TONIGHT – THE DEEP END!

At The Fan Club on Granville st.  A rare early show, 3 sets 7:30-10:30pm, The Ponderosas close out the night until way late.  Gonna be a killer time!!!

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AWESOME GIGS & NEW MAILOUT

Hey folks!  Killer gigs comin up:  THE UNSUPERVISED @ 1067 EAST – Saturday, March 18.  JEFF YOUNGER PRESENTS vol 61 @ The Railway Club – Monday, March 18, and THE DAWN PEMBERTON QUARTET @ Tangent Cafe, Saturday, March 23.  Details and the NEW GIGMAIL below!  Hope all is well with all ya’ll!!!!!!!  Cheers,  JEff

Greetings Fine Music Folk!
Well, it appears that a little thing called a cuboid bone in my left foot has decided this is not the year for me to run the Vancouver marathon.  This is a drag, indeed.  However, a student of mine once said that in every moment of crisis and disappointment, there is an equal vector of opportunity just waiting to be recognized.  So, while I look for and decide on a new and equally preposterous ambulatory challenge for when Mr. Cuboid is back in action (and look forward to weirding out everyone using the pool in my building because I’ll be investigating the certain joy of “Pool Running” in short order – “Oh no, it’s that miming otter with the aviator’s goggles again…”), I’ll be able to spend more time seeing my awesomely talented friends play music.  As luck would have it, I’ll be joining them on a few gigs coming up in the very near future!  So, without further delay, because my new swimming goggles are making it hard to type:
The gigs upcoming, links to bios and more info, and some creative blurbery on goal setting and the magics of success and failure.  Thanks for reading, keep your bones in good order, and hope to see you at a show soon!  Cheers!!!  JEff  jeffyounger.net  https://www.facebook.com/jeff.younger.125
SATURDAY, MARCH 16 - THE UNSUPERVISED w/ special guest Andre Lachance on bass @ 1067 EAST (1115b East Hastings @ Glen Drive – door around the side @ 360 Glen)
I’m stoked to have The Unsupervised unleash some modern Canadian jazz on the fine peoples at 1067 EAST, and to spend some time in the music with Andre!  We’ll play some of the classic hits from The Unsup’s book, whip up some fresh goodies, and gleefully have at ‘er for 2 sets.  A perfect post-Canucks/UFC Saturday night elixir.
Doors at 10pm, music 10:30-1am.
https://www.facebook.com/events/538448876194887/
http://jeffyounger.net/projects/the-unsupervised
MONDAY, MARCH 18 - TIGER PRAWN, GLENSTRUP & LIO for Jeff Younger Presents vol. 61 @ The Railway Club.
I’m happy to take a JYP night to sit and watch these cats rip it up!  The Shockker and Johnny Wildkat bring us East Van’s most infamous and kickass improv metal bass and drums duo, Tiger Prawn!  JC Thompson brings his epic rock trio Glenstrup to tear it up, and Vancouver’s LIO makes for an eclectic mix of cool Vancity music.
Doors @ 8pm, music 8:30-Midnight, cover $7.
https://www.facebook.com/events/118363531682688/
http://therailwayclub.com/events/calendar
SATURDAY, MARCH 23 - THE DAWN PEMBERTON QUARTET (DP vocals, JY guitar, Derek DiFilippo bass, Mike Zobac drums) @ Tanget Cafe (2095 Commercial Drive)

