The Beach Boys Molson Amphitheatre Toronto ON 2012-06-19

Saw Brian Wilson in the cozy confines of Massey Hall a couple of years ago. That was nice. This was great. They are The Beach Men now but who among us is what they were 50 years ago? With Lake Ontario at our backs on this hot, muggy night on the cusp of summer, this is as close to a surfin' safari as I'm likely to get.

First and foremost this is an emotive band. Not in the 'emo' way the current generation of shoe-gazers have hoisted on us. There was  time , BC (before cobain), when music stirred positive emotions in people.

The Boys were a terrific flashback. Some of the lyrics have changed though...you know, the passage of time. "Help Me Rhonda, help me get her outa my heart" is now "Help Me Rhonda, help me get up offa this couch," the Little Deuce Coupe is now a Little Deuce Scooter©, Good Vibrations is all about marital aides.... most of that I could accept. Thought they stretched the bounds of decorum when they closed with, "we'll have gums, gums, gums, when my baby puts her dentures away." I jest.

Highlights of the evening: Opening the second set with the surviving members huddled around Brian's piano to sing Add Some Music to Your Day. Brian's rendition of  I Just Wasn't Made for These Times was powerful.

The back and side screens were filled with ancient pictures of young versions of the boys. Special tribute was paid to Dennis and Carl Wilson during Forever and God Only Knows.

The surf songs and pop hits were all met with wild screams and dancing in the aisles.

Sloop John B is one of my favourite songs by this band and together with Good Vibrations, really made the night for me.

One thing that occurred to me is that as I get older my hearing seems to be slowing down.

All night long I had Billy Joe Armstrong in my head, evoking the band to PLAY FASTER.

Set One
Do It Again
Little Honda
Catch a Wave
Hawaii
Don't Back Down
Surfin' Safari
Surfer Girl
Wendy
Marcella
Then I Kissed Her
(The Crystals cover)
Kiss Me, Baby
Getcha Back
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
(Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers cover)
When I Grow Up (to Be a Man)
Darlin'
Disney Girls
Please Let Me Wonder
Isn't It Time
It's OK
California Saga: California
Cotton Fields
(Lead Belly cover)
Be True to Your School
Don't Worry Baby
Little Deuce Coupe
409
Shut Down
I Get Around

Set Two
Add Some Music to Your Day
Heroes and Villains
Sloop John B
Wouldn't It Be Nice
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
Sail On Sailor
In My Room
All This Is That
That's Why God Made the Radio
Forever
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations
California Girls
All Summer Long
Help Me Rhonda
Rock and Roll Music
(Chuck Berry cover)
Do You Wanna Dance?
(Bobby Freeman cover)
Surfin' USA
Encore:
Kokomo
Barbara Ann
(The Regents cover)
Fun, Fun, Fun

CR Avery The Brownstone CafeOrillia ON2012-06-08

2 hours on the road with cottage weekend traffic and classic blues on the player.  2 housrs drinkin' and chattin' with my wife and the artist. 45 minutes of music and words. 1 1/4 hours back home on the major roads and testing the limits of speed and my endurance.

Not a bad way to use up 6 hours on a Friday.

The Brownstone Cafe in Orillia is a terrific local waterhing hole. If it were in Toronto it would feel at home on Queen St West. Friendly staff, local beers and a conflicted attitude towards live music. Actually not conflicted, more polarized. Front of house was populated by attentive fans of music. Rear of house was populated by your regular local Friday night crowd that didn't have to pay a cover. Pretty evenly split.

In the end it was a draw.

CR steps into the ring knowing it's going to be bloody. An opening beat-box harminica salvo of Leadbelly's Sylvie has some success in focussing the crowd. Front half enraptured, rear half somewhat perplexed at the cacophony emanating from the stage but not yet lubricated enough to overcome it or disreagard it.

CR Avery: 1  Bar: 0

Not willing to risk any downtime CR swings into Maggies Farm. The front of the house is still mezmerized, this time by the PJ Shadow piano riff in place of the harmonica. Back of house thinks it's akin to race music and begins to assert itself. Aged but comical in a libertarian kind of way, drunk bar-fly can be heard commenting, "This is my bar," in response to requests to shhhhhh.

CR Avery: 1 Bar:0  Tied: 1

Boxer usually stops everybody dead in their tracks. Not so tonight. Front of house was attentive and laughing at all the right times. Rear of house was lost and loud. CR even called out to them in the middle of this piece, to no avail.

CR Avery: 1 Bar: 1 Tied: 1

Time to  venture into the snake pit. CR picks up his banjo and makes his way to the center of the talkin' crowd. Up close and in your face they had no choice but to tone it down a touch. This one worked. The show could have gone any way from here. It unraveled for all but those in the front.

CR Avery: 2 Bar: 1 Tied: 1

Time for something a little different. If CR really wanted to hold the audience he would have broken out Stairway to Heaven or some Abba tune...but nooooo, that would be too easy. With copper mic in hand and a new beat courtesy of his plugged-in iPhone, CR tears into Voodoo Child and the rear of house checks out.

CR Avery: 2 Bar: 2 Tied: 1

CR rips off a frenetic KKK. Everyone could have walked out and this would still be a win in CR's book for the performance alone. A tree falling in the forest with no one near.

CR Avery: 3  Bar: 2  Tied: 1

One more time into the audience, with the guitar and a new song from East Van, 4 AM Text. By this time the rear of house had moved beyond ignorant to belligerent. The bar-fly was so loud a friend of his walking by outside the venue heard him and came in to reminisce. The skater dude (who would later knock over a lamp while trying to stagger out of the venue with his oversized board) thought the last song was a call-and-response for him. Except his responses were boorish grunts.

CR Avery: 3 Bar: 3 Tied: 1

Maybe it wasn't a draw. The last volley goes to CR. Show's over.





Sylvie
Maggies Farm
Boxer Who Just Returned From London
Hollywood Movie Blues
Voodoo Child
KKK
4 AM Text (Happy Valentines)

CR Avery and Friends The Cameron House 2012-06-07

CR is on a fastbreak tour, 2 shows in So Ont before he takes a week off to work on new material while basking on the beaches of Cuba. He's more likely to be busking on the beaches. He does like Fidel Castro and his beard though.

Support tonight comes courtesy of the spoken-world underground in TO. David Silverberg, by day a mild-mannered digital journalist,by night the Grand Pookbah of the Toronto Poetry Slam Circle, is hosting.

David opens with a piece on opening up to strangers, likely called, The Story of Frank Warren and Post Secrets and tossed in a haiku about a startling street person with a Jesus complex. He introduces Robert Priest, Amanda Hiebert, Lara Bozabalian and Evalyn Parry.  Priest reminded us of the nobility of not fighting while Evalyn tackled the issue of self-identity in these post-modern times.

CR Avery is...well, as always, challenging. Comes out of the box strong with his Maggies Farm mashup, sliding into the piano ballad homage to Amy Winehouse and other artists who fell, Israel's Saviour and Queen. He's feeling the harp tonight and rolls out Springsteen's 57 Channels and Hendrix's Voodoo Child. 

Got some new songs, 4AM Text showcased CR doing an unplugged guitar tune. Don't think I've seen CR pick up a guitar in over 30 performances I've witnessed. This song is fun and I hope it sticks around for the tour. The second unplugged song of the night is the banjo tune, Rednecks and Dykes.
Gotta love CR's social commentary songs; got a problem with gays, homeless people, liberals, revolutionaries, outsiders??? Well, fuck you, you're a douchebag.

What might have been called Bonfire Orgasm was another new song for Cece and I. Not too often you get a saw in a show. A little eerie background for what is like the Guernica of word. Hard to see/hear it all the first time through. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are evoked.

The show closes with a dedication to MCA and Levon Helm, recently deceased, That's It For This Cowboy, an end of the road tale.



