It's True

There's a saying.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire".

Well in my case, all talks are true, I will be a father once again. Child number 3 is on the way. Me, I'm extremely excited and hopefully, another child that loves music.


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

A little under the weather... Chrono Trigger

Still sick, and it looks like I'll be like this for a while.

Anyway, during this time of "ailment", I've found a bit of time re-connecting with my video game "roots". Mostly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit systems. I never realized how "catchy" some of the themes were. Anyway, I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this, but in 2006, my bass instructor said that he was going to be in Play! A Video Game Symphony. I found a few clips of the performance and one of the games that was being featured was Chrono Trigger. I can't say that I played this game (although my cousin was a huge fan)but based on the music, I wish I had picked up this label. Anyway, enjoy.



I hope to some day be a part of something similar to Play! or VGL. It's something that I've thought long and hard about since I was in high school (12 years since graduation). More on those thoughts later.

Recap: Scarborough Choral Society

This past weekend was a lot of fun. Many thanks to Judy Scott-Jacobs and the Scarborough Choral Society for having me be a part of the "Sounds Of Christmas 2007" concert. It was a blast playing with many wonderful musicians and I hope to be a part of this concert next year. It's one thing to be a part of an orchestra with good players, but it's icing on the cake when those good players are good people.

Thanks to all who came out to watch.

Please visit www.actco.ca/scarboroughchoral to learn more about the Scarborough Choral Society.

Quote of the Week

So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.
- Peter Drucker

Self-management usually has a co-relation with Self-Control and Reason. In times of sitting in rush-hour traffic, most people, like myself, tend to be lacking in all these categories.
- BassBassDude

Rehearsal

I never realized how much I enjoyed playing in an orchestra.

Last night I had a chance to rehearse with the Scarborough Choral Society in preparation for the Sounds Of Christmas Concert scheduled up at Markham Theatre this Saturday December 8th and Sunday December 9th.

Everything seemed to go pretty well. Like any rehearsal where an orchestra first meets with a choir, there are a few wrinkles that need to be ironed out. Whether it be cues, notes, or entries, come show-time this weekend, everything should be ready to go. Friday's rehearsal up at the theater will help pull everything together; it will also give everyone involved a better feel on what the sound will be.

Here are the details:
Scarborough Choral Society - Sounds Of Christmas Concert
Markham Theatre For The Performing Arts
171 Town Centre Blvd.
Markham, ON, L3R 8G5

Saturday December 8th 3:00 PM
Saturday December 8th 8:00 PM
Sunday December 9th 2:30 PM

Please visit www.markhamtheatre.ca for more info

Hope to see you there.

My Mistake

This will be brief...

I thought I had a rehearsal last night for Judy's Christmas Concert for December 8th & 9th. With that, I hauled me and my bass out to said rehearsal. It turns out, the rehearsal was for the choir; the orchestra rehearsal was the night before. To sum up, in front of a 20-strong choir, I picked up my 6-foot bass and headed home with my chin up and my tail in between my legs. At least there will be another rehearsal before the concert. Hopefully, I won't embarass myself a second time.

Chalk it all up to experience.

Quote of the Week

If men could only know each other, they would neither idolize nor hate.
- Elbert Hubbard
To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence.
- Friedrich Nietzsche
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
- Alan Kay
Which came first: Procrastination or the person who invented procrastination. Theoretically, it hasn't been created yet.
- BassBassDude

Stevie Wonder: Toronto

Last night I had the chance to watch Stevie Wonder for the first time at the ACC. I have to admit, it was a great show. The band was great. Stevie was great. Most of the music performed were songs that I have grown up with. High energy to begin the show, laid back during the middle and incredible energy to close. The audience was completely sold on everything that was on stage. Fans of Stevie Wonder's music were not disappointed having performed many of his Old Motown hits, through his big 70s and 80s smash songs right up to a couple of his most recent projects. It is almost a given that Stevie's vocal, keyboard, and harmonica expertise were brilliant as well as his killer band which helped drive and keep everything together. To sum up, the performance by all the musicians was amazing.

My major concern is with the ACC and probably with stadium concerts on the whole. It seems you can never produce an intimate setting in these sorts of venues due to their vast size and concrete structure. The sound bounces all over the place so there is a great amount of clarity and tone that is lost in that environment. In addition, whenever Stevie was speaking, it was hard to make out what he was saying due to the poor acoustics that the arena provides which is unfortunate due to the various topics and tangents that were touched upon.