This is always an amazing time… Lots of soulful, super deep grooves and joyously heartfelt music making on The Drive.  We’ll be playing some funk, blues and soul classics, some stellar tunes by contemporary masters, and letting the vibe decide where we end up.  Time to lay it down, people!  Music 9pm – Midnight, By Donation.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tangent-Cafe/420386921358640?fref=ts
… and Thursday nights with The Phonix continue at The Backstage Lounge if you’re keen on the Granville Island hang!
and, THE BLURBERY:
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllsssssssssssssssssssssssss:
I’ve always been a goal setter, ever since I was pretty small.  Man, at some point I’m gonna ditch this whole womb scene and get me a sweet crib… In grade 2, I decided I was going to wear my brown corduroys, blue sneakers and yellow Charlie Brown shirt every day for a long, long time.  My mother killed that dream eventually, but in retrospect, she was pretty willing to let me ride it out.  On day 12 or so, she must have thought “Oh man…. he’s a pretty tenacious little maniac…”, so she cut the sharp tips off all my crayons, pulled all of my Star Wars figures out of the pancake batter, and made it clear it was time for the red pants and Molson Canadian shirt.  (Hey, I grew up in Winnipeg, where most 7 year olds have bad taste in beer.)
In grade 4, after playing an epic hockey game on the tiny ice rink in my back yard, I decided I was going to win the Who Can Drink The Most Warm Tap Water Out Of These Wax Covered Paper Dixie Cups Contest between me and my buddy Vince.  I won.  Sometimes winning sucks and you realize achieving your goal can make your stomach make remarkable, remarkable sounds, kinda like a version of John Zorn’s Cobra (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyAq4bv2Xe4) performed in a giant vacuum bag full of macaroni and flat club soda.
I didn’t sledgehammer the giant red button of success every time, of course.  My career as a donkey counsellor didn’t last too long.
Me:  No, really, this is a safe place.  Tell me how you feel.
Donkey:  Braaay.  Braaaaaaaaay.
Me:  You’re scared, and that’s ok.  Tell me how it feels to be scared.
Donkey:  Braaay.  Braaaaaaaaay…  Sniffle.  Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy.
Me (in a frustrated tone, which is bad for a counsellor):  You’re an ass…
Donkey: No, dude… You’re an ass.
I never made the NHL, but I did draw lots of pictures that made my friends laugh and my older sister’s friends look at me funny.  I was proud to bring home my first guitar amp that was taller than I was.  Goal:  Drown out my sister’s friends’ muted, suspicious whispering.  Status:  Achieved via blaring, AC/DC fuelled teenage empowerment!  I aslo managed to grow half a beard at a relatively young age.  Regretfully, it was the half you normally shave off to make the rest of your beard look like a beard.
Me:  How come my sister’s friends don’t want to date me?  I have an awesome beard, a bunch of warm Molson Canadian hidden in my closet, and I talk endlessly about Steve Vai…
Vince:  You need more reverb, man.  More reverb.  And maybe a chorus pedal.
I guess the point of this reminiscence is to remind myself that moving forward is the important thing, and that honest goals are often achieved just a little later than you initially planned.  One day you wake up and somehow know in your heart that it’s time to shave off your beard, give away all but one of your chorus pedals, climb the last few steps on the hill you’ve been thinking about, wipe your brow and peer into the distance from a new vantage point… I wonder what’s next for me?, you ask, followed by a deep breath, and a few more in patient succession.  Then slowly, life takes on a new, earned hue and the figures just out of view will get a little clearer.  You watch them for a while, and feel a thankfulness wash over you…
Me:  Hey Vince, I think my sister just got hit in the face with a soccer ball.
Vince:  You should probably go down and see if she’s ok.
Me:  Yeah, I probably should.
Donkey:  I feel awesome, guys.
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GUITAR MADNESS – SATURDAY Feb 16!

Hey folks!  Just  a quick note to let you know that I’ll be sharing the stage at 1067 EAST with Vancouver’s favourite ambient rock guitar act, Interior Design.  I’ll be doing a Devil Loops set at 11:30, ID will open at 10:30, then we’ll do a duo set (I’m scared… and stoked!!) to close it out.  1115b East Hastings at Glen Drive.  Door around the side on Glen.

 

And, I have a CRAZY adventure in the works for the first half of 2014…  it’s lining up beautifully, but it will take a while to know if I can actually pull it off… the idea of it is making me tingle…

 

Hope all is well!!!  JEff

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WOAH! 2013 – here we GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hey folks!  Since Jan 1 I’ve been madly scheming and lining up as many pieces of the machine as possible so when February hits, it’ll be FULL on go time until… well, for a while.  Grand things in the works for the rest of 2013 and some awesome and crazy plans for 2014!  I’m officially jacked on what may come to be.  Meh heh heh…  In the meantime, I’m also jacked on 2 gigs comin up this week, so read my first gig mailout of the year below for deets, and check the Gigs page for what’s comin up in the next few weeks.  Rockout!!!!

