GWNtertainment #12 by Jaimie Vernon

The real world news is mostly depressing and self-defeating so we won’t dwell on it right now. Instead, let’s get to all the great new Canadian music that’s filling up our ear holes this week.

Peter is Grateful

I went out yesterday morning to get our 6/49 ticket. There was a person at the scanner in front of me, checking their tickets………..their tickets…….their tickets. Having finished that particular task, why of course they would buy more tickets…….but only after careful consideration and much nail biting. Loyal Reader, I have bought a new car in less time than this person took conducting their business at the counter. I said nothing, but I do confess to glowering at the floor in exasperation. I said nothing to them as they finally left , and was my usual pleasant self to the employee behind the counter. It wasn’t their fault that the previous customer had taken as long as they had to, and as a longstanding veteran of “dealing with the public” myself, I knew that the shopkeeper would appreciate my treating them with courtesy.

GWNtertainment #10 by Jaimie Vernon

We’re seeing the world slowly come alive again as lockdowns are lifted and the weather moving toward an inevitable spring. There are even artists planning to tour later in the year if all goes according to plan. There is optimism in the air and we all need a lot of that right now. The food and drink and music are flowing. Here is a whole bunch of the latter…

Peter Previews Upcoming Peter Posts

We here at “Don’t Believe A Word I Say ” are taking a few weeks off (August 10th thru September 10th). This column will therefore be very much abbreviated.

In the future, I will continue to write about important issues such as gay rights, the right of everyone to have a decent living, access to education, universal health care and the right to have a dignified retirement after slaving their lives away selling their soul “to the man”.

Peter on the Joy of Piloting Plastic Planes

Ever since I can remember, I have been interested in military history. An adjunct of this interest is that I build plastic models. For a while, I built models of ships, military vehicles and aircraft. After a while, I decided to “neck down” to aircraft alone, in the interests of economy not only financial a), but timewise and storage space wise. As Thoreau wrote “Simplify, simplify, simplify”. I still build model aircraft, although I have been so down lately that I haven’t touched one in quite a while b).

Peter’s Potpourri

Before you dig into this week’s column, I just want you to know that I appreciate everyone who has stood by me since my recent loss and have expressed their concerns. My heartfelt thanks to those of you who sent your condolences and well wishes.

Pat Blythe – Remembering Frank Gutch Jr., Rival Sons, Conduit …and Music!

I can barely see the computer screen through my tears. All the memories start flooding back and the remembering starts all over again. I weep for myself. Grief is a rather selfish thing since the one who no longer walks among us is gone. They do not grieve. We do. We weep for our loss, not theirs. We miss them…..they don’t miss us. They take a piece of us when they depart, leaving a gaping hole in our lives and in our hearts….one we can never completely fill. Time will soften the edges but it never completely heals the wound, but the wonderful memories remain.

Pat Blythe – Sisters, More Indie Week, a Finale……and Music!

Question: How many sisters does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Answer: Apparently two…..and that took over an hour!

Allow me to elaborate. I have a faux fireplace that, when switched on, displays (you guessed it) a faux fire, tricking my brain into thinking it’s warm and toasty on the main floor when in fact it can be, on some days, a tad on the coolish side. So, after a rather late night clubbing followed by a slow rising morning, my sister Chrissie (who is visiting for a couple of days) and I lounge around upstairs until we decide it’s coffee time. Off we trundle into a rather chilly downstairs. Chrissie decides to “light the fire”. She flicks the switch to ‘on’. Nothing. Tries the other switch, then the dial. Nothing. So after much switching back and forth and checking the plug, we determine a light bulb replacement is necessary. How difficult can that be? We were about to find out!

Peter (Beer) Barrels through CMW 2018

Armed with my “media” credentials, my guidebook and my Metropass, I took on Canadian Music Week. (Note that all of the bands/artists that I mention in this column have Facebook pages, and are well worth further study, should you feel so inclined. It was a very busy week!)

Peter Picks a Peck of Players

One of the things that most impressed me about Frank Gutch Jr’s “nose for noise” is that he started finding this great music before the Internet, almost before electricity, in fact 😉. The Internet has made such a difference in our lives, connecting us mostly for good, but sometimes for bad, sadly. In any case, it has certainly eased our access to music of all kinds, genres and eras.