Official Canyon Rose Outfit Blog

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Mr. Perkins laying down some recordings (at House Of CRO)

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#IceOnWhyte #festival in #yeg is this weekend! Hope to see everyone there! We play 2-3 and 4-5 in the afternoon on the Northlands stage! #winter #Edmonton #touqueandshortsweather

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About a year and a half ago, in July of 2012, CRO - Canyon Rose Outfit had the good fortune to have an opening gig for CCR - Creedence Clearwater Revisited. I think I'd have to say that for me this was the biggest show I'd been involved with at that point in my musical career. It was way up in Cold Lake, AB, which is a little drive north from my hometown of Legal, AB. We were really treated well for this show, so that during our time there, I felt a little bit like a rock star. We were lucky enough to have a pair of paid hotel rooms for the trip, and our own dressing room in the venue, which was the Energy Center. There were fresh towels, some drinks, and food waiting for us in the dressing room, which was great! The stage was situated in the middle of an empty hockey rink housed by the center, and our dressing room was your typical hockey dressing room. This was nice and reassuring, since I was essentially raised in a hockey rink. The concrete walls and boards were familiar, and I think it's fair to say they helped keep my nerves down for the big show.

It wasn't a perfect experience though, I have to say. When we arrived there were some sound issues being dealt with, so our soundcheck got pushed back so far that they were holding people outside the doors past the scheduled time. It was raining out though, so eventually they had to let people in, and we finished checking while they found their seats. Then while we were playing, there were more issues which had gone unresolved, and we lost on stage monitors for the majority of the show. I felt so bad for the sound guy, as he was clearly in a lot of distress while trying to resolve the whole situation. Despite this, I remember it really being a fun experience, and I think we were well received by the crowd.

The pictures above are CCR's setlist from the show with a ticket stub which I found afterwards (since we didn't have tickets ourselves), and all of us in our dressing room after the show with our manager Art.

A.P. - Abstract Plane

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Have this beauty a listen.  M. Harrison

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Probably our most favorite person in Edmonton!! Brian we love the shit out of you!!! M. Harrison

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I got to say, today was a great day! Last week Justin and i decided that this week we will try to be as productive as possible. Its nice to get material recorded and released in less then 5 hours. We started recording this song this morning around 11am and we uploaded the song online around 3:30ish. It may not be perfect but not bad for recording in our own living room, right? Just imagine what we can do when we decide to professionally record it. In 2008 our freshly formed band had entered a battle of the bands contest called "future fest", in Edmonton. We played shows before this but only playing cover songs. We prepared around 4 original songs and thought we would give it a go. We ended up winning the peoples choice award which was a $2000 portable BOSS recorder. It literally sat in our basement for a few years until Justin started using it bit. Even then it was just messing around but since we moved into this house we have been using it quite a bit and realize this easy to use system is the cats pyjamas! It may have taken a while but our band is really starting to figure out some important things, being in the music business. Something that has held us back is not getting enough material out. Which money is the main problem. To this day we have at least 60 complete original songs but only around 25 of those songs have actually seen day light(Recorded & released). We have decided that we are going to start recording every song we write and release it if we feel it is good enough. The BOSS recorder will help us make this happen, without spending money. Eventually we will have a boat load of music that we can pick through and release what we want.   Im extremely excited to work with Justin on all the great music he has been writing and get them out of his head and on tape. Tomorrow we are recording a song he wrote called "brother". This song,"Dream feed", is the first of many to come and so far me likey! (Which seems to be peoples review) We love your input so please let us know what you think!  M. Harrison

Jim Dyck - "Very Wilco-ish. Me likey."

EileenandJim Harrison - "Me likey toooo"

Sean Harrison - "Me likey three!"

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It seems like so long ago that we were busy bees working away for the queen bee in the studio, trying to turn nectar into honey. Our goal: to make something sweet for your ears; something you can taste, that might leave an impression. Not every moment in the studio was a pleasant one, there being creative clashes and some natural personality conflict, among other things like technical issues (including losing a whole day's work at one point). Not every moment was this way of course, and there were some points that seemed magical and pure and really uplifting.

This is a short video which depicts some of the bees on a buzz break. I like this clip because it shows the really fun nature of the band that comes out every once and a while! We were listening back to a track over the speakers in the studio, and apparently everyone took to dancing. At some point in the midst of it, someone (Justin I think) opened up a box of dust masks and put one on (there was some internal construction going on at that time in the studio). Soon everyone was wearing a mask and dancing to the song. I'm not sure who had the best dance move, but I remember it was a really light moment in the middle of the somewhat stressful time of trying to beat deadlines and work out different ideas. I appreciate having this very short video to serve as a reminder of how it can really be amazing being able to work with some great friends and musicians.

A.P - Alternative Player.

PS. Can you tell which song is being played?

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"Tramps like us. baby we were born to blog..."

