Mike Plume Live in Sherwood Park Sept.19th 2020

Last weekend Cuz, Janis, Erin and I went to see Mike Plume perform at Festival Place in Sherwood Park. This was an outdoor show as indoor shows still aren't happening, hell not much is happening period for concerts. But there has been shows here and there and this was one of them. This was the first show at Festival Place since mid March and who better to play then Mike Plume. It was nice to get out and support an actual venue and a local artist. It was an outdoor show with all Covid cautions taken. All the tables were for four seats only, seperated by at least 8-10 feet and you had to wear a mask anytime you left your table. Thankfully the weather was perfect for an outdoor show. As for Mike Plume's performance, fucking excellent as usual. I won't really review his show as it was damn good just like the previous 21 times I have seen him play. Maybe read one of my other reviews if you like. All and all this was a very fun night out. Good times!!! Mike Plume at Festival Place in Sherwood Park.

Also finally got to pick up Mike's new album "Lonesome Stretch Of Highway" on Royalty Records on vinyl at the show.

And a cool coffee mug.

Record Store Day August 29th Drop One

So another Record Store Day coming up this Saturday September 26th. This will be the second installment of Record Store Day with one more to come on October 24th. This special day is usually held on the third Saturday of every April, but because of the pandemic it was cancelled this spring. Luckily they have resurrected it and spread it out over three Saturdays. The first RSD of this year was held August 29th and though I didn't line up for it in August as there was really nothing I really had to have, instead I went about an hour after the local record shop here in Edmonton Blackbyrd Myoozik opened. I did manage to spend a few dollars with these purchases.

* The Kinks - The Kink Kronikles This compilation album was originally released in 1972. It has 28 tracks featuring some of their biggest hits and some B-sides too. A double album on red vinyl. Limited pressing of 2500.

* The Pogues - BBC Sessions 1984-1985 An album made up from four different sessions from BBC, recorded from the John Peel Show, The Auld Triangle Broadcast and The Janice Long Show. A great album. Limited pressing of 5000.

* Cradle - The History This was one of the albums I was looking for and much to my surprise they still had a copy when I got to the store, so I was quick to scoop this one up. Cradle was a band from 1969 that featured the Quatro Sisters, this was pre Suzi Quatro solo fame. A double album pressed on purple vinyl and limited to 1400 copies.

* Bob Dylan - Rough And Rowdy Ways I also came across this version of Bob Dylan's new album. Though I had bought the album when it came out in July, I hadn't seen the indie version which is on gold marble vinyl. So ya, I had to have another copy of this awesome album. Bob's first album of all original songs in eight years. This wasn't a RSD release. Get out and support your local record shop. They could use the help in these trying times.

Mike Plume Live in Edmonton Aug.8th 2020

Holy fucking shit I actually got to see and hear and take in some LIVE music on Saturday and by one of my all time favorite singer songwriters Mike Plume. It had been six months to the day since I had last attended a concert. The longest I have gone without live music since I was about sixteen. To say this didn't do me some good not only for my psyche but my soul too. I live for this stuff and to go six months without going to a show is way too fucking long. It's good to see bands,artists, venues, promoters and your regular Joe's finding innovative way shows to get some live music out there during this pandemic. Kudo's to all of you that are doing this, not just for the fans but the artists too.

Saturday nights show by Mike Plume who is an artist based in Edmonton was held in cul de sac in south Edmonton and in the neighborhood I grew up in, so that was cool to get back to my roots. Cool little pizza parlour/bar just down the street from the where the show was. So of course my companions for this show Buzzard, Janis and I made our way there before and after the show. This was also the first time I have had a beer in a bar in six months. Hell things were feeling kind of normal Saturday for a change. That was a nice change. Nothing like music to take your mind off of this weird world we are in these days.

Though it was a touch on the chilly side Saturday, it was great to see Mike play live again and out in support of his newest album "Lonesome Stretch Of Highway" out on Royalty Records. An amazing album by the way, pick it up if possible, it is also available for streaming on all the usual streaming services. Physical copies of the album are finally available on CD, I am sure you can get them through mike's website or hopefully your local record shop has it or can get it for you. Vinyl will be coming soon.

