Writing My Memoirs, Losing My Hearing, But I Don't Care What Most People Say!!!

"Folk Songs & Sea Shanty's"

2007-03-24T14:08:00.000-03:00

Well here you go folks!!! For some, this will be your first look at our new CD cover, which we're actually very proud of... Ray and I just spent the past week, including many long hours, in the studio with our Producer Christian Gay, and we pretty much completed recording our vocal tracks... And I say "pretty much completed", as we have an added bonus which some Mizzen Men fans will appreciate... Chris is coming home from Ontario for a week, during the first week of April, and will be adding some harmony vocals to a few of the tracks... I'm really excited about that, as Chris (as you all know) was an original "Mizzen Man", and will be until the end of time... So it's great to have the opportunity to include him in our new recording...

As deaf as I'm rapidly becoming, ha!!!, I'm still very pleased with our recording effort, and I'm confident that the finished product is going to sound great... I also had an awesome solo gig on St. Patrick's Day last Saturday, at The Delta in Saint John, along with New Brunswick ECMA nominee's Shanklin Road, (the girls were a riot as always, ha!!!) (thanks Dawn, Lisa, and Joyce...) and I even made a few "Festival" contacts with folks who had come to specifically catch my show... So now t'is all in the hands of our more than capable Producer Chris Gay, at The Sound Expression Studio's in Lake Utopia, NB, who is confident that he'll have the "Mastering", paper work, and finished product in our hands by May 1st... And Tom, Ray and myself have a busy summer of performing ahead of us, so there's little doubt we'll sell a million copies, ha!!! Hey!!! It doesn't cost 5 cents to dream, ha!!!

I just got home to PEI late yesterday, and look forward to a week of just "kicking back"... Chat Soon Everyone and as always, "Slainte"...

Wayne

March Month In At The Burke's

2007-03-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

This months many escapades start for our family on March 3rd, this being mine and Darlene's (28th) Wedding Anniversary... On March 9th, Leah will turn 24yrs; March 10th, Donald turns 15yrs; March 14th, t'is the big '48' for moi; March 17th is of course St. Patrick's Day, and always a big time of the year for me, as I'm usually booked to play somewhere, this year at The Delta in Saint John... And in the spirit of "Paddy's Day", thus the attached pic of myself and The Godfather of Irish music, Tommy Makem... This pic was taken at the After Hours Musicians Party, at The Stan Rogers Folk Festival a few years ago... And finally, on March 19th, (as I've documented in previous Blog entries), The Mizzen Men will be back in The Sound Expression Studio's in Lake Utopia, NB, completing our new CD, "Folk Songs & Sea Shanty's"...

So hopefully by March 26th, give or take, I should be back home in beautiful Murray River, recovering, resting, and getting myself Pysched up for the upcoming golf, and Folk Festival seasons which are just around the corner, not to forget of course the release of the new CD, on or about May 1st... "Slainte All"...

Wayne

Back Stage With Matt Minglewood

2007-02-25T07:10:00.000-04:00

Matt Anderson, Joey Kitson, (former Rawlin's Cross Frontman), and of course Matt Minglewood, all performed at The Charlottetown Civic Centre last night, (February 24th), at Matt's 60th birthday bash... I had the pleasure of working back stage, and with Security, with some of my "Bud's" from last years ECMA's in Charlottetown... Thanks to Mac Campbell for the invite!!! So that permitted me the luxury and pleasure of being back stage to get a few pics, and have a few chats. Matt can still "Rock it Out", and likely will until the day he leaves planet earth, ha!!! I also chatted with Matt Anderson, who knew The Mizzen Men are presently in the studio, and he asked me how the new CD was coming along... "Gonna be a million seller", I told him, ha!!! (hey, it doesn't cost 5 cents to dream, ha!!!) He "wowed" the crowd as usual, with his incredible one man show... There were folks in attendance in their 70's, which shows Minglewood's longevity in the music business... Anyhoo, all hands (close to 2000 folks give or take...) seemed to have a grand time, with no incidents requiring any sort of police intervention, at least that I saw... HA!!! Me and my poor hearing don't really fit into a rock concert atmosphere, but I stuck'er out... All the same, I'll take my stool, guitar, and a quiet crowd of "Folkies" singing along to a Stan Rogers, or Mizzen Men tune, ha!!! I then had to drive home in the wee hours, in what was basically our first really bad snow storm of the year in these parts... A little snifter of Irish Mist helped to relax the stress from the long, slow drive!!! Next stop for me, my solo gig at The Delta Saint John, NB on "Paddy's Day"....... "Slainte All"

