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TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES
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| Rush hour on the 400-Series out of Toronto is a terrible
way to start a rock’n’roll weekend. Joe and I had to work until the mid-afternoon.
We slowly drifted to the edge of the megapolis and onto Ottawa. We’d been looking forward to this gig for a long time. We’d rebooked the show about 3 times thus far. Finally, we were making our debut at the Avant Garde Bar. The Avant Garde is owned and operated by a Russian man named Alex. He has the place decorated with Stalin Era propaganda. It’s quite tasteful. The menu is exotic, as are the specialty martini’s. We had a lot of old friends at the gig. Ryan Neeb of Books on Books opened the night with an acoustic set. Hisself, his voice and guitar. Tyler Turek, with whom we played two years before in Thunder Bay, showed up with a gang of Carleton students who were keen to dance. Kenny Nicoloau and Kristine Racicot brought some newbies. Alex, the owner, posted and removed the “Sold Out” sign twice that evening. I must admit, the place doesn’t fit too many people. The crowd vibe was awesome and we passed around the hat to cover our costs. We rocked two absolutely energetic sets, leaving Toronto rush hour and work well behind us. At the end of the evening we came out to find that Betsy-Ruth-Anne, the band van, had caught a flat. Kenny Nicolaou helped us get our instruments out of the club. We had to get a tow truck to help us throw on our dummy tire. Turned out, the jack I’d been toting around for 2 and a half years didn’t work. Probably never did. Doh. Next morning I spent 4 hours at Crappy Tire getting my tire fixed. Let me tell you, 4 hours in a Crappy Tire waiting room is a perfect juxtaposition to rocking out a sold out club. The tire was fixed, so we were on our way to the Wilno Tavern. An hour or so had passed, when we met a man named George in the village of Renfrew. He pointed out that we had a flat tire. Crappy Tire had given us a Crappy Tire. George loaned us a jack and helped us throw the dummy tire back on. We went to the Renfrew Crappy Tire and bought two brand new tires. Luckily, it only took an hour. Arrival in Wilno saw us through the grand tour of Jojo’s hometown. We visited his old swimming hole, the local radio station, his old homes, etc. It was nice for the band to see Joe’s roots for the first time. The town of Wilno is 5 hours from Toronto, and 2 and a half hours from Ottawa. It is not far from Algonquin National Park. The village is filled with artists and musicians who have found their oasis far from what Peter Tosh might call “Babylon”. It’s hard to describe what happens in the midst of our actual Canary Mine show. It’s so dear to us, and therefore, my interpretation is biased and distorted; drawn from far inside the midst. The show was one of my favorites ever. The crowd danced, cheered, jeered, and danced some more. It was volatile and inspiring. They gave us great freedom and encouraged our experimentation. We spent the night at Joe’s mom’s home. She lives in the middle of nowhere… literally. Her home is self sufficient, using solar power and wood fire heat. It’s has a magnificent beauty. Joe took us on a 4-wheeler tour of the nearby paths. I even went for a swim in some ice-cold water. Driving for 5 hours gives you good time to mentally prepare for the return into the big city. Betsy-Ruth-Anne made the journey without incident. |
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