Russell Crowe And 'A Less Contentious Australia Day Tweet'...An Australian responds.

On the 25 January, 2018, the day before Australia's national day of celebration Russell Crowe wrote on his official Twitter site... 'I am going to say Happy Australia Day , on a different date. Take away the contention , let's have a date we can all embrace. We should be sensitive enough to recognise all those who have lived in this land before us , if you live here , you belong to them , and they to you.' 

One of the reasons I love writing my blog is that I always find so many interesting things to research and write about. And this topic is definitely one of those. Two days on from when the tweet was first posted the responses keep coming. Well over 600 responses from fans, Australians (both indigenous and non-indigenous) and foreigners who have weighed into the discussion. And what a discussion this has been for Twitter and social media.

There were the loyal Russell Crowe fans from overseas (and Australia) who agreed with Russell again, over something that didn't affect them or their family and they had no trouble criticising Australia and telling Australians what to do. Most of these fans from overseas don't have a clue about Australia's history, have never been to Australia and nor have they ever met an Australian or an indigenous Australian yet they weighed in.

There were those who responded and told Russell 'politely' that he was a Kiwi who has never taken citizenship and voted and that he should mind his own business and keep his opinions to himself. There were many of those who wrote and I agree with that there is no 'we' as long Russell doesn't do his time and take his citizenship and vote. He doesn't have the right to speak for me as an Australian and what we should do about anything in this country even though he lives here beyond the scope of his own family and investments. I was initially peeved at his comments and for taking yet another dig at Australians and Australia the country he says he calls home.

There was also a really interesting educational and informative discussion by many Australians about the history of colonisation in Australia and the possibility of changing Australia Day to another date. Of course I wouldn't take anything I read in a Twitter or a social media timeline as the absolute truth and would check the comments made against reliable sources, but I was heartened by the informative, non abusive and non name calling discussion in order to attempt to resolve this issue.

The traditional media also caught on about Russell's comments who use Twitter and social media as a source of 'news'. At the time of writing this post there were stories on Yahoo and from the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom. These articles describe how there are a number of Australian celebrities joining the 'Change the date' cause. These 'news' stories were supplement with screen shots of tweets and beautiful pictures of flag waving Australians.

I am sure Russell Crowe (as are a number of celebrities) are fully aware of the power of their Twitter and social media accounts to created publicity for any cause. Like a range of social media has the power to make most participants whether they are a celebrity or not feel better about themselves without having to do anything substantial. For Russell there is the extra advantage of using Twitter to take a dig at Australia and Australians with his 'loyal' followers trolling them and dividing Australians themselves.

Russell posted the tweet on his official Twitter account on the 25 January or Australia Day eve to 'take away contention'. What many of his loyal supporters on Twitter didn't realise that his post supporting the call to change the date posted on the 25 January is the official beginning of the Australia Day celebrations especially in the nation's capital Canberra when the Australian of the Year awards are announced.

Australia Day celebrations in past were held on the 25 January or the 26 January depending on what day of the week it was. When I lived in Canberra ordinary Australians like me would wonder up to the old Parliament and watch the presentation of Australian of the Year and participate in various activities including a concert and fireworks.

However, with each change of government the day and celebrations for Australia Day change. This year The Australian of the Year awards and Australia Day celebrations for the Australian elite in Canberra were held on the 25 January at the Big Hall in Parliament House. I am not sure what kind of a presentation it was but I am assuming it was an invited sit down dinner only. Ordinary Australians, residents and visitors were left with a family friendly barbecue, flag raising, citizenship ceremonies and some fireworks and a concert in the park now on the actual day. So I can't imagine it being a big deal to change the date.

Many of Russell's followers do not understand Australian history as many Australians don't but still they actively defended him. Many failed to remember Russell owns half of the Australian rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbitohs . Unlike the National Rugby League site the South Sydney Rabbitohs did not write an official happy Australia Day post to it's members and supporters on Twitter. The South Sydney Rabbitohs supports indigenous Australia players and has a long and complex history with the indigenous Australian community and the local Sydney suburb of Redfern where the organisation is located.

