Named after Alan Freed, the original Rock and Roll DJ and dedicated mostly to music & radio. See also my Classic Film & TV blog @ http://thesilverscreenchronicles.blogspot.ca/
For My CIUT 89.5fm in Toronto radio playlists; http://moondogsplaylists.blogspot.com/
As I've written about elsewhere (namely here) the SUN "News" TV Network (AKA FOX NORTH) has been on a holy war against the artists and musicians who have been getting wealthy off of the sweat of the poor oppressed taxpayers. To the extent of having a some hopelessly obscure indie band and some much honoured (but still obscure) dancer on to ambush them with outraged demands that they return the piddly grant money they got. While of course somehow neglecting to point out the millions of taxpayer subsidies SUN TV gets through it's parent company QMI. I'm sure that's just an oversight. A remarkably persistent oversight. Much like their current demands that the CRTC add SUN TV to the basic cable package and force everyone to pay for right wing propaganda that the public had clearly decided they don't want.
At any rate a new survey shows just how much all those "elitist" musicians have been living the high life. Keep in mind this story came out in the National Post, not The Star or Now Magazine.
"The average Canadian indie artist earns a whopping $7,228 a year playing music, plus some other industry stats
Republish Reprint
David Berry | 13/03/05 | Last Updated: 13/03/05 5:08 PM ET
With the Conservative Party in power, it’s never a bad time to justify everything you do in terms of how it helps our Gross Domestic Product, which may have been the inspiration for a new Canadian Independent Music Association study on the economic impacts of independent musicians.
Put together via a survey of over 1,500 artists and company officials, it found that those bearded, vintage-clothed guitarists darkening the doors of independent coffee shops and hole-in-the-wall bars across the country are contributing a whopping $300-million to the economy in 2011 (the year examined), which isn’t exactly strip-mining-Northern-Alberta money, but might be enough to convince Jason Kenney to stop in at Zaphod Beeblebrox next time session ends early. Right?
Anyway, though, nestled in among those many millions are some revealing little facts about what being an independent musician in Canada is like. And man, if Grizzly Bear thought they were living rough, well:
Almost half of the music companies in Canada — that’s everything from record labels to people who rent out gear and the like — are sole proprietorships, meaning that goateed guy with the stringy hair isn’t just a talent scout, he’s also your potential manager, groupie wrangler, accountant and entire publicity arm. They are apparently some total lone wolves, though: a fifth of music businesses have been at it for at least two decades.
Music company employees earn an average of $22,250 a year, which may explain why Cribs never really caught on in Canada. Although at least that shades towards taxable income, since …
The average independent musician earns a stunning $7,228 from playing music, although the report (which is, it could be noted here, done by a representative group whose board is entirely music company owner/employees, not saying/just saying) notes that they “only” spend about 29 hours a week on the pursuit. If they got their slack asses in gear, they could stand to make as much as $9,336 a year, or less than half the average minimum wage. But hey, they’re doing it for love.
They may want to start thinking about retirement at some point, though: the average independent artist in Canada is 39.5 years old. And yes, naturally, 73% of artists are men. They do not indicate whether female artists make two-thirds of what the men do.
Oh, and PS, music company employees work a back-breaking four hours a week more than artists for their 300% raise.
Not that any of this is fighting over a particularly big chunk of pie, since about 60% of the industry earns $50,000 a year or less gross revenue.
And before anyone goes off complaining about Holy F–k getting tour grants again, the report is careful to note that for every $1 they get from federal and provincial governments, they contribute $1.22 to the economy. So there, complain-y small-government uncles across the country.
If your taste for music industry factoids hasn’t been sated, you can download the whole report right here. Let us know if you find anything else interesting, like what Brendan Canning spends on beard grooming products or anything."
THERE! I hope all you greedy mooching musicians out there are satisfied with yourselves! The government may have cut back on all those War of 1812 ads, parades and statues and it's all your fault! And then there's those shiny new jet fighters, helicopters and submarines. How do you expect us to be ready for the invasion of Iran if you are going to insist on taking your little busker show on the road anyway?
Reg Presley was the singer for the British Beat group The Troggs who of did the classic hits "Wild Thing", (a massive hit which has since been covered by Jimi Hendrix, X, The Cult, Runaways, Cheap Trick, Divinyls, um...Sam Kinison and lord knows how many other bands), "I Can't Control Myself" and "Love is All Around". He was 71
THE TROGGS ~ "WILD THING";
THE TROGGS ~ "I CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF";
George Shadow Morton ~ Songwriter and Producer with 1960's Girl Group The Shangri-La's with classic hits "The Leader of The Pack" & "(Remember) Walking in the Sand" and later Janis Ian, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly and The New York Dolls ~ 72
THE SHANGRI-LA'S ~ "THE LEADER OF THE PACK";
VANILLA FUDGE ~ "YOU KEEP ME HANGING ON";
THE NEW YORK DOLLS ~ "PERSONALITY CRISIS";
THE NEW YORK DOLLS ~ "LOOKING FOR A KISS";
Alvin Lee, singer guitarist for Blues Rock super group Ten Years After, best known for their epic performance at Woodstock ~ 68
TEN YEARS AFTER ~ "I'M GOING HOME";
TEN YEARS AFTER ~ "SPOONFUL";
Rick Huxley ~ English bassist with 1960's Beat Band The Dave Clark Five w/ hits like "Glad All Over", "Bits & Pieces" (later covered by Joan Jett), "I Like it Like That", "Catch us if You can" ~ 72
THE DAVE CLARK FIVE ~ "DO YOU LOVE ME" & "GLAD ALL OVER";
THE DAVE CLARK FIVE ~ "BITS AND PIECES";
THE DAVE CLARK FIVE ~ "I LIKE IT LIKE THAT";
Tony Sheridan ~ British 1960's Skiffle and Mersey Beat singer, had The Beatles as his back-up band and did their first recordings ~ 72
TONY SHERIDAN ~ "SHAKE IT SOME MORE";
John Doyle ~ Singer/Guitarist with 1960's Miami Garage Punk band The Evil ~
THE EVIL ~ "FROM A CURBSTONE";
Cecil Womack was one of the Womack Brothers (including Bobby, Harry, Friendly and Curtis) who started out in Cleveland as a Gospel group and were discovered by Sam Cooke who signed them to his S.A.R. Record label in 1961 renamed as The Valentinos. They recorded the original version of "It's All Over Now" which was later covered by The Rolling Stones. After Cooke's death in 1964 S.A.R Records folded and Bobby Womack left the group and married Cooke's widow which created some outrage from Cooke's fans. The remaining brothers kept the band together and signed to Chess Records and recorded a few singles which failed to chart. They then signed to Jubilee Records with no greater success. The Valentinos broke up when Henry Womack was stabbed to death by his girlfriend. The renaming brothers became backup singers for their by no more successful brother Bobby's solo career.
