Music Matters

Music Matters for August 5th 2011: Summer in the City

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 02:24

“Satan called, he wants his weather back.” I must have seen that status on Facebook a dozen times in the last two weeks. No surprise there, Satan DID call and he DOES want his weather back, but give me a minute, I’ve got to go out to the driveway and flip my eggs….

It is hot enough in Toronto to actually fry eggs on the pavement. I know this because I broke one open on the driveway last week and it fried right up. One piece of advice for anyone wanting to try this though: Sweep the loose gravel off of your cooking surface…and don’t cook in the oil spot, it’s gross and totally ruins the flavour. Whenever it gets this hot, the Loving Spoonful’s “Summer in the City” squirms its way into my head and sits tight until the weather breaks or a song of equal insistence pushes it out of my craw and back out into the ether, where it will remain until the next time the thermometer reaches the mid nineties or so. This summer it still sits, a constant reminder that for those of us who dislike temperatures above 75 or so, summer isn’t everybody’s favourite season.

THE RETURN OF THE ORIGINAL JUVENILE DELINQUENTS: A WACKERS REUNION

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 18:15

Bob Segarini returns with Music Matters next week. Please visit our feature article today by our new contributing journalist Jaimie Vernon, the author of the forthcoming book, Canadian POP MUSIC Encyclopedia.

by Jaimie Vernon

Forty years ago Bob Segarini and Randy Bishop were on the way up with their California dream band, The Wackers, living a post-Beatle existence criss-crossing North American clubs in an attempt to capture the rock and roll brass ring. Elektra Records had already given them a one-album shot under the name Roxy and so label president Jac Holzman found their newly configured glam pop act an antidote to the pretense of label mates The Doors.

As a tightly knit five-piece – which included Bill “Kootch” Trochim (bass, guitar), Ernie Earnshaw (drums) and Mike Stull (guitar, bass) – The Wackers entered musical stage right with the Gary Usher produced “Wackering Heights” in 1971. And on subsequent trips to Montreal they recorded “Hot Wacks” in ’72 and “Shredder” in ’73 – an album that gave the Wackers their only legitimate hit single in Canada with the tune "Day and Night”.

Music Matters for July 22nd 2011: Untold Stories of Rock…Because I’m Wack in the Saddle Again.

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 07/22/2011 - 13:07

Normally, I would be writing a column about a band I think you should know about, the injustices involved in what has happened to the radio and record industries, or some bauble of shiny nonsense that has caught my attention that I think you should be aware of.

Truth be told, I actually have something nice to say about Rebecca Black's new single, "My Moment", and a rather funny take on the deep doo-doo Rupert Murdoch has found himself in, but I just haven't had time to write these witty and amusing tales to enlighten and amuse you.

Why?

Because I am up to my tired, red, and blurry eyeballs in the reunion of a band that hasn't been in the same room together in 38 years. The band in question is the focus of the second story in today's column, a tale that touches on a small part of our first trip to Montreal, a trip that would eventually lead me to move to Canada and find myself still living here and loving it almost 40 years later. If you want to see the band that left California for Montreal all those years ago, we'll be playing a set (or at least trying to play a set) at Cherry Cola's in Toronto on Sunday, July 24th between 7:00 and 11:00 pm. Be advised that a lot of people have decided to have a peek already, so get there early.if you decide to join us. More about the reunion in these pages at a later date. In the meantime, here's a tale of the Mom that Loved Her Boys, followed by the second tale, The Beer of Destiny.

Music Matters for July 15th 2011: Different Strokes for Different Folks.

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 15:31

I am not a critic. I’m especially not a Critic. I think the best way to criticize something you personally dislike, especially in the media, is to simply not mention it. Why give something credibility that grates against your grain like fingernails on a chalkboard or ketchup on a perfectly cooked slab of Prime Rib?

Music Matters for July 8th 2011: My Favourite Summer Songs and Why I Love Them.

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 07/08/2011 - 11:39

Here’s a collection of videos and some anecdotes to while away a hot, languid afternoon this weekend or enjoy anytime you feel the urge. These songs all impacted me in positive ways over the years and all of them have made a lasting impression.

The humanity in this music, so often missing in music these days, doesn’t make me long for the past, but rather, excited to hear it returning as we speak. There is so much great music being made today, I have every reason to believe that music is healthier than ever, and the personal signature and the unique quality of well crafted songs is much more important than following the herd. Summer’s here, the music is all cued up and waiting for us. Shall we?