Stevie's music can make a lasting and personable impression on a person when listening in the car or on the radio or in the privacy of one's mp3 player, but to recreate that in a large setting is very difficult, or rather, near impossible. Having stated that, it was still a remarkable show and being a Stevie Wonder fan, I came away having a fantastic time.

Bartok- Romanian Folk Dances Cello

I really love Bela Bartok's Roumanian Folk Dances.

Here's one arranged for Cello & String Orchestra



http://youtube.com/watch?v=Kod0r2cV7_w

MSO Povolgya. Conductor - A.Levin
Arranged for cello & string orchestra - S. Antonov and M. Emilyanichev


Enjoy.

Gig Recap: Stroke of Bad Luck

"Always be careful"

That's what I should have been thinking when I was starting to pack up from my gig up at The Marlowe Restaurant & Wine Bar. To cut to the chase, Ken and I had just finished our third and final set of Jazz and Old School R&B. Before I begin, I should mention that since I started playing my bass in 5ths tuning, I also began playing sitting down on a stool. One of the accessories that I use is a Bass Anchor that attaches to my stool and keeps my Bass from sliding away from me while playing. Last night, I had put my double bass on the floor to begin putting everything away, but had accidentally placed the bass on top of my Bass Anchor. I turned away for a brief moment and heard an incredibly loud and hollow "Thunk". I turned around and there was my double bass lying on its front on top of the bridge. This, as you can imagine, was not a good thing. After a quick examination and slight bridge adjustment, everything looked relatively fine. No scrathes (which I don't care too much about), and no visible cracks. Granted, the lighting was poor and I was pretty tired after playing, so my examination may have been skewed. Anyway, here's hoping the power of positive thinking will bring about better luck.

"Always be careful"

Gig Recap: Melanie E

Phew. That was a relief.

I just had a gig Friday night with MelanieE. Melanie got my number through a "friend-of-a-friend" of mine and wanted a bass player that could sight read music. I agreed and this past Friday, I basically got up in front of an audience and performed music that I had only seen a half-hour before show time with a group of people I had never met before. I was a little tentative with some of the music but everything turned out really well. Style-wise, the music was straight-ahead Jazz which is right up my bass playing alley. On top of some of the Jazz "standards", were originals that were sung in French; Melanie's mother tongue. In addition, Melanie's husband, Keith, played tuba, taking many of the heads and solos. I've never head tuba in that way and I have to say that I was greatly impressed with Keith's skill in bringing tuba to the forefront. In fact, we were supposed to play Donna Lee (touch Charlie Parker tune) with the tuba playing the head, but Keith felt it would be a little much. I, on the other hand, would have loved to have seen "Donna Lee" played on tuba, just so I could have said that I saw "Donna Lee" played on the tuba.

I have to admit, I was very tentative early on in the gig, but started to warm up as the evening progressed. It's sometimes very hard to come out of your shell when your thrown into a different environment, but it was a great time nonetheless. I had a wonderful time playing with MelanieE and I hope to play with them all again.

Visit www.MelanieE.com to learn more.

Quote of the Week

When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package.
- John Ruskin
The only people who find what they are looking for in life are the fault finders.
- Foster's Law
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.
- Don Marquis
I'll begin working on the art of Procrastination later.
- BassBassDude

Quote of the Week

Society, my dear, is like salt water, good to swim in but hard to swallow.
- Arthur Stringer
It is better for civilization to be going down the drain than to be coming up it.
- Henry Allen
Late to bed and late to wake will keep you long on money and short on mistakes.
- Aaron McGruder
Early to bed and late to rise makes for the envy of an insomniac.
- BassBassDude

Looking for a Venue

A friend and I are planning to put on a recital sometime next year in order to raise money for two charities (Shirley will be raising money for Canadian Hearts and Hands and I will be raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society). Our current concern is trying to find a suitable venue. Basically, it will be a piano/double-bass duet and we're already looking into some music to play together as well as our own solo material. I've been working on Bach's Cello Suite #1 in G for the past little while, so I think this will be my Solo pieces. But, we need a place that can hold a number of people and has good acoustics in the Greater Toronto Area.

More on how things are going later.

Still Miss It

It's funny how something small can trigger deep emotions and memories.

