hello, danger bay

2010-01-13T22:18:00.004-05:00

a date with a smoke machine

.: owen and dawn from SBV! :.

we're still a month away from the release of 'smoke machine' and show details are starting to come together. check back here for the full scoop on the bash soon.

here are a couple of early reviews in the meantime...

Chris Page
A Date With A Smoke Machine
(Kelp Records)
*****
Not only will the sexy, tormented voice of Chris Page make you melt, but that guitar work of his is pure greatness. A Date with a Smoke Machine is haunting. The songs cling to you as the memories that made them must cling to Page. And there isn’t a single letdown in the bunch. It’s poetic and moving and constantly surprising you with lyrics like, “I creep into your sleep with panic stricken song.” Page even provides the back story for each song, revealing that even his point of view is poetic. He borrowed a friend’s guitar while on tour and used it to write the introduction to a song. He admits, “I’m not sure if taking songs out of someone’s guitar is fair game.” All’s fair in love Chris, and I love this CD. It’s a new staple for road trips and lazy Sundays.
STACEY LAWRENCE
See Magazine, Edmonton
January 2010

"Coax the Ending Day"
This standout from an upcoming solo album by one-third of the underappreciated Ottawa pop-punk band Camp Radio is so propulsive, it's a shock to belatedly realize that the arrangement has no drums. If you can imagine a cross between Billy Bragg's "Levi Stubbs' Tears" and The Shins' "Kissing the Lipless," you'll be about halfway there. (From A Date With a Smoke Machine, out Feb. 16, http://chrispage.bandcamp.com)
John Sakamoto
Anti-Hit List
January 2010
Toronto Star

you can get the CD now from kelp or this weekend in wakefield when i play with micarza camaro at the awesome kaffe 1870!

see you in the mountains.

> cp

2010-01-01T12:38:00.003-05:00

waiting for the great leap forward

.: thinking about the year. the new year. :.

so it's now 2010 and i'm thrilled this decade is starting off on a friday. it feels much more stabilizing to know you've got a couple of days to get your act together before being thrown head first into the new year.

i reviewed my dorky 'revolutions' from last year on here and i think i did pretty well. i failed at spending less time in vintages and recording junior farmer songs, but i did manage to bike through the winter and, for the most part, keep my shit together. i'm still not on facebook though kelp plans to set me up with an artist page soon. *shudder* maybe i'll see some of you then.

i'll lay off the resolution list this year and only say that my plan is to play and record as much music as possible. the new record is out next month and camp radio mixing of the brand new full length is well under way. i've got solo shows booked and more plans to play with the wonderful jill zmud, so i guess i'm off to a pretty good head start 12 hours into the year.

as i look down the calendar i realize that march 15th is the 25th anniversary of the stand gt plugging in amps for the very first time. interesting. more on that to come i'm sure.

check back here soon for some demos and covers i'll be releasing in advance of 'smoke machine' seeing the light of day. show dates are hopefully coming soon as well.

i've got the test presses for the vinyl and they sound pretty hot. you can get the cd now and the records should be along via saved by vinyl in a month or so.

i'm going to go and watch the hangover now (yes, the movie). ;)

all the best to you and yours for 2010. see you down the line and/or on twitter!

2009-12-13T12:30:00.005-05:00

let it slide, let it snow, let it die

.: what is she doing with those scissors? :.

for a limited time, i've uploaded 4 versions of 2 original christmas songs.

'the minor crime at christmastime' is a brand new track i concocted in my basement inspired by a new vintage guitar and the fact my neighbours are in competition to out-christmas-light each other.

i didn't like the first version originally so i cooked up a take that's a bit more raw...they're both here so you can choose your poison.

the second track is an acoustic version of the stand gt song 'stocking stuffer'. a wonderful and bitter little christmas tale about trimming trees with contempt!

i like that i managed to fit the grinch, my pal mike enberg and shane macgowan all into one song! and remember that good ol' shane was born on christmas day!

i recorded this a couple of years ago...i don't remember when. the original stand gt version is here too...recorded directly from the 7" vinyl. snap! crackle fan!

band camp is a super great site and you can pick any format you want. these holiday numbers are free for downloading, so grab them while you can. i'd love to share in your christmastime playlists.

have a happy and safe festive season. :)

2009-11-29T10:35:00.003-05:00

hello, back catalogue

.: photo by Stephanie Montreuil :.

