Mid August, and most days I feel like, this year, summer never really got started. Maybe it’s the weather, or the political climate, but something feels off-kilter. My potted veg and herbs are in shock; it’s been either torrential rain or temps in the 90s – sometimes in the same 24 hours – every day since they were planted. Sodden pots sit cheek by jowl with containers so arid they threaten to burst into flame. There won’t be much of a harvest this year.
Well…. This was supposed to be Part Five of The Women of Rock. However, I’m going to take a break and fill you in on some of the sights and sounds of this dynamic city I call home….Toronto…. Hogtown… Muddy York…. The Big Smoke…. Tdot…. where I’ve been going, who I’ve been seeing, what I’ve been drinking (G&T w/lemon if you must know. Bombay Sapphire is the chosen one.) AND update you about an exciting event that’s coming to Toronto. Yep….it’s another Toronto Scrapbook!
At a recent jam, a bunch of the players got to talking about songs that had surprised or shocked our sensibilities, either at first listen, or upon reflection. As vocalists or musicians, we had learned the actual lyrics, not just taken the overall gist. It’s different, when you have to memorize lyrics, rather than just bop along to a current song.
Toronto was a different place in the late 1970’s and early eighties. Although it’s easy to look back with rose coloured glasses, it was, in fact, a watershed time for Toronto musicians. Everywhere you turned, you were surrounded by outstanding music, made by dedicated and very talented players, who enjoyed the freedom to create their art, and make a living at the same time.
February is the perfect month in which to have a Valentine’s Day, isn’t it? The dark days of winter mirror the endless darkness of your so called life and press on your last nerve, and the cold sneaks through the windows and under the doors like icy fingers, seeking out your most tender bits. What better time to join in a mass celebration of tawdry lingerie and heart 
shaped chocolates? Snuggle up to your honey, maybe even take off the socks that you’ve been wearing to bed for two months, and get your cuddles on.
Or at least, that’s what we’re told to expect.
I’ve often called myself a Toronto snob. I was born and raised in this city, and no matter where else I go in the world, I’ll always think of it as home. I love Toronto so very much. There’s no better reminder of how much I love this city than when visitors from far away places come to the city, and I get a chance to show them my Toronto. Not the CN Tower, the Skydome (I will never call it by its other corporate name thank you!) I’m talking about the fun little places that I have come to love, and love showing off to people who come to town.
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 