The Oppenheimer Report 2/24/20

Years ago, Buck Marshall, one of my musical mentors, brought over a few albums for me to hear. I guess he thought I needed a little education in the Country and Bluegrass categories. Buck's opinion was that someone arrogant enough to host a radio show about those he considers to be good songwriters, should not be myopic in his musical tastes. While I did enjoy Country Rock, I’d never explored the more traditional Country and Bluegrass genres. I welcomed the education, and over the past few years, Buck and others have apprised me of some really great music. Among the first CDs, Buck gave me Willie P. Bennett’s seminal “Blackie And The Rodeo King” album, Stephen Fearing’s “Between Hurricanes”, and 2 albums by Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, a band that took its name from that legendary Willie P. Bennett album. I have since become a huge fan of theirs.

Several years ago, Shauna Leigh Taylor and I were fortunate enough to see #BlackieAndTheRodeoKings perform live at Massey Hall in Toronto. While we had already been fans for years, it was an entirely different experience to see and hear the band perform their music before our eyes. The concert was inspirational, and when it was over, we literally floated out of that hall 6 inches off the ground. When the opportunity presented itself to see the band again, this time during their 25th anniversary tour in nearby #Huntsville, we were among the very first people to purchase tickets. Saturday night, we were front row centre for the magic as #BARK electrified the Algonquin Theatre for what will likely go down as our favourite concert of the year.

After Attawapiskat, Ontario singer/songwriter Adrian Sutherland (of the Adrian Sutherland & Midnight Shine band) opened the show with several of his original tunes, there was quite a lengthy intermission, affording Shauna and I the time to mingle with some of our fellow concert goers, and we were surprised to hear how many attendees had never before seen the Rodeo Kings perform. Knowing how good their live show is, we were excited to be in an audience that was about to have their socks blown off. The band did not disappoint.

In their music, I hear so many influences. Artists like JJ Cale and Buddy Holly, Lonnie Mack, and a dozen other major musical powerhouses, inhabit their rich melody lines, their well-crafted lyrics, and those beautiful harmonies. Like all great musicians and songwriters, Blackie And The Rodeo Kings pay homage to their influences without aping them. Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing, and Tom Wilson (LeE HARVeY OsMOND), are all excellent songwriters in their own right. When you add their distinctive singing voices, Colin Linden’s incomparable guitar skills, and their first class rhythm section, this band can only be described as world class. I’ve long admired the songwriting skills of Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson, and now, after having seen Colin Linden perform just 10 yards away from me, I have now dubbed him “The Blackie And The Rodeo Kingpin”. I have a newfound respect for his energy and showmanship. I’m not at all surprised that Colin Linden recently received a Recording Academy / GRAMMYs Award for his production skills. The band made it look fun and easy, and their passion is contagious. During one jam, in the second half of the show, Linden just kept dialing it up, and the band spontaneously formed into a tight circle, building and building until they had the entire audience pulsing in unison. By the end of the song, the audience erupted into a standing ovation. Shauna and I agree that this band, as a unit, is one of the most entertaining and highly-skilled acts we've ever seen.

At the end of the show, for the first time, Shauna and I had the opportunity to meet and converse with the three founding members of the band and I found myself a little starstruck. They all had wonderful things to say about #HuntersBayRadio and thanked the station and its hosts for all the support with which we're providing them. In fact, during the performance, Tom Wilson noticed Shauna had her Hunters Bay Radio jacket draped across her legs, and he gave the station a hearty shout out, sparking a round of applause from the audience members. That was a thrill for all of us "88.7FMily" members in attendance. Thanks to the Huntsville Festival of the Arts for bringing the brilliant Blackie And The Rodeo Kings to town. What a great show it was! I’ll be buzzing all week. Like Shauna said: "DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE to be MOVED & GROOVED by the mega-multi-talented BLACKIE AND THE RODEO KINGS. If you're lucky, they'll be BARKing up a tree, perhaps in YOUR neck of the woods." https://blackieandtherodeokings.com/tour/

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2020
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
jamieoppenheimersongwriter@gmail.com

Jamie Oppenheimer, Songwriter, Author, Blogger, Radio Producer, & Host has been writing THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT every MONDAY since 1992 and has published the articles on his blog since 2006. We are including Jamie's weekly reports, as a feature of Hunters Bay Radio, The Bay 88.7FM.

