Newfoundland Pride

I am pleasured and proud to be related to Jim Martin. My grandmother was his aunt. Yesterday my aunt gave me an album of Jims called Bay Born B'ye and it was a complete joy to listen to. Exceptional Newfoundland music mixed with a little country twang. The album actually showed off his vocal skills more than the video I just posted, he actually sounds a little much like the Canadian Roy Orbison to me at times, with highs and lows that will knock you to your knees. Jim actually grew up in Conception Bay Newfoundland, born to my great aunt Blanch. At a young age Jim moved to west Toronto Ontario to work as a ironman putting together steel framing for Toronto's skyscrapers. He was first heard by Boot Records president Jury Krytiuk at the Country Music Store, he was singing alongside a few other locals at this Toronto hotbed for up and coming musicians. Jury was blown away by Jims vocal ability and begged him to record an album for his record label. Jim was adamant about the idea but after 5 years he agreed to do so. Jury always said that Jim had a warm, natural voice, and is what sets him above the rest. I'm extremely proud to be related to such a talent as Jim and wish he was still alive today to share musical knowledge with. But even so here is the talent of Jim Martin and his warm, natural voice. Enjoy.

Working Mans Birthday

A huge happy birthday goes out to country music legend Merle Haggard. Merle has always been one of my all time favorite country music stars. He lived the cowboy life. Filled with booze and jail. Weather it was breaking into a bar in the middle of the day or singing in front of millions of fans or performing his mentor Jimmie Rogers songs like they were his own, Merle not only had the talent for songwriting but also had the stage presence. He always stood on stage and looked like the biggest man on stage. His songs from Mama Tried to Working Mans Blues to Fighting Side Of Me are country staples and will always be played in all your favorite honky tonks all over the world. Sad songs, mad songs, train songs, pain songs, Merle was the master of them all. So everyone grab your favorite fine whiskey or gin and have a toast to the most respected man in country music today, Merle Haggard.

All Apologies

It was a sad day 17 years ago today when it was first heard that a beloved frontman has died of suicide at his home in Seattle Washington. That dreadful day millions of fans mourned the untimely death of Nirvana singer/songwriter/genius Kurt Cobain. No one really knows what was really going through his mind that day, maybe its one of those things that can't really be explained. Whatever it was it left a river of tears flowing from fans all over the world. Today marks the day not of Kurts death which was on April 5, 1994, but rather the memorial and the flowing of tears and heartach after hearing of the tragedy. But on this day we should not look back on the pain, torture and confusion that this man must have been going through to go through with killing himself. We should actually look back on what beautiful music he has bestowed on us, music that can never die. That is what is so great about music, no matter how long after an artist is dead, you can still switch on a record, cd, tape, dvd, video, anything and get taken back to when that artist was still alive. You can travel back in time and relive that time and place where you first heard the great music. Music is a time capsule that can not be emptied or thrown away and forgot about. Kurt would only want everyone not to mourn on this day but look back and enjoy the music he thrown at us back in the early 90s at the beginning of the grunge boom. I must say out of all the music he did, one of the most powerful and probably the song that he most enjoyed doing was not his own. Rather an old gospel song that he covered and heard first from an old folk blues guitarist named Leadbelly. Where did you sleep last night has got to be Cobain's last goodbye to the world. He was actually supposed to do a couple more songs at the end of the legendary MTV Unplugged session but decided he could not best himself after this fine number. It was a perfect ending not only to a perfect album but also to a beautiful career. You can see it in his eyes at the end of the song after hes belting out the chorus at the top of his lungs sounding like a banshee that it was over, no more im out. Unplugged was recorded in November of 1993, Cobain would be found dead only months later. It was not only the last recordings Nirvana ever did but also one of the last shows. That is why it is so important. Cobain might have been a tortured soul, riddled with pain not only mentally but also physically, having throat problems at an early age. Drugs was a way out of the pain but also a way into the torture. But no matter what we always have the music, that does not die. RIP Kurt Cobain, you have joined that exclusive 27 club alongside Janis, Morrision, Brian Jones, Hendrex, Pigpen, etc. I hope your up there in that great jam session in the sky. It is not better to burn out than fade away.

