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See Kathleen's 2012 Ireland/UK Tour Blog (including photos from the road)!

May 21, 2012
New VIDEO: Thump & Howl!! Recorded and produced by our pals Chris Lemky and Tim Mcleod at the Anchor Guitar Studio. These guys did a fabulous job and we had a great time making it. Enjoy ;)

MORE good news: Our Ireland/UK Tour is now underway! Yessir, Steve & Kathleen are in London as we speak preparing the terrain for a 6-week mad-capped adventure of some of our very favourite places! Tim, Patrick & Sean were unable to make it, but we are pleased to have James Scholl - member of Vancouver folk favourite Plough (check 'em out!) - joining us on the doghouse bass. As always, the Cavemaster Dr. Mark Vaughan will be present, as well as Tyler Dean... at least for the Irish portion of the tour! Sitting in for Tyler (an expecting father!) in the UK will be good buddy Christopher Suen of local stringband Shout! White Dragon. Now that's what we call a Team effort!

May 21, 2012
The new CD is out and so far we've had nothing but positive feedback. We're very pleased with the new record and we are confident you will be too! We hope you'll pick one up, have a good listen, and drop us a line with your comments when you do as they are most welcome.

On that note, the launch party at the Waldorf was jam-packed full of friends and good-time rounders, and we'd like to thank you all for coming out and making it such a memorable event. We also want to extend our special thanks to David Boxcar Gates for his fabulous opening set, and to Cam Wagner & the Lonesome Truth for rocking the night away with their kick-ass country & western swing!

As for future plans, we're very excited to be returning to Ireland and the U.K. for our third consecutive summer! We have begun posting tour dates, so have a perusal and if all goes well we just may cross paths along the way! In the meantime, peace and good will to all.

April 4, 2012
Hey y'all! Great news - we've almost completed our new studio album! It's called Thump & Howl and features a whole slate of entirely new original material. Samples should be up within a few days; in the meantime you can help us get them to production by pre-ordering a copy at a reduced rate. Go to our IndieGogo site and cash in on bonus fun while you're at it! There's vinyl to be had, posters, tickets to the CD release party, even private music lessons. Get it while the getting is good, and thank you kindly for your support!

March 10, 2012
To all our friends in the U.K., Viper Central is finalizing plans for another multi-week tour of Ireland, England, and Scotland! Kicking it all off in late June, our first stop on the tour will be the Open House Festival in Belfast. Official dates will be up soon, so don't be a stranger!

November 16, 2011
Things are coming along well in the studio! We are currently finishing up a number of tracks with more on their way and others in various stages of completion. Things are jelling really well and the initial outcome sounds promising. Special thanks to the talented Patrick Metzger for sitting in with us on bass for several numbers. Stay tuned for samples!

October 15, 2011
Fall is in full swing as the Vipers gear up to record their 3rd and most comprehensive album yet!! The full-length record (yes, there will be vinyl!) will consist of almost entirely original music, some of which we have been waiting for years to record and others which are relatively new to the repertoire. Recordings for the most part will be live off the floor, and we should be releasing the CD sometime in spring 2012. Exciting!

June 18, 2011
With a view to wrapping up our third European tour in style, 4/5 Vipers (Tyler, Kathleen, Steve, and Mark) decided to cash in on some cheap flights and spend our last week in Algarve, Portugal! The busking wasn't great but we had a fun gig at the Shamrock Irish Pub in Albufeira, the beach town that never sleeps! In reality we spent most of our time drinking Super Boks and swimming at the beach, but hey we worked hard for that! On their way back through London, Mark & Tyler had a cultural experience with a bunch of like-minded spirits at an old-time lock-in in King's Cross!

It will probably take weeks to recover from our 2011 European tour....

June 13, 2011
We were very pleased to ring in the end of our UK tour at the fabulous Gate to Southwell Folk Festival, where there were over 78 different ales on tap and almost as many great acts to follow! Our hosts Mick, Sue, Tim & Michelle were extraordinary, as was the jam session and party that ensued... and continued on until the morning light!

