As
May begins and the spring brings new growth, things are still bubbling
along on the BoodAbooM front. Distribution and who to go with for
manufacturing has been a process to be reckoned with. There are a lot of
considerations and while “Choices” will remain with CD Baby for
distribution at least for now, “The Answer” by BoodAbooM will be handled
by Indiepool. One of the big reasons is because Indiepool is a Canadian
company offering the same services as what are otherwise American
firms. So as this blog is being written, the wheels are in motion to
have CD’s available in about three weeks.
The
BoodAbooM tee shirts have been manufactured and look great! It was a
push to get them in time for the show in Port Alberni April 19th and I
was happy to find an accommodating company to do the deed. Marisha Devion joined me for this performance playing her upright acoustic bass.
It was a real treat for me as Marisha has a great ability to fill out
the sound of a duo with sweet harmonies and a nice percussive approach
when needed with her massive upright bass. I hope to do more shows with
Marisha in the future.
The
first video from “The Answer” has been posted on my Youtube site. The
song “Another Sunny Day”, our inaugural visual offering, reflects on the
cycles of life and this world. A funny little side note is that
“Another Sunny Day” was actually written on a rainy summer day knowing
that the sunshine was right around the corner. The road of life, the
cycle of seasons, the day, the night and that ever forward driving
motion of striving for a better tomorrow. Check out the video and let me
know what you think.
As
much as I regard award shows in the entertainment business with some
disdain, I found this year’s Juno Awards quite entertaining. The old
joke is they are called the Juno Awards because people watching the show
say, “who’s that? Juno who that is? I dunno?”. Not quite that way
anymore with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen on the younger side and KD
Lang on the established side represented at the awards show. Artist like
those along with Justin Bieber, Diana Krall, Rush and The Tragically
Hip to mention a few have certainly heightened the profile of Canadian
artist internationally. Michael Buble was a fine host with some funny
antics and of course his golden voice. Serena Ryder was pretty good with
her anticipated “Stompa” and I thought it was cool when Serena
accompanied Billy Talent for a tune. I enjoyed watching KD Lang get her
“hall of famer” status and again, the presentation from Anne Murray was
excellent. I expected the absence of Stompin’ Tom references as he was
not a supporter of the Juno awards, the academy in general or how the
music industry conducts itself. He was truly a rebel and a Canadian icon
that will be missed. My eldest brother Gerry was a music journalist who
interviewed Stompin’ Tom and considered that amongst his most treasured
moments in the journalistic field. One thing that did surprise me was
that there wasn’t a greater tribute to our other great loss in Canadian
music, Rita MacNeil. I believe there was a mention, but I expected more
given the stature of this amazing talent. Rita was another who typified
Canadiana. Rita and Tom will both leave a great void in the Canadian
musical landscape.
Not
a part of the Canadian music scene, but a great loss to the world of
music is the passing of Richie Havens. At the cusp of my adolescent
years, I remember being blown away by his spirited performance of
“Motherless Child” in the Woodstock movie. Imitating his style, I would
wail away like a wounded puppy in my mother’s basement pounding the poop
out of my brother’s acoustic guitar. Richie showed me how to just let
it flow. Brother Bert taught me that pick marks on his Gibson was not
cool.
Beyond
the music there have been a lot of things in this world rattling the
chains of my being. The tightening control on the last vestige of free speech and dissemination of truthful information without the risk of
that information being filtered by the powers in control. What does that
mean? The Internet is constantly under attack, either directly or
indirectly. Freedom of speech is being eroded. The recent attacks at the
Boston Marathon have come under suspicion in true 9-11 fashion while
the mainstream internet feeds and the evening news spin and entirely different picture. Our controlling political party, Stephen Harper and
his Torie buddies miss placing 3.1 billion dollars and having a hard
time figuring out where it went. I had heard yesterday that Stevie baby
has said it’s all a misunderstanding. So much for transparent politics
and honest government.
I
have often alluded to how radical change has less of a chance becoming
the standard than does incremental change. One thing is blatantly
obvious and that is that the world needs change. Feed the rich and
forget the poor is not working folks. Change is inevitable and sooner would be better than later
because things appear to be falling apart. I’ve started reading a book
about and called “Peace Pilgrim, her life and work in her own words”.
Her message was simple, if we wish to achieve world peace we have to
start with finding inner peace. A good place to start the change I’d
say. So I leave behind the thoughts of bungling bozos in politics,
eroding freedoms, and flying falsehoods, having shined the light of
blogging on the issues. Now I will return to seeking inner peace and
striving for the ability to approach the world from a standpoint of
loving kindness.
Nudging my way to a better day.
Brother T
