Summertime Open Houses - my latest real estate humour column...

Back when I was still selling real estate, my summer weekends weren't spent enjoying BBQ's and beer - I was most often sitting in a home for three hours.

But why?

NOW I come up with better options - doh!

Read my latest REM column here!

Enjoy!

Later...

Brock Zeman, At The Ironwood

Review of new CD to follow, but 

CLICK HERE

to get to my photo slideshow from Brock Zeman, Blair Hogan, and The Northwest Passage live at The Ironwood Stage & Grill Tuesday night...

Later!

Songwriter Due To Hit Ironwood Stage Next Week - Brock Zeman

Can't wait for this one - his latest album is stellar, and I can't wait to see his music come to life onstage!

Read the feature in my online Calgary Herald space, and click on the link to listen to the full audio interview....

Enjoy!

Later... 

For The Birds - my latest humour column...

You don't even have to say "based on a true story". You really can't make this sort of stuff up.

But you can exaggerate how things unfolded a wee bit...

My latest REM column, a feathery tale of me versus nature - any guesses who wins??

Enjoy!

Later...

Interviews: Stage West Calgary's "Rumours & Dreams A Look Back At Fleetwood Mac"

I sat down with Randy Johnson (co-creator, director) and Stephan Dickson (choreographer) for Stage West Calgary's latest musical revue - read the feature here!

Includes a full video link to the interview as well...

Enjoy!

Later...

Stage West Calgary presents "Rumours & Dreams" - A Look Back At Fleetwood Mac

Stage West Calgary

"Rumours and Dreams - A Look Back At Fleetwood Mac"

(playing June 25 - August 30, 2015)

photo courtesy Stage West Calgary

I should precede this review by stressing that Stage West Calgary's latest ensemble musical revue is just that, a theatre-styled retrospective with a slender storyline that unites the musical numbers. It is NOT a Fleetwood Mac cover band show in any way, shape or form, which is pretty obvious once the lights come up onstage.

As a matter of fact, this revue show touches on the music of other influential bands as well, those that had immediate connections to the band - such as Jefferson Airplane and Heart. Those connections are discussed by the show's co-creator Randy Johnson, in a video interview and feature that will appear online in my Calgary Herald space over the next day or so. My official Herald review will appear there soon as well.

This Fleetwood Mac production occasionally mirrors the band itself - explosive power, subdued and delicate melodies, and a few misfires. It is ironic that as a bit of an overture, the show starts both acts with Tusk - a song from that double album of the same name. Despite achieving sales and chart hits that would make it a runaway success in this current fragile music era, it was considered by many critics to be a self-indulgent flop. Personally, I love the song, and always love to hear those drums and recurring chant, so I wasn't among those in that camp. 

However, it is a pretty accurate reflection here. This cast is composed of so many talented singers that have helped propel productions here before -  like Katie Beetham, the award-winning powerhouse star Lady Of The Lake from the just-closed Spamalot. 

Add in Aurianna Angelique (Love Train), Andrew McGillivray and Brent Thiessen (80's Solid Gold), plus Nikki Ponte, marking her second Stage West show during The Calgary Stampede (Uptown Country Girls) as some of the familiar faces that are back. Each of those singers and actors have moments here that sparkle, especially in some of the re-imagined versions of these iconic songs.

It is that statement, in how these songs are so iconic, that there are a few stumbles. If you've grown up wearing out those albums, then the cds that replaced those, it may be that you have a certain expectation of those tracks, as they were recorded and cherished.  But that said, it's not enough to discourage you from being in the seats there to hear the standouts, of which there are many. Never mind the always stellar house band, led by the musical director Konrad Pluta.

A slow start, a few meanderings that mirror the band's career in a spooky sort of way, but overall, the effort has more shine than a gold or platinum record. 

3.5 of 5 stars

Rumours And Dreams - a look back at Fleetwood Mac runs at Stage West Calgary 

June 25 - August 30, 2015

I will post links soon to that video interview with co-creator and director Randy Johnson, and choreographer Stephan Dickson, there's some great commentary on the show and their careers as well.

And check back as well for my official Calgary Herald review!

photo courtesy Stage West Calgary

The Calgary Stampede's "Canadian Classic" Grandstand Show

What an amazing job the folks organizing this year's show have done!

Read my review for The Calgary Herald here.

Get out there and get your Stampede on!!

Later...

Buck Rogers In The 5th Century

You don't realize how much you depend on technology until it doesn't work.

Then, you don't realize how much your skull can contain the pressure of exploding brains until you discover that your head is poised to erupt in fury and frustration...

