music Tuesdays - Bryan Adams

This week, I am straying from the usual format to bring you a concert review.

Bryan Adams - Thursday, August 13, 2009 - Massey Hall - Toronto, Ontario

When I found out that Bryan Adams was doing an acoustic show I knew I had to go. Now for those of you who mock me for being a fan, here's a little background on myself. I'm Canadian. My formative years were in the 1980's. I realize that not everyone fitting this description was a fan but given the man's record sales, most people were. I can't say that I own all of his recordings, he did lose me for a few years, but I did purchase his three most recent and they are really good. His music has matured, naturally since he is turning 50 this year. You can't expect the guy to keep writing songs like Kids Wanna Rock forever.

Let's get back on track. The concert. Including encores he played solidly for 2.5 hours. Some of the time it was just him but for about half of the show he was joined on piano by a really great player who's name I did not catch. (Sorry.) The set was a good representation of his career from Cuts Like A Knife onward. It was really interesting to hear the songs in a stripped down format. It really showed that Adams is indeed a triple threat: singer, guitarist, songwriter. He nailed all three all night, even though he did screw up his own lyrics a number of times. One of the highlights was when long time collaborator Jim Vallance joined him on stage to play keys on The Best is Yet To Come. And I have to admit that I did get a little choked up when he performed Summer of '69. Like I said before, his music was a huge part of my formative years. I am really, really, really glad that we went to this concert. Definitely one of the better concerts I have seen in my concert-going lifetime.

Even though the ushers were being really militant about cameras, I did get some decent pics. We didn't have the best seats, but we may have had the most uncomfortable ones. (We were up in the gallery, in the narrow wooden seats. Ugh.) I did manage to sneak in a little bit of video. Here's about half of Somebody.

music Tuesdays - Melissa McClelland

Melissa McClelland - Victoria Day

I'd heard her name, but the first time I heard Melissa McClelland sing was a couple of years ago when she performed with Blue Rodeo at Hamilton Place. I was completely blown away by her voice and downloaded her previous releases when I got home from the concert that night. Victoria Day, her latest recording was released in the spring of this year and I believe that it is her finest album yet. The best way I can describe it is old-timey. While the lyrics are fresh and inventive, the musical styles are classic, lots of blues, country, dixieland and jazz influences here. And since Melissa is a local, I love the fact that she references Burlington, Hamilton and Toronto in a couple of the songs. Definitely one of my favourite Cd's of 2009.

I love this video because it shows just how awesome she is live.



As a side note, after my darling husband read my music Tuesday installment of two weeks ago, he promptly took to the internet to find me a new copy of my long lost Rhinos's CD.


Thanks honey. You rock.

music Tuesdays - Danny Michel

Danny Michel - Welcome Home

I first became acquainted with Danny Michel's music when I was in high school and he was in a band called The Rhinos. They eventually broke up and I lost track of him. In December 2007, Steve and I went to a live Vinyl Cafe show and Danny Michel was one of the musical guests. He played a few tunes acoustically and I remembered why I was such a big fan. He is a story teller, as much through his music as through his lyrics. His voice is unique. He can manipulate it perfectly to suit the subject matter of his songs. Welcome Home is a collection of previously recorded material all performed acoustically. Just Danny and his guitar. It's thoughtful and introspective. The kind of album you throw on when you just want to sit back and concentrate on the music.

I couldn't find a good video to use from this album, so here's the title track from his most recent release. You'll get the idea.

music Tuesdays - The Vanity Project

This week's entry is not a new release, but it came to mind when I found Steven Page's name in the news today. According to reports, he and his girlfriend bought a house next door to the apartment in which they were busted for cocaine possession last year. Apparently, this is newsworthy. I'm a fan of Steven Page but I don't need to know every detail of his life. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that his personal life is on track since the unfortunate incident, but seriously why is this information being reported as if it were of international importance? One paper even went as far as to print the address of his new home. Whatever happened to journalistic integrity? Or common decency? Leave the guy and his girlfriend alone. Let them get on with their lives. Just let me know when his new CD is out.