THE VALENTINOS ~ "IT'S ALL OVER NOW";
Deke Richards ~ Songwriter and Producer for Motown. Wrote hits like "Love Child" for The Supremes and produced songs like "I Want You Back" and "ABC" for The Jackson 5 ~ 68
THE SUPREMES ~ "LOVE CHILD";
Virgil Johnson ~ Singer with Doo-Wop group The Velvets ~ 77
Floyd McRae ~ Singer with 1950's Doo-Wop group The Chords who do the original version of the classic hit "Sh-Boom" later covered by The Crewcuts ~ 80
THE CHORDS ~ "SH-BOOM" (recorded in 1980);
THE CREWCUTS ~ "SH-BOOM";
THE VELVETS ~ "MY LOVE";
Bluesman Magic Slim was a cousin of the great Magic Sam, he would go on to record several respected albums for Alligator Records died at 75
MAGIC SLIM & THE TEARDROPS ~ "LET ME LOVE YOU BABY";
And of course Stompin Tom Connors, the legendary Canadian Folk/Country singer died at 77. It's been a little hard for Canadians to explain to Americans exactly what made Stompin Tom such an icon. Or even to come up with a real comparison. Woody Guthrie? Sort of, both were working man's troubadours and champions of a nationalism that was never right wing or racist. Johnny Cash? Both wore black and both were coolly charismatic. But Connors had a goofy sense of humour that Guthrie and Cash would have found undignified. The closest I can come up with is Guthrie as done by Lonnie Donnegan.
STOMPIN TOM CONNORS ~ "BUD THE SPUD";
STOMPIN TOM CONNORS ~ "MARGO'S GOT THE CARGO";
Bob Engemann ~ Singer with 1950's Pop Vocal Group The Letterman w/hits like "Love is A Many Splendored Thing", "When I Fall In Love", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Softly", and covers of pop hits like "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Up Up And Away", "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" and "Walk On By" ~ 76
THE LETTERMEN ~ "LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING";
THE LETTERMEN ~ "WALK ON BY";
Donald Byrd ~ American Be-Bop Jazz trumpet player from the 1950s on. Played with John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Eric Dolphy, Jackie MacLean, Gigi Gryce and Art Pepper. He later recorded with his own band for several highly successful albums on Bklue Note Records in the 1970's & 80's. His work has been heavily sampled and used on Hip Hop and Acid Jazz ~ 80
DONALD BYRD ~ "CRISTO REDEMER";
Kenny Ball ~ British Jazz trumpet player who had several hits in the 1960's ~ 82
KENNY BALL ~ "MIDNIGHT IN MOSCOW";
Paul Tanner ~ Big Band trombone player with Glenn Miller who later went on to pioneer the electro-theremin, which he played on Beach Boys records including "Good Vibrations" and thus had a career that spanned the Swing and Psyche eras ~ 95
THE GLENN MILLER ORCH ~ "IN THE MOOD";
THE GLENN MILLER ORCH ~ "I GOT A GAL IN KALAMAZOO";
When we last left our friends over at FOX NORTH, sorry I meant SUN TV News, they were going off the air after loosing their right to broadcast over the air for free (something I wrote about earlier here), and being reduced to the wastelands of cable access. Before that of course they distinguished themselves with their jihad against The CBC for "wasting" tax dollars. And then we had their ambush attacks on bands and arts groups for partaking of the piddly arts grants they can apply for (which I also wrote about here,) while of course somehow forgetting the millions of taxpayer subsidies they themselves get (through their parent company QMI) for their not exactly non-profit Mom & Pop storefront. Unfortunately the CBC didn't forget and gleefully splashed the nasty details on their website. More on that further down. BTW I also wrote about the last days in the SUN TV Bunker here.
You might think that after that kind of public smackdown that the "Principled Conservatives" over at SUN TV might be a little ashamed to march back to the public trough. Boy are you naive. Turns out that to the surprise of nobody SUN TV's anemic rating have flat-lined. Turns out that the "Great Silent Conservative Majority" doesn't actually exist. Or if they do they don't want to pay for the kind of right wing pablum served out by SUN TV. So now this highly profitable multi-media conglomerate desperately needs somebody to ride to their rescue. That would be you. They don't really need you to actually watch their recycled street corner ranting, thank God. No, they just want you to have to pay for it.
