DECEMBER 8, 2011
Friday @ Le Cagibi + Holiday shipping reminder!
First off, a HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to Cabaret du Mile End on the 23rd of November - what a sincerely amazing night!! A huge thanks to Deborah Baum and Jon Davis for inviting us to open up the night, to surprise performers The Damn Truth who knocked all of our socks off, and to my very special band (Amie Watson, Pierre Haché, Simon Lévesque, Matt Mignogna & Marie-Pier Houle) for playing like rock stars.
Here's all you need to know:
Last show for 2011 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9th @ Le Cagibi 9pm
Yes! That's tomorrow/today! (Depending on when you open this email...if you're opening it on Saturday, well, sorry we missed you.) We're thrilled to be opening the night for Graydon James & The Young Novelists, who are coming all the way from Toronto to rock the Cagibi. Best of all, the show is FREE! Think of it as our Xmas gift to y'all....no excuses for those of you who are all broke and such from getting an early start on their holiday shopping lists. So screw the office party and please come and join us - we're more fun anyhow, I promise!
Le Cagibi - 5490 St-Laurent, corner of St-Viateur.
'True Story Orchestra' CDs/'Octavia' T-Shirts make for AWESOME Xmas gifts
Seriously, who wouldn't want to receive an indie album in their stocking? Or unwrap a wicked cool octopus lady t-shirt on Xmas morning? Buy now, and your goods will be shipped the very next day. I will even include a personlised Xmas card addressed to you OR to somebody else you like, and I will even write in the card whatever you want - even Amazon can't beat that!
Lotsa love and a very merry Xmas to everyone. Thank you so much for all of your support throughout this year! 2012 is already shaping up to be awesome - here's a quick sneak peak:
- Music video (February)
- The return of Les Samedis Inédits (February also!)
- Touring (Summer - send me your request ASAP if you want to us to visit a town near you)
- Oh dear lord.....my next album. (There - I've written it out loud, it's gonna happen!)
XO
A=M
DECEMBER 2, 2011
Super, super excited to be opening next weekend (that's Friday, December 9th!) for Graydon James & The Young Novelists at Le Cagibi! They are comin' all the way from Toronto, so please be sure to come on out and give them a proper Montreal welcome.
LOVE to everyone who came out to last week's show at Cabaret du Mile End, and - holy shit (!!!) what an awesome night! For those of you who couldn't make it, video footage is being confiscated as I type and will be available soon. Big kudos to Jon Davis for inviting me to open, to Mangomango for rounding out the evening, and to surprise guests The Damn Truth who totally blew me away.
XO
A=M
NOVEMBER 20, 2011
Don't forget to get your tickets today for the show of the year! Happening THIS WEDNESDAY, November 23rd at Cabaret du Mile End....buy tickets online in advance (recommended!!) at www.ainsleymcneaney.bandcamp.com. I am so looking forward to this one, guys, and am so proud to showcase my amazing band at an awesome venue.
Sooo.....please come! :)
XO
A=M
NOVEMBER 14, 2011
HUGE SHOW AT CABARET de MILE END on WED, NOV.23!
Happy fall….what’s new? Carving pumpkins, big vats of chili, a little too much red wine with good friends. Snow is coming and so is Christmas…man, I love this time of year. It’s always a scramble, though, to get everything done that I have been putting off all year! Taking French classes every weekday for 4 1/2 hours doesn’t help my productivity, but I’ll say this proudly: that I never want to be one of those Anglophones living in Montreal who doesn’t know how to speak French. Already I have improved immensely (but that also could just be my Québécois friends being nice). Any non-French-speaker in Québec has experienced going into a store and trying so hard to speak French, only to be spoken back in English by the salesperson. I’ll let you in on the trick I’ve learned – whenever that happens to me, I always, always speak back in French, explaining, ‘Merci, mais j’apprend maintenant le français et je dois pratiquer!’ So many times I’ve left the store with that individual thanking me profusely and telling me how much they appreciate it (seemingly on behalf of the entire Québécois population), which makes me wonder how many people are there out there refusing to speak, to learn, even to try…
In any case! On to the big news: I am thrilled to have been asked to open for Jon Davis at the Cabaret de Mile End on Wednesday, November 23rd – and the operative word is indeed ‘thrilled’ as Cabaret de Mile End is an awesome venue and I’m tired of playing small rooms with bad sound systems where no one can hear my lyrics (sorry to bitch, but any musician playing out there regularly will know what I’m talking about!). Jon’s manager, Deborah Baum, is promoting the event, and it’s going to be huge. The talented world-pop-dance band Mangomango will be rounding out the evening, getting your booties shaking and such. So. Get your ticket today! Seriously, visit my Bandcamp site to purchase a ticket online in advance, because I’m honestly not sure how many there will be left at the door! We’ll be on at 8pm SHARP, no later because then we might get the old cane ‘round the middle, ya know? I should also take a second to mention that although I’ve played a couple of shows with Jon before, this will be the first time I’ll be hearing him live with a full band – this excites me to no end! And, of course, my full band will be there – Amie, Pierre, Simon, Marie-Pier and Matt – come and tell us how hipster we are for playing at the Cabaret de Mile End!
