Pat Blythe – Keep live alive…..and music

I could continue with the “cymbal saga”, but I think I’ll take a different tact this week….it’s all about the music. Summer is in full swing and coming alive with concerts, both public and private, on both sides of the border. In person or in car, people are attending in droves, almost desperate to see and hear their favourite bands and artists….live and alive. The camaraderie, the faces (both on and off stage), the laughter, the joy, the amps, the earplugs, the dancing, the oxytocin from the many hugs, all those endorphins coming alive, even mic or guitar feedback sounds good these days…..it’s literally impossible to replace any of this over the internet. We all need each other and the “in person” interaction and touch it provides.

Pat Blythe – Women of Rock Redux – The First Five – Part One…..and music

Another piece from 2015. I loved writing these series and my research quests have only increased over time. I’ve also rearranged things a bit but kept the same general format the original column was in. Six years later there are more names to add. Originally a five-part series, I may just add one or two more “parts” to it down the road. So in all its 2015 glory, I present to you some of the women who rock.

Pat Blythe – This is not about COVID……and music

This column is usually about the clubs, the music, the bands, the nightlife and the denizens of Toronto who haunt those places. The clubs are shuttered, the live music has stopped, bands are silent and the nightlife…..well there isn’t any. Yes musicians (solo or otherwise) are busy streaming on any platform possible. Artists from the around the world record themselves in isolation and then join together via video to perform, Brady Bunch style. All around the world people are trying to keep everyone’s spirits up as we sit, isolated in our homes, many alone, having had no physical human contact in almost three months.

Two Wheeler Peter

Having progressed from crawling to walking to being regally conveyed in a carriage to riding a tricycle to running, I began to have to address new and more relevant ways of personal transportation as I grew older. I was able to occasionally borrow, however briefly, a bicycle from an understanding friend. Late in August one year, I was riding on the sidewalk in front of Robertson’s house, when I lost my balance and fell to my right. I threw my right arm out to “break” my fall.

Pat Blythe – 2020 and beyond….HERE WE COME!!!!….and lots of music…..

A new decade! A new year! Purging, changing, modifying, exploring, new beginnings and some endings, recounting and remembering, wondering, searching, discovering, assessing…..all these and more as a new decade begins.

Pat Blythe – Words….Monowhales, Drop Top Alibi, The Crooked….and music….

I read a meme today that inspired this column.

Peter Thanks You

The annual Reg the Cat birthday column is hereby postponed until next week. In its place, I present the following.

I have been in an abyss of grief since my Dear Lois passed last month. I would never have believed that such pain as I am feeling was even possible. But in darkness there is Light, in the midst of despair there is Hope.

The overwhelming rush of good wishes and condolences has been, well, overwhelming. Let me just mention some examples.

Pat Blythe – Memories…..celebrations…..three concerts….and music

It’s 9 o’clock on a……no, no, no, wrong song.  Betcha ya got an earworm now….before you even listen to the song.

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?

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!)