Greetings... Darren says it's time for a newsletter from the rookie. So... for those of you who haven't caught a show in the last few months, I'm A.J., nice to meet ya! First calls for Harlequin stick duties came for me in the spring of '94 and sporadic gigs have ensued since then. The full time position was offered this past spring shortly after the release of 'Waking the Jester'.( Good timing for me! ). In the light of the release of ' Rise' and ' Shine on ', there have been great gigs and great times. Highlights would have to be our October 24th show with Heart at the MTS Centre. Not a bad Winnipeg debut for myself with the band. It was great to see all the support from family, friends and fans. My nephew Austin even caught a drumstick! A couple of weeks ago proved to be one hell of a raucous night in the Kamloops arena with Kenny and the boys. It was great to see a B.C. crowd of a thousand plus on their feet from start to finish. Definitely a prairie party in the mountains. Good times. As for the characters I get to spend these Hallmark moments with, George, Darren, Derrick and Uncle Nik, let's just say recess starts when we meet at the airport. Top notch guys, great players and thankfully all possess a penchant for a good adolescent giggle and an undying devotion to anything Beatles. Even with various projectiles aimed at the drumkit which seemingly always come from stage Darren to occasional tom and cymbal stand tipping from Nik, it's a pleasure sharing a stage with these guys. So... Pick up a CD online and help us decide which song from the album should be released as the next single. Better yet come out to a show near you, if it's not near you, make a road trip out of it. Our Christmas show at mybar in Winnipeg( Sat. Dec. 22 ) should be chalk full of Ho Ho Ho's and Christmas cheer. As a bonus you can sit on St. Nik's lap after the show with your wish list. Nice chatting with you , hope to see you soon. A.J. P.S. Allow me to indulge my inner Nugent for a moment... Any of our rural Manitoba ( or Saskatchewan ) landowner fans needing to rid their pastures of pesky ( albeit tasty! ) four legged critters of the white tail variety, please feel free to contact me personally to help you come up with a solution. Bon appetit!
