NEWS

It’s been a long time – now we have confirmed a date for a Christmas show!

John McDermott and Friends Family Christmas
Festival Hall Centre for the Arts
401 Isabella Street
Pembroke, Ontario
Ottawa Valley’s Biggest Theatre !

Call 613 735-2182 or visit www.festhall.ca for tickets

The Book

The Book is taking a bit longer that planned – so much more information and stories keep rolling in and we want to make sure we have it all. So many wonderful experiences and friendships to include and I don’t want to miss any – we will keep you posted .

A New Double DVD Release

The set is almost ready and will be available in the next few weeks. I am really happy with the final results – the package will contain a news feature done in early 1993,  produced by CBC reporter Paul McGrath. It was introduced on air by CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge to close the evening edition of Prime Time, the evening CBC national television news broadcast when I first came on the scene. This news item was the launching pad for my career – shortly after its broadcast, the Danny Boy CD began its climb.

DVD 1
The first item on the disc is a 1995 television special entitled The Voyage. It was a show about my family and my career to date and it took us back to my days in high school and introduces those who were a part of my life. It was shot a few months after the passing of my father, so when I watched it again for the first time in almost 20 years it brought back so many memories for me. A visit to my old school, St Michael’s Choir school also brought back a flood of fond memories. How fortunate and blessed I was at the time (and still am today) to have so many wonderful musicians and supporting friends around me. Who knew what was to come?

The second item on this disc is A Time to Remember, which we shot  in the summer of 2001 for PBS and was never aired – and is still one of the best things I have ever done. It was filmed on the Atlantic coast and has some of the most inspiring and beautiful scenery you can imagine. It features my long time friends and some of the finest musicians I have known in a full orchestral production. I visit my Scottish and Irish roots in the songs and pay tribute to our Veterans. Both beautifully recorded and produced, I know that this production will be something that I will always look back on as a triumph.

DVD 2
The second DVD is the video half to the package Sharing Christmas John McDermott and Friends. This DVD has some wonderful stories and reflections from many of my friends and musicians from over the years: The Mistletones, the great comedian Colin Mochrie (who will have you laughing to tears), performances by Giorgia Fumanti and Allison Girvan that will leave you touched and inspired, and of course the remarkable Canadian Flamenco/latin guitarist Pavlo.

Summer Holidays

WelI, Jason, Maury, Mark, Mick and I are coming close to shutting down for the coming Summer and enjoying the great outdoors. Spending time at home with my wife and Sunny and Finnegan (the happiest dog on earth). I am planning on getting a lot more golf/hiking and kayaking in this summer than I did last summer and I am really looking forward to going tuna fishing again with my good friends in Prince Edward island.

I want to wish each and every one of you a safe and relaxing Summer. Thank you for the continued support you give me and allow me to do what I do for a living – it would not be possible without you.

John

PS!

• We are finalizing details for a performance at Treviso Bay Golf Club in Naples for March 2018. This concert will benefit American Veterans and the St Johns Food bank in Worcester Massachusetts. Please keep an eye on the tour schedule for updates.

• I am working with my good friend Eric Robertson on the Irish recording to compliment my latest Scottish CD Raised on Songs and Stories. This recording will have spoken word segments connecting each of the songs – stories from all over Ireland from those people who grew up with this music in their daily life – sharing with us what they remember about their youth and the impact these songs have had on them over generations.

• This June in Toronto I am going into the studio to record a number of songs with some of the finest jazz musicians of the day, including Robi Botos, Guido Basso, Dave Young, Davide Direnzo and Reg Schwager. For the last 15 years Guido has told me I should be doing some covers of the old soft jazz tunes. Well…here we go and I can’t wait!

Originally a limited release item for fans during my last tour, this album proved so popular we decided to make it available to everyone.

Featuring: You Raise Me Up • Shelter Me • Flow Gently Sweet Afton • The Mansions of the Lord • Mary of Argyle • The Loch Tay Boat Song • Song for a Winter’s Night • Along the Merry Road to Hell • By Yon Bonnie Banks (Loch Lomond) • Danny Boy • From the Forest • Journeys • That Old Feeling • Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon • The Gift of Years • The Old Man • Voyage • The Dutchman • The Green Fields of France

Order Today

I drove in to LA from Mesa, AZ before the start of the Snowbird winter meetings and had a great visit with my friends Academy award-winning screenwriter Robert Towne and Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam. I thought my schedule was busy – these guys have me beat…hands down. It was fun to spend time with them.