Pub Jam 2014
 

Dear friends,

Once again we look forward to the Gordon Lightfoot concert series held at Massey Hall in his hometown city, Toronto, Ontario.

Part of that festive event has traditionally included an afternoon (potluck) pub jam held at McVeigh's pub located very close to Massey Hall and the downtown hotel area of Toronto.

See: www.mcveighspub.com.

We have it scheduled for Saturday, Nov 29th, 2PM till 4:30PM. (give or take)

This time we have Wayne Francis joining us on board.

Wayne has lots of cool stuff to share and we very much look forward to his contribution.

See:www.reverbnation.com/waynefrancis.

The mike is open to anyone who, in the Lightfoot vein feels inclined to step up and crank out a tune or two, although they don't necessarily all have to be Gord tunes. It's the way you feel.

For the folks traveling by air landing at Pearson Airport, ground transportation from the airport is a available at a very reasonable fare to the downtown centre and elsewhere. Visit: www.ttc.ca for more information.

If anyone is in need of help in any way please feel free to send me a private email here and we'll work it out.

Your pub jam host,

Ron Jones.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Oh no, a Saturday afternoon, that's going to be harder for me to make than a weekday. Will do my best.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Hey Tony,
Hope you can make it. We've heard you play bass but never heard you sing. Oil up those pipes and come and join us!

Cheers,

RJ.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Just a follow up note to say that my guitars, the Martin D18 six string and Gibson B45 twelve string will available on stage if anyone so wishes.

I was always reluctant to travel especially by air with my instruments but now that I'm living in Gordtown they're pretty much grounded here.

Both guitars have been set by Gord's luthier so the intonation is of the Gord preference.

Looking forward to a fun day and hopefully seeing (and hearing) once again many of the familiar faces who come to attend the "Gordweek" festivities.

Stay Loose,

RJ.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Got my flight and concert ticket for saturday night! shall be there!!!!

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Looking forward to seeing you Dan. Enjoy the journey.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Passing on Massey this year (sob) for a very good reason: our daughter Rachel and her husband RJ are expecting their first child, a girl, due December 7. As they live 5 hours east of us in Groton CT, and she wants me with her for the delivery I have to be on standby to leave on a moment's notice. In fact I may go right after our Thanksgiving (27th) just to be there. Our first grandchild (Patrick, 2) arived almost 6 weeks early so I'll have my "go " bag packed in a couple of weeks just in case. So far all is well but she's nervous. Fingers crossed, everybody.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Hey, Ron -
So sorry I won't be able to join you this time. I had hoped to make the trip but, as it turns out, cannot do it. Hope the next Massey outing will be sooner than 2 years away, and not during Thanksgiving week! Have a beer and a song for me - I'll be with you in spirit!

Have a blast!

Melissa

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

We'll miss you for sure Melissa but we understand that there's no place like home on Thanksgiving.

We'll be sure to dedicate a song to you and of course the pints will be flowing.

Great hearing the news of the grandchild there Annie. They sure are precious and we wish you and family well.

Best,

RJ.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Ron, i was just thinking it's been 8 years since you guys jammed in the hotel lobby …then 18 months later, the Pub jams began …May 2008? … so is it the 4th Pub Jam? all a blur:)

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

In 2001 we had jams in hotel rooms then we had them in meeting rooms a couple of times for 2005 (fund raiser and my 50th) and 2006 also taking over the hotel lobby...
McVeigh PubJams have been in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012.
2014 is the 5th PubJam .

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Of course, if anyone has Gord's ear, they can let him know if he's killing time before the evening's show he's welcome to drop in and play a tune or two himself :)

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

And if you're not going to the Saturday night show, I'll be at Cafe Chez Helene, 1437 Kingston Road at Warden in Scarborough, doing a program of "Great Songs of the 60s and 70s" from 8 - 10 p.m. A good dose of Lightfoot included. $10 includes a free coffee/tea and pastry.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Well, I have to say I think this year's pub jam was the best yet, despite the late start due to traffic snafus ... all the performers did a terrific job and it was a pleasure to hear all the various renditions of songs both familiar and not-so-much. As always a tip of the hat to RJ for his excellent emceeing job. Hope someone nabbed some photos/audio/video that they can share. I think my girlfriend did some video of my humble set.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Ron did a terrific job, and i think it was his 5th anniversary event… this is the first time I ate there and it was good, and the company of sharp and witty, Wayne Francis made it the best Massey yet for me (but I missed Melissa and where the heck was Waldo Brinkley? was like a game trying to spot here!) …i hope you got and enjoyed your shirt :)

