My World of Music

Find out if your child has an interest in music and foster it. Don't risk her/his becoming a musical agnostic. Music could be his/her greatest pleasure in life.

Photos - Xuemei Daisy Geng Come to my birthday party!

I love good examples of all sorts of music from baroque to grunge, from Michael Franti to Denyce Graves, from Nick Drake and Richard Thompson to John Newlands, from Thelonius Monk to Philip Glass, from Rachmaninoff via the Cascades to Nirvana, and contemporary Christian music from Keith Green to Delirious?    And every year that passes I love them all more. I suspect that Martin Smith of Delirious? may be the the most important songwriter since Lennon and Kurt Cobain (who died 5 Apr 1994). In my view Brian Wilson is one of the greatest American composers. Feel free to browse some of my collection. My wife Laurie-Ann has kindly combined her large record collection with mine, and I'm enjoying discovering new gems. Our tastes overlap in many categories. I don't like death metal or most rap. I play guitar and mandolin (electric and acoustic) and keyboard, and enjoy making music tremendously, having learned piano accordion which taught me harmony, and transfered that knowledge to the guitar and keyboards. I accompany Laurie-Ann (who sings like an angel) for Christian activities like the Alpha Course, and we play in a band called Kenosis. In 2003 I started feeling the urge to actually write songs, which had been a log time dream. The first effort became the theme for Laurie-Ann's radio show "Window of Opportunity". Download the mp3 here of a version produced at Christmas 2003 by James Copple, featuring L-A on vocals and me on guitars. I wrote several more songs in 2003, many with words by inmates in Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, where I run an Alpha course. On 31 Oct 08 Laurie-Ann and I performed for an Arts Night in Ottawa: see Kenbits Part 1 | Part 2. This was our most ambitious performance to date. All the tunes were mine and therefore SOCAN! Music has the power to sooth, to stimulate, to change one's state, to comfort, to make you cry, to make you laugh. It is surely something vital to us! For me, it is a part of my soul, and I owe a debt to musicians that I can never repay. As Michael Franti sings: "everyone deserves music". From my large collection I have learned that some artists and composers never disappoint me. I enjoy everything they ever did. I am not a good critic of these musicians; I love them too much.

When Laurie-Ann or I need to buy music we may visit:

• Al Findlay at Legend Records tel (613)-596-5766 in Lincoln Heights Galleria, Ottawa, or
• Kanata Audio Books & Music
• My music.ca (CD Warehouse on-line)
• CD Baby - Independent artists
• CD Now
• CD Express
• FHM vinyl specialists
• cdBBQ - for CD's that haven't been issued officially
• For Christian music, a large part of our collections, we visit Salem Storehouse, 1558 Merivale Rd, Ottawa, tel 727-0203

We both like to go to concerts, and fortunately live about a mile from Scotiabank Place in Kanata where world-class artistes perform frequently.

Stereo sound has always fascinated me as an engineer and greatly increased the pleasure of listening.

Notice: Do you have any pop 78 rpm discs but your player long since died? I have started a service to transcribe them to tape.

SOCAN - the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada
SOCAN membership is free for music creators. If you start your own publishing company, then you pay a one-time fee of $50 (and perhaps more, if you have to do a Nuans name search for the company). Consequently, any Canadian who creates music, should be encouraged to join SOCAN. I registered with SOCAN in 2004, and by mid 2005 had earned royalties of $44.68 for my song "Window of Opportunity" played weekly on Window of Opportunity on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa. Visit Socan Central MySpace site.

