The Skydiggers Will Give You Everything and More!

Slow Burning Fire - The Skydiggers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Y6SiKhjew

What we have here is an perfect way to describe the career of The Skydiggers. A Slow Burning Fire that leads to a lifetime of satisfying passion. 

The irony is that this song is a cover of a Tammy Wynette and George Jones original duet. Can't imagine it eh? Me neither. But the versions are like night and day - one is sultry and seductive the other is country fluff. Sorry, country fans no offense intended. But you know, it's like the Neil Diamond song Red Red Wine covered by UB40. More people know and recognize the cover version. The same is true for this song. Two completely different takes on the same song with amazing results.  

Back to the career and song analogy, The Skydiggers have been a fixture on the Canadian music landscape for nearly 3 decades, releasing a total of 15 albums. The "fire" that is their career has burned brightly if not furiously and I (for one) am eternally grateful that Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson (two founding members) have patiently stoked and cared for that fire through all the unintentional attempts at putting it out. 

It's almost a comedy of errors, the unfortunate demise of the record labels that the band signed with in the early years. Both Enigma Records that initially signed the band and FRE Records that signed them after, both went bankrupt throwing the distribution of albums in jeopardy. Promotion was almost non-existant. It was in 1995 with the release of a fourth album when the band signed with Warner Brothers that the tide seemed to turn. However, the availability of their previous releases including their most popular Restless was sketchy at best with the ongoing legal limbo. 

I can't help wonder that with some solid distribution and promotion if this band might not have become more than what it is today. I am personally disturbed when I mention this band and so many people look at me like I am speaking a foreign language. There is some recognition when you remind them of I Will Give You Everything but I want more energy and enthusiasm! This band deserves so much more recognition than they have and I pledge to do my best to change that. I am elated when I introduce a friend (or two) to the band and they are hooked. Amazed and blown away they become new fans for ever! 

Some Say - The Skydiggers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BctkiiWdBEg

I've been a music fan all my life and began my love affair with this band in the early stages of their career when I heard the single I Will Give You Everything and had to have the album. Yes, I had to! Of course with time that album was replaced with a CD version because like many of the best bands I've heard, I fell in love with all the other tracks on this release. Some Say remains one of my all-time favourites. 

But a groupie I am not. I am far from a teenage girl and my interest in following bands is primarily for musical enjoyment although the odd fantasy never hurt anyone ;). I have an intensely keen admiration for the singer/songwriter/musician that is able to transport me to another time or place or grasp my heart and soul with a healing touch. A life long lover of music my live music passion and attendance has only become a contributing factor in the past 5 years or so. You could say I'm making up for lost time. 

But like my new friend said of seeing The Skydiggers at the Carleton Music Bar and Grill the other day, it is quite a different experience all these years later and in a smaller venue. The music is the same if the band members are not, but watching Andy Maize "perform" with his entire body on stage is such a pleasure. There is NO ONE quite like Andy in talent and antics! 

I go to live performances early. I sit close to the stage where the acoustics aren't the best but the view can't get anymore up close and personnel. If you hang around like an ardent fan you often get to meet other like-minded people as well. It was great to meet Shawn and hear about his passion for the band and share some knowledge and pics. And of course I met one of my best friends, Debra because of shared musical passion. 

Many times I have raved about how much I enjoy The Carleton Music Bar and Grill for live music events. Every time I go my admiration for Mike, John and all the staff grows. I like the personal touches, I like the tables underneath the stage, the beer flows cold and the atmosphere is familial. And after almost every show I have attended, you can belly up to the bar with the members of the band you just heard! It's the night cap on a night that you often don't think can possibly get any better...and then it does! 

Because when a show ends the burning desire to fill my soul with music doesn't end. I leave warmed by the fire and the passion and left to kindle the flames with the pictures and the conversation.

But could somebody please help me out, I forgot to ask about the origin of the band name. I love it and would like to know if there is any significance to The Skydiggers name that Andrew Cash coined.

The "Marquee" outside the Carleton Music Bar and Grill

The stage set up

Jessy Bell Smith and Andy Maize do a little Shimmy :)

And they are so happy doing it...joy! 

Seriously hard to capture this guy standing still on stage

Got 'cha!

Derrick Brady baritone on the bass

Josh Finlayson Co-founder and guitar and vocals

Andy Maize in I in the dark lol

Jessy Bell Smith, me and Josh Finlayson

First set list

Second set list

Promotional Poster signed by the band

Please check out my YouTube Channel for more musical videos and live performances

The Skydiggers - official website

http://www.skydiggers.com/

Wiki - The Skydiggers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skydiggers
Photographs are the property of Liz Gigi Sdraulig and may not be reproduced without permission. Please and thank you.

