September 6, 2015
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Roadtrip

Tuffy P is off on a roadtrip in Quebec with our friend Toni. I’m at home with the partners, holding the fort, working my way through the job list that appeared by the computer. Well, the party work on the job list is well under way. I’m taking some time off work this week, and hope to finish off a mosaic commission we’re working on, repair a whirligig, do a studio clean-up, set up for a series of encaustic paintings, bum around, and more.

Let’s enjoy a taste of music from Quebec. Here’s Yves Lambert & le Bébert Orchestra performing Ti Get up Charlie…

And for those who love traditional Quebec button accordion, here’s a great little video featuring the amazing Éric Gagné on the squeezebox….

And…

September 4, 2015
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Where did it go?

Sure, summer extends well into September, but in my consciousness, Labour Day, the Airshow and the end of the CNE mark the end of summer. I suppose it’s because all the kids go back to school. Since I spent the spring recovering from a broken ankle, it seems this year summer has been abbreviated, gone in a blink of an eye.

Fortunately, I recovered well enough to do some mushroom foraging, even if it was for short sessions. Fly fishing was a write-off though. I still don’t feel that the muscles in my right foot and leg are strong enough to wade a trout stream, and well, better safe than sorry. On the other hand, I did log quite a bit of banjo practice and increased my skills quite a bit.

Here’s Peter Feldman playing mountain banjo and singing about a critter I always associate with summer in rural Ontario: Ground Hog

September 2, 2015
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Johnny Booker

It’s very early Wednesday morning and I have the tune Johnny Booker going through my head – or at least Cathy Barton and Dave Para’s version of the tune. One way to deal with an earworm is to share it. So here it is…

Happy Wednesday.

PS I just love the way Cathy Barton Para attacks that banjo!

August 29, 2015
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The Left Overs….not just digital any more

Those of you who are connected to me on facebook as well as here, know that my partner Sheila Gregory has been working on a photo series called The Left Overs since February of this year, and publishing the results on a blog just called Sheila Gregory.

She has been looking into having some of these images printed up using UV resistant inks on 100% rag paper. She’s testing this out by printing three of them at 24″ X 18″.IMG_4226Early tests are promising. She’s found someone locally in Long Branch – Silver Lion Framing – who has this kind of printing capability and can handle framing as well. Sheila plans to make images from the series available on demand, sold either framed or unframed. Anyone interested can contact Sheila at sheilagregory1ATgmail.com or through me. Each image is identified by the date it was shot.

August 29, 2015
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Walking in the Parlor

I learned the tune Walking in the Parlor last week at the banjo workshop I attended, led by Bruce Molskey. I like this deceptively simple, hypnotic tune a lot and I’ve been playing it quite a bit since the workshop, trying to get it right. Here are a few versions of Walking in the Parlor I found on the YouTube.

Let’s start with Dwight Diller. This tune likely comes from the Hammons family, and Diller learned from them.

Here is Steve Jeter, doing a great version on a gourd banjo…

Now check out this 1927 version played on a Jew’s harp by Obed “Dad” Pickard

August 28, 2015
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The 27th Street Book Box loves you!

IMG_4199Just a few days ago the book box was looking sad and half empty, an unusual circumstance as normally it maintains a happy equilibrium. I put out the call for a few good books the other day via this blog and Twitter and the Instagram machine. When I arrived  home from work today, I noticed a few new ones in the box. I added a couple from my shelves, and then settled down on the porch to play the banjo. A wonderful reader pulled up with a big bag of books. Not just any books, but excellent current titles. She saw the call on Twitter, bagged some up and came over. How fantastic is that?

Featured today in the box is a Dilbert book that comes from my shelves: Cubes and Punishment. Those of you who work in a cube in Corporate Canada will laugh yourselves silly because Scott Adams simply nails it.

August 27, 2015
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Chicken of the Woods & Pepperoni Pizza

IMG_4197Chicken of the Woods can be cooked in many ways. Today I sauteed up a generous quantity, then put them aside while I prepared the rest of my pizza. After spreading some sauce, I loaded up the dough with the wild mushrooms, sprinkled on some grated mozzarella, added some sliced pepperoni, a sprinkle of oregano and that’s it.