Friday, January 27, 2006

I love Hockey!!!!

tim
www.GuildwoodRecords.com

Now I am obsessing over this Guy Maddin film, Careful. I have watched the movie, the directors comments, the documentary of the making. He is so amazing. This is one reason DVDs are so great. I really have to rent Tales from the Gimli Hospital. He is definitley one of my fave filmakers.


It is sad to say but the documentary made me feel it is okay to continue working at one's art and not be completely successful with everything you do. I don't know how true it is now but it wasn't long ago that Guy was still painting houses to make ends meet. I wish the world weren't like that for great artists like him but I don't feel so alone.

tim

www.GuildwoodRecords.com

Thursday, January 26, 2006

I am having a minor streak of bad luck. It was capped off with a bottle of red kids medicine completely leaking into my jacket pocket this morning at Cafe Brasiliano. (I will spare you the details of why I had it there in the first place)

I think it is a sign of better luck for the rest of the day, having Bill Richardson doing "sounds like canada" today instead of Schelagh Rogers.

Anyways, I am looking for a new "coffee hang" for thursday mornings. Cafe Brasiliano has been good but keeps becoming less desirable since they took away their weekday breakfast. Today was the final day for me when they asked for a looney for my cup of coffee refill (that I have to walk to the counter to get). It is not the money of course but the principal of it.

More interesting to me is that, they will never know why they lost their regular customer. I guess this is one of the tricky things about the business. I am someone who gets to know and talks to my servers but when things get negative, I am out of there. (this makes me think the average restaurant goer is pretty fickle)

As Corry tries to continue improving the Red Guitar with some major and minor changes it will be intersting to see who starts and stops coming and who voices their opinions and approval or not.

Sometimes we wish it was more like a club and we try our best to make people feel that....so hopefully people will feel free to put in their two cents worth.

tim
www.GuildwoodRecords.com

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

hi blogland,

I did make it out to the film benefit last night. Fun. Got to hear Kavli, Bob Wiseman and a really good poet I had never heard before named Ken Babstock. Will have to watch for his new book coming out, maybe by late winter.

It was Randi Helmers' 50th Bday!!! Wow. I never dreamed that that is what 50 could be like. She looks great, sounds great and has more energy than most 30 year olds. What is age anyways? I guess everyone starts thinking that as we get older.

Unfortunately the two other gigs I went to had both just finished as I arrived. Now here I am with not quite enough sleep in me and my three year old is not going to his usual Wednesday daycare as he has a cold. (yes, I am feeling a little sorry for myself today)

Although, I did enjoy listening to my first Cd Hoser City (GR001) while we cleaned his room this morning. The compositions are good, the sounds are pretty cool and some of the playing by the others is great. Unfortunately, my playing was not really strong back then. (Andy Milne plays some great piano and helped me produce it)

If anyone ever digs it up and wants to put it in perspective, it could be thought of as a small strain of musicians and compositions who/that were inspired in Canada by the music of Steve Coleman. Steve's music is one of the few changes in jazz music in the last twenty five years or so that can or will be remembered.

Unfortunately, Hoser City is impossible to find in the stores. I really wish I had some MP3s of it online. I plan to do that sometime but for now if you are curious you can send a cheque for $20 CAD to www.GuildwoodRecords.com

Take off eh,
timposgate@guildwoodrecords.com

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Well, at least our riding got Olivia Chow to Ottawa. That is a small blessing when I think of the Conservatives in power.

Must think of a way to stay in touch, protest, campaign or call it what you will to make sure the Conservatives don't cancel the increase to the Canada Council's budget.

I already had one good friend in radio suggest that he might help publicize such an initiative!

I am hoping to make it out to see some stuff tonight: kavli (Clutton, Helmers, Randoja....Randi's Birthday today!!) is performing at the elmo for an indie film benefit at 10pm, John Southworth (featuring Jean Martin and maybe Andrew Downing?...at tranzac for the late set) and my neighbour Michael O'connell is at the Red Guitar tonight....Hoping to do it all. (had a little nap with my 3yr old today so that should help!

timmy p
----------------------------------------
Wooden Nickel Productions


"The Princess of Selkirk Avenue"

Fundraiser

An evening of music, readings, raffles & celebration.

