Dark-Eyed Junco

2003-10-30T06:21:00.000-08:00

DEJ has gone business casual! We've started working
on side projects....Tracy is in an all-girl band, Rustic Charm....
Aaron is working on a solo CD...ah...life....what a trip!

2003-01-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

OK - so we know it's been awhile but DEJ is still around....
well around Alberta - the bands been geographically divided.
Tracy B is hanging with her man in Cold Lake and Aaron and
Tracy S are still doing their thing in the big city (I'm referring
to Edmonton silly!). But we got ourselves a gig coming up...

Check us out at:
Beantrees Cafe
Cold Lake, AB
January 17, 2003
7:30pm

2002-05-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Listen up all you hep cats and cool daddy's - it's
time to open your ears...join Dark-Eyed Junco
and guests for an evening of musical mayhem.

DEJ presents: "EXPOSED"...exposing you
to the sounds of - Jay Gilday, Deon Blyan, and
Ego Trip.

Shows at: Orange Hall (10335-84 Ave.), Edmonton
Time: 7:00pm
Tickets are 5 bucks...cya there!
Contact us for more info. (tb)

2002-03-27T05:38:00.000-08:00

So many things goin' on...we've a new band member!
Tracy Spratt has come on board the DEJ bus...as bass
player and background vocalist. Tracy S is bound to add
fuel to the smoking sounds of DEJ...she's had alot of
classical training (but we won't hold it against her) and
may even add keyboards at a later date.

But the ultimate question, how is Aaron going to
handle two Tracys? I think we need another
boy to even things out. Any male fiddle players out
there? Named Aaron of course. Hey maybe we should
change our name to DEJ squared! Not that we're
square or anything...not that there's anything wrong with
that... (tb)

2002-03-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

A major issue for us lately: home burns - you know 'cause
we're a low budget type band so we have to burn our
CD's ourselves. Several times people have told us that
the CD we sold them will play in a car stereo but not
in their unit at home.

What's the deal? I searched the web and found two
sites which explore the whys...(tb)

CD FAQ
athensmusician.net

2002-02-22T15:58:00.000-08:00

There are some big time contests happening in our
local music scene. Here are a few worth entering:

Northern Alberta Singer/Songwriter Competition
First prize of this baby is a 4 song demo produced at Beta Sound
- we recorded the vocals and rhythm guitar for "With You" at Beta
and what a bang for our buck(s)! Entry forms are available
at the Beta Sound site as well as at the Sidetrack Cafe's
website. (Oh and entrants must be Canadian
citizens living in northern Alberta.)

The Great Canadian Music Dream
Even more astounding than a Beta Sound demo - the winner
will "...star in a television and radio special that will be produced
and broadcast within two years of the national final." That's right folks,
you'll have to make it through a regional level before competing
for the big'un. They're kinda picky - so make sure you dot all
them eyes and cross yer tees before sending off an entry. (tb)

2002-02-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

Right. So maybe I'm wigging out...but there is a
slight possibility that we might open for Canada's
coolest punk-folk artist Ember Swift
and her trio. It's all just in the vague...you never know...maybe...
future - but hey - we're going to enjoy the moment!

Will keep everyone posted as to developments.
What an opportunity - what
an experience! Thanks to Halli for taking a shot
in the dark. (tb)

2002-01-27T20:29:00.000-08:00

We've been spending time busking at the
Farmer's Market and playing around with
the arrangements of our songs. Much fun. Halli
was over tonight to work on a few tunes with
us as we'll be performing at a fundraiser for her
choir. And on a totally unrelated note: I saw
Lord of the Rings for the second time this weekend
and still wanted more...(tb)

2002-01-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

Bands form, lose members, break up and a slight few make it
past puberty. We've come close to splitting a
couple of times and now we're on the lookout for
a lead guitarist (Richard Monkman went on to pursue
other avenues and we wish him best of luck), as well as
other like-minded musicians with cool instruments (violin,
bass, mandolin)willing to explore.

But how does a band recruit new members? No answers here. The music
community in Edmonton is fairly large - there's the big guys
(professional musicians way out of our league), the middle guys (lower
profiles but doing well enough not to be interested in joining an unknown
band) and the rest of us (wanna be pros having way too much fun making
music). So, we're going to put ads in our local free entertainment mags,
post notices at the UofA and GMCC...let's see what happens shall we?

