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Archives for August 2009

The Danforth Music Hall is 90 years young

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The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto has just celebrated it’s 90th year of operations in my neighbourhood. It’s one of those great buildings that you drive by every day, but are not aware of it’s importance to the area. It’s seen it’s ups and downs over the years and now it’s time to place it in it’s proper place in history!

Originally this great gal on the Danforth was called the Allen Theatre Chain. Back in the day they referred to it as a grand “photo-play palace.” The Theatre chain was owed by Julie and John J. Allen.

This grand venue was home to both Vaudeville and theatrical acts as well as silent movies, which were accompanied by live piano. It has a single screen, holds multiple types of events, has 1800 seats and has been use in many movie scenes. To name just a few of the feature films shot there were Chicago, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, (Studio) 54, Bulletproof Monk and some scenes of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Their first theatre was in Brantford Ontario. In 1920 Julie and John J. Allen returned to Brantford and bought the now Sanderson Centre. After remodeling and redecorating it was opened on February 2, 1920 as the Allen Theatre.

Then the location changed hands in about 1929 and was called Century Theatre. They kept the inside and outside look of the building pretty much as the original.

Some of the past acts that performed at the historic Danforth Theatre & Concert Hall in the 80s and 90s were The Police, Bruce Cockburn, James Brown, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Tom Waits, Barenaked Ladies, The Tea Party and Blue Rodeo just to name a few.

I’ve only witnessed two events there, Amos Lee and Rick Wakeman. Both shows were great, the sound was beautiful, the hall itself was majestic and the seats were GREAT!

So here is to the old Danforth Music Hall and many more years to come!

Keep on jammin’




The Hour on CBC TV

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The Hour is a Canadian TV talk show with host George Stroumboulopoulos. The Hour has had some fabulous guests in the past and I’m more then sure many more to come.

It’s one of those great Canadian shows that allows their guests to be perfectly relaxed to in a public forum. George provides us a candid glimpse into his guests personal and private lives. He it seems to make his new friends feel like they’re all just sitting around the kitchen table, having a coffee and shooting the breeze. in my eyes, George is one of Canada’s greatest interviewers today!

George was first brought to the public’s attention way back when he was a young video VJ from the old Much Music scene. This is a music station in Canada that shares a similar format to music channel MTV in the US.

The musician’s that have been on the show are perfectly suited to his hosting skill set.
Some of the more resent ones that I really liked was the Canadian singer called K-os. George invites him to just relax and chill on his show.

Some non musicians that have been on the show is impressive as well. Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter’s piece was very insightful and moving to my wife and I. You know I did not realize that bob Dylan’s song Hurricane was about this great man, huh!

Has anyone seen The Hour on CBC? If so, what do you think! should he continue in this format Or should he be back at Much Music?

George, Keep on Jammin’

Trivia about Vigilants

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This is just a little post about some good old buddies of mine from the band Vigilants that came out of Brantford Ontario way back in the 80’s!

I’ve been doing a stay-cation this year and I was just searching for topics to write about, here on this blog. Today I was going through the Canadian Pop Encyclopedia website and I happen to some across a listing for Vigilants! It’s great to see that friends will be remembered for their hard work in the future in this way. Hats off to you guys!

A 4-piece hard rock act from Brantford, The Vigilants won Q107’s annual Homegrown contest and used the money to record their EP ‘Run For Cover’.

The record featured guest vocals by Lee Aaron who also appeared in the video.

So check out this link to the site. Ah, the memories.

I know some of you have seen this old video of the band, especially on Facebook(thanx Domenic for the video link!) but I just wanted to show some of you who haven’t, enjoy!

Keep on Jammin’ Vigilants from Brantford!

Pope John Paul II made a music CD?

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Last night I was watching the old idiot box(TV) with my wife and we came across an neat bit of holy trivia. We found out that the late Pope John Paul II had recorded a CD at Abbey Roads studio. Well, he never went there it seems, it was just the technical crew who did some work there. It’s called Appa Pater (Polish) “All yours” the Pope used to say.

