Short and sweet video here today, featuring Triumph drummer and vocalist Gil Moore. Possibly from The New Music in 1983, in this interview Gil discusses Triumph’s famed light show. In their early days, Moore was the man who brought in the light show, and here he talks a little bit about what it’s like to play on stage with such a complex show, and the dangers involved. Have a look.
Even since the LeBrain Train days, I loved a good intro video to a live show. Not too many YouTube shows do intro videos these days, but it has always been something I liked. Even back in the Train days, I wanted an intro video with every guest we ever had appearing in it. That carries over to Grab A Stack of Rock. The only problem is, the intro video was 1:14 minutes long, and it was getting harder and harder to cram everyone in. I had to sacrifice a lot of Harrison’s Lego art in order to fit everyone.
The other problem with the intro video were the lyrics. There was one line that was relevant when the show started, but not anymore. I figured the only thing I would be able to do was hire a band (I had one in mind) to re-record the entire song from scratch.
Fortunately, audio wizard and author Tim Durling had a quicker, easier, and cheaper solution. He made some minor edits to the original track and voila!
This new version of the song is extended by nine seconds, an absolute eternity in some ways, and enough to pack in a lot more Lego art and show cameos. The new version includes the latest guest to appear on our show, Mr. Matt Phillips.
With this new show intro, we’ll be able to keep adding guests for the next year. Thank you so much Tim for doing this. As Johnny Walters used to say, “the cheque is in the mail!”
Please enjoy and let me know your feedback!
RECORD STORE TALES #1139: Bonfire at Lake Water Stones
More people, less wildlife. That’s a rule-of-thumb at Lake Water Stones.
Why “Lake Water Stones“? That was a childhood nickname that I had for Lorne Beach, on Lake Huron. Now in my 52nd summer at the lake, I realize more than ever why it had that name. As before, I took the drone up to the cottage and filmed lots of video. I also took the drone far lower over the water, and through the crystal clear ripples, you can see countless stones…rocks upon rocks upon rocks…as far as the eye can see. There are very few sandy patches at Lake Water Stones this year. It changes from year to year. The winter always brings in a new landscape, and seascape.
Back to the wildlife. On our last trip to the lake, we witnessed our friend the fox, four wild turkeys, and a skunk. There was hardly anybody there that weekend, and it was very quiet. This time, there were many neighbours. The animals made themselves scarce. There was no danger of tripping over a skunk this time. Even our friend the chipmunk was barely to be seen.
On the flipside of this, we had the chance to meet the folks next door, a newlywed couple we’d never run into before. Having a drone is a good conversation starter! Neighbour Danny was treated to the best air show I could offer. I swooped it down closer to the surface, and buzzed him from a safe distance as he swam. Later on, I pulled the same stunt while Jen was swimming, and I came within an inch of crashing into a rock. It was a close, close call and I will not be flying that fast, that close to the water again! It’s all on video.
Danny invited Jen and I to a big bonfire that night with his wife. I’m not usually the social type, and as of my friends who have not even seen me yet this year can testify to. In the interest of doing new things and trying to be social, I decided to go. Of course, I brought my drone to film it from the air. It was an impressive fire. And truthfully, it was nice to be social for a change instead of a hermit.
That was the one new thing we did this weekend, in a summer of trying new things.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the music we played in the car, and on the porch. On the way to the lake, I wanted to try one of the new albums I bought when Aaron and I went to Toronto. I chose Don Dokken’s Solitary, which as I surprised, was an acoustic album. I enjoyed it, but Jen did not like his cover of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” one bit. I’m undecided. I don’t have to decide until I review it. After that, we needed a palette cleanser so I put on Back for the Attack by Dokken. Not one bad song.
On the porch, I asked Jen to pick bands, and then I would pick a song. She started throwing me curveballs by naming bands like Judas Priest. I would then shake it up by playing an atypical song. In Priest’s case, it was “Before the Dawn”. When she picked Guns N’ Roses, I went for “Better”. This fun game kept us entertained for an hour or so.
Saturday morning was spent listening to the best of Kansas, in preparation for the afternoon interview with Tim Durling. Jex Russell and I had the time of our lives talking to Tim about all things Kansas, and he should know! A great show, though Amazon failed to deliver my copy of Point of Know Return as planned. It just flat-out never showed up and they refunded my money. All I had to show off for the interview with Tim was my copy on 8-track, that he gifted me last summer!
