Category: Non classé

Less than week to go before the Cats play at the Black Swan (July 30, 2016 — 9:30 PM in case you missed earlier notices). Due to last minutes changes in tour and local show commitments, both Paul Brennan AND Jace Traz are unavailable to drum for the Cats this weekend, or the next show in August.

“Well, what can a poor boy do?” to quote Mick Jagger.

Enter connections, the lifeline of all musicians. Thanks to NEMO, we have the awesome Greg Anzelc subbing in for the next two shows. Greg and NEMO have worked together with Carlos Morgan and the Flow. If you want to check them out, they have a residency at Alley Kats (coincidence?) at Yonge and Erskine, just north of Eglinton.

Greg is a highly in-demand sideman in Toronto music scene due to his versatility and skill, and I feel lucky to have him for these gigs. You can catch some videos of him on Youtube and appreciate his versatility (soul, funk, pop, blues, and more) but the best way to judge is to see for yourself by making it down to the show this coming Saturday. I think you’ll be in for a treat!

Being off during the summer has afforded me the chance to not only go to shows and connect with musicians, but in some cases reconnect, as was the case last night at the Linsmore Tavern.

Headlining there to a small but enthusiastic crowd was the Gary Kendall Band. This top-notch band — Gary on bass and vocals, Teddy Leonard on guitar, Shakey Dagenais on keyboards and Tyler Burgess on drums, pumped out the blues like it’s supposed to be done, tight and gritty. Just google their pedigree, starting with the legendary Downchild Blues Band.

Gary, Teddy and I all worked at Yorkville Sound in the mid-eighties, so it was great to catch up on what happened since we left. The thing that struck a chord (ha!) was Gary telling me about when he started feeling the pressure on his day job at Yorkville following the success of the Kendall Wall Band during its residency at the Black Swan.

And so we have come full circle. It’s a small world!

But I wouldn’t want to paint it.

This weekend, I did a non-Félix activity and enjoyed subbing in on lead guitar with a local band called the Boogaloo at a private party near Omemee, Ontario. The site was a beautiful cottage by the lake, complete with amazing vista, a large deck on which the band could set up and friendly hosts and guests. We were extremely well fed too! The only drawback was that I did not have $300,000 handy to buy Neil Young’s childhood home.

Most of the songs were covers, but a few were originals by the singer/frontman Glenn Reid which were especially fun for me to play. I hope I did them justice. Glenn comes from a strong musical family and is keeping the legacy alive. He has enjoyed hits on the country music charts, including a #1 in Sweden (tack så mycket), and is currently working on his fourth record. Check out his website for a video of his latest. Boogaloo (with regular guitarist Ken O’ Gorman) is viewable in this one.

On bass, the man responsible for getting me this gig, was Norman Hartshorne. He and I have known each other for a few years, jamming at annual conventions related to our day jobs. Norm is a solid and skilled bassist having worked with legends Bob Segarini, Terry Draper of Klaatu and many others), and a thoughtful and generous man.

Finally, on drums, was Max Styles. He and his lovely wife (and dedicated knitter) Ellen gave me a lift up to and back from the show. We had a good opportunity to chat about a common (former) employer and the state of the music business. Max can speak of it with a lot of authority having played in highly notable bands in Toronto, including Road Apple Red, Bamboo and The Kings.

All three have also collaborated with David Henman, co-founder of Canadian rock royalty April Wine. Here is a video of all four together playing one of Glenn’s songs, Workin’ Man, in Alliston, Ontario back in August 2011.

I would like to publicly thank these gentlemen for the chance to play with them, and hope we can do it again, should the need arise.

 

 

I guy walks into a bar, then writes a song. This, in a nutshell, is what happened.

None of what follows should be perceived as critical, I hope, but it is factual.

Dancing With the Dinosaurs was written last summer after a bewildering visit to The Fox at Scarborough Junction following a promising review in Toronto Moon by man-about-town Gary 17 (more on him on some other post perhaps). At the time, although very satisfied with Stir It Up Sundays at Relish, I wanted try a few other places for shameless self-promotion.

Things got off to a less than auspicious start as the jam, promoted as 8-12, did not get under way to well past 9. At least the time passed pleasantly eavesdropping in on a loud and animated debate between patrons regarding faster-than-light travel, and soaking up the trouble-could-happen-here-any-minute vibe. In fact, a stabbing occurred there just a few months later.

Timing is everything.

Once the jam started, hosted by the flamboyant Tommy Rocker (mentioned just last month again in Toronto Moon) it became obvious from the jammers that preceded me that Classic Rock covers were de rigueur—yes, including Smoke On the Water, and many more of that ilk and era—so I knew I might be in for a rough ride doing FATC’ material. Too late to change… except my guitar tuning which, as I was informed by a taciturn bassist, had to drop a semitone to “match him”.

