The Voice Of Reason

I actually did some baking today, mince tarts and eccles cakes. Graham asked for mince pies so i bought some shells and a jar of mincemeat and some frosting for the top. That's how I always see them made here but apparently they need "lids", or pastry tops. I didn't have anything in to make pastry so i used some puff pastry and cut little stars out and put them on instead as i'd seen that in photos. They were fine :) I know they probably do sell them in the grocery stores but I didn't see any when we were out.

The Eccles cakes are actually a pastry with a currant mixture in them and are very nice. They hail from Eccles which is near Salford and Manchester though I believe various other towns have their own similar versions. This recipe came from a "Northern" cookbook and a friend of ours made them first. Loved them so I got the recipe. Actually I think I even have the book now I think of it. She may have given me hers or had a spare copy. They aren't too difficult to make especially if you can get the frozen puff pastry already in a rolled up sheet. You still have to roll it out thinner and rather than cut out circles of pastry, I just cut the rectangle in six squares and fill it that way. I buy the pastry in 2 boxes each containing two rolls and the mixture, with 375 g. bag of currants makes enough to fill a little more than 3 of the four rolls. If you get the full 500g. of currants it would make enough to use all I think. Here's the recipe if you're so inclined. I can't find it so i don't think i posted it here before and if i did, it's been awhile. They aren't that difficult or fiddly to make. Mix up the currants, roll out the pastry, fill the squares, fold over, make slices in the top, brush with butter/milk and sprinkle sugar on them and bake.

Eccles cakes

100g unsalted butter (a bit less than 1/2 cup)
300g Demerera sugar  (I could only get Turbinado, about a cup and a quarter)
500g small currants  (I used the 375g. bag they had at the grocery store)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
zest of an orange

2 x 500g ready made puff pastry
plain flour for dusting
1 tbsp ml homo milk for brushing
2 tbsp melted butter for brushing
sugar (use white or the Turbinado/Demerera)

Preheat oven to 425
Melt butter. In a large bowl mix melted butter, Demerera sugar, currants, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest.

Roll out the puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface to about 3 mm thick (quite thin really). Cut 12-15 cm discs from the pastry using a cookie cutter or other. When I can get the pre-rolled squares of the puff pastry, I roll them out longer and wider and thinner and cut each sheet into six squares and fill from there, folding the pastry around the bottom and pinching it all together.

Place a good tablespoon of the filling into the centre of each disc then brush the edges of the discs with a little cold water. Next, use fingertips to draw the edges over the filling to meet in the middle, scrunching them together to seal.

Turn over and flatten the scrunched underside by pressing down with the flat of hand or a glass bottom. They should be discs about 10cm across and about 1-2 cm thick depending on the amount of filling. Neaten the edges with the flat of a knife.

Cut three slits in the middle of the tops, then brush the tops with a mixture of milk and melted butter. Dip in sugar to coat the tops.
Transfer to a greased baking tray and bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown. (In an electric oven, I find it takes more than 15 minutes, keep checking and when they start to turn golden, take them out)

Social media and indeed media in general has gone viral today with tributes to David Bowie who died yesterday. I was a fan. Not one of those who knew all of his music and lyrics but a fan nonetheless. He was always on the soundtrack of my life, in all of his incarnations. That was the thing about Bowie. He was different things to different people because he was always different. He changed his persona and his music regularly, experimenting with new things all the time. It wasn't just about the look, it was about the sound and the feel, so you might have liked some of his music and not something else.

While Freddy Mercury's death affected me more, this has also saddened me. I listened to a live version of Life on Mars this morning and his voice, perfect even though he'd apparently recently had laryngitis, moved me to tears which surprised me, actually. I'm impressed but not surprised that though he was apparently ill for a year and a half, he kept producing music. I saw his latest video released last week and his new album is out this week. I thought, when I saw the video, that he was really showing his age but now I know why.

I know you hear people say that we shouldn't make such a big deal every time someone famous dies but quite often, those famous people have touched your life in some way even if you didn't know them personally. Bowie's music was woven through the fabric of most of our lives, whether he was a favourite or not. He was usually always there somewhere. If you grew up in the 70s and 80s in particular, he was more dominent then but still consistently put out amazing music even after then.

