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.
Crikey!!!! Where the hell did the day go?!? It was a crazy week last week….Indie Week style. Launch on Tuesday, judging (and shooting) on Wednesday, hitting the clubs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday…..oh my aching trigger finger…… I saw so many bands around the city I’ve lost count. There were others I missed simply because I couldn’t be in two (or three) places at once….not even Zippy can do that. I take no prisoners driving from one end of the city to the other. There is no time to waste and parking to be found. But what a great week…..so much incredible talent out there, local and international, and these music makers love what they do….so I hope they all keep on “doing it”. I ran into so many people I know, reconnected and also made some new friends. I just LOVE this!
Indie Week in Toronto officially started last night with the big launch party at The Hideout starting at 7pm. Ran into (quite literally) Bruce Bradley of Slammin’ Media, Roxanne Tellier, Peter Montreuil, the man himself, Bob Segarini, photographer Micheal Macisaac, Hartley Pickens, owner of See Rock Live Magazine (whose huge RV was parked out front of the venue), producer/singer/songwriter Chris Birkett, Nadia Elkharadly of Addicted Magazine….and the list goes on.
I have described it as “the one place on earth where I’m happy to pay retail price for beer”! It has been a portal to a complete change in my life, introducing me to good times, great music and even greater people. It’s a venue that fosters a strong sense of community among this area’s indie musicians. I am talking about Cherry Cola’s Rock N Rolla Cabaret and Lounge.
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.
It’s so quiet in the house you can almost hear it…..the quiet I mean. The steady tick of the clock, the occasional gurgle of the hot water radiator and the hum of complete stillness. The outside world seems so far away, almost non-existent. As I sit typing this it’s like I’m on the inside looking out….a rather surreal feeling….like one of those movie scenes where the person is standing still and everything else is whizzing and swirling by at record speed. Watching and waiting. A sense of calm yet anticipatory. Of what I don’t know.
I’m going to start calling this column Pat’s Diary (nope, too blah), or maybe Zippy’s Musical Journey, or maybe….My Life As A Crazy Lady….. Welcome to my world of music, pictures, and general mayhem. So we begin another 10 days of zipping (get it haha) around this wonderful city of ours enjoying the nightlife. I’m starting backwards…..
Again, the best laid plans…..my previous ideas have now taken a 90 (may be a full 180) degree turn, all based on a single song I heard a couple of days ago.
Roxanne Tellier (Veronica to my Betty) posted this song, “Home to Me”, a couple of days ago. It is such a wonderful, heartfelt piece. I fell in love with it instantly. Meaningful and tragically real, these kids have taken their misfortunes and turned them around in such a positive way, creating something so deeply beautiful. I dare you not to move.
Wait for it………
The weekend of January 30/31 was….in a word….busy. This seems to be my mantra these days….busy, busy, busy….and I’m loving it. Two nights in a row at Cherry Cola’s introduced me to a few new Indie bands while allowing me the pleasure of hearing a few of my favourites. Something tells me “Indie Week” has already started….at least in this column.
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 