Because It's Tuesday - March 31

I'm going to keep this short today.

On Sunday evening, I heard the news that the songwriting genius, John Prine, was in critical condition in a Nashville hospital due to COVID-19. I have always thought of Mr Prine as a cat with nine lives. That man has been through a lot with his health over the years. He always pulls through it somehow and, as my friend Nancy commented, will write a good song about the experience.

I sure hope he gets a a chance to do that this time. He's just one of those people who is full of love and you can hear it in every word he speaks. I know that all of his fans are sending him love and good vibes at this time.

For my cover today, I'm sharing a lovely version of John Prine's "Hell in There" (from his 1971 self titled album)
performed by Natalie Merchant, Billy Bragg and Michael Stipe in Glasgow back in March of 1990.

Stay well folks. Stay inside and wash your hands. xo

Ya' know that old trees just grow stronger

And old rivers grow wilder ev'ry day

Old people just grow lonesome

Waiting for someone to say, "Hello in there, hello"

Not Guilty Just Pleasure - Come Back Margaret

Last week, I saw a picture posted on Facebook which made me feel sad. It was a photo of a note, written by a young child in Ireland, "To Corona Virus, you destroyed my birthday, YOU are the f-word"

I share this sentiment. Now, I know I'm not alone in being absolutely shocked at the spread of this thing and how we've all had to hunker down. We're all doing our very best to stay healthy and protect our health care system. Like the little boy with the destroyed birthday party, I'm super disappointed that I won't be flying to BC tomorrow to see my lovely man.We had been planning this since our last visit ended in January and while having to cancel the trip was tough, not knowing when we'll be able to reschedule it makes it feel extra yucky.

In the grand scheme of things, I know that this is just a minor inconvenience for us both. Both of us and our families remain healthy and well. We'll see each other as soon as we can manage it. This isn't the end of the world but it's a bummer for sure.

Today's song is by Camera Obscura. I decided to share "Come Back Margaret" because my real name is Margaret and I'm trying to "come back" to the Okanagan.

Hope you're all keeping well and staying put. Have a good weekend lovelies xo

Come back Margaret he wants to adore you

Come back Margaret I'd like to explore you

Cancon Thursday - Take Me Out

It feels really good to be posting regularly again. Routine is important during times of uncertainty. I've realized that over the past couple of weeks.

When I discovered that I would be able to work from home, I made a decision to stick as close as possible to my work routine. Every weekday morning, I'm getting up, eating my usual breakfast, having my coffee, showering and getting dressed for work. Just like I would if I was going into the office, I even do my hair and make up (which I quickly realized was a very good thing on day one and we started having video meetings!!!). For me, I need that whole process to make my brain kick into work mode. I'd often thought that I didn't have the discipline to work at home. I do miss seeing my colleagues but I'm faring better than I thought I would. I really feel like sticking to the morning routine is the key for me.

So, today is Thursday which means that I'm sharing a Canadian song with you. My Cancon pick this week is "Take me Out" by the amazing Sarah Harmer. Sarah recently released her first album in a decade, the spectacular "Are You Gone" I was so excited for it's release and it didn't disappoint at all. Sarah will be on tour later in the year and she'll be playing two shows here in Kingston. Check her out if you can, she is fantastic live and here is a taste. I'm sharing a great live version of "Take Me Out" which was recorded for CBC Music.

Hope you love it like I do. Stay safe kids and stay inside!!! xo

I'm in a dream and I'm searching

for something I  might have been before i lost my mind

Way Back Wednesday - More Today Than Yesterday

As it's Wednesday, it's time for a fun oldie. This song by The Spiral Starecase was the title track from their 1969 debut (and only) album "More Today Than Yesterday."

I remember this song being on the radio a lot when I was a kid. It's a super catchy song and actually not a bad earworm at all.

It's got a great vibe, feels super spring / summery to me and this video is fantastic. Apparently, they formed in 1964 as a four piece instrumental group (the Fydallions) for an Air Force talent show. In this video, take a look at bass player Bobby Raymond, his dance moves are killer!!

