The Scene: My latest CD "One Foot On the Road" This CD contains 15 new songs. Look for a bit of a direction change as actually there isn't much of a direction at all. This is a really diverse CD. I've gotten into a bunch of different genres with the main theme being simplicity. I wanted music you could clap your hands to, stuff that is simple and honest. The lyrics are pretty basic and I've used as few instruments as I can. The word 'accessible' comes to mind. You may hear folk, country sounds but I guess that's because that's where you go when you 'skinny' stuff down to the basics. 'I Am' sounds like a very full orchestrated sound but actually it was done with very few tracks. There's a cool song called 'You're My Girl' that get's back to the Beatles/Sixties sound. All these songs sound great with just an acoustic guitar and vocals and the extra tracks just take things further in the right direction. I hope you like it and it takes you back to some roots. Take a listen to 'The Fields of Man' from 'One Foot On the Road'. CD Baby CDBaby is the main distribution network for DMCSongs. CD Baby was started by a musician named Derek Silver. This network provides an avenue for independent artists to bring their material to you. Most independent stuff is virtually underground and that's why CD Baby is so important. Before the Beatles arrived, the music scene was controlled by the corporate industry giants and the music was pretty bad. The Beatles changed all that for a while because musicians began to have a say in their own music...but things have gotten back to their old ways pretty much. Unless you like the current manufactured group or endless CD's from the good old few, web site distributors like CD Baby are a real gold mine. They now have links for us Indies to all the major digital download stores like Music Net and I-Tunes and this has been a win-win for fans and musicians. DMCsongs has experienced a huge increase in songs sold over the last few months as we are now available at the digital download stores. Some offer the ability to take the songs home and listen for a while and lots offer very reasonable per song downloads... or you can just go to CD Baby and buy a good old hardcopy CD. Now CD Baby has a network with a major distribution agency and DMCsongs will soon be available at over 2,400 actual physical, real world CD Stores. Just ask and they will get a copy for you. People who come to sites like this and buy Indie music like this are leading the way to new, different, and hopefully better music… more choice and cheaper… and that's all good! START THE REVOLUTION BABY! Bonneville and Back on the Bonneville Last year about this time I got the craziest urge to drive my Triumph Thruxton to Bonneville. Triumph motorcycles have had a 'Bonneville' model since 1959 and anyone who knows about motorcycles and knows that Harley Davidsons are not really motorcycles but are actually something very different, called 'Harleys', will understand the significance of the Triumph Bonneville. Mainly because they really put Harleys in their place and continue to do so. So, as you see, Bonneville is a significant place on the map for Triumph lovers. The name for the model derives from a Mr. Johnny Allen breaking the world land speed record for motorcycles at 224mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats. So for this and maybe other reasons I got it into my thick skull that I was going to drive to the Mecca of speed just outside Wendover Utah...then I looked at a map! It's about 1700km's from Vancouver, British Columbia to Wendover. That's about 2000 miles return trip if you don't get lost. Well I couldn't shake the idea so I made some plans. I was told it would take at least five days so I booked some time in August as it's only about 115 deg F. at that time...whatever that is in C..you see I still live in miles, and Fahrenheit and Imperial Gallons so many of you are scratching your heads already. Never mind, August came up pretty quick and short of buying a little 8 inch tall bug screen and some rain boots and gloves, I was ready to go. The weather looked good according to the forecast so bright and early Friday morning on the first week of August I hit the road and headed east towards the border crossing at Night Hawk, Washington. Yes, I know you've never heard of it. Oh ya, I knew the weather would be a little hot so I bought a used 'mesh' riding jacket to keep cool. Great idea when heading into the desert and all that heat. Of course it was raining when I left but not too bad and it was suppose to clear up east of Hope, B.C. where the mountains start. The mesh jacket really worked well and I was completely frozen stiff by the time I stopped for gas in Hope. By the time I got to Princeton a couple of hours later I was no longer frozen stiff, I was frozen solid right through and not really enjoying myself all that much. My hands ached from the cold and there were really no parts of my body that I could feel that were warm. It was still freezing and raining when I got to Night Hawk but I was sure this was going to change and it did. I got lost in Oroville (I'm not sure how one gets lost in a town of about 1500 people and 1 main street but you see I was really cold...) and headed the wrong way following some guy in a jeep who I thought must know where he's going..and he did but he wasn't going where I needed to go. Anyways I got back on the road and finally onto highway 20 heading east to Coeur d'Alene Idaho. Yes, up into the mountains again and freezing some more. Great scenery though and great motorcycle roads. It was good to get to Coeur d'Alene as I figured it must be going to warm up as I headed south...no. More rain and still cold. I was really liking the mindless riding though and the miles just kept ticking off. Just outside of Lewiston, Idaho I was actually behaving myself and riding along with the other traffic and not paying particular attention to my speedo and then ...I see a State Trooper and he gives me that funny