That was some of the fun I had along with the rest of my recent experience attending an annual conference this past weekend with the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, in Indianapolis. While the balance of the experience was exceptional, losing contact with the outside world was NOT!!

First off, Microsoft Outlook decided that based on my consistent travels at home between Wal-Mart and McDonald's any other day of the week, the fetching of emails in Indiana meant I had been hacked. So, to PROTECT me, they froze every aspect of Hotmail, which meant I had to login and jump through their authentication hoops. Easy-peasy, like threading a cooked sausage through the eye of a needle...

That simple task, meant to cheerily protect me even though THEY COULD USE THE GODDAM SECURITY INFO THEY HAVE ON FILE INSTEAD OF THIS BLANKET PROCESS, took a day, as I was unable to access my codes.  I had chosen not to take a roaming package. The last time I did that, I exceeded it with a text to my wife, where I said "Hi!", exceeding my limit by 400 MB, and costing somewhere around (I kid you not) $600 for the 4 days I was away on that trip. 

At any right, bygones...

Live and learn I say, when I can afford to.

The reason I couldn't get the code was due to that lack of roaming, which prevented iMessage from working. iMessage is a great feature when it works, but it uses data, which is prevented when you have that feature off - so Microsoft staff were patting themselves on the back, assured that they had indeed prevented identity theft with this clown in Indiana who was not receiving the authentication texts. Whose head was swelling to the size of those exposed-brain Martians you saw in 60's movies...

I did eventually sort everything out, and will be exploring new options for an email provider, and likely a cell phone provider while I'm at it.

When I returned to Calgary, I got a call the next day informing me that my flight was "randomly chosen from hundreds that day to win $999" - a classic scam. 

So, I did manage to get exposed to something after all, which has now resulted in opening a fraud file with the RCMP. 

Technology WILL be the death of me...

Later. 

Gordon Lightfoot in pictures

The iconic troubadour of our country

View the photos from my crappy "Point & Click" here.

Enjoy :-)

Later!

Steve Hill @The Ironwood Stage

Wish I had brought my real camera - damn...

The astounding Canadian blues rocker Steve Hill killed it last night at The Ironwood Stage - read all about that here!

Enjoy - I sure did...

Later.

Do YOU see 11:11??

The timing for this month's humour column is even more timely, given that Mrs. That Dan Guy and I just went to see the latest Avengers movie.

We caught in in Theatre 11, and the snacks we bought totalled...I kid you not...$11.11 exactly!

Here's my reflections on the importance of numbers in real estate.

Read my column here.

Enjoy!

Later....

Better Act Fast - Show TONIGHT at Wine-Ohs!

Talk about last minute notice - my column just went live online minutes ago for a show that happens TONIGHT, Calgary!

Check out Lindsey White when she brings here Renegade project to town - read my preview interview feature here, which also links to an audio podcast.

Enjoy!

Later...

Check out new office comedy web series

I was recently introduced to a great new project that is swinging for the bleachers the next few days at The Banff World Media Festival. With a great cast, tight writing, and what would be a nice spotlight on Calgary talent, I highly recommend you check it out:

"Word Of Mouth" web series

All of the episodes for Season One are available for viewing.

Here's a link to my Calgary Herald feature, and chat with co-creator/director John Kissick.

Enjoy!

Later! 

Montreal Bluesman To Hit Ironwood Stage

Steve Hill has carved out a successful path for himself with his past two albums, the latest earning him more than one mantel full of awards. 

I chatted with him for this Calgary Herald feature - he will be here in Calgary June 20th at The Ironwood. I would recommend you check it out, I sure expect to be there!

Later!

Buddy Guy Live

The man is a legend, who pays respect to fellow legends when he plays live - you had to be there:

Pix link

A Little Light Reading Going Into The Weekend...

Seeing as how I didn't link here to my last column online in The Calgary Herald, I will do that now.

Here it is!

Enjoy!

Later....

JUNO Nominated Singer Songwriter chats about career

Roxanne Potvin

Had the pleasure of chatting over the phone recently with singer/songwriter Roxanne Potvin, who discussed her career, her musical inspirations, and the tour she is currently out on the road for right now. 

She is quite accomplished!

Read the feature from the online Calgary Herald link, and click on the link in there for the full audio interview!

Enjoy!

Later...

Holiday Weekend Roundup - Of Forgotten Linkages :-)

I have been remiss - and at shameless self promotion no less!!

I have failed to drop a few links from my past few published pieces, so here we go:

1) My latest REM (Real Estate Magazine) column:

Read here about my complete lack of a bright future as a real estate advice columnist!

