 25 January or Australia Day eve to 'take away contention'. What many of his loyal supporters on Twitter didn't realise that his post supporting the call to change the date posted on the 25 January is the official beginning of the Australia Day celebrations especially in the nation's capital Canberra when the Australian of the Year awards are announced.

Australia Day celebrations in past were held on the 25 January or the 26 January depending on what day of the week it was. When I lived in Canberra ordinary Australians like me would wonder up to the old Parliament and watch the presentation of Australian of the Year and participate in various activities including a concert and fireworks.

However, with each change of government the day and celebrations for Australia Day change. This year The Australian of the Year awards and Australia Day celebrations for the Australian elite in Canberra were held on the 25 January at the Big Hall in Parliament House. I am not sure what kind of a presentation it was but I am assuming it was an invited sit down dinner only. Ordinary Australians, residents and visitors were left with a family friendly barbecue, flag raising, citizenship ceremonies and some fireworks and a concert in the park now on the actual day. So I can't imagine it being a big deal to change the date.

Many of Russell's followers do not understand Australian history as many Australians don't but still they actively defended him. Many failed to remember Russell owns half of the Australian rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbitohs . Unlike the National Rugby League site the South Sydney Rabbitohs did not write an official happy Australia Day post to it's members and supporters on Twitter. The South Sydney Rabbitohs supports indigenous Australian players and has a long and complex history with the indigenous Australian community and the local Sydney suburb of Redfern where the organisation is located.

A recent article on ABC News gave an overview of the Invasion Day protests around Australia and those in Sydney... 'This year Sydney protests marked the 80 th anniversary of the Day of Mourning where thousands of protesters walked through the streets of Redfern wanting a treaty between Indigenous Australians and the Government... Australia is the only country that does not have a treaty with its Indigenous population...A twin Australia Day protest was held at The Block in Redfern, with more than 3,000 people spilling out of the park and joining the walk to the Yabun Festival held at Victoria Park.'

To his credit Russell has always had an interest in indigenous Australian culture and history. Last year he visited remote indigenous communities throughout central Australia and Western Australia with friends. Although it was a private unannounced visit he did attract the attention of the local media who published some photographs and stories (Iannella, 2017). Russell also posted some photos and videos on his official Twitter account. When the political party the Greens who support the 'Change of Date' campaign were asked about their experience in remote indigenous Australian communities many of their elected politicians would not say what their experiences were or when they last went to a remote indigenous Australian community (Higgins, 2018). So credit to Russell.

In a poll taken by the morning television show Sunrise on Facebook 74 % of people who voted did not want the date of Australia Day changed. Prior to writing this blog post I would have been in that camp. After some research and a bit of resistance I believe Australia should begin discussions to change the date.

King (2018) provides a brief but excellent overview of the history of the colonisation of Australia. The writer states something I didn't know 'It's a misnomer anyway calling January 26 Australia day because that is historically inaccurate. The 26th was not arrival of anyway, they arrived in Botany Bay on 18th January...On January 26 Phillip established a penal colony not a nation...'

This Australian now believes we should celebrate Australia Day on January 1 when the nation of Australia was actually created. King (2018) continues 'January 1, 1901 was all about nation building - not British naval officers just founding one penal colony - but Australians creating their own nation.'

And so the debate and push around changing the date of Australia Day continues in particular by some political parties within Australia. However, there are those non indigenous and indigenous Australians that argue this takes away from more important issues that concern indigenous Australians like housing, health and shorter life expectancies, justice, domestic violence, child neglect, education and employment. Governments have discussed closing the gap between indigenous and non indigenous Australians for years and this should be a priority. I agree.

References

ABC News, 2018. 'Invasion Day marked by thousands of protesters calling for equal rights, change of date' published on ABC News on 26 January, 2018 at abc.net.au.

Canberra Times, 2018, 'Greens may be off the mark with Australia Day push' published in The Canberra Times on 15 January, 2018 at canberratimes.com.