SOME FINE SUN NEWS PROGRAMMING THAT WAS SO RACIST THEY HAD TO WITHDRAW AND APOLOGIZE FOR:
(Note; I know this video has now been deleted from Youtube; read why at the bottom of this story, meanwhile here's some more info,and here on Levant's hate filled rant that almost landed him and SUN TV in court)
But back to our rant already in progress.
How you ask, will I have to pay for this drivel? Well SUN TV has an application in front of the CRTC demanding to be put on basic cable. That means that everybody who has cable would be forced to subsidize SUN TV even if you have no desire to ever watch it. Even if you actively despise everything they stand for. Even if you are one of the groups that are routinely attacked as part of SUN TV's ever growing gallery of Strawmen who are intent on destroying capitalism and the family. You know who you are; Muslims, Natives, Gays, Unions, Roma, Artists, Environmentalists, Pacifists, Separatists, Liberals, The NDP, The CBC, University Students and...oh Fuck it... pretty much anyone who doesn't live in Alberta. They may hate you but you have to not only tolerate their right to take to the airwaves to trash you, but you must also actually subsidize them as well. That's the whole point of this exercise.
Do the same Conservatives who have also railed against the same strawmen have any problems with this. Actually at least one does. Take it away, Andrew Coyne from National Post;
A few choice quotes;
"There just aren’t words for this kind of gall. Even by the standards of the cultural sector, it’s breathtaking: proof, yet again, that the only thing you need to succeed in Canadian business is utter shamelessness, coupled with an invincible sense of entitlement to the public’s money. Leave aside its general positioning of itself as the voice for conservative, free-market types, or its constant lectures to others on the need for self-reliance. This is the network that, when it is not talking about itself (sole opposition to the “non-Sun media”) is more or less obsessed with the CBC and its “billion-dollar subsidy.” All forgotten, apparently."
"Well, asking is not quite the word. The network, never shy about self-promotion, seems almost an infomercial for itself these days. Network personalities have been drafted to explain the urgent public necessity of making Sun mandatory carriage, that is of taxing everyone with cable or satellite service. Viewers are directed to a website, where they can send an email to the CRTC in support of its application."
Turns out that when SUN TV applied for it's original license two years ago SUN TV vice pres Kory Teneycke sanctimoniously denied they would never, ever, ever even consider asking for basic carriage coverage.
"Sun, he wrote, “is not, nor has it ever, asked for ‘mandatory carriage’ by cable or satellite companies.” Why, the very idea: “this would be tantamount to a tax on everyone with cable or satellite service.”
SUN TV TALKS ABOUT IT'S FAVORITE SUBJECT, ITSELF:
Yeah well, that was then. Back when they were positive that there was a vast untapped vein of true conservatives just starving for a steady diet of right wing bloviating. Or not. Turns out that SUN TV's ratings were sometime less than 10,000 for the whole country, and that was while they still had the over-the-air signal.
So, remind me again. In a capitalist system what does a corporation do when they do a massive belly-flop like this. Why, they get the taxpayers to bail them out of course. Duh.
Besides it's not like there aren't plenty of other examples of SUN TV hypocrisy are there? Like, say pushing the withdrawing the public partial subsidizing of political parties, because in a free society taxpayers shouldn't be forced to pay for ideas and speech they don't like. Or how about attacking the longstanding union dues structure whereby every member of a union pays dues to that union because you know; Freedom! But when it comes to bailing out the Pravda wing of The Conservative Party? Cough it up you deadbeats.
So that brings us to you, the viewers. Or non-viewers if their ratings are to be believed. If you don't want to have to subsidize SUN TV you have one, and only one last chance to say something now or forever hold your peace. You, Yes You can write a letter to the CRTC and state your opposition. You could also ask to speak at the hearings, but they are going to be held in Gatineau, Quebec on April 23. It is still worth writing a letter though. I have testified at two different CRTC hearings and written support letters for four more, not counting this one. I have always found it to be an easy process and have always felt it was a worthwhile exercise. The CRTC actually does read these things and it does matter. SUN TV knows it too. Ever since they decided to go for the basic cable payday they have spent even more of their air time begging for their handfull of viewers to write support letters to the CRTC, many have. On the other hand many of those who have been the targets of their hateful rhetoric have also taken the time to write letters to the CRTC as well that are considerably less helpfull. Payback's a bitch. At last check there were several thousand submissions on the CRTC site. I haven't the time to read them all so I don't know how they breakdown as a pro vs against ratio but there are plenty of both. I also noticed that singer Holly McNarland fired off her two cents worth. She is not a fan of SUN TV BTW.
So get out your typing finger and go to the CRTC site
Then scroll down a few entries to the part that says;
"23 April 2013 Gatineau, Quebec Applications for mandatory distribution on cable and satellite distribution systems pursuant to section 9(1)(h) of the Broadcasting Act and applications for the licence renewal of independent conventional, pay and specialty television services Deadline for submission of interventions/comments/answers: 20 February 2013
2013-19-1 - 23 April 2013 Correction to the preamble and item 21 Extension of deadline for interventions/comments/answers: 27 February 2013 Extension of deadline for replies: 11 March 2013"
In the second column you will find a heading that says;
"Extension of deadlines
27 February 2013"
And a button that says "Submit". Click on that and follow the instructions. It's just that simple. If some mouth-breathing Red Neck Goober can figure it out so can you. Now go and come up with something pithy. The deadline is February 27. The second deadline of March 11 is for SUN TV to respond in the rather unlikely event that they actually do.
Incidentally just as further incentive here's that list of taxpayer gifts you have already lavished on SUN TV and their parent company QMI;
"Granted to magazine publishers under the Canadian Periodical Fund.
