Author: felixandthecats

It’s been an increasingly busy time at ManCave Studio over the last few weeks. Having started it as a solitary activity, it now has expanded and I’ve recorded four different artists for a variety of demos, which I hope will be shared at some point in the future (I leave that to them as that is their copywritten© right). Below is a panoramic view of the space where, as the trope goes, “the magic happens”.

I want to thank Sal Indigo, Leanna Yamada/Chuck Majic and band, Houndbelly (aka Three Minutes to Forever) and Gary Edward Allen with entrusting me with their songs and hopefully contributing to their vision. I am learning a lot!

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Stirring It Up! Secret Santa Style

A few weeks ago Stir It Up Sunday co-host David Macmichael put out an interesting challenges to the Relish Regulars©, whereupon we would draw names of our fellow regs and cover one of their songs at an upcoming SIUS. I was delighted to pick Jace Traz (aka All Dressed) as my coveree, and have been diligently attempting to chart and copy the lyrics of my selected gem. I have already decided that messing about with Jace’s approach was not on, as all his tunes are masterfully crafted. Rather, it will be an hommage that I hope will do it justice. Maybe tonight? We’ll see.

FYI, Jody Ferrer has picked me to cover. Looking forwards to that too!

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Out and About This Week

Made it out to Sauce on Monday to catch ace keyboardist and FatC alumnus Alan Zemaitis sitting in with the Out of Towners, an awesome roots instrumental group. A quick subway ride to Broadview to catch Tyler Ellis at Dora Keogh turned out to be for nought as he is up north somewhere recording his next album.

Thursday got me out again to try out a new toy, a Behringer GDI21, an amp emulator/DI box that I expect will make it more schlep-friendly to do open mics on electric guitar. Cheap and friendly! I was able to chat with man-about-town Gary17 briefly and catch the terrific Kayt Lucas accompanied by Michael Menegon as the featured act that night. I am happy to report that Kayt will be a guest at the ABC songcircle on April 24, and Michael possibly at a later date.

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This Week at the ABC Songwriters’ Circle

Last Tuesday at The Amsterdam Bicycle Club featured Mahta Moattari, Jordan Paul and Leanna Yamada. I was great fun both listening to my guests and laying on atmospherics to all their songs last night. Jordan is quiet adept at it and it was challenging figuring out how best to make that work. Killer voice too! Mahta up close is both fragile and intense; very interesting combination. Leanna, whom I know well from the “day job”, gave a great performance, probably one of the best I’ve heard. Nice to hear her work on her personal material.

This week, my guests are Dan Boggs, Veronica Sabah and Scott Kvasni. For a brief summary of last week’s show and bios of my upcoming guests, click on the ABC Songwriters’ Circle page.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the FatCat (the all-members version of Félix & the Cats) shows March 24 at the Amsterdam Bicycle Club and April 7 at the Black Swan!

Be well!

 

This is a short one as there are family celebrations today, namely a birthday for a certain loved one, pictured much younger on the right (and me too it seems). So a lot of housekeeping awaits. Still, there are a few things to briefly touch on, so here goes.

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Out and About

Since I have been back at the day job on a temp basis for the last two+ weeks, extracurricular outings have been curtailed somewhat. However, as my last contract ended this past Thursday, a visit to Legends was in order to kick up my heels. There was certain pent up energy to this one, needless to say.

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Upcoming Shows

I’ve already announced the Full-Félix & the Cats shows in a prior blog (also listed in the sidebar), but I thought I’d share with you the posters. I really am looking forward to these two shows as it will be the all-out electric version of the Cats. Stay tuned for reminders on the various social media.

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ABC Songwriters’ Circle

Last Tuesday was a special show in harmony with International Women’s Day. Show #18 this coming week on Tuesday Night at The Amsterdam Bicycle Club will feature Mahta Moattari, Jordan Paul and Leanna Yamada. For a brief summary of last week’s show and bios of my upcoming guests, click on the ABC Songwriters’ Circle page.

Please take a moment to enter the show dates that appeal to you in your calendars, and subscribe to this page for all the latest. Thanks!

