Grievous Angels, Hugh's Room

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Sunday Kate and I drove to Toronto in the morning and were at the Grievous Angels concert in the afternoon at Hugh's Room on Broadview. We were home again that evening. A nice day for a tour of the 401 and a bit of music too. Were we "long ball hitters" we might have stayed to see Maggie's Wake who were showcasing their new album at the same venue that evening!

We last saw Charlie Angus and his band at the Horseshoe Tavern back in May of 2023 (see blog post). While there are several players who remain the lineup in the band seems to have changed considerably. Nevertheless, it was a good show. Lots of tunes we recognize, many that brought me to tears. Charlie is a folk/punk singer/song writer, not a polished singer, but he does have a way with words and he does assemble a great supporting band. He "leans to the left" as do we. We are with him in so many ways.

On Charlie's "way with words".... These days he has stepped down from the House of Commons — he was a sitting member for the federal NDP for many years and even ran for head of the party. He's doing his best to save our democracy, our country, in this "time of monsters" (we mean you the Orange Felon) through his "Canada Meidas Network" on YouTube and his essays on "Charlie Angus/The Resistance" on Substack. We follow both as do many in attendance. But enough on that tangent. Music can be a good way to express your resistance to the current circus. Hence, this concert.

We've only been to Hugh's Room a few times over the years. My most solid memory is seeing Tom Russell many years ago; the evening that Kate received the Queen's Jubilee medal (2002). That was quite a while ago — we were so much younger then, we're old than that now. We were more than a little tipsy then and Tom Russell took my camera away! We were interrupting his show.

Back then Hugh's Room was on the west side of downtown Toronto on Dundas near the Junction. At that time it was a restaurant, bar and live music show room. These days it's on Broadview on the east side of downtown just over the Don River. It's in a smallish converted church which might seat about 150 people; there is a balcony and main floor with good seating, good lights, good acoustics. It has a bar (no cash, only cards) but there is no restaurant. I understand there are plenty of eateries in this funky neighborhood.

We have been Grievous Angels fans for years and have collected as much as we can. We checked their "merch table" and we have all the CDs on offer (no I don't want an LP and Kate says we have enough T-shirts). We are such fans — Kate and I with our friend Sam rehearsed "Sarah Gordon" (1990) for the KBS Conference Banquet (2025) but cut out early and didn't get to perform. Anyways, "One Job Town" (1990), where that song is found, was our introduction to the band and our desert island album for many years. "Toute la Gang" (1989) we had on a C90 (since ripped into iTunes but chase the link to Bandcamp — it's available even now!). We really enjoyed those early albums where Michelle Rumball's voice helped to shape the sound of the music. Charlie has always been the words but her voice was lovely. "Revolution" (2026) is the latest album and "In the Time of Monsters" is the single getting most play from it. But with 40 years under his belt Charlie has a pretty extensive catalogue to draw on and played tunes from all those releases (see set lists in the photo album).

Charlie had a lot of patter between tunes that helped to connect the music. For example, stories about living in "One Job Towns" and the parental sacrifice to do so and to get your kids out of there for an education and better jobs in the south. ... a dad telling his son to "remember these hands" and the hard work and sacrifice.

I was wearing my "punk shirt" which got some attention. We were chatted up by a fellow from the 1980's era who knew our friend What Wave Dave in London, ON ... he claimed to have smoked some dope with Johnny Rotten at the 100 Club in London, England back in the day. I couldn't top that story although I did get to shake hands today with Charlie Angus and some time ago I got to shake the hand that choked the chicken with Gary P. Nunn over the pisser at the Broken Spoke, Austin! We swapped cards and I invited him to check on some of our blog entries on bands and events from back then. 

If you don't already know about the Grievous Angels music take some time to explore the catalogue. If you like listening to live music Hugh's Room is a good place to support it. 

