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Idiots who talk during concerts

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I recently saw Jeff Tweedy live in the studio on the George stroumboulopoulos show. I honestly didn’t know who he was when we first got the tickets so I went on Youtube to watch him perform and from what I saw the guy looks like he’d be a lot fun live, especially in a small venue. He is also the leader of a band called Wilco.

This one video stood out to me, because as a performer, this is the worst thing that can happen to you when your playing a show. Some drunkin’ asshole talking about God only knows, while your pouring out your heart and soul to people you don’t know and who have paid money to come and see you live on stage. For all you artists out there you know what I mean.

The video below is from one of Jeff Tweedy’s concerts in Lambchop New Zealand. What Jeff Tweedy does in this clip is exactly what all us performer would like to do to those people who talk during shows. So everyone listen up and shut up! (Kiddin’)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew3AOlbJXos

Keep on Jammin’




The King of Country Guitars

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The Cantos Music Foundation, which is located in Calgary, has a one of a kind multi-instrument in it’s collection. It’s a five-neck guitar from Saskatchewan country music legend Steve Puto. He lent it to the society a number of years ago.

It belongs to Saskatchewan country music legend Steve Puto, who lent it to the organization several years ago.
Steve says that he brought it when I was performing at some local jamborees. Saying that it’s conversational piece is an understatement.

According to the CBC, the guitar luthier’s name is Dick Thomas. He made this work of functioning art when he was employed by Country King guitars.

Steve Puto's five neck guitar for Country King guitars

When I saw this creation my first instinct was to find out more about it. If it was right in front of me, I’d be compelled to pick it up and play it, well wouldn’t you?! Steve Puto use to host the popular Saskatoon TV show The Lonesome Steve Show, aired every Saturday in Saskatoon in the mid-’70s.

The instrument has five necks that include a mandolin, a banjo, a six-string guitar, a bass and a fiddle. “And lest we forget, mounted to the fiddle is a harmonica,” Moffat said, the head conservator at Cantos. He says that the instrument isn’t in good enough shape to play anymore. “But I think we could definitely bring it back to life. It’s a great example of innovation, experimentation.”

Steve purchased this distinctive looking guitar for about $400.00 (CAN) from a buddy of his music store in 1973.
He still plays today and runs a ranch in Saskatoon.

“I’m celebrating my 65th year in country music,” said Puto, who is planning to take his old five-neck out of the Cantos collection so he can play it at jamborees this summer. CBC

I can only imagine that Cantos is praying that he returns this one back to their medley of musical instruments. To read the original article in it’s entirety check out this link. If you ever go to the Cantos Music Foundation in Calgary you should look for this beauty.

Keep on Jammin’

Jimi Hendrix once played in Engelbert Humperdinck’s band

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Can you believe that Jimi Hendrix played in Engelbert Humperdinck’s band one night late in the 1960’s? Well that is what happened according to him.

So Jimi Hendrix was on tour opening up for Engelbert Humperdinck and Engelbert’s guitar player didn’t show up and he was wondering what he would do. Jimi came up to him and said Hey man don’t worry, I’ll play guitar for you. Engelbert replied You can’t do that, your a star! Jimi then told him, wait a minute, let me check out this place.
Jimi noticed a curtain near the doorway and said, I’ll stand behind that curtain.

englebert asked him You will and Jimi replied I sure will. So Jimi got the music in front of him started playing with the band. Mr Humperdinck says that Jimi sounded like 3 guitars playing all at once. It was the biggest thrill of his life but the only thing that he was so upset about was that it wasn’t recorded! Can you say collector’s item?!

He was on my favorite CBC show called The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos. On the show George invites his guest to talk candid off stage about their craziest or most memorable moment that they had and share it on tape to be shown at a later date. This segment of the show is called Best Story Ever.

I wish that I could of found this video on Youtube and dropped it directly into this post but no such luck. So if you want to see the segment in it’s entirety, you have to do a little bit of leg work here folks! It’s time well wasted.