2) Catch my review of Yukon indie roots artist Gordie Tentrees at Ironwood Stage & Grill, along with Oklahoma-based Jaxon Haldane, who is originally from my own hometown of Winnipeg!

3) Surf on over to danstyves.com for the collected preview, interviews and review links for Tom Wilson aka LeE HARVeY OsMOND (Junkhouse, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings), as well as Calgary roots and soul artist Brent Tyler!

4) I had the great pleasure of interviewing the 2014/2015 Arts Commons Blues Artist In Residence, Kat Danser - click here to read our interview! 

That should do it for now - you can always catch every one of my Calgary Herald online features from my direct link!

Later...

A Historic (and fitting) Finale To My Theatre Writing Days

Scene from "Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)" courtesy Workshop Theatre

You really can't make this stuff up. As I have mentioned before, I have been completing a few outstanding theatre company reviews before I shift my focus to music writing. It has been a difficult decision, but as a freelance part-timer, I was under about three feet of water, and there was no end in sight. Plus I was declining even more invites from larger and larger companies, as well as dropping the ball with ones I had committed to. That's no way to be a professional.

Well, the last theatre company that I had the opportunity to wrap things up for was Workshop Theatre, a company near and dear to my heart. Back when my theatre writings were only appearing in this very blog space, they were the second big outfit to bring me in, after many months of Stage West Theatre reviews.

My first review ran back on May 14th, 2010, for play called The Coarse Acting Show. Essentially a farce with less slamming doors and more falling moustaches, I was invited back on and off, before getting regular invites there as well as having the number of companies grow as the reviews moved into The Calgary Herald, online.

My last official theatre review then should have run yesterday, but didn't go live until this morning.

Had it run yesterday, it would have been EXACTLY five years to the day after the first one - go figure...

That means I've been blessed with an amazing five year run (even longer at Stage West, which I will continue for personal reasons), AND that you only have TWO more nights to catch:

Workshop Theatre presents - Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), which is a terrific time based on the award winning play written by female Canadian playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald, which isn't something I typically point out, but is very pertinent to this production.

I certainly hope to continue to support the amazing theatre companies here in Calgary, and truly wish them the best of luck as they continue to produce astounding work.

Later!!

Shifting My Focus (Not My Ford, Just To Be Clear)

Well, I've made a lot of vague statements here over the last little while, and discovered while out at an event this weekend that particularly secretive strategy might not be in my best interests, at least as far as clarity moving forward is concerned.

So, let's clear up a few things, shall we? Shall I?

Yes, I shall...

For all the years I've been doing this blog, I've used the scattergun approach - which has most often produced regular daily blogs, but a complete lack of consistency within those posts. 

One thing that started out as a lark ended up bearing fantastic fruit - my "Nobody Asked Me To, But Here I Go Anyway" entertainment reviews opened doors for a wealth of writing opportunities beyond my personal blogspace.

Long story short, I ended up writing a recurring review column for The Calgary Herald, primarily for Stage West Theatre Restaurant here in Calgary.

Over the years, that expanded to an online feature, and eventually my own Calgary Herald blog space. 

That led to an explosion I could not have foreseen in my wildest dreams - requests that grew exponentially from theatre groups, live music, comedy, opera, authors, and more.

In short, a recipe for disaster for a part-time endeavour. 

So, I started a few weeks ago with my vague ramblings here, but I should have just been upfront and clear, and I have been as of the past few weeks. I sent out a notice to the theatre companies that have been so supportive of my work, but as the music and comedy aligns more with my future plans, had to be discontinued.

I will continue to do the reviews and preview interviews for Stage West Calgary, as they opened the door in the first place, and often align with those new priorities. I certainly hope to continue to support those amazing community theatre companies as best as I can, and I wish them much continued success - they perform often at levels above and beyond expectations. 

So, in a nutshell, I am going to be focusing primarily on music, most specifically singer/songwriter folk, roots, blues and indie artists, but there may be a few exceptions - I will be reviewing Micah Barnes new jazz cd New York Stories for example. 

I've got some big ideas I've already pitched, more coming soon, and hope to update you on those as soon as I hear. 

I also hope to update danstyves.com much more regularly, as I revamp that site, my main website, and this blog space over the next little while.

There have been a few casualties - I gave up my daily posting on Twitter, and even daily posts here, despite feeling that I have needed to do that regardless of what I was posting at any given time. I'm actually getting more traffic and new followers than I had been before - go figure!

Thanks for your support if you've stuck with it, even after some drastic changes, and welcome aboard if you're a new follower - there's more change coming, but I hope it all makes for interesting and informative reading!

Later!