MICKEY DOLENZ
Went to see MIckey Dolenz of The Monkees at Copps after our show at the Burlington Sound of Music Festival. I first wanted to be in a band when I saw the Beatles cartoons in the early 60's. When The Monkees aired on TV in 66-67 that cemented it for me. I was about 10 years old but knew that's what I wanted to do. I didn't just want to be a guitarist, I had to be a guitarist in a band. And it had to be with people I liked. The first single I bought with my own money was "A Little Bit of Me, A Little Bit of You" b/w "Girl I Knew Somewhere". If you listen to the intro's to Picture My Face and Let's Shake you can hear the influence of the former. I bought it at Ollie's Lunch on the corner of King and Macklin on my way home from Christ the King grade school at lunch hour. It was a restaurant that had a rack of 45's for sale. I wanted to meet Mickey, but wasn't able to. Hopefully there will be another time.
HEAD GO WEST
Our western swing went great. Some really cool clubs especially The Starlite in Edmonton. Probably one of the best in Canada. Great stage, P.A. and lights. A gentleman named Simon Gunn helped me organize the tour. I wanted to go out west for awhile, but it's tough to find agents interested in you in this country unless your Nickleback. For the longest time I said to myself "if only Simon Gunn was around". It's funny because Simon got a hold of me through this blog, so I have The Spec to thank. We recorded the show in Victoria which turned out very well. I didn't want to come home.
CANADA DAY
When we were booked to play for the Doc's on Ice show, we were requested to sing O Canada. Something we never had done before. When I was doing research on our national anthem I was surprised to learn that the lyrics that we sing today were taken from a poem by Robert Weir, who happened to be born in Hamilton. It was written in 1908 and its amended first verse was accepted in 1980 as the official anthem. The following is the original poem by Robert Weir (1856-1926).
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love thou dost in us command.
We see thee rising fair, dear land,
The True North, strong and free;
And stand on guard, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
Refrain
O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.
Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope for all who toil!
Thou True North, strong and free!
Refrain
O Canada! O Canada! etc.
O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the years
From East to Western Sea,
Our own beloved native land!
Our True North, strong and free!
Refrain
O Canada! O Canada! etc.
Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the Better Day,
We ever stand on guard.
Refrain
O Canada! O Canada! etc.