December of my Dreams

December 6th, 2011

Well well well here we are at the end of another fine year. I just pulled back into Kingston after a spectacular New York City run. Hit town and got to see sister wrongs fiddler Megan Palmer playing with her band at the Rodeo Bar and they were stupendous! World class band lead by a world class talent. I got to join them for a couple of hits, which is a nice way to be welcomed to New York. The next night Megan and I played in Brooklyn at the Cafe Steinhof where we were joined by bassist Jason Mercer (long time Wrong and also Ron Sexsmiths bass guy). A cozy gig full of friends and friendly faces. That day Jack Grace led his radio pals from Ireland around little Italy for a tour that I tagged along with. We saw all the famous spots and the Irish folks were particularly keen to see where scenes from the Godfather and other such films were shot. We dined at Johns on 12th street, a traditional Italian restaurant which has maintained their quality and style for many years in a shifting world. After that feast we busted it to Brooklyn for the gig. Our Rodeo Bar show was another splendid affair featuring in the all star band: Tony Scherr on guitar (bassist with Bill Frisell and Sex Mob), Daria Grace on bass (singer/bandleader of the Pre War Ponies and bassist in The Jack Grace Band), Bruce Martin on accordion (keyboard player in the Tom Tom Club and member of the Jack Grace Band) and drummer Russ Meissner (The Jack Grace Band, The Sean Smith Quartet and many others). In the crowd were Dave Gregg, founding member of punk legends DOA and also fellow Canadian country dynamo and friend Cord Lund. I knew we were rocking it when an effusive Korean woman had me sign an autograph and then stuffed $120 in my pocket. Extra christmas cake for all! Speaking of that, our 17th annual Salvation Army Benefit Show is set for December 21st at the Mansion in Kingston and promises to be un gran spectac. Featured on two floors no less are: Weeping Tile (with sister Mary and Cam Giroux joining Sarah & Lw), Joey Wright, Kate Weeks & Grant Simpson (from the Yukon), Chris Brown, Music Maul, Jay Harris & the Tranceivers, Rocky Roberts (Neal Youngs guitar tech and singer/songwriter extraordinaire), Rusty Ford, Brendan from Slaves of Spanky, Kim Pollard, and Deck the Halls with Balls and Kelly featuring Brucey the git. Send me word for more info. Happy Holidays! xo

Live at The Acoustic Grill

October 21st, 2011

Hi! We have just put the finishing touches on a live album. And by "we", I mean myself & Dan Whiteley with our friends from New York, The Jack Grace Band. It was recorded at The Acoustic Grill in Picton, Ontario which is quite close to home for me. Steve and the Acoustic Grill folks have been presenting live music for a good stretch now and I believe we are the fifth live cd they have produced with local musician/producer Brent Bodrug. Our up coming shows in November is where we will kick off the unofficial release and it will be available on our websites at that time as well. We trade songs back and forth on the album for the full meal deal of Lw & Jack Grace songs so I am sure you will enjoy it!

Luther Wright in school music teaching

August 21st, 2011

here is a link for a video of us at the Robert Service School in Dawson. youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=en&client=mv-google&v=EjsJ8aw9tBc

Luthers Got the Blues

August 9th, 2011

Hi,i friend sent me some links of other bands doing my song Luthers got the blues and they are good! Quarter Mile Lane http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJpLMhEeKhI&feature=related Abby and Tom Beneke http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpzpqvKfREc&feature=related Sarah Harmer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni5XUVRW3oY

As JFK said, "I am a Doughnut"