Canada's Got Talent - according to me!

Somebody That I Used to Know - Walk off the Earth 

Gotye cover

I am just going to give a shout out to this band because I think they are amazing. If you know me, you know I am passionate about music and I especially love Canadian talent. What can I say, musicians and comedians you can't compete with the originality and style of our own home-grown Canucks. Not everyone will agree I am sure but I find that for the most part, there is something that I cannot pinpoint or define in words that when I hear a song I feel like it has a uniquely Canadian style...and with the exception of some San Francisco bands...I am rarely wrong. I know it is weird, but it is true.

I first heard Walk Off the Earth and this particular song when someone posted it on facebook. I was enthralled and shared it on my wall. I wasn't alone, within a day or two, this video was being talked about on Breakfast Television and the Toronto newscasts. In less than a week, they made an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show boasting 32 million YouTube hits! I laughed when Ellen presented the band with 5 electric guitars and amps so they wouldn't have to share a guitar anymore. Made for good television and it was comical but having watched all of their other videos they have posted on YouTube, it wasn't necessary. Making what they hope will be a "catchy" video for their audience, Walk Off the Earth routinely throw guitars, ukuleles around the set and share instruments. It seems they would do anything to make a video that is more than just a band sitting/standing with their instrument making music. But comedy routines aside, you wouldn't bother watching if the music wasn't good. Admittedly, I have never been a huge fan of covers as I generally prefer the original version. Although UB40's version of Neil Diamonds' Red Red Wine was a notably exception. UB40 never tried to make it sound like Neil's and I think that was the appeal. It was completely different, they took a ballad and gave it a reggae and feel. To this day, I can't decide which one I like better as they both have their merits, but they are like two completely different songs. 

Back to Walk Off the Earth. While they do write some of their own songs, I have to admit that most of my favourite songs in their repertoire are the covers that they do. They don't make drastic beat changes like UB40 but they do make it their own, so much so that I prefer their version in most cases. It is the quality/richness of their voices and their harmonies. They have a unique sound to their voices and something that pulls you in. And yes, I admit the fact that they are all easy on the eyes sure doesn't hurt. Even the seeming stoic "bearded guy" draws people to want more. The talent of the band is outstanding, They play a multitude of instruments and aren't afraid to think outside of the box and use household objects to get just the right sound, like the microwave opening and closing. Watch closely and you will even see a drumstick attached to a mandolin so more than one instrument can be played simultaneously. 

Without a label backing them up, and using their own funds and in some cases decidedly unprofessional equipment, Walk Off the Earth has put out 3 albums and over 60 videos on YouTube. They hail from Burlington, Ontario, which is between Toronto and Niagara Falls in the Golden Horseshoe. You don't have to like them but if you do, let them know and subscribe to their channel. Give them a chance. You will know which songs are covers, listen to both versions and then decide if what I am saying has any merit :)

Here are a few of my favourites (beside the one at the top of course):

Home -  Mumford and Sons cover

Sunburnt Hands - Danny Tieger cover

Backin' Up Song - Gregory Brothers cover

Corner of Queen - original composition

Enjoy and always - share the music with the world!

Merry Christmas, Buon Natale, Feliz Navidad, Kellemes Karacsonyi, Joyeux Noël, Sretan Bozice...to you all that I love and care for :) xoxo

Little Drummer Boy - Neil Diamond 

Christmas and family...it just goes together? Or does it? With all the commercialism and trappings of how Christmas is supposed to be, what do we do if we fall short for some reason. Like being alone? I just received an unexpected phone call from a friend who will be spending the holidays alone. Kind of sad, but in a lot of cases, including his own, he is okay with that. Certainly has been doing it for many years at any rate. However if you are alone and don't want to be, pop into the closest hospital or seniors residence, I bet that there are people there who are similarly alone and don't want to be. 

