Pat Blythe – Summer Blues and All That Jazz, Mariposa …and Music!

 Happy Summer Everyone! Finally!!!!!

Busy, busy in the outdoors this past weekend. Rocking (literally) the back garden my youngest and very industrious son Thom is building a small patio using the remaining stones Chris collected over the years. It’s looking lovely. A late start for planting but by BBQ time everything should be ready and blooming. Also busy hosting an AirBnB guest for three nights. Originally from Tibet, Levone has made New Hampshire his home for now but he is loving Canada and all the Pride festivities.

Pat Blythe – SING! Toronto, Jeff Jones Trio and …Music!

I am still in awe of what happens every time I step out the door whether it’s for a walk, head to a club, meet a friend for a meal, hop in the vehicle and drive….somewhere, photograph a festival, have a random conversation with someone you just met…..something totally unexpected invariably transpires, something I was totally unprepared for. Whether I’m learning it or experiencing it at least it’s consistent. Standing back and studying the broader picture I find there are a hundred million large and teeny tiny connections, that, as the universe unfolds and does its thing, links us all together. Whether it’s a person, a concert, a band, a type of music, an experience, a friend of a friend, we are all our own “six degrees of separation”. I find it all rather fascinating……and I’m still in awe.

Pat Blythe – Something Personal …CMW …A Few Shows …and Music!

Writing one’s column on the day it’s supposed to post is not the best in planning but it will have to do for today (and last week and probably next week). Right now I’m listening to The Beach Boys song God Only Knows and I can’t stop thinking of all the people that have shared my life, not just in the past four years but going as far back as I can remember. So add the following video I found on FB and a late night conversation and yes, once again my column takes a different fork in the road.

Pat Blythe – London Music Week, Canadian Musician Celebrates 40 Years …and Music!

I’m in London, Ontario attending Forest City London Music Week and the awards gala. Hanging my hat at home with my mom. Music was a huge part of my life growing up whether it was inside or outside the home. In the 1970s London was filled with clubs and bars covering everything from punk, rock, jazz, blues, folk to disco. Venues included The Cedar Lounge, The Diamond Club, Fryfogles Tavern (I celebrated my 18^th birthday there), Old City Hall, Kelly’s, Mingles, The Noodle Factory, The West End, Smales Pace, Ridout Tavern…..just to name a few. There was something for literally everyone. Major concert venues included Wonderland Gardens (my favourite spot), Centennial Hall and Treasure Island Gardens…..the latter located way out of town near Highway 401.

Pat Blythe – ONES, The LaMagna Cartel, Jully Black and …Music!

A Philosophic Moment….

Here we are…..right where we’re supposed to be. Precisely at this spot…..in this instant….this moment in time. Think about it. I’m sitting here typing away. Sometime later today or tomorrow, you’re sitting there reading what I am now typing, while I’m already doing something else. Now, look up and let your eyes roam around. What do you see? I’ll tell you what I see? I see a life that has unfolded and significantly changed over the past five years. I see my kitchen, the twinkle lights, the coffee and tea supplies waiting patiently…. I see my kitchen witch on her broom bringing me luck and the bookcase holding all my cookbooks…..the last thing Chris built for me. I see the sweet potatoes and pears, lounging on their plate until it’s time for the soup pot. I see my drums, piano and guitar……a big comfy couch. I see the home I’ve created and welcomes all who enter. I see my fingers on a keyboard typing inanities and loving every minute of it. How does it make me feel?  Happy! I do indeed love my life and all those who have become a part of it. So, as you read this, stop, wherever you are, at this exact instant (your instant in time), take a moment to look around. What do you see? How do you feel? Be Here Now.

Pat Blythe – MIrror, Mirror, Little Magic Sam, Jeans ‘N Classics …and Music!

So……some asshole, who decided he needed one of my car parts more than I did, expertly stole my passenger side mirror. Parked on Queen St., directly in front of the Cameron House, against a snowbank. F********K!!!! Not a “smash and grab” but carefully popped out, heating wires neatly disconnected and presto, I’m out $80.

Pat Blythe – All Sorts of Stuff and of Course…Music!

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

Pat Blythe – Sisters, More Indie Week, a Finale……and Music!

Question: How many sisters does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Answer: Apparently two…..and that took over an hour!

Allow me to elaborate. I have a faux fireplace that, when switched on, displays (you guessed it) a faux fire, tricking my brain into thinking it’s warm and toasty on the main floor when in fact it can be, on some days, a tad on the coolish side. So, after a rather late night clubbing followed by a slow rising morning, my sister Chrissie (who is visiting for a couple of days) and I lounge around upstairs until we decide it’s coffee time. Off we trundle into a rather chilly downstairs. Chrissie decides to “light the fire”. She flicks the switch to ‘on’. Nothing. Tries the other switch, then the dial. Nothing. So after much switching back and forth and checking the plug, we determine a light bulb replacement is necessary. How difficult can that be? We were about to find out!

Pat Bythe – Saying Goodbye…and Music!

A blank page. I’m staring at a blank page. (ok, not anymore). A few words have appeared. It’s not the dearth of things to write about, it’s the overabundance.

Pat Blythe – Festivals, a little Snarky Puppy, Quisha Wint and SING!….plus Music!

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.