Hello everyone. Let’s give a warm welcome to Debbie and Cyndi. Two unique women who dance to their own drummers…..whose talents encompass a variety of musical fields in two decidedly different decades. These ladies can pop and rock, disco down or jazz it up, sing the blues, or pour their soul into a ballad. Their many talents run the full gamut and they have led the way for a new kind of woman in music, adding their own twist and turns to rock and roll.
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Tuesday, January 26 at 6:01am my first podcast was posted on Podbean. It’s been a work in progress since last May….well technically last August/September. Let me ‘splain…..
“Heeeeere’s Fall”…..my favourite time of year! Yes, I’m an autumn baby (and so are my kids) so maybe a yearly “rebirth” is what I’m feeling. The season of autumn, to me, is the sensation of new beginnings. The air is lighter, fresher and crisper. We can sweat off a rather thick and muggy, “I can’t even think I’m so hot” summer. The lounge lizard days are behind us. We’re back to work. A new school year begins. The lush vegetation is offering us the fruit of its summer labours, ripe for the picking and ready for us to savour. The trees slowly paint a riot of colour against striking blue skies, something Tom Thompson captured so perfectly in so many paintings. Drives through the country are invigorating and somehow more liberating.
This week of December 8 has got to be one of the craziest weeks yet this year and the month just keeps getting busier. Special functions to attend, birthdays, a show, baking, shopping, writing, editing, decorating, cleaning…..the list goes on. In the middle of this maelstrom I have to spend an entire afternoon at the ophthalmologist and another afternoon hanging around my doctor’s office (annual checkup). Time spent away from the computer and other “duties” is keeping me up until the wee wee hours of the morning.
Last week was all about the music of Christmas. Heading down that rabbit hole I learned about, and listened to, some amazing music while researching and selecting the tunes for the column. I’m not sure there’s much more I can add.
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.
NEWS FLASH!!!! ….and I’m so excited. Elated…..ecstatic actually. I’ve been buzzing around flashing “the picture”. So many congratulations on FB. You know that little dance you do in one spot while laughing and squealing….the five-year-old in you busting out….well that’s what I’ve been doing. Yesiree…..I am welcoming another daughter into the family. Thom finally popped the question over the weekend while away with his lady love, in the middles of the St. Lawrence River (on an island) and #isaidoui is now trending. It took Chris six years to propose….it took Thom three. A slight improvement (grin).
The centrepiece of the ring is my birthstone, a blue sapphire and a gift from Chris for my 40th birthday. Its original setting was a ring made specially to “lock in” with my wedding band. Now it begins its journey as a family heirloom. I am a bit verklempt.
I am still in awe of what happens every time I step out the door whether it’s for a walk, head to a club, meet a friend for a meal, hop in the vehicle and drive….somewhere, photograph a festival, have a random conversation with someone you just met…..something totally unexpected invariably transpires, something I was totally unprepared for. Whether I’m learning it or experiencing it at least it’s consistent. Standing back and studying the broader picture I find there are a hundred million large and teeny tiny connections, that, as the universe unfolds and does its thing, links us all together. Whether it’s a person, a concert, a band, a type of music, an experience, a friend of a friend, we are all our own “six degrees of separation”. I find it all rather fascinating……and I’m still in awe.
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.
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.
I’m in London, Ontario attending Forest City London Music Week and the awards gala. Hanging my hat at home with my mom. Music was a huge part of my life growing up whether it was inside or outside the home. In the 1970s London was filled with clubs and bars covering everything from punk, rock, jazz, blues, folk to disco. Venues included The Cedar Lounge, The Diamond Club, Fryfogles Tavern (I celebrated my 18th birthday there), Old City Hall, Kelly’s, Mingles, The Noodle Factory, The West End, Smales Pace, Ridout Tavern…..just to name a few. There was something for literally everyone. Major concert venues included Wonderland Gardens (my favourite spot), Centennial Hall and Treasure Island Gardens…..the latter located way out of town near Highway 401.
Bullseye Records of Canada
