Rocky Letourneau Memorial Park: Honour or Insult?

This June, I (and many others) were saddened to hear of the death of Rocky Letourneau, a dedicated city councillor who represented Ward 5 here in Welland. 

In a Tribune article published shortly after his death, Letourneau was remembered for his service to the Francophone community. As a Francophone himself, he was determined to keep French-Canadian culture alive in Welland, fighting for the inclusion and recognition of the French language wherever possible. The article also noted his habit of looking out for the 'little guy,' which was well reflected in his support of the Welland Hospital. During the (still-ongoing) debate over the hospital's future, Letourneau argued that it should remain open so that the people of Welland could benefit from it. Mayor Campion, interviewed for the Tribune, spoke well of Letourneau both personally and professionally, commending the fact that he never neglected his duties even during his illness, and describing him as a great family man.

I've attended more than my fair share of city council meetings, beginning in 2013 as a member of the MYAC. We were expected to make at least one presentation to council per year, as all city committees must do, in order to explain our plans and allow the council to formally continue or cease to support our operation. As in Parliament, the councillors don't exactly 'talk' to the presenters - they must ask questions, though they can use a lengthy preamble to their question to express whatever else they want to say. By doing that, Rocky Letourneau always found a way to voice his support for our group and encourage us to keep doing what we were doing, and he was always one of the first to vote to approve our continued operation. The other councillors were supportive too, of course, but you could always tell who was really interested and who just wanted it to be over with. Mr. Letourneau always fell into that former category.

I also had the pleasure, or displeasure, of seeing some really strange business go before council. I won't go into what it was, but suffice it to say that people go in there with grievances that aren't fit for the worst episode of Judge Judy. Rocky, along with a few others, was someone who saw through the nonsense and knew how to ask the burning questions. That's an admirable quality in a politician, and one that is especially needed in a local government. So I respected Rocky Letourneau, and when he passed away, I hoped that something could be done in his memory.

And now the city wants to rename Memorial Park after him.

Memorial Park. You know, the one that's currently being torn apart by developers' bulldozers to make way for a new subdivision?

I'm just not sure it's a good idea, is all.

When I was a kid I used to spend a lot of time at Memorial Park. With its open grassy areas, it was a great place to have a picnic, play frisbee, even set up a badminton net on a clear day. Driving by, I liked to get a quick glance at the baseball and softball teams playing at the diamonds on either side of the road. It was great for kite-flying, though that was always my mother's pastime rather than mine. In short, it was a great place for kids of all ages, and indeed that's what it was until quite recently, when the bulldozers moved in and the orange fences went up.

Little did I know then that my beloved park wasn't really owned by the city, but by the Seaway, who - by my understanding - leased that land to Welland for $1 per year. For whatever reason, this arrangement became less than optimal to the Seaway, who then offered to sell the land to the city at a price that was said to be far below its market value before offering it up to other buyers. Council voted not to purchase the land, and as anyone would have expected, it was snapped up by developers.

Now a majority of what was once Memorial Park is bare dirt, with roads put into it, and electrical wires on wooden poles sticking up all over the place. Soon, foundations will appear in the ground, and on top of each one will grow a 100% artificial cookie-cutter house, the same type that these new subdivisions always have. When they're ready, or maybe even before that, they'll be sold at prices probably beginning in the $300s or $400s, and if it is like every other subdivision of its kind in this region, most of them will be bought by Torontonians who've just sold their wartime houses (or the spacial equivalent thereof) for millions of dollars, and who want to live in a peaceful, small city while continuing to work in a noisy, dangerous, big city, at the same time driving up property values until nobody from here can afford to live here, and we, like them, are forced to move.

