mark tonin

I can't make it to Toronto for this, but I'm sure this will be a pretty good show ... 'cause these guys are pretty good. In fact, It will likely be better than that. Have a good one!

Dan Walsh puts on a cool show. Check it out if you can. Especially if you like guitar players. And beards.
 

I really appreciate the kind words and the feedback! Thank you. Please forward the link to the trailer and/or the jamland.tv website to anybody who might be interested in the film. I will be working with my partner on this project to come up with a plan to get this film out for others to see. The film documents the Jamland festival, but we've really tried to create a film that moves along quickly, with some universal story lines, humour and cool visuals that will hopefully appeal to a wide audience. The premiere screening event is shaping up nicely. Peace, Mark
 

We've been working hard putting the finishing touches on the Jamland documentary film. Here's the official 2 minute trailer. Please give it a watch and let us know what you think! The film premieres at the Original Princess Cinema in Waterloo on Thursday June 11. Visit www.jamland.tv for more info.
 

 

We've been working hard putting the finishing touches on the Jamland documentary film. Here's the official 2 minute trailer. Please give it a watch and let us know what you think! The film premieres at the Original Princess Cinema in Waterloo on Thursday June 11. Visit www.jamland.tv for more info.
 

 

We've been working hard putting the finishing touches on the Jamland documentary film. Here's the official 2 minute trailer. Please give it a watch and let us know what you think! The film premieres at the Original Princess Cinema in Waterloo on Thursday June 11. Visit www.jamland.tv for more info.
 

 

Yes, thanks for sharing!

Wow, the doc looks super-great.
 
Oh, and that Dan Walsh guy rocks.

If you've never seen Dan before check it out, that boy can play. He's a pretty swell fella too.

Mulligan was rockin it out at geomouses barn party last year. Very tasty and talented guitar player. That little orange that he has is one of the coolest sounding amps out there imho.

I remember thinking something similar to this many years ago when I first heard the name. Slipfish is the songwriting team of Chris Wright (lyrics) and Chris Mulligan (music). Both of them are friends and both of them have been to Jamland. I've played with Mulligan a couple of times at Jamland as part of The Chris Mulligan Band. But that was maybe 5 years ago. Chris Wright is a teaching colleague (English teacher) and yes, I could imagine him coming off as ornery in certain situations. I say that with no disrespect and I think he would agree. The two of them have written 5+ albums worth of material together; 1 that is totally done, 1 that is done except for mastering, 1 that still needs to be mixed and mastered, and 2 more with songs sketched out. Somewhere between 50 and 100 songs in total. Really good songs. Not to mention all of Chris Mulligan's solo material and his work with others. He has not played very much at all publicly in the past 5 years, but I've been speaking with him over the past few months and he is fired up to play live again. He is one of the most talented musicians I've had the pleasure of playing with; I'm actually getting together tonight with him and Ricky and Dave as he will be joining Neu Tone Voigt at our Kitchener Cork Hall gig.
For Jamland I'm not sure yet whether he will be doing a solo looping thing (I just heard him do this and it sounded very cool) or whether he will have others join him or whether we will blend some of his stuff with Neu Tone Voigt. But I'm happy to have him back in the Jamland fold as he brings a lot to the table. We are also using at least one Slipfish song in the Jamland documentary that was written specifically with Jamland in mind, and the song totally compliments the cool video clip and animation that Rob Waldeck has created and it blows my mind every time I see and hear how well the video and audio match each other!
I feel fortunate to have connected with so many talented musicians over the years!

I kid because I kare, Mark- keep on keepin on!
 

Hey db2.0, your intelligence is obvious, given the wittiness of your replies and the dancing video that you posted in response to me brushing up on my dance moves. Seriously, that video is hilarious on a few different levels! As for your good looks, it's been a while since I've seen you, so I can't comment. At the risk of this turning into a photo-frenzy-free-for-all, maybe a picture or two will help me comment on that front. If I don't comment, my guess is that somebody else on this board will have something to say about your good looks. lol just thinking about how this could go ...

Hey bouche, we are still thinking about how we will get this film out there. I am open to suggestions and advice. I am going to touch base with Greg Hemmings for sure for some advice - I'm not sure if he still visits this board but I have connected with him via Facebook. We will want to enter it into film festivals. I am thinking we could screen the film in some other locations, along with live performances by some of the people involved. It looks like the film will come in at just under 40 minutes, which means it could pair up nicely with live performances. That is what we are doing in Waterloo. At some point we will look at remote screenings. This is all new territory for me so I am open to suggestions and will be working closely with Rob Waldeck and Drywal Media to come up with a plan.
 