June 10, 2011
Still reeling from much traveling and strong on the heels of our adventures in Wales and Brighton, we were thrilled to share the stage with several great acts from London proper at the Underbelly in Hoxton, including Dean Johansen of The Human Condition (from Florida), the splendid Nathalie Nahai, and our great new friends Jenny 'n Stuff, featuring Joe & Bella Chipperfield (our host family in Stansted) on guitars and the celestial harp! We ran into some familiar faces from Fire in the Mountain at the Old Queen's Head in Islington the next day, sharing the stage with Danny Nichols and the Hi & Low. "What's Cookin" in Leytonstone was a blast just like last year, and we were well taken care of in Kelvedon the next day by Tony Essex, James Partridge and company.

June 7, 2011
Well Ireland is now behind us but we have powerful memories of the wonderful people and places we had the great fortune to encounter and experience. In sleepy Carrig-on-Bannow we performed at Colfer's Pub, where we had the chance to play Mason's Apron and the Tennessee Waltz with John Murphy, perhaps the greatest harmonica player in Ireland! Lismore is an incredible castle town-by-the-river; our splendid hosts John & Anne Cullemore made us very much at home and we were treated to a warm audience at the posh Ballyrafter house, sharing the stage with new friends Pat, Eileen Healy & Yvonne Leahy (of Cork's The Critters). The very next morning we made the epic trip from Cork to Aberystwyth, Wales by ferry for the unforgettable Fire in the Mountain festival!!! A very good time was had by all and we managed to extend the good vibes at subsequent gigs, where numerous new friends came to support us and wax poetic over "All the Good Times" now past and gone (snif!). Brighton was another highlight for us this year; a great venue with great sound and great people - what more could we ask for? Very special thanks to Chris, Jill, & Mark at the Grey's for putting on a successful evening, and to Ben & Joe of the fabulous Galleons for being such generous hosts and all-around good people.

May 18, 2011
All is well in old Erin's Isle! Scotland was fantastic as usual, with very special thanks to our hosts Steve & Clancy, and of course Rob & Anne. We were warmly received wherever we went, and the scotch in Dingwall was the cheapest we've seen by far! The Ireby Folk Festival was a fabulous discovery for us; Charles, Susan, and company took really great care of us and we made some great friends along the way. Musical highlights for us were Wes Finch & the Dirty Band and of course the fabulous Jaywalkers. Our time in Ireland has been amazing thus far, with huge thanks going out to Chris and Patricia Mannion and the entire Lyons family for giving us a welcome to remember! We shared the stage at Whelan's in Dublin with the fabulous No Crows. Last night we stayed and played in the beautiful country home of Sharon & Arnie Loughrin in Cookstown and tonight we head up toward Belfast for a show at the Bronte music club!

May 18, 2011
...And we're off! to the land of pints, kilts and shamrocks - the "United" Kingdom! The fun starts on Sunday with a radio spot in Edinburgh to kick off the tour, which consists of a week in Scotland, a week in Ireland, a week in England, and... a surprise week we haven't quite decided on yet!... It may be in Wales, or it may be as far-flung as Italy or Spain (we're suckers for the Mediterranean), so get in your votes if you'd like us to pay you a visit and we'll see what we can do (no time like the present to cash in on discount airfares!).

March 30, 2011
What's new? Well we've been keeping it local and mixing it up musically with gigs in and around the lower mainland. Winter highlights include a spot for Eco-Fashion Week, and our first feature performance to be officially hosted by the Pacific Bluegrass & Heritage Society. All this aside...

Spring is on its way, and so are we... to Europe! Dates are being updated regularly so stop by whenever you like and have yoselves a "look-see"!

November 11, 2010
Viper Central have taken the summer off to work on other projects but they are back in the saddle this fall preparing for Europe 2011! Stay posted for upcoming dates near you. Highlights include another wild run about England & Scotland (we can already smell the ale (or should I say whiskey?) wofting from the casks (or should I say stills)), and our very first trip to Ireland (Whohooo!)

May 24, 2010
Back again on our native soil and we have nothing but good things to say about all the great people we've met over the past month in the UK and Europe. Wherever we went we were well taken care of and it's going to take some time to adjust after a full month of playing and galavanting across England, Scotland, Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands. Thanks to everyone for their support and be sure to stay in touch!