The Vanity Project - The Vanity Project

Released in 2005, The Vanity Project is a collection of songs written by Steven Page and Stephen Duffy. The two first became acquainted when Page wrote Duffy a fan letter. That correspondence led to a songwriting partnership that produced a few excellent tracks (Alcohol from Stunt, and Jane from Maybe You Should Drive, to name a couple) included on some earlier Barenaked Ladies albums. This album consists both of tunes that didn't make it on to BNL records and that were recorded specifically for this project. Page performs all of the lead vocals, so really, it feels like a Steven Page solo record. But truly, this album is all about the songs, so Duffy's contribution cannot be ignored. Both men show off their gift for lyrics and melody and that's what really stands out for me. I also enjoy the folk feel of the album. You can totally imagine these songs performed acoustically, outside, under the stars. Now that Page is no longer a Barenaked Lady, I hope there is another Vanity Project in his future. Wherever he may be living.

music Tuesdays - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Today's music pick is not a new recording. But it's newer than you might think.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights

I first heard of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings on The Lascivious Biddies podcast (more about them in a future installment of music Tuesdays). When I checked it out, I was blown away. This album sounds like it's straight out of the 1960's. It was recorded in 2007. Sharon and her incredible band sound like they are channeling Aretha Franklin and James Brown, just to name a few, but totally making it their own at the same time.



See what I mean? Just a few weeks ago, they played at the Toronto Jazz Festival. Steve and I went and we both agreed that this was one of the best live shows we have ever seen. And we've seen a lot of them. I took a bit of video during the show. Not the greatest quality, or steadiest camera work, but here they are doing a little tribute to Michael Jackson, the day after his death.

music Tuesdays - Joel Plaskett

The short list for the Polaris Prize was announced today. This is a fantastic award that recognizes Canadian talent and is not based on record sales. The winning artist receives $20,000. Pretty cool. I've only listened to a few albums on the list, but this is one of my favourites.

Joel Plaskett - Three

This album actually consists of three sets of nine songs. Many of the songs have the same words repeated three times, such as the first single, Through & Through & Through. So obviously the number three is some sort of unifying theme. Plaskett is an excellent lyricist and that really stands out on this album. I'm a sucker for good lyrics. Mostly, I just find this album really easy to listen too. There is something very Canadian about his sound, but I couldn't even begin to tell you what that means. Maybe it's the hint of folk and country influences. Maybe it's because the music just feels real and uncomplicated. I don't really know, I just know that I like it.

music Tuesdays - Burton Cummings

It's the day before Canada Day and we are at the cottage. The weather has been okay, but not fantastic. At the moment, a thunderstorm is brewing. You know how there are certain records you pull out when it is raining? Well this is one of them for me. And it's Canadian, perfect to celebrate the birthday of this great nation.

Burton Cummings - Up Close and Alone

Burton Cummings has enjoyed an incredible musical career both as a solo artist and as one of the two front men of The Guess Who. In 1996 he released Up Close and Alone, a selection of songs from throughout his career. Recorded at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, the album features Burton and a piano. No other musicians. At times, it sounds as though there is a symphony on stage with him. He knows exactly how to manipulate the piano so that it sounds like there is a drummer, bass player, guitarist, or any other instrumentalist there. This album makes me want to practice piano again. Also the liner notes are excellent. Burton talks about each song and gives some great anecdotes. His banter on the recording is also great. One of the best tracks is his imitation of Gordon Lightfoot doing Rod Stewart. Very funny. I can't really pick a favourite track because they are truly all fantastic. But The Guess Who songs are probably the ones that really standout for me, particularly "These Eyes" and "Undun". A must for any fan of Burton Cummings or The Guess Who.

no one can hurt you now, because you know what's true...

I was 10 years old when Michael Jackson released Thriller. I was an awkward, sensitive kid who had trouble making friends and was always being teased. The class bully was the biggest and most vocal Michael Jackson fan in school. In my desperate attempt to be accepted by the girl who teased me more than anyone else, I became a Michael Jackson fan and made sure that everyone knew about it. Suddenly, the bullying stopped and I had made a new friend.

At that point in my life, I was too young to understand the importance of this record and Michael Jackson's contribution to pop music. Last year, when the 25th Anniversary edition of Thriller was released I didn't hesitate to download it even though I still have the original vinyl in my collection. The new edition came with lots of bonus footage including the Grammy Award performance from 1983 when he won 8 of the prestigious trophies for the Thriller album. What amazes me about this performance is that even though it was lip-synced, the audience went nuts. You never see people sitting in the first few rows at an award show standing up and dancing during a performance. Typically, this is where the artists and celebrities sit and they don't normally show that sort of enthusiasm at these types of things. But he was that engaging and charismatic on stage. And the music, was brilliant for its time. There was nothing else like it. At one point, you can even see the orchestra musicians getting into it, clapping and grooving along.



My guess is that few people really knew the person who was Michael Jackson. So much has been written about him in the press. His eccentricities, his troubled family, the allegations against him. We will never know what is true and what is fiction. But what I do know is that his music was a very important part of my growing up. That's what I choose to remember.

Thank you Michael. May you rest in peace.

