Turning the Page

Lots is being made about Steven Page and Tuesday's news that he's admitted to his wrongdoing after getting hit with drug charges stemming from an incident in which he was spotted snorting cocaine with his "girlfriend" in New York State.

I feel for the guy — we all have our issues, and my hunch is that a guy like Page has loads of pressure, not the least of which he puts on himself as the leader of one of Canada's best and most clean cut musical acts. I also have a hunch he was "suffering" through some issues at home — separating from his wife and handling all of what goes with that with regard to his three kids is a pressure all on its own. (Moving out of your family home while your kids still need you is a greater error than snorting cocaine, but that's a debate for another day.)

The thing with drugs and harmful behaviour is that it's a slippery slope — one night you're out with the boys, next you're guzzling whiskey alone in your car, then you're breaking apart your family, smoking hash with people with questionable backgrounds and then all of a sudden you're arrested doing cocaine in New York State with some single ladies. The little steps toward Page's proverbial bottom aren't that big a deal — but it's how they're all added up here is where it hurts. And nobody is naive enough to wonder whether this is Page's first experiment with a nefarious substance.

An interesting thing here is that he's done a fine PR job — I'm glad he's apologized, admitted to his misdeeds and plans to move on. Making denials and waging a battle in the courts would only keep the story in the news longer and affect him and his bandmates even more. Learning from it and avoiding a similar arrest is now an important goal indeed. He's lucky his lawyers were able to settle it in the way they have — there's no jail time and Page can still be a "Lady" and travel the U.S. as a member of the Barenakeds.

Obviously, Page's brush with the law has made headlines all over the place because of his clean-cut, playful image. None of the members of this smarmy, short pants-wearing sometimes comedy troupe that recorded an album just for kids wouldn't dare jaywalk, would they?

Who are they going to arrest next, Pee Wee Herman? (Never mind)

At any rate, Page's image is tarnished — but I suspect that things will return to normal in the Barenaked camp over time. And I hope this is the last arrest of a Barenaked Lady.

While not all of us have snorted cocaine or fell to a bottom as low as Page's, I think that every person can relate, and that celebrity is the only difference between Page's story and our own.

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CD releases for the week of Oct. 28:

50 Cent - "This is 50 Cent"
Ryan Adams and The Cardinals - "Cardinology"
Eva Avila - "Give Me the Music"
Bloc Party - "Intimacy"
Blue Rodeo - "Blue Road"
Stompin' Tom Connors - "The Ballad of Stompin' Tom"
Cradle of Filth - "Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder"
The Cure - "4:13 Dream"
Cynic - "Traced in Air" (Limited Edition)
Celine Dion - "My Love: Essential Collection"
Dragonforce - "Ultra Beatdown"
E-40 - "Ball Street Journal"
Eagles of Death Metal - "Heart On"
Exodus - "Let There Be Blood"
K.Maro - "Perfect Strangers"
The Kaiser Chiefs - "Off with Their Heads"
Toby Keith - "That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy"
John Legend - "Evolver"
Lenka - "Lenka"
Lil Wayne - "Young Money Millionaire Part 4"
Lordi - "Deadache"
Reba McEntire - "50 Greatest Hits"
Loreena McKennitt - "A Midwinter Night's Dream"
Moka Only - "Carrots and Eggs"
Newsboys - "Live: Houston We Are Go"
Pink - "Funhouse"
Queen + Paul Rodgers - "The Cosmos Rocks"
Rush of Fools - "Wonder of the World"
Buffy Sainte-Marie - "Running for the Drum"
Boz Scaggs - "Speak Low"
Michael W. Smith - "A New Hallelujah"
Snow Patrol - "A Hundred Million Suns"
Squarepusher - "Just a Souvenir"
Susan Tedeschi - "Back to the River"
Trick Trick - "The Villain"
Various Artists - "Big Shiny Tunes 13"
Various Artists - "Celtic Women: Essential Collection"
Various Artists - "James Bond 007: The Best of Bond"
Various Artists - "Quantum of Solace" Soundtrack
Hank Wimmiams - "The Unreleased Recordings"


