Category Music

ABBA The Museum – II

The ABBA museum and store don’t take cash. “For your protection.” I’m not sure how that protects me. When I travel I like to pay for everything with cash. That way I live within my means and don’t come home to any surprise credit card bills. On my recent trip to Europe, five countries in […]

ABBA The Museum – I

Before leaving Canada I polled my friends and colleagues. The verdict was unanimous; I had to visit the ABBA museum in Stockholm. Of course, none of them had ever been there. I am not an ABBA fan. I have acquired over the years about 10,000 albums. (I know that sounds like a lot, but remember, […]

Tonight’s Show

Today’s post was supposed to be about Switchfoot and Relient K, two bands I will see in concert tonight. For Switchfoot I think it will be the first time in Ottawa in about a decade – and I don’t think Relient K have ever played here before. I have a history of sorts with both […]

JJ’s Christmas

In the stores this week I noticed the Christmas music playing for the first time this year. It might have been playing for weeks already, but I may have tuned it out. I’m almost done with Christmas music for the year. I’m a programmer for a satellite music channel (heard throughout North America and I […]

One Man, One Piano, A Thousand Memories

Somebody asked me if I was going to review the Burton Cummings concert I attended Saturday night. The answer is, yes and no. I had my critic’s hat off for the evening, for the most part. I was there as a fan to relive some teenage memories. Burton delivered on those. The only real disappointment, […]

Thanks For The Memories

“Gee guys, I wish you had asked me sooner. I just accepted an offer to become lead singer of the Beatles.” – 15-year-old Burton Cummings response to being asked to join The Guess Who. He was kidding of course. But that oft-told story is an example of Burton’s legendary self-confidence. He did leave his band, […]

Bob Dylan II – Rolling Thunder

It seems a little silly to wait 41 years to do a concert review. It isn’t like the reviewer is going to remember much if anything about the show. But Thursday’s announcement that this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature was being awarded to Bob Dylan got me to thinking about the first time I saw […]

Bob Dylan I – Nobel Laureate

In case you missed it, Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature Thursday. It was a first for a singer/songwriter so there has been some criticism of the Nobel judges for their choice. I’ve seen Dylan in concert half a dozen times and I think, given this momentous award, I will post a […]

21st Century Church

I went to a church service on a Sunday night in June – but couldn’t quite figure out what the religion was. I wanted to experience first-hand a Mumford and Sons concert. ‎I like their music and their rise has been almost meteoric, from unknowns to superstars. The Ottawa show, their first ever here, sold […]

End Of The Road?

Tonight Canada pauses. The Olympics are forgotten. Wars and rumours of wars are on the backburner. Only one thing is important: The Tragically Hip have returned home to Kingston’s K-Rock Centre for what is most likely one final show. The Hip are the quintessentially Canadian band. They can fill the largest arena in the nation […]