  1. Go to this link
  2. Cut and paste Engelbert Humperdinck best story ever into the site’s search engine
  3. Hit the red Search Video button to the right of it.

Keep on Jammin’

Seven Ages of Rock

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The BBC has produced one more gem of the documentary! This informative Rock and Roll documentary titled the Seven Ages of Rock was great to watch right from start to finish.

It was my wife’s birthday this past weekend and while at home eating her favorite Greek take-out food, we came across this amazing show that i just happened to tape earlier on in the week. The segment we took in was the We are the Champions section. It talked about, and with, some of the Arena Rock bands and how they achieved mastering this part of our R & R experience. The BBC brought us through it’s evolution of this period and how it shaped us morally and politically and it didn’t disappoint.

We both love all the bands of that era and the way they explored the sequence of it. Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Police, U2, Dire Straights, Kiss and to a lesser extent Springsteen. I realize I’ll take some heat for my comment about Springsteen from some of my readers, but that is for another future post.

This one hour doc was even making our puppy Midnight sit up and take notice (we’ll take any help to settle her down where we can get it!) It had all of the standard nostalgic rock doc footage, but it also brought us behind the scenes of the bands inner workings of their business dealings. The best and most insightful in this regard was from The Police’s Stewart Copeland.

The hats off best musical guitar lesson was from Mark Knopfler. He just casually picks up his trusty axe and shows us how he plays Money for Nothing from the 1985 album Brothers in Arms. That was just plain and simply amazing!

I’ve tried for years to figure out this song in many different ways, but I was never quite satisfied with my own end results. So when he picked up his Les Paul, and started showing us exactly how he plays this tune practically note for note, I almost died! So did my wife because we have a PVR (or TVo to my US readers) that allows me to go back and forth to pick apart any section of the video that is recorded with ease.

Having and using this piece of technology, is what helps in driving my wife up the wall and down the other side. The other is when I re-play the song for ever, because I am so annul in reproducing ANY song on guitar. If you have the ability to tape this part of the program and you honestly want to play this tune properly, them tape it! You WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

OR, just check this out!

The only bands that where noticeable absent in the segment was Pink Floyd and The Who. Thank God they were in the first two programs. Otherwise, we both give this one 2 thumbs up! And, if the situation presented itself, I’d get the DVD for my collection … and I can be quite tight with my money!

Keep on Jammin’

Canada’s second National Anthem

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The theme song from CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) has recently made the news and created a major debate both socially and politically in this country that I call home!

1sthnic.jpg

This theme is something that we all grew up with. Every time this song was played on a Saturday night on CBC, it meant the begging of something that we all waited for, for a whole week! It was like the ringing of a triangle that told the cowboys that dinner was on the table. We all knew that it was the start of something special and that something was known as HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA!

I know that most of my readers may be from another country and you may have a tough time wrapping your head around this one, but this is not just a simple song that unites us all under the same cloth, it’s about a way of life.

I decided to write this post a little bit after the emotional tidal wave of patriotism had past. If you are in the eye of the hurricane, trying to gauge and reason what to do first is overwhelming in the initial stages.

The negative train of thought is to say, What the hell are you doing at the CBC?, This is a nasty travesty of justice, a shaking of ones society’s core values or better yet, a single event that portrays a betrayal of ones country’s essence in the way of Biblical proportions!

hockey.jpgThe positive is to acknowledge that yes, the sun will come up tomorrow and we will continue on with life! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger …

I’m going out on a limb here folks, but I am leaning towards the positive aspects of this event. I know that I’m in good company to boot, here’s just a few!

Johnny Bower, as long as the song is played somewhere, that’s the main thing. That’s the key, the song will still have something to do with hockey.

Paul Henderson, Things have changed, and things change. They dropped the song. Get over it. Let’s move on.

The song was sold to TSN (The sports Network) and CBC decided not to pick it up. Ok, let’s remember this day and in the words of the hockey great Paul Henderson, Let’s get over it!

Keep on Jammin’

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