In a recent article on ABC News gave an overview of the Invasion Day protests around Australia and those in Sydney... 'This year Sydney protests marked the 80 th anniversary of the Day of Mourning where thousands of protesters walked through the streets of Redfern wanting a treaty between Indigenous Australians and the Government... Australia is the only country that does not have a treaty with its Indigenous population...A twin Australia Day protest was held at The Block in Redfern, with more than 3,000 people spilling out of the park and joining the walk to the Yabun Festival held at Victoria Park.'

To his credit Russell has always had an interest in indigenous Australian culture and history. Last year he visited remote indigenous communities throughout central Australia and Western Australia with friends. Although a private unannounced visit he did attract the attention of the local media who published some photographs and stories (Iannella, 2017). Russell also posted some photos and videos on his official Twitter. When the political party the Greens who support the 'Change of Date' campaign were asked about their experience in remote indigenous Australian communities many of their elected politicians would not say what their experiences were or when they last went to a remote indigenous Australian community (Higgins, 2018). So credit to Russell.

In a poll taken by the morning television show Sunrise on Facebook 74 % of people who voted did not want the date of Australia Day changed. Prior to writing this blog post I would have been in that camp. After some research and a bit of resistance I believe Australia should begin discussions to change the date.

King (2018) provides a brief but excellent overview of the history of the colonisation of Australia. The writer states something I didn't know 'It's a misnomer anyway calling January 26 Australia day because that is historically inaccurate. The 26th was not arrival of anyway, they arrived in Botany Bay on 18th January...On January 26 Phillip established a penal colony not a nation...'

This Australian now believes we should celebrate Australia Day on January 1 when the nation of Australia was actually created. King (2018) continues 'January 1, 1901 was all about nation building - not British naval officers just founding one penal colony - but Australians creating their own nation.'

And so the debate and push around changing the date of Australia Day continues in particular by some political parties within Australia. However, there are those non indigenous and indigenous Australians that argue this takes away from more important issues that concern indigenous Australians like housing, health and shorter life expectancies, justice, domestic violence, child neglect, education and employment. Governments had discussed closing the gap between indigenous and non indigenous Australians for years and this should be a priority. I agree.

References

ABC News, 2018. 'Invasion Day marked by thousands of protesters calling for equal rights, change of date' published on ABC News on 26 January, 2018 at abc.net.au.

Canberra Times, 2018, 'Greens may be off the mark with Australia Day push' published in The Canberra Times on 15 January, 2018 at canberratimes.com.

Higgins, E. 2018, 'Greens’ focus is not on Aborigines, says Sue Gordon' published in The Australian on 20 January, 2018 at the australian.com.au.

Iannella, A. 2017. 'Russell Crowe visited the APY Lands, and Tjala Arts Centre in the Amata community' published in The Advertiser on 3 May, 2017 on news.com.au.

King, J. 2018. 'Australia Day: Why our destiny requires another date to celebrate' published in The Sydney Morning Herald on the 21 January, 2108 at amp.smh.com.au.

Sunrise Official Twitter Account, 'Should we change the date of Australia Day Facebook Poll' published on 24 January, 2018.

Weekend Australian, 2018. 'Greens get good telling off from indigenous leaders' published in the Weekend Australia, on 23 January, 2018 at theaustralian.com.au.

No copyright infringement intended...

Great Big Sea And 'Love Me Tonight'...Throwback Thursday.

The Great Big Sea music video 'Love Me Tonight' is one of my favourites. The music video stars the members of Great Big Sea (Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett, Sean McCann, Murray Foster and Kris MacFarlane) and shows the viewer the band in concert and the life of this band behind the scenes making music and having fun. The music video alternates between colour and black and white footage. 

Recently while watching some Great Big Sea music videos as I often do, I remembered a post from Bob Hallett engaging with fans about the making of this music video on social media. I thought what a great idea their discussion would make for a post.

