Category Music
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 […]
I came across a page on Facebook recently filled with memes created from “classical” art. Some were crude, some were silly, but others I found quite funny. Those ones I will post here over the next little while. That way you don’t have to wade through the excrement – I’ve already done it for you. […]
Bluesfest 2016 IV – The Monkees
What do you do when the singer on half your hit records dies? When your guitarist apparently would rather be dead than join you on stage? Or maybe not. After all, the show must go on. The pre-fab four are now the pre-fab two but, still calling themselves The Monkees, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork […]
Bluesfest 2016 III – John Fogarty
I am not a wine expert, so what I am going to say next may not be true. But I have been told that some wines don’t age as well as others. I don’t remember if it is due to the deterioration of the cork, or sheer age, but sometimes a fine wine will become […]
Bluesfest 2016 II – The Lumineers
It was one of those songs, an ear worm that gets into your head and won’t leave. A huge hit, the sort of thing every new band dreams of and prays for. There is more to The Lumineers than “Ho Hey,” from their 2012 debut album, as they proved during a very damp set this […]
Bluesfest 2016 – I
Music can strike to the heart of my being, stirring up an emotional reaction unlike anything else. Especially live music. This summer, for the first time in more than a decade, I didn’t purchase a full festival pass for the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest that started last week and runs until the 17th. I looked at […]
random thoughts from lorne 
Recent Comments