Lightfoot Tribute Show
 

Hi everyone,

I haven't logged on in 2 months. Hope all are well!

I mentioned in another thread a few months ago that I have played guitar non-professionly for many years. Well..I finally practiced enough to put this little Lightfoot tribute together and I played and recorded it.

Please check it out...if you liked it..send along a note...even if you didn't..send a note anyways.

If anyone knows of a little "out of the way" place in your part of the woods where i might play...I'd love to go anywhere to play this music I love.


Hope the link works!

When I performed this show at the Richmond Hill Curling Club, in Ontario, Canada..many people came up to me and said how much they loved Gord's music and many were going to see him in May at Massey Hall.

I am going Fri May 9...really looking forward to it.

Maybe other LightHEADS will be there...I am sure!

Keep playing Gordy!

John

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Very good John, also great guitar playing especially on "Ill Do Anything". "Black Day In July" sounds like Lightfoot himself. Keep it up man ! :)

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Thanks JJ,

.. I hope some other Lightheads have a listen too.

You're a longtime corfidian...and for that I also say tx...

john

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Sounded great, wish I could have been there...
Thanks for sharing your talent and Love of Gord's music...

Perhaps one day we can see more ?


Kevin

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Sounds great John.. see you at Massey!

check your Private Messages..

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Excellent John...I only wish the video/audio quality were higher but that being said you've got skill and I'm impressed. Keep up the good work!

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Apparently, the 'old style film' is a feature of Windows Movie Maker. My kids seemed to like it. Made it look like an old vintage 60's shot...i guess.

thanks for taking a look anyway....

john

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Outstanding ! It's was great to hear snippets of some of the older tunes performed live, with a right-on emulation. You do the music justice.

I do have a question.....do you use any sort of percussion effects ? If not, I guess the renditions were so good, I was just imagining it.

Enjoy Massey.

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I created some of the backing tracks (drums, bass mostly) with a computer application called Cakewalk. But the 35 songs that I have so far have evolved over many years so I have some work that I want to change, time willing, others are newer and have better sound and are more like the original tunes.

I try to do as much live as I possible can without strapping cymbals to my knees.

The one live sound that surprised me was doing the lead part for Wreck on the 12 String. It actually sounds pretty good I thought. You can't hear much on the video, but its there a bit.

I happen to know Red Shea , he has taught many students over the years. When I mentioned to him that I might try doing the lead for Wreck with the 12 string ..he thought it would work. It seemed to.

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Wow!
Really great and I enjoyed hearing your tribute very much. Thanks so much for posting it.
I wish I lived closer, I would come see you sing in person.

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It doesn't matter where you live. I'd love to come to you. Meet fellow Lightfoot fans and play this gig. Exchange/buy Lightfoot paraphernalia ...Why not a Gordon Lightfoot fan Road Show. Might be fun. Could work. Like the Star Trek Conventions... sorry bad reference perhaps.

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Very nice John! I agree that you sound like him, I like the song selections too. I hope you make it to Massey and jam with fans there this year. Maybe somebody would make a CD for a poor old soul who can not go this (that would be me) I would love hear more from you.
I can't say much about the guitar playing, since I don't know anything about it, but I could definately sit a spell and enjoy listening to you.

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Gordon Lightfoot Fan Road Show?????

Hey, that could be a lot of fun. Maybe some kind of get together here in the mid-west.
I have lots of farm ground and woods to camp out on....G.L. Woodstock type of thing?

Well, maybe not like that, but there are hotels around and I really do have lots of places to camp and a really nice park type setting by Sugar Creek that would be great for a get together.

In southern Indiana they used to have the bluegrass festival in a little town called Gnawbone...it was so great. People would pitch tents all around and pick and sing all night long by the campfires. They had amazing talent and I heard some of the best bluegrass music that you can imagine. I don't know if they still do that now but it sure was fun when I was younger.

Anybody want to think about a mid-west get together?

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Lightfoot Fan Road Show

How would we get it started?
At what locations?

Are there enough fans that would show up to events planned around various places??

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Sugar Creek sounds really sweet. I would love to go to something like that if I could. I believe I would make an effort to go and find some other people to go too.

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Sugar Creek??
I mapquested it.

