The New Weather Machine is pleased to officially welcome Jason Oakes into the band. This Wednesday (the 8th) we’re playing with a cool band from Vancouver called Free City Collective at the Slice, and the mid week rock party will be Jason’s first show with us and a killer time for everyone!

The newspaper I work for published a fantastic tribute to David Bowie this week for his birthday. I might have had a little (or a lot) to do with it, but thanks to Beth for the killer artwork! I also took my first foray into writing buried in the entertainment section. Check it out!

Congratulations to everyone for making it to 2012, I hope your version of the holidays was everything you had hoped it to be. We ran off and took a few new band pictures yesterday before rehearsal that you can check out on the pictures page. See you tonight at The Slice!

The New Weather Machine and Lustre Creame will be joining forces on Friday January the 6th to start 2012 off properly. $5 at the door for an evening of combined rock dual music power. Kudos to my brother for doing the poster. You can check the event out here.

The New Weather Machine would like to thank everyone for a great 2011 and wish everyone a safe a enjoyable secular holiday season, filled with beverages and music. Cheers!

I had to re-record a version of Can’t Start Over for something quickly today, so I thought I would share it with you guys. You can check out the “Special 2011 version” on the music page. In new music news; Although I haven’t been talking too much about it, I’ve been making good progress on the new album and I’m excited for you guys to hear it. It’s still a little while off yet, but not that far.

Wow, I am constantly amazing at how quickly this year has gone by. It feels like it should be March or something when really its only a few short weeks away from my least favourite corporate holiday. I recently accepted a position as the Photo Editor at the University of Lethbridge newspaper, The Meliorist, and have been spending a bit of time making sure at least some of the pictures that make it to print are what I would like to look at everyday.

I haven’t had a chance to listen to the new Wilco album yet, but I think I am going to later this evening. I’ve noticed recently that I have be in the right mindset to appreciate a lot of records, so I’ve been holding off on listening to The Whole Love until I felt like I was in the right head space. I’ll give it a few listens and post back with my thoughts.

After further listening to the Pink Floyd remasters, I give the “Most Improved” award to The Wall and Wish You Were Here, with an honourable mention for Meddle. I don’t know if the other 15 versions of The Wall I have are different, but it seems like there is so much more revealed that I’ve never heard before on an album I’ve listened to about a gazillion times. Im particularly impressed with the new depth of field and re-focus on some of the background happenings.


A listen through a stripped down song like “Goodbye Blue Sky” now reveals all kinds of subtle synth work harmonizing the vocal and extra sounds effects that got completely buried/lost (on me anyway) before hand. I’ve noticed the same thing on the rest of the album as wel. I’m sure if I go back and listen to an older version I will be able to hear them, but only because I now know they’re there.

On a slightly different note regarding The Wall, I really appreciate the renewed strength in the instruments sounds. Particularly in the guitars, bass, keys, and kick drum (is there anything left?). Lot’s of the bass tones on the record are really cool as well; the more driven ones sound exactly like a Ampeg SVT, but it’s probably a Hiwatt of some sort. Actually, a Hiwatt DR103 head (a very clean high head room tube amp) sounds a lot like an SVT (a very clean, very high head room tube amp) on the normal channel. John Entwistle, of Who fame, used an army of DR103’s in the late 60’s and early 70’s when his tone was subjectively the best. Roger Waters studio bass tone doesn’t get talked about much, but I’m a really really big fan.

The Wall as a whole feels more cohesive and a little bit more slick, but in a very good way. This improves the presentation and adds both depth and interest (possible?) to the already killer album as a result. This same trend is evident in Wish You Were Here and Meddle as well. Aces in my book!


Last week I also had the amazing opportunity to play a couple of times with the amazing Danny Michel. Danny, who had a gig booked for Wednesday night, showed up a day early and made it to the Jam on Tuesday. He ended up sitting behind the kit to rock a few Bowie songs with us and great times were had by all we all. To my surprise, at his gig on Wednesday he asked the band if we would join him, after his awesome set, to play another set comprised of only Bowie songs. How many times does that happen? It turned into what was a second bizarre night and a hell of a lot of fun. I’ll see if I can dig up any “photographic evidence” *update, see blurry iphone pics below*. Thanks Danny!


On a second and more significant note, Mr.Michel has a great charity for school children in Belize, no middle man, no wasted money, no bullshit, all good. Please check it out here, and if your situation allows, throw a much appreciated donation in the pot.

A big thanks to everyone who checked out the Artwalk or any of the bands at Artsfest this year. Extra thanks goes to the Allied Arts Council, Jana McKenzie, and crew that put it all together. I had an awesome time checking out all the local artist and bands, and an excellent time playing.

For those of you who are up on your remasters and Pink Floyd, you’re probably still setting the controls for the hear of the sun deep in a pillow of winds while empty spaces are filled by pretty much any colour you like while listening to the Atom Heart Mother Suite. So far I’m quite impressed with the job that was done. I’m used to Dark Side of The Moon being a little bit flatter than this 2011 version, but trying to make changes to something you’re very very comfortable with can be difficult and I’l work on it. I think Wish You Were Here as an album is leaps and bounds better then the last cd version. There’s something awesome they did with the upper mid-range and super high frequencies that have brought out a lot of elements I’m surprised I missed and made it sound a lot more important and intentional, if that makes any sense. The 967th solo at the end part 3 of Shine on You Crazy Diamond (~7:35) is a pretty good example, in the room sound and guitar solo specifically.

This year I decided I would do some enumerating for Elections Alberta. While I divulge too much detail, I think that the feeling towards enumeration is highly influence on the area you’re designated. My designated area was less of a bowl of delicious cherries and more of a garbage can of two week old meat packages and the little packs that go underneath the meat to soak up the excess blood. You know, the garbages that not only smell terrible when opened, but let out hoards of disgusting flies at the same time. Blah.

The enumeration combined with the beginning of the school semester has been a bit of a time sink and as a result I’ve listen to a hell of a lot more music lately than I’ve recorded. I think it was a good thing. I listened to a few new albums and a couple long shelved favourites that I think I needed to listen to with a clear head.

Recording update: I’ve been doing some more writing for a quirky new project that I’m working on, I’ll have some of that stuff up soon enough as well and I think at least a few people will get a kick out of it. Now that my schedule has shed a layer of time suck skin I’m be resuming work on the New Weather Machine stuff I’ve been doing lately. Stay tuned in the next couple weeks and I should have something fun posted for you. Yes you.