fbpx
X
X
<span id="back-to-top-inner"></span>

canada

New Merchandise Display (vintage suitcase)

By In Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve always received lots of compliments on my merchandise displays when I’m out on tour, not only because of the variety of merch (CD’s, shirts, 3D printed keychains, stickers) but because of my attention to how it looks. Whether it’s just a nice table cloth to go underneath everything, or making sure the shirts are ironed, it’s those little things that could help you net that one last sale at the end of the night that fills your gas tank.

*See the gallery below*

My wife Shannon and I started searching for a suitcase to convert into a merch display since I was tired of having to constantly set up and layout all my CD’s and other items every single night. Not to mention, I wanted something that was easy to set up when performing at non-traditional venues like farmer’s markets or street busking. The goal was to fit lots of CD stock with room to hold t-shirts that would be displayed on the table the suitcase would stand up on. What’s not pictured is a tupperware container I use for additional CD stock, 3D printed keychains, t-shirts and more.

We settled on this nice lightweight vintage suitcase from an antique store in Grand Marais, MN, and brought it back to Thunder Bay, ON to start building. At first we wondered how everything would work, but after some trips to Home Depot and Canadian Tire we found some solution. Instead of using a staple gun or something similar, we opted to use hot glue to attach four pieces of L-shaped metal bracing that would keep the CD’s from sliding top to bottom. I wouldn’t recommend using hot glue in most circumstances, but because of the fact that the CD’s were already pretty tightly packed into the suitcase, the metal pieces aren’t really bearing much weight – moreso just maintaining the spacing between each group of discs. We then attached some strips of double sided velcro in order to prevent sliding from left to right (again, with hot glue).

A tour poster and price listing were designed and then printed at a local print shop, attached to the interior of the suitcase with “zots” or glue dots. Thankfully the suitcase had a paper lining, making it infinitely easier to attach everything with glue or tape, as well as avoid any residual odours from the previous owner(s).

Shannon took some time to paint some mini-clothespins that could be used to hold the 3D printed mini-pipe keychains in an orderly fashion. Again, using hot glue they were attached to the suitcase. The problem with keychains is that they dangle. Because of this, closing the lid would have been impossible. After a quick stop at a local fabric store I picked up some elastic which was – you guessed it – attached using hot glue. The elastic would help keep the keychains against the lid of the suitcase, allowing me to open and close it easily. I also made sure to glue it in such a way that it could be tucked behind the keychains when on display and not be overly noticed. I’m not worried about the glue being under too much pressure as the elasticity of the ribbon isn’t really being activated.

The lighting strand came from Shannon, and was a leftover from some Christmas shopping she had done last year. I had already purchased a thicker tube of Christmas lighting but it was too bulky and had an automatic colour-changing feature that would piss off any venue owner. Besides, the smaller ones do such a great job of lighting up the suitcase that I don’t have a problem in the darkest of venues. Because it’s essentially very small lights attached only by very thin exposed copper wires, I opted to tape them to the case rather than use hot glue. Additionally, it’s battery powered so I’m not limited by access to a power outlet!

Finally, I spent some extra time glueing in some more velcro to attach some pens and sharpies (perfect for that mailing list and or signing CD’s), as well as a Square credit card reader. All the essentials would be covered!

Have a look through the photo gallery and let me know what you think. Hopefully it’ll inspire you to retro-fit some of your own luggage for when you hit the road next!

I’m on tour this summer, so I’ll let you know how it holds up!

Musician Merchandise Display (vintage suitcase)

Wet Hot Canadian Summer – Canada/US Tour announcement

By In Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

Wet Hot Canadian Summer - DATES 11x17

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

De Roover announces “Wet Hot Canadian Summer” – Canada/US Tour Dates

June 9th, 2015

“The mad scientist of the Thunder Bay music scene” [Exclaim! magazine] is heading back out on the road, taking his music beyond the southern border…again.