 

Greetings Fine Music Folk!
Since Jan 1, I’ve been in full on lockdown mode.  Why, one might ask?  To quell the potential prison riot that would be my practical/musical life if I didn’t arrange all of those grumpy, tattoo’d, shiv wielding ducks before the tornado of February hits, that’s why.  Gonna be a feathery doozy, man, but I’m happy to be firing out a quick note to let you know about a couple of gigs this week I’m pretty stoked about.  I should also take a minute to let the fingers fire out a bit o’ blurbery, so then, some cool shows you might wanna check out, a few words you may or may not wanna skip, and details and bios along the way.  2013:  GO!

https://www.facebook.com/events/274287109366835/
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31st (yes, this is a RARE THURSDAY show at 1067 East) – Touring Artists OLIVIA STEIMEL (Germany – accordion), SOLOMIYA MOROZ (Montreal – flute), CHERYL DUVAL (Toronto – piano) and ILANA WANIUK (Toronto – violin) w/ Vancouver’s LISA MILLER (piano) and JEFF YOUNGER (guitar) @ 1067 EAST – 1115b East Hastings at Glen Drive

1115b East Hastings @ Glen Drive (door around the side on Glen)

Doors 9pm, music 9:30-12am

An opening set of improv from Lisa and myself, joined by Solomiya.
Then Solomiya, Olivia, Cheryl and Ilana play a selection of pieces for various instrumentation by John Cage, Hope Lee, Chirstian Wolf and Anna Hostman.
Awesomeness.
*** Please note the EARLY START TIME for a 1067 show.  Doors at 9!
*** And check the bottom of this mail for bios.


SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2DAWN PEMBERTON (vocals), JEFF YOUNGER (guitar), DAVID MARION (bass) and MIKE ZOBAC (drums) @ GUILT & COMPANY

1 Alexander St. in Gastown
Doors 9pm, music 9:30-12:30am
No Cover

DP, Mike and I played NYE at The Tangent Cafe and it was AMAZINGLY fun… Man, so, so much fun.  It was so much fun, I’m still feeling the fun burbling inside of me, and adding David Marion to the mix might just make me blow up like one of those weird, spiny, deep sea flotation bladder kinda fish monster thingies.  If I do, my wah wah prowess will likely be greatly diminished and I might take some lame solos, but you should probably come anyway.  We’ll be laying it down super deep and nasty with tunes by Aretha Franklin, D’Angelo, Shaka Khan, Sly and the Family Stone, Koko Talyor etc, and tossing in some groovy surprises too.  Good times, fo’ sho’.

… and I should probably mention that on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, JEFF YOUNGER’S DEVIL LOOPS and The Shockker’s INTERIOR DESIGN will be double billing at 1067 EAST.  2 solo sets, a mad duo set, lots of guitar, lots of cool and weird sounds, and potential guitaristic mayhem at the end.  Same address as above, but usual weekend hours – doors at 10, music 10:30-1am.


And now, a wee shorty cause there are still a few water fowl circling in my bathtub and I gotta run up a hill a bunch of times in a row in the morning.
Blurbadurbadipdipdurba:

So, I’m gonna try and run the Vancouver Marathon on May 5.  Another reason to not turn into a weird, spiny, deep sea flotation bladder kinda fish monster thingy, I guess, cause that would be uncomfortable, mostly for the volunteers handing out bananas along the route and whoever has to reapply my sunscreen.  It would also be weird for the people at the finish line, standing in the sweltering heat, watching me fish leap into the air, over and over, in a futile attempt to get my bulging eyed monstrosity of a self high enough to break through the fluttering ribbon…  ”We should help him!”  ”No!  He’s got to do it for himself or he learns nothing!”  ”He’s also starting to smell good… Does anyone have some lemon butter?  Anyone?  And maybe some tinfoil?  Lemon butter and tinfoil?”