I found myself surfing the net and found myself at a-capella.com. It was here I stumbled upon Vox One, a group that I have first listened to when I was back at York U. I never had a chance to fully listen to their stuff, but after sampling a few of their songs, I wish I had paid more attention to this group.

Back to what I was talking about.

After sampling through a large number of the a capella goodness at a-capella.com, I kept thinking about how all the learning and fun I had at York; more specifically with Wibijazzn. Sight-reading and working on learning and memorizing your part, making the best sound possible and having it blend with the other sections, the trials and tribulations along with the excitement and energy that come with working so closely with such inspiring people, and creating new music and arrangements are only some of the elements that I treasure greatly and constantly reflect on, and at this particular time, can only recount. What I seem to love and miss the most, is hard to actually put into words. I guess you could call it the 'team' aspect; the idea that a group of people at this one particular moment, are completely committed into this one task. Not just the performance as a whole, or coming to a practice. It was when the group was about to hit that one 'crunchy' chord, or that one difficult passage with arpeggiated runs that were in a different key, or trying to keep time and sit in the pocket with a sick rhythm. It was those times, whether it be in practice or performance, when people would bear down and start listening just a little harder or focused just little bit more to try to hammer out the intricate details of their part. And when it all came together, it was breathtaking. Granted the breath-taking could have been from holding a note for 30sec, but that's besides the point.

I guess the real point is that there is great beauty in the music that is written, but it's the musician(s) that breathe into it its soul.

L-dia

I was looking for Musiq Soulchild's "Just Friends" video on YouTube where I stumbled upon this clip.



Check her out at myspace.com/lydiakaboesj

Props girl.

Gig Tonight: Marlowe

Sorry for the late notice.

I'll be up at the Marlowe. Here are the details.

155 York Blvd
Richmond Hill, ON
905 771 8645

Ken and I will be playing from 7 to 10.

Hope to see you there.

Quote of the Week

An economist is a surgeon with an excellent scalpel and a rough-edged lancet, who operates beautifully on the dead and tortures the living.
- Nicholas Chamfort
I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart.
- ee cummings
A joke's a very serious thing.
- Charles Churchill
The phrase "just kidding" really means "this is what I think, but I don't want to hurt your feelings".
- bassbassdude

Gig Recap: One Up

It's always great playing with a live drummer. Period. There's a certain locking and connection that happens between a drummer and bassist. Moreover, there's a character that one can discover when playing with a live drummer, as opposed to a midi drum track. Anyway, I had a great time playing up at One Up with Lianne, Glen and Dan. It went very well and everyone there had a great time.

Thanks to all for coming out and showing there support.

Gig: One Up Lounge

I'll be playing this Saturday August 18th at One Up Lounge in Toronto. Here are the details.

One Up Lounge
130 Dundas St W 2nd Floor
Just West of Bay on the North side of Dundas St
8pm to 11pm
Public parking directly across the street.

For more information, please visit oneup.ca

See you there.

Clark Terry Red Mitchell

Ever since I re-tuned my bass to 5ths I've been trying to listen to more stuff with Red Mitchell. I found this with Terry Clark and love it.




Enjoy

Recap: Marlowe Recording

With my eye acting up that night and having great difficulty keeping it open, I still found myself enjoying playing Thursday night at Marlowe's. Everyone who came out had a great time and I hope the recording came out well. Thanks to all who had a chance to come out and support us. Hope to see you again.

Live Recording Sessions @ Marlowe

Join me and Melodious Vibes on Thursday July 19th for a Live Recording Session @ The Marlowe.

Here are the details:

Marlowe Restaurant and Wine Bar
Thursday, July 19, 2007
6:00pm - 9:00pm
155 York Blvd.
Toronto, ON (Just west of 404 on Hwy 7)

Join us in this Live Recording Session and be the select few to see and hear this exclusive performance. This show will be produced and released on CD and DVD! stay tuned for more updates!

For more info on Marlowe and Melodious Vibes visit:
www.themarlowe.ca & www.melodiousvibes.com


Come on out for some good food, great music and lots of fun. Hope to see you there.

Quote of the Week

The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.
- George F. Will
The power of positive thinking is very powerful.
- BassBassDude
We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.
- John W. Gardner
It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
- Walt Disney

Quote of the Week

Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people.
- Stephen R. Covey

Give me five minutes and I can bring the worst out of a person. Trust me.
- BassBassDude

New Travel Announcement

Just thought I'd share with you that I will be starting my own Private Travel Agency business. This is a very exciting time for me and I will be posting more about this new venture shortly. If you would like to know how I'm doing, give me a shout.

