Alan Doyle And The Danforth Music Hall 2015...Throwback Thursday.

AlanDoyle@alanthomasdoyle Easy one of the most amazing evenings of my life in Toronto. Thanks @JimCuddy and @thestepcrew for making it such a magic night. 7 February, 2015. 

AlanDoyle@alanthomasdoyle 1/2 Still reeling from the amazing weekend in TO and St. John's. Sold Out show at Danforth with @JimCuddy @thestepcrew and Gordon Pinsent. 9 February, 2015.

This week Alan Doyle and The Beautiful, Beautiful Band began the second leg of the 'Come Out With Me' Tour in Canada. There have been sold out shows in Canada in Peterborourgh, Kitchener, Kingston, Montreal and Toronto. Congratulations to Alan and the band. It is always great to hear that concerts are sold out and people love the music.

As I have said on many occasions my blogger statistics show me posts written long ago about events often forgotten. This time a reader had located a blog I had written about a sold out concert Alan Doyle and his band did at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto at the beginning of the 'So Let's Go' Tour in February, 2015. So I thought I would revisit this concert.

In the post from 2015 titled 'Alan Doyle from Petty Harbour at the Danforth Music Hall' on the 23 February, I included links to some awesome black and white photographs from an online music magazine called 'A Music Blog, Yea?'. I have included three screen shots of photographs from the selection including Alan Doyle and the band, performing with Cara Butler from The Step Crew and a solo Alan Doyle alone stage with Stickman Tak. I have circulated the post on my Google + page for those interested. I have also included a copy of a review from the Toronto Sun copied below. As always no copyright infringement intended.

Talented Canadian dancer Cara Butler recorded with Alan Doyle for the song 'Can't Dance Without You' on the 'So Let's Go' album. This was followed up with a performance at the Danforth Music Hall. The Step Crew circulated a video of Cara Butler performing with Alan and the band for the song 'Can't Dance Without You' recorded from backstage. I have circulated a copy of this video on my Google + page for those interested fans.

One of my favourite bootleggers Larry Steves recorded four videos from the concert. I like his bootlegging because he only records songs he likes. One of those was Alan Doyle singing the song 'Northern Plains' with Blue Rodeo lead singer and Canadian music legend Jim Cuddy. Larry also recorded a song that I haven't heard in a while including 'The Night Loves Us', an awesome interpretation of 'Wave Over Wave' and 'Shine On' with Cory Tetford and Kendel Carson. These videos have also been circulated on my Google + page for interested fans.

For fans of Alan Doyle and The Beautiful, Beautiful Band they will never know what to expect at any concert. 

Concert Photos: Alan Doyle @ The Danforth Music Hall, Toronto. 8 February, 2015 at A Music Blog Yea? http://amusicblogyea.com/2015/02/08/concert-photos-alan-doyle-the-danforth-music-hall-toronto

'Solo Alan Doyle concert has a lot to offer' by Jane Stevenson in the Toronto Sun on 7 February, 2015.

In his mind, the sometime co-lead singer of Canadian folk rockers Great Big Sea, is still “Alan Doyle from Petty Harbour” despite a successful 20 year GBS career and now rising solo stardom.

And always will be I think.

So when the 45-year-old Doyle was in front of a sold-out crowd at the Danforth Music Hall on Friday night, in support of his just released second solo album, So Let’s Go, you could tell there were times when his mind was being blown.

Like when Blue Rodeo co-lead singer Jim Cuddy walked on stage to sing and harmonize sweetly with him on Northern Plains from Doyle’s first solo album, 2012’s Boy on Bridge.


“I don’t know what you were doing in high school, but I was in Petty Harbour wishing I could sing on a record with Jim Cuddy,” he said afterwards genuinely in awe of the moment.

Or when actor Gordon Pinsent walked down the aisle to give him a friendly wave.

You’d certainly be hard pressed to find a Canadian musician with a sweeter disposition.

He never seems to take any of his success for granted and is very likeable as a result.

To wit, Doyle wisely bookended his show by singing alone a capella, beginning with Dream of Home and ending with Where I Belong, showing off his biggest strength – his big, open-hearted presence.

Then he was joined by a five piece band – with special mention to MVP and west coaster Kendel Carson on fiddle, guitar and backing vocals “she all makes us stand up a little straighter,” said Doyle by way of band intros – and occasionally a dancer of two, starting with (appropriately), I Can’t Dance Without You.

Doyle also has loads of passion that was on full display when he tackled I’m A Sailor with just him and keyboardist Todd Lumley kicking off the encore.

And while it was the more animated songs of both the GBS and solo variety like When I’m Up, Dance Dance, I’ve Seen A Little, Sins of A Saturday Night, Old Black Rum, Run Runaway, Testify and Ordinary Day, that got the crowd up on their feet and singing and dancing for most of the evening – divided into two sets separated by a half-hour intermission – Doyle could handle a ballad too like When The Nightingales Sing or Laying Down To Perish.

He also covered John Mellencamp’s Paper In Fire and knew how to deliver a line, like recalling how he and actor Russell Crowe wrote Hit The Ground for a scene in a film about a shotgun wedding on the Australian actor’s farm; “We MAY have been drinking.”

But he let the audience know by the end that “on a night like this, in a place like this, with people like you,” meant a lot to him.

Jake And Jimmy Talk About B'ys...Throwback Thursday.