Mike did two 45 minute sets on the front lawn of a friends place. Everyone in the cul de sac must have been on board for this event as there was a decent turnout for the show, with the audience sitting across the street in lawn chairs and sitting the neighbors lawn and curb side.

This was my 21st time seeing Mike Plume in concert and as always just an amazing show in such a unique setting. It was great to hear some of his new materiel live. Songs such as the first single "I'm Your Huckleberry", "Summers Around Here (Don't Last Forever)" which was a very fitting song for the evening, "Way Down Yonder Is A Little Piece Of Land" and "Perfume And Gasoline" in which his daughter Ruby and wife Jenny O joined him singing vocals. The new songs sounded awesome in a live setting.

Mike mixed it up good with older songs and a few requests. Ending the night with an awesome rendition of the the Tragically Hip's "Wheat Kings". All and all a very fun night and something this old soul needed badly. Thank you Mike Plume and to the gentleman that put this show on! Good times!!!

Also a couple days before the show Mike brought me a test pressing of the new album "Lonesome Stretch Of Highway", and it sounds amazing on vinyl. Keep your eyes open for the vinyl in the next few months. Ask your local record shop to bring it on for you. You will be happy you did!

Thank you Mike!

Albums that matter to me

Well it’s been a couple of fucked up months with this stupid Covid shit. Which means I haven’t written a thing on my blog since early February when I went to my last concert of the year. So, I thought it was about time I write about something.
In the past few weeks, I have seen posts on Facebook challenging people to name ten albums that have influenced their music taste and upbringing. One album cover a day with no explanation or anything. Not sure why I was never challenged, or wait, maybe I was and just ignored it. Oops, sorry if you challenged me and I didn’t take on the challenge. But now, I am up for it but I am playing by my own rules. I might do more then one a day and then it might take me months to do it. Time will tell. But I also want to talk about why the album was an influence on me. So here we go!

I have to go with the album by the Canadian icon Stompin’ Tom Connors, and that album being Stompin’ Tom And The Hockey Song. An album that was released in 1972, but caught my attention in probably 1976-77. As a young kid my dream in life was to be the next Guy Lafleur, and any Canadian who grew up in the 70’s knows that he was one of the best hockey players of the 70’s, winning scoring titles and Stanley Cups by the handful with the Montreal Canadians, my favourite team as a child.
Well because I was such a hockey fan, I used to and still do (how I miss watching hockey) watch Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada. While watching the games as a youngster, and back in them days it was always either Montreal or Toronto on the tube, and lots of times both teams playing each other. And you were either a Habs fan or Leafs fan, I was a Canadians fan (Habs) because of Lafleur and they always won, as a kid how could you not cheer for a team that always wins. Well it was while watching these games that I first heard the song “The Hockey Song”, well fuck me, that was the coolest thing I had heard, being an aspiring hockey player and fan of the game, someone sing about the game of hockey. The first song I could actually relate too. I had to ask my dad who sang that song, well Tommy,” that is Stompin’ Tom Connors”. I had to have that song, so off it was to probably Woolworth’s, K-Mart or something like that to get the album. SO, that would be my first album I ever owned, and it is still the same copy I have to this day. That was bought when I was 6 or 7 years old. And ya it has seen better days, it’s rough looking. But man, I played that album as a little kid with no regards to condition or knowing how to look after vinyl. And, for the longest time, the main song I ever wanted to listen to was the last song on side one. So, you can imagine what the vinyl looks like with someone so young trying to line up to that last song. Though I did really like the first song too “The Consumer”. So, the record got abused with a young kid trying to listen to just a few select songs. Pick up the needle, drop the needle, oh the abuse. Of course, as I got older, I learned to appreciate the full album. Then of course there are the teenage years, when you had to pull out this album and relive the old days. Now, you’re a teenage drunk and still playing the album at parties and such, turntable is getting bumped while dancing in the living room and who knows what else is going on. I think I used to drive my friends nuts by putting this on, but then there were always those few friends that would sing ol’ Stompin’ Tom along with me. Think we cleared out the room a few times singing to Stompin’ Tom.

Having just given’ this album a spin again, it sure brings back some great memories. And I should also get myself another copy of this album that is in a little better condition.

