These guy's are the real deal !
You will easily be drawn in by the vibe as the crowds hoots and hollers and sings along!
FYI - http://currentswell.com/bio
Via Flickr:
Canadian Music
Showing posts with label Sarnia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarnia. Show all posts
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Angelyn with Chainsaw Charlie of WCBO
The boy's are heating up for a World Tour ... See you next time around for another entertaining show!!
Monday, September 06, 2010
Monday, June 29, 2009
Matt Mays doing > Cocaine Cow Girl
Photo by 4Blueeyes aka Me
Matt Mays doing > Cocaine Cow Girl, originally uploaded by 4BlueEyes Pete Williamson.
Matt and his new band mates played to a conservative crowd @ The Mule.I was surprised by his stage presence and true to CD sound.
His guitar riffs blazed through my ears with delight!
And a lil history on the Gretsch Guitar.
"That Great Gretsch Sound!"
For more than 100 years Gretsch has developed what came to be known as "That Great Gretsch Sound," but it all began with a young German immigrant in Brooklyn.
At 27, Friedrich Gretsch founded a small musical instrument shop 1883 to make banjos, drums and tambourines. Only 12 years later Friedrich died, leaving the fledgling company in the hands of his teenage son Fred.
While it may be an unlikely start for a century-long (and growing) musical legacy, young Fred wasn't the typical teen. By 1916 he had built the company into one of America's leading importers and manufacturers of musical instruments, and the operations moved into a 10-story building at 60 Broadway in Brooklyn.
Fred knew listening to what the public wanted was the key to growth, and the public wanted guitars. So, Gretsch began making guitars.
Initially, Gretsch offered acoustic archtops aimed at jazz musicians, and a handful of flat-tops for country-western performers.
Meanwhile, 1935 marked an important year for Gretsch — Duke Kramer joined the team. Kramer went on to become a mainstay of the Gretsch company, and remains a valued counsel to this day.
"That distinctive sound was our product, the sound that energized the market for decades," Kramer says.
Fred Gretsch, Sr. retired from the company in 1942, leaving the day-to-day operations to his sons Fred, Jr. and William.
Fred Gretsch, Jr. managed the company briefly, then left the company to serve with distinction as a commander in the Navy, and Bill Gretsch became president. Kramer recalls, "Bill was a man with a subtle talent for inspiring people to do their best and a genius for constructive counsel. His sense of humor was irresistible. When he passed away in 1948, a legion of individuals felt they lost their best friend."
Command was again passed to Fred Gretsch, Jr. and the Navy veteran led the company into a new age of prosperity in the "atomic age" '50s. Gretsch, being the first to use custom color finishes, and offering a wide variety of space age gizmos and gimmickry, was uniquely positioned to succeed in the era. Through the 50s, they even outsold Leo Fender's wonderful new creations. High-profile artists and endorsers like Chet Atkins, Eddie Cochran and Duane Eddy didn't hurt, either.
The '60s brought a further boost to Gretsch when George Harrison played a succession of Gretsch models.
In the late '60s, Fred Gretsch retired and sold the company to Baldwin Manufacturing. Baldwin had difficulty understanding Gretsch's position in the market and failed to make a transition through the psychedelic '60s and hard-rock '70s. Kids inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton turned to Fender. To make matters worse, Baldwin moved production to Arkansas, and Gretsch suffered through two disastrous fires.
The Baldwin marriage was always an unhappy one. With sales down and the head office increasingly disinterested, Gretsch limped through the 70s and finally shut down production in the early 80s.
But ever since the company had left the family, Fred Gretsch III had vowed it would return. In 1985 his dream came true, and through the 90s he brought Gretsch back into the limelight with a series of successful re-issues and new models.
In late 2002 a deal was struck for Fender Musical Instruments Corp. to handle Gretsch manufacturing and distribution, bringing that "Great Gretsch Sound" to be heard worldwide once again.
For more information on the history of the Gretsch Company and its guitar models, visit the Gretsch Pages at www.gretschpages.com.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sarnia Highland Games
RIP ~ Sorry to have lost you
Highland Games are history
Once a tourist draw, Sarnia event scrapped for good
The Sarnia Highland Games have officially moved into the history books.
Once a major tourist attraction to the city, the games had fallen on tough times in recent years, having been called in 2006 and 2008.
Organizers had planned to bring the event back this year on a biannual basis but the remaining members of the organizing committee have announced they will dissolve the organization.
“On behalf of my co-chair Jim Foubister and rest of the executive, I would like to thank the community, businesses and citizens alike for their support over the years, in particular the hundreds of volunteers, some of whom were with us from start to finish for their many hours and years of hard work and dedication,” said games co-chair Bill Baines.
The Highland Games ran for nearly 25 years in Sarnia and was once considered one of the better events on the Scottish games circuit.
Baines said it was once a premier summer event in the city and it has left its mark on the community.
Sarnia's Highland Games attracted tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe, he said, including participating athletes from several countries.
Over the years, the games brought millions of dollars into the local economy, Baines said.
It's hard to say goodbye for the remaining committee members, he said, but they tried everything possible to keep the games alive.
The downward slide for the games began at the same time as a downturn in tourism in general, following the events of 9/11, SARS and a power failure that left the eastern seaboard in darkness.
The effects of these events combined with a shrinking committee, dwindling volunteer base and poor attendance made it impossible for the event to go on, Baines said.
Foubister said it costs nearly $100,000 to stage the event and the committee's war chest had dried up in recent years.
Over the years, attendance has fluctuated from highs of 10,000 to lows of about 2,000.
American attendance had taken a big hit, due partly to increased security at the border following 9/11 that caused more traffic congestion at the Blue Water Bridge.
The games were never able to bounce back, organizers said.
*Article ID# 1536891 Sarnia Observer*
Flickr: Your Photostream
Highland Games are history
Once a tourist draw, Sarnia event scrapped for good
The Sarnia Highland Games have officially moved into the history books.
Once a major tourist attraction to the city, the games had fallen on tough times in recent years, having been called in 2006 and 2008.
Organizers had planned to bring the event back this year on a biannual basis but the remaining members of the organizing committee have announced they will dissolve the organization.
“On behalf of my co-chair Jim Foubister and rest of the executive, I would like to thank the community, businesses and citizens alike for their support over the years, in particular the hundreds of volunteers, some of whom were with us from start to finish for their many hours and years of hard work and dedication,” said games co-chair Bill Baines.
The Highland Games ran for nearly 25 years in Sarnia and was once considered one of the better events on the Scottish games circuit.
Baines said it was once a premier summer event in the city and it has left its mark on the community.
Sarnia's Highland Games attracted tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe, he said, including participating athletes from several countries.
Over the years, the games brought millions of dollars into the local economy, Baines said.
It's hard to say goodbye for the remaining committee members, he said, but they tried everything possible to keep the games alive.
The downward slide for the games began at the same time as a downturn in tourism in general, following the events of 9/11, SARS and a power failure that left the eastern seaboard in darkness.
The effects of these events combined with a shrinking committee, dwindling volunteer base and poor attendance made it impossible for the event to go on, Baines said.
Foubister said it costs nearly $100,000 to stage the event and the committee's war chest had dried up in recent years.
Over the years, attendance has fluctuated from highs of 10,000 to lows of about 2,000.
American attendance had taken a big hit, due partly to increased security at the border following 9/11 that caused more traffic congestion at the Blue Water Bridge.
The games were never able to bounce back, organizers said.
*Article ID# 1536891 Sarnia Observer*
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