The Magic Of Live Music

I guess my " thing" you could say is live music and this year seems to be full with more music.  I took a tour down to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto recently with my friend Julie to see John

Mayer.  We have both been long time fans and before we were friends we had a mutual love for His music!  Now I think he is one of the performers that falls into the category of being so much better live,  That isn't always the case in music as lots of acts depend on the studio magic to make them sound good and then there are the true performers that bring so much to the stage.  And they are even better than their recordings as the new dimension is added.  It helps that John has some of the best players in the world and has a wide variety of music.  But the magic happens live that is for sure.  Even if you see a band you wouldn't normally listen to and they have that "thing" going oh live, you may see them in a whole new light!   I have heard U2 is an experience and I did see Garth live in New York City and of course he was quite an entity!   I wouldn't listen to big band music necessarily but seeing a full band perform with its 20-30 pc band is amazing.  Out Toronto trip to see John Mayer was fun and new had as much fun prior just walking around down town and going for supper at the Elephant and Castle one of my favourite places to eat.  And our seats were pretty great although I would have liked to have been much closer, well on stage would have been even better!  A guest appearance from Canada's

Shawn Mendez was an awesome bonus and showed their great musicianship as the young Mendez played an acoustic duo with Mayer!  2 guitars and vocals shows the class of the musicians and it was amazing and flawless!  My second time seeing John Mayer in concert and both times were amazing. I hear there is a John Mayer Cruise, now that would take the cake!  I try to always be out supporting live music or playing live music and now I am putting together a full band for the summer and I'm super excited to do material that I haven't done prior as it didn't translate quite right as a solo or duo act.   I will be putting out details in the near future and I am pleased that the new Customs House in St Marys has live music!  So far there has been local bands who drew great crowds and an awesome young jazz guitar player this past Saturday eve with some smooth easy listening sounds!  I will be booking in for May and stoked to hear of an open mic in the near future!  And mark on your calendar the Stratford Blues Festival at the end of June and Mitchell's Canada Day Celebration if you are a live music enthusiast!  Yes, I am a bit one track minded but who doesn't love to be entertained?! 

Ben's Story - April 5th, 2017

Some people can be in your  life for years and don't ever really ever get to know them and some people can be there for only a short chapter and you feel like you have known them forever.  Benjamin fell into the second category and into our lives via my oldest son Dustin, at his recording studio.  I remember him talking about this guy from Hensall who came in to record and he said mom you'd love his music. And he wasn't wrong.  Flash forward, this kid with a huge personality and great sense of humour (complete with fake British accent) won all of our hearts.  I had always become “another mom” to the friends my sons brought home. And Ben went one step further and became a part of my teaching staff when I discovered he played piano.  His students adored him, basically, to know Ben was to love him.  Ben worked with me, played gigs with Dustin and I, we even wrote a song together, he became one of the family,  one of the boys.  This was solidified the day I heard a crash from the teaching room as my Washburn guitar fell which he was using it to teach.  The same guitar my sons had broken the head stock off not once, but 3 times before.  I said "Ben what was that?" from my desk and he said

"ummmm your guitar" and laughed his (how could you be mad at "me") sort of laugh and gave me that sheepish look and I said “well, I guess you're officially part of the family now!”  Then on a Tuesday morning Victoria Day 2015 I saw a news post, a 22 yr old had been in a car crash near Exeter at 7:50 and was airlifted with life threatening injuries , I knew that was Bens route to work.   My worry rose as he didn’t text back, when I messaged hey just an over reactive mom response… you got to work?  There was no timely response that he was known for.  I spent the day trying to find out what kind model his black little car was and then at 4:30 I got word he was in surgery after a head on collision with a transport and was critical.  After days of touch and go and us trying to help Ben's family cope with the stresses of being hung up in a hospital (bringing them food and drinks) he miraculously survived.  He came back faster and stronger than anyone could imagine, months before the doctors predicted and with more pins and rods and valves than you can imagine.  He had his guitar in his hand to recover, his family was intensely devoted and did not leave his side, we supported them in order to support him.  We had a benefit concert three weeks after and to everyone's amazement, Ben had himself wheeled in, broken and battling, and sang Drift away with the band.  It was one of the most moving moments I‘ve had and anyone there agreed.  Ben thrived but still had heart problems due to the accident. His damn aorta was just not co-operating with him after all of the damage it had undergone, but it didn't stop Ben

from going back to school to become a paramedic.  So fitting as he was a giving, loving kind of person and he was paying it forward.  He had found love in his personal life and with his friends and family who were so passionately dedicated to him.  Like I said to know Ben was to love him, everyone agreed even if you got mad at Ben it wouldn't last, he would just give you that smile.  Then he had one more surgery, from what I understood as it had been awhile since I had visited with Ben and he was busy with his new chapter in life. And yet on a Tuesday, while at the stop lights, I thought, I must message Ben.  The next day I read a post by his sister he was having open heart surgery that day. I quick sent him a message hoping he'd find it in recovery and he responded a quick Thanks Steph:)  His usual timely response.  I watched for an update and in this case “no news was not good news” finally I read unexpected and severe complications arose during his surgery and again we waited like a flash back of almost two years earlier.  Finally the devastating news arrive that Ben had slipped away from us, my heart broke for his family.   And for everyone who had loved him, and there were many.   He left this plain for what I imagine to be a softer gentler place, without the limitations of our physical being. His energy, larger than life, has now become infinite and his music lives on.  We all came together as musicians, family and friends to create together the most beautiful celebration of life held at his high