Be well!

Two years now…

That’s how long this weekly blog has been going. I would have never believed I could be that consistent, and I have to recognize first and most importantly of all Mrs. FatC for her encouragement, expertise and patience as I retreat to the ManCave® to scribe away for “just a few minutes” the latest post. I also want to acknowledge the many performers who have inspired stories on this blog (and maybe a song or 2), and the venues in which they have performed.

Thank you all!

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Two, Four, Six, Eight! Who Do We Appreciate?

However, two years pales in comparison with the eight years Stir-It-Up-Sunday has been a favourite of musicians throughout the city. I wrote a post in 2016 specifically praising the venue, and my high opinion has not diminished since. Gary 17/Orbit/Webb writes more extensively about it in Toronto Moon, which I invite you to check out. I recall first going to SIUS way back in its early days when Phil Jacobs (whose son Ayden was mentioned in a post a few weeks back) was hosting with Paul Brennan. With the advent of David Macmichael, the show entered its golden age, IMHO, to a great extent due to the chemistry between David and Paul, their talent and their generosity.

Thank you Gary for bringing this to my attention today, and the shout-out in the article. I am changing my plans for the evening and will be at Relish, perhaps singing the song below (hey, where else can I sing it?) as my thank you to the bar that allowed me to return to music. Please join me there if you can and sing along with the chorus!

Relish Bar & Grill ©2018 R. Pelletier/Félix & the Cats

Verse 1
It’s another quiet East End Sunday night
The dinner’s eaten, the dishes have been cleaned
I kiss my wife, and say goodnight
Put on my coat and leave to chase my dream

Verse 2
It stands at Danforth where it meets Cedarvale
Some folks outside are smoking funny cigarettes
I walk in past the stage and order up an ale
No matter how it goes, there should be no regrets

Chorus
Some come to chill
At Relish Bar & Grill
Some for the thrill
At Relish Bar & Grill
Come for the food,
Get in the mood
Stay for the music
At Relish Bar & Grill
At Relish Bar & Grill

Verse 3
Endings ‘R’ Us will keep you entertained
David and Paul, always magnificent
And invite us back with the same refrain
For something similar yet completely different

Chorus

Bridge
Sometimes a place
Can make all the difference
And change your life
In surprising ways
It takes some faith
And lots of perseverance
At Stir It Up Sunday!

Verse 1 reprise
It’s another quiet East End Sunday night
The dinner’s eaten, the dishes have been cleaned
I kiss my wife, and say goodnight
Put on my coat and leave to chase my dream

Chorus and out

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ABC Songwriters’ Circle Update

This week will be my seventeenth show, and it’s a special one as this is my first show with an all-star-female cast. I look forward to what that dynamic will create. Please join me and Sandra Bouza, Elana Harte and Sarah Siddiqui this Tuesday for another unpredictable and original evening of song and story. There should be more than a few. See their impressive bios here.

Do join us and be well!

I have kept my head down and my nose to the grindstone this week as, although I am officially retired, I take on occasional work to help with expenses, like the new (used) car recently purchased and mentioned in last week’s blog.

So, with that theme in mind, here’s another demo celebrating everyone with a day job.

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Things Will Be Alright ©2010 R. Pelletier/Félix & the Cats 

Verse 1
You work hard
Five days a week
Like you’re drawing water
But your bucket has a leak
Like you push that rock
To the very top
When you think you’re done
You just watch it drop

Chorus
Leave your work behind
Take time to unwind
When you’re home tonight
Things will be alright

Verse 2
If you get a raise
It’s just taxed away
If you get a new job
It’s at half the pay
Like you’re running fast
But you’re standing still
Like digging a hole
That you’ll have to fill

Chorus

Bridge
Do you feel the world
Heavy on your back?
Do you wish it would
Cut you some more slack?
It can always wait
Until you get back
Things will be alright

Verse 3
If the stone is grinding
Away at your nose
Lift it off the wheel
To smell the rose
If you really think
Each thing has its place
Then it’s just as plain
As the nose on your face

Chorus

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So on that note, don’t work too hard, and enjoy life! I fervently hope that might include stopping by the Amsterdam Bicycle Club for another special Songwriters’ Circle evening of song with guests Michael Butcher, Neil MacNaughton and Chloe Watkinson.