HuntersBayRadio.com #MusicYouNeedToHear #EveryOneHasAStory #GotLocal? #WeAreMuskoka #WeAreAlmaguin #TheOppenheimerReport #JamieOppenheimer #JamieOppenheimerSongwriter #BlackieAndTheRodeoKings #BARK #ColinLinden #stephenFearing #TomWilson

  

The Oppenheimer Report 2/17/20

Mark Puffer, Bobby Cameron, and me at Peyto Lake circa 2005

If memory serves me correctly, it was 1995, when Shauna and I were walking along the main street of Banff, Alberta, and we heard some excellent live music drifting out of the second floor windows of The Barbary Coast Steak House Bar And Grill. We gave each other that special look which meant “This warrants further investigation".e walked up into the sparsely attended bar and saw two guys up on the stage performing an acoustic set. They were so good that we were gobsmacked. Those two musicians were Bobby Cameron and his friend Laurence Pugh. Not even halfway through their set, Shauna and I decided to return the following night. Bobby's passionate style, extraordinary guitar skills, and rich,  rootsy singing voice were particularly riveting. As planned, we went back to see them again the next night, and therein began our long friendship. Over the next 10 years, when we travelled out to Banff to hike the Canadian Rocky Mountains, we made of point of reuniting with Bobby to spend time together and to attend at least one of his gigs. If he was in Banff, we’d get together at our hotel, in Room #421 of the Douglas Fir Resort & Chalets. Our marathon picking sessions would ensue. Many of his and my songs were written and vetted in that very room. While I cannot speak for Shauna, a skilled pianist, singer, and songwriter in her own right, those sessions, out in the mountains of Banff, are among the happiest memories of my life.

The other day, I posted that a song I wrote back in 1993 entitled, “Strange Holiday”, had just been covered by Bobby Cameron. In fact, we have commissioned him to record and produce 8-10 of my original songs. That has been a pipe dream of mine from the time we first met.  Ever since 2005 in Toronto, when he recorded a very cool, bare bones demo of “Strange Holiday”, I was inspired to work with him. Over the years we’d co-written several songs.  Most notably, he, Shauna, and I co-wrote a song entitled, “Where You Live Where You Die”, which reached #1 on the Hunters Bay Radio Top 20 Countdown chart a few years ago. Never very good at collaboration (just ask Shauna), I checked my ego at the door on that one, and in so doing learned an important lesson about taking notes on a song. Sometimes the primary writer is too close to see the big picture.  Bobby, a good writer in his own right, has that rare ability to take someone else’s song to the next level. Regardless of the elusive brass ring of widespread recognition and financial success, two goals which are becoming harder and harder to achieve in today’s myopic and ever-morphing music industry, we are decidedly growing creatively, and that has finally become enough for me.

Last Saturday night, in a heavy snowstorm, I drove up to a house concert near Sundridge, Ontario with my pal Buck Marshall, and we watched fellow musicians Mark Hockey and Barry Hayward (Bazza) perform a benefit concert for Hunters Bay Radio, hosted by Christy Flynn-Sollman and Jamey Sollman. It was a packed house and the vibe was as good as the music. As I have said many times before, music brings us together in a way that only music and kindness can.

On this sunny Family Day, I walked on the frozen lake, and silently took inventory of my good fortune. February’s grey-sky blues melted into the bright blue sky. Negativity was an impotent, distant foe, and for the moment, I was in the moment. By the way, “For The Moment, I’m In The Moment” is the title of my latest song. I am thankful for my beautiful, creative, and supportive wife, for my talented creative friends, for the fresh air of the Almaguin Highlands, and for the music-loving community in which I live. I hope you all had a Happy Family Day!

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2020
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Oppenheimer Report 2/10/20

Po Cholly and his band 2/15/20

About 23 years ago, Shauna and I were out in Banff for one of our summer hiking tours and we went to the Chateau Lake Louise for dinner after one of our long hikes. We got into a discussion with one of the interesting young waiters there about music, and after dinner we joined him and one of his female companions at their room in the staff accommodations to have a beer and to continue the discussion. We had a great time and talked late into the night. Shortly before we were about to leave, Shauna noticed a guitar leaning beside the door. Our new friends asked us if either of us played and, ever my supporter and promoter, Shauna mentioned that I write songs. They then implored me to play one of my original songs for them before we left. Reluctantly I agreed, and l played them one of my oldest songs, “Deeper I Go Into Blue”. It might have been because they were tipsy on beer, but they both raved about how much they liked that song. They really were encouraging, and I was genuinely surprised. From day one of our relationship Shauna has been constantly supportive and encouraging of my songwriting, but in the ten or so years since I’d written that song, and after performing  that song at least 50 times in public, and after submitting it and having had it rejected by 30 or 40 publishers and record companies, I don’t recall ever getting a compliment about it. This was the first time I’d ever felt as if I had reached someone emotionally with one of my songs. That has always been my aspiration.

Jump ahead to last Saturday night, when I opened for Po Cholly Robertson and his band at the Huntsville Legion. It was one of a series of Hunters Bay Radio-sponsored free concerts which Jeff Carter and the station have presented throughout the year, and we have had some excellent performers. Regrettably, we do not always get big crowds for these gigs, and on a bitter cold February night, I was quite sure this concert might be poorly attended. As I mentioned earlier, Shauna is my biggest promoter and supporter, and she went to great pains to ensure that anybody and everybody in our local community was apprised of that concert. Between her efforts and those of the radio station, they drew in a full house, and I was delighted (and nervous) to be playing in front of such a large and receptive audience.  What was particularly meaningful to me was the number of people who came up to Shauna and me before the concert to tell us how much they appreciated hearing my songs on the radio, and how much they enjoyed my radio show. As well they complimented ET’s MARTINI MUSIC show, and told us how much they appreciated what Shauna does for the station, and how much they love listening to Hunters Bay Radio. I think I can speak for Jeff Carter and all the volunteers, who selflessly offer their time and expertise to this little community radio station, by saying that this means the world to us.  