ETA: Because I am an idiot, and went with my memory instead of doing research, I referenced the above video as being from the 1983 Grammy Awards. It's actually from the Motown 25 tv special from the same year. Oops. Thankfully, me error doesn't make the performance any less significant.

music Tuesdays - Lee Harvey Osmond

Tuesdays are typically the day of the week when new music is released. So starting today, I'm going to attempt weekly album reviews. Well not really reviews. Mostly just me raving or bitching about some record in my collection. It may not be a new release, but just something I would recommend. Or not.

LeE HARVeY OsMond - A Quiet Evil



About a month or so ago, Elizabeth and I went to The Casbah in Hamilton to see LeE HARVeY OsMOND. This group is led my the enigmatic Tom Wilson (Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Junkhouse) and the album includes quite the lineup of Canadian talent including Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson of Skydiggers, Margo and Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies and Colin Cripps to name a few. The album is a mix of sultry, bluesy, folksy, moody tunes and the band puts on one hell of a live show. I picked up the CD at the show that night but it's only appeared in the Canadian iTunes Music Store today. I give this one a "hell ya". Here's a little sample.

listening to you

When I was in the hospital with Alex, a woman came by from McMaster University who was involved with a study involving hearing and infants. Was I interested in participating? Sure. I filled out the form and forgot about it. Then last week, I received a phone call. They were looking for 5 month-olds to participate. It wouldn't be painful or intrusive. They would play sounds and measure the activity in Alex's brain. Sounded interesting, so I booked us in.

When we arrived, I was thrilled to find out that the research is music related. Dr. Laurel Trainor is Director of the Auditory Development Lab at McMaster University and head of the McMaster Institute for Music & the Mind. The study that Alex was a part of is one that gathers data on how infants perceive sound in order to understand how they develop the hearing skills to learn language and music. Since an infant can't tell you what they are hearing, they place a net of sponges on their heads that measure the brain's electrical activity. Pretty cool. So they rigged the little dude up. He actually giggled when they put it on his head. And he looked downright adorable.


Once the net was in place, Alex sat on my knee while two young students kept him entertained with toys, puppets, bubbles, and a DVD. All the while, short, rhythmic blasts of white noise came out of speakers all around the room. The hardest part for me was not tapping my foot to the rhythm since they asked me to keep him as still as possible. That and not talking. But we managed to get through 18 minutes of the 20 minutes they aim for. Once the little dude started fussing and crying a bit, the research assistant, Elaine, stopped the sounds. She was happy with the data collected so we didn't have to try again. Alex was presented with a little toy and a cute certificate (that included the above picture and the designation of "junior scientist") and we were done.

When Steve came home and I shared the experience with him, he thought it was cool that this kind of research was being done here, right in our backyard. I agree. And I'm glad that Alex was able to be a part of it.

tell me, that I'm still asleep...

WTF?

Steven Page has left the Barenaked Ladies?

Could this be the end of one of my favourite bands?

Sadness.

your song

All you Canucks out there may have heard about CBC Radio's play list for U.S. President Barack Obama, 49 Songs from North of the 49th Parallel. Canadians were given the chance to vote on which songs would best define Canada to the new president. Well leave it to The Hour to come up with their own spin on things. They compiled a play list for former President George W. Bush. And it is excellent. You can see the full list here. I think it really captures his tenure as president. Here are a few of my favourites.

American Idiot - Green Day
2 + 2 = 5 - Radiohead
Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta - Ghetto Boys
Thank God I'm A Country Boy - John Denver
War Pigs - Black Sabbath
The Man Who Sold The World - David Bowie
When The Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin

always buzzing just like...

I have no idea how I missed it but back in July, John Mayer released a double CD set of live tracks. Before you start judging me, yes, I am a huge John Mayer fan. The man is a brilliant musician. His guitar playing is virtuosic and his song writing inspired. People seem perplexed when I say that I really like the guy. I guess that's because I don't listen to a lot of "artists" who are currently played on mainstream radio. But John Mayer actually knows what he is doing, not like most of the ass clowns who make the charts. But I digress.

Where The Light Is, available in both audio and video formats, is a collection of Mayer's tunes performed in 3 distinct sets: an acoustic set that includes an excellent version of Tom Petty's Free Falling; a trio set featuring two of the most brilliant musicians currently walking the earth, bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan; and a band set, including his regular band line up. This recording further demonstrates what a talented and versatile musician this guy is and gets my highest recommendation.

it was good

We went out with Elizabeth & John last night. We met for dinner at La Luna and then met up with Kim at The Casbah to see The Sadies. I've been lucky enough to see this band live a few times now and they are awesome. Their music is hard to describe but their are hints of surfer rock, country and bluegrass.

