Pump Jack's, Weyburn, SK

Glad to be back on the road again. The brief stop in Winnipeg seemed long, despite the company of so many friends. I guess it just felt strange not to be travelling all day. It felt like perhaps we were missing something. But I do think our day off recharged our batteries somewhat. We're excited about playing this last leg, and glad to be back at it. We'll be backtracking through some familiar territory, but this is good— we've planned a couple of stops.


The first stop is Redvers, SK. When we played the amazing hall here (perhaps the best acoustics of the tour in this old wooden theatre) we discovered a little leather shop on the edge of town. Christmas is coming, so we stop back to buy more mitts and moccasins. All hand made on the premises. Great stuff. I think they may have a website— I know they ship all over the world now.


Our next stop is Forget, SK. Yes, we're back to visit with Ken Hamm at his cool little guitar store. Ken is a Juno winning roots and blues artist who has recently moved to this little community and opened a music shop. Big Dave is, of course, primed for this stop. He's brought gear to wheel and deal, and it's not long before he and Ken have decided on some trades.


We don't leave with this one, but we do leave with a cool, short scale, early 1960s (I think), National electric guitar. It's gonna be a monster to play slide guitar on. I've heard a few guys— I'm thinking of David Wilcox— really make these sing. Sure wish a lefty would show up out there. They just don't balance properly upside down. The other guitar Dave came away with was a baritone DanElectro. Nice looking guitar. Big and small. That should keep Dave busy over the winter months!


It's getting late in the day now, and the days have become shorter as winter approaches. It will dark by the time we arrive at Pump Jack's in Weyburn, SK.


It's oil country, for sure. These rigs stand in the fields like strange birds, dipping and bobbing their heads for food. Saskatchewan is doing pretty well these days, and it's an interesting place. It's got plenty of oil dollars— and the tough, conservative culture that come with oil development— but it's also got deep rooted social welfare traditions, close knit agricultural communities, great educational facilities, a rapidly growing technical sector, a great football team, and a passion for the arts. There's big, flat distances out here, but I think "isolated" and "rural" are concepts of the past.

Pump Jack's is brightly lit as we pull in, and owner-promoter Troy meets us in the parking lot to help us load in. Western hospitality! We are soon set up and ready to play. The club is noisy, for sure. It's a pub of the loud, talky kind, in a town where I suspect straight country is very popular. Nonetheless, Troy is working hard to bring a variety of music to his club, and is slowly developing a healthy audience for roots and blues. We've had folks drive for over an hour and a half to be here tonight. That's always a little humbling, a great compliment, and makes us want to give our best.


Before you know it showtime has arrived! We've got a pretty good crowd here. Let's do it!



Between shows some bright young ladies explain to me the best ways to build houses "off the grid." Lots of progressive thinking going on in Saskatchewan.



Back at it, and we finish the night hanging around talking with this very social and friendly crowd. Thanks, Troy, for having us. We hope to stop back on the next tour!

Busman's Holiday with Debra Lynn Neufeld

We couldn't give a Tuesday night show away to southern Manitoba. So Brandon and PLP remain mysterious places. Are they mysterious to you as well? I have a short list of unbookable towns, and Brandon, MB is on it— along with Hope, BC, Medicine Hat, AB, North Battleford, SK, Sarnia, ON and Brockville, ON. Always on route, yet never a stop. I know these places are real because I buy gas, even coffee, as the Tour passes through them every year... Anyway, with a night off Big Dave and I need to find a place to play!

We end up at a Winnipeg club called Le Garage. Our pal Debra Lyn Neufeld hosts a jam here every week. This is cool. Gord Kidder plays harp and Johanna Miller plays drums. I hope I've spelled her name right. She's a rising star of a drummer— she's worked with Big Dave for a while now, and is known for her work with the Scott Nolan band as well. I love the way she listens and plays. Her playing reminds me of Steven Hodge or Jeff Arsenault. Top flight. Gord, of course, is the godfather of western Canadian harmonica players. He hasn't travelled much during his lengthy career, staying pretty much in Winnipeg. In my opinion, one of the very best players in Canada. Always a treat to hear. If you visit Winnipeg you'll want to check the listings and go see him!

Debra kicks off the jam with a set from her band.





