News, December 2008

I just wrapped up a somewhat exhausting Christmas gig schedule, but it’s something I’ve come to expect from one year for the next. On December 23 I accompanied the members of the Ottawa Bytown Rotary Club in their Christmas singalong; this is an annual gig that I’ve been doing for the last several years, typically on the last Tuesday before Christmas. On Christmas Eve I did three back-to-back masses, each at a different parish. And I had one Christmas Day mass.

As 2008 comes to a close, I’m starting up a third regular job today. St. George’s Parish was looking for an organist and cantor for their 5:00 mass on Saturdays, and out of all the people who applied, I’m the only one who can do both jobs. The parish has a few minor PA-related quirks that I can work around for the time being, but for the long term I plan to shop around for a small portable mixing console to help me tailor the sound to my needs--assuming this OC Transpo strike ends soon. The mixer will also come in handy for my solo gigs.

On the band front, there’s a possibility that Hotter than Ice will be getting back in the studio as early as next month. We’ll be in something of a rebuilding mode as we look for a bass player and re-establish the groove we had before we went on hiatus in October 2007. Stay tuned!