There are 3 Sugar Creeks in Wisconsin. Which one?

j

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I'm sure Nightingale was talking about a Sugar Creek near her place, but that would be far for me to travel. If I could figure out a way to get you booked around here somewhere, I would like to go. Once I talked to a lady about booking Gordon Lightfoot and she thought she did it, and I was hoping to see him there, then I found out it was another guy with the same name, but it was spelled differently. Anyway, I heard that guy was good. Wish I would have gone to his show. Your Gordon Lightfoot music sounds real good.
Nightingale, I still think that is a good idea. Thanks, it's something to think about. It's been a long time since I hitchhiked.

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Patti and John, yes, I was talking about Sugar Creek near my home. It's a real creek, not a town, so there is only one on the map...lol.

How would we get somethng like this started?
I think the first thing is to decide how you want to do it. Do you want to try and play small gigs all the way between Ontario and the mid-west?
Are you thinking of one big gathering somewhere or some combination of the two?

How about a time frame? We know you will be busy in early May...lol. What's the rest of your summer look like?

I think once you have an idea of what's feasible for you to actually do, then we could start a thread with suggested options and see how many people are interested.

I will be happy to help out in any way I can and the offer of an outside site for a gathering is still open....you can come in the house too....lol.
We have lots of room and really pretty country around here.

Patti, I would love for us to get together! I can tell by your posts that we think alot alike and I have enjoyed the writing you have been posting lately.
No hitchhiking allowed...lol...that's just dangerous!
Maybe we can meet halfway.....

John, think about things and let us know your thoughts. I would love tol do this and I think there are alot of people that would enjoy your Lightfoot Tribute show...it's really good and other people should have a chance to hear you!

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Where is Sugar Creek??

..good name for a song!!

I don't know if this is possible but I wanted to try it anyway. Its just a crazy thought that I started out with when I started putting these songs together. I thought that maybe 'corfidians' might help it along a bit. But, again, I didn't know.

Is there some lounge, bar, club, veterans hall, whatever near you that would possible let this Lightfoot Tribute be played. If so, then, I would contact them and check things out. If they agreed to it, then, perhaps there is a room, if its in a small hotel, or a hall where there could be a Lightfoot dinner, meeting or whatever...or maybe its all together in a restaurant.bar layout. If there were any 'corfidians' within ear shot then perhaps they could come. ..and with the help of a little local promotion it could be a lot of fun.

I would be driving. I haven't picked a date(s) yet to focus on. Its still early in my planning stages. But at least I hear a little bit of interest.

I'd layout a drive plan from Toronto, through southwestern Ontario, through Michigan, Wisconsin. Enjoy the trip. ..play the GL show as many times as I could ...meet people...take pictures and videos...

I was thinking of mid August but...maybe thats too late. perhaps mid July ..for about 1-2-3 months.

I just started playing this and there are a few places around here locally that I will try and book into before then. If they go over as well as the recent ones...then I'll be encouraged to carry on.

..Sugar Creek ...how do you get there ...lol!...

j

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Yes well as soon as I read of your ambitions my mind thought of previous tribute concerts
I think that our Charming Moderator will bear me out that a wonderful venue you should consider John is
Cabin Concerts
http://www.cabinconcerts.com/images/1cabin.jpg
a very few miles North of me in Wayne NJ
several of us a few years ago enjoyed the ambience of the hosts' firelit lounge for a superbly intimate GL tribute concert by Messrs Aengus Finnan. Jory Nash and Terry Tufts. On the cabin's website I read:-
Then again in Saratoga Sprngs NY
the LTB (Lightfoot Tribute Band) twice filled the small Caffe Lena
http://www.caffelena.org/graphics/ga...01192-crop.jpg

http://mageenet.org/LightfootTribute...C00130-400.jpg
This also would be suitable and the compere (Sarah??) is demonstrably a keen Lighthead and I would anticipate we could gladly make it there again plus quite possibly sometime local resident Valerie??
especially if it could be in the horse racing "season"
I expect that I am not the only one curious to see your repertoire of 35 songs (are they all gordsongs??)
I downloaded your youtube video then converted it to mpeg video format to play on my dimunitive Nokia N800
Internet Tablet
http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/lightfo...ia_Sundown.jpg
to show to my wife
she was at the time having a little nap but came to enough to appreciate your uncannily accurate renditions of Ribbon Of Darkness Yarmouth Castle and Black Day In July in particular so much so that she immediately accused you of pulling our collective plonkers

I see that you will be at the May 9 concert,and said that you will attend Ron Jones' extravaganza that day at McVeigh's Irish Pub
http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/lightfo...Gord_Clone.jpg

the other "Gord clone" performing for Dionnie Budd back in May 2001
picture as previously displayed in the thread at:-
http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=15019

How's about the "rehearsal" the day before too??
I'll be sending you a reply to your PM tomorrow

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John,

My husband and I listened to this together, and you get "two thumbs up" from this neck of the woods!

