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Archives for May 2007

The Grand Old Danforth Music Hall

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The Danforth Music Hall is quite the fixture in my neighbourhood. It’s been around since the 1919 and originally called “Allen’s Danforth theatre”.

It had it’s hey day back when Vaudeville acts where all the rage! It changed it’s concept and purpose a number of times and eventually was called the “Century” but kept it’s distinctive beauty intact.

They’ve just renovated this gem on “The Danforth“, known by the locals, and is fully up and running. They have underwent extensive renovations from top to bottom that reflects it original Grandeur. New state of the art sound/lighting system, new seats that are wider (now that’s worth it weight in gold in itself), updated lobby/washrooms and bar area!

This is the kind of jewel that you pass everyday and say to yourself, ” I gotta get in there some day!”. Well, hopefully I will not have to wait that long.

I just went to their site and found a treasure trove of musical talent that is just screaming out to me to go see! Besides, there is tons of parking and seconds away from the subway.

These are a few of my choices that have caught my eye!

Rick Wakeman, the man is a musical genius and machine when it comes to the keyboard (Tony, you gotta see this guy to believe him)

Stephan Stills, now this is a guy you want to go camping with, imagine the sing songs around the fire! (Stevie my favorite brother-in-law, keep this date open)

Rickie Lee Jones, she would be a nice addition to one of my backyard parties. (Jon, will we see you there?)

Just to name a few! My eyes are on Rick Wakeman.

Their site is easy to navigate plus there are some video’s of the artists in their “Events” section, just in case you want to refresh your memory of who they are.

So if your in my neck of the woods, check out this Grand Old Lady and hope to see you there on Aug. 17th/07 when Mr. Wakeman is playing.

Keep on Jammin’




Great gift ideas at Designer Gifts

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Designergifts.com is a new online store that is owned by onlinestores.com. It think they’re trying to get a feel as to how people respond to the items that they are selling as well as the look and feel of the site.

Personally I’m very happy with the way the site has been designed. The menu system is easy to navigate, there’s a good selection of categories and sub categories in the menu that will take you to the sections that you’re interested in with ease.

Product wise I’m also pleased with the selection. I’ve visited some so called “gift stores” before that only have maybe 20 items to choose from. Designer Gifts is nothing like the other stores that I’ve visited and quickly left. No, it’s got a huge selection of items. They have a Cheap gifts section but there’s nothing cheap about the gifts displayed there. The items appear to be of high quality and I’m fairly sure that if I were to go into a department store and find a similar item it would be more than twice the price.

Along with quality gift items you’ll also find an area that sells deluxe greeting cards. There are cards for all occasions in that area and the cards are very nice.

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Being a guy, I spent more time looking at the Gift ideas for men portion of the site. There’s some great gift ideas to be found in that section. You can buy personalized gifts like army knives that could be engraved, flasks, Bath and body gift ideas for men, and even gift baskets for men. I actually really like the look of the gift basket that I’ve shown above and wouldn’t mind one bit if someone wanted to get that for me as a gift. Hey, my birthdays coming up a little more than a month you know.

They do have some high tech gift items like the MP4 players and Digital picture frames, but I suppose they could stand to get a few more gadgety types of items in their lineup. In fact, I really do think that that would be my only suggestion.

The prices seem very reasonable, and as I said earlier the items look to be well made and of high quality so I’d be happy to either give or receive a gift from Designer Gifts. How about you? Why don’t you go visit the store and see what you think.

The Perfectionist

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This is another song from Saga that we played in Pylis. The song starts up with an acoustic guitar that then goes into an electric. My Gibson RD Artist fulfilled that dual roll quite admirably I must say.

It wasn’t until recently that I re-visited this song on my Larrivee L-03 acoustic.

The lyrics were just fascinating to listen to and the guitar forms are much more complex then I remembered. As you may or may not know, I’m not a lyricist by any stretch of the imagination. I just pay attention to the level of difficulty of the guitar, the overall structure and emotion that a song provides.

Later on I will start teaching people how I “interpret” how a song is played. So check out this song, and try to pick out all of the guitar progressions and remember them when I start video taping my version.

Keep on Jammin’

Boston Foreplay Keyboard Intro

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Just a short post. If you’re like me and you’d love to learn the whole song or even a small part of this song, here it is. Enjoy!

For those of you who are not familiar with the band or this song that they play here is their version of how to play this tune live!

Keep on Jammin’


United States Flag Store

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My wife and I are proud Canadians and we display our Canadian flag at the front of our house.

