Notes from the Road - 2005

19-Nov-05 - David Gogo while in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada writes...

With my condolences...

Guitarist Link Wray Dies - "Father of the power chord" was seventy-six!
Link Wray, the electric guitar innovator who is often credited as the father of the power chord, died earlier this month at his home in Copenhagen, apparently of natural causes. He was seventy-six.
He may have died quietly, but Wray's life was notable for its enthusiastic devotion to volume. "Rumble," the guitarist's 1958 signature song, had the unique distinction of being widely banned by radio stations across America despite the fact that it had no words.
Link Wray Tribute Page

9-Nov-05 - David Gogo while in Montréal, Quebec, Canada writes...

I came to town a day early for the gig so I could see my beloved Habs in action. I got a great seat and saw a great game. They're finding ways to win this year, and the Bell Centre is the best place to see a game. I can't believe I'm still on the road, it still feels like summer! When I was home I sat in as a guest of Bob Walsh at the Yale in Vancouver and played some shows in Victoria, Nanaimo, Campbell River and on Gabriola Island. As well, I've been working with Tina Jones (who sang on "Vibe" ) writing and arranging songs for an album of hers that she has asked me to produce. We'll have to find the time in our busy schedules, but it's going to be fun. I found out that I'm nominated for "Electric Act of the Year" at this year's Maple Blues Awards. We'll send something out on the mail list soon to let you know how to vote. If you have time, harass your local radio station to add "Hey , Juanita"!

18-Oct-05 - David Gogo while in Swift Current , Saskatchewan, Canada writes...

Ah, yes. Chillin' in Speedy Creek. Does life get any more glamourous?

Had fun in Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer with Tony D. Had some laughs listening to Mitch Hedberg CDs. Too bad he's gone. I drove solo through Alberta today, all excited to eat at Mario's in Medicine Hat. Only had a quick stop at Timmy's around noon so I was starving and anticipating a fine meal only to pull up and discover that they're closed on Mondays. FUUUCCCKKK!! Sorry about the profanity, but a guy on the road has to set goals and it can be very disappointing when your dreams are crushed!! Listened to Chris Rock, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Dan Penn, Elvis Costello, Rod Stewart, Big Star and some of my new demos along the drive. Big drive again tomorrow, gonna relax with some red wine. Something from Spain would be perfect. Off to Winnipeg, fly to Ontario, back to the 'Peg for two shows, then back home. How much steeped tea can a man drink?!?

21-Sep-05 - David Gogo while in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada writes...

Well, I was home for a whole day and a half and now I'm travelling again! I'm going to hook up with Tom Hambridge today to try and whip up some hits. Tom filled in on drums for me in an emergency situation back in the day and now he's in town opening for Thorogood. He's based out of Nashville now and has been getting his songs recorded by some cool people. It'll be nice to hook up again. Looks like I'm gonna stay an extra night seeing that Alvin Youngblood Hart will be at the Yale. His new CD is great. Listened to it driving from Fredericton to Halifax and liked it so much I was yelling at the stereo (shades of Bad Lieutenant)! On Friday it's off to Victoria to see Robert Plant. Music. If I'm not playing it, I love watching it ....

14-Sep-05 - David Gogo while in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada writes...

Wow, this is a big country! I had to get up at 5 AM to do some morning radio, but my computer's clock (still on Pacific Time) read 1 AM! Yuck!

The shows have been excellent, and I've been a busy little boy on the "days off". I set up a makeshift studio at my manager's place in Ottawa to continue work on music for Hollywood and Vines; spoke at a press conference dealing with satellite radio; and have had interviews up the wazoo.

It was fun to rock at the good old Rainbow in Ottawa last weekend. In fact I haven't had that much fun in some time. A friend played me Marcia Ball's version of Randy Newman's Louisiana 1927. Always a poignant song, it certainly takes on a whole new heaviness after recent events.

On a personal note, despite the bitterness of the NHL lockout, I must admit that I'm chomping at the bit in anticipation of seeing my Montreal Canadiens rock this year!!

2-Sep-05 - David Gogo while in Burlington, Ontario, Canada writes...

Well, we did it! The big B.B. King show in Toronto happened. Our short but rockin' set seemed to go over well, winning some new fans. The main man himself, Mr. King was fantastic! Great singing, guitar playing, and showmanship. The biggest thrill for me personally was getting invited over to B.B.'s hotel the next day where I spent an hour with him and some friends. What a gentleman and gracious host. B.B. told jokes, talked about music and philosophized about life. It was an experience I'll never forget. I learned a lot in a short amount of time from an amazing man.

14-Aug-05 - David Gogo while in Omaha, Nebraska , USA writes...

What a cool (but brief) trip. We managed to do alot in three days -- breakfast in Buffalo; lunch in Chicago; and dinner in Omaha! The Lafayette Tap Room in Buffalo was a lot of fun. Great food (real wings!), great people, great music. We got to be real blues/rock stars in Omaha headlining the festival here and jamming at the hotel later on. Enjoyed watching Dave Hole and his band as well. Now about this whole going to bed at 3 am and getting up at 6 am to catch two flights and then drive for seven hours thing... Oh , well. I guess that's the part I get paid for!

12-Aug-05 - David Gogo while in Buffalo, New York, USA writes...

Well, I'm not sure what was better, sitting side stage watching Dickey Betts for three hours last night, or going to Rochester's legendary House of Guitars! Both were amazing.

