Pat Blythe – UNISON and Jaymz Bee’s Caravan of Music….

Today’s missive and prime focus is Unison and the musical community they support. We begin with Unison’s background. Then it’s on to the fabulous fundraising bash Monday night (I’m still attempting to open the other eye). Find out who Jaymz Bee is (it was his birthday party), the instigator of Monday night’s festivities and of course, the musicians themselves and their music.

Some of the best Canadian talent appeared in support of this wonderful cause and to celebrate a birthday. But before I launch into any of that, I would like you to take a few minutes and listen to the following video.

Pat Blythe – A Tribute to Jack Richardson, Tom Cochrane and Music

Back in London, Ontario for the Jack Richardson Music Awards (JRMA) and Jack Richardson Music Week. My home town and it’s about time I attended. There are multiple events happening every night. Great Lakes Blues Society presents Bill Durst; Doll House Showcase celebrates the Women of London in Music with Juno nominee Emm Gryner; Battle of The High School Bands in honor of Richardson’s love of teaching and encouragement of London’s young musicians ($2,500 top prize); an oral history of the London music scene from the 1960’s forward presented by Greg Simpson and Bob Klanac; Jack’s London Live….a full evening devoted to promoting live music and the live music venues in London (wonder how many I can cover in a single evening) and of course, to cap off  the week Jack Richardson Music Awards presentation and gala.

Pat Blythe – Airport hell, a grant gathering, CMW, Sam Taylor and a little Side Hustle

Flying the friendly skies…..nope grounded…..

Where to start….where to start. Loads of stuff going on, musically and otherwise.  Let’s roll tape backwards. We’ll start with Air Canada’s GIANT, international debacle on Monday leaving  thousands of people not high, but dry, at Toronto Pearson International Airport (not to mention the thousands across the world). System down…..the entire system…..worldwide. Now, I don’t know all the details, precise timing and the tiny little intricacies but I do know this, I dropped my friends off at the airport, heading south for their pre-wedding honeymoon, and ten hours later I’m picking them up from the same airport, tired, explosively furious and drained.

Pat Blythe – Women of The “Traps” – Part Two

Let’s just dig right in shall we. Female drummers, and I’ll add percussionists, span the globe.  From Israel to Iran, from China to Europe and back to North America. Although it’s the guys who seem to be in the forefront, drumming is not a just a “manly” profession (and neither is electric guitar but that’s for another discussion). Women have been drumming since…..well….. the very beginning.

Pat Blythe – Canadian Music Week 2017….The Finale

Before I pick up where I left off prior to Bob’s computer turning into a brick, I shall sidestep a titch and segue, for just a moment, into sessions. Yes…those relatively educational, supposedly non-biased, informative, enlightening, seminars/panel discussions or summits, as CMW refers to them. This is the core stuff delegates are actually paying for when they purchase a ticket. I listed the several different streams one can chose from in last week’s column, so I shan’t bore you with the details here. However, suffice to say, there is loads of opportunity to learn as well as “button hole” and query those with a cumulative hundreds of years of experience, and educate yourself in everything that is the entertainment industry. From Mentor’s Cafe to SOCAN, from touring to ticketing, from writing, producing and publishing to understanding Indie labels and Indie rights….and that’s just the music stream.

Roxanne Tellier – Panic, Packing, and Pagliaro

So .. I’m five weeks out of leaving this house, and utterly, utterly frozen in a paralysis of what comes next. Where will I be living? Still trying to figure that out.  What do I do with all of this STUFF .. so much on the go, it’s like living in  the largest and untidiest stress bubble on the planet.

JAIMIE VERNON – THE WAGONS ARE CIRCLING…THE DRAIN

WARNING: This blog features the oral history of wallpaper drying and pertains to music that’s less than a decade old. Reading it might very well put you in a coma and cause your family to call emergency services.

It’s been a very interesting week in the music business as the wintery cobwebs get dusted away and we start seeing the industry awaken from its post-2014 slumber. There’s something amiss in Muzoid Land and it appears to be the long tail of sins of the past coming back to eat itself.

Roxanne Tellier: Musicians and Money

Well, for most of us, there ain’t much … money, I mean. Last week I talked about Indie Week, and the high of seeing new live music all over downtown Toronto. Reminded me of the good ol’ days.