Raptors Win In Hoser City

The last time a major sports team won a championship in Toronto I was releasing my very first CD; Hoser City.

I hate to admit it but that was a long time ago. Twenty-six years ago to be exact. I remember it like it was yesterday except I have forgotten the name of the club we were playing at on Yonge St. It was on the east side, just across from the Eaton Centre. It is not there any more.

Ok, the truth is that I don’t remember that evening that well at all. What I think happened, or the way I tell the story now goes something like this.

We were excited to be playing my, eclectic electric instrumental jazz music in public after we had recorded it some months earlier at Cherry Beach Studio. Victor Bateman on bass, Brent Bodrug on keys and Kevin Dempsey on drums. Yours truly was playing my pal (and the designer of the CD cover) Steve Szigeti’s  Stratocaster and my ES-175 that I still own. My pal Andy Milne produced and played on that CD and Brian Nevin the engineer on the record and I have since become pals and play a fair bit of hockey together (hosers!)

We got to the club for sound check and the owner told me that we “didn’t have to play.” I was so disappointed. He said he would still pay us but little did he realize that we weren’t in it for the money. Some of us ended up watching the game there and taking advantage of a few free adult beverages. (you know this is ancient history as the band was getting paid and there was free beer and food for us too if memory serves me correctly)

I remember it being kind of exciting although my interest in baseball can’t even touch my passion for hockey. The part of the evening we didn’t anticipate was the crazy party the came roaring up Yonge street from the Skydome after they won. People were going crazy. Somehow we had to get our gear out of the club through this non-stop impromptu parade of people. Once again, I am not sure how we got out of there alive but we did and I am here to tell you all the details as I do and don’t remember them.

I wasn’t too well prepared for the World Series as most of my energy was going into my my music. That hasn’t changed. I still feel like I will be unprepared for the Raptors winning the big prize this year (I don’t even know what it’s really called). However, I think this time I might stay close to home or even on my couch and watch the city celebrate around me.

You can listen to Hoser City here