Wayne

"Paddy's Day 2007"

2007-02-03T01:42:00.000-04:00

Well t'is pretty much official, as of earlier today... Appears I'll be doing a solo gig on St. Patrick's Day (March 17th), at The Delta Hotel in Saint John, NB... And an added bonus being, for the 5th or 6th time, (I've lost track!!!) I'll be sharing the stage with the Shanklin Road girls, formerly known as Blacks Mountain... So t'will be a combination of Irish/Celtic/Country/Bluegrass for Paddy's Day this year... I know the girls very well, and they're all sweethearts, so I can't wait to do the gig...

So anyone who might be in the Saint John area on March 17th, the gig is from 2 - 6PM at The Delta in Saint John, the added "kicker" being, this gives us the rest of the evening to check out all the other great music around Saint John... And for those who may not be aware, Saint John is also known as "The Biggest Little Irish City In North America", and as such, the festivities are always on par (or even more exciting...) with New Years Eve celebrations... "Slainte"

Wayne

"The Mizzen Men In The Studio"

2007-01-27T10:35:00.000-04:00

After performing on New Years Eve in Sydney, and a week later doing a three night gig at The Old Triangle Pub in Moncton, Tom, Ray and myself headed to The Sound Expression Studio's in Lake Utopia, NB, with our producer, Christian Gay... We recorded all our music tracks during the week of January 15th to 20th, and we're really pleased with the outcome... Now for the downside!!!

Around December 20th, I came down with strepped throat, courtesy of my boys bringing a "bug" home from school... My 'Doc' had me on antibiotics, and although they helped a little, I was still well "under the weather" for the New Years Eve and Moncton gigs... So to make a long story short, we put the recording of our vocal tracks on "pause", and will get back at it, hopefully in mid March sometime... No sense in ruining what's going to be a great CD, with poor vocals... And I must have given the "bug" to Tom and Ray, as both of them were far from 100% as well with their vocals... HA!!! Sorry Guys!!!

So don't fret folks!!! Our new CD, "Folk Songs & Sea Shanty's" will be completed, just a little later than sooner... "Slainte"...

Wayne

"Off To Moncton & Saint John"

2007-01-10T09:41:00.000-04:00

My trip back home to Cape Breton proved to be a great time, aside from battling strepped throat and the flu, ha!!! The Mizzen Men (Wayne, Tom & Ray) performed at The East Bay Legion, (just outside Sydney) on New Years Eve, and although it was a struggle for my voice, we ended up having a pretty good gig, and "all hands" seemed to have a grand time...

The attached is a picture of my new 2006 Pontiac Torrent, which I bought a few weeks ago... She and I will be enroute to Moncton bright and early tomorrow morning, for a three night Mizzen Men gig at The Old Triangle Irish Ale House... I'll also be doing a solo spot on Saturday afternoon... Then on Sunday, we're off to Saint John, and The Sound Expression Studio's in Lake Utopia on Monday, (with our Producer Chris Gay), to start recording our third and new CD, "Folk Songs & Sea Shanty's"... So keep us in your thoughts and prayers everyone, and I'll see you in a few weeks, when I get back home to Murray River... "Slainte"...

Wayne

"T'is The Season"

2006-12-14T00:47:00.000-04:00

T'is our "Victorian" looking Christmas tree, in our Victorian parlour... (Actually our TV room, ha!!!) My job is/was (as per every year...) to get the tree up, and the lights on and working... Darl, Dawn, Donald and Robert did the rest of the decorating, and a grand job indeed... And the Christmas spirit was in the air, with John Gracie's 1996 Christmas CD playing in the background, and a few "wee drams" of Egg Nog on the go, ha!!! Leah will be home for Christmas, and we're hoping that Darlene and Dawn's dad, (my father-in-law) Carmen might make the trip up from Nova Scotia... And unlike most men, aside from one more item I have to pick up, (doing that on Friday) my Christmas shopping is actually done early this year...

Tomorrow I'm playing at the Perrin Villa Senior's complex in Montague, for their annual Christmas party, and then on Christmas Day at 5:30PM, I'll be playing at "The Upper Room" in Charlottetown, for their annual Christmas supper... I really enjoy playing music this time of year, as Christmas music really seems to make folks sincerely happy... We held our Food Bank Christmas concert on Sunday evening in our church, (Murray River Church of Christ), and everyone had a grand time, including Premier Pat Binns who attended... Mr. Binns actually lives just 5 minutes or so outside of "The River" as it's known locally, and he's a great supporter of community events... And I've also golfed with him a few times, enjoying his company very much...