Hope you enjoy this. Stay inside and stay healthy kiddos xo

Every day's a new day in love with you

With each day comes a new way of loving you

Every time I kiss your lips my mind starts to wander

And if all my dreams come true

I'll be spending time with you

Because It's Tuesday - week of March 24

Well a lot sure has happened in a week. I've been working at home now for almost a week. My head is a blur most days, the time is flying by. There is a lot to do.

On the weekend I decided that I would limit my news consumption to just once a day, in the evening, after dinner. About 15 minutes of CBC is really all I need to keep up with things and honestly, my soul needed a break.

Music is honestly keeping me sane. I'm loving so many of the isolation projects that I'm seeing and hearing online. If nothing else good comes of this, we're being treated to some wonderful things.

One of my favourite things is Joe Pernice's "Barely Manilow" project. He's been releasing beautiful acoustic covers of Barry Manilow songs every day for the past few days. On Saturday, he released a wonderful version of my very favourite (since I was in grade 6!) Barry Manilow song, "Can't Smile Without You." I'm sharing that here today. I'd encourage you to check it out and then go over to bandcamp and spend some money on Joe's stuff (and while you're there, buy some music from your other favourite artists).

This fits perfectly with my theme of covers on a Tuesdays. Enjoy kiddos and please, stay home and keep safe xo

You know I can't smile without you

I can't smile without you

I can't laugh and I can't sing

I'm finding it hard to do anything

You see I feel sad when you're sad

I feel glad when you're glad

If you only knew what I'm going through

I just can't smile without you

Can’t Smile Without You from Joe pernice on Vimeo.

Not Guilty Just Pleasure - (Nothing But) Flowers

With everything that has been going on this week, I forgot to post here. I sort of wish I hadn't. It's been an eerie week and I probably should have been writing about it.

It's day four of me working from work. Work has been (thankfully) very busy. I feel grateful to have a job that is not only keeping me busy and employed but has also allowed me to work from home during this crisis. My deepest thanks goes out to front line workers everywhere who can't be isolated in their homes right now, of course health care workers and retail staff but also people who provide other essential services which allow us to have electricity, water and internet in our homes.

I wanted to just check in today and see how everyone is doing. I also wanted to share a song with you which has been in my head for a couple of weeks now, probably the most fun song you'll ever hear about living on this planet after an apocalypse... the message of it is as relevant today as it was back in 1988 when Talking Heads recorded it for the "Naked" album.

Stay safe and well kids, and please, be kind to each other. This shit isn't easy on anyone. xo

Years ago

I was an angry young man

And I'd pretend

That I was a billboard

Standing tall

By the side of the road

I fell in love

With a beautiful highway

This used to be real estate

Now it's only fields and trees

Where, where is the town

Now, it's nothing but flowers

The highways and cars

Were sacrificed for agriculture

I thought that we'd start over

But I guess I was wrong

Not Guilty Just Pleasure - Birds Don't Sing

Happy Friday kids.

What a week it's been  huh?

As I mostly write about music here, it's probably obvious to you that I think about music, a lot. Over the past couple of days I've been thinking about the impact that the COVID-19 outbreak is having on musicians. We all know that for the majority of working musicians, touring is their bread and butter. You take touring away from them (as we're seeing happen more and more as the list of tour cancellations piles up) and they are going to be financially knee-capped. Not only does that loss of income affect their families and their day to day lives, it'll mean that they may not have the resources to continue to make the music we love so much.

Personally, I have tickets for a concert tomorrow night. I'm hoping it still happens as I feel like an evening of music with Hawksley Workman and Sarah Slean will do me a world of good. If you've been planning to see a show or shows and it looks like it might not be happening, you can still support your favourite artists... order their records or merch. If you already have everything, buy  some for gifts, birthdays, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day...Father's Day... just because day.

Today, I'm sharing TV Girl's "Birds Don't Sing" from their 2014 album, "French Exit."

Stay well my friends xo

Birds don't sing, they just fall from of the sky

Girls don't call, and they never tell you why

That's just how they say goodbye

Goodbye

Cancon Thursday - Superbloom

The world sure seems like a scary place at the moment.

