Stacey & Mark at Hugh's Room

The thing about a Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart show is that by the end of it, you feel like you've known them for years. Their shows are warm and generous and they are obviously very very nice people. They have really good songs, they sing very well together and on their own, and Mark Stuart is one highly skilled guitar picker. As long as Richard Flohil keeps booking them at Hugh's Room, I'll try to be in the audience.

The only unfortunate thing is that Tuffy P has come down with a flu, and wasn't feeling up to going out. The Breezes were with us though, along with East Texas Red, and a new friend who works with East. I bought a CD for Tuffy, and both Stacey and Mark signed it for her..... Hopefully, she'll be feeling much better tomorrow.

On the 5 anchovy rating scale, Stacey & Mark get a trainload of salties, heading down to Tennessee and points south.

Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart

Off to Hugh's Room tonight for the Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart show. Review to follow later. I have to tell you though that I'm a biased reviewer on this one. I really enjoy their music a lot!

Your Christmas music selection

hillbilly that is....via Big Rock Candy Mountain

Boozoo Chavis and the Magic Sounds

Sassy One-Step

words not required....

New Considerations in the shed out back

PB270002, originally uploaded by mister anchovy.

I've started adding cardboard boxes into my work. There are a bunch of these going on. Every session is surprising me.

New considerations in the shed out back

PB270001, originally uploaded by mister anchovy.

Sugar Bee, by Sheila Gregory, as reviewed by Gary Michael Dault

Gary Michael Dault has reviewed Tuffy's exhibition on ARTPOST.INFO.

Jim and that penguin movie

We have a friend, Jimmy, who is recovering from a series of medical disasters....a burst aneurysm, stroke and heart attack at once. He has no family, so his friends are all that he has. Jimmy was in serious trouble, but now he is starting to recover.....enough that he is eating on his own (he can't drink yet, so they give him gelled liquids), talking, able to answer questions in ways that demonstrate increasing understanding. He's in a long-term care facility, and everyone is really encouraged by his progress. Today Tuffy P wanted to take Jim out to a movie. We arranged for a wheel-chair accessable taxi and off we went to see the penguin movie. At the facility, they encouraged us to take him out, to expose him to more stimuli and to show him a good time, and help keep his spirits up. I think Jim did have a really good time, and with the cab and a wheel-chair accessable theatre, it wasn't difficult for us to take him out and back at all. If he continues to do as well as he is doing now, the plan is to take him out for Christmas dinner with our family.

By the way, the penguin movie was fun. It follows the usual formula for high-tech animated flicks, well done, with lots of music. 2 1/2 salties on the 5 anchovy rating scale (Jim gave it 5 stars)

Hohner factory tour

Take a tour of the Hohner accordion factory in Germany. This is the new factory. I believe my Corona II was made in the old one.

via Let's Polka

busking

...spent about 3 hours busking at St. Lawrence Market today. I added a couple new tunes to my little playlist....a Portuguese Vira called Vira de Santa Marta and a Scandinavian Schottiche (sp?), the name of which I can never remember. The first is like a fast waltz, very spirited. The latter is very controlled and delicate, but played fast. I had a nice chat with a fellow who picks a 12-string guitar and plays harmonica on a rack in the north building. He's a really good guy - I play loud and I told him I didn't want to play too close to him and interfere with what he had going on, but he was really cool about it. "It's like a festival here on Saturdays". I ran into a guy I know from work - he had no idea I busked, or even played music. So much for separation of church and state.

I was playing away, and heard a band saw off to the right of me. There is a butcher there, and somebody has asked for a whole pig, and he's cutting it up into ribs and chops and so on, using this band saw. I had to stop playing to watch him work. I couldn't believe how fast he was. Finally, I ran into an old friend, who used to work with Tuffy P - she and her partner are in the Christmas tree business.....

La Bella Italia - Accordion - Bajo Quint - Guitarron

Banjo Players Anonymous

via The Presurfer.

"Did you hear about the banjo player who was so far out of tune that other banjo players started to notice?"

now, accordions....they're different....really, they are....no kidding....I can stop playing anytime I want....

searches that brought you here.....

johnny cash finger (ya, ya, ya, enough already)
Peter Max (who remembers the GWB guest post that started this....)
"john howlin"(late great painter)
Buyers of Anchovies in Toronto (I'll take 10,000 kilos)
kensington pupusa (I haven't seen the pupusa place open lately)
"PCHEROES"(?)
make 5 weiners I'll eat 6 (it's the CBC postal code)
anchovy urine (good for what ails you)
Mister Anchovy (that's me)
properties for sale in Foz Do Arelha (beautiful)
hollywood cemetery memphis furry lewis (in South Memphis)
mister universe
stompin tom's birthday
ikea catalogue controversy
"quality meats" Tecumseth

king of the hobos dead

"He left a note on the kitchen table one day - 'See ya' - and he was gone," his daughter, Alice Spangler, said.