look like, "What's this guy doing here and what is that thing he's riding?" So, seconds after that there was the great little light show behind me and the Smokey the Bear hat and dark glasses guy jumps out of his cruiser. Well you see I'm Canajun so I'm not sure what to expect. After our introduction the Officer tells me I was doing 72mph in a 70mph zone and I'm a weird guy with a Canajun license riding a non-Harley bike...so I expect I'm in for trouble for sure. I figured the local economy maybe needed a little boost and I was 'it' for that day so I resigned myself to the fact that I probably deserved a ticket a few hours back anyway. So he does the, "Insurance, license and registration please." ...and I got this sick feeling in my stomach. Having bought the clever mesh jacket so that I would be frozen to the bone for half the ride I was stricken by the thought that I used to put my Insurance and registration in my old leather jacket...but I didn't remember to put that into the mesh jacket. Oh boy, I'm now wondering how bad cells were in Lewiston. In desperation I unpacked everything and tore the seat off my bike hoping I had put the papers there but...no. Mind you this was all on a big bluff overlooking Lewiston and it was a great view. So, I gave my best explanation to Smokey and he went back to his car, I figure maybe to get more ammunition for the 45 in case 9 or 10 rounds didn't do the trick. Ok, this was miracle #1 on the trip...he came back and said that he was issuing me a Citation for failing to produce license and registration but that if I faxed it to them the $126 US fine would be dropped. I almost dropped! Yes...thank you sir! He then asked me where I was going and helped me with directions and was an absolutely great guy. He totally dropped the scary trooper thing and started asking about the bike and we had a great chat. I shook his hand sincerely and thanked him. 'Way to go Idaho!' ...and I was on my way. Thank you God! After all that I was pretty 'up' so I just kept driving. At about 9 pm I got to McCall, Idaho. This is a resort town and there's a lot of upscale places there. My budget was about $60 per night for a place to sleep so this didn't look good. I pulled into a nice looking place to ask about rates and they started pulling all the women and children off the streets and all the shutter started closing. Strange coincidence, maybe they went to bed early here or something. One brave guy came up to me and said this probably wasn't place I was looking for and pointed me back down the highway to a log cabin looking Motel. I thanked him a backtracked a few miles till I found the place that fit the description. By now it was about 10pm. It looked like I was in luck as there were very few cars parked out in front of the place. I went into the office and asked the lady the rates...$66 bucks!..she wouldn't negotiate it down. Hey, how bad could it be. Then this guy, I figure it might have been her husband, staggered to the office wicket and he's got blood all over his T-Shirt. Ok, maybe not so good...and he's a little drunk but not too bad. He was kind enough to explain that he's been fighting with his nephew and it got a little rough, but I kept thinking about the movie Psycho and that had always impacted me as a kid and there was this association with drunken guys with blood all over their T-Shirts and motels and such...but I guess when you've just ridden 1300km in about 14 hours and you realize there's nothing else around..well this is it for tonight. I got the keys and went to the room with my helmet still on. I plopped all my gear onto the bed and had a look in the bathroom mirror. It was like I had on a bug-hair coat. There were millions of these horrible bugs meshed into my stupid mesh coat and it looked like my helmet was growing a beard with these things. I guess the folks up the street were right to send me to the Bates Motel. It took a while to get the bugs out of the coat. The room was something else and there was a huge standing puddle of water in the bathroom, but fortunately the floors sloped a lot so all the water pooled up against the wall and then leaked into my lovely bedroom/ sitting room...look when you're that tired it looks ok. The shower worked, kind of, and the water was hot. I hit the bed..literally..it was made luxurious soft concrete...but I was ready for anything horizontal so I gladly collapsed into the bed and just started into sleep when the live out door rock band next door started into their first set of the evening. So as the bed slid around the room from the vibration I dug for my earplugs and even with them in Sweet Home Alabama was as clear as could be...but I fell asleep anyway. At about 3:30 am there were some loud strange banging noises so I figure this is it and I got up, dressed, packed the bike and headed off into the night. The cold in the mountains paled in comparison to this cold. This was early morning mountain cold, with a heavy dash of fog to make things more interesting. In the higher elevations I found out the cold isn't that bad because as I went into the valleys about 100 miles out of McCall it was 'really' cold. Shaking actually does warm you up I found out. I get a shiver thinking about it. It was great to see the morning sun I'll tell you, at about 5am. I busted through to Boise where I dined on a power bar and some trail mix and lots of water and then onto highway 82, I think, to get to Twin Falls. Nothing but boring for that leg and at Twin Falls it got very desert. Actually not too hot but straight highway south to highway 80 where I'd turn left to get to Wendover. Gas stations look very good in the desert. Very boring all the way to Wendover from Wells. Once I got to the crest of the hill outside Wendover it was pretty amazing. You can see the whole Salt Flats from there and it's pretty awe-inspiring. I took the turn off the Dwight D. Eisenhower highway just like Mr.Google showed me months ago and I was in 115 degree hot, hot, heat..and lots of it. From the