Peter Forgives Hall and Oates and Billy Joel

I hope that no one thinks that I was angry when I wrote my last column. If anything, I was just disappointed, especially with the Hall and Oates concert which we attended last year. I had paid a fair bit of money, (and don’t get me going on the ticket reseller scam, or I WILL get angry!), for some ostensibly choice seats, only to be confronted by a writhing geriatric “mosh pit” poised between the stage and ourselves. Anyone who reads this and who wishes to assail me with accusations of “ageism”, I am 63 years old, so take your best shot, although the ice beneath your feet will be very thin indeed 😉!

I would go and see Billy Joel again, he has been a favourite of mine for over 45 years. As I said previously, his is a very well organized, professional show, with such an outstanding body of work that he could probably play for four hours straight. He tailors his show to the locale and “gives you your money’s worth”. The one thing I did not like, and I didn’t explain it very clearly in my last column, was that the last part of his show became an impromptu, unsolicited “sing-along”. I get it, you love his music, (I love his music!), it takes you back to a time when you were invincible, had dark hair and could get out of bed without your bones sounding like a freight train slowly pulling out of a station. It’s quite possible, (but not very probable), that you even lost your virginity with one of his songs playing in the background. Heartwarming, very heartwarming.

Except, except…………., I didn’t buy an expensive ticket to hear you render “Just The Way You Are” off key, all 4,700 of you. (Most of the crowd were silent. Thank you, my anonymous friends.) Really. I’ve done karaoke and I KNOW how terrible MY singing is. Believe me, all the acoustics in the world couldn’t help to improve your voice. They don’t make “Autotune” that capable, it is far beyond our current technological base to accomplish! So please next time, gracefully accept the fact that your mother might have slightly misled you about your musical ability, do us all a favour and STFU!

There, I feel better now! So here is my dear Lois’ favourite Billy Joel song, recorded live at Shea Stadium, former home of my beloved New York Mets. (Put down your pitchforks, I am a Blue Jays a) fan too 😉!)

My cousin Teresa messaged me after reading my latest column and asked if I had heard of The Most Serene Republic She is good friends with the aunt of one of the members, and he had spent some time hanging out with Teresa’s son Josh. Of course I had heard of them, and thanks Teresa, let’s listen to “No One Likes A Nihilist”. I hope they put some more music out, they are quite good.

A fine band from Quebec is The Hazytones. This is the band who toured from Boston to Mexico and back in January/February 2018. They did 43 shows in 46 days. With a new album due out in October, and a busy summer including an appearance at “The Stoned Meadow Doom Festival”, it’s a great time to discover their music! Here is “Light Of The Day”, a song from their first album.

The Crooked is taking their craft very seriously. “Tarot Cards” is off their latest release, “The Shoebox Sessions”. They keep writing and playing and doing interviews and acoustic gigs and reminding you that they are here.

We are blessed with so many great vocalists, both male and female, in the indie music scene in Toronto. One of the hardest working has to be Joan Smith. She always has several projects on the go, and here is the video for “Normalize”, the latest from Joan Smith and the Jane Does. Again, great music with a message. Listen carefully.

Here now is The Record Company’s song “Life To Fix”, off their “All Of This Life” release, which hit the streets on June 22 and is available at the usual sources where one scratches their musical itch . Thanks again for the invite, Doug! Very nice bluesy rock, even during an acoustic session.

A while ago I had the good fortune to catch a set by Kevin Foster at The Junction City Music Hall. A hardworking solo musician, he seems to be always playing, sometimes two shows in a day. “Shakedown” is an original tune of his, and I think you’ll enjoy it.

And speaking of that long ago Hall and Oates concert, Allen Stone, the unannounced opening act, recently released a song entitled “Brown Eyed Lover”. He is headed out on tour in October, and will be at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on November 27th. Before starting this tour, he will be playing a couple of shows in B.C. and one in Australia!

For part of his tour, he will be accompanied by Nick Waterhouse. I had not heard of Waterhouse before, but through the magic of YouTube, I was able to uncover this most interesting video, “Old Place”. It’s about two years old, but very good music, I think. Of course, Waterhouse will not be appearing at The Phoenix, but he sounds to be worth keeping an ear open for.

London, Ontario has produced some very talented indie musicians and bands, like Ivory Hours and  Michael Musashi Marucci. How about Nikki’s Wives? They have a busy few months ahead of them, including playing a number of U.S. dates. Here’s their official video for “Breaking Up”, which has just been released.

One more Billy Joel song, in which he encapsulates the “arc of adult life” in 7:42. A marvellous song, dealing with hope and los(This didn’t set out to be a Billy Joel column, I just wanted to score some always useful “points” with my dear Lois.)s and just getting on with life in the end. I hope you enjoy it.

Let’s finish off with yet another “indie musician”, from a couple of hundred years ago. Franz Von Suppe is most noted for this piece. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard it before, but not in its entirety. Anyway, great music is great music!

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s column. I encourage you all to check out the Facebook pages of these fine musicians. Believe me, there is so much more great music out there to discover. Enjoy the voyage. Here at DBAWIS, we’ll keep scouting and reporting back on “what’s on the other side of the hill”, musically, at least.

See you soon

a) The current  Toronto professional baseball team

=PJM=

A confirmed Cat person, Peter dabbled with being a water boy, a paper boy and an altar boy before finally settling on a career with the Canadian federal government.  Once, in his youth, he ate a Dutch  oven full of mashed potatoes to win a 5 cent bet with his beloved sister Mary’s boyfriend. (Of course he was much younger and a nickel went a lot farther!) He has retired to palatial “Chez Montreuil”, which he shares with his diabetic little buddy Reg the Cat. He is blessed to have his dear Lois in his life. He is not only a plastic aircraft modeller, but a proud “rivet counter”. Military aviation and live music are among other interests of his, and he tries to get out to as many shows as he can. He will be here for your enlightenment whenever the stars align. Profile photo courtesy of Pat Blythe, caricature courtesy of Peter Mossman.