I’ve been reminded that things always happen in threes….the cold from hell has felled me, issues with club bookings and now my f**cking roof needs to be replaced!!!! Actually there’s a fourth, a notice from CRA tells me I owe them a whopping $15.43. I’m finding it difficult to think coherently, my eyes hurt, I’m hacking up a lung, I actually feel like napping and I have to be in London on Friday to drive a pace car in a cancer run. Rant over….let the column begin.
It’s THAT time of year! December is closing in, Toronto’s Santa Claus parade has come and gone, coloured lights are slowly appearing on homes all over the city, the boxes of decorations have been heaved up from the basement with the help of a friend…..then there’s the Christmas tree to suss out (I always get a real one), more baking….and the list goes on. Christmas has always been my favourite holiday. The hidden five-year-old makes her appearance at this time of year as the joy of the season takes hold. It bubbles up and overflows, sometimes a bit over the top….so be patient. Trying to quell the child inside is almost impossible. Now I typically wait until December 1 to begin the transformation of the house, but this year, with so much going on, Jingle Bells takes hold a bit earlier although I do hold off on the Christmas movies and specials until the first of that magical month.
Editor’s Note – Originally posted on January 21st 2015, this column bears repeating. Proud to say our track record is pretty good for sniffing out greatness in a sea of popular, financially successful mediocrity, but the continued confusion regarding the differences in worthiness and rose-coloured glasses steeped in nostalgia, needs to be addressed. When it comes to Greatness, consider the majority of what you hear on terrestrial radio as nothing more than Alternative Fact.
Another week has passed and this stinking cold is still hanging around like a nasty smell (not that I can smell anything). It has wiped that smug “I haven’t had a cold in 10 years” look right off my face. I ended up with a high temp the other night so hauled myself out to see the doc. Lungs are, in her words, “crystal clear”. Damn!!!! It’s viral. So, here I sit, taste buds shot, no smell (not even burning toast), hacking and coughing and severely pissed off!! According to many, this nasty monster can hang around for weeks. I am NOT impressed. Tea with lemon and honey and curling up with my favourite sweater at night is all I’ve got. Okay, I’m done bitching and whining. This column will be another short one and a roundup of some of the upcoming music events.
Everything comes from somewhere. If you don’t build on what has gone before, you are creating something without the benefit of a rock solid foundation to grow from.
Trying to recreate the past is a mistake made often by people who are more invested in the times represented by the music than the music itself, and using their love and knowledge of that music in the creation of something new.
In the case of music, sounding like The Beatles won’t bring back the 60s…but learning from their music and the influences that inspired them can help create the future.
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Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 