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An Idiot in the neighbourhood

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When are the items that we put out on the curb, for others who could use them when we do not need them, turn into junkyard garbage? Well this is a story that happened to us today.

While cleaning up our basement today, we were going through items that are (1) still working and (2) ones that we are no longer using. So we then decided that we should put them to good use, by placing them out on the curb for others who may find them useful. Why not, because the item would not be put directly into land fill taking up precious space!

After putting the item, a microwave oven, out on the curb, we were hoping that it would find a good home. Around 15 minutes later, we saw an older man come up to our old microwave, looking it over. We thought that it found a new owner, but instead the old guy brought out a pocket knife and CUT THE ELECTRICAL CORD and then walked away! He just walked away!

After seeing this, I ran outside and started screaming “Hey buddy, why didn’t you take the whole thing?” I said this a couple of times to him, but he just kept walking away faster as I repeated it. What an asshole! He wins tool of the day award.

So my question to you my fine readers is, when does a gift left outside for someone to put to good use become a scrap yard item to be cannibalize, leaving the remaining item useless for others to use?

One pissed off Torontonian!!!!




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’

Bare Naked Ladies-less

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As you may or may not know, Steven Page, one of the founders of the Bare Naked Ladies has now left the band to pursue a solo career. The crazy boy band from Scarborough Ontario is saying good bye to one of the masterminds behind their great success for the past 20 years!

I for one, like his old band. They were lots of fun and full of unbridled enthusiasm on stage. They brought out the kid in you and that really is what makes them a stand out act in today’s copy cat music world.

Steven Page’s first solo attempt (while still with the Bare Naked Ladies) was called The Vanity Project.

I only started to listen to bits and pieces of The Vanity Project while writing this post and it’s not that bad. Hit and Run is played in an open tuning format that has a nice, full feel and sound to it. The one called These Wasted Words reminds me a Toronto band called Needy Fingers. So Young, So Wrong, So Long is the type of song that one takes on a long road trip and Here Today And Yesterday has that incredible Klautu aura about it! I think I might pick it up!

My wife and I always wanted to see BNL live, but never got the chance. I guess they’re another great Canadian act that we never get to experience. Don’t get me wrong, The band The Bare Naked Ladies will still exist without Steven Page and perhaps we’ll see them play someday, but it probably won’t quite be the same. At this time the remaining members of The Barenaked Ladies do not plan on adding a new singer – they’ll continue on as they are and in fact are in the process of getting ready to go on Tour later this year.

Steven and the boys were not there to blow you away playing speed music or had that in your face onstage persona.

Steven Page was the one guy in the band that everyone could relate to. He is the modern day resonance man, and that is what he is about to do again. His next venture will be in the theatrical arena. He is the musical composer for the Thomas Patterson Group, Bartholomew Fair at the Stratford Festival. This appears to be a natural progression for him to follow. I think that he will eventually gravitate towards the stage, not the orchestra pit.

Steven Page’s style of guitar playing is very simple and straight forward and very much to the point. Nothing fancy at all in his approach but, it does the trick. His rhythm guitar playing is his bread and butter while playing in the band, plus he has done the odd little guitar solo here and there.

While reading the Toronto Star at work the other day, I noticed an article about Steven Page. It was about his first public musical exposure to the world since leaving the Bare Naked Ladies (BNL). He will perform as a solo act in the Neil Young tribute show coming up Wednesday, June 10 at Massey Hall here in Toronto. It will be part of this years Luminato festival of arts and creativity. I wonder what he will try and pull off at this gig, it’s anybody’s guess really.

As for Stevens adventure into the world of theatre, I am not sure if it will involve him in front or behind the stage. I can envision him in serious roles, desperately attempting to shake off the type casting of his kid like antics on the musical stage with BNL. I think this will be good for him. It will be an adventure that we will all be watching closely. So best of luck to Steven Page in his future endeavors!

My question to you all is, will he reach the lofty heights in his new career as he did with the Bare Naked Ladies?

Keep on Jammin’

Look who was on The Colbert Report

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To my amazement, an old friend of mine from high school, Carl Wilson, was on the Colbert Report the other day. Colbert had him on his show so he could talk to Carl about his new book. His book is about his hate and then his developing interest in some of Canada’s Celine Dion’s music.

You see he started out a hater and wondered why so many were fascinated with her music … in the end he came to like or at least “be able to listen to” some of her music.

The book is called Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste.

It is so nice to see someone that you know doing so well in his/her related field and then to be interviewed on a popular talk show and have it turn out to be a fantastic hit was a bonus!

