Jeff's Blog

New Look, New Sound

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:23:04 GMT

Switching things around can be difficult, but rewarding. We recently decided to switch gears a little bit, step away from horns for a while, and focus on solidifying a funky core. In doing so, we picked up two of Ottawa's finest musicians in Anders Drerup (guitar) and Don Cummings (B3). This makes for an exceptionally fun sound, and the energy is intoxicating. With two electric guitars, we are fine tuning the groove. It can be tricky not to trip over ourselves, because one would think they'd be doing the same thing... but that's the fun of it. You have to find parts to compliment each other, contribute to the greater groove, and eventually own that spot in the machine. The machine that is groove. I don't want to get all philosophical on it, but this stuff is fun to me. It's surprisingly difficult to add similar pieces to the puzzle and not make things muddled. It takes a certain musician to hear what's happening, where others are going, and how you can stay open for that cross-ice pass (to use a hockey metaphor). Between Anders and Jeff, Don and I, we play similar instruments (guitars and keys), but need to find a way to contribute positively while not over-staying our welcome in the mix. Thankfully, I couldn't have asked for more talented, or nicer guys, to work this out with. Our first show together in this new formation was at The Neat Cafe on March 9th. It was awesome. Jeff and Anders ROCKED the 3 part harmonies, and that was the coolest part for me, among others. Loved every second of it, and I'm even more excited now for our second show all together at The Blacksheep Inn on April 7th. Between now and then, we've got a show at Canadian Music Week in Toronto and will be doing it as a 4 piece. Unfortunately, it's not financially viable for us to take 2 cars all the way to Toronto and back, so we're trimming it down a little. It'll be fun, of that I'm sure, but I'll be missing Jeff and Don. Trying new things out in rehearsal and on stage is fun. It's good to keep things fresh, and with this new group, I think we'll surprise you. The goal is to add new material, both original and covers, to every new show. If you weren't at Neat Cafe, there should be no less than 8 new songs in our line up. Something to come back for! For me, I'm just happy to have found a new groove to ride. These guys are great, and I'm lucky to share the stage with them, you should come see for yourself why I'm so happy with it. :)

better late than never

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 02:35:00 GMT

Hey everybody! Long time no chat, I hope all is well with you and this festive season is treating you well. I've just received my new computer and am going to now release some videos that I've been meaning to share. Here's the first one, it's from this past summer's Ottawa Bluesfest... this song was our finale for the show in which we opened for The Bright Light Social Hour and NORAH JONES. It was a great day. Hope you like the performance! Jeff Rogers and The All Day Daddies, July 8th, 2012 at The RBC Ottawa Bluesfest

New and interesting things!

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 23:14:39 GMT

I've been super busy lately, so busy in fact that I'm currently icing my forearm at this moment. Basically, after performing now, I'm icing my arms to reduce any swelling in muscles in my forearms because I've been having some pain this past week. The reason for the pain is overuse. I'm used to performing lots, 5-7 shows a week is pretty standard for me these days, but I've picked up some new and very interesting work that I'm very excited about! Along with being a gigging musician, I am currently writing music for a movie soundtrack. The film is called "Only I" and is written and directed by Rodny Paulson, produced by Szonja Jakovits, and starring Brendan Fehr, Hunt Block, and Dillon Casey. ‘Only I...’ tells the compelling aspirational story of Orion Smith, a troubled yet ambitious young man in his mid-twenties, who harbours the dream of becoming a Mixed Martial Arts champion. Very excited for this new and challenging opportunity. I'm having a blast writting the score, and have come up with numerous pieces for various scenes. The only problem it seems, is that my fingers don't much like the increased 6hrs per day piano playing and have decided to let me know. So I'm going to try and take it easy for a while... but i really want to get back to work. In fact, typing this is probably counter-productive, so I should stop soon. I just wanted to let you know what's up. Work is good and plentiful, and I'm working on a tour for this November with the band. Exciting times! I hope to have some new videos and music up on here very soon! We've got footage from the CD release ready to be put together, as well as video from our Main Stage performance at this year's Ottawa Bluesfest. And I hope to have some new soul tunes, as well as some classical scores, ready for y'all to hear very soon! Stay tuned! Cheers, Jeff

Calebogie Blues and Ribfest = Good Times!