I saw a Bruce Springsteen blog that is called Blog it All Night. I was wondering what some good names would be for our blog keeping that spirit. Here's what I came up with:

Bloggin is Easy 

Blogs of Gold

Bloggin on the Weekend

Blog Your Pain or my favorite,

Blog and Roll Hangover

They all have a nice ring.

C

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Muad'Dib and the desert planet.

There are certain times that people can feel energy flow through them for no apparent reasons. Like the energy has always existed but only unlocked by the proper trigger in time. I have felt pretty electrified after the end of this week. I will name the triggers of this energy load chronologically as they happened

1. Read Graham Nash’s bio Wild Tales. Great read with lots of info on Crosby Stills Nash and Young(their energy triggers were mounds upon mounds of coke). 2. Read Dune- It is my new favourite book! I can’t believe how complete of a universe can be created by one writers mind. It was so freakishly good I read 889 pages in 4 days! It is set on a desert planet named Arrakis or Dune. It spins a wonderful scifi tale about a fallen dukes sons growth in a new alien culture that survives living in the desert by wearing suits that reclaim the bodies water.On Arrakis water is most valuable. The planet is also inhabited by giant sand worms over 900 meters long that manufacture the galaxy’s most valuable resource melange spice. A spice that prolongs life and has properties that induce visions in those with prescient abilities. It’s science fictions grand masterpiece and it’s the best selling science fiction book of all time. 3.Experimented with stop animation with trusted friend,pal,and band mate Matthew Harrison. We made a cartoon titled Lazer Man. It was very interesting and time consuming making Lazer Man swallow a shot of ketchup from a green bottle. It was even more time consuming when Lazer Man stopped working because of a contract dispute which cost our production company (Stop Motion.Sickness!) a thirteen thousand dollar settlement fee and a fine from the 2D Protection Guild for the employment of a child cartoon. After all was said and done with the 2DPG I have a new respect for animators. 4.Read Dune Messiah. It is the sequel to Dune and every bit addicting. So addicting that I read all 330 pages in one sitting! I have to go pick up the next book in the series tomorrow. 5. Watched Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo-I collaborated with trusted friend,pal,band mate,and human God Alex Pelletier in a good natured viewing. The house was warm like the feel of a childhood blanket and I made a tear shaped jug of lemonade. All the makings of a rowdy Saturday night were set in motion and baby the DVD player was purring. The film was a fantastic thriller set in San Fran Cisco. When the movie came out in 1958 critics gave it bad reviews but today it is credited as his masterpiece. Kinda funny how that happens. I guess it aged like wine and my father.Hitchcock blamed the bad reviews on his leading man for looking too old. I really enjoyed the imagery he used and the classic cars in the film. It has a quality that sets a creepy mood that you can feel as a lump in your throat.

All these experiences is the last two weeks have been creative in new excited forms and have me feeling glad to be apart of the cosmos.

Your galactic pal, J.P-Jupider Placemat

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Justin’s writin out our set list for tonight. #pawnshop #yeg #yegmusic #yeglive #cro #canyonroseoutfit M. Harrison

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Band limericks

The face on the bass is Matt His grooves are juicy and fat He stands tall above Makes people think of love What a pyschadelicate groovy cool cat! There is an ass bouncing on the stool of the drums It's Jesse and he's got two thumbs He is always on time With the wind and the rhymes Which tickles all the moms. Hallelujah I hear a horn, It's Adonis the god reborn, With flowing locks He's got two cocks Ones gold I will have to warn A man? A bear? A beast? Christans dumps are whales on a beach They bring a frown Clogging all the way down When the plunger is sadly out of reach. A goblin with hair so fair I'm Justin a pig that swears, I play the guitar It sounds like tar I'm a pair of jeans with an unfixable tear.

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The holiday season is upon us and I am happy to say I haven't been killed yet. The last few days I have been in the lair practicing up my vocal chords. It just so happens that in the process I have written 4 new songs that just seemed to drip out of my brains and onto the paper. I have felt a spark of inspiration and I have been working hard at channeling it into something that will hopefully last longer than the three minuets it takes to sing. It's a weird relationship you have with yourself when you are feeling inspired. I know that when I started working on singing four days ago I could have easily put it off or just self indulged into my mind by way of the guitar. I had to make myself focus and keep on doing things that were hard and out of my comfort zone. It was work but I kept with it and soon I felt myself get comfortable with my voice. It almost felt like a little breakthrough happened and inspiration followed. I realized that for me I can inspire my songwriting by working hard at it and treating it with the respect it deserves. I have put a lot into practicing recently and discovered a way that I can make sure I challenge myself every time that I do it. I am supremely excited to bring these new songs to life with the other soldiers and see what ways they can paint them. I hope the three other people who read these blogs have a great Christmas and a psychotic New Years. J.P Joyous Pebble.