Gig Recap

Everything went great. It's always great playing with Allan and Glen. In the next little while, there will be a couple of Tuesday nights where I will be up at Marlowe with Ken. Once things are confirmed, I'll give you better notice. The dates will most likely be July 26th, August 7th, and August 14th.

Marlowe Thursday Night

Hi all,

Looks like I will be playing with MV up at Marlowe at Leslie & Hwy 7 this Thursday June 28th.
Here's the details:

155 York Boulevard
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B4, Canada
(905) 771-8645

If you're available at around 7pm, come on by and say Hello.

visit: www.themarlowe.ca

City Chase - Toronto 2007

Well, I'm still licking my wounds from the Mitsubishi CityChase - Toronto race. My buddy Dave-o and I, with my brother Dean sitting on a computer at home, went through our 4th CityChase. Although, we were sporting some injuries prior to the race, we did pretty well. First off, we received an honorable mention for most clever name "Limp-A-Lot-But-Will-Finish". Soon after all the formalities were through, we headed out from Metro Hall to retreive our at the Court House. The clue sheet was loaded with over 35 chase points written in code. We headed west to the Toronto Art School (Adelaide & Spadina) and had to sketch a model. After finishing, we ran east to the Fire Hall on Adelaide where we had to hook up a fire hose and spray a target. Next we ran south King and grabbed a streetcar to a park on Walnut. There, we teamed up with another team and ran a small course on 4-person skis. We then ran north to Trinity Bellwood Park where we had to shoot a target with a paint-ball gun in 5 shots. After taking one for the team, we ran back down to King and grabbed a Westbound streetcar to Joe Rockhead's. There, we had to climb up a 20ft wall and received a 'Pass' card to jump infront of long lines. We next grabbed a bus south to the Ex and ran across Lakeshore to Ontario Place. There was a long line of about 50 teams so we used our newly-acquired 'Pass' card to jump the line. We jumped into a paddle-boat and run the Olympic course under 3 minutes and completed the Chase Point. We next found ourself at the Chinese Light exhibit where we had to run through a maze and find 4 checkpoints. After completing this point, we ran back to the Ex and grabbed the 509 Streetcar to Rees street where we had to jump into a canoe in a small urban pond. Although we almost capsized the boat, we ran the canoe through a samll course and headed East on another Streetcar. We jumped off the streetcar at a parking lot close to Harbour. There, we quickly raised $25 for Children's Wish Foundation (thanks for the donation Dave) and jumped on the Subway to Yonge and Eglinton. We headed to the Running Room just north of Eglinton and had to do a photo hunt with a camera-phone. We jumped back on the Subway to King, grabbed a street car back to Metro Hall and finished the race approximately at 4 hours and 45 minutes.

Lots of fun and I still have the welt on my backside from Dave-o's Paintball gun. Thanks to all who made this race happen and I hope to be a part of it again next year.

Video Games Live - Classic game themes Orchestrated

Now, being a retired gamer and having grown up using the scarce funds that I had playing most of these games, I must say, seeing this was pretty cool.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVHGy9XEF9I

A true blast from the past... live.

Golf Recap

Yup. I had a chance to get out on to the links for the second time this year. Some good shots, but mostly bad. I started out parring the first two holes, only to double par the following par 3 and par 5 holes. Such was the case for the front nine. 49 (I could have sworn it was a 48). Anyway, the back nine led to mostly bogeys and double bogeys. 51 with the help of some 3-putts. Anyway, a good walk spoiled; such is the life of a golfer. I wonder if this still applies if you ride a cart.

Quotes of the Week

An ideal cannot wait for its realization to prove its validity.
- George Santayana

There are no such things as applied sciences, only applications of science.
- Louis Pasteur

A user of Mac applications makes a scientist not.
- BassBassDude

Recap: Forever Plaid

The run had to come to an end.

Over the weekend, Forever Plaid at the Herongate had come to a close and I, as the bass player, am happy of the time spent in this show. I had a chance to work with some wonderful and talented people and I hope to have the opportunity to work with them again. The time spent, although long, was worth while and fun. On a side note, I never realized how well I would be able to read music with my double bass tuned in 5ths. Nor did I realize how well I would be able to fill a room with its sound. Even with both a piano and drums, my bass cut through all that sound and was able to withstand being drowned out.

