“I have done nothing all summer but wait for myself to be myself again.”
―Georgia O'Keeffe
P R O S E
Dear readers,
Greetings from “le chalet” – our cute little 50’s family cottage up in the Gatineau. It’s cooling down in the evenings but nice enough today that I’m chillin’ on the dock in my swimsuit. Despite having a cast on my left arm that I can’t get wet, I’ve been “swimming” with the help of a floatie and a giant plastic mitt called a cast protector. It’s kind of like a sous-vide bag for your limb. My love for water overpowers the steaming effect the bag has on my arm on a warm day. Unable to paddle or do too much, I wasn’t sure the cottage would be for me. But it’s amazing how time disappears when you’ve got the water and skies to watch, the loon family to observe, a fire to host your quiet contemplations and acapella songs, and you surrender to the sleepiness of it all.
For those of you out of the loop, on August 2nd I had a little accident on my bicycle. I hit the brakes too hard, flew over my handlebars and did a belly slide on the pavement. Turns out I broke a little bone the size of a peanut in my wrist called the “scaphoid”. Thankfully I was close to home and a kind stranger hosed off my road rash in her kitchen sink. I am just over halfway through my cast sentence and it’s been quite an experience. I am unable to play guitar – I tried slide and no bueno. I am unable to lift or pull or grip anything over 1lb, I type/text with one hand, can’t get it wet so cooking/washing dishes is a challenge. And I’m off work. This is the longest I’ve gone in my life without putting my hair up and I am rocking the baseball cap look cause I cant wash my hair too good either. It is amazing how our bodies adapt though! I’ve had multiple near misses in my life and due to my stubborn youthful drive I tend to get right back on the horse a little too soon. Because of that I have a lot of chronic pain to manage so I am committed to healing this injury properly.
Thanks to contributions from family, friends, and my extended community and a little EI, I am able to focus on healing and the many weeks of rehab needed to get back to where I was. I met a woman recently in yoga class who came up to tell me about how she once broke her elbow. The doctors told her she’d never have mobility but she said now she doesn’t even remember which elbow it was, thanks to yoga. This cast on my left arm has been an absolute annoyance, slightly scary (i.e. when will I be able to play guitar again?!), the best lesson in patience, and most importantly a great friend maker. It invokes conversation, it forces me to ask for help (something I can be terrible at), and it harbours human connection in a way I didn’t expect. I carry a sharpie everywhere I go now and am happily collecting an array of cute autographs and drawings
The wind is picking up and a back and forth complex conversation between Blue Jays tells me it’s time to put the arm bag on and go for a “swim”. Until next time…
S H O W S + S O N G S
a compilation of voice notes
from my phone
never really meant to be heard
sharing this felt like it would help me
maintain some level of sanity
as I heal through this injury
and perhaps earn some funds to support
while I've only got the use of one hand
some songs are covers
some songs are unfinished, unpolished works in progress
some songs are just for fun
M U S I C
F E A T U R E D F R I E N D
Mike T. Kerr
Where are you? What'd you have for breakfast? And what are you up to today?
I'm at home in the west end of Toronto, eating scrambled eggs on sourdough with margarine, drinking Rogue Wave coffee from Edmonton, and watching a Youssef Chahine film from 1954 with an English title The Devil of the Desert, starring a pretty dang young Omar Sharif. Today I'm running through union songs for a labour day event I'm performing in. I'm going to be leading a sing along with a group of IWW members! But mostly that consists of me listening to Joe Glazer while I play N64.
What three things in your life are you most grateful for right now?
I'm grateful for guitar, it seems every time I'm worried about what's going right or wrong in my career I have forgotten to just sit down and play. Whenever I do I'm rewarded.
I'm grateful for my wife, to my wife! She supports me in every way, and encourages me to lead an artistic life. I write and sing about her a lot, but my gratitude just grows and grows with the love we share and the fun we find and the life we're building.
I'm grateful for my friends who are out here choosing a life of art. They inspire me, touch me with their work and dedication. The world's greatest artists are out here grinding right now, and I get to see it firsthand and learn from it.
What have you got on the go artistically at the moment?