Soon the players are lining up and the guesting begins. This is one of the best jam nights I've witnessed in years. There are a lot of really, really good players in the house. There is some serious playing, some serious fun, and not a lot of wanking or volume.


Gord Kidder takes a break, but ducks the camera flash!


Joanna doesn't get many breaks. I'm lucky enough to get her and Gord Kidder to play with me, opening the second half of the night. Crumb— no pics. Big Dave got up next and showed us all the correct way to break strings! A line of good and interesting players continued to take their turns on the stage, and Debra Lynn played some more as well. She plays like she means it, and looks like she means it, too. http://www.debralynneufeld.com



The Dusty Roads duo got up and played— good singing, songwriting and playing in the roots tradition by these young players. I find that the musicians in this community really support each other and network beautifully. I met Dustin at the Trout Forrest Festival some years ago, and it's nice to see and hear his hard work paying off. Jessica Rae is developing into a strong singer and front person. They've got a new CD called "Searchin' for a River." http://www.dustyroadsband.com



Tim Butler is a real strong local player. Every few years I catch up with him and hear him play tasty stuff in a variety of styles. He runs a Wednesday night jam somewhere in Winnipeg, more focused— I think— on acoustic music. But tonight the battered Strat says it all. Journeyman.


Thanks for a fun night out!

Times Again

Bad Bill. Grill Bill is not looking any better today...


Back again. Tonight is the famous Big Dave McLean Jam. Dave's been running this jam for close to 30 years now. Everyone is so happy that I've brought Big Dave back from the Tour! I'm going to sit in and play some harp tonight, but we won't be doing our Century Tour material. Dave's working! I'm free of responsibility for a change, so I'm going to have a couple of drinks and enjoy the Times scene. We do however, need to be down early for load in and set-up. That never changes!



Johanna Miller is on the band stand tonight... couple of guys from the Perps... the place is jumpin.' There's a big list, and Dave has his stubby pencil out, inventing combinations of players.


A good time is had by all. Susan Harris and I go back to Stonewall and stay up all night playing records.

Century Mark Reached!!! — One Hundredth Show

An easy five or six hours from Yorkton, SK, and we'll be in Winnipeg. And early enough to check out some Pawn before the show.





We were not counting down— it's all going too fast— but tonight's show marked 100 performances on the Tour! By happy coincidence this historic show took place at Times Changed High and Lonesome in Winnipeg, MB. Nice to have this show happen in Big Dave's hometown and in such a cool venue. A capacity crowd carried us through the evening. We had a ball, and raffled off the second to last Tour Jacket! Nice for me to be made so welcome here. We'll get all the pics up and the blog filled in now that we have a little more time. Just had to post this 100th show!!

Gallagher Centre, Yorkton, SK

Grill Bill is not looking any better this morning. We came out to the truck to find a big black dog eating him! Wings and head are entirely gone. We hope it makes him sick— the Dog, that is. The owner of the dog was standing around watching. Hope it makes him sick, too. But he seemed to enjoy it. While we'll miss our mascot, we are surprised to see that Bill had actually smashed through the front of the truck. It's a one piece, plastic front end— the whole front end is made from one continuous, molded piece of plastic. Crumb! This looks expensive. Dave gloves up and tried to remove the rest of Bill. But Bad Bill is NOT coming out of the front of the truck! There's bones and feathers sticking out, but they are lodged in there really, really tight. The body shop guys will have to get it out somehow. We don't have tools to do that out here in Redvers this morning. Bill is no longer as amusing as he once was. Or as pretty an ornament!

After a lengthy and unspectacular breakfast, we hit the road for Yorkton, SK. We'll be playing at the Gallagher Convention and Sports Centre. This is always a great town to play, and we have plenty of fans who come out to support the big room presentation. Tonight it is to be a dinner and show package— a prime rib affair we are looking forward to. The chef at the Centre really knows his business— no rubber chicken there! Also, the Centre itself is extremely well managed. Everything always runs smoothly. The place is modern, sparkling clean— a perpetually busy hub for the town of Yorkton and the surrounding region. Dave was born in Yorkton and, strangely, my great -grandfather lived there from 1901 until 1910. It's always interesting for me to look up at his old offices on Broadway. I'd love to poke around town and check out the archives and library, but the Tour always seems to move quickly through here— as it does through most places. We're always in motion. Big Dave's family moved on when he was still a very little Dave, but tonight Yorkton's our town.


