Bonus Post! My Latest REM Column...

Just noticed that my latest REM column is now live here.

Enjoy!

Later!!

The Tooth, The Hole Tooth, And Whatever Else Is Connected To The Tooth...

I'm goin' down today. Under sedation, for my emergency oral surgery.

I'm hoping this resolves a recurring infection that keep coming back year after year, and this last time, nastier than ever.

Of course, I could have had extensive restoration work, and spent between $5-8,000.00 to have a 50/50 chance of success, only to have it yanked in the end anyway. Not being able to use that as collateral with my bank, or rent out the restored tooth to miniature tenants, I opted to bring in the pliers and whiskey instead.

I'll let you know how that worked out for me....

Later!!

Irish Play Set For The Weekend

The fine folks at Liffey Players Drama Society are set to open their production of Eclipsed, by Irish playwright Patricia Burke Brogan Saturday night. On the surface, it looks like pretty heavy material, but I understand there are some light moments as well.

Here's my conversation with the director - click here!

Enjoy!

Almost the weekend!!

Later...

Ch-ch-ch-changes

What is it they say?

Change is inevitable, especially if you pay with a really large bill??

Looks like change is in they wind yet again. Not quite sure what that's going to look like, but I think I'm just going to be proactive and start the process on my own. I've recently revived a site that I had started and abandoned, but I think I'm going to start using that particular one for specific writing I'll be doing. Hopefully that will make site visitors have a more consistent experience when they land, expecting one thing and finding another.

Cryptic?

Sorry - until all the cards are played in this hand, it is a bit of a solitaire game...

Later!!!

PreSale Announcement - Warm Up Your Credit Cards!!

Some big concert news for Calgary - a chance to see a major Canadian artist in an intimate, solo acoustic setting at the Cowboys Dance Hall.

Alt rocker Matthew Good is set to announce tickets for his upcoming performance there November 25th. I hope to have more info, and perhaps something even more exciting soon. 

I last saw Mr. Good live at the Alberta Flood Aid concert, where he performed a short but stellar set (read my brief recap here).

StubHub is set to announce the line up for its Next Stage concert series later this morning (10:00 AM EDT), but I wanted to give you all the heads up early. There are shows scheduled in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. StubHub is bringing Matthew Good here to Calgary for a solo acoustic set at Cowboys Dance Hall on Nov. 25. 

Here's the release:

STUBHUB TAKES MUSIC TO THE “NEXT STAGE” BRINGING A THREE-DATE CONCERT SERIES TO CANADA SHOWCASING POPULAR CANADIAN MUSICIANS

Tickets Available Thursday, 10/30, for Shows Featuring USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) in Toronto and Matthew Good in Calgary and Vancouver at the end of November

CALGARY, AB (October 28, 2014) – StubHub, today announced a continuation of its highly successful music initiative – StubHub’s Next Stage Concert Series – to discover and support emerging artists while giving exclusive access to the true music fan.  

Next Stage will debut in Canada at the end of November.  The three-date concert series will showcase Canadian musicians in intimate venues, featuring USS in Toronto, ON, on November 17th at the Mod Club and a solo acoustic show with Matthew Good in Calgary, AB, on November 25th at Cowboys Dance Hall and in Vancouver, BC, on November 27th at RIO Theatre.  

Tickets are on-sale this Thursday, October 30 for all three shows for only $30 each at www.stubhub.com at 10 a.m. in each respective time zone. 

This is going to be a great night, and it's hard to get into Cowboys even without an act like Good to see. 

Act fast!!

Later!!

There's A Kind Of Hush...

The kind of "hush!" that librarians used to use when you got too noisy in the hallowed halls of the library.

There's also a kind of hush that your mother may have used. There may have been any number of reasons for that one...

We cannot forget about the hush that makes some puppies very, very quiet...

I don't think it's politically correct anymore to say "hush yo mouth" - but that technically could just fall under the mother-husher category.

So, there are kinds of hush. Probably many more than my own examples...

