We're on the BRAVO channel tonight at 7 p.m. (scroll down) playing some songs that we recorded for Mako Funasaka's show 'Talkin'blues' Rhythm, Roots and Soul. 

Apparently, we're also one of tonights best picks -according to the Globe and Mail's t.v. listings! How the hell did that happen? Thanks guys!

Howdy y'all!

We'll be playing Hughes Room this wednesday night (May 21st) with our old pal Morgan Davis. Morgan has always been one of my favorite guitar players EVER, and I'm really looking forward to this one. Remember: it's an earlier show. Morgan's gonna do a set at 8:30, then we'll do a set, and then we hope to play a combined set.

See you there!

Well my old pal Ben was in town the other night, and popped into Grossman's for a hundred beers or so.

That made three out of four of my old band line-up: The Phantoms.

A good fan/friend Mike Hill was at the show and snagged a bunch of shots of the action.

You can see them here at his flickr page.

Jesus, we're looking old, fat, stupid, charming……….

Yes, we're still playing Grossman's every tuesday night.

I haven't posted anything in a while, because, well, the truth of it is, I just got sick of it all.

Believe me, I've had lots to rant about: Earth Hour bullshit; being bumped by those old fuckers/invalids in motorized wheelchairs; still no sequel to 'Master and Commander: The Far side of the World'; etc., etc……..

Besides, my site is kinda fucked up, and needs an overhaul. Maybe I'll eventually get around to it……… maybe I wont………

Yes, it's that time of the year when all the soothsayers, mystics, prophets, bullshitters, etc., etc., rear their  heads in an attempt to predict the coming year.

So this year, why the hell not me?

(If I hadn't procrastinated away the first five days of the year I would have gotten this entry in on time…….. but I had earlier predicted that I was gonna be five days late. SO THERE!)

1. Somebody famous is going to die

2. Somebody famous will be born.

3. Something will happen that will shock the world, leaving many horrified, and wondering how such a thing could ever have happened.

4. Things will get worse.

5. Things will get better.

6. Brittney Spears will be admitted to the hospital on the grounds of mental instability. (See how good I am?)

7. The stock market will……… will………. will………. -wait for it…………. FLUCTUATE!   -!!Huzzah!!!

8. We will get fatter

9. We will get dumber.

10. Life will go on in much the same way it always has, only differently.

Here's a couple of shots from our Grossman's show last week. My fave has to be the second, which captures Jerome doing a bit of 'mountain climbing.'

We'll be back at Grossmans on tues., dec. 11, as well as tues., dec. 18.

Well…. that's it folks. Now I can die and go to hell….

or….. uh……. in the ground!

Thursday night was the 60th anniversary of The Horseshoe Tavern -my place of employment. The owners (God bless 'em) threw a big soirée for the staff, some selected musicians who have played there over the years, as well as some media/industry types.

HOO-HOO!!! Free Booze!

You know what that means…….. a 'free hangover' the next day.

There were some real cool shows on the stage too. The Sadies played a couple of sets, and at one point, got Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip up to sing a couple of songs. Collectively, they did a cover of the Stooges' 'Search and Destroy' that was on par with the fucking original. I shit you not! (A very bold statement coming from me, who loves the Stooges)

Most of the evening was spent bullshitting with co-workers, regulars, and getting schnackered.

At one point, I went out on to the patio to have a smoke, and as I'm standing there holding up the wall, who should walk out the front door? None other than Lucy Decoutere who plays 'Lucy' on the Trailer Park Boys. She walks up to me and squinches my jacket together saying something like "Do up your coat, sweetie, it's COLD out here."

Whoa!!

That really made my night. Especially when my girlfriend Pamela told me that she was hitting on me!!!

Hey, I'm a total dick when it comes to these things. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from women: "Didn't you realize that that chick was hitting on you?"

ME: "Oh, really……….?"

I'm not bragging here -I'm sure it happens to other guys all the time- but I just don't seem to notice when it happens to me.

Pamela, being the sweetheart that she is, just laughed it all off with me.

(Of course I'm going to write something nice about her, -I don't want her punching me in the throat while I'm sleeping.)

Well…… thing's have been going good enough at Grossmans Tavern that they asked us to repeat our month of tuesdays for December as well. Either that, or they think they might have a shot in getting their $$$ back by keeping me there drinking!

For the record, that's Tuesday Dec. 4, 11, and 18th. We might even try to throw together a New Years Day bash on the 1st of January. -Subject to hang-over severity, of course.

Today -Nov. 27th- is my Dad's birthday. He thinks it's his 74th, but I know better. Seems that there was some mix-up with the paperwork when he was a boy…

As I stated here before, my old man is the one that got me into playing music. He used to like to play old songs on his guitar, as well as blow out some melodies on a harmonica. Real down home stuff.

It was the harp that initially attracted me. I picked up one of his and spent a couple of weeks carrying it around with me, learning how to play simple melodies.

Eventually, I asked him to show me how to play a chord on the guitar………

Merle (I love his given name, and use it any chance I can. I even address him by it sometimes. Why didn't he name me Merle jr.?) used to take me to shows all the time when I was a kid. I'm not so sure that he was trying to indoctrinate me into the world of folk music, but suspect that because I was the oldest boy, I was there for company.

Nevertheless…….. I saw some great old shows that I'm glad to recall. I saw Doc Watson perform several times, both when his son Merle (there's that name again) was alive and playing with him; I saw John prine on several occasions, well before he became the icon that he is; I got to see Norman Blake; I saw Stan Rogers on several occasions as well. Stan died in 1983 -a terrible loss to the Canadian music world.

There were a great many more, but those are the ones that pop into my head the quickest.

Merle still loves to listen to the old stuff as well, and I'm sure when I get together this weekend there's a strong probability that a guitar might appear, and we'll dust off some old Carter Family, or Stanley Bros. songs.

Happy birthday pops!