I took a pictures last night but they're pretty crappy so here are a few I took of them at the Grand Stage Music & Arts Festival this past summer in Paris, Ontario.

Travis Good

Dallas Good

Sean Dean & Mike Belitsky

The Brothers Good

They had a fantastic opening act too. A band I had never heard of called Young Rival. I picked up their EP. Turns out they are a local band, hailing from Hamilton. I was really impressed. Check them out.

it's not unusual...

One of my favourite Tuesday rituals is to check out the new releases on iTunes. Today I was not disappointed. Tom Jones has released her first studio album of new material in 15 years. I downloaded it. And it's awesome.

I have to admit, it's also a bit of a nostalgia thing for me. I remember watching the re-runs of Jones' variety show This is Tom Jones, that originally aired from 1969-1971. I remember the skinny stick-like microphone he used, the untied bow tie he often wore around his neck and that near the end of the show he would mop the sweat off his face with a towel and then throw it to some woman in the audience who would shriek in delight. Just the thought of it totally cracks me up but back then it was so cool. And even now, at the age of 68, he can still illicit the same kind of enthusiastic reaction from an audience. As far as I'm concerned, that's the mark of a true entertainer.

if the band just never ended...

Great Big Sea was incredible last night at Hamilton Place. Seriously. Each of the guys in this band are fantastic multi instrumentalists and singers on their own. Put them together and the stage is overflowing with talent, passion and energy. Truly an awesome show.

They played a bunch of their hits plus whole lot of tunes from their latest album Fortune's Favour. At one point, everyone left the stage except for Alan Doyle. He explained that the boys in the band were taking turns doing a solo each night and tonight was his turn. The only stipulation is that they pick a tune that they have never played in public. Because Alan first met Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor from Blue Rodeo in Hamilton, he decided to do Falling Down Blue. And it was a fabulous rendition. See for yourself.

brand new love

The latest Serena Ryder album dropped yesterday. And it is mighty fine. It highlights her brilliant songwriting and fabulous voice. I'm really digging all of the songs but especially Hiding Place and her awesome cover of You're No Good.


Also cool is the fact that she is lending her song Sing, Sing to one of my favourite organizations, the Coalition for Music Education in Canada. They put on an event annually called Music Monday, in which they demonstrate the importance of music education by having students all across the country put on outdoor, public concerts. They choose a new song every year for these students to perform. Sing, Sing is an excellent choice for Music Monday 2009.


By the way, if you too feel strongly that music is an integral part of the education of Canadian children, consider becoming a signatory. It doesn't cost anything to add your name to the list of supporters of music education.


I got the chance to see Serena live this past summer at the Burlington Sound of Music Festival. The pictures in this post are a few that I took at the concert. It was a fantastic show! Her band was excellent and I was pleased to see that her bass player, Anthony Lavdanski, was a recent graduate of the school that I work at. It always makes me smile to see "my kids" on stage.

i feel it all...

Elizabeth and I are going to see Feist tonight! I'm so excited. I hear she puts on a great show. Plus, I just love going to hear live music. Nothing is more impressive to me than musicians who can cut it live. I can listen to just about any style of music if it's performed well. I have no time for lip-syncing and I get angry when I hear a singer live who obviously can't sing, meaning that their album was entirely doctored and therefore completely bogus. Seriously, that totally pisses me off.

I've been going to a lot of concerts since becoming pregnant. I realize that my concert going will not be as active once Em arrives on the scene, so I'm trying to get in as many shows as I can before then. And since I've been such a bad blogger over the last number of months, I will take advantage of NaBloPoMo by posting about my busy concert going summer. Stay tuned.

lazy sunday afternoon

Elizabeth and I got together at my place this afternoon to watch the new Blue Rodeo DVD, Blue Road. It felt bizarrely decadent to sit in front of the tv with some yummy snacks on a sunny Sunday afternoon. ahhhhhh........

So the DVD is fantastic. A must for Blue Rodeo fans. It includes a beautifully shot documentary, with some very funny moments, a few songs recorded while making the documentary including the great new song Losing You, and a bootleg style recording of the first half of their Massey Hall concerts from February 2008.

So now it's back to reality. Making dinner, doing laundry, planning for a very busy week ahead. My posts will be brief this week, but I'm determined to stick to the NaBloPoMo mandate and blog every day.

Until tomorrow...

are you ready?

Happiness arrived by mail today.



This is the brand new CD/DVD set from Blue Rodeo. It includes audio and video from their Massey Hall concerts in February 2008 and a documentary about the band. I wanted to pop in the DVD player right away but Elizabeth and I are planning a viewing party so the CD will have to do for now. I get the feeling that I will not be disappointed.