My memories of Eggerton's

I've just been reading a few list serve comments sharing memories about a
club called Eggerton's. I lived in Toronto for a short stretch in 1973-74
but before I moved here, I came up from Montreal on a promotional tour for a
single I had just released on GoodNoise/Polydor. I met a promo gal called
Lori and we went around to a few radio stations but on one of those nights
in Toronto I was going to play a few tunes at the new "showcase room,
"Eggerton's. I had previously played at the legendary Riverboat, opening for
my friends Fraser & DeBolt. And I'm not sure if I was playing with F&DeB,
but I was travelling with them when they played a week-long stint at a club
called "Grumbles" (owned by Neil & Joy Dixon). Now here I was at Eggerton's
for the first time and I think it had been arranged for me to do a guest
spot but all of a sudden a large party arrived with the hottest new
sensation on the Toronto folk scene, Dan ....I actually have forgotten his
last name...but the song we all remember... "Sometimes When We Touch".
Anyway, he comes in - I think publicist Richard Flohil may have been in that
party - and he becomes the VERY special guest and as I recall I never got to
play at all that night...If I did, even I forgot it. And I didn't even het
to meet Danny boy!

It's not like I was chopped liver. I had just opened shows for Lou Reed and
Seals & Crofts in Montreal, toured with April Wine, recorded with a bunch of
Frank Zappa's Mothers, but alas, I could not get their attention in Toronto.
Still can't! (ooops, I'm getting self-deprecating again and I've been
warned about this tendency)

Things are not so bad

This is the year of the earth Ox (also called year of the Bull or Buffalo).
It looks like we may have an honest, candid and open natured year ahead.
The earth Ox is dependable, calm and modest, unshakably patient, full of
hard work and tireless. Darlene sent that

Today was probably the last day for me to decide if I was going to the Folk
Alliance conference in Memphis next month. It would wipe out my little
nest-egg of US dollars and add more debt to the credit card and I can't say
that I would expect any gigs out of it. I had a hope of hooking up with the
ultimate musical collaborator, someone who was a virtuoso mandolin or banjo
player with a high tenor voice that would blend beautifully with mine and we
would put together the ultimate BLUESgrass band. In my dreams!

I caught myself starting to feel sorry for myself and then realized things
are not so bad for me - better than my friend who's having lung surgery
today or another colleague who passed away on Christmas day. He was a
booking agent and there was a big wake/celebration of his life. Saw some old
friends and I think there were some other friends whom I haven't seen in so
long that I didn't recognize them. One was the first agent I had, well maybe
not the first agent that booked me but the first one who actually had some 8
x 10 glossy promo photos of me made with his name underneath. Now that's
commitment!

After a month or more of waffling, I was invited to repeat "Colorblind
Brian's Blues Campfire" at the Blues Summit next week. I will also be
moderating a panel on digital downloads. Just had a long conversation with a
buddy who has been in the music business since the 60s and has made and lost
a few fortunes since. Once I digest his ideas and collect my thoughts I'll
post them here.

The Story of Fleetwood Mac

Here's a great link (courtesy of Bob Lefsetz) of a lecture by an academic
named Gladwell who illustrates the development of the band Fleetwood Mac. He
uses many examples to support his theory that it takes "10,000 hours" (or
ten years at 4 hrs a day) to get to the "top" level.

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/video-gain-2008-gladwell