freezing cold to the ridiculously hot. The mesh jacket didn't do much and I was very hot....down the overpass and a right turn into the middle of blazing white with pools of water on either side of the Salt Flats causeway road until I got to a sort of cul-du-sac at the end. Now, I was told that you cannot ride on the Salt Flats so I came to a stop there. Well, after a few minutes I noticed one car on the cul-du-sac and nobody was in it and nobody seemed to be anywhere near except some characters in a van about a mile away..so I putted onto the salt flats...and no one said anything so I just kept going...and about two miles later the van came towards me and I figure that was it....but no, they waved and kept going. Ok, that's all I needed. I opened her up to about 80mph and then came to a stop about 5 miles out from the causeway cul-du-sac. This is the most amazing place. I took off my helmet and jacket and just looked around in every direction. It's hard to describe. It's just flat and white and it seems to go on forever. The sky is this deep blue and it meets the horizon in this perfectly straight line in every direction once you're out far enough. I was really moved. I had made it. This was the place where it all started for the Bonneville and this was where I set out to go and I was here. This was it. I stooped down to feel the salt and it was strange. It's very hard and very flat but just under the surface it was wet. I filled a little vial I had brought just for that occasion with salt. I loaded up the bike and pointed it north on the flats and ran through all the gears, 120kph, 140, 160, 180 and then I figured ok I've beat 100mph better take it easy as I don't know how things handle on the salt. I turned the bike around and stopped. I could barely make out the causeway but there are pylons to show you the way and there were the hills to the west. I cranked it on and did as fast as I could go tucked in at about 190kph and just slowed down in time to ease back onto the causeway. As I headed up the causeway for Wendover and some gas I was feeling as high as a kite. It was like stealing apples or something but I felt simply incredible. It was such a strange and good release that I started to laugh. I laughed like I have never laughed before and I didn't recognize that laugh that was coming out of me so free and so light. I realized that this was a moment of freedom and I was overwhelmed by what the Lord had given me and tears started gushing out of me. The tears were like ice streaming down my face because of the heat but they were tears of deep joy. I realized at that moment that this whole thing had nothing to do with 'Bonneville' and bike history and all that rot...this was about me and Him. He took me to this place to show me a 'me' I hadn't know before. In the middle of the incredible expanse of white and blue it was just me and Him..no past, no future just a guy on his bike, the big blue sky and an endless expanse to run to the limits with no one to say stop or what ever. He had led me to this place of solitude and freedom to show me something deep inside of me that He and only He could set free in only a way that He could orchestrate. I was so glad that I'd followed His lead on this one and I'll never forget that moment of pure joy and freedom. The Salt Flats are truly a remarkable place and it sets you apart from your normal perspective. Being alone on the road for two days and confined to your own thoughts and then opening up to the great expanse of one of God's remarkable creations shakes you out of the normal and into the supernatural of His world...the world of just Him and me. What an incredible experience! I pulled into Wendover and gassed up. When I looked at my bike it was as though someone had put cake icing over the whole engine. Everywhere was salt caked on thick. The engine cooling fins were plugged solid as was the oil cooler. I could have easily seized the engine on the flats and locked up the rear wheel and had a bad crash, but that was not to be. I found a car wash and cleaned her all up and headed for home. The next stop for the night was to be Burns, Oregon and that was about 700km away. I knew there was a long stretch after the Nevada border without gas stations but it seemed further in reality than on the map. I was on the last of my reserve fuel and farther than I'd ever been before without refueling when I finally saw the lights of Burns. What a relief. It was a little unsettling to drive in the desert for two hours heading towards empty and not having seen a single car in either direction. The rest of the trip was great and highway 395 north from Burns to Pendleton, Oregon was absolutely incredible motorcycle country. What great country. 12 hours later I was home. I covered about 3700km in less than three days and it was truly a trip to remember. I'm either going to go to Newfoundland or the Rio Grand next year. I'm not sure which. Short of singing and playing guitar there's nothing like the highway and a good bike...well there's a few other things :) People Behind the Scene Let me introduce you to a good friend of mine who works behind the scene at DMCSongs. His name is Jeff Nape. Jeff is an extremely talented web designer and a good friend who I was lucky enough to meet several years ago. Jeff does all the design work on the DMCSongs site and spends many hours trying desperately to figure out what's inside my head besides tomato soup. Jeff is one of those artists who can figure out what a person wants and what fits their style and taste, which I must say, is beyond my capabilities and makes writing songs look easy. As Jeff was putting together the pieces of this site it was like he was reading my mind, which although a very short book, is very convoluted. A sincere DMC thanks to Jeff Nape for the many hours he's worked on making this happen and for sharing his immense talent and for his cunning way of nudging a web newbie like myself in the right direction and letting me figure it was my idea :)