But I did find this article:
Finding Band Members

And I found an online article which addresses band issues (breaking up,
getting new blood):
Keeping Band Members

Another great resource is the Indie Band Bible by Mark Makoway
(lead guitarist for MOIST).
I just noticed "Canadian Edition" on the cover - I wonder if there was a
US one? Anyway - read it. (tb)

2002-01-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

Well, all let's BLOG again seeing as its a new year!! Tracy and I (Aaron) had a wonderful northern exposure Christmas....full of frost bite and snowmobiles. (Sleds is the slang the northern folk use) We have spent close to 2 weeks eating fattening sugar tarts and watching copulus amounts of movies. Picking up a guitar every once and a while was sapart of the festive activities.....But the creative juices where running the ol' well dry. All though some of you out there may find some humor and enjoyment out of a quaint little sight I picked up which allows one to create the perfect FART for that special occation......Well all, that's it from our SPRATT CHRISTMAS up North...I hope Rich and Tracy Enjoyed a simular wonderful holiday bliss. (AS)

2001-12-07T05:28:00.000-08:00

December. Wow. Here we go again. The DEJ group
is going it's separate ways for the holiday season...Richard's
going home to visit family in Winnipeg, Aaron in Grande Prairie...and
me - well my folks are here in Edmonton. So don't mind us if we
take a hiatus from our blog - there's gifts to buy, snowmen to mold,
car windows to scrape..anyway..have a wonderful and safe holiday! (tb)

2001-11-29T20:18:00.000-08:00

So maybe it's a self-fulfilling prophecy but I was extremely
keen to avoid all the cold infected people in Edmonton...just
in case I caught one - and low and behold I've got myself a
keeper....cold that is. So what's the moral? Don't pull a
Howard Hughes...it's winter...it's Edmonton...your gonna
get a cold sooner or later.
And here we are - the first show of our "two-gig-weekend" is
tomorrow night and thanks to some tips I found on the Net and
other singers - I think I'll be ok to sing...not 100%
of course but I shouldn't be causing dogs to howl. Basically
I drank water till I floated to work, sipped "Throat Formula"
herbal tea (contains Slippery Elm) and suffered the foul taste
of "Fisherman's Friend" cough drops.
Here's a great site to check out on vocal health:
National Center for Voice and Speech (tb)

2001-11-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well, here I go ranting like a maniac about absolutely nothing again......!!! Rich is on line finally after struggling with a rebellious computer of his. What do you say about a computer that even stumps a couple of
NETWORK SPECIALISTS Quote unquote. We have two gigs coming up this weekend....(November 30th and December 1st for those who can't read my mind yeesh) and the band seems almost prepared
for the whole experience. We have been writting like mad dogs.......Especially Richard. He's like a fuse that someone accidentilly lit and can't put out..........how do you say......RICHARD MONKMAN IS A WRITTING GENIUS WHO'S ON FIRE!!!!! Well off to get groceries and prepare for the day ahead.....reherasal at 4:00pm tonight in the GARAGE!! Ciao for now. (as)

2001-11-24T23:13:00.000-08:00

Test, this is a test.I hardly think so therefore i rarely am?Let's just say johncoltrane and that music concept of his(coltrane matrix) is beginning to fry my brain and frustrate the hell out of me.(rm)

2001-11-23T05:55:00.000-08:00

For all the newbie musicians out there I thought
I'd start including some tips...or at least things that
seem to be working for our little band in terms of promotion,
organization, etc.
So here goes...lately we've been sending emails to radio
producers in the town's we're playing at to try to get an
interview or at least have them promote upcoming gigs. A
perfect example is CKUA. Chris Allen hosts a segment called
"Arts Alive" and he pumps up bands and activities within the
Alberta arts community. He also has a great webpage
"Guidelines to Public Service Announcements" which covers
all the do's and don't's of getting your message to the media.
One of his do's that has been essential for us is - the
follow up call. It's not enough to send emails/presskits to media folk...you have
to call back your contact person, remind them who you are - what you sent,
and why they should give a rat's ass. JUST DO IT! (tb)

2001-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Things are progressing as they should.
We're now in debt together as we've just
financed some gear. Sound checks will
be so much easier with our own equipment.
This was a big step for us...there ain't nothing
like money to break up a band. I'm sure we'll
tough it out.

We've also started promoting our music at
this groovy site called GarageBand Records
You have to review other bands and they review
you and somehow people are getting signed this
way. Scouts apparently check it out. It's a neato
little community. (tb)

2001-11-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

Just a thought:
If a band makes a CD and they have no
funds to promote it so they try to hawk it off the
stage and to strangers on the street....does
anybody hear?

Another thought:
Why can't we all just quit our jobs and
live for our art, become straggly haired
musicians bordering on genius, huddle in dark
studios for months on end until a 60 watt bulb
could blind us, rob from the rich - give to the poor,
create world peace and speak in tongues....
'cause I just charged a 60$ pair of shoes and
eventually I'll have to pay for them - that's why....(tb)

2001-11-02T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well, we survived Halloween. Debated on dressing up
and doing an open stage but thought that would be too
gimikie (is that a word?). We're getting close to
investing in our own PA system. Going to check
out Long & McQuade on Sunday. We've had some
bad experiences with rental equipment. (tb)

2001-10-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

Well close to 8 months together as a band and things are falling into place......Yahoo. Every practice (the ones where Aaron<----------ME decides to make it) seems to be leading to something good. It's like taking your first steps.......You don't want to get to cocky as you might fall on your head if you let go of the wall....but you'll never reach the cookie jar if you keep crawling. Edmonton is a "DOG EAT DOG" place where as Ani Defranco says....."there's more bad bloodin this bar than beer, it really sucks and I want out of here" here's to fame, fortune, and broadway lights....THHHHHHHHSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I prefer to just play music. That's me today.

