Great White North February 2007

As I sit here trying to make it through another gripping Canadian winter in the Great White North (several communities reported wind chill temps between -40 and -50 yesterday!!! Don’t matter if it is Fahrenheit or Celsius) thank god there is heartwarming and exciting news to help us make it through…

Jeff Healey

First it is great to hear that legendary Canadian guitarist extraordinaire Jeff Healey is doing well after yet another round of preventative surgery in what will undoubtedly be a continuous war against the despicable disease that originally deprived him of his eyesight. Jeff recently posted this message on his website: http://www.jeffhealey.com.

“Healey here, writing to you from the comforts of my family room, in my big easy-chair. Just a quick note to check in with all of you and say I’m feeling much better than I figured I would by this time. Yes, prescription drugs play a big part in this remarkably quick recovery, but also just plain luck and great care from the hospital staff, good friends, and my wife. I want to thank all of you for your kind correspondence over the past 3 weeks. It means a lot that so many people care so much. The operation, from the surgeon’s point of view, was a success; they removed four suspect spots from my left lung and three from my right. I now go back to regular testing (every three or four months) to determine if there is any more cause for alarm. I have become well connected with several highly reputable surgeons and oncologists in the field here in Toronto, and I’m confident that I can nip almost any problem in the bud (cancer-wise) before there is any cause for alarm. Thanks again for your concerns and for enduring this ramble from the website’s namesake. I will try to personally check in like this as frequently as I can.

I will be back on the air live tonight – Monday, January 29th – at Jazz FM 91.1 in Toronto from 9 – 11 p.m. EST (online at www.jazz.fm for those of you around the world who want to tune in) playing songs from my collection of 78 recordings. Thanks for listening! “ – Jeff Healey

Now I do not know about you folks, but Jeff is a hero of mine, not just for his awesome six-string and other musical talents, but because of his representation of all that is good in the human spirit. He truly is inspirational and even more, has never been heard to gripe about the awful cards he has been dealt in life! Godspeed Jeff, you rock.

Dave Martone’s searing new CD will be out in a couple of weeks! Here is the blurb from the Lion Music website:

“If you thought that Canadian rock started and ended with Rush, Saga or Triumph, think again. Canadian guitar virtuoso, Dave Martone is a force to be reckoned with. Dave has recorded several excellent albums with influences which range from straight ahead rock and progressive metal to more experimental tones, something that has brought him a considerable amount of attention from fans worldwide.

Dave has performed in countless cities in the world, given clinics and taught at Berklee College Of Music and the National Guitar Workshop. He has written instructional columns for the likes of Guitarpalooza Records, the Guitar 9 website, Italy’s Guitar2001 as well as being featured in one of the worlds largest guitar magazines ‘Guitar One’ being profiled as one of four underground ‘shred gods’ in the January 2006 issue. This illustrious background shows the reputation that comes with the Martone name and Lion Music is proud to introduce Dave’s new solo album “Martone – When The Aliens Come”.

The new album is 13 tracks full of crunching guitars with the song writing emphasis on maintaining an element of the future. Dave comments, “My goal was first off complete it. I did a DVD in the middle and that took some time. The main concept of the album is trying to envision what music of the future might be. Trying to imagine that I could hop in some alien space ship 400 years from now and see what was playing on their I-pod equivalent!” Dave used everyday life as inspiration for the album, “There are so many things we go through on a day to day basis. Being able to capture them sonically is quite challenging. Sometimes it is quite easy”.

“When The Aliens Come” showcases what the guitar is capable of in the right hands in 2007 and may just show where the guitar is heading in the future.”

Hear some samples at Dave’s Myspace. And watch these pages for a dynamite new interview with Dave discussing in detail “When the Aliens Come”...

Philip Sayce

Last but certainly not least I sat down for a chat with the dynamite and underrated star Philip Sayce. Check out Philip.

Philip, who has already appeared several times on major U.S. network TV, first with the band Uncle Kracker, and later at the Grammy awards as Melissa Etheridge’s lead guitarist, will now appear on the Academy Awards! A song Philip co-wrote with Melissa has been nominated for an Oscar, how cool is that!

“Grammys and Oscars!!

Philip was honored to record the song “I Need to Wake Up” with Melissa Etheridge, which Melissa wrote for Al Gore’s highly acclaimed, Oscar-nominated feature documentary, An Inconvenient Truth

Melissa’s song, “I Need to Wake Up,” has been nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media.” Tune in to the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, airing live on Sunday, February 11, 2007 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), on CBS, to watch them win!”

Watch this site for that super cool interview with Philip and check out his upcoming album!

Now back to the fireplace and some hot toddy…