Our Montreal show was at Bar St. Laurent 2, down Boulevard St. Laurent a bit off the beaten track. I had asked two bands, Postcards and Coulees, to join us on the bill, and I was really pleased with them both - they were a really good fit, interesting and melodic. Postcards are a guitar and bass duo that play to a drum machine, and sound a bit like surf rock meets shoegaze. Coulees are an energetic trio with shared male and female vocals and a creative Montreal vibe.

As for us, I think we played an okay show, but it wasn’t our finest; I had a stomachache and Marcus had a headache (at least Todd seemed to be okay). We played everything well enough, and I think it was fine to the outside observer - there were no actual problems, and the sound was good, but we weren’t as high energy as we’d been in Toronto and we didn’t chat as much between songs.

Nevertheless, our friend Duleepa was taking some awesome photos during the show, and afterwards Marcus pointed out that there was a crazy red light and graffiti-covered wall in the washroom that would make an awesome background for a photoshoot. So we piled into the stall and Dups started clicking away. The shots are just unreal - these are not retouched or recoloured in any way:

We look like a metal band. Todd looks like he could be prone to violence.

We had a day off on Friday. The guys just hung out and relaxed and I wandered around the city in the daytime, and went to a party with some old friends at night. I played Rock Band for the first time, and I did quite well, thank you very much.

Saturday we left for Waterloo. Breakfast was a Montreal bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese - a fine, fine thing. We didn’t quite leave ourselves enough time to get back to Bren’s in Belleville, unfortunately, but ended up at Raintree Cafe in Waterloo next to the venue, which was quite good.

The venue, Maxwell’s Music House, is totally brand new. It’s a worthy and ambitious venture - it’s a rock school with lessons, workshops, rehearsal spaces and shows. It’s in a strip mall across from Wilfred Laurier University, but once you get inside the place is terrific - huge ceilings between two floors, and a cozy lounge in the downstairs part surrounding a nice stage.

The grand opening is next week, but they’ve booked a few shows in advance of their big opening - and today was the first one ever. Ken Tizzard, formerly of The Watchmen and Thornley, is releasing a solo acoustic CD next week, and heading out on a US tour in the summertime. He’s from St. John’s, Newfoundland - my hometown! - but has such a western folk/blues/country vibe going on that you would never guess he’s an east coaster.

Marcus played a few songs solo to warm up the evening and was officially the first artist ever to grace the stage of Maxwell’s. Ken followed with a nice set including some of his own material, a few Dylan covers and a truly beautiful interpretation of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World". He told stories from the road - somewhat tamed down for an all-ages show, but you could tell there were some pretty terrific tales to be told.

We hopped on stage and played an inspired set. The vibe of the room and Ken’s comfort with the crowd set a great mood, and we had a terrific time. The audience seemed to really get into what we were doing, and we practically had a comedy routine going between songs - people laughed easily and were clearly enjoying themselves. It was just one of those nights where everything felt right.

I can hardly wait to go back - before we even got off stage we were already planning Maxwell’s one-year anniversary reunion show.

Right now it’s 2:00 am, and there is a spectacular orange moon close to the horizon ahead of us, about 2/3 full and looking like a big uneven teardrop. I’m writing this on the highway as we drive towards St. Catherines, and I’ve got a wonderful warm fuzzy feeling because I feel like tonight reminded me why we do what we do.