It’s kind of interesting that Canadians aren’t quite as interested in displaying their flag as Americans seem to be. Having said that, those of you who are interested in purchasing American Flags should visit the United States Flag Store. Once you visit the flag store you’ll probably be astounded by their wide selection of flags. They don’t just sell US Flags, no, they also sell World flags – as in flags from many countries from across the world.

You purchase just about anything to do with flags at the United States Flag Store, from Outdoor Flagpoles – which includes both residential and corporate flagpoles, as well as pins, patches and badges, car flags, state flags, flag related accessories, and patriotic related items from patriotic decorations to patriotic wear. There’s even a patriotic gift idea section.

I found that the site was very easy to navigate. Just visit the category, listed on the left side of the page, that you’d like to visit and then drill down through the sub categories until you find the flag related item that suits your needs. Most items have thumbnail photos so it’s easy to see what the product really is, plus you’ll find a good description of the item when you click on it’s thumbnail. A few items that I clicked on even brought me to a page that displayed a large image of the item so I was able to take a really good look at the product. united-states-flaghat.gif

I honestly can’t think of any other items that they might add to the site other than perhaps some children related types of flags or patriotic items. There must be some kind of patriotic toys out there, shouldn’t there be?

The prices seem to be quite reasonable and the flags appear to be well made and of high quality from what I can tell by reading descriptions and looking at the images on the site.

If you are looking to purchase a flag for your home, or a flag related item make this site your first stop and I’ll be it will also be your last stop too.

Well …

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Ok good readership, it’s time for part II of Chris’s excellent adventure!

The day started off with great excitement! I was going to put plan II into effect.

I had brought my guitar to work to do a little practicing at lunch 1/2 hour before I went off to play in front of Mr. Max himself, Kim Mitchell, at the street level Q-107 booth in downtown Toronto. I was on the hunt for a little quiet jam room to hone my trade.

1st, the theatre (that’s how us Canucks spell it) room, damn it’s locked! Then off to the large conference room on the 4th floor, ah, somebodies in there! With broken heart, Larivee guitar and lunch in hand, I headed off to the old smoking area outside.

PERFECT, nobody there and it was nice and sheltered from the mid afternoon sun, with a little breeze to help unwind. I unlock the unbridled enthusiasm, and guitar out of my case and start jamming! This went on for awhile until I had to return back to work. At this point I said to myself, “bring it on!”.

My great boss Liz in the recovery room (oh lets not forget Jennifer), whom I am sure is reading this now, let me go a bit early that day for my inaugural stumble, I mean graceful leap onto the national radio scene!

I got home, put my tools of battle (or as Arlo Guthrie put it “instruments of destruction” from Alice’s Restaurant) in the car and off I went ready to conquer the world!

Parked the car, took my tools out of the trunk and headed off to the promised land! Got in front of the street level booth with heart and adrenalin just a racing and then … he swiveled around… slowly!

The look on his face was truly as sight to see. With raised eyebrows, he mouthed the words ” I don’t have any tickets left”.

Keep on Jammin’ (or in this case crying!!!)

Part one of trying to win Max Webster Tickets

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Well faithful readers, I am very desperate to get tickets for the super-Canadian Music Event of this millennium!

I decided to go down to Q-107 at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Toronto and attempt to obtain some tickets to this cherished show.

I put on my jacket, picked up my guitar and made a sign. I was determined to grovel and beg Kim Mitchel, the D.J. and Mr. Max himself, to give my wife and I tickets to the show!

I finally arrived in front of the street level Q-107 booth with guitar and sign in hand. I just set up my sign, took out my faithful Larrivee L-03 and with Kim Mitchell’s back against the booths window, knocked on the window. He turned around and at first glance he must of thought that I was one of those “more then a little misunderstood” street people.

He then glanced down at my sign and started to laugh! He then started to say, through the glass, “I have no tickets for you.” He then opened a side door and said that the office was now closed, and he said that they should have more on hand”. I then asked him if I could come down this Wednesday and play the song “On the Road” for him and hopefully get some tickets for my effort. He said sure, but said “You would/may have to play it on the air.” I said I’d do anything for tickets.

So please listen for me to be playing LIVE at Q-107 online and click on the “Listen Live” button. I will also try to tape it and put it on another post. Hopefully, if this happens it will be around 6 pm EST.

The pictures should say it all.

Just before I left!

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When I got back from the mighty “Q”

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Keep on Jammin’, cause you never know when you might win some tickets to the original MAX WEBSTER!!!

Oh Damn I wish I wrote that tune, oh hi Kim

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Now this is a song that I wish that I could have played live, back in the day, let alone write it!

Every single time I hear this song on Q-107 or on my CD home/car stereo, my mind conjures up these feelings as a young impressionable guitar player back in Brantford.