After touring North America for most of the Fall of 2014, De Roover still wants more. Starting with a tour kickoff at the Black Pirates Pub in Thunder Bay, ON on June 17th, De Roover will make stops around the southern side of the Great Lakes before entering southern Ontario for a string of shows and a performance at the first Musiikki Festival in Kingston, ON, speeding westward to California for a week and the Carnevale festival in Weed, CA. Afterwards he’ll head North for several stops in British Columbia including Summer Sounds festival in Cranbrook, BC, before returning to Thunder Bay in time to perform at Buskers Festival on June 26th. August will also see De Roover performing at more festivals in Northern Ontario including Summer in the Parks in Thunder Bay, as well as Tumblestone in Lappe.

This summer will continue to see De Roover performing solo, but adding to his existing live looping arsenal by incorporating elements from the newest album through samples as he performs at various types of venues with material that is sure to impress, whatever the setting.

De Roover’s professional career has seen him spending less time on the road. After working on a film score for an IMAX documentary over the Fall and Winter of 2013/2014, De Roover temporarily relocated to Toronto to work with the team at Coalition Music, known for their commitment to artist development and education (as well as managing Our Lady Peace and Simple Plan to name a few). His personal life has also seen changes, having bought a house promptly after returning from Southern Ontario and getting married to Shannon Lepere, his partner of almost 7 years.

Despite taking these considerable personal and professional strides this year, De Roover is excited to go back to the drawing board for some new recording projects. But before that happens, he’s heading out for a string of summer shows and festivals across North America.

Born in Thunder Bay, ON, Canada, De Roover was raised overseas in Africa, Asia and South America before returning to Canada in 2001. Since starting his career as a solo artist in 2007 he has had opportunities to perform at big festivals like Canadian Music Week, NXNE, as well as share stages with artists like the Beach Boys, Goo Goo Dolls, Beardyman and many, many more.

For more information on Jean-Paul De Roover or tour dates please visit www.jeanpaulderoover.com

—–

**Dates have been updated as of 07/01

06/17 – Thunder Bay, ON – Black Pirates Pub
06/18 – POSTPONED – Duluth, MN – Red Star
06/20 – POSTPONED – Mason City, IA – Coffee Cat (early)
06/20 – POSTPONED – Spirit Lake, IA – Okoboji Brewery (late)
06/23 – POSTPONED – Windsor, ON – Phog Lounge
06/24 – POSTPONED – Toronto, ON – The Painted Lady [Jazz Fest] *
06/25 – POSTPONED – Ottawa, ON – The Rainbow Bistro
06/26 – POSTPONED – Kingston, ON – Musiikki Café [Musiikki Festival] *
06/28 – POSTPONED – Grand Rapids, MI – Mulligan’s: Otherside
07/03 – Boise, ID – House Concert
07/04 – Oakland, CA – The Stork Club
07/05 – Santa Cruz, CA – Streetlight Records
07/07 – Monterey, CA – Old Market Place
07/07 – Monterey, CA – Bear and Bull
07/08 – Long Beach, CA – DiPiazza’s
07/09 – Livermore, CA – Tap 25
07/10 – Dunsmuir, CA – Dunsmuir Brewery
07/10 – Mt Shasta, CA – Shasta Inn
07/11 – Weed, CA – Carnevale *
07/15 – Squamish, BC – The Nest Restaurant
07/16 – Vancouver, BC – House Concert
07/17 – Kamloops, BC – The Dirty Jersey
07/18 – Cranbrook, BC – Summer Sounds *
07/18 – Nelson, BC – Cafe Momento
07/19 – Fernie, BC – Infinitea T-Bar
07/23 – Edmonton, AB – Brixx
07/24 – Saskatoon, SK – The Underground
07/25 – Winnipeg, MB – Le Garage Café
07/26 – Thunder Bay, ON – Valley Fresh Busker Fest *
08/14 – Thunder Bay, ON – Red Lion Smokehouse
08/19 – Thunder Bay, ON – Summer in the Parks *
08/27 – Minneapolis, MN – Acadia Café
08/28 – Duluth, MN – Beaner’s Coffee
08/29 – Lappe, ON – Tumblestone *
09/16 – Thunder Bay, ON – Music for the Masses *
09/26 – North Bay, ON – Little Festival in the Woods *

* Festival performance

Full tour dates and more info here.

RSVP to the tour on Facebook.

