Category Archives: Rants

CD Review: Brock Zeman – The Carnival Is Back In Town

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Brock Zeman
The Carnival Is Back in Town
Pulling Your Sword Out of the Devil’s Back (2015)
Busted Flat Records

Prolific Ottawa area songwriter Brock Zeman returns with yet another strong album, hot on the heels of his 2015 masterpiece, Pulling your Sword out of the Devil’s Back, and a live album/DVD in 2016. On Pulling your Sword, he poured his heart out in song, revealing some powerful stories and emotions that were obviously very ripped from his own experience. On this, his 13th album, though, Zeman the storyteller turns his pen into a paintbrush, creating a vivid, realistic look at a traveling carnival that might have been seen in the American south during the 1930s & 40s. It’s a true concept album, entirely devoted to the theme, with songs detailing many of the events and colourful characters that would have been found at such an event.

This album was actually written over the course of a year, but a decade ago. Zeman had such high expectations for it that it took years to perfect the approach. It was even recorded once and scrapped because it just didn’t feel right, but this time, they really got it right. Zeman is backed up here by his regular band, including drummer Dylan Roberts and guitar wiz Blair Hogan. They’re joined by a bunch of great guests, filling in backing vocals, bass, accordion, fiddle, and saxophone. In keeping with the period-specific theme of the record, there isn’t a single electric instrument anywhere on the album.

So it sounds right and sounds great, but a project like this can’t succeed without vivid storytelling. Luckily, Zeman steps up with some of his finest writing yet. The record’s narrative takes us through the carnival’s arrival (“The Carnival Is Back In Town”), the setting up of the tents and attractions (“Hammer Them Stakes Down”), and then introduces us in great detail to “Stitch,” who runs the show, “The Juggler,” “Buckshot Sadie” (who “sure ain’t no lady”), Chance “the all-seeing eye” (“Dirty Little Secrets”), “Little Mac,” the mysterious characters that make up the “Freak Show,” and more.

Each character’s story is carefully crafted full of clear imagery, which makes it easy to see and hear the characters as if they were real. You feel for them as their often dark and sad stories unfold, but there’s hope and joy under the big top as well. “Little Mac” reminds us that “Even from the gutter, you can still see the stars.”

The emotional star of this show is “Drinks (the Clown),” whose sad tale is told in heart-wrenching detail. He was a “switchblade kid,” who “carved up his mean drunk daddy before hopping a train out of town.” He’s tough, but “He’d give you the shirt right off his back, and he often did.” Sadly, “One morning, in Little Rock, AK, they found him lying stiff, cold, and ghostly white.” The show didn’t go on that night, and as the strains of “Amazing Grace” weave in, we hear that he repeatedly told anyone who would listen that, “When it comes my time to go underground, be sure you lay my body facing down, so this world can kiss my ass goodbye!” And that’s exactly what his carny brethren do. There’s great irony and power in a song about a clown that’s so sad and tender.

In this day and age, where full-length albums are diced up into flash-in-the-pan singles, an album such as this requires a bit more effort and commitment, but it sure pays off. It’s a volume of stories that demands to be consumed front-to-back. This is one that will require repeated listens to truly appreciate, but each and every time, you’ll pick up some clever turn of phrase or some gorgeous melodic element, and you’ll find yourself eager to come for another visit to this carnival.

At the end of the album, and the carnival, after it’s all been put away and moved on to the next town, “the rain washed all the posters down and it wiped the smile right off the clown.” “Make believe turned back to real,” and we’re left to wonder, “what do we do now – the carnival’s left town?” What I’ll do is to enjoy this album again and again, and watch for Zeman’s next move. I don’t know how he’ll top this one, but I know for damn sure that he’ll try.

In Memory of Paul MacLeod

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People often ask about the origin of the name of my radio show. “Tell the Band to Go Home” is the name of a great 6 song EP put out by a singer/songwriter from Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario, named Paul Macleod. It’s a perfect example of the type of music that I play on the show, and a perfect reason for doing it.

The original Tell the Band to Go Home

The EP is a simple recording of Paul and a guitar playing amazing songs. It’s recorded live at The Sidetrack Cafe in Edmonton. As a clean, clear solo recording, there’s not much to focus on other than the singer and the song, exactly the way I like it. Paul’s voice and songs are unique and powerful and wonderful, yet widespread success eluded him. The CD was a limited indie release that never really found an audience among the masses (yet it’s regarded as a classic by many musicians and in-the-know fans like me.) It’s the kind of amazing music that somehow flies below the public radar. My show aims to provide an audience for amazing music like Paul’s.

For a couple of years, I enjoyed Paul’s CDs but didn’t have a personal connection to him. In 2002 though I found myself in the midst of a relationship breakup, and as happens in such situations, we found ourselves dividing possessions into the “Mine,” “Yours,” and “Ours” piles. Paul’s CD was one that landed in the latter. Sure, I wasn’t the one who brought it into the relationship, but I’d grown to love it and it was really hard to find a replacement copy which would have allowed us both to have one. I couldn’t find a place to buy a copy, so I went to the Skydiggers message board (Paul was with the band for a number of years after Peter Cash left) and posted a question asking if anyone knew where I could find a copy. Imagine my surprise when Paul responded and offered to send me a copy. We got to talking about how much I loved the CD and what a big fan I was.

Out of those email exchanges came my first opportunity to interview Paul. I spoke with him February 3, 2002 on a show that was notable because I also interviewed a then unknown singer/songwriter named John Mayer. I also had a local singer/songwriter named Steve Schellenberg booked to come in and chat and play, so the show was a busy one, but still I found myself wrapped up in a conversation with Paul that lasted over a half hour.

At the time, we were still making analog recordings of our shows, so this one was recorded on cassette. I recall being so nervous about the interviews on the show that I forgot to start the recording right away, so the first part of my chat with Paul is missing, but it can’t have been much. Here’s that chat:

Download this episode (right click and save)

Paul MacLeod and Jeff Robson at The Glen Gould Theatre in Toronto, October 25, 2009.

I had so much fun with that conversation that I tried to get Paul on the show again a number of times, but we didn’t manage to connect for the better part of a decade. We had a lot of fun email and Facebook exchanges over the years. I’d also seen him live a couple of times, including a memorable reunion show in Toronto with the Skydiggers in 2009. (photos here) (I also have a fine recording of that show, which I’ll post eventually, but feel free to email me if you want to hear it in the meantime.) In 2011, I had a show scheduled for May 22, which is Paul’s birthday. I half-jokingly sent Paul a message and said that I would be doing a birthday tribute and he should tune in and perhaps give me a call to chat. Much to my surprise, he did both.