So all is well here in "The River", and I'll try to be a little more diligent with my entries, but don't necessarily count on it, ha!!! I've a lot on my plate these days, with the commencement of our new Mizzen Men CD recording only a few weeks away on January 15th... "Slainte"...

Wayne

One Of Santa's Reindeer???

2006-12-03T07:39:00.000-04:00

Haven't blogged for a while, for no particular reason... Darl and I dropped by the Montague Liquor store two days ago, to grab a bottle of wine for supper, and ran into a nice lady and this young fellow... "Hunter" is a 200lb Great Dane, and a Canadian Champion... A friendly little fellow indeed, as he was quick to pose for this pic, and then give me a little lick on the face... And he's only 19 months old, so he's not even fully grown yet... Anyhoo, we had a nice visit with "Hunter", and it gave us something to chuckle about... Darl took the pic on her phone camera, in the event it doesn't appear clear...

We visited Leah and Steve yesterday in Summerside, and at the same time, I got to visit an old RCMP buddy (also retired) Gerry Buote... Gerry and I worked together in the late 70's in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta... He's originally from Summerside, and was forced to retire a few years back after his fifth back operation, originating from an on duty fight with a "bad guy", which resulted in a fall down a flight of stairs... My back and neck are bad, but Gerry is crippled up pretty bad... But he remains upbeat, and is still proud to have served his country... Gerry and I "hashed" over old times over a pot of coffee, and had a great visit... I'll be sure to drop in and say hello, each time we go to visit Leah and Steve... Have a great day everyone... "Slainte"...

Wayne

"Real Friends Are Hard To Find"

2006-11-15T08:22:00.000-04:00

I spent the Remembrance Day weekend in Mahone Bay, NS, with a few of my best friends on the face of the planet... Left to right in the pic are Ellen Marshall, Larry Clinton, myself and Ray Carrier... Gary and Corinne Silliker "bunked down" the whole crew of us, in their beautiful Mahone Bay Victorian home... Others there for the weekend were Jimmy Frame, Gary Barkley, Russell Sawlor Jr., Leah Gerrard, and Ellen's fine young son Charlie... As per the caption, real friends are in fact difficult to come by, so we should all cherish those we have... Something we should all remember, always... "Slainte"

Wayne

Our 2006 Week Of Remembrance

2006-11-13T07:56:00.000-04:00

I arrived home around supper time yesterday, (Sunday) after an incredible weekend with my "StanFest Hiller" friends, in Mahone Bay, NS, at Gary & Corinne Silliker's beautiful home... Thanks again Gary & Corinne (your new hot tub is awesome!!!)... Gary is a retired CF Veteran, and he and Corinne recently returned from a 2 - 3 year stint of working in Afghanistan... Two more of my best friends, Jim Frame and Larry Clinton, are also retired CF Vets... We all (around 10 of us in total) attended a beautiful Cenotaph service in Mahone Bay, followed by an afternoon at the Mahone Bay Legion, enjoying the company of other Vets, Military, RCMP Personnel, etc.... Friday and Saturday evenings were spent enjoying awesome 'food and drink', along with "mucho" tunes, which is primarily what our crowd is known for... See you all at "Stan 2007" folks...

The picture herein is of the Branch 8 Legion members in Montague... Last week, I attended 7 different services (5 schools and 2 Senior's homes) with these incredible people... Many stories were told and shared, and my respect and appreciation for our countries Vets. has deepened from these wonderful experience(s)... I look forward to many more great times with the Montague Vets, as I recently joined the Legion, an honour and privilege we enjoy as retired RCMP officers...

Although the 2006 week of Remembrance may now be over, may we all keep a little space in our hearts and minds daily, for the thousands who have given their lives for this great country of ours, and also for those who continue to put themselves in harms way on a daily basis, to preserve the many "Freedoms and Privileges" we enjoy as Canadians... Our present day Military Personnel, Canadian Coast Guard, Firefighters and Police Officers all across the country...

Wayne

Sgt. Wilson's Army Show

2006-11-02T22:26:00.000-04:00

T'is just past 10PM, Thursday, Nov. 2nd, and I just spent a fantastic evening at The Kaylee Hall in Montague with a few hundred other folks, including several Legion Personnel, taking in Sgt. Wilson's Army Show... This musical troop from The Netherlands, is in the midst of a cross Canada tour, and their show takes you back to the days of WWI and WWII, and the music thereof... Check out their website if you like, at http://www.tourplanners.nl/tekst.php?id=13... T'was a grand evening, and if any readers of this post ever get the opportunity, be sure to take in their show, as you won't regret it... Cheers...