—–

Want to hear the last album in it’s entirety? Listen to “Complexity in Simplicity” from front to back on YouTube:

Eastern “Get Up and Get Out” North American tour dates announced

By In Tagged as , , , , , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

De Roover announces Eastern “Get Up and Get Out” North American Tour Dates

JPDR - NAT2014 EAST Listing (small)November 18th, 2014

“The mad scientist of the Thunder Bay music scene” [Exclaim! magazine] is heading back out on the road, taking his music beyond the southern border… again. After recently completing a 50-day tour of Western Canada and the US, De Roover hasn’t quite had enough of the continent.

Beginning on November 29th, De Roover will be headed Eastward, moving around the southern side of the Great Lakes, before entering southern Ontario for a string of shows, eventually returning via the American Midwest by December 20th. While the first set of dates of the international tour included stops at various live-looping festivals, the Eastern dates will include several co-headlining shows with artists like Jack Campbell (Chicago, IL) [4 shows], The Living Satellites (Toronto, ON) [2 shows] and fellow loop festival alumni Mike Why (Pittsburgh, PA) (1 show). This tour will still see De Roover performing solo, but adding to his existing live looping arsenal by incorporating elements from the newest album through samples as he performs at various types of venues with material that is sure to impress, whatever the setting.

De Roover’s professional career has seen him spending less time on the road this past year. After working on a film score for an IMAX documentary over the Fall and Winter of 2013/2014, De Roover temporarily relocated to Toronto to work with the team at Coalition Music, known for their commitment to artist development and education (as well as managing Our Lady Peace and Simple Plan to name a few). His personal life has also seen changes, having bought a house promptly after returning from Southern Ontario and getting married to Shannon Lepere, his partner of almost 7 years. In fact, the upcoming tour’s name comes from a lyric in the song “Hope” (from his 2013 album “Complexity in Simplicity”), whose acoustic music video will feature Lepere on guest vocals. The video was released in October in conjunction with the beginning of the Western portion of the tour.

Despite taking these considerable personal and professional strides this year, De Roover is excited to go back to the drawing board for some new recording projects. But before that happens, he’s heading out on the road one last time before the year is over.

Born in Thunder Bay, ON, Canada, De Roover was raised overseas in Africa, Asia and South America before returning to Canada in 2001. Since starting his career as a solo artist in 2007 he has had opportunities to perform at big festivals like Canadian Music Week, NXNE, as well as share stages with artists like the Beach Boys, Goo Goo Dolls, Beardyman and many, many more.

For more information on Jean-Paul De Roover or tour dates please visit www.jeanpaulderoover.com

RSVP to the tour on Facebook.

GET UP AND GET OUT | NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

CANADA
11/21 – Thunder Bay, ON – Black Pirates Pub
11/27 – Thunder Bay, ON – Crocks ****
11/28 – Thunder Bay, ON – The Outpost

UNITED STATES
11/29 – Duluth, MN – Red Star *
12/01 – Milwaukee, WI – Nick’s House 12/02 – Madison, WI – The Frequency *
12/03 – Chicago, IL – The Burlington *
12/04 – Dayton, OH – South Park Tavern *
12/05 – Pittsburgh, PA – Hambone ***

CANADA
12/07 – Barrie, ON – Private House Show
12/09 – Kingston, ON – Musiikki Cafe
12/10 – Ottawa, ON – The Daily Grind
12/11 – Toronto, ON – The Central **
12/12 – London, ON – The Blackshire Pub **

UNITED STATES
12/13 – Hamtramck, MI – Paychecks Lounge
12/14 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Quad
12/15 – Chicago, IL – Uncommon Ground
12/16 – Muncie, IN – Be Here Now
12/17 – Burlington, IA – The Washington
12/18 – Minneapolis, MN – Acadia Cafe
12/19 – Duluth, MN – Beaner’s Concert Coffee Lounge

CANADA
12/23 – Thunder Bay, ON – Black Pirates Pub

* with Jack Campbell (Chicago, IL)
** with The Living Satellites (Toronto, ON)
*** with Mike Why (Pittsburgh, PA)
**** with USS (Toronto, ON)

Toronto Rhapcity review

By In Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Uri Mendoza of Toronto Rhapcity was on his own Canadian tour not so long ago, stopping in every other major centre in Canada, reviewing bands, records and more at every stop. As a touring machine myself, I could certainly appreciate his determination!