Anyway, it’s got me thinking about the value of people who know lots about something you don’t know much about, and choose to share that knowledge with you so you don’t hurt yourself trying to do something cool.  I’m sure we all have those kinds of people in our lives at various times.  Other times, maybe we are those people, all trying to save each other some grief that’s already been paid for by good folks before us.  It’s a long swim, brothers and sisters of the deep.  Send some currents to those around you, and if you happen to see someone with a snorkel in their sock, manning a lemon butter tank that’s transparently masquerading as a Japadog cart, give a headsup, will ya?  Teamwork, yo.  Teamwork.


Cheers and thanks, everyone.  Bios of the touring artists below!

 

JEff
jeffyounger.net

https://www.facebook.com/jeff.younger.125

German accordion virtuoso Olivia Steimel is dedicated to contemporary music and collaboration with international composers such as Anna Pidgorna, Michael Quell, Hope Lee and Mario Mary. An international performer and recording artist, she has been a member of the Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra since 2009 and has won several competitions, including first prize in the Musikalische Akademie Würzburg Competition (2010).

Montreal based flautist and sound artist Solomiya Moroz is a prolific multidisciplinary collaborator who’s work has been presented as part of Takt Berlin Artists residency and Omi Internation Musicians residency in New York. She is currently co-director of the series for contemporary music Bruissements du Cercle in Montreal.

Cheryl Duvall is a multi-faceted musician and pianist, active as a soloist, collaborative pianist, teacher and adjudicator. Especially passionate about contemporary music, she has toured internationally and is co-founder of The Thin Edge New Music Collective with Ilana Waniuk.

Ilana Waniuk is a versatile violinist and contemporary chamber music addict with interests ranging from classical music and improvisation to visual arts. Co-founder of The Thin Edge New Music Collective, she has studied and performed internationally and received the Dutton String Fellowship from Northern Illinois University.

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NEW YEAR’S EVE

This is what I’m doin’.  You should come!!!!Dawn Pemberton Quartet at Tanget Cafe

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IS IT REALLY OVER?!?!?!?

Hey all!  Here it is, the final gigmail of 2012, including THE FINAL GIGS OF THE YEAR!  I’m stoked for this last push of musical goodness, then I’m gonna chill out and go for a 25km run on Christmas day to still the mind and take stock of this amazing and crazy year.  Best of the season to everyone!!!!!

 

(Season’s) Greetings Fine Music Folk

Here’s hoping the middle of December finds you in a giddy state of appreciation for the year about to end, and clearing both tummy and calendar space for the upcoming feasting and resultant yam coma.  So then, before your drunk uncle knocks over the gravy boat and pretends not to notice as the purposeful ooze creeps around the peas and toward your brand spanking new white Christmas corduroys, a few remaining musical courses, a serving of moments and considerations, and perhaps some mild abdominal discomfort with blurbery sauce for desert:

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17 (YES, THIS COMING MONDAY) – THE RETURN OF STUMPMAS!!!! w/ THE FAMILY STUMP, COMPANY B and THE MOJO FACTORY BLUES REVUE @ The Railway Clubhttps://www.facebook.com/events/535171786493789/

Yep, we’re back at it for Stumpmas 2012, where Stumpaclause will provide presents and hottie foxyness, The Family Stump will bring inappropriate country hilarity and poignant, heartfelt considerations on family, love, and family love, Company B will bring Andrews Sisters style vocal swing dance music goodtimes, and The Mojo Factory Blues Revue will bring us gleeful and manly blues rock goodness.  The Family Stump:  Jeff Younger – vocals/guitar, Juhli Conlinn – vocals/awesomeness, Joseph Blood – vocals/mandolin, Jen Hodge – vocals/bass/grannification.

Doors at 8pm, Co. B at 9, The Stump at 10, Mojo Factory at 11.  Cover $7, bar open ’til late.  You will not have more fun on a Monday night for the rest of the year!!!!  Gare-an-teed!

https://www.facebook.com/events/535171786493789/

http://jeffyounger.net/projects/the-family-stump/

http://www.companybjazz.com/

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 – JEFF YOUNGER’S DEVIL LOOPS/ADAM BASANTA @ 1067 EAST

After creating sonic and emotional disturbances on a month long, coast to coast this summer, the entirely improvised, solo guitar w/ electronics Devil Loops unfold their unpredictable wings for the final time in 2012.  Adam returns home to remind us he will be taking over the world via electroacoustic compositional brilliance, and we’ll cook up some sonic madness together to close out the night.  Jeff Younger – guitar/electronics, Adam Basanta – laptop/mystery.

