Giving

tis the season
here in the great white north

we've been working the band on the run album
it's nearing perfection
the band is firing on all cylinders

i've been trying to get a message across
but i get tongue tied when speaking about it before the shows
maybe this blog will find a way in

like so many people
my family has been affected by cancer
it's a big tarp of worry that hovers
but i found a way to let some light in
i volunteer

every monday i drive patients to and from their hospital appointments
it's very cause and effect
and well set up
through the cancer society
it's become an important part of my life

i went to a meeting
coffee and lunch
then started driving the following week

dispatch sends me an email
it has my pick ups
route
and times
it's all very zen

i can't imagine what it must be like to have chemo
or radiation
and then have to get on a bus
so driving is very important


everyone wants to talk about cancer
and when we do
we grab onto each other as if to share energy

there's a palpable energy in volunteering
you meet great people
funny people
from all over the world
i keep the laughs rolling
and i listen to everyone's stories

for 2 weeks in a row
i drove a young woman and her baby
they were from afghanistan
i told her i was traveling to florida that coming weekend
she was so interested
the next week she asked all about my trip
'what's america like?'
at that moment Q had hendrix's 'are you experienced' on
i turned up the radio
i said 'it's like this'
she smiled and nodded
she got it

some people get in the car
and their life story falls out of them
it's like a travel show

some people are sad

what's nice about it
is that the system is working
i see it first hand
we get bombarded with health care information
sometimes it's hard to find level ground

i'm proud to volunteer
and be part of something that's moving forward

there's never a rush driving
the last thing you want to do is get stressed
(this has been a major challenge for me)
instead chill
the hospitals understand the ebb and flow
and everyone is caring at every step in the trip
it's soul food

as i age i feel the compassionate part of my life kick in
nature moves us this way
if this blog finds you
and sparks
then look into volunteering
and feel good
but
if you don't have time
then don't feel guilty!
braxton keeps asking me about it
i tell him to wait
he's young with a new family and tons of gigs
your time will come!
leave it to us oldies for now

and don't forget
classic albums live tickets make a cool gift

craig
december 13, 2013
tea and cadbury christmas chocolates

Rock Bio Wrap Up

i've been bombarded with rock bios
people give them to me as presents
come the holidays i get a stack of rock reading
"craig's into music - we'll get him a rock bio!"
i read them all

and i've saved you some time
and made a little fill in the blanks / multiple choice page
so you can feel like you've read all the rock bios too!

I grew up in (England / The South). We were (poor/ middle class) but didn't really feel like much was missing from our life. We didn't have (indoor toilets / heat / television). When I heard (Chuck Berry / Little Richard) everything changed. I knew I had to become a musician. I met (skinny lead singer / scruffy guitar player) at a (train station / apple orchard) in (1958 / 1968). He was clutching a copy of (Catcher in the Rye / John Mayall's Bluesbreakers) I knew right then my future would be tied to his.

We began (writing songs / hanging out in music stores) and soon met up with (detached bass player / soon to be fired keyboard player) and we started rehearsing above a (fish and chips store / radio repair shop). Girls started hanging around and I ended up losing my virginity to (Sister Moonshine / a girl named Patti / Sweet Sweet Connie). It was at this time that (a friend of the band with a van / opportunistic weasel) began managing us and we cut our first record for (BBC / Columbia). I remember (skinny lead singer / scruffy guitar player) catching (a cold / the clap).

During our first tour of (America / Hamburg / Manchester) we discovered (insert addictive drug of choice). From there I (died / wrote some of the greatest music ever made). Because the money was rolling in, I never saw a need to quit. It wasn't until I (saw God at Woodstock / threw up on the front row / slept with a Tranny) that I realized I needed help. My manager flew me to Switzerland and I got clean.

Now I'm (67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75) and I'm happy to discover that I have (children / a bank account / a 1959 Les Paul Gold Top) and that life is (almost over / sweet). Being clean (has ruined my music / forced me to sue my manager for my publishing) and more importantly enabled me to atone for all the bad times I may have inflicted on other people. The best way to say you're sorry is to (write a cheque / put their name in a song).

