We were very sad to get the news last month of the passing of Doug Barron who, among many other things, was a former cohost of CBC Weekend Mornings out of Halifax NS. Doug was supportive of our band and would send us positive messages saying how he enjoyed our music. We had discussed the possibility of a joint show with his band and had made tentative plans to pursue that this year. RIP Doug and condolences to family and friends.

In band news, original member Joe Bonnell has left the band and we wish him all the best in future endeavours and thank him for all his outstanding contributions to our music and shows over the years. 

Our August 30 outdoor show was rained out but we did get to perform on the rain date of Monday September 4. We closed off the Fredericton Northside Concert Series sponsored by Business Fredericton North with a fun performance where we played 22 original Free to Grow numbers. We even played the song Miracle Man in front of the man himself and I had an opportunity to test out my new Insta 360 X3 camera and make a video of that part of the event. Friend of the band Doug Schwartz took some video and we have been using it to make some shorts on YouTube and Reels on Facebook. We'd love it if you subscribed to us on YouTube and followed us on Facebook if you haven't already done so.

Peace and Love to All

Jeff Patch

Hi Folks

Lots of news to share: the most recent, wonderful and exciting being Jeff's receipt of the JL Music Composer Award from the Jane LeBlanc Legacy Fund. This $1000 CAD award will substantially offset our studio expenses as we continue work on our fourth studio album. This is awesome news for us!!!

We continue to prepare for our next live performance (Facebook Event Link) on August 30 at 7-8:30 pm at Mitch Clarke Park on Fredericton's Northside. This free performance is sponsored by Business Fredericton North as part of their Northside Concert Series. We even made a YouTube Short Promo Video!

On a last note several people have enquired about what happened to our June 23 gig at The Tipsy Muse Cafe. Unfortunately one of our members contracted and tested positive for Covid the night before the scheduled show. Regrettably the show had to be cancelled.

That should bring us up to date. Peace and Love to All

Jeff

Hi Folks

We have a gig coming up and if you can come out, we would love to see you there!

We will be playing two sets from 7-9 PM on June 23 at the Tipsy Muse Cafe. Advance tickets are $11.50 (+taxes / fees) and are available here and you may also want to check out the Facebook event. 

This will be a bit different in that it will be an unplugged performance with Jeff, Joe, Amanda, and Marie Hélène. We will play Free to Grow songs both new and old in an intimate setting and provide background info on the music. We are excited and it promises to be a fun time.

Cheers and peace and love

Jeff

Hi Folks

May 1 is here and we have released new music. Three brand new songs and a reissue of the two songs we initially released in December 2022. One of these tunes is a live take from our February 25 gig which will ultimately make it onto a live vinyl LP we plan to release later this year. A video of the performance has also been released today. The other songs will ultimately make it onto our fourth full length studio album, also planned for release later in 2023. 

Here are all the links you need:

Website: https://www.freetogrowband.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/freetogrowband  

Bandcamp: https://freetogrow.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3YTMJeCvWlV5ysLIHnyeKg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreeToGrowBand/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freetogrowband/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreetoGrowBand   

Peace and love to all

Jeff

Hi folks

We will be releasing 5 songs on Monday May 1. All of the songs will be on our next studio album. In fact we plan two more major releases in 2023. One will be a live album from our February 25 gig at Fredericton's Grimross Taproom. Free to Grow (Live) will be available on the usual music sale and streaming sites as well as on a vinyl LP. Our next studio album (Along for the Ride) will be released as a CD and will also be available on all your favourite music sites. Both will feature artwork by our very own talented Amanda L. Moss. It has been a long haul and we look forward to sharing the new material with you.

Peace and love

Jeff

What fun we had on February 25. Our first time back live on stage since August of 2018. It has been quite a journey. We opened for our friends The Unheard at the Grimross Taproom with MRD Studios providing sound for Roots and Soul Music Promotions.

We played 11 of our songs in our set, including 8 newer songs which will be on our upcoming fourth album. We finished off our night with Miracle Man, our tribute to The UnHeard's Bruce Hughes. The place was full and the crowd was enthusiastic. Awesome time.

We posted a couple of videos on our Facebook page and we expect to post more in the coming weeks.

Peace and love

Jeff

More good news and we are very excited. Thanks to our friends The UnHeard we are playing live on February 25. They graciously invited us to open for them in what will be a fun night filled with original rock music. 

"The UnHeard return to be heard and Free to Grow will open for them in a special music event that will warm your bones and thrill your auditory senses with original rock & roll. Doors at 7 PM Show at 8 PM $15 adv / $20 at the door"

You can find the event on Facebook, on our website "Shows" page and advance tickets are available via eventbrite.

Thanks also to Roots and Soul Music Promotions  and Grimross Brewing Co.

Hope to see you there!

First Amanda had a baby (a very good thing), then Jeff was diagnosed with bladder cancer (a bad thing), then the Covid pandemic hit (another bad thing).  The end result was that after the release of our third album we were not able to have a release concert and haven't performed live for a long time.

The good news is that Jeff has been cancer free and has been writing enough material for a fourth album which will be out by 2023. The band, with a mix of old faces and some new ones, has been rehearsing and recording and we will update you on any song releases and public performances that may happen in the near future. 

We will be reentering the world of social media so look for us on Twitter and Facebook. Hope to see you there.

Hi Folks 

Exciting times as it has now been a little over a month since the release of the "Imperfection" album. We have since released it in vinyl, which is exciting. If you want a CD, vinyl or a download and haven't got it yet please let me know. If you have and like our music feel free to spread the word. That is always appreciated. 

Reviews have been very positive: 

Jeff Liberty Review for CBC Saint John 

Grid City Magazine Review by Matt Carter 

Atlantic Axess Interview with Terry Parker 

fred-e-scene review by David MacCoubrey 

CBC Shift Interview 

Note that the previously released Miracle Man remains our most popular video at close to 3.4k views and most streamed song on Spotify with over 2k streams. Silence is another song that has done well, being named video of the week on the International Indie Site Music Talks, and song of the week on Belter Radio in the UK. 

In other news we have discontinued our relationship and page on Facebook. Over the years the platform has become less and less effective as a means to communicate with and engage followers. Posts that a few years ago would reach hundreds of people now often reach less than 100 and if there is higher engagement we get invited to pay to boost a post to reach more people. Our revenue stream is not enough to make it cost effective. Couple that with a series of scandals and bad press (no I don't wear a tinfoil hat ) and I felt it was time to leave. For now we remain available on Twitter, Instagram and our website and you can always reach out via email. We also maintain a presence on Bandcamp. 

That's all I have for now and best wishes to all. 

Jeff Patch for 

Free to Grow

Today we released our third full-length album and we are thrilled.

You can order downloads from our music page or our store and it is available at the usual suspect music sites like Bandcamp and also streamable on Spotify. 

If you want a hardcopy CD you can also order it from our webpage. Contact us directly if you are closer to the Fredericton area and we can deliver and save on shipping charges. 

A huge thanks also to fred-e-scene for a most wonderful review and article. Wowza!!!