Am I bitter? Maybe, but this disturbing pattern I've described is very real. Allowing too much development of this type has done serious damage to places like Ancaster, which is now completely transformed from what it once was. The same thing is currently happening in Wainfleet, as the city folk who've bought their cookie-cutter homes there continue to harass April Jeffs in order to get the small town they live in to be more like the big city, namely by eliminating the smell of manure. This is a serious issue, and if we ignore it for too long, we will be up a certain creek without the proverbial paddle. Toronto ignored its own wacky housing bubble for too long, which is why Torontonians are now forced to move south to Niagara in order to buy homes at semi-reasonable prices. If we Niagarans have to move south the same distance, we will end up in Fredonia, New York, which is not optimal, since some of us don't even have our passports. (I kid, but only slightly.)

So we have this park, which was once a nice place for kids to play, and which has now been mostly replaced by an unnecessary and unwanted development project. What is left of the park, consisting mainly of the pool, splash pad, and pavilions, along with a little bit of grass, will be surrounded by houses and roads. The future Memorial Park will be a shadow of what it once was. This is what the name of Rocky Letourneau could now be attached to.

Imagine if the Pen Centre went out of business, just like Niagara Square did, and all that remained open was the Zehrs and the Cinema, while the rest of it sat vacant. Now imagine that shortly thereafter, the St. Catharines city council voted to rename the place to the Andy Petrowski Shopping Centre. That's not an honour, that's an insult. The difference is that Petrowski deserves the insult, while Letourneau deserves exactly the opposite. 

It just doesn't make sense. You cannot take a butchered parcel of land, representative of the consequences of municipal short-sightedness, and name it after someone you are supposed to respect. Give Letourneau something that will memorialize him properly - not something that will attach his name to a negative image in the mind of everyone who went to this park in its original state.

What's the worst part of this whole thing? Rocky Letourneau, if he were here, would likely feel the same way. In January of this year, interviewed by Allan Benner for the Tribune, Letourneau said he'd been faithfully visiting the construction site to keep an eye on how things were going. To quote Benner:

"Letourneau said he’s concerned about the long-term future of a park that was the setting of many happy childhood memories.

“It was a park that I used as a kid. I’d swim there. I used to walk there with my family on Sunday afternoons,” [Letourneau] said."

Now, we know exactly what the park's long-term future is. We just don't know what it will be called. All I know is that it shouldn't be named after the late councillor. There are better ways to honour a man like Rocky Letourneau than to ravage a place he once loved and then name what remains of it after him.

Rest in Peace, Rocky Letourneau.

No Kids Allowed At WRF

As I've recently been informed, the Welland Rose Festival does not allow anyone under the age of 19 to serve on its planning committee.

Why?

I racked my brain to come up with reasons why this could be. Is it because the festival doesn't cater to young people? Let's look at the events:

• Coronation Ball: High-school age girls compete to be part of the next Rose Court.
• Grande Parade: Every kid in Welland loves the parade. The Shriners aren't driving those little cars around to please adults, are they?
• Days In The Park: Straight from the website, it's "fun for the entire family."
• Baby Show: I don't need to explain this one, do I?
• Children's Fishing Derby: See above.
• Street Dance: Again, from the website: "a fun filled night for all ages." 
• Art Exhibition: Maybe not the most appealing to kids, but with 75,000 visitors, surely some are young. 

Well, that didn't pan out. There's not a single event on the Rose Festival calendar that doesn't cater to children and youth.

Is it because the young'uns can't work on committees the way adults can? If you believe that, I invite you to read up on Welland's Mayor's Youth Advisory Council. Not only is it an entire committee made up of people under 19, but its members also serve on other committees which are otherwise made up of adults. They are respected enough to get a regular audience before the Mayor and Councillors. Clearly, anyone who thinks youths can't work together in a formal setting is just plain wrong.

Is it because there's some old statute in place the sets a certain age for Welland's committees? Well, no, there isn't, but it wouldn't matter. Many people don't know that the Rose Festival is not run by the City - it is independent. (The City of Welland is one of many sources from which it receives funding.) So it's not as if this rule is entrenched in some old laws.