I found the original post by Bob Hallett on his official Facebook account from February, 2017. There was a great discussion between Bob and the fans who shared their memories of the concert where the music video was shot. The concert was held at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto in 2009. Bob explained they had arranged to record the whole concert for a live DVD and no one in the band liked the results so they decided not to use it. The band ended up using some of the material for the music video 'Love Me Tonight'.

Bob Hallett states on Facebook about the concert and filming of the music video "The show was fine, however, there were issues with the lighting and audio, plus the close ups were horrible, which made too much of it unusable. A lot of the footage in the music video actually came from a rehearsal earlier in the day, so much of the nighttime stuff blew chunks. The classic shot in the beginning of the show, where the scrim drops to reveal the backdrop, came from the in house video. Our guys somehow missed it. It was that kind of day. The result was we had to use a lot of b-roll from studio sessions shot nine months earlier in St. John's...I had forgotten about it myself. It was a fiasco for a variety of reasons. Too bad, it was a good show otherwise..."

I have included a screen shot of the original post by Bob Hallett from his official Facebook account. I have also included some screenshots from the video. As always no copyright infringement intended.

I have circulated a copy of the Great Big Sea music video 'Love Me Tonight' on my Google + page for those fans interested.

Television In Australia...An open letter to CBS America for programming changes in Australia.

A week can be a long time in television so I am glad I waited before publishing the rest of this post. This post is kind of an open letter to the US television giant CBS who took over local Australian television station channel 10 last year in September 2017. 

I am appealing for a better deal for Australian fans of the fabulous CBS US made television shows. 

Note...Since I wrote this blog this morning CBS seem to have done a back flip over the number of Supernatural episodes available to Australian viewers digitally. There are now only 4 episodes available through iTunes and 2 episodes available through Google Play. 

It seems Australians won't be able to watch any new Supernatural digitally until they are shown on free-to-air TV. I am certainly glad I didn't pay my money for the full season and the number of episodes available in the US and Canada. I won't be watching the current season or buying any digital content until the release of the Supernatural Season 13 on DVD usually around September. 

Dear CBS America...

I am a fan of many television series from CBS including Supernatural, The Big Bang Theory, Hawaii Five-0 and Scorpion. I also watch other US produced television shows including The X-Files and Once Upon a Time.

I stopped watching Australian television in the traditional format years ago. I haven't watched any content, not even the news on an Australian television station at a set time with commercials for years with the exception being the Australian rugby union team the Wallabies' test matches. I find watching television in it's traditional means totally frustrating and discouraging. I therefore buy all of my content on DVD or digitally or occasionally watch catch-up TV on the Internet.

Despite the development of catch-up TV for fans to watch television shows when they can after the original screening with few commercials on the Internet, legal action by Internet Service Providers and pay television stations to prevent and discourage Australian piracy and the purchase of free-to-air television station Channel 10 by US television giant CBS things are not much better.

After the take over by CBS of Channel 10 there was considerable discussion about the future of television in Australia. In an article titled "From reality to sports: What a CBS-owned Channel 10 may look like." by Miranda Wade published on 9 September, 2017 by nine.com.au the opposition television station she writes about what the future of television in Australia may look like after the take over.

The article writes about the focus on Australian made content and the regulations for Australian content..."Currently, commercial free-to-air television licensees are required to broadcast an annual minimum of 55 percent of Australian programming between 6 am and midnight on their primary channel. They are also required to provide at least 1,460 hours of Australian programming on their non-primary channels, which for Ten include Eleven and One..."

One media analyst states in the article..."Regardless of the point system, the only programs to produce mega ratings are Aussie. There are no American programs that produce mega ratings. There may be formats we licence from America like The Voice or The Bachelor, that are produced here, so the large bulk of the money is here." (Since the publication of this article the US television show The Good Doctor has had been the exception).

When CBS took over channel 10 I had hopes for fans like me of your US television shows in the delivery of content we had to wait so long for. While I wish all those involved in creating Australian television content all the best I find watching Australian made television and the way it is delivered with advertising totally torturous whether it be news, current affairs, reality television or drama.