as we ramp up to officially release 'a date with a smoke machine', there are a bunch of activities underway. i've put up all my solo records on a really cool site called 'band camp'. so far you can listen to the entire back catalogue and soon you'll be able to purchase tracks in any format imaginable.

you can download the first track from smoke machine, 'two twenty twos' for free at the moment, so dig around and be sure to grab that. check back often as more stuff will be coming online and you'll be able to get the entire new record here shortly.

if you haven't seen it, the new video for 'coax the ending day' has been released. i remember when putting out a vid meant a ton of work, money and energy only to cross your fingers with bleak hope that it would show up once on the 'the wedge'. so thank you, youtube:

thank you to stephanie montreuil for the really nice live pics she took at a recent show. she kindly allowed me to use them for promo purposes so i thought i'd include a couple in this post.

.: photo by Stephanie Montreuil :.

next up: video for two twenty twos and show bookings. want me to play in your town? get in touch. believe it or not, i'll actually be heading out on the road soon. where i play is completely up in the air at the moment.

cheers.

2009-11-03T17:06:00.004-05:00

best new artist no doubt

.: two members of the stand gt, about to kick out the jams :.

it's cool to be nominated for 'best new artist' in ottawa: even though i'm not sure what it all means and i've got more than a few friends getting a kick out it.

anyway, you should vote for me here at the ottawa xpress.

i thought i'd dig up an old pic for the occasion of me and someone else who could have easily been nominated for best new artist in ottawa, todd gibbon of the fiftymen. :)

can anyone guess the year?

speaking of something actually 'new', my new album is here and stacked up in a basement closet. it hits the streets feb. 16th...many more details to follow.

in the meantime, get voting!

2009-10-12T16:08:00.003-04:00

two shows this weekend!

.: the line up @ raw sugar this saturday afternoon :.

i'm firing up two sets this coming saturday if you plan to be in ottawa and/or the local environs. first, i'm on around 3pmish at raw sugar for a singer-songwriter afternoon show being put on by kelp and beau's. jill zmud, sarah hallman and others will join me on stage.

then it's off to wakefield for an evening show at the spectacularly fine kaffe 1870. wayne from bloomistry will be starting off the evening, so c'mon up for a drink and listen in the mountains.

psst: i have my new cd on hand, but shhhhh: it doesn't 'come out' until february. but no worries, you can buy one now if you like. more details about the official launch will be coming later on. email me if you need some pronto.

.: a.v. lounges in our pop montreal digs :.

as always, pop montreal was a blast this year. we teamed up with mint and had two super fun shows. the bbq was a raging success by all accounts. how is it we are able to score great weather each year?

NOTE: sorry to report the camp radio show at the elmdale with the spitfire nines has been canceled for unforeseen reasons. we promise we'll reschedule soon.

2009-10-01T14:13:00.001-04:00

and on to pop montreal

.: shooting 'coax the ending day' :.

if you're heading to la belle province this weekend, specifically the glorious island of montreal, be sure to stop by the kelp records showcase and bbq! we've teamed up with mint again this year and it promises to be a killer couple of days and shows! details:

POP MONTREAL!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 1ST
MINT / KELP SHOWCASE!
Petit Campus (57 Prince-Arthur Est), MONTREAL
A Pop Montreal Showcase
$8 at the door

9pm- Chris Page
10pm- Hot Panda
11pm- Andrew Vincent
12am- The Pack AD
1am- Flecton Big Sky
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=135062201363&ref=search&sid=519941985.890024696..1

FRIDAY OCTOBER 2ND
MINT / KELP / UNFAMILIAR AND COKEMACHINEGLOW.COM co-present

EAST MEATS WEST III
Friday October 2nd, 1pm-7pm
Notman House (51 Sherbrooke Ouest @ Clark), MONTREAL
free show and food!

1.30- no gold
2.00- flecton big sky
2.30- carolyn mark
3.00- hot panda
3.30- the pack a.d.
4.00- snailhouse
4.30- andrew vincent
5.00- chris page
5.30- hollerado
6.00- sports: the band

Free food and very cheap suds while supplies last. Come early for the swedish berries and Dubble Bubble!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169095597387

2009-09-14T20:02:00.002-04:00

mountain air i do declare

.: red sky at night :.

i just finished listening to this solo record master for the umpteenth time and yikes, i still like it. 'a date with a smoke machine' rolls off to the plant tomorrow. the artwork is smoking again and i feel like i might be on to something. much more on that later...

while listening, i'm reflecting a some pretty amazing weekends with family and friends recently and i thought i'd share some of the cool moments from a couple of days ago. my dad and i caught this incredible sunset that someone sent our way and i was pretty grateful to have my camera nearby. we both paused for this one.

