Well, International Pop Overthrow is behind us. We got to the border, and had to step out for a half hour or so, but I must say that the troopers at the Stanstead/Newport border are quite nice. The drive down to Boston was nice, the drive back... not so much. We had a quick acoustic set, with some DI troubles... but all in all, it was a very nice trip south. We met some really nice people, one of which is a PhD student in genetics. With five universities, Boston is sure to produce some very very smart people...The drive back at night was a dangerous and tiring one. The Green Mountain state has a moose situation that we were hoping we wouldn't have to deal with, and of course, we left Boston at 11h30. We got home at 4h30am, and both Jocelyn and I had to work the next day. Ouch!

The New York show gave us an opportunity to visit the Big Apple. The drive in was the epitomy of frustrating, when it took us 2 and a half hours to drive 5 miles to the George Washington bridge. Insane! My brother Jason drove down, which gave me a chance to swear and scream at other drivers, but mostly rest and relax before our first New York show ever. We stayed in New Jersey, but took the time to shuttle it in to the big city the night before. We saw Times Square, and walked around for a while. On Saturday, the Rememberance day parade made it an interesting drive down 34th street. The set went well, it was a little quieter than I had expected, but now that this show is behind us, we can look forward to another venture to NYC. The drive back went well, and we had sunday to recuperate before going to work on monday.

But what a busy fall we've had. Between working at the school, and producing in the studio, I run out of time every week to get things done. As such, the new CD, Crossing the Rubicon, just made it to stores this week. La Tribune gave us a glowing review, which was incredibly sweet, especially from a French newspaper. We actually got 4 out of 4 stars, the Who could only muster 3... sorry Pete! We also got our new T-Shirts! The amazing people at Lemira Clothing took great care of us, and did an amazing job on the shirts. They've been vocally very supportive of the band all along, and now have spent their time and efforts making these awesome t-shirts for us. I do feel like we have to push even harder when other people take the time to do great things like this for us.

I'm working overtime to get the videos finished, and get the applications for summer festivals sent off. We need a manager, because I'm not taking pleasure in doing the everyday business side of things, when so much of the music is falling to the back burner. We've been getting amazing feedback from industry people this year. So why isn't this thing taking off? Stay tuned for an answer...

Okay, to make up for the rare updates to the diary, here's a fairly decent blow-by-blow of the tour… let me just take another sip of RedBull before I get going.

August 9th - Sherbrooke, Qc

We're at Bar Le Magog, for the release of our new CD "Crossing The Rubicon". The great people at Zanin managed to get all our CDs printed and packed in a week's notice. They're amazing!! Le Magog's Raymond is an awesome manager/owner!! Raymond takes great care of the bands that perform there, and we will gladly play there again. We also enjoyed incredible media attention. Four radio stations (GRock, CIMO, CJMQ and CFLX), two newspapers (La Tribune, The Record), and TQS television featured the CD launch. Le Magog is a nice intimate place, and it's a great starter for the tour, to play a long set in front of close friends, family, and supporters. We made a few new friends that night, and got to sleep in our own beds before hitting the road. Just when you can't wait to hit the road, Sherbrooke gives you a reason to want to stay! Jacques Roy provided live entertainment for the rest of the evening, while every just sat down and hung out. What a night.

August 10th - Montreal, Qc

Well, not all shows can be well promoted. The Pub St-Paul's new promoter was asleep at the wheel and a sleezy little bastard. We had a blast with "Anything but Reason", a Montreal/Eastern Townships based band. Steer clear! But we still had a very energetic crowd, and enjoyed every single moment of the actual show. It is also the first time that Coley takes the tour bus on the road. We had a little bit of a hard time finding parking in Old Montreal, as well as navigating the small streets, but that just adds to the charm of the vehicle. We actually dented the windshield of the bus. Well, I dented the windshield. It should be noted, however, that it was dented when I picked it off from the fourth story of the Pub St Paul with an ice cube while Pascal was driving around the block. Hey, I never said I was smart.

