Pat Blythe – It’s a Love Revolution Down on Main Street…..and music

I’m loving September. Warm(ish) days with cool nights are just perfect. Grape jelly made, herbs harvested, spaghetti sauce jarred (soup is next), podcast published and now it’s column time! In between all that is photo editing, cross stitching and a few telecom projects. Running around at Mariposa and Summerfolk; meeting new people and listening to new music during Canadian Music Week and Indie Week; dodging bodies, running into my friends and hearing more new music at the clubs…..I’ve missed it all. Fingers crossed we have some semblance of normal next year.

Pat Blythe – Momma can you hear me? …..and music

Here I am, Tuesday afternoon and I’m not sure what to write about. I usually have a thousand ideas racing through my brain leading up to today. But as I sit in my usual spot on the couch I’m drawing a blank!

Pat Blythe – CMW and Playing Catchup with JRLMA, Hot Lips and more…..

It’s May!!!! Festival season has begun with Canadian Music Week (CMW) and there is something for everyone. From the neophyte to the cynical lifer, CMW includes seminars and panel discussions covering Tech, Music and Radio; Mentor’s Café; Film and Music Festivals, always something to learn.  ….and then there’s the networking…..better known as schmoozing…..done to a fine art. Once again the downtown Sheraton Conference Centre is command central and the heartbeat of CMW. It’s where all the conference sessions take place, the trade show for all things shiny and new is ensconced and of course, much meeting and greeting is done in the lobby bar.

Pat Blythe – Jack Richardson Music Awards and Music Week…What a Blast!!!

There is SO much to share with you. It’s been such an incredible week celebrating Jack Richardson. A full week of music was such a blast and the Jack Richardson London Music Awards Show……fantastic. What a fitting tribute to a such a remarkable man who was so influential in the Canadian music industry and an amazing friend to all the musicians who crossed his path. I firmly believe Canada wouldn’t be home to one of the greatest bands in the world if Richardson hadn’t mortgaged his house for that first album and subsequent number one hit. I personally salute the man who believed so much in Canada he refused to go south. One of the most respected and sought after producers in the world, Richardson dedicated his career to his mother country and I love that he settled in my home town of London, Ontario.

Pat Blythe – A Tribute to Jack Richardson, Tom Cochrane and Music

Back in London, Ontario for the Jack Richardson Music Awards (JRMA) and Jack Richardson Music Week. My home town and it’s about time I attended. There are multiple events happening every night. Great Lakes Blues Society presents Bill Durst; Doll House Showcase celebrates the Women of London in Music with Juno nominee Emm Gryner; Battle of The High School Bands in honor of Richardson’s love of teaching and encouragement of London’s young musicians ($2,500 top prize); an oral history of the London music scene from the 1960’s forward presented by Greg Simpson and Bob Klanac; Jack’s London Live….a full evening devoted to promoting live music and the live music venues in London (wonder how many I can cover in a single evening) and of course, to cap off  the week Jack Richardson Music Awards presentation and gala.

JAIMIE VERNON – CIRCULAR IMPRESSIONS, 7 INCHES AT A TIME

There once was a band called The Extras. They were an amalgam of players that used to back up the late, great BB Gabor. When they went off on their own they released a debut album called ‘Bit Parts’ and had themselves an FM radio hit with a novelty tune called “Circular Impression”.

JAIMIE VERNON – GODS OF THE HAMMER