While he was in Thunder Bay, he caught my show and did a review. On top of that, he also grabbed a copy of the new record and gave it a really nice review! He’s in Korea at the moment, so we wish him  well, but he’s busy writing about his adventures so make sure to check out his website: www.torontorhapcity.com.

“Complexity in Simplicity” album review

“Meet Jean-Paul De Roover” article

 

Some highlights:

–  “Watching him perform onstage was like watching shattered glass piece itself back together; the songs started out as small fragments of a whole, and slowly coalesced into their proper form.”

–  “This is what pop music should sound like; it should sound like a dream, because dreams are where our desires come from, and pop music speaks to our desires.”

–  “He actually reminds me of Steven Page, the former vocalist for the Barenaked Ladies.”

–  “A one-man coming of age and introspective musical about your life. Every moment of self-doubt, every hopeful and revitalizing moment of tranquil clarity, every little detail of your taped up broken heart marked “fragile,” every difficult goodbye, they’re all here. Except that De Roover’s voice is so crisp and clear that it immerses you in the story, placing you in the moment. When he screams, “Get up! Get up! Get up!” you want to get up and run out the door, feet pounding the ground underneath you, their intensity matched only by your hammering heart, which screams out for a second chance.”

‘Complexity in Simplicity’ cross-Canada tour dates

By In Tagged as , , , , , , ,

With the new CD out this week, I’ve got a lot of things on the go, including prepping for the next national tour. It’s going to be awesome, I’m hitting up both coasts, playing with some friends and some new faces, but the best part is that I’ll be playing a lot of brand new material you haven’t heard before and I can’t wait for you to hear it!

Go to the Music page, and you can hear the first single ‘One By One’.

 

—–

Jean-Paul De Roover to release new album with cross-Canada tour

March 2013

“The mad scientist of the Thunder Bay music scene” [Exclaim! magazine] has been hard at work since his last full-length album was released in 2009.  After touring North America incessantly, with music videos featured on MuchMusic, showcases at international music festivals, two EP’s and several award nominations later, De Roover is ready to unveil his newest album.

Written over the past four years, Complexity in Simplicity was produced by Juno-nominated Ben Leggett of Corbeil, ON and De Roover himself.

“Having a producer come in was a big step for me,” De Roover admits, “I’ve self-produced everything before this, but the collaborative production process between Ben and I resulted in some of my strongest writing. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

The new album was recorded in Thunder Bay, ON at Dining Room Studios, and takes a minimalist approach, musically and visually. Although the recordings still hearken back to his earlier work in terms of complexity, the structures of the various songs emphasize his newfound appreciation of simple yet well-constructed pop songs. To back up De Roover’s signature post-pop sound, the record features live drums and bass in addition to his guitar, vocals and added keys and synths. The album’s 10 songs were funded in part by the Ontario Arts Council and his fans through a crowd-funding campaign.

Complexity in Simplicity will be launched at a special CD release event in Thunder Bay at The Foundry on March 23rd, and will feature De Roover and his brand new backing band with Dennis Dumphy on drums and Chris Dorota on bass guitar. The spring tour will still see De Roover touring solo, but adding to his existing live looping arsenal by incorporating elements from the new album through samples as he crosses the country for the rest of March and April. Performing at venues varying from rock clubs to house concerts, De Roover’s new material is sure to impress, whatever the setting. His most recent EP, the a cappella ‘Pitch Pipes’ (2011) was well received and received several nominations at the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards in 2012.

Born in Thunder Bay, ON, Canada, De Roover was raised overseas in Africa, Asia and South America before returning to Canada in 2001. Since starting his career as a solo artist in 2007 he has had opportunities to perform at big festivals like Canadian Music Week, NXNE, and dozens more, as well as share stages with artists like the Beach Boys, Goo Goo Dolls, Beardyman and many, many more.