A list of Quebecor properties and the commensurate amount they received from taxpayers for 2010-11, via the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Chez Soi: $487, 735 Cool: $191.136
7 Jours: $327,160 TV Hebdo: $1,157,100 TV Hebdo Teleromans: $8,480 Les idees de ma maison: $376,943 Clin d’oeil: $480,749 Cote Jardins: $33,678 Derniere Heure: $154,966 Echoes Vedettes: $188,704 Le Lundi: $376,018 Moi & Cie: $7,947 Tout simplement Clodine: $99,489 Clodine Hors serie: $4,366
TOTAL $3.7 million."
And keep in mind that's in JUST ONE YEAR!!
UPDATE: Here is the letter I wrote to the CRTC using their website;
"As a long time journalist and Community Radio programmer I am writing in opposition to the application by SUN News for mandatory distribution on cable and satellite distribution systems.
I will not belabor for the Commission the obvious hypocrisy of SUN News' longstanding vocal opposition to extending this very same mandatory distribution to every other Network on the supposed principal that nobody should have to pay for a service they did not use. Or the hypocrisy of SUN News' equally strident opposition of Arts grants, taxpayer subsidies of political parties and compulsory union dues for the same reason. Clearly that was before SUN News utterly failed to reach an audience with their "service" and there are larger issues with this application than the applicant's brazen shamelessness.
My Opposition will focus on five main points;
1. SUN News was granted a license on the promise that they would never ask for Mandatory Distribution.;
In 2011 SUN News Vice President wrote in his own newspapers stating that;
SUN TV “is not, nor has it ever, asked for ‘mandatory carriage’ by cable or satellite companies.” and “this would be tantamount to a tax on everyone with cable or satellite service.” All they were asking for was that carriers be obliged to make Sun available to those who wanted to order it. Any suggestion that SUN TV would be seeking Mandatory were “lies, half-truths and slander” .
Having been granted it's license on the promise of not demanding Mandatory Carriage, SUN News should not now be allowed to sneak such an application through the back door.
2. Lack of interest for programming;
Since going on air SUN TV has received consistently dismal ratings. This is in spite of several high profile advertising campaigns and the ability to cross-promote with the national Sun Newspaper chain as well as several talk radio shows hosted by SUN TV hosts. If SUN TV has not been able to generate an audience with all these advantages and resources then it should not be the responsibility of either the Commission or cable subscribers to bail them out.
3. SUN TV does not provide special interest programming;
Although SUN TV has described it's programming a "special interest", SUN TV does not qualify as a specialty channel as the term is generally used. Specialty Programming has traditionally been considered as programming that speaks to and comes from small and marginalized communities with little or no access to mainstream media outlets. Past examples have included Campus Based Community Radio, Aboriginal Communities, French language communities outside Quebec, foreign language communities and small isolated rural communities. Another different category has been cable channels dedicated to specific subjects not covered in the mainstream media but of sufficient cultural or educational importance such as Weather Channels, Religious Channels, Children's Programming, Music, Sports, Cooking, Learning etc. I support this tradition, however by no stretch of the imagination can SUN TV be considered in a similar category. SUN TV is a corporate network which considerable resources, they should not need further support. The fact that SUN TV's ratings have actually been lower than most niche specialty channels should not be incentivized.
4. The CRTC does not grant licenses to political parties and unions;
While SUN TV bills itself as a "News Network" any perusal of it's programming makes it abundantly clear that SUN News is in fact the propaganda wing of the Conservative Party(s). While in certain European, Latin American and African countries political parties often own their own radio and television stations, this has never been the case in Canada. Nor has the CRTC licensed labour unions. This standard should be adhered to, the experience of nations that have highly politicized airwaves such as The United States, Russia, Italy and Venezuela does not lead to confidence that democracy has been strengthened, that the level of public discourse has improved or that the public has become better educated. In fact the evidence of the examples above shows the opposite is true.
5. SUN News has built up a record of offensive comments and generated a number of complaints far in excess of any "News" station of comparable size.
Since beginning it's broadcasting SUN TV has provoked an unprecedented number of complaints from viewers to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. These complaints have covered such matters as repeated airing of openly racist and Homophobic attacks on Native People, Roma, Muslims, Unions and Gays that would not be aired on other channels. The response to these complaints by SUN TV has been defiant. No person has been dismissed or disciplined as a result of these complaints nor has there been any noticeable change in the hateful tone of the programming, nor is there likely to be. In fact in 2001 the various Sun newspapers withdrew from the various Press Councils in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba calling them "politically correct". The attitude of SUN TV has been equally hostile to any oversight. On July 13, 2004 the CRTC rescinded the license of radio station CHOI-FM in Quebec for repeated broadcasting of offensive content. I am not asking for SUN TV to be taken off the air, however members of the public should not be forced to subsidize programming that is brazenly insulting and offensive to many communities and individuals in Canada.
SUN TV's inability to find an audience is a failure by the applicant to offer a product that a sizable number of Canadians wish to see. It is not a failure of the CRTC to support them. SUN TV should not be incentivized to fail. To do so would set an unwelcome precedent. I ask that this application be rejected.
Yours Truly;
Yada Yada Yada"
Note; I realize my letter is a little long, but don't let that faze you, most public letters are just one paragraph. I was kind of on a roll. That deadline again is Feb.27 so get to work.