This all leads me to conclude that there is no good reason to have an age restriction on the committee. Consider this an open letter to the Welland Rose Festival: you guys need young voices. Since I became involved with the Festival, even in my minor role, I can't count the number of people who have come to me with suggestions and ideas that they feel should be implemented in various events. The vast majority of these people were my peers - high school students - the people who go to all your events. They're the friends of the Rose Queen contestants, going out to support the lovely ladies as they perform their courtly duties. They're the big brothers and sisters of the kids at the fishing derby, sticking worms on the hooks and standing by the coolers. They're the young artists looking at the Art Show and wishing that one day, they, too, could have their work displayed for the public. Need I go on?

Your current Rose Queen agrees with me on this. So do countless students from our local high schools. The Festival is losing support because it is not changing. Consistency is great, but it gets stale. No demographic contains more changemakers than the youth. Bring some younger people on board, listen to their advice, implement their suggestions, and the next Rose Festival will be better than ever, guaranteed. If I'm wrong, I'll eat my City of Welland embroidered hat.

I know people read this thing. When I wrote about the electronic waste of money hanging on City Hall, I heard from Councillors. When I wrote about the lockdown in Dain City, I heard from local community figures. When I wrote about the lack of men in the Rose Queen pageant, I was approached by members of that event's planning committee, and was invited to join it. Somehow or other, people see what I write on here. If anyone at the top of the WRF is reading this, please, for your own sake, get rid of this nonsensical age limit and invite the youth to take part in planning the Festival. You will not regret it.

The Willoughby Ramblers - Niagara's Original Country Band

Part Two of a series on local musicians and record labels - the first can be read here.

In my post about the Welland garage rock recording studio, Canland, I mentioned that producer Mike Addario also recorded some country and western LPs. I intended to immediately follow up that post by discussing them, but time slipped away. It's a good thing it did, because since then, I've discovered another LP that was likely to have been recorded there. That one will have to wait, though. Today, I want to discuss two albums recorded by the Willoughby Ramblers, Niagara's original old-time band.

The Willoughby Ramblers were formed in 1950 in the Township of Willoughby. The group originally consisted of five members. The leader, Gordon Zacharchuk, better known as Sundown Jim, was born somewhere in Western Canada, but settled in Willoughby. He played the rhythm guitar and was also a vocalist. Lee Clattenburg, the fiddler, was from Eastern Canada. He had twenty-five years of fiddling experience. Leo Daudlin, the accordionist, was also described as an 'accomplished musician' prior to joining the band. His brother, Roland Daudlin, was the lead guitarist. Finally, John Zaturski, the drummer, came from Ottawa and was said to have been envied by many drummers.

These five members were the personnel on the group's first album, which was self-titled.

The album was recorded at Addario's Concept Recording Studios - in other words, his parents' basement. Such a location might have been perfect for garage rock recordings, but it wasn't ideal for a band of this nature. The entire album has a lo-fi sound, and all the instruments tend to blend together. Imagine listening to the band playing while you're standing outside the studio door, and you can get a sense of what this sounds like. That's not to say it's a bad record - it's definitely a unique listening experience.

The album begins with the band's signature tune, "Boil The Cabbage Down," which leads into a selection of waltzes, polkas, reels, and other old time music. Two of the songs feature vocals, "Together Again" and "Rubber Dolly". Unfortunately, "Rubber Dolly" suffers the most from the amateur recording techniques, as it seems to have been recorded with only a single microphone. As a result, it's nearly impossible to hear the vocals, and some of the instruments are lost as well. "Together Again" sounds much better.

The cover photo and design were done by Archie Hood, who business was located at 97 Burgar Street. Mike Addario recorded the album, and either he or Zacharchuk may have produced it. The LPs were pressed by RCA. The only detail that's not known is when it came out. The only reference to time in the liner notes is the statement that Lee Clattenburg has been playing the fiddle for twenty-five years. If he did indeed spend all those years with this band, the album would have been released in 1975, but that seems unlikely. It's more likely to have come out in the mid-to-late 1960s.

