In an ongoing trend with these newsletters, The Checkerboard Guy has opted for another three-word phrase to articulate his recent interactions with the world!

VOLUME 14.08.20 : June 22, 2014 • SHAKE! RATTLE! & ROLL!

SHAKE!

There’s an awesome scene in the 1986 John Hughes classic film, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when Ferris, played by Matthew Broderick, takes to the streets of Chicago to lip-sync to The Beatles', Twist and Shout. It’s a moment of pure joy and celebration that not only resonated with me when I first saw the movie almost 30 years ago, but has stayed with me ever since. I was reminded of that scene recently when stumbling across this vintage Checkerboard Guy Promo Image (which, btw, is almost as old as that movie). It was a great reminder of the need to ‘SHAKE It Up Baby’ with the same joy and exuberance every time I head out on stage to play for an audience! Do what you love - love what you do and use it to make the world a better place! Still hard to believe I’m getting away with doing this for a living!

"The Checkerboard Guy is a wacky-crazy man that will keep you laughing! A delight to work with!"

—Sheila Trott, Production Manager
Royal Caribbean International

RATTLE!

I grew up in Ottawa and learned how to perform for audiences in Nation’s Capital so whenever I go back I’m struck by an enormous amount of nostalgia because my performance history is rooted in the lessons I learned by doing hundreds of street shows on the Sparks Street Mall and in the Byward Market. Getting back for the Ottawa Buskers Festival a few weeks ago was an absolute hoot because I deliberately decided to RATTLE my own cage a bit by teaming up with my good friend Jean-Michel Paré for a marathon sixteen shows in four days! Jean-Michel and I had talked about doing shows together about 25 years ago and I’m enormously grateful to the producers of the Ottawa Fest who let us team up and make that dream a reality! So much magic happened over the course of the weekend, but the show where we went head-to-head with a fireworks display and kept our audience was the highlight! Huge thanks to photographer, Nick Ghattas for capturing the images from the show!

"Although stuck in a world that's black and white, The Checkerboard Guy adds a nuanced subtlety to juggling that delights audiences the world over."

—Todd Strong
Juggling Teacher, Author, Guru

& ROLL!

Less than 24 hours ago I got a call from my friend, Richard Renner, who also happens to producer of the Lawrence Buskers Festival where I'll be performing this weekend. Richard was calling to confirm that he’d be picking me up from the airport on Wednesday. This came as a complete shock as I was absolutely convinced that I was arriving on Thursday - but no - upon closer inspection, Richard was right and I would have totally missed my flight had he not check in with me...phew! Fast-forward a few hours and my beautiful and charming wife, Emiko, is about to drop me off at the airport when I realize I’ve left my wallet at home... HOLY CR&*%P! What to do? Amazingly, Emi was able to drive all the way back to North Vancouver, grab my wallet and blast back to the airport in time for me to still make my flight. My current fear is that these sorts of near-calamities come in groups of three and I may not be as lucky on whatever’s about to hit me next! Some days you just have to ROLL with it though and I’m enormously grateful to the AWESOME people who’ve been looking out for me in the past 24 hours! Be warned though, it may not be a good idea to run into me in the next few hours as I’m a bit of a walking disaster at the moment!

When and where can I see him? And when can I book him?
• Upcoming bookings can be viewed here!
• Available dates can be viewed here!

You can find The Checkerboard Guy on line via:
• His Website
• His Twitter Feed
• His Facebook Page
• His Linked In Profile
• His YouTube Channel
Or send him an email or even give him a call - 604.418.6028!

Got an idea for a festival, venue, special event or show that would benefit from a visit from The Checkerboard Guy? Act as a CBG booking agent or refer him for the gig and if it's one that Dave's never done before he'll cut you a check for 10%. Send Dave an email and if he lands the gig the cash is yours - guaranteed!