Another triumphant weekend at Lake Water Stones. It’s wonderful to be able to keep these memories on video. I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: This review is from the perspective of a drone rookie. I recently plunged into the hobby, and found it easy and inviting. Here’s what I have learned in my three weeks as a drone pilot.
Buy the ATOM SE Drone on Amazon!
Potensic ATOM SE GPS Drone With 4K Single-Axis Camera
When I was a young kid, I would come to the beach and watch this older kid fly his remote control airplane over the lake. He never landed it without crashing, with either major or minor damage. I thought it would be cool to fly an RC plane like that, but it looked difficult and expensive. Then, at some point decades later, my dad bought an indoor drone for me. Just a toy. Impossible to control, and it went flying off my wife’s head. Nope, flying things isn’t the hobby for me. Onto the next thing.
Then, one day after browsing Amazon, I decided to buy a real drone and see what difference it would make. You only live once. I chose the ATOM SE by Potensic, which came with two batteries, a remote, all the cables you need to charge and connect it, and a spare set of propellers (with the appropriate screwdriver). It all came in a nice, padded travel case that holds everything. It really is an all-in-one package. You can buy accessories too, including spare batteries and a charger that can do three of them at once (plus the remote). I also recommend picking up a landing pad, which helps keep your drone propellers out of the grass and/or sand. The only thing you will need to provide separately is a micro SD card so you can record all that lovely 1080p video you’re going to capture.
My only complaint: No paper manual. All you get is a pdf file. I gave it a read, but I learn by doing, so one Saturday morning when nobody was around, I took my drone over to the park. Within minutes I was in the air. (Of note: This drone is light enough that it does not require a license, so you are good to go.)
It is intuitive and easy to fly. You just plug your phone into the remote, to act as a screen. Everything fits perfectly. The camera is crisp and clear. For those with a higher budget, the next model up has a 3-axis camera, but this one just moves up and down. I found this plenty good enough. The controller has two (removeable) joysticks (with a clever storage solution). Everything is ergonomic. The left stick controls altitude, and rotates the drone. The right stick controls all movement forwards and backwards, and side to side. It moves equally well in all four directions.
This drone is steady as a rock. Even in a light breeze, it barely moves from where you want it. I took it up to its maximum ceiling of 190 feet, and then right down again to land, and it had only moved about a foot. There are automatic flying modes, such as one where it circles a waypoint (with camera always pointed at the center, a cool feature) and one where it follows you. You can set a home point for it to automatically return to. However, I am more comfortable being in control. That shows you how easy this thing is to use, that I prefer manual controls to automatic.
It’s a fast little drone, and zips right over your head going over 13 mph. It stops on a dime, and is extremely responsive. It is also capable of beautiful, slow movements. The resultant videos are always quality.
When I first bought this drone, a few people were asking me what the heck I would do with it? Check out the videos below and tell me I’m not having fun!
This is an easy 5/5 stars and a solid gateway into a fun hobby. You can get an ATOM SE Drone on Amazon.
Save at Capitol One Shopping, at this link.
RECORD STORE TALES #1138: ‘Twas 30 Years Ago, at Stanley Park Mall
(Story & Video featuring Robert Daniels)
Since 1991, The Beat Goes On was the easiest place for me to buy new music. The selection wasn’t great, and the prices were high, but it was just a 10 minute walk from my house. When Motley Crue released their long-awaited new album in the spring of 1994, I just grabbed it on my way to school. I bought a lot of important music at that store in the early 90s. Mr. Bungle was my first purchase, as I recall, $14.99 on cassette. I picked up the debut by Fight, the Very Special Christmas compilations, and the Wayne’s World soundtrack. No, wait – I got Wayne’s World at Zeller’s because the owner was too busy talking to a girl to help me! When I finally got his attention, he was sold out of Wayne’s World, so I bought it at Zellers down the hall!
I wasn’t the most regular customer for the first three years, because of the pricing. As a small independent store in a mall, rent and overhead was high while margins were low. Then came used CDs.
The owner likes to tell the story. “I came in with a single tray of used CDs and put them on sale,” he said. Initially our prices were $9.99 and $11.99 for used CDs. I walked in one day in early July and bought Kiss My Ass, which was two or three weeks old (June 21 1994 release date). What a steal! I didn’t want to pay new prices for a handful of songs that I wanted. I was impressed. I planned on making my visits much more regular.
