Pat Blythe – What a Rush!

OMG!!! I can barely contain myself from bouncing around in my seat. There is not one part of my body that is not vibrating. Finally, unencumbered by my theatre seat, the urge gives way to pure, uninhibited “singing and dancing in the aisles”. I just about vaulted over my seatmate beside me to rush the stage and boogie up a storm. It is so liberating to let it just take over. What an encore!!!! Thankfully, my good friend and date for the evening, Pat Kelly, encourages this irrational behaviour. Gotta love him.

Pat Blythe – Women & Songs — Part Two

Radio – Same Ol’ Same Ol’

I don’t listen to the radio much these days…okay….sometimes when I’m driving but that’s mostly for road and weather reports. Music….not so much. What music I do hear is the rotation of the same songs or the same tired formula over and over and over…. I will admit I tune into Q107 but that’s more for the DJ banter and the stories than the music. ….and the commercials, on any station,  send me over the edge!

Roxanne Tellier – A Canadian Summer

There is something so uniquely .. well, Canadian … about how we as a country approach the season of summer.

This year, the majority of us, bruised and battered by the wickedly fierce winter weather, are cautiously optimistic that the sun will again rise over the commonwealth. In fact, the big headline in the Toronto Sun on June 3^rd was “Weather Network chief meteorologist Chris Scott said everyone can expect a “fairly pleasant summer.”  Can’t get more cautious or Canadian than that, eh?

Doug Thompson: COVERING UP! VINYL RECORD COVERS CLASSICS!

I love album covers!  Not the shrunken down versions they use on CDs, I mean those gloriously creative (mostly) 12” vinyl record album covers.  I was looking through my vinyl record collection the other day and marvelled at some of the amazing designs of some of the covers.  Now, before we start delving into some classic album covers as well as a few personal favourites, a little history is in order, but don’t panic – there will not be a quiz later.

Frank Gutch Jr: Behind the Sweet Relief III Album with Sheldon Gomberg; Janie Jones (It’s a Movie), Eef Barzelay, and Gemma Hayes; It’s A Beautiful Day, Today

I have written about Sheldon Gomberg and his support of Sweet Relief before.  For those who don’t know, Sweet Relief is a charity organization dedicated to helping musicians in need.  It was founded by musician Victoria Williams to help her meet the financial challenges of a serious illness and gained a life of its own shortly thereafter, the funds going to a wider expanse and eventually going to all musicians, if they qualify.  Yes, it is a business (though nonprofit) and has to have guidelines to exist and survive.