I read one quote that said his voice was like ice breaking. That was always one thing I found, you never expected that deep, powerful and emotion filled voice to come out of that skinny, pale body! His eyes were always so intense. But it was that voice...

His music will live on. 

Had a song running through my brain all week. Or part of one. Why is it when you get an "earworm" you only get a few lines of it repeating over and over even when you know most of the words? This time, at least, it was a song that always makes me happy. Mr. Blue Sky by ELO. This version of a video is all sunny and filled with happy.  It could have been so much worse! I shall keep playing that video to prevent any lesser and more annoying song from penetrating my brain!
( Just to add to your pleasure, here's the lyrics )
This weekend Canada celebrates Thanksgiving, earlier than the US one by about 5 or 6 weeks. According to some sources, the tradition of a Thanks-giving in Canada can possibly be traced back to the mid 16th century when explorer Martin Frobisher held a celebration to thank God for surving a perilous journey across the ocean. Days of Thanks were not just for harvests and the tradition goes back further than that even so when North America was settled, it was just a carry on of the tradition. We also know that Champlain had feasts in thanks for harvests and these celebrations started at the end of the harvest and continued on through winter, including some of the local native tribes. That would be when he founded Port Royal in Nova Scotia in 1605, predating the first loosely recorded Thanksgiving feast in the US by nearly 20 years. Those feasts were held by the early Pilgrim settlers in the New England area. The reason it's earlier in Canada is probably to do with our winters coming earlier.

It also means Monday is a holiday (at least for banks and governments, I think retail outlets are open but i may be wrong. They will, however, be open Sunday). We're having our family feast on Sunday though, because my sister works for a call center that keeps American holidays so she has to work on Monday.

I've been perusing some of the reviews for the Queen concerts, from Toronto, Montreal and last night's gig in New York. You know most of the serious newspapers are not going to have a lot of good to say and true to form the Globe and Mail and the New York Times reviews were churlish and petty. While they also raise some truths, they're probably not fans and for fans, the concerts were pretty fucking awesome. Did the middle acoustic set and solos drag things down? Yes, a bit, the solos put some focus on the band members who take a back seat to the lead singer who garners a lot of the attention most of the time,  and having video of  Freddie is also a treat for long time fans. It's a Queen concert, after all, not an Adam Lambert solo concert. He's there for Queen, not for his own material, so showcasing Freddie is a nice tribute.

While I do think Adam Lambert does a very good job, and I don't want to compare him to Freddie too much, it's inevitable and I wasn't sure how to explain what I thought of the differences between the two. He's very much the type that a front man for Queen needs to be, that's for sure. But a couple of reviews hit the nail on the head. Freddie's voice has more richness, one said, and another talked about Freddie's presence on stage as having authority. Yes, that's it, exactly. Freddie really did command the stage and his voice had the authority and richness and depth, no matter how high or low the octave. Most people's singing does tend to go a bit wobbly at the high end of their range, or sound screechy. Adam's does a little, too but he does have a pretty good range and the material requires it.

The reviews from the Montreal Gazette and the New York Daily News were a lot more balanced, I thought. Ok, maybe  a lot more positive than negative but since I enjoyed the concert so much, I'd agree with them anyway! A few of my friends have seen the concerts and they have all been blown away. One saw them in New York last night and said it was "wicked"!

I concur.

Queen is doing a short North American tour in June-July and they're playing in Montreal and Toronto! Now, ok, Freddie's dead and nobody can really fill his shoes. The last person they took on board, Paul Rogers, did not impress me though the CD they recorded of original work with him was good. I saw some early video footage of him on stage with them and he seemed to be dressed like Freddie and trying to emulate him in style when he was singing. It really put me off and although I did get the cd, i would never have considered seeing them live.

Last year, hmmm might have been the year before actually, Queen (or at least, Brian May and Roger Taylor, because John Deacon has retired from the band) did some gigs in London with Adam Lambert who is a former winner or participant of American Idol. He's made a fairly successful career for himself and is quite popular. One of my coworkers is an uber-fan and went to two of the three concerts in London. I saw some Youtube video of it and I have to say, Adam did a very good job. He did his own thing, and though did come across as flamboyant, he's apparently like that anyway and it seemed to be his own way with a nod to Freddie as well. He seems in awe of the legends that he's standing on stage with (and well he should be!) but he seems to fit in nicely.

