Midsummer Shine
I'm in the rockies, the great majestic hills that meet the sky. Living like a king for a day in Banff, hunkered down at my little hideout spot, the Fairmont Castle. Known to be haunted, and full of old ghost tales.
I'm feeling energized with some recent fuel in the fire. Yesterday I woke up with some great news, my visa has been approved to work in the states for a year. This means I will be touring there this fall supporting The Long Ryders on their reunion tour. I will be headed to many places including Washington DC, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York, and a festival in Minnesota. On top of that, I'll be making a stop in Nashville to do a private showcase at the Americana Festival, more details to follow on that. I'm very thrilled to be road tripping to some new destinations with my guitar, it's sure to be a ride. BUT there's still lots of summer left!
In a couple of weeks I perform at The Edmonton Folk Festival, this is a dream come true for a small town kid who grew up aspiring to play that festival someday. When I was 16 years old I went into the folk festival office with my guitar and asked Terry Wickham the artistic director if I could sing him a song... he took me into the basement where I performed an original for him, I'm sure it was horrid and I could barely hold a chord together at the time. But I will never forget that he did that for me. Terry gave me some positive feedback and years later I was booked to play his outstanding festival. This year will be my second time gracing the stage there and I am over the moon. This is a dream come true. If you are in Edmonton I hope to see you out there.
I've had one of the best summers of my life I must say, and it keeps getting better. There have been many highlights along the way, and I'm finding the shine in all the little things, it keeps me going. I love what I'm doing, I've been waking up lately and shaking my head, wow, what a life.
I'd like to share a couple very nice reviews that have come in, sighting my last performance in Germany at The Static Roots Festival, July 13. Thank you to Americana Uk and Lonesome Highway for the very kind words.
“Canada’s best kept secret Joe Nolan was the wild card in the line-up and it’s unlikely that too many people were prepared for the charismatic performance that he pulled off. Aided with no more than an acoustic guitar, a harmonica and a poetry book he wooed, cajoled and moved the gathering from laughter to tears. Echoes of Jeff Buckley emerged in a performance that featured material from his most recent album Cry Baby, together with a song written the previous night in his hotel room, inspired by the passion of John Murry’s performance that evening.“
https://www.lonesomehighway.com/live-reviewsold/2019/7/24/9tgy6lk49gi7gr9n00um7ffb3bbc22
"Hence, Blek and the other acoustic acts had space to breathe and this was most noticeable on the following day when Canadian Joe Nolan strode on stage and just about captured the hearts of all in attendance. An unassuming chap who has the ring of the hobo tradition along with an element of beat poetry about him, Nolan was perhaps the star of the weekend although that’s probably unfair to the rest of the acts who gave their all. Safe to say that he gained a lot of fans as he delivered the likes of the magnificent ‘Ode To Sturgeon County’ before setting down his guitar to offer some poetry which harked back to the grand old days of Kerouac and Guthrie. Topping this, he sang a new song, written just the night before which was inspired by his catching a lyric from John Murry.“ https://americana-uk.com/static-roots-festival-zentrum-altenberg-oberhausen-germany-12-13th-july-2019
Now, I've got to tend to the music here at The Banff Springs, I've been writing a ton lately. 3 new songs in the past week that I think are keepers. Some more exciting plans are happening very soon as well, I will share those with you next time I write. For now enjoy yourself wherever this might find you, celebrate and be well.