Newfoundland, Canada is my second favourite place in the world after my own country Australia. Republic of Doyle is one of my favourite television shows of all time and Allan Hawco is one of my favourite Newfoundlanders. I am looking forward to seeing his new television show 'Caught' on CBC Canada screening this week.

After the ROD finished there was consider discussion by the fans about the ending and the possibility of a movie in the future. One of the tweets from that time was from one my favourite scenes in which Jake explains to Jimmy (Scott Grimes) about Newfoundlanders and the word b’y.

These photographs are from a previous post published in December, 2014 titled 'Republic of Doyle…#Lastcall…the fans react…' The post has had 411 hits and is regularly visited.

Chalupa Batman@bigeanman So true "@kerrimacd #doyletweets #LastCall @allanhawco @scottgrimes" (no copyright infringement intended)

Alan Doyle And The Ottawa Bluesfest 2017...Throwback Thursday.

Today in any type of fandom, fans produce a range of fan products that include merchandise and bootleg videos of concerts that make it increasingly difficult to tell whether they are fan or professionally produced done with the permission of the content copyright holders. 

Recently I came across a music video on YouTube of Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Beautiful Band at the Bluesfest in Ottawa on the 13 July, 2017 by a YouTube site called TheBootTube.com. I was considering writing a Throwback Thursday post after seeing one of BootTubes.com's music videos they had recorded of the Alan Doyle Trio (Alan Doyle plus Cory Tetford and Kendel Carson) at a performance at a record store in Ottawa in 2015.

I really liked the way TheBootTube.com had recorded the performance from the position of a fan in the audience. The video was professionally recorded with no static in the sound, moved continuously from individual close ups to full band shots with no shaky hand camera actions commonly found in fan music videos. The video included the whole performance from beginning to end. I thought the music video was so professionally recorded they were done with the permission of the copyright holders. It was my mistake that I didn't read the attached information which stated otherwise.

Then last week another of TheBootTube.com music videos appeared of Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Beautiful Band's performance at the Ottawa Bluesfest last year. I was pretty excited to see this one appear on YouTube and shared via social media. Although I don't really like full concerts being recorded because they take away from concert and album sales, I really enjoyed and appreciated the quality of this one including the sound and was inclusive of all the band members doing their thing. While Alan Doyle is clearly the lead showman of the band, I really enjoyed Cory Tetford's contribution during particular songs that made the current music quite different from previous interpretations. Cory Tetford is one fine musician and singer.

The blurb attached to the video clearly states the video was a fan recorded concert video, provided a full set list of all the songs played and where to find them in the video, gave credit to the full band and directed those interested to where to buy the music and concert tickets. Other fan videos do not provide this much detail nor do they say they are a fan produced video. There were no ads during the performance like in previous concert videos I had seen except at the beginning. I really liked the way these fan music videos despite being professional presented clearly state they were fan music videos.

I have circulated a copy of the music video on my Google + page for all those interested. I have also taken a screen shot from the music video and included them here. As always not copyright infringement intended.

There was also a review written of Alan Doyle's appearance at the same Bluesfest which contains some nice words and wonderful photographs. I have copied the article below and circulated a copy on my Google + page. Be sure to check out the awesome photographs of Alan and festival. As always no copyright infringement intended.

Bluesfest Review: Alan Doyle throws rollicking kitchen party' by Aedan Helmer Published on: July 13, 2017 in the Ottawa Citizen.

Alan Doyle proved he doesn’t need his shipmates in Great Big Sea to host a proper kitchen party.

Yes, everyone was just a little bit Newfie Thursday night as the gravel-voiced former Great Big Sea frontman brought his new band to Bluesfest, where his down-home sound has always been a hit with the crowd.

It was a slightly smaller audience than his old band brought — Great Big Sea are in the Bluesfest record books as drawing some of the festival’s larger crowds — but that may have been partly to blame on the new Bluesfest layout.

Doyle played the prime 9:30 p.m. slot, but over on the smaller Black Sheep Stage while Australian DJ Flume hosted an entirely different sort of party over on the main stage.

Bluesfest has also moved to a new setup with its tented Bluesville stage, in the spot where the old River/Monster stage used to be (a stage Doyle likely would have played in prior years).

The smaller-capacity (though mercifully sheltered) tent stage had organizers placing bigger-name acts on the Black Sheep Stage, which saw huge crowds Wednesday for bluesman Gary Clark Jr. and Tuesday for electro artist RL Grime.

No one seemed to mind the new digs Thursday, least of all Doyle, who repeatedly expressed how blessed he was to be invited back to the big show.

He took particular delight in showing off his new bandmates, with guitarist Cory Tetford, bassist Shehab Illyas, drummer Kris MacFarlane, Todd Lumley on keys and accordion, and fiddler Kendel Carson, who lit up the stage with some soaring solos.

“I sang this here with Great Big Sea, I know you knows it!” Doyle roared to usher in Sea of No Cares, from the 2002 GBS album of the same name.

The band rocked I Can’t Dance Without You, from his 2015 solo effort So Let’s Go, with its accordion and fiddle playing off each other at centre stage, while Doyle thrashed his trademark locks in approval.

He can rock with the best of them, but Doyle also showed his sensitive side, and ever the master storyteller, he told some of the tall tales behind his best-loved tunes.

