Saturday 29 December 2018

Larkin Poe, Russell And Keith... A music story (67/365)

The story copied below is one of the reasons why I love writing my blog as I never know whose creative work I will get to know next ! This time it is the American sister duo Larkin Poe. 

To be honest I don't like every artist or musician that Russell Crowe introduces his followers to but I really do like Larkin Poe and I love this story...

I have copied the story below for interested readers. No copyright infringement intended.

But just for the record Russell Crowe has been a fan of Larkin Poe's and sharing their music with his followers via his official Twitter since around 2013. Larkin Poe acknowledged and thanked Russell for his support via their official Facebook page. 

The screen shots are from the official social media pages of Russell Crowe and Larkin Poe. No copyright infringement intended. 









'How Keith Urban Discovered Larkin Poe... Russell Crowe Started It' by Alison Bonaguro published on 26 December, 2018 at http://www.cmt.com/news/1801772/how-keith-urban-discovered-larkin-poe/

When the Megan and Rebecca Lovell were in Chicago opening for Bob Seger a couple weeks ago, we sat down backstage and talked about all the tours they’ve been on. But I was especially interested in how they ended up opening for Keith Urban.


“It was this very meandering connection between us and Keith Urban,” Rebecca told me. “And it all has to do with Australia, and how Russell Crowe has been sharing our music nonstop for the past two years.

“Somehow, he got our phone number. So we get this text from Russell Crowe around Thanksgiving of last year. He said he’d been on LarkinPoe.com and bought a bunch of CDs. He said he loved to support music he loved. Then he said, ‘But just so you know, I gave some of the CDs to Nicole and Keith. And just figured I should let you know.’”

Two weeks later, the Lovells said, they got the call from Urban’s team asking the duo to a featured artist on his New Year’s eve gig. They said yes, obviously.

“So we get up in the middle of his show and do a couple songs. That was on New Year’s,” Megan explained. “After that, starting in June, we did three months like that with him, thinking that would be it. Then he asked us to finish out the tour, so we were on the road with him for six months altogether.” That turned out to be perfect timing for Larkin Poe, as they were on the verge of releasing their Venom & Faith album.

The duo took breaks from the Urban tour to do their own shows, and the gigs they’d booked to play at fests like Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, but for most of 2018, they were Urban’s guests. And it was like getting an education in how to engage an arena-sized audience.

“I love the lengths that Keith goes to to put on his show. It’s brilliant. That was very inspiring for us. Getting to watch him and the way he interacts with the audience shows you that he cares so deeply about the people who come to his shows,” Rebecca said. “To watch that interaction and be onstage learning from him how to do that, and then come on stage with Bob Seger with all that practice we’d had from the summer made us feel really ready.”

Growing up about an hour outside of Atlanta, Rebecca and Megan and their two siblings were all home schooled. “But music was the thing we did to go out and make friends,” Rebecca said of the lessons they took outside their home from the time they were about three years old. They learned first how to play classical music, and their first instrument was the violin. “My poor mother, having to listen to us practice,” she laughed. “She’s quite a saint.”

Their music now has been described as everything from roots rock and Americana to bluesy bluegrass and folk funk. And besides playing a staggering list of the instruments they have known their whole lives — guitar, mandolin, banjo, lap steel, dobro, fiddle — the sisters craft songs that feature the words as prominently as the music backing them.

In fact, it was their father’s love of all music, but mostly the country of the late 90s, that first showed the girls how powerful lyrics could be.

“I remember as a child watching him weep over the lyric of a song,” she said. “Probably ‘The Dance.’” (That Garth Brooks song was released in 1990, the year between Megan and Rebecca’s birthdays.)

“My dad was moved to tears thinking about the implications of a song. That’s when my obsession with the power of a lyric really took root.

“And now, we’re making music that is left of center, and there isn’t necessarily a natural home for the music. But there is still a demand for it, which you can see with the reaction of social media. People want to hear us,” Rebecca added, “so we are happy to perpetuate this kind of roots music.”

The Nashville-based sisters will be on the road with Seger through the end of January, while they continue their own tour here and abroad. Their next headlining show is on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.



Friday 28 December 2018

Alan Doyle And 'The Come Out With Me Tour' Fall Leg 2018... Some photographs (66/365)

Recently I found a brilliant collection of 16 photographs taken on the Fall leg of Alan Doyle's 'Come Out With Me Tour' with Whitney Rose in 2018. 

The photographs were taken at the Sault Community Theatre concert by Donna Hooper and published on 6 November, 2018 at sootoday.com. 

I have provided a couple of screen shots here, one of Alan Doyle and one of Whitney Rose. No copyright infringement intended. 

I really enjoyed this collection of photographs of Alan Doyle And The Beautiful, Beautiful Band and Whitney. There were not many quality photographs taken of this leg of the tour. 

I have provided the link to the collection here. https://www.sootoday.com/local-entertainment/alan-doyle-makes-going-out-on-a-school-night-well-worth-it-16-photos-1113324




(photo credit Donna Hooper)




(photo credit Donna Hooper)

Canadian Copyright... An update (65/365)

An update on changes to the Canadian Copyright Act affecting creators from torrentfreak.com. This is something we, as consumers should be aware of when engaging with and purchasing creative content from Canadian creators.

I have copied the article below for interested readers. No copyright infringement intended. 




'Bryan Adams: Longer Copyright Term Enriches Intermediaries, Not Creators' by Ernesto published on 27 December, 2018 at torrentfreak.com

Following a new trade deal with the US and Mexico, Canada is set to expand its copyright term to 70 years after the creator's death. According to the Canadian singer Bryan Adams, large intermediaries such as record labels stand to benefit the most, not creators themselves. He, therefore, calls for a simple change that would allow creators to terminate their copyright assignments after 25 years.

After long negotiations, the Canadian Government agreed earlier this year that the country’s current copyright term will be extended by 20 years.

This change was part of the trade deal negotiations with the US and Mexico. By extending copyright protection to life plus 70 years, ‘rightsholders’ will be able to generate more profit, the argument goes.

While that may work in theory, Canadian singer Bryan Adams believes that large intermediaries such as the major record labels will benefit the most. Creators often sign away their rights early on, which means that they don’t benefit from any extensions.

In a brief to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Adams notes that copyright law is out of balance. As such, large companies stand to benefit more from a copyright extension than individual creators.

One of the problems, according to Adams, is the fact that intermediaries hold the bigger bargaining chip. Creators who want to earn a living may sign away their rights in their first deal, something they may regret later on.

“Creators deal with one or few intermediaries; they sign up creators all the time. Creators striking a first deal sign anything that is presented to them; an intermediary rarely needs to sign up this creator,” Adams writes.

“Copyright law is about balance, a balance which was and remains at risk between creators and intermediaries. Copyright law works not so much for creators as for intermediaries; extending the duration of copyright will benefit them, not creators.”

The imbalance can be easily addressed, according to Adams. While it may be too late to revert the agreed copyright extension, there’s a change that will put more power in the hands of creators. And it only requires changing one word in the Copyright Act.

Right now, Canadian copyright reverts to a creator’s heirs 25 years after “death.” By changing the word “death” to “assignment”, creators terminate a copyright assignment while they’re still alive.

