Good morning!
Justin Lacroix reporting from sunny Manitoba. Takes for you to visit less sunny places to realize it sometimes…that and much more… Well, after a substantial amount of time mostly consecrated to the preparation of the Justin Lacroix Band’s début LP (which we launched here in Winnipeg October 16th 2010 and is now available and circulating), I’m glad to say I’ll be getting back to sharing the music throughout the country from the stage. 2011 started off on the right foot as I headed off on the first tour of the year out to Ontario and Québec (a solo tour for now…until it can pay for more than me…reality…).
It wasn’t long before I was reminded that this musical adventure that I have embarked on is truly mine to live. Sometimes I question what I am doing. Maybe I could have been a… no answers seem right. Then I have a guitar on my lap and a tune in my head and a desire to go play it for people… probably on the right track. Besides, I know some folks who wouldn’t let me stop even if I tried (thank you!). Truth is, we are all unique and though we fall into a certain category of being and then a subdivision and another, we are, in the end, unique. No other living creature hears the same way or sees the same way or feels the same way… I’m not saying your pang is someone else’s ping, your blue is their red and your smooth is their rough, though that may be the case in extreme circumstances. It is that the you that is experiencing the sounds, views, scents, feel, tastes, and emotions experiences it from a unique perspective. That perspective is built on a story that is the story of your life. Innumerable circumstances have brought you here from there and create your way of seeing things. Well, that and what you were born with… a mix of mom and dad and a sprinkle of soul. So where does that leave us? Why am I talking about this? Because when I look at what role I play in the eternal grand concert that rings throughout our Universe, it becomes clearer and clearer that there is no point in doing something that you’re not moved to do. Unless there is a point to it. We do have to do things we don’t like to do but usually there is a good motive (that means to an end stuff). Easier said than done, and half the battle is just figuring out who you are and what you like and want. Many won’t even get to that because they’re wrapped up in just getting the basic survival done. And you can’t go any further if you’re not taking care of that. Besides, if we all had it figured out, well, that’s like saying: if there were no nights… impossible. What makes this world is all of what makes it. The good, the bad, the white, the black, the sweet and the bitter… The important thing is not to sleep through it all though sleep is important too. It’s funny, whenever I start writing or thinking about this stuff, I end up running in circles going “this is this, but that is that and this is that…” so I’ll stop now before I dig us all into a dark cave where we’ll all start wondering who and where we are, which isn’t bad, just a little heavy for a Sunday morning. All I wanted to say is: I am and you are so let’s be as we are.
I was just going to give you the low-down on the tour, but as some of you know, I can get distracted from time to time. The tour! It was great! Thank you to all who came out to listen to my music, it’s your breath in my sail that, well, moves my boat..he he.. moves my boat.. Thank you to all of my friends and family and friends that are family for putting me up and feeding me (quite well might I add). It really wouldn’t be possible at this point in time for me to tour without your help so once again, thank you. The most lovely part of this whole experience is the people you encounter, whether it be an old friend or a new one, it is the connection that is made in that brief moment that inspires all sorts of things. So thank you to all who cross my path with their own (or is it mine that has crossed theirs..).
Seeing as I’ve used up all mine and yours time, I will re-cap the tour in a quickie.
Winnipeg sent me off on tired legs after a great time playing my fingers and voice right off for my good hometown crew. I was immediately revived in Thunder Bay with but a breath of that rich Lake Superior air and a warming bowl of Sheila’s gypsy soup (Hope you’re feeling better, Tina). In Rossport, after a delicious meal and an intimate evening playing music for some good folks, I rested under a starry sky (No, I didn’t sleep outside, I was inside the most comfortably welcoming Serendipity Gardens Guest House). I did sleep in the van in Sault Sainte-Marie testing my nest in -10 C temperature…not bad except for having to get up to pee in the “too early to wake up” morn. In Sudbury, I drank beer with the locals at the live music venue “the Townhouse” wondering why I wasn’t on that stage(at least to play an opening set). In North Bay, I had a great time at the 100 Georges for their open mic (since I had a bit of a hole in my schedule, I found some open mics that would have me). Also, I met the self-acclaimed writer of Brian Adam’s “Everything I do”. hmmm…I don’t know… Shame on me for doubting it… I met the writer of “Everything I Do”!!!WOW!!! In London, I hung out with the folks from the Blues Society (Thank you Ray for introducing me to your crew) and in Strathroy, I bought a bass (the Framus Basse Guitarre. Made in Germany in the 60′s. so cool.). I also had fun inviting friends to come up and play bass with me on songs they didn’t know…Fun times! In Gatineau, I played my heart out as well as in Montréal, where I also ate a poutine that made my heart hurt. Something happens the more you return to a place. It starts to become more and more familiar… like a worn-in pair of shoes… I love that feeling. (sorry for my poor use of punctuation… I should take a course… or not) To wrap it up, I played my first show in Sherbrooke and was blown away by the attendance and response (thank you so much for helping spread the word and getting people out! MERCI beaucoup beaucoup!!! Ça fait beaucoup de beaucoups! ; )>). Oh, yeah, on the way back West I stopped in to play at an acoustic jam with the folks at the Moose Lodge in Sault Sainte-Marie. What a great time; 17 people sitting in a circle with acoustic guitars and mics singing old country tunes (wish I knew more of those). The folks at the Madhouse in Thunder Bay were most welcoming on my last night of the tour and my Thunder Bay home, though I got kinda lost trying to find my way there after the show was so very nice to step into out of the cold January night (MERCI!).
It’s a lot of driving, a lot of playing, and a lot of love… and I love that this is my journey! Thanks a million more times and hope to see you soon!
Salut,
Justin
