artist Dean Drouillard

usually too busy with other projects or playing guitar for other artists to play my own songs, i forced my self free of my routine last weekend to get out of town to play my own music. months ago, when ron leary asked me to join his shows in montreal and ottawa i initially declined because it meant giving up my prized sunday night gig at the cameron with the mad bastards which i never miss. but i reconsidered after reminding myself of the boxes of dream at harmony motel sitting outside my bedroom door. sure, they make great furniture but it's not like i don't have enough to share. and since that cd's packaging is cardboard it doesn't make for nearly as good an ice scraper as my first cd does.

thursday night we played to a modest crowd at mitzi's sister with adam warner starting the night, ron in the middle, and the DRAGON! rocking to a nearly empty room. wes neal shone on upright bass especially for his first show with ron. wes can be aggressive on the upright, which is a great thing for the DRAGON!

friday was kingston for a duo show with royal wood with myself mainly playing bass and some guitar. at the grad club we opened for jill barber and her guitarist les cooper who ron and i crammed into his back seat along with a guitar and jill's massive luggage (she was on her way back home to halifax). the grad club is one of the finest places in canada to play - as a result of the hospitality of manager virginia - all who know her love her. the venue is not the biggest place in the world, nor is it fancy in any way. just a big old house that hosts some great music for mainly university students who are dedicated music fans. royal and i had a bit of work keeping the din to a respectable level with nearly all there restless to see jill. royal ultimately won them over, and i had also noticed a row of girls in the front row singing along throughout the entire set.

the highlight of the night for me however was the opportunity to sing valentine with jill to her adoring audience. valentine is a song from dream at harmony motel on which jill and i sang as a duet. fortunately jill says she appreciates the song nearly as much as i do her for singing stunningly on it. it was the first time we'd actually managed to sing the song together in public. i've sung it many times on my own, but it has much a sweeter charm when performed as a duet. fortunately she called me up when the crowd was well in the palm of her hand. i could have gone up and juggled radishes and would have felt safe. actually performing the song ended up being the better option. a true treat.

saturday ron and i moved onto montreal for a show at the shaika cafe in westmount. i felt a little out of sorts and a bit naked up there on my own but i knew it would be good for me. i can always manage to find excuses not to do solo shows but i usually end up feeling better for it, even if as a learning experience. ron is a consummate performer. he appears comfortable at the mic during and between songs and he always manges to "bring the funny". i however can feel like a fish in an aquarium who, when people are watching i become concerned with how fish-like i'm behaving. my old roommate cory mentioned to me some time ago how much more comfortable i appeared when i sat down to play guitar rather than standing. thus came the realization that i'm much more a musician than a performer. strange i suppose for someone to choose a life on stage and not want anyone to look at them. a constant work-in-progress.

sunday we played a much more relaxed 'show' at the manx pub on elgin st. in ottawa. it reminded me a great deal of my years playing solo at the coach and horses in windsor. in fact much of the audience were transplanted windsorites i'd recognized from that very time and place. nearly everyone was there to socialize and drink, which in and of itself i didn't see as a bad thing. it takes the pressure off and really allows for exploration of the songs and performance, which is how i approached this show - adding occasional embellishments with my loop pedal for support. the manx isn't a typical venue with a stage and lighting and an audience there to sit and watch. it is a pub by title and definition. about half of the seating is faced in the opposite direction of the performer who is standing in a corner on the floor where some tables were moved aside to allow. i'd worried that i would get upset if no one listened, but in fact it was quite an enjoyable night and made me want to go home and write some new songs to sing.

i certainly didn't bring home any extra cash - after figuring in hotel rooms, meals, and my crazy shopping spree at the value village in ottawa (i have a problem), but it was still a good excuse to break from routine and support the cause. i came home with all that i left with, some extra-calloused fingers (i joined ron for all of his sets as well), a couple new suits, and a few less cds. oh, and ron and i finished that bourbon at about five monday morning.