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 23:10:00 GMT

What a great way to spend an afternoon! My only regret with regards to this past weekend's Calebogie Blues and Ribfest was that I wasn't there for the entire weekend. I just rolled in Sunday morning, played my set at noon with my band and watched 3 great blues acts perform afterwards. We had a blast, and I enjoyed being the one to help wake up all those campers on the mountain after a raucous Saturday night. Everyone was so happy, cheerful despite severe hangovers, and helpful. All the volounteers were so nice, and happy to be there, the staff was very helpful and accomodating, and the musicians were all smiles and class. It's what music festivals are all about!

BIG BIG shout out to my friends at DAWG fm who know how to put on one heck of a party! I had a ball, my band all loved it, and I will come crawling on my hands and knees to play this festival again next year! Heck, I'll make sure to have way more music for next year's party... hopefully it won't take as long to produce!

After our show, I went out to sign some CDs, and wow... the feedback was extremely encouraging. Everyone was so nice, and it made me feel really good about what I'm doing with my life. Seeing people come up smiling with my CD in their hands is a truly wonderful feeling, and I am so thankful for people's generosity. Once I was no longer required at the merch tent, I got to hang out with some of my band members and catch some music with a few glasses of wine. We then decided, despite dark clouds looming overhead, that it would be a good idea to take a chairlift up the mountain. It totally was! We did get slightly rained on, but barely, and then got to hang out in a "VIP Room" atop the mountain while we waited for the dark clouds to pass by. Some call it the ski patrol shack, we rocked it like VIPs though! Brace yourselves!

Yeah, it was a great time had by all. Very thankful to everybody. Looking forward to doing it again!

Cheers!
Jeff

Great Bluesfest

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 01:15:33 GMT

It's always my favourite time of year, and I'm always sad to see it go. I've had a great summer so far, launching my new album and opening for Norah Jones at The Bluesfest has been sweet! Many people have put in lots of work, and I won't thank them all here, but you know who you are. Moving forward, I've got to start playing the record! Be it on the radio (thanks DAWG and CBC), or on stages, I've got to get out there! So watch out, I may be coming to a venue near you. While I'm at it, if you'd like to see me in a venue near you let me know! I'll see if I can't make something happen. There will be video of the release, as well as of Bluesfest up soon. I don't know when exactly yet, we're still in the editing stages. But soon! I'll let you know. Cheers! Jeff

Good times, great launch, many thanks!

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 02:11:24 GMT

We had a wonderful time at the release on Friday night, many thanks to everyone who blessed us with their presence and support. The crew at Carleton University were fantastic, my sound engineer Mark "Butch" Jarbo was absolutely great, and my friends and family who helped out in the lobby selling CDs and tickets as well as making snacks for the band and crew backstage made all the difference for us. It was a really really special day and I am so very thankful for it.

The band was tight, our spirits were high, and I think we delivered on the promise of a good old-fashioned R&B concert! We had 3 HD cameras recording the show, so keep an eye out for some video here and there. We'll let you know.

Next up, the Ottawa Bluesfest opening for Norah Jones on the Main Stage! 5pm, July 8th. For those of you that missed the 11-piece band in action, here's your second chance!

