Grateful We're Not Dead

A Country Party Band with a wicked sense of humour and a social conscience

Finally Back

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For some reason I tend to leave this website as an afterthought. Nobody likely noticed but the site has been down for the last couple months. However, we’re back up and running and now I’ll have to make an effort to keep it as up-to-date as the Grateful We’re Not Dead Facebook Page. Maybe I should start a Twitter Grateful We’re Not Dead feed as well. Then I could get wayyyy behind in more social media.

Before I go I guess I should leave a video clip from a live performance captured on a ZOOM Q2n Video Recorder at Manotick Place Retirement Community on March 29, 2019.

Seasons Greetings 2017

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Wow! It seems like a year since I’ve been here. Well I’ll be damned… it’s almost 19 months since I written on this blog.

In my defence, it’s been a busy year for the band. Thirty-three bookings for the band, some medical issues, vacations, etc. But I’ll get onto that next week when I do a year-end wrap-up.

For the time being, on behalf of Grateful We’re Not Dead, I’d like to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and send you off with a little seasonal music.

Rob Wolf at the Grand Ole Opry

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Unfortunately, Rob Wolf passed away on December 27,2018

Rob_Wolf-Mickey_Guyton-GOO-feb27_v1If you follow the Grateful We’re Not Dead Facebook page you’ll be aware that we are big fans of Robert K. Wolf and have posted some of his songs on our page. We include one of Rob’s songs, Brand New Auld Lang Syne, in most of our shows and are planning to add another one soon. We have warned Rob that whatever we touch comes out sounding COUNTRY. However, he seems to be OK with that.

Now, on to something much more important.

Rob is currently being treated for Stage 4 bladder cancer, but he is a real fighter.

rob_wolf-Safest_Place_I_Know-500He is in the process of recording a new album which we’re looking forward to hearing, and to top it off, he was recently invited by vocalist Mickey Guyton to appear with her on the Grand Ole Opry.

This is the story of how that event came about.

First, an amazing group named ARK Project Now, but was rebranded Explore Kindness in 2016, was the force behind Rob Wolf’s trip to the stage of the Grand Ol’ Opry. We’ll let the group tell you how the project evolved.

At 9:30AM on February 28, a message was posted our Facebook page by a lady from Markham, Ontario who had attended the the Opry the previous night.

Songwriter Rob Wolf was invited to the Grand Ole Opry stage Saturday as a last minute surprise and drew a standing ovation. Terry and I were deeply touched by both his song’s lyrics and the kindness of Mickey Guyton who gave her second song slot to him. Rob is battling stage 4 cancer and it was a dream come true to sing on the Opry stage.

Now here is the video from the Opry that we’ve been waiting on for the last month. Take note of the standing ovation at the end of Rob’s performance.

Finally, a big SHOUT OUT to Rob Wolf, Mickey Guyton, and Explore Kindness for making this all come together. Kudos to you all.

Note: Edited 2020-11-15

St. Patrick’s Day And A Bit

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GWND - Carleton Place Terrace

Al, Bruce, Martin, Gord, and Don at Carleton Place Terrace

Grateful We’re Not Dead had a chance to use the Irish setlist on two occasions this year, which was nice because we usually only get one shot per year.

On March 17 we had the pleasure of being back at Carleton Place Terrace for the first time in a year for a 90 minute show to a full house. On top of that, we had the services of a volunteer roadie. Martin, a student at Merivale High School in Ottawa, signed up for a one-day stint to help us old dogs load and unload the truck. He also pitched in and assisted in the setup and teardown as well. All-in-all, he gave up 5 hours of his time, of which 2 hours were dedicated to hard work. We’re looking forward to having Martin with us again on May 10 for a gig at Lanark Lodge in Perth. Thanks again, Martin.

By the way, take a close look at Gord in the above photo. Now who does that remind you of?

Orchard View on the Rideau - 2016-03-18

Orchard View on the Rideau

For March 18 Grateful We’re Not Dead moved on to Orchard View on the Rideau in beautiful downtown Manotick. Seeing as it was still so close to St. Patrick’s Day we decided that we’d stick with the Irish tunes, much to the audiences delight. So on went the green cowboy hats and shamrock ties again.

GWND

Bruce, Don, Gord, and Al performing at Orchard View on the Rideau

Before the event was over we had a surprise guest appearance by Irish Willie, but from the looks of him we kinda think “It’s all going to pot.” And we swear, “We’ll never smoke weed with Willie again.”

Irish Willie

Irish Willie

In the fetal position with drool on my chin
We broke down and smoked weed with Willie again

We’re Now Responsive

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Guess what?

You can now access the Grateful We’re Not Dead website from all your mobile devices as well as desktop and laptop computers. Don has been working over the last few days rebuilding the site to be responsive. That simply means that the pages should reformat to display properly on any device.

Now you should have no excuse for not visiting the website, you hear!

Enjoy.

Grateful We're Not Dead

Together Again

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On July 12, Grateful We’re Not Dead played for a dance in the Middleville Agricultural Hall in Middleville, Ontario. The dance was a fundraiser for the Middleville Trinity United Church. Two things made this event special for GWND.

Boys in the Band

The Boys in the Band

The first was the other musicians appearing on stage with them.  From the late ’50s until the mid ’80s, Don played in a country dance band called the Mississippi River Boys.  MRB played for dances all round Eastern Ontario.  Needless to say, over that period of time, Don worked with quite a few different musicians.  On July 12, GWND had the unique pleasure of three of those musicians sitting in with the band. Walter Cameron (vocals, bass, rhythm) worked with Don during the ’60s and ’70s;  Jim Hildred (lead, rhythm, vocals) was with MRB in the early ’70s, and Rick Legree (fiddle, piano) was there in the ’70s and ’80s).