August 13th - Ottawa, On

If you build it, they will come. Likewise, if you don't promote it, they won't come. We'd love to thank Warren and Joe for coming out, Krown for sticking around for our set, and Krista (bartender) and Nick (soundguy) for putting up with our hour set. That's about it. No posters were put up, no promotion was done, thus, no one showed up. We still had a blast in Ottawa. We took a day to visit our nation's capital, and meet some new people. On the drive up (on the Quebec side) I got to see that Pascal and I drive very much alike, much to the chagrin of a dumb mother of two who doesn't understand the rules of the road and how to drive in construction. You see, we don't mind a scratch on our 13 year old bus. How about your Acura, lady? A friend of the band, Ian, also allowed us to stay in his apartment in Hull while he was away. What a guy. Seedy neighbourhood though… 8 cars in the same parking lot were stolen or broken into that night.

August 14th - Peterborough, On

If all promoters could be like B-Rock productions, the world would be a better place. Scott and Bryan were awesome with us, promoting the show (it was embarrassing to see our faces on every street corner in Peterborough), getting us in to radio stations, and having us over for the night, as well as a four star breakfast before heading off. We had our friends August opening for us, as well as a cool bunch of kids - Fourth of Fourteen- and the whole night was just awesome. I actually got to sit in with the girls on the drums. What a blast! Pascal was working on the staff all afternoon, while I went shopping for some clothes and badges. We had some killer food, and this was the first rainy day of the tour, though it only rained for a few hours. Scott's talents in the kitchen were also much appreciated before the 5 hour drive down to Sarnia. Peterborough, it should be said, has really nice eateries and courteous staff in all music stores. Funny story: Jocelyn, on the way back from town, walked by a ringing public phone. Jocelyn figured he'd answer, only to find out the person on the other end of the line was extremely perverted, and inappropriate. Jocelyn hasn't been able to sleep a whole night since, haha.

August 16th - Sarnia, On

We took the 15th off for driving, and resting. And Scroggies' wings. If you ever make it down to Sarnia, you have to try Scroggies' wings, on Murphy road. They're awesome. It's a Coley tradition whenever in Sarnia, since the days of Flicker. We got to split a bill with Wellabee, another awesome band, who also down to Sherbrooke for our FIRST release in 2004. The band had split up for two years, but just recently got back together. It was just great to see our old friends come out, and K106 gave the album a spin, and The Observer even ran a mini story for us. It was good to be back in Sarnia, playing music, after three years. My old partner on guitar from Flicker, Justin, came out, and got to hear the song "Sober" for the first time, which was loosely based on him. We went out to our old haunt, Puck Around, for a few sociables before retiring to Laura's parents' place. Thanks to Dave for helping arrange this, and all the cool people who came out on a Wednesday night, despite having to work the next day. Our tour bus is also operating minus a few top lights. While trying to pull the bus in closer to the venue, Pascal actually wedged it beneath the venue's roof, popping a few suckers (lights) off. Oops. Hahaha.

August 19th - Belleville, On

Didn't happen. The one show of the whole tour we were sure would go off without a hitch was cancelled. We just didn't get enough time to make it happened, but in the end, it was for the best. We took a few days off in Toronto, had a few drinks, and got to see the Argos bitchslap the Alouettes on home turf. Nice. Pascal and Jocelyn scalped tickets. The funny thing, is that they scalped the ultimate worse tickets ever and paid full price!! We were literally in the last row of the whole place, behind the rafters. We got a little rain, but nothing serious. We enjoyed a beer at the Duke of Irving. Jocelyn tried his moves on a table of young female patrons by buying them a round of glasses of milk. The milk was returned, and the boys enjoyed their daily portion of dairy… It's been awesome weather, and we're totally stoked with the tour. We went to the CNE fair, and got to eat some great food. The spicy chicken at a Chinese stand: perfect! And we got our own "Jesus Saves" bobble head for the bus. It even came with the Lamb of God. Are we rocking now Jesus? He's bobbing yes!.... Only because blasphemy is also one of our hobbies, we got a small John Lennon figurine. So on our dashboard, we now have Jesus, and More Popular Than Jesus… All this hot weather is great when we're out on the streets. But the bus has no air conditioning, so it's hotter than Satan's crotch in there. Boooo-urns! Can someone open the side door so I can get out of this heat can. Oh, that's right, THE DOOR FELL OFF!!!!! Can't catch a break. I'm sure at some point we'll laugh about this. Just not now...