Later!

Chicken Scratch

(posted by weekend guest blogger Charlie Chicken...)

Mah fellow chickinz...

Ah first wanna start by thankin' olive yew fer attendin' this sold-out event ah'm hostin'.

Ah hope that yew kin take away even juss a few purls ah wisdom from this event!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!  

Thang Q...Thang Q...

Please holl yer applause...

Now, ah will begin mah presentation on that "Superiority Uv Tha Male Chicken" now...

Hey!

Sit back down!!

COME BACK HEER!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

AH GOTS THINGS TA SAY!!!!!!!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

GET BACK HERE!!!

Aww, cluck me...

Cluck fer now...

Calgary Folk Club: Dala & Tom Phillips

Way late to get out to another commmitment.

Please click here for my review

Later!

Tonight - Calgary Folk Club - Roots & Harmonies!

Sorry, you've been bombarded by this already if you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, but such is the world of social media...

Check out my Calgary Herald blog today, for details on tonight's show at The Calgary Folk Club!

Later!!

The Cat's In The Cradle

And oddly enough, the baby's curled up on a rug in front of the fireplace.

This doesn't seem to be right....

Later!

Until The Twelfth Of Never

And that's a long, long time.

Longer even than the Eleventh and Tenth of Never. But not quite a long as the Thirteenth of Never.

Feels like it during Daylight Savings Time though...

Later!!

Heavingly Evening.

On the plus side, I did sleep for a few hours last night.

On the less plus side, I awoke to extended physical illness, otherwise known in polite circles as "heaving".

Sweating like a yak right now. However, surgery set for next week, and I believe my meds are finally kicking in.

(Hope you've had your breakfast before you read this post...)

Later.

Yowie...

Day Three of throbbing pain. Spent almost three hours in a walk-in clinic yesterday to get meds with training wheels. I've now got an emergency appointment with my dentist to either get real relief, or proper medications to deliver that.

Not great timing, as my dance card is pretty full right now.

Nertz...

Later!

Today's Calgary Herald Blog - Frost/Nixon

It's a piece of TV history that seems just as relevant today - the clash between interviewer David Frost and former President Richard Nixon - along with the backstory and lead-up to that event.

Done very well here with Calgary's Scorpio Theatre, I recommend taking it in if you're in the area!  

Click here to view my review!

Enjoy!

Later...

Jack The Ripper review, now online!

What happens when you leave the ending of a play in the hands of the audience?

Well, it didn't fail for last night's performance of "Jack The Ripper Monster of Whitechapel" over at Calgary's Workshop Theatre.

Read my review here live now in my Calgary Herald blog!

Enjoy...

Later!

Flawtography, Episode #023

Flawtography, Episode #023

Neil Young

I snapped this picture of the legendary Neil Young when he performed here in Calgary a few years back. An amazing show, by the way. Plenty of old favourites, but all kinds of surprises and unexpected musical home runs as well. The man is something to see. Which you clearly can in my picture above...

He was back through the city not too long ago in a far more intimate setting, but I wasn't able to get to that concert. If he's ever out your way, don't hesitate to snap up tickets. Or snap a picture, that you can treasure forever, like mine.

Later! 

Social Media, and/or Technology Will Be The Death Of Me..

Awoke to some technical problems - what else is new?

My iPhone Twitter account appeared to have disappeared. Still seems to be here on my main computer though.

I'll get it sorted out, but for now, I had to post my morning silliness straight to FaceBook. I suppose the moral of the story is, I will survive.

Although at first, I was afraid. I was petrified. Now I'm just weary...

Later!

It's OK To Come Out Now, Mr. Turkey!

Canadian Thanksgiving is behind us now, so all you turkeys hiding behind trees, or dressed up with black glasses and bushy moustaches can relax for now - the Americans won't be looking to invite you into their homes for a few more weeks yet!