See also:

• Grievous Angels on YouTube
• Grievous Angels on Bandcamp

Ps. "Grievous Angel" (1974) was an album by Gram Parson that, in many ways, helped to popularize country music to my generation. The Eagles not withstanding.

Saguenay to Cornwall

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Saturday, September 26, Saguenay to Cornwall with a brief stop at Montmorency Falls.

The photo album starts with a couple of pictures of Lac St Jean taken from our room — sunset and a full moon that night.

We bid farewell to the Auberge des îles, Lac St Jean on Saturday morning and are headed home with an overnight stay in Cornwall. Our original plans were to meet up with some Austin friends in Quebec City, Mark & Charlsa were at the tail end of an Atlantic cruise, but Mark had a mishap on a hike and they have had to hot tail it home. So we're on our own with some flexiblity. We had talked about getting to Montreal and spending some time there. But we're more keen to get home than spend another night in some expensive hotel. We're trying to get home quickly.

There are some interesting routes one might take back. I had originally thought we'd head back to the north shore where we had arrived several days ago. But that would have been a dumb idea. There are a couple of more direct routes. The one would take us to Trois Riviere (between Quebec City and Montreal), the other is somewhat shorter and more direct to Quebec City.

This direct route on 169/175 turned out to be a very good route. While there some pretty good farmland around Lac St Jean most of the route is through the rocks and trees of the Laurentide Wildlife Reserve with very few sparse settlements along the way. There are a few pictures of some stops we made. The weather was lovely, clear and bright. The forests were changing colors and probably at their peak. The road was in very good condition (unlike our alternate route through NB) and fast with regular passing lanes.

One thing I learned on this trip is that cell coverage in the wilds of Quebec and NB is going to be spotty at best. I found that if I downloaded the route map ahead of time that Google maps worked pretty well.

Speaking of Google maps, as we approached Quebec City we made a decision that we should stop at Montmorency Falls. We had a bit of a view of the falls from the cruise we had taken on the St Lawrence when we were last in Quebec City. I had some vague understanding that it was nearby, it's actually very near by. Anyways, Kate found it on her phone and Google maps navigated us to "Haut Parc Montmorency Chute" which is at the Haut/top of the falls. This would have involved some walking around (some interesting walking around) but we weren't up for it so we turned around heading to "Bas Parc Montmorency Chute". We had expected a pull over by the side of the road. It's much more impressive than that. Kate and I did a bit of hiking together, she hung out at the gift shop and I walked to the base of the falls on the left in the picture above. We didn't ride the cable car back to the top or dine at the better restaurant up top. We really didn't do the park justice, but then we aren't as young as we once were. One should allocate a full day there to take it all in.

Onward to the south shore, past Montreal and on to Cornwall where we stayed at the Ramada Inn. It's part of the Wyndham Group like the Motel 8 where we stayed on the way out. We like it a little better, have stayed before, it's only a little more expensive, and we finally smartened up enough to pre-book a ground floor room. We had slugged luggage up stairs far too many times.

We had dinner at the Kelsey's Road House across the street. I had a steak .... when you live with a pescetarian you take your opportunities where you find them.

Sunday is another lovely day and we're home to St Marys by end of day where Chandel has been tending the home and the critters.

Saguenay & Auberge des îles

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Friday, September 25. Saguenay & Auberge des îles

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Riviere du Loup to Saguenay

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Sept 25. Rivière-du-Loup, ferry to Saint-Siméon and on to Saguenay (Lac St Jean).

We are going to visit our niece Eva, her husband Vince and their two young children Eloise and Josephine. Eva and her family have recently move to the Saguenay area — Vince is in the military and has been transferred to Bagotville, Eva works for the federal government and is working remotely (mostly polishing her French). Our plan is to arrive today, stay a full day Friday to explore the area and then, on Saturday, head to Quebec City where we have plans to meet friends from Austin lunch.  Fist steps ... we need to cross the river to the north shore.

