I think this is what 2019 is going to be all about:
“There are things you do because they feel right & they make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other’s cooking & say it was good” — ©2000 Brian Andreas
So, I’ve been doing some cogitating, ruminating, deliberating, pondering, considering and generally thinking. My first loves are music, dance, writing and photography. Not necessarily in that order but they’re all a number one and blend together rather agreeably…..well…..except for the dance. It’s a little more physical. You have to visualize that one. (okay, you can stop laughing now). I began penning this weekly diatribe over three years ago writing about women in music which graduated to some of the leading ladies of blues and subsequently all those ballsy women of rock ‘n’ roll. Somehow I graduated, or drifted (depending on how you look at it) into writing about all the explosion of talent here in The Big Smoke. I’ve been covering as much as one body will allow me to for the past two-and-a-half years.
Curled up on the upstairs couch this morning, enjoying my little Christmas tree with the snow gently falling outside the window, once again leafing through Lisa MacIntosh’s book Music Makers: Stories of The Great Hall. I’m discovering pictures of people I have also photographed during my treks through the Toronto club and concert scene. Faces I recognize but didn’t necessarily know their names or even who they were. (I keep hearing the voice of my friend Sam Taylor in the back of my head….”you know him, you shot him at the Kelly Jay benefit….ya, you know her/him too from (insert show/club/etc. here)…”
I try and start the column with the actual focus of the column, which is music. Then the squirreling happens and my brain starts to meander all over the place….and nowhere in particular. Again, researching something entirely different I came across this quote from a video I stumbled upon. The video is actually produced by Canon (which happens to be the maker of camera I use).
It’s been busy the past few weeks. What with fighting that ghastly, intrusive flu/cold (whatever the hell it was) while still cruising the concert halls and clubs, celebrating a special day with my sons and generally trying to keep in or out of trouble….. depending on your point of view. I’ve also been rooting around in the basement searching for more of Chris’s work and I discovered not only his collection of slides but a brand new, unopened box containing a Kodak (remember them) slide projector complete with three carousels and a carousel stack loader. Never used. I cracked it open, plugged it in and everything worked like a charm. Now, if I can just remember how to put the slides in…..I keep getting them backwards or upside down. So I continue to catalogue, digitize and view slides. My drum stool just got delivered (thank you Kid Carson) so now, instead of sliding across the floor every time I use the kick drum, I’ll stay put.
Some things just happen for a reason. A parking spot just as you need it. That cheque you’ve been waiting for arrives in the mail at precisely the right time. The job opportunity comes along right when you need it most. Somebody mails you a CD out of the blue while you’re considering what to write for the next column. Well….the latter just waltzed into my mailbox….it’s the most beautiful rendition of this classic I’ve ever heard. The vocalist was only twelve when it was recorded.
Life happens (or maybe it occurs), either way my plans for today’s column were short circuited by a few happenstance events that tumbled into each other this past weekend. A visit, a text, a ticket, a song and two remarkable performances by two gifted artists. One who is just beginning on his journey and another who’s journey began over 50 years ago. This is the blues.
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 