Chris Ronald

Vancouver Island Music Business Conference (VIMBC)

admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:42:32 +0000

Thanks to VIMBC for putting on a great weekend of fun and informative seminars about the music biz. I have come away with many new friends as well as some publishing interest following my showcase performance. And thanks to the lovely and talented Deanna Knight for being my travel buddy.

Photo by Alec Watson

Remastered debut CD now available

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:54:10 +0000

With my third album now in the works, I felt it was about time I got my back-catalogue in order. My debut CD, Pacific Time, was only ever circulated among friends and family and at early live shows. Now, 9 years after it was first recorded in my bedroom using a laptop and microphone, it has been professionally mastered and packaged and officially released.

Shortly after settling in Vancouver in 2002, I began to immerse myself in Canadian and British Columbian history and culture as I worked toward becoming qualified as an elementary school teacher. During this time, my new environment inspired me back to songwriting and, in 2004, after taking a course in using multi-track recording software, I produced Pacific Time. The album features 10 tracks: some written in England, some in Canada. The level of production is quite minimalist with some guitar, harmonica, and vocal overlays, and I’ve been told by many that this adds to the album’s charm. One fan even went so far as to tattoo lyrics from the album’s title track across her back, but I’ll save that story for another post.

Physical copies can be purchased at gigs or by contacting me directly as well as through CD Baby. It’s also available for download from CD Baby and iTunes.

For a limited time, download “Shadow of the Stone” from Pacific Time by clicking here

Back on the mainland

admin — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:27:21 +0000

The van and I have returned to the mainland after a successful tour around the bottom half of Vancouver Island with stops at Port Alberni, Ladysmith, Coombes, Nanaimo, Duncan, Salt Spring Island, and Victoria. The relaxed island vibe seems to go well with my music, and I came away feeling very supported with offers of accommodation, bookings for gigs and festivals, and lots of new fans.

One of the highlights for me was returning to Duncan Garage Showroom, which streams and archives all of its shows.

Video streaming by Ustream

Pacific Time tour

admin — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:55:45 +0000

Now that my third album is underway, I’ve been busy getting my back-catalogue in order. It was almost a decade ago when I recorded my debut album, Pacific Time, shortly after emigrating to Canada from England and settling in Vancouver. Initially, the CD was reproduced at home and only ever circulated among friends and family and at early live shows. As I write, the 10 re-mastered tracks are being professionally packaged and will be joining me on my Pacific Time tour of Vancouver Island. I’ll be playing 6 intimate shows on The Island from 21st to 28th March performing songs old and new.

March 21^st at 7:00: Char’s Landing, Port Alberni
March 22^nd at 7:00: The 49^th Café, Ladysmith
March 23^rd at 8:00: The Soundgarden, Coombes
March 24^th at 7:00: The Vault, Nanaimo
March 25^th at 8:00: Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan
March 28^th at 7:30: Moka House on Hillside, Victoria

New album underway

admin — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 06:17:53 +0000

It started about this time last year with a crowd funding campaign, and ever since I’ve been squirrelling away every cent from gigs, CD sales, royalties, etc. Late 2012 I had the good fortune to be introduced to producer John Ellis, and last weekend we were in the studio recording bed tracks for eight of the 11 tracks that will appear on the album.

From left to right: John Ellis (producer, guitar, dobro, banjo, pedal-steel, wurlitzer, you name it), Pat Steward (percussion), Rob Becker (bass), and behind the camera Soren Lonnqvist (engineer)

Unplugged at the Crossroads Hospice Coffeehouse

admin — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:56:22 +0000

I’ll be performing as the feature artist at this long-running coffeehouse in Port Coquitlam. Admission is $5 with all proceeds going to the Crossroads Hospice Society. I’ll be unveiling songs from the new album for which recording starts this weekend at Studio Downe Under in Abbotsford.

“Takin’ Turns” music circle

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:59:12 +0000

“Takin’ Turns” is back, new and improved and at a new venue: The Prophouse Cafe, 1636 Venables Street (@ Commercial). “Takin’ Turns” is a monthly music circle that happens every 3rd Tuesday, and co-organizer Glenn Chatten and I have been busy getting ready for the 2013 launch show on February 19th. This year, notable additions include a web site with live streaming at www.takinturns.ca, partnerships with local businesses such as Long & McQuade and Dominion Blue as well as local radio such as CiTR, and there will also be a raffle each night to raise funds for Crisis Centre.

New songs for SongStage

admin — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 21:23:29 +0000

As the featured artist for December’s SongStage, I was able to perform a set of mostly new material from the upcoming new album. Here is a clip from that performance featuring the song “Final Throes,” which is a response to climate change and the lack of leadership being shown by the Canadian government when it comes to the environment. The video was shot using my new Zoom Q2 recorder, which is primarily an audio recorder but also shoots HD video; a great little piece of kit delivered early by Santa.

For more information about SongStage, please read the previous post.

SongStage Featured Artist

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 18:45:32 +0000

SongStage, presented by SAC (Songwriters Association of Canada) and organized by Ivan Boudreau, is a monthly showcase of “original music and creativity.” The evening begins at 7:00 with the featured artist followed by an open mic. The event usually takes place in the spacious lobby of The ACT in Maple Ridge. However, every now and again it gets moved into the lovely Genstar Studio Theatre, and that’s where I’ll be performing as the featured artist on Tuesday 11th December – lucky me!

I’ve been in a creative groove of late writing songs for the new album, so this will be a perfect opportunity to air some new material in an intimate setting with great sound. Click here to read a recent write up in the Maple Ridge News.

Eastside Culture Crawl

admin — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 06:17:32 +0000

The Eastside Culture Crawl is a 3-day event where 433 local artists open their studios to the public. I was scheduled to perform only on opening Friday night but got caught up in the vibe and returned for more on Saturday and Sunday. In between sets I would go and explore the multiple levels of Parker Street Studios along with thousands of fellow art-lovers. Stand-out artists for me include printmaker Lawrence Lowe and furniture-maker Judson Beaumont.

A big thank you to Deborah Bakos and her colleagues in Studio 202 for supporting live music.