This is the funniest classified ad I've seen in some time. Under the "Musicians" category on the Craigslist:
Lets just get together and FUCKIN' JAM, & go from there
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Reply to: anon-87425348@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-07-28, 5:28AM EDT
Lets just get together and FUCKIN' JAM, & go from there
I play guitar
how hard is it just to get together
jeezus fuckin christ
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That's just too fuckin funny!
Of course, it also raises the question: Do I really want to potentially be in a band with this person? Maybe a low threshold for frustration? On the other hand, at least he/she isn't shy about getting things off their chest.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
No Moss
Unfortunately, no Stones turned up at
Hubert Sumlin's gig last night at the Silver Dollar. No Keef, no Ronnie, no Mick (whose 62nd birthday it was).
I was pretty sure something would happen, seeing as the Stones have a solid history of playing a small club gig every time they've been in town. And the Silver Dollar is about the only place they haven't popped up. They've done The Palais Royale, RPM, The Horsehoe, The El Mocambo. Seemed like the planets were aligning, with Hubert in town and Mick's birthday and all, and it was an early show, doors opened ay 6, show at 8.
Hubert, god bless 'im, took full advantage of the hype, not saying whether Keith or anyone else would show up, but hinting that there'd be some kind of surprise in store. The place was packed. And hot. And sweaty. I don't think I've ever experienced a hotter show. Tim, from the band, had reserved a ticket, as had I, which was great because the line-up was down the street. I almost didn't get in. I had to take two cracks at convincing the doorman that I had a space inside waiting for me. What neither Tim nor I realized was that this reserved us a table. When I got in, they showed me to the table, which had my name on it, and the other spot at the table was reserved for Tim. Thing is, neither of us had arranged this. It was just pure coincidence.
Didn't matter anyway, as we ended up maintaining spots right in front of the stage, at Hubert's feet, as it were. If Keith showed up to jam, we wanted to be able to count his wrinkles. Maybe catch a pick. It was a real sweat-fest though. No ceiling fans or anything. Despite the disappointment that no special guests showed up, it was a pretty good show. Can't say Hubert's band was overly impressive. The guitar player was pretty good, but not outstanding. I think the drummer was new, radar always up for cues from the other musicians.
As for Hubert, he doesn't have the fretboard fire he used to have, but then again, the man is 73 years old. With one lung, as he reminded us a couple of times. Still, he showed a few flashes of his old strength. It was great to be able to see one of the true architects of the electric Chicago blues guitar sound. This guy's sound helped shape the music of Howlin' Wolf, he played with Muddy Waters, and he even played on a few Chuck Berry sides. Last night he did Little Red Rooster, Sittin' On Top Of The World (twice!), You've Got To Help Me, Smokestack Lightnin', Got My Mojo Workin' and a few other chestnuts (or shoud I say, Chess-nuts).
I must say, I've always had a much greater appreciation for blues guitarists who play with that strength in the fingers, like they put 100% conviction in every note they play. Every bend is a manifesto. Every slide is a testament. The fast, flashy, smooth guys are great too, although speed demons leave me cold more often than not, but it's guys like Hubert and Albert Collins, the guys that attack the notes with a different degree of intensity, whether it's a seven-note salvo or just one simple phrase, they infuse it with every fibre of their being. It's like they're squeezing every ounce of feeling out of the strings. I really need to dig deeper into the blues guitar archives, and get to know more of the legends. I have several compilations on CD, and I'm fairly aware of the major songs by B.B., Muddy, Wolf, Albert Collins and a few others. But I know very little of Albert King, Freddie King, Elmore James, Buddy Guy, etc.
So anyway, in spite of the lack of surprise guests, it was still nice to be able to pay homage to one of the great blues guitar legends. Rock on Hubert.
Hubert Sumlin's gig last night at the Silver Dollar. No Keef, no Ronnie, no Mick (whose 62nd birthday it was).
I was pretty sure something would happen, seeing as the Stones have a solid history of playing a small club gig every time they've been in town. And the Silver Dollar is about the only place they haven't popped up. They've done The Palais Royale, RPM, The Horsehoe, The El Mocambo. Seemed like the planets were aligning, with Hubert in town and Mick's birthday and all, and it was an early show, doors opened ay 6, show at 8.