Two weeks later, I was working there behind the counter.
Stanley Park Mall was an important location to me, all my life. I had worked there in 1989-1990 at the grocery store Zehrs, and my dad worked at the bank there through pretty much all the 1980s. Now I was calling it home again, as I worked the summer of 1994 at The Beat Goes On, learning the used CD trade and rocking the suburbs. The mall was an ever-changing landscape of stores. When I started, many were already long gone, such as the comic book store and video rental place. Today it’s even more of a wasteland, with very little to attract teen mallrats today. There was once an A&A Records; that closed in 1990. There were once two banks, a diner, a liquor store, a camera shop, a Zellers with a restaurant, even a video arcade once upon a time. The mall is barely recognizable from that day I was hired in July of 1994.
When I started at The Beat Goes On, there were just two of us. I was replacing a part-timer named Craig that was leaving for school. It was just me and the owner. It was a pretty incredible time to be at the start of something. Used CDs were taking off, and we had two tables of them as opposed to one little tray. Grunge was still powering the charts, with Soundgarden and Alice In Chains lingering near the top. Kurt Cobain was dead but the music was still selling like mad. On the other side of the ailes, MuchDance was popular, and there was a new rapper named 2Pac that was making waves. The soundtrack to Forrest Gump was selling steady despite its high (2 CD) selling price. “Somebody’s getting rich off that Gumbo thing!” said an old man who didn’t buy it. It wasn’t us getting rich! April Wine had a new album, there was a ZZ Top blues compilation hitting the shelves, and it was just generally a brilliant time to be alive.
30 years is an eternity, and the mall has changed, but here we are! Recently, Rob Daniels joined me for a stroll around Stanley Park Mall, to see what has transpired. We strolled the hallways, remarked on the stores now long gone, and explored what’s there now. Enjoy this video documentary on the changes endured by Stanley Park Mall over the last 30 years…three decades to the week since my hiring at The Beat Goes On!
Huge thank you to Jex Russell and Tim Durling for spending Friday afternoon with us chatting about Kansas! Tim’s third book, Let It Be Your Guide: The Kansas Album Review, is out now Like his previous two books, you can get this one now on your local Amazon.
Kansas are progressive rock legends, but did they ever get the respect they deserved? They are still making music today, and good music too. This book, and this interview, reflect a love of Kansas that perhaps isn’t seen enough in media (mainstream and social) these days. Tim hopes to change that. His appreciation for the music is sincere. As for Jex and I, we could only sit back and learn.
We had one surprise lined up for Tim, a Grab A Stack of Rock first. In a surprise appearance, TVC bandmate and book cover artist Matt Phillips explains what went into the artwork, and other important details about publishing a book like this. Indeed, there are photos of articles from Tim’s personal collection inside, all laid out beautifully with great care. Thank you Matt for sending in this great video. If you want to know about some of the Easter eggs on the book art, watch this video.
Congratulations Tim on this third book, and please support him by picking up a copy on Amazon. Jex and I will be back from the cottage soon for another Grab A Stack of Rock. Thanks everybody for your viewer questions and comments!
SHOW NOTES
“A FAN’S EAR-VIEW OF WHAT MAKES KANSAS’ MUSIC SO SPECIAL” – Jeff Wagner
Tim, what took you so long to write a third book? Y&T was 7 months ago.
Tell us your point of entry into Kansas. (I do not remember ever seeing Kansas on MuchMusic)
One might argue that you were born to write this book, given your channel “Tim’s Vinyl Confessions”.
During a debate of greatest “Song 1 Side 1” in history among the lead characters in the movie High Fidelity, Jack Black’s character criticizes one of John Cusack’s character’s proposals as “too obvious, like ‘Point of Know Return'”.
Let’s assume you’re talking to Kansas megafans watching this show, who have every album already. Why should they buy this book?
The band is known for clever wordplay in titles, such as “Point of Know Return” and “Leftoverture”. Did you sneak any clever wordplay into this book that you can tell us about?
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 64: Let It Be Your Guide: The Kansas Album Review with Tim Durling
Masquerading as a man without a reason, Tim Durling is a wayward son no more! Now with his third book on the shelves, it’s time to talk to Tim about his latest tome: Let It Be Your Guide: The Kansas Album Review. Like his previous two books, you can get this one now on your local Amazon.