TOP CDS SOLD IN REGINA

1 KICKING STONES JOHNNY REID ( MMR )
2 DEATH MAGNETIC METALLICA ( WBR )
3 APPEAL TO REASON RISE AGAINST ( GEF )
4 PAPER TRAIL T.I. ( ATL )
5 CLOSER: BEST SARAH SARAH MCLACHLAN ( NTW )
6 TREES & SHADE ARE OUR ONLY FE, SYLVIE ( SMR )
7 LITTLE HONEY LUCINDA WILLIAMS ( LOS )
8 DOLL DOMINATION PUSSYCAT DOLLS ( INT )
9 ROCK N ROLL JESUS KID ROCK ( ATL )
10 SCARS AND SOUVENIRS THEORY OF A DEADMAN ( 604 )
11 NOW! 13 VARIOUS ARTISTS ( N13 )
12 LAX (DELUXE EDITION) THE GAME ( GEF )
13 LOVE ON THE INSIDE SUGARLAND ( MER )
14 BLACK BUTTERFLY BUCKCHERRY ( ESR )
15 NEVER ODD OR EVEN THESET ( UMR )
16 SOUNDTRACK MAMMA MIA ( POL )
17 RED, WHITE AND BROWN (CD/DVD) RUSSELL PETERS ( RWB )
18 ALL HOPE IS GONE SLIPKNOT ( RDN )
19 FAME, THE LADY GAGA ( INT )
20 PERFECT SYMMETRY KEANE ( INT )

** Thanks to Nielson

Lenny's back on track

For those of us looking forward to Thursday's Lenny Kravitz show at the Brandt Centre have nothing to worry about -- I hope.

The first part of his Canadian tour in the Maritimes was messed up due to travel issues and shows had to be rescheduled, and another concert in London, Ont. was on the bubble until Kravitz saw a doctor for some sort of throat ailment. But his ailment forced him to move a separate show in Kitchener slated for last week until next month.

The good news is that Lenny's Sunday night show in Montreal received a rave review....

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/arts/story.html?id=8ca20199-98e2-43cc-9e4d-6742bd71e8e5

Kravitz plays at Winnipeg's MTS Centre on Wednesday before coming to the Queen City on Thursday. Judging from the Gazette review and the last Lenny album It's Time For a Love Revolution, the show should be a good one.

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On Tuesday night at the Distrikt, Tanya Tagaq is slated to perform. She's the Aboriginal singer who melds contemporary folk sounds with traditional native throat singing. It's a little out there, but it's also kinda neat. Should make for an interesting evening -- she does some really creative things.

There's a nice background piece on Tagaq on the Distrikt's website ....

http://www.thedistriktonline.com/concertsandevents2.php?id=00244

Fabulous Fafard

Review
Tales From The Gap
Joel Fafard
Thursday
Globe Theatre (Sandbox Series)

He made us laugh, he made us cry and he dazzled us with speedy, soulful acoustic guitar playing.
Pense-raised guitarist Joel Fafard opened his run at the Globe Theatre Thursday to a packed Sandbox Series house, telling folksy, Prairie-style stories and playing the mostly-instrumental numbers that have made him a staple at folk festivals in Canada and beyond.
“My staring woke her,” Fafard told the packed crowd as he explained the first night his soon-to-be-wife spent at his apartment in Calgary.
“The first thing she said when she got up was ‘when was the last time you washed this comforter?’ I replied: ‘You can wash this thing?’”
Charming stories provided an appropriate backdrop to Fafard’s music performance that allowed the 30-something guitarist to tell stories without words on his guitar, named after his friends, wife and sons. As he tuned his guitar for the next number, he told us about Morley the Lumsden barber, how his bed would rattle each time a train roared past his childhood home and the generosity of a motorist in New Zealand who gave him four-and-a-half hour ride to Auckland, even though his boots reeked of pig poo.
Fafard’s show, which was created with Stefan Riches, doesn’t exactly conform to the Shumiatcher Sandbox Series mandate of being “theatre without a safety net.” Given Fafard’s local reputation, booking him was most certainly a safe bet. And this quite excellent coffee house-style show may not qualify as “theatre.”
But such suggestions are moot since Fafard managed to share anecdotes from his life as a dad and husband, as well as show-off his ability to nimbly speed through acoustic numbers in a style of Don Ross, Bella Fleck or Leo Kottke while managing to retain some soul.
But it was his stories that made the show, given the audience (Joel’s dad, famed artist Joe Fafard was in the front row) giggled, clapped and even cried at all the right spots.
He told the story of the time his young son had learned how to ride a two-wheeler and signed up to participate in the Lumsden parade – assuming it was a race, he sped past all other participants and assumed he was victorious after overtaking the police escort.
“He doesn’t like it when we tell the story,” Fafard said.
Earlier in the night, he explained how his son wanted to play hockey, and after his dad signed him up in the local novice league, he said the first game was a road game, to which his son replied: “Aw, dad, I wanted you to sign me up because I didn’t want to play on the road anymore.”
But the best story was the most difficult story for Fafard to tell – the family’s golden retriever had been diagnosed with cancer, and on its dying day, his sons wrapped their arms around his neck as she passed away.
With his eyes tearing and his voice cracking, Fafard said: “Whenever we go walking in the Qu’Appelle Valley, it’s as if she’s there with us.”