Once again, we had a great conversation. Here is that one:

Download this episode (right click and save)

Our communication would get more sparse after that, but I would from time to time drop him a line and ask him to chat again. Sadly, I’d never get the chance.

You’d never know it to chat with him or see him live, but Paul was deeply troubled. He had some severe mental health issues which I wasn’t truly aware of until recently. I knew he’d had some tough times, but I didn’t know just how tough until I got the horrible news that Paul had died this past weekend, on Saturday, June 18, 2016. I only wish that he’d known how many people love him and respect him.

Paul’s family has asked that people consider making a donation to his local chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association. It’s fast and easy and you’ll get a tax receipt for your donation. Most importantly, you could help someone like Paul get the help that they need. Please donate if you’re able: https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/4852

The tributes on social media have poured in (check out this tribute group on Facebook). Paul’s personality and music touched and inspired a lot of people. His loss is a huge one, even though he was so relatively unknown.

I’m proud and honoured to have corresponded with Paul over the years, to have met him a few times, and especially to have had these wonderful conversations. I’ll miss him terribly.

I’m also once again strengthened in my resolve to keep his music alive and heard for as long as I’m alive and have a platform on which to share it. His are songs that stand the test of time and should be enjoyed for a long time to come.

I’m also once again motivated to do something to honour and remember people like Paul and John Bottomley, who should still be here today. I’ve got ideas, I just need help getting it off the ground. If you’re able to help, I’d love to hear from you. You can also truly help someone and possibly save a life by checking up on someone who might be struggling and make sure that they know that you care about them and make sure that they get the help that they need. If you know someone is struggling, they might tell you that everything is fine, but they might be lying, so keep close and be vigilant, please.

This Sunday, June 26 on Tell the Band to Go Home, I’ll do an extended tribute to Paul with a lot of his music and hopefully some words from some of his friends and fans. Please tune in Sunday, 2-4 pm CDT on UMFM.

You can get a number of his albums through his longtime label Busted Flat Records:

You can also get a few albums through Google Play or iTunes, but I’d much rather have you support Busted Flat directly though the Bandcamp links above. (iTunes / Google Play)

Down On The Street – Paul MacLeod from Lindsay Stewart on Vimeo.

This video was shot down on the street in the literal sense, with the Canon XHA1 handheld on the Steadicam Merlin. Singer Paul MacLeod is joined by blues guitarist Shawn Kellerman and his backing hoodlums are jazz singer Derek Hines and singer/songwriter Ben Rollo. The traffic is real, the noise is of the environment and the birds seemed to enjoy it as well. The audio is all straight from the on-camera mics.

Paul's music is available through Busted Flats Records.

Spirit of the West – Sadness Grows

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photo (1)Spirit of the West is one of the most important bands in my own musical journey. They truly were the first band that I heard outside of the classic rock musical mainstream that had been so important to me, up until my mind was blown wide open in 1992 (or so.)

I still remember riding in a high school friend’s car at lunch time and hearing Labour Day for the first time. It had been out for years already by that point, but it was new to me, and it amazed me. I’d never really heard (or maybe just hadn’t paid any attention to) “folk” music before. I never knew that something from that tradition could be so powerful. But then I heard that album, and it opened the doors to bands who would influence the direction of my life from then on, The Lowest of the Low and Rheostatics.

But Spirit of the West was first, and was quickest to take hold. I think I became a superfan right then and there, and as you can see from the photo above, I set on a course to collect everything they’d done or ever would. (I actually have a bunch more stuff – shirts, posters, a CD or two that wasn’t handy for the shoot, and a bunch of cassettes.)

As much as I loved the albums, the live show is what really took my breath away. By then they’d moved on from the more acoustic, folky sounds of Labour Day, and became more of a rock band. That suited me just fine, because that was the tradition that I was more accustomed to. I began to see the band whenever and wherever I could, and I saw a lot of shows. They were among my favourites, and remain so.

So it was exciting to see the band again last Friday in Winnipeg. I’d become a little bit jaded after seeing too many childhood favourites seeming to languish on the oldies casino tour circuit, so I guess I had a bit of an attitude going in. Sure, I love those songs and remember great shows in the past, but it had become a bit routine for me.

And seeing John Mann reading lyrics from an iPad and turning over his guitar duties to a younger player kind of confirmed that bias for me. And so I said something dumb on Facebook, as I am known to frequently do.

I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, and was just looking for a cheap chuckle, I guess. In all honesty, I was kind of worried about the guy. I knew all about his previous battle with cancer, and had recently received a copy of his latest solo album, all about that struggle. I thought that maybe the battle had been rougher on him than I’d imagined.

Little did I know how rough it had been. I received enough information over the weekend to know that I was a bit out of line, so I deleted my dumb, insensitive post. And then this morning, I read this: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/alzheimer-diagnosis-takes-centre-stage/article20464625/

That guy who was bouncing around the stage like a madman just days before had gone public about his new diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s. Wow.

That’s shocking for me on so many levels. He just seems way too young and full of life for something like that. I honestly didn’t know it was possible to come down with that terrible disease that young. Like most people, I assume, I always thought of that as “an old person’s disease.” I know how horrible it can be, and can’t imagine what it would be like to have that happen to me or someone close to me.

It must be especially difficult for someone in the public eye, someone who has to go about life in front of people like me, who are quick to judge or make a cheap joke. He must have had to struggle with this decision – either retreat from the public eye, or risk having people notice that something was wrong. He took the bravest and most amazing route of all – get it all out in the open.

And his strength and beauty continues, as he’s planning to keep working and keep playing for as long as he can. I’m just sorry that it won’t be longer.

I’m sad when I think that at some point, he won’t remember how great his music really was, and how much it impacted people like me. Hey may not remember, but I’ll never forget.

Stay strong, and thanks for the memories.

Goin’ to the Rodeo for the Hundredth Time (and Loving It)

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There’s no denying the value and importance of Blue Rodeo in Canadian Music. Their sound, ethic, steadfast Canadianism, and ethos can be heard and felt across the spectrum of Canadian music, and will continue to be for a long time. Their trailblazing success with Outskirts and everything that came after, their dominance of the pop charts for so long, their long reign as one of the biggest draws on stage, and their staunch support of so many other great Canadian musicians has earned them a place of reverence and legend.