Steamtrain Maury Graham dead at 89. He was voted King of the Hobos 5 times at the Hobo Convention in Britt Iowa. He is known for his 1990 book, Tales of the Iron Road. My Life as King of the Hoboes. Another obit can be found in the New York Times. Mr. Graham was a multi-talented fellow. During winters, when riding the rods was pretty chilly, he worked as a Santa Claus for thirty-odd years. In 1981, he returned home to his wife, who remarkably took him back. Also check out The Hobo News which will tell you everything you know and more.

So why the fuss? John Steinbeck called hoboes the last free men. It's a tough job living free.

thank you East Texas Red

John Allen Cameron RIP

The popular Cape Breton singer has died from cancer. Mr. Cameron is often referred to as the godfather of Celtic music in Canada. A few years ago I met him briefly at a Scotch tasting dinner in Toronto. It was the eve of Rabbi Burns day. Mr. Cameron, dressed in full regalia, was sitting behind me. They piped out the haggis that night, and I lived to tell about it. Fortunately, there was plenty of good scotch around help with the digestion.

Some more Portuguese folk music

Ritinha

How to build a concertina

I'd enjoy a tour of this factory.... I'd like to visit accordion factories in Italy too! When we were in Memphis, we toured the Gibson Guitar factory. That was a lot of fun, seeing a musical instrument come together. Even though it is a production environment, the level of craftsmanship is very high.

Rancho Folclórico

Corridinho

Corridinho

new Bond

is good. 3.75 salties on the 5 fish anchovy rating scale.

Collage Bonanza

This is an excellent site, overflowing with collage.....enjoy

Screamin Sam needs your scrap

I read the linked article in the Saturday Mop & Pail. Toronto punk icon (Viletones) and sculptor Screamin Sam was burnt out of his place during that big fire on Dupont St. on September 22. He's gathering scrap metal and other junk as raw material for new work to be displayed at his annual show and sale at the Cameron House. The article says he has to scale down this year as a result of the fire. I don't know Screamin personally - we met briefly just once over a decade ago - but if you get a chance, stop by the Cameron on December 9 and do some shopping. It must be really difficult losing everything in a fire. I'm sure he would appreciate a show of support from the community.

Ruth Brown RIP

Ruth Brown - Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean


thanks LM

I pity the foo.....

Yes, it' the Mr. T. virtual playset. via The Presurfer.
Just what I always wanted...don't give me that jibbajabba!

Timmer posts Tuffy P exhibition pics

Thanks Tim!

Somebody's Aunt Rose

playing at the family picnic. She's playing a 3 row helikon or Alpine box. This variety of button box has a deep, tuba-like bass sound.

Big Bayou Bandits

These boys are from Belgium but they nail that Cajun sound, don't they. They could play at my BBQ any day.

Some Go Pages

I was a little surprised to see a fair bit of interest in the post I made the other day about the game of Go. This post links to an extensive group of pages including some very good pages for beginners - all any of you thinking about taking up the game.

Tuffy's show

There was an opening reception for Tuffy's exhibition at Lonsdale Gallery tonight. I had to pick up the new old car after work first, and fight traffic back through the city. Sorry I don't have pics from the opening. Timmer took some though, so I'm hoping he will post up on his blog, and I'll link over there for you. We saw some old friends which was great - including Anita and Behzad, who walked all the way up from Richmond St. downtown. It was great to see everyone, and to see Tuffy's work up on the gallery walls. We were exhausted by the time we got home - had a pizza delivered and sat back to watch The French Connection. I had forgotten how beautifully shot that film was!

dear mister insurance company

I popped over to my letter of the day and had a good laugh at Lee's letter to the greedy insurance company. As it happens, I wrote my insurance company today too, for the same reason. I traded in the old Subaru for a 2001 low-milage Corolla and those madcaps at my insurance company quoted me an over-the-top crazy price. I made some calls, and everybody else was pleased to offer me quotes so much cheaper, for what I saved, I could buy a decent little accordion (it's ok Tuffy P., I'm not accordion shopping again).