Higgins, E. 2018, 'Greens’ focus is not on Aborigines, says Sue Gordon' published in The Australian on 20 January, 2018 at the australian.com.au.

Iannella, A. 2017. 'Russell Crowe visited the APY Lands, and Tjala Arts Centre in the Amata community' published in The Advertiser on 3 May, 2017 on news.com.au.

King, J. 2018. 'Australia Day: Why our destiny requires another date to celebrate' published in The Sydney Morning Herald on the 21 January, 2108 at amp.smh.com.au.

Sunrise Official Twitter Account, 'Should we change the date of Australia Day Facebook Poll' published on 24 January, 2018.

Weekend Australian, 2018. 'Greens get good telling off from indigenous leaders' published in the Weekend Australia, on 23 January, 2018 at theaustralian.com

Alan Doyle And 'The Come Out With Me Tour' 2018...The second leg from the road (A fan photo essay).

Some fabulous photographs were taken by fans at the various concerts and shared on social media along the second leg of Alan Doyle and 'The Come Out With Me Tour'. Some of these photographs were shared by Alan Doyle on his official Twitter and Instagram sites. I have shared some screen shots here and there are more photographs at the various social media accounts of the holders. Many thanks to all the fans who take awesome photographs and share them via social media. I really enjoy looking at them. No copyright infringement intended.

The highlight of the collection from this leg of the tour were from an Ottawa music photographer D. Brian Campbell. A selection of his totally awesome black and white photographs (and some colour) were shared by Alan Doyle of the less photographed but equally talented Beautiful, Beautiful Band members Kris MacFarlane and Shehab Illyas. I have shared a couple of screen shots of photographs here.

If you enjoy music photography as much as I do check out D. Brian Campbell's official Instagram account. No copyright infringement intended.








More totally awesome photographs from d.b campbell on Instragram....











Other fan photographs...

Alan Doyle And 'The Come Out With Me Tour' 2018...The second leg from the road (Reposted and Updated).

Alan Doyle and The Beautiful, Beautiful Band hit the road with the 'Come Out With Me Tour' on the 15 January, 2018. Along the way Alan, the band and fans share their words, thoughts, photographs and videos via their social media sites and fan sites. Alan also does some traditional media interviews and other promotional material as the tour progresses.

Over the past Alan Doyle and The Beautiful, Beautiful Band tours I have collected some of those social media posts, interviews and promotional material and created posts. As a record of Alan's music career these posts are regularly visited for anyone wanting some photographs and information.

Due to the large amount of information shared I find it difficult to keep track of everything that is produced by Alan, the band on the road and the fan's experiences at the concerts. So I have decided to create these as they go along and information appears. 

I will include screen shots of some of Alan and the band's posts, some quotes from interviews and the promotional material to direct future visitors to them. Where possible they are circulated via my Google + page. 

From The Road (full post available at alandoyle.ca)...

Peterborough, Ontario...On The Bus. published on 22 February, 2018

"...So, again, in many ways this is day one of the full team which bring with it a few hundred new cues to hit, new pieces of equipment to remember how to use, new instruments to play in different ways, and new songs to sing from a new CD. There’s a nervous energy in the air that only happens on day one. Lyrics are written to help commit them to memory. Volumes and tones of new instruments are questioned and tweaked. Knee jerk reactions from how we used to do it will lead us astray a time or two. Naps just can’t be had as minds just wont stop spinning to plot a course through it all. Butterflies that just won’t fly away..."

An interview...

"...“Music is my life and passion. I’ve never once considered a life outside of music,” he says. “Playing a concert of meaningful songs to a room or field full of people easily remains my favourite thing in the world.”






Another interview...

Interviewer "What kind of shampoo do you use?"

Alan "What ever is in the hotel." (Love it !)

The full interview is available from Soundcheckentertainment.ca.

An Interview...


'Perpetually enthused: Alan Doyle to bring 'greatest kitchen party in the history of the world' to Calgary' by Eric Vomers published in the Calgary Herald on the 7 March, 2018.