Free-to-air television stations including channel 10 continue to treat their viewers and the fans of US made shows with absolute contempt unless they watch Australian made shows. Initially television stations suck viewers and fans in by screening the first six or seven episodes of popular US television shows a couple of days after they have been screened in the US.

As the Christmas holidays arrive Australians are fed a diet of repeated old episodes. Fans like me of a television show tend to have all the seasons on DVD or digitally so I don't watch these. New episodes that are screened in the US are saved for the Australian ratings months well into the new year. Of course none of these television shows ever make the ratings as the real fans have moved on with the current US season through pirated content available from a range of sources.

For those fans who do the right thing and buy a whole season digitally in Australia the wait for content is not as easy and can be long and torturous. For example, CBS produced television show The Big Bang Theory. Consumer's displeasure at the long wait for content to be released is expressed in the comments sections of online sites like Google Play. Online content is not available until after the episode has been screened in Australia either by free-to-air or pay TV stations.

For fans of the popular US drama Supernatural Australians were left high and dry when the current season began in the US. Neither free-to-air or pay TV began screening the new season until about a week ago. Two episodes are being televised at a time and they are available on the station's catch up TV site.

The Supernatural fandom is extensive, complex and extremely diverse. There are huge fandoms in both English and non-English speaking countries. Australian fans with contacts made through social media and connecting in person by attending Supernatural conventions both here and overseas have access to pirated copies of the current episodes soon after the screening in the US.

Since the screening of the current Supernatural season in the US I have regularly checked digital online sites for information hoping that if the current season had been screened on pay-TV then it would be available online. But no such luck until now. Since the current season of Supernatural began on free-to-air TV, online sites like Google Play and ITunes seem to have released all the current episodes now available to US fans.

With the purchase of channel 10 by CBS I am wondering why Australian Supernatural fans and fans of other shows have been treated this way? As producers of content have they not learnt anything from all the current research done about Australians and piracy? A large number of fans have no choice but to access pirated content. That Australian fans given the choice would rather buy current content than watch pirated content.

Supernatural is produced by The CW Television which is a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Brother's Entertainment. So there is no conflict of interest over content screening on channel 10. So why the current change of heart?

I am more sure that this change of heart has nothing to do with piracy than the creation of a new spin off series and needs Australian fan's support. CBS announced last year they were creating a Supernatural spin off series Wayward Sisters. Again to the best of my knowledge Australian fans were left out of the loop for the beginning of this new series. The episode is available legally online along with the rest of the current season.

The Big Bang Theory is another CBS produced television show where fans are given a bad deal. Six episodes have currently been seen on free-to-air TV in Australia. For fans of television shows like The Big Bang Theory who bought the latest season digitally they have received the first six episodes but nothing more. If fans paid for the full season of content CBS have their money for the whole season but have yet to release the content.

The current US season of The Big Bang Theory is moving right along after the Christmas break and Australian fans have been left high and dry. After checking the Channel Nine catch up TV section the television station that screens the show content has been removed and there is no sign of when TBBT is going to return. Repeat episodes flood the current station programming. It is understandable that CBS would want their own produced content put on their own station. So please can you make up you mind where you are going to put it and screen it.

Another CBS television I love is Hawaii-Five-0. The first six episodes have been released on iTunes. The television show is not returning to Australian screens until 10 February for ratings. In the meantime the season rolls along in the US and Australian fans are left to follow on social media sites and wait for content to be delivered.

There are fans like me who don't participate in the fandom, do not have those contacts and are not prepared to watch piracy and risk their computer safety by logging on to dubious live screening sources on YouTube. Some fans are happy watching episode promos, read transcripts and watch fan vids of episodes available through YouTube and fan sites. Frankly it is not a great way for television stations like CBS to reward international fans who loyally watch their shows and buy seasons either digitally or on DVD for years.

Australian Pay TV channel Foxtel who is currently screening the new season of the popular The X-Files recognised this and made the episodes available on iTunes the following day. The whole series cost me as much as a trip to the movies and I didn't have to waste my time or Internet data looking at clips posted on YouTube. I bought the whole season 11 and to be honest I am as happy as a pig in mud.