July 12th, 2011

Hallo from Berlin! It is quite the city and we have seen alot of it in the last 4 days. Nice to see some freaks again. Soooo many young people here and art rules the city. I have not been here since 1989 when the wall was still up so it is a trip to wander through the former east. The gig in Luzern, Switzerland was awesome fun especially as it turned out our host was from Newfoundland and lived in a castle where we stayed up on the edge of town. It is a touristy town but still worth the visit. As well as seeing a bit of France we toured through the Black Forest en route back to our home base in Speyer, Germany where we enjoyed the Pretzelfest (yup, you heard me right). It is a hundred year old event that rivals the CNE for you Canadian types. But of course the beer is much better. We tripped up to Hannover area for a great gig at Rainers Rockhouse where many a Canadian has graced the stage and we were made very welcome by Rainer the host. I gotta say, they sure love the blues over here. (I of course have them but do not play that style as I am just a white boy through and through.) In breaking news, so to speak, I share a common country music ailment that afflicted Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, that being a freaking sore back! Ahhhhhhhh! Alas Berlin has a history of druggies so they do not sell the muscle relaxants over the counter like we get in ole Canadia so it is advils and tequila until the pain abates enough for me to walk. Shitballs, you can see where this may lead. I will be back in the homeland in a few days and sort it out but not before a trip to Hamburg and one more show. Summer is all set up with gigs and a chunk of recording as well as plans for fall fun. Notably, I am playing bass with Wolfe Islands Open Hearts Sociey which has actually lead me to a problem with a tendon in my hand.... I am a wreck from georgia tech!! It is great to get inside someone elses songs and also to sit back and let someone else make the decisions. That band features Chris Brown from the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir/Chris Brown & Kate Fenner and Eric Shenkman from the Spin Doctors as well as Sarah McDermott, the founder of the Wolfe Island Music Festival on vocals. Gregor Beresford, also of the Bourbons has recently joined to play drums as well. Alrighty then, have yourselves a great summer and keep the music alive. xxoo Lw

Across the Pond

July 3rd, 2011

En route to Deutschland for some shows and fun. Although Switzerland is first up at lovely Luzern and then we drift north. Summer has finally come to our neck of the woods and it was nice to be in the country recording. I had Mitch Anderson out getting the rest of his full length country album started and then had Wakefields, The Standardbreds out for a great rocking session. Have a good amount of studio work ahead of me when we get back from this trip. And a nice trip to Nyc at the end of July for 3 shows...

Wahoo!

June 11th, 2011

Check out http://m.youtube.com/watch?desktop_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIWFI2mb1e04&v=IWFI2mb1e04&gl=US for a peek at Weeping Tile playing Lees palace last night as part of the relaunch of the Canadian music history book "Have Not Been the Same", as well as a benefit for CMAH. We came, we rocked... The Exclaim mag folks were great hosts and many old and new friends were in the house. Oh Toronto, you are a forest of fun.

Summer Loving

May 31st, 2011

Ahhh finally we get some heat! The western tour with Carolyn Mark was a blast. We had perhaps what was our most successful Victoria Hootenanny Revue at Lucky Bar with Marco from Meatdraw, Hank & Lily, Mitch Anderson, Jay Macglachlin and her man and of course Carolyn & I. Our warm up show on Gabriola was also treat, replete with a limo ride and a seaside cabin sleep over. For Seattle, Portland & Eugene it was just Carolyn & I doing a snazzy duo show. The sunny days combined with generous hosts to show us around made for good fun. Vancouver hosted our last gig of the tour and it went quite well. Meredith there throws a mean speakeasy gig and Ford Pier made it out to accompany Carolyn on piano for her set. Now it is back to recording work and local gigs while all the time scheming and dreaming. Europe in July will be swell for sure and there is always more Nyc planning to do as well as a dream to return to the Yukon and Alaska this fall. Weeping Tile plays Lees Palace June 10 with the Harmer sisters, Cam and I all keen to rock it. Loads of fun jamming out the old hits and planning wardrobe. I am also branching out and playing bass with The Openhearts Society for some shows this summer. Bass is fun for the brain. We had a smashing good time at The Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield recently with Openhearts, Sheesham & Lotus and yours truly. A hootenanny of sorts.