I've actually made myself limit the amount of news I'm reading / listening to because it's making my anxiety go bananas. Part of it is that it makes me think of Stephen King's great book, The Stand. For those of you who haven't read it, it's a classic story of good vs evil. The battle between the two sides happens after a deadly virus is released from a government lab and most of the folks on the planet die. There is a lot of detail about how the thing spread in the first part of the book and I can't help but compare that story to what's going on with COVID-19 right now.

So, for today's Cancon song, I'm sharing a perfectly lovely pop song by one of my favourite artists, Ralph. She recently released it on her new label, Rich Man Records. It's a song about optimism, we could use a little bit of that right now. Hope you enjoy it, it's a fucking fantastic song (in my opinion anyway). It's a toe-tapper for sure and has some pretty amazing 80's style horns so what's not to love?

Stay strong folks, this too shall pass, right? xo

Maybe the rain will pass soon

And leave us with a superbloom

Baby, I know it's been a rough June

I hope we make it to our superbloom

Way Back Wednesday - Baby Go Round

As you all know if your have been reading my posts here for any length of time, I'm a big fan of the  Muffs. Sadly, Kim Shattuck passed away due to ALS last October.

For my way back Wednesday song, I'm sharing "Baby Go Round" from the first Muffs album, 1993's "The Muffs." It's been a favourite of mine for a really long time and one of those songs I can listen to on repeat, over and over and over again.

This weekend, on Sunday, there is a fundraiser planned as a tribute to Kim. All proceeds will benefit the ALS Association Golden West Chapter. It'll include performances by Redd Kross, Veruca Salt, That Dog., Vicki Peterson, Kathy Valentine, The Coolies, Rob Zabrecky, The Pandoras, Kay Hanley, honeychain, Ronnie Barnett and Roy Mcdonald.

If you're in LA (or can get there this weekend) you should check it out. If you're not, I'd suggest that you pull out your Muffs records, put 'em on the turntable and send a donation to your local ALS charity in Kim's name.

Team Shattuck

She was a force of nature and is missed by so many people all over the world.

Any time of day, she'll never know, he'll never say

The only thing she knows for sure, baby go round

Because It's Tuesday - week of March 10

I'm hoping to get back on track this week. I missed a couple of days posting last week due to a weird bug I had. It's over now (hopefully) and, because it's Tuesday once again, I'm sharing a cover with you.

This week's song is a super cheesy late-80's pop song. It might be cheesy but it's also catchy as hell and lots of fun. I'm sharing a cover of it by Barry Manilow.  Now, I'm not a crazy Fanilow BUT I do love me some Barry Manilow. It seems only right that he cover a song like this because goodness knows folks gave him enough shit about the cheesey-ness of some of his songs over the years. His version is very very true to the original because, of course it is.

So, I'm gonna stop yapping and leave this little fromage nugget with you:  Barry Manilow performing Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up."

happy Tuesday kittens xo

Never gonna give you up

Never gonna let you down

Never gonna run around and desert you

Never gonna make you cry

Never gonna say goodbye

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Way Back Wednesday - Ciao

The other day, someone on a facebook group I belong to for fans of Father John Misty, asked about good breakup songs. My way back Wednesday song today is the one I suggested for him. Some other songs suggested from group members included "Song for the Dumped" by Ben Folds Five, "Hate It Here" by Wilco (I think that this was Mark's favourite Wilco song - it's so good), "Pictures of You" by the Cure, "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers... the list went on and on and it got better and better.

Anyway, this Lush tune is, I think, right up there with "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" as good break up songs go. You give it a listen and let me know if you agree. It's Ciao! by Lush (with the lovely Jarvis Cocker) from their 1996 album Lovelife.

Happy hump day kiddos. xo

Well, I've felt better since I slammed that door

You always cramped my style, I never noticed before

It's been a non-stop party since I flew the coop

I can't believe I fell for such a loser like you

Because It's Tuesday - week of March 3

Hey kids.

I'm home in bed with a weird bug so I'm not going to say much about today's cover. I will say this, I think it's one of the most beautiful songs that the Beach Boys ever recorded and David Bowie's cover of it is stunning
.

Enjoy, "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys (from the remarkable Pet Sounds LP) performed by the wonderful David Bowie.

I may not always love you

But as long as there are stars above you

You never need to doubt it

I'll make you so sure about it