So anyway, turns out they're doing this tour with Adam and I'm going to do my very best to snag a ticket to the Montreal show. My friend at work will be going and possibly her husband and another person at work in another department, also possibly. She's planning to drive up to Montreal so I said I'd go as well and contribute to the costs and the driving. We can share the hotel but if her husband is going, I may just get my own room as I don't really know him all that well and I'd be more comfortable on my own or sharing with the other woman even though I don't know her at all. Then on the weekend, I was talking to one of my old friends from school who was looking for a concert buddy. She has tickets to George Thorougood in May and I said i might go. I have seen him before but it's usually a good one. Queen came up and she's very interested. I think she's going to try to get her own ticket even if we don't end up sitting together. We can share a hotel room for sure, and with my coworker or the other gal if it's all girls together. I think she'll fly up. I will still go with my coworker because I promised and that was the whole idea, a road trip. My coworker was thinking of staying on in Montreal. She thought about trying to get a ticket to see Katy Perry who's playing there the next night. I don't mind KP but i don't think I want to spend the money on a concert. I thought I'd probably just come back myself on the train or fly and if my other friend is going, we could fly back together.

Anyway, it's all up in the air. The tickets go on sale Friday though early tickets can be got today I think, if you have American Express but we'll see how the week plays out. By the weekend I should know who's got what and who's going. Other plans can be made from there. I might actually get to see Queen!!! My all time favourite band!! It's definitely a bucket list band for me and even if Freddie isn't there, I think it will be a great show.

And tick off another one of those "try something new" items. I wish I had been able to see Queen back in the day but I never could, and then it was too late once Freddie died.

I've long been a fan of Rush though not a very dedicated fan. I haven't really followed them much over the past many years so I'm not as familiar with their newer material. Having said that, when they came to Halifax this weekend, I wanted to see them because I never have seen them live. I knew they were touring to promote a cd from 2012, Clockwork Angels and Friday night's show had apparently featured quite a lot of that so I was prepared not to hear most of my old favourites on Sunday night.

The concert started off on a familiar note with Subdivisions. The next few and most of the first half were from older albums though I didn't know some of them but it didn't really matter. Rush puts out an awesome wall of sound for just three men. Alex Lifeson has a masterful control of his guitars and it never feels like he's "screaming" the notes out for the hell of it. He blazes his solos with precision and every note, whether it's achingly drawn out, menacingly crunching, or furiously buzzing up and down the strings with all the others is a joy to the ears. Neal Peart was surrounded by a percussion cage that spun around when he wanted to play the gear behind him and he demonstrated more than once that he's one of the greats. Geddy Lee's heart pounding bass lines rumble along underneath all of it, pulling it together in ways you don't even realize if you, like me, aren't a musician.

The stage was a pseudo carnival that cashes in on the recent Steampunk craze. Geddy's keyboard stand was decorated with gears. The drum set looked like it was sitting on a carrousel type stand, there were lights and dials and gears scattered around. The big video screen often showed the band members playing as if on a 50s style sci-fi video type screen with controls and levers and various other types of framing. The video show through much of the gig was great, with animation, cut out style graphics, and even a fun video of the band dressed up as g-nomes harassing a tax collector who had to find his way through the corridors of what looked like an old steam plant.

They even took Steampunk literally at one point, when the dry ice laid a cloud around the feet of Alex Lifeson, bathed him in blue light before Geddy came back to the microphone. There were pyrotechnics with flames blasting high at the back of the stage along with a thunderous bang and explosions of sparks. We could feel the heat from where we were!

During the Clockwork Angel songs, they were backed by a fantastic string ensemble (More about them here) but don't think of theses eight men and women as sedate, classical background noise. They rocked and rolled and filled in the back of the tracks with awesomeness gleaned out of their cellos and violins.

They ended the concert with Spirit of Radio which I love. While the crowd was loving every minute of it all, when they launched into the more familiar, the energy level of the audience lifted into the rafters and you could tell that the energy of the band suddenly matched it. It was as if, during the newer material, they enjoyed themselves but now, it felt like they were letting loose and having more fun. The encore was a fan-favourite mix of Tom Sawyer and my personal all-time favourite, a mixture of bits from 2112 including the Overture, Temples of Syrinx and bits of the rest of that 1976 concept album. It really made my night having heard that done live.