He gave fans an intimate view from inside a doomed ship, as crewmates scramble to write letters to loved ones back home, notes that would later wash ashore on Fogo Island following a fatal shipwreck.

“It’s the selflessness of the whole thing that struck me with that story,” said Doyle in his folksy Newfoundland drawl, easing into the tragic tale of Laying Down to Perish. “These guys found a way, in what must have been just a terrifying time, to think of others first.”

But, not to let the mood get too dour, he had the crowd raise a glass for the romping Great Big Sea jig Lukey, with its boot-stomping beat and quick-pickin’ guitar solo.

“Let’s have a sociable!” he toasted, and the crowd happily obliged.

Doyle previewed his new album – his upcoming third solo record, which he recorded with Canadian rock legend Bob Rock – with the single Summer Summer Night, which Doyle noted has already found a home in several top ten lists.

“We’re gonna be famous!” he joked. “This is a song about my favourite thing I used o do back home in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland. Everybody would come home for the summer and word would get around town that there’s gonna be a fire on the beach… And halfway through those parties, I would say to myself, ‘Thank God I learned to play the guitar!’ ”

It was that kind of party, as Doyle cued up the Great Big Sea singalong Run Runaway, and the gospel-tinged and bluesy Testify (Take Me Down to the River), a tune which featured Colin James on the 2012 recording from Doyle’s solo debut Boy on Bridge.

Perhaps sensing the throbs of electro music from Flume pulsing across the hills from the City Stage – where the scene had calmed considerably since the mayhem that erupted during the earlier hip-hop set – Doyle cued up a DJ set of his own.

“Every good part needs a DJ,” he said, alternating between his audience-participation number 1,2,3,4 and a few crowd-pleasing teases of Blondie’s The Tide is High and Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al.

“Every country needs a queen, every house needs an lady, and every band needs a fiddler,” he boasted, sending the crowd home on the rolling waves of Ordinary Day.

Bluesfest continues Friday with Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, Headstones and LiVE.

Alan Doyle, Andrew Furey And Brendan Paddick And The 'A Dollar A Day' Launch...

Last week Alan Doyle and friends Dr Andrew Furey and Brendan Paddick launched the 'A Dollar A Day' foundation to help mental health and addiction programs throughout Newfoundland and Canada.

The foundation was launched at The Rooms in St. John's, Newfoundland and was streamed live on the official 'A Dollar A Day ' Facebook page on the 6 February, 2018. The press conference provided a sad but interesting introduction into mental health and addiction in Canada, and how the 'A Dollar A Day' foundation plans to help implement solutions throughout Canada (At the time of writing the post on the launch was still available on Facebook for those interested.)

Alan, Andrew and Brendan also did a a range of interviews with traditional news outlets including the local newspaper The Telegram. The article 'A Dollar A Day foundation launches in St. John's, aims to change front lines of mental health' by Sam McNeish published in thetelegram.com on the 7 February, 2018 explains how the donations received will help others. 

I have copied the article here and circulated a copy on my Google + page to let the foundation speak for themselves about their program.

I really like the idea that everyone can contribute if they want to by donating a small amount of a dollar day. In reality a dollar a day doesn't buy a lot in Canada but put together with a lot of dollars can make a difference to the various mental health and addiction programs being implemented in local communities.

I have included some screen shots of some of the photographs posted on the official 'A Dollar A Day' Facebook page taken at the launch. As always no copyright infringement intended.

'A Dollar A Day foundation launches in St. John's, aims to change front lines of mental health' by Sam McNeish published in thetelegram.com on the 7 February, 2018.

It sounds simple, because it is — donating your pocket change can make a huge difference in the life of that person you are seated next to on the bus, or is in the next booth at the coffee shop or sitting at your dinner table.

That is the basis for a new program — A Dollar A Day — launched Tuesday at The Rooms in St. John’s, with a goal of raising funds to close the gap between the availability of mental health and addictions programs and the growing need for them.

The organization was founded by businessman Brendan Paddick, musician Alan Doyle and Dr. Andrew Furey, and its goal is to make changes in the availability of help for people with mental health and addictions issues.

A Dollar A Day will provide funding to programs that address the needs of people with mental health and addictions challenges.

Included in the original groups selected to receive assistance are the Thrive Community Youth Network in St. John’s, Canadian Mental Health Association’s Living Life to the Fullest program in Ontario, the Salvation Army’s Harbour Light program in Vancouver and the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s HEADSTRONG program in Calgary.

“We are beyond delighted and honoured to be chosen as part of this initiative,” said Angela Crockwell, executive director of Thrive.

“There is a steady increase in the need for the services we offer. There is a waitlist for those services.”

She said the funding that will come from the A Dollar A Day program will help Thrive get services to those in need more quickly.

Crockwell said Thrive services about 1,500 people a year and she has seen the need for supports from her organization growing at an alarming rate.

“There has been a steady rise in people coming in for support — just since the first of January — and we don’t expect that to slow down any time soon. We want to offer them support.”

The statistics around mental health and addictions in Canada are staggering, Furey said. As an example, he cited youth suicide in Canada, which is the third highest in the world.

“Only one in five children who need help in this country receive it,” he said.

“We are all impacted by mental health. We hurt together, so we need to heal together.”

The Gonzaga High School Mental Health Coalition was on hand to join in the announcement and to hear first-hand how they may be able to support the program.