Cheers!
Jeff

Plan, Rehearse, Promo, and repeat...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:15:40 GMT

The release is fast approaching, only a few more days left! I'm getting very excited. We've been planning the concert, all the little details, and it's going to go swimmingly. The band is rehearsed and rehearsing, sounding very full and funky. And I've been trying my darndest to get the word out to as many people as possible. If I've gotten on your nerves by now, I apologize. :) I'll be getting the CDs in a couple days, and am very excited to see what they look like. Of course I've approved the artwork, done by Slungshot Studio, and it looks great! The album was mixed by Ross Murray and Dave Bignell, with 3 songs mixed by Jeff Wolpert in Toronto. And the mastering was done at Sterling in NYC. Going for that big city sound! Performing the album with an 11-piece band is something I'm very excited for. I've never played my tunes with such a full band, I've never had back up singers before, this is something new for me and I'm excited to show you guys this side of my music. The side of my tunes you're meant to hear, what's on the record. We're down to the home stretch! Cheers, Jeff

Album Launching

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Hey everybody! So I've been busting my hump trying to get everything in order for the release of my upcoming record. Glad to say that light at the end of the tunnel is fast approaching, and I'm excited to meet it head on. The band's been rehearsing for weeks now, songs are tightening up, it's looking good! Planning a rehearsal schedule for 11 musicians to meet at once is quite the undertaking, but I'm happy that I've got an accommodating bunch. The album is much closer to being done (hopefully, considering the release date is set!), with mixing being underway and the artwork is shaping up nicely. Very much looking forward to putting this show on in a beautiful theatre, and the Kailash Mital Theatre at Carleton University is gorgeous. You won't be dissappointed! Hope to see you there!!! You can now buy tickets for the concert here online at the Music Page, as well as pre-order the upcoming record and purchase my first record too. So as long as you're in the neighbourhood, drop me a line, say hello, and buy a ticket or CD while you're at it. ;) Cheers, Jeff

Ready, Set, Mix!

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:55:07 GMT

The final pieces of the puzzle are being put together. Back up vocals, horn arrangements, and the last few solos we haven't gotten around to doing until recently. It's all coming together. You know, when you're so close to the project it's hard to see the forest from the trees. Every single note, rhythm, and lyric, just sound different to the people who've been listening to them from the beginning. Sometimes I wish I had just done my parts and gone away from it, let somebody else put it all together... but I'm far too much of a control freak for that! Hearing vocals without reverb, or horns without having been mixed together to find that perfect blend... it does take the magic of it away. Not completely. But it's hard to have the same impression of it as someone who's hearing it for the first time. I end up thinking I should have done something different, or wished I had not changed something else, and so on. My perception is riddled with woulda shoulda couldas. And that's all part of it. Don't worry, I'm not saying I don't love the album. In fact, I do. And as we approach the mixing stage, I'm more excited about the project than ever! It's really sounding great, and I have Ross Murray to thank for that in a BIG way. Happy Rock Studio in Chelsea has been like a second home over the past 6 months... or has it been 8? I don't remember anymore. Putting down takes, editing, and arranging all become magnified when you've got 8-12 different instruments/musicians on each track. This is a big sounding record. And I'm excited to also start rehearsing the band that's going to play it. I'm narrowing down on the release date. It's looking like the end of May, or the very beginning of June. It's coming fast, so once the final 3 or 4 pieces are completed, it's off to get mixed. We won't be mixing the record ourselves. We're far too close to be objective now. That's normal, it's part of the process. Ross and I will most certainly have some oversight in the matter, but it's best to harness as many points of view as possible to make the record the best it can be. So within the next 2 weeks, the album will be off getting mixed somewhere. And in that time, I now have to nail down that release date, prep the band, get some artwork done for the album, secure printing, and start building buzz. Fun times! I love what I do. And coming soon, I hope you will too. Cheers! Jeff

Decisions decisions!