Unfortunately, that makes it easy to write off anything new that they do. It’s true, they haven’t done anything truly essential for a long time. But they’re still making new music. They don’t have to. They could easily coast on the past and continue to live on the success that they built in the 80s and 90s. Every summer bonfire is treated to something off of Five Days in July. So why do they make new music, and why do they try to make it great?

The nostalgia circuit is filled with bands playing the old hits. Yes, most of them pump out something new in some last ditch attempt to pry some dollars out of whatever fans are still standing, or perhaps as a last grasp at reclaiming whatever glory was lost years ago. And most of it is crap. Yes, I’ve gone to see Loverboy, The Northern Pikes, Honeymoon Suite, Glass Tiger, and a whole pile of other bands from my youth looking to relive those moments of bliss from long ago. Occasionally the moments do come, but they’re fleeting, and by the end of the show, I’m left wishing that I’d left the past behind – it’s always better in your memories than reality.

But I don’t think I’ve ever been able to truly say that about Blue Rodeo. I’ve seen that band dozens of times over the years at festivals and concerts, watched them on TV and DVD, and every time, I’m impressed that they still actually care. There doesn’t seem to be any of that pretence. They know that people are coming to the shows to hear the hits, and they have more than enough of them to fill the time. But they always try to politely push the new. I’ll be honest, for a lot of years, those attempts were admired, but lost on me. Even in those times, the performance of the hits was enough to overcome any disappointment in the new material.

But tonight they did something a little different. They played a set of all new material, warning people what they were in for, and then saved all of the classics for one glorious greatest hits set. I think that looking at the two as two separate entities – the band still making music that’s meaningful and enjoyable for them, and the band who can please so many with old songs – worked really well. Without being lumped in with the classics, the new songs were able to stand on their own, in the proper context. We weren’t waiting for the next big hit to come, because we knew that they wouldn’t come until much later. Those not interested in the new material could congregate in the lobby and drink, and the rest of us could enjoy the new material for what it is.

And while I don’t have any delusions of this album being the next 5 Days in July, it was enjoyable. They really put a lot into the new material, and performed it with enough potency to really get it across, even in spite of the fact that most of the new material is slower. I found myself impressed by what they’d done lately.

Later came the greatest hits, and as mentioned before, they’ve got plenty. And they’re amazing. But we’ve heard them a million times before. When I saw Loverboy do Workin’ for the Weekend for the 18,000th time, it showed. They were tired of the song, and I was disappointed that they’d lost something over the years. But who doesn’t? Well, Jim Cuddy sure doesn’t. Name me a guy who’s been singing with such power for 30 years who sounds the way he did back then… can’t do it. I know I got shit for saying that McCartney can’t sing at all any more, but I stand by it, and I think in your heart of hearts, you know I’m right. All of those old guys have lost much of their range. We won’t even talk about the trainwreck that is Bob Dylan. But then there’s Cuddy, still babyfaced and grinning from ear to ear, and there aren’t many notes that he can’t still hit. Greg always sounded a little rough, so not much has changed there, but even he sounds smooth and dynamic, even after his hearing is gone and he can’t wail on the guitar anymore.

Nobody could be blamed for not really enjoying playing the same songs night after night for 20 or 30 years, but these guys seem immune. I imagine it’s because of the solo work and the time they spend apart, and there’s been plenty over the years. I would imagine that’s saved them and kept them going for this long. If they were truly full time Blue Rodeo, it wouldn’t last, and the wear would start to show.

The band that I saw tonight was not coasting, not reluctantly plowing through songs that they knew people came to hear – they were enjoying those songs and feeling the love from the crowd. I don’t know how it’s possible, but they played songs from 1987, songs they’ve done at every show ever since, and they did it with joy and reverence. And that’s something you have to admire, even if, like me, you don’t need to hear some of those songs again. If I could go to a Blue Rodeo show just once and not hear Try and Lost Together at the end, I would be overjoyed. I’d pay double to see that show. Those are great songs, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t need to hear them at the end of EVERY show they ever do. I don’t need to hear them again. Ever.

But even this bitter curmudgeon found himself singing along a little bit and moving in my seat in spite of my own disapproval, because they were having fun, the crowd was eating it up, and everybody still cared, as if those songs were new. So I’ll begrudgingly let them do those two songs in the same spot in the show every time. I’ll roll my eyes and make jokes, but secretly, I’m impressed. And I hope I always will be. Every time this band comes to town, I figure I don’t need to go, because I’ve seen it all before. But somehow I always seem to find myself at the show, and I can’t help but be glad that I went. I do kind of wish that Bobby Wiseman had actually been on stage, though, not just a slip of the tongue. That would be cool. That could make me excited to hear those songs again…

TTBTGH: Pledge-O-Rama News!

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UMFM’s Pledge-O-Rama is trucking along, but we’re running out of time to meet our goal. We still need your help to push us over the top.

Apparently someone called up this week during a set of somewhat laid back music and asked, “Where’s Jeff Robson? We need him on air!” Well, your wish is my command. (and thanks, Mom) I shall return. Thursday night, Steel Belted Free Range Radio takes to the airwaves with my last-ditch attempt to get you to open up the piggy bank and fish out some much-needed funds for UMFM!

On the show, we are expecting special guests Chris Carmichael and some guy named Frank Turner! Yup. We’ve also got more exclusive live recordings from Frank’s hero John K Samson, and if I really have to, I’ll risk causing even more trouble by playing that song from that guy who sounds like a guy whose name rhymes with Bell Darber. Shhhh.

Last year, you shocked me by allowing me to copy Stu Reid one more time, when I inherited the title of “The $3000 Man.” Well, that ain’t gonna happen this year… the only question is, how far off will I be? Help me to avoid further shame by putting in your pledge and helping me to be at least half the man that Stu Reid is.

It’s a little tougher getting there this year. I’ve had quite a few folks tell me that they couldn’t afford to pledge because times are tough. I get that, but I also want to remind you that with our convenient payment plan, it’s kind of like the Leon’s Don’t Pay a Cent Event… all you have to do is put up your credit card info and we’ll ring it through when it’s convenient for you! I’m not paying my pledge until February! I’ll be RICH by then, I’m sure! Even if I’m not, I broke it down into chunks that I’ll hardly notice (after all, the balance is so freakin’ high already…)

But seriously, things are down across the board this year, and it’s getting me and some other folks around the station a little down. Do you love us less than you did last year? Was it something I said? Still mad that you didn’t get the prize you wanted last year? Let me make it right!

Added incentives:

A one year subscription to Penguin Eggs Magazine – one of precious few music magazines that still matter!