August 20th - Kitchener, On

Wow. Destined for solitude, the Embassy's "NO VISITORS" rule will make sure that the boys don't have any late night guests. A very classy establishment, the Embassy banks on its "we haven't renovated since 1969" look to attract truck drivers, bands, and very very desperate backpackers… luckily for them, we're of the second kind. Pascal wisely slept on an inflatable mattress we brought, while I laid out my own sheets. Maybe Jocelyn will be the only one with lyce…. Doug at the Circus Room is a cool cat, and the venue has a wide array of colours, which makes it look like a, well, circus. Very cool. Very small and intimate, the place surprisingly sounds pretty good. August came out to open for us again, damn those girls are good. I got to sit in on the drums again, which is always fun. We had some of the best food we had the whole tour (thanks to an awesome Thai restaurant on King Street), and Pascal and I went to see "Little Miss Sunshine". Awesome movie, a MUST SEE!! Again, a gorgeous, gorgeous day. We really have been lucky with weather. Still, the door falling off isn't funny. I got my hand on "The Eagle" at Chapters before leaving, the second of a series on Lancelot. Meh, the ending was a little rushed and disappointing.

August 21st - Toronto, On

Ahhh, back in Toronto again. And playing at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern! I had lost a bag of goodies at Steve's music a few days before, and they had put it aside for me. I felt like a moron, but hey, it can happen to anyone of us, eh? Bobblehead Jesus has been keeping us entertained in traffic, while answering our many queries. "Jesus, should we cut this guy off?", bobble no. "Jesus, should we be giving this guy the finger?", bobble yes. He's awesome. The Horseshoe in mid afternoon smells of bleach and stale beer. Man, it's good to be home. I love this place. The boys went for sups at the Irish Embassy a few nights ago, and met a cool young lady by the name of Kimberlee. This becomes relevant later in the story. We had a decent turnout. We got to share the bill with Joan Smith and the Huxtables, and White Van Speaker Scam (awesome band, a la Cream). 11:30 on a Monday in Toronto might be hard to pull off, but there was a nice collection of friends, and new acquaintances. Including madame Kimberlee. So we packed all our gear, and decided to follow Kimberlee's invitation to Gipsies' Hooch, where we met Johnny Rude. Johnny's collection of cellphone pictures with famous musicians is quite impressive! So we partied there until 3am, at which point we were invited to an after hours bar. Okay, so after hours bar means something different than what we expected. We were rushed, upon leaving our cab, to a blank door, which lead to a vast array of tiny hallways, sharp turns, and stairwells… before ending up in a boarded basement, poorly lit, and reeking of poker players' cigarettes. We thought "meh, looks like fun" and partied for a while. Had a few drinks, and saw "Box Full of Cash" an awesome acoustic act that had a drummer playing brooms on cardboard boxes. Absolutely brilliant! The discovery of the tour… We got home at 5:30 am, tired, but excited about the night's events. Our guestbook is getting more and more names on it, and the feedback is still all positive. But we have to head to Cornwall in the morning, and, oh man, we leave in three hours??? I STILL don't think that the door falling off is funny.