The ferry to the north shore leaves from Pointe-de-Rivière-du-Loup (we had dropped in the day before to explore the harbor) at 8:00am, 12:00pm, and 4:00pm. We take the ferry at noon with intentions of arriving in Saguenay that afternoon (actually we're about an hour or so past that to the shores of Lac St Jean where we have a hotel reservation at the Auberge des îles). The ferry takes about an hour and a half to get to the other shore. It must leave very early in the morning from St Simeon to be here for an 8:00am boarding! You could take the long way around, drive up river to Quebec City and cross there. It would add another half hour to the trip (from QC to Saguenay there is a direct route through the Laurentians). We are landing at Saint-Siméon and driving north from there.

Before the ferry we take some time to putter about in Rivière-du-Loup (River of the Wolf). We visit an old Anglican Church. St Bartholomew's  is wooden and quite modest when compared against the larger Catholic church we had visited the other day.  But it's likewise historic. There's also a high bridge across the river below the dam and the waterfall that has some interesting views of the wild waters and the changing tree colors. We also stop at a river-side park, Parc de la Pointe, for views of the St Lawrence River from a bit of a bluff. We had passed this viewpoint the other day when returning from Cacouna. 

A bit of an aside. The landscape along this side of the river is a fairly high ridge with many rivers harnessed, as here in Rivière-du-Loup, for water power and later hydro electricity. However, the river shore is quite shallow; in the photo album you can see the shoreline from our hotel in Notre-Dame-du-Portage, likewise from Parc de la Pointe and even in Cacouna which has a deep (but man made) harbor. There's also some pictures of the harbor at the Pointe at low tide with all the boats sitting on the muddy bottom/ground. I suspect the only real/natural "deep water port" is Quebec City. But then again, on the north shore, the Port of Saguenay is a deep-water commercial and cruise port located along North America's only navigable fjord. That inlet is 100km/80mi deep!

Back to the ferry trip. During the busy summer season you might need to make a reservation; we did not. We arrive in plenty of time, park our car in the queue (the ferry can hold 100 cars and there might have been no more than 20 cars ahead of us), and are given our ticket for the ferry. With a seniors discount, it comes to nearly $100! One really odd/dumb thing is you pay on the ship enroute to the other shore rather than before boarding. That made for a long lineup on the ship with a single teller taking fares. 

We had plenty of time to enjoy the sunny day waiting for the ferry to arrive. There are low tide photos of the muddy shallow harbor and the rocky outcrop of the Pointe.

The ferry ride was uneventful; a beautiful warm sunny day with calm waters. There's a cafe on board and a TV lounge; both might be useful in bad weather. But it's a lovely day; we sat outside and enjoyed the view. We pass by the long low narrow Île-aux-Lièvres (Island of the Hares) that dominates the view to the north — you're looking at this long low island, not the north shore. We had looked at taking a boat tour of these islands (e.g., Île du pot à l’eau de vie (Brandy Pot Island) has a lighthouse) the day before but they were only doing hiking tours and were fully booked. The islands are not populated, they're bird sanctuaries and access is controlled. Were we younger and able we might have gone hiking there.

At Saint-Siméon, where the ferry docks, it's about a 3 hr drive to Lac St Jean passing through Saguenay on the way. The first part of the trip to the Port of Saguenay is mostly two lane highway through lots of rocks and colorful trees (fall colors of red and yellow) with a few small towns each seemingly named after one or another obscure saint. There are some interesting rock faces and I later read that there are climbs and views one might take advantage of. I am surprised to see the deep water port of Saguenay (Port Alfred) with the aluminum smelters and big ships this far up the river. I was not aware.

From there, on to the lake, it's mostly a 4 lane highway. The area and suburbs around Saguenay (Chicoutimi I recognize, Eva and Vince live in Jonquiers) is quite urban. So unlike the bush country and small villages we've past through on the way here. The area between there and the lake is quite agricultural with large farmlands (not as big as around here in SW Ontario but quite impressive). Similar cash crops — corn and beans — are ready for harvest. Perhaps that shouldn't be a surprise — the latitude here is about the same as Winnipeg.