Wayne

"Trick Or Treat"

2006-10-31T23:36:00.000-04:00

Donald (on the left) made an aweseome "Rasta Man", YA Mon!!! And Robert (on the right) was the "spit" of a "manager" of the "ladies of the evening"... Okay, he was a freaking "Pimp", ha!!! The boys had a great time, we took in fireworks at a neighbours place, and there'll be lots of goodies for the next several weeks... And the "all hands" were safe and sound, and in the house by 8:30PM, without incident, thank goodness, ha!!! I hope everyone had a great evening, as we did... Cheers...

Wayne

Take The Time To Show Your Gratitude

2006-10-30T18:16:00.000-04:00

Remembrance Day, November 11th, is the day we pay tribute to our Military Veterans who paid the "ultimate sacrifice", to provide us with the Freedom we enjoy today... And more specifically, I believe it's primarily directed towards World War I Vets, as this was the initial intent of Remembrance Day to begin with... For me, it's a day when I too will reflect on those brave men and women who gave their lives for country, and fellow countrymen, in the name of democracy... They lie in graves all over the world, some that are even unmarked, due to lack of identity at the time of their deaths... However, I'll also reflect somewhat on fallen RCMP comrades, (some of whom I helped bury...) who also gave and lost their lives, serving this great country of ours...

So again I encourage any readers of this post, to take an hour or two of your day on November 11th, to get out to your local cenotaph, and pay the tribute that is due... It's only because of those who have fallen, that you enjoy the wonderful life you have... Have a great day all...

Wayne

"Jock In The Family"

2006-10-29T01:05:00.001-04:00

After being crowned Provincial Champion last season in Wrestling and Track, (Triple Jump), a few weeks ago, Robert participated in his first Provincials of this year, in Mill River... Out of 100 - 125 runners, Robert placed 10th in the Bantam Cross Country Provincial meet... He was thrilled to have done so well, and looks forward to participating in 5 - 6 more Provincical Championships this season, including defending his 2 Championships from last year... Clearly he's a "chip off the old block" ha!!!

Wayne

Remembrance Day

2006-10-28T07:03:00.000-03:00

Good Day Folks... Just pondering the next few weeks of my life this morning, and esp. looking forward to the Remembrance Day weekend, when I get to hook up with "The Hillers", at Gary & Corinne Silliker's in Mahone Bay... We will all be attending a Cenotaph service in Chester I believe, and then doing the Legion thing, where we get to shake the hands, and show our gratitude to a few Veteran's, for the Freedom they provided us with... The characters you see herein, are two of my best friends, Jim Frame and Larry Clinton... As is Gary Silliker, Jim and Larry are retired Military Men, so I look forward to the opportunity to spend this great day with folks who have a sincere appreciation for Nov. 11th... Gary and Corinne also recently returned from working in Afghanistan, this being another "excuse" for our congregation; and thirdly, our good friend Leah Gerrard, is "picking up stakes" and moving from Halifax to Ontario, so we'll be bidding Leah farewell at the same time...

So any reader's of this Post, be sure to get out to a Cenotaph service on Nov. 11th, and give a hug or shake the hand of the wonderful men and women who put "their" lives on the line, to provide us with the lives we enjoy today... "Lest We Forget"...

Wayne

"Skunk Or Dog"

2006-10-20T09:36:00.000-03:00

What do you get if you mix the following:

1. 2 litres of Hyrdron Peroxide
2. 1/4 cup of Baking Soda
3. 1 teaspoon of Dish Detergent

4. (and my own added ingredient...) a rinse off in the Murray River...

And I only learned this last night via the internet, but it is in fact the perfect formula to "de-skunk" a dog... Yes, our lovely little "four legged" family member Shelby, had a close encounter of the near fatal kind, ('cause I could have killed her!!!) last night, with a friendly little local skunk that my sister-in-law Dawn had labelled "Stella", due to her frequency in the neighbourhood... I had taken the dog out for an end of the day "doggie doo" thing, just before bed... She saw the little angel waddling across the street, about 100 yards from where we stood, and literally bolted... Within less than a minute, she returned with her tail between her legs, having totally ignored my yelling for her return, and yes, reaking!!! Thank God for the internet, as I found the formula right away... It also advised that the tomatoe juice thing is a "total fallacy", as all the juice does is mask the smell for a short time...