CR Avery and Friends
The Cameron House
2012-06-07


David Silverberg - The Story of Frank Warren and Post Secrets
Amanda  Hierbert - You've Been Calling Me
Robert Priest - Muhammed Ali
David Silverberg - (haikku)
Lara Bozabalian - Victor Hugo
Evalyn Parry - They Thought I Was A Boy

CR Avery

Maggies Farm
Israel's Saviour and Queen
57 Channels and Nothing On
4 AM Text (Happy Valentines)
Bonfire Orgasm (Cathy Petch on Saw)
Voodoo Child
Rednecks and Dykes
That's It For This Cowboy (Dedicated to MCA and Levon Helm)

Corin Raymond The Cameron House 2012-05-10 w/ guests Miss Quincy and the Showdown

The wife and I are celebrating our 33rd anniversary tonight. In the recent past we've had the good fortune to be in Paris one year, Venice another, New Orleans on two occasions, BC and NB...this year, we're upgrading.

I'm getting to really enjoy walking through the red curtains into the dark and inviting confines of the front room. Every Thursday brings a new living room experience. Tonight we're missing Treasa Levasseur and David Baxter, both in Hamilton thrilling the patrons at The Pearl Company. In their stead we have fiddler, Trent Freeman, a BC expat recently relocated in Toronto and on the piano we have Mike Evan. Brian Kobayakowa and Corin Raymond flesh out The Auxillary Sundowners, May 10th, 2012 version.
One night only, don't you dare miss it!

In November of this year Corin Raymond will be releasing his third album, Paper Nickels, featuring the songs of numerous 'small time' artists; great songs by people you may not know. The album buzz will circle around the trailer park love song that is at the heart of the Canadian Tire Caper, Don't Spend It Honey, but the whole thing will be killer. Songs from the record that were showcased this evening: 100 Candles (I can SEE that beach), Anastasia (my favourite song of the week for 17 weeks running), Old Fort Mac (Vaarmeyer writes some of the best pop-hooks in Canadian roots music), Nine Inch Nails (she moved to Montreal, well eventually don't they all?) and the aforementioned anthem to paper nickels.

Thursday night at The Cameron, with Corin hosting,  is the musical equivalent of Bits N Bites. Every time out it's something different, something unique. Tonight's set is enhanced greatly by the lovely piano fills provided by Mike Evan. These songs won't be done the same way ever again.

When the full band is not out we tend to get some surprises in the set list.

Tonight we have two Jessie Winchester covers; Isn't That So and That's What Makes You Strong...dedicated to my wife and I. Corin's also added a song by local artists The Warped 45's, the topical Progress, a testament to the insanity of uber-consumerism.

Filling in between sets we have  Miss Quincy and the Showdown who are stopping over in Toronto on their way home from a European tour. A sassy trio and an eclectic little break.






t01    Intro
t02    100 Candles (Swiftys)
t03    Anastasia (Max Metro)
t04    The Law and the Lonesome (Raymond/Byrd)
t05    Ridin' West on Dundas (Raymond)
t06    Isn't That So (Jessie Winchester)
t07    That's What Makes You Strong (J Winchester)
t08    Hard on Things (Raymond/Vaarmeyer)
t09    Progress (The Warped 45's)
t10    Stealin' My Heart (Raymond)
t11    3,000 Miles (Raymond)

Miss Quincy and the Showdown

t01    Intro
t02    Nobody With You
t03 Dead Horse
t04 You're Mama Don't Like Me

Corin Raymond

t12    Intro
t13    Old Fort Mac (Rob Vaarmeyer)
t14    Something to Lean On
t15    Nine Inch Nails
t16    Hello Hello (Raymond)
t17    Canadian Tire Update -talk
t18    Don't Spend It Honey (Raymond/Vaarmeyer)
t19    "I Have the New Total, I Must Call the Wall St Journal immediately!"
t20    There Will Always Be A Small Time (Raymond)

Coachella 2012 Indio CAApril 13 & 14,2012

I know a thing or two about big festivals. The most important thing I know is that I can't endure 3 days on my feet in the blistering sun.

I'm setting off to Southern California with one goal...don't burn yourself out to the point you can't enjoy the trip. With that in mind, I'm doing only two days and limiting myself to bands I really want to see.

That means I'll be in early (GIRLS and Dragonette) and out early (sorry Black Keys and Radiohead).

Sunday is reserved for the mountains and valley and a little time alone.

I haven't travelled on my own since...well, never now that I think about it. It's going to be a challenge navigating without my trusty companion. It's been a long year dealing with health issues and she's not able to join me on this trip.

Think I'll stay on the main roads.

The set times aren't out as I pre-write in this space. My schedule looks like this...barring conflicts.

Friday : Arctic Monkeys, GIRLS, James, Jimmy Cliff, Madness, Mazzy Star, PULP, and The Sheepdogs. Madness is the 'can't miss' set.

Saturday : Azealia Banks, Buzzcocks, Dragonette, Jeff Mangum, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Squeeze and We Were Promised Jetpacks. Jeff Mangum is the 'can't miss' set.

My own personal favourite is Squeeze. Saw them open for Costello in '78, 'bout time I got another listen. Jimmy Cliff and Arctic Monkeys I've seen before and will enjoy their sets I am sure. After that comes a half of Oasis, so you know I'm running out of enthusiasm for the acts.

But I'm going to find a space to rejuvenate and enjoy. It's my mission.

Meet up with Doug, Eric and Susan...from NC, Seattle and San Francisco, respectively. Palm Springs has closed off a good 10 blocks of their main strip and converted it into a pedestrian mall. We find our way to a bar named Hair of the Dog, where a night of drinking (including an on-the-house flaming shot glass dropped into a glass of beer) came out to only $28.00. Happy hour runs from 11 am to whenever. Gotta like that.

___________________________________________________

Day 1

I start by doing what I do best on the road; I see dead people.

So the set times are out. Conflicts? Yes, Mangum and Squeeze are at the same time. But let's see what happens.

First off a tip of the hat to the organizers. This venue is wonderful.

You know that song, It Never Rains In Southern California? Well, it's wrong. It hasn't rained in 13 years of Coachella, until Friday April 13, 2012. Coincidence? I think not. In this case it wasn't bad luck...it's the sun that will kill you in the desert. The wind was brutal! Even that wasn't bad news because it freed me from taping and made the whole event a lot more fun.

In early, that's my motto, and I always pull out before it's over. I don't advertise that part so much.

Friday starts with Mea in the Sahara tent. This is the dance tent that most of the kids stay in until 2 am. Dance ain't my strong suit. It's not even my sweatsuit. The tent was half full, which wasn't bad for the first and only act on at this time. The lead singer was a cutie. Time well wasted. Glanced briefly at Abe Vigoda, who I thought was dead, before I settled in for a complete set by The Sheepdogs.

Remember The Sheepdogs? They won some kind of populist rural wanna be The Guess Who contest that landed them on the cover of the Rolling Stone. Keep riding that wave while you can boys. I suspect when the summer festival season comes to a close we won't see you outside Saskatchewan for awhile.

Caught a bit of another band with a cutie in front, honeyhoney. You got a chick with a mandolin and a fiddle...what more could you want. Decent pop music, easy to absorb, great background music at a fondue night.

I ate.

Then things start getting good.

James was getting Laid on the main stage. What a feel-good set. Second song in, Sit Down,was the highlight with the lead singer in the audience getting his bald head rubbed by adoring fans while singing, " those who feel the breath of sadness, sit down next to me / those who find they're touched by madness, sit down next to me / Those who find themselves ridiculous, sit down next to me..." Makes you feel all Woodstocky inside.

Laid from youtube

Jimmy Cliff's set was threatened by the howlin' winds. For a moment there I didn't think he'd take the stage. But he did. And his set was bombastic. A light sprinkling of rain and some dark clouds didn't dampen the mood at all. In fact, his rendition of I Can See Clearly Now was a joyous FUCK YOU to the weather gods. My personal favourite was a tear-inducing version of Many Rivers To Cross. This guy still has a voice. Don't mistake him for an artifact. His political passion is as strong now as it was when he rode the charts with The Harder They Come, The Harder They Fall. His current topical song Vietnam (and Afghanistan) is as valid as anything spewed out in the '60's. A strong One More closed the show.

