Squeeze at the Kool Haus
Picked up my heavily discounted ticket from a Craigslist poster at Yonge & Dundas. Then drove down to what used to be RPM/Warehouse and stood in line outside until the doors were opened just as the first drops of rain began to fall. Waited up front for the show to start, leaning against the fence barricading us like animals from the stage by four or five feet. My age was roughly the median for crowd and fortunately they had whiskey and beer for sale to make us at least a little frisky. Squeeze's performance was flawless and energetic and the setlist was packed with their best songs, nearly all from their first five albums. Quite similar to the set of songs they played at Canada's Wonderland on singer Glen Tilbrook's cake-in-the-face birthday concert in 1985 (Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti tour), or at Massey Hall in 1988 (Bablyon and On tour). A mere 20 years ago. Chris Difford's voice and presence certainly added to last night's performance, yet there was a lack of intimacy and spontaneity as compared to the Glen Tilbrook shows I'd seen more recently. The format of this concert was much more rigid; not even allowing for Aimee Mann (a huge fan and onetime collaborator) to join them for a song, much less to allow for Glen to come into the audience for a singalong.

  posted by John : 10:26 AM

 
Dylan rocked
I wasn't expecting much at all, but was very pleasantly surprised to hear Bob in such fine form - as good as I've ever seen. I'm still playing Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) in my head five days after the concert. Here's the set list and reviews from some uber-fans which describe the day quite well. Levon Helm band was great, and Glen Hansard really was quite incredible. Wish I had captured a video of his million-mile-an-hour guitar playing for Van Morrison's Astral Weeks. Can't say that I've ever heard anyone do a cover of that song before.
  posted by John : 6:16 PM

 
Wonderful Weekend

Aug 16th 2008

  posted by John : 9:23 AM

 
Old Photos

Denmark 1940s

Denmark 1957

Canada 1957-1964

Denmark 1973

My father was an avid photographer back in his day. Click these to view some photos from his collection. The ones in the 1940s albums I scanned from his 2"x4" negatives, all neatly stored in leather booklets. The others are digital photos taken tonight of his 35mm slides projected onto a screen in my mom's darkened apartment.
  posted by John : 9:01 PM

 
Manitoulin Weekend

Manitoulin 8-08

  posted by John : 8:57 AM

 
PageOnce
This is a nice site for tracking your online business in one place. Not the catchiest URL, but they have a better name for their mobile version: ionce.
  posted by John : 7:02 AM

 
Americanafest
Just couldn't resist going to that concert in Saratoga Springs, NY in a few weeks ... Dylan, Levon Helm, etc, etc. Got the tickets today that were bought in a very pleasant transaction from a posting on Albany's Craigslist. Last week I soaked up every detail of the DVD for The Last Waltz, both commentary tracks, featurette, and the film itself. Guess I'm a buff. But it was very interesting - what a great show that was. After a Thanksgiving dinner and dancing to a live orchestra, The Band played with their guests that night from 9pm to well after 2am. Not that this show will be anything of the kind really, but I am really looking forward to seeing Levon Helm's set. His latest album "Dirt Farmer" is really fantastic - a timeless piece of work.

  posted by John : 4:04 PM

 
Sherman Swims!
The lifejacket mod keeps his collie-head up so he doesn't gag on water anymore.





  posted by John : 7:29 AM

 
June Critters
From the back catalog, here are some creatures that were hanging out around the house last month. This twig-like guy on the ceiling is six-inch walking stick.

June Critters Austin, TX - May 30, 2008 by John View Album Play slideshow

  posted by John : 6:33 PM

 
Alaska Wedding Week
As of about ten days ago, Sharon no longer has unmarried children. Jesse wed Allison before family and friends on the summer solstice. Here are some pics from our day trip to Denali National Park, and an album from the wedding week at summercamp. Wait, that's not all ... here's a grizzly video taken from the park bus in Denali. And to get an idea of how light it is just after midnight at this time of year, watch as Jesse tests out the potato gun. Obviously we were all more loaded than the gun was that night. Their wedding dinner was truly a feast, cooked by masters in the camp kitchen and outside where many types of Alaskan beast were prepared over coals on the ten-foot grill. We had such a good time up there, it was very hard to leave.

  posted by John : 8:03 PM

 
Summer Music
This is about what it would take to get me out to a big outdoor venue these days:

Saratoga Music Festival, featuring Bob Dylan and His Band, The Levon Helm Band, The Swell Season, Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Steve Earle, Gillian Welch, & David Rawlings and Raul Malo. Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 2:30 PM.

Also been thinking about going to Levon Helm's house to see him play on a Saturday night in his recording studio (Midnight Ramble). The day before the show in Saratoga Springs would be a good chance to see some fine drop-in guests. But I can't believe the price tag for this show: $150 each. Well, good for Levon.

Another show in the "wouldn't that be cool" category would be Les Paul on a Monday night at the Iridium in NYC. Learned about this from the "Chasing Sound" documentary about him that we watched last night. One of the earliest electric music pioneers - he just turned 93, but is still going strong and does this show every week.

For about $350 per person plus travel expenses, this would make a great music weekend wouldn't it ? I'm doing my best to resist this costly concept, but it is fun to think about.

  posted by John : 9:12 AM

 
Canadan Generic
How widely known is the mighty J-Cloth ? Only in Canada? Apparently another company makes it for the English/European market. Needs to be added to this wiki.

  posted by John : 6:48 AM

 
Upcoming Plans: Go North, The Rush is On
Two weeks from today the moon will be full for the 150th time while Sharon and I have been together, our sesquiluniversary. Two days after will be the summer solstice, when son Jesse will be wed to Allison. All of this will take place at a summer-camp outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, just south of the Arctic Circle, where the full moon won't appear in the sky, and it'll be pretty much light around the clock. Should have plenty of time for a trip or two to Denali Nat'l Park, a two hour drive to the south:



Yesterday the notice for my US citizenship interview finally arrived. Wouldn't you know it, the date is right in the middle of the week that we'll be in Alaska. So I've asked for that to be rescheduled, gambling that it will be five months or more for the new appointment, when we're back from our summer relocation to Toronto. I was kinda hoping I'd get this wrapped up in time for me to be able to vote in November. Oh well, hopefully the Dems don't lose Texas by one vote.

  posted by John : 6:03 AM

 
Devon Sproule
One of the winners at this year's New Folk competition at Kerrville. This video is her performing the second of two songs that slayed us, Old Virginia Block, from another show...



Hear the music more clearly and Devon's conversation with David Dye on the World Cafe last summer. This also has the other terrific song she played at New Folk Stop By Anytime.

We'll be heading back out to camp at the festival for the weekend. Each of the New Folk winners will do a 20 minute set Sunday afternoon.

  posted by John : 6:22 PM

 
Free Timbit!
The Tim Horton's brand strengthens its mighty grip on tiny Timbit. T-shirts should be hitting the streets real soon.

  posted by John : 6:50 AM