When I woke up the other day, my wife put a postie on the breakfast table for me. At first I thought, like most men do when they see something like this is, what did I do now or what do I have to do later? Upon reading the message, I was quite taken back to have read a shocking memo. Before going to bed, she had noticed a familiar name listed as a guest for that nights Colbert Report. She then recorded it on our PVR (TIVO) machine so I could view it later to see if I knew the interviewee. Thank God she did because it was Carl Wilson from my old high school in Brantford, Ontario!

After seeing it for myself that evening when I returned from work, I had to check out Facebook to see if anyone else saw it. As it turned out, a few people did! Then I checked out one of his web sites called Zoilus and found a real neat video of a actor named James Franco being interviewed while on the Red carpet at the Oscars about what some of his guilty pleasures are. He then brought up Carl’s latest book. It seems like the little guy from Brantford does good, way to go Carl!!!

L-R Me, Yuergen Beck, Carl Wilson and Mike McGraw

Keep on Jammin’ Carl

First day home from the Hospital

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Sorry for not being overly active on this blog for the past while but, I’ve been feeling a bit sluggish!
While at work I was having some small cardiac episodes and had to be checked in for some work ups. I did not what to be admitted in, who really does, but I had to.

I was taking a patient back from our recovery room and then I felt some minor chest pains, feeling disoriented and sweaty. The nurses in the Day Surgery area went nutz when they saw me this way and threw me on a chair, did vitals and ran me off to the ER. They probably did this because I had one of these before and it was almost deadly.

I’m ok now but, I am still feeling a bit off. I hope you understand this and your looking forward to better posts in the future!

Keep on Jammin’

Ever hear of Roxy Music

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This is one of the best of the British Progressive Rock band that brings back the best from my memories of the 1980’s music scene.

The band had everything going for it. Great vocals, musicians and most importantly the music itself!

When ever I hear any of their fantastic compositions, I love all the memorable moments that I associate with them!

I never had the honour of playing this style of music with my old band Pylis but if I could turn back the hands of time, Same Old Song would be the one I would have played with them. This is the best in my mind. Which one is yours.

Keep on Jammin’

Is vinyl really making a come back?

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In some peoples eyes, Vinyl is a far superior musical medium then CD’s, period! I for one am one of those who do subscribe to this point of view. Being a musician, quality should always come first. Sure, CD’s might be easier to carrying around or they might be simpler to exchange from one user to another, but are they really better sounding then vinyl?

I got the idea for this post from another almost extinct form of communication – the newspaper. It was from an article in The Toronto Star in the Entertainment section called Have you Heard?. I’ve see this topic being thrown around in the media almost weekly now. Are people honestly trying to revive this former superior sound medium, vinyl, or are they just filling out space on a page?

It gets me thinking about vinyl’s more and more every time I see the word “Vinyl”. Am I the only one who has this effect when seen in print? Upon seeing this word, I can’t help but reminisce about going to a buddy’s home when I was younger with my favorite vinyl albums under my arm. It not only brings back great memories, but it makes me yearn for THAT GREAT SOUND! Do you know what I mean?

Going to Ken’s place, and putting on some YES on his impeccable turntable was the best! The control knobs were in the middle position, yet the sound, no matter what the album was on the turntable, was always incredible! I think he always used a “concord” stylus/cartridge on his table. He also had this Phase Linear TUBE amp that COULD NOT BE BEAT! As for his speakers, I think they were basically Cerwin Vega.

Our collection of vinyl is fairly modest, in comparison to some collectors out there. It covers many genre’s of music as well as some regional indie bands and the odd one hit wonder. Most are in good condition, but they are constantly calling out my name for attention! The stereo we have is an old Akai Stereo that is solid state, I got rid of my tube stereo ages ago, no room. When I have put on an album, it has a certain resonance in my mind. It just sounds more full and warmer then my CD player!

Our CD stockpile, that I’m looking at now, is quite vast! In our JVC XL-MC222 CD carousel we have 200 alone. We should have picked up that 500 one when we had the chance. The amp is a Panasonic SA TH400, that has this synthetic Quad sound that is not all that bad, but I’ve heard better. We also have a Pioneer DV 563A DVD player that plays SACD’s.

So what is your take on this subject? Do you think vinyl is really making a comeback? Do you still have your old turn table and if so, what is it!

Keep on Jammin’

What did you do for New Years 2009?

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Well hello there everybody, Happy New Years!

My wife, our little black lab Midnight and I just hung out at home on this past New Year’s Eve and just watched some of the many celebrations from the warmth of our couch! I wonder what BIG Jon was doing that night?

We just sat back and watched one of the local New Year’s bashes that was on City TV. They were broadcasting from the fabulous Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, but as usual, it sucked! The line up, according to their website, was pathetic to us and not all that entertaining, just as in recent years of their covering this event. Why can’t they make their show Canada’s Premier New Years Eve event? How come great bands never play this show?

