Blog

OK, so the summer is over and we are well into September. What the heck happened to those hot summer days?! We have had one crazy adventure after another since Nothing But Blue was released in June. Starting with some respectable numbers in London and Belleville! (#7 and #1 respectively) while in Toronto it was a slightly slower climb but, as I write this, Nothing But Blue is sitting at #4 in Toronto and Top 100 nationally!

You may have caught one of our tunes on CBC radio or on any of the millions of radio stations spinning our music across the world (exact numbers are still being counted).

If you didn't happen to hear our new album on the radio, it was hard to escape our "Lets Go To The Ex" radio jingle leading up to and during the CNE. (It's always nice to hear yourself singing on the radio on your way to your daily gig!) During our 18 days at the Ex we battled through illness, fatigue, heat, horizontal rain, wind gusts strong enough to send small children airborne and painfully loud F-18 Hornets screeeeeming overhead. With a big stage and kickin' sound system to sing through, we had a great time singing and meeting tens of thousands of new fans and friends.

With 2 hours between sets every day and being highly caffeinated at all times, we were in the right place for distraction. Sadly we found that 2 hours wasn't long enough when waiting in line for the Deep Fried Butter.

On one of our many 'Strolling Sets' we came across a recording booth for a Band Aid jingle contest!!! We learned the key of the song and the lyrics and quickly put together a 4-part version. The voting was fierce and heated but in the end we were beat out by two cute kids with the same haircut. (Joe is telling me that they were twins...who knew?!) Have a look/listen here but be warned you WILL spend the rest of your day singing this damn song! I would like to take a moment and thank all you amazing people for your support and votes! YOU put us in 2nd place of 4,432 entries! Believe me when I say we feel the love!!!

One of the highlights for us this summer was the chance to meet and sing with The Drifters! (Ok, we sang FOR them not WITH them...semantics!) They were performing at the Ex one evening and we thought it would be a great opportunity to meet some legends of the biz.

So what's next for The Essentials?

We will continue to ride the momentum Nothing But Blue is creating to bigger and better things including doing a push to radio in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned for more public shows, strange and interesting blogs & vlogs, new recordings, Essentials brand burritos, ring tones, a trip to space, iPhone apps, and many other outlandish promises.

Individually...

In response to Mr. Justin Bieber's recent book deal, Janet will be releasing her own memoirs based on her time spent as an odour judge.

Joe will continue his search for the perfect surprised look. There's an example to the left. Please send your examples to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it !

Dan is still lobbying the music community in the hopes of bringing the mullet back.

As for me...now that we are back into cooler weather, people will need warm undies so I will be back on the streets of Toronto promoting Fruit of the Loom winter wear.

Stay tuned!