(Tales from The Gap continues Friday and Saturday, and next week on Oct. 29,30,21 and Nov. 1. For ticket information, visit http://www.globetheatrelive.com/20082009season/Sandbox%20Series/0809%20Playbill.html

Weekend listings

Hey now.....

I already think too much is being made of Chinese Democracy, the new album
by Guns N' Roses, which appears it will actually be released in late
November. I heard the first single that was sent to radio this week -- I like
it.

The reality is that it's impossible for poor Axl to live up to the hype he's
created by waiting five centuries and spending more than $10 to finally
release 15 songs. Even if it were another Appetite for Destruction, it's
unlikely to meet even some of its expectations. And to do it without Slash
makes it seem less likely.

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Back in Regina.......

Here's a rundown of what's happening in our clubs this weekend.....

THURSDAY:
- Country artist Willie Mack performs at the Pump Roadhouse.
- SNFU performs at the Distrikt with Mr. Plow and Amour Fou.
- Rae Spoon performs at the Club at the Exchange.

FRIDAY:
- Lukas Rossi, the smarmy fella who fronted the now-dissolved Supernova fronts a
new band called Stars Down, which plays at The Distrikt.
- Country singer Shelia Deck performs at the Pump Roadhouse.
- The Fembots perform at the Club at the Exchange.
- The Canadian Chamber Choir and Juventus choir of Regina perform "From Sea to
Sea" at Westminster United Church in Regina. (3025 - 13th Ave.)

SATURDAY:
- Country singer Shelia Deck performs at the Pump Roadhouse.
- Ariel Mura and Jodi King perform The Exchange
- Guest pianist Ian Park performs "A Musical Canvas" with the Regina Symphony
Orchestra at the Conexus Arts Centre. Victor Sawa conducts. 8 p.m.

SUNDAY:
- Jason Collett, Rock Plaza Central play at The Exchange.

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Things that make you go ... Axl.

Hey now......

Okay, so I stole the "Axl" line from the hilarious editors at Metal Sludge — the best and only true bible for those interested in hard rock, in particular old-school hair metal.

It appears today is the day when the first song(s) from the century-in-the-making Chinese Democracy from the remnants of Guns & Roses is being given to radio stations to play. According to the piece I just read (see link below), there is mention of Nov. 24 being the release date for the album, but given a link at rollingstone.com that mentioned it was quickly removed, this gives us yet another start-stop-start for this silly album.

http://www.metalsludge.tv/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1636&Itemid=42

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Back in Regina, I got an email on Tuesday that said Sloan had been dropped as the opening act for next Thursday's Lenny Kravitz show at the Brandt Centre. In their place is Thornley. I'm disappointed by that — I've never seen Sloan, and I was hoping to. It's not enough to ask for my money back, but still......

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Tonight (Wednesday) is a big night for metal fans in Regina — Three Inches of Blood plays at The Distrikt. The opening band is England's Evile. The only bad thing is that I can't go — I'm stuck behind a desk at work. And the last few times I've tried to race out to a club show at midnight, I get there just in time to hear the words "good night!"

Despite their crazy name, Vancouver's Three Inches of Blood plays a really accessible brand of power metal — and vocalists Cam Pipes (Rob Halford anyone?) and Jamie Hopper are among the best in the metal game these days.

Maybe I'll call in sick.....hhmmm....

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For those with a different taste, Brock Deman plays at the Exchange on Wednesday night. This 27-year-old folky from the Ottawa area is touring Western Canada, bringing his clever lyrics and snappy melodies to small rooms. I know very little about him, so if you happen to check it out, drop me a line and let me know how it was.

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Buffy Saint Marie had a show with Ritchie Havens in Saskatoon at TCU Place slated for Nov. 10 — but it's cancelled.

Flu away !

Hey now....

Today's missive will be a tad short - I am officially suffering from the flu. Not sure how or why I have it, but my brain isn't firing electrodes the way it should.

My favourite entertainment editor -- the Leader-Post's Jeff Dedekker -- gave me Black Ice, ACDC's newest CD that was released yesterday. You'll have to wait until Saturday when my review will appear in the newspaper -- and at www.leaderpost.com -- but I can say that it's, well, ordinary.

