How does an artist build a body of work in the pre-production stage? It’s the end of the Chinese New Year holidays and people keep asking me what I’ve been up to during my time off. My standard answer is the truth: I’ve been focused on the pre-production stage of my new album project. My non-musician friends often follow that… …read more.
The Red Thread
New Year, New Work It’s been awhile since I’ve written in here, but I think there’s a reason for that. In this stupid, self-obsessed social media world in which we live, I just grew weary of thinking that any of the minutiae of my life was worth showcasing or broadcasting, as though any of it matters (which it doesn’t), especially… …read more.
Gramme’s Gift For You
ORDER NOW MORE INFO It is with great pleasure that I announce the release of my Mom’s first full-length original album. March 29th, 2022 is her 77th birthday. Catherine Eizabeth Swift is truly an example of the adage: “It’s never too late to do what you love!” Below is the formal press release written by Montreal-based music reviewer, Gerry… …read more.
Mid-March Meltdown Overview
The album has been out now, formally, since March 27th, 2021. I am so proud of this baby. The collection of songs, many of which were co-written with Gabriel Beaudoin (my guitarist and musical soulmate) are among the best songs of my career. The title of this album suggests the pandemic. The thing is, it was named in late 2018… …read more.
Picking Favourites
I was recently asked to recommend some tracks to people who had never heard my music before. They said, “Maybe 2-3 songs from each album?” So, in less than ten minutes, I was able to go in and create this playlist on Spotify. It kind of shocked me how quickly I knew which songs I wanted to introduce to this… …read more.
New Video Release: “Broken Thing”
The new website design features a screen shot from this video, conceived of and created by Gabriel Beaudoin, the amazing Québecois guitarist (and human) I work with here in China. This was Gabriel’s first video project and — holy crap! He really went to work on learning special effects, which included the complicated insertion of slowed down (and later reversed)… …read more.
We Didn’t Leave!
I see now, after several years, that it’s been some time since I uploaded this blog in any manner that wasn’t pandemic-related. My friends and family have stopped asking that oft-heard question: “When are you moving back?” Back in 2017, I was gearing up for a summer of 2018 move. Then, I started to freak out. I couldn’t imagine leaving… …read more.
New Video Release: “I Don’t Love You”
What better day to launch a new video with that title than Valentine’s Day? Not that I’m a hater of love… but this song is about the delusions of love, especially by those who just don’t hear you when you say… Here’s what my first reviewer had to say about it: Please help me share this around if you… …read more.
New Album Release Date: Mar 27, 2021
So very happy to report that the new album is poised for release (finally!) and the formal release date (here in Beijing) is March 27th, 2021. The venue is called Cloud 9 and details can be found here. Entitled “Mid-March Meltdown,” (front and back covers pictured here), I will soon announce a pre-release download page where you can get the… …read more.
“Beating My Head Against the Wall” or “Beating the Odds”?
A reflection on longevity vs. celebrity in the music business If only I could count the number of times an old friend or previous fan reconnected with me and began the exchange with this exclamation: “Wow, you’re still at it? Amazing! I had no idea you were still doing music.” So what is the implication here? Is an artist supposed… …read more.