Blog

A couple of years ago I published my first novel entitled Jukebox
to very good reviews. Unfortunately the original publisher ran into problems
and shut down. Well, I am pleased to announce that another publisher – General
Store Publishing – has picked up the rights and is releasing the book in early
February 2012. I’ll post more details soon but here is a sneak preview at the
new cover!

Topher, Terry M and myself.

Aside from working on new tunes for the next CD – I have been helping out with the opening of a League of Rock chapter in
Ottawa. If you haven’t heard of the league – it’s an amazing  enterprise.  Started in Toronto by Terry Moshenburg and Topher Stott, it takes non-professional (But that doesn’t mean they don’t have chops!) musicians through ten weeks of rehearsing,  jamming,  workshopping their talents at local venues, recording and culminating with a final showcase for friends and family in front of hundreds of people.  I have had a ball getting coaches to come in and work with the bands. So far we have had my bro and Darwin Demers from the Cooper Brothers, Leslie Rohonczy (Cougar Band) Graham Greer (Barstool Prophets) Les Emmerson ( 5 Man Electrical Band) Peter Fredette (Kim Mitchell) and Derek DeBeers (Johnnie Clegg) and they have all had a blast! Let’s hope the Ottawa chapter is as successful as the one in Toronto that has seen over a thousand people rock it
out.

I’ve been meaning to do a post on this year’s RINGSIDE FOR YOUTH – a charity that is near and dear to the Cooper Brothers’ heart. This is our 17th year working the event and its continued, ongoing success is simply amazing.  This year we raised $162,000 which goes directly to the Boys and Girls club of Ottawa and I don’t have to tell you the tremendous work they do in our community.  Next year we are hoping to top the two million dollar mark. (We will definitely have a party when we reach that goal!) Thanks to Lennox Lewis – who was a fantastic guest. He signed every autograph and tirelessly posed for every picture. Once a champ, always a champ! Our musical guest was Sass Jordan and she was also a trooper. A very talented lady who stuck around all night and really got into the spirit of the event.  The Coops just want to thank their fellow committee members and here’s hoping that next year will be the best Ringside ever!

Just back from Nashville. I was checking out studios for the next album and paid a visit to the NAMM show. (So little time, so many guitars!) Also got to hang a bit with one of my guitar heroes, James Burton. Thanks to my old  buddy John Rowlands for setting it up. James has played with everyone from Elvis to Elvis Costello. What a legend. And a great guy too.

Nice review of the new CD by Suzanne Swanson on her Live Blues World Blog. Thanks Sue.

http://www.livebluesworld.com/profiles/blogs/the-cooper-brothers-in-from

Brian and I just returned from Nashville where we appeared in a video for Hard Luck Girl which will be the new single off the In From The Cold album. The video was produced and shot by John Fucile, who ironically enough, I directed in the Denim Blues tv series some 20 years ago.  (Can you say karma?) Check out John’s company, Smackdab Media. smackdabmedia.com  The video was directed by Peter Lippman who has done videos for Springsteen, Steve Earl, Alan Jackson etc.

Check him out: http://www.youtube.com/user/lippman

Nashville was a gas as usual. We hooked up with Colin Linden while we were there as well as Gary Nicholson.  Gary is an accomplished songwriter who has written tunes for just about everybody, including a great song on the Crazy Heart soundtrack called Fallin` feels like Flyin.

Special thanks to Randy Kohrs who lent us a couple of guitars for the video shoot.

What a night at Capital Music Hall on the 6th. Besides the Coops, there was Graham Greer (Barstool Prophets) and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings - who happen to be one of my personal favourite bands.  Colin Linden, Tom Wilson and Stephen Fearing are a formidable line-up and they did not disappoint the packed house. Peter Fredette (Kim Mitchell, Tom Cochran) dropped in to see us backstage before the gig and it was terrific catching up with him.  My brother and I go way back with Peter. Way before Kim Mitchell.   Several members of CAPACOA (The Canadian Arts Presenting Association) were in attendance as their annual convention took place in Ottawa this year. We did a shout out to two of our friends –  Brenda Heatherington formerly of the Arden theatre and  Charles McFarland from Centrepointe.  We finished off the evening over at the Elmdale Tavern where we talked to Colin about our next album. Keep your fingers crossed!

Our friends from C.U.P.E. 503 hosted another fabulous show at the Ottawa Civic Center last night with Downchild, Sass Jordan and the Kim Mitchell band. Thanks to Brian Madden and Wil Kelly for their hospitality and for donating all proceeds from the event to our favourite charity – the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club.  Hung backstage with some old pals including Jonas and Peter Fredette.  Great night for a great cause!

Robbie and Sass Jordan

Awesome gig opening for Little Feat at the Beer Festival in Toronto. They are still inspiring musicians after all this time.  Thanks to Greg Henderson and Tony Crea who did such a smooth job backstage.  We also ran into a bunch of old friends including Gerry Young and our ex-keyboard player Frank Fonteyn.

We knew that Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward had been ill for some time, and not traveling with the band, but we didn’t know how serious it was. Sadly, he passed just a few days later on August 12th. The same week we lost another friend, Wayne “The Flame” McQuaid, an Ottawa mainstay who at one point played with the late great Terry King. 

“If there’s a rock and roll heaven, well you know they’ve got a hell of a band…” Righteous Brothers

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.