It's actually Bastille Day and I was hoping they'd play that hit. They really missed one by not doing it, I think! Someone commented to me that they didn't think Geddy could hit those ultra high notes anymore and that may be so.

I enjoyed the show in spite of not knowing most of the music and liked enough of the new material that I think I will investigate Clockwork Angels, as well. It's got a lot of good, solid rock that Rush do so well. One review I read said they played their new material with "conviction and courage" and because they did, the audience was quickly won over, even if they, like me, were hoping for a few more of the older hits.

A Flickr set of photos is here. There are more on my Facebook page

A couple of asides:
The new album is also supporting a Steampunk novel, Clockwork Angels, that Neal Peart and author Kevin J. Anderson wrote. Amazon describes the story as: The newest album by Rush, Clockwork Angels, sets forth a story in Neil Peart’s lyrics that has been expanded by him and Anderson into this epic novel. In a young man’s quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life. Hmmm....I may have to check that out!

Rush are the good guys. They always were and their next tour date, July 24 has been turned into a benefit concert for the Calgary flood relief. They had to cancel due to venue safety but are putting it on in nearby Red Deer, Alberta and donating all the profits from it for the benefit of people that lost so much in the recent floods. They have long been one of Canada's most respected bands and this is a very good example why.

More good news, Rush was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and about time!

Cheap Trick was awesome!!!
We got there just before the doors opened at 7:15 and i made my way straight up near the stage. It was standing room only but there were a few rows of chairs set up at the back of the room. I did go with four other people but mostly, they stayed at the back. I stayed at the front for most of it, hemmed in by the time it really got going. I did get some pretty good photos though, close enough that the flash worked which is always better for reducing camera shake.

There was actually more songs that I didn't know than I did, having only really been familiar with the radio hits. I think I did own Live at Budokan at one point but I don't remember what else was on it now. The first familiar song was 5 in, "If You Want My Love". Later on, Robin Zander poured out a soulful version of The Flame that most of us slow danced to back in the day but after that they jumped into my all time favourite Cheap Trick songs, "I Want You To Want Me" and "Surrender". They saved Dream Police for an encore and we were a bit disappointed they didn't do "Ain't That A Shame" or "Don't Be Cruel" which are two of my other favourites. It didn't really matter, though. They were great! Full setlist here.

Rick Nielson is still a real showman at 66 and fooled around, made faces, and showed off his many guitars through the show, from old, scarred and beat up to shiny and red. The famous 5 masted guitar was saved for the final encore song. Don't think I've ever seen a guitar quite like that before! Tom Petersson, the bass player had a beautiful guitar, it had a peacock motif all glittery and shiny. The drummer was not the legendary Bun. E. Carlos however. I have heard he's either retired or off with a health problem. The drummer would appear to be Daxx Nielson, Rick's son and he  was very good.

At one point, Rick introduced a song as being written for the end credits of the "best movie ever filmed". Someone in the audience quipped "Up the Creek!" to which he more or less snorted but was actually referring to ... er... i can't remember the name and I can't find a reference to it on imdb or on the wiki site. Oh well. never mind. He had guitar picks lined along his mike stand, ready for flicking into the audience and he also tossed handfuls as well, much to everyone's delight but by the time he'd thrown handfuls, I had finally made my way to the back of the room with the rest of my friends! I would have been in the prime spot to catch one, too! Not meant to be.

As always, photos here on Flickr. I'll put these and some more of the less favourites on Facebook tonight or tomorrow.

July 10 - Going to see John Mellencamp with my cuz.
July 12 - Going to see Cheap Trick with a friend from school, Shirley.
Two gigs in three days. My ears are going to hate me. I think i'll get some earplugs. The Cheap Trick gig is at the Casino, not the big Metro Centre so i expect it will seem louder. Mellencamp is in a smaller stadium but it will rock the place. CT is standing room only, no seats but then, once they start playing, everyone stands up anyway so everyone else has to or they won't be able to see.