Heading West and etc

May 5th, 2011

After the good ole election (wha happpend!) and a run of fun shows in the area I am heading to the coast for some fun shows with sister Carolyn Mark and friends. We will be going as far south as Eugene, Oregon to play our ole standby Sam Bonds Garage but then have to race back for a May holiday weekend show in Vancouver at Ms Merediths. It is her birthday even! The shows in Victoria feature Hank & Lily and Marco from Meatdraw as well as Mitch Anderson. It is a Hootenanny Revue of sorts and portends the revitalization of that ole roving Hoot. I just saw brother Shuyler Jansen in Wakefield and sister Jenny Whiteley at a farm concert so the forces are moving together. I am also reprinting all of our catalogue for sale including Rebuild the Wall, Rogers Waltz, Hurtin for Certain, Instrumentality, Man of Your Dreams, LWDW, the two Butterfingers cds and of course we still have Guitar Pickin Martyrs. This will keep you busy while I plug away at a new album. It will be a few weeks but it will all be in the store. The goal is to eventually release it all on vinyl. xo

Report from New York

April 19th, 2011

Yup, it has been a super good time lately what with the Jack Grace Band coming up from NYC to play a string of wonderful shows culminating in a live recording of both bands at the Acoustic Grill in Picton. That will be ready this summer and promises to bring a smile to your mouth and perhaps a tear to your eye. We scrambled out of bed the morning after the recording show (and post show celebration) to a blustery morning on the Adolphus reach. A quick run through Kingston for to make some clerical errors and we were heading for ye ole U.S. border and that nights show at the Ear Inn on the lower west side of Manhattan. Thankfully our gig was not until midnight as we had to drop Ms Daria off in Bearsville, NY before balling that jack into the city via Brooklyn where we kept the car running outside of Russ the drummers house for so for him to grab some drums. Got to the venue at 11 though, so there was time to have a fine meal and to greet Skip the bass player for the show. He seems like a real mench. Plays with Steve Martin on his bluegrass record and managed to finangle his way through my not so straightforward songs. Our day off was spent with Jack Grace and I scheming on schemes and then hitting the Living Room for Mike Farios album release show. His record was produced by long time wrong Jason Mercer and the most excellent show featured Anna Egge on vocals, fellow Canuck Matt Maze on guitar and a slew of other talent. We worked our way through the good warm up gig at Cafe Steinhof in Brooklyn the next night. Warm up meaning that it was the first time we had played as Daria Grace on bass, Megan Palmer on fiddle and Bruce Martin on drums with everyone singing. Holy crapshit is that a good version of the Wrongs as we proved the next two nights, especially the friday show at the Rodeo Bar where we KILLED IT! I was tempted to hang up my six shooters and never kill another man after that, I tell ya. Of course it is not that simple as shows are booked and plans have been laid for recording and such. The Jenny & Dan Whiteley with Riley Baugus album is soon off to be mastered and then release is imminent so keep an eye out. Oh and another thing. We have our first endorsement deal! Yup, with Dave Gregg and his shoestring straplock. see: http://m.youtube.com/watch?desktop_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DsbBOIOZaCIQ&v=sbBOIOZaCIQ&gl=US

Just the local news...

March 16th, 2011

Spring is easing its way back into the area and with it new plans and such. Dan Whiteley and I have been playing a few shows lately, which is always a treat as he is something else on the mandolin. He and his sister Jenny Whiteley (two time Juno winner) along with Riley Baugus (performs with Allison Krauss and Robert Plant, Willie Nelson and many others) from North Carolina were out at my place for a week recently. I recorded them over a few days and we came up with a wonderful, old tyme album that was done live in the cabin by the lake. Each of them sings or leads on four songs a piece and it is something to be proud of. Hell, I am! Producer/musician/Broken Socialite Marty Kinack set me up with some fine mics and such and now that I have it all plugged in I plan on charging ahead with my own album. Counting the above mentioned project this will be the 8th full length record I have produced at the sweet cedar cabin on ye lake. In legal developments, Carolyn Mark and I are in negotiation to continue our touring together. This time we will hit it with Hank & Lily out on the west coast and then travel down the coast to Eugene, Portland and Seattle. But before that happens it is time for another swap up with the Jack Grace Band. They will be coming up here in April and I will follow them home and rock New York City and upstate. And in other news I am putting together a little run of shows in Germany and environs for July if any of you has any contacts or input. And lastly, our hearts go out to those whose lives have been affected by the earthquake and ensuing devastation in Japan. Lw