Since my last entry I have to say congratulations to Karen Ryan and her husband for winning the big trip to the Ottawa Blues Festival to see our show with ZZ Top. They seemed to be having a great time, and the show was a gas (see our press releases for details).

So far, so good on my quick U.S. tour. Rochester last night, Buffalo tonight, then off to Omaha.

We felt like rock stars at the Maple Ridge Festival the other night which was recorded for CBC Radio. It was nice to play some B.C shows again. As much as I enjoy playing new places, I love B.C.!

On a sad note we lost two good people recently. The great Long John Baldry was a gentleman and a larger than life character. I'll miss running into him on the road. Also recently passed was Mark Vyse who was my guitar guy back in the EMI days. Mark was a true team player and a sweet guy. We had a lot of laughs over in Europe and back home, and it was nice to hook up with him again in recent years. Both will be missed .

12-Jul-05 - David Gogo while in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada writes...

On the road again! I spent most of June at home for a change mostly writing, including the music for a new television show called Hollywood and Vines starring Terry David Mulligan and Jason Priestley. This is something new for me and it was a challenge and fun. I hope they'll send me a case of wine!

The summer festival season has started again and so has my sleep deprivation. We did two shows at the Montreal Jazz Fest, over 10,000 people on the outdoor stage and about 700 at the Spectrum that night. I returned a few days later as a guest of Bob Walsh who drew the hugest crowd I've seen in a long time. Amazing. Then it was off to Thunder Bay for two rockin' shows as part of the blues walk during the Blues Festival. Colin James, Big Dave McLean and Eric Webster joined us for a jam on Friday that was a blast. Next was Mt. Tremblant where we were having a great set until the sky opened up and drenched everybody! Oh, well . Gotta go and put new strings on for tonight's big show with ZZ Top!

31-May-05 - David Gogo while in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada writes...

Let me catch up a little bit here. I had my best time yet at the 6th annual "Hornby Island Blues Camp". It just gets better every year, thanks to all the hard work by the Blues Society and community and the enthusiasm of the students. We did our usual round of concerts on the island and in Courteney and then I stole Kenny " Blues Boss " Wayne, Ron Casat, Donald Ray Johnson and Bill Johnson for a show at the Queens in Nanaimo. If I do say so myself, it was one of the best nights of blues my home town has seen in quite some time. We also had some fun shows in Comox, Pender Harbour and Gabriola Island during May. There are so many beautiful places to check out on the west coast, and it's nice to be able to do it while working! I'll give a belated report on my trip to South by South West in Austin, Texas in my June entry .....Soon!

27-Apr-05 - David Gogo while in Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada writes...

Hey there - We have a new system here running the Road Notes so I screwed up my entry from SXSW in Austin; I'll have to catch up with those stories next time.

Just finished a great little acoustic tour through the prairies with Colin Linden and, for two shows, Colin James. What a blast! I'm not sure who enjoyed it more -- us or the audiences! Our buddy Terry David Mulligan presented Colin Linden with a birthday cake onstage in Calgary, which was the only thing besides steak that we ate on the whole trip (O.K., we broke down for clubhouse sandwiches at the fabulous Wagon Wheel in Winnipeg! ).

It was nice getting to know both Colins a little better and trade some licks. Playing strictly acoustic was a bit of a switch for me as well, but it was refreshing.

Managed to see some friends (not all of them unfortunately) in each city including a great stroll down Broadway in Saskatoon. Caught up with Brent Parkin at The Windsor who was filling in for Big Dave McLean and he sounded great as ever.

All in all it was a cool trip made easier by our rented Lincoln Town Car! Good music, good food , good friends, good weather, good wheels! Ya gotta love it!!

26-Jan-05 - David Gogo while in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada writes...

Thanks to everyone who voted for me, I'm very proud to win "Guitarist of the Year" honours at the Maple Blues Awards! Kudos to the Toronto Blues Society for a job very well done organizing the ceremony and the Blues Summit. I was glad to be there for the entire event and found it informative and fun.

Just played the Yale in Vancouver, trying to keep the fingers warm. The new version of Cry Harder is being sent to radio very soon. Keep yours ears open, it's a little different than the album version, but I like it. I hope you do, too. Don't be afraid to request it starting in about two weeks. Keep checking the site for new contests and gigs that will be posted soon. Rock on --- Gogo

3-Jan-05 - David Gogo while in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada writes...

Happy New Year everyone! What a tremendous and busy 12 months. As crazy as it was, I look forward to even more this year.

Congratulations to Shauna Fay for winning the guitar contest. I managed to have it signed by George Thorogood, Jimmie Vaughan, Gord Downie and Johnny Fay from the Hip, Kim Simmonds, Junkhouse, Colin Linden, Dany Heatly of the Atlanta Thrashers, Richie, Fred and Paul from Little Feat, and Donnie " Mr. Downchild " Walsh. Thanks to Rick Everett from Kick FM in Winnipeg for presenting the axe to Shauna. I'm going to miss it! We'll be having a new contest very soon , so stay tuned .

As much as it was great to rock my way around the country over the last few months, it feels good to be home for a little while. As well as songwriting, I've been in the studio with Rick Salt remixing our new single "Cry Harder". We'll put it out soon to radio, so keep your ears open.

I'll be heading out to the Maple Blues Awards and Conference in a few days. Thanks to all of those who took the time to vote, it means a lot to me.

On a sad note, 2004 saw us lose two cool guys who were huge friends of the arts community; David Grierson and Barry Newman. Both helped me in my career and they will be sorely missed.

Gotta go now, talk to you soon.