In light of the fact that I have not posted in a while, and of the media trend towards rapid-fire twitteresque packets of information, I am going to do a quick catch up of my recent musical adventures in mini bytes.
A Very Foggy Christmas with the Foggy Hogtown Boys
When I flew home for Christmas this past December, I chose to postpone the reunion with my dear family and went directly from the airport to the Silver Dollar Room for a bluegrass fix. At least I’ve got my priorities straight. [To my family: I’m kidding]. The Foggy Hogtown Boys, kings of the Toronto bluegrass scene, hosted a holiday shindig with special Joey Wright, Corin Raymond, and my personal role models Jenny Whiteley and Simone Schmidt (of One Hundred Dollars). Drunk Fiddlin’ Santa also made an appearance. There’s nothing quite like a happy bluegrass family sing-along to get you in the holiday spirit.
New Years Eve at Stoneham, QC
After Christmas I went snowboarding with my sisters and friends at Stoneham in Quebec. On New Years Eve we went to the bar at the ski lodge and caught some local talent. I have no idea what the band was called, but they produced hit after hit of English-language top 40s covers. Think Rihanna, Lady Gaga etc. The lead singer had a killer voice, and the band was so tight that there was considerable discussion over whether or not they were using a backing track from the original recordings. I failed to hear any sounds that I couldn’t see being produced by one of the instruments, and so I concluded that they have simply got cover music down to an art. It goes to show that people really love hearing music they know all the words to, even if those words aren’t in your first language.
Jam night at the Langford Legion with Route 66
Just days after getting back to Victoria, I was coaxed out to participate in a jam night at the Langford Legion. Route 66 opened the night with some high-energy classic rock covers and had the whole crowd on the dance floor by the end of the set. This had me terrified, since I was scheduled to perform next. Fortunately by breaking out my secret weapon, Jenny Whiteley’s Dance Till Dawn, I was able to keep the energy levels up and win over the crowd. I also played Semi Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind and an original song. I got lots of great feedback and danced all night to the many rocking acts that followed.
The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra with Blackberry Wood and Bucan Bucan
An amazing night of music and theatrics to celebrate the Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra’s latest CD release! Blackberry Wood won us over with their musical circus act and even had the whole audience lying on their backs doing the bicycle by the end of it all. Bucan Bucan dazzled us with their 11 piece gypsy marching band antics, which included marching through the crowd and playing among us. The TMO showed the crowd that they have what it takes to keep the dance party going through the night. Their songs were complimented by a very creative art installation that used a projector and paper cut outs to project images and scenes onto the wall behind the musicians. All three groups get an A+ for energy. I, on the other hand, was just about beat by the end of the night.
That’s all for now, but there’s more coming. I recently saw a show with Jon-Rae Flecther and the Great Lake Swimmers that deserves at least a couple paragraphs!
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