Gentleman Reg Blog

New E.P. HEAVY HEAD

New music! YES.
Our album out early 2009 and an e.p. out late 2009.
It somehow seems so sweet.

The E.P. is called Heavy Head and will be available in digital format only, at all your favorite digital buying locations i’m sure.

The Deal.
The E.P. contains six songs.
We release the first two, on Nov. 10th. They are both cover songs.
We release the next two on Nov. 17th. They are both ‘b-sides’.
We release the last two on Nov. 24th. They are both remixes.
THEN, finally, we release the whole thing on Dec. 1st. All six songs.

One thing i’m most excited about is that each release is accompanied by it’s own artwork done by the one and only, my friend and yours, Tyler Clark Burke. The mind responsible for Miracle Fruit Parties, Santa Cruz, and, my old label, Three Gut records.
http://www.myspace.com/tylerclarkburke
You can take a look at the final cover RIGHT NOW.
http://www.arts-crafts.ca/releases_spotlight.php?search=ACX041

The second thing i’m excited about is if you come to see us on our massive tour with the HIdden Cameras, we’ll be selling download cards where you can purchase the whole E.P. right away! Starting Oct. 29th in Ottawa. All six songs.

Am ecstatic to have new music for you to hear.
You will like it.

Will blog more specifics about the songs themselves in the near future.

reg
x

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How We Exit video premiere

So i realize i just two days ago released a video to the interweb, but now we have a whole NEW video to show you.
And Pitchfork is premiering it all week for us. http://pitchfork.com/

Look in the Pitchfork T.V. section.

It stars Katie Sketch and Liz Powell as Boxers. Lex Vaughn as the referee. The band as coaches. John Caffrey as a workout hunk. Margot as score keeper. And myself as a singing boxer.

And it's all done with photographs. Which were then animated. VERY technical. You don't even know how to do it.

It was co-directed by myself and Jeff Harris. Lee Towndrow was the cinematographer.
Tantrum were the ones who did the editing. http://www.throwatantrum.tv/

This week its on pitchfork, then it will be everywhere!

reg

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Rewind

We have another video for your viewing pleasure.
Shot on VHS in last summers heat in the cheapest motel we could find.
Finally we are releasing it to the online world.
Shot by Iris Fraser and directed by Victoria Cheong, both of whom i've worked with on past videos.

For the song Rewind off of our Jet Black album.
Starring myself, Greg Millson, and Katie Sketch.
Very simple concept for a very simple look.

this is supposed to be a link?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ6JjMaLZIA

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A Camp. We love you.

The A CAMP tour is trucking along. We're just a little over half way done. And the shows are going swimmingly.

Pretty hilariously diverse venues, from Bowery Ballroom in NYC to a strip mall in Kansas City. But meeting amazing people wherever we are. And how lucky are we that we get to watch a camp every single night! which we do by the way. not always the case with your fellow touring band.

I was also lucky enough, two shows in to be asked by Nina to sing the boy part on their track, 'Golden Teeth and Silver Medals'. So we've been dueting every night...which is an obvious highlight. Her vocal pipes amaze me. and their generosity.

Yesterday we had a day off in nature. hikning and exploring caves, and beautiful mountain driving, followed by amazing mexican food.
Today we have pouring rain Satl Lake City.

Back to Canada tomorrow for our second Vancouver show in two months. Richard's! Then our anticipated west coast jaunt.

See you at the shows.

reg

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Goodbye Stills, hello A Camp

Stills tour is tout finis. (all finished)

Ended in Winnipeg at the Pyramid.

Overall was a nice ending. Aside from a small group at the front of stage right, literally leaning on the stage with their BACKS to the stage having some kind of reunion. It was the oddest most baffling display of rudeness we saw all tour......but, aside from them we had a good show. A good tour. Nicest boys to open for.

A hell of alot of driving. With zero van related occurences/mishaps. Met great kids. Sold our pretty t-shirts.

Amazing hosts along the way, which are great for breaking up motel stays.

Back home for a few days of sunny toronto. Our 'thunderstorm' video screened last night at the Inside Out film festival, to an amazing sold out audience. Love watching music videos on the big screen.

Then watched Peaches rock the Pheonix with her new band/show. It's amazing to think how long she's been peaches, and remembering her play ted's wrecking yard for twenty disinterested people, about a decade ago.

Monday tour starts again. With A CAMP. We couldn't be more thrilled. NYC at the Bowery Ballroom. Sang there once wtih Broken Social Scene, but this will be the first set we've done there. Then it's three long U.S. invading weeks.

Touring is fun!

Touring Jet Black has begun.
We waited a few months after release date to hit the road so that we could be more prepared, give people a chance to hear the record and learn the songs. The learning being quite the feat as no one in this touring band actually played on the record. So there’s been lots of recreating and inventing.    But we finally came up with a live version of ‘Thunderstorm’ that we’re all happy with. And that was the biggest hurdle really.
This is a band of five.
Francois Turenne on guitar (The Hylozoists), Dana Snell on drums (the Bicycles), Kelly McMicheal on keys (Rouge), Paul Lowman on bass (Cuff the Duke/Hayden)
For once i don’t have to play guitar on every song so i get a little body freedom. Which of course poses a whole set of questions about what to do with my body sans guitar, nothing to hide behind. But not playing is guitar is something i’ve wanted to do forever.
Four of us sing, double what i’m used to.   So we’re fully taking advantage of harmonizing three or four parts.

Headed to Seattle. Seeing snow and mountains and cows on the run.
Bumper sticker ahead reads ‘If it’s not a dog...it’s a cat....dogs chase cats.‘
None of us understand what this means.

We meet up with The Stills friday for our western Canadian dates with them.
Hopefully we’ll see you there.
reg

“The only way to get rid of a parasite is to kill the host”
paul lowman.

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To Some It Comes Easy

Video number one .
It's time.
With three in the can and yet another shoot tomorrow beginning at 8am...it's time to put some of the beautiful visuals meshed with music out into the world.

This one was conceived of, shot, directed, and stars, Anthony Schrag and Alice Finbow.
Our first collaboration together, but not theirs.
Collaboration through emails.
Me in toronto, them in Glasgow and London.
I wish i'd been there with them, but i wasn't.

This is their baby. The credit and silliness goes to them.
I love it.
I wanna be physical too.

check them out.
anthonyschrag.com
alicefinbow.com
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So here we have it.

The day of release. Feb.24th.
I'm in a little bit of shock it's finally here.
The day people finally get to hear the thing that has been worked on and worked on. It's like having a secret, and only a couple people got to know about it, got to hear bits of it. And now it's all out in the world.
Jet Black. Hope you like it. Hope you like the way it looks too. The art always takes way longer than you think it will. And it certainly did this time too. Many versions were made to get to what you now see.
Eleven songs.
It's also on Vinyl. The first Gentleman Reg album to be released on Vinyl. We made buttons and we put a little picture of a record player on one of them.

This day we celebrate and play in a record store. Soundscapes on College.
Then we play CMW, then head to Austin for SXSW, and then who knows? As of this writing i'm not sure what the shows will be, where they will take place or when we'll do them. But trust me, there will be LOTS of them. so stay tuned. reg
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