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Hope you have a little chuckle :) Jezze G (Keeper of the beat)

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Trip to The North Pole

Hey guys so I wanted to stop by and share with you a little video I put together while up at the north pole with Santa. Yes we played a gig for his elves on a cold wintery night and yes even the elves take a night off too...anyway the next day I discovered a great thing..watch and enjoy ;) Merry Christmas too :) Jezze G http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=en0p1Y35p3w

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The sky is crying frozen tears tonight and I am safely hidden away out in the country. I have half a bottle of whiskey, a dirty old acoustic guitar, and a head filled to the brim with brains, and a brain filled to the brim with new songs. It has been nice escaping from the concrete jungle and spending the days on a little house on the prairie. I have always had a wonderful time going out to visit my grandparents on their farm just down the correction line from Vimy Alberta where we filmed our music video. My great grandpa settled on this land after getting off the boat from England and it has been in the family for 5 generations. I feel a strong tie to this place and I would one day like to live on the land as well. It’s a great quiet environment that helps clear my mind and I can focus on working out songs and arrangements. I have been giddy to start playing these new songs live. I have been working hard the last few months on developing my voice and constantly practicing the new tunes I have given birth to. I feel like I have learned what my voice is and how to use it in a way that is genuine and natural. My brother in arms Matt J Harrison and I have been singing together on these new songs and our voices have started to blend together beautifully. Matt has a freakish talent for harmony and perfect pitch and is a wonderful singing partner. The future sometimes looks bleak as hell but every once and a while when we work hard it doesn’t seem doomed. Also I should mention that the biggest hidden talent in the band is Jesse Gauthier’s golden throat. That bastard sounds like an angel . I’m excited for the keeper of thy beat to start singing along as well. Maybe we could start by doing Christmas carols! Yvan eht nioj!

J.P -Jubilant Peasant

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This blogs about something i wrote after playing a gig in Calgary. I thought it would be a good idea to start writing down things that happened at gigs so that we can look back and remember certain gigs. If you have never been to the Palomino Smokehouse in Calgary i highly recommend checking it out sometime. Anyways, heres what i wrote: "I took work off today, so that we could make it to Calgary in time for our gig. The deal is to do four forty five minute sets starting at 5 - 5:45, 6 - 6:45, 7 - 7:45 and 8 - 8:45. Thats quite a tight schedule especially with Christan & Justin. We get 15 minute breaks but its usually take them at least 20 minutes to enjoy a Jazz cigarette in between sets. Then it's nice to take a piss, grab a beer and chat for a bit. 15 minutes really is not a long enough break.  When we first arrived we didn't know what to expect since we have never played there before. Upstairs it is a decent sized resteraunt and downstairs it is a venue with a good sized stage. We were all super excited and unloaded most our equipment downstairs. Then the manager came down and said, "oh sorry guys, your actually playing upstairs." At first we thought he was joking but he was serious. There was a tight small area where we had to somehow fit all our gear.(Which is a lot for a 5 piece band). We made it work.  Our first set was pretty good but the second set was awesome! At this time the song, "Just Old Tommy", was quite new. When we played that song i remember looking over just before the trumpet duet part and seeing Alex jump up on his amp, which was stacked on top of Justin's amp. Then he through his trumpet up top and pulled himself up on top of the wall. There was a big native drum on display where he crouched beside to play his trumpet solo. It was pretty cool. Im glad Russell Ferris came along with us because he caught some good shots. Russell spent 5 years in the army disarming bombs in afghanistan. He was about 8 weeks out and was being supported by the government. Since he wasn't working at the time he decided to pick up on photography. He definitely has an eye for it.  In the third set at one point Justin took a solo and he went out in the dancing crowd. It didn't take long for Christan to follow. At the peak of the break down they were both on top of a table soloing. Everyone loved it! Plenty of phones came out to snap pictures and take video.  For our very last set we noticed Pete Nolan had shown up. Pete is Joe Nolan's dad if you didn't know. Mr. Nolan was also a math teacher in high school which most of us had at different times. He put together a music project which took place once a week, at lunch hour. People would bring their guitars and just jam in a big circle. Then it turned into a Drumming circle which they made bongos out of pig skin. Anyway's, I think we all wanted to impress him so we played at our very best. The whole night went very well. After the gig we headed to our hotel. Downtown Calgary sucks to drive in. Especially with a uhaul trailer attached. It is all one way streets. Also all their liquor store close way too early! Maybe us Edmontonians are all just alcoholics but we couldn't find a single liquor store open past 11pm. We were all pretty tired anyways so it was good to catch some sleep. There was 8 of us all crammed in one room. Saturday night we all stayed in Calgary and decided to go bowling at the century casino. After we ate there i snuck away to play a bit of roulette. I made $200 within 20 minutes so i payed for everyones bowling plus bought four pitchers. Then i kicked their ass in bowling. All i had to do was get them drunk first. It made out to be a great weekend in the beautiful city of Calgary. M. Harrison

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On Worms and People

Have you ever imagined we were actually on the inside of the Earth and the roots of trees were actually pointing up into the dirt sky and we were like worms, except moving around in the air? 

After watching buses pick people up from the bus stop, I couldn't help but think they look like giant worms with people walking in and out of them.

Growing up I never liked if other kids would cut worms in half, even if they can grow again, because this seemed mean.

A.P.