vanCity got artists

i'm talking about them real artists.  met some really inspiring folks totally doing they're own thing at a place called raw canvas in yaletown, vancouver.  this little venue is completely focused on creativity.  you can walk in and pay a few bucks for a nice canvas of any size, they'll provide you with brushes, paint, etc and you go to town right there in their lounge area.  and when you're done, you can snack on the wide and eccentric variety of international meats and cheeses served with equally unique condiments and bread.  and oh ya, they've also got live music there all the time!  it's a cool little underground culture of musicians who i got to know while playing at an open mic there the other night.  i definitely vibed with these people, who, like myself, incorporate a lot of unconventional influences into their music.  its like this whole underground hip hop/soul culture up there...  i dig it.

i thoroughly enjoyed vancouver while i was there.  i ate some great international food (plus an amazing burger for vera's burger shack :p), went for an 8 mile barefoot run around stanley park (gorgeous...), checked out a couple of open mics in vancity's thriving local scene, brushed up on my french (there are a surprisingly large number of francophones, even in western canada), and finally, i had the honor of playing a show at the yale, one of vancouver's most legendary concert venues!  (video will be up soon)

the show at the yale was great, and the audience was really cool!  signed some cd's and got to hang out with a bunch of them afterwards, many of whom were there to see a blues band who played after me, called Joe Cool.  Joe Cool was dope, and i'm definitely going to check them out again next time i'm in vancouver!

so that's it!  i'm back in NJ now and i've got a little hiatus from all this touring business until september 17, 18 and 19, when i'll be in Boston recording a christmas album with birch beer records, and playing boston area shows all three days, culminating with a show on sunday, sept 19 at the burren (doors open 8pm), in davis square!  if you're in boston, come check it out!

much love, and thanks for reading this blog :)  this will be the last post, but for more info, keep up to date at www.levischmidtmusic.com

levi