October 2023

So Good

Published on 31 October 202331 October 2023 by felixandthecatsLeave a comment

Those devil-horned guitars conjured up a wicked spell yesterday at the monthly Green Dragon Pub jam.

Past and current Wayling James Band guitarists Larry Gould, Justin Bunn, and yours truly all independently decided the best guitar for the job was the Gibson SG, or reasonable facsimile. Was it the electrical hum from the streetcar wires that guided that choice, or the Devil’s instrument?

Regardless, it turned out for the good as this was one of the best jams I’ve been a part of in 2023. Here’s a sample – my solo is a bit old school, but it goes with the tune. Thanks to Phil Snowdon for the recording and Mac and the Dragon for hosting. Musician credits are in the video.

The Green Dragon Pub hosts this jam on the last Sunday of each month, from 6 to 9.

Noblesse Oblige

Published on 25 October 202326 October 2023 by felixandthecatsLeave a comment

For those unfamiliar with the title of this piece, this French expression points to the obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behaviour associated with privilege. As I count myself in the latter category, through a bit of skill, but mostly luck and a lot of help from loved ones, friends and colleagues, I feel duty bound to return that support.

Hence the topic of this blog post.

For over six months, my friends in Monkey Fightin’ Snakes (who I’ve posted about way back as well) have hosted a Thirsty Thursday Open Mic at the Duke on Queen East at Leslie.

The venue is in keeping with a rock crowd, grungy but in all the right ways, MFS will back up anyone effectively, the gear is good, the stage large and there’s a sound tech too.

So it’s a mystery to me that the turnout has not been spectacular. This has to change.

There are so few good rooms for musicians to perform now. Yes, I know an open mic doesn’t pay, but neither does staying at home watching Netflix on a Thursday night. It’s a chance to see/hear what other players can do, workshop new songs, and network too. You might even enjoy a beer!

So, musicians, get out to the Duke and let’s get that list of jammers to look like the chalkboard at the old Relish (may it rest in peace)! Thursday evenings, signup starting at 8:00. Bring friends.

I’ll be there.

Squirrel

Published on 4 October 20234 October 2023 by felixandthecats1 Comment

One of my three original Jace Traz pieces!

So many distractions!

While the Cats were away, the mice that are other projects did play. I’ve been fortunate to have had both studio sessions (John Mahler, Chris Scian and Arch Rockefeller notably) and live shows with other bands (i.e., Wayling James Band, Phil Snowdon and the Two-Fours).
Still, the Cats have managed to squeeze in a few mini shows at the Linsmore Tavern where we premiered some new and/or revamped material this past summer and have another show there on November 14 for again newish stuff. We’re also made our first appearance back on August 8 at the Dakota Tavern. Definitely excited by that.

Other venues have been approached so fingers crossed. Original music is a hard sell.

Still, to finally get things back on track, here is a demo of our latest tune. Can’t figure out the title? Me neither. It came from a deliciously mangled auto-correct text I received. The rest of the song wrote itself from there.