Well we managed to play gigs that spanned La Fête nationale to Canada day, covering all bases, from Montreal to Toronto, no small feat of organization, determination and pure luck. The Montreal contingent kicked it off with a gig at the Wheel in Montreal. Special thanks to Esther and the Wheel gang for having us and for the Francophone Fan Club that waited an hour for us to show up.

Then a version of the Toronto posse seen in this video played “Big Boss Man” and many more to an appreciative rowdy rec-room at the Cloak & Dagger. New on the stage that night were Joanna Eaton (Shady Marshall) and Mike McCallum (Dust ‘n Debris) along with regulars Dixie, Oatmeal and yours truly. Oatmeal has now taken a fork in the road to pursue his lost doggies and will return sometime down the road. Muchas gracias to Pamela Kohly for videoing the evening and posting some kickass clips on her youtube channel.

On Saturday, “Canada Day’s Eve” we worked the Tranzac in Toronto with stalwart picker Fender Marshall (Gary Robertson) and newcomer McCluhan Marshall (Stephen Traub) on lapsteel. Marshall McLuhan is actually a distant cousin of mine so that was a bit of a head spin. The ladies backed out for the evening because of mildly debilitatin’ grippe, may they recover fully.

Finally, today I spent a luxurious afternoon recording in the basement of auxiliary member Beaner Marshall (Bernard Maiezza), the fruits of which will reach your ears very soon. He has some dynamite microphones and an arsenal of germanium compressors that make me sound present even when I’m far away, probably waitin’ for a train. Our Internet Tour Manager Montgomery Hamilton was here for the weekend and was a definite inspiration.

Seeing how the anglos and the francos celebrate their respective days – jaw-dropping parade on Sherbrooke and spectacular fireworks at the beach, I gained a real perspective on how people try to get by in this country of ours. I won’t get too political on y’all but I will say we’re all lucky to have each other, and the folks that came late and (very) early to the party. Gods bless and a happy summer to you all.

XO Geoffrey-Glen Marshall, Grand Marshall, First Official Marshalls Summer Jamboree.