April 28, 2010
News from the road! The UK has been very good to us. We played to a sold-out house in Brighton and again last night in Leytonstone, with another great evening in store in Camden this eve in the solid company of the great Tim Tweedale. The audiences have been great and so has the food (contrary to what some may say about British cuisine!). Our hosts have been exceptionally kind to us and for this we are mighty thankful.

In other news, check out the great review we recently got on No Depression!
Hope to meet you along our journey!

April 22, 2010
Today is the day! If all goes well and we don't get mauled or trampled at the airport by the scores of unhappy grounded travelers to be found there, we should be on British soil as of tomorrow morning London time! We want to extend a special thanks to all our friends and contacts who have helped us organize this upcoming tour. We're all fired up and ready to go, so hang on to your hats - here we come!

April 8, 2010
The new website is finally up! Congratulations and many thanks to our talented friend, musician, artist and scholar Graham Blair for doing such a great job on all that he undertakes, in particular our first E.P. and this spankin' new web layout! We highly recommend you check out his website.

Come on down to Little Mountain Gallery on April 17 as we celebrate the launching of our new gospel disc "Live at the Street Church" and simultaneously kick off our upcoming European tour!

March 23, 2010
My does time ever fly! With less than a month before takeoff we are mighty excited about our upcoming European tour, which promises to be another great chapter in the adventurous Viper chronicles! Speaking of chronicles, I recently asked Tim (an accomplished blogger!) if he would tell us about the recent west coast tour. He subsequently wrote a NOVEL, which I invite you to peruse at your leisure HERE!

January 24, 2010
While Lola nurses baby Flora and Tyler works hard on his thesis, the "Viper Central Quartet" heads down the coast on a 2-week tour of Washington, Oregon and California, which will include a benefit concert in Corvallis, Oregon for victims of the earthquake in Haiti. New dates are being added regularly so be sure to check in for shows in your area! The live record is currently in post-production so that, too, should be out for your listening pleasure in the weeks to come. Soon thereafter it's off for the second time to Europe!...

November 11, 2009
Happy Rememberance Day! Just a note to say we've got a bunch of new dates up, including San Francisco in February and another spring tour of Europe, this time for a month and with added spots in the UK and Germany! The live recording we did on the first of the month is sounding pretty good and we are currently working on the details of its release. By popular demand, the album will feature some of the band's gospel material, recorded live at the River Foursquare "Street" Church of Vancouver's downtown east side.

September 17, 2009
The Vipers are back in the studio this fall getting some new material together after recovering from an eventful and fun-filled summer! Also on the slate, if all goes well, is a complete revamping of our website, so hang in there while we tighten things up here a notch or two!

August 31, 2009
Huge thanks go out to all the volunteers and coordinators of the Northern Lights Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival for making our stay up in Northern Saskatchewan so memorable! We had a blast and we will most certainly be back!

July 29, 2009
We are back from a successful tour of Montana, Alberta and Northern BC! Lots of new friends, great music, swimming in cold mountain rivers, and no major setbacks to speak of (despite needing to replace the starter on the tour van in Burns Lake!). More going on this week around town, and on Monday we begin recording some new material for our next release, which is tentatively set for spring 2010. Special thanks to all who took care of us along the way and all the great festivals and concert series we've had the pleasure of being part of. Until we meet again!

May 25, 2009
Time flies when you're having fun, but we could certainly never forget our spring 2009 European tour with Redgrass, which brought us from the shores of Paris, France to the heart of Swiss Germany, to the balmy Mediteranean coast of Genova, Italy and back again. As always we made some great new friends along the way and the European bluegrass (and otherwise!) community was extremely welcoming to us, even going so far as to invite us back again next year!

April 30, 2009
The Vipers are mighty excited about kicking off their European tour with Redgrass in a week's time, and you can be a part of the fun this Friday at the St. James Hall for a barnraiser of a fundraiser with our friends Whiskey Jar and old-time new-world Asian stringband phenomenon Shout! White Dragon ! Featuring dance caller Elena Yeung, who just returned to the west from many moons of touring this great country of ours. Let the good times roll !