This means that the starting artists who signed away their rights to an album to a major label at 20 years of age, can get those rights back at 45. It’s a major change, but not unprecedented, as the US has a similar copyright-termination policy after 35 years.

Adams’ recommendation

Single recommendation - Amend the Copyright Act to allow to terminate all copyright transfers 25 years after the date of transfer,

Adams already discussed the proposal earlier this year when he appeared before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, but the brief he submitted discusses the advantages in great detail.

Among other things, he stresses that the change in termination policy would empower creators, which will also be good in light of the planned copyright extension.

“Including a termination right in Canadian copyright law would help to ensure that real world copyright law works more in favor of creators. It would also help reduce some of the unintended effects of the upcoming extension of copyright.

“Canada is now more or less duty-bound to increase copyright protection by 20 years, to ‘life + 70’. Extending the duration of copyright essentially enriches large firms of intermediaries. It does not put money in the pockets of most creators,” Adams notes.

By granting a copyright termination right the expected benefits of an extension don’t go to the intermediaries. At the same time, creators will be able to profit more from their work. It’s a giant step forward and only requires changing a single word in the Copyright Act.




Thursday 27 December 2018

Bob Hallett And 'Writing Out The Notes' Book Launch...Throwback Thursday (64/365)

One of my favourite things to do is listen to Bob Hallett talk passionately about anything close to his heart. I have really enjoyed Bob's contribution to Paul Kinsman's radio show The Great Newfoundland Songbook, so this holidays I am revisiting Bob Hallett's book 'Writing Out The Notes'. 

During 2011 Bob had an official book launch at the Newfoundland institution Fred's Records in downtown St. John's. At the launch he met fans, signed copies of his book and performed a couple of beautiful songs including 'Recruiting Sargent' and my absolute favourite Great Big Sea song 'Follow Me Back'. What a talk and live performance that would have been ! These songs were bootlegged by the usual source and circulated on YouTube.

I found this photograph of the launch for 'Writing Out The Notes' on Fred's Record shop's official webpage. I have provided a screen shot of it here. No copyright infringement intended.


The jacket of the book explains what the book is about for those who have not read it better than I can... 

"A rambling trip through a colourful and melodic St. John's childhood, combined with a how-not-to-do-it-yourself guide to the music business and a thoughtful and sometimes poignant look at the way a legendary Canadian band creates music - all of these threads and many others are pulled together by writer and musician Bob Hallett. 

Writing Out the Notes began as a series of essays Hallett wrote to explain his love of music, but it turned into a humorous biography and a kind of extended solo on music and how his love for it transformed his life. Although he is best known for his role in Great Big Sea, Hallett has long had a parallel career as a writer. And while some writers seek inspiration from travel, history, or romance, for Hallett, the place where he grew up provided all the inspiration he never needed..."

I have many fond memories of first reading this wonderful book in MUN university library where Bob went to university on cold and snowy days when I was in St. John's. 

'Writing Out The Notes' is available where all good digital books are sold.



(From Fred's Records webpage. No copyright infringement intended)


Wednesday 26 December 2018

Great Big Sea And 'The Gift Of Giving'...Throwback Thursday (63/365)

I was recently doing some research for Great Big Sea and Christmas songs for a Throwback Thursday post when I am came across their participation on a CMT 'Gift of Giving' fundraiser event in 2011. The 'Gift of Giving' fundraiser even was made into a TV special and a CD where a portion of the proceeds went to local food banks across Canada.

The 'Gift of Giving' was CMT's first holiday compilation of Christmas favourites and included the following artists and musicians Johnny Reid, Rascal Flatts, Gord Bamford, Darius Rucker, Great Big Sea, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Dean Brody, Kira Isabella, Chad Brownlee, Jimmy Rankin, Luke Bryan, Barenaked Ladies, Chantal Kreviazuk, Sugarland and George Canyon who gave their time to help a great cause.

I have shared Great Big Sea's 'Merry Christmas Everybody' and the Barenaked Ladies 'Snowman' from the CMT special. Although the music videos are pirated I think they raise some important points about the need for people getting access to food in a first world country like Canada.

I found this article about the event and copied it below. The article has been edited for copyright reasons. No copyright infringement intended.





'George Canyon, Chantal Kreviazuk, Barenaked Ladies, Great Big Sea and Many More Perform in Gift of Giving Television Special Airing on CMT, YTV, W Network and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada) This December' 


One-hour special, featuring musical performances and exclusive interviews to raise awareness about hunger in Canada, premieres Thursday, December 1 on CMT

TORONTO, Nov. 9, 2011 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment celebrates the spirit of the holidays with the CMT special Gift of Giving, exploring the issue of hunger in Canada. Hosted by country music singer and humanitarian George Canyon, the special will feature performances and interviews with Chantal Kreviazuk, Barenaked Ladies, Great Big Sea, Jimmy Rankin, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Kira Isabella. Gift of Giving will air throughout December on CMT, YTV, W Network and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada).

"We are thrilled to partner with George Canyon and honoured that so many musical artists, across diverse genres, are as dedicated as we are to raising awareness about hunger in Canada," said Ted Ellis, Vice President, Kids and Family Programming. "Our hope is that the Gift of Giving special and compilation CD will inspire viewers to reflect on the issue and to give more generously this holiday season."

A companion CD, distributed by Sony Music Entertainment Canada, features the show's performers as well as holiday music from Johnny Reid, Rascal Flatts, Dean Brody, Gord Bamford, Darius Rucker, Chad Brownlee, Luke Bryan and Sugarland. Gift of Giving, the first ever holiday compilation CD from CMT, will be available in-store and online on Tuesday, November 15. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this CD will go to Canadian food banks through Corus Entertainment's community giving initiative Corus Feeds Kids.

"It's heartbreaking that there are so many folks facing the issue of hunger in our country. I am so honoured to be a part of this initiative which helps families in need to put food on their table. After seeing the work they do first hand, I applaud the food banks for the important service they provide" said George Canyon.

In addition to being a multiple Canadian Country Music and Juno Award winning artist, George Canyon is also an active philanthropist, through his roles as Honorary Colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force and as the national spokesman for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF). His album "Better Be Home Soon," released in March 2011, has already spawned 3 top ten hits, becoming Canyon's fastest selling album to date, by achieving Gold status within three weeks. Canyon's "Classics", released in 2007 turned Gold in October making this his 2nd Gold Album this year and the 3rd in his career to date. In addition to performing around the world, Canyon is also an actor. He recently took on the challenging role of an over-protective father of an autistic son, starring alongside Dean Cain and Luke Schroeder for the made for tv movie "A Mile In His Shoes," which debuted to over 50 million homes in the US and will soon air here in Canada.

Gift of Giving will premiere Thursday, December 1 at 8 p.m. on CMT and will repeat throughout December including airings on Saturday, December 24 and Sunday, December 25.





Monday 24 December 2018

Merry Christmas 2018... (62/365)

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all the people who so kindly visit my site every day. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are visiting my blog and I hope you all will continue to visit next year.

I have had a fabulous year following Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Beautiful Band, Bob Hallett, Allan Hawco, Russell Crowe and all the artists and musicians from Newfoundland and Canada on social media and through the traditional press as they continue to build on much loved projects whether they be concerts, music for plays, charity events, documentaries, movies and television shows.