In a survey by Choice magazine of 1046 people found "...50% of pirates said that their main reason for pirating was price, and 41 % said it was because they wanted specific content sooner than available in Australia...most consumers 55 % try to use legal sources first, before searching out pirated copies of content...people who pirate at least monthly are more likely to pay for content through iTunes or Apple TV subscription..." These findings were reflected in the ABS Census in 2011. The problem with television in Australia is research shows there are many viewers and fans would be discouraged from watching pirated content if they could buy content legally online soon after the screening in the US.

So CBS research shows if you screened your television shows soon after airing in the US would give pirates a run for their money and secure the loyalty of your viewers boosting ratings and buy content. I look forward to an improvement in the delivery television in Australia ASAP.

Yours sincerely

Liz Smith

References

Creative Content Australia 'Screen Piracy. Facts, Fallacies and FAQs' published at creativecontentaustralia.org.au in 2017.

Ford, M & Hall, L. 2017, 'Australia's biggest telcos ordered to block international pirate websites by Federal Court.' published at mobile.abc.net.au on 18 August, 2017.

Hickman, A. 2017. 'Ten CEO: 'CBS Ownership give us confidence to in more local content' published at adnews.com.au on 14 November, 2017.

Kollimorgen, K. 2014. 'CHOICE content piracy survey shows most pirates are willing to pay' published at choice.com.au on 9 December, 2014.

Ward, M. 2017. 'From reality to sports: What a CBS-owned Channel 10 may look like.' published at finance.nine.com.au on 9 September, 2017.

Wikipedia, 2017, 'Supernatural' published at en.m.wikipedia.org on 23 January, 2018.

Some of the DVDs in my collection...

Great Big Sea 1995...Throwback Thursday.

I am and have always been a bit of a research junkie. Research like anything in life really is about the thrill of the chase and finding something new or rediscovering something old that is interesting to me. To me the world is so full of many wonderful, exciting and interesting things. My blog enables to me to try and understand and articulate some of those discoveries. Although I fully realise my discoveries are often well known to others who share the same interests.

Recently I was thinking about the chapter in Alan Doyle's new book 'A Newfoundlander In Canada' about when Great Big Sea were the opening act for a purple dinosaur at a festival in Newfoundland. So I went looking for some more information about the event.

Although I haven't found anything about the festival I did find a fabulous article from a student magazine and a poster for Great Big Sea playing a concert at their old university in 1995. And what a concert that would have been.

The year 1995 was an exciting one for Great Big Sea and their fans. In 1995 Great Big Sea had just released their second album 'Up'. The album went platinum in Canada. From the album come many of the songs the fans love and continue to request twenty two years on and even though the band members have gone their separate ways. Some of these songs include 'Goin' Up', 'Run Runaway', 'Fast as I Can', 'Mari-Mac', 'Lukey', 'Old Black Rum', 'Wave Over Wave' and 'Rant and Roar'.

The article is from the Great Big Sea tripod fan created site. The site contains copied articles about the early years of Great Big Sea. So hopefully they are true to the originals. The article is copied below. The poster is from a wonderful collection of material at the Memorial University archives sites. No copyright infringement intended.

Next Up at the TSC: Great Big Sea November 3, 1995 Thomson Student Centre Paper. By Jessica Peddle and Gabriella Fisher. 

Next weekend, Great Big Sea - Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett, Sean McCann, and Darrell Power - will return to one of their favourite venues, the Thomson Student Centre.

The band has just released their new CD, up, which is their first on the Warner Music Canada label. The move to a major label was not as overwhelming as one would think. Instead, it was a comfortable change.

'Bands like The Skydiggers, and Spirit of the West, Irish Descendants, Loreena McKennitt, were all in the Warner family,' Bob Hallett said. 

'Working on a major label did not take away from the album making process. We did have a lot of fun making this album and it really sounds like it, said Darrell Power. 

'But it wasn't all fun and games,' added Hallett. 'With the CD, this has been a long time coming for us, I mean its new for everybody else but for us this is a sum of two years worth of work.'

