Pat Blythe – Indie Week…..Julian Taylor….podcasting……and music

I’m missing the live music, the clubs…..but most of all the people. It’s been two years now since I’ve trolled Toronto’s club scene, traveled with the ONES show and visited the many stages of the various festivals in Ontario. I loved it all….every second of it! I met some of the most incredible people, heard some fantastic music, and was honoured to a part of a scene I had been away from for so long. I made new friends (and lost a few), learned new skills, and was gifted with the opportunity to write this column…..it was a whirlwind six years. Then Covid decided to rain on our parade. The Pandemic Interviews allowed me to stay connected to many of the musicians I met during those five years.

Pat Blythe – 365 Days …and Music!

When this column posts it will be exactly 365 days to the date the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. It’s been 365 days since the entire planet turned upside down, essentially transforming life as we knew it. There have been massive upsides and downsides, upheavals and confusion, disruptions and adjustments. As much as I have an intense dislike for the phrase “new normal”, that’s what we’re experiencing and there is no turning back. So, whether we like it or not, here we are.

Pat Blythe – For no particular reason…..Julian Taylor……and music

I woke up today (Tuesday) morning, late, thinking of the future and what lies ahead. Of England, of leaving Canada, of all the friendships and relationships I’ve built over the past five years and the very special ones in particular, of all the people that have come into and passed through my life since Chris’s death. I woke up reminiscing for some strange reason, looking around my home and feeling totally amazed at how much my life has changed in such a short period of time. My sons are in a good place with wonderful women. They have both make brilliant choices. I think of Colleen, the daughter-of-my-heart, half- way around the world building a new, exciting and fantastic life. I think of my mom and all that she has seen and lived through during her 90 years on this earth. I also see many of my friends leaving the city for calmer pastures and my eyes scan my comfy home and reflect.