We arrive in good time and settle in at our hotel which is right on the lake. There's even a bit of a sandy beach but I suspect the water is quite cool (we did see a brave couple dip into the water and then jump into the hot tub). Kate is excited because there's a very large indoor pool at the lower level; she goes for a swim the next day. The hotel is quite comfortable and we have our dinner there. Eva had hoped to come out to join us, perhaps having dinner at the hotel, after putting the kids to bed, but it's a half hour or more each way, and she was just too exhausted. Raising a couple of toddlers will do that to you. We'll catch her at her home the next day.

There was a conference of some sort at the hotel, mostly men, that meant the bar/restaurant was very busy for a while around dinner time. They were reluctant to let us reserve a table, but were persuaded. We enjoyed our dinner. I had "Poulet au Beurre" (even I can translate butter chicken); Kate had a salad and a "Crab Cake". The waitress was far better at English than we are at French; we got along fine. Although there was a salad escapade ... we both thought the dressing was "off", it wasn't "off" but wasn't to our liking.

Our room looks out over the lake. We have a small balcony to enjoy the view which is quite impressive as the sun sets to the west over the lake. But damn, we're again on a second floor in another hotel without an elevator!

Moncton to Rivier du Loup

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Sept 23, Moncton to Riviere du Loup. 

After our long stay in Moncton with Paula and our adventures at the Nashville Takeover we're on the road to Riviere du Loup. We're on the road on Tuesday September 21, it will take most of the day to get to the south shore of the St Lawrence, we'll spend a full day there, before heading over to the north shore where we have plans to visit with our niece Eva and her family.

A few years ago, when we had visited, we came down from the Gaspe region and there's good 4 lane highway from Mirimichi down to Shediac. On our route to Moncton had been on the 4 lane Trans-Canada highway from Rivier-du-Loup, through Grand Falls and Fredericton — good fast roads. On the way here Google had made a suggestion around Grand Falls that we head east into bush country towards Miramichi but we declined. So, on our return trip, let's take that route!

This may have been a big mistake. The route north from Moncton, which, in effect, runs parallel to the 4 lane highway from Miramichi to Shediac is not comparable; nor is the road across the top running to the west towards Grand Falls. It's all very much bush country, paved secondary roads, 2 lanes, no shoulder, no passing lanes, and in very rough condition. But it was an adventure.

We stopped for gas at Harcourt, a small crossroads town along the way (I ought to have filled up before leaving Moncton as there are very few towns or services along this route). The gas station has a sign on the door indicating that they have extended hours during "Moose Hunting Week" and it must be the week right now as, at the counter, someone says, "There's a moose at the gas pumps." Another dryly responds, "Well I hope it's dead". And sure enough it is! There's a fellow with a pick up truck towing a trailer with a huge gutted moose tied down to it. They are huge creatures, I've never seen one up close like this. I guess "Gotta Get Me Moose, B'y" (1986) by Buddy Buddy Wasisname & The Other Fellers will make it onto this year's best-of CD.

A somewhat painful lesson learned on this trip concerns navigation by Google Maps. I use it all the time, really like it but one limitation is your access to the Internet. We found out that, in the bush country of NB and QC, internet access is unreliable. Hell, much of the time Rogers internet just wasn't there. Worse yet, while coming through the western part of NB on the way here I later discover, on my Rogers bill, that I got hit with roaming charges as my phone connected to US carriers a short distance across the border! Fortunately Kate had printed some maps and I have learned to ask Google Maps to download the route onto my phone before heading out. However, for much of this trip, the routing is pretty easy. There's not many opportunities to take the wrong route. And Kate wisely printed some maps for us.