The Willoughby Ramblers didn't stop at just one album, however. Some time later, they returned to Concept Recording Studios to make another:

By the time this second album was released, there had been two membership changes. Lee Clattenburg and Roland Daudlin were gone, replaced by Ralph Atkinson (of Caistor Centre) on fiddle and Joe Godin (of Welland) as lead guitarist. According to the liner notes, these changes were well-recieved by the group's thousands of fans.

The album follows generally the same formula as the group's first, but contains a few more modern songs. Unfortunately, this includes what is probably the worst song they ever recorded: a cover of "Spanish Eyes", written by Bert Kaempfert, which the band fumbles their way through. The other tracks are great, however. Once again, two songs include vocals, those being "There Goes My Everything" and "Born To Lose". 

The sound quality of the album is greatly improved, making it sound like a professional recording, on par with Addario's usual standard. The back cover states that it was recorded on August 25th, 26th, and 27th, but omits the year. The cover design and photography are again done by Archie Hood, who also seems to have improved his skills.

Both of these albums sold well, and as a result, they are still quite commonly found around the Niagara Region. Sundown Jim and the Willoughby Ramblers spent many years as Niagara's dominant band in this genre, but were eventually displaced by another up-and-coming local group, led by Walter Ostanek - who would go on to win several Grammys and record over 40 albums. To my knowledge, the Willoughby Ramblers only recorded these two, and they don't seem to have made any singles. The band returned to the spotlight in 2008 to perform at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Willoughby Historical Society, but their lineup for that performance is unknown. Since then, they have been quiet.

The Willoughby Ramblers' signature track, "Boil The Cabbage Down", is available on the compilation CD "The Niagara Vinyl Collection", which can be purchased here.

Are Welland's Problems Unique?

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Those who are faithful to my blog might remember that at this time last year, I made a post contrasting my beloved hometown of Welland with the culturally-rich yet fish-and-chip-free city of Quebec. Well, as fate would have it, I'm back in 'la belle province' once again. This time I'm in Jonquière, a comparatively small town in the Saguenay region. Being away from Welland always makes me think about Welland, though, and here I am writing about my home once again.

It seems like every time I go away, things start happening in Welland. GE announced its first ten hires for their new Brilliant Factory, which I still think sounds like a cheap Chinese knockoff of the real factory, but hey, it's great news for Welland. I missed PC leader Patrick Brown's visit to Welland, and I'm also missing the antique and artisan market in its prime. But what really has my interest is the dog and pony show happening at the terminus of Niagara Street.

Okay, maybe it's really more of a donkey and chicken show, but you get the idea. For those who haven't heard, the former Crabby Joe's (and former many other things as well) building has been taken over by one David Clow, who has designated it a 'reclaimed community safe space.' He and a group of people are currently staging some kind of demonstration on the property which involves the use of animals. The purpose of that part is unclear, but I'm sure we'll learn soon.

It has ignited controversy on Facebook, and it seems like it is becoming a catch-all issue, one where people can vent and get out all their problems with our city. Many have accused Clow of squatting, and labeled his group as a bunch of druggies, but as is always the case around here, it's just rumours. Some say the building should be demolished, others say it will undoubtedly burn down, as happens to any abandoned building in Welland, while others still want to see it revitalized and turned into something good. People complain about the lack of restaurants and things to do in Welland, citing the seemingly cursed building as an example, since everything that opens in it seems to close before much time has passed. The general consensus: there are a lot of things wrong with Welland.

But do these problems really only exist in Welland?

As it turns out, Jonquière, Quebec is a lot like Welland. Both cities have similar populations, Welland having 52,000 to Jonquière's 54,000. Both were formed from the amalgamation of several smaller communities, and both are in turn part of larger regions, Welland of course being in Niagara while Jonquiere is in Sagunay-Lac-Saint-Jean. Jonquière is surrounded in its region by cities that have far more to offer than it does: Chicoutimi (which has a university and shopping) and La Baie (which has tourism). Likewise, Welland is next door to St. Catharines (which has a university and shopping) and Niagara Falls (which has tourism). 

