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.
Archive for Greg Simpson
Pat Blythe – Forest City London Music Awards Wrap-Up, CMW …and Music!
Posted in music, Opinion, Review with tags A Girl With A Camera, A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker", Aeolian Hall, Bob Segarini, Canadian Music Week, Carole Pope, CMW, Dashboard Rattle, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, FCLMA, Fifth of Jazz, Forest City London Music Awards, Greg Simpson, James Blonde, London Music Hall of Fame, luvthemusic, Mario Circelli, Mark Henning Jazz Quartet, monowhales, Parvaaz, Pat Blythe, Paul Aitken Trio, Paul DeLong, Quintessential Jazz Combo, Rivoli, Sarah Smith, Susan Aglukark, Swagger, SwinGrowers, TD Sunfest, The PepTides, Tribe Royal, Twin Fin on May 8, 2019 by segariniPat Blythe – The Mariposa Experience…..Part Two…..Stories and Music
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker", Bob Segarini, Cécile Doo-Kingé, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Greg Simpson, Iskwé, Maggie Bell, Mariposa, Mariposa Folk Festival, McLean's Magazine, Molly Tuttle, Pat Blythe, Tami Neilson, Tudhope Park, Valdy, Walk Off the Earth on August 8, 2018 by segariniI’ve had several people tell me I have so many stories….if you point something out in my home or mention the jewellery I wear, there’s always a story. Well…..here are my stories behind some of these incredible performers at Mariposa. Some I never thought I’d see, some were pleasant surprises and some were performers I had missed at other festivals or venues around Toronto.
Pat Blythe – A Date, a Concert, a Show……and Music……
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker", Alfie, Berry Gordy, Bob Segarini, Captain Cannabis, CMW, CSARN, DBAWIS, Diana Ross, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Grand Theatre, Greg Simpson, Indie88, JUNO Awards, LIFT & Co., London Ontario, luvthemusic, Martha Henry, Motown The Musical, Nawlins, Niagara-on-The-Lake, Pat Blythe, Said The Whale, Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs, Shaw Festival, Teenage Head, The Festival Theatre, The Phoenix Concert Theatre, The Rural Alberta Advantage, The Stratford Festival, The Tempest, Tom McCamus, Verne Andru on May 30, 2018 by segariniIt’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!!!!
Pat Blythe – Tom Petty, Burton Cummings, Scott Holt and Bill Durst…..
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker", Bill Durst, Bob Segarini, Brian Andreas, Buddy Guy, Burton Cummings, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, El Mocambo, Greg Simpson, Harris Park, London Bluesfest 2017, MacLean and MacLean. The Knob Hill, MLG, Pat Blythe, Scott Holt, the blues, The Carpet Frogs, The Duncan Showroom, The Guess Who, Thundermug, Tom Petty, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, York University on October 4, 2017 by segariniI open today’s column with great sadness. Tom Petty, a true rock ‘n’ roller and one of the most respected individuals in the music business today, as both as musician and a person, has died just days before his 67th birthday. Social media was on fire with the news, jumping the gun just a tad early (thanks CBS) but nonetheless, we instinctively knew in our hearts he wasn’t going to make it. I traversed the 70’s and 80’s with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, listening to and loving his work. Not your “classic” rocker, in both appearance and musically, but we all knew Petty was pure talent. The “humanness” of his lyrics, his way of combining them with a unique melody and his distinctive voice, touched a certain part of your psyche and drew you in. You stopped to listen. There will be so much written about him over the next few days and weeks I won’t drag it out here. Suffice to say this is one rocker I will truly miss. I send my condolences to his wife Dana York, his two daughters Adria and AnnaKim, his step-son Dylan and his extended family.
Roxanne Tellier – 2 Dogs, 2 Cats, 1 House Chicken ….
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags BC, Bob Segarini, Coqquitlam, DBAWIS, Family, Grandchildren, Granville Island, Greg Simpson, Jenson Ackles, love, Roxanne Tellier, Supernatural, Toronto, Vancouver, White Rock on September 24, 2017 by segariniGreetings from the westiest coast, where the weather just ‘is,’ no matter what’s predicted. Will it rain or shine? Be sunny and warm or chilly and damp? Stay tuned, weather fans – we’ll have your sun after this brief rain shower!
