Pat Blythe – It’s a Love Revolution Down on Main Street…..and music

I’m loving September. Warm(ish) days with cool nights are just perfect. Grape jelly made, herbs harvested, spaghetti sauce jarred (soup is next), podcast published and now it’s column time! In between all that is photo editing, cross stitching and a few telecom projects. Running around at Mariposa and Summerfolk; meeting new people and listening to new music during Canadian Music Week and Indie Week; dodging bodies, running into my friends and hearing more new music at the clubs…..I’ve missed it all. Fingers crossed we have some semblance of normal next year.

Peter – Lois: The Anniversary and Her Celebration of Life

Today is a hard day for me to get through. 18 years ago, I met Lois Forbes for the first time. I miss her terribly, while admiring her courage as she battled cancer. We made each other try to be better people, and I think that’s a pretty good achievement. I know I would  have rather made her angry than disappoint her. I will always hold her in my heart and I miss her terribly.

Peter with Four More Indies to Watch

This week I’m going to expose you to four of the great current indie bands that reside and play in our local area. I think that they are worthy of further study, both on their pages and in person, especially if you are seeking new, interesting, and engaging music from the wealth of solid Canadian Indie Artists.

Let’s get right to the bands and their music, shall we?

Pat Blythe – Something Personal …CMW …A Few Shows …and Music!

Writing one’s column on the day it’s supposed to post is not the best in planning but it will have to do for today (and last week and probably next week). Right now I’m listening to The Beach Boys song God Only Knows and I can’t stop thinking of all the people that have shared my life, not just in the past four years but going as far back as I can remember. So add the following video I found on FB and a late night conversation and yes, once again my column takes a different fork in the road.

Peter and CMW 2019 Memorable Bands and Venues

The last two months have been very rough for Lois and I as we deal with her hospitalization and her illness . We are handling it as a couple, and many, many, thanks to our legion of friends. Bless you all!

Then I got a most welcome email. Canadian Music Week was upon us again, and I had media credentials to collect. Great news, great news indeed. So off I went, picked up my credentials and not one, but two programs. Was I looking forward to this!

Pat Blythe – CMW: Not Quite a Wrap …and Music!

I am incredibly late in starting this column. Like…..super super late. It’s been so busy during the past three weeks there’s barely been time to think. There is so much I want to share but not all of today. Suffice to say this will be my CMW “not quite a wrap”. Arriving back in Toronto from London I dove right into the nightlife of Toronto…..and of course some cruising and schmoozing (and jujube nibbling) at CMW central, The Sheraton Centre. Daytime activities are easy to manoeuvre but co-ordinating your CMW nightlife…..that’s a whole different game.

Peter’s Advice on Finding the Music and Spreading the Word

Music is omnipresent in our world, and sadly, it is far too tempting to judge the current level of musical proficiency by what gets rammed down our throats on a regular basis. Mainstream radio, the media, even commercials, these all purport to “spread the gospel” of contemporary music to the uninitiated, or at least, to those who want others to do their thinking for them and to dictate their taste.

Pat Blythe – Forest City London Music Awards Wrap-Up, CMW …and Music!

Music festival season is upon us. CMW (Canadian Music Week) is usually first out of the starting gate. This year FCLMA was ahead of the game so for me, one segues right into the other. I’ll also be heading to Mariposa in July and Summerfolk in August. With a myriad of music shows and festival in between it’s going to be a busy summer for many and one that will pass by far too rapidly.

Peter Returns to Music

(Strap in for a very interesting column today. I had to leave a lot on the “cutting room floor”, but I hope you’ll find the journey worth it in the end.)

Some say that music took its first baby steps when Grok banged a rock against a hollow log, or against Gork’s a) head. b) As civilization blossomed, a basic framework for music was established and rules of composition were composed. Growing intelligence, innovation and industry led to the development of musical instruments. Some faded away to obscurity pretty rapidly, (exhibit number one, the krumhorn) while others still exist in modified form, such as the sackbut, which is a form of trombone and is available for purchase on line.

Pat Blythe – ONES, The LaMagna Cartel, Jully Black and …Music!

A Philosophic Moment….

Here we are…..right where we’re supposed to be. Precisely at this spot…..in this instant….this moment in time. Think about it. I’m sitting here typing away. Sometime later today or tomorrow, you’re sitting there reading what I am now typing, while I’m already doing something else. Now, look up and let your eyes roam around. What do you see? I’ll tell you what I see? I see a life that has unfolded and significantly changed over the past five years. I see my kitchen, the twinkle lights, the coffee and tea supplies waiting patiently…. I see my kitchen witch on her broom bringing me luck and the bookcase holding all my cookbooks…..the last thing Chris built for me. I see the sweet potatoes and pears, lounging on their plate until it’s time for the soup pot. I see my drums, piano and guitar……a big comfy couch. I see the home I’ve created and welcomes all who enter. I see my fingers on a keyboard typing inanities and loving every minute of it. How does it make me feel?  Happy! I do indeed love my life and all those who have become a part of it. So, as you read this, stop, wherever you are, at this exact instant (your instant in time), take a moment to look around. What do you see? How do you feel? Be Here Now.