That's right, you can go back to riding the bus, reading a newspaper on a park bench, gardening - whatever it is you liked to do before the carnage began here. Hey, a turkey's got as much right to roam around as freely as us big dumb humans - am I right??

Hey, as long as you're out of the shadows again, do you mind sampling these here cranberries? I just need to know if they're still good - no reason really...

Did you lose some weight while you were in hiding???

Here, have a couple of bowls of this Stove Top Stuffing - it'll fill you right up!

Later...

My Latest Calgary Herald Blog - Laughs With Jack The Ripper

Courtesy Workshop Theatre

OK, I can appreciate that serial killers may not be the most appropriate source material for a comedy, but hey - I didn't write it!

I just interviewed the director of Workshop Theatre's upcoming show at Calgary's Pumphouse Theatre:

Jeremy Mackenzie Interview

Give it a look! If you're in the area, check it out for yourself.

Later!

Save The Whales!

We did have some leftover whale after our BBQ last night, so I have saved some whale for sandwiches later this week.

Later!

Chicken Scratch

(posted by weekend guest blogger Charlie Chicken...)

Well, ya see...

Ah needed a photocopy...

Uhh....

Ah just needed one lil photocopy...

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Soooo....

Ah wuz climbin' up on this here chair, an...

My claws gave way!

Sumthin' slickery, or not grabby enough...

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

How ah ended up with mah head in here iz anybody's guess...

Ah sappoz ah must been flappin' mah chicken wings fer stahbilitee??

Anyhew...

HELP!!!!!

Yeah, give a berd a break - thanks!

Cluck fer now...

Vishten & Jeffery Straker - A Night In Pictures

An incredible night of talented Canadians onstage last night. You can read my review here, but herein I also present "An Evening In Pictures".

Enjoy!

Later...

My Maserati Does 185.

Who wrote that headline?

I don't have a Maserati, and even if I did, it wouldn't go 185! I'd lose my license! I wouldn't drive!!

Sheesh - I sure hope people don't see that post title and think I'm making some kind of statement about the life of a freelance writer - my beater Volvo does 18.5......

Maseratis...what the doodles....

Later!

Sorry about the duplications...

If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, I apologize in advance for the onslaught of music postings today. It is the nature of the publishing industry now that I must be shameless in my shilling, so please look away briefly if you're adverse to repeated broadcasts:

Today, my Calgary Herald blog - Winnipeg's Sweet Alibi.

Check it out. If I haven't already sent you running away form the overkill...

Thanks!

Later...

Jack & Jill Went Up The Hill...

....to fetch  a pail of water?

What a pair of morons!

The stream is at the BOTTOM of the hill!!

There's nothing but a few trees and some sprouts of grass on the top of the hill - even the mountain goats have given up on the effort there...

Humans....

Later.

I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts.

Need a hammer....

Later!

My Calgary Herald Blog - Two Wildly Diverse Canadian Music Acts...

Yesterday I "soft-launched" my latest couple of features, podcast interviews with a couple of exciting, accomplished Canadian musicians. I had also loaded a YouTube version of one of the interviews.

This morning, I clicked "Publish" on the actual Calgary Herald feature that connects all those dots, which you can read here.

Vishten is an Acadian folk rock band that powers traditional sounds of the East Coast along with a wide variety of instruments and dancing. Their career has taken them around the world, and gained them a number of awards.

Jeffery Straker is a classically-trained pianist whose own sounds have been compared to Rufus Wainwright, Elton John, Sarah Slean and more. In my chat with him, he talks about appearing on South American television, to audiences of over 100 MILLION people, representing Canada. Incidentally, he won that competition.

Check all that out - and if you're in the Calgary area, come see them perform live this Friday, October 10th.

Later!!

Flying The New Money-Friendly Skies

Our two major Canadian carriers are now moving forward with plans to charge passengers for the privilege of actually travelling with luggage - apparently those unwashed, self-entitled bastard passengers think they should be able to do that for free - can you imagine??