August 22nd - Cornwall, On

We're playing at Murphy's Inn. It's 5 hours away. Man, I still smell like cigarettes. After a quick shower, we all get back into the bus for our last show. Traffic on the DVP is quiet by the time we leave, and the sun is at the rendezvous with full force. Before we hit Trenton I'm already down to my boxers. Who cares, we're in a bus! Oh, forgot about those coach buses that ride higher. Hope they liked the view. Pascal got to have his first taste of Tim Horton's chilli. The stuff is brilliant (especially if you can add tobasco sauce) and I can't wait for the day that Quebec's franchises stop serving us pea soup. Blah. We had a little trouble finding the place, but it is surprisingly big. The promoter got the show dumped on his lap two days prior, but surprisingly did better than our Ottawa show. We had a pretty energetic crowd, and most of them sign the guestbook, and express an interest in keeping in touch with us. Midnight Revival sounded awesome, and Nad made some really interesting faces (still trying to figure out what he was screaming). But still, everyone was really friendly, and we can't wait to head back to Cornwall. We loved it so much, that Pascal decided (or didn't) to leave the gas cap at the gas station before leaving. How do you stay awake for three hours while driving through the night after a two week tour, an intense set, and three hours of sleep the night before? Answer: Season Six of South Park!! What a God send (actually, a Laura send). We laughed our arses down the 401 and before we knew it, Quebec roads were tossing our bus around like mad. Man, we suck. Other than poutine, we can't do anything right. Too tired to empty the bus, we'll empty it tomorrow.

Ahhhh, feeling the love. I have to keep this updated more often... We've been showered with support lately, makes you think you're doing something right. Karl-Yves really bailed us out with the CD layout, Astral Media seems to be thinking about joining the party, we'll be on tv for the release, we're almost done booking the tour, etc... it's been a good month. Except for the lack of sleep. I need a vacation. Sadly, school starts the day after the tour ends. So it looks like no rest for the wicked. Myspace is a bad thing, on the whole. But for bands, it's the best invention ever. We'Ve met so many cool people on there, and booked a few of our shows... I never thought that what started as a fansite would end up so useful to our daily tasks. We met a really cool band from Toronto, called August, and they'll be opening for us on July 28th. We'll also be splitting the bill with them in Kitchener. They just recorded a few tracks down here at Gamer Studios while vacationing, and the tunes sound great!! Check them out for sure! We've got all these things on the go and sometimes I feel like I'm spreading myself too thin. But it's gotta get done! Pascal, Joce and I have been getting tighter and tighter, and the live shows are just receiving such a warm reception. It's very encouraging for the upcoming tour. I'll try to come back more often and log on here... but as you can see it's a promise I make often! haha.

Hello all! Looks like I didn't wait too long for another update. School's out, and it's nice to be able to do only music. I'm producing, and writing, and busy booking the August tour of Ontario. April Wine is trying to help us with a few shows, which is very nice. Contact us if you'd like to book us! haha. I've been really tired lately, actually, the past six years... I need to find a system where I get my shut-eye. Our bus has become much more of an undertaking than we had previously anticipated. We had it plated and thought that we were done with inspections, but no, not in Quebec. The SAAQ (DMV, only more inefficient, more expensive, and if you can believe it, with worse service) has told us we need to do a shopping list of repairs (as trivial as replacing plastic washers on mud guards; to fixing holes in the floor, sheesh!) before we can hit the road with it. So Pascal has been spending an ungodly number of hours fixing her up. Can't wait to leave in August with it... Well, summer's here, so I shouldn't be sitting at a computer. I'm heading to Philly with Jocelyn, will do some jamming for sure. Too bad I'm missing Canada day. Ironic, as I'm playing tomorrow. What to say, what to say?....

Okay, I need to get on this diary thing more often. But if you saw how much time it takes for me to do the internet thing, you'd understand my lack of motivation! hahaha. We've had a string of great shows, which were really well received. Pascal is really fitting in with Joce and I, and our little "guerrilla warfare" outfit is packing a good punch. Not that we're violent. We're pacifists, actually. But we pull in, do our thing, loosen some bricks, and head out. So far, spring's been encouraging, and we're hoping summer's got more in stock for us! We also recently acquired a.... TOUR BUS. Yeah, the yet-to-be-named vehicle is a beater, but it will be home on many-a-roadtrips. Some pics are available in the media section. You can also find a link to a video file on myspace.com/jfcoley from our Christmas show at Notre Dame. High school that is... More videos on the way, so stay tuned... Man, I'm going to miss my students this summer, I'm sure. But right now, I'm so looking forward to being off, and focusing my energies on music solely! Loads of new tunes being prepared... we might just slip one out on the internet soon...