I slide over a stage to listen a bit to GIRLS but didn't hear anything that was enticing me to stay so it was a quick break before lining up for 3 Arctic Monkeys songs. I've seen the Chilly Chimps plenty of times so I wasn't going to miss Madness to catch all their set.

One Step Beyond indeed.

(Picture courtesy of Doug Evans)

Ska is so joyous.

(Cue Sheet courtesy of Doug Evans)

And Madness brought the whole catalogue.

During It Must Be Love, I ran into a little bit of the trials and tribulations of stealth taping. The ska circle had been growing throughout the show and during this song one of the more exuberant dancers, part of a couple dressed in safari gear and pith helmets, came over to my position to pull me into the circle. I insisted I wasn't moving, which I thought was a big concession on my part because when I'm taping I seldom talk. He was persistent. And friendly. I think he mistook my white-guy-taping-bob-and-weave as a sign I wanted to let loose, without realizing that was me letting loose. Finally pulled me out. I grabbed my recorder out of my pocket (excuse the mic bumps) and held it over my head as I was swept around the circle...doing my best to point at a PA system.

After the set I texted my son to let him in on the happenings only to find him at a 4th wave ska show featuring the Planet Smashers and about to enter the pit himself. Go figure.

Here's some sound samples from my back up rig, internal mics, I usually only use it in acoustic small venue shows, a bit bassy but that may be my old ears...oh,and lots of phasing.

One Step Beyond

Embarassment

The Prince

My Girl

Sun and the Rain

Iron Shirt

Shut Up

Bed and Breakfast Man

Forever Young

House of Fun

Wings of A Dove

Baggy Trousers

Our House

It Must Be Love

Madness

Night Boat to Cairo

Day 2

Up bright and early for a short photo trip up to Desert Hot Springs and along the valley road. Just being here is wonderful...if windy.

On my way back to the hotel I find the canyon valley road and it leads me into the windmill farm that covers the pass between the mountains...where all the wind goes.

At the venue for gate-opening and I'm at the Mojave Tent to see The Tijuana Panthers . Great start to the day. A mix of influences, from punk to ska to surf. Am adding them to my list of 'bands to see if they come through town'...though on first look it seems they don't stray too far from the west coast. Maybe when they're finished school.

Catch ten minutes of a lively pop group called honeyhoney before I set up in front of Australian band Suedehead for their set. Good time waster but nothing to write home about.

A brief stop at the Heineken tent for some libations while I wait for We Were Promised Jet Packs to come on the 2nd stage. They open with a shoe-gazer so I'm
off to visit the Gobi Tent where aged punk-rockers (you'll notice a pattern soon) The Vaccines take the stage to The Ramones Rock n Roll Radio. This was a fun set, rapid paced 3 minute songs, one after the other. Just like it should be.

I hang around for the break-out act of this year's Coachella. This weekend used to create the buzz for bands. It's past that now, it's simply a glorious event...no longer a stage for the new wave of music gods. In fact, since around 2006, it usually celebrates the old wave. What was once unique (festivals) is now how summer music is done. That hasn't helped as the demand to fill the Lollapaloozers, Bonnaroo's etc. has watered down the festivals somewhat and taken the shine off the possibility of finding the next gem of an artist.

But they are still out there. This year it's in the guise of internet phenom Azealia Banks. She catapulted to this mid-afternoon slot on the strength of her million hits for the youtube version of 212. She left this weekend after landing a management contract with Lady Ga Ga's manager. She has arrived. Drop your socks and ... get ready to be wowed.
The instant she stepped on stage she was taken aback by the raucous cheers of a way too exuberant early day crowd. It put her on her heels a bit, she stuttered, she laughed, she thanks the crowd and launches into her set. It is concussively loud. Terrific song about Barbie...not the doll, but the dolls they are trying to sell you on TV and concert stages... the ones with all too much plastic. I had to leave the tent shortly after this to make sure my ears weren't bleeding. The BASS was moving the ground.
212 was a love-fest to close, Azealia almost in tears as the crowd treats the song like it's Stairway to Heaven, singing back the rapid rap rhymes to the artist.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals were doing a nice imitation of a Melissa Etheridge/Joan Jett clone...good hard rock with a female lead. And they were close to the Heineken tent too.

While sitting there, preparing for what was going to be a busy close to the night, I caught wind of Childish Gambino's X-rated set on the main stage. That guy has a dirty mouth. Keep your daughter's away from him.

Back to the Gobi tent for an aged punk rock band, fIREHOSE, onstage in front of another aged punk band, Buzzcocks.

Diggle and Shelley. Orgasm Addict, I Believe and Homosapiens...without all the synth background that ruined a thousand good songs in the early '80's.

I Believe video from youtube

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds waited a long fucking time to play a recognizable Oasis song. Not only will I not look back in anger, I won't look back at all.

So all week I've been fretting over the choice between recluse Jeff Mangum and seeing Squeeze. Changed my mind a dozen times. Finally settled on half a set each. And that was a wrap for the night.

Jeff Mangum Aeroplane Over the Sea from youtube



Day 3


A full breakfast at 7 am and I'm on the road, up a narrow mountain path with banked curves and not much margin for error. I think I've been up this road before...once or thrice. I expect I'll meet my demise on a road like this and my last thoughts will be..."Damn, I thought there was more room on the shoulder." They may get me, but it won't be here, and it won't be today.

While stopping for lunch I found out that Elvis' honeymoon shack was located in Palm Springs. I found it.

I've been toying with the idea of taking the Tramway 6,000 ft up into the San Jacinto mountains. While I'm not big on heights I thought it would provide a nice opportunity for photos from a unique perspective. Fortunately I watch a tram leave before I bought my ticket.

They were packed in there like sardines and if there's one thing I hate more than heights, it's being enclosed in small places. I passed and made my way to Joshua Tree for more dead people.

I was in New Orleans back in 2010 and took a trip to Gram Parsons grave. There were people who didn't want him to be buried there and that makes Joshua Tree National Park, Cap Rock, a uniquely special place in the rock pantheon.

The cement slab he was semi-cremated on has been moved to the Joshua Tree Inn, a few miles from the park itself. It is a little morbid for a family outing. At Cap Rock fans persist in marking their territory.

The rest of the park is lovely too...and big. You could spend a day in here just driving to the different locations.

Took a road up to the 5,000 ft elevation at Keys Point (I believe) just to look down over Palm Springs in the valley.

So that's a wrap. Two of my favourite things in one weekend. Live music and a little road time. Now I'm going home to get a little of the third of my favourite things.

Van Halen Air Canada Centre 2012-03-17w/ Kool and the Gang

I can't even pretend I have anything to say about this band that will add to the canon. During the '80's I avoided these guys like the plague. They were the reason we needed 'alt rock'. Back then I was listening to everything you are listening to now; those new-wave, punk bands that provide the background to our current day commercials and the play lists on 'classic rock' stations.

I was a music snob when I was young.

I'm with a friend who is a long-time Van Halen fan, who calls my taste in sounds "Marce Music", and who likely will know more that just Panama and Jump.

What makes this worthwhile is the return of David Lee Roth. I suspect we have a 50/50 chance of seeing this band break up on stage.

Opening tonight, in what is either a brilliant cross-over marketing scheme or the stupidest decision ever made, is KOOL and the Gang. They got the decades synched anyway, it's all '80s all the time. This year the skullets in the audience are outnumbering the mullets.