Feb. 11, 2009
A week in Europe is now on the roster for May, and if you're a fan from south of the border keep an eye out for us at the Kootanai River Bluegrass Festival in Troy, Montana. Stay tuned for more!...

Jan. 9, 2009
Happy New Year!!! 2009 is shaping up to be a banner year for Viper Central. Thus far we have confirmed our attendance at the Kispiox Valley Music Festival as well as the Northern Lights Bluegrass & Old-Tyme Festival in Big River, Saskatchewan! We're very excited to be a part of these great events and we're looking forward to seeing some new country and making some new friends! It's shaping up to be a Western Canada tour, from Northern B.C. all the way to the Red River Valley and Tyler's very own hometown of "Winterpeg, Manitscoldout"! More details to come....

Nov. 3, 2008
We've been getting some good feedback about our new CD, but we'd like to hear your thoughts about it, so drop us a line and tell us what you think at vipercentral@gmail.com!

Along similar lines, if you are interested in reviewing the Devil Sure is Hard to Please, or if you host a radio show and you are interested in giving the album some airplay, just send us an e-mail with a few details about your show or publication and we would be more than happy to send you a copy!

Sept. 23, 2008
Tyler may be off in Montréal saving the caribou and kicking it old-time style with the Bogghoppers, but the show must go on, and a blast it will be when the Victoria Bluegrass Association hosts Viper Central at Victoria's celebrated Orange Hall! Come on out and tell us what you think of the new album on Tuesday, September 30th at 9pm!

June 30, 2008
A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to all of the wonderful volunteers who made VIPER CENTRAL's debut CD Release Party a smashing success! Friends and supporters flocked from far & wide for a packed night at the St. James Hall, the crowd was high-spirited and we'd never felt better!

The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer kicked off the evening with a fabulous set, so much so that the Vipers enlisted Harpoonist Shawn Hall to join us in our 2nd half for a bluesy rendition of Jacob's Ladder! There were numerous stage antics, including "the Cavemaster" Mark Vaughan giving the speed of sound a run for its money in a breakneck trad showdown with fiddler Kathleen, and of course the inspired breakdancing of Tyler Dean during a particularly Viperized version of Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"!

Thanks to all who came out and rocked it with us. Stay tuned for updates and may we see you again in the not-so-distant future!

June 22, 2008
The Vipers are in a state of high preparation for this Friday's CD Release Party at the St. James Hall! Note advance tickets can be purchased at Rufus' Guitar Shop , Highlife & Red Cat Records, or via your friendly neighbourhood Viper. The show will begin promptly at 8 with the dynamic & gritty old-time blues of Vancouver's The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer, so don't be late!

In other news, the new CD will be available via PayPal very soon so if you're a friend and/or fan from afar, stay posted for one-stop online shopping! Along these lines, keep your eyes out this Friday for a new line 'o t-shirts and stickers, one of the latter free with every CD purchase!

...Or take your chances and be an instant winner at our next "Viper toss"!
SEE YOU ON FRIDAY!

June 22, 2008
A good time was had by all who took part at this weekend's Sooke River Bluegrass Festival! Some great acts took the stage, including Viper Central's Steve Charles, who sat in on bass for Matt Lawson with the Breakmen. Hats off to organizers for making it a time to remember, including "good 'ole boy" Phil Shaver of Four Chords of Wood, who knocked our socks off with a great show Saturday night!

June 17, 2008
Graham Blair is the man responsible for the artwork seen on our debut release "The Devil Sure is Hard to Please". He also happens to be a good friend and a man of many talents. Not only is he a first-rate artist in his own right, he also happens to be an incredibly talented luthier, musician, and scholar. Currently working on a Ph.D. at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Folklore Studies, Graham is working with acclaimed folk music historian Neil Rosenberg, author of Bluegrass: A History (1985) and noted authority on all things Bill Monroe.