A copy of Geoff Berner‘s FABULOUS new book, Festival Man. Even if you don’t love Geoff’s music (we’ve been through it. I get it.), you’ll seriously love this book. It’s absolutely wonderful. The character in this book comes to life like few I’ve encountered recently. It’s a really fun read, and it comes with a STAR-STUDDED tribute record, including famous folks like Corb Lund & Carolyn Mark singing Geoff Bernersongs! If you don’t like Geoff’s version, try these!

New in the CD box: Jim White – Transnormal Skiperoo, Bettye Lavette – Thankful ‘n’ Thoughtful, and more!

I hate hassling people for money as much as you hate giving it up. Let’s do ourselves a solid and make a transaction that gives us both something to be happy about, mmmm-kay?

Get yourself some sweet UMFM merchandise, pickup a few great CDs from me, get your very own copy of The Best of 2012, and get in our grand prize draws! All worth ponying up a few bucks for, I assure you!

Operators are standing by:
204-474-6610!
Do the deed online: https://www.umfm.com/info/donate/ – now clearer and easier than ever!
Make me come to you! I pickup & deliver!

Tune in and see how things all shake out. 6:30 – 8 pm on 101.5 UMFM, www.umfm.com.

Humbly,

Jeff Robson

host of:

Tell the Band to Go Home
Sundays, 2-4 pm central
www.tellthebandtogohome.com

Steel Belted Radio
Thursdays, 6:30 – 8 pm central
www.steelbeltedradio.com

CJUM 101.5 UMFM
Winnipeg, Manitoba
www.umfm.com

*We need ourselves an official enactment of The FJE Clause. Nothing’s 100%. This is rock ‘n’ roll ‘n’ radio. We try to make magic happen. Sometimes it doesn’t. Deal with it. I’m trying.

Pledge-O-Rama is on NOW!

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Pledge-O-Rama is on NOW! Call 204-474-6610 or visit https://www.umfm.com/info/donate/ (although if things aren’t lining up or working, we’ll find another way), or let me know how to get to you so you can make your pledge and support UMFM!

Here’s my spiel:

That damn Internet is ruining everything.

Hi, I’m that cranky old guy who tells the kids to get off his lawn. Around the station, they call me The Mudge. I guess I’ve earned it. You’ll have to insert your own cranky old man voice when reading this message.

Anyway, I am a dinosaur, and I know it. You see, I grew up in the olden days when music was something you went to a store and bought. You could hold it in your hands, show it to your friends, read the liner notes on the couch, and just generally interact with it. Those kids these days just don’t get that experience any more. Everything’s streaming now, and nobody except us old farts go to stores to buy music. The kids I teach don’t even understand the concept of buying a CD. They look at me like I have an extra head when I tell them about buying CDs. The most common statement I hear is, “you can download (or stream) that for free on the Internet, you know.” Yeah, I know.

While there are legal ways to stream/download music, and the artists do see some form of royalties for that, it’s not nearly what it should be. Every once in a while I see the stats about how many thousands of times something has to be streamed before the artist makes a few bucks. Let’s just say, not many people do.

I want to support great art, because it means so much to me. Songwriters have the gifts that I don’t have and are able to put my feelings into words far better than I ever could. Whatever mood I’m in, whatever ails me, I always know that there’s a song that reflects exactly what I’m feeling. I can’t even tell you how much that’s meant to me and how much it’s helped. For most of you, I guess I don’t have to.

Another thing that seems to be rushing headlong for antiquity is real, live radio. Yeah, sure, you have your local rock jocks yelling at you and telling sex jokes in the morning, and as much as I grew up on and enjoyed that stuff, I continued to grow, and wanted something a little more real and meaningful. I want to hear passion and engagement with music, not just the same set playlist day after day. “Quality” radio seems to exist only on some big impersonal satellite station, or an increasingly boring entity like the quickly shrinking and sinking CBC.

I also need to be challenged and exposed to new things. Maybe it’s the raging ADD, but I need to be kept on my toes a bit – experiencing new songs, styles, and ideas. I don’t necessarily like everything new that I hear, and I will still turn to the familiar, but without exposure to things unfamiliar, how can I experience the thrill of a new discovery?

There’s something electrifying for me about seeing or hearing music that really excites me, for the first time. I get that tingly feeling and I feel my heart rate going up when something really grabs me. It’s an amazing experience. And when it does, I can’t wait to share it with others in hopes that they, too, will experience the sensation, the excitement, the joy.

All of these are things that I try to bring to your radio each and every week. I genuinely want to give a platform to artists so that they can reach you, and you can support them and keep them doing what they’re doing. Without you going to live shows and buying a souvenir at the show (alas, my beloved CD has become just that, a souvenir trinket,) musicians couldn’t make a living making music, and there would be far fewer out there. Sure, there will always be a Nickelback or Tom Petty clone who can crank out the familiar and make a living at it, but I want to encourage people who push the boundaries and think for themselves, not just feed into what marketing analysis tells them will sell.

And that’s where my passion comes in. When I get excited about these things, I try to get that across to you, in hopes that by hearing how much I enjoyed something, you might want to experience it for yourself. I also try to tell you how I’m feeling and what’s going on. I want you to know that there’s a real person behind that microphone, and that real person has a real life just like you.

UMFM, CKUW, and precious few other outlets provide an opportunity for people to come on the air and share their passions, their ideas, and their talents with anyone, whether people do or want to listen or not. These outlets are the wellspring that brings new life and growth into arts, culture, and life.

That damn Internet is assimilating culture more and more. People go online to see and hear the things that are familiar. And although there is access to more ideas and styles than ever before, and more readily and easily that we ever would have imagined, I honestly don’t believe that people are taking advantage of that power. People just go on Youtube and watch the things that they know they already like, or the things that are most popular. (Maybe I’m spending too much time in high school. Or maybe I am just a cranky old man.)

Perhaps because of the mass homogenization of popular culture, it seems less and less likely that anyone would really care to listen to the kinds of things that I do, or want to access the same sorts of new stimuli as much as I do. But over the years, I’ve been blown away by the kind, generous, passionate support that you, the listener, have shown me and UMFM. It’s convinced me that, as Corin Raymond so brilliantly said, “There Will Always Be a Small Time.” There will always be you and me, who aren’t looking for the popular and the same, we’re wanting to grow and learn. We want to be moved and inspired, not just entertained.

And that’s why the world needs people like Corin Raymond, and why we so desperately need avenues like UMFM for people like that to find an audience. We’re the whisper in the crowd, but that whisper gets passed around and grows, and we are the grassroots who can help people and ideas to become louder, more prominent, and more prosperous.