I was being influenced by jazz and free jazz that allowed my mind wonder off into another realm. You know how they say that classical music lets your mind work on different levels simultaneously, Max Webster‘s unique arrangements, work in this fashion as well.

So here’s to Max Webster!

BTW, if you are part of the Max Webster never have seen them live club , PLEASE go out and see them for probably the very last time this Thursday, May 24, at the Docks. This is a Q-107 30th Anniversary Event. Honestly, do your Rockin’ Roll Canadian Duty!

Keep on Jammin’

Stevie Ray Vaughan – RIP

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To this day I still remember the moment when I happened to stumble upon the guitar icon just my mistake playing live in 1982.

It was during the summer at the annual music event called Chicago Fest at Soldiers Field. I was there with my brother in law.

The event was both inside and outside of the stadium. Inside I saw “Chicago” and the “Beach Boys” while outside there were beer pavilions that highlighted different styles of music.

My brother in law went to the bathroom and I was told to sit down at the edge of the Budweiser Pavilion. There was the song below playing and I looked up to see this trio playing this song about 150 feet away. They looked like some back woods band playing in the big city for their first time. Their attitude was bluesy and Rock & Roll epitomized to a “T”.

The drummer was on this small set, the bass player looked like the average guy that you might bump into on the street but the guitar player was a hold out from the 60’s. They were very tight and looked quite at home in their element on stage. The guitar player was the one who stood out like nothing that I have ever witnessed live before.

He had this great looking beat up old battered 1959 Fender Strat with a big rimmed hat with these fairly big silver Texas round things on it. His hands were just mesmerizing to look at. The sound was very southern. He even played part of the solo with his teeth. Up to that point in my life, I had never seen anyone play like this except Mr. Hendrix on old video footage.

I just sat there for a short period of time before I went up a little further. I was just in awe of this guy playing guitar. I also couldn’t believe that the crowd was so small for the talent that was in front of us, but what a huge win for the ones who were there.

I later found out who it was and he had just came back from recording the “Let’s Dance” album with David Bowie. He turned down the opportunity to tour with him to pursue his own tour with his band. This must have been a big ballsie move in Bowie’s eye’s to pull something like this off. Imagine the exposure that he would have gotten from touring with Bowie! Anyways, it was a concert that I will forever cherish.

So Mr Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), R.I.P.

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Keep on Jammin’ Stevie

It’s wonderful to be a home owner

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I can’t believe that we’ve owned our house for almost 7 years. For a time we didn’t think we’d ever be able to own a house. In fact it was my wife that finally convinced me that we could do it and you know what she was right. We are doing better in our own home than when we rented an apartment.

I think it was the whole idea of applying formortgages that scared me. Well applying for one, getting it and having to pay it off. We were really lucky though when we got our mortgage. The interest was unbelievably low at the time and for the first six months we didn’t even pay any interest, then we paid 0.5% for another 6 months or so … and then it slowly crept up to about 3.75% by the end of the first 5 years that we owned our home. Obviously we had a variable mortgage. Even though our interest rates increased over the years that we had the first mortgage ours was still lower than many of our friends who purchased their homes just before we did, or even a few months later. Our timing was fantastic!

Last year we applied for a mortgage renewal. Since it was our first renewal that was a bit scary. We actually toyed with the idea of either getting one of those secured loans or perhaps even to Remortgage when we were renewing because we are in the middle of renovating and we’d slowed down for a bit. I wanted to just borrow some money and hire someone to finish the work, but we decided not to do that.

When we did get our first mortgage we found it nerve wracking. The banks look into your credit history and want to know all the nitty gritty details of your finances before they’ll approve your mortgage request. Plus you never know how much of a mortgage you’ll qualify for until they tell you. Now that we’ve been through all of that I’m glad the bank did their homework on us and checked us out thoroughly. I mean, they approved a mortgage that we’d be able to pay. Wouldn’t it have been awful if they let us decide how much of a mortgage we wanted for a home and it ended up that we’d purchased a home that we couldn’t really manage the payments for? That’d be awful.

The mortgage that we were approved for was a little less than we’d been hoping for, but as you can see, we managed to get a house that we’re very happy with, in a great neighborhood, close to work and we’re happy with what we ended up having. We can afford it. The payments are more than manageable, even with my wife off work due to illness, and we’ve even managed to pay a bit extra on our mortgage so if we’re lucky we might have it all payed off in less than 15 years.

How have things turned out for you with your home mortgages? Or Do you even have a home? If you don’t – are you a bit nervous about going through the whole buying and mortgage approval process?

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