1115b East Hastings at Glenn Drive (Door around the side on Glen).  Doors at 10pm, music 10:30 – 1am.

http://jeffyounger.net/projects/devil-loops/

http://adambasanta.com/

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 – DAWN PEMBERTON, JEFF YOUNGER, DEREK DIFILIPPO and MIKE ZOBAC @ TANGENT CAFE

I am stoked to be bringing in the New Year with dear, dear friends and deep, expansive grooviness.  We’ll play some funk and soul hits, toss in some hidden gems and reinventions, and tip a glass to sweaty good times while we usher in 2013 with boogie in the soul.  Dawn Pemberton – vocals, Jeff Younger – guitar, Derek DiFilippo – bass, Mike Zobac – drums.

2095 Commercial Drive.  Music 10pm-1am.  There’s a seated early dinner by reservation, then the room opens up for a later party w/ covercharge in effect.  Contact Tangent for details.

http://tangentcafe.ca/

 

AND THE PHONIX THURSDAYS AT THE BACKSTAGE LOUNGE CONTINUE WITH THE FINAL 2 SHOWS OF THE YEAR, DEC 20 AND 27.

And now, the blurbery…..

I was gonna write a story about UFO’s but then I realized this will be the last gigmail of 2012, and if from the time you were a young lad, twisting and tugging against the lawn care mad tethers of suburban Winnipeg, you’ve lived with the fear of not being returned by the UFO people the next time they come for a “chill session” (yeah, not so much, ET…), well, you best do your Year in Review and pay thanks while the skies remain dim.

BEST TOUR:  Jeff Younger’s Devil Loops from Vancouver to Charlottetown, PEI and back.  Amazing music, amazing musicians, amazing brother/sisterhood, and amazingly generous people all across our (big, like, I mean BIG!) country.

BEST STREAK:  Including The Unsupervised’s epic 2011 jazz festival tour, that makes 2 years in a row I’ve taken my most uncompromising projects all the way across the nation.  I feel good about that.  Real good, and real fortunate.

BEST STEAK:  I’m a vegetarian, but I’m guessing the best steak of 2012 was eaten by Cory Curtis.

BEST QUOTE:  ”My knuckle is the bagpipe college, my fingertip is the church.”  - Lukas Pearse, bassist extraordinaire and all round lovely dude from Halifax.

MOST BIZARRE ACCIDENT:  When a full length mirror fell over and smashed into a million pieces over my back while I was exercising on the floor of my bedroom.

MOST THANKFUL FOR A SINGLE, SMALL CUT ON MY LEG MOMENT:  see above.

FAVOURITE NEW ADDICTION:  Running.  When I was 14, I always knew I would own 3 pairs of spandex tights and get acquainted with nipple chafing, but I assumed it would have something to do with rock’n'roll…

FAVOURITE DUO TO GO LATE NIGHT DRINKING WITH ON NIGHTS WHEN YOU REALLY SHOULDN’T BE OUT LATE NIGHT DRINKING:  The Shockker and Johnny Wildkat!

MOST CONSISTENT CAUSE OF HEADACHES AND FORGETFULNESS:  See above.

********** You know, I could go on and on, (I know you know I could go on and on…) but really, it’s more important to THANK ALL OF YOU for receiving these mails for yet another calendar year. It’s very, very much appreciated, the support of the music and the creative type activities that my cohorts and I get up to from week to week, month to month, from year to decade to lifetime.  There are so many exciting things in the works…  I look forward to plooting them into the world and going on the adventure with everyone who wants to join, keep track, poke their heads in from time to time, or have these emails land in their inbox.

Sincerely, much warmth, appreciation, and best wishes to everyone over the holidays.  Fingers crossed that this time next year we’re all looking back on 2013 with a wild and thankful grin!!!!!