I realize that this must be old news to some, but it was released March 23, 1999. In some on-line reviews, most people had this idea that it was going to be some form the New Age rip off that was going on during that time period. Some called it World beat, as a way to describe some of the style on this CD.

Now fast forward a few years after the Pope had pasted, some heard it again in a different head space. Most came to the conclusion that this is a great piece of music.

A independent review from Amazon
I am not Roman Catholic. I have never studied the Catholic faith. I never attended Catholic schools. I have strong and irreconcilable disagreements with the Roman Catholic church’s policies in many areas.

That said….

I have this CD of John Paul II’s voice, with accompanying music, saying prayers. I am writing this Amazon review to say that I truly find it uplifting and comforting.

After taking in some turns during that TV show last light, I just had to check out what else was on the CD. A few tunes stood out. I was a little disappointed that there was no Gregorian Chant interpretations on it, I’m a huge lover of this genre!
Vieni Santo Spirito, Padre Della Luce and Madre Di Tutte Le Genti stood out.

The lyrics are in multiple languages, so to add to it’s appeal I guess? They were based on John Paul II’s prayers, statements from homilies, etc. and integrated with an eclectic orchestration along with some nice drum beat and at times had an techno feel to it. At some points I thought they might brake into some electric House music, really! The way they weaved in and out of some Latin chants, Polish prayers, and African rhythms was outstanding!

It was even #1 on the European charts upon it’s release. Is it just me, or was I on some other planet when this happened?! Along with this mystery, I still can’t find out if this CD was done with or without the blessings of the Pope or the Vatican. Another puzzling thing about this thing. The church is great at doing things like this, now aren’t they.

Has anyone else heard of this CD or bought it in past?

Keep on Jammin’

A Tribute to Neil Young

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There was a tribute show celebrating the musical life of Neil Young that was tied into this years Luminato 2009 Festival in Toronto. The line up was fabulous and tickets were gone in no time at all! Man, I wish I was one of those lucky one!

Relive a milestone in Canadian music history.

On January 19, 1971, Canada’s legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young gave a solo concert at Toronto’s Massey Hall. Audiences there heard for the first time several of the iconic songs that would later appear on his albums, including his best-selling LP Harvest – yet the live concert recording itself wasn’t released until 2007.

I was so pissed that I didn’t get any that I put the show out of my mind. Then today I came across this site, with complete audio of the show! It was just out of the blue that I found it and i just wanted to share it with all those Neil Young fans out there. Even the lucky bastards that went to the show!

“There is in Young so much talent and so much quiet charm that he’s bound to stick around for a long time, maturing and writing and rewarding his audiences.” Jack Batten, Globe and Mail, Massey Hall concert review, January 20, 1971.

Listening to Colin James do Heart of Gold was great! He did it in a reggae format, very different. Steve Page, ex-Bare Naked Ladies front man, did his first public appearance at the tribute, since his arrest in Buffalo. He performed Journey through the Past. Sister Euclid did a cool version of Helpless. As a matter of fact, I was in downtown Toronto when we attempted to break the record for most guitarist in an ensemble playing that very song! They called it “The Great Canadian Tune!”.

So check it out, you might just find some neat new versions of an out classic there.

Neil Young just Keeps on Jammin’

Learn To Play The Electric Guitar The Right Way

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I can still remember a time not too long ago when I was seriously starting to believe that the electric guitar was breathing its last breaths. Do you also remember when pop music seemed to be taking over the world? Instead of wanting to learn to play electric guitar, it seemed to me that becoming the next Backstreet Boys spin-off was the coolest thing ever, at least according to the rest of the pop world.

Well, thank all that is good and holy, the days of the electric guitar is upon us once again. A few important bands played a crucial part in bringing rock back to life and that means that more people than ever want to learn to play electric guitar. A few awesome reasons why you should definitely try your hand at this instrument is:

1) It’s versatile! One of the most pertinent features of an electric guitar is how versatile it is. Most new guitarists who want to learn to play electric guitar starts out with rock, but you will find a ton of other styles you can go into. Some of the world’s best electric guitar players are found in jazz and blues, and there is definitely also place for electric guitars in pop, country, metal and every other genre you can think of.

