UPCOMING GIGS

  • June 10'20 Nice Bistro Whitby, ON
  • Apr.15'20 Princess M Hospital Atrium
  • Apr.11'20 HIRUT 2050 Danforth Toronto
  • Dec.14 '19 HIRUT 2050 Danforth Toronto
  • July 26 2019 Gull River, Minden ON
  • June 19, 2019 The Nice Bistro, Whitby
  • Sun.May5, 2019 Hugh's Room, Toronto
  • Sat.April 6, 2019 The Old Mill, Toronto
  • 15 marzo 2019, el gallo restaurant, san pancho, mexico
  • Feb. 26, 2019 Relish Bar/Grill, Toronto
  • Jan.23,2019 Nice Bistro, Whitby
  • Sept.29,'18 12:30-3:30pm; Glass Eagle Studio, Haliburton
  • Sept.19, 2018 Private Function, Toronto
  • July 27&28, Haliburton Arts&Crafts2-4pm
  • June 6, 2018 The Nice Bistro, Whitby, ON
  • Feb.23,2018 San Pancho Music Festival, Mexico
  • Jan.20,2018 The Old Mill Toronto, Home Smith Bar
  • Sept.30,2017 All That Jazz & More, at the Minden Legion
  • Aug. 5, 2017 Private Party, Carnarvon, ON
  • Aug. 4, 2017 Music by the Gull, Minden, ON
  • Aug. 2, 2017 The Nice Bistro, Whitby ON
  • May 17, 2017 The Nice Bistro, Whitby, ON
  • April 29, 2017 Minden Cultural Centre, Minden, ON
  • March 24,2017 The Old Mill Toronto, Home Smith Bar
  • Feb.26,2017 San Pancho Music Fest. Mexico
  • Nov.5, 2016 Radio Hall, CanoeFM, Haliburton, ON
  • Nov. 2, 2016 le Nice Bistro, Whitby, ON
  • Sept. 4, 2016 The Red Umbrella Inn, Minden, ON
  • July 26, 2016, Head Lake Park, Haliburton, ON
  • Jan. 29, 2016, The Home Smith Bar at the Old Mill, Toronto
  • Oct.23, 2015 Gate 403
  • Sept. 9 The Nice Bistro, Whitby, ON
  • August 22, Gate 403, Toronto
  • August 14, Music by the Gull, Minden, ON
  • July 29 Hugh's Room, Toronto
  • June 13, Gate 403,Toronto

Thursday, January 31, 2013

SHOCKED AND AWED!!

It's been a bad week for me – sick (again!!), which is very unusual for my normally vibrant and healthy self. Guess i've been lucky. But then i just didn't feel 100%, ya know?, and that progressed to out and out lousy, and bedridden, even. My first line of defence is always sleep, so i gave in, and boy, did i sleep a lot. All day and all night too. Sometimes i think this is how life should be – I tend to agree with Fran Lebowitz, who said that life is something you do when you can't sleep.
But seriously, folks, it's been a trip; one i hope is over soon.

And in the meantime, i've gotten so far behind in my reporting...
I did attend the illustrious Maple Blues Awards, January 21 - Canada's premier blues awards show (i think it's the only one), and it was, in fact, illustrious. A great show with a lot of great performers, and a slick, but not too slick, presentation. I could have done without the reminder of the environmentally unconscious, and social-program-and-arts-funds-cutting person who runs our federal government, but the wife seems ok, even if she has the misfortune of her marriage. As long as no one starts to meddle with the music, or worse, suck up to the wrong 'powers'. OK, that's probably cryptic enough, for anyone who doesn't know the facts, and i'll leave my ranting at that. Because it was fun to mingle and schmooze, and bop to the blues, and to top that, for me personally, i had some lovely comments on my fashion sense (They should have seen me this week, in my jammies and big fat sweater and hoser's hat). But i digress. Three – not one, not two, but three of the reigning blues divas of Canada all said to me individually that they loved my hat. (Why, this old thing?). And I know, it's just a hat, (stop!! it'll go to my head!), but I rather enjoyed it, and accepted it gratefully, even though it will never take the place of actually being up there on stage and singing some of my songs, or maybe once, just once, getting -- oh oh, i'm ranting again. Sorry. Back to the hat, which you can see for yourselves in the photos here. some of the famous many who attended –

Chris Whiteley's partner, singer Diana Braithwaite, and his son Jesse, with yours truly;
 Johnny Max getting high on the crowds;
 meself and David Barnard, co-founder of the Blues Society and director of the awards show
John Valentyne (winner of the Blues Booster of the Year Award) and his wife Brenda

above:
Raoul Bhaneja, host of the event with a couple of fans            
Suzie Vinnick, best female vocalist, acoustic act

Matt Minglewood, (Blues with a Feeling Award)


 
 

Steve Strongman (best guitarist, best recording, best songwriter) and me, still with that – what's so great about that hat anyway? No doubt it was just the charming little trinkets with which I adorned the hat – so singular, so unique, you know? And it was the overall package, I'm sure, that led a fourth very trendy and attractive blues lady to say to me “You look great, as always. You're one of the most stylish people i know”. That's why I was so “shocked and awed”. Hey, I didn't say it; but I'll take it, - humbly, of course, since now, being so struck down with disease, it seems like the pride before the fall. And I'll leave it to you to judge. Here's me with my back to the wall of Koerner Hall.


 It's probably where I picked up all the people germs.......

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