Happy belated 80th birthday Bob Dylan

 by Bill Woodley I turned 80 last December, and on learning that Bob Dylan turned 80 on 24 May, I was reminded of the only time I have seen him perform live. It was in 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival. But I missed the big news story, when he

Remembering Remembrance Day with your children

 Question: Dear Adele, November 11 is fast approaching. We are looking for ideas to commemorate Remembrance Day with our older children and teenagers. Can you help? Grateful Answer: Dear Grateful, Kudos to you for thinking about this extremely important day in Canada and looking for ways to educate your children

Plans of His Own – The Gordon Lightfoot Interview – Part 2

 Listen to part two of our interview with Gordon Lightfoot above. Part one can be found here. Gordon Lightfoot walks in on a young Bob Dylan hunkered over a typewriter, the poetry of his renowned lyricism passing through his fingers and onto the keys to be imprinted in ink on paper.

Plans of His Own – The Gordon Lightfoot Interview – Part 1

 Listen to part one of our interview with Gordon Lightfoot above. The singer lay silenced, his synapses struggling for some light within the darkness of the coma that had muted his voice. An eye flutter here, a possible movement there but the man who’s music meant much to many, a

Inspiration From the Tower of Song: Remembering Leonard Cohen

 "There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in" - Leonard Cohen  If, as a youngster, you are lucky enough to find that one teacher who inspires you, pushes your limits and alters your way of thinking you will carry that person with you all your life,

Passion, Ghosts and the Roots of Royal Wood

 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. -Proverbs 29:18 “To be honest, I can't remember a time where music wasn't my driving passion. Nor can I recall a moment in years gone by, where music didn't surround me at every turn,” said

James Leclaire: The Sing-a-Long Sounds of Storytelling and Sorrow

 Album cover by Brett Clarke. James Leclaire’s fourth album, These Weights, combines the soulful storytelling of folk and country music with the anthemic energy of punk, to create a sound he calls ‘dirt country.’ “There is a country twang to it but it’s got an edginess that is a little

Musical Mayhem Goes beyond the Greenbelt

 It’s a fact – to make it as a musician, you have to tour. As a result, because a musician’s vocals and vibes need to be heard beyond home turf, many local bands are going beyond the greenbelt.  This month a slew of Ottawa bands are traveling to Montreal to