UPDATE; As of the end of March the video of Erzra Levant's jaw-droppingly racist rant against the Gypsie/Roma people has been removed by Youtube due to a bullshit "Copyright" complaint, as have all other attempts by mere citizens to point out how disgustingly racist/homophobic/anti-native/anti-Muslim SUN TV is. This has become a favorite tactic of the sleazy right. Namely shutting down any on-line critique they don't like by filing a bogus "copyright" complaint with Youtube, Facebook, Twitter or Google which they inevitably cave into immediately. These claims would almost certainly not stand up in court where "Fair Use" arguments would be brought due to the obvious newsworthiness and public interest involved. However this would require the person who posted the video (or photos or even quotes) to hire a lawyer and take them to court, which they know most people can't afford. This of course is coming from a media organization which is always screaming for "transparency" from it's enemies like The CBC, Unions, Native Reserves, and any politician they don't like, but anyone expecting any sort of moral consistency from these shameless douche-bags is sadly naive. It's a cowardly, devious, dishonest, bully-boy tactic but it works. You know who else loves this sort of tactic? The sanctimonious left wing activists over at The Ryerson Student Union, The Canadian Federation of Students, CKLN (good riddance) and the Socialist Party of Ontario, one of whose leaders (in fact a former leader of ALL those organizations), Andrew Lehrer, is a past master at this. He in fact did this to a posting on this very blog awhile back over a posting that wasn't even about him, then he sent me a post bragging about it. Corrupt sleazebags are all the same regardless of the ideology they espouse. More on the SUN TV censorship campaign here.
Sturm Group were a fixture on the Toronto indie scene in the mid to late 1980's. Playing a unique post-punk/industrial fusion influenced by Joy Division, The Fall, Modern Eon, The Kinetic Ideals, Swell Maps, Cabaret Voltaire, Killing Joke and early albums by Clock DVA, Section 25 and New Order.
Formed in 1983 and after recording a cassette only debut they recorded their first proper lp in 1984, a moody self-titled affair similar to Joy Division and the first albums by New Order, Clock DVA and Section 25 on the tiny Green Fuse label which did well on local campus radio. By their second lp, titled "Century Ho!" in 1986 their sound had evolved into a more unique atmosperic cacophony with guitars that sounded like crashing metal, staccatto drumming, occasional washes of saxophone and dark sentorian vocals. "Century Ho!" received good reviews (from Nerve Magazine and The New Musical Express) and got much airplay on campus radio in Toronto and Hamilton ultimately selling a few thousand copies including 500 in the U.K. and earning them a spot on an European compilation album.
STURM GROUP ~ DEBUT CASSETTE;
They gigged heavily including an opening slots for Siousxie & The Banhees, Flipper, Killing Joke and The Cramps/Screaming Blue Messiahs gig at the Concert Hall in 1986 as well as the closing gig at Larry's Hideaway. Notable bands that would open for the Sturms would include Change of Heart, Chalk Circle, The Shadowy Men, A Neon Rome and The Cowboy Junkies.
The Sturms also adopted a more formally gothic all black look to go with the darker sound. However after "Century Ho!" singer Bill Mahoney left the band and was replaced bythe more theatrical Colin "Ceawin" Sitto and they delayed their followup until 1989's "Grind", a less noisy club friendly album for the larger Amok label which also contained their only cover songs; a version of The Rent Boys "Fetish" and a cover of Arthur Brown's "Fire". One of their tracks was included in a European compilation "Perdabo" and another on the soundtrack for "Roadkill".
STURM GROUP ~ "A BETTER MAN";
However sales were disappointing and personal differences lead to the band's breakup in 1989.
All of Strum Group's music is long out of print and was only available on vinyl and cassette, "Century Ho!" is considered an obscure classic of early industrial music (ie. before it turned into disco) and can be found for sale on various online sites and used record stores. To date there have been no cd re-releases or reunions. Of the former members, guitarist Tod Cutler and bassist Walter Sobczak have been involved with sound and production in Toronto. Cutler also played with the now defunct Superhalo while Sobczak was in Raggadeath. There are entries for Sturm Group on Lastfm.com and Jamcanoe.ca but that's about it.
A MUCH MUSIC INTERVIEW CIRCA 1986;
Lineup;
Bill Mahoney ~ Vox
Tod Cutler ~ Guitars & Effects
Walter "Votah" Sobczak ~ Bass
Hugo Von Levetzow ~ Drums
also;
Colin "Ceawin" Sitto ~ Vocals (on Grind)
John Lennard ~ Sax (on Century Ho!)
Brat X ~ Tymp drums
Mike Dent ~ Effects (on Century Ho!)
A "NEW MUSIC" STORY CIRCA 1985 WITH FOOTAGE OF VARIOUS TORONTO BANDS INCLUDING STURM GROUP;
This Black History Month I feature two of the first black owned record labels, Broome Records and Black Patti Records;
Broome Records was the first black owned & run record label starting in 1919 some 18 months before Black Swan Records, the label commonly noted as the first black label. Running to 1923 or 24, producing a series of records for a number of black artists of the pre-jazz era.
Founded by George Broome, (1868-1941) a black music manager and promoter based in Medford Mass. who had produced Will Marion Cook's musicals and managed singer Roland Hayes, Broome Records was started in 1919 dedicated to producing music that would "uplift the race" which in the early twentieth century meant classical music done in the European style by black musicians and singers. Thus Broome recorded none of the Jazz, Ragtime, Blues or Spirituals that the majority of black folks listened to at the time, preferring instead piano or string recitals, chamber pieces, light operettas, formal spirituals, and speeches. The records were rather expensive for the day and distributed mostly through mail-order from his office in Medford Massachusetts, targeting an audience of fairly affluent, educated, middle-class blacks from the urban north-east & midwest along with a few white patrons and fellow musicians.
Broome Records never had a large catalog or audience and as Jazz became respectable for middle class blacks, Broome was unable to move with the times (as also happened to Black Swan) and stopped releasing or recording new records after 1923. After that date Broome opened a print shop with is son however Broome apparently continued to release records from his back catalog through mail order until his death in 1941.