I'll write more later, because it's late Sunday, and I need to hit the hay. But this show last Friday was a blast! We have a great new bass player, with an awesome personality in the band, and the crowd at the April Wine show really seemed to agree. We're looking forward to heading back into Ontario, at the end of this month. I'd like to thank Jim and Jerry of April Wine for the cool chat after the show. Looking forward to hanging out again!

Wow, I need to keep up on this site! Sorry for the long absence in the diary section. I was always told "if you have nothing interesting to say...". So a lot has been going on. The Studio got some new gear which for me means more toys to play with. The Spotlight on the Townships project is really bringing out some killer bands. We have a lot to offer, and I can't wait for all these bands to hit the airwaves. I've been sick this week, which wasn't great for our show last night at the Petit Campus in Montreal. It's like having a chink in your armour. But we still rocked the place, and got some really positive feedback. It was a blast and we'd like to thank everyone who came out. We have another show in Montreal tomorrow night, at the Hard Rock Cafe. We'll see if we can shake off some of the dust off those relics on the wall!! All our efforts are going towards getting some shows for the summer setup, and preparing the release of the CD. I'd like to thank, as we don't do it nearly as often as we should, everyone who's helped the band out, even by just listening to the tunes, and passing the good word along to friends. It's been a very motivating year so far, and we can only hope that it'll keep going this way. Cheers, and I promise to write more often...

Happy New Year everyone!! It was good to take a few weeks off and relax, as my mind was starting to slip on me... The studio is back in business, and we're preparing the start of the "Spotlight on the Townships" radio show. The album should be released soon as well. Just a matter of money... ahhh money. The music is spinning on a few spots on the radio. iRadio LA was spinning Soapbox song for a while, and now BandRadio is playing Anymore. There are a few shows coming up, come back soon, as they should be confirmed shortly. Our show at the College Mont Notre Dame before Christmas very a helluva party. Thanks to all the girls for being so energetic. We had a great team out with us that night as well. Laura, Andrew, Etienne and Martin manned the video cameras, and we should have some stuff on here shortly. Louis Rene was taking pictures again, and Jason and Sonia took care of the merch. A well oiled machine, we had. I'd like to thank Rob Retchless, the mad scientist behind this website. He's been spending a lot of time on this site, and I really appreciate it. I think that's it. School starts this week, and I think I could use another month of or so, but it'll be good to see everyone's face again. Been listening to Plaskett's La dee da, wow, what an album. You guys should check it out too.

We are having a blast waiting for the release of the album... not. I'm going stir crazy, and hopefully 2006 brings us more action. The album artwork is still being penned, but hopefully we get that and THE NEW T-SHIRTS finished soon. We were booked at College Mont Notre Dame by some students that were at the Brompton show this summer, which is kinda cool, especially since the material isn't necessarily teenager friendly. Global warming allowed me to play a very "a propos" November Rain on my radio show last night, kind of funny... but when will pond hockey start? I got to meet Joel Plaskett a few weeks back at his show, and we sat down for an interview for an hour. The show was the best live performance I've seen yet (kudos to William Plaskett, his father, who impressed me as well). Really, this man (Joel), should be a national treasure. Artists of his calibre are a rare breed, and I can only hope his stuff picks up. We also had a good chat about regionalism breeding a greater pride in your country, and yourself, etc... Which really applies to the Townships. The Townships project is well under way. Hopefully people get really into it, and we can start something culturally that hasn't been happening in a long time.

The team is really geared up for the new release, and this site is a quick taste of things to come. Check out all the links, bookmark us, and keep coming back often… There will be plenty updates.