K&tG are on close to their 7:30 scheduled start time. A full hour set that was, let's just say, out of it's element. The whole "raise your hands" stuff works better when the crowd is already in a frenzy, not when only 10% of the arena is filled. The funk was joyous but no one was paying attention. By the time they closed with Celebration the stands were about 80%, wo what was simply 55 minutes of 'clap-a-long' now becomes a massive, disjointed, unenthusiastic, sing-a-long.

Guess I could have just said it was unremarkable and left it at that.

The Halen road crew does a fast job of breaking down the stage and by 9 o'clock we're starting their two hour 22 song set.

Decent show but a little pedestrian. David tries hard and is still a top-notch front man. Eddie has his moments. Been there, done that. There's lots of reviews online, mostly positive, if you're looking for more details.

Now it's off to Coachella to find something challenging.

d1t01 Unchained
d1t02 Running With The Devil
d1t03 She's the Woman
d1t04 The Full Bug
d1t05 Tattoo
d1t06 Everybody Wants Some
d1t07 Somebody Get Me A Doctor
d1t08 China Town
d1t09 Hear About It Later
d1t10 Pretty Woman
d1t11 Drum Solo
d1t12 You Really Got Me
d1t13 The Trouble With Never
d1t14 Dance The Night Away
d1t15 I'll Wait

d2t01 Hot For Teacher
d2t02 Women In Love
d2t03 Girl Gone Bad
d2t04 Beautiful Girls
d2t05 Ice Cream Man
d2t06 Panama
d2t07 Guitar Solo
d2t08 Ain't Talking About Love
d2t09 Jump

Corin Raymond Raghu Lokanathan and Jonathan ByrdMagnolia CafeGuelph ON2012-01-28

OK, the live recording is in the bag and come next fall we'll be spinning it on a cd player near you. Hopefully we get some film teasers throughout the summer to keep the buzz alive.

Too tired to make it to The Cameron on Thursday night and the work-day on Friday caused me to take a pass on The Pearl Company in Hamilton. That leaves a Saturday cafe show in Guelph as the last chance to see this combination of artists...maybe forever!

It was a white-knuckle ride along the 401 westbound, then north on Hwy 6. Many thanks to the impatient drivers who wiped out on the ramps or ended up in the ditch after making a lane change. You made it abundantly clear to me that I should adjust my driving to suit the conditions. Arriving at our destination ahead of time (as I am wont to do) we waited for the doors to open as the wind was howling and the snow was outrageous. Didn't bode well for the ride home...we took it slow.

The Magnolia Cafe in Guelph is hidden on a diagonal side street just off Norfolk and Quebec. Check your maps carefully. We have about 40 chairs in this cozy, eclectic cafe and eatery. We also have about 70 people, so it's tight.

While the weather outside was frightful, the wine was so delightful,and the audience (except for the three nitwits to my right) were quiet and respectful.

No band with Corin tonight, the first set has Corin and Jonathan doing 3 songs each, solo. Raghu did 4 because he kept his stories shorter. The stories are a big part of the live show, funny stuff about the trials and tribulations of being an indie-rock god. You'd be hard-pressed to find three more disparate characters in one gathering but they all speak the universal language of song.

Corin opens with Old Fort Mac, which will likely lead off the live album. A bombastic, raucous song that will get you a rib-crunching bear hug from the burly dudes who work the rigs up in north Alberta.
Veronica is a newer Corin Raymond song, and if you liked his early stuff wait until you catch some of the songs he's penning this year. Heart-wrenching breakup tune that evokes ghost of Roy Orbison.
Don't Spend It Honey has found it's spot as closer for the 2012 shows.

Jonathan Byrd opens with I Was An Oak. The rustling about in the audience is a shame as this is a story that captivates you from the outset. While it's melodically pleasing, it's lyrically jarring; exposing humans as less-than-worthy life-forms on this rock. The Oak as judge, a single tree standing for the life of a dynasty. Jonathan paints pictures with words, The Law and the Lonesome a pastiche of snowy backroads on the winding road to redemption, and the bitter sweet song of loving and leaving, Prairie Girl.






Corin Raymond
Jonathan Byrd
Raghu Lokanathan

The Magnolia Cafe
Guelph ON
2012-01-28

Solo Sets

Corin

Old Fort Mac
Veronica
Don't Spend It Honey

Jonathan

I Was An Oak
The Law and the Lonesome
Prairie Girl

Raghu

What Does It All Mean
Get Drunk Like Them
Ramona
Sugar Candy Mountain

Shared Set

Jonathan lead
May the River Run Dry

Raghu lead
Tobacco

Corin lead
3000 Miles

Jonathan lead
Amelia

Raghu lead
Glory Halleloo

Corin lead
Blue Mermaid Dress

Jonathan lead
Big Truck Brought It

Raghu lead
I Think I Wanna Kill Some One

Corin lead
There Will Always Be A Small Time

Corin lead
Wild and Blue

Jonathan lead
You Can't Outrun the Radio

Raghu lead
Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams

Corin Raymond and the Sundowners Live Album Recording Night 2TRANZAC Club 2012-01-25with special guest Raghu Lokanathan

Back at it.

The Canadian Tire Money fundraiser has passed $1,500.00.
That's pretty impressive and it's not over.

Last night was great but there was a certain nervous anticipatory anxiety, a feeling that we'd reached a goal, were about to get the payoff; yet there was an underlying exhaustion, the road had been long. The first time out was a cautious set, with a couple slip ups, the pressure of nailing a live performance can be intense. Before this evenings show the band did a run-through of most the songs going on the record, with the tape rolling. It eases some of the pressure and that was evident from the outset. I suspect the bulk of the record will come from this evenings set, for small reasons, the distance between the quality of the performances was not that great but the little things add up.

From Prince George BC we have Raghu Lokanathan warming up an already exhuberant crowd. Smart-assed music for smart people. Every cheeky couplet comes with tongue firmly in place.

What Does It All Mean
Watch Beauty Get Older
These Are The Gates
The Wildest Room
Caledonia
What is Ruined, What Is Real
Two Miles of Train (Hobo Jungle Fever Dream)

Corin's mixed-up the set list tonight, which is to say he's not playhing them in the same order as last night, or even in the same order they are listed on tonight's sheet. It seems that list is only a recommendation, someone's vision of how things could be, but no on is contractually committed.

The crowd's a little louder, more energetic this evening. All the jitters are gone and it's time to let the songs shine.

Set 1

Sugar Candy Mountain
100 Candles
Cruel Cruel Town
Time To Leave
Nine Inch Nails
Blues Mama
I'm A Fuckin' Genius
It's Too Late
Veronica
Do You Dream
Old Fort Mac

Set 2

Change
Coming Home To You
If I Were You Instead of Me
Buckets of Time
The Lord Giveth (and The Landlord Taketh Away)
Slip Away
Little Byrd
Anastasia
Big Truck Brought It
Don't Spend It Honey
Rivertown
Lord Loves A Wino
Postcard From A Friend

Corin Raymond and the Sundowners Live Album Recording Night 1TRANZAC Club 2012-01-24with special guest Jonathan Byrd

It's finally here! SOLD OUT! Corin Raymond has been workin' and practicin', practicin' and workin' towards this night for about a year now. It's been a long and winding road, starting with Thursday night after Thursday night at The Cameron House trying the songs out on live audiences. Corin is compiling an homage to the great North American indie songwriters who keep the small time thriving. Some are knocking on the door to the big time but all are advancing the craft. More recently the excitement level has skyrocketed as the Canadian Tire Fundraiser has hit the local and national news, spreading the story across the nation and going viral...on a Canadian level.

All that attention is great and I really hope the Canadian Tire money spotlight attracts some listeners and critics to the show and the record, 'cause when they get there they will find so much more than that (soon to be iconic) underground anthem.