“A Dollar A Day reached out to our teacher/instructor to see how we could raise awareness in our school community to help erase the stigma around mental health issues,” Kate Hickey of the Gonzaga Mental Health Coalition said Tuesday.

“Like they said in the launch, students don’t have a lot of money to give. It may be a simple way for students to get involved, like perhaps a dollar a class or even if a student wants to donate a dollar on their own, they can. It will all make a difference.”

Gonzaga’s coalition has worked diligently this year to get the mental health message out to its students by placing posters with positive messages throughout the school.

Because of that hard work, they were selected to be the first school in the province to obtain a Yellow Bench — yellow for hello — a place where people can have a conversation about the small or big issues that are creating mental strife for them.

They have also been big supporters of Thrive’s programs, raising funds for them when they can through a variety of events and keeping the conversation going on how to obtain help for mental health issues.

“I hope you are all as inspired as we are,” Paddick said.

“Everything you can give can make a difference. This will help support frontline mental health and addictions programs across Canada.”

A short video was shown, with a number of Canadian celebrities throwing their support behind the cause, including singer/songwriter Jann Arden, Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies and St. John’s actor Allan Hawco.

In addition to this support, Doyle’s band and opening act the Fortunate Ones will have displays in the lobby at each of their shows during their Canadian tour promoting the A Dollar A Day program.

“Mental health matters to me. We need to make it accessible to a whole group of people who have not had access to help,” Doyle said.

“There is not enough dough going around. It is all about a dollar. That is part of a cup of coffee or change for a parking meter.”

Doyle asked those who attended the launch to answer two questions: do I want to help make a difference with mental health and addictions issues in this country, and do I have a dollar to give today?

For more on this initiative or to register to help, go online to www.adollaraday.ca, or follow the organization on Twitter and Facebook @adollaradayfdn.

Australian Sport And Professional Fan Cheer Squads...A fan responds.

"We found it hard to work out a positive about it. There was a grey area to it. It makes women uncomfortable and it makes blokes who take their son to the football also uncomfortable..." Russell Crowe on South Sydney Rugby League Club's decision not use cheerleaders in 2009.

Recently traditional news sources and social media were alive with the story that the Formula One Grand Prix competition had axed their grid girls or the use of models. I have to say I don't know anything about Formula One or the tradition of grid girls except what I had seen on the sports news on television.

From the news articles I have read I gather grid girls were added to Formula One during the 1960's to add some glamour to the motor car sport. Being a grid girl involved walking around the stadium interacting with the fans, having their photograph taken with the drivers and being showered in campaign on the winner's podium. But obviously there was a bit more to it that included wearing the sponsor's clothes, appearing on the track before the event and lining the halls before the drivers got onto the podium (Wheatsone, 2018).

At the end of January, 2018 Formula One issued a statement "While the practise of employing grid girls has been a staple at Formula One Grand Prix for decades, we feel this custom is at odds with modern day societal norms...we don't believe the practise is appropriate or relevant to Formula One and its fans, old and new across the world." (News Corporation Australia, 2018).

As a female sport's fan in Australia (but not of Formula One) who is interested in the role and inclusion of women fans in Australian sport I welcomed the decision. And yes I agree with Formula One that the idea of grid girls 'are at odds with modern day societal norms'. As a sport's fan I don't really believe grid girls (like cheerleaders) added anything to an exciting sport where men are the stars. Women are often objectified and seem nothing more than eye candy for male supporters. Grid girls and cheerleaders definitely send the wrong message to those women wanting to participate in sport on equal terms with men including motor sport (Ormonde, 2012, Emery, 2018).

I doubt those journalists and columnists in the Australian media who supported grid girls have been to a Formula One Grand Prix event in Australia or overseas or any sporting event where young women perform to entertain the supporters and support men playing the game on the field. Many stated that the presence of grid girls (or cheerleaders) at events didn't bother them. It is easy to support a group of people you personally have no contact with and are not a regular feature of you or your families life such as going to a rugby league game. These women argue that young women have a right use their physical beauty to earn money, wear what they want and to engage in any employment of their choice to earn a living at what they love. Which is true in Australia. One journalist told me 'how dare I tell another woman what values they should have' when I expressed my objection.

I was 'told how dare you tell another woman what values they should have' at the same time they ignored me and my feelings and the right to express my opinion. In fact no where in anything I read did journalists or columnists talk to a female fan about how grid girls or cheerleaders made fans feel at games and events and that was uncomfortable. To be honest I didn't like cheerleader's routines and costumes. The only person I read interested in the position of the female fans and cheerleaders was Russell Crowe back in 2009 when he made the decision to axe cheerleaders at South Sydney.

American cheerleading and the role of women in this sport is different in America than Australia. I have read where many academics, people pro grid girls and cheerleaders argue that the girls are often using these experiences to put themselves through university (Back, 2017). I have also read about cheerleading as a sport in its own right not as an addition to a male game which is a completely different thing. "What I love about cheerleading is that it is for everyone. Just like other sports, cheerleading has positions (flyers, bases, back bases, tumblers, dancers) that require athletes of various shapes, sizes and skill sets to fill them. Tall, short, solid, skinny, blond, brunette -it takes them all to make a perfect routine..."(Mihalopolos, 2014). If this was true in Australian sport about cheerleaders as crowd entertainment then there would be more diversity in those selected to perform in the squads.