TG, did your girlfriend happen to film Wayne singing "Country Singer"? I'm sorry I missed it

You did a terrific job and I hope your night gig went well… here's a bit I got:

https://vimeo.com/113235361

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

It was a fabulous Pubjam this year. (Traffic snafu held things up but we pressed on!) A great variety of artists and tunes and packed house enjoyed all of it! I didn't cath any video as my lone battery was low. (I seemed to have lost the other 3 and 2 SD cards - damn!)
Ron pulled it off again and Liam and Myk were his helper elfs once more. Kudos to all involved in giving us an afternoon of entertainment and a chance to sit and enjoy spending time with fans and friends..
I do have pics but I hope Florian fixes the picture posting issue because it's still hit and miss but I never get a picture posted-just a thumbnail...

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

wow, those cards and batteries are not cheap (even though they are cheaper) and i hope there wasnt anything on them… you deserve to not be filming all the time anyhow :) … it's such a trade-off in trying to listen or to chatter with folks… Ron keeps the show going so there is not much time in between… it was nice that TG, Marissa and the guest of honour, Wayne Francis were new to the singing core this year… i'd like to hear a setlist because i missed anything prior to Ron singing EMR… i believe they played Never Too Close and Bitter Green and I'll Tag Along also … if there was a photo of Gord and Ron Jones, I'd love to see it!

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

yep - probably lost about 250.00 worth of stuff...

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Unfortunately she didn't get it as the videocam's battery was almost dead. Did anyone snag the young fellow who did Oh, Linda? That was a real showstopper.

Here's the footage we got ...

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

I hope someone caught Brady Corcoran doing Oh Linda too! he's a talented kid.. And Andy Mauck's impersonation of Gord's jokes and chit chat was priceless. All who were onstage were well received and heartily applauded.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Yes, the impersonations were a riot! We have to get a hold of those, or perhaps he can record some in the aftermath and put them up.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

it's hard to keep quiet when limited chances to talk to Gord fans you only see rarely, but I thought Myk was recording audio and the video I had could be synched up… not this year though… so there was talking by the mic (me too) for the Andy and Brady songs … Andy didnt realize he was surrounded by Lightheads I guess, cos he said the song Brady was about to play was super rare… but we all own Gord's first album, who doesn't? lol

i missed the impersonations with a "well sauced" guy chatting near me (he ended up sitting behind us at Massey and singing LOTS!) but I enjoyed the mini versions of On the High Seas, Spanish Moss, Looking at the Rain, etc… I'm sorry I missed Wayne's tribute song to Gord: the first one I ever heard into mid 90s, other than the early Guess Who one

here is another recent cover of Oh Linda, at the Harbourfront tribute on real standup bass… Brady did a nice job on guitar emulating it on lower strings … impressed how so many up there could sing GL tunes with lyrics engrained in brain!!! bravo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Zp...LBb2Vdn4k1szIA

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

i heard Andy tell "hare" joke, amidst some chatter but i didnt realize he was going Gord voice and couldn't see mannerisms …i was gonna set up close to front for filming but it took 2.5 hours to drive in and I missed the good video seating and noticed other cameras in action so didnt think much of it … btw, Gord told one joke 2x on Saturday night… end of a long run, what a trooper, as are his core concert goers… cheers to all :)

I'm looking for any pics of Stinson (with Kenyon, Scott and Gord!) and/or Ron Jones with Gord after the concert… all were heading down, and I'd have liked to join Wayne, but I headed off to my car which was parked in a icky lot, and check on my video gear, keyboard (brought just in case) and T shirt stash …i had thoughts of heading to Delta to see if there was lobby jam like old days …was keeping an eye open for Deb and sorry there was no post show plan … I did enjoy the Pantages lounge though, finally a real piano to be heard! :) good health all, til 2017!

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

btw, Wayne Francis (the much valued Lightfoot website creator from PEI) cracked me up most when he finished playing the Wreck and did the Gord line "we'll be back in 20 minutes!" … lol… the kicker was, that night Gord actually finished the Wreck but went into another tune to finish the first set, EMR

it was odd to hear CRT and EMR (both on the Gibson, capo 3rd fret… but well spaced apart) and no SFAWN or Alberta Bound… no Much to My Surprise either as I hadn't heard that live for almost two decades!

enjoyed Christian Island, Minstrel of the Dawn, Couchiching :)

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

That was a spectacular version at Harborfront with Tom Wilson and the string bass for sure, so glad I was there. I'm not one of those who had the lyrics imprinted in the brain, had to use a book LOL

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

lol, TG… well i didnt notice you peaking :)

Jenny and I were joking that we both nearly have the chorus lyrics memorized for Alberta Bound! ;)

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

I too thought it odd that he did CRT and then did EMR...
After the concert on Saturday night he told me he messed up the order of some tunes...lol

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

There ya go, even the master can mess up!