JEff

jeffyounger.net

https://www.facebook.com/jeff.younger.125

 

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Avalanche and Stumpmas

Avalanche of deadlines and never ending catch up makes for a crazy end of November, early December. The acquisition of my 3rd pair of spandex tights and a backpack with a hose for drinking out of it makes for official entry into runner geekdom. STUMPMAS 2012 on Monday, December 17 makes for a welcome and totally crazy reprieve from too much work! The Family Stump, Company B and The Mojo Factory Blues Revue – super, super stoked!!!

JEff

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TONIGHT!

Hey all! Man, blasted by busy (and a flourishing new running addiction) these days, but I’m stoked for tonight’s show with The Unsupervised to open the Now Orchestra’s 35th Anniversary weekend! All the best to all ya’ll!

JEff

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New Mailout, Killer Gigs!

Hey folks! Been pretty busy over in these parts – tons and tons of great music (thanks Unsupervised, Dylan Vanderschyff and everyone I’ve played with recently – wowsa!), I think I’m officially a running junkie now… many km on the seawall in front of my new pad, and I squeaked in a good birthday week of hangs with friends and much suspect ingestion. Lots of sweaty good times. And, I finally got to doing another mailout to the official email list, which means I’ll post it below :) But first: THIS FRIDAY, OCT 19 – SAWHEAD TRIO @ LanaLou’s w/ SharpKnives! It’s gonna be killer fun. Music starts at 9:30, only $5 cover. Cheers and thanks, all!!

********************************************
Greetings Fine Music Folk!

Been a while. Momma nature slid us an October bone, cracked us upside the head with it for a couple of weeks, and now we all make soup and hold bags of frozen peas to our temples… I’m actually pretty excited about the beginning of soup making season, but I’m also thoroughly excited about a gig on Friday night… apologies for the short notice, but I couldn’t let it go unannounced on the ol’ mailout. So then, Friday’s adventures, a headsup on a few other upcoming shows, and some sort of blurberiffic writing, the contents of which will make themselves known when I start to write it. As always, thanks a ton for receiving these emails and supporting creative music and guys who like to write suspect stuff in email format. Mucho appreciatto to you all!!!

JEff
jeffyounger.net

https://www.facebook.com/jeff.younger.125

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 – SAWHEAD TRIO (JY, Russell Sholberg and Skye Brooks) @ LanaLou’s (362 Powell St) w/ SHARPKNIVES
Rusty (bass/saw), Skye (drums) and I (geetar) will be tweaking and rocking out on some ripped open instrumental versions of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Iron Maidedn and The Temptations. I’m always giddy in the days leading up to a gig with Skye and Rusty, so if it sounds like a good time, it will be! We’re sharing the bill with the kickass, straightup East Van Rock’n'roll band SharpKnives. Knives open at 9:30, Sawhead hits it hard at 10:45, cover’s only $5 and there’s always a good PBR beer special at LanaLou’s. Come! sharpknives.bandcamp.com

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3 – DAWN PEMBERTON QUARTET (DP – vocals, JY -guitar, Derek DiFillipo – bass, Mike Zobac – drums) @ Guilt & Company (1 Alexander St.) Pemby, the crew and I will be laying it down soulful and funky all night long. No cover, huge groove. Music 9:30-12:30.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 – THE UNSUPERVISED @ 1067 East (1115b East Hastings, entrance around the side on Glen Dr)
I can’t possibly tell you how much fun and how damn nourishing it was to rip it up with The Unsupervised at 1067 East last weekend (sorry I didn’t get it on the mailout – you missed a hell of a show… sad face…) New tunes, new energy, joyous music making in the moment, all night long. Doors @ 10, Music 10:30-1am.

THURSDAYS – I’m playing with THE PHONIX at the Backstage Lounge. Fun, funk, motown party times! Cheap Beer and room on the dance floor to shake it around. Music 10:30 – 1am.

