Category Music
Once There Was A Way
Do you ever wonder “What if?” Bryce Zabel obviously does. Once There Was A Way is the result. As a music fan I lean more towards The Rolling Stones than The Beatles. Admittedly The Stones lost their relevance sometime in the 1970s, but I would till go see them perform if they were in my […]
Hurt Road
You’ve probably never heard of Mark Lee, which means you are unlikely to read this book. Hurt Road is for the fans who know that Lee is the founder and guitarist for the rock band Third Day. When I think of Third Day, I think of Mac Powell, whose distinctive voice gives the band their […]
Never Look At The Empty Seats
He’s a simple man (by his own words) and releases his autobiography today. If you aren’t already a fan you probably won’t care enough to read it. But maybe you should reconsider Never Look At The Empty Seats. Charlie Daniels has spent more than 50 years as a musician, doing his own thing for the […]
An Untimely Passing
Gord Downie, lead vocalist of The Tragically Hip, died yesterday. He was 53. Coverage of his death dominated Canadian news. It seems fitting therefore to repeat my thoughts on The Hip and Gord Downie that were published here 14 months ago. END OF THE ROAD? August 20, 2016 Tonight Canada pauses. The Olympics are forgotten. Wars […]
Another Death In The Rock and Roll Family
When I saw Tom Petty perform in July it never occurred to me I was witnessing one of his last shows. The news of his death of cardiac failure earlier this week was a shock. I know there is a generation of performers who are aging and not likely to be with us much longer. […]
Hefner and Disney
Hugh Hefner is dead. The damage he did lives on. The details on that would be book-length. The Playboy founder was 91when he died. Possibly most people thought he was dead already – Playboy hasn’t been a cultural force for decades. His magazine pretty much ignored God. I wonder about the discussion Hefner is having […]
Music With A Message
Sometimes a line resonates with you; it speaks to your soul. I saw Switchfoot perform earlier this year. First time I had seen them in concert since 2011. That Switchfoot show was the best live performance I saw that year, better even than U2. There was something special about the energy of the crowd and […]
Still Rocking After All These Years
Scratch one from the bucket list. Not that I actually have a bucket list. I missed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers the last time they were in Ottawa, 36 year ago. I don’t know why it took so long for them to return when the 2017 RBC Ottawa Bluesfest schedule was announced, with Petty as […]
Howl of the Wolf
Strangely enough for the event they call Bluesfest, there are very few blues acts. It wasn’t that way in the beginning of course, but over the past 20 years the festival has become an everything festival, with country, folk, hip-hop, rap, EDM and rock bands headlining on successive nights. You have to work really hard […]
Night of The Zombies
It’s not that I love music any less. Just a sign of how busy my life has become. The 2017 edition of Ottawa Bluesfest was a week old before I made my first excursion. No time for that one either (I have a project on deadline) but under some circumstances you have to make an […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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