A brief thank you note
Thanks to everyone at Stratford Hall arts week and welcome to davephillipsland. I had a great time meeting you all!
-Dave
Bang! What was that?
I have attempted to write a mythology around Vancouver’s 9 O’Clock Gun in the lyrics to my song of the same name. Meanwhile the facts are dull and little known. I believe however that the cannon’s future may prove to be loud and bright.
Among my many geeky pleasures is the culling of useless information. I am one of those miserable snappers-up of factoids, those unconsidered trifles. Indeed I collect anecdotes as a botanist might collect wild flowers. Ahem, cough... excuse me.
The fateful gun arrived in Vancouver in 1894 from its origin in Woolwich England. The purpose of the thing was and ever has been to sound a report every evening at 9 pm, letting everyone in earshot know that it is in fact 9 o’clock.
Maybe that was interesting and/or useful at one time. But in the 118 years since its arrival the gentlefolk of Vancouver have witnessed the advent of alarm clocks and things like that. Naturally, local interest in this 12 pound obscurity has waned.
It’s a pity really. I mean, it is a fucking cannon after all. Why not have some fun with it? What I propose is an annual civic holiday where we all go down to Stanley Park to watch a boat explode in front of the gun at 9 pm on a summer evening. We can all pretend that the bang and the blast are related and then celebrate for having dignified an arbitrary monument with some kind of purpose.
We can call it Lord Stanley day! It will be a much needed excuse for the whole town to go outside and enjoy being together. Check out how they do it in Gibsons...
Record Player
This is also good...
My ultra talented producer and good friend Andrew Rasmussen is travelling on the road with Hannah Georgas.
I've always liked Hannah Georgas. I remember hearing 'The Deep End' from her debut album 'This Is Good' for the first time and thinking it was the best thing on the radio. Her new self titled album isn't just good though. It might be great.
Great albums are often puzzles at first. You can feel intrigued by the first few listens. You might get the sense that you're listening to something important. As a little time passes by and you invest more of your own emotional memory into the melodies, the subtleties emerge and become moments of magic.
Graham Walsh's production is subtle, mysterious and powerful. The depth of feeling of Hannah's vocal performance is remarkable.
I can't wait to see her live in action. I'm thrilled for my friend Andrew to be involved in something so fresh and exciting. Of course I'm excited for the artist herself, and delighted to see another standard bearer of great Canadian music!
Have a listen...
Railway Club tonight
I was delighted to get a surprise call from Andrew Rasmussen this afternoon. He's arrived home from New York a week earlier than planned and will be joining me and the guys onstage at the Railway Club tonight. If you're in Vancouver come by at 9 o'clock.
This one's going to be special!
Recommended list
It can be hard to write a good bridge. James Younger does a great job of it here on "Two Of A Kind". Have a listen and enjoy!