The first of two nights sees North Carolinian Jonathan Byrd coming in to support his good friend and (sometime)touring mate. Jonathan's roots album, Cackalack, recorded in Toronto a couple years ago, had some major successes Stateside this year. (It's the short-form of Cackalacky.) He's been won over by the hysteria surrounding the album and the fundraiser. This dream all started when he and Corin were sharing miles between Whitehorse and Dawson City last February. Back then the dream was to get drunk at the Dunright Inn. It's changed a little. He had some things to tell us too, a little of the Corin rubbing off on him. The Corin stories ranged from his sleeping through the 10 am sessions for Cackalack to the difficulty of getting Corin across a border. Jonathan was a gracious support act, paying proper respect to Corin's love for the music of other musicians while not hiding his love of the force that is Corin Raymond. He tells a great story, the highlight being a great piece on the difference between our 20 dollar bill and the American version. Comparing the Green Queen with the altruistic quote vs. the author of the Trail of Tears, Andrew Jackson.

And the songs. A cross between Henry Timrod and Bob Dylan. (Say what?!?! That's been done?) We were able to get Jonathan out of the country but you can't get the country out of Jonathan. Here's a southerner who understands his lands history, doesn't excuse it, even refutes a good deal of it, but still finds beauty in the people and the land that drives his unmistakable love for it.

You want something that's just a lot of fun? You're talkin' Chicken Wire.
I Was An Oak is an American masterpiece. It would be at home on a Lomax compilation or The Basement Tapes. It comes in under 3 minutes but it lasts much longer.
Corin and Jonathan share a co-write on the Texas flatlands ballad The Law and the Lonesome.
May the River Run Dry is the story of ??????? , well, I don't know but it evokes Dylan's Watchtower.
Following an interesting talk about the difference between our 20 and the USD 20 we get the tale of Diana Jones, the American Dream not quite working out.
The too-short set closes with next years hit - You Can't Outrun the Radio.

The Sundowners are:

Corin Raymond vocals, guitar
David Baxter guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
Treasa Levasseur accordion, piano, backing vocals, vocals
Brian Kobayakowa bass

I spent three years in Grade 11 math but I understood Aristotle when he said the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Individually these artists are headliners. Together they are a hidden Canadian treasure.

We have no sound samples for Corin's set because this material is being used for a live recording that should be ready for your Christmas stocking. Now that might seem a ways off but Corin cares. When this is done we will all be proud on his behalf.

If you've whiled away the hours any early Thursday evenings at The Cameron House you will be familiar with these tunes. If you haven't then get on it, it's the best bang for your buck you'll find on Queen St West. I've talked about this set on other posts, if you care to look around the blog, so I'll keep this brief and hit on the newer stuff...well, new to me.

I'm guessing I've never heard Veronica before...'cause if I had I would have told you about it. It's not the Elvis Costello song; you can pick your girlfriend, but you can't pick your girlfriends name. The song is an open wound.

A new Doug Norquay song in the set, more darkness from the West, Cruel Cruel Town laments the fate of the artiste trying to make it in the real world.
Ridley Bent's Nine Inch Nails brought a lot of smiles. My son, who was one of the videographers this evening, is a big fan of NIN. His girlfriend is missing tomorrow's show because she's going to see Tool. They had to endure a little good natured ribbing in this story of misplaced records and love.

Tender moment in the middle of the show that was a testament to how tightly wound Corin is this evening. He's feeling the pressure of a showcase live performance that he's been promoting for a year. He's not succumbing, he's workin' it hard, but during the intro to Blues Mama he was telling a story about visiting his mother's grave. She passed away a long time ago and didn't get to see her grown son. He thought he'd play her a tune or two to let her know he's going OK and he drops 3000 Miles and Blues Mama on her. For a moment he choked up tonight, swallowed hard and poured his heart into the John Borra song.

Surprise song of the evening was a combination spoken-word piece and answer-song. Back in February of '11 Corin received a most peculiar invitation to perform at an open mic. While the organizer purported to love his songs, and thought his clientelle would as well, he wasn't too keen on the pre-song banter. Not necessary for his cerebral concert attendees. If only he could change then perhaps he could get a feature slot for the $50.00 compensation. It was all the rage on Corin's Facebook page. Within a few hours Taylor Ashton had written this reply and he was on the stage tonight duetting with Corin on Change (You're So Strange). Corin started the piece by reading the letter, tossing in the odd comment, then was joined by Taylor for the tale. Now while I don't have any mp3's I do have an audiographic memory, so I've transcribed the piece if you have the patience to read. This whole tale is punctuated with laughter from the audience.

Corin:
This is something I want to share with you. You need to know about this. This is an email I received early in the year, in February from an open mic host. It's an invitation to play. He tells me he runs an open mic, I'm just sharing this with you because this is gold. You could not create this. he tells me,
"We're an open mic, of course, but we also have a feature in every show. I saw you about a year or two ago and thought you and your buddy would be a good feat'ch."

He's talking about The Undesirables.

"Our features do a half flhour."

I might as well read you what he wrote.

"Our features do a half flhour, we only pay 50 bucks but if you were stuck in town here on any 1st, 3rd or 5th Sunday night any month of the year this would beat sitting in a motel watching Simpsons reruns."

Which you realise, as the email goes on, that it would not beat watching Simpsons reruns.

"We'd have to know a few months in advance of course, but to be honest there was one problem. Your tendency to flood he audience with patter prior to each song would mean they would get one, or at best, two songs out of you guys during a half hour feath'ch. I mean, if we were to book you as a music act that would be a poor payoff for the crowd. And if we booked you as a word act, well then the music portion would seem superfluous."

This is my favourite.

"What to do?"

It sure is a puzzler.

"I know it's been a few years, maybe that need for extended talk prior to each song has passed. It wouldn' go down well with my audince as they are a well-read and well-educated bunch and do not appreciate long intro's or history. They'll "get" "

He put that in quotations.

"They'll "get" any song you throw at them, trust them. We really enjoy the music part of your portion of the show. ANyway I hope you're well and good and not wallowing in any of this flu shit that seems to be kililng everyone out here. Damn it, I had it for two weeks, got over it, to celebrate I went to a restaurant and got food poisoning."

I received that email in February. That thing's like a diamond, it's got facets. There are so many dimensions to that. So many levels to enjoy. I never responded to it. I didn't know how. I was touring with Jonathan Byrd, we'd be driving, he'd say, "Read that email to me again."

I put it on my music page on Facebook and asked, "What would you say?"
There were a hundred responses. Some people wrote a response to every line, they broke it down. I had trouble with it...what do I do?

Taylor Ashton, who's the front-man for an amazing band called Fishin Bird, Taylor was one of the first one's to respond and he said "You gotta write a song about this."
The thread went on and on and a couple of hours later he wrote, "Never mind, here it is" and he gave me the song. It was posted within hours.

I was never able to formulate a response to that email and I am very happy that he did.

Taylor's here now and we're going to sing it for you.

Taylor Ashton, playing the part of the open mic guy.

"Hey there Corin I like your sound
You're doing something that I like
and if you ever pass through town
well, you should feature at my open mic
i'll give you 50 bucks and drinks,
what do you think?

Oh the crowd is gonna love your songs
but there was just one little thing
you're introductions are kindo long
and they just want to hear you sing.
well if you change your style for us
i can give you 50 bucks
i'll throw in a couple of drinks,
what do you think?

Taylor/Corin chorus

oh just change, change, change, change,
you'd fit right in if you'd just change
you'd be so normal if you weren't so strange,
change

Corins response:

"I received your note today
thank you for your offer man
i'm a little concerned about the pay
could we make it 20 grand?
maybe change the venue
hold it in my living room
forget about the open mic
i'll talk and sing the whole damn night
we'll serve only milk to drink,
what do you think?

On second thought I'll have to decline
I just don't think it would make a good fit
you don't want my story time
and i don't want your...shenanigans.
next time you ask someone to sell out
you better have more to sell out
than 50 bucks and a couple of drinks
you wanna know just what I think?
Well I ain't gonna play for you
or anyone who wants me to....change

repeat chorus

That was precious and may not be repeated too many times.