I contribute to UMFM because having this kind of access and information means a lot to me. I will give as much time and money as I can to show UMFM how much it means to me, and how much I value it.

UMFM needs my help to keep fighting against the tide of “progress” which seems to dictate that low budget, alternative radio like ours shouldn’t exist any more. We don’t want to get swallowed up and assimilated. We want to keep moving forward. And to do that, we need your help.

Times are tough, and your time and money are in greater demand than ever. I get that, believe me. But I genuinely hope that you’ll consider showing UMFM your support and doing what you can to help out by making a donation to Pledge-O-Rama. Every donation, no matter how small or large helps, and shows us that you’re out there and that you value what we’re doing. To make a donation in these expensive times is a commitment and a sacrifice, and we know that and genuinely appreciate that. We try to pay it back to you by giving you what you wand and need us to share with you.

We also make it pretty darn easy. You can take your pledge and break it down into smaller chunks at intervals of your choice. If you can make a small donation once a month or once every two months or twice a year or whatever, we’ll be glad to do that. And those add up. By pledging 10 a month for a year, you’re giving us $120, which would be hard for most of us to come up with on short notice, but spread out, you hardly even notice it.

And we’ll give you so much stuff in return, you won’t even feel like it’s a donation. For $25, you can get our Friends with Benefits Card, which can easily save you that much money in a short period of time PLUS we’ll give you an exclusive double CD of amazing live performances, which is well worth $25 on its own, PLUS I’ll throw in my “Best of” compilations, where you can choose from all or some of 4 CDs plus bonus downloads. As usual, I’ve got a big box of CDs and records to give away as well. So you could walk away with a huge prize pack and incentives, and it’ll only cost you 1/3 of your monthly cell phone bill. And it’ll help a great non-profit organization support quality music and ideas the whole year ’round. Think about that.

I won’t even get started on the bigger prizes, like the grand prize Golden Ticket. Dietmar won it last year, and since he has trouble getting to the Park Theatre from Germany for shows, he offered to let me fill his seat this year. His ticket has saved me well over the $250 it takes to get into that draw in the first place. Maybe I should buy the guy a beer or something. All he has to do is win a plane ticket now, and I’ll do it.

And there is a wide range of great incentives available! Check out http://www.umfm.com/events/pledge/or http://tellthebandtogohome.com/music-angels/ for details. It’s kind of amazing, really.

Pledge-O-Rama is on NOW! Right now you can pick up your phone and call 204-474-6610 and a real person will be super happy to talk to you and take your pledge. You can go online and make a donation quickly and easily (so long as you use Firefox as your browser, it seems… we can talk about that if it’s not working for you). Heck, I’ll even come to your house or work or favourite coffee shop and collect your donation in person.

I’d love to hear from you. You can email me now or visit my website and fill in the contact form.

I’ll be answering phones at UMFM on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 2-4pm during one of my favourite shows, Planet Mainstage with John Prentice.

I’ll be on air Sunday, Oct. 20 from 2-5pm. Call me or the phone volunteers then. Drop on by and join in the fun! We’ll have exclusive live performances, prizes, and all the fun we can scrounge up. Special on-air contributions may include Del Barber, Chris Carmichael, John K Samson, and/or other big name stars!

After my show, I’ll stick around and answer phones on Waxie’s Dargle and Comfort Cafe until 7pm.

And Thursday, Oct. 24, 6:30 – 8 pm, it’s Steel Belted Radio‘s Pledge-O-Rama Celebration!
After that, I’ll stick around and answer phones until 10:00 or so.

You don’t have to support my show, although I get a real sense of pride if you do. Whatever you do to show your support, even if it’s just to forward this email or the information to someone else, helps.

Thanks for all of your support thus far!

Jeff “Mudge” Robson

host of:

Tell the Band to Go Home
Sundays, 2-4 pm central
www.tellthebandtogohome.com

Steel Belted Radio
Thursdays, 6:30 – 8 pm central
www.steelbeltedradio.com

CJUM 101.5 UMFM
Winnipeg, Manitoba
www.umfm.com

Winnipeg Folk Fest 2013 Wrap

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Let’s get straight to it. It’s finally happened. The day that I dreaded, but thought might never come. You knew it would catch up with me one of these days, so feel free to say I told you so. This is tough for me, but here it comes:

I was wrong.

I’ll give you a moment to get over the shock and amazement. You surely know that I say ridiculous things all the time, spouting out some opinion that everyone should immediately accept and believe. The thing is, until now, all of those opinions and beliefs have been ABSOLUTELY TRUE.

OK, maybe not.

But seriously, I know that the stupid things I say are often way off, and this is no exception in a few key areas.

You see, the musical lineup, which I’ve gone on and on and on about being terrible, turned out to be amazing. Sure, I didn’t have many acts that I was excited about seeing going in, but that allowed for the magic of discovery, and that happened in unbelieveable fashion. Honestly, I discovered and fell in love with more this year than I have for a long time. I spent more money at the store than I have for a long time. And I’ll be raving about new acts louder and more proudly than I have in a long time. (the plan is to do a post for each of the mind-blowing discoveries. We’ll see how that works out.) Apparently, it turns out that I do not know about everything out there. I did some research and made my mind up about a few of the names on the list, and my research let me down. Wrong again.

UntitledAs it turns out, I was treated to what I thought was the best solo concert I’ve seen in years (probably ever) (more about that in a separate post), and what I firmly believe was one of the best main stage shows in history.

That one was at once no surprise, and yet a bit unexpected. Luke Doucet is certainly no stranger to the festival, having grown up here and having played solo and with bands at our festival several times, and his talented wife Melissa McClelland has played here before and certainly had a successful solo career which came with lots of festival experience, but together as Whitehorse, they are even more than the sum of those already esteemed and experienced parts. But because we know them individually so well, and since we’ve seen Whitehorse in town a few times already, I didn’t really prepare to be wowed by them – after all, I was already a big fan. But stepping up to the big stage, or perhaps just a lot of hard work and road experience, has served them well, and made them an unstoppable force on stage. Their set was as musically sound as they get, dynamic, powerful, energetic, and irresistible. You couldn’t take your eyes off of them, and you would have a really hard time finding any fault at all with that show. If you expected more from a main stage set, I really want to know what it is. Seriously. This was a flawless show, well placed in the night and definitely deserving of a main stage slot. Putting them on that stage at that time was absolutely the right decision. No doubt.Untitled

The festival also came through in a big way with the new location of the food vendors. What a phenomenal improvement that turned out to be! Way more room, absolutely no congestion, and they’ve got it all at the top of a gradual hill, so no matter how much it rains, it shouldn’t turn into a mucky swamp. Major victory there. Plus, some of the new food vendors were terrific. (I loved having Lovey’s on site, even if I did balk at their field prices. Ouch. I’ll stick with the dine-in.)

