Pat Blythe – Celebrating music…..a little tongue in cheek……and music

DBAWIS summer hiatus is upon us…..August 10 to September 10. This will be my last column until September 15. Because of the timing of my column (Wednesdays) I will have almost six weeks off!! Time to enjoy the rest of the summer and focus on one or hundred other projects I have on the go.

There will be no summer festivals to regale you with when I’m back…..Mariposa was supposed to be celebrating their 60^th anniversary and Summerfolk turned 45. Live music is slowly leaking out on front porches, parks, driveways, street corners and back decks…..speaking of which…..I have the pleasure of hosting a few “concerts” myself. I typically host a summer BBQ, with about 35-40 people in attendance, the third weekend in July. Not this year. Instead, to give musicians a platform to play to real humans, I offered my back deck and The Back Deck Concert Series was born. Maximum audience size…..10.

Peter enjoys The Ripp and heymacs Show

Last Sunday the Toronto Transit Commission had yet another service interruption, complete with shuttle busses and detours. That didn’t deter me from going to The Black Swan at 154 Danforth Avenue in the late afternoon for yet another concert from yet another fine group of Toronto based musicians. The bill included Mark Ripp and the heymacs, who were making their first public appearance ever, apparently, although their excellent videos are a staple of my timeline.

Peter’s Tips for New Bands AND Why You Should Be There for Opening Acts

This week, I’m going to look at ways that we, whether musician or fan, can promote indie music. These suggestions are based on my personal observations at shows, through my interpretation of other’s comments in various media and through my own thoughts about this topic. Although I will address the Greater TorontoArea as I am most familiar with it, most of these ideas should be applicable anywhere.

JAIMIE VERNON – DISHING WITH STEVEN DAVEY

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – Lists

I love lists, especially when they pertain to music.  I had a great chat with Now Weekly Editor/Publisher Michael Hollett last month as he was putting together the “50 Best Toronto Albums Ever” (which was Now’s cover story last week).  More on that later. My love of lists began in 1977 with the publication of “The Book Of Lists” written by David Wallechinsky, Irving Wallace and Amy Wallace. As a teenager it quickly replaced the “Guinness Book Of World Records” as the time wasting no-brainer book that you could pick up anytime, turn to any page, and by mesmerized by the amount of fascinating trivia.