Pat Blythe: Short and Sweet – CMW 2016 Begins…and the first PFT!

 

It’s going to be a busy week. A very, very, busy week. IT’S CMW TIME!!! Registration has begun. Lanyards and wristbands retrieved, hotel scoped out and the first shoot of the week tonight at the Smiling Buddha.

Ruthless Ones were the first act of the night and a band I’ve been waiting to check out.

Murry Robe of Ruthless Ones

The crowd were up dancing and thoroughly enjoying the show, calling the band back for an encore. According to the CMW site the band plays “delinquent rock & roll; a proto-punk sound all their own by experimenting with garage rock tones and west indie nuance and texture. Constantly creating and striving to put the same amount of talent into the band as the energy they have playing live show.” The Toronto-based four member band have been together since 2010, performing around Ontario and Montreal. This is their first CMW showcase. Explosive, energetic….they don’t stop moving on stage. Band members are Murry Robe (guitar & vocals), Evgeni Varakin (guitar & vocals), Curtis Crook (bass & vocals) and Nik Robe (drums). They have released two independent albums and are currently working on a third.

L-R – Evgeni Varakin, Murry Robe, Curtis Crook, (and in back) Nik Robe on drums

Ruthless Ones – That Static

As it is every year, there is so much going on and so much to choose from. Again there are over 1,000 bands in for the week showcasing their talents all over the city. This year’s focus is on the U.K., particularly Ireland. However, it’s also no coincidence that this year also marks 60th anniversary of the beginning of The Beatles.  I’ve got my eye on a number of acts but it’s still going to be a challenge picking which ones to see. Early mornings and late, late nights…..here I come!

It’s now 2am Wednesday morning and as I write this column I am also reflecting back to one year ago this month when my new life began to take hold. Fast forward a year and the changes have come rapid fire. Now it’s in full flight and the trip has been incredible. New people, places and the music….it’s all about the music. I am extremely grateful and feel very blessed to have this chance to be part of what I love and am passionate about. Loving it all, I thank everyone who have been a part of this fabulous journey. ….and on that note (no pun intended), and due to the lateness of the hour and the incredibly long days and nights looming in my very near future, I’m going to leave you with some of Pat’s Favourite Tunes….better known as PFT and head to bed.

This Aussie rock band originally performed as Farm, later changing their name by drawing it out of a hat. Midnight Oil came from the Jimi Hendrix song “Burning of the Midnight Lamp.”

Beds Are Burning – Midnight Oil

These Scottish lads formed Simple Minds in 1977. They are best known for the hit the soundtrack from The Breakfast Club, which broke them in the U.S. The song was originally offered to both Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol before Simple Minds decided to record it themselves. Despite personnel changes, the band, along with the two core founding members, continues to record and tour.

Don’t You Forget About Me – Simple Minds

Marvin Gaye started singing in church at the age of four, accompanied by his father, the man who would fatally shoot him 43 years later. Gaye’s three-octave range delighted all of us with his string of hits including “Sexual Healing”, “Mercy Mercy Me” and “What’s Goin’ On”. Gaye has been referred to as the “number one purveyor of soul music” while biographer Michael Eric Dyson described Gaye as someone who “transcended the boundaries of rhythm and blues as no other performer had done before

What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye

Formed in Sheffield, England in 1977, the electronic new wave band are still performing today. They have sold over 20 million records, nine studio albums, four EPs and 30 singles. Still, their most popular song to date is this one.

Don’t You Want Me – The Human League

An English electronic pop due, Pet Shop Boys formed in 1981. They have sold over 50 million records worldwide and the Guinness Book of Records list them as the most successful duo in U.K. music. Pet Shop Boys released their thirteenth album, Super, on April 1, 2016.

West End Girls – Pet Shop Boys

Known for their choreography, beautiful harmonies and always nattily dressed, The Temptations are one of the most successful groups in music history. They were first Motown recording act to win a Grammy for “Cloud Nine”. The three classic Temptations songs are “My Girl”, “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) and “ Papa Was A Rolling Stone “. 

Papa Was A Rolling Stone – The Temptations

Sometimes known as The Reverend Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together” is, without a doubt, Green’s signature song. His soulful voice could melt any heart. Born in 1946, Green has been referred to as “the last of the great soul singers” and ranked number 65 in the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Let’s Stay Together – Al Green

One of my all time favourite songs and the one I love to hear Roxanne sing. Songwriter, singer and producer, Benjamin Earl King was born in Henderson, North Carolina in 1938 and, like many before him, (and after), began singing in the church choir. Although best known for this hit single, he also recorded “Save the Last Dance for Me” and “This Magic Moment” among others. King died in 2015.

Stand By Me – Ben E. King

Also, thank you once again to AB Co. for providing us writers and photogs with the necessary accoutrement to enjoy the festivities.

Cheers!

All photographs by Pat Blythe, A Girl With A Camera “The Picture Taker”

Sources

YouTube, Wikipedia

 

=PB=

Pat’s column appears every Wednesday.

Contact us at: dbawis@rogers.com

In “real” life Pat Blythe has spent the past 32 years as a consultant and design specialist in the telecommunications industry. After an extended absence Pat is now heading back to the GTA clubs, immersing herself in the local music scene, tasting what’s on offer, talking to people and writing once again — sharing her passions and her deep love of music. Together for 34 years, Pat also workedalongside her late husband Christopher Blythe, The PictureTaker©, who shot much  of the local talent (think Goddo, Frank Soda and the Imps, Plateau, Buzzsaw, Hellfield….) as well as national and international acts,  Currently making her way through 40 years of Chris’s archives, Pat is currently compiling a photographic history of the local GTA music scene from 1975 to 1985. It continues to be a work in progress. Oh…..and she LOVES to dance!