I learned a lot during this run and I am very thankful for the opportunity to play at the "barn".

Eye Problems

For about 2 weeks now, I've been walking around with an injury to my right eye. It wasn't until early this week that I finally got my eye checked out. Turns out, my cornea is scratched and now has a bacterial infections. Anyway, the moral of this story is: don't mess around with any eye injuries; no matter how macho you may feel.

Quote of the Week

"Worry is Nothing less than the misuse of your imagination"
- Ed Foreman

"I tend to worry about everything. Good thing I'm not very imaginative."
- BassBassDude

Ray Brown w/ Gene Harris: Summertime

I loved this.

Quote of the Week

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
- Jim Ryun
"I have a bad habit of not starting"
- BassBassDude

Recap

The shows went very well this past weekend up at Herongate. Playing in this show for Forever Plaid has been a lot of fun and a great experience and I'm looking forward to the coming shows. I have to admit, I am not accustomed to playing in a show with such a long run. Although the show can be physically and mentally tiring from playing my upright bass without an amp, my hands are building callouses that were just as strong as when I was back in university. Anyway, I'm glad that we have a couple of days to re-charge and then jump back into the shows this Thursday and I look forward to these upcoming performances.

visit: herongate.com for more details about shows.

Hope to see you up at the barn.

Quotes of the Week

Knowledge is power, if you know it about the right person.
-Ethel Mumford
The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason.
-John Cage
When I came back to Dublin I was courtmartialed in my absence and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.
-Brendan Behan
Indeed, history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.
-Voltaire
One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
-AA Milne

YoshihiroUtsumi

I enjoy watching and listening to him play. This is YoshihiroUtsumi playing a great Schubert tune.



Enjoy

Quotesof the Week

I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, "I wanna grow up and be a critic."
- Richard Pryor
I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.
- GK Chesterton
Those who speak most of progress measure it by quantity and not by quality.
- George Santayana
The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best - and therefore never scrutinize or question.
- Stephen Jay Gould
The most common of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind.
- HL Mencken

Recap

My hands are in the process of healing and I don't have to play again until Thursday night. The rehearls, although long, went well. More importantly, the Forever Plaid shows are going very well. My most uncomfortable part of this show is that I'm on stage with the curtains drawn by myself for the opening of the show warming up while the audience files in. Although a little uncomfortable for myself, I actually don't mind some of that attention. Anyway, I'm glad to be a part of this show pounding away on my double bass.

Quote of the Week

Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
- Peter Ustinov
A happy childhood is poor preparation for human contacts.
- Colette
A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.
- Wilson Mizner
WHAT???
- BassBassDude

Forever Plaid @ Herongate

I'm back up at theHerongate Barn Theatre playing double bass for the musical "Forever Plaid".
This is the story of "The Plaids", a classic 1950's all male singing group, who were killed in a car crash on their way to their first big gig! "The Plaids" come back to perform some of the 1950's greatest hits: "Catch a Falling Star", "Three Coins in The Fountain", "Love is a Many Splendored Thing", and "Magic Moments".
"Forever Plaid" runs from March 30th - May 12th(Matinees on April 1st & 15th). For more info, please visit herongate.com

Herongate Barn Theatre
2885 Altona Road, Pickering, Ontario Canada
Award Winning Dinner Theatre
905-472-3085

Recap: Wine and Cheese Show '07

This past weekend went really well with MV at the Toronto Wine and Cheese Show. We had a lot of great compliments from the show manager, vendors, patrons and fellow musicians at the show. Although my hands are a little torn up from all the playing, we had a lot of fun playing and discovering new wine. Thanks to all that came out to show their support.

Just on a side note, I found a California Cabernet Sauvignon that I really enjoyed. I plan on picking up a couple of bottles some time this week.

Toronot Wine and Cheese Show

The Toronto Wine & Cheese Show is Canada’s largest and leading show of its kind. In 2007, the show will have reached 24 years of continued success and I will be a part of it. This year, I will be playing at the Wine and Cheese Show with Melodious Vibes. We'll be playing all weekend and we hope to see you there.

Here's the details:

March 23-25, 2007
The International Centre
6900 Airport Road, Mississauga



Friday, March 23: 12noon – 10:00pm
Saturday, March 24: 12noon – 9:00pm
Sunday, March 25: 12noon – 6pm

Enjoy the Show... Please don't drink and drive.