My main work and focus since I was a kid is live performance. Live music is the thing. It is what I am entirely dedicated to, almost to the point of ignoring other aspects of a musical life or career, but it's the lice music that I most enjoy. Striving for musical excellence in a completely live, improvised, unrehearsed setting is my life's work. So all that to say, I'm just working on performing as much as I can in as many different settings as I can.
I am also passionate about teaching, and have started up teaching private guitar lessons again! I received so many gifts and so much wisdom from teachers in my life, I want to be able to pass some of this stuff along, spreading the word on important works, good technique, and self expression.
If I passed you an instrument, what song would you play us right now?
I'm a diagnosed noodler when I've got a guitar in my hand so I might need to be prompted to actually play a song rather than just run around. But my favourite song to sing ever is “He'll Have to Go” which I think Fred Rose wrote and was a hit for Jim Reeves.
What's been on repeat on your record player/streamer/tape deck/CD player/ et al.?
There are I think 4 or 5 albums under the name 'The Poll Winners,' these are jazz guitar trio records featuring Barney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Shelley Manne on drums. The first one was 1957 and they ran into the 70s. The first 3 records in particular are maybe the most exciting guitar trio records ever made. These are required listening! But I have to mention two other albums that kind of expand the world of The Poll Winners: The first Poll Winners album starts off with a Duke Jordan tune called Jordu, which Chet Atkins plays on his 1964 album Progressive Pickin', so I'm just always excited to see the jazz and Country worlds cross because they are so tied together in my mind. And I wanna shout out an unbelievable guitar album called Reunion! which has Bruce Forman on guitar playing Barney Kessel's guitar, John Clayton on bass playing Ray Brown's bass, and Jeff Hamilton on drums playing Shelley Manne's drumset. Based on pictures of the original Poll Winners' sessions they even mic'd up the session like the original. This album came out in 2023 and is so fantastic all on its own, but the passing down of the instruments and the continuation of the history just really adds to the magic of the music. It also features Jordu AND a tune called Gravy Waltz which is also on that Chet Atkins album so... you kind of have to listen to all 5 albums all in the same day. Every day. For a month. Then you'll get why I'm freaking out about it!
If we want to find your work, where can we go?
The YouTube channel has the most immediate stuff to check out, I post a helluva lotta guitar stuff on Instagram, my website has lots of info and dates and then you can click right here if you're interested in guitar lessons!
Both these photos are by Camille N.G.
https://ngcamille.com/
G O O D O C E A N N E W S
contributed by F. Legault
Bigg's killer whale sightings continue upward trend in Salish Sea
The Washington-based Orca Behavior Institute, which tracks sightings in the region, reported 214 unique Bigg's killer whales sightings in July, which was a 70 per cent increase from July 2023.
S A S S T R O L O G Y
with BonBon diSpencer
Virgo: organize, plan, strategize and everything will fall into place. Get into your Virgo groove, babe! It's your season and we're all blessed that you've got the power.
Libra: Venus, the planet of pleasure and beauty, lands in your sign this week so luxuriate in all that makes you feel good.
Scorpio: have you been collecting your tears lately? Perhaps it's time to add them to the cauldron and cast a new love spell.
Sagittarius: you are a fire starter, a crazy fire starter! Please contain it so you don't burn down all that you've built up.
Capricorn: think about what you were going through back in 2008, 'cause Uranus is finally moving out of your sign where it has been since then. Loosen up, boss lady.
Aquarius: when was the last time you stood up and protested? Whether for worldly events or someone else trying to take advantage of you. Do something!
Pisces: have you been swimming yet this summer? It's never too late to dive in so go get soakin' wet!
Aries: since Mercury is finally out of the microwave, don't be afraid to finally sign on the dotted line. You're extra energized to take risks.
Taurus: you may feel "broke" but you can fix it with a little help from your friends. Who needs material coins anyway? A reminder that money is a social construct.
Gemini: time to cull those who keep bread-crumbing you. Unfollow those who no longer serve you or pretend to.
Cancer: if you've been feeling extra snappy lately, figure out why and practice not taking it out on others.
Leo: indulge in a big old cat nap. Invite a few friends to join in on a cute cuddle puddle. Paws up!
Stay tuned in & turned on
x.o.
Love
S.O.