Be well!

After six years of relying on public transport and car sharing services, I am back to owning a vehicle. This was brought about by a sudden opportunity and a realization that with more gigs for me, and garden visits for the lovely Mrs. FatC, we had reached a point where it once again made sense. The picture on the left shows the alternative: on the cart is the gear hauled down by TTC to the Amsterdam for shows every Tuesday: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, mic stand and such, cables, mics, various connection boxes. Note no amps.

Despite the new wheels, I have still relied a lot on TTC for getting around, particularly as this past weekend was Winterfolk. This was my first year attending and I caught a few acts, but missed some people as a noise complaint shut down shows at Terry O’s, one of the venues for the festival. The schedule was shuffled but quite a few performers seemed to have simply been unable to perform, at least as best I could tell. I hope this can be sorted out for next year. To my ears, the volume was quite reasonable especially as it is essentially a folk music festival, and I find it shocking that one or perhaps just a few persons can derail an event that took months to plan, and deny entertainment to a large number of paying attendees, based on currently very subjective “noise” regulations. A proposed more objective standard is being worked on for City Council, but key to its implementation will be correctly identifying or perhaps redefining areas as residential, mixed use, or entertainment.

So speaking of  which, the meeting with Councillor Mary Margaret McMahon took place this past Friday. Rob Greenway and I presented our concerns, and the councillor seemed genuinely interested in what we had to present. The short version, as already mentioned in a few posts here, is that clubs and musicians who play in them are the foundational elements of a city’s musical ecosystem. If they don’t prosper, eventually the entire structure will collapse. It’s like minor leagues for pro sports. Rob was indispensable in presenting the professional’s point of view, and a huge thanks goes out to him for taking the time to be there and steeping himself in the issues. We left a list of recommendations with MMM (see below) and she assured us that she would bring this to  the attention of  the Toronto Music Advisory Council (TMAC). We’ll see…

 

Recommendations to TMAC

1. Recompose the makeup of the Council: ensure small venues, music stores, and more independent artists are represented. 
2. Reduce membership of over-represented sectors for greater equity.
3. Increase the budget to fund to ensure success and in keeping with the importance of the music industry. Current funding is inadequate and misdirected.
4. Initiate a city funded consciousness raising campaign to sensitize and educate the public value of music and costs to performers: i.e., real stories about real musicians “Unsung Heroes”
5. Provide support for musicians with cheaper and easier access to recording, rehearsing and social media (partnerships with colleges, tech schools, community centres).
6. Tax incentives for clubs that host live music.
7. Not follow through with the “live music venue” certification initiative; more red-tape and no benefit.
8. Educate on how and encourage venues to add “Entertainment Tip” option to POS terminals
9. Not follow through “Music Day”: being free reinforces notion music is always free.
10. Increase support to existing home-grown festivals such as Winterfolk, Beaches Jazz Festival, NXNW, to name some. to expand rather than starting up new events.
11. Rename the “Noise Bylaw” to “Excessive Sound Levels Bylaw”. Noise is a pejorative term in reference to music. 

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Other Out and About

I also was able to catch a few sets on Saturday night by cover band Rockbottom at the Duke Tavern on Queen Street. The event was a fundraiser for Cambodia, and a great opportunity to hear new FatC drummer Chris Bender playing in a different context. I’d already heard him many times with the Fraz Milne Electrical Band, so I knew him as capable and attentive to the intricate changes that Fraz’s songs call for. With this show, I now saw how adaptable he is as well. Our first show with Chris is March 24 at the Amsterdam, then April 7 at the Black Swan. I also had a nice chat with the Duke’s owner, who provided some interesting insight into the challenges of maintaining a music-friendly venue. It would be great fun to play the Duke, but that decision is ultimately the club’s. I will persevere.

Last night, I made the drive to Ajax (another benefit of having a car) to catch vocal coach Jaclyn Serre‘s premiere at the Edge Lounge with Heart tribute band Crazy on Heart.