I am a female Australian rugby union fan. Australian rugby union has never had cheerleaders as a number of Australian sports. I have been interested in rugby union and women in sport for over thirteen years. During that time I have seen major sporting league teams in Australian actively encourage women to participate in all levels of sport from being a fan, member, player, referee, employed in teams in a range of positions through the media, as health professionals, in team management and on boards. Many rugby union clubs have had special memberships and events including 'Ladies Day' for women fans. The head of Australian rugby union is a woman.

During doing research for the post I read quite a few articles but not in one did I read where someone had asked a female fan of Formula One what they thought (they spoke to the grid girls, drivers and management of Formula One, female academics and females in the sport but not the fans). The only time I have seen cheerleading at an Australian sporting event was when I lived in Canberra and I went to watch Australian rugby league teams South Sydney v Canberra. To me the men were the stars of the show and showed great skills at playing the game. When I went to these games South Sydney had already axed their cheerleaders.

In 2009 Russell Crowe as the new owner of South Sydney decided not to use cheerleaders as they made fans feel uncomfortable. He stated that the focus should be on football and replaced them with other forms of entertainment that were later disbanded. The move was seen as progressive at the time. To be honest Russell Crowe's words rang true at the games in Canberra and I did feel uncomfortable with cheerleaders and their type of entertainment. Several years on from my experiences in Canberra, the rugby league team the Canberra Raiders have decided not to renew their female cheerleading squad. The reason given was that this would distinguish their team from other teams and to 'create more opportunities for women and men and children to get involved.' (Back, 2017).

In 2016 Australia provided the American college football season with a match in Sydney between the California Golden Bears and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at ANZ stadium. This was the first American college football game ever played in Australia. Along with that game came all the razzle dazzle of American football including female cheerleading squads and marching bands. The social media section at ANZ stadium were sending out a large amount of tweets to promote the game using tweets with photographs of cheerleaders who seemed to be included in every promotional opportunity available rather than the players.

I don't have a problem with American college football or any American sports playing in Australia during their regular or off season but I do have a problem with cheerleaders who don't play the game in any capacity being used to promote the sport here. If Americans are going to promote their sport here I would rather see and hear from the players and administrators. When I complained to ANZ stadium on Twitter they blocked me for speaking up for what I considered sexist behaviour.

Many journalists and sports fans will probably believe the decision to axe grid girls comes in the wake of the #MeToo campaign in 'which has brought sexual harassment and objectification of women into the spotlight' (Emery, 2018). I believe it probably has influenced many professional sports and the role women play within them. But in Australian sport the decision to make sport more inclusive of women and for equal rights has been ongoing for many years. For example, late last year Australian sporting codes Australian Rugby Union, Australian Rugby League, Australian Football League and Australian Netball League joined forces to encourage Australian sport's fans to be more than a spectator and challenge sexist attitudes and behaviours, where ever and when they see them.

So what happens when women sport's fans speak up about sexist attitudes and behaviours in particular in sport around Australia. It seems grid girls, cheerleaders and their supporters are quick to shut those women down. I was told by one journalist on Twitter 'what right do men have to tell women what to do' as I tried to explain the role of women in sport including motor sport and their sponsors and this decision was perhaps not confined to men. Since then other articles have been written and the down fall of the grid girl has been blamed on the middle class well to do women telling working class women what they can and can't do. The grid girls blame women feminists for the lost of a job they loved (SBS, 2018, ABC, 2018).

Regardless of who made the decision to axe the grid girls it seems that those who run a business (either male or female) like the Formula One and their sponsors and fans can't make a decision about what is best for their business. Chan & Walters (2018) stated Formula One paid grid girls in the United Kingdom 300 pounds a day plus all their costs including food, hotels, makeup and travel. The total cost of grid girls ads up to a lot of money and savings if made redundant or replace with a more inclusive model. The axing of grid girls, cheerleaders and other walk on roles for models in professional darts and Australian cycling does reflect current societal norms but also to ensure the future of their sport as they compete for limited sponsorship funding. The money certainly can be used to promote more inclusive women's roles at all levels of the professional sport. What ever the reasons it is a move in the right direction.

References

Back, A. 2017. 'Canberra Raiders drop cheerleaders in 2017' published in The Canberra Times on 9 January, 2017.

Chan, E & Walters, I. 2018. 'It didn't feel sexist': Former grid girls have THEIR say on the controversial Formula One ban but Melinda Messenger says it's the right move' published in the DailyMail.co.uk on 1 February, 2018.

Emery, K. 2018. 'Grid girls are a notion that has had its day' published in The West Australian on 2 February, 2018.

McMahon, A. 2018. 'Formula One axes grid girls from races to keep up with 'modern day societal norms' published on abc.net.au on 1 February, 2018.

Mihalopoulos, S. 'Everything you know about cheerleading is wrong' published in mamamia.com.au on 10 August, 2014.

Musovic, S, (2017), 'Sports stars urge fans to challenge sexism by being #morethanaspectator' published in ourwatch.org.au on 24 November, 2017.

News Corporation Australia, 2018. 'Formula One axes 'grid girls' starting at the Australian Grand prix in March' published in news.com.au on 1 February, 2018.

Ormonde, L. 2018, 'Do you support woman's right to cheer?' published in mamamia.com.au on the 1 May, 2012.