Of course, Mr. Negativity does have a little of his usual complaining standing by. It comes with a bit of a qualification though. The forest stages were great for shade, and they weren’t quite as far as it seemed on the initial map (although when you book bands to play on the path during the walk, and you put benches all along for people to stop and rest, you know you’re in for a bit of a hike.) Luckily, Stretch here has no problem dashing long distances in short amounts of time.

2013-07-14 17.36.58HOWEVER, when there’s a big changeover between shows, the path gets so crowded, even Mr. Lightning Bolt couldn’t get out of there in any hurry. This is interesting, because the festival is all about safety and emergency planning now, with a big “emergency meeting place,” constant weather updates, and all kinds of contingency plans in place – somebody’s been putting some thought into things that we maybe should have considered long ago. It seems, though, that they made a HUGE oversight when it comes to these stages. As many people remarked over the course of the weekend, if there were an actual emergency, everybody at those forest stages would die. You can’t possibly manoeuvre that path in a hurry. And if there were any kind of panic, people would get trampled.

And if you’re thinking that people could just dash through the bush to get out, that forest is COVERED in poison ivy. It’s EVERYWHERE. If you’re walking out there with little kids  or dumb adults, hang on to them, or else they’re in for trouble.

Anyway, having the huge slowdown on that path between shows means that it’s much harder to get from stage to stage in a hurry. Or, as I found, if you need to go pee pee, you’d better go long before you’re crossing your legs. Luckily I didn’t leave a puddle, but it was close. There are no porta-potties out there, so you have to hike back, and when the path is crowded, watch out. There’s no food or water out there either. I saw that there is a plan to have a water tap out there next year, but it was damn hot this year, so people could have run into trouble. More than once out there over the years I’ve seen people showing some distress and signs of sunstroke or dehydration (and the way the beer tents have expanded and moved, people are drinking like fish, so dehydration is a certainty), I’m just glad it didn’t happen out there this year.

This congestion means that when you have two sessions back to back that you want to see (or you just have to dash out between acts out there), you end up missing something.

On the topic of those beer tents, I’m annoyed. I used to be proud of how at our festival, the beer tents were away from the music. This had two huge benefits, people had to make a point of getting out of there to see some music, and it kept the rowdy party away from the people watching the show at the stage. I hate the fact that at the Calgary Folk Festival, the beer tent is right in view of main stage and a side stage, so you can sit and drink all day and see the music, and people sure do take advantage of that, especially with the special pitcher price – everyone buys a pitcher at a time. Ours seemed not to be so interested in having people sit and drink all day, but to provide that option elsewhere, but now, the drunken loogans can disrupt Snowberry and Big Blue during the day, and can sit in sight of Main Stage at night. Not good if you’re hoping to keep your kids away from a big drunk-fest. I hope and pray that this will never turn into Countryfest, but this seemed to be a move in the wrong direction.

Back to the music, as I suspected, adding the new stage didn’t add any more performers, it just watered down the talent pool even more. As the total number of acts at the festival drops, they end up doing more workshops and longer workshops. Some of the workshops seemed to go on for an eternity – sometimes it’s better to give people a taste and then leave them hungry to seek out more. There used to be years where I couldn’t possibly see everyone I had an interest in, this year, I saw those people all over the place. (ie, I was curious about Robert Ellis, thought I’d have to make a point of seeking him out, but it turned out that he was in just about every workshop I was interested in. Not a bad thing, but it is a sign that things are a little weak.)

(Speaking of Robert Ellis – a good discovery, but not worthy of one of my long winded raving rants – he fell into an age old trap, American performers seem most likely to fall victim – wherein they want to play their best song(s) for as many people as possible, so they play them at each workshop. Because of the repetition this year, I ended up seeing Robert do the same few songs a few times. I know he’s fairly young and new, but I hope he’s got more than just a few good songs. I bought the CD, so perhaps I’ll let you know, but I did get mighty tired of his Bible Belt song and a couple of others by the time the weekend was through.)

Don’t even get me started about the madness at Little Stage in the Forest. First, space is tight there. The word “little” is well placed – seating area is very finite. It didn’t seem to be too much of a problem the times I was there, but I could see how things could get a little tricky in the future if the audience were to grow or a really popular performer were scheduled there.

Little Stage is NOT the place to be if you have raging ADD like me. I need the intimacy that the little area provides so that I can be close and focus on things (couldn’t see more than a few songs at Bur Oak or Green Ash this year, because they’re always jammed, and if I’m out back by the talkers, I get none of what’s happening on stage. Seriously, talkers, socializers, and active parents, stay at the camp ground or hang out near the food or something. Why are you at the stage if you’re not going to focus or allow others to?) At Little Stage, because it’s directly on the only path to Spruce Hollow, there’s a constant stream of people walking by the stage. It’s totally distracting and annoying.

UntitledBut the biggest distraction and annoyance of all is one that I know might get me into trouble. That’s never stopped me before, so here goes. For reasons completely unknown to me, they’ve got three sign language interpreters at Little Stage, and only at Little Stage. I’m all for accessibility and equality, and I want everyone to be able to enjoy the music asI do. I know how lucky I am (which raises another concern about people with disabilities getting out there or getting the services they might need), and I would never ever deny someone something that might make their experience more fair and more pleasant, but these three ladies were SUPER distracting, not only for me, but for the musicians as well. Every show I went to featured some kind of interaction between the musicians and the interpreters  because they couldn’t possibly help but be distracted. These ladies (wonderful and caring ladies no doubt) were right on stage, dancing and signing along to everything. You couldn’t help but focus on them, except if you were off to the side, where I eventually set up so that they weren’t in my line of sight.

UntitledThe thing is, NOBODY appeared to be paying close attention to them, except each other. I’m not ignorant enough to think that there is some clear way of seeing who is deaf and who isn’t (I have a profound hearing loss myself, and almost nobody notices), but I searched the crowd for some sign that someone out there might need this service, and never did I see any indication that it was necessary or even being utilized. (If it were necessary, wouldn’t they have interpreters at every stage? I now hope not!) And, I assume, in case someone needed to pay attention to them, they had a big tarp right at the front of the stage, right in front of the interpreters, reserved with a sign. NOBODY ever sat on the damn tarp! Not a soul! Finally it was pulled up near the end of the day on Sunday, but for the rest of the time, it sat there taking up valuable real estate for absolutely no purpose! These lovely ladies, however, were totally engrossed with one another. They watched each other like hawks. Why? Were they trying to impress one another? It was clearly a show between the three of them, and lovely and well intended as it might have been, it was annoying and distracting, and I sincerely hope that there’s another option. I saw nothing indicating that people with a hearing loss should choose this stage, and can’t imagine why people would want to be stuck in the same spot all day. As much as I do want to improve equality and accessibility, someone needs to find a better spot or a better way of doing this and letting people know that the service exists.