I have really enjoyed researching and reading all the musician’s, artist’s and fan’s words, thoughts and ideas and looking at their photographs and videos as they were shared on social media. I will be back next year.


I hope all my readers and their families and friends have a very merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year.




An Australian Christmas Tree (no copyright infringement intended)


'Gift Giving'... A reflection (61/365)

'You haven't given me a gift... you have given me an obligation' ...Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory.

It is Christmas time. Part of Christmas is the exchange of gifts. And yes I find the whole exercise extremely stressful. With money tight is difficult to know what to buy family and friends and participate in the custom of exchanging gifts.  

One of my favourite episodes of one of my favourite televisions shows 'The Big Bang Theory' is the episode the 'The Bath Gift Hypothese' when neighbour Penny tells Sheldon and Leonard that she has some fun gifts for them one Christmas. During this episode there is a great discussion of the Christmas custom of gift giving.

If you haven't seen the episode Sheldon then worries about what he should give Penny that would represent the same level of friendship of her gift. He then purchases a range of gifts of different value that he will choose from when he knows what she got him. 


Penny's gift turns out to be a napkin signed by Sheldon's hero Leonard Nimoy who has wiped his face on it. The gift turns out to be of far greater value than money could be. Sheldon in returns gives Penny all the gift baskets he purchased for her and one of the greatest gifts a hug.

Although I find gift giving as hard as ever this year, I realise how lucky I am to spend time with family and especially children even though they are all grown up. As the years roll on and children grow up and they become more and more busy during the year with their own lives this time of year becomes more significant as we get to spend time together.

I have enclosed a copy of the screen shot in which Penny gives Sheldon his present, an autographed napkin containing the DNA of Leonard Nimoy. No copyright infringement intended.





I recently read some great articles titled Anthropology in Practise in Scientific American about the obligation of gift giving. I have copied some interesting paragraphs here. 


Anthropology in Practice 'The Obligation of Gifts' by Krystal D'Costa published 26 December, 2013 in Scientific American. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/the-obligation-of-gifts/

For those of you with Christmas trees, they probably look a little barren following the unwrapping of presents. What did you get for Christmas?

And what did you give in return? Gift giving is a large part of the holiday season, but for many the exchange of presents can be a stressful exercise. Some people feel financial pressure to spend elaborately, while others may feel pressured to provide for large networks, and others may be confronted with feelings of inadequacy based on the reception of their gifts or if they are unable to reciprocate. We might set individual rules to manage these stressors—perhaps in your family, only the children get presents, or you host a secret-gift exchange so that you only have to focus on a single individual, or you set a limit on how much can be spent per gift. Gifts are tokens of appreciation, of love and friendship, and of remediation. But gifts are also symbolic representations of power and relationships. All gifts, no matter how small, carry with them a responsibility and an obligation. And while we may try to mitigate those responsibilities and obligations with social codes of our own devising, we can't truly escape them.

The stress of reciprocal gift giving might be most apparent during the holiday season, but it's present at any exchange. Birthdays, where we are celebrated and are the sole recipient of gifts, are returned throughout the year when we celebrate others. A luncheon or a drink or a dinner outing where we are treated is usually repaid in some way at a later time. Sociologist Marcel Mauss proposed that though gifts are supposed to be given freely and willingly, they come with the obligation to give and an obligation to receive. Our social collective imposes the obligation to give. In The Gift, Mauss says

"...in the economic and legal systems that have preceded our own, one hardly ever finds a simple exchange of goods, wealth, and products in transactions concluded by individuals. First, it is not individuals but collectivities that impose obligations of exchange and contract upon one another … Moreover, what they exchange is not solely property and wealth, movable and immovable goods, and things economically useful, they also exchange services, such as military service and acts of politeness, such as banquets, rituals, festivals, dances, etc. (2000: 5)."

Gifts should be offered; they become obligatory because they help create and maintain relationships, and as a result gift giving establishes a hierarchy of giver and receiver. This is most clearly seen in the obligation to receive. Mauss tells us that to refuse to receive is akin to sharing that you're afraid of being unable to reciprocate. And underlying this concern is a fear that the gift you return might be inadequate and cause you to lose status. According to Mauss, honor and credit are never far removed from issues of exchange. There is an element of respect and reputation tied to gift giving. And these are the points that make exchange a powerful medium for building and maintaining relationships.

How does this work in our own circles? Let's say you're headed to a family member's home for dinner. Did you bring something? A bottle of wine or a dessert? You most likely brought something. You may have been told it's a sign of good manners, but you're also doing this to offset the costs (social and otherwise) to your host. There's an expense involved for that dinner—and conceptually, there's also status in being able to host that dinner. By attending, you place yourself in your host's debt. Your offering shows that you acknowledge your host's efforts and indicates your willingness to reciprocate, and a desire to offset some of the debt incurred by your attendance.

At Christmas where there's a larger one-to-one ratio of exchange that's already occurring, the status of the individual may be confirmed by the perceived quality of the gift relative to the giver. We don't necessarily want to admit that we're making this sort of assessment, but a gift of drug-store slippers might go over poorly if recipients know you have the means to do differently and no agreement has been established to make that okay. Such a gift may be perceived as thoughtless—an item cannot be given just because a gift is required, it should relate to the recipient or be useful to the recipient for it to be effective. By this same token, handmade gifts from children or from someone with a skill (like knitting) may be more acceptable because these items required personal effort from the provider.

You may find this unusual. A gift, after all, should not carry requirements with it. But gifts are imbued with a hau—a spirit or essence, which works to ensure that reciprocity occurs. The hau's goal is to return the gift to the giver, which strengthens the bonds of the relationship between the giver and the recipient. Gifts contain a part of the giver (the hau), and in accepting a gift, you accept a part of the giver as well. You carry this part with you until you reciprocate the gesture. But as a receiver, you also want to reciprocate. Remember that gifts establish a hierarchy between the giver and the recipient. The recipient wants to reciprocate the gift to remove herself from obligations to the giver—to reestablish herself as equal to the giver.

Gifts create and strengthen relationships; they create balances. These principles have survived and provided the transition towards our own systems of law and economy. Things today have both emotional and monetary value and the unreturned gift damages a person’s standing. We are still obligated to return—and to make the return bigger than what we received. For example, the next round of drinks must be larger and more expensive; similarly, we are obligated to extend an invitation when we receive one.

What sorts of social codes have you devised to manage gift giving?


Sunday 23 December 2018

Catching Up With Cory Tetford...An Interview and a new album for 2019 (60/365)

Recently Cory Tetford did an interview with the Newfoundland Herald in which he talks about doing a Christmas show in St. John's, Newfoundland called 'Shelley Neville’s O Holy Night Christmas on the 18 and 19 December and has been writing songs for a new album in 2019.

Cory Tetford in one fine singer and musician and a new album in 2019 is something to look foward too. 

The article titled 'Cory Tetford does O Holy Night' by Jason Sheppard was published on 18 December, 2018 in the newfoundlandherald.com. I have copied a few paragraphs here for interested fans. The article was edited for copyright reasons. No copyright infringement intended.

"...This show might be Tetford’s last gig of the year, but 2019 promises to be a busy one for the singer/songwriter. Tetford has been touring with Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle, who Tetford says keeps him on his toes.