More about the fundraiser on tomorrow's blog.

Set 1

JB Intro
Old Fort Mac (Rob Vaarmeyer)
Anastasia (Max Metro)
If I Were You Instead of Me (Bob Hannon)
Slip Away (Jonathan Byrd)
Rivertown (Hayes Carll/Guy Clark)
Little Byrd (Jonathan Byrd) Treassa Levasseur vocals
Lord Loves A Wino (Adam Olmstead)
Blues Mama (John Borra)
Mama It's Too Late(Scott Nolan)
Veronica (Corin Raymond)
Sugar Candy Mountain (Raghu Lokanathan)

Set 2

Change (Taylor Ashton)
100 Candles (The Swifties)
Cruel Cruel Town (Doug Norquay)
Bucket of Time (Evelyn Perry)
Time To Leave (David Ross McDonald)
Nine Inch Nails (Ridley Bent)
Do You Dream(Matt Fockler)
Coming Home To You (Andrew Neville)
I'm A Fucking Genius (Raghu Lokanathan)
The Lord Giveth (The Landlord Taketh Away)
Big Truck Brought It (Rob Vaarmeyer)
Don't Spend It Honey (Raymond/Vaarmeyer)
Italy (Michelle Rumball)
3000 Miles (Corin Raymond)
Postcard From A Friend (Corin Raymond)

Eric Burdon & The Animals Adiamo Showroom Warren MI2011-11-11 er, make that2012-01-20

A day to remember. I bought tickets to this show in December of 2010 as artists were making early plans for this unique synchonization of dates and times. Show should end at 11:11:11pm if anyone's paying attention to the numbers.



First saw Eric Burdon a few of years ago when I was given free passes to HippieFest. The other acts on the bill, Terry Sylvester of The Hollies, some guy from Badfiner, Jack Bruce and Flo and Eddie, The Turtles were enjoyable in a nostalgic kind of way but didn't really have an arena set, perhaps they'd have been better suited to a lounge. Eric closed and his set, except for the songs, did not rely on a warm attachment to the '60's. It was enjoyable as a post-millenial rock show.

So we've kept tabs on him since and find him a mere 5 hours away from home. An easy jaunt.

For all the things that didn't go quite right, the evening was well worth the trip. Got to visit with our friend from Livonia. Always a pleasure to share music with Jacki. Off the top of my head I remember a half-dozen Dylan shows, one with Jack White, Jack White with both The Raconteurs and Dead Weather, Junior Brown and then Billy Bragg at the Ark. Am I missing anything? Oh ya, a trip to Iggy Pop's trailer park.

Dinner at Adiamo's was OK. No beer at all on tap, not a good sign, but the food was excellent. The venue itself was waaaaay to crowded. They could have used about 20 % less tables to give us a little wiggle room. Once you were strapped into your seat there was no getting up without disturbing a large number of people. Fortunately our table didn't move around at all.

Our seats were very close to the stage, actually under the speakers, so a touch too close. We had a great sight-line though. 'Course, I had a 'woo-bird' right beside me so anything remotely good or interesting on stage was followed by a loud 'WOOOOOOOOOO'. Actually I had two woo-birds; one who squeeled like a girl and his date, a girl. Not to mention Sir Clap-A-Lot. People, get out to more concerts, work it out of your system, it's not 1974 anymore...we're respecting the art of the show nowadays.

Opening band was...well, a waste of stage time. Didn't catch their name, though they told us. Did mostly classic rock covers. Lead singer (ummmm, didn't get his name, though he told us) was enamored with his guitar playing buddy (didn't get his name, though they told us) and seemed to be happy to be playing to a full house. The rhythm section wasn't even introduced...which is a shame, because I knew who they were. On bass, Greasy Carlise and on drums Todd Glass. This section often backs up Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding when they play the Detroit to Toronto corridor. Let me tell you, they are slumming it with this outfit. If the lead singer had had the courtesy to introduce them I would have given you his name.

Turns out the headliners were a cover band too. They were doing covers of blues masters though, and singing songs that came from The Brill Building before we knew what that was. A Tier 2 classic rock band; below The Kinks but above The Dave Clark Five in the tower of song.

Eric's still bringing it at 70 years of age. He's no Leonard Cohen but he's miles above the barking Dylan of 2011 or the remnants of Dr Hook I caught a few years ago.

Gotta love these songs. Eric's not sticking with the program on all them, he's changed the arrangements, added some funky variations and even made John Lee Hooker a little more salacious than he was on record. The audience was loving it. I know it dates me more than a bit but there's something life affirming about these kinds of shows. I've got nothing but indie artists and Coachella on my schedule this year so it was fun starting with something in my comfort zone. And who was the chick in the painted leather pants that put out the set list?


When I Was Young
Don't Bring Me Down
Don't Let Me Be Understood (reggae dub)
San Franciscan Nights
Before You Accuse Me (Bo Diddley)
I Believe To My Soul (Ray Charles)
River Deep Mountain High (Tina Turner)(dedicated to Etta James)
Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker) (bj dub)
Trying To Get To You ( C. Singleton - R.M. McCoy) (Elvis cover)
It's My Life (woo-bird intro)
Encore Break/Band Solo's/Crowd Talk
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
Why Can't We Live Together (T.Thomas)/Rivers Are Rising(?)
Crawlin' King Snake (John Lee Hooker)
House of the Risin' Sun (trad. arr Dave Van Ronk)
???

Corin Raymond's Canadian Tire Money Album Fundraiser Goes Viral!

If you are living in Canada and own a TV you've likely come across this story. With a little searching around in the glove box you can become a part of it.

Independent artist, Corin Raymond, is endeavouring to fund his next two albums with Canadian Tire Money. The journey there is going to be fun.



Visit Don't Spend It Honey for updates.


See the 'kitchen video' that started the media onslaught at MrMikelProductions youtube page.

CR Avery Last Show of Tour The Neat Coffee Shop Burnstown, ON 2011-12-10

In the words of Jim Morrison; this is the end.

On a lighter note, it's only the end for this year.

Special treat tonight, two sets. Always worth the white lines you gotta pass to get to the evenings musical shrine. We find ourselves an hour or so west of the nation's capitol, in Burnstown, ON, The Village, at The Neat Coffee Shop. A quaint artists town on the banks of the Madawaska River in the Ottawa Valley. Kind of like Woodstock North.

The most wonderful ride along the backroads, heading north, through the land of lakes, trees dressed in snow, water freezing, water rushing, roads that are long and winding taking us to...well, we know where, but no one gets here by mistake. Everything's right about this trip. The Calabogie Motor Inn is a roomy, clean and quiet resting spot a short distance from the cafe. The venue, inside The Neat Coffee Shop, is a mini-Ramble like facility; beautiful sound and everyone is within talkin' distance of the artist.

Adam and Kim McKinty, who are organizing the music at this busy and virtually sold out venue, treat their artists well. First, the ambiance and sound are perfect. Second, the food and accommodations are all you could ask for if your career is still at the pre-rider stage. It's good treatment even if you're past that as the likes of Michelle Wright and Hawksley Workman already have SOLD OUT dates in Burnstown. And the front of house staff were just as friendly, the food terrific, from the Wood Oven Pizza to the Pork medallions in a pear chutney. On the tables, a menu/souvenir, with a picture of CR Averyon the front and today's specials and wine list on the back. Nice touch.

And there was some music. What kind of music? Well, that's the question isn't it. CR is not easier to describe now than he was 3 years ago. When you first see him you hear and see it and it happens fast. Now, you're not going to get it all, and you might hear the wrong words but you`re going to know you were there. Some describe him as a hip-hop-beat-poet-blues-harmonica-rock n roll-balladeer. But that misses the waltzes. I prefer to break his songs down into three categories; the sonically challenging, the captivating and the soothing. It`s the combination of all these elements in one show that never fails to win over the crowd. There`s many doors into CR. Every one may not suit your tastes but when you find one, the others become less intimidating.