I had also gone there with the idea of maybe playing the open mic, hosted by Ayden Jacobs (talented son of former Stir-It-Up-Sunday host Phil Jacobs), but it became evident early on that the context, although nowhere nearly as surreal as the one that led to the song Dancing With the Dinosaurs, would not be conducive to original songs.

The night ended with a short visit to Relish to wish troubadour Jody Ferrer (ABC Songwriters’ Circle #6) Happy 700th Stage, and astounding accomplishment! The joint was jumping’ as they say, with what it seemed every artist who had played at Winterfolk there for one more trio of tunes. The list was sooo long, I had to pass, with regret.

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Please check out the bios of my upcoming guests Just Jillian, Jeff Orson and Carmen Toth, who will be my guests tomorrow, February 20, 2018 for the 15th iteration of the ABC Songwriters’ Circle at the Amsterdam Bicycle Club. Show starts at 9!

Until then, be well!

I always had the impression that my upbringing was not particularly musical. My father Pierre played a little harmonica which he used to do only occasionally when I was very young, but drifted away from in later years. It wasn’t until I turned 13 that I picked up the guitar, which my parents had bought not for me, but for my younger sister Manon. She got bored with it so I took it up. By the time I was 17, I was in my first band.

Just recently, my cousin Marie Claire reposted a picture of her family from the 70s, and it reminded me of the trips we would take every year from Northern Ontario to the north end (my maman’s family) and the south end (my papa’s family) of Québec to visit the relatives.

Now keep in mind that my father is from a family of 12 (plus one child who died at a young age). That made for a lot of people to see.

One of my favourites was the family of my uncle Georges and my aunt Georgette, who lived in the lovely and somewhat isolated community of Saint-Benoit-de-Packington, now simply Packington, QC. My uncle and aunt were both musicians, he played the harmonica, she the fiddle, and every year, a visit there would feature a soirée canadienne, the equivalent of a kitchen party for the Atlantic-Canadians out there. I loved those evenings, all the instruments around, and the excitement it generated. The most extraordinary fact was that Georges and Georgette produced 17 children, most of whom also took to music as a hobby and also performed. This is a picture of that family from the 70s below.

My aunt’s brother, Georges Saint-Pierre and his wife Georgette (no points for originality here) would always be present too. The Saint-Pierres played banjo and guitar respectively. I still have permanently etched in my brain an image of Georgette with a cigarette dangling from a very red-lipsticked mouth whipping a slide steel up and down the neck of a very cheap, high-strung Japanese electric guitar.

One year, they decided to do this at a small local spot called Lac Jerry and I think my dad took the photo below of my sister and me below with George S.P.

Now, anyone who follows this blog knows I use the stage name Félix, which is actuality my middle name (this came about due to having 3 Roberts in one band back in the 80s). I have always known that name was given to me as a traditional reference to my paternal grandfather, pictured on the right with my mémère Atala. According to my father, he was a decent fiddler himself, although I only have a dim recollection of seeing him play.

What came as a surprise was through Marie Claire tagging the photo of her family, and including my uncle Georges’ middle name, which turned out to be Félix as well!

Perhaps that is an explanation for my life-long love of music, and to a connection to tradition that goes back much further than I had thought. I will choose to believe that!

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Politics

It’s this coming Friday I meet with City Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon to discuss the Toronto Music Advisory Council, and my concerns therein. The media have not been kind to TMAC over the last while, first in NOW magazine this past June, then in Toronto Moon just this week, for many of the same reasons I am meeting the Councillor. I will for sure report back in next week’s blog.

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ABC Songwriters’ Circle This Week

This Tuesday, I welcome Andre Dantas, David McLachlan and Eric Sorenson to the song circle. Show starts at 9 at the Amsterdam Bicycle Club. For more information on my guests, you can go to the the Songwriters’ Circle page here.

The weather forecast is calling for a warming trend by mid-week. What better way to celebrate than joining us at the ABC?

Until then, be well, as usual!