Playing Go tonight

I'm playing Go tonight. I usually play once a week, sometimes twice, with the same opponent. We've played thousands of games over the years. The game is beautiful. The more you learn about playing, the more opens up for you, and the more you realize how little you know. There have been times I have documented comments about our play, but I haven't done that for a long time. Tracking the games takes my attention away from play, and in our games, one error can cost a game. I'd like to figure out how strong we are, but to do that requires some tournament play, which I haven't done in years. There are online go servers with ranking systems, but in my experience, there are a lot of sand-baggers out there.

fossil of the day

Should we be surprised?

Be careful how you vote!

For all those in the Toronto area, be sure to vote today in the municipal elections. But in the words of blues great Sunnyland Slim, be careful how you vote, for the one you vote for just might let you down.....

The Trouble with Cats, or Remind me not to move to East Texas

via Information Junk, for the information junkies in the crowd.

When one of my cats was chased up in a tree by a dog, he was afraid to come down. However, his love for cat treats was greater than his fear of heights. Unlike in the article, no guns were involved. The ending to the article: the condition of the cat is unknown.

The Station Agent

Anyone out there familiar with this little film? We rented it last night. I really enjoyed this one, but Tuffy P declared it bad and left the room half way through the film. Outside of hers, there aren't many bad reviews of this one around. It is an oddball film. Here is the story-line blurb from the website: "Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) is a man trying to live life on his own terms. Looking only to be left alone, he takes up residence in an rural town's old train depot. But much like the station agents that occupied small town depots before him, he finds himself reluctantly becoming enmeshed in the lives of his neighbors, especially Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), a forty-year-old artist struggling with the break up of her marriage, and Joe (Bobby Cannavale) a thirty-year-old with a talent for cooking and an insatiable hunger for conversation - whether anyone wants to talk to him or not.
The STATION AGENT is about three people with nothing in common, except their shared solitude, until chance circumstances bring their lives together. Before long, from this forgotten depot, this mismatched threesome forges an unlikely bond, which ultimately reveals that even isolation is better shared". Directed by Tom McCarthy.

This is a sparse, gentle and charming film (Tuffy has another story, but this is my blog haha), in which nothing much happens - except that three characters, each somewhat consumed with their own issues, become friends. On the 5 anchovy rating scale, I give this one 3 and a half salties.

My friend Stan suggested I try "20 clicks"....start with a site, find a link from that site, find a link from that site and so on to see where it takes you.... OK, I'm game....

1.My 2 Second Shelf Life. Radmila's been nominated for a Canadian Blog Award
2.2006 Canadian Blog Awards. Shows I don't get out much....I didn't know these things even existed.
3.Rose Des Rochers. One of the nominees for best blog.
4.My Crime Space. A place for fiends.
5.Parents Behaving Badly. Name speaks for itself.
6.Her Accessories. Nice boots.
7.Artist Hideout. I didn't know artists hid out in places with lots of ads.
8.Top 10 Art Crimes. Who knew there would be a list?
9.FBI Home Page. Nuff said.
10.Wanted by the FBI.They even have a 'featured fugitive'.
11.Texas Coastal Region Advisory System. Assists the joint terrorism task force.
12.American Red Cross. Celebrating 125 years of of Service.
13.California wildfire prompts swift response.
14.What to do after a wildfire.
15.What to do after a severe winter storm". Preventing and thawing frozen pipes.
16.Give Life. Donate blood now.
17.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
18.Xenotransplantation.
19.e International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). A unique project?
20.The Gene Therapy Discussion Group.

Hmmmm.

Wurstfest slideshow

via Let's Polka. Nice photos.

Los Lobos dance party rocks Massey Hall

After a spirited set by local boys Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Los Lobos took the stage at Massey Hall for a generous show highlighting a number of aspects of this group's evolving style. These boys had fun on stage - when somebody yelled out, "Freddy Fender", Cesar Rosas said, "Yeah, we miss Freddy too", referring to the TexMex star's recent death. Then after a few seconds of fiddling with the chords, he started the band into a rocking inpromptu version of the Fender classic, Wasted Days and Wasted Nights, that rolled into the Sir Douglas Quintet's She's about a mover. When the band broke into a cumbia, with Douglas Hidalgo playing some rocking Tex-Mex buttonbox, many in the crowd were on their feet dancing.

The encore was a respectful, rocking version of Neil Young's Cinammon Girl.

Lots of fun tonight. Thanks Claude & Ardis!!

Folk music tonight

Me and Tuffy P are going out tonight to see Tom Russell, and Rosalie Sorrells at Hugh's Room here in Toronto.

Review to follow later tonight....

