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Me and my favorite doubles partner, Daniel Alfredsson

I am a huge tennis fan and I was glued to the tube this week watching one of the greatest duels in Wimbledon history. Isner against Mahut. 11-hours and 5-minutes.  Man, what a battle. The two guys showed otherworldly grit and determination as the record-setting slugfest played out over three days.  The next time somebody tells me tennis is a “wimp” sport…. please!

Great gig in Manotick, Ontario June 5th. We changed the line-up a little and had Ross McRae sit in on guitar and were joined by some great Ottawa singers, Leslie Rohonczy,  Joanne McCann and Ornella Kennedy. (Hereafter known as the Coopettes!) Thanks to Terry McGovern and Kelly Coates for making us feel so welcome. And lastly, thanks to our favorite lawyer/guitar god Derek Nicholson for hosting the band to a bbq in the afternoon. Derick is the coolest lawyer we know – although that’s not saying much.

The Bros with Buster Douglas

My brother and I have been involved with RINGSIDE FOR YOUTH since its inception some 16 years ago. We have served on the organizing committee and worked the event every year, helping with light, sound and production. This June 17th it will be no different. We will be glorified roadies once again – but it’s for an outstanding cause.  The Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.  This might be the only time you ever see the two of us actually do real work – like lifting shit!

Ringside XVI is shaping up to be an exceptional evening. Smokin Joe Frazier is our boxing celebrity, our pal Colin Linden is providing the music and it looks to be another sell-out. For more info go to www.ringside.ca

I’ve had a bunch of emails from people asking about some of the songs on the new album. What they’re about, that kinda thing. Here are some thoughts on the various tunes. 

GUNSHY – This song sums up my philosophy on guns. “An army of madmen loose in the street. Every single mother armed to the teeth.” 

`62 FAIRLANE – A song written for Terry King, (T.K.) one of the original members of the Cooper Brothers who passed away about ten years ago. My brother and I miss him every day. Dan Dugmore, who used to play with Linda Ronstadt, was one of TK’s absolute favourite pedal steel players. It was very emotional listening to Dan play on this tune in the studio to say the least. T.K. might be gone but he’s certainly not forgotten.

JUKEBOX -  “I’ve been in more bars than museums…” Ain’t that the truth for most of us. This song is based on one of my favorite novels. Ha.

HARD LUCK GIRL – Sometimes you just can’t catch a break. This tune is about a girl whose only luck seems to be bad.

THAT’S WHAT MAKES US GREAT – I’m proud to be a Canadian. There I said it. We all are. We’re also proud of our sense of humour. This tune addresses both.

NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE – Marriage is easy when things go right. When things go wrong? That’s a different story. I wrote this tune for my wife. The tougher things get the more amazing she gets.

PARADISE PIE – I love L.A.! I do. In spite of the traffic, the mudslides, the wildfires, the earthquakes, the drive-bys, the smog, the botox, the silicone etc.

OUR LOVE DESERVES BETTER – You have to work at any relationship. Even a good one.

LOVE OF THE AGES – This a song about not settling. He/she is out there. You`re going to find them. No matter how long it takes. You know it`s a long shot but hey, what`s the alternative? I wrote this tune when I was visiting an old friend in the Coachella Valley in California. Maybe that explains the desert reference.

TEAR DOWN THE WALLS -  Mexico is an amazing place. I have been going there for over 20 years. But I fear that the gap between rich and poor just continues to grow. If ever there was place that was due for another revolution, it’s Mexico. This tune is for my buddy, Alejandro Montano who showed me parts of his country I never would have seen as a tourist.

THE WAY SHE SHINES – A song about a woman who might be a little rough around the edges but you don’t really care.

LITTLE BLUE CHURCH – This is more like a short story than a song. I’m not sure where this tune came from exactly. Except that… I know that the Church has had a lot of negative press of late. And I know there are some bad apples. But that’s not been my experience. The priests and nuns I’ve met in my life have been truly exceptional people.  This song is for them!

Great gig in St. Albert (Near Edmonton) on March 19th. The Arden Theater is a terrific venue and their production crew is first-rate.   Special thanks to Brenda Heatherington who made us feel right at home. A lot of old and dear friends such as Ron and Jane McVeetors, Jimmy Newman and Wayne Millar showed up and we hung around town a few days to catch up with everybody. Bob Cabana or Uncle Bob as he is better known, (From Fabgear64) flew out to Edmonton to celebrate his  birthday with us and we hoisted a few in his honour!  Happy Birthday, Uncle Bob! Can’t wait to get back out west!

I fear I was remiss in my last post. I talked about people who had come from Orillia, Toronto and Burlington for our CD release party at Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa.  Who I forgot to mention was Susan Wardle,  and if sheer mileage is the yardstick, she has to be our #1 fan. Susan came all the way from Costa Rica for the gig. In February no less! Thanks Suzie!

Now get to work booking the Costan Rican tour for next winter, Sue!

The CD release at Centrepointe theatre in Ottawa was simply amazing.  We played all the songs from the new album and threw in a few oldies.  It was so encouraging that the audience really seemed to dig the new tunes. And it was an added bonus to see so many long time friends and family members in attendance. Some of whom had traveled from Montreal, Burlington, Orillia and Toronto just for the occasion.

Colin Linden joined the band for the night all the way from Nashville and I think his very presence onstage made us play and sing better. I can’t remember the last time we sounded that good!

After staying to sign CD’s for over an hour the band was invited to our good friends Mary and Dino DAngelo’s place for an Italian feast and we celebrated until the wee hours.  

Thanks to everyone for coming out!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Big thanks to Mary Jelley from Warner Music who arranged for the bro and I to hook up with Blue Rodeo backstage in Ottawa at Scotia Bank Place.  Jim Cuddy sings a tune called Hard Luck Girl with Brian on our new album and we just wanted to thank him in person for helping out on the project and give him a copy of the album. He does an amazing job. We stuck around for the concert later and as usual they put on a terrific show.  Again, thanks Jim!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/fire-destroys-ctvs-ottawa-newsroom/article1459111/

After the band split up, one of my first jobs was at CJOH. (Now called CTV Ottawa) I was a writer for a couple of seasons of YOU CAN’T DO THAT ON TELEVISION, then another Nickelodeon show called Turkey TV.  (Alanis Morissette was one of the kids on the show at the time. Who knew then?) Later I created a couple of my own shows - HIGHSCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL and DENIM BLUES where I worked with a lot of talented people who would go on to have pretty successful careers such as Stephanie Moore, Sandra Oh and Tyley Ross. 

CJOH was a great place to work, even though I was in the production department, the newsroom was just down the hall so I got to know everyone there. Max and J.J. and all the gang. To this day, I still have very good friends who work there, Don and Robert Patterson, Brenda Mason and on and on.

Anyway, I know it’s has to be tough on them right now but I have no doubt they will bounce back. They are just too important to the community not to survive. I wish them all the luck in the world.

We had an advance listening party  January 20th in Ottawa for the new album. We invited a few friends from the media and press for a sneak preview. The evening was hosted by the band’s great friend and supporter Steve Gallant (CIBC) and Adrian Butts from Tetra Speakers. Listening to the album on the incredible Tetra speakers was the next best thing to being back in Nashville. We had a great turnout and if this night was any indication, it seems like everyone really liked the new tunes. That’s What Makes Us Great and Hard Luck Girl went over particularly well.

Here’s a related story from the Tetra speaker website:

 http://www.tetraspeakers.com/high_end_speakers_pages/best_speakers_in_the_world_news.aspx