Because of it's fairly small catalog Broome's records are quite rare and haven't been as fully researched as has other labels of the era such as Black Swan, Black Patti, Paramount or Vocalition. Broome also hasn't gotten the attention it's pioneering status deserves for music historians since he recorded no Jazz, the usual choice of music historians of the era, however in recent years more copies of Broome Records have surfaced and a few articles have been written about the label. The most detailed of which is in Tim Brooks Grammy Award winning book, "Lost Sounds".
Artists on Broome Records:
~ Henry Burleigh ~ 1866 -1949 ~ Burleigh was one of the best known black composers and singers of his day. Having studied with Czech composer Anton Dvorak (who praised him for introducing the European to African-American folk music and spirituals) he became the first black soloist and later musical arranger for St. George's Episcopal Church of New York, a wealthy and influential white church where he attracted patrons like J.P. Morgan. By the the 1900's he had graduated to the concert stage as a singer, pianist and composer of spirituals in a formalized operatic style similar to that later done by Paul Robeson who he heavily influenced both musically and for his serious presence. In spite of his long career the Broome recordings are his only known records and were not even known about at all until recently.
HARRY BURLEIGH ~ "GO DOWN MOSES":
~ Edward Boatner ~ 1898 - 1981 ~ At the time of his recordings Boatner was a young student of Burleigh who brought him in to record one of his arrangements. Boatner would go on to a long career as a composer, conductor and teacher with students such Josephine Baker. Like Burleigh and Dett the Broome recordings are his only known records. He was also the father of Jazzman Sonny Stitt.
~ Nathaniel Dett ~ 1882 - 1943 ~ Born in Niagara Falls Canada, Dett was a well known pianist and composer of the era, he left a volume of works which are still performed today. He also taught at universities and conservatories in the USA, Canada and Europe along with winning awards for his pieces and essays. Later in life he made many radio recordings but like Burleigh his only known proper recordings are the ones he did for Broome which like Burleigh's were forgotten about until recently. He is remembered in Canada with a choral society, festival and scholarships in his name.
~ Florance Cole-Talbert ~ 1890 - 1961 ~ A classically trained contralto from Detroit, Cole married pianist Wendell Talbert and started singing around 1910 making her New York debut in 1918, recording for Broome in 1919. She toured Europe in 1924 to rave reviews staying until 1927. Known for her showmanship she also recorded for Black Swan.
~ William Leonard King ~ An now obscure pianist who played with Cole-Talbert and other singers on Broome including probably Burliegh and Boatner.
~ Clarence Cameron White ~ 1880 - 1960 ~ One of the best known black violinists of the era dubbed "The Bronze Kubelik" after the Czech virtuoso of the era, White was already well know by the time he recorded for Broome in 1919 and would go on to further fame in The USA Canada & Europe making many other recordings and compositions.
~ Booker T. Washington ~ 1856 - 1915 ~ America's best known civil rights leader of the late Victorian era made a recording of his famous 1895 Atlanta exposition speech for Columbia Records in 1908. When George Broome started up his own label he bought up surplus copies of these discs and rereleased them with new Broome labels making them one of Broome's best sellers and the ones most often found today.
BOOKER T WASHINGTON;
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLACK PATTI RECORDS;
Black Patti Records was the only black owned blues label of the 1920's. Founded in 1927 by Mayo Williams, a former pro-football player and talent scout for Paramount and Black Swan Records who decided to start his own label, Black Patti (named after African-American opera singer Matilda Jones A.K.A "The Black Patti" who did not however actually sing for the label) was set up as a lean operation with an office to scout, sign and promote artists while leaving the actual recording and pressing to a licensing deal with Paramount's chief rival Gennett Records.
Mayo quickly established a strong stable of artists with a mix of blues, jazz, spirituals and even country records, however Mayo had run out of capital by the end of the year and had to shut down the label after only 55 known titles and take a job with Vocalion and Records and later with Decca before again running his own Ebony label in the 1940's. Mayo Williams died in 1980. In spite of Black Patti's short life and commercial failure it has long been considered one of the most collectible labels of the era both for the quality of it's music and the fact of it's being the only major black-owned label after the collapses of Black Swan and Broome records in the early 1920's, and being the last such label until the post war era. Black Patti is also well known for having the most elaborate label logos of the era, with it's golden art deco peacock design which was later copied by the Yazoo label.
Notable Black Patti artists ~ Jackie "Half Pint" Jaxon ~ 1895~194? ~ A diminutive and flamboyant singer of double-entendre jazz & blues as well as a female impersonator known for his wild showmanship which would later influence Cab Calloway and Little Richard.
JACKIE "HALF PINT" JAXON ~ "WILLIE THE WEEPER";
Jaybird Coleman ~ 1908~1950 ~ A respected singer & harpist from Alabama who pioneered the style that would influence both of the later Sonny Boy Williamsons.
JAYBIRD COLEMAN ~ "MISTREATIN' MAMA";
Cow Cow Davenport ~ 1894~1955 ~ Popular boogie-woogie pianist and songwriter who also accompanied various singers including Jaxon. Highly influential on later boogie-woogie pianists in the 1940's & 50's
COW COW DAVENPORT ~ "COW COW BLUES";
Sam Collins ~ 1887~1949 ~ A typical rural singer/guitarist street and tent show performer from the Mississippi Delta notable for his bottle-neck playing, known as Cryin' Sam Collins for his high, keening tenor.
CRYIN' SAM COLLINS ~ "LONESOME ROAD BLUES";
Vernon Dalhart ~ 1883~1948~ William's attempt to appeal to the white country market, Dalhart had been the first million (and multi-million) selling country artist in 1922 but by 1927 his career was in decline having been bypassed by more authentic rural artists such as Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.