Poulson, J, 2018. 'Broncos say cheerleaders here to stay after Formula One axes grid girls' published in The Courier Mail on February, 2018.

Ritchie, D. & Charnock, C. 2009, 'Cheerleaders axed at Souths' published in the Daily Telegraph on the 17 March, 2009.

SBS, 2018. 'F1 grid girls push back against 'well of women' telling others what to do'. SBS News published on 7 February, 2017.

Wheatstone, R. 2018. 'Grid Grief. What are grid girls, how much do they get paid and who are the grid kids to replace them' published in thesun.co.uk on 6 February, 2018. 

Great Big Sea 20th Anniversary Concert...Throwback Thursday.

I don't often have anything negative to say about Great Big Sea and the legal content that has been produced whether it is by the band themselves or by other content creators.

If the future of music videos and legal content on YouTube is like the collaboration between CBC Music in Canada and YouTube on The Great Big Sea 20 Anniversay Concert then as a fan I really don't want to go there.

CBC Music put together a 30 minute live concert video of some the previous individual Great Big Sea music videos recorded at Toronto's Danforth Music Hall at the beginning of the Great Big Sea 20 Anniversary tour.

The individual Great Big Sea music videos were published on YouTube in February, 2013 and have accumulated thousands to hundreds of thousands of hits on some songs. The individual music videos consists of an explanation by Great Big Sea band members Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett about the song and then followed by the live concert version of the song. I really enjoy revisiting these videos time and time again over the past couple of years.

When I first listened to the 30 minute music video there was an ad about a minute in and I was ready to give up. Then I tried again because I wanted to give an accurate impression of this music video. Songs like Excursion Around The Bay, The River Driver, Old Black Rum and When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down) had an ad right in the middle of the song. The songs were not in the order they appeared in the concert.

In between some songs there were ads instead of the explanations provided by Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett in the original music videos which I really enjoyed. The songs were edited and didn't always begin at the beginning or end at the ending of songs. About 30 seconds before the end of the music video of When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down) the music video went to an ad and I had to wait for the ad before the music video finished.

Most of the individual music videos attract advertising at the beginning of the video. I don't want to unsubscribe to advertising on YouTube because the revenue goes to the artists, musicians and content creators like CBC Music and I am happy to put up with it for this reason. But there has to be some thought about where advertising goes in a block of content.

I certainly do not hold Great Big Sea responsible as the content does not belong to them. It seems to me like CBC Music is double dipping into content, first making money of hits and advertsing on the original music videos and then again on this new version which has attracted over 21 000 hits. If this is the future of their music video content arrangement on YouTube then I will thinking twice about how I support Canadian music via YouTube. The way the ads were placed show absolute comptempt for the viewer and no respect for the content.

I have circulated a copy of the concert video on my Google + page. I have also circulated some of the excellent individual videos as well.

Twitter And Live Sport...A sport's fan responds.

As a female sports fan in Australia and Twitter user I found the article 'Twitter making further forays into live sport' by Nicole Jeffery published in The Weekend Australian newspaper on the 27 January, 2018 really interesting. I have decided to respond here.

Twitter is the only social media platform I use. I use Twitter to follow mainly Australian rugby union teams the Wallabies and Australian Super Rugby teams the Waratahs, Queensland Reds, Brumbies and the former Western Force in the Super Rugby competition. I also use Twitter to follow the local Perth rugby union team Perth Spirit and the national rugby league team the Kangaroos during the Rugby League World Cup last year.

The quality of official Twitter sites and the way sporting teams share a range of information and engage with fans varies from team to team, game to game and the ability of the person doing the social media. Some games will include the regular score updates with photographs and gifs or short videos of highlights from the official broadcaster during the game or soon after they happen. Those gifs and videos are also included in news reports by the teams about the game soon after.

Super Rugby games are only seen on pay TV in Australia and more recently some Australian games are shown on channel 10 soon after, so a lot of fans depend on social media for updates. Every year the Wallabies Spring Tour and the telecast on free-to-air TV is left to the last minute. So there is definitely an opening there for Twitter to enter. As the article said there are other opportunities for sports that are not regularly telecast on free-to-air TV such as women's sport.

While it is true that sport's fans like to use Twitter and share and talk about highlights of the games we watch timing would be everything. It is during the game that fans share and talk about events the most, not a long time after the event has happened or when social media platforms like Twitter get around to loading information up for fans to view and buy. I have not seen any of the Australian sporting events using Twitter discussed in the article.

While Super Rugby union in Australia has remained on Pay TV, games can be found pirated on YouTube. Some of those pirated games have been done with the obvious blessing of the broadcaster as they contain advertising. Fans of teams and individual players remain at the mercy of the broadcaster and pirates on YouTube as to whether the content remains available. Highlights being available for purchase eliminates that uncertainty.

I have copied the article below as I am unable to circulate it on my Google + page. The article has been edited for copyright reasons. No copyright infringement intended.

Twitter making further forays into live sport by Nicole Jeffery on the 27 January, 2018.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/twitter-making-further-forays-into-live-sport/news-story/f89bfba3a737d16eaf9c08e7580d255c

Sports fans could be able to buy video of the key moment of a sports event for the cost of a song as Twitter expands its offering of live sports streaming and highlights packages.

A sports version of iTunes is just one of the options on the table as the social media giant pushes further into the realm of traditional television broadcasters.

