Segarini: Great music is everywhere…

Remember when radio would turn you on to anywhere from 5 to 20 new songs every week? Remember labels that were so good, you would buy their new releases and artists before you ever heard them? Remember seeing the Beatles live for $3, buying an album for $2.99, listening to radio that prided itself for its knowledgeable, entertaining jocks,  playing the most music, and airing the least commercials?

Seriously…I’m not making this shit up…

Well over a decade since the digital music revolution began, terrestrial radio and the major record companies are still fighting the future that has already arrived, evolved, and continues to flourish. They have been leaving money on the table ever since they successfully murdered Napster instead of monetizing it and growing with the new paradigm instead of committing the slow demise they keep blaming on everyone except themselves. They have left us to our own devices when it comes to discovering new music and artists, and finding alternatives to $200 concert tickets and $20 CD’s.

Guess what?

We have…

Radio, hampered by far away consultants and dwindling playlists, have begun looking to local and independent sources for new music to aid because of their CRTC obligation to find and fund new Canadian talent. Do they actually play the music they help finance? Occasionally…but the help they offer seems to dwindle once the financial obligation is met.

Record labels, their A&R departments decimated by budgetary carpet bombings and a lack of resources, have also turned to the Indies, sometimes acquiring whole Indie labels for distribution instead of just a single act.

The music lovers in both businesses are raging against the machine, and fighting to shoehorn new music into two once powerful but emaciated components of the music industry that have become more about feeding the casual listener/buyer, than developing careers and musically adventurous artists. To all the hardworking, frustrated musos who still walk the halls of radio and record companies, I salute you.

Here are some of the reasons that, although the traditional music business is committing a slow and totally unnecessary lemming-like march into the abyss, music itself is healthier than ever…

Finding music where you live…

I’ll just use Toronto as the focal point for this, but every city, nay, every town regardless of its size and stature, has a thriving music scene.

The smoking laws, the outrageous prices, the Nazi-like R.I.D.E programs (Singer/songwriter David Henman points out that if Mothers Against Drunk Drivers changed their name to Mothers Against Dangerous Drivers, he’d write them a cheque every year), and the dearth of late night public transit, have all failed to completely kill the live music scene, try as they might.

In just a half dozen blocks of Queen and Bathurst for example, clubs like Cherry Cola, The Bovine Sex Club, Velvet Underground, Tattoo Rock Parlour, and the Hideout offer live music most nights with little or no cover, inexpensive drinks and beer, and bands that may have no traction with the music business, but growing fan bases that follow them from club to club, gig to gig.

Like the blues clubs of Chicago in the ‘40’s and 50’s, the jazz clubs of New York and San Francisco in the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s,and the rock clubs and halls in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the ‘60’s, and 70’s, these clubs and dozens of others in almost every neighborhood in Toronto are the breeding grounds for new artists who are willing to play for very little pay, slog their own gear, and entertain the troops while they hone their craft. No ‘Get Famous Quick’ schemes for these people, no ‘Get on TV’ game plan, these are the artists who do the work, pay the dues, and connect with the public.

This is where the music is.

In L.A in the 60’s, there were these little clubs like ‘The London Fog’, Gazzarri’s, the Galaxy’, ‘Sea Witch’, Pandora’s Box’, and ‘Brave New World’ and the Cinnamon Cinders. You have probably never heard of them, but a lot of the bands that started out in these places are known to all. The Doors (London Fog) the Byrds, The Seeds, and Love (Brave New World) Iron Butterfly (Galaxy) Alice Cooper (Gazzarri’s) The Turtles (Cinnamon Cinder) and tons of local heroes that never got out of the L.A Basin, but could pack the Hollywood clubs (World War III, Palace Guard, and others) every night of the week.

Here in Toronto there are so many great local bands and bars I couldn’t possibly name check them all, but some of my current favourites (and artists you should make an effort to see) are The Isle of Thieves, Cut Throat Kids, Blackheath Hounds, Brooklyn Fletcher, A Primitive Evolution, Dave Borins, Sara Dell, Conflicted, Dan McLean Jr, Free Press, Basia Lyjak, Seb Agnello…just too many to name them all. As far as clubs go? The aforementioned Queen Street West area clubs (From Soho west to Bathurst…they’re everywhere), The newly reinvigorated Dundas-Ossington cluster (which includes The Ossington, Dakota Tavern, and more), the Junction/Dundas strip, and for some great jazz, the Emmet Ray on College just East of Dovercourt…the list goes on and on.