*sigh*

then i thought i should rip it up, get creative and shoot a video.

yeah, much more on that later too.

.: standing the shadow of a late summer day :.

.: after dinner jam :.

my uncle bob pulled out his accordion after dinner and treated us all to a bunch of fine traditional reels and spiels. i accompanied on my magical j45 and while he looks like he's about to give me the gears for playing a wrong note here, i thought i did rather well. :)

hearing his playing echo in the still country mountain air was a serious treat.

2009-09-04T20:26:00.003-04:00

camp radio: rock record update

.: charlie says a-ok to the cottage inspired blistering leads :.

no seriously. it's freaking cool being independent. you get to work at your own pace. camp radio has tracked 15 crunchass tunes and now i'm messing with them getting ready to finish up with the leads, overdubs, glockenspiels, 5 part harmonies, etc. here, senior demo producer charlie takes a time out while i work the camera. it was pouring rain at the cottage so we both set up that morning in the country kitchen and laid down some ridiculous solos. ridiculous!

.: late one night near the river near the falls :.

later on and days later, i found jim and hinch drinking in the new grotto out in the bush. the mountain air had got to them and they were giddy there in the patio lantern light.

2009-08-13T18:12:00.003-04:00

hanging at the bathouse

.: jim tracking brand new spanking tunes :.

i've been cashing in a little vacation time this week, hanging with jim recording his new album out in bath, ontario. the new stuff is sounding beyond killer and this place is absolutely magical. dave and bandit are here too and as i type this, jim is ripping through some incredible guitar parts that will have tone fiends drooling in the aisles.

.: dave with house engineer aaron :.

there was a meteor shower last night and while the guinness was flowing and the stars were shooting, the highlight of the night was probably aaron's wicked 3am grilled cheese.

i don't want to go back to reality. ever.

2009-07-23T11:50:00.003-04:00

it's a smaller world after all, twitter

i got a huge kick out of this today. a friend from boston pinged me on twitter from merge XX (i was at 15 and bummed i'm not in carrboro right now). to set the scene: a guy from boston standing in a crowd in carrboro NC beside a stranger from seattle:

bradleysalmanac@chrispager So I'm standing in the crowd at XXMerge & I hear a guy next to me say the words "Stand GT" in between songs. Carl from Seattle?

that would be 'the' carl from top drawer records. nutty.

be sure to check out brad's terrific and long running blog here.

as for carl, i'm sure you can find him on facebook. ;)

2009-07-20T22:13:00.002-04:00

chris: black sheep inn july 23

hopefully you're not too bluesfested out. i'm playing the magical black sheep inn up in wakefield qc this thursday with the kingmakers and great bloomers. come up to the mountains and enjoy the air. i'm on at 8:30 sharp...it's a school night, kids!

.: at raw sugar: photo by jesse hildebrand :.

we had a swell time at the fine raw sugar...thanks to the folks who popped by to see me play some songs to the rain with western pals mark davis and lorrie matheson. it was a room of albertans!

and jesse hildebrand took shot amazing shots (see above). you should check out his site here.

awesome pics, jesse.

2009-06-20T12:38:00.001-04:00

...and this just in!

i've confirmed with the man himself and 'piet masone' will be joining camp radio on the bill at the kaffe 1870 in wakefield on july 4th! suh-weet!

2009-06-20T09:58:00.002-04:00

westfest and upcoming shows

westfest, as always, was a pleasure to play and super fun. for those who missed it, dave was asked to put a set together for a sunday evening show. while we didn't get in all the songs we hoped due to time constraints, it was a great pleasure to share the stage with such incredible talent. it was the first time i'd played with jill, christine and jerusha...and i was blown away by their powerful voices.

did they ever make my songs sound good, huh?