We get to ride some secondary highways north today. Most of the time it's just us out here. I wanted to take Dave to Slow Helen's, in Melville, for lunch. Ah, we're too far east today.


If we get to the hotel an hour or two early I can work on the Blog which, as you probably know, is way behind now. Or I could sleep for a while. We're getting to that point in the Tour for sure. We cross the TransCanada Hwy and continue north.



We arrive early and check in. I've got book keeping and email— no nap for me. We're recognized in the lobby, which is always a good sign. A quick stop at the Centre, where I'm told advance tickets have suddenly started to move. I have a feeling that the night will be well attended. Sound is not as smooth as I'd like it to be. The young lad appointed to be our tech knows how to carry gear and plug it in, but live, acoustic sound does not appear to be something he's had much experience with yet. First we argue over the mics, their trim and their positioning. I like to be supportive of my tech people— but finally I tell him "I've done hundreds of shows a year with these SM57 and SM58 mics, since before you were born!" We finally get the sound to a reasonable position, and go back to the hotel to suit up. Later, when we start the show, the techie immediately starts sliding the faders up and down. I can't kill him in front of so many witnesses, but I'd like to... freeze him solid for the rest of the evening. It's a four mic set up for acoustic music... grrrr...

Dinner is amazing, and the Hall is pretty full. A whole bunch of people out to see us wearing National Steel Tour jackets— including Casey. He's a big fan who also came to Saskatoon and, I think, Wadena, SK, last month. Distances don't seem to mean much to these prairie folks.


The bad news is I have lost the Tour camera. Well, I did find it, post-show, by then too late to record the festivities. I snapped Casey with my iPhone. I guess I should of used it the rest of the night as well, but I habitually turn it off and store it prior to a show. So what can I say? Another great night. Everyone well fed. Jacket winner. Encore. Sound guy gets it all together between sets. Hey, maybe he'll be mixing for Randy Bachman next time. You never know. Warm and fun. I think Yorkton's one of the friendliest spots on the Tour. Reps from 2 other venues try to poach us for return shows... Did I tell you that we're VERY venue loyal? We very much appreciate the offers, but The Gallagher Centre has first call in this region. Thanks, Don. And thanks Yorkton for another superb night.

Redvers, SK, A Really Nice Hall

After bidding our friends Sheila and Dale good-bye, Dave and I head up to Mr. Breakfast to drink coffee and organize our day. Dave's been asked to appear in a film about Regina's Plains Hotel— soon to be torn down or re-developed to make way for condos. Big Dave McLean and his band were a big draw for many years in this famous, wild west watering hole— so they'd like to interview him at the club today. I said sure, 11:AM sharp, and we are in and out in less than an hour. Yes, the venues do come and go, but when you play a room for twenty years, it is cause for thought... Speaking of venues, it would be really nice to come back to Regina sometime in the spring/summer season and do the Regina Folk Festival. We've played the Exchange for what— four consecutive years now. C'mon, and hire us up, would ya?

OK, time to get out of town. We're cutting south-west by a route neither of us have used before, and the new GPS has made it seem much farther than it really is to clear city limits! But finally we're on the open road. Like Toad. Poop, Poop, but we're not going to wreck our Caravan!



I hope you like prairie as much as I do. Heck, I like it all. We made a few stops for coffee before we hit town.




Dave and I were not invited to the Couples Retreat. I hope folks around here come and see us instead. From the outside, the Redvers Community Hall looks pretty interesting. I can tell it going to be "old school," but we will have no way of knowing if this is good or bad until we get inside. We'll be doing our own sound this evening— which is fine, but for the load in and out parts! As it turns out there is a stage door not far from the street, so it won't be too bad. We've called ahead as requested, and it doesn't take long for us to connect with one of the Hall volunteers, who gets us in and shows us around. It's a pretty neat old theatre with a big stage.

