brendongomez.com

When you can leave HogTown (that’s aka Toronto) for a weekend to perform in World Class resort in Muskoka, you say simply “yes”. This opportunity presented itself to me in early November, when I was given the opp to perform at the JW Marriott resort on Lake Rosseau Muskoka. What an amazing place. The staff, hotel guests were so nice, and the vibe around the area I performed in, was almost like a communal bonfire (except it was inside a massive hotel lobby with 100 foot ceilings, chandeliers, and comfy sofas everywhere, with stunning views of the lake and stars (this place was so huge I looked like an ant in these pics attached). As the moon set, I did my ‘fall daylight savings time setlist’ on acoustic guitar providing a soundtrack for hotel guests, that would remain memorable (until their next visit). Thank you JW Marriott!

It’s not everyday you have the opportunity to serenade a bunch of university students on Halloween night, but this year was the exception as I performed at the Madison piano bar. Doing 3 sets – 1^st set piano, 2^nd set guitar, 3^rd set piano again, it was a mish mash of popular songs with Halloween spirited songs in between – classics (Thriller), to newer classics (Backstreets Back – by backstreet boys..uh yes that’s correct). In between songs, I’d see weird costumes (aka Mexican Polish dancers?) and break right into ‘La Bamba’. By the end of the night, my brain was fried on the adrenaline and the fact that I’d done 4 shows straight leading up to this crazy party. All I heard was the crowd chant “1 more song” in my sleep that night. A splendid time was had by all.

It’s interesting when someone hears you perform at one place, and then invites you for an event at their peers place (based on what they’ve seen and heard). That’s not what happened with Kelsey’s Restaurant, but it kinda did. Basically a peer from a Fionn MacCools location told a peer at a Kelsey’s Restaurant location about myself and they invited me to their location for a ‘one-off’ show (as part of new venture in live music). It was a modern roadhouse, and the staff and patrons gave a number of requests that were as Canadian as Swiss Chalet (Blue Rodeo) and Harvey’s (Barenaked Ladies)…except it was at a Kelsey’s. Off to the next show: Taxi!