The similarity that jumped out at me was the apparent lack of things to do in Jonquière. Just like Welland, at a glance, this city isn't very exciting. There's only one mall, the Place Centre-Ville, and it's not the greatest, to say the least. Most people go to Chicoutimi, home of the Place du Royaume, which boasts over 140 shops. There's not much to attract visitors to go there, aside from a few museums - which I love, but few others seem to appreciate - and the CEGEP, a post-secondary institution. There's not even much to make locals want to stick around - hardly any nightlife, and barely any restaurants, except for the Petit St-Do, a classic diner combined with a taxi dispatch office, that serves cheap, greasy food 24 hours a day. You'd have a hard time finding anything else there with similar hours, as everything closes early, and even the things that are open late always seem to be closed for some reason or another. Even the owner of the local sex shop took a 7-day holiday for the Fete National du Quebec. No kidding.

Welland is a similar story, or at least it always seems to be described that way. Our mall is always slighted, and people prefer to go to the Pen Centre, or even that God-forsaken Outlet Collection at Niagara, which to me is the embodiment of everything that's wrong with our commercial society. In terms of tourist attractions, we've got a museum that gets sadly neglected by the public, and that's about it. There's a college in Welland, which brings in students from all over the place, but nobody pays much attention to them. There's not much to do here at night, unless you fancy a happy ending over at Max's, and in terms of classic local restaurants, the Blue Star always comes to mind - classic, yes, but hardly something you'd promote to your out-of-town friends (though it was good enough for Justin Trudeau). 

And yes, both Welland and Jonquière share the issue of chronic vacancy. Many shops in Jonquière are empty, just like in Welland, leaving both cities' downtowns unappealing to pedestrians. Indeed, most people seem to be passing through Jonquière on their way to somewhere else. It's the same fate that has fallen on Welland - indeed, Wellanders have complained about it for years.

So, does this mean that Welland and Jonquière are lost causes? Of course not!

Both Welland and Jonquière have their own unique culture that just isn't found outside of their boundaries. The people who live in Jonquière have pride in their city and what it has to offer, as do many Wellanders. Jonquière (and its vicinity) has been home to several artists, such as Arthur Villeneuve, who used their chosen mediums to depict the things they loved about their local area. Welland has such a community of artists right now. Jonquière is home to a hidden gem of a brew-pub called Hopera - a cool restaurant with a laid-back and welcoming atmosphere. Welland is the home of the Black Sheep Cafe, founded by Lucas Spinosa with the same goal in mind, except that he brews coffee, not beer. Jonquière has an annual music festival, Jonquière en Musique, which features artists of all genres and attracts huge numbers of people from around the community. Welland has its summer concert series at Merritt Park, which similarly showcases a mix of genres and attracts good-sized crowds. 

So the truth is, there's plenty going on in Jonquière, and in Welland. You just have to know where to look for it. The next time you get the idea that Welland has nothing to offer, close Facebook and go take a walk or a ride around this great little city of ours. You just might see some of the things I'm talking about, and your faith in Welland might be restored. Our city is improving, and it has hope. Don't ever let yourself forget that!

My apologies to Welland's many great restaurateurs for naming the Blue Star and leaving you out, but you gotta admit that the Blue Star is Welland: it may not be the finest, but we still love it for what it is, eh?

The D. C. Revolution

The following is a joke article and not intended to be taken seriously... is it?

This weekend, Dain City residents will once again suffer at the hands of outsiders. I'm not talking about Port Colborne-bound heavy trucks slowly reducing our bridge to a deathtrap, nor do I mean thieving lowlifes moving into town and wreaking havoc. I'm not even talking about those blasted motorboat drivers trying to take over our canal. I'm referring to the most dreaded phenomenon that takes place in our quiet little hamlet: the bike race.

Yes, every year (and it feels like several times a year), our roads are closed to make way for the bike race. Both Forks Road and Kingsway are generally blocked off, creating delays for anyone who needs to take a trip into Welland proper. 