At Rivier-du-Loup we have a room at the Auberge sur Mer (that translates to "hotel on the sea") in the village of  Notre-Dame-du-Portage which is only a few miles up river from the city. We settle in to our room (second floor up a short flight of stairs ... no elevator) and enjoy the view of the river and the sunset from our balcony. While the restaurant has a fine dining room it's not open tonight. Pizza is on offer instead, we'll try the restaurant tomorrow.

Wednesday we grab some coffee from the front desk and our first task is to explore the harbor where the ferry runs to the north shore. We've read about a boat tour, from the harbor, that takes you out to the nearby islands (Brandy Pot and Hare Island). We understood that there's hikes one might take on these islands (we've not interested) and tours around the islands (we are interested). The lady at the tour desk tells us no, they only have the hiking tour today and there's only one seat left. Ah ... no thanks.

We explore the city a bit and start with a some lunch at Café Brûlerie on Rue Lafontaine. Here we discover the limits of our language. The server, like us, does not work well in their second language. But we figure it out (actually I leave it to Kate who once was reasonably fluent) and do enjoy our lunch. I have a falafel salad and Kate has a savory crepe. Rue Lafontaine seems to be the night life area of the city. There are several bars and restaurants. One bar has a sign "No Music, No Life". Something to live by.

We explore a bit of the landscape. The river bisects the city with only a few crossing points. Up Rue Lafontaine and to the left there's a small waterfall ("chute" en francais) with only a little water flowing today. There's a small dam at the top and a power station below. There doesn't seem to be much water going over the falls or down the flume into the power station. We visit at the top and then drive around to the bottom for a different view. At the base there's a large parkland, Parc des Chutes, across the river and to the east. We cross the bridge and check out some artwork installations but do not hike the trails.

Down river a bit, still on the west side, still on Rue Lafontaine, we stop at the Église Saint-Patrice. This is a large stone Catholic Church (cf. our visit to Église Anglicane St-Bartholomew the next day). The nearby Presbytère Église Saint-Patrice is an impressive white building with a wrap around porch and pillars. I assume it was/is the residence for priests of the church. Beside the church is a bit of parkland: Parc Blais. The plaque at the park reads:

Blais Park was inaugurated in 1930 in honour of the parish priest of the same name. To create this park, it was necessary to level the famous rock that gave its name to the street bordering the park to the south. This is one of the last urban developments that reflects the spirit of the Fraserville project. Because of the presence of the rock, the cemetery was established further east, on the land opposite the Maison de la culture (cultural centre). In 1904, all the remains were moved to a new cemetery on Saint-André Street.

Blais Park is ideal for relaxation and public gatherings. Located on a natural promontory, the park offers a view of the river. It has always been a site for festivals and shows. In the center of the park stands the mascot of the first Quebec Games, held in Rivière-du-Loup in 1971. Called Piloup, the character represents a seal and was designed by the artist Sylvio Lagacé.

Oddly the churches we visit are all locked. I would have been interested to see what they looked like inside. 

We visit another park on high ground above the city, Parc de la Croix. It has a huge metal cross illuminated at night. From there we can see out to the river and many steeples for many churches around town. This park is to the east of the river, very close to the falls but high above. Navigating from here we discover there are only three bridges across the river: one near the river side on the main highway where Rivier du Loup meets the St Lawrence, another a little up river on Rue Beaubien near the dam below the falls, another near Parc de la Croix above the falls ... and that bridge happens to be closed for street repairs. We end up going around the city to the south and meeting up with the Trans Canada.

We drive down river a bit on the main coastal highway to Cacouna where we understand there's a deep water port. There is, but it's man made and not that interesting. Although there are these large windmill blades on trucks that have been recently unloaded. There's also a bird sanctuary marsh. On our way back, we drive and long the coast through villages and, near the Pointe (and the ferry terminal), we spot a stop off viewing place that we visit the next day.

That night we enjoy a fine dinner at our hotel. We're probably the first, or near first, to claim a table and get one by the windows with great views of the river. The restaurant becomes pretty busy, we are not alone. The food is top notch; what I would call a "white table cloth" experience. From our table we enjoy views of the river and the sunset that ends another day of our adventures on this road trip.

