Category: Non classé

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.

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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.

Until then, be well!

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!

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!

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!

Sorry for the late post. The desktop computer has crashed and is in the shop for an OS rebuild.

So this is being done on an iPhone.

Last week’s feature at Relish was a great night. On top of it, we had two ace photographers taking pictures of the band. One of them, Peif Weyman, was there for Chris as he is a Murat Diril cymbals endorser. Good friend Ian Sinclair with whom I have played with in previous bands came out to capture the band live as we needed to update our shots.

Here are a few samples.

Until next week, be well!

Ultra brief blog this week just adding details to the Linmore show mentioned last week and scheduled for October 15.

Guest will be:

The Cats will be on at 9:00. A few new tunes may make their way into the set list, so regular fans will be in for more than the usual.

 

 

 

 

Closing the night at 10:00 will be Phillip Vonesh and the Spare Parts, for whom I played a while back when the lead guitarist was away. This time Phillip will be backed by his usual crew so a great show is in store for all.

Until next time, be well!

This Saturday (August 24, 2019 – 9:30 pm) will be my first full show at the new Relish, albeit not with the Cats but with the one-of-a-kind Salabama. I’m very excited and proud to be called upon to be second guitar for this one particularly as Sal has recorded many of the tunes we will be performing in the ManCave Studio and this will be a great opportunity for you to get a sneak peek of his upcoming album.

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The Answer to Last Week’s Quiz

The bass feet posted last week belong to as follows:

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That’s it… short and sweet.

Be well!

Super brief as there is a lot going on in the other aspects of life.

Renovation has reached a significant turning point, one where I have removed the stuff stored and cluttering up ManCave Studio thereby more or less reclaiming the space. Just in time too as I have a session scheduled tomorrow.

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New Open Mic

A new open mic is starting up this Wednesday at The Cut, which appears to be formerly the St. Louis Bar & Grill. The host for August has impeccable credentials in that it’s David Macmichael who has been doing the same at Relish B&G for many years. It’s on my calendar to check out and I expect to report back next Sunday.

Until then, be well!

Our story begins in ancient times in a Toronto east-end bar.

The Only Café at that time hosted a Saturday open mic, and led by multi-instrumentalists Derek Downham, Tim Bovaconti and Terence Gowan. I used to go there as often as possible, particularly to support John Pelubski, and see who else might surprise everyone by showing up. At that point, I was still too intimidated by the talent and repressed to play at this venue.

One of the “regular” bands I often felt was a highlight of the evening with their energy and originality included a drummer named Jace Traz. It took a few years to make the connection that this was the very same individual I would know much better as a regular at Relish.

Jump forward a few years, and the aforementioned Relish connection begins. Jace would often be there subbing on drums at Stir It Up Sunday when regular co-host Paul Brennan was away, and for other bands when needed, including on one occasion for me.

But what really got my attention was when Jace would switch to guitars and play original material. That’s when I realized I was hearing one of Toronto’s greatest undiscovered power-pop phenomena. Jace’s hyper-catchy melodies and rhythms layered over lyrics ranging from the delightfully metaphoric Pistachio Girl, through the more self-deprecating Fake, and to the darkly cautionary Rape Van. Few songwriters could blend disparate subjects like mathematics and heartbreak, like in the beautiful Divide. Each of his appearances was a highlight of the evening and a consistent audience favourite.

Tonight (July 23, 2019), Jace will be performing a set at the Linsmore Tavern. I hope all of you reading this will be there at 8 to see and hear for yourselves. Check out the links above too for a preview!

Until later, be well!

And we’re back.

Relish 2.0 opened its doors last Saturday to an enthusiastic and plentiful crowd. The place was humming and, judging from the non-stop activity by staff, it seems business was very brisk. The location is prime, with plenty of regulars there and many walk-in patrons.

The first (ever) band up at 7 was the $6 Tall Boys, with frontman David Macmichael also celebrating a birthday. I’ve heard David, Jace Traz and Arch Rockefeller many times before, always enjoying it, but there was a unique energy to it that night, and special appearances by Chelsea Reed and Dean McKinnon for an extra bit of special. The sound was vastly different from the old Relish due to significantly larger dimensions in all directions, and masterfully mixed by Rick Henry. The space is impressive yet still comfortable and welcoming, with lots of decor elements from the old venue to make regulars feel at home.

The food menu included all my favourites, some of which I sampled, promptly served. All in all, it felt like the place had been running for weeks, rather than just a few hours. Kudos to Joanne Clayton and the entire staff who have obviously invested themselves fully into making it the best transition it could be.

I plan to be back this Sunday for my first Stir It Up at the new location (I was away for the actual inaugural) and expect to report on that shortly after.

Until then, be well!

This blog will mark the first part of a transition for Relish Bar & Grill, a venue often mentioned as it has been key to my musical journey. After well over a decade at Danforth and Cedarvale, the club is pulling up roots and moving west to 511 Danforth, near Logan.

I was fortunate to be there for The Last Stir, where I performed my own Relish Song, probably for the last time. Here is a demo version.

relish-bar-and-grill.m4a

It was also perfect closure as I finally got to play my cover of fellow traveller Michael Cuddy‘s excellent Sink or Swim for him. Despite a false start and forgotten lyrics, I conveyed the essence of the new arrangement and Michael seemed to like it. It will be going into the FatC set list as my featured cover.

This weekend, the new Relish (2.0) opens new doors on Saturday and I intend to be there. Check back next time for how that went.

Until the, be well!