Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Long & McQuade Joins Tour


I'm really quite proud to announce that Long & McQuade will once more be a participant in the National Steel Blues Tour. With Long & McQuade on board we now have over 100 stops scheduled for this year's version, the National Steel "Century" Blues Tour. Big Dave McLean and I will be visiting select locations across Canada to present workshop/masterclasses as part of our Tour schedule.

Long & McQuade is Canada's largest music retailer, with over 30 locations across Canada. More than a store, Long & McQuade provides a full range of services including rentals, financing, and music education. I've been a customer since the early 1970s, and as a hard traveling musician I've had a chance to visit many of their locations across the country. It's more than a business. They participate and contribute to their communities in many ways, helping to nurture and support a broad based music scene and aiding a wide variety of social causes. I'm really impressed with how they run the business. Great employees, many who have been with the stores for years and years, and who really seem to love their jobs. They know how to treat their people. How cool is that? I'm very pleased to endorse Long & McQuade, and am actually excited about conducting these workshops. I had some wonderful experiences last year, so I'm looking forward to these stops.

Our visits will be laid back and social. We will focus on resophonic guitars, fingerstyle playing, open tunings, slide stylings, various equipment and accessories, set-up, mic techniques, the history of resophonic "dobro" guitars, and the history of the blues. We're relaxed enough to go with whatever skill levels or interests present themselves. Last year we fielded questions that took us in some interesting directions: touring, songwriting, the future of the blues... Muddy Waters, Son House... Come out and visit with us at one of the following Long & McQuade locations—

Ottawa, ON, Saturday 12 September
Fredericton, NB, Thursday 17 September
Charlottetown, PE, Saturday 19 September
Halifax, NS, Thursday 24 September
Calgary, AB, Saturday 24 October
Kamloops, BC, Saturday 31 October
Nanaimo, BC, Saturday 7 November

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