VERNON DALHART ~ "BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES";
Mozelle Anderson ~ A typical female blues singer also known as Kansas City Kitty, one of several singers to use that name.
MOZELLE ANDERSON ~"TIGHT IN CHICAGO":
Hattie Garland ~ Another female blues singer who recorded a few sides for Black Patti by which time she had racked up a long career in Allen's Minstrels as far back as 1903 when she is billed as Hattie Beecham; "Our little soubrette who sets the pace singing "Eva" and praised for her "fully developed and well cultured voice" and her hit version of "The Banquet In Misery Hall". By 1907 she was touring in a troupe led by Perry George Lowery, a rival to WC Handy and married Fred Garland, another singer noted for his "silvery voiced tenor" although other listings also have him as a trombonist. (Note also listed in the troupe was Charles Beecham as "comedian and stage manager" and a Blanche Beecham on drums, were they related?). By 1909 Hattie and Fred had left the troupe due to Hattie being ill but in 1912 Fred at least was back at least temporarily taking over the band as Lowery dealt with other personal and business issues. Then she obviously recovered and they seem to have set out on their own. All this suggests that by 1927 she was a seasoned veteran well into her forties with a fairly varied repertoire and her band here is presumably led by her husband. Their subsequent activities and fates are unknown.
HATTIE GARLAND ~ "STRANGE WOMAN'S DREAM";
The Rev. J.M. Gates ~ 1884 - 1941; Although largely forgotten now Gates was one of the most successful black artists of the 1920's as a singing preacher who recorded combined sermons with acapella hymns. In the 1920's it is estimated that an astounding one quarter of all Gospel records were by Gates alone and he probably outsold more famous Jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong, King Oliver or Jelly Roll Morton.
REV. J.M. GATES ~ "AMAZING GRACE";
The Downhome Boys ~ Long Cleve Reed and Little Harvey Hull, a guitar and vocal duet who recorded the first known version of Stack-o-Lee Blues, now one of the rarest and most valuable 78's in existence, with only one known mint copy, owned by collector Joe Bussard, worth an estimated at least $30,000. There are also several records credited to "Harvey Hull & His Orchestra" which seem to be lost but the listing suggests the Hull may have also sang with a more structured Jazz band as a few male blues singers did. Hull, who was also billed as Pappa Hull, is reported to have been born in Mississippi in 1887 making him in his forties at the time of these recordings.
THE DOWNHOME BOYS ~ "STAGGER LEE";
Blind Richard Yates ~ An obscure travelling singer/guitar player, he recorded four songs during two sessions in 1927 which also featured a pianist.
BLIND RICHARD YATES ~ "I'M GONNA MOAN MY BLUES AWAY";
Willie Hightower's Jazz Band ~ A typical popular 1920's hot jazz band led by trumpet player Hightower, other names in the band suggest New Orleans origins.
CAROL DICKERSON ORCH (WITH WILLIE HIGHTOWER) ~ BLACK MARIA":
Other obscure blues singers include Blind James Beck and Ivy Smith.
There were a few notable Scottish contributions to the 1960's British Invasion, Donovan and Lulu being the most successful. However Scotland's best band of the 1960's never managed to get a hit outside of Alba.
Hailing from Glasgow and formed in 1961 The Poets were one of the big hopes for Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records label. With a sound similar to The Small Faces and a Edwardian look taken from The Kinks the Poets released a series of excellent singles starting with "Now We're Through" with Decca Records which reached 31 in the charts in 1965. However two follow-ups with "I Am So Blue" and the excellent "That's The Way It's Got To Be" failed to chart. Oldham had signed up as a manager and still had faith in the band so he moved them to his fledgling Immediate Records label were they recorded two other singles; "Call Again" a ballad backed with the atmospheric "I Can't Forget" which was probably a better (if shorter) choice than the A-Side. This was followed in 1966 by a cover of a Marvin Gaye Motown hit "Baby Don't you Do It" which had already been covered by the Small Faces and was produced by Gary Glitter, backed with another ballad "I'll Come Home". This also failed to chart. That was about it for the Poets who were dropped by Immediate Records and did not record a full album, although their singles have been compiled into a best of. They continued to slog it out on the tour circuit with a bewildering series of line-up changes before breaking up within a few years.
THE POETS ~ "IN YOUR TOWER";
Some of their singles are found on various compilation albums, including the Nuggets II box set on Rhino Records (one song) and The Immediate Records Story (four songs) on Charly Records. One of their tracks, "That's The Way It's Got To Be" was on the soundtrack for the films Factory Girl and Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster.
The members of The Poets did not go on to fame in other bands. Four have since died.
THE POETS ~ "BABY PLEASE DON'T DO IT";
Members;
George Gallacher - lead vocals (born 21 September 1943 died 25 August 2012)
John Dawson - bass guitar (born 1944 died 6 January 2002)
Alan Weir - drums (born 1944 died 9 June 2010)
Stafford Hamilton - rhythm guitar (born 1945)
Hume Paton - 12-string lead guitar (born Hume Michael Paton, 6 October 1945 died 30 April 2011)
THE POETS ~ "NOW WE'RE THROUGH";
NOTE; There was also a contemporary Irish band with the same name who recorded a couple of cool singles just to confuse things.
You may remember that during the feeding frenzy over the vacant 88.1fm frequency left behind by the CKLN shutdown, I reported that one of the applicants (who had links to the Conservative Party via former Mike Harris era Ontario Cabinet Minister David Tubuschi) tried to game the system by lobbying a local Tory M.P.