Update: It's midnight, and we just got home from Hugh's Room. Fantastic show tonight. Rosalie Sorrells opened with a set of lovely songs and stories, including some by her friend Utah Phillips. Tom Russell then appeared with Michael Martin accompanying on guitar and mandolin. Martin is one of those pickers who play with a remarkable effortlessness. That way, he reminded me a little of Mark Stuart. He gave the tunes colour and some perfect border flavour. Tom Russell is, among other things, one of the best songwriters I know of. He brings such rich imagery to life - it was really fantastic. We were sitting at a table close to the stage - the players were no more than a dozen feet from us. I really enjoyed the fact that we had such a world-class writer and performer playing for us in such an intimate environment. Russell played and sang songs recorded on several of his albums, including two songs made famous by others. I've known Gallo del Cielo, a song about a legendary one-eyed rooster, for many years, as Ian Tyson recorded it on Old Corrals and Sagebrush as a Mexican Polka. (Russell told the audience....we don't have to play no steenking rooster song.....but we will). More recently, I've heard a version of this tune by Joe Ely, which is a little closer to Russell's approach to the song. The other song was Navaho Rug, a huge tune in Canada for Ian Tyson on Cowboyography. For the encore, Russell brought out Rosalie Sorrells and Sylvia Tyson to help him close the show.

Many of the people in the audience were part of the "Cowboy Train" from Vancouver to Toronto. This 4 day cross-country train trip included a lot of music by Tom Russell and Rosalee Sorrells and others. There were late-night jam sessions and open mics and it sounded like a fantastic (though expensive) trip.

Tomorrow night, we're off to Massey Hall for the Los Lobos show - this is a week of border music for sure.

Los Gauchos de Roldan

Here is some more very well played traditional music, this time from Uruguay. The buttonbox player, Walter Roldan was born in 1943 and has been playing traditional music for more than 50 years. The squeezebox music from rural Uruguay is derived from European rhythms that came over with immigration. As a result, this music will sound familiar in some respects. They play polkas, Mazurkas, schottiches (correct my spelling if you must), waltzes and more. The link will take you to a selection of cuts well worth some listening time. I noticed on the website that these guys played Toronto last year. I hope they come back, because I'd love to hear them live.

The Hot Frittatas

A recent order of CDs arrived in yesterday's post. One of them was Caffe Liscio by a Northern California group called The Hot Frittatas. There are three guys - one plays mandolin and violin - one plays piano accordion - and the other plays guitar - and they specialize in a 19th Century musical tradition called Ballo Liscio. They play an all instrumental mix of polkas, mazurkas, marches, "musette noir", as well as a Sicilian Tarantella. These guys are fabulous players who attack their music with love and passion. This CD is going to get a lot of play here at Anchovy Headquarters.

On the 5 anchovy rating scale, this one gets a solid 4 salties.
Enjoy some samples.

Anthony's Candy by Sheila Gregory

Anthony's Candy, originally uploaded by mister anchovy.

Mark your calendar. Sheila Gregory's new exhibition at Lonsdale Gallery, Sugar Bee, is open from November 9 - 30, 2006. There will be an opening reception on November 16, 5-7 pm - that's a Thursday night.

For those who don't know, Sheila Gregory is known here at Anchovy Headquarters as Tuffy P.

The painting in this picture is called Anthony's Candy. It is 5' tall and 4' wide, painted with acrylic paints on canvas.

Lonsdale Gallery is located right here in Toronto at 410 Spadina Road. Their telephone number is 416-487-8733. Lonsdale is on Spadina Rd., a couple blocks NORTH of St. Clair in Forest Hill Village.

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.....

Tuffy P works down near Atlantic and King. I was down there the other morning, dropping her at work, and there were a handful of cops on Atlantic, ticketing people making left-turns from King onto Atlantic. I was down there again this afternoon, and what did I see? A handful of cops on Atlantic, ticketing people making left-turns from King onto Atlantic. I'm not talking about a cop and his/her partner. No, I'm talking about two cop cars and at least 4 cops. This is good business. They have no shortage of customers making the illegal left. Why? Because, obviously there is a real need for a left turn there. Lately, we have all heard candidates for City Council talk about how many more cops we need. When I see 4 cops milking the left-turn cash-cow, I wonder about that. Maybe our politicians need to address intersections like this and figure out how to make a safe left-turn legal. And as for more cops, if we have enough to set up a 4-cop trap on Atlantic Ave. on a regular basis, then we don't need more cops. How about more serious focus for the ones we have first.

John Howlin, Self-portrait with lampshade

Howlin, originally uploaded by mister anchovy.

photograph, circoux '99

Theremin World

When we were at the vet's today, getting shots for the pride, I somehow or other became involved in a conversation about theremins with our favourite vet, Dr. P. Here is the answer to the question of the day: The theremin was invented in 1919 by a Russian physicist named Lev Termen (his name was later changed to Leon Theremin).