So here`s how they broke down tonight; in no particular order. You can see the balance...three outside the box challengers, three soothing breaks and a ton of stuff that just reels you in from the onset.

Sonically Challenging;

Maggies Farm Much like Dylan's current show you can't tell it's a Dylan song when it starts. Unlike the Masters current show...this one gets better as it goes along. This year we're getting the "PJ Storm" dub. Now I don't know who PJ Storm is but they seem to like an electronic organ that sounds like a calliope. I had to Google to find that link...had a choice between some guy who has no friends on Facebook, someone else who writes porn for the 18-19 year old market and this eastern European DJ. I took the safe route. Even though this song was considered bombastic for Dylan when it was released (remember Newport '65?) this version makes the early one sound like a folk song.

57 Channels (And Nothing On) From the old Dylan to the new Dylan. Showcase song for CR's impressive harp skills. It almost delves into performance art; a sword-dance between breathe and sound, but not too choreographed. The audience buys itself an extra special version by breaking in no less than three times to applaud the spectacle.


Love Song The recently coke-free and rehabilitated keytar makes it's debut in the droning portrayal of people who ensure that negativity will stop them from pulling through. A love song to teen-angst and adult ennui. A cry in the wilderness for an end to 'shoe gazing' as an art form. To the L, to the O, to the V, to the E.

Captivating;

The Boxer Who Just Returned From London An autobiographical spoken-word piece; an homage to Charles Bukowski. A tour-de-force that displays CR's notable beat-boxing skills. Instant crowd pleaser.

My Bad This one appeared last year in a different configuration, as spoken-word. Now it's part of the banjo set done acuostically amongst the audience. The three vignettes never fail to elicit laughs.

The Grey Area Armpit of Rock N Roll Now we're getting into crossing-over, which may be the easiest way to describe CR; he's a cross-over artist. He's visited this theme in another song (Ballad of Charlie Parker and Patsy Cline), a nostalgic late-night song. This one is a little more late-afternoon libertarian/confrontational. Music finds it's lovers in the most unlikely places and guises.

PET In Ontario, this poem goes over very well. Different in Calgary and Montreal.

Jelly Roll Morton More banjo music about the salacious inventer of American Jazz.

Postcard From New York Now the captivating songs often come with some nice melodies. Which is not to say they can't be challenging topically, as this one proves. Postcard From New York is a mirror, literally and figuratively. It takes a well-known issue many young people have to deal with at that moment their bodies and lives are changing and makes it a 'what if' story. The keytar is present here, but it's the mellow keytar, set to 01, not 21.

The Wind Is A Speed Reader Just added to the set list this year, more spoken word, with a word-hook worthy of the best pop songs. The title alone conjures up images.

Dinner For One A rollicking good time is had by all and no one leaves unsatiated.

Hollywood Movie Blues Banjo #3, sardonic look at the plastic people on celluloid.

Doll House and Pocketknife Lovely piece about training your daughter to take care of herself when you're not around to help.



Soothing;

Blame It On My Troubled Youth I love the piano ballads, the funny ones, like this.

The Kind Man of Alexander Street I love the piano ballads, the sad ones, like this.

Israel's Saviour and Queen I love the piano ballads, the homages, like this one, to Amy Winehouse et al.



CR Avery's DVD Subtitles For A Foreign Film is available for purchase or download at Film Baby

CR Avery's CD Magic Hour Sailor Songs can be found for purchase or download at CD Baby

More CR Avery available a I-Tunes

C R Avery Subtitles For A Foreign Film The Making of...

Now available online at filmbaby


CR Avery Subtitles For A Foreign Film


It was a cold and windy June day in 2008 and when Cece and I settled into our seats at the Sirius Soundstage located on the Harbourfront grounds. We were there to see Billy Bragg. Didn't know there was going to be an opening act when a young man approached the center stage mic and tore into a harmonica-laden version of Leadbelly's Sylvie. OK, that warmed me up a bit. The tapes are rolling, so to speak, it's actually a digital thing beyond my comprehension. The artist settles into a position behind his piano and introduces the next song as a tune by Blind Boy Grunt. I'm thinking to myself, awright, we're getting some blues music...even as my brain was trying to tell me that was an early '60's Dylan alter-ego...almost simultaneously, we get a beat-box version of the Oscar winning song Things Have Changed. He followed with an excellent spoken word piece, an homage to pugalistic poet Charles Bukowski, called The Boxer Who Just Returned From London, and I was hooked.

Putting my limited interweb skills to work I found his website, Facebook page, mySpace page, twitter hash tag, medical history, porn preferences and Family Tree at ClicktheLeaf.com. Turns out he's an active road warrior who traverses the big country a few times a year. When I saw the Rivoli hosting a February show I dropped him a line to see if my son, a fledgling indie film producer, could bring a camera to his show...mostly so I'd have a record beyond my normal audio. He responded that he had a few boxes full of single camera samples and it's really difficult to get enough good material without a few cameras.

So we brought 4.

The shoot was virtually gonzo. No control over the lights, the audience or the stage blocking. No real idea of what CR was going to do. No plans whatsoever except to push REC and see what happens. Add to that the limitations of not being Martin Scorcese; we had two high-end cameras and a couple not so high end. Michael (my son), directed his camera assistants, set up a remote long shot camera and captured a SBD and audience audio feed. The result is pretty impressive...about 4 hours of raw tape to turn into a movie.

The editing was the time consuming part. Michael is meticulous and hard to please. A few late night sessions with CR, when he was in town, resulted in the final play list and an artistic agreement on how the show would look and feel.  It also coincided with another Rivoli date, more filming and more material, on September 6,2009.  The result is a look into a couple of CR Avery's varied persona; solo artist and band leader.

The first act opens with a staple of CR's set; a little something to make you claw your face off.  It's always interesting watching a crowd adjust to the sonic assault from the stage. The songs are at once vaguely familiar yet drastically altered. Whether it's Leadbelly's Sylvie, (as it is tonight), Dylan's Maggies Farm, Tom Waits' Big in Japan, or Springsteen's 57 Channels, it gets a beat-box, harmonica make over.  The audience reaction progresses from "WTF!?!?!?", to "Hey, I think I know this song," to "Man, he's doing a good job."

We get the superior slow version of Door By The River, a better piano-ballad than a rock song. One of the best opening couplets of the decade... "I take my orders/from a seagull perched at a busy intersection..." This usually comes near the end of the set, but CR is looking to get the patrons involved early with the sing-a-long chorus and wading into the crowd schtick. He's aided by local songstress Coco Love Alcorn who finds her way to the front of the stage to lend her soulful voice to the piece. An exercise in working the audience.

Birdcage is a powerful, hypnotic spoken-word tome. The stand-up bass licks provided by Michael Liston evoke a post-modern Beat feel. The poem is packed with strong visuals and surreal imagery. It's like you're sitting in a living room with this young couple as they dance the dance of the developing relationship; establishing the parameters, learning about each other, surrounded by their animated furnishings. Yup, you got it, I have no idea what it's about except it's an aural treat. Superbly captured, passionately delivered, a tour-de-force.

CR was headlining what had been a multi-artist evening and he is joined onstage by the other singers who had performed earlier for a hootenany-type sing-a-long on the aptly titled ballad, When I'm Gone. An impromptu, unrehearsed performance enhanced by the subtle guitar work of The Undesireables Sean Cotton.

The second act of the night features the Legal Tender String Quartet. Two violins,(Serena Eades, Meredith Bates) a bass,(Evan Bates) drums (Matthew Rogers), guitar (Noah Walker)and CR's piano-harmonica. A little high-end music for the streets. The arrangements for the songs in this show were done by the talented Matthew Rogers...and that had to be mentioned because this stuff is the bomb.