school gym, lead by his music teacher.  The day was filled with music and memories and any other spaces were filled with Ben’s cd playing right until the last moment of the day as we packed up and beyond, as while in the vehicles it was still playing, wrapping us with his presence,  his huge presence and I was honoured to sing hallelujah for the final song of the celebration, One of Ben's favourite songs to sing, I sent out a silent request to Ben to help me deliver it to this gymnasium full of his friends and family and with an inspired moment I sang Hallelujah…  and it goes like this the forth the fifth, the minor falls and the major lifts.  Ben will be missed just like Little Will from St Marys, whom I've heard of so much of and Dan Rankin as well,  their fragile hearts and big spirits moved on way to soon and yet we are so much richer for having had them in our lives... and in our hearts they will live on forever.

oOoooO MoRE ImproV!! March 5th, 2017

OK I promise, this is the last time I will write about Improv (no, never mind, I'm sure this is not really the last time) Friday night our troupe came together in a way that made us so proud of ourselves!!  Our opening show at the beautiful St Marys town hall theatre was a blast! My cheeks hurt from laughing and the crowd was on fire (well not literally but they could've been with all the heat they were giving us) our Improv teacher who I have lovingly renamed "Chef Ramsey of the Theater" was laughing so hard at our work, we knew we had done a good job and made her proud and our work as her graduates!!  After our pre-show warm-ups backstage, I I was getting a bit nervous listening to the people arrive, I worried that I would draw a blank.  At that moment I decided I should revert back to my public/high school roll of joke making, disturbance creator, class clown and pull from my memory bank to keep my momentum up and myself on track. (ironically I would still have to painfully still keep quiet in my seat until centre stage)   It made me think of my recent trip to a local school to do my Mini Music program with a kindergarten group.  One little fellow had a rather hard time sitting still (I could relate to his struggle) and at the end when I decided to sing with them old McDonald had a farm he piped right up and sang it in his loudest (what I thought sounded like) true pirate voice, (making complete perfectimprov sense)  I made sure to encourage his hearty pirate voice and joined in with him!  He suddenly became the most enthusiastically and full participant!!!  At the end he was the first to jump up and thank me and gave me great big hug!!   Those are my greatest moments of feeling achievement and breaking through to ALL in my group!  I always make it my goal to find a way to channel everyone's energy in a class,

mind you I'm not teaching math (my sympathies).  But it do feel that "over active" youth often grow up to be the most energetic and enthusiastic people in communities. Some you may work with, or work for.  There are certain people like myself who love the energy and connection of stage and audience and pull out even more material and information when the crowd is in the room, (which was not particularly appreciated by my school teachers!) a friends after the show mentioned it their high school drama days, which I realized I had not done!  I saved my drama for the other classes and majored in typing and hanging out in the smoking area. (which was located just outside back hallway door in 80's) I remember Mr. Barns my high school teacher (who's voice I one day heard downtown in his store in St Marys and did a double take) when he asked me if he should take a picture of me, to remember who I was for next time I decided to attend class! Also the award I won for the most detentions. (proud to beat out all of my male competitors) and in the same fashion as I received all of my detention slips I received my well deserved award with a smile and a wave to

my fans!!  Having said this, I did manage to pass and head off to college and take TV Broadcasting which I loved!  I am sure that many of them would be surprised (including Mr Barns) that beyond my youth antics  (I believe) I turned out to be a decent contributor to the planet!  I give all of my students the same respect and enthusiasm and guidance.  I love people,  making them feel better, making them laugh and I love an audience.  Improv is my perfect hobby!   For us class clowns it gives us a place to shine and for the shyest people it helps them to come out of their shell and to find their voice and courage.  It is great to imagine and have fun and to think on the spot and to work with others in a supportive and positive team like manner while accept and support their suggestions, (many key elements in life).   It also helps me working with kids, who already know all of these techniques and haven't been trained out of their imagination yet.  ie. when I asked my one student what he wanted to do when he grew up, he said he and his friends had decided they were heading to Africa and would run a Zoo and his friend was going to ride his pet Lion!  My reply:. OOOOOO sounds like a Wonderful Adventure!!!  

Another Round Of Improv - January 22, 2017

Well I have stepped in to another round of Improv and this time a little closer to home!  London seemed like such an unattractive drive during the winter.   You never know from one day to the next what to expect with driving conditions.