Aaron Spratt

2001-10-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

"We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz. because because because because because, all the wonderful thing he does....On my wonderful journeys that have brought me here today, I have ran across a wonderful radio station called CKUA Where a tired bunch of hard working individuals are attempting to raise funds to keep this spirited, beautiful piece of art and cultural education alive.You my dear friends can call them and make a donation 1-800-494-2582...If you tune in your ears to this station frequently.....you will know this number by heart, and you should have no excuse not to support what they do for you on a regular basis. Preaching, tired and must eat.......Out for now. (Listen to Dark Eyed Junco they rock)

One more thing, you can donate to CKUA online at the link above!! Aaron Spratt (DEJ)

2001-10-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

So things are mighty strange. Trying to organize
rehearsals, gigs, work, spouses, brushing teeth,
blogging....We're looking for a bass player now.
Have put adds in
See Magazine with no takers so far.

On top of it all - it seems that Calgary is a much
better town for hiring "no-name" bands. Edmonton on
the other hand is one big clique. You have to have
some buzz in order to play....but you can't get buzz
without playing - that wonderful double standard! So we
travel 3 hours to Calgary and break even once
we've paid for gas, equipment rentals, etc. (tb)

2001-10-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

GOT IT, gotitgotitgotitgotit!!!
Finally went out and bought that guitar. I might
have to exchange it though as I've noticed the trebles
are being missed by the pickup.
Other than that it sure is swell!

I've been loosing myself in a particularily good CD
lately...Ryan Adams/Gold. So many
influences and flavours that Adams is able to
shine into life - it's a two-disk wonder! (tb)

2001-10-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Have been considering posting our music to Napster
and the like. But we're torn with the vain notion that
it might get "stolen". Hey - if someone out there
makes it big on our music - we can sue their
asses off and in the end (no pun intended) - it's
all good. Some bands have interesting ideas
with regards to Napster that we might adopt.
Hypoxia Beach
for example has this to say: (tb)
"...we need a favour from all you people out there in downloading
land. If you do get music off this site, and you like it, do us a
favour and GIVE IT TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS. You can do this
by email, Kazaa, Napster (is it still alive?), BearShare, Aimster
- whatever, just DO IT. You will save us THOUSANDS of dollars
in bandwidth costs by distributing our music.

We don't call people who copy our music pirates, we call you
our DISTRIBUTORS. And man if we could pay you for it, we would.
But we can't, so we won't. We will just send happy thoughts
your way, and more music..."

2001-10-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Heard us on the radio while I was at work today.
"The Tom Murray" show on CJSR....he played Serendipity.
Was very cool. (tb)

2001-10-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Decided to invest in a Art & Lutherie guitar. Aaron has
one and it's brilliant! Hey - they're made in Canada (a key
requirement).

We might be attending a CD release party for a good
friend of Richard's, Jeari Czapla. He's a jazz guitarist...
Broc MacQueen, who played sax on our CD also appears on Jeari's CD. (tb)

2001-10-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

Was reading a lecture by Robertson Davies published in Happy Alchemy:
Writings on the Theatre and Other Lively Arts. The speech was titled:
"Folk-Song: A Lost World of Archetypes". Great stuff.
Here are some excerpts (tb):

"They sang at work and in pubs, they sang around the fireside and
mothers sang to their children. And now all that world of song has
utterly gone. Other people sing for us, and there is constant demand
that the songs they sing should be new."

"It is about a century since people in country places sang songs
easily and unselfconsciously, and almost everybody knew a few songs
that they could be coaxed to sing....The spread of education has made
people self-conscious about simple things; they fear that they will be
thought simple, in a derisive sense
of the word, if they do what their forebears did."

2001-10-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

Had 4 hours of sleep and it's time to go to work. Last night's open stage
was worth doing. The "host" showed up an hour late...to
the somewhat facetious applause of the various musicians waiting
to claim their spot. The crowd was rowdy but our three tunes had
a few patrons of the dimly lit Irish pub putting down their pints
and opening their ears...Richard was a flood with compliments - his solos
were sweet! Special thanks to the "guy named Phil" who took the time
to tell us he liked what he heard! Next on my agenda - get a new guitar.
My pickup is fried and I can't borrow Aaron's forever. (tb)

2001-10-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Official Site of DEJ

2001-10-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

ok so we're up and running! Tonight we'll try to hit an open stage
and wow the masses. Tracy Belsher

2001-10-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

"never ending in search....never achieving air waves...a band must drudge on faithfully through the whoas of this darkened reality we call "pop startem" will Dark Eyed Junco ever hear....."And the next award for best folk group of the year is...." You figure out the rest........Only you can make it so. Aaron Spratt

2001-10-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Check, Check - 1,2,3....