Write me at segarini@fyimusic.ca or comment below and tell me about your local scene…

Music Induced Hangovers…

The Toronto Independent Music Awards at The Phoenix: This goes on all year and culminates in an awards show that showcases a dozen performances from nominated artists. You can read all about it here.

Daneila Oliva, who busts her ass all year long making this happen, presents showcases for tons of Indie artists throughout Toronto during the 10 months leading up to the Awards show. The Awards show itself reminds me of the old Dick Clark Caravan of Stars tours, each act coming out and playing two or three songs, and giving it their best shot.Always fun, always entertaining, and a real eye opener for those who aren’t aware of just how healthy the music is these days. All genres, and a great camaraderie amongst the participants. Here’s the list of this years winners, and a special mention of Jumple (pictured here), an insanely entertaining band whose members are all from Russia and its environs, and who settled in Toronto, and have to be seen to be believed. Check them out here and here.

TIMA 2009-2010 WINNERS

Best Female-Fronted: Amy Towers

Best Adult Contemporary: Rehan Dalal

Best Jazz: The Bill McBirnie Duo/Quartet

Best Rap: MAGNOLIUS

Best Urban: Alexandra Kane

Best Metal: Conflicted

Best Acoustic: Alistair Blaik Bundale

Best Folk: DALA

Best Country: The River Junction Band

Best International, Best USA and Best Out-Of-Province: The White Ravens

Best Young Songwriter(s): TJ Whitelaw

Best World Music: JAFFA ROAD

Best Punk: Cut Throat Kids

Best Pop: Darrelle London

Best Indie Rock: The Strange

Best Alternative Rock: WAXMEN

Best Song: Morgan Sadler – “Go On”

BEST LIVE – Urban: Rich Kidd

BEST LIVE- Acoustic: Yiannis Kapoulas

BEST LIVE-Electric: The MacHams

The Isle of Thieves at the Velvet Underground: This was an all-ages show at the roomy and comfortable venue featuring a plethora of bands and a packed audience that ranged from 12 to me. The Thieves are a long standing favourite of mine, and they continued their string of great live shows with this one. I would have liked to have stayed and seen some of the other bands I haven’t heard yet, but we had a previous engagement at…

Blackheath Hounds at Cherry Cola: I had been hearing street talk about these guys for a couple of months and finally had the chance to hear them in my favourite bar. The live sound in this place is always so good, it’s a credit to the house sound system, and Carl the soundguy who really knows his shit and makes every band I’ve heard him mix there sound as good as they are.

The Hounds surprised with great original material, and an energetic show, and the kind of commitment to the music that makes you feel like you’re seeing something special. It doesn’t hurt they all turned out to be really great people, and after the show, Pie and I, along with friends and relatives of the band, watched the sun come up from the awesome rent-controlled 2 story flat that Jodi and the lovely Jeanette occupy in the heart of the Queen Street strip. Sitting around the dining room table, passing the guitar around, and trying to hit those three part harmonies while faced on sangria and beer, it was a perfect ending to a great night of music.

Road Trip!!!…

Creedence Clearwater Revisited at Casino Rama: Long time friend and the King of Chatham, Ontario, Fred Hinnegan called me up a few weeks ago and asked me if Pie and I wanted to meet him and his lovely wife Brenda at Casino Rama to see Creedence Clearwater Revisited. “Why yes”, I said, “We would be delighted.” Fred, a friend of Stu Cook’s and Doug Clifford, rang them up and arranged for passes.

