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Surf Music

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Surf music/rock is fun to listen to, and that’s putting it very lightly, but I haven’t been really exposed to it properly until now!

Our new neighbour’s husband is in the band called the von Drats. They are a surf/garage band that, and I’ve only seen them through their site/youtube, make you want to get up and dance (except me because I am VERY BAD at it, just ask my wife or any family member). The only other exposure to surf/garage band music of course is from the legendary surg/garage band Big Kahuna! They were my college buddies who were just way too entertaining to watch live, that’s why I video taped them for all to see them in their glorious live rituals! They just had FUN, that was their secret!

A fine example of surf/garage band music by the von Drats!

This type of music is truly fun for the whole family! My mom, dad and even aunt Helen can listen to it and dance. Hell even I, the rhythmically challenged, can dance to it. You know the more I listen to this music I can’t help but feel myself getting pulling into it’s unique trance!

I just thought that some of you may not have heard of this style so I wanted to expose this life altering experience! I know that there are some new converts to this newer form of religion, as we can recently see!

Surf music, Keep on Jammin’





Taste of the Danforth 2008

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OPA, well it’s that time of the year again everyone! Get out anything with the colours of Blue and White and let’s head on down to the Danforth.

This is a Toronto neighbourhood festival that show cases the Greek community. It is in it’s 15th year and there is definitely no signs of this unique Greek event slowing down any time soon!

Basically for the Taste of the Danforth, they shut down the Danforth Ave. for 3 days to car traffic. They close the Danforth down from Jones to Broadview during this time. Local Greek and non-Greek merchants show off the wares to around 1.2 million people this weekend. They help celebrate the Greek way of life, which is relaxing while dining on their tasty and very nutritious delicacy’s! And let’s not forget the light refreshing beverage of REAL GREEK Ouzo. My favorite hands down is spanakopita! God I could eat this stuff all day.

Even though the weather is not all that favorable right now, I’m sure the kidz are eating, drinking, dancing and having a blast right now.

So here’s to all my Greek and non Greek neighbours down the street having a ball.
P.S. Yes I will keep it down for all of you, real early in the morning when I take my doggie Midnight out for her morning constitution. You know, in case you just got into bed at that point of the festivities.

Keep on Jammin’ Opa!

Amos Lee Live

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Well as I talked about winning tickets to see this guy at the Danforth Music Hall on my other blog, my critique about his show gives it a 1 1/2 thumbs up! Seeing Amos Lee on his latest tour, Last day at the Lodge, is worth it.

I came to the conclusion 1/2 way through Amos’s show that this guy really covers his musical bases quite nicely! Motown, Funk, Blues, Jazz, Folk and Southern rock, to a lesser degree, is all there to let the listener soak it all up.

On a side note, I would find it very interesting if he added a bit of a middle eastern flavor to his style. I think he could pull something like this off in a very unique way. I am just throwing that one out there.

His Motown sound was fabulous when he used it! His keyboardist, which was a major contributor to this sound, knew his place in the band. He was very eloquent in his approach to playing this by sliding in and out of a tune very tastefully and in the back ground.

Amos’s sprinkling of his falsetto voice was not over used at all I found. This just added some musical colour to the songs he plays. His guitar playing was very good but not all that technical. I’m almost 100 % sure that he uses a B-Bender on his Fender telecaster.

The one tune that he did, “Won’t let me down”, had this Flight of the Conchords feel to it, honestly. I closed my eyes for a second and pictured the leader singer of the Flight of the Conchords, singing it and it was very believable. I brought this train of thought up to my wife during the show and she couldn’t see though. Musicians always seem to have this different view of how they intemperate music I think.

My favorite song of the show was “Sweet Pea”! It is a short tune that he through in there for the hell of it. I just love that old school big band/jazz feel that his chord progressions nudged us towards. Leon Redborn must of had some sort of influence on this guy at one time throughout his informative days. I think I’ll figure this one out and try it live just for the fun of it sometime.

So I would not mind seeing this guy live if he comes into town next. If anything, he will broaden your musical appreciation for all the different genres that are out there … but not the more contemporary, in your face ones that don’t quite cut it with me.

Keep on Jammin’

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