Last Monday I stepped out of the Abbotsford airport into an almost Floridian heat and haze. But by the time we’d driven out of the airport, the day had settled into a damper, greyer miasma, and has mainly stayed that way, with brief and wholly unpredictable flirtations with the sun sprinkled in for good measure.
Pat Blythe – The Women of Blues Revisited – Part IV – Maggie & Janis
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker", Albert Collins, Alex Harvey, Archie Hind, Aretha Franklin, Atlantic Records, Austin, Big Brother and the Holding Compan, Bob Segarini, Chris Helms, Colin Allen, Courtaney, David Kelly, DBAWIS, Dennistoun Palais Band, Dick Cavett, Dionne Warwick, Discovering the Vulnerable Woman Behind Janis Joplin’s Legend, Dusty Springfield, Fillmore West, Frankie Vaughan, Freedom Road, Graeme Noble, Greg Simpson, Hold Me, It Ain't Easy, James Dewar, Janis Joplin, Jerry Wexler, Joe Cocker, John McGinnis, Kinning Park Ramblers, La Cave, Led Zeppelin, Leslie Harvey, Lightning Hopkins, Live At Montreaux, Locarno Ballroom, Long John Baldry, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Maggie Bell, Mark London, Maryhill Estate, Mecca Band, Melody Maker, Mike Moran, Miles Davis, Monterey Pop Festival, New Musical Express, Nina Simone, No Mean City, NYC, Oh My! My!, Pat Blythe, Patsy Cline, Pearl, Peter Grant, Polydor, Port Arthur, Queen of the Night Midnight Flyers, Ray Charles, Ringo Starr, Ron Leahy, San Francisco, Sheila Weller, Shirley Bassey, Southern Comfort, Steve Thompson, Stone the Crows, Suicide Sal, Swan Song, Taggart, Taj Mahal, Teenage Licks, Texas, The Alex Harvey Soul Band, The British Blues Quintet, The Dear Green Place, The Easterhouse Project, The Full Tilt Boogie Band, The Kozmic Blues, The Power, The Power of Music, The Queen of Psychedelic Soul, The Who, University of Texas, Vancouver Island Musicfest, Vanity Fair, Woodstock, Yardbirds, Young Rascals, Zoot Money on August 17, 2017 by segariniI have “moved” Janis Joplin from my Women in Rock series to this one. When I started the “Women of ……” series, I felt she had a foot in both camps. However, the more I listen to Joplin the more I realize her feet were far more firmly planted in the blues as her voice alone attests. There have been comparisons over the years between Maggie Bell and Janis Joplin. They are reminiscent of each other and that starts with the hair. Scotland is steeped in the blues (just listen to the pipes and some of the Celtic music) but the seeds were planted, and the roots run to the core of the earth, in the U.S.’s “deep south”. Keep in mind, much of the southern U.S. became home to the Scots fleeing the oppressive English in the late 1700’s. Combine that with the African “slave” songs….mix with oppressive heat and stir….so, sometimes I wonder, who exactly influenced whom?
Pat Blythe – Canadian Music Week 2017….The Finale
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker", Amelia Curran, Bob Segarini, Cherry Cola's, CMW, Common Deer, Darrell Vickers, David McMichael, DBAWIS, Desert Star, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Donny Blais, East Coast Music Awards, Eddie Bullen, Greg Simpson, Hello Delaware, Horseshoe Tavern, John Rowlands, Julian Taylor, Julian Taylor Band, Lorraine Segato, Menage, Mentor's Cafe, Music Nova Scotia, Pat Blythe, Phoenix Concert Theatre, rancho relaxo, Rivoli, Six Shooter, Smithsonian, SOCAN, Tanya Tagaq, The Danger Bees, The Town Heroes, Theremin, Tranzac, Whitehorse on May 17, 2017 by segariniBefore I pick up where I left off prior to Bob’s computer turning into a brick, I shall sidestep a titch and segue, for just a moment, into sessions. Yes…those relatively educational, supposedly non-biased, informative, enlightening, seminars/panel discussions or summits, as CMW refers to them. This is the core stuff delegates are actually paying for when they purchase a ticket. I listed the several different streams one can chose from in last week’s column, so I shan’t bore you with the details here. However, suffice to say, there is loads of opportunity to learn as well as “button hole” and query those with a cumulative hundreds of years of experience, and educate yourself in everything that is the entertainment industry. From Mentor’s Cafe to SOCAN, from touring to ticketing, from writing, producing and publishing to understanding Indie labels and Indie rights….and that’s just the music stream.