A fair amount of time this week has gone to mixing a project in ManCave Studio, and preparations for my upcoming meeting with the City to talk about the Toronto Music Advisory Council and the city’s engagement to better live music in its midst, io this one will be short.

Only got out once mid week to check out another songwriters’ circle, this time at the Painted Lady, a lovely bar on Ossington in the west end. Run by the talented Gillian Nicola, it runs in many ways like my Tuesday show at the ABC, other than being monthly, rather than weekly. Former song circle guest and honorary Cat David Macmicheal was on the bill, along with Simeon Ross and Darling Cora. It was a great show and heartening to see so many artists in the city getting a chance to feature their work in a supportive environment, and I’m very lucky to be able to help.

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Housekeeping

The demos page just got a much needed tidying up, with all the songs posted included, and now sorted alphabetically. Twenty-two tunes are available for your listening pleasure.

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FatC Revival – Follow Up

Full FatC fun is coming this spring, with two shows (and potentially more) added to the calendar! The first is back at the Amsterdam Bicycle Club for a Saturday evening show on March 24, and a long-overdue return to the Black Swan on April 7. Add those dates to your calendar as I’ll be introducing new songs and the Cats’ newest addition, drummer Chris Bender, who also regularly performs with good friend Fraz Milne.

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Cocooning is Tempting…

…but do try to get out to catch some live entertainment, despite the weather. This week’s ABC Songwriters’ Circle has a very interesting mix of players, ranging from acoustified metal shredding to country by way of soulful punk (yes!).

Be there and be well!

 

As mentioned in other posts, I have been gradually building up the capacity here at ManCave Studio to do some full-on recording, which in simple terms means all the instruments, including drums. With limited equipment, this is still a possibility, and I spent the afternoon doing just that, hence the one-day delay for this post. Credit for making simple yet good-sounding recording of drums goes to a British audio engineer by the name of Glyn Johns. His credentials are mind-boggling; see below from Wikipedia.

Johns produced and/or engineered with such artists as Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Eagles, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Hallyday, the Band, Eric Clapton, the Clash, the Beatles (Get Back Sessions), Ryan Adams, the Steve Miller Band, Small Faces, Spooky Tooth, the Easybeats, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Blue Öyster Cult, Emmylou Harris, Midnight Oil, New Model Army, Belly, Joe Satriani, Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart with Faces, John Hiatt, Joan Armatrading, Buckacre, Gallagher and Lyle, Georgie Fame, Family, Helen Watson, Fairport Convention, Humble Pie, and many others.^[3]

So, yeah, he knows what he’s doing! The upshot is that Johns came up with an ingenious way to record drums with only three microphones – one in the bass (kick) drum, one overhead, and one near the floor tom. The last two have to be at the same distance from the snare for this to work right. A bit and left or right panning makes the whole thing sound larger than life. The course I took at Centennial over the last year or so offered the chance to mic up drums, but we went “new school” with 13 microphones! Going down to 3, in a tiny space like ManCave Studio would be a challenge.

The session went well as the Trevor (bass) and Kevin (drums) were well prepared, so only a few takes were required. Because there is no separate control room in my space, we were hearing a lot of live sound leak through the headphones, so initially, I dreaded what might come out of it, but as soon as we heard the first playback, it was clearly obvious why this recording method was, and still is, very popular. Thanks, Glyn Johns!

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Prepping for Politics

Since I have an upcoming meeting with our local councillor, I have been reading through the Toronto Music Advisory Council’s meeting minutes and associated documents, and making side notes. At about the halfway point, it seems very clear that their hearts are in the right place, but it doesn’t change the reason for the meeting, which is to point out a few gaps and talk more about live music at the grassroots level. More as things develop…

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Upcoming Shows

This Tuesday, the ABC Songwriters’ Circle is back once more for show #12. I have reorganized the site a bit so please refer (and bookmark) the song circle page to find out who is coming soon, and for a brief review of the most recent show. All the bios for past performers have been moved to their own special page, and listed alphabetically for serving convenience.

