Blog Archives • xRds

2023-03-272023-03-27

Cox & McRae Concert in Grand Forks

It is always a pleasure to help out friends. I received an email from a friend on the west coast who is one of the originators of house concerts. Their friends were planning a CD release concert tour and had an open date, so I was contacted to see what I could do. Well, I am pleased to announce that I was able to arrange and host a date on the tour and here are the details!

On April 15th 2023 at 7PM, there will be the Cox & McRae concert at the Masonic Hall (366 Market Ave.) in Grand Forks. The Cox & McRae concert tour is to promote their new CD and will make a well appreciated stop in the quaint city of Grand Forks.

The duo of Doug Cox and Linda McRae require no introduction in the entertainment industry but for the rest of us, we may know that Linda was a member of the Canadian musical sensation Spirit of the West as singer, and accordionist while Doug, being a slide guitar virtuoso in his own right, played on some of the greatest folk and country music recordings. Both Cox & McRae spend their time between the West Coast of Canada and Nashville, Tennessee.

Systems Solar is taking part of the show by handling online ticket sales. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, and for more information about the show please visit the Cox&McRae website.

2023-01-202023-03-28

Martin in the Morning: Time Warp

Well the show went as planned. Two hours of comedy is no easy task. Jan 14th 2023 was the date where I presented the comedy show at the GF Beer Co who has been making their space available for performers to do something creative.

So, I decided to present my new show of improv, stand-up, theatre sports and audience participation. It went well and all I have to say is that the crowd was great and we all had a great time. I have attached a few photos (by Peter Kalasz) of the night.

2021-02-282021-02-28

A story began just as access was ending

A story began just as access was ending and I did not know it was coming. At the time I was happy when I had the chance to do my show on Shaw Access. I got 12* episodes in before it ended. SHAW did a major shake-up in their access channels and it pretty much ended then. This video was the introduction for the show. As usual, non scripted, raw and… just me. Within the first few days it had over 1,200 views on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1366301660149263

Although the show ended as did the way ShawTV produced its access channel, I have for you a link to my shows on SHAW’s YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99wv5IWWmC0&list=PL20EhecUEwZt4d4AMawamgfIL8RxGbwuU

2021-02-072021-02-07

2020 -2021 Update

There were a lot of things that happened last year that spilled into 2021. Many good as well as an unexpected negative one.

The job as ‘talent’ at the radio station kept me very busy. Waking at 4AM weekdays, winter driving the most treacherous 40km chunk of Highway 3 to get to the station, prepping the news at 5AM, and then spending the next 4 hours keeping people happy and entertained. A task that may seem easy, but it takes a lot out of you on some of our ‘new normal’ days. I’ll share more about the radio station with you soon.

The GVFD also has kept me busy. With more people staying in Canada, we have had more calls. I chose to be a volunteer firefighter so I am not complaining about the calls in the wee hours to help someone in need. But someone has to care and I’m not alone. I work with a team of superheroes on many calls. The police, ambulance, paramedics, and the crew at the fire hall. I’m proud to be a part of it all. I’ll share more with you soon too.

The volunteer work I was doing as president with the Board of Trade ended differently as planned. The good news? I have an extra 30 hours a month to myself and my businesses. The other ‘good’ news is that I discovered who the people in my community are, who do not deserve my help and kindness. More on this fiasco in the coming weeks as well.

Otherwise, I hope that you have been hanging in there as it has been a tough time for us all. Since we are in a big ‘reset’ I hope that you are learning a new language, or musical instrument. I also hope that you give people a break on their frustration, give some kindness, share a laugh, hug those you can hug, and remember, together is is the mindset.

We can get through the next few months working together. I have been busy with many new projects and will also share them with you here. This video project is one of them.

2020-12-302020-12-30

My Quote for 2020

I’m ready for the year to end. I accomplished a lot. Published a book, kept a lot of people safe, and was on air every weekday morning doing my morning show with never once saying “covid, pandemic, or virus”. That was harder than it seems. A few mornings I was pretty stressed at the end of it. So, here’s my quote for 2020.

“2020 was a reset for all. Some improved, some adapted, and some remained the same and in doing so, are now susceptible to becoming extinct. The world as we knew it has changed forever.”