Pat Blythe – Classics, Jazz and Blues, 1969….Mix and Match

Again I seem to running in circles while Mother Nature seems to suffer from severe indecisiveness. Dark, ominous clouds roll in, thunder and lightning key up together, sheet rain hits, cue hail and the next thing you know the sun is shining. It’s warm, it’s cool, it’s hot, it’s chilly….make up your mind. I’m not sure if I should be dressing in sandals, sneakers or boots. One thing is for sure, the plants and trees are loving it! So many rich and varied shades of green have been added to the landscape palette and the flowers just enhance it all. For all her varied moods, Mother Nature has created a most beautiful spring. Now, if the weeks would just slow down a bit….

Pat Blythe – Marsden, Mushy and Mod Night…..

I’m getting to this column a little earlier than usual. It’s a Monday night and one project has blurred into another today. The computer has captured  most of my time along with a little redecorating. My friggin’ eyes are going square! One thing has been swirling around in my cranium today and it’s this, when are we going to stop “cutifying” and beautifying little girls because someone posts a really cute pic of one? It’s really starting to seriously bug me. The comments all focus on looks….and we wonder why females are objectified, dumbed down, not taken seriously….and the list goes on. ….and it’s not just the words themselves but the verbal intonations we use when talking to them as babies and toddlers. By the time these little princesses learn to walk, they’ve also learned how to use their tiny feminine wiles (oh yes, they’ve already figured out how to wrap daddy around their finger) to get their way. Damn, it starts early, waaaaaaay to early.

Pat Blythe – The Stories Behind The Songs – Part Three

Some things just happen for a reason. A parking spot just as you need it. That cheque you’ve been waiting for arrives in the mail at precisely the right time. The job opportunity comes along right when you need it most. Somebody mails you a CD out of the blue while you’re considering what to write for the next column. Well….the latter just waltzed into my mailbox….it’s the most beautiful rendition of this classic I’ve ever heard. The vocalist was only twelve when it was recorded.

Pat Blythe – Life and loss…..

I’m trying to figure out where old sod goes to die. Messing around in my backyard over the weekend and I have several rolls of unusable sod that weigh a ton. Leftovers from last year. Small house, small yard still equals “big” work. Gorgeous weather though….dinner on the patio of my local Italian restaurant, Casa di Giorgio, Saturday night. Some of my favourite people work there… Cathy, Christina, Pam and Ted (the owner). Great food and great people!

Pat Blythe – CMW 2016 Part 2 and Other Stuff

Well, another week has just blown by and we are already half way through May. Where the hell is spring? I do believe Mother Nature has taken a detour. However, the beginning of “festival” season, music in particular, has started with a bang. CMW is the lead-in with the SING! Toronto Vocal Arts Festival running parallel and beyond. A bucket load of music is on tap this summer and folks are going to be hard-pressed to know which way to turn. So much to choose from and it will be happening all over the city, clear out to Hamilton and back. I’m not even including all the long weekend jams that happen in parks hither, thither and yon. Pick a few favourites, either local or long distance and settle in for the ride.

Pat Blythe – Music Mania….

Deadlines. I don’t think I’d get anything done if it weren’t for deadlines….artificial or otherwise. I’m one of those that have a tendency to back one’s self into a corner which forces said person to address shit and just DO IT! Tuesday afternoon and already my head is swimming with so much information, events and “stuff”….past, present and future.

Pat Blythe: Synchronicity….

Life happens (or maybe it occurs), either way my plans for today’s column were short circuited by a few happenstance events that tumbled into each other this past weekend. A visit, a text, a ticket, a song and two remarkable performances by two gifted artists. One who is just beginning on his journey and another who’s journey began over 50 years ago. This is the blues.

Pat Blythe – Toronto’s Mixed Grill – A Scrapbook

 

It’s 4am on Sunday morning, March 8, and I’ve just arrived home from a long day and night of music hopping….and the damn Queen streetcar short-turned again….and the clocks went forward one hour (OMG it’s really 5am!!)….and I’ve decided to change my tune (so to speak)….and tell you about my “day in the life of….”  rather than have our esteemed editor post the article I’ve already filed.

Roxanne Tellier: My Toronto – Part Two

Toronto was a different place in the late 1970’s and early eighties. Although it’s easy to look back with rose coloured glasses, it was, in fact, a watershed time for Toronto musicians. Everywhere you turned, you were surrounded by outstanding music, made by dedicated and very talented players, who enjoyed the freedom to create their art, and make a living at the same time.