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Happy New Year of the Tiger
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It's the day after Groundhog Day (feels like Groundhog Year!). It's the beginning of the Year of the Tiger and Black History Month. And it's the first day of the Olympics. And if I keep stalling, I will be wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day.
I thought I could get out this January Blainletter before the end of the month but now I might as well call it the January Blainreport. And what is there to report for January? Well….NOTHING.
Still, I know there's a few of you out there who still enjoy my ramblings. Back when I was out on the town, I would always run in to somebody who would offer words that encouraged me to keep on blogging. Just tonight, I had an inquiry from a Blainreader in Iowa who said nice things. I'm glad to know some folks are digging it (41.1% opened their Blainletter last month).
On Monday, Toronto re-opened a bit but it seems to me that it's always one step forward and two steps back. Just when the stakeholders think they know what to do, the rules change again. Feels like somebody keeps moving the goalposts. Then again, that virus is a moving target
The pandemic has not dampened people's needs to get out their music – you'd think that the current situation might have discouraged some new entrants into the music jungle but the tsunami is non-stop and I have to say that most of it is music that is best enjoyed by family and friends and not on the radio waves. I just checked FYI Music's Schedule of Upcoming Releases for Feb and of the 127 listings, I counted only 16 that were on major labels (that I recognized). Over the last few years, indie artists have recognized that a CD is becoming nothing more than a "calling card" and it would seem it's headed towards being nothing but an ego trip.
And when the clubs open again there will be such a stampede to get a gig, led by musicians who are most hungry to play for a live audience even if it's for little or no pay.
They used to say if you've got a thousand fans who will buy whatever you put out you could have a career. Well, if you add up all the folks on this list plus my socials I'm well over a thousand but not sure they would all buy anything I put out (especially when they can get it for free). If you're young and fresh, you might have a better chance of getting noticed, but it's no guarantee to the fast track. I would have thought if you're old, and dare I say, an "elder statesman" you might get some special consideration but no longer. But I'm not complaining. The pendulum has swung and it's folks who have been marginalized their entire pofessional lives who are getting special consideration and it's about time.
But now it's old white guys like me who are the marginalized ones. I wonder if I'll still be here when the pendulum swings back. Well, we had it good for a long time. It's interesting that it was the old black blues guys who took young white college kids under their wings and nurtured a new generation of blues players. And now, we have the children of these great mentors feeling that their parents' music has been appropriated by musicians (and audiences) who were not the right colour. I have to say it was a punch in the gut when Muddy Waters' daughter complained on Facebook that "90% of the blues awards attendees are middle-age, balding, white men with ponytails. All of them hollering about keeping the blues alive— when they’re the ones killing it. All of them trying to find those 1 or 2 black folks to legitimize them." I don't think her daddy would have agreed about that.
And now I'm starting to know what it feels like to be marginalized. Actually, I've always been a bit of an outlier. When I arrived in Toronto, I guess I was looked upon as a "week-end warrior" because I always had some desktop publishing and web work to keep me afloat but unlike a lot of part-timer/hobbyists, I never had a full-time, 9 to 5 job.
Anyway, these days, every musician I know is happy to find any work whether it's music-related or not. But how many of those old-time bluesmen were able to support a family without a day job? And nowadays there's no 6-night engagements and "steady work". There's less and less places to play and way more musicians looking for a gig. It's been a perfect storm and the club scene was already in serious decline even before the Covid struck. Now I find myself part of an ever growing cohort of musicians who were never full time but now have a lot of time on their hands because they've retired.
Some of them are fine musicians, but maybe, like me, it's taken them 40 or 50 years to rack up their 10,000 hours, as opposed to a full-timer who does it in 5 years. My acceptance speech at the 2020 Maple Blues Awards was a nod to all the bluesicians who had not "taken it to the next level" for whatever reason, family priorities, a job, or maybe some were not motivated to work real hard, tour relentlesly only to be rewarded with longer tours and a more grinding schedule.
You can see the whole speech here,
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An old high school friend (St Pats!) just sent this to me and the predictions were remarkably accurate
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...in which Joel describes the process of his dad's hyper-looper
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And here 2-3 more minutes of noodling
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I've previously shared a couple of Linda's projects, my kitchen walls and a Flickr gallery of amazing images. Now she's created a book with a poem she wrote when she was 19. You can pre-order your copy by e-transfer to lindasinger168@kohotransfers.ca
$30. (Blainletter Special: If you buy 2 you get a bonus Linda Singer print, suitable for framing)
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It's a jungle out there. It's not the first time somebody grabbed my name and sent messages to all my friends - this time it was on Instagram which I only use once a month to announce a Blainletter or a Blaincast.
Anyway, looks like they took him down (but you'd think I'd get a little notification that he/she's gone.)
Good riddance to brianblain564. II notified most everybody but if you get a friend request from brianblain564, don't accept. If 564 is in your Instagram, unfollow, block and do not engage.
One friend did respond and got messages like "thank the Lord for the blessings" and "isn't it great what's happening in some of the states?" I shudder to think where it would go from there - usually it's "I'm stuck in this airport and my wallet was stolen - can you send me money - I'll pay you right back when I get home...."
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Overheard on the Internet
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Last night the Toronto Blues Society presented a "premiere" of Ann Vriend's new album (and it's great). A few days before, we showcased some videos from Mako Tunasaka's Talkin' Blues archives. Some songs from Harrison Kennedy and Ruthie Foster and then a mind-blowing interview with Odetta. Odetta had many words of wisdom for musicians – I watched it twice. Here's the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/O0vGzjeDlU0
And earlier today, a friend shared a recent TV interview with André Perry who produced a record of mine – way back when. My first solo recording. Nick Blagona, who engineered those sessions also shows up in some of that old footage. It's all in French, but you can check it out on my musician page: www.facebook.com/brianblain.musician
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Just heard that blues guitarist Jimmy Johnson passed away yesterday. Heard him play a few times and learned one of his songs early on in my career. When I met him outside a Chicago club called B.L.U.E.S. I told him I was a big fan and performed one of his songs myself. He asked what song and I said "Strange How I Miss You" and he couldn't remember. He looked to his drummer who also shrugged. I said, "Strange How I Miss You – Though I haven't even lost you yet…" and then he sorta recognized it but said "We don't do that anymore." Then halfway through their set, they play a ballad with the same chords, the same melody, but different words. Ah, the folk process in action.
And earlier this month, a relatively young (59) musician friend passed away – dear Harpdog Brown. What a character he was. The consummate road-warrior and dedicated blues man. Miss you, Dog. Seems like there's hardly a week goes by without hearing about a departure.
btw, fans and friends of Harpdog are sending little phone videos for a montage that will be put up on his website. More details at https://www.harpdogbrown.com/submit
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"First you learn the instrument, then you learn the music, then you forget all that shit and just play." - Charlie Parker (via Richard Flohil)
and this quote just in:
"You want to heal, America? Take it down a notch." - Bill Maher
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See you out there (eventually)
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Thanks for reading this far. I see that the Blainletter gets opened by hundreds of people but not sure how many read through it. But I always seem to hear from someone or other that they enjoyed it and that's what keeps me going. Feel free to forward this to any friend you think might enjoy my occasional ramblings (and maybe my music, too). These bits and more are always available on my blog, www.torontobluesdiary.com.
See you out there, eventually...
BrianB, aka Butch, Nappy, Shaker, Two-Lane Blain, Colorblind Brian, Stringbuster, Buddha of the Blues
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