Letter From A Foot Soldier is another spoken-word epic, faster paced, a bit of the F-bomb potty mouth on this one. "I need a shrink or a drink or a quiet place to think..." CR takes us through the process of the indie artist. Clubs in the red light district, the search for a muse, walking a tightrope in the spotlight. It's bombastic but not narcissitic. Machine gun rhymes and a couple hints of the Zimmy.

The Boxer Who Just Returned From London,is a long-time regular in CR's set. Another spoken word piece, well paced,humourous, highlighted by some great beat-box/boxing interludes...and it never fails to captivate the audience. "I had to kill, stab, the myth, that beauty is only skin deep..."

The most orchestrally lush arrangement of the night is saved for a song about two monster stars. The Ballad of Charlie Parker and Patsy Cline, takes us to a far-away speak-easy, perhaps in the smokey, needle-strewn stairwell, hours after the music has died, where a god of jazz finds respite in the voice of a country queen. Another visually beautiful capture and stunning performance. I'm seen it 50 times and it still gives me goosebumps.

The night closes with a song that should have been in The Wrestler. Tragic Figure, done country style. I'm glad this song made the cut, it's such a life-affirming way to end a show. CR wades deep into the crowd for this one, far from the SBD mic. The day was saved by sound engineer Dwight Ivany who kept this from the dustbin with some deft sound editing of the camera audio tracks.

The Rivoli is a great place to see a show but it has a tendency to have a chatty backroom, near the entrance and the bar. CR had come into the audience a couple times already, trying to shift the center of balance so the whole hall was paying attention. He met with some fleeting success. To close the night he just figured, not tragically though, that he might as well bring the show to the talkers rather than try to shout them down from the stage. It all results in a special moment as CR croons out his tale of self-redemption, surrounded by the band and the audience.

This isn't all CR Avery has to offer but it's an intimate look at his talents and respect for the art of the show. Michael Levesque has done a wonderful job of capturing the passion of the performance and the subtle interplay of the artists. Whether it's the head shot of CR, sweat pouring down his cheeks, pushing the envelope, or the sweet crying fills of Meredith Bates' violin dancing around the lyrics; fades and cuts that add another dimension to the listening/viewing experience.

Here is the original, pre-release trailer.



The DVD also comes with a load of extras, a retrospective look at CR over the past decade and the irreverant "Olympic" video of the fast version of Folk Singer.

CR Avery The Bookshelf Guelph ON 2011-12-08

5 1/2 hours of meetings downtown, a ride along the Don Valley Parkinglot during rush-hour, quick dinner then on the road for Guelph. Sounds like a Friday, but it's not.

Hook up with friends at The Bookshelf and we're early. Real early. Sometimes these cafe shows are slated to end by 10:30. The venue had a different plan...and they weren't wrong. The real start time was posted as 9:30pm, so we had some time to spare. Luckily, the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce was holding their annual Christmas party so there was food available.

A mere few minutes after 10pm the opening act, local favourites, Your Neck of the Woods takes the stage. A 6 piece band delivering roots music, reminiscent in sound and spirit to Great Big Sea. The kids are dancing early. Well, not early, but dancing. And they know all the words.

Just back from a whirlwind tour of North America, and still packing lots of swag from t-shirts to cd's to actual vinyl records, The Coppertones are a mirror of The White Stripes; girl on guitar, guy on drums. Lots of energy, they tore it up.

So as the day turns into night, turns into the next day, our hero CR Avery takes to the stage shortly after midnight. The kid is hot tonight. Right off the start, with the new calliope sound on the piano/organ, he's doing a Dylan to a Dylan tune, Maggies Farm. The night starts at full tilt as he plays with the phrasing to allow the cheers from the audience into the song.

He bounces up off his stool in the corner and strides to the center of the ring, pounding the pugilist pavement with The Boxer Who Just Returned from London.

Now CR doesn't ever want to be accused of not knowing his Canadiana. I mean, he's not a roots musician in the mold of Corin Raymond, but he respects the broad history of Canadian music. He's back at the piano to deliver the tune Anne Murray will cover in February of 2012 so it can appear in a Pepsi commercial on the Canadian broadcast of the Super Bowl, Dinner For One.

Back at the mic for a cover of a song by The Next Bob Dylan (Ver. 2.12), Bruce Springsteen, the even-more-relevant-now-than-it-was-then, 57 Channels (And Nothing On). Besides giving the audience something that may be vaguely familiar this song allows CR to stretch out that harp-blowing talent that got him the respect of Charlie Musselwhite and some stage time with Tom Waits in days gone by.

By request, and well loved by the left of center gathering, CR's song about Mirabel, PET, is received to raucous applause. Speaking of the 'left of center' crowd, the bar is filled with this generations version of the counter-culture; a mix of KEDS, skaters and wool caps. Whoever sells wool caps in Guelph is wintering in the Bahama's 'cause he's had a good year.

Feeling nostalgic tonight CR brings out his friend from another decade, the recently rehabilitated, keytar. It's a biblical instrument; only Jews and Herbie Hancock are allowed to play it. Tonight it's showcased in the sonic attack that is Love Song (Don't You Hate).

Now it's getting early, so we have a shortened set. CR comes into the center of the audience for the last two unplugged numbers. Hollywood Movie Blues, with banjo, closes the set and the lengthy, machine-gun paced, spoken-word piece, Commercial and First, brings the evening to a bombastic close.


Maggies Farm

The Boxer Who Just Returned From London

Dinner For One

57 Channels (And Nothing On)

PET

Love Song

Hollywood Movie Blues

Commercial and First

Corin Raymond & CR Avery McNamara Family Xmas Get-together A secret room in Toronto 2011-12-04

I guess this is the natural conclusion to discovering these great Canadian performers and spending the better part of your entertainment dollar tracking down their live outings. You can search this blog to find plenty on both these wonderful artists.

CR Avery had some downtime between Southern Ontario shows and I put out an invite for him to come meet the wife's family. As fortune would have it, he convinced Corin Raymond to accompany him. Talk about 'bonus fries'. Big thanks to both you guys for a real treat.

Each year my sister-in-law, Theresa, hosts a family gathering, basically an all-day open-house, and it's become a tradition that kicks off the holiday season. This year the honours of hosting are being done by her niece, Andrea, and her husband David. They were kind enough to be open to the possibilities of incorporating live music into the mix. That's a precarious thing to do, this isn't an audience that chose to be exposed. In fact, it wasn't even an audience that KNEW it was going to be exposed.

All went well 'cause talent prevails. A big thank you to the attentive and appreciative crowd. I see live music so my blood keeps flowing; not everyone feels the same connection.

CR is in the midst of a quick-hit tour before the snow socks us in for the winter. He'll be returning home to East Van when he's done wowing crowds in rural Ontario. Corin is preparing for the 2 night live recording of indie North American artist songs (and a few of his own gems) due to take place at the Tranzac in January.

After the Artist-Trans brought the boys to the party we took some time to imbibe and eat and meet and greet before Corin starts off the festivities with a loose version of Sam Cooke's Cupid. CR is content to conserve his energy and play harp-blowin' wing-man to Corin's troubadour so we're treated to a preview of some tunes that will be on that upcoming live album and DVD as well as some originals and a nice rendition of John Prine's Please Don't Bury Me. All the while CR was dancing around the chorus dropping harp licks and adding some harmonies.

After a short break we entice CR to tune his banjo and deliver a couple tunes. It's a little too early in the night for those manic spoken-word, harp songs. They are best heard under a booming PA in a darkened bar, when the night is just starting to get dangerous. We get some slide-banjo on the humurous My Bad, followed by the just as funny Hollywood Movie Blues before he closed the evening with and appropriate song (perhaps soon to be in Corin's songlist) When I'm Gone.

Here are some sound samples:

Corin

Canadian Tire Money

Please Don't Bury Me

Blue Mermaid Dress

That's Life

There Will Always Be A Small Time

Hard on Things

Big Truck Brought It

CR Avery

My Bad

Hollywood Movie Blues

When I'm Gone