“My main gig has been playing guitar with Alan, so I’ve been all over God’s creation with that fella.”

The two have been writing together as well and 2019 will see the release of a new album from Tetford. “The last solo record I did was more the old country ballads, but this new one will be some of the more rock ‘n roll stuff,” Tetford shared, promising a lot more guitar playing and upbeat tunes on the album.

Tetford says it will be in the style of country legends Waylon and Willie and George Jones. “The stuff I call ‘old man country,’” Tetford laughs.

However, before that, there is O Holy Night, and there is one thing Tetford would like audiences to take away with them after they’ve seen it. “Humanity,” Tetford says. “We’re all in this together. Treat each other with love and respect and I think a show like this reminds us it’s our responsibility to be human.”...."

The screen shots are from a video of the rehersal of David Pomeroy and Cory Tetford singing 'Have Yourself A Very Little Christmas' shared by Shelley Neville on Facebook. No copyright infringement intended.




(photo credit Shelley Neville)



(photo credit Shelly Neville)


Saturday 22 December 2018

Russell Crowe Inspiring Young Musicians... Meg Doherty Part Two (59/365)

This blog post is part two of a two part blog post titled 'Russell Crowe Inspiring Young Musicians' about a young musician and Russell Crowe fan Meg Doherty. Part One was published on the 21 December, 2018.

In 2017, I wrote a post titled 'Russell Crowe And Alan Doyle Help Out A Fan' published on 14 June, 2017 about Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle inspiring a young fan and musician Meg Doherty by providing constructive feedback on her music and even purchasing albums and songs.

Recently Meg produced a new song 'Ana' and shared the recording via YouTube and Russell Crowe's official Twitter account. Again Russell Crowe provided positive feedback and encouragement and led the charge to purchased the song. This gesture is a totally awesome thing to do. And what a great Christmas present for any young creative person. Alan Doyle also provided constructive feedback and shared the YouTube music video via his official Twitter account. 

I have circulated a copy of Meg's song 'Ana' on my Google + page for those fans interest. The song is totally awesome.





Recently Meg did an interview titled 'Blog Interview : Meg Doherty' by for an online site called 'Platinummind.net' published on 14 December, 2018. I was interested in her comments about how Alan Doyle had influenced her as a songwriter. I have copied some of her comments here.

The article has been edited for copyright reasons. I have enclosed a link here http://platinummind.net/index.php/2018/12/14/blog-interview-meg-doherty/ No copyright infringement intended.





"...Tell us about “Ana”.

Yes! So ‘Ana’ is the new single from my upcoming album which is due out early next year. It’s the first song I wrote for the album and I knew it was a single from the start. It was one of those songs which wrote itself, I didn’t have to think too much about the music and the narrative is based on true experiences. The album is a break up album (a well-used concept, I know) and this song is about the feeling of not wanting to let go of a relationship even though you know it’s toxic. Ana is actually a dear friend, featured on the album artwork. Isn’t she beautiful?! Haha, she’s very wise, which you can hear about in verse one.

What is your writing process?

I get asked this a lot and it’s not something you think about as you’re songwriting but I’ve finally figured what I actually do! I tend to write lyrics down whenever I feel inspired, be it on the street, in work or in the bath. I keep various random lyrics on my phone and in notebooks; when I actually sit down to write I tend to start with a musical idea and then go back to my lyric list and see if any fit in with the chords. It usually works out nicely!

Who have been your biggest influences for writing?

There are so many! Alan Doyle (Great Big Sea) has been a huge influence for years. He has a great Celtic rock sound in his songs and these radiate so much energy on stage; that’s inspired me to write songs with a similar feel that people would enjoy singing and clapping along to during gigs. Kate Bush is also a huge influence- the songwriting queen. Her lyrics are so emotive and she writes such unusual narratives which you don’t tend to hear much of in the charts or on the radio these days. I try to paint a picture in listeners’ minds with metaphors in lyrics the way Kate does, rather than use blunt, predictable language.

Another huge influence, particularly for songs in my upcoming album, has been LP. If you’ve not heard of her, I definitely recommend getting your ears around her songs. Her trademark whistle inspired me to include some of my own whistling in my songs! I listened to her album ‘Lost On You’ a lot when writing for my new album. The mood of her song ‘Other People’ was a great inspiration for lyrics throughout the writing process...."

Friday 21 December 2018

Russell Crowe Inspiring Young Musicians... Meg Doherty Part One (58/365)

One of the reasons I love writing my blog is that I love reading the stories shared between the artists and musicians I am interested in and their fans although I am often called a troll for doing so.

This time it is Russell Crowe. Everybody who follows Russell on social media, especially his official Twitter account knows about his love of music and sharing the creativity of young artists and musicians he comes across with this followers.

Many of the really nice social media stories like this one I read are not shared in the traditional media. So I decided to publish this one here. 

Last year I wrote a post titled 'Russell Crowe And Alan Doyle Help Out A Fan' published on 14 June, 2017 about Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle inspiring a young fan and musician Meg Doherty by providing constructive feedback on her music and even purchasing albums and songs. I have copied the post below for those fans interested.

Recently Meg produced a new song 'Ana' and shared the recording via YouTube and Russell Crowe's official Twitter account. Again Russell Crowe provided positive feedback and encouragement and led the charge to purchased the song. This gesture is a totally awesome thing to do. And what a great Christmas present for any young creative person. Alan Doyle also provided constructive feedback and shared the YouTube music video via his official Twitter account.

I have enclosed a screen shot of Russell's kind and encouraging tweets to Meg. They are from the official Russell Crowe Twitter account. I have circulated a copy of Meg's song 'Ana' on my Google + page for those fans interest. The song is totally awesome. 






Russell Crowe And Alan Doyle Help Out A Fan...14 June 2017

A lot has been said by Russell Crowe on Twitter…

It is well documented Russell has used the social media platform to share his love of his family (his children), his interests such as South Sydney Rabbitohs, love of travelling and music, maintain contact with and support his friend’s work, promote causes close to heart, defend himself when attacked by the traditional media, to deny their persistent rumours and to promote his work both in the movies and music. Many of his tweets have been sensationalised by the gossip and traditional news and a lot of it negative.

Many of the positive things Russell does on Twitter are overlooked by the traditional media as they are probably not considered ‘news worthy’. Twitter remains the way Russell prefers to connect with fans. Russell has created a fictional village which promotes love and kindness where many of the fans have connected and made friends on social media. Many of the fans have met in real life and become friends at Indoor Garden Party concerts and Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies' concerts around the world. Russell’s tweets over the years have made many fans very happy such as wishing them a happy birthday or all the best for some event important in their lives. Russell has also made others miserable as they have been ridiculed and blocked in front of millions of followers over some of their comments.

On many occasions Russell has provided fans with constructive feedback (both negative and positive) and encouragement on their creative endeavours. Over the years a young English fan Meg Doherty has attended concerts in London and contacted Russell and his friend and music partner Alan Doyle for music advice which they kindly provided with much encouragement. Recently Meg recorded some songs on an album called Northern Girl and again contacted them for advice.

Not only did both Russell and Alan provide constructive and encouraging advice they both lead the charge to buy Meg’s album which they promoted via Twitter. I just thought this was a really awesome gesture. As I have said before many of the positive things Russell does on Twitter are overlooked by the traditional media as they are probably not considered ‘news worthy’ so I wanted to put a copy here. I have provided a link to Meg Doherty’s Twitter feed and shared a video of a song on my Google + page. I would like to wish Meg all the best in her music career.