2) You can get a great range of sound! You get a few extraordinary guitar players who can get almost any sound out of their axes that they want to. You can either buy effects pedals or just tweak some setting on your own setup to produce very unique sounds. Some of the world’s best guitarists use both of these methods to achieve amazing results.

3) You’ll look cool! Even though classical and acoustic guitars can be mesmerizing, there’s just nothing that compares to a masterfully played riff on an electric guitar. It’s no surprize that so many guys want to learn to play the electric guitar, look at how easily the rockstars get the girls!

How can you learn to play?

There are tons of ways that you can learn to play electric guitar. These include:

1) Take classes: Having an instructor up close and personal is great and you will definitely see some gains towards your end goal.

2) Teach yourself: Some people have the self-discipline to sit sit down and learn to play electric guitar all by themselves. Just keep in mind that when playing with others like in a band it’s always very handy if everyone has some basic understanding of music theory.

3) Take internet lessons: With the digital age that we’re living in it means that many things have been brought into the comfort of your own bedroom, including learning to play guitar. You can find online lessons as well as lessons available for download. We highly recommend you check out our Jamorama review.

Before you go any further you should be sure to have all the equipment you will need. Get yourself a guitar and amplifier that is not too expensive so that you wouldn’t have spent too much if you decide to stop playing for a while.

Always keep asking questions as this is by far the best way to learn to play electric guitar. You will encounter a lot of guitarists in your journey and when something sounds awesome, ask them to show you how they did it. If you are practicing regularly, you will be stunning the crowds in no time!

How to Manage Stage Fright

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Stage fright is much the same phobia as public speaking, a phobia of being humiliated in front of an audience. Stage fright is so common it ranks among the highest of personal phobias . Not many people are born orators or performers. There are certain people that love attention and are natural performers. Some of our most famous celebrities deal with stage fright all of the time. Stage fright is a problem for Barbra Streisand, for example. There is help available for stage fright sufferers and you can learn to manage it.

Stage fright affects most people when they perform in public. You must learn to not think about  the audience when you are performing. If you have studied well, you need not worry about the audience. It is best at first to not look any audience member directly in the eye for fear of losing your place or being distracted by their demeanor. A good tip is to look just above the heads of the audience sing as if you were singing to that place, not the floor, and they will think you are looking at them.

Your first piece should be one which you can always do without thinking, an easy one. A song that has difficult technique nay be impressive, but it hardly the selection to put you at ease. Save the tough stuff for last. In order to feel good about the performance at the start, do the proper selection for the first number, the audience will applaud and that will make you gain some much needed confidence. This is one of the secrets to managing stage fright, let the small steps lead you to larger ones.

Stage fright affects all of us at one time but we can learn to deal with it. Failing is a fear we all face and this is why stage fright is so hard. You can learn to manage stage fright with these easy tips.

So Get the Funk Out

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Get the Funk Out from Extreme is a wonderful piece of guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt (Canadian Guitarist). I’ve loved listening to this song from the first time I heard it and have enjoyed experiencing it many times after that at volume 11 on my stereo at home or in the car!

I re-discovered this beauty while researching some other ways in which to play one of their other songs, Hole Hearted.

Nuno Bettencourt, instructs the viewer perfectly on how to play this one the way he does in the video I’ve included below. I’ve tried his method and it works great until he starts doing all those crazy pull offs and tap on’s that most guitarist use. Honestly, I was never really drawn to this form of playing.

Don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that I don’t love hearing this type of playing! It truly gets my blood boiling in a fantastic and enthusiastic way. I kinda wish that I tried it when I was younger but …

So if you’re one of those who are of this guitar ilk, then you’ll flip over this one! Enjoy.

