JAIMIE VERNON – DEMICS & DIODES & DISHES, OH MY!

At the beginning of May I released my fourth book – ‘Life’s A Canadian (Punk) Rock – Who Wants Guns?: The Swindled Story (1973-1983)’ Check it out here.

In it I discuss my formative musical years and how an innocuous friendship with a high school punk took me on a two year roller coaster ride through the 2^nd Wave of the Toronto punk scene as alleged guitarist in hardcore act Swindled. I had previously run the chapters as blog entries in Don’t Believe A Word I Say back in 2010. The band reunited in 2011 with the ever professional Cleave Anderson on drums, we recorded our long awaited debut album (only 30 years in the making) and everyone lived happily ever after. That chapter is the epilogue in the book.

Segarini: Here Comes Summer….

Canada is not exactly known for its balmy weather and towering palms, so when Canadians feel the warmth of the sun on their faces, there is a kind of joy that those who live further south below America’s Hat and and the Northern States will never experience. Sunny warm weather frees the soul, and except for hipsters and Coldplay tribute bands, the toques come off, the shorts come on, and we embrace the great outdoors…especially patios, our gazillion lakes, and the streets of downtown Toronto, were there is music everywhere, crowded sidewalks, and a party atmosphere like no other. Even Montreal gets a break this year. The Weather Channel says that this year in Montreal, summer falls on a Saturday….

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock – I Was A Punk Before You Were A Punk

“I was a punk before you were a punk

You don’t believe me? Just step outside and see me baby

I was a punk before you were a punk

You want some action? I’ll put your ass in traction baby

I was a punk before you were

I was a punk before you

I was a punk before you were

I was a punk before you”

The Tubes (Spooner/Evans/Waybill)

Nadia Elkharadly: Music Festival – Where dreams and nightmares come true

This past weekend, my fellow Soundgarden fangirl Emy and I flew down to Washington D.C. to get our quarterly dose of SG music love at the DC 101 Chili Cook Off.  I am definitely no stranger to a music festival; I’ve been to several, both at home and in the U.S. since delving into this music journalist world.  As a result, I’ve developed an idea of what makes a good music festival, and what kind of a clusterfuck a bad one can be.  And let me tell you, DC 101 (a rock radio station in Washington) needs to go back to festival planning school, because they put on a pretty shitty festival.

Frank Gutch Jr: SWEET RELIEF MUSICIANS FUND— Giving Back While Paying Forward, Some Thumbnail Reviews, Plus Notes That, If Repeated, Can Make You Sound Intelligent, Even If You’re Not…..

This is important.  Please read carefully.

It’s coming!  It’s almost here and you probably don’t even know it.  Like that stealthy Sequestering thing the good ol’ boys slipped into the budget bill without anyone noticing, Sweet Relief is readying their third compilation album— on the sly, as it were.  Don’t know anything about it?  I’m not surprised.  Producer/Engineer (and sometimes musician) Sheldon Gomberg has held the information close to his vest and the people at Sweet Relief (and Vanguard Records) are only on the cusp of letting the dogs out.  But it’s coming.  July 9^th.

Doug Thompson: CONFESSIONS OF A PROFESSIONAL ROCK AND ROLL INTERVIEWER – THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THEMES

I was saddened by the death of Annette Funicello back in March.  Unlike most of the male members of my age, I did NOT have a crush on Annette.  That honour usually fell to toothy grinned Mousekateer Cheryl Holdridge (who in 1964, became a real-life Countess when she married Woolworth heir Lance Reventlow – his father was a Danish nobleman).   Sometimes friendly Darlene Gillespie became my Mousekateer crush of the day or week, depending on my mood and my hormones.  Turns out, Darlene was born in Montreal and her parents were originally from Saskatchewan, but I didn’t know any of that watching our little black and white TV set then.

Segarini: “Say, Isn’t that…?”

When I was growing up in Stockton California, music was the connecting tissue between friends, and one of the most important touchstones of our daily lives. Everybody listened to the radio. Everybody went to the dances and the house parties and brought their favourite 45s to share in basement rec rooms and around the pool. Everybody had transistor radios. Everybody went to the record stores and spent their babysitting or paperboy money on the latest records. We discussed our favourite artists and songs, we debated the worth of Elvis VS Boone, Beatles VS Stones, and everything in-between. We were ravenous…and constantly on the lookout for music that touched us, made us think, made us dance, made us alive…and kept us appeased until the next release from our current heroes.

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