So when I heard that there was one right next door at the town hall in St Marys, I was super excited!  It had a running time from December to March (exactly my not leaving town months) and included two performances at the end of the session… ok now that is a little scary.  At least in London you decided if you wanted to continue on into a troupe.  However my fear of driving in a white out proved to be greater than my fear of going on stage for two nights with an Improv troupe!  Liane our leader I found was completely different than our London teachers and was just as fun and fascinating to me as any of my other instructors.  Coming from a theatre background I felt as if I was viewing everything from a completely different perspective, all while being in the same genre.  Theatre is something I was never really part of and maybe should have been.  Although I think it would have missed me with impact and concern in my early years about not looking silly and taking this type of risk socially.This is just a letting go of what people think of random and outrageous ideas and thoughts while having fun and being creative and dramatic.  All somewhat foreign to me which seems to make it very intriguing!!  

So I’m not really thinking about the show, I’m just enjoying the process, I will be having another Improv Troupe from London coming into my studio Feb 17th and hopefully inspiring me to embrace the show/on stage part of this new art I have been drawn into.  But I have found it has increased my confidence and ability to talk on stage, which I felt I was already average in, but just makes it that much more comfortable and quick,

leaving out over thinking which can hamper stage presence.  Besides the fact as I always tell others who are coming in to learn a new instrument as an adult.  It is always great to learn new things and to challenge yourself and to stretch yourself.. Especially as we get older and more settled into our comfort zones, and my reward is watching them have fun and challenge themselves and be impressed with their achievement!   So wish me luck on March 3rd and 4th at the beautiful St Marys Town Hall theatre, or better yet come out and watch me make a fool of myself (one of the directives for Improv) with my other new Improv friends.  One thing I can guarantee is you will have fun and have a good laugh!  Which in my opinion you can never have too many :)

Spring and St Paddys Day

We are entering another new season as the clocks spring ahead and we hit the ground running! (Of course After the initial shock/adjustment of the hour change)  Hockey is still going strong for many, (the seemingly never ending season) and the over eventful St Paddys Day has come and gone and on a Friday this year to boot!  I think you could hear a collective "brace yourself!"  Police were on double duty and the bars were just a hoppin!   Yep and that's how it played out from all of the counts I heard and experienced.  I played at the Boar's Head Pub in Stratford and when I arrived I could barely get into the pub at 7 pm from the people who appeared to have been there and socializing on this "big Irish holiday"  since they were sprung from work at the "top of the day".   Ok, so I wonder how many are actually Irish?  I had one person raise their hand and explain they were from somewhere other than Ireland, but we handed out the prizes we had brought for some of the people having the closest answers or best answers to our Irish skill testing questions!   My oldest son Dustin accompanied me that night and no words needed to be spoken we just cranked it up and came roaring straight out of the box with our 3rd set songs first! Dustin hit the box drum first to accompany me and get the crowd moving  and kept them on the high level energy right through to the end of the night!  We had to remain super aware of dance floor enthusiasts which would jig a bit too close to my mic stand in our little entertainment corner, but old life skills reminded me to be aware and keep out of the way of the potential mic in the mouth!  On Dustin's side it was the mic swinging away issue when people walking by would catch it.  No stage and small quarters is always more like performing in an obstacle course but to me that just makes it all the more challenging and keeps me on my toes!  I'm sure law enforcement is happy that  St Paddys isn't always on a Friday! I haven't been out on one for years but being booked brought me out and reminded me of days gone by when the excitement of green beer and shamrocks brought the masses out of their homes , even on weekday evenings.  Something that I'm thinking ended around the time I had kids and we just skipped that and waited patiently for the Easter Bunny instead (a bit of of more tame holiday!) Regardless they all arrive with the promise of spring in the air and the light of day lasting much longer and hockey (possibly) winding down!  Max's (who is in Bantam AE this year) found another tournament in Aylmer this past weekend and the BBs just keep on going this year!  And then you'd almost think things are going to slow down post hockey but no.... I know the double time of summer will be upon us, when days get longer yet and we Canadians feel we need to pack everything in that we could not do in the throws of winter! We do everything outside that we possibly can during our warmer months.  The hockey bags drop (or ringette or figure skating) and the soccer and baseball and beach and hiking and camping and bbqing season begins!  I do not think I am the only one who starts vividly imagining the warmer season around mid February and then getting desperate for it when more snow arrives in March.  And it ain't over until it's over and every year it's  consistent in its wonderfully welcome arrival of spring and heart wrenching departure of good weather.  I like the seasons, however, winter could be about 3 weeks and then gone and I'd be good with that!  And soon Summer will arrive!  I ordered and received the free park pass for day tripping into Canadian Parks, we don't have many close by but they were free for the ordering and I would like to make it a goal to get to a few this summer!  And besides they are cards of summer and it's always good to have a few good cards in your hands! But I guess this is something that can be enjoyed in the colder temperatures as I have been seeing pictures of people's winter camping events which I am in awe of!  The bravery and the commitment to enjoy our Canadian weather!  Someday maybe I will become more "at one" with the winter? I did more walking this year in the snow and it and it was not as bad as I anticipated and was even quite beautiful.  And since I became a bit more Irish after my last gig who knows what could be in store next!  The sky is the limit for new adventures and experiences, (especially with warmer weather on the horizon) and as I was told recently by a friend "the potential outcomes are infinite"  So while I await the warmer weather I will just  let this keep rolling through my spring loaded mind!