In a cosmopolitan area like the Greater Toronto Area, there is enough diversity that the Christmas holidays are not observed at all. There are malls, movie theaters and grocery stores that are open, and churches too. In fact the other day I noticed that that iconic symbol of Canadian culture - Tim Hortons - will be open on Christmas Day in one of those multi-cultural communities. Kinda makes me sad really, this country was founded on a principal of freedom of religion. People knew then and still know today that they will not be persecuted in Canada regardless of their religious affiliation. Unless you are a true Native American, you are an immigrant to Canada. But most of us call ourselves Canadian and appreciate the life and liberty that we are entitled to because we are Canadian. All the immigrants that landed on the shores of this great country and the vast majority of them embraced the culture and customs of the new land while at the same time sharing some of the food and traditions of their homeland. It was wonderful and exciting. You could visit Little Italy, Chinatown or the Finnish grocery store and be swept into another land without your feet leaving the ground. 

But then things began to change. The turning point in my mind is when in 1990 our federal government permitted our beloved Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Dudley Do-Right, to become decidedly un-Canadian. The uniform that the world and the country associated with the RCMP was gone in the name of Religious freedom. That opened up the flood gates to allow countless changes to the way we as Canadians viewed our selves. We were no longer a collective trying to become a cohesive unit within a diverse nation, but rather a minority trying to change the country into the one they left for a better place. If everything was so great there...go back! For in bending over backwards and changing to preserve your religious freedoms, you are trampling all over mine. Children are not allowed to have Christmas Concerts at school, stores advertise Holiday Sales and people wish Season's Greetings. It's wrong!!!

So I purposefully chose the song by Neil Diamond because he is in fact Jewish and singing and celebrating with the Christian community by offering his interpretation of several Christmas songs. This one happens to be a favourite of my mothers and I think Neil does an excellent version of it. I have absolutely no interest in converting someone from their chosen religion. I don't care if you worship trees or Buddha. To each his/her own, but to that end, I deserve the same respect. leave me alone to believe what I want and how I want. Come to Canada, stay, live and prosper but we were a great country before you came...if you don't like us the way we are....leave. You are now infringing on my rights. 

I don't know who wrote the following letter that I received in an e-mail. But it was not me and I own no part of it. I would give credit where credit was due if I knew. In it's jocularity, there is a spur of truth that really hit home with me and made me a bit sad. Either way, I hope you enjoy.

And from me to you  MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

 Have a..a... 'good one', But ONLY if you want to!

Dear Friend / Family member,

I wanted to send some sort of holiday greeting to you, but it is difficult in today's world to know
exactly what to say without offending someone. So I met with my lawyer yesterday and on his/her advice I wish to say the following:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday practiced with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious / secular persuasions and / or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2012, but not without due respect for the calendar of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make our country great (not to imply that Canada is necessarily greater than any other country) and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms: 
This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her / him or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. The wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Best Regards (without prejudice)

Name withheld (Privacy Act)

A Frog Who Dreamed of Being a King

I Am I Said by Neil Diamond

"I am I said to no one there 

And no one heard at all not even the chair

I am I cried 

I am said I

And I am lost and I can't even say why

Leaving me lonely still"

I wasn't more than 16 years old. I was in the grips of a very lonely and sad period of my life for reasons I don't want to get into. I heard this song again and it touched me to the deepest part of my soul. It was released in 1971 and one of the first albums that my mom bought for me and it began a life long love affair with the man and his music. The talent this man has blows my mind. Especially in the 1970's and 1980's I got a lot of comfort from this singer/songwriter. My first foray into celebrity worship, I belonged to his fan club and once in the early 1980's I even spoke to him on the phone through a radio promotion on CHUM-FM. But I have never attended one of his concerts...either lack of money or impossible schedule co-ordination. But I have a massive collection of his albums and cassettes and even some CD's although there I opted for a box set. There were just too many to replace a third time...lol!

But I digress...back to 16 years old and lonely. I can't listen to the song without bringing back the visual of a sad girl sitting cross-legged in front of the house, oblivious to the traffic going by. In the house and through the open front door one song blares over and over again. This song. And back in the day when there was no "repeat" button, the girl with tears streaming down her face got up and lifted the needle off the record to expertly place it back to the beginning and play and sing and cry all over again.

It could have been written about me. I related to every word. I felt invisible like I was reaching out to people but being shut out or turned away. I wanted to be a part of family, I wanted to be valued, I wanted to be normal...but I was none of it. Like Neil Diamond not feeling a part of either coast, I felt like I didn't belong, didn't fit in. The difference being...I could say why. But I didn't want to say why. I was tired of being "that poor disfigured (ugly) girl who lost her whole family and look at her now." To me that is the frog who dreamed of being a king. I wanted to be like everyone else. Happy family dinners. Being loved. Having someone care if you lived or died. Yeah, it's harsh but it is the way I felt at the time. What is worse is that today...30 years later...not much has changed...