"Fixes for Everyone" #68 - Jan. 12/09

Well, the holiday season has come and gone for another year and we’re back, settling into our old routines. One of our routines is to catch Brock Zeman on Tuesdays at O’reilly’s but since we were unable to get our Brock ‘fix’ due to O’reilly’s being closed last week, we headed into Irene’s, on Bank, in Ottawa, Friday night with some friends. Though I’ve often praised Brock’s songwriting and performances, it was enjoyable to see him play to an appreciative full house in a larger, more electric setting. He had his steady bass player, Blair Hogan with him, Steve Foley (of Perth’s local Audio Valley Recording Studio) on drums and Perthite Joel Williams sitting in on guitar. They were having a good time. Nice to Joel pickin’ again. He continues to impress me with his developing tasty licksand added a nice, understated edge. Back to routine with Brock at O’reilly’s on Tuesday’s for the next couple of months. See you there.
I hope you’ve got Thursday January 15th marked on your calendar. A late Christmas gift appears that night. One of Canada’s stellar blues guitarists is coming back to O’reilly’s for one night only. Juno Award winner, with 7 Maple Blues Awards under his belt, the one and only Jack de Keyser will be strutting his stuff. Come on along and he’ll show you why he’s revered in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. Always backed by a super band, you can count on having your blues ‘fix’ realized. See you there.
Speaking of ‘fixes’…. Anyone looking to enjoy the magic of hearing some great fiddle / violin, look no further than the intimacy of Music on McLean House Concerts, here in Perth. Anne Lindsay will be landing in on Saturday January 31st. Anne can crank out fiddle tunes like no tomorrow yet can also change her stylings to evoke her recognized violin prowess. At last fall’s Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF), I sat in a small hotel room as Anne showcased and within one minute her emotionally driven playing brought tears running down my face. Her varied skills found her in 2007 winning two Canadian Folk Music Awards – Best Instrumentalist Solo and Producer (shared with the late Oliver Schroer) – as well as Violinist of the Year from the National Jazz Awards. She also is part of Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy’s Band with whom she played here a year ago, supporting him. She’ll be backed by a masterful guitar player, Jason Fowler, who we’re pleased is making his return appearance to Music on McLean. Call Sue for necessary reservations at 613-267-7902. See you there.
As the winter’s madness with its bone shivering cold, short daylight and snowstorms cause us to cocoon in our warm homes, might I suggest some variety to your evening’s entertainment. We all walk by bins and racks full of dvd movies to rent or buy but there are some other DVD’s that capture some wonderful musical moments and can give scads of entertainment value. There are the old standards, Woodstock, Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen to name a few but there are also more obscure dvd’s that can expand your knowledge and entertain at the same time. Here are some examples:
Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle – 30th Anniversary – Special Edition - offers you a wonderful in-depth interview with Steve Miller as he describes how he came up with the idea for this 1976 album.
Festival Express – this documentary, released in 2004, highlights a chartered train that left Toronto during the summer of 1970 with the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, The Great Speckled Bird (Ian & Sylvia), plus many other bands of the day and traveled west for 5 days, stopping in several cities to perform. Along the way the various musicians jammed, partied, socialized and show us a glimpse of the era and musical zaniness of the time.
Les Paul – Chasing Sound - released in 2006, this documentary highlights Les Paul (turning 94 in June), the inventor of the solid body electric guitar as well as many effects, now standard with guitarists. He also developed multi-track recording, as far back as 1940. Also a wonderful guitarist who still plays weekly, it highlights musical sessions he’s done with Keith Richards, Merle Haggard, Chet Atkins to name a few as well as insight into some of the technical history of electric musical instrumentation.
Heartworn Highways – my friend Fraser just lent me this wonderful 1975 documentary (released in 1981) featuring then young, primarily Texas singer-songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, David Allan Coe, Charlie Daniels Band and others. At a time, in the mid 70’s, when electric music was gaining more and more popularity, this story outlines how these musicians were taking the less traveled paths, often reinventing music of their ancestors in their musical creations that have grown and been appreciated. Nice to see where the roots of the musical styles I’m enjoying more and more began.
However you get your musical ‘fix’, I trust you’ll take some time to check out some live music somewhere, support the efforts of musicians who work tirelessly to share their musical gifts and the venues who offer live music.
Support Live Music Everywhere