I'm looking forward to (lunch / a new hearing aid) and can't wait to (hit the road / duet with Elton). My new album is (largely forgettable / auto tuned) and hits (Starbucks / Starbucks / Starbucks) next week. I leave you now with these parting words - (you can get what you want providing you don't mind writing people out of song credits / have a good time all the time / in the end the love you take is partially owned by Michael Jackson's estate).

craig
october 13, 2013
tea and sympathy

Ramble On

i've been re-reading old rock mags from the 70s
and things have indeed changed
those scribes really used to ramble on
they'd go on at length about silly inane things
that had very little to do with the music

but i used to read every word
i connected to the journalist who had a peek beyond the velvet rope
i gobbled up all the info i could get
liner notes were like encyclopedias
i knew the studio
the session players
the producers
the funny messages
it seemed to matter back then

but now i need tiny blocks of text
i can't remember the last time i read an actual album review
and every time one of the oldies re-releases an album
i'm amazed at how much revisionist history is inserted

creem magazine was my go to mag
they had a journalist named lisa robinson
she went on the road with led zeppelin in 73
man
that kind of access would never be granted these days
lisa lived with the band
and wrote about it
it's an incredible read
and a clear indication of what life was like on the road
before press agents and handlers got hold of the bands

there's another interview with mick
also from 73
and they're asking him whether the upcoming tour
was going to be their last?
1973!
they're asking mick if he's too old for rock 'n' roll?
i couldn't imagine 40 years of the same questions
no wonder mick looks like he's always about to roll his eyes

there's another article from 75
that asks if 'we really need yet another book on the beatles?'
of course now you can buy books on the beatles at a gas station

today so called rock stars
are inserted into a level of micro management
that ensures a bland and boring legacy

i do a lot of interviews
at least 2 a week
our press machine rolls like side two of abbey road
i'm good at press
and i know how to get our message out
and our message is important
because i'm well aware that this is not our music
like i say - we're curators
we take care of classic rock the same way a museum takes care of king tut's estate

here's a series of questions i always get asked:
what will the classic albums of the future be?
as far as i can tell
there aren't going to be any
what's the last classic album?
U2s joshua tree and then a radioheads OK computer
where is rock going?
the way of jazz

that last answer opens up a can of worms
no one wants to hear that rock has had its day
but it has
there's cool bands that are carrying on the tradition
the crowes
the sheepdogs
the killers
but for the most part
rock is wounded
and being mangled
by people who repeatedly use the following words:
- demographic
- brand
- marketing
- social media
these people need to go on a road trip with led zeppelin
or at least spend a weekend with me and the CAL zep band

people always argue with me
they claim that justin timberlake has classic albums
or that katy perry is better than i think
now
i love pop
i've always loved a good song
but when it comes to a classic album
i challenge
i punch up the artists discography
and start by asking the arguer to name a couple albums
they can't
how about songs?
usually it's just one song named
this is not the criteria that justifies a classic album
also
a classic album - by definition - needs to endure

have a look at rolling stone or billboard charts from 2003
nothing survived
punch in 1993
nada
sure there were a couple alright albums
but for the most part - pass me a pillow
i give the nineties a solid 5 stars out of ten for music

the journalism from that time was equally as banal
naval gazing reflections from people with expensive hair cuts
contrived trumped cool
i remember feeling lost in the 90s
i was still listening to the beatles
the stones
floyd
and zep
everyone thought i was a hippie
but the cream rose to the top
and while bjork may be an important artist
her music has been swallowed up by the whirlpool of forgetfulness

i'm not sure what will survive
as i age i realize that i'm usually wrong about a great many things
but i've spent everyday of my life since i was 7
loving music
and i've dedicated my life to it
so i'm going to make a bold prediction:
rock 'n' roll is here to stay

craig martin
september 18, 2013
apple slices with honey

Summer 2013

it's a slow summer
the weather can't make up its mind
and the radio sounds wrinkled
my acoustic guitars have lost some of their siren
and sound more like wheat fields