—–

WEST COAST

03/23 – Thunder Bay, ON – The Foundry – CD Release event w/Nathan Woods

03/24 – Brandon, MB – Park Community Centre

03/26 – Edmonton, AB – The Artery

03/27 – Red Deer, AB – Slumland

03/29 – Duncan, BC – Duncan Garage

03/30 – Nanaimo, BC – Corner Bistro

03/31 – Port Alberni, BC – Char’s Landing

04/01 – Vancouver, BC – Falconetti’s

04/03 – Calgary, AB – Vern’s

04/04 – Lethbridge, AB – Owl Acoustic Lounge

04/06 – Winnipeg, MB – Le Garage

 

EAST COAST

04/09 – Marathon, ON – House Concert

04/10 – Parry Sound, ON – Kudos Kuisine

04/11 – Hamilton, ON – Homegrown Hamilton

04/12 – London, ON – APK Live

04/13 – Windsor, ON – Phog Lounge

04/15 – Toronto, ON – Rancho Relaxo

04/16 – Sorel, QC – Acoustic Loft

04/17 – St Andrews, NB – Red Herring

04/18 – Moncton, NB – Plan B

04/19 – Alma, NB – An Octopus’ Garden

04/20 – Sackville, NB – Bridge Street Cafe

04/21 – Windsor, NS – TAN Coffee (matinee)

04/21 – Halifax, NS – The Carleton

04/22 – Moncton, NB – Plan B

04/23 – Quebec, QC – Bar Orsainville

04/24 – Montreal, QC – Bar L’Escogriffe

04/25 – Ottawa, ON – Zaphod’s

04/26 – North Bay, ON – Voyager Inn

04/27 – Sudbury, ON – Fromagerie Elgin

Fall US Tour in photos

By In Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Now that I’m back in the swing of things, I figured I’d share some of the photos that Shannon Lepere took while with me on the last US tour, as well as some of my iPhone “photography”. This includes the trek from Thunder Bay to Victoria, BC, then south to Santa Cruz, CA, back up to Portland, OR, then east to Duluth, MN before coming back home. Of course you can always look through my instagram (@jeanpaulderoover) feed to find some other random gems.

Scroll towards the end for some shots from the Y2KX+2 International Live Looping Festival in Santa Cruz, CA.

A big thank you to everyone I met on this leg of the tour, and the random friends we made while you let us sleep on your floors. Cheers, until we meet again in the Fall!

 

Live at the CB Booking Fest in Victoria, BC (Lindsey Blaine)

Greg Rekus representing Canada in Napa, CA

Live at the ArtLab in Fort Collins, CO (Shannon Lepere)

Live at Side Door Lounge in Omaha, NE (Shannon Lepere)

Alicia of The Love Technicians at the Side Door Lounge in Omaha, NE (Shannon Lepere)

Live at the NorthWest LoopFest in Portland, OR (Shannon Lepere)

Live at the NorthWest LoopFest in Portland, OR (Shannon Lepere)

Live at The Greater Good in Sonora, CA (Shannon Lepere)

Jumping near Big Sur, CA (Shannon Lepere)

Shannon jumping near Big Sur, CA

Admiring the view near Big Sur, CA (Shannon Lepere)

Watching over the shore near Wolf Point, CA

Live at Tycoon’s in Duluth, MN (Shannon Lepere)

Jellyfish display in the Monterey Aquarium, CA (Shannon Lepere)

Belated birthday dinner in San Francisco

 

Y2KX+2 LIVE LOOPING FESTIVAL: Santa Cruz, CA

With over 55 artists from 7 different countries, I certainly felt at home and in my element performing at this festival for the first time.

Jean-Paul De Roover (Canada)

Stanosaur (US) – didn’t actually use a looping device, but had three separate amps that created feedback loops. Had to leave the building it was so loud!

Whoolilicious (US) – think Cuban/Latin dance music with a looper and a live drummer

Bill Walker (US) & Mandoman (Japan) – a definite highlight! Bill plays guitar and Mandoman plays mandolin, but Mandoman built both instruments, so this was the first time that these two ‘brother’ instruments performed together!

Krispen Hartung & Aaron Davis (US) – Krispen runs the improvised music festival in Boise, ID, but this was live looping dance music to the extreme.

Laurie Amat & Rick Walker (US) – Rick runs the whole festival every year, so for the final performance he and Laurie did an experimental performance, incorporating not one but two vibrators (used musically) into the performance!

 

Load More