There’s much more comin up in November, but I’ll wait till the next one to fill ya’ll in on it. Until then, then, time for the fingers to wander…

**************************************************

I had a birthday recently and many stories were swapped between many peoples. Tales of me as a 15 year old with a leather jacket, long hair, a really bad, mostly red teenage beard (that dutifully and scragilly got us all the beer we could drink) and jeans that could conservatively be termed “extremely snug”. Oh, goodness… I suppose we’ve all had our glorious moments. Looking around the Railway Club at the ol’ BDay party/show, it really got me to thinkin’ about how fortunate I am to know soooooooooooooooooooooooo many glorious, smart, quirky, talented, warm, thoughtful human beings. It’s really pretty amazing when I think about it. Like, more amazing than Rita MacNeil’s rap album. More amazing, even, than the short lived CBC sitcom starring Mitt Romney, Stephen Harper and a giant, scrabble champion dachshund with a purple mohawk and advanced tourettes. Yeah, that kind of amazing. Not really a funny or bizarre story, but important, I think, to make note of the many ways in which one is so lucky. Warm thanks to everyone and then some.

But, enough with that momentary lapse of thankful appreciation! Now, a pirated transcript of a back bar Railway Club conversation with 2 ponies and a giant dachshund scrabble champion with a purple mohawk and advanced tourettes!

PONY 1: Then the kid says “You’re MY little pony! Sing one of the rarer songs from Michael Jackson’s Thriller or I’ll get my mom to put you in the garage!!!”
PONY 2: Oh, dude, I feel your pain…
TOURETTE DACHSHUND: Acute Bursitis!!! Can’t stop till I get enough!
PONY 1: Umm, yeah, so, I look over at his Mom and she starts motioning for me to do the moonwalk, and I give her one of those death stares…
TOURETTE DACHSHUND: Darth Vader is a mean person. A really mean person!!! Bean salad!!!
PONY 2: …and you’re like, “Lady, you didn’t pay me to dance for this little freak…” Ugh. Man, did I tell you about the time I did a breakfast birthday party gig and the kid’s dad was too drunk to finish cooking so he handed me a bowl of egg yolks and told me to…
TOURETTE DACHSHUND: You better run you better do what you can! Don’t wanna see no blood, don’t be a macho man! You wanna be tough, better do what you can! so…
PONY 1: Hey man, is this your dog?
PONY 2: No, I thought he was your dog.
TOURETTE DACHSHUND: Who’s bad? Bean salad!!
PONY 2: Maybe we should just drop him off at the 7-11 and split?
PONY 1: Nah, Younger told us we should shoot the confetti cannon after the Chaka Khan tune and he’d pay us when the set was over. Did he tell you we were gonna have to wear these hats?
PONY 2: No brah, he didn’t mention any hats…
TOURETTE DACHSHUND: Oxyphenbutazone!!!! Beans and lettuce!!! The criminal should shave!!!
PONY 1: Oh… man, I just… I just don’t… Ok, one more round of IPAs and tequilas, we shave the dog’s head, shoot this freakin’ cannon at the stage and go to The Penthouse for last call.
PONY 2: Are they letting you back in there now?
PONY 1: And we go to The Roxy for last call.
PONY 1, PONY 2, TOURETTE DACHSHUND (quietly, and for themselves): Looking out across the nighttime, The city winks a sleepless eye, Hear her voice shake my window, Sweet seducing sighs/Get me out into the nighttime, Four walls won’t hold me tonight, If this town is just an apple, Then let me take a bite.
(more earnestly yet still hushed): If they say why, why? Tell ‘em that it’s human nature. Why, why does he do it that way?

Thanks for reading, and then some.

JEff

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FINALLY, THE MAILOUT MEETS THE WEBSITE!!!

Hey Folks. You know, I’ve been doing this email list mailout for years… it’s pretty bizarre how many people have been getting them for a long time and hardly ever, only sometimes, complain about them. I try to, how do you say, entertain and inform in my own peculiar way. I figure if you’re gonna be sending people stuff about your gigs, you better try your best to make them giggle and scratch their heads. So then, here it is! The latest mailout, finally finding its way onto the ol’ jeffyounger.net!!! Enjoy, and if you wanna get added to the list and get the info/amusement emailed to you, fire me a note and I’ll gladly make it so! Cheers and thanks! JEff

Greetings Fine Music Folk!