So, Air Canada and WestJet are joining major American airlines in overcharging not only for the flights, but now for daring to bring a change of clothes along for their two-week vacations.

TImes are good right now for major industries, memories, not so much. When the recession hit a few years, seat sales were prevalent, and customer service a top priority. You could fly, for example, from The Northwest Territories to a remote island in the South Pacific for under a couple of hundred dollars, while dining on the free inflight meal of steak and lobster - for under $300!

Now, try flying to a city less than an hour's drive by car - I hope you have a good mortgage broker in your Rolodex...

I imagine I can't really make a responsible blanket statement about customer service for all airlines, but when the service agent makes you do a limbo under a gate with spikes to board the plane with your luggage, I think they aren't being totally upfront about how little they want you to be carrying luggage...

The term "cash-grab" has certainly been bandied about since this decision was made. They aren't doing themselves justice in the positive marketing department by announcing the new uniforms they'll be adopting in conjunction with this new strategy - masks and small calibre pistols, and a handwritten note to "hand over your money"...

Flying the new money-friendly skies. Come, experience what bank tellers have been dealing with since the days of Jesse James - and hey - make sure your wallet is FILLED!!

Later...



 

Chicken Scratch

(posted by weekend guest blogger Charlie Chicken...)

Ahh...

Peace.

Quiet.

Solitood...

Where a chicken kin fart openly, and shamelessly, without haven' ta say sorry...

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Sumtimes a berd just needs tranquility, ya know wut I mean? 

Of course, drivin' out ta tha mountains might be a lil extreme way ta find solitood, but a bird's gotta do wut a bird's gotta do. 

Ah spread mah wings, and FLEW through tha sky....

Ackshually, ah took a bus....

Hey, it had wi-fi!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

Well, lemme soak this in just a lil bit longer. If ah wants ta eat today, ah'll need to head back at sum point...

Hey - is that a mountain lion??

AH KNOW THAT LOOK!!!!

RANGER SMITH!!!!

HAYLP!!!!

BUK-AAAAWK!!!!

CLUCK FER NOW................. 

Due To Recent Nuptials, House Cleaner Required. Apply, Sherwood Forest.

Public Notice:

Maid Marian would like to announce the closure of her home cleaning service, after her recent marriage to Robin Hood. Maid services will now be required in their own home, to supplement the butler service that has failed to adequately clean Hood's home.

Heretofore, please be advised that applications will be considered until mid-month, requiring a variety of skills such as dusting, laundry, and mending leotards often punctured in the rear by flaming arrows.

Marian would like to thank her clients of the past 12 years, and looks forward to beginning a new chapter in her own life. Colloquially speaking, you can take that feather duster, and place it where "the sun don't shine".

In Sherwood Forest, that includes almost any area under the tall tree canopies...

Thank you again.

Later!

Buddy, Can You Spear A Dime?

Buddy is my trick shot marksman. While so many other people might use a bow and arrow, or a gun of some sort, Buddy prefers spears. Go figure.

We've done the apple on the head thing, the holding a balloon in front of a target bit where I wear skimpy clothes and he barely misses severing my hand. Today, he's going to spear a dime, like that famous old saying and song title.

To be on the safe side, as a dime is considerably smaller than an apple or a balloon, I will hold it with one of those 3-foot long extenda-grabbers that seniors use to retrieve cereal boxes from the top of their kitchen cupboards.

Mama didn't raise no fool, y'all...

Later!

Every Fall, Its The Viking Life For Me!!

Once those leaves start to fall at this time of year, inevitably I turn into Sven The Reaper, as I view my yard and know what must be done.

Yes, I adopt annually the famous Viking ways.  I will rake, and I will pillage. Those leaves don't stand a chance once I begin my relentless campaign of raking and pillaging.

(Pillaging means stuffing raked leaves into garbage bags, right? I really ought to surf the Googler to find that out...)

At any rate - arrr, matey's - a' rakin' and a' pillagin' I will go! Yo Ho Ho!!!

Later...