Pat Blythe – Here comes summer!!

March 30 was the last column I wrote for this site…..the “Canadian edition” and finale of my jazz series. It’s now been six week since DBAWIS was able to publish due to some serious computer issues. There’s a wee bit of catching up to do. Live music is happening again, the camera seems to have found its way back into my life, the whole England move has been sliding sideways, reviewing photographs (not just Chris’s, but mine too) has sent me down several rabbit holes, and life generally, has been pretty busy. So…..let me just dive right in.

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.

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.

Segarini – Three Top Tens

It’s a beautiful Spring day. The birds are chirping, the bees are pollinating, the  irritated bowel syndrome is nowhere to be seen, the rent is paid, the hair is shampoo’d and conditioned, lunch awaits my ravenous appetite, celery prices are dropping, my SmartShare is working, kittens are amusing people all over the world, overpaid plumbers display their butt cracks with impunity, women are buying sundresses, you can still buy real meat, Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives has been renewed for another 70 years, Mothers get their yearly day tomorrow, and the ONLY thing missing from your perfect day …is THIS.

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.

Roxanne Tellier – CMW, Jeopardy, and What the Heck is ASMR?

It’s that time again! Canadian Music Week .. CMW 2019  … starts tomorrow, and continues all week, with enough major stars and events to keep even the most jaded muso happy.

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.

Pat Blythe – All Sorts of Stuff and of Course…Music!

I think this is what 2019 is going to be all about:

“There are things you do because they feel right & they make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other’s cooking & say it was good” — ©2000 Brian Andreas

Pat Blythe – Winter?…Gilda’s Club…a Birthday…and a Little Christmas Music!

I don’t where the time goes but December seems to arrive almost unexpectedly and then….here it is….banging on the front door. Always seemingly on the run, the days just fly by and I sometimes wonder if I’ve even accomplished something, anything, wading through the onslaught of messages, texts, phone calls (yes people still actually talk), emails, etc. and then there’s a column to write and photos to review and oh ya, Christmas is almost here. Then there’s the TO DO list which seems to get longer….not shorter. The hurry up and wait syndrome, lineups for damn near everything. I feel like I’m playing the old game of Red Light, Green Light (remember that one?) and not just in the vehicle.

Pat Blythe – A Date, a Concert, a Show……and Music……

It’s Tuesday. It’s sunny. It’s summer…..with a vengeance! It must be “writing day” since it’s not raining and miserable.  As I sit and stare out the front window my mind is a complete blank, overwhelmed with the proverbial “to do” list, my brain is at the point where it’s decided to wipe itself clean. The human hard drive. No back up. Just select “reformat” and be done with it.  A blank page which is basically what I’m looking at. As my mind drifts into nothingness, you know that stare you get when you’re looking but not really “seeing”. Yep, that’s it. I could close my eyes and…..God forbid!!!!……nap!!!!