Moncton w Paula

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Sept 17-21. We're staying in Moncton, visiting with our niece Paula, sometimes to Shediac and Camp Wintergreen.

This is a small album but covers some of our stay in the Moncton area. The route taken to get here is pretty straight forward following the Trans-Canada highway from Quebec, along the south shore of the St Lawrence, to Rivier-du-Loup where you head south to NB through Grand Falls and Fredricton to Moncton. In Moncton we have a 3 bedroom VRB house on Elm Street which is very near downtown.

Paula works in Moncton as a postie but lives in the country. She has a comfortable, but small, cabin the woods near Cocagne/Shediac that she calls "Camp Wintergreen". That's about a half hour out of Moncton, a bit of a commute for her. Paula has two friendly dogs: Jerry is an older wirey little mutt, Felix is a much younger biggish black lab. With her neighbors they often share responsibility for one another's pets. They're good dogs and they must be very good neighbors.

Thursday, we arrive at the end of day. It's a long drive from Quebec city even with an early start. Paula has taken several days off work to be with us. That night she comes in to visit us and brings the critters (Jerry and Felix). Kate and Paula jam a bit on their guitars.

Friday Paula and the critters arrive with some wild mushrooms she has harvested from the woods at her "camp". None of them are familiar to us, but she has researched them and assures us that we will not die. I can recognize morels and shaggy manes that we have around her, these are all new to me. As you can surmise, we did not die.

That evening we go out to the O'Creek (brewery) which is well away from the town center. We arrive early but the space is already filled. We find a space at a table, meet some folks on their "first date" and have a good time. The critters stay at our house until we return and they head home with Paula for the night.

Saturday, Paula meets us in town, leaving her critters in a neighbors care, the plan is to make a full day of it. We take in an afternoon session at the Holy Whale (brewery), then another at the O'Creek (brewery) where we had been on Friday night. 

For dinner we got some take away snacks from a nearby Sobey's and returned to our VRBO. Kate and Paula did a bit of a song swap again and Paula played for us a song she had written for her dad's coming 70th birthday. The lyrics and melody are taken from a Fred Eaglesmith song, "He's a Good Dog" (2001). She sings it as "He's a Good Dad" and there are lots of great lines in it. For example, it opens with ...

He's a good dad, I've had him for years

He used to coach my T-Ball team

And he can wiggle his ears.

He's given me some good books

He shares good music too

We once went down Kentucky way

Had an infield Derby view.

Paula does a very good version of "Down Home Girl"; I think she discovered it on an Old Crow Medicine Show album (2006?). We find that it's a classic blues number by Leiber & P.J. Butler and we first find it on a Rolling Stones album, "Rolling Stones in Mono" (1965). The lyrics start with:

Lord I swear the perfume you wear

Was made out of turnip greens

And every time I kiss you girl

It tastes like pork and beans

It's a funny tune. Paula does an excellent picking job on it. Kate could play along with Paula ... me, I'm more of a hindrance.

That evening we lined up early for an evening performance at the Pump House (brewpub) in downtown but ended up in an obscure corner with no view of the performers. We were a little pissed about that; we walked out and went to a nearby restaurant, the Catch22 Lobster Bar, where I had a lobster feed. After dinner we caught a bit of the show outside at the Pump House but it was pretty cold to be outside. Paula stayed overnight with us.

Sunday, Paula heads home in the morning to deal with her critters. We meet up later to spend the afternoon at the Nashville Takeover sessions held at the Magnetic Hill Winery. It was a sunny day, a bit windy, a bit cool, and quite a distance from the city. But we had a good visit under a large special occasion tent where we saw a couple of sets. This was the last event of the Nashville Takeover.

