October 2019

Remue-Menage*

Published on 31 October 201931 October 2019 by felixandthecatsLeave a comment

This weekend, on Sunday, November 3, this is happening! We played this slot back in the summer with special guest Salabama. This time, it’s Omar Saab, lead singer for the Lonely Hearts, who will be sitting in after cramming to learn two sets of my wacky tunes, then doing a feature set with the Cats and I as his backing band. It doesn’t get better! My turn to cram for his tunes!

And, as the showtime is a very reasonable 4 to 8 pm, there isn’t really any “school night” excuse for this one so we are hoping for a lot of interest. Great for the early-to-bed crowd too!

This is a one-off performance, so it’s worth your while to catch the show!

Out and About

Last Tuesday, I attended one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time at the Linsmore. Organized by violinist (and many more instrumentalist) Daniela Gassi, whom I featured in a previous blog from when she recorded at my studio, the evening featured three sets in which Dani participated.

IMG_2476 2.jpg The first was with bassist/guitarist Liam Gerussi. A mix of covers and originals by both Dani and Liam, it already promised to be a great night for captivating performances, with many instruments used as well!

Second up was Leanna Yamada, who I’ve written about before as well. This was the best performance I’ve ever heard her give. It was a real treat to hear Dani and Leanna play River Town with the arrangements they had developed at ManCave Studio.

Finally, and a brilliantly surprising end to the evening, was Menage, Toronto-based, progressive, alt/pop/rock sibling group Menage features siblings Fernando (guitar/vocals) and Bela (keyboard/vocals) Ferreira. With popular releases in Portugal and China (yup!), Menage is set on furthering their recognition in North America. They certainly got my attention! I now REALLY want the EHX Mel9 “Mellotron” pedal!

Here is their final song of the night, with Dani sitting in (yes, I know, should have been in landscape!).

They will be at the Piston on November 5 (you owe it to yourself to catch this show!). For a further sampling of their sound, check out the above linked website or their Facebook page here.

*The title is a French play on words – remue-méninges = brainstorming

Until this Sunday perhaps, be well!

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Frazzmatazz

Published on 27 October 201929 October 2019 by felixandthecatsLeave a comment

As written about over a week ago (yes, I know…) Fraz Milne and Fintan McEnroe opened for us at the Linsmore and I plugged his original band show on the following Thursday. I forgot to include the photos for that show, including one of James Clark and Tim Gall. If you missed both, Fraz and Fintan are back at Sauce this time on November 9 from 4-7 pm.

Upgrades

For gear wonks out there: I was away earlier this week which partly explains the tardiness of this post. While visiting daddy-o in Rivière-du-Loup, I popped in to Métronomie, a local music store, and saw a lovely set of Lace pickups (nothing to do with intimate apparel) being sold by one of the employees at an irresistible price. Installed pronto and amazing improvement in the old Félix Télécasteur. I hope to show this off on November 3. More about that on the next post.

Lace TN-100 on the neck and T-150 on the bridge.

Until then, be well!

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Kid Kodak

Published on 18 October 201918 October 2019 by felixandthecatsLeave a comment

When I was young, someone who enjoyed taking pictures was referred to jocularly in French as Kid Kodak. One such kid is Ian Sinclair. Ian and I go way back, having played in a few bands, some more ill-fated than others, but I never lost my respect for Ian as a music fan and dedicated player. Ian also excels at photography, hence the title of this blog, and his pictures literally shine with his love of the subject. you can check out his pictures on his Facebook feed. Well worth it!

So it was a thrill to have him take pictures at our gig this past September, which I alluded to in the follow up blog to that event. Ian and I met recently and he passed on a DVD of more shots from that evening, some of my faves I am sharing with you today.

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Out and About

This past Tuesday, the Cats played the Linsmore with the FortNights and Phillip Vonesh and the Spare Parts. It was a great show for all involved. Thanks for the support!

Fintan McEnroe and Fraz Milne: the FortNights

Last night I returned to the Linsmore to catch more of the aforementioned Fraz, this time with his original trio featuring Jay Vyas on bass and Chris Bender (yes, that guy!) on drums. Opening was one of my favourite pop songwriters, James Clark who played a great acoustic set with Tim Gall on bass. A packed house and great music all night!

Until next time, be well!

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Hitsville USA at the Movies

Published on 8 October 20198 October 2019 by felixandthecats2 Comments

A few years back, some friends along with Mrs. F&theCats and I visited the Motown Museum in Detroit. It was a remarkable experience where I learned a lot about what made that place special (hint: it wasn’t just one thing).

The embedded video, courtesy of Reverb.com, does a good job of capturing some of the magic and explaining a bit of the chemistry too. Check it out!

It goes almost without saying that Berry Gordy‘s vision and genius in putting it all together was a key factor. There are a couple of recent documentaries in which he appears that would I would suggest you see if the subject interests you.

The first is Hitsville: The Making of Motown that features Gordy and Smoky Robinson providing fun insight into the history. The second is called Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives, where Gordy is briefly interviewed, but focuses obviously on Clive Davis, of which I knew much less beforehand. Well worth catching to see how megastars are “made”.

Both are viewable on streaming platforms.

Next Tuesday Gig Alert

Just a reminder that the Cats will be at the Linsmore next week (Tuesday) for Indie Night squeezed in between the Fortnights at 8:00 and Phillip Vonesh and the Spare Parts at 10:00. Some more ab

We’d all love to see you come out and support live music!

Until then, be well!

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Weekend Warrior

Published on 4 October 2019 by felixandthecatsLeave a comment

A few blogs back, I wrote about the polemic against “amateur” musicians “stealing” pro gigs. I have huge admiration and respect for pro players, and have always tried to pay them accordingly when I’ve hired them. However, I believe that the distinction between amateur and pro is fluid, and the former, even the most débutant, also deserve a place at the table for their love and support of live music.

Spinning off of that, I was inspired to write a new song titled I May Be Bad (But It Still Feels Good) dedicated to all the part-time players. The demo is still too rough to share, but I expect we can play it for you at the Linsmore on October 15 (9 pm).

I hope you will come out for that one and a few other new tunes.

Until then, be well!