Segarini: My Dad

This is the fifth annual printing of a column I wrote in tribute to my father for  Father’s Day. I miss my parents a lot, and I never got to thank my dad for all he tried to teach me, all he tried to instill in me. If your parents are still alive, your grandparents, even your aunts and uncles. call them up today, tell them you love them, and cherish the ability you have to tell them first hand. Someday, they will all be gone, and even though you will hear their voices and feel their presence for the rest of your life, there will be times when you experience a longing, and an ache so profound, that you will wish with all your heart you could see them again and let them know how much they meant to you. Family is more important than any other aspect of your life…don’t ever forget it.

Happy Fathers Day, Pop…I miss you…and I love you.

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Nadia Elkharadly: Come Together, Right Now

It was a sad night in Toronto this past Monday.  Leaf nation had to endure the biggest disappointment they’ve faced since ye old strike of 2012; the Toronto Maple Leafs lost their shot at the Stanley Cup.  Losing a 4-1 lead over Boston, the humiliation was solidified into a 4-5 loss in overtime.  The city was quiet, the dejection palpable in the downtown streets.  But for those of us lucky enough to be at Cherry Cola’s that same night, the disappointment was distracted and then washed away by a completely different form of entertainment; The Bobcast.

Segarini: My Mom

My annual Mother’s Day Tribute to my Mom. I wish you all could have met her….

As most adopted children can tell you, one of the first things you remember being told is how you were chosen to be part of your adopted family, not a random act of passion borne to fruition by parents who sometimes weren’t really trying to make a baby. Any time this information was imparted on an adopted child, it was meant to soothe and/or dispel any doubts the child had of being loved or being perceived as an ‘outsider’.

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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….

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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Segarini: Asshats and Headcases – UPDATED AGAIN!

I am convinced that every single piece of bad news that finds its way into newspapers, radio and television newscasts, and onto the Internet are related. Every war that is raging, every homicide, every act of terrorism. Every robbery, every act of bullying, every rape, every fatal car accident, and every home invasion. Every bad decision that leads to tragedy, every thoughtless act of greed, every violent action taken in the name of God, Country, or Wealth. Every act that puts an individual or millions in harm’s way…ALL of them are caused by just two factions of the human race, either separately or in tandem. They are our real enemies, and usually undetectable until it is too late. (Photo by FOH)

They are the Asshats and Headcases.

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Segarini: Riding Out the Storm

Caution! This column is rated NSFW!

WTF is with this weather? We get one day of 15 degree (59 degrees to you in the Lower 48) Spring-like amnesty, and then the prairies send us a perfect storm of freezing temperatures, high winds, rain, sleet, hail, and snow. Now the sidewalks are slippery, the roads are treacherous…and I am wondering if a Montreal winter has finally found out where I moved and has come to remind me how much I hate extreme weather both hot and cold.

Nadia Elkharadly: My Toronto

I’ve often called myself a Toronto snob.  I was born and raised in this city, and no matter where else I go in the world, I’ll always think of it as home.  I love Toronto so very much.  There’s no better reminder of how much I love this city than when visitors from far away places come to the city, and I get a chance to show them my Toronto.  Not the CN Tower, the Skydome (I will never call it by its other corporate name thank you!)  I’m talking about the fun little places that I have come to love, and love showing off to people who come to town.

Segarini: Xpriming CMW, Liver Damage, and a Bobcast Update

The annual Canadian Music Week rollercoaster ride has finally looped its last de loop, the cars have all been packed away, and the lights turned out and the tent folded until the carnival sets up again next year. As of this writing, there have been no reports of serious casualties, no reported marriages or pregnancies, and so far, no signings of fresh faced bands from hither, thither, and yon to a gung-ho label/management/agent ready to unleash them on an unsuspecting world. There was, however, enough music, parties, and open bars to kill Keith Richards, most soccer hooligans, and myriad hockey dads.

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UPDATE! The Bobcast

UPDATE!

The link to Episode 1 of The Bobcast is now working. Scroll down….

Sorry for the inconvenience…

The Bobcast

The first episode. With Tom Wilson (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond), CMW showrunner, Greg Simpson, Director/writer/producer (The Last Pogo, The Last Pogo Jumps Again), Colin Brunton, and the Don’t Believe a Word I Say house band, Xprime.

The Bobcast Episode 1 March 18th 2013

Join us live every Monday night at Cherry Cola’s, 200 Bathurst Street just north of Queen Street West. 8 – 12. We record the Bobcast from 9:00 until 10:00.

Episode 2, with musical guest Stacey Kaniuk, eOne guru Eric Alper, and legendary radio and television producer/writer/director,Doug Thompson, takes place tomorrow,March 25th, 2013.

Please join us.