I've Done Nothing Today by Meg Doherty shared on my Google + (totally awesome)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INUdF5PEjXw


The posts are from the official Twitter accounts of Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle. No copyright infringement intended. 








Thursday 20 December 2018

Allan, Jason And Newfoundland...(57/365)

I love writing my blog because I never know what I will find about my favourite fellas or know who I will meet next... 

Recently, when catching up with what Allan Hawco has being doing, I read some social media posts estimating the economic impact of the television series 'Frontier' produced in Newfoundland, Canada. 

Until I read the article 'The Momoa effect: N.L.'s growing film industry funnels millions into province, says report' by Malone Mullen I didn't realise how much money a television series like 'Frontier' may be bringing into Newfoundland. 

I also didn't realise Jason Momoa's new movie Aquaman had some scenes filmed in Newfoundland. 

While I don't have access to 'Frontier' because it is on Netflix and I don't have Netflix, I will definitely be going to see Aquaman at the movies for the sole reason of Jason Momoa, his love of Newfoundland and that some of the movie was filmed there. 

I have copied the article 'The Momoa effect: N.L.'s growing film industry funnels millions into province, says report' by Malone Mullen below for those interested. As always no copyright infringement intended.

The screen shot of the economic impact of 'Frontier' is from the official Twitter account of Chris Mitchelmore. No copyright infringement intended. 





'The Momoa effect: N.L.'s growing film industry funnels millions into province, says report' by Malone Mullen published on 9 December, 2018 at cbc.ca/news/newfoundland

Industry report says $63M pumped into provincial economy thanks to TV series Frontier

Jason Momoa might be an outlaw trapper obsessed with murdering company fat cats in the 18th-century drama series Frontier, but he's actually making modern Newfoundland and Labrador quite a lot of money, according to a new economic impact report.

The Canadian Media Producers Association, which issued the report, selects film productions across the country and conducts analyses of where the cash goes and who it helps.

It laid out a rosy picture of Frontier's effect on Newfoundland and Labrador.

Over three seasons of filming, $41 million has been spent on goods and services as diverse as after-work pints to homes for the show's producers, while hundreds of crew members and actors are nabbing gigs on the series — 539 full-time equivalent positions in N.L. alone, by the report's count.

The report estimates economic output from the show at more than $63 million, while production spending in the first season was equivalent to nearly a quarter-million cruise ship passengers.

At least one business — a snowmobile rental shop — also saw a tourism uptick thanks to Frontier, which often films on the northeast Avalon and near Gros Morne National Park.

"Money gets run through the economy a couple times," executive producer and co-creator Rob Blackie told On the Go host Ted Blades.

Blackie says there's good reason to keep producing the show, which airs on Netflix and Discovery Canada, on Newfoundland soil.

"There's so much production value," Blackie said.

The "sheer cinematic quality" of locations such as the west coast's Tablelands, plus the growing experience of a crew that got its start with the CBC private-eye series Republic of Doyle, means the show is able to thrive here, he added.

There could be even more money coming in, says St. John's-based filmmaker Justin A. Foley, who started off as a self-described "meat popsicle" on the set of Doyle and ended up as the assistant locations manager for Frontier.

It was Republic of Doyle, Foley says, that kickstarted big-picture production in the province.

"The industry here is growing like a wildfire," Foley said."Frontier changed the scope of that a lot too. We went from something that was the biggest thing we'd ever seen, to, 'OK, this is the biggest thing we've ever seen.'

"Through that, there's been a lot more productions coming here."

Foley pointed out that Frontier led directly to Jason Momoa bringing the upcoming Aquaman production to the province for a few days of shooting.

"Newfoundland is part of what's going to become one of the biggest cinematic spectacles coming out this Christmas," he said.

There are dry spells, Foley added, calling the local industry a "feast or famine kind of thing." Unlike bigger markets in Toronto or Vancouver, the province doesn't have the infrastructure to support multiple major productions simultaneously.

For instance, there's only one studio, he said.

But for its size, Newfoundland is holding its own, Foley says — and it's why, despite once entertaining thoughts of leaving, he's now looking to get his own production off the ground.

"The fact that we're making a go of it, and we're doing this well with it, is incredible," he said. "I see a great potential for the film industry becoming one of our top industries, along with tourism."


Wednesday 19 December 2018

Bootlegging, Fans And Concerts... An interesting discussion (56/365)

"...There’s a rising tide against the infiltration of smart devices at live shows, and for good reason.

Bands and other performers are looking to regain the full attention of their audience, while promoters and others with a vested interest in artists’ affairs are keen to profit from this insatiable desire to ‘relive’ an event once it’s come to a close. If they can’t fight it, they’d may as well embrace it and try and make a few bucks out of it with legitimate services..." Paul Sawers. 


An interesting discussion about artists and musicians trying to combat live bootlegging from fans at their concerts by engaging with technology that beats the fans at their own game. 

I have copied the article below which has been edited for copyright reasons. No copryright infringement intended. 

'Video gaga: How technology is transforming live concert bootlegging by PAUL SAWERS — Jun 8, 2013 published at thenextweb.com

“If you put your cameras down you might be able to live in the moment,” chided Ian Brown, frontman of iconic Mancunian indie band The Stone Roses.

Those were among the first words uttered by Brown during the band’s first comeback gig in May 2012, after a 16-year hiatus. But the singer wasn’t so much concerned about Polaroids, point-and-shoots or any other kind of camera that might have proliferated ‘Roses gigs back in the day – what he was referring to was iPhones, Androids and every other kind of smartphone.

If you think this was simply the ramblings of a worn-out, has-been rock star without so much as a finger-nail on the pulse of the zeitgeist, you’d be wrong. Less than a year later, New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs echoed these sentiments via a sign for arriving gig-goers that read:

“Please do not watch the show through a screen on your smart device/camera. Put that shit away as a courtesy to the person behind you and to [band members] Nick, Karen and Brian.”

Then, a month ago, Mercury Prize-winning British quartet Alt-J began trialing new technology designed to encourage fans to keep recording equipment in their pockets, and steer eyes towards the stage and ensuing live performance.

There’s a rising tide against the infiltration of smart devices at live shows, and for good reason.

Bands and other performers are looking to regain the full attention of their audience, while promoters and others with a vested interest in artists’ affairs are keen to profit from this insatiable desire to ‘relive’ an event once it’s come to a close. If they can’t fight it, they’d may as well embrace it and try and make a few bucks out of it with legitimate services.

Posterity

Having been a serial gig-goer for many years, I too have been known to whip out my mobile phone or digital camera and capture some footage or a few photos for posterity. Without even a hint of exaggeration, I can say that 99% of the time I’ve never looked at my ‘handiwork’ more than once, simply because they were never of a good enough quality to accurately reflect the gig as I remembered it. So why did I do it? I think primarily because it became habitual and, well, because I was able to do it.

A big turning point for me came back in 2010 when The Pixies played at The Brixton Academy in London. On my way in, I noticed a stall that offered live audio recordings of the gig for around £15 ($20). I assumed I would pay up front and receive a disc in the post a week or two later but, alas, I was wrong.