You may or may not also recall that my response at the time was basically; "Umm..Yeah, Right, Good Luck with that one. I'm pretty sure that's illegal though."
Turns out they weren't the only corporate weasels to try this stunt. Oh; and it also turns out that I was right about this. Too bad nobody told any of these high priced corporate radio big shots about the law. Then again apparently nobody told Finance Minster Jim Flaherty either. But the CRTC didn't need to be told though;
From The CBC;
www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/01/17/pol-cp-flaherty-tried-to-influence-broadcast-regulator-decision.html
From CTV;
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/oversight-to-blame-for-ethics-breach-flaherty-1.1119716
Selected quotes;
"Responding to a dressing down from the federal ethics watchdog who said Jim Flaherty broke the rules when he sent a letter to the CRTC advocating for a business in his riding, the finance minister says any wrongdoing was borne of an "oversight."
Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson’s criticism was made public on the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's website Friday in a notice she also sent him outlining her conclusion after reviewing the case.
In her response, Dawson says Flaherty broke accountability guidelines, as well as conflict of interest rules, when he sent the letter to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission last March to advocate for Durham Radio Inc. and its ultimately-failed bid for an FM radio station licence."
Nevertheless, Dawson says, considering his political position, Flaherty was wrong to have stepped in on the company’s behalf.
"It is improper for you, as Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Greater Toronto Area, to have written a letter of support on behalf of a constituent to an administrative tribunal in relation to its decision making," Dawson wrote.
As news of his letter first made headlines earlier this week, Flaherty told The Canadian Press he would "continue to be a strong advocate for the people and community I represent. It is my job."
The Prime Minister's Office also came to his defence, saying on Thursday that Flaherty was merely performing his duties as an MP.
Flaherty did not only sign his letter as an MP, however, as his sign-off also notes his status as finance minister and minister responsible for the GTA.
"I therefore order you to refrain from writing any similar letters in the future without seeking approval from my office."
SO THERE! TAKE THAT!
And what is the bullshit excuse from the Tories? I'm glad you asked.
"As news of his letter first made headlines earlier this week, Flaherty told The Canadian Press he would "continue to be a strong advocate for the people and community I represent. It is my job."
The Prime Minister's Office also came to his defence, saying on Thursday that Flaherty was merely performing his duties as an MP."
Translation; "Gosh I'm just a regular lil' ole M.P. You can't expect me to be up on obscure technicalities like this".
Uhh..No; Sorry guys the law says;
(From the Section of the Broadcasting Act:
7(1) Subject to subsection (2) and section 8, the Governor in Council (that means the Federal Cabinet or Prime Minister) may, by order, issue to the Commission directions of general application on broad policy matters with respect to;
(a) any of the objectives of the broadcasting policy set out in subsection 3(1); or
(b) any of the objectives of the regulatory policy set out in subsection 5(2).
Exception;
(2) No order may be made under subsection (1) in respect of the issuance of a licence to a particular person or in respect of the amendment, renewal, suspension or revocation of a particular licence.
That means that No! Jim Flaherty, You may NOT, repeat NOT, lobby the CRTC for one of your cronies. You got that now? Making the claim that "I was only acting as a normal Member of Parliament gosh darn it" is nonsense. He is no such thing. Especially since he signed the fucking letter as Canada's Finance Minister. There is a copy included in the CTV story.
I expect the idiots at Ryerson to be this clueless but there is no excuse for Flaherty not knowing this stuff. It's kinda part of his job. It's not like he's Rob Ford for Fuck Sakes. On the other hand if you scroll down to the comment section you will find the usual collection of right wing Trolls making just that excuse. Probably the same sort of Tea Party wannabes who think Rob Ford was "set up" by "The Left". So there are clearly no limits to willful blindness.
The good news here is that, as I predicted, the CRTC was not bought off. They granted to a small independent group who are promising to play an all Indie and heavy CanCon format. (I did not predict this, although I did write a submission in their support). I doubt they could have outbidded the corporate big fish who were swimming in this pond, so they must have earned it fair and square. Say what you like about the CRTC, and there are legitimate reasons to criticize them, the CRTC are totally honest. In these days of blase' corruption I give them a great deal of credit for that.
Incidentally this reminds me that when Fitzroy Gordon was granted a license for a Black/Caribbean station at 98.7FM he made a point of saying in several interviews that he got the license after Stephen Harper and Immigration Minister Jason Kenny personally met with him and intervened with the CRTC. Gordon has specifically said this several times in various public interviews. He also urged black people to vote for Harper because of this. If true however that would mean that either;
a) Harper and Kenny blatantly broke the law (I wouldn't have though they were that stupid, now I'm not so sure)
b) Gordon is an ass-kissing liar who is just sucking up to Harper and making himself look like an insider.
c) Harper and Kenny just bullshitted Gordon to get him out of their office and then did nothing but make some empty promises and Gordon was dumb enough to believe them.
d) The Tories are running a shakedown operation for broadcast licenses since while Gordon was lobbying Harper and Jason Kenny, Durham inc. was also lobbying the Finance Minister and yet another group was slipping cash to yet another Tory MP. Setting aside the obvious corruption, can it really be this chaotic in Ottawa? How does a corporate weasel know who to pay off around here? What happens if you pay off the wrong sleazebag? How would you know? As it turns out NONE of these three jerks got the 88.1fm license anyway (although Durham has a slew of others across Canada), so they ALL got scammed. Serves them right of course but it still seems a tad unfair, not to mention inefficient.
Either way they are openly bragging about breaking the law. Someone really should look into this.
FITZROY GORDON THANKS HARPER IN FRONT OF A TORY PARTY BANNER;
