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Woofstock

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Woofstock is North America’s Largest festival for dogs. It’s held in Toronto on June 7th – 8th in the downtown core. “The summer of canine Love” is a good way to describe it! 140,000 people can’t be wrong!

My wife, Midnight our black lab and myself just came back from this crazy event and what a blast it was! They blocked off a fairly large area of streets in Toronto and it was informative and tons of fun!

There were so many people and their dogs all over the place.

The vendors had great freebees and the products were top shelf stuff! There was even this company called Happy Tails that have a Pet Resort & Pet Camp in the very popular Muskoka area.

Our guests have the freedom to come and go as they please between open pet-sized bedrooms or cabins, fireplace lounge and one of many large dog parks segregated by size and temperament. They can run and play all day, chasing chipmunk and dragonflies, hunting frogs, swimming, and umpteen other things dogs being dogs like to do.

There is also a human equivalent called the Deerhurst Resort not too far away as well. There is no connection between the two but it’s nice to have the best of both worlds right next to each other. If we had more dollars then sense, then I think we’d be there!

The best thing I we took out of this event was the ability to bring our dog right inside a very respectable pub for a couple of Guinesses! Cheers, a little hair of the dog won’t kill ya! Hope to see you there next year, drop me a line and we’ll buy the first round, really!

Keep on Jammin’




Gordon Lightfoot

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On The Hour, with George Stroumboulopoulos, he does a great interview with Canada’s greatest singer/song writer ever and does it only the way that he can do it!

He was born in Orillia, Ontario. As a young boy he grew up singing in church choirs. Later on in life the man moved to L.A. in the late 1950’s to seriously study music. It wasn’t until he came back to Canada that his career finally took off! In 1966 he released his first album titled “Lightfoot”.

His commercial success came into the forefront when he started to break into the US market in the 70’s. This was a great thing. Eventually, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and even Elvis started doing re-makes of his songs!

Lightfoot’s got a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, he was one of the first inductees into Canada’s Singer/Songwriters Hall of Fame and has won 15 Junos to boot. Not bad from some guy from Orillia.

As for me, I have a little story to tell you here kidz, so gather around the campfire and let’ go!

Circa: early 1990. Place: Toronto, Ontario Canada

I was working for a delivery company called Mr. Case and I had a drop off in Toronto’s affluent Rosedale area. I had my supplies in my van and I pulled up to the clients driveway and got out. Damn, wrong driveway! So I went back to the van and everyone’s worse nightmare comes to life, I LOCK THE KEYS IN THE VEHICLE!

I don’t want to bother the people in the house, so I look for a coat hanger to break in. Can’t find any. What do I do next! I now notice a car pulling up the driveway in the adjacent house. A man, a women and child exit the vehicle. The women notices me and asks whats wrong and I begin to tell her my story. The man in the background with the child listens and says that he’d be back in a minute. Beautiful! The women stays behind and we spark up a nice conversation. Remember, I’m in a area that the average house is about 2 million dollars.

No the man comes back out of the house with a coat hanger and he is walking down his driveway and heads towards me on his neighbor’s side. As he is doing this, he has pliers in hand is starting to bend the end to the familiar hook. As he reaches me and my van, he automatically goes to the drivers to.

I’m now thinking to myself, what in the hell am I doing letting a millionaire attempt to break into my van! I said thank you for the hanger and I tried to take it from him before he tries to open the truck. He then says “ok, but I’m kinda good at this type of thing”.

As I stumble around trying desperately to open the van and have a conversation with this rich guy, he taps me on the shoulder and says “Can give it a try?”. I then agreed and handed over the tool. After 10 seconds I see the door pin is open and this guy turns to me and says “I told ya I was good at this” and then I realized it was …

Keep on Jammin’

Hope I’m like this in my Golden Years

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Have you ever thought of what it will be like in your Golden Years, well ya better start now!

You can see another humorous video over at my other guitar related blog Guitar Licks and Tips.

Keep on Jammin’

My new blues guitar hero

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I’ve said before that I was directed to Mississippi John Hurt by way of Bruce Cockburn.

It was not for his personal charm but for his technique.

This musician has had a huge influence on Bruce’s approach to acoustic guitar picking so once again, if it’s good enough for Bruce then it’s good enough for me!

Now if I came across this little gem of a video before he sent me his way, I think that I would have looked him up anyway. Decide for yourself.

