Lou Molinaro

Psychedelic Broadway

GOD OF HELLFIRE!
 
Wow....I am floored.  We just had the pleasure of hosting an Arthur Brown show last evening, October 17th, at the Corktown Pub, It was so refreshing to hear and see a true testament of the British Rock Movement. 
 
For those of you who are not familiar with Arthur Brown....GOOGLE HIM!!!!
 
This kind gentleman stunned close to 100 people with an incredible performance.  His signature song, FIRE surprised everyone as he put this gem in the middle of his set list.  So, it was indicative that the rest of the show was going to be a surprise! 
 
This legend still has the billion dollar voice.  His range was mindblowing.  Hearing him hit all those pitches was like watching a vocal teacher demonstrating the correct ways of singing. 
 
The other interesting point about Arthur was the stage presence.  Nowadays, the art of free style dancing and commanding the audience with facial stares and arm swings are lost.  Mr Brown had the room in the palm of his hands.  His frantic dances and his head girations were mesmerizing.  Lisa Millar from Bullseye Records, who was in the crowd, hit the nail on the head by tagging the show as Psychedelic Broadway.  He entered the stage like a headless person, and then disrobe to have a chic sequins 2 piece outfit.  Only Arthur Brown could pull this off!
 
The crowd were die hard Arthur Brown fans.  More than half of the crowd stuck around to speak to Arthur.  Many got their albums signed, while others snapped away for pics. There was magic in the room from the moment that he entered the room.
 
He was joined musically by a talented multi-instrumentalist by the name of Nick Pinn.  He accompanied Arthur with guitar, violins, bass pedals, and other neat effects.
 
The show began with local high energy blues trio, Famous Framus.  Check these guys out!!!
 
It was wonderful to see celebs like Gord Lewis, Dave Rave, Tim Gibbons, Mark Foley, Gentlemen Jeff Anderson who all stuck around to get a piece of  the Crazy World of Arthur Brown....THANK YOU MR. BROWN FOR YOUR VISIT!!
 
On another note, congrats to Jamie Tennant and Jamie "Gunner" Smith, who put on the first annual C & C Music Festival.  For those of you who were not aware of this event, It was a collaboration between C101.5 FM and CFMU, hence the name C & C.  They hooked up with the Casbah, Pepper Jack's The Underground, Club Absinthe, and the Corktown. Close to 25 acts played in these 5 venues to celebrate this first annual C & C Music Festival. We hosted 4 great bands at the Corktown on Saturday October 14th.  Bands included, Inflation Kills, Pantychrist, Hoosier Poet, and Tell The Divers.  We look forward to the party next year!
 
That is it for now..
 
Cha Cha Cha.
 
Lou Molinaro

Absence and Found!!

  What a strange trip its been since my last post.  As you know, my last reply was in response to a post made about the Yardbirds show.  Since then, my hair has become shorter with a delicious assortment of virgin grey hair, and my wealth of a specific part of Hamilton History is worth more than Dark Side of The Moon royalty cheques.
        For those of you who know me, know that I am the talent buyer of the NEW Corktown Pub.  Briefly, our previous owner sold the bar to our new Sirs this past summer.  August 1st, the fine folks from Slainte took over the Corktown Tavern, now have a fabulous new gem called The Corktown Pub.  The Corktown Pub officially opened on September 4th 2006.
        Since August 1st, I have had the privilege of researching and learning not only about the Pub, but also about the Corktown neighbourhood.  I met with Margaret Houghton from the Hamilton Public Library, as well as local historian Gary Evans.  I was completely floored to learn about The Corktown Neighbourhood.  Rich in history, and of course colourful.
        For an example, Thee Mr Hamilton lived in the Corktown neighbourhood.  Jolley's Garage was located on Catharine Street South, in the hood too.  The Irish connection to the neighbourhood goes back to 1841, where settlers of Ireland called this area the Corktown.  This area, called the Corktown is south of Main Street towards the brow.  It is sandwiched between The EAST side of James Street east to the WEST of Wellington Street.
        We managed to collect close to 40 pictures displaying the history of this gorgeous neighbourhood.  All of these should be around the bar very soon.  Believe me, it makes great eye candy!!!
        Talking about Eye Candy!!! - You have to take a stroll to the pub soon and take a look at new Corktown pub.  The front walls are Blue, Black and Red.  Most current pubs in Ireland and areas like Belgium have vibrant colours on the outside shells.  Once you step inside the pub, an opposite site embraces the walls within.  A huge amount of work went into preserving the history, and age of this building.
        For an example, we had ceiling tiles in the east side of the bar.  The original part of this building was built in 1888.  It was originally a general store, and then a tavern in 1931.  The original tongue and groove ceilings were covered with green tiles.  I presume that at one point in the 60's, it was cool to update your home or business with tiles, panelling, and carpetting.  Remember the old green carpet? (we are selling it as vintage corktown shag squares on e-bay!!!! - Just kidding). 
        A decision was made to bring back the stunning original look of building, and the history of this building is the future of the Corktown Pub.  I know that this may sound like a shameless plug, but this lady known as the Corktown Pub has just come back from the spa, and she's HOT!
        Visit us and see yourself.  I can go on forever!!!
  Sadly, a good friend of mine, Jimmy Vapid informed me that he is cloing his Rock and Roll record store, Reigning Sound, on November 11th.  This cool joint is located at 272 King Street West, behind the optical store.  The fact that he is closing his store made me think of the current status of music as a marketable product.  Is anyone buying music anymore?  I must admit, personally I have the fortune of labels and artists sending me music for my radio show.  Once I get a smile in my wallet, I love to go out and buy discs.  Unfortunately, Screamin' Mimi's closed a few months ago, and in 6 weeks, RS hangs it up too. 
        I know that there is a huge amount of music that can be downloaded, but it does not have the artwork, or the details for reference.  I used to spend hours reading the notes on my vinyl and learning about producers, musicians, artists, etc....The SPECIAL THANKS sections are always a blast!  So, are we getting to a point that we can finally have music without visiting our cool record stores anymore? 
        I clocked thousands of hours spent in record stores.  It was and still is a great place to meet others who are into music.  I remember lining up outside of stores to get a new release.  Remember the door crashers?  First 50 in get the NEW Rolling Stones record, Tattoo You, FREE!.  Those early wake ups were great!

        Save a record store!!!!!
Finally, Jamie "Gunner" Smith of C101.5 FM and Jamie Tennant of CFMU, are the brainiacs behind the original idea called: C & C Music Compilation.  Both of the above mentioned radio stations, representing Mohawk College and MacMaster University, are hosting a party for a CD release celebrating over 30 local artsts.
        On October 14th, 5 local venues will be hosting up to 5 acts in support of this release.  It is the first time that both a College and University radio station have worked together to push the local music envelope.  Its a great idea, and the acts on the discs are a perfect example of the fine local music talent.
        Look for a post soon with all the details for October 14th.
  Until next time,
 
Cha Cha Cha
 
Lou Molinaro