Here's a list of the CDs that are out today.........

Various artists
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
(Disney)

KISS
"Ikons"
(Mercury)

Hank Williams III
"Damn Right, Rebel Proud"
(Curb)

Lee Ann Womack|
"Call Me Crazy"
(MCA)

Of Montreal
"Skeletal Lamping"
(Polyvinyl)

And the rest........

Brett Dennen, "Hope for the Hopeless" (Dualtone)
The Doors, "Perception" (Rhino)
Electric Six, "Flashy" (Epitaph)
Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, "Evening Star" (DGM)
Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, "No Pussyfooting" (DGM)
Escape the Fate, "This War is Ours" (Epitaph)
Sara Groves, "O Holy Night" (Dedicated)
Jimmy Herring, "Lifeboat" (Abstract Logix)
Jazzanova, "Of All the Things" (Verve)
Waylon Jennings, "Waylon Forever" (Vagrant)
Labelle, "Back to Now" (Verve)
Craig Morgan, "That's Why" (UBEU)
The Nields, "Rock All Day Rock All Night" (Nields)
OhGr, "Devils in My Details" (SPV)

Honey, I'm home!

Hey now — If you're reading this, then you might
be (slightly) interested to learn that I didn't contribute to the world in any special way during the last couple of weeks. I spent 15 days with my lovely wife overseas, vacationing in the United Arab Emirates, Amsterdam and Prague. Three different places with varying attractions.

I hate to think of my carbon footprint, what with all the flying.

In terms of live music, I saw or heard little. The only licensed established I visited that had music performance was a bar in Dubai that had a questionable mandate, given all the provocatively dressed women mingling around seeking the company of men, presumably in exchange for monetary consideration. The entertainment included a fine, young female singer performing songs from the likes of Celine Dion and Cher. She was backed up by a young fellow on guitar who stood behind a keyboard and computer full of programmed sounds. Cheesy, but it was appropriate for the environment.

Later, in Amsterdam, I dropped a coin into a hat belonging to a Spanish guitarist, who, along with his partner who played the flute and other like instruments, entertained about a dozen people seated at an outdoor eatery. A giant leap from the previous bar singer, so I made sure to take a picture. They did a fine job singing sparse-sounding Spanish folk music to a crowd that didn't appear that interested. Oddly enough, I spotted them a day later at a music shop.

Okay, enough about me and my trip — onto some interesting stuff........

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Check out October Sky at The Club at The Exchange tonight. These dudes from Montreal have a really neat punchy rock sound. It's fresh and full of neat hooks. And having some Quebec influence in Regina is a good thing, if you ask me. I listened to a CD of theirs a year ago, and really liked it. I'm puzzled as to why they aren't better known. Tres bien indeed.

www.octobersky.ca

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There's been lots of excitement over the new AC/DC CD, Black Ice, which is out today. I keep reading that it's available only at Wal-Marts, but I'm not sure whether that applies only to the U.S. The reviews I've read say that the band has served-up more of the same, which is certainly a good thing. I am a big fan, but the band's best music is behind them. I've never been a fan of "Thunderstruck" from The Razor's Edge and the albums that came after it. Albums like Fly on the Wall, Flick of the Switch are really underrated. As much as I like Brian Johnson, I'll likely remain in the Bon Scott camp.

I'll post a comment or two in the coming days after giving Black Rain a listen. However, I worry that it will be a tad polished for my liking. I'd like to be wrong.

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While we're on the subject of CD releases, Regina's Sylvie has a new CD coming out on Tuesday. They have been getting some serious consideration from radio stations and clubs from across North America of late — they are currently in the middle of a tour that's taking them across Canada and into the eastern United States. They played in Regina most recently when they opened for Vancouver's Said The Whale this month.

Today, however, is your lucky day. Check out details on this link for information on how to check out the album Trees and Shade are Our Only Fences online before the actual disc comes out. Last opportunity is today.

http://www.sylviemusic.com/

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The fabulous men that make up Into Eternity, Regina's best metal band, is worthy of another mention.