With up, the band wanted to capture the feeling of their live shows, thus the title. For their first titled CD, the band wanted something catchy and easy to remember. Goin' Up was a possible candidate, but they envisioned themselves doing photo shoots in elevators and chose up instead.

Power noted 'That by the time they started to record this CD, they had already fine-tuned the songs on the road. When we came into the studio to do it, it was already so well put-together and we were already so happy with it, that [the] same aggressive mood and atmosphere [of the live show] came out in the album. In comparison to their first self-titled CD, Up is more reflective of their individual styles.'

'This one is the sum of two years worth of songs and two years worth of work,' said Hallett.

So the end result is that this is the way the band plays, this is the kind of music the band likes to play.

Their new single, a cover of Slades Run, Runaway, was an afterthought. 'Run Runaway was one we did after everything else, we came back...about a month after we had finished the initial recording...and someone said 'Why don't we do Run Runaway while we were here?' said Hallett. 'The first tracks were so lively and so much fun we blew right through the whole thing.'

Great Big Sea is famous for their live shows and they have played to audiences all across Canada.

'We approach all audiences the same, that this audience could be won over - we really enjoy playing live...the audience will appreciate it whether were in Saskatoon or Zimbabwe' commented Hallett.

But don't try to categorize this band.

Power said the best compliment for us is after a show for someone to come up and say 'What a great show -- what kind of music is it?' The influences are so diverse that putting a label on their unique sound is virtually impossible. 

Hallett notes that this is one of the reasons the band chose to go with Warner Music Canada. 'We thought this is a...company that already had experience with our kind of thing - they're not going to pigeonhole us.'

The band is looking forward to their concert on November 3 at the Thomson Student Centre (TSC). 

'Thats going to be a mad show,' Power said. The last time we did the TSC it was simply crazy from start to finish and this one is not going to be any different.

(With files from Chris Smith, CHMR.)

Alan Doyle And Friend's Fundraising Video 2018...

During November 2017, 'The Spirit of Canada A Benefit' brought together approximately 50 of Canada's best artists and musicians (including Alan Doyle, Jim Cuddy, Sarah McLachlan and Ed Robertson) to help raise funds for one of their own John Mann. The benefit was held on Sunday, 19 November, 2017 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

The event was held to help raise funds for his medical condition (who was diagnosed with the early onset of Alzheimer's) and personal needs. During that night Alan Doyle and friends recorded a cover version of the Spirit of the West song 'Home For a Rest' and made a video that shows Mann enjoying the night dancing on stage while friends perform the song. The video was shared on social media and through the traditional media to help raise awareness and funds. The video is totally awesome and I wish them all the best. 

Alan did some interviews about the experience of doing the fundraiser and recording the song and making the video. I decided to let Alan's words speak for themselves and have copied an interview from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador below. I have shared a copy of the 'Home For a Rest' video from YouTube on my Google + page. I have also shared some screen shots I have done from the video. As always no copyright infringement intended. 

"We got it in the can in the can': Alan Doyle spearheads bathroom recording to benefit John Mann." published on 14 January 2018.

Track recorded in restroom during benefit show for Spirit of the West front man who has Alzheimer's.

A new version of a Spirit of the West hit was recorded in a restroom before a Vancouver gig to support ongoing care for the band's lead singer, who is living with early onset Alzheimer's.

"We got it in the can in the can," said singer-songwriter Alan Doyle of the recording, which came together with the help of other Canadian musicians at the Nov. 19 benefit show at the Commodore Ballroom.

"'I knew when that gig was coming up, that it was going to be a special day," Doyle told Weekend AM about the show in support of John Mann, who was diagnosed in 2014 at the age of 52.

In order to have something from the benefit that would last beyond the event itself, Doyle planned a recording of one of the band's best-known songs, Home For A Rest.

Doyle and members of his touring band laid down a bed track while in Halifax for a gig, and vocals — and a video — were recorded at the Commodore ballroom on the day of the show itself with dozens of the musicians who played on stage later that evening.