It's bad enough that we deal with so many regattas over the spring and summer months. Each one of those results in our streets being clogged with parked cars, our canal lands being covered with spectators' garbage, and our air being filled with the sounds of air horns and unintelligible announcers. And on top of all that, we get a cop (or sometimes a simple security guard) sitting at the Forks & Kingsway crossroads all day, making sure everybody that passes by is a resident. Somehow it never seems suspicious to these guys that so many 'residents' immediately park on the side of Kingsway and walk right over the bridge to watch the race.

Anyway, that's bad enough as usual, but it's nothing compared to what's coming. Apparently they're actually going to close the roads this time, Forks Road at the bridge and Canal Bank at the railroad tracks. If that's true, it means that we'll all be trapped here in Dain City for the length of the race! Not that Dain City is a bad place to be all day, but just imagine what could happen. A small, friendly community suddenly isolated, with no way to get out? It sounds like the setup for a sequel to The Intruder Within.

How much longer must we put up with these injustices? I say it's time for the Dain City Revolution.

 

We all know how well seperatism worked for Quebec, so why can't it work for us? Let's become a new township and declare our independence! I've even prepared a handy list of stipulations to help us along the way:

• The Welland Dollar will continue to be accepted at all Dain City businesses, but at a variable exchange rate, which will be posted each morning on the service station sign.
  

• The former Deed's Place will be renovated and converted into our new City Hall. 

• All pleasure craft passing through our section of the canal will have to pay a tariff at each distance marker. This will add a new element to all rowboat races, as the rowers will now have to compete to see who can pull out their loose change the fastest.

• We will continue to use Welland's municipal water supply, but we'll fix that spraying pipe at the end of Kingsway so that we're not paying for wasted water anymore.

• The new Dain City courthouse will be constructed at the Point, along with a prison in which to keep the car burglars. If we hurry, we can get it built before Welland finishes theirs. Also, ours won't have the ruins of a gas station across the street from it.

 

•  The Forks Road and Kingsway crossroads will be replaced with a roundabout, in the center of which will be a bronze statue of our namesake, Joseph Dain.

• Finally, we'll start our own print newspaper. I'll do the news, the Dain City Convenience store can have a flyer, and we'll syndicate William Thomas' column for the humour section. 100% local, 100% quality.

So there you have it: the manifesto of the Dain City revolution. Vive le D. C. libre... or at least stop messing with our roads.

Canland: Welland's Garage Rock Recording Studio

The Niagara Region has been home to a number of recorded musicians over the years. However, there have been relatively few recording studios in the area for them to work with. Some lucky Niagarans, like Tom Eldridge and Walt T. Toomey, recorded at the Earthland Studio in Niagara Falls, but most had to record in rudimentary locations - for example, the Caribbean Symphony Steel Orchestra recorded in a St. Catharines church basement. Others travelled to bigger cities to record, like the famous St. Catharines comedy duo Malton and Hamilton, whose records came out on the Scarborough-based Marathon Music label.

Any Canadian record collector can tell you about Marathon. Some know about Earthland. A few have heard of the Caribbean Symphony Steel Orchestra, better known in the Caribbean under their original name, the Chase Manhattan Savoys. But only the most seasoned collectors (and myself) have heard of the garage rock recording studio that operated in Welland in the 1960s - a little place called Canland Recording Industries, operated by one Mike Addario.

Addario's musical career began as a member of the Marquis, a local rock band from Lincoln, which never recorded. In the mid-1960s, he decided to enter a new side of the music business, and began to work as a booking agent for other local bands. At this, he was quite successful, managing several bands and booking gigs as far away as Cornwall. This led him to enter another new field by becoming a recording engineer, and he opened Canland shortly thereafter.

Despite its somewhat grandiose corporate name, the studio was in fact located in the basement of his parents' home. It was a rudimentary operation, but it worked well enough to attract quite a few local bands to record there (more on that later). He also managed his own record label, under the same name as the studio. It's unclear where the records were pressed, but my best guess is the Quality Records Limited plant in Toronto, which had a custom pressing division at that time. (The aforementioned Earthland Records also used this pressing plant).

