Pat Blythe – Pacing ONERUN, a Birthday with a “Cherry” on Top …and Music!

The business of business cards….little pieces of history….a nostalgic trail of change of memories. Each one has its own story….of the owner, the business, the year, even the decade.  Headed to the basement to check the dehumidifier and stood gaping in overwhelming awe at what still has to be done with much of Chris’s “stuff” over five years after his death. Okay…..deep breath…..one box at a time. My eyes landed on the “box o’ cards” so upstairs it came. It resulted in a magical wander back in time for an entire afternoon. I do not exaggerate when I say the man kept EVERYTHING. I was stunned to find my very first business card from Associated Creative Talent (ACT). Ahhhh, was the summer of ‘79. I had only been in Toronto three months. What a life-changing year that turned out to be.

Pat Blythe – Christmas past, NYC, John Harris, N’we Jinan…and Music!

My house looks like Santa barfed up an entire Christmas store. Lights, decorations, bibs and bobs scattered about, the decorating a work in progress and I haven’t even purchased the tree yet! Chris use to chide me on the amount of Christmas paraphernalia I had accumulated over the years so I decided one year to use the minimalist approach. A week before Christmas day Chris asked me when I was going to decorate? Ya can’t win…. So, five containers, an extensive Santa Claus collection and a couple of supplementary boxes heaved up from the basement, I am now sussing and sorting, banging nails, climbing ladders, walking on the counter to get to the top of the cabinets….letting no space go “unChristmased”. Even my musical Charlie Brown Christmas Tree is back in its place of honour.

Pat Blythe – Wednesday, June 29….

Well, this weekly “journal” style of writing has been thoroughly enjoyable and I love bringing everyone along to the clubs and festivals with me and my trusty camera. It’s 6am on a Wednesday morning and I’m back to the beginning of this column. The original beginning sucked. Seal has just finished playing Kiss From A Rose and Journey has just begun. I pick up my new vehicle this morning and then enjoy a repast with my son Aarron this afternoon. A new day has begun all bright and shiny with the sun beginning its daily trip across the amazing shade of blue we call the sky. I sit here and wonder what the next 24 hours will bring. It’s always full of lovely surprises. ….and here’s another….Barry White is next and then Steppenwolf blasting through my speaker soooo….on with the week. I wonder what will be playing when I finish this column?

Pat Blythe – Bestival, Patios, a Book and a Celebration….

Tuesdays are my “writing days” but as hard as I try I am easily distracted (squirrel!!). Today is apparently no different. As I complete my morning troll through FB, I discover all sorts of interesting (and not so interesting, in fact quite wasteful) trivia….but every once in awhile, a gem emerges….like this. Haunting yet peaceful, I’m so glad my friend Donna shared one of these videos on FB.

Pat Blythe – Life and loss…..

I’m trying to figure out where old sod goes to die. Messing around in my backyard over the weekend and I have several rolls of unusable sod that weigh a ton. Leftovers from last year. Small house, small yard still equals “big” work. Gorgeous weather though….dinner on the patio of my local Italian restaurant, Casa di Giorgio, Saturday night. Some of my favourite people work there… Cathy, Christina, Pam and Ted (the owner). Great food and great people!

Pat Blythe – CMW 2016 Part 2 and Other Stuff

Well, another week has just blown by and we are already half way through May. Where the hell is spring? I do believe Mother Nature has taken a detour. However, the beginning of “festival” season, music in particular, has started with a bang. CMW is the lead-in with the SING! Toronto Vocal Arts Festival running parallel and beyond. A bucket load of music is on tap this summer and folks are going to be hard-pressed to know which way to turn. So much to choose from and it will be happening all over the city, clear out to Hamilton and back. I’m not even including all the long weekend jams that happen in parks hither, thither and yon. Pick a few favourites, either local or long distance and settle in for the ride.

Pat Blythe: Music, Smoke Signals, a Bar Car and Avery Raquel

WOW! A free weekend. No big plans. No club hopping, gin slurping, picture taking. A Friday night and it’s dinner and a movie with friends Robin and Mary Ann. Saturday my niece is in town overnight with her girlfriend. It’s homemade spaghetti sauce on pasta for supper. Tummies happy, we had a lovely natter and then it’s bedtime. Sunday it’s Aunt Pat’s blueberry pancakes. Fed and watered, the girls are sent on their way. I then strolled into the Beach, walking in this glorious sunshine, to a long coffee break with friend Sandy Graham. It was a beautiful weekend. Uneventful and about as exciting as this paragraph. Just what the doctor ordered.

Pat Blythe – Time Flies…Music Soars

It’s my anniversary!!!! My one-year anniversary writing for DBAWIS!! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown and what a year it has been. A wild and woolly ride full of music, festivals, clubs, bars, a little G&T, dancing, more music and incredible people. Have you ever suddenly blinked and wondered, “Holy shit, what just happened? WHAT the HELL has just happened?” My life, as I knew it, has inexorably changed….almost transformed….I blinked.

Pat Blythe – I’m Dancing on the Head of a Pin….

You know those days when you feel like someone slipped a happy pill into your morning java. Today (Monday) is one of those days. Walking down University Ave. in Toronto with the sun trying desperately to penetrate the clouds…..and just about making it. I’m listening to tunes with my headphones on and fighting to keep my feet from breaking into a dance. “There goes a crazy lady!” So, walking to the beat will have to do. (Note to all drummers….if your meter is off, I’ll find it) First up was “When The Lights Are Out” by Slade, followed by “Dressed in the Dark” by Bob Segarini (there seems to be theme here)….then Sophie B. Hawkins “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover”. Jeez! Give a girl a break. Finally, on the streetcar “Tomorrow”, by the Research Turtles came on. It’s just a wonderful, poppy, toe-tapping, dancing, feel-good song and I had that one repeat several times.

The Weekend Roundup: Whatever Happened to Phil Collins, the Research Turtles ‘Toon Winners, and Cashbox Canada Welcomes Me Aboard.

It occurred to me this morning that the millennium descended on us over 10 years ago. To some people, 2000 is now ‘the good old days’. Am I the only one who finds that somewhat disturbing? There was no Twitter, no Facebook, no iPad, Android, or Cloud. There was no 3D television (or movies for that matter), fish tacos, or Coke Zero. We had no Jersey Shore, American Idol, Survivor (until May 31^st of that year) or Ryan Seacrest. We didn’t have Smart Phones, Hybrid cars or touch-screen monitors. We were down to 3 Beatles and 3 Who’s, and would soon be down to just two each. What we did have…was Phil Collins.