Daily ticket stories
On January 29th, 2008 I walked down to Sparks Street – the hopelessly underachieving pedestrian mall in Ottawa’s most desirable downtown area – where the CBC had set up shop after moving out of their seemingly endless tenancy in the Chateau Laurier hotel. I had a free ticket for a taping of Fuse, a now-defunct Saturday afternoon radio show that generally focussed on Ottawa musical happenings, and I was excited…
When I was in my first year of university one of my profs arranged a jazz trio to play for one of our classes. I only remember one member of the trio – John Geggie – but I remember his performance that afternoon in my mind’s eye as vividly as if it were yesterday…
Before the NHL adopted shootouts in the 2005-2006 season games could end in a tie and how lame is that? It’s a sport, when the dust settles there should be a clear winner. Sure there are arguments for and against the implementation of the shootout in regular season NHL games, but…
On January 26th, 2015 I went to see Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen at the Maple Leaf Bar. It was my first experience with both the band and the bar and I can report that both are exceptional and neither should be missed…
Mr. Shorty (who is anything but short) is a demigod around New Orleans. I saw forty-foot tall billboards of him at the airport when I arrived. And why not? He blends pure, old-school New Orleans jazz with a cutting-edge updated rock sound that pushes his music beyond the bounds of authenticity into a new, true sound. It’s rockin’, it’s jazzy, it’s loud and brash and it sounds just like Trombone Shorty…
Preservation Hall in New Orleans must be the most understated famous venue in America…
On January 23rd, 2005 I was cooling my heels in Cuzco, Peru seeing the sites and waiting for my Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu to begin. Cuzco is at an elevation of 3,400 metres and I promised myself I wouldn’t drink until I had climatized to the thin air. However…
Spy music just blatantly sounds like spy music…
In the future when people look and me incredulously and exclaim, “You went all the way to Mexico just to see Phish!?!” I wanted to be able to come back with something like: “Of course not. I also visited Mayan ruins, went scuba diving, sampled the local food and drink, spent plenty of time on the beach, and had the greatest sandwich of my life…
What could be a better antidote to the blistering cold of winter in Ottawa than an evening of Cuban music in the comfy warmth of the National Arts Centre? Well, probably many things if I’m being completely honest…
Todd Man Out 