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Keith Emerson cancels remaining tour dates

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It just came to my attention that the Keith Emerson Band has had to cancel their remaining tour, due to the physical deterioration of Keith Emerson’s right hand.

My good friend Chris Noto, bassist with CounterPoint, put this notice up on his facebook account. This really is a tragic musical loss to all the dedicated Progressive rock lovers out there. This may have been the last time to see them.

The real kicker here, is that Keith’s other band, Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP) was to have a possible late year reunion tour that was going to dovetail his recent tour! NOW that SUCKS!!!

Dear Friends,

It is with much regret that I have to announce that due to past right hand injuries the resulting nerve damage and dystonic factor has made it unable for me to play the keyboards to the high standard I have always set myself and have to cancel my forthcoming Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla USA and European tours.

I am also going to have to cancel the proposed Emerson, Lake and Palmer tour which we were going to do at the end of this year.

I will of course continue with my physical/chiropractic/acupuncture therapy etc. in the hope that this will eventually get me back on form.

This is absolutely devastating to me as music will always be my main key to communicating with a world-wide audience. I know how much my fans and fellow band members were looking forward to these shows and it saddens me greatly to have to come to this decision and make this announcement.

Thank you for your understanding.

Keith Emerson

I recall playing in an band a fabulous tune called Benny the Bouncer. It was one of my earliest exposure to this great band. Hey, maybe the boys in CounterPoint will play this one next time they play, maybe?!

It, as well as countless ELP classic tunes, made me look forward to practicing their complex style of this new genre called Prog. (Progressive) Rock. Now, due to Keith and his band aborting their remaining shows, the general public will be sadly stripped of it’s chance to see one of the last great Prog. rockers of all time!

Our prayers will be with Keith so that he will nurse his ailing right hand back to good health, thus giving some people a glimpse into a musical world, almost forgotten! To add insult to injury, his mother had just passed away as well.

Keep on Jammin’ ELP




Checking out concerts live in your living room

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Imagine checking out a fabulous concert of your favorite act! The vibe during the show is just infectious. Just lining up at the gate to get in can get your heart a pumping! Finally after getting in, your bumping into people racing to grab a light refreshing liquid beverage(or in my case many!), listening to other music lovers talking about previous shows or the band in general.

That’s what I love about the concert experience! Now imagine being at a great gig, only that it’s at home and on your TV/computer screen?!

Well that’s what this classical company is introducing to us. I’m not sure, but I’d give it a go, just for the hell of it.

The company, called Berliner Philharmoniker, is providing LIVE CONCERTS, via live audio-video streams through the internet. Mind you, they also provide the avid classical lover past shows as well.

Would you subscribe to something like this? I’d love to find out what you all think about this new experience.

Keep on Jammin’

NUANCE Progressive/Art Rock Festival and Showcases

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This years Nuance event at the Black Swan was … well another showcase of Toronto’s best kept musical secrets live on stage! The bands at this years celebration was none other then CounterPoint (my personal favorite), Half past 4 and Wilton Said.

Once again, a lot of praise has to be given to the man Wilton Said. The quality of acts at the show, is an indication of how much love Wilton has for his love of this genre of music. The energy that he has to bring together high caliber performers under one umbrella to present a well rounded evening is not only rewarding to him but the audience members as well.

The crowd was enthusiastic and respectful to each of the bands on stage that night. There wasn’t a single obnoxious drunk, ruining the evening in sight! The only thing that brought us all together was the love of music, a happening if you will.

Each group brought to the experience a unique art form. They contributed to the listener, sides of Prog/Art Rock that most people in general cannot appreciate. Collectively, they were fine ambassadors to the cause.

The price was right for these troubled financial times, three bucks! A buck a band, where else in the world can you find a deal like this? I told you not to miss it! To the ones that showed up, you know who you are, It was great to met some of the readers on this blog plus for your the support of this great event and hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I did!

So next time I write about this event, I hope to see more of you out there because it’s more then worth the drive to Toronto.

Keep on Jammin’ (at Nuance!)

Busker Of The Beaches Attends His Own Wake

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The well known beaches busker, 59 year old Dan Cole, is dying of in-operable lung cancer, but has a funny way of showing it.

Dan Cole is having a wake … but the thing is, it’s for him and he will be there … alive and kicking/laughing or juggling. The man who just can’t stop loves performing on cruise ships and entertaining UN peacekeepers in war zones far away from the comforts of home.

The event was put together by his friends and admirers to help him with the cost of his own funeral expenses. I realize this is a bizarre story to write about, but this was intended to be a nice piece. It’s about an artist who in the past has helped others drift away from their day to day troubles or fears and bring them a laugh or smile. These are the ones society should be idolizing!

“I didn’t want to miss people saying good things about me by waiting until I died,”

My wife found this story while going through some e-mails. The local TV news station, city tv, had picked up this story and then ran another article that was just as nice. The Star had also wrote a piece on Dan’s story as well.

I can’t recall seeing Dan perform on the boardwalk, but if I did I now wish that I may have paid more attention to his act! So hats off to the Busker of Kew Beach!