So later on we changed the channel to the Niagara Falls New Years Party, held at Queen Victoria Park and as usual, it was fabulous! It’s the kind of show that would be great for anyone of all ages to see. I guess 30,000 attendees can’t be too wrong? This is the type of quality event that City TV should be holding in Toronto.

The Niagara Falls opening act was none other then Roger Hodgson, former co-founder and singer for SuperTramp. His show that night was worth going to see, even if it was only him on the bill. He did his show in a unplugged format, along with this multi-talented musician who was the perfect fit for Roger. His set list was like going back to Supertramp’s hey day!

Then came this indie band called Justin Hines. The guys style had this real familiar and comforting feel to it, we really liked it. Even Midnight stopped what she was doing at times to listen to this guy!

After the big count down came Canada’s Kim Mitchell! He was the founder of Max Webster and his playing style is a pleasure to behold!

I realize this post is a little bit late, but I’m still recovering from such a great show and the holidays!

Happy New Year everyone!

The Four Freshmen

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The Four Freshmen is a group of singers that were formed in the 1950’s. Their improvisational, free flowing form of singing was revolutionary to the main stream music scene of their era.

They helped influence so many a great band that I thought that I would pay them homage on this site!

I was talking to an older man the other day and during our conversation, he mentioned this band. He told me that if I liked the vocal structure of the early Manhattan Transfer or the Beach Boy’s, then I should at least familiarize myself with them to help me in my continuing musical evolution. Ok then, I will take him up on it. Boy that old guy knows his music!

The Four Freshman were not your typical barbershop quartet! Their style of singing was so tightly intertwined that it was just plain genius, then comes revolutionary! They took the old saying of milking something for all it’s worth to an entirely different level.

You can see their direct influence on this one song that the Beach Boys play, but I can’t for the life of me remember it right now! Ahhhh! The song was a slow tempo and A Capella at first, but the vocal chord structure and tonal quality just makes my knees buckle every time I hear it! It’s one of those songs that can change your life, musically speaking. Yes I’ve tried Google/Youtube thank you!

See can see the Four Freshmen’s singing technique in Manhattan Transfer sound as well. I was first exposed to Manhattan Transfer by my old singing teacher at SJC in my home town of Brantford. The way that they could jump from one style to another in a heart beat was amazing! The sound dynamics from PPP right on up to FFF can hit you like a fast moving train. Their songwriting ability creates a song that will stick in your head for hours after hearing it for the very first time. They seemed to do this quite effortlessly … and they got this from the Four Freshmen without a doubt.

The Four Freshmen pioneered a revolutionary new style of close-harmony vocals that set the stage for bands like the Beach Boys, Spanky & Our Gang, the Hi-Lo’s, the Manhattan Transfer and countless others

So now go out there and check out the Four Freshmen for yourself and see if my way of thinking about these guys are right or not. Please write back because I’d love to hear you views. Oh ya, plus your get bonus points for helping me figure out that one Beach Boys song … I hate when that happens, especially in public ahhhhhhhhhh!

Keep on Jammin’

Total guitar pedal systems or individual guitar foot pedals

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I am getting to the point that I am contemplating either buying a dedicated/complete foot pedal system or just gathering individual ones to use together. As I’ve said before, I do not have an amp as of yet. I think that either plugging into my desktop to help me start in my development of a rough sound is a start in the right direction.

First there is a product that I am currently looking into buying. This company creates complete foot pedal systems called Line 6. This product came to my attention through a recording studio that I worked with for quite a while. They introduced me to the Line 6 Floor POD. It’s a great system when all you have to do is to go into a studio and just plug in through the main board or a snake cable. The type of sounds this produces is just mind boggling, but it’s impractical to use when playing live.

A close second is the Tonelab LE. I had the honor of playing with a Brantford musician Craig Peeler, at a birthday party in Paris, Ontario one night, and he was using this system. It looks both simple to use, but it has this hidden complexity that I will need while attempting to find THAT sound I am looking for. Both the LINE 6 and this one allows you to adjust the sound in them and then program them into the pre-set buttons for fast recall when using the system live or just practicing.

There are also endless products of single pedals that are designed specifically for one sound. The vintage Morley Power Wah/Fuzz/Volume pedal or any BOSS pedals and a wide range distortion pedal would be a good start.

I have ALWAYS been a firm believer that when you buy anything, you should get a product that is dedicated for one thing and one thing only! No bells and whistles please. This would be a slow and painful experience for me right now. It is the right way to go, but if CounterPoint comes to the conclusion that I am indeed worthy of playing with them, then I have to get my act in gear Chop, Chop!

So for all yo musicians out there, which way should I go!

Sing_cerly
Clearly confused in Canada!

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