Oh, I could go on, but you’ve already seen how I can start out trying to be positive, only to end up back in my curmudgeonly rut. All in all, this was a great festival. The best I can remember in a long time. My complaints are few, and genuinely intended to raise some thoughts that might make things better in the future (if anyone bothers to read this whole thing!)

In summation:

I was wrong.

The festival was amazing.

There’s room for improvement.

Consider leaving your thoughts and reflections below, or send me an email through the contact page. Thanks for reading. Hope you had as much fun out there as I did.

 

I Truly Believe that this Campaign is CRAP

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Check this out, a Kickstarter campaign for a project that sounds amazing: Alejandro Escovedo, Jon Dee Graham, and the rest of the True Believers are getting back together after 27 years of amazing music apart.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1763258740/true-believers-recording-project

Now, I’m a sucker for a good Kickstarter campaign. You got some good music and a great sob story? I’m in. I’ve donated to a whole pile of these campaigns, and usually, I feel pretty good about that (although the waiting game for some of these projects to finally arrive is maddening…)

This, however, has to be the WORST Kickstarter campaign in HISTORY. First off, a great band I’d love to support – True Believers (Alejandro Escovedo & Jon Dee Graham, etc) getting back together. Cool, right?

Well, the old geezers are only promising to record ONE song at this point! Gee, thanks! And you’re telling me that these guys can’t afford to record ONE song? Really? C’mon. And, best of all, for a minimum $25 pledge, you get to DOWNLOAD that ONE song ONE day before the rest of the world can buy it for a buck! No other promised updates or incentives. NOTHING! The next level you can get in at is $1000, and that’ll get you the opportunity to hang out (for 5 minutes, I’m sure) at the recording studio. Woo – hoo! (I got to spend a whole day with Del Barber in the studio and HE offered to buy ME pizza! I hope I don’t owe him a couple grand now.)

I can’t wait to hear the song, but I also can’t believe that they’re serious about this campaign. I also can’t believe that 29 suckers so far have bought in.

These guys, who I previously respected greatly, seem to be making a mockery of crowdfunding!

Thank God for projects like Namedropper, one I’m proud to support. Great people, great pitch, great incentives, great updates, very amazing project – everything this one is NOT!

House Concert Host’s Manifesto

1 Reply

I’ve been hosting shows at The Sunset Saloon for 4 years now, and as we head into year 5, they’re getting better than ever. It’s a ton of fun hosting these things, and a real dream come true to have such amazing music and such supportive and wonderful friends join us.

I put a lot of my heart and soul and money into hosting these things, because I really want to provide a place for talented musicians to stop and relax, have a good meal and play for a room full of folks who really appreciate them. No competing against the talkers in the back who seem oblivious to the music, nobody more engrossed in the hockey game on the big screen behind the bar, no obnoxious drunks, paying for parking, or dealing with problems. I want everyone, guests and musicians alike to feel right at home, happy and comfortable. I know how hard musicians work and how difficult and lonely those drives and motel rooms can be. I also know how hard our guests work for their money and how they have to get up early the next day to go and do it all again. It is my hope that everyone will leave here happy and excited to come back again.

Although I seem to get a lot of requests from folks who want to play here these days, I try to make sure that we only have performers that I know are going to be worth your time and effort and money. I want to be excited about every performer who walks in, and I want everyone who comes to be blown away by the show. I seek out opportunities that I know are going to be amazing, and only accept the requests that I am going to be excited about. I hope by now folks trust my judgement, so that even if you don’t know much about a performer appearing here, you’ll know that it’s going to be great, just because I say so. I don’t anyone to ever leave my house thinking that the show wasn’t that great.

And even if you don’t know or previously love the music, we try to have all kinds of food and drinks on hand, so that you know you’re going to enjoy yourself a lot. We make a thorough list before each show, making sure that we have just about everything that everyone could want – salty and sweet, savoury and delicious, chocolate and chewy, different kinds of beer (only the good stuff, mind you, no big breweries allowed) and various soft drinks and lots of ice. Every once in a while Jaine even treats us to some of her homemade ice cream, a real treat and a real delight. We try to make the house clean and comfortable, try to make sure that nobody has a bad view, and we even try to keep Jeremy in line (perhaps the toughest job of all.)

I don’t do any of that and certainly don’t tell you this for my own gain. I don’t want any credit or special recognition. I just want you to feel great about coming here, so that you’ll continue to support the music. The only reason I do all of this is to help bring musicians and music fans together.

I know that many of our performers could play for a lot more people at a public venue. It’s a real gift for a successful artist to do such an intimate show for us, and I really want to reward them for their efforts. Almost moreso, I want to reward those who don’t have a bigger option in town. Some of our performers are so amazing, yet unknown to the masses, so they’re really slugging it out on the road, playing to small crowds, hoping to pull people in however they can. I feel for those people, and really want to support and encourage them. It makes me so sad to hear some of my favourite artists complaining that they can’t pay their bills or don’t have enough money to get by. These people and these songs bring such joy and light into my life; I really think that all of them should be living the wealthy, carefree life that we associate with stardom, but the truth is very different.

Our most recent show was amazing – super talented performers and a really engaging performance, as well as being some of the nicest folks who have ever graced us with their presence. Everyone who did attend seemed to love it, we sold a bunch of CDs and felt a lot of love and appreciation, but at the end of the day, some very talented and hard working performers who had been on the road a long time and had some really bad nights and too many nights off along the way left with, what I felt was far too little.

Unfortunately, on nights when I have worked really hard, put a lot into a show, and invited some special musicians into my home, hoping to make life easier and more enjoyable for them, yet I have to beg and plead for even 20 people to come, I get really sad and disappointed. I know that everyone’s going to enjoy themselves, and that each show is a success because whoever comes has a great time. I know that I put too much pressure on myself and that our performers are grateful for whatever we can get. I just want to feel like all of the effort and promotion and the talent of the musicians is going to be greatly rewarded. Unfortunately, that reward is measured in how much money is deposited into the fish bowl at the beginning of the night.

