Dick MacInnis

"Hope" - Preview #2 - "Love Him"

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:44:00 +0000

The second song to preview from my new album, "Love Him", is available here (http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_9210760).

This was one of those songs that must be constantly brewing in the subconscious, as I had a dream where someone was playing it. I woke up thinking that the song was beautiful, and quickly wrote it down and made up the music while I was still half asleep. Obviously, it's the story of a woman who's partner has problems, but she keeps saying "I'll love him", never forgetting the vows they took together. This is still a hard one to play live, as the message chokes me up every time I hear it. There's hardly any better example to me of the fact that I'm not really the songwriter, but more like a vessel, when a tune like this one waltzes into my slumber. I couldn't write a song this good if I tried.

This song is available on my latest album "Hope" for only $5, with all proceeds being donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. To get a copy, click here (http://www.dickmacinnis.com/hope.html)

"Hope" Preview 1

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:10:00 +0000

The first song to preview from my new album, "Hope", is the title track, available here (http://t.co/sMXRDoI).

I wrote this song when we first heard the news that my wife, Megan, had cancer. I had, at the time, been working on the second and third albums in my "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll" album trilogy, but had lost the desire to work on something so superficial in light of this new development. Immediately, I began writing new songs. As the process began taking shape very quickly, I knew I would release all the new songs as an EP, for which the proceeds would be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. As their refrain, or slogan, has been "Hope", I thought that a song with this title would be a fitting title track, and set to work creating it. I'm pleased with the result, and of course, hope you like it too. I must admit, though, that since Megan's cancer has progressed since I wrote this, and she's now had two surgeries and is undergoing chemo and radiation (starting yesterday), I feel like I'm singing this to myself now, as a sort of reminder to keep my chin up when things get tough.

Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:53:00 +0000

The last year has been full of reasons for fear, nonetheless, hope dominates.

On July 22 2010, my beautiful daughter Boudicca was born to my wife Megan and I, and we became parents for the first time. A life-changing event for anyone to be sure, but even more so for us, as we had purchased our first home just a month prior. All was not rosy in our family, however, as I was charged with drunk driving just a week before Boudicca's birth, and subsequently entered a treatment program and counseling to deal with an alcohol addiction I had been battling for at least two years (and not-battling for my entire adult life). I attended my first AA meeting the day before Megan went into labour, and to this day find it hard to describe the confusing mixture of self-loathing and utter exuberance I felt that day and in the days following. Although Megan had planned on having a natural birth (no anesthetic), her hopes were dashed after labouring for almost twelve hours on her own, when the doctor's found that Boudicca was breach and a c-section would be her best option for coming into the world. We had even lined up a midwife to assist in the birth, but it just so happened that she was away for the week that Megan went into labour, as Boudicca had not been expected for another week. Nonetheless, she was beautiful and perfect, and the love I feel for this little person is greater than I could ever imagine.

The road to sobriety has been winding and rough, but took a dramatic turn in February of 2011 when Megan was diagnosed with cancer. A sore on her tongue, which had been treated as various bacterial infections since it appeared during pregnancy, had gone from a minor irritation to a quickly-growing lesion in a couple of weeks, after having been pretty well stable for a long time. Her doctor recommended a dentist, the dentist recommended an oral surgeon, the surgeon did a biopsy and recommended another surgeon, and within about a week our concerns had gone from slight to full blown with the news that Megan would need to have a large portion of her tongue removed, and that more treatment may be necessary. Although I had been much better at the time with regards to my addiction, having gone from a daily closet drinker (which I had been for at least two years) to an occasional relapser in less than a year, the stress of this new situation on top of all the financial, emotional, and physical responsibilities I had newly come to accept was an incredibly tough pill to swallow. When Megan had her first surgery, I didn't handle it very well. As a result of my poor emotional state at the time, and due to the facts that I was unable to take time off of work to care for Megan following her surgery (because I had been so reckless with money while drinking) as well as my inability to drive, Megan and I spent much of the next two months separated, with her and Boudicca spending most of the time with Megan's parents in Swift Current, visiting me for a few days at a time whenever a doctor's appointment was scheduled.

It was during this time, immediately following Megan's tongue surgery, that I began to write and record "Hope". The songs on this EP all reflect the most personal parts of myself during the most trying time I have yet come to have to endure, from the joy of fatherhood, to the despair of addiction, and of course the worry and subsequent hope one feels when one's partner (and soul-mate/best friend) is sick, and the prescribed treatment is so hard to handle. Megan has since had a second surgery on her neck, and is currently undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiation in the hope that she will someday soon be (and remain) 100% cancer-free. I'm praying for her every day.

"Hope", my new 5 song EP, is available here (http://www.dickmacinnis.com/hope.html) for $5 CAD, via VISA, Mastercard, and Paypal, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.

FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD: Everything You've Heard About Love

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:46:00 +0000

I officially released this album almost two years ago (Valentine's Day, 2009), and in the intervening time have made enough money on it to pay for the time I spent recording it, as well as the gear used. Not being a particularly greedy guy, I've decided now to release the album to the public as a free download. I'm currently working on the two follow up albums, which will round out the "Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll" trilogy, of which this is the first part.
get the album (with artwork) here:

Enjoy!

And so this is christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:17:00 +0000

And what have I done? Lots. I think. Since my last post I've been doing the following:

1. Being a Dad. Taking care of my baby daughter, Boudicca (along with loads of help from my wife Megan, in fact you could say she steers the ship while I swab the deck) and learning what exactly it is to be a father is the most life-changing (cliche, I know, but it's true), rewarding, time-consuming, and interesting thing I've EVER done. I could write a blog specifically about this (in fact Megan's quickly filling her journal) every day and not cover it all, so if anyone wonders what happened to me, why you don't see me as much, or anything like that, wait 'til you meet Bou and you'll understand.

2. Working. Dream Studio is done. For those of you who don't know, it's a suite of creative software, AKA what I use to make all my music, videos, posters, website, etc. It's free as in beer and Free as in libre, so if you're interested in doing any of the stuff I do, check it out. Now, while I'm on the topic of studios, DickMacInnis.com's SecondBedroom studio is open for business. So far I've recorded a demo by Electrohash (a Saskatoon hard rock band), which I'm now mixing. It'll be done sometime before the new year, so I'll be sure to upload some tracks. I'm also planning an album with another band and two solo artists, as well as a compilation CD for a non-profit organisation, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, my next album, "Control", is nearing completion, but I've gotten behind schedule with marketing and distribution because of all the time I've been putting into my software and the two new websites, so it probably won't be released until at least May 2011. Until then, keep posted, as I have a surprise non-album single and video in the works that will be done very soon...

3. Writing. Between being a new dad, buying our first home, working with so many inspiring people and getting postitive feedback, I've got tons of fuel for the creative fire. I've already planned my next three solo albums AFTER the "Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll" trilogy, so there's little chance of me running out of material anytime in the foreseeable future (although it would be nice if I could catch up with myself one of these years ;-).

Other than that, I've put the video game on hold for now (it'll probably be called "Dick Band"), at least until my trilogy is done. The reason being that it takes the same amount of work to do three albums worth of material for the game as one, and I think people would find a game with only 14 songs a little short (In the end, it will have at least 42, and probably some bonus songs that aren't on the trilogy).

So another year's over and a new one just begun, and I think I've figured out what my New Year's resolution will be: blog more.

DickMacInnis.com

DickMacInnis.com 2010 Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:46:00 +0000

There has been quite a bit going on here at DickMacInnis.com, and not much to show for it on my blog. Here's what I've been working on:

1. Recording the follow-up to "Everything You've Heard About Love" - The next album in the "Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll" Trilogy is well underway. Tentatively titled "Infinite Dreams", this concept album on the theme of addictions is currently being recorded piece by piece and should be complete sometime this year.

2. Redesigning DickMacInnis.com - The new website will be better looking, easier for me to update and maintain, and will have much more content than the current design. Sorry for any outages that may occur between now and early next month, when it should be up and running.

3. Developing software - Currently in the works is a "Rock Band" like game called "DickMacInnis.com FretsOnFire", which will include DickMacInnis.com original music and artwork. Also, "DickMacInnis.com Mixpack" and "DickMacInnis.com DreamOS" are currently in beta. The former will be a full package of DickMacInnis.com songs in the original session, with all the software needed to create your own mixes (or use samples in your own music). The latter is a fully-functional Operating System for your computer complete with all the software I've used to create my albums, videos, websites, and graphics (along with examples of each of these to make learning easier). Both products will be released sometime in late 2010.

Day Three

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:43:00 +0000

I'm definitely finding it easier to breathe, and i feel like my digestive system is well nourished and functioning better than it has in a while. I dream like crazy every night and the coffee headaches are getting better, but not gone. I am still constantly thirsty and overall pretty grouchy.

Dick MacInnis to drink only water for forty days - Day Two

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:44:00 +0000

It's day two of only drinking water and I feel like a bag of crap. I'm dying for a coffee; I've never had a caffeine headache this bad EVER. I must have slept about 12 hours last night and I still feel like laying in bed all day. Also, I never noticed how thirsty I am all the time. I didn't want to pound a bunch of water like I usually do before a show, so I've just been having a small glass every time I feel thirsty. Well, I must have drunk at least 30 yesterday. I think my body has been dehydrated so long that it's constantly trying to catch up, and my usual diet of caffeine and alcohol only temporarily fixes things.

On a plus note, I seem to be digesting food better, and it's slightly easier to breathe. I also had more dreams last night (that I can remember) than I've had in literally years. The last time I dreamed this much was when I put on a nicotine patch right before bed once.