Monday, September 21, Paula has another day off work to doddle around with us. We come out to Camp Wintergreen for a lunch visit and stay the afternoon. She is taking care of a neighbor's pooch today so there are 3 critters about. On the way to Paula's we stop in Shediac, explore a bit of the town (we had spent quite a bit of time there on our last trip, see Sept 2024/09 in this blog). We get some pre-cooked lobster at the Shediac Lobster Shop and take that to Paula's for lunch. Reg is in charge of getting the meat out of the shell, Paula has prepared the fixin's. It's a busy day at the camp as Paula is having a green/glass house attachment added to the deck. We're sitting outside, playing tunes in the picture above. We tried to get the workers, who are neighbors to Paula, to join in but he couldn't be persuaded even though he does play with others. He offered to come back tomorrow and join us but that wouldn't work. 

The next day, Tuesday we're on the road. So tonight, is our sad good bye's to Paula and Moncton area.

Nashville Takeover, Moncton

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We're in Moncton NB for the Nashville Takeover (Friday Sept 18 thru Sunday Sept 20).

We were at the Nashville Takeover in Stratford in the spring (see blog of April 13) and, while we enjoyed it (with some reservations), we have signed up to go to the Moncton event with our niece Paula. We had purchased "Founder" tickets for Stratford which got us into some VIP events but we didn't really take advantage of that. We purchased ordinary weekend passes for the Moncton event.

The event schedule has opening night shows Friday evening, Saturday is quite busy from noon into the evening, and Sunday is the closer with a couple of stages at the Magnetic Hill Winery in the afternoon. This is very much like what happened in Stratford. Some folks just bought a single day pass for Saturday when most events happened. We were there for the long haul.

The event in Stratford was located in the downtown with all venues within walking distance of one another — actually just a few blocks from one another. The Moncton event is scattered around the city at several locations: the O'Creek Brewery, the Holy Whale Brewery (Riverview/Moncton), Pump House Brewpub/Brewery, Bright & Brine Fine Art Gallery, and the Magnetic Hill Winery. You need a car to get to these locations, they are quite far apart. The Pumphouse and the Gallery are in the downtown, the rest are some distance away.

When we were booking our VRBO we were told that the venues would be downtown; that's not quite true. It's not a big city but there are distances to travel.

For the Stratford event you were encouraged to go from one show to another; to mix it up a bit. In Moncton, we were encouraged to reserve places for the various time slots. E.g., we never did get to the Gallery as it was fully booked with reservations by attendees. However, we did discover that you could easily go to places where you had not reserved — there wasn't an attendance sheet listing who should be allowed in. E.g. on Saturday we caught the first show at the Holy Whale and then moved to the O'Creek for the second show that afternoon. Why? Well this was another problem/gripe I have. Rather than have the artists move between venues on the Saturday they would stay put at one place and play sequential sets. Given that you were supposed to stay put with them this meant you wouldn''t get to see other artists unless you moved to another venue. If the expectation was you were to remain where you are then the artists should rotate between venues. Moving between venues meant travel time, giving up your seat and finding a new one in a crowded venue.

Of the venues we went to the Holy Whale had the best setup. It's a large open beer hall with a good sized stage at the one end and a balcony around the other sides. The Magnetic Hill was a pretty good site as well with a large banquet tent outside (we stayed there and artists were changed for several sets) and an area inside by the bar. The O'Creek setup inside was just a poorly lit corner of the bar, outside was better but the weather made that too cool. The Pumphouse had an inside area that would cater to a few folks while other attendees were hidden away. Again, the Pumphouse had an outside area but at night it was awfully cool. September evenings can be quite cool and sometimes it might rain. I didn't see any contingencies planned for poor weather.

Two gripes about all the venues we attended. a) they were all oversold and crowded, and b) too many in the audience came to chat loudly with their chums and not to listen to the music. The quiet listening experience of Nashville's "Blue Bird Cafe" was nowhere to be found. Mind you some of the performers were keen on the drunken bar room experiences of the Honky Tonks along Nashville's Broadway. I'm not and thankfully they did not recreate that.