Enjoy a little trip to theremin world.

Howlin in the Gulbenkian Collection

This painting is in a collection in Lisbon. We were in this museum recently, but didn't see the work. This painting is atypical of Howlin's work - not what you would expect to see. It is called Saracen and it was painted in oils in 1970.

Works by John Howlin

I can recall like it was yesterday John making the constructions, like the one pictured here. He had a studio, I think it was on Brock, and he was banging together all this stuff, this found material, and painting it up monotone grey. They were delightful, so inventive.

The two circles form a piece that John sent to us last year. It hangs in a place of honour in our living room.

The puzzle painting (sorry for the bad photo) was done in 1963. On the back it says, For Sheila G 97, love Howlin. (you know Sheila G as Tuffy P).

Howlin in the fields

Here is a self-portrait John Howlin sent us from France.

John Howlin RIP

We heard today with much sadness that our old friend John Howlin died in France the other day. We have few details at this point. John Howlin was a fantastic painter. We met John many years ago after his Ruby-Fiorino Gallery on Queen St. West in Toronto changed over to an artist's co-operative called Workscene. Over the years he remained a wonderful, cantankerous friend through thick and thin. He eventually made a permanent home in recent years in France. Always finding a way to keep in touch. His crazy drunken phone calls to friends in Toronto are memories to many. But equally, John took the time to write fabulous letters. He was a painter proud to say he 'sold his work and not his time', and lived by that saying in many ways (it nearly killed him in some of the tougher years, but he always seemed to survive and find his way back into his work. For many of his latter years in France he cared for a great friend of his, Emma Cohn. In a newspaper article he sent us from France there is a wonderful picture of Emma and John at his exhibition and the journalist writes that 'they have an unbreakable bond.' When Emma passed away last year, it broke John's heart. John's words: "I said, imagine a life without imagination! Paradox- I can't imagine a life without my Emma- when I try it's such a desolate picture! I was always worried that I'd die before her and she wouldn't have anyone to take care of her."
John we love you, we miss you. For everyone reading this, enjoy the photos of John and Emma - they are some of the happiest times in John's life.

Car Dilemma

I drive a 97 Subaru Legacy with 200,000 km on it. It needs a couple thousand canadianos worth of work on it. The dilemma is: do I fix it and hope the motor (which is running fine now) is good for another couple years, or do I go shopping? Anyone out there with experience with high-milage subarus? Grrrrrrr....I don't know how anyone can love cars. They just cause me grief, but they have spoiled me and I can't imaging not having one.

Randy

Randy, the latest stray cat to show up panhandling, looking for some food & shelter, has feline lukemia. We're taking the others in for vaccine on Saturday, as all except Twig are overdue and the disease is contageous. Poor guy. We're going to look after him as long as we can.

Mount Dennis residents at the all-candidates meeting

PB010001, originally uploaded by mister anchovy.

There was a strong turnout for the Ward 11 all-candidates meeting. it was well-organized in what turned out to be an excellent location.

Debate in Ward 11

PB010006, originally uploaded by mister anchovy.

I live in Ward 17 in Toronto, but I'm actively supporting a candidate for City Councillor in Ward 11, Rocky Gualtieri. The picture here is from the all-candidates debate tonight in Mount Dennis. That's Rocky to the left. Beside him is grass-roots candidate Pansy Mullings, then the NDP-backed Paul Ferreira, and finally the sitting Councillor, Frances Nunziata. I think it was clear to most of the people out for the debate tonight that it is indeed time for a change. The Councillor has had ample opportunity to improve the ward....

Gualtieri is a long-time resident in the area who is committed to taking on tough issues in Ward 11. I know he is a man with great drive and energy, who will work hard for the community. I hope to see Ward 11 voters give him an opportunity.

Out-of-season song (Blackflies come out in spring)

Driving home tonight, for no reason at all, I found myself humming The Blackfly Song, that Canadian Classic by Wade Hemsworth. What can you say about a guy who wrote songs so fantastic they seem solidly embedded in our culture. His songs offer the comfort of something that has always been with us. Mr. Hemsworth died in 2002. There is a memorial here. How many of you Canucks recall the National Film Board animated films around The Blackfly Song and The Log Drivers Waltz? Wasn't it the McGarrigles singing Log Drivers Waltz (which, incidentally, pleases girls completely, so says the song). I had the privilage of hearing him play and sing at a Mariposa Festival up in Barrie many years ago. Fantastic