Time is ticking toward the band's Nov. 1 gig at The Exchange -- it will be a reunion of sorts since axeman Tim Roth will return for the show, even though he stayed in Regina to tend to some personal things while the rest of the band is touring across North America with sub guitar player Sean Maier. It might be interesting if Sean and Tim perform together. Anyway, Into Eternity singer Stu Block gives us a nice update from the road on the band's site......

http://www.intoeternity.net/news.php

Also, have a gander at this — a publication called The Hawk talks about Into Eternity's participation in the Iced Earth tour, and makes mention of band's difficulties and how it's been affected by cancer......

http://media.www.sjuhawknews.com/media/storage/paper763/news/2008/10/01/Entertainment/Iced-Earth.Reunite.With.Former.Vocalist.For.Current.Tour-3463787.shtml

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For those who might be interested, here's a list of the big winners of the Western Canadian Music Awards announced Sunday night.....

Outstanding Aboriginal Recording: Tracy Bone, No Lies.

Outstanding Blues Recording: Little Miss Higgins, Junction City.

Outstanding Children's Recording (Tie): Googol Power, Crazy 4 Math. The Kerplunks, The Kerplunks.

Outstanding Contemporary Christian/Gospel Recording: Steve Bell, The Symphony Sessions.

Outstanding Classical Composition: Elizabeth Raum, Dark Thoughts (How Bodies Make Ecstatic Marks).

Outstanding Classical Recording: Jasper Wood, A Child's Cry from Izieu.

Outstanding Country Recording: Paul Brandt, Risk.

Outstanding Francophone Recording: Ariane Mahryke Lemire, Double Entendre.

Outstanding Instrumental Recording: Bob Evans, 4 on 6.

Outstanding Jazz Recording: Altered Laws, Metaphora.

Outstanding Pop Recording: The Liptonians, Self-Titled.

Outstanding Rock Recording: State of Shock, Life, Love & Lies.

Outstanding Roots Recording - Duo/Group: Twilight Hotel, Highway Prayer.

Outstanding Roots Recording - Solo: Corb Lund, Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!.

Outstanding Urban Recording: Souljah Fyah, Truth Will Reveal.

Outstanding World Recording: Alex Cuba, Agua Del Pozo.

Outstanding Independent Album: The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour.

Songwriter(s) of the Year: The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour.

Video of the Year: The Weakerthans, Civil Twilight.

Hall of Fame: Senator Tommy Banks, Spirit of the West.

International Achievement Award: Feist, k.d. lang, Nickelback

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Kudos to the author of the first (publishable) comment to Regina Riffing.....Here's what Henri Fondula said in response to my blog about Grind House, the new Friday night metal show on The Wolf.....

Why isn't there a metal STATION in Regina? Regina has a big metal community, and these people spend MONEY.... on shows, t-shirts and gear... heck, a lot of them are still buying CDs. But in general they're turning the radio off. There's an untapped market there. But we have MULTIPLE country stations (I know... this is Saskatchewan, but still.... ), two "hard rock" stations that miss the point, and of course Pop and Pop Lite. CBC and the community station are the only things different on the air, but neither is tapping the untapped metal market during the times of day that people actually listen to the radio. I know plenty of blue-collar types who love their metal, are stuck with only a radio at work, and thirst for something different than what the "hard rock" stations are offering.

You make some fine points — and I'm not just saying that because you're the first to post a comment to my little blog here. You are correct on all points, especially with regard to the issue that the local metal market has little representation on radio. I suspect that if a radio station played "all-metal, all the time," it would go out of business in short order. The metal community is a big one here in Regina, and a passionate one, but the numbers wouldn't sustain a listenership that would be attractive to advertisers.

I think in the case of the Wolf, whether we like what they do or not, we need to encourage and otherwise patronize the stuff we do like. The Wolf just might be barking up the right tree here — the station will soon learn about the local metalheads, what they like and what they don't. They will also see how advertisers take to this show. I suspect that the best we can hope for is to help keep the show alive by listening to it, and helping spread the word to friends, family, and better yet — anyone wanting to buy an ad.

Remember, there are many option on satellite radio — I'm a big fan of Nair Nation, the 80s rock show on Sirius. There are several other hard rock stations that will appease most listeners while waiting for their Friday nights to roll around again. These shows are short on context and they aren't exactly local, but there's enough variety to appease most of us.

Back in Regina, it's silly to criticize the Wolf's new show — it's a step in the right direction, and one that no other station is willing to take.

Sadly, I haven't heard the show. I've seen most of the song lists, and it's a real mishmash of stuff, which is likely the best way to go. Here's hoping it evolves.

In the meantime, if you're reading this Henri Fondula - drop me an email at andrewmmatte@hotmail.com — and I'll send you a prize for being the first-ever comment-poster to Regina Riffing.

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That's all for now — see you here tomorrow.

A.M.