Cohost Jex Russell and I will be chatting with Tim this afternoon about all the usual stuff: the genesis of the idea, recruiting the coterie of “Wheatheads” (including Jex and I, among other members of the community) and the brilliant cover artwork by Matt Phillips. We also have a very special surprise for Tim, plus lots of physical product to show. This time, I’ve got an 8-track!
Today’s show will be a free-flowing chat, and it will be live, so you too will be able to ask Tim your Kansas questions! Let Tim be your guide.
From Amazon:
THE MUSIC IS ALL FOR YOU.
LET IT BE YOUR GUIDE: The Kansas Album Review is an in-depth look at America’s premier progressive rock band, and celebrates 50 YEARS OF KANSAS!
Led by the songwriting and multi-instrumental genius of Kerry Livgren, the pristine pipes of Steve Walsh, and the cutting violin of Robby Steinhardt, Kansas emerged from their Topeka home base with their 1974 debut album, to take on the world… and win! Initially met with confusion from music buyers, Kansas eventually captured the hearts of listeners far and wide. Kansas has proven that a band writing—and playing—music their way can succeed, and flourish:
After 50 years, Kansas continues to produce vital, new music, and brings their songs to audiences night after night.
Let It Be Your Guide gathers together a coterie of “Wheatheads” to wax thoughtfully on the deepcatalogue this band possesses. Each of the band’s 15 studio albums are explored thoroughly, with space also given to their many live albums, and compilations.
BOOK FEATURES:
Join us for the talk, and support Tim by buying the book at the Amazon link above!
Friday July 5 at 4:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 5:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!
BONUS: Tim’s Guide to the Kansas Compilations!
I finally had the courage to take the drone over the water. The sky was cloudy and the sunset invisible, but the blue-green waters shine brightly in this video. It’s really special and my best drone video to date.
Music: “Floating Like” by the Arkells, from the album Blink Twice.
This week, I was honoured to be on John Clauser’s My Music Corner one more time, to discuss Temporary Replacement Singers in the 1990s. We tackled four singers and four bands. My choice: “Corabi Crue”, aka “Motley ’94”, perhaps the most underrated of them all. We talked the genesis, highlights, lowlights, and how it all ended. I’ll let John tell the story from here:
Anthrax Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, and Judas Priest all went through a period from the 90s into the 2000s where either the original singer (or more known singer) left the band, and they were temporarily replaced. What became of the music made during the era for each band?
On this, I moderate a discussion between Mike Ladano, Peter Jones, Jake Not From State Farm, and my co-captain John The Music Nut as we look into each band.
“I am inevitable.” – Thanos. Also my CD shelves.
I couldn’t wait to get my drone in the air when I got to the cottage. We made it up in good time, all to the soundtrack of the Beaches. I managed to pick up their first two EPs in Toronto with Aaron the week prior (paying through the teeth). With very little traffic to deal with, we ran through The Beaches, Heights, and Blame My Ex before arrival. Then it was time to fly!
We only had two good days for flying, Thursday and Friday. It started to get rainy on Saturday which made it the proverbial “indoor day“. Still, we celebrated our three day weekend with great food and excitement. It was a brilliant weekend for nature sightings. We spotted plenty of the usual chipmunks and squirrels, but we were treated to a rafter of wild turkeys, who lingered long enough to be filmed. There was even a curious seagull who swooped in to check out my drone. We also spotted our unafraid fox, Eric, who strolled directly past us twice without fear or hurry. I was unable to get my camera out either time, which is a shame. He was mere feet away.
My Amazon delivery this time was a new landing pad for my drone. I discovered that landing in the grass was difficult, so the landing pad gives me a flat square anywhere I go. Amazon showed up during my interview with author Angie Moon on Grab A Stack of Rock, which was funny to me. Until recently, if you wanted something like that you’d have to wait until you got home to the city. Now, Amazon can be there next day. Unbelievable! For most of my young life there, we didn’t have phones or cable TV. Now we have wi-fi and Amazon delivering priority parcels in the afternoon. I cannot say that I mind. One thing that I used to miss during my teenage cottage weekends was access to my friends and record stores. Now they’re all there at a touch of a button.
The drone footage was exceptional, and made up the bulk of the video for the trip. And why not? It’s my new toy and I love it. It’s so easy and intuitive to use. It has given me more options for being creative. I simply could not wait to get home and start editing my new video.
And that’s when disaster struck.
What happened? Watch the video….
Music credits:
mikeladano.com 