I cannot speak for my own performance, but I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Po Cholly and his bandmates play. Those musicians included his wife Beverlie Robertson, the Juno-Award-winning Julian Fauth on keyboards, Ken Yoshioka on harmonica and electric guitar, and Michael Lopez Philips on bass and acoustic guitar. It was one of those “perfect storm” evenings wherein all the stars align, the entertainers were bang on, and everyone in the room could feel the positive energy. It’s about good karma, it’s about the collective appreciation of good music, and it is why Shauna and I and so many dozens of other like-minded local volunteers devote their valuable time and energy to the station. There is the palpable sense that we provide a service to our community, that we give back, and I for one feel good about that.

I wrote down a line about 25 years ago which I thought might make a good chorus. It reads: “Sometimes you’ve got to change your dreams, before your dreams change you.”   Long ago, I envisioned myself as the guy writing that hit song which would make me rich and famous. Now I have different dream. These days I get more satisfaction out of turning new listeners on to a great under-recognized talent, or airing some aspiring young local musician just starting out on their journey. Rejection and empty rooms are the hazards of creating, and there are plenty of times when it feels like no one is listening. Still, you never know whom your art might positively affect. Because of the opportunities I and many other local musicians have been afforded by Hunters Bay Radio, I have realized my dream. I cannot express my gratitude for all the support from the station and from the local community of listeners and fellow musicians. I no longer write my songs in a void; those songs are now out there and being heard. As a songwriter, there is no greater joy for me than to have someone say to me: “I liked that song about the wolves “… or “can you play that Dublin song for me!”  That’s what Hunters Bay Radio has done for me.

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2020
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Oppenheimer Report - 2/3/20

The other day, I was in a creative mood and I had an hour to kill so decided to record some musical ideas for songs I was beginning to write. These days I’m not as prolific as I once was, so I felt compelled to strike while the iron’s hot. Typically, I record my songs on a portable multi-track recorder, let them breathe a bit and tweak the lyrics over several months, sometimes longer. If I feel I have a decent song musically and lyrically, I present it to one of our many talented local producers to record it. As I said, the muse has been elusive lately, so when I do get an idea or a melody in my head, I try to record it immediately.

I had my portable multi-track recorder, and I had my pair of cordless headphones. For this song, I was working on lyrics to music I’d already composed. I noticed the outlet into which the cordless headphone base was plugged was dead. When I went down to the basement to check the breakers, it took me a long time to find the breaker that had tripped. The little orange warning strip that indicates a tripped breaker was for some reason only partially visible. When I finally figured out which breaker had tripped, I reset it, came back upstairs, got my guitar out, and tried to turn on my little multi-track recorder. The batteries were dead.  I’d recently broke the DC transformer for it, so then I spent another ten minutes looking for fresh batteries for that. When I finally did, and just as I pushed “record”, the phone rang. The moment was gone, and I wasn’t going to get it back. If I’ve learned anything in 45 years of trying to write songs it is that there is a right time and a wrong time. The muse will come back, but I can’t say when.

I made a startling observation as I looked around our house today. We are surrounded by electrical devices and electrical wires, and they seem to be multiplying. I must have fifteen transformers of various voltages that I think I might need some day. I have extra cable for TV’s, RCA cords, speaker wires, musical equipment, computers, TV remotes (one for which I defy you to find the mute button), cell phones, and lots of “labor-saving” devices. I realize that, although we live in the bucolic splendor of the Almaguin Highlands, I spend an inordinate amount of my time focusing on technological problems. The internet router needs to be re-booted, or the computer crashes, the alarm system sensor batteries need replacing, or one of a dozen computer-controlled appliances malfunctions.  Last week it was the oven. In university I met a guy who eschewed all modern technology; I thought he was crazy extremist. As I grow older, I’m beginning to understand his point of view.

Yesterday was 2/2/20. That was a weird date to see on the calendar. Will we make it to 12/21/21? We’re all so worried about destroying the planet, which we may be doing, but perhaps it will be nothing we can control. I heard an interesting statistic on the news last night: 60 Million people have been quarantined in China because of the latest viral outbreak. As my cell phone rings or texts me with the latest scam, informing me that my bank account has just been drained, or that Microsoft needs access to my computer,  or that Canada Revenue has a warrant for my arrest, I am beginning to wonder what the heck is going on. The other day I watched a story on the news about drones in China that fly around scolding citizens for not wearing protective face masks during the Coronavirus outbreak. How strange is that?! Big shout out to George Orwell. I wish we spent half as much time inventing technology that could improve healthcare as we do to develop new (and easily hacked) applications that allow our cell phones to control everything.  Just sayin'.

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer  c2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED