Rory Taillon is on tour celebrating the launch of his new album "Only Whispers". The Ottawa-based indie musician has taken a jaunt through southern Ontario and out to the Maritimes. He is back in Oshawa Friday Nov 3 at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and then heads west. He is sharing his tales of life on the road.
My name is Rory and it’s my pleasure to chat with you about my misadventures and shenanigans as a Canadian independent touring musician here on Slowcity.ca. Thanks for reading and I’ll be back with more tales from the road soon!
There’s not much worse than waking up to a parking ticket on tour. I mean it could be worse; your car could be towed, stolen or broken into, but parking tickets on tour are still pretty rough.
When I woke up early in Toronto, (hungover as all get out) I had to move my car from its night time resting place. In my half asleep, half hungover stupor I accidentally moved my car somewhere that was not free to park for another few hours. Fortunately, I arrived at my car to leave the city right as the transit authority officer was pulling up to my illegally parked vehicle to issue a ticket. Fortunately, this fine gentleman saw I was moving it as soon as humanly possible and decided not to issue a ticket.
The rest of that day was a beauty. I got to play at 5 Paddles Brewing Co. in Whitby and they had the deliciousness that is their Midnight Paddler on tap. They also had Pierre’s habanero version of In Your Face IPA which took care of any blockages in my sinuses. I then headed over to Manantler Brewing Co. in Bowmanville to play a show with my good friend Brooklyn Doran, which both are always a treat. You know it’s a good night too when some of the patrons at the end of the evening aren’t sure whether they want to purchase your record or try to take you home with them.
You know that feeling when you hear a song from your past and it immediately floods your mind with memories, moments and feelings from another time? There are a couple venues that have that same effect on me and the Moustache Club in Oshawa is one for sure. Just climbing the stairs sends my mind down countless memories of so many shows played and watched here, the shenanigans had and the people I met when this used to be my home town watering hole. Setting up on the stage is like remembering how to play a song that you haven’t played in a while. I then know exactly where to get the best post sound check/pre-set cup of coffee (down the street at Brew Wizards). It was incredible to share my new music with so many old friends and new ones the first weekend of this release tour.