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Hi Friends.

Finally had a moment to recap the pub jam event and please forgive my shortcomings should they occur and please feel free to take note.

A most eventful day it was indeed. Many of us were stuck in traffic due to fatal encounter on the Don Valley Parkway which is the main route into the downtown core of Toronto.

Despite the huge delay in getting things up and running the pub jam took off quickly as things fell into place and this round was a real boomer!

McVeigh's understood and gave us a generous extension to make up for time lost so we were able to get everyone on who came to perform.

This was the first time Wayne Francis came to join us in performing so having him there was a most appreciated treat.
Wayne is a fine singer/songwriter from the East coast of Canada and his contribution was a huge highlight.
That big Gibson B45 twelve string of his rang out like a symphony!
Lots of cool stuff on his website.

Another highlight and surprise was our own TG up there sharing his vocals with us for the very first time. At previous pub jams he played bass. An all around musician he really is.
Thanks for "Circle of Steel" TG. It's one of my favs. Share more with us next round!

Andy Mauck rejoined us once again this time and what a wonderful show he puts on.
A real natural is Andy Mauck. Great stage presence.
Andy can act the part well and sing and play the the tunes with a refined skill.
Thanks for "Can't Depend on Love" Andy. That's a class act.
He also called up his friend Brady Corcoran to play lead with him on few tunes.
Great job on "I'm not Sayin'" there guys.
Brady has been with us before and when he's up there we know he's gonna' pull something off that everyone will love and true to the word he did the most amazing job on "Oh Linda."
It's still running through my brain. Thanks Brady. And thank you John Corcoran and Dorothy for your support in making it a fun time for all.

And once again we had our very sweet Anne Pryzkucki and what a wonderful job she did up there.
Anne continues to surprise us with her talent.
She has a lovely voice an she honoured my request for "Minstrel of the Dawn." Thank you Anne. Also she treated us to a very lovely song by Nathan Rogers (son of Stan Rogers) called "Jewell of Paris." Come back anytime Anne. We need to hear more from you.

Kenyon Wallace was with us in full form with his electric guitar and as an added treat backed Wayne Francis up on "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Some cool "Terry Clement" licks comin' in there I'll tell ya!
Kenyon is also a very fine singer and sounded it out with his smooth version of "Let it Ride." Great stuff there Kenyon.

A very special part of our event was when guitar virtuoso Paul Bartlett came on and backed up his singing partner "Mirelle" on Gord's sweet love song, "Beautiful."
Mirelle did a most "meltdown" version of that masterpiece and of course the classically trained former student of Red Shea, Gord's former lead guitar player did not leave a note unturned.
Paul also iced the cake with a most joyous Bach classically induced version of "If You Could Read My Mind." The notes are still computing in my slow and methodical mind.

We had pretty much the full contingent of the "Gordon Lightfoot Band" in the pub with us before the end of the day.
Once the parkway opened up, all who were stuck in the traffic jam made it in and we had time to get the Lightfoot voice of John Stinson up there to honour a very special request for "The Pony Man" from our dear Eva who makes the trek all the way from Frankfurt, Germany each time to attend the Massey shows and pub jam.
John came to the forefront and pulled it off like the Gordsong. Thanks John. Great seeing you again Eva.

The unfortunate void this time is that due to the delay we were unable to arrange video coverage of our gig.
Jimmy Jones, one of our most talented guys in many genres was in the traffic jam much further back than others.
We tend to rely on guys like Jimmy and he was into it as well but.....

Best laid plans, eh?

For the very first time we missed John Fowles and family.
John, Susan and Joan usually put on a social gathering during the festivities which gave folks an opportunity to mingle and and get to know one another through the music of Gordon Lightfoot. What better way to communicate?
We hope you guys are well and hope to see you next round.

It was great to meet Dan O'Malley and family.
Dan shared some cool photos which showed Gord in earlier times when they connected.
Thanks Dan.
Sorry I couldn't break away to spend more time with you at the pub.

We sure missed our dear Melissa though this time.
Her presence has been one we have looked forward to having with us in the past and we know she will be back when she can clear it through.

As we mentioned at the opening of the pub jam gig, our hats went off to our dear friends from the USA who joined with us to celebrate on their Thanksgiving Weekend by making other arrangements etc. We thank you and welcome you with open arms anytime.