I agree that this film does represent an excellent promotional opportunity for Jamland and me and the people involved. I've already been giving that some careful thought. Jamland will always remain small and kinda sorta private, as that is the desire of my friend who owns the property. Having said that, she is open to new people coming, as long as it is carefully managed and the people coming have been invited and it doesn't "blow up" with uninvited guests. It is very cool to hear what people say who come there for the first time. And she is even open to the idea in the future of possibly having a series of small events during the summer. That won't happen this summer, but maybe at some point down the road. I've never been to a ramble, but maybe a small version of something like the Levon Helm midnight ramble series, except a camping version in the forest. The other thing that I might consider is using the Jamland experience as a platform for me to try something bigger in another location. My friend Rob Waldeck will be able to use the film as a way to promote Drywal Media. And the musicians involved will be able to use it to promote what they do. All that being said, both Jamland itself and the documentary film are first and foremost events that come from a desire to create something special for friends and friends of friends who value live music and nature. I have never taken any money out of Jamland; in fact, I've put in lots of time and energy and my own money to make it happen. As has the owner of the property. As have many others, including the volunteers who have helped with property maintenance and stage building, and the musicians who have played for less money than they are worth, and in many cases for free. From a financial perspective, my goal is to get it to the point where the money coming in from donations and/or ticket sales covers the cost of paying musicians and any additional sound or property maintenance costs, and the film may help to highlight what a special thing we have going and therefore may lead people to donate more money and/or pay more for tickets than they have in the past. I like working outside, and I don't mind setting up sound gear and hauling around generators and moving firewood and clearing camping areas, etc. but I must admit I am getting older and am aiming to reduce my load and the load on the owner of the property over the next year or two. But I am fortunate enough to have a teaching gig that pays me enough money to live, so I can do this for my soul rather than for the money. And if it ever did turn into a money making venture, the money would go back into Jamland or some sort of charity. Something like Instruments for Africa or something else music and/or nature related. But I am getting ahead of myself - one step at a time.
 
 

For the record Hal Johnson, you may have the funniest line in the whole film.
 
 

mmmmmm that's pretty good but I think you forgot to mention how good looking I am and my obvious intelligence.
 
i'm confident you know what to do- THANK YOU
 
db 2.0

Super excited for the screening. Very cool project Mark.

Congrats Mark!  Hope I get to see the film!

True.
The tight collective is part of what makes it so special. Another big part of the jamland is the actual piece of magical property it is on. It can only handle so many people. I hope that the doc goes absolutely viral but I certainly hope everybody that sees it doesn't show up. There is always first timers there, which is great but too many at one time would be scary. Not sure if I'm expressing myself properly here. It's just the best.

I think of it as more of a loose collective...Friends and friends of friends. I haven't known perhaps the majority of people yet somehow do on some level by the time I leave. Yes numbers and capacity and avoiding sketch factor and maintaining respect for the land, and a good balance between the element of free let 'er hang shake it out expression while ensuring children are in a positive environment are all ongoing concerns. Careful disclosure (or lack thereof) of location is a big part of that. I don't really anticipate the documentary resulting in an onslaught of riff raff that would cause problems or a volume issue that is way beyond control. And at least if it ever gets to that we have Tonin and his brand of ruthless security to shut that down...Afroman style... Plus Joni carries a chainsaw with her at all times to cut people down to size if need be.

Back when he could still get one

can you say something nice about me now, Mark, please?
 
oh yes and congrats- I'd love to see this despite rumours of Schwa.'s member flapping all over the screen

Jamland has been my main creative endeavour and a labour of love for me over the past number of years. I would like to invite my friends from this community to the two events mentioned in the picture below. Please send me a message if you would like more info. Many of you are now my Facebook friends and are a part of the Jamland community, but some of my online musical friendships seemed to get lost in a cyberspace black hole as things moved from what was once a vibrant and thriving discussion board community to the place where people like things but often times don’t say much else. As well, with Jamland in particular, it’s always been a bit of a juggling act trying to keep things “small and under the radar” while still getting the word out to friends who would appreciate the place and what we have been trying to create.
 
I am really excited about the film and am thrilled with the final product. I never envisioned that I would make a documentary film, but I am fortunate to have a teaching colleague who is an excellent visual artist and filmmaker (Robert Waldeck from Drywal Media). When I was first approached by Rob to shoot some footage at Jamland, I said “sure” and didn’t really know what to expect. I don’t think he really did either. But it has turned out better than imagined. And the film was made with the event in mind, so I am obviously excited about the actual event! J
 
Peace, Mark
 

Bwahahaha. I wouldn't know what you're talking about. You mean this drink?