Twitter’s global head of sports partnerships Laura Froelich has been in Melbourne this week for discussions with Tennis Australia and Australian Open broadcaster the Seven Network and said she could “neither confirm nor deny’’ whether a “micropayments’’ system for sports was in the works.

“I find (the concept) really interesting and it plays into our value proposition for Twitter, so it’s exciting to contemplate,’’ ­Froelich said.

Twitter has moved strongly into live streaming and sports packaging in the past five years and Froelich said the company was looking to expand its sports footprint over the coming years.

“About four or five years ago we said we have all these incredible conversations around sport and people come to see them in the moment, so what if we do all these conversations but we also do video highlights with them,’’ she said...

...It’s enriched the conversation for fans and the video enhances that because people want to replay and share moments.’’...

It has now live streamed some of Australia’s best-known events to a global audience, including last year’s Melbourne Cup, women’s rugby sevens tournaments and did video highlights of the women’s Ashes. Froelich said the list of events would grow as Twitter picks up events that fans were ­already tweeting about in large numbers.

"As we move forward we will use the conversations to inform our strategy. We go after content when we the conversation is on the platform already."

In combination with the Seven Network, Twitter has produced special content from the Australian Open, including regular highlights, a daily live show and an opportunity to subscribe to a pack of key moments from each round of the tornament.

Froelich said that instead of being in competition with the broadcast rights-holders of major events, Twitter had found its live streaming complemented and enhanced the TV broadcast.

“The audience is becoming more elusive,’’ she said. “When we live stream, the broadcasters are able to supplement their viewer reach with a young audience that’s becoming increasingly ­mobile. For whatever reason, they aren’t watching TV, but they will come to an event via other platforms.’’...

....Australian women’s sport is coming off a watershed year in which the professional sports and television rights-holders finally recognised that women’s leagues could be commercially successful.

Australian Sports Commission chief executive Kate Palmer last month said 2017 was the most important year in history for women’s sport and she named ­social media as one of the factors that led to the explosion of mainstream interest, because it gave sportswomen ready access to a free media platform.

Froelich says social media has given sportswomen new avenues to promote themselves.

“I definitely take great pride that we are able to shine a light on women’s sport that didn’t have the visibility it does now,’’ she said. “We have seen that particularly with AFLW, which was the most tweeted of any league handle in 2017. What I keep going back to is that a sport may not be mainstream but it doesn’t mean their fans are any less avid.’’

Comedians And Banning Phones At Concerts...A response.

My Twitter trends provides me with some interesting reading from Australia and around the world without having to look too far. A couple of days ago I read a Twitter trend where the comedian Chris Rock decided to have a total ban on phones at his concerts in London.

Chris joins a long list of entertainers including musicians and artists and fans who have become totally frustrated with fans using phones or cameras at their concerts. I have written about the subject on a number of occasions on this blog.

According to reports Chris Rock's decision asked fans to put their phones in a device called Yondr which 'creates phone-free spaces for artists educators, organisations and individuals' (Flint, 2018). Each member of the audience gets a pouch to lock their phone in until the end of the concert and they are unlocked as they leave. If a person wants to use the phone during the concert they go to a special area to get them unlocked (Arnold, 2018). Other artists and musicians who have used the pouches include David Chapell, Alicia Keys, The Lumineers, and Guns N Roses (Arnold, 2018).

Flint (2018) and her friend share their positive experiences of attending the Chris Rock's concert and being without a phone and the intrusion it brings from the fan perspective. The author writes about the experience "During Chris Rock's show, I was fully immersed and focused on what was going on onstage, rather than what was happening on my phone and who was interacting with my posts...I wasn't having my view obscured by someone trying to capture the whole act to post on YouTube later that night...I didn't have some random people asking me to take photos of them while trying to get Chris Rock in the background...It was pure unadulterated bliss." Yes I have been there too and shared those feelings and frustrations.

Flint's friend describes the frustration of how I felt when someone uses their phone at a concert or at the movies perfectly "...And actually when a man (who arrived super late) got his phone out, I found it really distracting...It was totally distracting...Just seeing the bright light of his screen pop up as he checked a message reminded me of the annoyance I feel when I'm at the cinema and someone gets their phone out...(Flint, 2018).

I agree with Flint (2018) in there is no reason why there can't be a no-phone policy (and camera) policy in all live venues. I agree there is plenty of time before and after the concert to record your attendance. I agree that while artists or musicians are performing you should give them your full attention (that is just good matters) and there is "no picture or post that can substitute that old school of feeling of being the moment." (Flint, 2018).

Chris Rock has banned phones for a range of reasons. "The move is aimed at stopping people filming his performances and posting them online - with anybody caught using them in venues being ejected from the premises. Rock said the use of mobiles for texting, tweeting and recording performances is a 'major intrusion on the quality of his performance as a comedian..." (Arnold, 2018).

Chris makes a really valid point "There was also the added problem for comedians who spend months polishing their performances to a high state of hilarity only to have their punchlines shared in advance by illegal recordings of their show." (Arnold, 2018)

The constant illegal recording of material and new material makes it really difficult for those artists and musicians who try to make each concert special for those fans who attend. Bootleggers and pirates who constantly travel and record everything and share online it can spoil future concerts for other fans. And no where more evident is that true than in this fandom.