Between sets, the bar set out food for all, following which, the house band were back up for an extended set, whilst entertaining the audience in mock German between songs. Never fully explained.

One of the second-set jammers was a young bassist remarkable for wearing a luchador mask with a skull pattern, and playing an extended bass solo. Not as To the Limit as Strong Bad, but entertaining and different.

I finally did my 3 tunes, and the band did a nice job reading the charts. Tommy said some encouraging things too, but at least one audience member may have been disappointed that she did not recognize anything. Oh well, every song is new to someone at one point.

All in all, it was a surreal experience, and I felt compelled to document it in a song. Every fact mentioned in it is real. As far as opinions are concerned, I invoke poetic licence.

Dancing With the Dinosaurs ©  2015 Félix and the Cats/R. Pelletier

Intro
There is a bar in Scarborough (somewhere I know – on demo)
And if you go, you’ll want to know
It feels like being in a David Lynch movie
Like something weird and slightly creepy

Verse 1
So there I was, not fitting in
A has-been ‘mongst the never been
Tuned down a half-step to conform
Where hoary chestnuts are the norm
Singing my ditties of self-deprecation
Deep in Ford Nation

Chorus
Turn back the clock, it’s time to rock
Turn up that amp balls to the wall
Take one step back, then take one more
Dancing with the dinosaurs

Verse 2
The band after their buffet dish
Speaking in German gibberish
Black Skeletor guesting on bass
After his set he shows his face
The biker dude, knows he’s the man
His jacket reads: Burn the Quran

Chorus

Bridge

What drew me there, I cannot say
Perchance to try another way
Perhaps I had too much to drink
Or I did not take the time to think

Solo

Verse 3
Beer guts, tattoos and brewery T-shirts
The aging demoiselle who likes to flirt
She argues that space aliens might
Some day exceed the speed of light
These people are stuck in my brain
But I will not be back again

Chorus

I want to counter the trend in isolationism (Brexit, US Republican politics) by writing this week about collaboration.

 

Normally, this doesn’t happen too often at the composition stage. Standard MO for me is to either come up with a lyrical concept will riding to and from work, or a musical phrase/chord sequence in the man-cave studio.

However, in recent days, I have been trying to set to music some lyrics provided by a friend who I will not identify until I get the thumbs-up as to how well I did. It reminded me of two other collaborations with my friend and former The Nerve bandmate David Israelson.

The first of these was for Bowling for Dolores. I had come up with only the first four lines of the song, based on a very lame play on words referencing the old Bowling for Dollars TV show on WGRZ in Buffalo.  I was stumped for the rest. As I knew David’s competence and ability to turn text around quickly as a writer/journalist, I sent him an email and asked whether he might suggest further lines. Within 30 minutes, the rest of the lyrics showed up in my inbox. It took maybe another hour to come up with the music, and record a quick demo, which is attached in all its synthy cheesiness.

The experience was very positive, and when the next writing block occurred, David came through for me again for Isabella. For this song, the music was already fully completed, with only a chorus written. I sent David a brief of the story outline (a besotted Christopher Columbus unrequitedly pining for Isabella of Spain), and again, with a short space of time, I had a reply with an almost fully realized song. Here it is:

I keep hoping David will make it out to Relish to play his own songs, which are very good. So far, his busy life has prevented that from happening, but I keep asking.

As for the current collaboration, I expect it will be done shortly, and I can demo it for you real soon. Have a great week!

The recently announced win by Led Zeppelin over 70s cult faves Spirit in the Stairway to Heaven vs Taurus lawsuit underscored perfectly the topic for this week’s blog.

If this topic creates a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now. I will take the bull by the horns.

I recently blogged about a new song I wrote called Exposure Bucks Boogie. I have attached it for your listening pleasure. No doubt, many will say it pays more than a passing resemblance to ZZ Top’s La Grange. Yup! Similar feel and dynamics for sure! I do not mind standing on the shoulders of giants (not just Billy Gibbons, more below).

For the record, my starting point was actually Slim Harpo’s Shake Your Hips as covered on the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street. 

The debate as to who originated the boogie riff is well documented (just Google it) and pretty much all agree that John Lee Hooker was the first to popularize it with Boogie Chillen, whose approach to spelling had a big impact on 70s British glam rockers Slade.

Here’s what is said about La Grange, which in turn could be extended to cover other hits like Canned Heat’s On the Road Again and Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky. 

