Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel | It Was Jimmy Page All Along
I love tracking session musicians. Probably this started when I figured out as a teenager that Carol Kaye was the bass player on a ridiculous number of my favourite...
Back Stories | My 2012 Interview With Kris Kristofferson
Like millions of others, I was sad to read that Kris Kristofferson died over the weekend at the age of 88. Unlike millions of others, I was lucky enough...
Next Week in Music | Sept. 30 – Oct. 6 • The (Not Very)...
Yep, 32. Things are officially getting out of hand around here. And fall hasn't even peaked yet. But hey, enough about my meaningless problems. Let's talk about you: What...
Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel | Brian Jones Show & Tell
I am currently reading Paul Trynka’s excellent biography of Brian Jones, chosen because I realized I knew precious little about the man who formed and named the greatest rock...
Thunder Pie | Everything I Gave You Was Already Yours
“Perhaps it takes courage to raise children.”
— John Steinbeck
There were these days when I would pull the kids in my garden wagon. Down the street to the church preschool...
Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel | Listening To The Worst Album Covers
A decade ago I decided it would be cool to change my Facebook profile photo to a different "awful album cover" every single day for a year. Since then,...
Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel | Pre-MAPL Rock Albums You Need To Hear
It's unusual for Canadian rock stars to try to get by solely on sales and gigs in this country alone. Those who really want to go for it head...
Thunder Pie | The Walkin’ Talkin’ Shepherdstown Battlefield Blues
The soldier was tired but his heart was on fire. Racing up through the deep ravine at a double-quick, he’d had the sense that someone else was inside his...
20 Questions With Gary Van Miert / The Sensational Country Blues Wonders!
As someone wiser and more eloquent than I once said: Life is not a question, but it poses a lot of them. Especially if you are Gary Van Miert....
Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel | Whole Lotta Lotto Love
This week's $80 million Lorro Max draw (apparently split between two winners in Ontario and Quebec) got me thinking about the fact that few people would enjoy a jackpot...
And The 47th Annual Schmolaris Prize Goes To…
Well, it's that time of year again. The time when Canadian music lovers congregate reverently in front of their screens and devices to celebrate the greatest independent artistic achievement...
Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel | If I Were Jack White
We just bought one of those dream home lottery tickets. I never like the lottery homes, and would always opt to sell the damn thing and get something more...
Thunder Pie | There’s Another Way
There’s another way across the parking lots of broken glass like berries in a field. There’s another way of describing what happened. There’s another way to capture the essence....
Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel | Not All Vinyl Is Created Equal
More and more I've been seeing the word "styrene" in record descriptions on Discogs. The online selling / shopping / cataloguing service allows you to list, buy or sell...
Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel: Playlist Payload
I have had a bunch of half-baked column ideas lately. I can come up with what seems like a cool topic to write about — but once I start...