We do it for the love of Lightfoot and

"We love the work!"

Thanks Gord.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

A wonderful recap, RJ, and I concur with everything you said. The one thing you left out, of course, was your fine emceeing and performing as well. Thanks for making it happen once again, better than ever.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Thanks so much TG.

Can't believe I left out Scott Williamson and Paul Bartlett backing me up on those tunes.

"It took most of my time to do what never was done."

Scott pulled out those old familiar Stockfish, Haynes bass notes despite an arm injury and of course Paul rolls out the Red Shea lead licks from the years of study he did with Red.
Sure was a great feeling up there with that caliber of musicianship backing me up.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

hey, I did bring HD camera and tripod and stuff but arrived late and didnt really push my way up to good viewing area until the end …i saw cameras everywhere and even thought i saw TG tripod but didnt realize battery crisis, lol… and char also had misadventures with sim cards and batteries, so sad

from a distance i was able to get a clip of Paul… lovely!

i had keyboard in car but didnt know if the band was gonna play… there was some extra room up near the stage this year and some good songs were chosen for adding some pads, maybe next time … i could have added some percussion too

https://vimeo.com/113716021

cheers and thanks again, Ron (Myk, Liam)

ps) you mean "Gordon Lightfoot TRIBUTE Band" … lol ;)

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Thank you JJ for that most important correction.

Very nice video of Paul. What a talent, eh?

We'll be sure to arrange the video aspect of things first and foremost in future events.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Gi DAy Folks:
I heard lately there was interest in 'LightHead-PJ-2014';
I have the entire audio version of the jam and will create a 'highlite vid/slideshow' to share BUT have a need for any/all pics taken of the fine folks who shared their talent.
NOTE RJ-You omitted yourself from the above LIST of ARTISTS-You,Paul&Scott followed Wayne!!!
Here is a list by act and # of pics I did take:
W.F.-2
R.J.Trio-0
T.G.-0
Andy-1
Brady-1
Anne-1
Kenyon&Crew-3(HEY-with such a beautiful wife&daughter you should have a BIG smile 24/7 work on it for next time!
Paul B.& Mirelle-0
G.L.T.B.(JJ-Is that acceptable?)-0

If anyone has any pics from McVeigh's 2014,-crowd shots, musicians chatting together after gig,NON-Lighthead folks at the bar(special interest to I.D. 'ATILLA-The Hungarian Hitman' who divulged his TRUE identity to me while I was trying to get a soda,TRUE cant make this up!!).
I have Outside pics of McVeigh's with new Paint job so that could be used.

Lastly-IF anyone who performed does not want to be included in this PLEASE let me know ASAP-happened in 2012 less problems in long run(JJ do you recall the frantic email after I sent you mp3 files?)
I enjoy doing this and will give it a few days(if anyone wants to send pics by email-PRV.msg me with your email and I'll provide my most current email add.)

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

Gi DAy Folks:
I heard lately there was interest in 'LightHead-PJ-2014';
I have the entire audio version of the jam and will create a 'highlite vid/slideshow' to share BUT have a need for any/all pics taken of the fine folks who shared their talent.
NOTE RJ-You omitted yourself from the above LIST of ARTISTS-You,Paul&Scott followed Wayne!!!
Here is a list by act and # of pics I did take:
W.F.-2
R.J.Trio-0
T.G.-0
Andy-1
Brady-1
Anne-1
Kenyon&Crew-3(HEY-with such a beautiful wife&daughter you should have a BIG smile 24/7 work on it for next time!
Paul B.& Mirelle-0
G.L.T.B.(JJ-Is that acceptable?)-0

If anyone has any pics from McVeigh's 2014,-crowd shots, musicians chatting together after gig,NON-Lighthead folks at the bar(special interest to I.D. 'ATILLA-The Hungarian Hitman' who divulged his TRUE identity to me while I was trying to get a soda,TRUE cant make this up!!).
I have Outside pics of McVeigh's with new Paint job so that could be used.

Lastly-IF anyone who performed does not want to be included in this PLEASE let me know ASAP-happened in 2012 less problems in long run(JJ do you recall the frantic email after I sent you mp3 files?)
I enjoy doing this and will give it a few days(if anyone wants to send pics by email-PRV.msg me with your email and I'll provide my most current email add.):headbang:
Ronnie-email me if this works and shows up on CORFID-
________________

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

I posted what video footage I had earlier in this thread, I don't have any photographs or audio footage.

Re: Pub Jam 2014
 

thanks for posting Myk - I hadn't got to it yet..did send around an e-mail tho...You got my pics from 2015..