Doyle a longtime fan 

Doyle has a long history with Mann and Vancouver-based Spirit of the West as a solo musician and as a member of Great Big Sea. 

But his introduction to the band actually came from Much Music in the late 1980s. Doyle said he was excited to see music videos from a band playing the traditional instruments he was familiar with in an entirely new way.

"The first band that we knew in Canada that was getting on television, and even getting on the radio, and playing acoustic instruments really aggressively and punky was Spirit of the West," Doyle said of the band, which he described as a huge influence on him as a young musician.

"The way they chose to play very, very, delicate, fragile acoustic Celtic instruments was incredible to me," Doyle said. "It was very influential, yeah, probably one of the most influential bands of my lifetime."

'A show of love and support

The musical tribute to one of the band's biggest hits was planned around the November show, which Doyle described as "a night of entertainment, as a show of love and support and fundraising for John and his ongoing care."

With the bed track already recorded, Doyle and audio engineer Peter Green set up shop in a second-floor men's washroom at the venue, bringing musicians in and out during pre-show rehearsals to record on a mic lent by famed music producer Bob Rock, who was in town working on another project.

The unusual lavatory location for vocal recording was selected because it was enclosed, quiet and as far as possible from the rehearsal space, Doyle said.

"We did drape it nicely. We found a bunch of black drapes to put over the urinals and the like," Doyle said. "We had Sarah McLachlan coming in there. I couldn't ask Sarah to go to just any old men's can to sing a song."

Along with Doyle and McLachlan, the Home For A Rest cover includes Jim Cuddy (Blue Rodeo), Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies), Barney and Dustin Bentall, Colin James, and Craig Northey (Odds).

Geoffrey Kelly and Tobin Frank from Spirit of the West also played, along with some of the band members' children.

A GoFundMe page set up to support Mann and his family as his disease progresses and the amount of care he requires increases had surpassed its goal after raising $22,567 as of Friday. 

As for Mann himself, Doyle said he was at the show and appeared to enjoy the evening.

"He just kept saying to me that it was lovely, the whole day was lovely," Doyle said. "Anything that keeps him connected to his friends and his musical friends that love him is good."

Great Big Sea And 'The Banks Of Newfoundland'...Throwback Thursday.

Recently I was searching for Great Big Sea videos on YouTube when I came across a wonderful video of Bob Hallett, Alan Doyle and Sean McCann singing 'The Banks of Newfoundland'. Although the video was published at the height of my interest in Great Big Sea I don't remember reading anything about this on social media or seeing it before now. So this was a very exciting find for me as a fan.

The attached description writes the video was made during the Newfoundland winter of 2013. The Heavyweather YouTube site wrote about the video 'This day, however, happened to be the coldest day of the year and with the wind and snow coming off the water behind us we thought we just might freeze. Turned out well in the end and we captured this great performance.' The video looks like it was shot in Quidi Vidi. The video was published on the Heavyweather YouTube site on the 19 February, 2014.

Wikipedia states 'The Banks of Newfoundland' is the 'earliest Newfoundland composition set down in music notation...and was originally composed by Frances Forbes in 1820 as a dance and then was treated as a march by soldiers during WW1. Today it is the official tune of the Royal St. John's Regatta.' 'The Banks of Newfoundland' was recorded by Great Big Sea on The Fortune's Favour album and released in 2008. The album was recorded at the band's studio in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Bob Hallett is magnificent as the lead vocalist with Alan Doyle and Sean McCann providing support vocals. I like many Great Big Sea fans are still waiting patiently for the Bob Hallett solo album.

I have circulated a copy of the video on my Google + page. The screen shots are from the video. No copyright infringement intended.

A New Year In Newfoundland 2018...and a music special.

As Newfoundland is located on the east coast of Canada and St. John's, the capital city is on the east coast of Newfoundland each new Canadian day begins there. Traditionally therefore Canada's New Year's Eve celebrations start in St. John's and Newfoundland and Labrador.