Louie Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald: Summertime:

Music Matters for July 1st 2011: My NXNE Awards and a Canada Day Untold Story of Rock.

Submitted by cashbox on Thu, 06/30/2011 - 12:02

Canada Day. A celebration I hold very dear because of my love for this, my chosen home and, in my opinion, the best place to live on this tired old mudball. Apparently, a lot of people agree with me from all over the world. We are a diverse people who have come here from all over the globe to be Canadians. We choose to be here, our cultures are welcome here, and we live for the most part, in multi-part, multi-cultural harmony.

When asked, I tell people I am Canarican and live in the greatest country in the world. Sometimes, I think we should be called The United Provinces of Canada. That’s a name that sounds as awesome as we are. The good old UPC…our home and native land has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Makes us sound bad-ass, too. Jordan JohnWe are united in our desire to live free and well, and at the same time allowed to keep our cultures in tntact while we enjoy the cultures of our friends and neighbors. I can have Canadian bacon and eggs for breakfast, a taco for lunch, a plate of manicotti for dinner and order Chinese food late at night. I can take the TTC to neighborhoods that are unique yet buttressed up against one another. You can walk down Bloor, or Dundas, or College Street, or many other Toronto arteries and tour the whole world, and all of Canada is much the same way.

Music Matters for June 24th 2011

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 06/24/2011 - 11:26

Word of Mouth and How Radio and the Major Labels Sent Me to the Internet for Music

How much has the Internet changed things when it comes to music? As it turns out, not that much. What HAS changed are the ways middle men, lawyers, managers, agents, radio, and record companies can stop you from hearing what’s out there….

I had an epiphany this week thanks to NXNE. I realized that for all the hype, emails, Tweets, Facebook invites, and beer tickets, only one thing got me to get off my ass and go hear a band I had never heard of before.

Word of mouth.

Not just ANY word of mouth, but recommendations from friends and people I know who LOVE music and are prone to sharing their discoveries with like-minded people, of which I am one. “Hey, Bob, you have GOT to see these guys!”, will get my attention quicker than any amount of free beer tickets if it comes from someone I trust.

Why you’ll find me on the Internet and in the clubs…

Music Matters for June 17th 2011: NXNE First Impressions and an Open Letter to Brian Wilson

Submitted by cashbox on Sat, 06/18/2011 - 14:45

Once again, Toronto becomes ground zero for music, beer tickets, and late nights. Between CMW, Indie Week, The Beaches Jazz Festival, and now NXNE, it seems like we are not only the centre of the Music Universe, we are also its jukebox, program director, and Uber Fan.

Music Matters for June 10th 2011: Moving Daze and NXNE

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 06/10/2011 - 10:41

We’re in the middle of a monumental move from one place to another. It seems so easy on paper, but if you have ever moved you know it is anything but. True to the old axiom, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and this move has been a nightmare from start to finish…which it hasn’t.

Because of this move I am just able to squeeze out a few thoughts today. Otherwise, I’ll forget to grab the last few items from the old place, fail to remember where things are in the new place, and, I’m already so stressed out, I can’t remember where I put the pickle jar with all the nuts and bolts that hold our bed frame together. Maybe I’ll ask the kitties…as soon as they’re through exploring the new chimney and fireplace, which has made our 2 adventurers black and gray kitties instead of black and white kitties. There are little sooty paw prints all over our new home. Damn cats….

Music Matters for May 27th 2011 Classic Rock: Nostalgic Music or Genre?

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 12:48

Just how powerful is rock and roll? How did this music, over 60 years old, last so long and still acquire new fans every time someone hears it for the first time. From the late ‘40s and through the ‘50’s,‘60’s, and ‘70s to the present day, rock and roll refuses to roll over and die…even though radio and most record labels think (and say) it has.

There has always been too much music. Even a half a century ago, we could not have listened to all the music that was available and wouldn’t have even been aware of what we DID hear if it hadn’t been for radio.

Radio was the discoverer, the gatekeeper, and the church where we met almost every waking hour and listened attentively to hear our favourites and be turned on to songs and artists that we had never heard before. Radio stations were the Source, the mouth of the river that flowed through the air and out of our radios and into our ears, our hearts, our souls, and our loins. Radio was the church, the DJs were the preachers, and rock and roll was the testament, the sermon, and the faith by which we lived our lives.

Hallelujah!