CCMA's
Sept 16, 2009

So..... another year of the CCMA's has come and gone but like I always say after those annual events... let's get back to work!!! It's so great to see all the artists and their entourages that I always liken it to a family reunion held in a different city every year. Guys like Dale Wallace, who used to play with me when I was working the club scene in Vancouver years ago, was someone that I always got along with and was so happy to see him get the gig with Emerson Drive. Gord Bamford, George Canyon and I would play the circuit in Alberta in the late 90's and on until about 2004. It's so awesome to see them come up the ranks like I have and succeed.

What an eventful weekend it was. It really all started on Wednesday at the Shark Club where my friend Heather was having a party. It just so happened that the company she works for was holding an event there too so I got up and sang with Jay, Shane, Scott and Jayson all hanging with me to play some tunes. We played just a few songs at around midnight and then schmoozed a bit with some of the early arrivers for the CCMA weekend events.

The very next morning, Scott and I met up at the South Delta Highschool to be a part of the Global Morning News with my buddy Steve Darling. Funny story about Steve and I... back when I moved to North Delta, about a 30 minute drive from Vancouver, I moved into the house that Steve moved out of and I ended up taking his room. Little did I know this until we met up years later and chatted about where we were from.

Later that day, we had to meet up for a soundcheck at The Commodore Ballroom in preparation of our show later that night. Soundcheck done, we all went for a bite to eat to build energy up for the show and what an energetic show it was! One of the best this year.

We jetted off to a hotel near the Vancouver airport for a 3 hour sleep before catching a flight on Friday morning for Toronto. The 7 am flight was a long, non-eventful one where I only slept a bit. Needless to say, I was dog-tired when we got to Owen Sound where our show was to be that night in their arena.

After a fantastic show with wicked fans and a great lineup with Gord Bamford, Jessie Farrell and Tommy Gilham, we set off back to Toronto in order to catch a flight back to Vancouver so we all could make the Fanfest appearance for the CCMA's.

So, Scott and I made it back for a rehearsal for the CCMA awards show, an appearance at Fanfest as well as a Province newspaper event that was a win-to-get-in acoustic show. Thank you to all at the Province office for making that event so much fun and intimately interactive.

Needless to say, myself, Scott, Emil and Angela were physically beaten up not to mention mentally! We were going so delirious that anything we said was the funniest thing in the world. For as much as it was exhausting, it was really, really fun to hang out with the band and crew in such a hectic schedule. Livin' it!!!

Now that the weekend is over and the awards show is through, I can look back at my personal hilights and I would have to say that the opening slot on the awards show was definitely the brightest moment for me. Come on!! The Canucks on stage with me!! Crazy! Hot B.C. Lion's cheerleaders (Felions), Colin James??!!! It was just a great experience. I kept all the newspaper clippings as well as the video footage from the Canucks site. Check it out at http://canucks.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=6&id=46362

In this year of so much change for me in many ways, the one thing that stays constant is that the fans are the most important aspect of my career. I do it for you, because of you and without you I would not have the PRIVILEGE of playing my music for others to hear. You really are the superstars in this industry. I was hoping to win that award for Fan's Choice just so I could say what I really feel about the fans in a large scale way. Maybe next year???

Just so you know, I am coming out to Ontario for a show with Toby Keith on September 25th so you better be there. We are going to be doing our full, rockin' country, in-your-face show that has taken even another step up but you have to see it to believe it!!

See you there!!!

ap