This year CBC Arts created a musical program that allowed Canadians and people around the world to watch their New Year's Eve celebrations as they unfolded. The musical program was hosted by Rick Mercer from Niagara Falls, and featured Canadian artists and musicians, fans, and fireworks live from all of the different Canadian time zones.

The Newfoundland stream of Canada's New Year's Eve countdown to 2018 was presented by Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett, Tom Power and friends and attended by their friends and family at Mallard Cottage. They opened with 'Row Me Bully Boys Row'. Alan Doyle counted down to the New Year and the band then followed up with 'Lukey's Boat', 'Sonny's Dream' and ended with the 'St. John's Waltz'. Also included in this section of the presentation were performances from Jessie Reyer at Niagara Falls and A Tribe Called Red in Halifax.

The musicians and crowd at Mallard Cottage were on fire. The musicians and crowds at Niagara Falls were on fire and all other venues across Canada, so I thought it was a bit of a wasted opportunity for CBC Arts to spend so much time on written trivia instead of great Canadian artists and musicians to play and perform which bought so much enjoyment. I really enjoyed the Indigenous Canadian inclusion in the program.

The program was telecast in a number of different ways including television and live streaming. I was thrilled I was able to watch the celebrations on a very cold Canadian New Year's Eve on YouTube from Australia in the middle of a warm New Year's Day.

I have shared the official CBC Newfoundland segment from YouTube on my Google + page. The images are from the stream and no copyright infringement intended.

Great Big Sea And Ordinary Day...A favourite Canadian song.

Recently Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett responded to Twitter and Facebook posts from fans about the results of a CBC Canada Music online music survey to find out what were Canadian's favourite Canadian songs. The results included the Great Big Sea song 'Ordinary Day'. 'Ordinary Day' has been on a number of popular Canadian music lists created by fans over the years.

CBC Music received over 2500 votes on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for a range of Canadian songs past and present and posts on what those songs meant to them. From those votes they made up a list and supplemented that list with comments made from those who posted and some videos of the songs that were published in an article on their webpage.

I absolutely love stories and lists like this one created by CBC Music and music fans. I am familiar with many of the Canadian artists and musicians who are listed and whose music is loved around the world such as Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, Bryan Adams, Tom Cochrane, Anne Murray and Joni Mitchelle. Others have been introduced to me via the boys from Great Big Sea such as Jann Arden, Sarah McLachlan and Leonard Cohen. Lists like this always give me the opportunity to listen too and appreciate a range of other Canadian artists and musicians. While most of the videos were from official sites, I was a bit disappointed some of the videos were pirated videos and music where royalties would not go to the artist or musician.

While I love 'Ordinary Day' I have to admit I have a partial preference for the song 'Lovers In A Dangerous Time'. On this list The Barenaked Ladies version is included but Great Big Sea also performed a version in their early years and Alan Doyle often does a brilliant version in his concerts.

Bob Hallett wrote on his official Facebook page that 'Posterity is being kind to us'. Great Big Sea and their music and interactions with and kindness to their fans have brought so much pleasure not only in Canada but around the world. In return I hope the boys have been rewarded in so many ways and still rewards them in many ways still to come.

I have circulated a copy of the official version of 'Ordinary Day' and a bootleg of Alan Doyle singing 'Lovers In A Dangerous Time' on my Google + page.

Great Big Sea And Some Videos...Throwback Thursday.

I was researching music on YouTube when I came across some professionally made Great Big Sea videos published in 2012 that I had never seen before until recently. 

Three of the videos were of Sean McCann songs England, Safe Upon The Shore and Good People. The videos were of songs that seem to focus on Sean McCann as the star of these songs and there is no mention he was part of a band called Great Big Sea. While I found it really sad the way Sean McCann went about ending his relationship with the rest of Great Big Sea, I do love all these songs and they still remain some of my favourites.

These songs seem to have been recorded and published on YouTube at the same time as the well known and viewed video of the Great Big Sea/Bob Hallett song 'Come and I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles)'. This video is available on the Great Big Sea Official YouTube site.

The Sean McCann videos are available on his official YouTube. The screen shots are from the videos and no copyright infringement intended.