we slow down in the summer
the theatres run shows from september to may
so it's nice to have some down time
of course there's a lot to do
but things can sit
and make shadows in the afternoon sun

as we age we return to the music of our youth
i've been tapping into my eldest son's music
he's on his own path
deep on the trail
he likes urban music
specifically from a certain apartment block in new york
he's into the truth
and is repelled by the hard sell
still i wonder if his music will survive
and if indeed he will return to this music when he's my age

i grew up on 70s pop
ho ho ho it's magic
i don't like spiders and snakes
hey kids rock 'n' roll
one hit wonders
i doubt if many of them actually toured
they got thrown onto the charts
somebody made some money
and then they disappeared
still - it's nice to hear them still in rotation on satellite radio

we've returned to earlier times sonically
again - it's all about the single
it was the same growing up as a teenager in the 70s
it really wasn't until the mid 70s when i started capturing time with entire albums
i was 15 in 76
more aware
and in need of something more than rhinestone cowboys and ballroom blitzes

my son and i were on a drive
and i had supertramp's crime of the century on
we listened to the entire album together
in silence
as we drove the corners of toronto
upon completion he commented that the album
did a good job of accompanying the landscape
cool

right now he's lost in northern ontario
on a 36 day canoe trip
no running water
no electricity
just nature and food drops
despite this
he went to great extremes to make sure he had his music with him
i picture him paddling and portaging
and grooving to some crazy truth telling shaman from inner nyc

celebrity is dead
who really gives a damn?
little kids?
people without friends?
you fly a flag
you'd better make it wave with something real and true
because we've met the new boss
and they're as boring as the old boss

i suspect my son will remember this time
as a time in his life when he became aware of the true meaning of bullshit
he's ahead of schedule
happy birthday lucas

craig martin
july 3, 2013
whiskey and planter's dry roasted peanuts

Notes from a Turnpike

a heavy compacted 7 albums in 3 days weekend
starting in princeton new jersey
where we did pepper and mystery together
right in the heart of the university
in a beautiful old theatre
steeped in glory

pepper falls out of us now
it's not like we ever take it for granted
but we know how to perform the album
we know all the tricks
and all the parts
we forged our own keys

magical mystery tour was exactly that
i noticed some of the CAL swagger ebbed ever so slightly
and we were a touch tentative
yet still exact
a couple of the songs soared
vocally we were at the top of our game
thankfully the horn section showed up with extra brass in pocket
and delivered a selection of sonically pleasing strawberry filled walls of sound

special merit badge to stevie dyte
who made history
with his note perfect blast of piccolo trumpet during penny lane
later that night i combed the internet
to find a flake of evidence
of another trumpeter coming close to what stevie did
no reply came the stern answer
stevie made history
footnote history

during blue jay way
i felt under prepared
i mixed the weekend's shows
and while preparing for the album
i continually glazed when it came to blue jay way
after the show
i mentioned to alex
that i thought the song was lacking
she said she loved it because she got to solo the entire song
at the next show
i grooved her fader north
and there she was
that cello of hers growling like the mean bitch it can be
and the song came alive
nice
and fun

i love david love
i've had some similar conversations with lots of alumni
where they ask why i'm picking on them
i tell them it's because i think they're one of the greats
david's one acoustic guitar and i don't get along
i can't wrangle the sound i want out of it
and i tell him so
and he gets mad
and i get mad that he gets mad
and soon we're drinking wine at the bar together and discussing preamps
but my favourite moment with david
was in between albums
i voiced my upsettedness about the J-45
so david tries to buy a new guitar on line between albums
i love that
'craig - how about a martin?'
who doesn't love a martin
sometimes david love doesn't

mark stewartson has a perfect honey kissed sun ripened velvety smooth voice
and he's a warm soul to spend time backstage with

meanwhile
in niagara falls
the CAL zep band pulls into a new venue
and sells it out
trigger happy dom polito
and the newly braceleted phil naro
teamed up with gold medal goaltender rick vatour
and took the audience for a workout
check out rick's biceps for proof