It never takes us very long to set up our Long and McQuade gear, and this venue is no exception. After borrowing an extension cord to make a long reach easy, we are in business. This hall sounds great! We are tempted to play it without a PA, and probably would have if we were earlier along in the Tour. I later tell the Arts Council coordinator "don't even paint the ceiling— this is one of the best sounding rooms in Canada." Some places spend millions on halls to have them sound only marginal, other places just get lucky. The folks in Redvers are pretty lucky indeed!


Sound check was smooth. Pre-show we are treated to a home cooked meal. This was really nice. It could of been pizza or fast food, but our hosts made a basic, home-style meal, brought it to the hall, and dined with us. Efforts like this are appreciated so much. Simple, but it really charges up our batteries, and gets us away from salt and sugar and fat laden fare. A big thank you to the gal who took the time to do this. We are staying at a B&B on the edge of town, so we go there now to check in and get suited up. Sure is dark out here when the sun goes down! And then... Show time!!





I don't think the hall was sold out, but it was pretty full, and I'm told that this was the first time a lot of folks had heard a live blues show. So I'm glad they stayed all night! I hope they come back for more. Ken Hamm and his partner came out from nearby Forget, SK, to catch the show. Ken should play this hall. There are not many jackets left now— we had a fun raffle, but the winner escaped without a picture. Oh, well. A really nice bunch of folks, many of whom shook hands with me at the door as they were leaving. A busload of adults with learning disabilities attended— many thanks to the volunteers who helped get them to the Hall and home again. I especially enjoyed meeting the young man in the front row- he was the last to leave the Hall, needing to wait until even the instruments had been packed in their cases. Dave breaks down the PA while I sell a few more CDs and close up the booth.

These's only one place open in town when we leave, so we stop and buy some not so healthy snacks to take back to our room. Hey, who's tired? We've got a washer and drier, so I'm going to do laundry and the books at the same time!

Maclean Problem Resolved

Recently some fans of the late comedy duo with similar surnames as Doc MacLean and Big Dave McLean confused the award winning comedy show with the award winning blues show. This is unfortunate as the shows were— and are— quite different. The popular comedy act performed its last show over a decade ago, and both of its members are now deceased. Dave and I wish to acknowledge that this is an emotional time for their fans and families, and to extend our regrets concerning any confusion that may have occurred over any instances of the abbreviated useage of our own legal names in promoting the National Steel Century Blues Tour featuring Doc MacLean and Big Dave McLean.

The National Steel Century Blues Tour featuring Doc MacLean and Big Dave McLean is a blues show which has done a previous and substantial national tour of Canada without complaint or confusion. This website is the main promotional forum, with the Tour name featured prominently along with the full names of both the artists, our professional bios, tour logo, and photographic images. There is not and has not been any attempt to associate or confuse ourselves with the late comedy team in any way. The Tour itself comprises over 100 shows in 9 provinces and 2 territories, for the most part played in venues with which we have been previously associated, many played in conjunction with local blues and jazz societies and educational facilities. We have used our own names and images, and promoted a Blues Tour in large print. It is therefore most troublesome that any aspect of our branding and marketing might be unclear, or might cause confusion.

Regrettably an abbreviated form of our full names was used to save space in a header advancing the Tour on September 6th, 2009— “Maclean and McLean Announce a Cool One Hundred.” The abbreviation has also been used, independently, by some promoters and editors with limited space in their own columns or marquees. We are confident, and maintain without reservation, that at no time was there any attempt in any way by the act, it’s promoters, presenters, producers or blues fans to deliberately mislead the general public, or fans of the late comedy duo. We are sincerely sorry for any confusion which may have followed the press release, or any other abbreviated usage of our names which may have occurred on chalkboards, marquees, print publications or other media not under our control. We have reviewed this website and have sought to clarify any instances where Maclean names are used.

In good faith, on October 29, 2009, we also took the voluntary step of addressing all of our remaining Tour venues and promoters:

“I’d… ask that you AVOID using the term “MacLean and McLean” on your chalkboards, marquees, print and multimedia advertising. It’s important that blues and roots fans can clearly identify Big Dave McLean, Doc MacLean, and the Century Blues Tour. We’ve been getting considerable media attention over the last couple of months, and plenty of airplay. Dave has recently had numerous nominations and has just won the WCMA “Blues Album of the Year.” … Thanks for your cooperation!”

It is our sincere hope that this apology and these actions will put all concerns to rest.