References

Arnold, A. 2018. 'Chris Rock fans face phone ban to stop' major intrusion' on quality of performance' published in skynews.com on the 27 January, 2018.

Flint, H. 2018. 'This company is stopping you using phones at gigs and you should let them' published on the metro.co.uk on the 30 January, 2018.


Source of the photograph unknown. No copyright infringment intended on the photograph.

Alan Doyle And 'Beautiful To Me'...A video.

Alan Doyle and The Beautiful, Beautiful Band recorded and released the song 'Beautiful To Me' on the new album 'A Week at the Warehouse.' 

This week on his official social media accounts Alan shared some posts on what the song was about and the new video of the song. I have copied some screensots of the posts from Alan's official social media accounts that let him explain best in his own words what the song and video are about. 

All the images from the video are truly beautiful and it is certainly one of the best I have ever seen. I love the inclusiveness, diversity and bravery of those individuals who participated in the video to raise awareness of their cause. 

I have included some screen shots from the video of Alan only as I do not have permission to make copies of images of the individuals in the video. So out of respect for them their images are not included. 

I have circulated a copy on my Google + page for those fans yet to see it. I hope you enjoy and appreciated the video as much as I have. 

Great Big Sea 1999...Throwback Thursday.

I was doing some research as I often do, when I came across the 1999 edition of the Luminus magazine from Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland with a picture of Great Big Sea on the cover. Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett, Sean McCann and Darrel Power all former students were awarded the honour of Alumni of the Year by their former university in 1999-2000. The award was one of many awards the band had begun to collect for their music.

The article writes "As symbols of all things Newfoundland, the four are often cited as the best spokesmen for the province, a responsibility they don't take lightly, according to Petty Harbour native Alan Doyle. Whoever is prepared to proudly wear the Newfoundland flag on their sleeve must also be prepared to be considered a spokesperson for the province..." 18 years on the band members have all gone their separate ways but they continue to wear the Newfoundland flag on their sleeve and be spokespeople for the province.

In 1999 Great Big Sea had just released the Turn album from which come fan favourites 'Consequence Free', 'Feel it Turn', 'Boston and St. John's', 'Old Brown's Daughter and 'I'm a Rover' and 'Ferryland Sealer'. A real treat from that album is Alan Doyle singing Troise Navires de Ble in French. I also love Sean McCann's 'Margarita'. These songs are so awesome and uplifting. 

I have circulated a copy of the Great Big Sea videos 'Consequence Free' and 'Feel it Turn' for those fans interested in taking a trip down memory land.

I have copied an article and cover of the MUN magazine below. They have been edited for copyright reasons. As always no copyright infringement intended. 

'Great big alumni. Bandmates named Alumni of the Year' by Victoria Etchegary published in The MUN Gazette on 23 September, 23 1999 at  http://www.mun.ca/gazette/1999-2000/Sept.23/news/n01-gbs.html

The four members of Great Big Sea have been named the 1999 Alumni of the Year by the Memorial University of Newfoundland Alumni Association.

In nominating the band, Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox, a Memorial alumna, wrote, "Members of Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle, BA '92, Sean McCann, BA '89, Darrell Power, BA '91, B.Ed. '93, and Bob Hallett, BA '90 are symbols of the province; rooted in tradition, thoroughly modern, and with much promise for the future."

All four group members met, and assembled as Great Big Sea, while arts students at Memorial.

The group's list of awards and accolades since their arrival on the music scene in 1991 is impressive. The group has won the East Coast Music Awards Entertainer of the Year Award for four consecutive years (1996-99). The group has also won six other ECMAs including Album of the Year in 1998 for the album Play and six Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador awards.

The group's members are often cited as the best spokesmen for the province, a responsibility they don't take lightly according to Petty Harbour native Alan Doyle.

"Whoever is prepared to proudly wear the Newfoundland flag on their sleeve must also be prepared to be considered a spokesperson for the province," Mr. Doyle said. "As traveling artists, we often serve as Europeans' and Americans' first impressions of Newfoundland. We're pleased to see that folks such as those at Memorial feel that we are doing okay so far."

Avid performers, the group spends considerable time on the road, away from their home province.

"The best part about being a member of Great Big Sea is the opportunity to perform traditional music around the world," noted Mr. Hallett. However, he's quick to add that the "worst part is the tedium of getting there."

Mr. Doyle notes that the band's enthusiasm and energy is not hard to maintain, especially following long stints on airplanes and at airports. He says it's sometimes because travel can be so cumbersome that the band can "cherish the 90 minutes on stage."

Audiences worldwide are treated to the band's unique sound of Celtic rock, folk and traditional music.

"From the beginning we knew that Newfoundland folk music deserved to be on a world stage and we were confident that if it were presented properly, audiences would enjoy it. The pop success the band has enjoyed is a far greater surprise," Mr. Doyle said.

Their success continues. The band's latest album, Turn, which features seven original tunes, has already sold 130,000 copies since it was released June 22, 1999. Their other albums include Great Big Sea 1993, Up 1995, and Play 1997.

The distinction of Alumni of the Year is a new award for this group, one they are pleased and honoured to accept. Mr. Doyle said that being named Alumni of the Year "is a much appreciated nod from a learned group that, as my transcript marks will show, do not hand out praise lightly.

"I am sure we are in good company as there are many deserving of this recognition. I am honoured."...