Yesterday, I played solo at the Toronto Independent Music Awards "best live" Showcase at Healey's Roadhouse bar. I got down there a bit early and hung around outside, while a nice homeless guy struck up a conversation about Jeff Healey and how sad he was that he had died.

I played my last CD release at Healey's last bar, so was glad to get to check out the new one. Maybe it's my nostalgia, but I miss the coziness of the old one - the new one is massive and great, I'm sure, for sales - not to mention capitalizing on Second City audiences etc., but I liked the old place, nestled in the corner of seedy Queen & Bathurst.

The Toronto Independent Music Awards are run by a pretty amazing lady named Daniella - in order to choose "best song" "best band" "best act" etc. she sets up showcases throughout the Summer and has industry folks rates the bands. I'm usually anti-battle of the bands since Emergenza (which we did quite well in - at the expense of my friends' money ($20 a ticket???!)), but the TIMA's don't feel like a scam - except that the acts don't get paid for playing - but there's lots of show like that in Toronto and you make it up in CD sales.

Anyway, because the TIMA's cover many genres, the showcases can sometimes be pretty eclectic (although there are some solid singer/songwriter nights). This night, I was playing after Shawna Cassidy, a great solo acoustic wunderkind, and before a bunch of GIANT ROCK BANDS.

Shawna started her set to almost no one, but the place started to fill up quickly - mostly with people eager to watch the metal bands after us - but with some people who were into our folkiness - so a bizarre audience that only assembles for eclectic battle-of-the-bands type shows. Shawna's set was amazing - she has a beautiful voice, a gigantic guitar, and really sweet songs - plus someone told me that she looked like Angelina Jolie - which can never be a bad thing.

My set flew by - mostly to baffled looks from the audience at songs like "My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding" - but enough people bopping along made me feel good. Afterwards Daniella told me I was hilarious, which hopefully means there's a "most hilarious toronto musician" award...

We went out for Indian food and made it back in time to see DAME do some HUGE cool metal music - not really my thing, but I'm pretty proud of Katie Lee, who used to be little sister to the Nick Lee Band, who I used to play with frequently. Now she rocks out in her own band, has cat tattoos on her chest and is totally badass.

The TIMA showcases continue all Summer building up the big awards show - so go out and support folk musicians and metalheads alike.

I've now played two of my favourite shows ever with the same two guys at the same club... so something good must be going on. It was another Wednesday at Bread & Circus down in Kensington Market with Jeff Straker and Grant Tilly. Although we'd done a night a month or two before, this was our first "3 GUYS FROM THE PRAIRIES" show. We'd designed a logo, we'd thought up Prairie stories and got the whole shebang catered by THE GIRL catering (featuring perogies, prairie-dogs-in-blankets and prairie wedding cake (or something - Jeff said it was a prairie must-have, but apparently I never went to any wedding in Saskatchewan...). We'd also rehearsed (and I use the term loosely) a couple of eachother's tunes and a big finale, which I couldn't seem to remember the words to.

Here's why I love Jeff & Grant's music: because on our own, we are kind of quirky guys who do some theatrical stuff in our sets, like people to sing and clap along - and in the indie rock world are generally a little quirky (or dorky, depending). But put us in a room together and suddenly it's an awesome statement about bringing ENTERTAINMENT back to live music. The audience laughs their asses off - sometimes at our funny songs and sometimes at us being being idiots - and we laugh back too. It's this great feedback loop of laughing and singing and fun. Seriously, the next time we do one of these shows, you have to come.

The show was great. Grant debuted a couple new tunes (one of which my wife said was "sexy" - my wife isn't allowed back at these shows anymore...) and I debuted a new song called "High School Geography" which referenced Regina... Grant also played nose flute on my new song, "My mother's lesbian jewish wiccan wedding." Jeff and I had actually rehearsed him playing piano for my tune, "Subway Sparrow" but I'd completely forgotten, so, despite rehearsing, it looked totally improvised. One of my favourite moments, was forgetting the words to Dear Aunty Emm and having the entire audience shout suggestions for what they thought ought to be next - hilarious!

And then we got to the finale. Appropos of being from the Prairies, we had settled on sharing the lyrics to "Go West" by the Pet Shop Boys. "Together... we will find out way... together... we will leave someday... " And together we all knew the lyrics, but I swear I never knew what was happening throughout. A glorious, hilarious train wreck of an ending. Afterwards, the guys at Bread & Circus pumped the 80's tunes and everyone stuck around and danced.

And did I mention the perogies?

BEST... SHOW... EVER.

Two shows to catch up on - Played a show back at the Brickyard BBQ - which turned into a surprise party for the manager - lots of fun - and very nice that Jo-Anne and Jean-Guy turned up with friends. Can't wait to play here once the snow disappears and the patio busts open.

Then a St. Paddy's day show at a Novotel in Mississauga (who knew?) playing lots of Irish tunes and breaking out my tin whistle. Jeff Daze joined me for a dynamic duo - we stayed up the night before learning every Irish song we could (at some point we decided the Beatles were close enough...). We ended up with a huge table of Korean men who didn't speak a word of english cheering for encores. Afterwards they all needed to shake my hands and share their beer with me. I have no idea what they were doing in a Novotel in Mississauga on St. Paddy's day.

Everyone wore green and my pictures was plastered all over the entire hotel - on every tv screen, computer screen saver, and in bizarre picture frames on every table. Hard to fit my ego out the door afterwards. =)

My new song "Subway Sparrow" got lots of good brownie points this week for landing me a spot at the Susquehanna Festival songwriting contest finals in Maryland in May, as well as a runner up prize at www.songwriteruniverse.com. Excellent work, song.

I'm going to try to turn the trip down to Maryland into a tour - seeing some family and travel a bit - which I’ve been missing over the Winter. Cross your fingers for me on the Friday night - the winner of the Finals plays the festival mainstage on Saturday.