Kingfish Live in Edmonton February 8th 2020

Three weeks ago my buddy Buzzard and I went to the Christone "Kingfish" Ingram show at Blues On Whyte. This was the second night of a two night sold out stand here in Edmonton. The only Canadian dates of his current Fish Grease 2! A Juke Joint Tour. When I saw this show advertised I had never heard of Kingfish, so I looked into it a bit more. I watched a few videos on YouTube and such. Well the guy sounded pretty damn good, so I figured I would take the chance and check this kid out.

This kid "Kingfish" is a 21 year old from Clarksdale, Mississippi and released his self titled debut album in March of 2019 on Alligator Records. He's already been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues Album category, while he didn't win, still pretty impressive.

What struck me most was how this guy plays and sings with such soul, he's like an old blues guy in young mans body. The man can play guitar where it leaves you hanging on every note. No wankery here, blues guitar playing with meaning. He reminded me of BB King when BB used to actually play a whole song without stopping and talking through a song. Kingfish was backed up by a bass player and drummer and that's it. He was the show with his soulful singing and playing. The sold out crowd was up and dancing through out his hour and a half show. He played pretty much his whole album, opening with "Before I'm Old", and other songs such as "Hard Times", "Love Ain't My Favorite Word", "Outside Of This Town" and the funny "Fresh Out" song. Also a couple of covers like Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" and "Catfish Blues" by Muddy Waters. At one point during his set he walked through the whole bar playing which wasn't easy considering how packed the place was. As he was doing this he happened to come by the table we were sitting at, someone had left there seat going for a drink or a piss or something, well Kingfish sat at the end of our table and ripped it up for a few minutes, that was cool. This was an absolutely amazing show. For all the guitar players in the audience you were either inspired to pick up your guitar and practice more or pack the damn thing away and never play again. This was the best blues show I have seen since Johnny Winter used to rip it up back in the day. If you are a fan of the blues, I highly recommend picking up his album and seeing him in concert. This will surely be in my top ten shows of the year. Good times!!!

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram.

T-shirt front.

Back.

Dan Bern Live in Edmonton February 6th 2020

A couple of weeks ago my buddy Buzzard and I went to the Dan Bern concert at Station On Jasper. I was happy to see Dan Bern play a bigger venue then the last two times I saw him which was at The Almanac which is a good room for an intimate show but it was always so crowded it was hard to get a good seat where you could actually enjoy the show. So to see Bern play a bigger room and stage was going to be great.

Opening the show was Calgary folk artist Orit Shimoni she use to go by the name Little Birdie. She just recently released her tenth album and has been on tour with Dan Bern across Canada. Her opening set was pretty good, her music in her own words are kind of dark and depressing, she is a good writer but her music isn't exactly uplifting. Dan Bern joined her on stage for one song playing the harmonica. I thought she was alright, nothing I would rush out to buy though.

Orit Shimoni.

Next up was Iowa born but now based in Santa Cruz singer/songwriter Dan Bern. This would be my third time seeing Dan in concert. Dan is currently on the road touring for his latest release Regent Street.

As always Dan was very engaging with the audience, telling some great stories and playing songs such as "Regent Street" which what he opened the show with and having Orit Shimoni join him on stage playing the squeeze box, "Not Perfect", "Ridin On A Train" and "Dear Tiger Woods" from his new album. Also in the setlist were classics such as "Chelsea Hotel", "Black Tornado" the great and very funny song "Talkin' Canadian Blues". I thought it was great Orit joining him on stage as it added a little extra to Dan's music, but she actually ended up playing about half the show with him, which in the end took away from his performance. Dan played one of his most popular songs "Jerusalem" with Shimoni, but she messed up the words which kind of fucked up the song and it seemed he never really recovered the song, it was a bit of a mess. I would have to say I believe there is something going on between the two, more then just performing together.

The highlight of the show to me was finally hearing Dan play "Tiger Woods" from his 1998 album Fifty Eggs. The song is fucking hilarious and of the two previous times of seeing Dan in concert he had never played it. He actually has a second song about Tiger on his new album, a song called "Dear Tiger Woods". He played both songs back to back which was pretty damn cool. Another very funny song he played was "I Dreamed I Saw Donald Trump's Head Go Past My Window". The last song of the evening saw Dan walk through the crowd playing, if only I could remember which damn song it was. I guess if I actually write a review in a timely matter I might recall what it was. All in all it was a pretty good show. Good times!!!

Dan Bern.