And thank goodness for our new neighbours Steve and Jocelyn... I only had 1/2 a bottle of peroxide, and no baking soda, but they came to the rescue... So what's the morale of the story??? I'd like to say that if you're going to be silly enough to own a dog when you live in the country, just expect such encounters to happen on occassion, but Darlene and Dawn insist that the morale is to take your dog out on a leash... NAAH!!! Ain't gonna happen, ha!!! Later All...

Wayne

Murray River "Fall" Sunset

2006-10-15T18:52:00.000-03:00

T'is a lovely evening here in "The River" (as it's referred to by the locals...), so I went out and took a few pictures on the digital... The picture herein is almost just across the street from our house, although our view isn't this perfect!!!

Darlene and I took Robert to Mill River yesterday, to compete in the Provincial Cross Country Meet... Out of approximately 100 - 125 runners in his, (bantam) category, Robert placed 10th... He was ecstatic to place in the top ten, as the top ten all received acknowledgement and awards... As you can imagine, we were very proud parents... The race was really exciting, with Robert and another young fellow "neck and neck" until the last 30 yards or so, when Robert just left him behind, ha!!! Tomorrow, the Regional soccer playdowns commence, so another Provincial tournament should be just around the corner...

Gonna spend the week cleaning up my yard, and cutting down this years flowers... At the same time, Donald and Robert will be raking leaves, a chore they're not very keen about, as you can imagine... Have a great day and week all...

Wayne

"Frost On The Pumpkin"

2006-10-09T11:45:00.000-03:00

This is the little fountain I bought for our backyard in the spring... I love the sound of running water, even being mostly deaf, ha!!! As a result of a few nights of frost, I brought the fountain inside, and will shine a little green spotlight on it to match the colours for ambience, etc... Now I'll have running water to listen too, inside, until the spring...

Hasn't been a lot to publish the past few days... Had a great visit with my buddy Donnie from NB, as he came over for 4 - 5 days, for a little golf and overall R&R, as his health hasn't been the best... I look forward to a short trip in a few weeks, to good friends Gary and Corinne Silliker, (Mahone Bay, NS) during the Remembrance Day weekend... Along with a few other "StanFest Hiller" friends, we will be welcoming Corinne home from Kabul, (Afghan.) where she's been working in security the past 2 years, and at the same time, saying goodbye to our good friend Leah G., who is picking up and moving to Ontario... Gary too just returned from Kabul in June... He was working for the UN, overseeing many different projects... Along with Remembrance Day services, and "beaucoup de" socializing, it should be a grand affair... I hope to pick up my new RCMP Veteran's blazer prior to the journey, if all goes as planned... I'll sign off for now... "Slainte All"... (Pronounced "Slan-cha", meaning "cheers" in Gaelic or Irish)

Wayne

"Time To Learn How To Relax"

2006-09-22T14:14:00.000-03:00

With the daily dilemma's today's society faces, in this the age of "High Speed", and "Fast Forward" “EVERYTHING”; most folk, myself included, have forgotten how to sit back, relax, and smell the flowers... With almost 2 full years having passed since retiring, I'm slowly learning... Yesterday, I spent 3 - 4 hours working in my garden, planting some pretty fall flowers, and sprucing up around my little pond... T'is Friday, which means our weekly "Men's Night" golf game, and I look forward to that as well... Although it's mostly just myself who reads these Posts anyway, have a great day everyone... "Slainte"...

2006-09-19T17:47:00.000-03:00

It's been a beautiful "sunshine, blue skied" day here in Paradise; this being my "acronym" for Prince Edward Island, esp. between the months of April and October... Chris helped clarify a lot of "Blogger" things for me today, and has thus become my official "Blogmaster", lol... I hope everyone has had as great a day as I did... Man I love retirement!!!!!!! "Slainte" (Gaelic Or Irish For Cheers...)

Wayne

I'm Up And Running, (At Least I Think I Am!!!)

2006-09-19T01:19:00.000-03:00

Well, here we go... My little boy Chris has been encouraging me to start blogging, esp. to document and highlight updates with "The Mizzen Men", so I've finally taken the plunge...

My website is: www.wayneburkeonline.com, and our "EPK" (Electronic Press Kit) can be viewed at: http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.asp?epk_id=81566

Lots on the horizon for The Mizzen Men, including the recording of our third CD this winter... I'll sign off for now, and try to learn a little more about this whole blogging thing... Take Care...