I did pay on the spot, but the CD was available within about 20 minutes of the show ending, meaning that by the time I’d suffered the painfully long queue to regain my jacket, a brand-spanking new, professionally recorded live album – including cover art – was in my hands. For someone who went to maybe 20-30 gigs a year, this was the first time I’d ever seen this, and it was a revelation. Sure, it was audio-only, but it made me realize how much better a professional recording is – it brings actual value to the experience.

After a little bit of digging, I soon discovered that a company called DiscLive had been offering such a service since the turn of the century, teaming up with the likes of Billy Idol to sell CDs immediately after they left the stage. And in more recent times, bands such as The Red Hot Chilli Peppers were also selling live music downloads of all their gigs, though in their instance it was a few days after to allow proper professional mixes to be carried out.

But this still isn’t all that common at gigs. While some bigger bands do release official videos of their gigs, usually the only way to relive a night is through buying or downloading something recorded by a fellow fan. There’s clearly a market for live music recordings, and there’s an evident paradigm between live-music bootlegging (audio or video) and studio-recorded music piracy.

Napster yins, Apple yangs

When Napster arrived on the scene back in 1999, the music industry didn’t know what hit it. Although it wasn’t the first peer-to-peer file-sharing service by a long stretch, it was the first to gain a reputation specifically for music downloads via a user-friendly interface. And all this at a time when the Internet was really starting to gain momentum in homes, offices and universities around the world – the timing could not have been more perfect.

But Napster, in its original guise at least, ultimately fell foul to the laws of the land and was forced offline under the corporate heft of the music industry. Napster just made it way too easy for folk to share copyrighted music.

But for every yin, there’s a yang. Napster also heralded a digital music revolution that saw the dawn of mp3 players, iTunes and Spotify. By giving the music-loving public an easy conduit to downloading or streaming music on-demand, this went some way towards restoring order.

However, this only really applies to studio-recorded music. If you want to relive that special night at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, San Francisco’s Fillmore or London’s Brixton Academy, there’s still the same-old problem as before. YouTube kind of fills a void here, but you’ll no doubt agree that 90% of the recordings are plain awful. This is changing though.

Technology brings power to the people

In days gone by, anyone wishing to bootleg a gig would have to smuggle in some fairly chunky equipment. The advent of the smartphone era empowered anyone to be a have-a-go bootlegger, but it’s only in recent times where devices have been of sufficient quality to bring real value to those watching online via YouTube and other platforms. I mean, the Nokia N8 was used to produce a whole feature film.

Check out the quality of this Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert clip, shot on a Nokia Lumia 920. The sound is really quite excellent, and helps highlight why Nokia is keen to stop other manufacturers using its microphone technology.

Ignoring the fact that this particular clip is shot from distance, just think how easy it would be to record a fairly good multi-angle video. Three or four friends positioned in different parts of an auditorium, each armed with a high-spec smartphone, could produce a high-quality video of any show. Here’s how good a close-up video can look with the Lumia 920 – this is shot in 1080p:There’s already the software to easily stitch together such content too. Vyclone (previous coverage) for example, lets users sync and edit multi-angle videos directly from their mobile phones. It only works with footage captured simultaneously which is perfect for gigs, and it uses the longest audio track from the available videos as the source, before normalizing the rest of the audio to create a sense of cohesion.

The technology is already there for seriously good fan-shot concert videos, and the more this technology improves and proliferates, the more this will cause headaches for those with a direct financial interest in live performances. As things stand, many venues ban professional-grade recording equipment – so we’re talking optical zoom lenses here. But it will be near-impossible for auditoriums to ban smartphones, which is why we’re now seeing the beginnings of a counter-response.

Thwarting bootlegs

If the technology is readily available for fans to capture quality bootlegs – both audio and video – the technology is also there for the bands themselves to capitalize on. Lively was recently debuted at a gig by The Lonely Forest in Seattle. Gig-goers downloaded an app to their mobile phone, and they could buy an audio-only recording of the gig, sourced directly from the mixing desk, for $4.99. Alternatively, they could pay $9.99 to include video, which was delivered (online) the next day. Take a look at the promo video for yourself.

Dean Graziano, Lively’s CEO and founder, tells us that the two-tiered service is all about helping the company scale. Lively Audio Manager is its artist-focused product that pretty much lets any live performer offer their fans live (audio) recordings during the gig. After Apple and Google take their 30% in-app purchase fees, any remaining profits are split between the artist and Lively, 70% and 30% respectively. The only investment a performer needs to make is in an Apogee Duet audio interface and an iPad, which integrate with Lively’s iOS app.

It really is a fantastic set-up, one that automates most of the process.

With video, however, things aren’t quite so straightforward, given that the venue must be kitted out with suitable equipment, lighting and all those humans needed to operate it. This is usually beyond a band’s direct control, which is why Lively is having to partner directly with venues to create ‘Lively Enabled Venues’. This means that a Lively Enabled Band must play at a Lively Enabled Venue for the full audio/video package to be available.

“Although, with our ‘Lively Enabled Venue’ go-to market approach, we do have a slick and somewhat scalable approach, albeit slower and not as easy as our Lively Audio Manager-self-service-automated approach,” says Graziano.

“We do believe capturing audio is very valuable too, and we have some other cool features coming that will put some visuals against the audio, such as crowdsourced pictures from the show, slideshows and so on,” he continues.

What Lively is doing is excellent, even though enabling enough venues with professional video equipment could hamper its growth. This is an issue that could be faced by a similar service called Soundhalo, which we noted worked with Alt-J at its Brixton Academy show in London. Soundhalo also lets fans download videos of the songs directly to their smartphones soon after they’ve performed.

Don’t fight it, feel it

These technological advances are a win-win for music fans – they can leave a gig with the entire show recorded to their mobile phone, while doing just what Ian Brown suggested by “living in the moment”. But it’s not without its flaws.

For this to be effective, we’ll need to see such technology rolled out at many more gigs – the cost of having cameras and the associated resources at smaller live shows may preclude many bands and venues from adopting it, especially if they don’t know in advance whether fans will actually be willing to pay for it.

Plus, as we’ve already seen, smartphones are getting increasingly ‘professional’ in their recording capabilities, so fans may be reluctant to pay $10 for a video when they can throw all their self-shot clips in a giant cloud-based melting pot and be served up with a ready-made bootleg video for free. If, that is, they’re prepared to hold their arm in the air for the duration of a gig.

That said, they may not need to. Consider a 5,000 sell-out gig featuring a band that plays 12 songs. All you really need is 2 or 3 different people to commit to recording each song, which would amount to around 35-40 individuals for a whole gig – and it’s here where things really start to get interesting.

Fast-forward three or four years to when nearly everyone has a Nokia Lumia 920-quality smartphone. There’s a legitimate business to be had through actively seeking fans who are willing to participate in filming a gig. They commit through an online platform, registering the kind of handset they own, and what we then have is a crowdsourced, fan-filmed concert. Heck, the audience could even be paid for their efforts, depending on how many fans subsequently buy the recording. This also removes any risk from bands and promoters who are reluctant to commit resources to filming something with no guarantee of making money.

