January Shows and Other Happenings!

Hi everyone!

A lot of people have been asking me lately what's going on, where I'm living, if I'm playing in town soon, etc., so I figured I'd take this opportunity to share all the latest news for anyone who's curious!

The Latest Developments
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For those who are confused about my whereabouts, yes, I am in Calgary right now, and will be for the next month. A few of you fine folks and friends are aware that I have recently departed from my longtime position as bassist for the Greg Cockerill Band. While we will all certainly miss one another (and indeed, already do!) it's certainly not so much an ending as it is a beginning of something new; I anticipate great things on the horizon, a few of which I'll share with you now!

Roughlands VIA Rail Olympic Tour
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I'll start with this one, since it's such exciting news! I just received confirmation that one of the newest projects I am involved in, a folk/roots trio called Roughlands, will be touring out to Vancouver in early February to perform in the city streets for the Winter Olympics! What's more (and one of the most exciting parts of this project) is that we will be traveling from town to town courtesy of VIA Rail, and performing live music on the train during the trip! So, if you are traveling to or from Vancouver with VIA, you might just see or hear us! Also, if you are in Vancouver during the Olympics, keep your eyes peeled for a ragtag team of musicians serenading you with old-time country and folk tunes in the streets, and come say hello!

Upcoming duo album with Ben Plotnick!
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Many of you may be familiar with the outstanding Calgarian jazz/celtic/bluegrass/classical fiddle player Ben Plotnick. Being longtime friends and like-minded musicians, Ben and I have been hoping for a chance to collaborate together for a long time, and I'm pleased to announce that the time has finally arrived! We just finished recording an 8-song album with the wonderful Spencer Cheyne at Crossover Studios, and I can't wait to show you the results; we're planning on holding an album fundraiser show at the ironwood before I have to leave for Vancouver, so stay tuned for news on that!

Bankai Vs. Canada Tour
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Alright, this is one of the most exciting new developments of all - after the Olympics, I will be connecting in Vancouver with Australian Electro-Glitch-Nerdcore star Bankai, and touring eastward across Canada throwing mad dance parties all the way! The Bankai/Beautiful Unicorn combo promises to bring the party like never before, so stay tuned for an official tour announcement with dates, etc. One of the coolest things about this tour is the unique grassroots approach we are taking with it. In addition to Bankai's crowdsourced tour funding getting him from Melbourne to Vancouver, the tour is particularly special in that we are playing not only in bars in clubs, but at a variety of house parties across this fair land as well. We have some dates open still, so if you would be keen on having us come visit you in your town (Canadian towns only, for now ;) ), please email me at brendanmcguigan@shaw.ca

Right on!

Nileguide!
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Another exciting development in my professional life as of late; I've landed my first professional writing gig! A couple months ago I was hired as a Local Expert for the Calgary/Canadian Rockies sections of a new startup web company called Nileguide. It is essentially an online travel guide and trip planner, that combines advanced web filtering software with unique input from local experts such as myself! The whole team behind the company is extremely fun, as well as amazing good at what they do, and I'm very excited and proud to be a part of it. Check it out!



That's all I got for now, kids! Drop me a line sometime to let me know what's up, and don't forget to follow @bmcguig on twitter for the latest news etc.

Cheers!