And sometimes, I feel like it just ain’t enough. On those nights I try to pad the total as much as I can, but sometimes I just don’t have the extra cash to keep things going. And I feel like I’ve already done enough and spent enough that I shouldn’t have to.

I had hoped that by now, I’d build up enough of an audience that people would want to come to as many shows as possible, and that if some folks couldn’t make it to a show, others would be waiting to fill their seats. I’d love to think that everyone is going to go to work the next day and rave about the show they’ve seen, and go on Facebook and encourage others to check out the next show.

If I could be sure that we’d get 25-30 people at each and every show, I’d feel so much better about what we try to do and provide. I’d be less apprehensive about booking the shows, worry less about what night the show happens on, what other things might be going on before/after a show that might take away some of our audience.

I don’t expect anyone to come to EVERY show, and I don’t want anyone to feel badly if they can’t make a show, but I do kind of hope that everyone will help me to spread the good word and try to help fill up the living room every time, and will be looking forward to the next time that they can make it. I know that you have a lot of choices and a lot of responsibilities, but I do hope that we will become a favourite choice of yours and that our performers will be worthy of your support.

I’ve got some really exciting opportunities on the horizon, shows that I know would be amazing, but I’m scared to line them all up, because it’ll mean more shows in a shorter period of time, more expense, more work, and more risk. Some of the shows I envision would feature folks that you’ve surely never heard of, but that I hope will some day be pretty famous. I really don’t want to turn down something that I am really excited about. I know that I can handle my part, but will enough people be willing to come here a couple of times in a month?

That’s the question. That’s the dilemma. That’s the problem. I’m hoping that you’ll tell me. Should I take fewer chances, turn down more opportunities, and hope that the shows we do have are going to be more successful, or do I branch out and do more, hoping that more opportunities for you to come means that more people can make it, and more new people might find us? Your honest feedback would be much appreciated. Leave a public comment at the bottom of the page or fill out the contact form below to contact me directly.

And please, I don’t like to ask you for anything, but if you could help spread the word about shows, and come and join us when you can, I’d surely appreciate it. I hope you know that you don’t need to worry about lining up the babysitter or making sure that you have someone to join you at our house – we’re all your friends, so come alone or come with the whole family. Just come.

Thanks to all who have supported us so generously, thanks especially to the great musicians who have graced us with their talents, and thanks for your feedback:

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On Heroes, Hope, and The Cold, Hard Truth

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So Lance Armstrong really is a cheater. Is anyone really surprised? His is just another in the long line of stories about characters who have been built up to mythical status, only to prove that he’s only human, after all.

Such is the nature of hero worship. We find characters that we look up to, admire, aspire to be like, or just to give us hope and faith that there are real heroes out there. In reality, those figures are no less human than the rest of us – only their accomplishments, and failures, seem so much bigger.

I’ve been more than guilty of putting faith in such false prophets. I was one of those boys lacking in positive male role models who sought out someone to trust and look up to. Someone who’d give me hope and protection, or someone who would teach me how to be truly special, so I could gain the admiration and respect of others, which might make me feel worthwhile.

But the more you believe in someone, the more potential they have to let you down. The more blind faith you put in a figure because of some perceived greatness, the more likely they are to eventually expose their true flaws, and remind you that we’re all human, with the potential to screw up. Badly.

Still, much like many of Lance’s faithful followers, I continue to look for heroes, always knowing that I’m probably setting myself up for a fall.

Musicians make especially easy heroes for me. They have so much power in their words and their presence. They tell these stories and move me with their melodies. They do something that I can’t do, but that speaks directly to me, and often for me. I respect that, admire that, and really appreciate that. I put them up on these pedestals, only to often find out that they’re addicts, cheaters, liars, or thieves.

Just ask Kasey Anderson, he seems to be all of the above. He’s someone that I discovered recently, and really enjoyed finding. He seemed like one of those hidden gems, with a huge pile of great songs, and a great story (or so it seemed.) After being introduced to the music, I had to send him words of appreciation, and some money. I had to tell everyone else about him, as well. Eventually, his perceived star-status started to unravel, when the CDs that I ordered never arrived. I soon found out that many others had the same story. Then I read an article about him, and found out the full story.

Outside of music, I also look for goodness in others, because I want to know that goodness is out there. Sometimes, this world seems so messed up that goodness is hard to find. I want to know that there are kind, generous, selfless people out there who can help fix the mess that we’ve created. There has to be a remedy for the darkness that surrounds us.

I try to be kind and generous. I try to put the needs of others ahead of myself. I try to make people happy, help out, and make life easier for others. So I look for those things in other people. When I find people who seem to care about others and seem to work at caring, giving, and making people happy, I’m drawn to them. Maybe that’s why I became a teacher – who’s supposed to be more caring, giving, more heroic than a teacher?

Actually, teachers are a great example, because we spend all day trying to appear knowledgeable, trying to motivate, trying to guide, when in actuality, many of us spend most of our “free” time on the Internet looking for information and ideas, which we can pass off as our own. All day, we put on masks and try to be something strong and positive for the benefit of our students. What we hope our students don’t find out is that after hours, some teachers are truly selfish, dirty, even hedonistic people.

So in reality, we, like many musicians, athletes, and role models are just trying to do our best, while continually failing and falling short. It’s the people that we build up the highest that cause the biggest disappointment when they reveal their true humanity.

Perhaps the answer is not to have heroes. Perhaps we should see everybody as flawed and real. Perhaps the answer is to assume that our heroes are doing bad things when nobody’s watching. After all, I’ve heard some pretty crazy stories about seemingly wholesome athletes and children’s entertainers.

But not having heroes takes away so much hope, so much excitement, so much fun. It’s nice to think that there are super-human figures out there who could save us all, even if we one day have to come to realize the truth.

I’ve looked up to athletes, musicians, men and women I’ve befriended, and time and sure, time and again they’ve turned out to not be what I wanted to believe. But at least, for a time, they gave me hope, happiness, and something to help get me through. People close to me have given me money, gifts, support, encouragement, love, and I’m grateful, even if some of them later turned out to not have my best interests in mind. Kasey and so many others gave me an escape, a thrill, emotional fulfillment, even if he’s troubled and flawed. Lance raised a hell of a lot of money for cancer research and support, and his legendary athletic achievements gave us someone to admire and be amazed by, even if he had to cheat to do it.

Let’s focus on the good things, and not lose hope that heroes do exist, but not be too surprised or upset when we learn that things aren’t quite what they seem.