“The initial groove of the song is based on a traditional boogie blues rhythm used by John Lee Hooker in Boogie Chillen’ and by Slim Harpo in Shake Your Hips. A failed lawsuit by the copyright holder of “Boogie Chillen'” resulted in the court ruling that the rhythm was in the public domain.^[6]“

There you have it. Public domain! Like the so-called 50s Progression (I-vi-IV-V) used in a gazillion doo-wop songs. Like the I-IV-V 12-bar progressions in innumerable blues, rock and roll and country tunes. And don’t get me started on sampling…

So, yeah, on a superficial level, Exposure Bucks Boogie is an homage to Gibbons/Harpo/Hooker’s boogie rhythm, which I dig. But if you listen closely, there’s a lot that is not, and I like that too. It’s good to build from a solid foundation.

By the way, did I mention I got the idea for the lyrics from a Facebook post by Pat Kelly?

Exposure Bucks Boogie ©  2016 Félix and the Cats/R. Pelletier.

 

 

 

Kinda busy right now with the kids I love, so try again next week!

Ok, so I complain a lot. What’s not to complain about. Last night, some unhinged intolerant shot a barful of guys just because he freaked that two men would love each other.

Still, well before that event, many of my songs had a “ranty” quality. I am not a “happy song” writer, for the most part. I may try later. Not that I am not a happy person. Perhaps that is the problem. The best blues singer sang from pain. I sing from outrage.

It’s a noble tradition. Many protest songs have resonated over the ages, dusing the 60s against the Vietnam war, and more recently in some rap against social inequity.

There is a universality about things that piss us off. It may not be the same irritant, but we all know the feeling.

And it’s a prerogative of my “golden years”. So I guess you have to deal with it until I learn to do something else.

Wish me luck.

Félix

Since getting back into the fray, I’ve noticed an emerging trend among the musicians I know. Compared to my younger days, quite a few have quit drinking completely.

At issue here is not whether playing sober is better than playing drunk (or stoned). Few would argue convincingly to the latter. Even if we accept (despite studies to the contrary) that being “loose” helps a musician be more creative, there is still plenty of parts of a song where being focused is just as important, and focus is easier when our brains are at full capacity. I recall one gig in Québec City a long time ago where a bandmate was particularly drunk, to the point where the club owner noticed a fixed a complaint with the agent. We all literally paid a price for that by having our fee trimmed.

I wonder whether the bar scene specifically is the concern: the constant exposure to alcohol, and the social acceptance in that context of being a few over the line. Perhaps for some musicians, the temptation is too great, and it’s better to entirely swear off?

I have yet to make that commitment, but I have been thinking about it.

What do you think? Does abstinence make the band play better? Please feel free to respond to this blog.

Thanks!

 

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the origins of one of my earliest songs, Mr. Juicy Fruit. A song that actually predates that one in being written (but recorded later) is Compromise. It was penned around the same time Mr. JF was up to his antics on stage with our iteration of the Jeanine Mackie Band, and ended up being one of the few originals NeMo and I performed with her, Sam (her husband) on keyboards, and Greg Woods on drums.

By the way, she has a new website just launched, which you can check out. NeMo and I are the “couple of neighbours” mentioned in paragraph 9 on the bio page. Greg didn’t live nearby but worked with Jeanine.

Compromise has gone through a lot of permutations: at least 3 key changes, and a rewrite as a blues shuffle eventually scrapped. I still think there are things to do with it, so consider it a work in progress (a duo would be nice, perhaps).

The premise is utterly simple: two different people with divergent tastes, yet one compromising for the other for love. Pretty universal stuff. The fun was coming up with the contrasting bits.

Compromise ©  1997 Félix and the Cats/R. Pelletier.
All rights reserved. [SOCAN/ASCAP]

verse 1
I like it black
You like it white
You say I’m wrong,
I know I’m right
You like caviar,
I can’t stand the stuff
You like it gentle,
I like it rough

verse 2
You make the bed,
I mess it up
You want a mug,
Give me a cup
I drink scotch whiskey,
You prefer wine
What’s yours is yours,
And what’s mine is mine

chorus
Every day is a new surprise
Our love may fall, or it may rise
But when I look into your eyes
I know that it’s worth some compromise

verse 3
You don’t like gamblin’,
I love the thrill
You say you can’t dance,
You know I will
You like to garden,
I kill your plants
I’m way too fast
And you want romance

chorus
Every day is a new surprise
Our love may fall, or it may rise
But when I look into your eyes
I know that it’s worth some compromise

verse out
Compromise, compromise, compromise… (repeat)

This week, just a short one…

One of the objectives for this blog is to, once in a while, talk about how some of the songs we play originated. I did that recently with Mister Juicy Fruit.

I never expected the reverse to happen, meaning that the blog was the inspiration to the song.

 

Last week’s post got me thinking of a new tune which I hope to première at the Stir It Up Sundays session at Relish tonight. Since tomorrow is a holiday (thank you Vicky), I hope many more of you can make it there and stick around for all the regulars and the newbies that are likely to play.