"....If there is a recurring theme when talking to Doyle, it’s his sense of gratitude for just about everything. He’s grateful to have been raised in Newfoundland, surrounded by music. He’s grateful that Newfoundlanders continue to be supportive of his career regardless of what corner of the world they may have ended up in. He’s grateful to have had the opportunity to write two memoirs for a major publishing company. He’s grateful to have a top-notch touring band, a bulging canon of Great Big Sea and traditional Newfoundland tunes to draw from for live performances and an audience that is nevertheless still receptive to new material. In fact, he says he’s grateful and “freaked out” that people still come out to see live music in general..."

The full interview is circulated on my Google + page. 


The reviews...

An awesome review and a beautiful collection of photographs by elsdurnford of Alan Doyle and The Beautiful, Beautiful Band from their concert in Ottawa. 

'Alan Doyle Live at NAC's Southham Hall' is published at www.soundcheckentertainment.ca on the 27 February, 2018. 

The photographs...



















Social Media...

I always love Alan's selfies from the road...




















A current setlist...






Sold Out Shows...

Alan Doyle And 'The Come Out With Me Tour' 2018...The first leg from the road (Reposted and Updated).

I accidentally deleted this post when posting other posts. As a consequence a lot of material I collected was lost. If I see things from this first leg of the 'The Come Out With Me Tour' I will repost them here.

Alan Doyle and The Beautiful, Beautiful Band hit the road with the 'Come Out With Me Tour' on the 15 January, 2018. Along the way Alan, the band and fans share their words, thoughts, photographs and videos via their social media sites and fan sites. Alan also does some traditional media interviews and other promotional material as the tour progresses.

Over the past Alan Doyle and The Beautiful, Beautiful Band tours I have collected some of those social media posts, interviews and promotional material and created posts. As a record of Alan's music career these posts are regularly visited for anyone wanting some photographs and information.

Due to the large amount of information shared I find it difficult to keep track of everything that is produced by Alan, the band on the road and the fan's experiences at the concerts. So I have decided to create these as they go along and information appears.

I will include screen shots of some of Alan and the band's posts, some quotes from interviews and the promotional material to direct future visitors to them. Where possible they are circulated via my Google + page.





Alan Doyle From The Road...'YYT-YYZ-YVR'... January 15th, 2018 (full post available at alandoyle.ca)...

"...The last day or so have been typical of the last few days of a long break before the beginning of a long time away. Regular readers of this blog have heard me speak of this many times. The odd mix of excitement to hit the road and sadness about leaving those who love to have you around. You start counting the school drop offs you have left before you’ll go close to a month without another one. You walk your dog a little bit longer and hope he doesn’t know he won’t get the kind of walk he likes most for a few weeks. You linger at your Mom’s counter ten or fifteen minutes longer than you have reason to, just to watch your parents putter around the house and ask one more time, “where are you going this time?” Trying to commit the sound of their in-person voices to memory as they just don’t quite sound the same on the phone..."

Interviews...




"For longtime fans of Newfoundland combo Great Big Sea, frontman Alan Doyle has some good news and some bad news. On the upside, he has a rollicking new solo effort out, his third — the Bob Rock-produced “A Week at the Warehouse” — which captures Great Big Sea’s kinetic Celt-rocking spirit. On the downside, when the band’s original member Sean McCann left in 2013 after two decades, he and co-founder Bob Hallett discussed amicable ways to continue without him. “We couldn’t come to an agreement so there was nothing left to do but move on,” says Doyle. “So it’s all good, everybody seems to be quite happy doing what they’re doing, and the door is still wide open....”


Photographs...

















Selfies...

My favourites... an Alan Doyle selfie from the road.



















Fan stuff....

Kevin Durand and Scott Grimes made a guest appearance at the concert at The Roxy in Los Angeles on the 20 January, 2018. I circulated a copy of a bootleg 'Row Me Bully Boys Row' on my Google + page. The bootleg was recorded by Small Wonders. No copyright infringement intended.














The Come Out With Me Tour North American Dates Posters....