Pat Blythe – Here comes summer!!

March 30 was the last column I wrote for this site…..the “Canadian edition” and finale of my jazz series. It’s now been six week since DBAWIS was able to publish due to some serious computer issues. There’s a wee bit of catching up to do. Live music is happening again, the camera seems to have found its way back into my life, the whole England move has been sliding sideways, reviewing photographs (not just Chris’s, but mine too) has sent me down several rabbit holes, and life generally, has been pretty busy. So…..let me just dive right in.

Pat Blythe – It’s a Love Revolution Down on Main Street…..and music

I’m loving September. Warm(ish) days with cool nights are just perfect. Grape jelly made, herbs harvested, spaghetti sauce jarred (soup is next), podcast published and now it’s column time! In between all that is photo editing, cross stitching and a few telecom projects. Running around at Mariposa and Summerfolk; meeting new people and listening to new music during Canadian Music Week and Indie Week; dodging bodies, running into my friends and hearing more new music at the clubs…..I’ve missed it all. Fingers crossed we have some semblance of normal next year.

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.

Pat Blythe – What’s Up with Festivals …Sidetracked …A Soiree …and Music!

What’s with the festival circuit the past few years? Roxodus died a quick and very public, painful death….especially painful to all those who bought tickets and the dream. The demise…..headlines for about 30 seconds and then gone. However, that one will be a sea of lawsuits for years to come, but hey, the bands got their deposits. Go figure.

Pat Blythe – Pop Goes The Weasel, Bill Wood and The Woodies, Wanda’s, The BTBs……and Music!

I’ve actually finished a book!!! A real ” hold in your hands manually turn the pages” book.  Reading is deeply embedded in my DNA. I descend from a long line of voracious readers. It began at the age of four and never stopped. The comprehension/speed reading exercises they put us through in grades seven and eight have served me well. Chris and I used to read together in companionable silence, only coming up for air when there was something one of us just had to share…..or to make the tea.

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 – Reflections, A.J. Croce, Buffy…..plus Music!

 

WOW!!! It’s has been a while. Sooooo much has happened since mid-August. I sit here listening to He Ain’t Heavy by The Hollies thinking how lives are changed in literally a heartbeat. The thoughts of this wild and woolly summer filter through my mind…..the people the places, the experiences, the freedom, the folks I have connected and re-connected with, the hospitality of incredible friends, the music…..yes, especially the music. My life changed forever the day I lost Chris five years ago. It has morphed into a wild and exhilarating ride that does not appear to be slowing down one iota and, truth be told, I love it. But I also pause to think, it is indeed “a long, long road, from which there is no return….”

Pat Blythe – Summerfolk…Listen!!!…and Music!

Nothing like a good, crackin’ thunderstorm. As I write it rages outside. A torrential downpour. Rain is hammering against the windows. The ferocity and intensity of the wind creates a horizontal sheet of water. Powerful gusts of wind generate waves, pushing them up Kingston Road (which I find amazing since Kingston Road slopes down toward the lake). It will blow through quickly….it’s a violent inversion. Lower temps are in the forecast….and the now the sun comes out.