One Irish startup is already offering a similar service. Dublin-based 45sound connects fan recorded videos with sound captured directly from the mixing desk, while throwing in some background ‘crowd’ audio to make it sound authentic. Check out this recording which uses the original audio:

Why combat the power of the crowd when it can be harnessed instead? What 45sound is doing is fantastic – it gets bands on board and combines their technology with that already in the audience. But it would be even better if they could organize the crowd into optimum filming positions, and ensure they’re using the best cameras/smartphones to improve the visuals too.

However this all pans out, we’re really starting to see some exciting stuff coming to the fore. As someone who loves to listen back to concerts after the event, I’d like to see more collaboration between fans, bands and venues to find the best way of preserving live shows for posterity.



Tuesday 18 December 2018

Alan Doyle And The Halifax Songwriter's Circle 2018...A new song (55/365)

"...Guthro says he likes to keep the parameters of the circle fluid and tries not to impose too many restrictions on the performers involved. Some performers may introduce their own work while others may indicate why they sing a particular song written by someone else and why they do it the way they do...“The beauty of these guys is that whatever they do, they make it iconic anyway.” Bruce Guthro

Last weekend Alan Doyle performed with Bruce Guthro and other artists and musicians at the sold out songwriter's circles in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

Alan chose to include in his last performances of the year a new love song called 'Leather and The Last'. The new song was bootlegged by the usual sources and shared on social media including YouTube. 

After reading so many good things about this new song from the fans on social media, and my love for an Alan Doyle and Stickman Tak solo performance, I confess I did watch the bootleg music video. This song was all the fans said it was and very beautiful indeed.

I have posted a screen shot from the official Twitter account of Bruce Guthro of those artists and musicians who appeared in the Halifax songwriter's circles. The post was shared by Alan Doyle on his official social media accounts.




(photo credit Bruce Guthro)

I have also copied an interesting article with Bruce Guthro talking about his love of performing and his ambitions for the songwriter's circle. 

'Bruce Guthro hopes his songwriting circle will become annual event at Centre 200' by Elizabeth Patterson on the 11 December, 2018 at capebretonpost.com. No copyright infringement intended. 

SYDNEY, N.S. — Give Bruce Guthro the choice between doing a songwriter’s circle and performing in front of 25,000 screaming fans and you might be surprised at his decision.

“I would do the songwriter’s circles forever,” said the Sydney Mines native during a phone interview while he was driving around doing errands in Halifax. “I enjoy those more than any other gig.”

Guthro, 57, was the frontman for 20 years for Runrig, a popular Scottish band that retired from performing earlier this year. The group often did large concerts since they were popular not only in Scotland but also in Europe. A combined total of 47,000 people watched Guthro and his fellow band members perform their last two concerts in August of this year in the park in front of Stirling Castle. Tickets to the Stirling Castle shows sold out within a few hours. Before that, the group sold out Edinburgh Castle a total of six times, more than any other performer, including Elton John.

Guthro admits there’s nothing quite like hearing 25,000 fans cheering all at once for you.

“It’s a great feeling,” he says. “It’s a ‘wow’ moment.”

But even after 20 years of playing concerts like that, Guthro had enough. Non-stop travelling between Nova Scotia and Scotland was exhausting, being away from his family for weeks at a time was tough and the desire to focus more on his own work had never left.

“I was more than ready to move on,” he says.

While Runrig had plenty of hits and fans in Europe, the group isn’t as well known here, a small fact that allowed Guthro to lead the musician’s equivalent of a double life. When he wasn’t singing in front of thousands in Europe, Guthro became better known for his first love, songwriting, on this side of the pond. Now it’s his time to explore and expand this side of his life again.

For the past 14 years, Guthro has been organizing the Bruce Guthro Songwriter’s Circle events in Halifax. They are held at the Schooner Room at Casino Nova Scotia and all have sold out for this year. The Halifax circles include such well-known writers as Dan Hill, Gordie Sampson, Myles Goodwyn, Alan Doyle and Michelle Wright. Now he wants to expand on that idea and bring it to Cape Breton. The first of what Guthro hopes will be a continuing series will take place at Centre 200 on Dec. 22 at 8 p.m.

“They’ve (the Halifax events) always sold out and I would love nothing better than to do an annual event at Centre 200,” says Guthro.

Indications are good that this will happen.

When Bruce Guthro would step on stage with Runrig, he would play in front of thousands of fans. This is a scene from one of the band’s performances at Edinburgh Castle.

“Eighty per cent of the tickets have been sold already for the Sydney event, so you should get your tickets soon.”

The Sydney Songwriter’s Circle will feature Matt Minglewood, Matt Anderson and the Men of The Deeps. The coal mining chorus may seem like an unusual choice for a songwriting event but not for Guthro.

“I saw them in Halifax and I found them so entertaining. They just rocked my world and I thought, ‘this could work.’”

Guthro says he likes to keep the parameters of the circle fluid and tries not to impose too many restrictions on the performers involved. Some performers may introduce their own work while others may indicate why they sing a particular song written by someone else and why they do it the way they do.

“The beauty of these guys is that whatever they do, they make it iconic anyway.”

During Guthro’s 20-year run with Runrig, he may have contributed five songs to the band’s catalogue since most of the group’s songwriting was done by founding members Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. Now he plans to make up for that by expanding his songwriter’s series and his own catalogue of songs. And because he has a large fan base in Europe, especially in Denmark and Germany, he’s already slated to do a Christmas tour over there in 2019.

“I plan to do more of what I want to do and less of what I don’t want to do,” he says, adding the songwriter’s circles will be a big part of that.

“It’s pure joy to me to do those.”



Monday 17 December 2018

Russell Crowe And A Trip To Gander... Throwback Thursday (54/365)

Recently a fan shared an article on Twitter about when Russell Crowe had a stop over in Gander, Newfoundland in 2014 and the Twitter banter that followed between him, Alan Doyle and Allan Hawco.

Russell joked about the non-existent crowds in the Gander airport that didn't come to see him and said he was disappointed his Newfoundland friends didn't make the four hour drive to visit him. He finished the Twitter banter by posting some selfies.

I have copied a screen shot of one of those selfies below. The screen shot is from the official Russell Crowe Twitter account no copyright infringement intended.

I wrote a post about this back in 2014 when it all happened titled 'I love Newfoundland...Just sayin'...Russell Crowe published on 8 December, 2014 at https://lyndaherestalker.blogspot.com/2014/12/i-love-newfoundlandjust-saying-russell.html

The article is titled 'Crowe pines for famous friends on Twitter during Gander stop' by staff writers published on 8 December, 2014 on globalnews.ca. The article includes some Twitter posts which were not included for copyright reasons. I have copied the article below. No copyright infringement intended.

GANDER, N.L. – Oscar winning actor Russell Crowe was briefly in Newfoundland on Sunday and pined for absent friends through Twitter.

Crowe tweeted out to his friends Alan Doyle of the band Great Big Sea and actor Allan Hawco that he was disappointed to land in Gander and that the pair didn’t drive to meet him, adding: “Guess I’m partying alone.”

The three appeared together in the television show The Republic of Doyle in 2012 after Doyle and Crowe became friends.

Crowe also tweeted out selfies with no one in the background, joking that he was “Battling through the crowds for my public appearance in Gander, Newfoundland.”

The actor has more than 1.6 million followers on Twitter.