Only two records are known to have been released on the Canland label, though there are likely more. The first, CL-0025, is True Love by the Barrons. The members of the group (based on the autographs on the label, which appear on most copies) were Paul Holmes, Augy Holmes, Bernie Holmes, Jim Robert, Bob Breen, and Gilbert Corveau. This recording is a rare example of 'white soul,' its lyrics dealing with a young man who meets a girl and falls in love with her, only to be told shortly afterward that she has passed away. The B-side of the single, Mending Our Quarrels, is classic garage rock. This single is the most common one released on the Canland label, though that doesn't mean it's easy to find. Copies online are typically priced at around $100. I was lucky enough to find mine at a thrift store for $1, and I only gave it a second look because I misread the label at a glance as GBI, a Bahamian calypso label that's more in line with what I usually buy. Only after having the record for a couple of years did I learn of its local origins.

The other single on the label, CL-0026, is See To Your Neighbor / Suzie Q by the Tree, who were also from Welland. The Tree were a trio, consisting of Mike Weaver, Chris Smith, and Ritchie Gauthier. This single is described as garage rock, but I have not heard it, and at $150 online it's far too expensive for me to track down a copy!

The members of the Tree had been associated with Canland years before releasing this single. A band called the Sinners - Ritchie Gauthier, Mike Weaver, Al Bartok, Jack Schaefer, and Andre Germain - had recorded at Canland in 1966. The two tracks they'd recorded were Sinner Man and Ten Dollar Woman, both of which were originals. Unfortunately, Ten Dollar Woman was rejected by ASCAP, who deemed it too vulgar (it was about a ten-dollar hooker who was too expensive for the singer, who had only five dollars in his pocket). Due to the rejection, the intended single was never released, and Addario lost the master tapes.

The Sinners returned to Canland the following year, now called The Mood and with Dave Pine in place of Germain and Glen Boscei in place of Bartok. They recorded a single, Train's Late / Who Do You Love. This single was released on the Cove Records label, produced by Pete Barbely. It is said that only 100 copies of the single were ever pressed, and as such, it is extremely rare and highly valuable.

Not long after the release of that single, Pine left the group and went to Toronto to find greener pastures. He was severely injured in a car crash and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Boscei left the group at the same time, leaving the band as a trio that would, after one more membership change, become the Tree. That group ended suddenly in 1971 when Mike Weaver was hospitalized after collapsing on stage during a gig. Despite being instructed by his doctor to rest, he went back to the stage within the same week, only to collapse again shortly thereafter. The second incident was fatal. 

The three singles I've mentioned so far aren't the only released pieces of music from Addario's studio: he also produced at least three albums. Two of these are by Sundown Jim and the Willoughby Ramblers, an old-time country group who were popular in Niagara in the 1960s. Their two albums are both self-titled, distinguishable only by their catalog numbers, WL-0025 and WL-0026. These albums are relatively easy to find. The other known album is Another Soul Is Free by Chuck Kelford and the Western Rayders, a country band. The album consists mainly of covers, with the titular track being the only original. For all three of these, Addario used 'Concept Recording Studios' for the name of his company. It's unclear if these albums are older or newer than the singles, which could be the reason for the name change. It's also possible that he simply wanted to reserve Canland as a rock label. The second option seems more likely, as his name is also much less prominent on the country albums - in fact, on one Willoughby Ramblers LP, he's not credited by name at all.

Canland Recording Industries didn't last beyond the early 1970s, as it seems Mike Addario moved on to other things. Throughout all of this playing, managing, and recording, he'd been no older than his mid-twenties.

With that, I leave you with a recording of True Love by the Barrons - a real sixties gem that truly deserves to be heard:

 

Further Reading: 

• Article by Andre Germain, member of the Sinners: http://www.garagehangover.com/sinners/
•  Pictures and audio clips of the Mood single: http://citizenfreak.com/titles/292623-mood-train-s-late-b-w-who-do-you-love
• Michael Addario obituary:  http://yourlifemoments.ca/sitepages/obituary.asp?oid=393673

No Love For The Men

It's that time of year again - time to apply to compete in the annual Rose Queen competition. As always, I know approximately half a million people who want to compete, and only four of them will win. They'll then get the priviledge of appearing in the Rose Parade in the backs of shiny new cars, as well as wearing their sashes everywhere they go for a while.