.: striking a ghostly pose over dave, jill, christine and jerusha :.

here's a clip of jill's gorgeous song, reconcile.

oh, by the way, i've got a couple of upcoming shows. i'm playing solo with alberta pals lorrie matheson and mark davis @ raw sugar on thursday july 2nd. then camp radio is in at the fine kaffe 1870 up in wakfield QC on saturday july 4th.

2009-04-26T12:46:00.002-04:00

kelp records 15th anniversary party this weekend!

as the buds are exploding on trees over here and i'm cranked up on lack of sleep and too much coffee, i figured it was about time i get to updating this blog.

it's kelp anniversary time folks, when i know it is truly time to usher in spring! And there is SO much going on this week:

.: damn i love this poster :.

as you can see, camp radio is playing at the elmdale on friday night. i'm playing solo on saturday at the carleton tavern and with rhume at the gluepot saturday night. sleep? hell with it.

you should really get your passes ASAP here. i hear they're flying...

.: rolfster and jb: random alley shot :.

get all the details over at kelp, including show stuff, off-the-beaten-track and after-last-call activities as well as this year's cause of choice: ride to conquer cancer (it's true! matt and liz will be stationary biking during each show!)

the new kelp sampler, kelp 15, is also streaming off the home page, so be sure to give it a listen.

well allright! i guess i'll see you all at the shows...

2009-03-26T21:11:00.004-04:00

the austin texas recovery

.: at the hold steady, feeling fairly steady :.

okay so i think i'm fully recovered from sxsw. what was that, 4 days recovery time? not bad. hi-lites for me? they are far too many to list here. ask me over a beer. regrets? 5000 shows in 4 days is an awful lot to take in, so yes i missed a few and yes, i have regrets.

but man, what a great time.

i suppose i should get a flickr account or something and share some memories. i know. facebook too. how the hell do you people have time to update all this stuff! ;)

i'm loving twitter at the moment, so feel free to find me there. its rapid-fire-concise-no-time-to-waste blogging for those of you still curious. perfect.

KELP TURNS 15: keep the last weekend of april open! april 30th the music flood gates open. prez jon has lots up his indie sleeves so you don't want to miss a thing. i'll be playing a solo set (somewhere) of sure to be legendary gems (sometime - ha!) and camp radio will make an appearance, drunk on new material.

there's a new kelp 15 comp out and it's really wicked. i have a non-new-album track called 'calling all kids reunion' on there and camp radio contributed 'cracked up to be'. there's a ton of other great numbers from kelp artists and friends...be sure to grab one before the big weekend.

2009-02-27T20:41:00.004-05:00

SAVE CBC RADIO 3

please sign this petition and help save one of the most important supporters of indie music in this country.

i honestly can't imagine losing radio 3.

sign here

2009-02-11T21:09:00.006-05:00

camp radio back in the studio

.: dave heading to the moon room with jb, higs, civ and page :.

i'm happy to report that camp radio took major strides toward a brand new album this past weekend. 8 beds are down and 1 is finished, mixed and destined for the kelp records 15th anniversary comp due out this spring.

.: estee guards the drum troll room post smoke break :.

the comp track is a cool departure, i think. title TBD, though 'last minute comp track' seems to be the current choice (read: joke).

there are 6 more to add to the 8 in the coming weeks. we'll see how the indie rock ditch digging goes and if we can't wrap it all up by summer.

my solo record 'a date with a smoke machine' is currently being mastered by the good lads at little bullhorn. we're still targeting a mid-spring release on kelp and saved by vinyl.

.: draves has a new smoking coat :.

2009-01-31T10:04:00.003-05:00

in a cabin with...

.: check out the new myspace page here :.

on feb. 9th i'm playing a set as part of the dutch music recording project called 'in a cabin with'.

it's a pretty cool event that mashes up artists from the netherlands and the project's host country. the dutch musicians seek out cool and idyllic locales around the world and spend time holed up in a makeshift recording studio.

it's a fascinating project and i'm looking forward to hearing more.

from what i understand the mercury lounge show is a showcase of what's going on here in ottawa as part of the canadian leg of the project.

will be fun!

monday, february 9th: mercury lounge, 56 byward market sq., ottawa.

2008-12-31T16:41:00.002-05:00

taking a long walk off a short year

.: glengarry sunset, christmas day 2008 :.

some new year's revolutions for 2009:

i will:

- entertain the idea of purchasing an old guitar that's new to me.

- try not to loiter as much in the lcbo(s)...or worse on the home hardware book, vintages.