And for those of you who prefer a weekend show – hell, for all of you! – THIS COMING FRIDAY we’ll be playing as part of Acoustic Nights 10 with the lovely and talented songstress Melina Soochan. Melina started the Acoustic Nights series awhile back and this will be the 10th installment – at the Jello Martini Lounge (I’ve never been there, but I hear it’s awesome – I’m assuming they have both jello and martinis, so I think that’s pretty much guaranteed if that’s the case…hehe…) featuring me and my band, Melina, Flo (reggae) and Jolie Alien Babes (cabaret/folk pop/rock-a-billy). Check out the event on Facebook, okay? It’s an early show staring at 7pm, so come even earlier for the 5 à 7 and stay afterward for the party!
Onwards and upwards, I once heard a slightly hunch-backed CEO wearing a custom-fitted suit say while riding an elevator…not bad advice, not bad at all.
XOA=M
SEPTEMBER 11, 2011
THIS Friday, friends, you're in for a special treat. (Actually, many special treats, to be precise.) For the very first time, the lovely Kate Rogers and her band of traveling minstrels are coming to la belle province and are inviting YOU (yeah, you) to come hear them play! Sharing the stage with Ms Rogers will be Montreal's own Ainsley McNeaney (of Octopus Man fame), who will be accompanied by an ensemble of quite possibly th...e coolest musicians in town. So you'd better not miss it.
Highlights are delicious burritos, a treasure chest (this will be a regular thing, non?), cheap beer, AMAZING live music (with a real piano, no joke) and an all-round friendliest-of-friends vibe that will leave you wanting more, more, more...!
Burritoville
2055 rue Bishop (just north of de Maisonneuve)
8pm / 20h
$6
XO
A=M
AUGUST 26, 2011
LES SAMEDIS INÉDITS!!!
Something awesome is happening tomorrow night – the very first of Les Samedis Inédits, a new monthly music series hosted by yours truly. The very last Saturday of every month, we’ll be shaking it up at the Bistro Le Parc des Princes and featuring another artist/band whose music we enjoy and want to present to the world.
Tomorrow’s debut will feature the lovely and very talented Eleanore Altman - doors are at 7:30pm, but call the Bistro (514-678-5727) to reserve your place a bit earlier than that for some delicious home-cooking.
There will be a treasure bowl (à la going to the dentist when you were a kid!), great music, lovely food, and – I swear by this – the best sangria this side of the Spanish divide. Soooo……come! And if you just happen to live nowhere near Montreal, tell all your friends who do, please. :)
XO
A=M
PS: In other, slightly unrelated events, we had a great session on Monday with Max Desmarais at Bridgehead Studio - did off-the-floor recordings of ‘Octopus Man’ and ‘Bonemaker’s Song’ that I hope to be able to share with you soon!
JULY 19, 2011
Dear lovely friends/fans/family…
Your presence is requested tomorrow night at Casa Del Popolo for a soirée of the finest music you’ve ever wanted to hear live! (This is Manager-Ainsley writing….Musician-Ainsley would be much more humble, believe me.) Aside from the regular group I wrote about in my last email to y’all, Simon Millerd and Stéphanie Vermette will be joining us on trumpet and violin respectively, bringing our grand total for this show to a whopping seven very talented musicians! Come early to hear two other amazing Montréal-based acts: the lovely Eleanore Altman and orchestral-folk-pop ensemble Glass Passenger. Check out the LIVE page for details!
