The non-musical life of a traveling musician
We are unbelievably fortunate to live in this time and this place. Notwithstanding the imminent threats of climate change, Trumpism, artificial intelligence, authentic stupidity, economic upheaval, income inequality and nuclear war, the vast majority of the developed world still enjoys freedoms, advantages, opportunities and privileges never before seen in human history. One of the blessings I have never taken for granted is our unprecedented ability to travel; in this day and age, at the click of a button, we can book trips to places once only accessible in our dreams.
As musicians, we tend to travel a fair amount, and in truth most of the traveling I have done has occurred thanks to my involvement in musical projects. Poland, Hungary, Romania, Norway, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Martinique, Ireland, most of the United States, and every province/territory in Canada have all been destinations of one or another of the tours I've had the privilege to participate in.
But some of the traveling is completely non-music related, or at least music-adjacent at best. For example, in the last two months I've had the immense good fortune to go to at least five distinct destinations, punctuated by one very long voyage for work (yes, my "real" job) during which my work-partner and I drove through a significant percentage of the Canadian landmass from Saskatoon eastwards all the way to Edmundston, N.B.
So here's how it all happened.
Saranac Lake - early September
In the first week of September, just after my birthday, I went with my daughter Éloîse to visit some very dear friends in the beautiful community of Saranac Lake, NY. If you've never been to Saranac Lake, you should go. If you have been there, you should go again. It is a truly magical, unique, picturesque and enchanting place, where deep US history and culture mix with stunning scenery; where rugged outdoor survival mentality and artistic sensibility coexist; where you can find folk festivals, farmers markets, mountains to climb, fine restaurants, beautiful swimming holes, and a deeply shared respect for the environment all in one small part of the Adirondack mountain range.
Lolo and I stayed with our dear friends Billy and Suzanne at their lakeside cabin - which is only accessible by boat!
We hung out with my friends Shamim and Craig, and I even played a little backyard show with Shamim and Billy's band, the Allens (you can find their album here: https://billyallen.hearnow.com/)
Victoria BC - mid-September
Two days after Lolo and I got back from Saranac Lake, I jumped in a plane and buzzed out to the west coast to see my family in Victoria, all of whom live out there. Although I went to high school in Victoria, I don't have many ties with the place other than my family, so it was a week of very close reconnection with my parents, who are easing into their elderly years, my two sisters, and my niece Pippa. Lovely times all round, and I managed to squeeze in a bit of fiddle-practicing down by the ocean, a bit of bike-riding around the city, and a nice spin in a kayak around Oak Bay.
Beauce, Quebec - last weekend of September
Ok, so I lied a little - not all of it was non-musical! Right after I got back from Victoria, the Bedlams and I had the immense honour of providing the musical entertainment at the wedding of two friends of the band. The couple in question are fans of both heavy metal and medieval-style music, so we adjusted our program accordingly. Ozzy Osbourne with fiddles! (I'm not kidding)....Here's a couple of shots of the band at soundcheck
Cross-Canada from Saskatoon to Edmundston - late September
At the end of September my survey-team partner Nico and I flew to Saskatoon to pick up our truck and begin the long journey back to Montreal, stopping along the way to carry out some drone flights and mobile mapping system scans. Here's a few images from our 10-day trip; what a beautiful country we live in, and how lucky we are to call this place our home! No political bias implied, but Donald Trump can kiss my arse.
The Abhainn - early October
As some folks already know, I own a little riverside property up in the north Laurentians - I call it the "Abhainn" (pronounced Ah-venn) which simply means "Riverside" in Scots Gaelic. I go up there as often as I can to work on the land, to clear the forest for eventual construction of a house, to swim and fish in the river (still haven't caught anything), to damage my body by attempting unrealistic feats of strength, and to unwillingly provide the local mosquito population with vast quantities of my blood. For a few months now I've been sporadically working on building a shed for my tractor; and finally, this October, I managed to get almost all of the frame finished. Here's the evidence:
Les Iles de la Madeleine: mid-October
This semester, my son Xavier is studying at the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles, on Les Îles de la Madeleine. I had the great good fortune to spend a weekend there with him and my dear friend Anne, whom I have known since my days in Bodh'aktan. Apparently you can pack a lot of activity into one weekend on Les Îles if you try hard enough! Here's a few photos of the experience....
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