“I love Newfoundland …. just sayin’. Wish I could be here longer,” he tweeted before leaving.




Sunday 16 December 2018

'Fairytale Of New York'... A reflection (53/365).

This year seems to be the year for censoring Christmas songs. The first one was 'It's Cold Outside Baby' and now ' Fairytale Of New York'.

I was interested in 'Fairytale Of New York' as the song is a regular on the setlist at the Russell Crowe Indoor Garden Parties. I have to say I am not really familiar with the song and it is not one of my favourites performed by the Indoor Party Garden.

Recently I read quite a few interesting opinion pieces written about 'Fairytale of New York' originally written and performed by the Pogues over 30 years ago in 1987. The song is often referred to as one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time.

I really liked the following opinion piece published on the ultimate left Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) webpage titled "If you're upset about the 'F' word in Fairtytale of New York, you are a scrooge" by Gary Nunn on the 16 December, 2019 at abc.net.au.

This opinion piece makes three important points about censoring creative content.

"...If we censor works of fiction in this way — songs, novels, films — we can kiss goodbye to the artistic freedom to create anything but sanitised, priggish characters who win the approval of frustrated earnest millennials. Please, no...

"...Those offended by one word in this song are overlooking two crucial elements: context and characterisation..."

"...Michael Polh, music director at Australia's LGBTQI radio station JOY 94.9, said any song with homophobic words wouldn't be played. "Our communities have a zero tolerance of hateful language. Simply censoring the word doesn't fix the problem..."


I agree with all of these three points when critically analysing creative content.

I also agree with Australia's LGBTQI radio station and that is if people don't like particular creative content for what ever reason, don't engage with it. It really isn't like people don't have a choice of Christmas content.

I have copied the article below for those fans interested in reading it. No copyright infringement intended.







"If you're upset about the 'F' word in Fairtytale of New York, you are a scrooge" By Gary Nunn published on the 16 December, 2019.

Warning: This story contains language some people may find offensive.

The Christmas party pooper has, over the centuries, taken different guises.

The classic Dickensian scrooge wore an imposing hat and a grimace and said "bah humbug".

The grinch is a disgruntled green creature written by Dr Seuss who steals Christmas.

But the modern day scourge of Christmas has no candle, imposing hat or green fur.

Instead, they have a well-hammered keyboard in front of them, wear the most po of all po-faces and say:

"Stop playing the Fairytale of New York because it offends me and my LGBTQI+ and non-binary friends".

And to them I say: bah humbug, mainly because the ABC would probably bleep out what I'd really like to say to them, and precisely where I'd like to shove a mince pie.

Their catchphrase isn't catchy, their Christmas creation isn't the result of a literary genius and their cause is virtue-signalling of the emptiest kind.

Now, you may be surprised to be reading it from a writer who identifies comfortably as LGBTQI.

But every year, for the last decade, some humourless sourpuss or other has defaced this classic Christmas number from The Pogues by either bleeping out the word "faggot" in one of the verses or, worse, banned the song altogether from the airwaves.

It is an act of cultural vandalism we must resist.

Thankfully, some certainly are resisting.

Nigel Owens, the first professional rugby union referee to come out as gay, has called to "stop this PC madness" and resolved to listen to the song daily — a most commendable form of resistance.

He has tweeted in response to an Irish radio station who have elected to censor the song this year writing, "Seriously now if we don't stand up to this stupidity then society is broken", advising offended listeners to switch off and not "bloody listen to it".

In a further tweet, he reveals that his favourite meal is "faggots and peas", preferably home-made by his mother, and ponders whether he can now make such a confession.

He was responding to 2FM DJ Eoghan McDermott who said: "I asked the two gay members of my team how they feel, since faggot is their N word. If people want to slur the gay community, this is their most powerful weapon," he said.

"One favours censoring, the other outright not playing it. Neither like it. Simples."

Except, it's not really that "simples" is it?

He asked two gays? I'm pretty sure the robust minimum quantitative measure of participants in credible research, even for Irish gays, is somewhat higher than two people consulted by the quick flick of a foot on a wheelie chair.

You've gotta pick your battles

Other radio stations have reacted differently.

Yannick Lawry, who has held a variety of programming roles across London and Sydney radio stations, including Gaydar Radio, Capital Radio, Nova 96.9, smoothfm and 2GB, said that the word had been reclaimed.

"When I worked at Gaydar Radio in the UK, we'd deviate from our house-heavy playlist and sprinkle in Christmas tunes to mark the season. I remember playing Fairytale of New York often. Staff sang along to every word.

"If anything there was a sense of re-appropriating the F-word which in its context is actually pretty funny."

Last year, Nick Duffy at the UK's Pink News wrote that their inbox was once again "flooded" with complaints about Fairytale of New York.

That "flood" has been happening almost annually since Christmas 2007 when BBC Radio 1 bleeped out the "offending" word.

At the time, I managed the Press Office for Stonewall, the UK's leading LGBTQI campaigning charity.

We were flooded ourselves — with calls from journalists (silly season and all that) asking if we supported this censoring.

The response surprised them: we didn't.

At the time, we said we'd be happier to see Radio 1 take action against the persistently anti-gay DJ Chris Moyles (who regularly used "gay" as a synonym for "inadequate") rather than bleep one word of a Christmas classic.

In short: pick your battles.

Don't ditch artistic freedom to please the millennials

BBC Radio 1 reversed its decision: the song was played in all its uncensored, raucous glory.

Those offended by one word in this song are overlooking two crucial elements: context and characterisation.

These are creations of fiction, characters just like Scrooge himself, and the Grinch itself. Their vitriol is subversively affectionate; the scene in the song occurs "in the drunk tank".

The Pogues lead singer Shane MacGowan last week told the Irish Times he was trying to "accurately portray the character as authentically as possible".

It seems ludicrous he has even had to come out and explain this.

If we censor works of fiction in this way — songs, novels, films — we can kiss goodbye to the artistic freedom to create anything but sanitised, priggish characters who win the approval of frustrated earnest millennials. Please, no.

If we bankrupt ourselves of occasions when we're offended, there'll be no bite or credibility to our complaint that "faggot", when the last word heard by someone kicked to death, should be concrete evidence that this was a crime of homophobic hate.

Context, people.

Not to mention that few gay men complaining about this seem bothered that the woman is called "an old slut on junk" in the song.

I must concede, there's a sweetness to the desired sensitivity, especially when you're considering your audience.

Michael Polh, music director at Australia's LGBTQI radio station JOY 94.9, said any song with homophobic words wouldn't be played.

"Our communities have a zero tolerance of hateful language. Simply censoring the word doesn't fix the problem.

"If an artist believes using that language in a particular context is appropriate, we cannot condone the song as a whole.

"While some might find owning those words empowering, for some it could be a painful experience."

I'm certainly not going to slam JOY 94.9 who have done what they think is right for their listeners.

But the only joy for me this Christmas will be to tune into an uncensored radio station, settle down with the song's two loveable rogue characters, belt every last insult, sweet sherry in hand, awaiting the cheeky, gorgeous pointing fingers in my direction as that F-word is sung.




Fandom, An Unexpected Journey 600 Blog Posts... Thank You !

It seems like just yesterday I was celebrating writing and sharing my 500 th blog post. Today I am celebrating writing and sharing 600 blog ...