Listen to CDs on the Web Jango - on-line 'radio station' Music Boulevard - release your music to the world. YouTube Concerts and very special videos Note: I am gradually replacing links that have been taken down. Pink Floyd's final concert with Waters, Gilmore, Mason, Wright, 7 Nov 2016 WCR at IG Apex Vancouver 20 Sep 2015 WCR Imagine, by Elias's Children - Lucas Haneman and Marco Vezina 2014 Muse Austin City Limits 2013 Like a Rolling Stone 2013 & The making of The Songs of Nick Drake concert 18 Nov 2012. Playlist and musicians Coldplay - Toronto 2006 Sting - Winter's Night Live in Durham (Includes Laila Biali) Brian Wilson - Beautiful Dreamer - the 'Smile' story Brian Wilson - Smile live - from RFH 2005 Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road - 28 Jul 2005. One talented musician promos his new album, and delves in Beatles history. Shown on BBC 2 and PBS (US). Tom Petty etc incl Prince - 'While my guitar gently weeps' from 2004 Rock'n'Roll Hall of fame. The Concert for George (Harrison) - 29 Nov 2002 (under construction) Paul McCartney at the Cavern with Dave Gilmour, Ian Paice, Mick Green, Pete Wingfield, Chris Hall - 14 Dec 1999 The Children - reunion at the Ottawa Folk Festival 1997 (we were there) with David Whiffen, Bruce Cockburn, etc. Rolling Stones 'At the Max' 1991 Olivia Newton-John, Andy Gibb, Abba 1978 ABC special (true stereo) Van Morrison - Cyprus Avenue 1970 The Jeff Beck story The Shadows at Sixty BBC4, 20.05.01 The Beatles live in Blackpool, 1965 Jukeboxes Juke Box with music from '40s to '70s. Jerry's Eclectic Jukebox (Midi) Other links Willie & die Wenspan South African children's praise group Childrens Bible songs Spank the Plank Productions - Paul Chenier Binary Rhyme - Mike Heffernan Acoustiq Duo - Gary Racicot and Joseph Crowley Nick Drake - covers, books, historic interest Ottawa Bluesjazz GOFolk - Hollis Morgan's Ottawa live folk shows guide The Oz  Russian punk opera Che Lennon, etc, 2008 Song for Africa.com True North Records Constant Sound Studio - Kate and Hollis Morgan - Constance Bay, near Ottawa Spirit of Rasputins Ottawa folk venue Audio Lunchbox - Indie purchasing The Sixties on CKCU 93.1 FM every Sunday at 8 pm. (Ottawa) Ottawa school of Piano - includes musical intrument rental Writer's Bloc - Ottawa songwriters group Wickman music Bryan Anthony's music on Soundcloud McGuinn's Folk Den folk archive My Music.com BILLBOARD - all the US charts Charts EMI - A Brief History 365 Top Songs of the 20th Century Dennis Morgan - collaboration with Roy Young 2003 Voices of the Cenury - Top 10 Oldies.com - Rare & Hard-To-Find CDs, DVDs & more Blue Skies Music Festival Rock Rebel.com - Christian rock e-magazine The story of the single Sunhawk - download sheet music Eppiphane - good Ottawa band The Golden Dogs - Canadian rock band The Unattended Children - Woodlawn band led by Chris Dyke Extraordinaire_Instrument_de_Musique - YouTube Downloads Groove Shark Listen to music free. Audio quality less than iTunes Soundcloud.com - like YouTube for audio Puretracks.com Analog Africa - classic downloads Soundway Records - Bandcamp - African Rock / Classical blends Matthew Bellamy of Muse Bryce Dessner of The National Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead Songs with tunes by me written recently The Cross - D Burgess, 2017 Thank you - R Cesar, 2016 What is the difference between this man and me - Peter Wake, 2015 Serious study, and the music business Beginner Guitar HQ, and How to play rhythm guitar like John Lennon Why artists are no longer making a living making music by Ian Tamblyn Audiation - essential for extemporizing (Quora digest) OFME Latest postings - Upcoming folk music events, Ottawa area U-Rock Music School for kids and teens, by Cathy Hallessey, 613-457-5064 Song Meanings.com Discogs.com Music database - track listings, buy-sell CDs, etc Rock's Back Pages - gazillions of interviews with stars Music lessons in Kanata Phil Stone appreciation by Jay Stone, Ottawa Citizen, 8 May 2008 Oremus Hymnal Le Hibou coffee house, Ottawa, legendary for artists who performed there The loudness war explained - the strange trend to compress pop music Class Axe Guitars - Bob, 613-258-9119, 288 Country Rd. 44, Kemptville Folk Music Ontario (transitioned from the OCFF) Duplium - CD replication Sonicbids EPK - Electronic Press Kit SOCAN - Society of Composers, Authors and Music publishers of Canada Songwriters Association of Canada, SAC Musicians on the spot - a new way to learn to play The Beatles Timeline - by John Whelan 1960s British rock and popular music - courses at Skidmore College, NY Mike's Music - instrument repairs, etc., Nepean Ottawa Folklaw Centre - instruments, and learning to play Lauzon Music Centre - Ottawa: Todd Snelgrove Oskar Graf Guitars. Oskar founded the Blue Skies Music Festival AcousticRoof.ca - Canadian house concerts network CCLI SongSelect - praise songs music and words WorshipChords.net - praise songs music and words (Free) Guitar chords Hymn chords Apronus virtual piano - allows chords and sustain. Just Play virtual piano Band to band.com The British Invaders - Where are they now? Music origins - by Robert Fink Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop and Vestapol Videos Prof. Glenn Gass Indiana U/V School of Music - Course on the Beatles M.L. Liebler, poet, Professor, Wayne State University, Michigan Six String Nation - Connecting Canadians through music Increase your enjoyment of music! - 1971 article by me. --------------------- To Home page Kanata Entertainment