June 10, 2008
What a great weekend it was as Viper Central shared the stage with our friends Dyad and Redgrass at funky 1940 Napier Street for the 2008 In the House Festival! Friends old and new lined the pews in this quaint backyard paradise, danced and sang along as we enjoyed the pleasure of being a full 6-piece for the first time since Tyler's fated return from the east, Mr. Tweedale (a.k.a. King Cobro) gracing us with his slithery licks for a whole new round of Viper music on a modestly comfortable "Junuary" afternoon.

May 26, 2008
Viper Central has returned from an epic adventure down south with friends from Redgrass and Plough at Seattle's Northwest Folklife Festival! Surviving brushes with live gunfire (that's right, LIVE GUNFIRE!), highway accidents, food poisoning, and of course the perils of so much jamming we forgot to feed and water ourselves, we somehow managed to have a fabulous time and even make some new friends along the way! Seattle was gorgeous and the summer heat was "in full effect" as we wove our way through the crowds picking and singing and even selling a sizeable number of our shiny new CD's, which are now available for sale here!

April 9, 2008
The Vipers are shaping up for another BIG year! Following the success of the Vancouver-based bluegrass and old-time compilation Whiskey Hollow Bound, work is underway on our first official CD, which is set to be released in the coming weeks. The CD will feature seven original songs from the variable Viper repertoire plus one traditional number. We have the pleasure of working with our friend, fellow musician and skilled sound engineer Kris Boyd of Redgrass on the production of the new Viper E.P. as well as the incredibly talented Graham Blair on the album art. Stay tuned for updates on the first official Viper Central CD release with summer tour schedule to follow! Ssksskssskssss!

August 1, 2007
The Vipers are heading into a busy month! Thanks to a grant by the Canada Council for the Arts, we'll be hunkering down for about a week of recording with the emminent and capable Kris Boyd as engineer - expect an Extended Play ("EP") release for your listening pleasure come october or so! On the performance front, come on out and grass it up with VIPER CENTRAL for a rockus night with the Sumner Bros. at the ANZA Club August 16th. If you're feeling adventurous we'd love you to join us on our first "mini-tour" to Galiano Island, where we play the Grand Central Emporium the 17th, then back in VAN for a full night of Viper music at the MAIN on the 18th. Our final show of the summer also happens to be our feature debut at RIME, Vancouver's hippest live music venue. Check into details about these and more shows to come here. Also note we have stickers, funky t-shirts and Whiskey Hollow Bound CD's here! Ssksssksssksss!!!"

July 22, 2007
Welcome to Viper Central's official Web site!

For a band that's only been together about a year we are thrilled to be featured on Whiskey Hollow Bound, a compilation CD of Vancouver-based bluegrass and old-time artists that is a must-have for any self-respecting fan of roots acoustic music. Sunday, June 17th, 2007 saw the official CD release send-off at the wonderful St. James Hall, an extremely well-attended event featuring the likes of Viper Central, Redgrass, Dyad, Plough, the Mountain Bluebirds and the Breakmen. Stay tuned to Shaw Cable 4 for a one-hour televised special on the event, to be aired periodically on Wednesdays between 8 and 9pm in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The Vipers are thrilled to be playing such exciting music together with such great support from our friends and fans and for that we are very thankful. With Tim on tour for the month of July with Headwater, the remaining Vipers will be rehearsing steadily and workshopping new material in hopes of recording an EP before summer's end. Stay tuned for upcoming gigs to hear the latest in new original material from the diverse songwriting talents of Viper Central. In the meantime check out Whiskey Hollow Bound for our two latest recordings of Shotgun Wedding and Devil in the Hourglass!

June 15, 2007

Greetings to all!

It has been a great year so far. After a few months off to pursue solo projects, Viper Central is reunited and hard at work, recently completing a recording session for Whiskey Hollow Bound, a soon-to-be-released compilation CD of emerging Vancouver-based bluegrass and old-time bands. The album will feature original music by Dyad, Plough, Redgrass, Viper Central, the Breakmen and the Mountain Bluebirds and will be available online through our site or at record stores near you. Don't miss the CD release party at the St. James Hall on June 17th (3214 10th Avenue West; 604-739-9373)!"