Must be 19 years of age or older. No children, no infants.

Quote of the Week

There is always more misery among the lower classes than there is humanity in the higher.
- Victor Hugo
On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog.
- Peter Steiner
On the Internet, everybody knows you're dodging work.
- BassBassDude

Quote of the Week

The only time to buy these is on a day with no 'y' in it.
- Warren Buffett
Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.
- Lily Tomlin
I worry about being a dog in a dog-eat-dog world.
- BassBassDude
Love thy neighbour as yourself, but choose your neighbourhood.
- Louise Beal

Marlowe Tonight

Tonight I'll be playing with Melodious Vibes again at Marlowe

Here's the details:
155 Yorkland Blvd
Unit 1
Richmond Hill, ON
L4B 3B4
905-771-8645
7pm - 9pm

visit: www.themarlowe.ca

Quote of the Week

Nothing is more admirable than the fortitude with which millionaires tolerate the disadvantages of their wealth.
- Rex Stout
When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest.
- William Hazlitt
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction.
- EF Schumacher
Me no Genius
- BassBassDude

SPO Rehearsal

This rehearsal went a lot better and with a lot more members present. From my perspective, I felt I kept up very well and I'm finding that I can hold my own with a bit of confidence. I just have to be careful that I don't stick out like a sore thumb in my section and try to create a nice tone. Overall, I'm happy with the way things are going and look forward to the next rehearsal and the following concert on February 4th.

Quote of the Week

Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made.
- Otto von Bismarck
Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.
- Kin Hubbard
Nine out of ten people would agree that you cannot trust stats.
- BassBassDude
A conference is a gathering of important people who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done.
- Fred Allen

Yoshihiro Gavotte-Rondeau from Partitas J.S.Bach by Solo Double bass

I enjoy watching this player's energy.


From what I understand, Yoshihiro doesn't read music. Fun watching, though.

visit www.youtube.com

Quote of the Week

Rage is the only quality which has kept me, or anybody I have ever studied, writing columns for newspapers.
- Jimmy Breslin
Love is not blind - it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less.
- Rabbi Julius Gordon
Man is the only animal that laughs and has a state legislature.
- Samuel Butler
Man, am I tired
- BassBassDude

Rehearsal Recap

With winter finally arriving last night in Toronto, it made for my very first Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra to be very interesting. Last night's snowfall proved to be tough for many of the orchestra members to venture through and were unable to make it to the first rehearsal of the year. Having so many people away was only one of last night's obstacles. The concert coming up is a Pops concert. Unfortunately, a good selection of music parts were missing and so we had to pass on a number of songs. From my perspective, sight-reading music was not and is still not my forte. Being a Pops concert, I thought that I would be able to get through with no trouble at all; I was mistaken. The music moves quickly with many key changes and tempo changes. Although I had dropped many notes, I still felt as though I was doing well. At least I know where my weaknesses are. Since moving into fifths, my strength lies in the key of C, F and G. When the songs quickly moved into Db and Ab, I found myself taking a few 'mental breaks'. Anyway, I had a good time and I will sound better next week.

Quote of the Week

"First you're an unknown, then you write one book and you move up to obscurity."
- Martin Myers
"Just because you can write a book, doesn't necessarily mean that you can read."
- BassBassDude
"By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher."
- Socrates
"I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure."
- John D. Rockefeller

An Inconveninent Truth

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to watch "An Inconvenient Truth". If you haven't had a chance to watch it, you owe it to yourself to watch this film. I've always been a supporter of having a better environment, but it seems that more action needs to be taken by every one and should be taken seriously. Arguments opposed to global warming and the increase of CO2 in the earth's atmosphere are handedly squashed within this film. From a purely production level, it is interesting how the film was put together. Within three days, crews worked to put together a make-shift forum and shot Al Gore's presentation as a live television production.

Visit climatecrisis.net

Coming Up... Practice

Well, this weekend I'll basically be working on the exercises that I had before here. Also, This Monday will be my first Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra. We'll be working on a Pops concert that will be coming up in February. More on these and other events in the near future.

Amateur - Lasse Gjertsen

I just thought this was pretty funny and cool.



The magic of editing.

Happy New Year!

Here's to the year that has passed and to the one that holds much promise. Happy New Year!