While I’ve still got your attention, check out this Call & Response I did for the most-excellent music blog Midnight Poutine. Their editor, Margot En, rocks my world. (Can I still say that and be cool?)AND – in more good, recent news, Ainsley McNeaney T-SHIRTS will finally be available for sale tomorrow at the show! (They will also be available on my web site shortly, or you can email me directly to get yours today.) At only $20 each, you get to support my music AND sport the latest trend in fashion-forward thinking…I’ll be posting/emailing pictures as soon as I have them in my hands, but just know that I’m super excited about the design. Big props go to Zack Smith for madly chugging Red Bull all weekend to cater to my last-minute demands – please take a second and check out his online portfolio!
Alright, I leave you today with the following thought: Will there ever be a boy born who can swim faster than a shark? Please discuss…the best response wins a free t-shirt.
Yes! Stay cool and much love to you all…
XO
A=M
JULY 2, 2011
Happy July to you all! I feel like the summer is already flying by…many days/nights have been spent barbequing on the balcony, tending to my fragile garden, hiking on Mont Royal and playing music. Lots of plans in the works for the summer including many awesome shows, a music video (finally!), Ainsley McNeaney t-shirts and new songs coming your way.
I’ve been playing with some really awesome people who deserve a good mention here:
- Amie Watson has been my right-hand-woman since last summer; she plays a mean glockenspiel and always knows in advance when I’m about to screw up my own lyrics. Amie is also an avid foodie – you can check out her blog right here for recipe ideas, funny food-related anecdotes and to learn about starting a worm box right in your own kitchen.
- Pierre Haché I met in February through the wonderfully helpful saxophonist Dalhi Gonthier, and he has been such an awesome support ever since. Any singer songwriter can tell you that having a drummer who’s committed to your project is a rare thing indeed – to have one as talented as Pierre is just freaking icing on my musical cake. Definitely worth every drive out to NDG.
- Simon Lévesque joined us when I was down sick with the flu and panicking about how the hell I was going to pull off an upcoming show without a bassist. Oh dear, how the music gods smiled upon me that day…aside from being an absolutely prolific player, he is ALWAYS there onstage, just behind me and to the left, to correct the many, many mistakes I make attempting to speak French in public.
- Marie-Pier Houle (la belle flûtiste!) came to our first rehearsal thinking we were just jamming and stayed for the gig (no joke). This girl is not your run of the mill concert band flautist – she adds stuff to the parts I’ve written that I would have never thought of on my own: jazzy, freaky stuff that soars and growls and is just generally awesome.
There you have it! Next show is THIS WEDNESDAY at Burritoville with Robb Hill & Brave By Numbers, Mistress Funk and Glass Bridges. The show will start at 8pm (seriously) and for only $5 I promise that you will be entertained for at least four straight hours while you eat a burrito (which is, in itself, mildly entertaining).
Go Canada!
XO
A=M
JUNE 7, 2011
Oh wow….it’s been such a long time since I’ve posted on my own web site! The good news is that it will happen a lot more frequently now: I’ve reformatted the site so that I am able to update all the content myself without having first to obtain a vast knowledge of HTML. Actually, I shouldn’t say that *I* reformatted the site – many, many kudos and pint of beer must be given to Raphael Théberge, who I met online and was very nice to help me out with all of this! If you see this guy on the street, give him either a hug or a piece of candy. He deserves it.
I won’t waste space and your brain power trying to catch up on all the news from the last little while, but I will say one thing about the past few months: they have been QUITE the ride. After taking my time getting to know my new home city of Montréal, I’ve recently begun playing with some very talented musicians. More on those wonderful people to come, I promise; for now, I will say that we have some very exciting shows coming up! Check out the LIVE page for more details…
Ahhhh, summer…love to you all and I’ll be back with more news and updates very soon!
XO
A=M
PS: Giving a major shout-out to Zack Smith, who desgined my amazing poster for last month's gig at the Shäika Café. Check out his portfolio online! And also, head on over to the PHOTOS page to see his beautiful poster!