Notes from the Road - 2003

09-DEC-03 - David Gogo while in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada writes...

Wow! Had a great time with the "Evolution of the Blues" concert in Nanaimo. We sold out the Port Theatre a week in advance and everyone put on a terrific show. CBC radio recorded the event, so we'll keep you posted as to when it will air. This was hot on the tail of another quick but successful trip to Ontario - Dunville, Toronto and three rockin' nights at the Rainbow in Ottawa. Some of the fun stuff that I forgot to mention about last summer was backing up the legendary Johnny Johnson in Thunder Bay, and holding the door open for Prince at the Toronto Blues festival. More close to home, I recently taped an instructional video that will be edited soon for an early 2004 release. This will be handy for the 5th annual Hornby Blues Camp, and other workshops upcoming in the new year. I'm going to try and get some songwriting done during December and January before the Maple Blues Awards, but I'll be hitting the road with a vengeance soon!

08-NOV-03 - David Gogo while in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada writes...

O.k., O.K, I know! Let's face it, I'm lazy! Let me clean out the cobwebs and try to recall all the great stuff that happened this summer... Had a great time in Mt. Tremblant, lot's of good music and some good laughs as well. I was disappointed that my trip to Newfoundland was postponed, but hopefully I'll get there soon. The Toronto Star Blues Festival was amazing. Thanks to Steve and Julie Webster for their hospitality! Got to catch up with Colin James, Rick Fines, Jeff Lang and many others. Got the chance to see Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Richard Thompson, and ...well, the list goes on and on. After that was a chance to come home and play some local shows (fun!), before heading back to Ontario for the Ottawa Blues Cruise and open for David Wilcox playing a guitar I borrowed 45 minutes before the show due to the airlines losing mine! First show since I was 17 years old without my trusty Stratocaster. Stay tuned for part 2 of my very late update very soon. -- Gogo

16-JUL-03 - David Gogo while in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada writes...

Hello - getting ready to head back up to Mt. Tremblant for the last of four shows there. We play a bar show right after Buddy Guy plays on the main stage, so hopefully we can take advantage of his draw! Good shows all week, including a guest spot by yours truly with Andy J. Forest. Got to see the Allman Bros. on Friday. Great show; great inspiration. Gregg is singing better than ever, and Derek Trucks was incredible. And the week before, Dickey Betts and Dan Toler were tearing it up in Thunder Bay. Had a blast there - we were picked top act by the media. Hope to go back soon. Check out the new Live At Deer Lake CD. It turned out pretty good!

1-JUL-03 - David Gogo while in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada writes...

Hello -- Well, so far, so good, starting off the festival season. Our two shows supporting Little Feat were great. Nice folks; great players. It was also a treat to get to play The Commodore and the Royal Theatre, both fabulous venues. Next stop was Saskatoon. Man, I love that town! I usually have a little more time to hang out and check out some of my favourite spots, but hopefully I can get back there in the fall. Saw Sonny Rhodes again and Downchild and managed to give 'er pretty good despite the early start.

Gotta pack! Off on the road again... Keep checking the tour schedule, there's lots on the horizon!

9-JUN-03 - David Gogo while in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada writes...

Howdy Strangers! So much has happened since my last entry, and by the look of things it's going to be a crazy summer! We're just finishing up the art work for the new "bootleg" live CD. Keep checking the homepage for details on this new release, I think you'll enjoy it. I ended up getting to do a short acoustic tour again this year with Ken Hamm. I didn't think we were going to be able to do it, but we managed to pull it off. What a great experience getting to play new communities armed only with a box of CD's and two guitars older than my daddy! I hope to expand the acoustic trip next year. After some quick McGiver engine repair on the way home (thanks to Mr. Hamm), it was off to Ontario and one show in Montreal (where they cook steaks right!). What a night! The lads were a little worse for wear the next day. Luckily, it was a night off. The next week we had a series of great gigs, as well as a slot on the Mike Bullard show and OTR on TSN. By the way, I gave the chairs to the boys in the band (maybe I'll get to lounge in them this summer out near Ottawa). I also had the pleasure of playing with Jeff Healey and his amazing band at his club in Toronto. Taking a solo after Jeff (or Pat Rush) will definitely keep you on your toes! As soon as I got home (aaahhh, beautiful B.C. ....) it was off to the annual Hornby Island Blues Workshop, which gets better every year. What a treat, I hope I can do it forever. Soon after we did a charity dance on Gabriola for Raging Granny Jean McLaren where we raised approx $

5-MAR-03- David Gogo while in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada writes...

Hey Folks - Just a quick hello to let you know what's going on. Had a great February, rocked hard, and played some great shows. Roberts Creek on the Sunshine coast was a new gig for me, and it was a blast. Great crowd, and we really blew the roof of the joint! Taped a half hour TV special for The New VI that should be aired soon. All the New affiliates in Ontario will be getting it, so check your listings. Played some acoustic shows as well lately, to keep up those chops. It's always a challenge changing from electric to acoustic, but it's good to mix things up, and keep it fresh for me. On a less positive note, things are less than great in Habs - Land. I've always been the eternal optimist when it comes to the Bleu - Blanc et Rouge, but I really feel that they've been under achieving and poorly coached. Bad decisions all around! At least they didn't trade Zednik for Nolan! Oh , well... back to music, looking forward to hitting the Yale again and rocking the big smoke this weekend. Keep checking the site for news, and a possible special edition "Bootleg" CD release. See ya -- Gogo

30-JAN-03 - David Gogo while in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada writes...

Thanks to everyone who voted for me to win "Guitarist of the Year" at the Maple Blues Awards! The win means alot to me, and it's a great way to cap off last year and start 2003 with a bang. All the hard work is paying off, especially in Ontario. We hope to expand our efforts across the country and back over to Europe and into the U.S. throughout the new year. All the live work is really helping to improve my playing, as well as win new fans (and rediscover old ones). Talk to you soon ....