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 Shares a Poem, Some Music, and a Book

I have been thinking about the subject of my column this week. At first, I was going to enthrall you with tales of derring do when I played goal for our street hockey team, but you dodged that bullet this week. Then I was going to write a column on why I have the right to express dissent about the clown in Washington, D.C., despite the fact that I live in Canada. However, I realized that that would be too negative, and that we are dealing with so much negativity right now that it would really be too depressing.

Pat Blythe – Suzi Kory….Indie Week….and music

It seems I am perpetually running late these days. I write for Fiverr and never imagined it would get as busy as it has. I’ve been writing brochures, website verbiage, package inserts, “how to” columns, etc. I’ve had to research products and learn how to “do things” and then write about them. So far, so good. It’s all on a timer….you have so many days to deliver your finished product and if you’ve agreed to revisions, they have to be done within the agreed upon time. When you receive multiple “gig” orders all due at the approximately the same time it’s a bit of a panic. So…….here I am…….late again. (sigh) Super, super short but…..this, DBAWS, is one writing “gig” I never want to give up.

Pat Blythe – Something Personal …CMW …A Few Shows …and Music!

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.

Pat Blythe – CMW: Not Quite a Wrap …and Music!

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.

Pat Blythe – Diversions, Julian Taylor Band, New Drums …and Music!

It’s Tuesday yet again. Apparently it repeats itself every six days. Bugger! This means it’s column writing day and I am not remotely focused on the task at hand. This could mean a ridiculously lengthy dissertation or stupidly short piece of nonsense. We’ll see where this one goes??

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!

Pat Blythe – ON THE ROAD: With ONES, In England, At the London Bluesfest Finale…and Music!

Guess what? I have to write a column today. It’s supposed to post tomorrow (Wednesday). I should have it done today but……. I don’t have writer’s block. In fact, I have far too much to write about. All kinds of music and such I’d like to share. Events past, just happened and future. Problem is, it doesn’t in fit in a single piece. This is not a “one size fits all”, the old 500 words or less…. Nope, I’m beginning to feel like the late, great, Frank Gutch Jr. I don’t think anything less that 5,000 words could pour out of his brain. I think he got up to 13,000 at one point. I’m neither that verbose or knowledgeable but we did share a deep passion for music and for sharing it. I fear it’s gonna be a very, very, very late night…………………….

Pat Blythe – What’s old is new again and a fabulous night of music….

Wow! What a pleasant surprise….Eddie Bullen and son Trey-Michael just dropped by. Trey now has Chris’s old film Nikon cameras in his possession….on loan to him and his brother Quincy since both have a strong interest in old cameras. Trey-Michael is a budding photographer and videographer who records most of the Father and Son Dueling Piano’s shows.

Pat Blythe – #MeToo/#NotMeToo and Rockin’ the Night Away…

Let me start by stating I am not a “political” person. I follow what’s going on the world to keep myself current but I don’t read nor do I decipher every minutiae that is written about “he who shall not be shamed” or anyone else for that matter. However, the latest in a very long string of accusations of sexual misconduct/harassment, particularly here in Ontario, well…..I’ve about had enough. I posted this in Facebook a few days ago and, generally, the respondents agree with me. What follows in a slightly edited version.
“For the first time in years, eons even, I sat down to read something other a computer screen (except for Tom Wilson’s book Beautiful Scars). This time it was the newspaper. The National Post actually. For some mysterious reason it keeps appearing on my front porch at least six out of seven days a week. But I digress……