Keep on Jammin’

Canada’s got the Blues

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Well fellow readers, it is finally time to shake the cob webs out of your head and get rid of those dreaded winter blues away! The blues come from those of us who have been deprived way too long of the sun’s healing properties. The medical term is called seasonal defective disorder (SAD). It’s when we do not receive enough vitamin D from that big orange thing in the sky! For some of us this is not a bad thing cause The Blues is making head way into the Canadian music scene!

The blues has always had a negative feel associated with it for ages. The Blues music is another story completely.

A dear friend of mine, way back in my college days, was a fabulous guitar player with immense guitar skills. Peter Schmidt is his name and his style of guitar playing just screams the blues. He is one of those unsung local talents who has not made it to the big stage yet, but there are many more where he came from. So, is Canada really that gifted in this area of music?

The answer seems to be YES! We have tons of blue society’s that are very active in the city. They hold concerts (Winter and Summer events), untold internet forums and have work shops everywhere, no matter the age.

We have bluesy greats such as the late, great Jeff Healey, Danny Marks, Kenny Brown, Ted Leonard, Steve Grisbrook or big Buzz Upshaw, just to name a few that I know of.
Even Leon Redbone was links to Canada!

There was this great article in this magazine called Chill that I was reading the other day. The article called “The state of the blues in Canada” was bringing to everyone’s attention the rise of Blues and who is the up and coming stars to watch out for. It’s a great read to check out!

So, are we going to shake off or embrace the blues? It’s your call.

Keep on Jammin’

The Shmenge Brothers

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The Schmenge Brothers, like many of the Canadians of the day, were a happy bunch that didn’t mind making fun of themselves in front of the world. We could all relate to these overly happy go lucky guys. When ever watching these guys on SCTV, they made me feel like I was in the show because the circle of friends I had back then, acted like them from time to time.

While growing up in Brantford, I had tons of Polish friends that I went to school with.

These guys and girls were really the salt of the earth bunch. Like all good R.C.-ers, X-mas was a big part of our lives and the Schmenge brothers just loved to celebrate and share their Lutonian Christmas traditions with others.

The traditional polish, polka band stereo type was always a silly topic that we constantly brought up in conversation.

This was because everyone, at least that I knew, back then had someone who was in one of these types of bands. When you got to know the band members and see them live, most of them had those similar on stage persona’s, just like that of the Schmenge Brothers characters!

So this post is dedicated to all my old happy wanderers polish buddies who had rock and roll polka bands in the past! Thanx for the memories guys.

Keep on Polka-in’

What are they saying in Rap Lyrics

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Rap Lyrics, well they are a mystery to me and many others out there I’m sure. I’ve tried to listen and I do get a few words here and there, but that’s it. Am I alone on this one?

I have no idea on how to approach this subject, but there are some sites that have come to my attention that may help me/us figure it out … or at least get a better handle on this topic.

First there is this site called Understand Rap. I kinda went through it … but eventually got a head ache and gave up.

Then, there is a buddy of mine who may or may not help us out here. He has this thing called a blog and this blog thing seems to be taken off, so I hear, on this other thing called the InterWeb? It’s just a little bitty example to use as a very rough reference, so I/we should take what we can get!

Keep on Jammin’

Waking up Canadian, eh?

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Are you one of those people who live outside of Canada, looking for an alternative citizenship and wondered what it would be like waking up Canadian, well then check out this video for more incentive!

Our economy is nice, the people are nice, the water and air is nice! So come on, just Wake up Canadian, eh?!

Keep on Jammin’


Simon and Garfunkle back on the road

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Simon and Garfunkel are back out on the road again after all these years. They have dates booked for Australia and New Zealand, but I’m sure their have to look for America in the near distant future, lucky buggards. If you love their music and they are going to be playing anywhere within 500 miles from where you live, then don’t be a fool and miss out on this one!

I had the glorious opportunity to have seen these guys way back in my college days. They played at the now demolished CNE stadium, but the memories will live on in my mind for the rest of my life!

The show was like going to someone’s back yard and they were just a couple of guys who showed up and start playing! We were around 100 feet away from the stage and this atmosphere was like nothing I’ve witnessed before. We had general admission seating and it was more then worth it!

Very young and old, and everything in between was there. It seemed like everyone there was lying on big blankets while eating and drinking out of a cooler. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky and it was around 30 (C). The whole place was so relaxing. It was like I was just hanging out with some Old Friends.

Keep on Jammin’

Will the remaining Beatle reunite for one night

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I just found out on the radio that the surviving members of the Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, may be on stage together tonight after all these years! I know we’ve heard all of this before, but you never know.

This historic event may take place at the Radio City Music Hall in New York city. This evenings concert is a benefit for the David Lynch Foundation.

I just wanted to inform you in case you didn’t hear about until now! I’ll be back tomorrow for more news on the show that you may have wished you saw, if it does in fact take place!

Let’s hope the Beatles will … Keep on Jammin’

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