Dick MacInnis to drink only water for forty days

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:02:00 +0000

As a 28 year old man, I'm starting to see the first signs of getting older: pains in the mornings, sluggishness, grey hair and wrinkles, and general malaise. Having recently stepped up my meditation practice, I've come to the unsurprising conclusion that the things that make me feel old have much more to do with my personal habits than the years I've spent on earth. For instance, I've always been a nail-biter, which I'm positive is linked to a calcium deficiency (which has also been an aggrivating factor in kidney and bladder problems I've had over the years). It seems though, that no matter how much milk I drink, or calcium carbonate pills I take, or sunlight I recieve, I always seem to succumb to the overwhelming urge to bite my nails within a couple of hours. I figured a couple days ago that this inability to absorb calcium probably has much to do with the fact that I am always drinking either: a)coffee b)cola c)beer. I'm not exaggerating either. I have long said "I don't drink water", and it's true that in general, I drink probably less than 10 cups per week of pure water (not as an ingredient). Undoubtedly the diuretic effects of all these drinks is enormous (especially combined), not to mention the fact that the cola and beer has helped enormously in packing on several extra pounds over the last year.

So that's it! I'm going to drink nothing but water for 40 days and see how it goes. In fact, when I told Megan I was doing this, she said she'd done the same thing unconsciously many times and I realized after some calculation that if I ever have, it must have been before I was 9, when I started drinking several sodas per day. God! have I really been doing this for that long? Yes. And that's why it's about time I change, before it's too late!

DickMacInnis.com DVD 2009 Available

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Well, my first dvd is finally done. I had wanted a couple more videos to showcase dickmacinnis.com's live performances as well as the graphic/poster designs we've come up with over the past few years. The idea is to have an audio/video press kit as an all in one dvd, both to sell to the fans, and for use as a promotional materials as we seek out management and other industry contacts. Check them all out at http://youtube.com/macinnisrr and make sure to buy the dvd if you like it.....
Speaking of buying things, I might as well mention that "Everything You've Heard About Love" is now available at all CDPlus locations in Saskatoon, as well as Main Stage in the Lawson Heights mall and Underdog Music downtowm.

'Til we blog again.....
DickMacInnis.com

DickMacInnis.com releases You Rock Me HD

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:29:00 +0000

Well, I got married to Megan, the love of my life on the 10th, big party on the 11th and a much deserved week off in the wilderness around Reindeer Lake for our honeymoon. I've been hard at work since I've been back however. I just finished uploading the new version of the You Rock Me video to Youtube, we have many gigs coming up for the fall as a prelude to our winter tour which will hopefully take us somewhere exotic, but we'll be out of Canada for a while at least. Promotions are going great, and we're looking for a new drummer...Lance Lopeter will be doing the next several shows, and as such, the original $ellout$ are reunited and will be billed as such.

DickMacInnis.com says goodbye to drummer

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:58:00 +0000

After over one year of playing with one of the most intuitive drummers I've ever known, the politics of bands has once again come into play. Good luck Darren.

DickMacInnis.com No. 1 on Reverb Nation

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:57:00 +0000

Well, I've got my banner working (finally), except myspace doesn't recognize it. Surprise, surprise. I swear to God that I'll tell everyone I know to use Reverbnation for music and Facebook for friends because Myspace is such an intolerable piece of crap. Anyway, enough with the rant. I achieved the #1 position in Saskatoon on Reverbnation a while ago and have been hovering about #20 out of about 200 in all genres locally. I'm in the top 10% globally, but every visit counts, whether to dickmacinnis.com, my myspace site, or Reverbnation. Right now I'm going to log in to facebook to send out an ad to all my friends to drum up business....

DickMacInnis.com Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:04:00 +0000

Every day I get a little more done.... This past weekend Megan and I were busy making wedding invitations, which we'll send out post haste. The whole "video invitation project" is starting to look really good. I went to Emery's Snooker Shack jam and played a couple songs on Friday, handed out some business cards, etc. Today I've been updating my website, myspace, reverbnation, and facebook sites to include a less vague, more incisive biography (for all you press kit watchers) as well as to add new dates to my show schedule. I've finally got my twitter-facebook sync working (sort of) so expect to see alot of activity from me in the near future if you pay attention to those sorts of things. I'm also making a vow to write something in my blog every day from now on, so stay tuned!!

DickMacInnis.com affiliates updated

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:42:00 +0000

I'm back to work now, diligently updating my facebook, myspace, blogspot, twitter, reverbnation, itunes, lala, bebo, shockhound, etc... sites. What a pain in the ass!! And now that I've almost got them all done, I've got to start making links that get them together. Web promotions ALONE is a full time job. How lovely to be a musician in the digital age. On the bright side, I'm rated number one on the local pop charts. Whoopee!!!

Dick MacInnis on holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Dick MacInnis) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:13:00 +0000

I just finished making my first DickMacInnis.com ringtone, which I'll post on my site as soon as I get back from the Dominican Republic, where I'll be for a week starting Thursday. My site is complete, my CD is available at all major online music outlets, my store is setup and I'm ready to go. When I get back from my vacation, I'll be starting my tour in support of the new album. It's been such a long year with regards to my record company and specifically the release of my album, I'm incredibly excited to have some time off!!!