saturday was a day off
i had my oldest son with me
so we hit manhattan
and tripped the day fantastic
it was nice spending three solid days with The Boy
we rarely left each other's side
at times i wondered
'who is this strange person following me around?'
he used to be a little boy
now he's proving to be an asset backstage
with gear photocopying and sugar

back in jersey
we began our beatles marathon
let it be
abbey road
in the afternoon
followed by
pepper
and mystery at night

now
some people might remember the original beatles marathon
at the phoenix
way back in the 40s
we did every beatles song ever recorded
in one day
it almost killed some the musicians
i understand after the undertaking
greg wyard took a year off to meditate
well
this marathon was a far more civilized affair
in that we once again cheated death
and sparkled resplendently
the band banded together
and became elastic pieces of joy
the vibe was cool
and the playing was juicy

i love the musicians
i know they know that
i and i know i go on about it too much
but i really sincerely care for them
and appreciate all they do
to make all of us
feel like we're connected
we've raised the bar
we've weeded out the whiners
we've plucked unwanted facial hair
and
we've arrived at a perfectly grounded round totem pole
around which we prop each other up
and build
trust
admiration
chops
fans
and friendships
this is the stuff of life
next week
i head out again

craig martin
may 20, 2013
dairy queen

Vegas

i'm in vegas
poking around to see if there's a play for CAL here
we played the joint at the hard rock a few years back
and we connected with the people that came
but after 6 shows over 6 months
we found it was hard to get our message out
we take so much explaining
the fleeting crowd want circus's and lions

my american agent - brian
has set up some meetings in a variety of different rooms
one of them is a performing arts center
the others are with casinos
it's hard to explain to people that our two secret weapons
are endurance and word of mouth
we keep coming back with new albums
and people keep telling their friends
that message seems so tiny compared to the hulking flash of vegas
but i'm going to tell it true

i'm optimistic
there's so much stun and fun here
that something slightly more cerebral might stand out
we'll see
the last time here
i found a host of deeply appreciative music lovers
who grooved to the CAL vibe

last night we saw prince formerly known as the artist
at the joint
he had tapped into his hendrix
and as far as i'm concerned
has proven himself the true heir to jimi's throne
prince jammed
he's all to himself
the band watches for a cue
and executes dutifully
tight band
with a great groove and chops that any butcher would be proud of
but prince is the show
wailing colours and attitude
he took his guitar on a field trip
you know why you never read or see prince in the tabloids?
because he stays inside and practices
the music is his master
that's it
that's his life
his definition
i dig that

tech notes
- no in ears because prince knows that real rock players play old school
- no overhead mics on the cymbals
- no constant guitar changes - he bent the guitar in two then sat it on the stand only to pick it up again discover that it was still in tune because it's a good guitar
- donna - the 2nd guitar player (from toronto!) (friends with morgan!) was not as loud in the mix for her solos as prince was

wish me luck today
i'm excited to find out if there's something here for us

craig
april 28, 2013
american coffee

The Stones Roll Again

damn straight
get up and get out
hit the road
dance
strap on a guitar
hit those goddamn drums
turn it up
crank it out
give me the hits
and the deep tracks
i don't care about how old your aren't
i just want to let go and have fun
i wanna grab my baby's hips and sway
i want to have a couple beers
and forget about how much i'm getting gouged
it's the stones
while everyone else was rethinking things
they just woke up and carried on doing what they do
c'mon c'mon
it's not like they know how to do anything else
after 50 years you can bet that they know
how to connect with tens of thousands of people
and i like the gorilla
go out swinging
swan songs
and curtain calls
deep bows
roses on graves
that towel in ring is just there to wipe up some stage sweat
whatever
get on the plane and catch some sleep
bend
exercise
eat whatever you want
toast your mates
smile knowingly
because we're ready to rock the next night
and the night after that
and when the tour is over
and you're catching your breath
and you're wondering what to do next
you can dream it up again
because no one is saying goodbye