There's a site called JibJab where you can upload face photos and they can get inserted into a funny little bit of video. G. did one with him and a few mates into one that was a parody of a Katy Perry video, I forget which song now but i realized that there are a few of her songs i actually like. I'm shocked, really, because though i do like a lot of different kinds of music, the current pop stuff isn't something i tend to favour. I downloaded two of her cds and there's about 8 songs i really like that i've loaded onto my iPod. I think my favourite is called Hot n Cold. The chorus makes me want to dance around singing. I'll admit it. Also like her Firework song, E.T., Last Friday Night, California Gurls, I Kissed a Girl (because it reminds me of our road trip to Cape Breton, it was all over the radio that year). There's a few others. I find them really catchy and bouncy and not run of the mill like most of the stuff i hear and that surprises me but there you go. There's also a Kelly Clarkson one i kind of like, Since You've Been Gone.

Should i hang my head? Nah. I likes what  I likes and my iPod shows quite a range, from Nine Inch Nails, Alice Cooper, to Johnny Cash, ELO, The Killers, Queen,... pop, country, Irish/Celtic, hard rock, metal, industrial, electronica, there's even a Josh Grogan song on there though I have no idea why.

Excellent day, in the end. I had a slow morning and early afternoon then my friend T called and asked if i wanted to go to a free concert at the Casino. A band called The Stanfields that she liked was playing. Sure why not! Only when she was about to leave to come get me did she tell me it's outside, btw. Oh dear. It's cold outside today and windy. Rethink the wardrobe choice and wear winter coat and scarf. Sorted.

But my hands still got mighty cold at times but at least the building shielded the wind off the water. I've never heard their stuff before but i was highly impressed. It's hard to describe, but sort of folky, sort of rock, grunge, kitchen party, celtic, quite a mix really. They can be folky, but they can also play hard and loud and fast though not metal by any means. I mused that they were sort of like Great Big Sea on steroids. Great Big Sea says “The Clash meets Steve Earle” and “The Bastard Children of ACDC and Stan Rogers” according to the local radio station Q104 (all this from their website) You can listen to some of their stuff on the site but it's less aggressive than it was played live. I took lots of pictures. There's a lot on facebook but a couple dozen of the better ones on Flickr. There's a lot of the lead singer because i was standing right in front of him!

Oh,.... and... I'm pretty sure i'm going to see U2 in Moncton this summer!!! my friend T bought two tickets and transport. She knew she'd find someone to take the other ticket and U2 is one of her Bucket List bands. She wasn't going to miss them! I didn't realize her company had rented a bus to take a group of people from Halifax right to the venue gates and back home again which would have solved one of my issues. This is an outdoor concert in a field and she also paid the extra to get bleacher seats. That's the other issue i had. I didn't think i could stand all day. It's not cheap but i have a month coming up with three pay periods so there's a bit extra there. I do like U2 and if i go, which i think i will, i know i'll enjoy it.

Christmas song!
This year's song, the one gramie_dee writes for me every Christmas, is about one of my favourite things, Coronation Street!!! It's really good and has a few cool bits in it like a couple of sound clips and two different versions of the theme tune :)))

You can hear it here.

Corrie Crazy

1

Ever heard of Ken Barlow?
Or Kevin Webster does he ring a bell?
How about Roy and Hayley?
Maybe Sunita do you know her well?
I know someone
Who can name everyone
Of the people on that famous street
What she doesn't know
Ain't worth getting to know
Her expertise can knock you off your feet

2

Remember Ena Sharples?
And Minnie Caldwell as her faithful tug?
But can you name the third person
Who used to join them in the Rover's snug?
The gargantuan task
Of all the questions you'd ask
Can be directed to the one I know
From the hard to sublime
She'll get it right every time
And then she'll even add a little bit "to go"

Chorus

She's Corrie Crazy
There's nothing that she doesn't know
Corrie Crazy
She should be starring in the show
Crazy
She's Corrie Crazy

3

Talk about Alan Bradley
Making sure that Rita's fate was sealed
Then we had Richard Hillman
The Doctor Lecter of Wetherfield
Bradley got in a jam
When he caught the wrong tram
And on the Promenade gave his last wave
Richard Hillman went down
With a terrible frown
As he drove in to a watery grave