The reason we would be delighted was because two of the members happen to be the original rhythm section from Creedence Clearwater Revival, and old friends from the San Francisco days of acid-laced oranges, twirly hippie-chicks, and odd bills at the Fillmore and Avalon ballrooms in the City by the Bay. There has been connective tissue between Stu Cook, Doug Clifford, and myself that dates back to a show at the Avalon Ballroom that was one of the first played by CCR under that name. They had been the Blue Velvets, and the unfortunately named Golliwogs prior to that, and it was a seminal show for them. I was in the Famiy Tree at the time, and along with us and CCR, the bill was headlined by Taj Mahal and Dave Von Ronk (the best version of ‘Cocaine’ you will ever hear). CCR opened the show. Here was a band hardly anyone had heard of with a pantload of amazing original material, and a jaw dropping version of Suzie Q that blew the roof off the Avalon. I was standing next to Chet Helms (The Avalon Ballroom’s Bill Graham) at the back of the house watching CCR’s set. Halfway through the solo in Suzie Q, Chet leaned over and said, “These guys shouldn’t have opened”. Well, Duh. They owned the night. In less than a month they were headlining everywhere. A year or so later, my band Roxy opened for them at the Long Beach Arena, and I reminded Stu of the Avalon gig. He said, “Yeah, you guys were great.”, to which I replied, “Then how come you’re not opening for us tonight?”

Fast forward a couple of years, and The Wackers are recording a never-to-be-released live album at the New Orleans House in Berkeley California. The engineer in the Wally Heider sound truck is none other than CCR producer, Russ Gary, who had engineered the first Wackers album for our producer, the legendary Gary Usher. When I go out to the truck to hear some playbacks from the first set, I find Doug and Stu sitting with Russ. They both say very complimentary things and I am flattered beyond belief. These guys aren’t just famous…they are AWESOME musicians, and hearing those kind words fueled the rest of the night, and produced some of the best performances the Wackers ever played.

So here we are, 100’s of dog years later, and I am sitting in a packed audience in the middle of nowhere, listening to a band who sound as fresh and as exciting as they did all those years ago. Aided and abetted by a young guitarist they cadged from Huey Lewis and the News, and a Utility Infielder who played everything from cowbell, to keys, to harmonica, to guitar, adding harmony when needed, Stu and Doug (pictured here) proved that they still have the chops and desire they had when they were first starting out. The big surprise was the guitarist/singer they found to replace the seemingly irreplaceable John Fogarty. Two minutes into the first song, and you forget Fogarty ever left the band. This guy is singing these songs like John did over 40 years ago, with passion and an understanding of Fogarty’s vocal prowess and range I would have thought would have been impossible to channel. Just amazing.

After the show, Doug and I had a nice chat and Stu and I played catch-up and ‘remember when’. His memory is even better than mine. Among other things, Stu gives me a history lesson about Clover/Elvis Costello and the Attractions/Huey Lewis/CCR, and the history of how CCR came to be on Fantasy (at the time, a Jazz label) and so much more. If it wasn’t so damn late and I had to catch a bus back to Toronto, I could have listened to him for another 12 hours. If you get the chance and loved CCR, see this band. It rivals, if not surpasses, the original. (pictured here, Bob and Stu)

Incidentally, John Fogarty shows up at Casino Rama in September.

Next: More Musical Hangovers with The Untold Story of Pie’s Casino Rama Adventure, Late nights at Richards, Squeeze at Cherry Cola’s and the Toronto Beer Fest, and previews of the Paul Collins Beat at the Silver Dollar and a James Taylor tribute you have to hear to believe. (Pictured here: Squeeze’s  Glenn Tilbrook and Bob)

That’s enough for now. Email me at segarini@fyimusic.ca with your comments, complaints, and thoughts…and remember…don’t believe a word I say.

Bob “The Iceman” Segarini was in the bands The Family Tree, Roxy, The Wackers, The Dudes, The Segarini Band, and Cats and Dogs, and nominated for a Juno for production in 1978. He also hosted “Late Great Movies” on CITY TV, was a producer of Much Music, and an on-air personality on CHUM FM, Q107, SIRIUS Sat/Rad’s Iceberg 95, (now 85), and now provides content for radiothatdoesntsuck.com with RadioZombie, The Iceage, and PsychShack. Along with the love of his life, Jade (Pie) Dunlop, (who hosts and writes “I’ve Heard That Song Before” on RTDS), continues to write, make music, and record.

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