Seems like just last August I wrote everyone an email about the approaching of last September. We all anticipate, in different ways, the return of fall routine and that weird stuff that falls from the sky, but one thing we share in common is that we gotta have some serious fun before it happens. So then, if you’re not escaping the city for the long weekend, here are some words about two great, great shows coming up this weekend, and some thoughts on the human treasure that is anticipation. Facts, blurbury, and gig details, in that order.

Hope you’ve all had a brilliant summer and the Gods of Fall gift you with shiny new galoshes and a super loyal umbrella. Cheers, thanks, and much appreciation for reading and supporting!!!

JEff
jeffyounger.net

https://www.facebook.com/jeff.younger.125

FRIDAY, AUG 31st – THE DEEP END @ the Kozmik Zoo (53 West Broadway). Funksoul dance party – Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Sly and the Family Stone – in the East Van Hood. Music 9:00-Midnight, cover $5. deependfunk.com
SATURDAY, SEPT 1 – SAWHEAD TRIO @ Guilt & Company (1 Alexander Street in Gastown). Grinning, instrumental trio mayhem – The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd – in the Gastown Hood. Music 9:30-12:30, free free free.

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Anticipation… Sometimes, when I know there are cool things coming up, especially things I get to take part in and towel down after, I get a wee, warm buzziness in my wee brian and warm, kinda wee body. I try to keep the weird guy grinning for no reason in public incidents down to a minimum, maintain the appropriate degree of angle at the corner of the mouth, and keep the simultaneous front kick/karate chop fist pumps leashed up until I’m in the elevator. But there are different types of that chemical wizardry we call anticipation… I’m not talking about when you wake up and say to yourself “hey, that’s a pretty big piece of tape someone stuck on my tummy while I was asleep, and, well, I’m kinda furry and that tape can’t stay there forever, what for my recent, fledgling tummy model career path choice, so, I guess at some point I’m gonna have to tear that strip of callous adhesion off my damn tummy, and, well, that’s gonna be, um…” That’s another kind of anticipation all together. And, if you really think about it, “tummy” is an odd word. Tummy?

But that’s a side note – We’re talking about joyous anticipation, like, say you’re sitting on a crowded bus and you decide you’re gonna stand up, pull up your raincoat and yell “Hey everyone, look at my tummy!!!!”, and then tear a big piece of silver duct tape off it… Corners of the mouth do tremble. You know, I’ve found it way easier to get out of bed since I became addicted to breakfast smoothies. Even through the groggy, Deathstar level magnetic haze of pre-9amishness, if the visage of winding up the blender and slurping down some super healthy, chocolate fruity goodness finds me, I can drag myself from under the scattered pyramid of Bjork cds and stuffed animals to zombie walk my way into the kitchen pretty quick. And we all know what happens when Sarah Jessica Parker is doing a book signing.

Which brings me to this weekend:

When I get to play really cool music, with really cool people, who also happen to be killin’ musicians… Well, smoothies for the ears and heart, yo.

This FRIDAY, AUG 31st, THE DEEP END rocks the Kozmik Zoo (53 West Broadway). The Deep End is full of smoothies (Dawn Pemberton, Kristian Naso, Dan Pigott, Shannon Thue, David Marion, Mike Zobac and Yours Truly). With chunks of funky goodness in ‘em. And every time I get to play with these folks, I get happy on the inside. And sweaty on the outside, cause it always turns into a grinningly undulating funksoul dance party. Buttocks will move in suspect ways as we roll out the classics from Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power… We will want to play and you will want to dance till they kick us out, which is pretty much how it’s gonna go down. The fun starts at 8:30, and we’ll lay it down and smack it around from 9pm-12am. And, cover is only $5. Crazy, man.

The next night, SATURDAY, SEPT 1, SAWHEAD TRIO tears up Guilt & Company (1 Alexander Street in Gastown). Skye Brooks, on drums, man… and Rusty Sholberg, on bass, man… and myself, playing tweaked out, instrumental versions of Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne… and I might whip out an Alice In Chains chart for old times’ sake. I have no control over the corners of my mouth as I write this, which is problematic because I’m drinking grape soda. Music starts at 9:30 and we play until sometime after midnight. And, there is no cover. Double crazy, man.

Rockout!

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