Keep on Jammin’

Rascal Flatts

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They were the biggest-selling American act in any music genre in 2006, but now country stars Rascal Flatts want the rest of the world to hear their songs. The band talks about performing in London and their collaboration with actor Jamie Foxx. (Feb. 1)

They seem like a bunch of guys that you’d love to go camping with, if your into that sort of stuff, I know I love it!

But anyway, they appear to be fairly talented and modest. I read that these guys have a bit of a grittier side to them that is just crying out to be heard.

So only time will tell if they are the real thing!

Keep on Jammin’

Flight of the Conchords

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Has anyone ever seen these guys on TV? I happened by chance to see their show on HBO and I was immediately hooked!

It’s all about these Kiwis, (Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement),that moved to New York to further their singing career. The songs that they create are about everyday people and their fantasy’s plus, modest ambitions of what they could achieve if they only had faith in themselves. They’re dry sense of humor is so captivating that you just can’t keep your eyes off the TV.

I know that everyone has had friends like these guys in the past and later on in life you have to wonder what had happened to them? Well here is one ending to that thought that will leave you wanting to know more!

Check outnight gig and play the little combo video game and video!

So check out your TV guide and start watching, in the words of the theme song to Family guy they’ll “make us laugh and cry!”

Who says white guys aren’t fly!

Keep on Jammin’

Jeff Healey rest in peace

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I found this out this morning while making Midnights breakfast (she’s our new beautiful Labrador Retriever).

Wow, taking about being blown away! I think that I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when I found out of this great musical lose! I can still remember when I found out that Stevie Ray Vaughan had passed. I actually called my wife right after finding out.

Rock and jazz musician Jeff Healey died Sunday in a Toronto hospital after a battle with cancer, his publicist said. He was 41.

Healey lost his sight at age one as a result of Retinoblastoma, a rare form of retinal cancer.

Retinoblastoma, is a cancer that hits children younger than 5 years of age.

Healey had the great honour of playing with George Harrison doing one of Harrison’s songs called As my guitar gently weeps. He also played with other guitar gods such as B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was Stevie ray who actually brought Jeff into the greater world musical spotlight. Being in the 1988 movie called “Road House” didn’t hurt either!

I was in his club called Healey’s in Toronto and saw Saga’s second last show in Canada, the last one was in my home town of Brantford, with the lead singer Michael Sadler. Nice place to see a show, go check it out.

My wife and I are God parents to my cousin’s son and he is blind. This happened as a result of contracting a disease called Toxoplasmosis. He is a very outgoing little fire cracker and has a love for all genres of music. He has developed a great singing/rapping voice and has actually recorded some tunes at a local recording company.

My cousin and his son went to a event for the blind that Jeff Healey was at around 3 years ago. His dad thought that it would be a blast for his son to meet him, so they both went up to talk to him. When they met, our godson went silent, if you actually know this little guy, you would think that I was making all this all up because he’s never Silent! He knew who Jeff was and what he accomplished so maybe that is why he was nervous about meeting him.

So let’s keep Jeff and his family in our prayers.

Jeff Healey
1966 – 2008

Best Selling Album of all time turns 25

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It’s hard to believe, but Michael Jacksons Thriller album is now 25 years old. To celebrate the albums milestone a special 25th anniversary edition of the album hit stores in February.

I realize that most people either love or hate this guy, but I happen to be caught in the middle. His way of making music does get your attention. It seems to be passing the test of time and we all know that that is the true yard stick to measure success. Hell, the man-child even got the great Eddie Van Halen to play on this album.

Van Halen’s guitar style, referred to as Shred, comes at you like the heat of the sun on a cold winter’s day on “Beat it”! If the album’s style passes the Eddie test then there has to be something great and innovative about Micheal’s formula, to successful writing!

If you want to hear more about the album and hear what the King of Pop himself has to say about it watch this video.

A Vegetable Band

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I was just leafing through our Maclean’s Magazine and found this one just screaming out at me! It can be found in the Feb., 25 2008 version on page 60. They call themselves “The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra” and yes they perform with vegetables as instruments.

As you see here, they have no vintage instruments. The musicians themselves create their devices fresh and daily. Talk about your green band!

The only thing I have to say is to check out the video and go to their site. I wonder what they serve back stage after a gig?

vegband.jpg

Keep on Jammin’

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