You may think I don't like the Rose Queen contest, but the truth is, I think it's great. There aren't many opportunities that can boost a girl's self-esteem the way that does, and it's great to see the pride and satisfaction on the faces of the successful Princesses, and of course, the Queen.

Just one question - where's the King?

The Rose Queen contest has been part of the Rose Festival for decades, yet the only male monarchs who've ever been honored in the Festival are the Rose Bud Kings, who never look like they have much interest in being there, even when they're posing (or being posed) in the arms of the pretty princesses. What kind of message are they sending to our young males? Once you're not a baby anymore, you're too old to compete? Only girls can be royalty? This sexist and ageist segregation has to end. It's an outrage!

All kidding aside, is there really a good reason not to have a Rose King? It can't be due to lack of interest - I know many people who'd be interested in participating. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find some kindly old ladies who'd be happy to watch and judge the handsome young men. And just imagine the drama and excitement that would result if the Queen and the King happened to be boyfriend and girlfriend - or perhaps even more if they didn't! It would be the talk of the town for sure.

And with all these benefits, what would be the drawbacks? None that I can think of. They could even have the King and princes share cars with with the Queen and princesses in the parade, to save on gas and rental fees. What do the festival organizers have to lose?

With that, I propose the introduction of a Rose King competition as part of the Rose Festival. Those girls deserve the attention they get - it's not easy to put yourself in that position in the first place - but for 2017, it's time to show the boys a little love too.

Another Youth Dead - What Can We Do?

 

In recent weeks, I have noticed a disturbing trend. There seem to be an awful lot of news articles about dead teenagers in the Niagara Region.

Those who keep up with the news will know which incidents I am referring to. The highest-profile story that comes to mind is the devastating fire that claimed the life of 16-year-old Samantha Zuvic, as well as her mother, brother, and great-grandmother, in December. Another incident is the death of a pedestrian on Lundy's Lane, which occurred just yesterday. The identity of the person has not been confirmed by the NRP or any media sources, so I will refrain from using it, but it seems that anyone who is under 18, or has Facebook friends who are, already knows who he was. There are other stories as well.

Both of these incidents were tragic accidents. This is not an issue of any kind of deficiency in our community - it's simply an unfortunate coincidence that a number of such stories have appeared in a relatively short amount of time. It's upsetting, but not particularly frightening.

What is frightening is the kind of response these stories get when they make their way out to the public, especially on social media. It seems that we are always looking for someone to blame, even when nobody is really at fault.

In the case of the Zuvic house fire, for example, I can recall the response when CBC News and others released the first official list of who had survived and who had been killed. Many people speculated that the childrens' father and uncle, both of whom survived the fire, must have been shady. It was suggested that one of them could have set the fire. This was not just one person - I saw it numerous times on different articles, posted by different people. In a public forum. Where the relatives, friends, classmates, coworkers and associates of the deceased could see it. Who in their right mind thinks that this kind of finger-pointing is acceptable in the aftermath of a tragedy?

In the case of the traffic accident, people have taken this opportunity to attack the character of the deceased individual as well as his girlfriend. I will not go into detail about what has been said, since as I noted before, it's not news - but even if the accusations are true, is it really appropriate to share them on a page set up as a memorial for someone who has just died?

This nonsensical blame game has to end. It's time for us all to stop trying to solve every problem by figuring out who is responsible. Sometimes nobody is responsible. Sometimes bad things happen for no real reason. Why not try to show a little empathy for those who died and for those who now have to live without them? It won't make their pain go away, but it will certainly help them through a difficult time - difficult enough without the burden of having to halt your grieving to validate yourself to vengeful Facebook commenters.

My sincere condolences go out to the families and friends of the deceased.