What a season.
This is Wes checking in for a big update. It’s hard to even know where to start talking about the past few months. We’ve had so many amazing experiences I feel like we could release a memoir.
The first thing to do, I guess, is to pick up where we left off last time we posted to the site. We’d been throwing around the idea for a while of doing more public shows, and wanting to perform in an intimate setting. Finally in October everything fell into place, and we did a coffee house style show to a PACKED Fools & Horses cafe. The turnout was incredible, as was the feedback – and so we did it again in November. And it was just as much fun, with just as many people showing up. Remember how I mentioned that if this coffee house was successful, it could become a regular thing? Yeah. It is now going to be MONTHLY. We’re skipping December to take a much-needed break, but starting January 2016 you will be able to check out Those Guys at the end of every month on a Sunday night at Fools & Horses.
We have performed for so many incredible organizations since summer ended. Some highlights: Manitoba Red Cross, where we got to see some incredibly caring and dedicated volunteers receive awards for their charity and aid work; YMCA/YWCA, who invited us to sing at their truly inspiring Peace Medallion ceremony; WASO Winnipeg, an organization that provides critical services for disabled people in Winnipeg; and many more.
We travelled all across Manitoba to places like St. Claude, Altona, and even to Landmark, my hometown! That particular trip was the result of an extremely generous contribution to our campaign for our brand new holiday album, “This Christmas.” Some folks in Landmark (including my parents…thanks mom!) made a HUGE donation to help fund our CD, and in return we hauled out to rural Manitoba and did a house concert in the very same house I grew up in, packed full of friendly faces. I can hardly remember a time I felt the Christmas spirit as strongly as I did at that moment.
Oh, did I mention we released a holiday album?
“This Christmas” is now available on iTunes, Google Play Music and Spotify, and we are beyond excited about it. We think it’s one of our greatest achievements yet. Check out our Facebook page and our YouTube channel to hear some tracks. Also, turn on your radio and you just might hear our new single “Sleigh Ride” from the album. Ben’s arrangement really came together, and we had a blast recording it.
Also, in December we had the amazing opportunity to sing at the WSO’s “A Prairie Christmas Celebration”. Performing at the concert hall was so much fun, and it was even more fun to share the stage with Winnipeg celebrities like Ace Burpee, mayor Brian
Bowman, and the sensational Maria Aragon.
Finally, our sold out Christmas concert, “An Evening with Those Guys.” This year it doubled as our Christmas CD release party, and for us it felt like the perfect way to rein in the holidays. Thank you so much to all who came out, who bought the album, who listened to us online, who supported Those Guys in any way. This one’s for all of you.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Wes
