Not sure if this will be the start of a great tradition, but so far I am enjoying it. This year, Vero and I decided to go visit Connie and Troy in London for a few reasons.
1 – They are great company.
2 – Turkey would be served.
3 – They have really great kitchen mats to sink your feet into.
4 – Get some recording done in the Red Room.
5 – It was due time to see them!!!
The trip down on Saturday morning was uneventful and we were glad we weren’t going Eastbound on the 401 because I swear there must have been an accident that held up traffic for 100kms!
We pulled into London and caught up on what we’ve been up to for a bit until Troy and I snuck off into the Red Room (aka his recording studio) so we would exchange movies/tv shows/music. We then jammed on a few new tunes that he’s been working on…a lot of Dave Matthews tunes that came off great on the first try and we even threw in Superstition there for good measure.
That night, we had a lovely feast of spaghetti and wine. J. Loch reigns supreme!!! We also checked out C-Diddy’s rise to air guitar fame in the film ‘Air Guitar Nation’. It is an excellent film to kick back and have a few laughs. Not as awesome as Animal House or Guy Terrifico though! Seek those films out!!!
The next morning we headed down to The Early Bird which was basically my idea of awesome. They had concert posters and music memorabilia all over the place. The portions were large and scrumptious and the staff were amazing (and doubled at the bar next door during the evenings). I had a great smoked meat sandwich while the others munched on a variety of items that filled us up to the point of thinking “We have to eat turkey later today?!”
When we got home, I showed the song I wrote for Vero to Troy and Connie and applause was heard down the street. I’m glad that everyone approves, but I’m super glad that Vero approves of the song. Connie had some reservations about me singing about Vero having a head like a mule, but that’s a minor point!
Troy and I ended up recording an acoustic version of the song and he laid down some amazing harmonies over top my vocals. I’m really impressed with how it came out and Troy added a lot of little things that made the song stand out.
After the greatest turkey dinner I have ever eaten (stufffffinngggg), we settled down to relax and digest this great bird in our stomachs. I believe the stuffing it was made the meal and I still can’t believe that Troy hates stuffing.
During the day, we ended up watching the documentary of Lemmy Killmeister as well as a documentary on Tom Petty which were both pretty great. The Tom Petty one was 4 hours long so we didn’t end up watching even half of it before we passed out!
All in all, it was a trip which Vero and I love…relaxing with good company and good food. Plus getting a little recording in never hurts!
Special thanks to Connie and Troy for the excellent hospitality, the gifts on our bed, and overall, a great experience.