Thanks to a tip from a music fan, I am in the process of getting a pass for this year’s Winterfolk XVI, a Blues and Roots music festival that will take place on Danforth from Feb. 16-18, 2018. According to the website, “it’s an  all-ages, mid-winter, weatherproof event, where you’ll find the best of urban, blues, rock,  jazz, country, folk and roots music, emulating a multi-stage rural summer festival”. The ambitious schedule has over 150 artists performing at 5 venues over 3 days. Should give me lots to choose from, meet new potential guests for the song circle, and maybe even consider being part of this for next year, if they’ll have me.

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FatC Revival

Things have been pretty quiet of the full-band front since the December show, and even before that, gigs were fairly sparse. I hope to change that soon and changes are in motion. News as events develop!

Until then, be well!

At least, that’s what her website, t-shirts and buttons say. I had the pleasure of catching Chloé Watkinson‘s new show at the Opera House last night. She pulled out all the stops and delivered a solid set with energy, grace and style. I had seen her before (and written about it) when she was in Park Eddy but this new incarnation raises her stagecraft to a whole new level. I was also glad to see that keyboardist extraordinaire and family friend Alan Zemaitis is still with her from that band. I was thrilled to have Alan also play for me at a major birthday bash a few years ago. It was also thrilling to see her dad, Max Webster alumnus and artist Terry Watkinson, play and sing with her last night. Chloé is a major talent, and you will hear more about her in the future, I am sure. For my part, I am very thrilled to say she will be my guest for the ABC Songwriters’ Circle, along with Augusta Ray and Lucy Dee on February 6. Expect an amazing evening!

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And Speaking of Which

The new year kicked off spectacularly with my first song circle of 2018, featuring Kevin Foster, David Storey and David Madras (pictured below to my left). Every one of these songwriters blew me away with their talent. A special recognition though must be given to David Madras who was feeling poorly that morning but rallied and made it to the show!

This week, the song circle will plumb the depths as it will be a one-of-a-kind, “It’s all about the bass” show. We will hit hit rock-bottom as we feature singer/songwriters performing their tunes with only a bass guitar. How low can we go? Come down this Tuesday to find out. My guests’ bios are on the song circle page.

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Lovely Write-Up

It was a great surprise and pleasure to discover last Tuesday as I was setting up for the song circle this very kind review by Gary 17 in Toronto Moon (which I have mentioned in the past here. I’ve linked it to the original, which will be larger and therefore more legible.

I hope to see many of you at the Big Bass Bash at the Amsterdam this Tuesday.

Until then, be well!

This post will be brief due to some unforeseen problems with the Old Mac Pro. After a frustrating day trying to get it to reboot, I finally was successful but it required a full OS reinstall, so a lot of settings are off, and I need to go through all that.

Still, a quick run though of the week is possible, starting from the Linsmore show, which was an interesting experiment. Have always liked the sound of two amps together and have a customized setup for that, so it was nice to put it through its paces. With the looper, it made for a big sound even though I was solo. By the way, I am still looking for a a good amateur drummer that wants to be part of FatC. I define amateur in the true sense of someone who does this for love, and would be content with a less-than-pro renumeration, equitably split with the band.

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Music City North

Yesterday was the annual New Year’s levee for the riding in which I live. On hand were MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MPP Arthur Potts, and Toronto councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon. The latter is according to city records part of the Toronto Music Advisory Council whose terms of reference state:

Show to Catch Today

I am planning on making it out to the Tranzac Club in the late afternoon to catch what I am certain will be a very entertaining and original show of songs and poetry.

ROBERT PRIEST and MAX LAYTON and experience the musical wizardry of BOB COHEN, ALLAN SOBERMAN, MARY HANSON and DAVID HINES. Admission is free! There’s beer on tap! And this month our special guest will be ROB GREENWAY!!

If you’re there, I’d be happy to chat with you about the section above. The more voices I can represent, the better.

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ABC Songwriters’ Circle #10

We’re back in the saddle this Tuesday, January 16, 2018 for our first show of the new year and the first in the double digits. Please check out these amazing songwriters’ bios on the ABC SWC page here!

There is lots of energy and eagerness to get back at it, so it will be fun!

Until then, be well!