We made some friends along the way. At the O'Creek, on Friday night, we joined a table near the performance with a couple who were on a "first date". They hadn't come for the show, they'd come to have some drinks (3:00pm gives you time to run away if things don't work out) and they hit it off. When told they'd need tickets to stay later (I suppose around 5:00) they decided to pay and stay. We had a lot of laughs with them. We also met another nice couple from New Brunswick; we bumped into them several times over the weekend and got their stories. They're both on their second marriage, they met in Eastern Ontario and she comes from Oklahoma! They let us in the line for the Pump House on Saturday night.

And there's a story there. They had tried to get into the Pump House for the after show party on Friday night but it was full. On Saturday, we arrived early the evening show to discover a very long line snaking around the building and down the street. Our friends were perhaps 10-20th in line and let us join them. When the doors opened VIP ticket holders were first allowed in. Then the rest of the queue. When we got in the area in front of the stage was fully packed and the five of us were shunted off to an area of the restaurant with no view of the stage at all. I approached Scotty, the organizer of these events, and let him know that this wasn't what was advertised, they had oversold the show, and had a lot of unhappy customers. We left, our friends stayed and while the performance was piped into their area of the restaurant the large TV ran a hockey game! We abandoned our shitty seats and went next door for a lobster dinner at Catch-22. After dinner, we returned and saw a bit of the show outside in the roped off alley area. It was another cool evening, the gig was poorly lit, the performers were fine.

On the performers. ... Each and every one is indeed a Nashville singer/song writer although several were Canadians. All of the them are struggling artists. Some starting out, some with records released, some with writing contracts. It must be hard to make a living at this, some have day jobs, many have played the bar circuit, toured and slept on the floor. If you were hoping to see some well known artists you're out of luck. These are up and coming performers. Of the 15 or so artists who were at this event there are a few who stood out for us:

• Lester Slaid is a Canadian, he has quite a bit of music on Bandcamp and iTunes, we saw him a couple of times at the O'Creek Brewery (Friday and Saturday). I especially like his song about "Painting Houses".
• Mary Heather Hickman, we only caught a bit of her at O'Creek on Saturday and was impressed with "Ouachita River" (one of those murder ballads). I've been listening to more of her music and like "God Ain't Lookin'". She has a large catalogue on YouTube and iTunes to explore.
• Matthew Runaway is another Canadian, I liked him solo on guitar at Holy Whale, his stuff on YouTube is more rock band music. I'm still exploring his music.
• Christina Alaire  (aka "Tall and Teal") is from Georgia. We saw her at the Winery on Sunday I recognized her from the Stratford event and had approached her. I recall that, in Stratford, when she flubbed a chord Zach Aaron said, "You just call that a Jazz chord". She has small catalogue on YouTube but I don't see anything on iTunes.

All the musicians we saw were very good. Some of course better than others. But they should spend more time promoting their names, Facebook page, web site (if they have one), history, etc.  Business cards would be a ready way to get that information to the audience. By design, you wouldn't know who was playing at an event until you got there. And often the artists would swap songs without introducing one another. The lineup shown in the album was presented after the event was completed.

I'm a fan of what they call "Americana"; these musicians, no surprise, are more Nashville Country. Even down to the Nashville twang (particularly irritating when it's a put on accent). I had hoped to hear some topical music protesting, or at least addressing, the current regime in Washington (cf. the Jesse Welles music). As they say, you'd think the world has had enough of silly love songs. Or perhaps another tune like "Nashville is rough on the living, but she surely thinks well of the dead" (e.g., Shel Silverstein via Bobby Bare). I am looking for tunes with a bit of a bite, something to move or inspire me. Radio friendly music? Meh ...

There is a Nashville Takeover "Finale" scheduled for Niagara Falls near the end of the year. I know we'll not be going. My recommendation, should anyone be listening, is they should limit attendance and charge more.