Muddys Birthday

Today is the great Muddy Waters birthday. The innovator of the electric blues, up there with T Bone Walker. Muddy has done more for the blues in Chicago than any other musician there is, rival of Howlin Wolf and friend of Willie Dixon, he has exploded the careers of Johnny Winter, Little Walter, Jimmie Rogers, and James Cotton. Growing up he would go to shows and learn from the greats such as Son House, Robert Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy, etc. His career would flourish and drop from the 60s to the early 80s. Ups and downs ravished Waters but he never said die, he even taken his music to a whole new level after joining up with Johnny Winter in the 80s and releasing two great albums. Muddy passed away on April 30, 1983 but his influences are immense, millions have covered his songs from Led Zepplin, Humple Pie, Bob Dylan, Allman Brothers, Jeff Beck, Cream, Jimi Hendrex, just to name a few. Even the Rolling Stones named their band after the Muddy Waters hit of the same name. Even The Beatles reference him in their song Come Together. There's no denying Muddy's influence in not only blues but rock from 40 years ago to today. He shall never be forgotten and his great contribution to music will forever be appreciated.

Sounds A Hundred Years Old Today

The first time I heard of C W Stoneking was the smokey beer bottle littered living room of The Bonavista Chain Locker's Steve Hoskins and Mary Beth Waldram who owned a vinyl of his and popped it on for a little while. As soon as that needle made it to the end of that first row I fell in love. Everything about the album seemed trapped in time, from the album cover (Stoneking with an american steel guitar in his arms with a bowlers hat and suit and tie on a black and white cover) to the music that sounded a jump blues/calypso/jungle/jazz just about everything under the sun influence extravaganza. I can hear how Stoneking has influenced The Bonavista Chain Locker where they themselves have that same influence in their own great music. Again I fell in love with Stoneking's music right after that first few tracks and it sure wasn't the booze talking. His gravely voice fits perfectly with the background of horns and at times sounds like the deepest of blues singers such as Bukka White or Blind Willie Johnson with their familiar powerful rich voices. Stoneking comes from American parents but was born and raised in Australia and it is there where he prominently performs with his backup band The Primitive Horn Orchestra. In this video Stoneking is introduced by another stuck in time performer that I love named Seasick Steve. Steve introduces Stoneking as being lost in the 1920s and 30s. You can tell this guys got something when he performs his first of two songs in this video on banjo by himself and just silences the audience. There's not a movement in the crowd as he sings and plays. The second song he does is called The Love Me Or Die and is a old hokum song from New Orleans. Its really special to experience such great music being played to this day, its music like this that should never be lost in time and forgot about. Its great performers like C W Stoneking who we need to remind us how great music was back in the turn of the century. In a time where music is full of fake notes and voices that are twisted and turned by computers there's nothing better than going back to the basic and seeing actual talent instead of pushing buttons. Perfection is not always perfect.

Living With The Blues

They sing about it a million times over. Some musicians sound like it and some may look like it. But it takes a real blues musician to actually live the blues. They are far and between but they can be found in the back woods or in the deep alleys. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee are living the blues. They are probably the greatest blues duo to ever grace the stage. Here you can hear Sonny with his deafening holler in between blowing on the harmonica while Brownie explains how blue it can be. Sonny and Brownie were not only big in the blues world but they also took the folk world by storm while influencing Bob Dylan, Pete Seegar, Dave Van Ronk, Fred Neil and many more after performing all over New York City. Listen to them sing of the blues and you can just close your eyes and feel it. It sends chills up and down your spine.

Failing To Fall Unpluggs The Pub

A calm night falls on Bonavista. Its one of the first in a while where mild weather graces us with her presence. You can hear the sea gulls squawking over the fish plant eying their next meal from above. Two young lads stroll into Walkhams Gate Pub with a tad bit of nervousness between them. Guitars under their arm and some pride in their chest they start setting up for their first show at the Pub. The two guys are Ryan Warren (Chester) and Marcus Elliott. Tonight was a free show to the public and oh what a night it was gonna be. Chester and Marcus sets up and gets their mind ready for the night. With song book in hand I later find out that most of the songs they would perform that night they only just learned. A few of the usual's start to surround the bar anticipating the opening song. They hit the stage and you could tell the tad bit of nervousness between them, but after a few tweaks from the board they were off, belting out classics from Tom Petty and The Tragically Hip. They even had a few originals that could easily been written by Springsteen or Young. After about a hour the pub started to fill with the masses of Failing To Fall fans ( Chester and Marcus's group). The nerves would be replaced with the love of performing with people in your face singing along and dancing to your strum. Marcus' voice was nothing but fantastic, he belted out raw and it carries stright from the throat. We were missing only one thing last night and that was Steve Abbott from Just BS 4 feet away from Chester's face singing harmony right in front of him just like Chester had done when Steve would grace us with his presence. But all in all it was a great night, filled with great music and 2 new regulars at The Walkhams Gate Pub. Congrats boys you really lived up to they hype.