The high cost of film is as good a reason as any to throw a party!

Music by:

Kavli, Ron Hawkins, Bob Wiseman, AC3

Readings by:

Ken Babstock, David Seymour, Elizabeth Ruth

Hosted by:

Tim Burton

Monday, January 23, 2006

Heh, I forgot to mention my letter to the editor in this week's Now Magazine. The funny thing was I didn't really send it to the editor but they printed it anyways. I was just trying to send a quick note to the film section of the paper to let them know I appreciated the quality of their writing and there it was in the paper. (sorry I couldn't find the link to it online)

I better go see the movie in question, The Passenger, for sure now.

tim
p.s. I was honoured to have my letter printed beside (obviously a coincidence) the king of letter writing; Mendelson Joe.

This is a great article, informative and inspiring written by a guy I went to the Banff School of the Arts with about a guy I went there with. I have stayed in touch with Benoit Delbecq and often bump into him on the road when both of us are touring in Canada. He is easily one of my favourite pianists alive today.

The interview is on Allaboutjazz.com

I think I will pull out a copy of the duo Cd he did with drummer Steve Arguelles.

tim
www.GuildwoodRecords.com

Sunday, January 22, 2006

There are a few more days to see "yours to break." Quite a unique play. Highly erotic and it plays with your emotions as they go from choreographed sex straight into some intense boxing. Yes, real boxing, with gloves.

Live music was the key for me as Rob Clutton is on bass, Alan Cole on Piano and Rick Sacks on percussion. The songs were popular music like Hank Williams, Peter Gabriel, Lhasa etc. Fides Krucker has a great voice (I knew this already) but this wouldn't be the music I would choose to hear her sing. (ie. I am sure it was fun and exciting for her to step out of her modern opera career for a minute but I look forward to her stepping back into it) She really is great.

The stage design was quite beautiful and appropriate for the script and nicely minimal in a time where we are reading about the Millions of dollars being spent on the Lord of The Rings, theatrical version. Same goes for the lights and video work.

It was a nice capper to head up for the last set at the Red Guitar for David Occhipinti's group. Some intersesting music. (No shortage of talent in this band!) The music seemed a little hesitant but my hat is off to them for not only playing so much original music but a lot of it was brand new. I quite enjoy hearing a band working through new music. Art is a process and there is lots to be learned from every stage as a listener. Good crowd too. (I heard the first set was sold out)

tim
p.s. I am not sure about being the booking agent and then being critical on my blog...hmmm...have to think about that one. (any thoughts from blogland?)

I just heard a great concert on CBC's Onstage. I remember Ravi telling me about it when they were rehearsing but I just luckily turned on the radio at the start of the two hour concert when I was doing the dishes. (here is the info from the cbc website, disapointing as there are no photos or anything of the show...CBC rocks (way to go Todd Frarachi for producing a great show) when it comes to radio but really doesn't "get" the web yet.

OnStage from Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, a concert from the World series - "East Meets East" Mary Jane Lamond (Cape Breton / Canada)
Kiran Ahluwalia (India / Canada)
Shahid Ali Khan (Pakistan / Canada)
"The duty of Qawwali is to reduce the distance between the Creator and the created" quotes Shahid Ali Khan. Qawwali is the marriage of rapturous, spiritual poetry to mesmerizing singing and music. Kiran Ahluwalia's Ghazals explore the many aspects of the human condition, while her Punjabi folk songs celebrate them. Mary Jane Lamond presents unique interpretations of Scottish Gaelic traditions from the North Shore of Cape Breton Island. Joined by Rez Abbasi, guitar; Ravi Naimpally, tabla; Ashok Bidaye and Mombasher, harmoniums; and other special guests, these extraordinary singers explore connections and collaborations between modern and ancient.


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