- endeavor to release a 'record' of original solo songs that the kids won't like

- try to keep my shit together

- entertain the idea of opening a facebook account for all you people who can't find me on the web

- ride my bike through an ottawa winter

- get camp radio to record those new songs we've been mulling over for two years

- drink and skate for the millionaires 10th anniversary at the exclaim cup

- record those long lost junior farmer songs and put them on the net for posterity

- brush my cat a bit more (his dreads in '08 were jah awe inspiring)

feel free to call me on any of these as '09 winds down...that's if you can find me on the web.

happy '09. be free. be happy. be true.

2008-11-19T20:01:00.007-05:00

maybe you'll keep me on your radar - cbc radio 3's tune o' the day

.: i'm there, really...in alymer...reading the paper or something :.

it was cool to find out killer online music emporium, cbc radio 3, picked one of my songs for this feature yesterday.

you can check it here.

originally only appearing on a kelp records comp, 'radar' is ironically the last song we tracked for my new solo album. i attempted to give it new life while dave attempted to give it some nasty camp radio-ish bass lines.

it just might get included it in the final track listing after all.

as with anything else in this snails-pace-broke-for-time-and-money-spiritually-beaten-down indie music process, we'll see what happens.

2008-11-03T19:10:00.004-05:00

camp radio LIVE this friday

.: estee on his best behaviour, note the halo :.

in celebration of our pals micarza camaro's album launch, camp radio is dusting off marsha for a rare local ottawa show this friday.

the dig hits the shins at 9pm in the lovely confines of what is becoming one hell of a nation's cap hot spot: the elmdale.

listen: camp radio's 'reinventing the laugh track'.

give 'er.

2008-10-27T19:26:00.009-04:00

spooky, kooky, rock and roll

.: elmdale shot of me by leila meltingplastic :.

sweet. it's shaping up to be a fun and freaky spook week here in the nation's cap.

first up, my brothers and i collectively as rhume will rip it up mat night style on thursday at the elmdale. i'm wondering what ol' jb'll have up his rock sleeve to mark such a devilish pre-hallowe'en tradition? we're joined by amsterdam's hospital bombers. dawn from saved by radio is fan. should be wicked!

friday i'll celebrate one of my fave nights of the year taking in the centretown massacre VI. the flaps fronted by mr. kelp with preside over festivities with several local dj's spinning for the local ghouls and goblins. if you're reading this, you already know where it's going down.

and i mean down.

have an evil week.

2008-10-13T17:42:00.004-04:00

waiting for the great leap forward

.: get out and VOTE on october 14th! :.

with the green party potentially poised to make serious inroads this federal election, i worry that with so many voters claiming to still be undecided, folks will once again vote for the better of two evils.

with the economy dominating the headlines, i'm concerned the electorate will run scared and vote status quo.

it's important to remember that if you vote for what you don't want, you will end up with exactly that.

sure, i can't even comprehend how devastating a 4 year harper majority would be for our economy, our arts, our environment, our foreign policy...our entire country. but i've made an informed decision and a strategic vote is not what i intend to cast.

be brave tomorrow: vote for what you want.

2008-10-07T10:36:00.005-04:00

merci montreal!

.:flecton rocks at les 3 minots. no one could tell us what minots means:.

kelp records staged two hugely successful shows this past weekend in montreal.

the first was a friday afternoon outdoor bbq as we teamed up with vancouver's mint records. yeah, it was a chilly and blustery fall day, but the crowd was hardy (hey, they're montrealers, man) and the bands rocked all afternoon. mint's novillero blew me away and angela devaux's set was wonderful as well. kelp camp pals flecton and the hilotrons joined camp radio to round out the bill.

.:the bbq crowd hit the kegs and grills despite the chilly day:.

next up for the kelp caravan was a showcase at a quaint and esthetically pleasing les 3 minots. andrew vincent, rhume, flecton, camp radio and the hilotrons turned out amazing sets for the capacity crowd that cycled through all evening. kelp has some solid traction in our neighbouring city to the east!

thanks to mark lepage for some swell notes in the montreal gazette.

.:andrew vincent and a swell looking fire jet:.

while the gear load-in to hotel rooms was getting a little tiring by 3am sunday morning, the team effort once again turned out to be a killer success.

watch for pics from kelp's photo stream coming soon.