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:33:18 GMT

So many things go into making an album. From the purely conceptual to the little details, it can be a daunting task. Sometimes I feel like I’m standing in the middle of field, ready willing and able to run with the ball, and I’m left standing there looking around wondering which direction I’m supposed to go. It seems so easy, and for some it is. Having a clearly defined direction, with well-defined and practiced tunes makes it easy because the bulk of the creative decisions have been made. And for most of my album, that was the case. But there are a few tunes with which I find myself struggling with picking a direction and it leaves me feeling a little overwhelmed. To be, or not to be, that is the question. Traditional or modern, simple or complex, blues or funk, funny or sweet, there are so many avenues one can take in creative ventures like this that the hardest part is always settling on just one idea instead of trying to incorporate them all. We all want to be a little bit of everything. A “Jack of all trades”, but the reality is that if you don’t pick a side and go with it you’ll have nobody on your team. You can’t be everything to everyone, any more than you can write a song that everyone will love. Certainly, not everyone will see what you want them to see, or hear what you want them to hear, so at the end of the day you can only strive to make yourself happy. And what the heck does that mean anyway? I’m happy if people like it! That said, I’m not a slave to other people’s opinions, I’m just… Sensitive? Look, I’ve got some funky tunes on this record, with loads of groove thanks to a killer bunch of musicians. Do I have enough blues? Probably not for some people (sorry dad!), but R&B is just a stone’s throw away. What I’m really excited for is performing this record. It’s going to take a BIG band. I’ll be introducing an organ player in the mix, lead guitar, trombone, some back up singers and maybe even a percussionist! The CD release will be one heck of a show, I promise. ?I’m hoping you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you hear, so keep in touch. Check in, and see what’s in store here over the next two months as we wrap it up.

Welcome!

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:15:00 GMT

Hello and welcome to my new website!
Here you'll find my blog and be able to check out where I'll be performing next. You can also listen to, and purchase my music here. And of course, you can contact me!
So... what's new? Where to begin?! Never really blogged much before, so bear with me.
I started recording my second album this past August. It's an R&B record, and I'm fast becoming very proud of it. We've been working hard over many months to get this thing together and we're just now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Working with Ross Murray (my co-producer) and the rest of The All Day Daddies (Kelly Craig, Brian Asselin, Ken Seeley, and Vitas Paukstaitis) has been a lot of fun, but a lot of work too. We've even had a few guests in the studio lending their talents to the cause. Over the summer I had the chance to co-write a song with Steve Marriner from Monkeyjunk (www.monkeyjunkband.com)and we got the whole band in the studio to perform our track "Fair Is Fair". Certainly a bluesy stand-out on the record, but manages to fit in to the picture quite nicely if I do say so myself. The talented Anders Drerup also made an appearance in the studio, lending us his guitar talents on several tracks as well as writing a really cool soul tune for me called "Ruining Love".... at least, it's a soul tune now. When he gave it to me it was more reggae... he was going through a phase. ;)

This past year has presented many opportunities and challenges for me. It started with my band Silver Creek recording an album in Pennsylvania, soon followed by a tour of the UK for a few weeks, and we just recently (December 9th, 2011) released that album, our third. The CD release was a great success! But for more information on my best friends and our group, you should stop by www.silvercreekmusic.ca. That being said, I will have Silver Creek's schedule here on my site as well since you'll find me where you'll find them!

I still play around Ottawa every week, whether it's solo, duo, trio, with Silver Creek, The Cooper Brothers (www.thecooperbrothers.com) or with my band Jeff Rogers and The All Day Daddies. Check out the Gigs page here on my site to be kept up to date on that info. But if you want to sample the new tunes we've been working on in the studio, the only place to get a real taste (besides this site of course) is every thursday night at The Heart and Crown on Preston.
Actually, there is another place you can preview tunes from the new album, and that's 101.9 DAWG FM (www.dawgfm.com). They've been really great to me this year, playing my first single "You're All I Know" regularly. I can't thank them enough! J-Man, Geoff Winter and all the folks at DAWG have all supported my music and it means a great deal to me, so a special thanks to them. Hearing my song on the radio randomly as I was driving home one night was a milestone in my life I'll never forget.
At the risk of this blog entry sounding like an awards acceptance speech, I'd also like to give a shout out to my family and friends. Love you guys! That is all for now. Stay tuned!

Cheers,
Jeff