Hubert, god bless 'im, took full advantage of the hype, not saying whether Keith or anyone else would show up, but hinting that there'd be some kind of surprise in store. The place was packed. And hot. And sweaty. I don't think I've ever experienced a hotter show. Tim, from the band, had reserved a ticket, as had I, which was great because the line-up was down the street. I almost didn't get in. I had to take two cracks at convincing the doorman that I had a space inside waiting for me. What neither Tim nor I realized was that this reserved us a table. When I got in, they showed me to the table, which had my name on it, and the other spot at the table was reserved for Tim. Thing is, neither of us had arranged this. It was just pure coincidence.
Didn't matter anyway, as we ended up maintaining spots right in front of the stage, at Hubert's feet, as it were. If Keith showed up to jam, we wanted to be able to count his wrinkles. Maybe catch a pick. It was a real sweat-fest though. No ceiling fans or anything. Despite the disappointment that no special guests showed up, it was a pretty good show. Can't say Hubert's band was overly impressive. The guitar player was pretty good, but not outstanding. I think the drummer was new, radar always up for cues from the other musicians.
As for Hubert, he doesn't have the fretboard fire he used to have, but then again, the man is 73 years old. With one lung, as he reminded us a couple of times. Still, he showed a few flashes of his old strength. It was great to be able to see one of the true architects of the electric Chicago blues guitar sound. This guy's sound helped shape the music of Howlin' Wolf, he played with Muddy Waters, and he even played on a few Chuck Berry sides. Last night he did Little Red Rooster, Sittin' On Top Of The World (twice!), You've Got To Help Me, Smokestack Lightnin', Got My Mojo Workin' and a few other chestnuts (or shoud I say, Chess-nuts).
I must say, I've always had a much greater appreciation for blues guitarists who play with that strength in the fingers, like they put 100% conviction in every note they play. Every bend is a manifesto. Every slide is a testament. The fast, flashy, smooth guys are great too, although speed demons leave me cold more often than not, but it's guys like Hubert and Albert Collins, the guys that attack the notes with a different degree of intensity, whether it's a seven-note salvo or just one simple phrase, they infuse it with every fibre of their being. It's like they're squeezing every ounce of feeling out of the strings. I really need to dig deeper into the blues guitar archives, and get to know more of the legends. I have several compilations on CD, and I'm fairly aware of the major songs by B.B., Muddy, Wolf, Albert Collins and a few others. But I know very little of Albert King, Freddie King, Elmore James, Buddy Guy, etc.
So anyway, in spite of the lack of surprise guests, it was still nice to be able to pay homage to one of the great blues guitar legends. Rock on Hubert.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
That Was The Week Off That Was
Today marks the last day of my week off. I spent the day recuperating from last night's activities at the Beaches Jazz Festival. Imbibed a tad too much, I'm afraid, but it was a pretty fun night. Met some nice folks visiting from Alabama.
And what did I do on my week off? Not much, really, and that's just fine with me. It was more of a week-away-from-work than an actual vacation. Just needed some chill time, really. I consciously tried not to let my time be ruled by any major schedules or itineraries. Harder than it seems. But I did spend some nice time sipping refreshing beverages on patios, watching the work-a-day schmucks returning from the daily grind. Very enjoyable. And I did finally get my ass over to High Park. Been in this city over 10 years, and had never been there before. Did some exploring on foot. I loved the little waterfall part in the middle of the park. Very shady and cool, with a small frog pond, lilly pads, etc. Felt quite magical. Like an elf would pop up from behind a tree trunk and grant me three wishes.
No such luck.
I also did some exploring closer to my end of town. Left the house one afternoon, and just decided to go where my feet took me. They took me down to the Beaches Pub for a refreshing beverage and some garlic cheese bread on the lovely, shady patio. Watched a rollerblading newbie in full protective regalia and a huge backpack struggle along the pathway, arms flailing constantly. Very amusing. Then I walked up around Ashbridges Point, where I had never been before. Sat on some rocks at the lakeside and got some sun. Very nice parkland around there. Must go back again before the summer's over.
