Okay so I lucked out on a birthday way back, 1988 if you are counting. This is the year that my birthday falls on a Friday and New Years Eve, that other holiday, falls on a Saturday.
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| The Silver Crown as it appeared on Jan 2nd 1989 before Simpson's scrubbed off the Anti-Trizec graffiti and started demolishing the place. |
So on December 30th 1988, I was helping book the Silver Crown, or at least suggesting to the owners bands. As it were Dave Howard was visiting Toronto from the UK. and we talked him into playing a show. He'd just released a 12" single of Rock-On produced by Stranglers Bassist J.J. Burnel. At that time any Dave Howard records in Toronto were only available as imports.
He wasn't expecting to do that, and had to borrow equipment. I still don't remember where we got the drum machine, we borrowed the Ace Tone Organ from Fred Spek; even though it was a Top 3 and not a Top 5, but what can you do. There is a tape of this show, recorded onto cassette. It was recorded onto a really nice Bang and Olufsen cassette recorder by Mark Kormos. There should of been a 4 track recording but the bloody tape had flipped over on the machine right at the start of the show. The tape sounds good, Mark wasn't planning on giving it to me, but felt bad when at the end of the show we found out the reel to reel tape had screwed up. If it were up to me I'd clean it up a bit and press some vinyl from it.. It sounds pretty good.
He wasn't expecting to do that, and had to borrow equipment. I still don't remember where we got the drum machine, we borrowed the Ace Tone Organ from Fred Spek; even though it was a Top 3 and not a Top 5, but what can you do. There is a tape of this show, recorded onto cassette. It was recorded onto a really nice Bang and Olufsen cassette recorder by Mark Kormos. There should of been a 4 track recording but the bloody tape had flipped over on the machine right at the start of the show. The tape sounds good, Mark wasn't planning on giving it to me, but felt bad when at the end of the show we found out the reel to reel tape had screwed up. If it were up to me I'd clean it up a bit and press some vinyl from it.. It sounds pretty good.
So fast forward to 2014 and I"m thinking what would be a good way to celebrate my birthday, and it comes to me; get The Dave Howard Singers to play a show and invite every body I know, well everybody I know in Toronto. So it rolled up into quite a night. Dave Howard Singers, Poppy Seed and the Love Explosion, and the incredible Processor who actually played Happy Birthday for me ( thanks guys)
The show was great. Afterwards we all headed out to what was to be the final night of the Garden Restaurant. I'll write more about that in a separate post.
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Lorenz, and M Joakim of Processor with Dave Howard, just after the soundcheck. |
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| Poppy Seed Steve at the Garden Restaurant. |
So December 30th 2015 comes along, and I thought might as well have another extravaganza. G. Grant Buffet who I used to play with in the Laughing Apples back in 84 opened the night, playing a set of new material. Apparently Tony Malone of Drastic Measures fame is producing some recordings of Grant.
Followed by the new act of Stevy Zong, who I went to see a million times in Parts Found In Sea, one of the greatest Toronto bands ever. Stevy was also in Swamp Baby, who played the Silver Crown a number of times. Stevyzong & The Wate People who strangely were the band I saw at the Cameron House the night before I left Toronto to go live in that other City back in 2004.
So a few months earlier I had played two shows, on guitar (like I play guitar? ) with Poppyseed and the Love Explosion. Dave Kiner, who really plays guitar was playing bass, and we did shows at The Basement in Brooklyn and at Café Nola in Fredrick Maryland. They went on to play some more shows, including a few dates opening for Hawkwind
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And the Grand Finale, Simply Saucer, who played a great set.
Followed by the new act of Stevy Zong, who I went to see a million times in Parts Found In Sea, one of the greatest Toronto bands ever. Stevy was also in Swamp Baby, who played the Silver Crown a number of times. Stevyzong & The Wate People who strangely were the band I saw at the Cameron House the night before I left Toronto to go live in that other City back in 2004.
So a few months earlier I had played two shows, on guitar (like I play guitar? ) with Poppyseed and the Love Explosion. Dave Kiner, who really plays guitar was playing bass, and we did shows at The Basement in Brooklyn and at Café Nola in Fredrick Maryland. They went on to play some more shows, including a few dates opening for Hawkwind
.
And the Grand Finale, Simply Saucer, who played a great set.
THIS YEAR: Party at The Garrison on Friday December 30th 2016. Yes it's one of those years. This year it will be Simply Saucer, The Dave Howard Singers, DJDogote (aka Robby Edge) and maybe
The Weird Library of Art!
Well it will probably end with a trip to the Taste of China, or packing up equipment or something, but in the meantime, Come to the Show, help bid farewell to the cursed 2016.