Keep on Jammin’

Devil Woman Song?

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In 1976 Cliff Richard recorded the song “Devil Woman”. It was a big hit, reaching number nine on the UK charts. In the USA it made it as far as number six on the Billboard Hot 100. That was Richard’s biggest hit ever in the United States. Let’s learn more about this famous song.

Terry Britten wrote it.  He was a well known song writer whose work was performed by people like Michael Jackson.  He had some other hits such as “What’s Love Got to Do with It”.  Terry played the guitar on Cliff Richard’s recording of Devil Woman.  The song was recorded at the famous Abbey Road, a frequent recording studio used by the Beatles.

The Devil Woman song tells a story. A stray cat with evil eyes curses a man.  He becomes concerned and eventually seeks the help of a medium, a gypsy woman, to remove the curse.  But it turns out the cat didn’t curse him.  The gypsy cursed him in order to bring him to her.

Not many songs tell a straightforward story like that heard in Devil Woman.  In other words they are very simple songs.  They have a minimum of instruments and generally simple tunes.  One of these simple songs is Devil Woman.  The instruments used to record the song include a guitar, an electric piano, drums and percussion.  And of course the singer.

For a pop song Devil Woman has unique combination of major and minor chords.  Songs at the time didn’t use more than an octave like it did.

Devil Woman has been covered by others.  One of these is the Accused.  The group began in Washington in 1981.  Their music is splatter rock.  Their music includes sounds from well known horror movies.  This often includes lyrics sung as shrieks.

In 2005 Cradle of Faith covered Devil Woman. This was an extreme metal band from England. Their songs were in the style of the band had said any kind of metal. Given their reputation and style of music this song was perfect for them.

No matter who plays it, Devil Woman is a devilish song.

Good Times are making me feel quite old!

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Chelloooooo, remember that greeting? It’s from kid DYNOMITE!!!!!!!!!! Ain’t we lucky we got/had ’em, GOOD TIMES!

The theme song is what made we write a post about it. My wife and I subscribe to this TV channel called Deja View and it’s just full of all our old time favorite TV shows! This is one of those songs that keep running through my mind when something I hear reminds me of it.I love this theme song so much that I sing it at work every once in a while.

While bringing patients from the recovery room back to where ever they are going, I hum a few songs here and there, and from time to time, I catch the patients jumping in with words of just humming along with me! It’s a hell of a lot of fun to do this and it really helps make the patients and their family/visitors relax and feel more at home.

This classic 70’s TV show was first aired in February 8, 1974 and ended on August 1, 1979 It taught us many life lessons and helped brake down some racial barriers that existed at the time.

The cast was Esther Rolle (Florida why did they name me Florida Evans, John Amos was James Evans, Ja’net DuBois played Willona Woods(that crazy neighbour), Jimmie Walker was the unforgettable James “J.J.” Evans, Jr., Bern Nadette Stanis was Thelma and Ralph Carter as Michael.

Trivia about the show.

  • This spinoff of the TV series, Maude, centered on the Evans family. In Maude Esther Rolle had portrayed Florida Evans, the black housekeeper, but in Good Times Florida and her family were struggling to survive in a South Side ghetto in Chicago.
    • Michael doesn’t have a room. He sleeps on the couch in the living room with J.J.
    • Posters that appear in Thelma’s Room: 2 of Sly Stone, 1 of Carlos Santana
    • In a rare moment for the early episodes of the series, Thelma actually stands up for J.J. and even says how much she misses him after he leaves. I didn’t see that one coming, did you?
    • Willona states her ex-husband is named Alvin. In the fourth season he is named Ray. I did not know that!

    I have so many favorite episodes that it’s just ridiculous! Which ones do you remember the most or had a lasting memory to you?

    Temporary lay offs. Good Times. Easy credit rip offs. Good Times. Scratchin’ and surviving. Good Times. Hangin in a chow line. Good Times. Ain’t we lucky we got ’em. Good Times.

    Keep on Jammin’

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