Walter and Rick

Walter and Rick

Rick, Don and Jim

Rick, Don and Jim

Jim

Jim

The second thing that made the night special was the dedication of Bruce. Early on the morning of July 7, Bruce had a heart attack and ended up in Kemptville Hospital. On Wednesday he was transferred to the Heart Institute at the Civic Hospital in Ottawa. During the procedure to insert a stent, Bruce mentioned to the surgeon that he was in a band and had a gig on Saturday night. He asked if it would be OK to play. The surgeon said he couldn’t see why not. So on Saturday night he was on-stage as usual. Now how many bands have members that dedicated to performing? So here’s a big “Well played” to Bruce from the other members of Grateful We’re Not Dead

Bruce

Bruce going the extra distance

Feelin’ Good

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On April 26, Grateful We’re Not Dead entertained at the OVACC (Ottawa Valley Aid For Chernobyl Children) Annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser. This had to be at least the third year that we’ve been able to contribute our time and music to this worthwhile event. The dinner was held, as usual, in the Community Hall at Pierces Corners. To make the night even more special, after 11 years, Grateful We’re Not Dead finally managed to get its name up in lights.
GWND name in lights

We also enjoyed the local talent and would like to thank Gracie for her fiddle playing, Valerie for her singing, and the little girl who step danced without the benefit of music. You all were great.

As most of you are aware Grateful We’re Not Dead entertains for free for charities, fundraisers, peace events, etc. For private events we require that a significant donation be made to a charity. Sometimes, the organization or group prefers to give the money directly to the band and in those cases we simply bank the money until we have enough to make it worthwhile donating it. As a result of the funds contributed over the last year, Grateful We’re Not Dead had the pleasure of handing OVACC a cheque for $1,000. It will be used to help bring 5 children from Chernobyl to Canada for the Summer.
GWND OVACC Donation 2014

We’d like to give a big Thank You to those who provided the money to make up this donation.

This is the type of activity that keeps Grateful We’re Not Dead feelin’ good and hopefully, we’ll keep doing it as long as we can still pick up our instruments.

Hope to see you at a gig in the future.

Grateful We’re Not Dead
Don, Gord, Bruce and Al

Carty House Raffle

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Carty House, a communal residence in Ottawa that provides transitional housing for female refugee claimants and convention refugees, is holding a raffle on May 31st for some great prizes. Grateful We’re Not Dead entertained at a Carty House fundraiser last year and the band supports the work of Carty House.

Don’t miss out on your chance to win these amazing prizes!

Tickets available at: 613-236-8855 or cartyhouse@rogers.com

Price: $20.00 per ticket
Date of draw: Saturday, May 31st, 2014
Location: Carty House

Prizes:

  • First Prize: Voucher for 4 Via Rail tickets, to any two points between Ottawa and Quebec City return ($1,193.28 value)
  • Second Prize: International Dinner for six at Carty House ($200 value)
  • Third Prize: 2 Tickets donated by The Great Canadian Theatre Company plus $25.00 gift certificate donated by the Flying Banzini Restaurant ($95.00 value)
  • Fourth Prize: 6 x $5.00 gift certificates donated by The Table Restaurant
  • Fifth Prize: 4 x $5.00 gift certificates donated by The Table Restaurant

Ottawa License No. M669735

Carty House Raffle 2014

Back In The Studio

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Holy crap, this recording stuff is time consuming mainly because of the problems with getting Grateful We’re Not Dead into the studio to lay down the tracks. With a bit of luck we’ll get the recordings finished, mixed and mastered before we croak.

Here’s a preview of some things we’re working on (Not the final mixes!):

Over Sixty Blues
Recorded at River Road Recording Studio, Ottawa, mixed by Don White (Grateful We’re Not Dead) and mastered by Joe Gilder (Home Studio Corner)

I Don’t Like Mermaids
This is a preliminary version of the song. Vocal and rhythm guitar recorded at River Road Recording Studio, Ottawa. Piano added courtesy of EZKeys. (Lead guitar, lap steel, and who knows what else to be added)

We accept no responsibility for damaged psyches or eardrums.

More songs will be made available as we progress. Patience is a virtue and you all know how virtuous Gord, Bruce, Al and Don are!!!

All the best from Grateful We’re Not Dead
Gord, Bruce, Al and Don

St. Patrick’s Day 2012

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St. Paddy’s Day saw Grateful We’re Not Dead back entertaining the troops at Carleton Place Manor. Actually, it was 3/4 Grateful We’re Not Dead because Gord is off to Tanzania for a much needed vacation. Needless to say, Al, Bruce and Don rose to the challenge and kept the joint rocking (or jigging) for a full hour of Irish songs.

Grateful We're Not Dead

Bruce, Don and Al

St. Patrick's Day - Carleton Place Manor

Residents enjoying St. Paddy’s Day

Following the gig, Grateful We’re Not Dead and friends adjourned to Ballygiblins Restaurant and Pub in Carleton Place for some liquid refreshments and food. The band has adopted Ballygiblins as their official watering hole anytime they are entertaining in the area.

Before we leave we’ll give you a wee taste of the music from Saturday.

Hope you enjoy the videos and we’re looking forward to seeing you in our travels.

Grateful We’re Not Dead
Don, Gord, Bruce and Al