It’s the singer not the song

It’s a source of constant amazement that singers don’t use decent audio equipment.

While musicians will pay thousands for a fantastic guitar and amp combination, singers use the cheapest microphones.

Digitech Vocalist Live 4, vocal engineer in a box

My cousin Father Joe Pottie died

My cousin Father Joe died today at the QEII hospital in Halifax Nova Scotia. Joe Pottie hadn’t been a Roman Catholic priest for 30 years but it was the way we remembered him.

Joseph Leo Pottie, "Father Joe"

Father Joe had been a priest but left to marry Kaye a singer, church music director and mother. The shock sent ripples through our family, especially his immediate family. His parents, Max and Tilly Pottie, raised three priests and nun. The younger family members said, why not?

The magic in a little boy’s eyes

It always pays to put enemies in the rear and forge ahead with your life. They can only control us if we let them.

When someone steals your identity it feels like thieves have broken into your home. It happened to me when a quadriplegic stole “Disability Alert” for an identically named website.

Acadian computer ghosts redux

In a previous post My computer is haunted by French ghosts I related how my computer has been working mysteriously in two languages.

Derek, a friend and computer expert, said “I deal with a lot of English and French stuff at work, but I have never seen the like of this.”

Edith says “its awesome to go with a bilingual guy.” I thought she was like the world’s best computer fixer upper. Apparently she is thinking this might add some spice to the dating.

I have a crush on Rosa Parks

I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to keep your love life off Blogs. But I can’t help it. I have to admit I have a life long crush on Rosa Parks.
I was reminded of that fact while writing the article Civil Rights violations at UPEI. There she was in the photo collage with Martin Luther King. It all came back.
In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery Alabama. The bus driver told her to sit at the back of the bus. She was arrested and her action started the Montgomery Bus Boycott which changed the way blacks were treated. Amazingly she protested the bus driver without any help or support.

Fixin to die

And it’s one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn,
Next stop is Afghanistan;
And it’s five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain’t no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we’re all gonna die.
Fixin to Die Rag, Country Joe and the Fish

Fixin To Die Rag brought out the same emotions last night at Baba’s that were common in 1967. Most people found it amusing or identified with it. One man took angry offence since 3 Canadians died in Afghanistan yesterday. AFP

My computer is haunted by French ghosts

A few weeks ago I sang two French songs at the Fete Nationale Acadian. It was a stretch since I’m not bilingual. However, now my computer thinks I am.

I was sitting with Robert Arsenault at Brennan’s Friday afternoon. “Why don’t you call me to perform?” I asked in fun.

“You don’t know any French songs,” was his quick reply.

When your dad is gone

When my dad was gone the first thing I noticed was you couldn’t talk to him anymore. You could think about what he would say but he didn’t say it. When I see a dad in movies, I get sad. Singing “I Still Can’t Say Goodbye” some of the words won’t come out.

If your dad is still around, don’t forget him.

Not like we talked a lot but we always did about the important things in life and baseball. My dad loved sports: baseball was his favourite. He was a sports reporter for CHNS radio and the Halifax Mail Star early in his career.