Didn't get to go to the Hillside Festival in Guelph, unfortunately, but hopefully the music karmic wheel will spin my way on Tuesday. That's when I'm going to see Hubert Sumlin at The Silver Dollar. Not only will it be fantastic to see one of the great Chicago blues guitar heroes in the flesh, speculation is that his buddy Keith Richards will drop in as well, seeing as the Stones are in town rehearsing for their upcoming tour. Sticky fingers crossed.
Oh yeah, we played a gig last Tuesday night. A return engagement at Grossman's. Wasn't as well-attended as the previous gig, and our first set a little shakey, due to the fact that we barely had one full-band rehearsal before the gig, but the second set was more fun. Overall, not a bad time.
And what did I do on my week off? Not much, really, and that's just fine with me. It was more of a week-away-from-work than an actual vacation. Just needed some chill time, really. I consciously tried not to let my time be ruled by any major schedules or itineraries. Harder than it seems. But I did spend some nice time sipping refreshing beverages on patios, watching the work-a-day schmucks returning from the daily grind. Very enjoyable. And I did finally get my ass over to High Park. Been in this city over 10 years, and had never been there before. Did some exploring on foot. I loved the little waterfall part in the middle of the park. Very shady and cool, with a small frog pond, lilly pads, etc. Felt quite magical. Like an elf would pop up from behind a tree trunk and grant me three wishes.
No such luck.
I also did some exploring closer to my end of town. Left the house one afternoon, and just decided to go where my feet took me. They took me down to the Beaches Pub for a refreshing beverage and some garlic cheese bread on the lovely, shady patio. Watched a rollerblading newbie in full protective regalia and a huge backpack struggle along the pathway, arms flailing constantly. Very amusing. Then I walked up around Ashbridges Point, where I had never been before. Sat on some rocks at the lakeside and got some sun. Very nice parkland around there. Must go back again before the summer's over.
Didn't get to go to the Hillside Festival in Guelph, unfortunately, but hopefully the music karmic wheel will spin my way on Tuesday. That's when I'm going to see Hubert Sumlin at The Silver Dollar. Not only will it be fantastic to see one of the great Chicago blues guitar heroes in the flesh, speculation is that his buddy Keith Richards will drop in as well, seeing as the Stones are in town rehearsing for their upcoming tour. Sticky fingers crossed.
Oh yeah, we played a gig last Tuesday night. A return engagement at Grossman's. Wasn't as well-attended as the previous gig, and our first set a little shakey, due to the fact that we barely had one full-band rehearsal before the gig, but the second set was more fun. Overall, not a bad time.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Not Afraid
Got an email from my friend Sue, who moved to London just over a year ago. Thankfully, she was not on the tube last Thursday.
She says that this website started within hours of the bombings.
I had a bit of a tense moment yesterday on the Toronto transit system. I was riding home on the Scarborough RT (a Rapid Transit above-ground train that connects with the subway system in the east end of the city). It was fairly crowded. There was a man standing in the non-active doorway area (opposite the doors that opened to the platform). Suddenly, while we were stopped at a station, he bolted off the train... leaving his backpack on the floor!!
A few seconds pass, and I'm thinking "... um ... er...like ...hey...", and then the guy jumps back on again. Seems like he just wanted to drop something in the trash bin, and then hop back on before the doors closed. He made it. Thanks for the heart attack, pal.
At least I didn't jump up and run to the opposite end of the train, screaming "we're all gonna die!" That would have been embarassing.
She says that this website started within hours of the bombings.
I had a bit of a tense moment yesterday on the Toronto transit system. I was riding home on the Scarborough RT (a Rapid Transit above-ground train that connects with the subway system in the east end of the city). It was fairly crowded. There was a man standing in the non-active doorway area (opposite the doors that opened to the platform). Suddenly, while we were stopped at a station, he bolted off the train... leaving his backpack on the floor!!
A few seconds pass, and I'm thinking "... um ... er...like ...hey...", and then the guy jumps back on again. Seems like he just wanted to drop something in the trash bin, and then hop back on before the doors closed. He made it. Thanks for the heart attack, pal.
At least I didn't jump up and run to the opposite end of the train, screaming "we're all gonna die!" That would have been embarassing.
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