Yukon Alaska Report

February 10th, 2011

Greetings from the train home from the west! We are winding up our northern tour of wonder and have loved every minute of it. The graciousness of the people is only rivaled by the astounding, natural beauty. The drive to Skagway Alaska being one of the most spectacular drives of them all. But then again the Anchorage to Homer Alaska drive boggled the mind as did most of Alaska in general. And of course Dawson City is the bomb, even though Bombay Peggys was not open yet. We also were playing music in the schools as well, which made for early mornings to match our late nights. However the rewards were plenty once we whipped the junior chipmunks up into a musical frenzy playing songs like The Harold Harvey Rink and Dave the Frog. Three nights at the Pit in Dawson City got us up to speed playing with the newest Wrong, Ken Hermanson. He is a splendid chap and multi instrumentalist who lives in Whitehorse and plays with Gordie Tentrees (who arranged the whole tour!). Our old pal Mitch Anderson was along for that part of the trip doing his new originals mixed in with some Stomping Tom songs. Great fellas to hang with, I tell ya. Ken and Jason Mercer also did all the driving and I road shotgun for the 5,000 km of scenic perusing. I could go on and on about Dawson City where I played my very first concert back in 1985 but to keep this update relatively brief I will move on.

Yukon Alaska report 2

February 10th, 2011

We went from Dawson all the way to Skagway Alaska for the next show and played with the talented Sarah Macdougall at a lovely art centre for an appreciative crowd. Skagway is the gateway to the north for people traveling by water up the inside passage along the B.C. coast. The gold rush trail starts there and prospectors and dreamers had to ascend the nearby Chilcoot Pass to reach the Yukon River and make their way to Dawson where their hopes could be fulfilled or dashed. We went back to Whitehorse for two more shows with Mitch and Sarah which were fun, noisy and crazy. By the 2nd night we were pretty zonked from the first weeks action but managed to pull it together to get to Haines Junction the next night for a theatre show. Very civilized in comparison. No rest for the wicked the following day as we reported to the local school for a full day of music and teaching. Whew. We stopped for a bracer afterwards and then drove two hours to Destruction Bay to sleep and then go to the local school there for a morning concert. There are 8 students at the wee school and they and their teachers are very sweet. The same goes for the later days concert up in Beaver Creek near the Yukon/Alaska border. Small, rural schools full of love and hope. We got hugs and quesadillas to go before heading into Alaska and driving until midnight to reach Talkeetna. It is an old town that is the base for the Denali mountain range where you will find the tallest mountain in North America. We stayed and played at the Fairview Inn, a rustic old hotel full of characters. We spent the day jamming in the lobby and meeting locals. One old fella knew Kingston as he had done time at the pen there. Plenty a back story with northerners I am finding. Our show there was super fun and it set us up for two nights at the greatest venue in the world, The Taproot in Anchorage! Holy wonderful batman. Run by a team of experts who have got grooves, moves and good food, we played and gushed and told them all our jokes until we had to leave for Homer. Much hugging and promises of returning barely stopped the weeping but it can be hard to leave some places. Homer was nice but we were barely in and out as we had to leave diabolically early in the morning after the show to drive the 18 hours back to Whitehorse for our last show. Thankfully it was with the gifted Geoff Berner so we only played one set of tunes and then sat back to enjoy his excellent performance. Boom bang boom and here we are on the train home, playing for our passage and resting up for home life and the next adventure. Wackedy smackedy-doo...

2011 Lets Go!

January 9th, 2011

Happy new year! As it goes now we are preparing for a return trip to the Yukon and a slew of shows set up by the man on the scene Gordie Tentrees. This time we are venturing into Alaska as well where we hope to experience some of that Sarah Palin Alaskan magic. Last year our tour was mostly house concerts, which was a cozy tour in itself but this time up we are hitting the taverns and bars of the north to play for the drinking crowd.