Great job!
Deb

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http://www.cabinconcerts.com/images/1cabin.jpg

This is a great looking place John, wouldn't mind owning it. And just a few miles north from your home. :cool:

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This is a great pic of that {Gord Clone} with his beautiful 12 string Gibson, man that guitar must sound awesome... Can I ask what type of strings you use on that instrument Ron ? :rolleyes:



http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/lightfo...Gord_Clone.jpg

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Is it really necessary to duplicate pictures ?

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Hey, thank you Nightingale. I look forward to meeting you sometime. :)

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Hi John - wooHOO I really enjoyed listening to this :) great job!!! But I felt like telling all those folks gabbing in the background to shut up already! hehe

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Patti, you are very welcome and I hope you keep posting your thoughts and poems for us to read.


Sugar Creek....follow the yellow brick road...lol.
No, really...we are right in the middle between Indianapolis and Lafayette.

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Sorry, I have to keep my posts short or my computer unlogs me and then I lose whatever I have written....so frustrating!

Anyway, it looks like corfidians are interested and jumping into this thread with their thoughts so that's great!

Sir John, I like that cabin...nice place for music and fellowship. That just seems like the perfect place for Gordon's music.

I will start checking around here and see what options we have for get togethers and places to play.

John, your road trip sounds like it will be an adventure....hope it will be as much fun for you as it sounds.

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Hi Jesse J and thanks for your interest. The strings I use are the "Elixir" ones with the "nanoweb" coating. I find they last forever and a day and can retain their sound even after being played by others who don't necessarily have the same metabolism as mine. I use light gauge on the B45 12 string and medium light on the D18 six string. Prior to that I used the same ones Gord does which I discovered from reading the information on Valerie Magee's web site. I changed to Elixir's after discovering that Alison Krauss' band Union Station used them and I really like the sound they produce. Elixir strings are a little on the pricey side but well worth the investment I've found. Cheers, Ron.

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Sorry folks. That post was intended to go through without the pic but my computer skills failed in the attempt. This Apple imac thing they sold me isn't working the way they told me it would. Guess I'll have to return to the therapy class I belonged to for us older geeks who still are suffering withdrawals over the demise of the rotary phone. RJ.

Re: Lightfoot Tribute Show
 

Thanks for the info Ron, indeed Elixir strings are little more expensive, but I thought it was because they were so rust resistant. For Gord & Terry, It's Ernie Ball strings if Im not mistaken. I tried Ernie Balls but did not like them, I use mostly D'addario light guage on both the 6 & 12 string. But you do replace them more often. I will give Elixir a try... Thank's again man. :)

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To get them to last longer just boil them like Gord used to back in the old days..

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Not the nylon ones though!

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Are you serious Char ?

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yep - Jason Fowler told the story at the Trib shows at Hugh's room several times over the years..
http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showthread...t=jason+fowler
Jason Fowler www.jasonfowler.ca took centre stage from his spot as
guitarist in the house band. His array of guitars on stage was amazing, and
he played beautifully. He spoke of trying to emulate the 4 "T's" of
Lightfoot guitar playing and performing - Tone, Timing, Tuning and Taste.
And he did just that. He sang what he felt was the one gem on the David
Foster produced album East of Midnight - I'll Tag Along. Well - it was
fabulous - it was a perfect fit for Jason's voice and guitar playing. I
loved it. I love that song.
Jason told of how he worked in a small Toronto guitar shop and
Lightfoot would come in for strings and sometimes chat. When Jason made his
first CD he gave Gord a copy and said even if you never play it I'd like you
to have it. Gord took with thanks. A week later he came back and admitted he
hadn't listened to it because he didn't have a CD player. But if Jason could
transfer it to cassette he'd give it a listen! LOL
Jason did that and Gord came back a couple of weeks later and pulled
out some papers from his pocket. He had taken notes about the CD. He didn't
give Jason the papers but read them to him. LOL
He also told the story that Gord told him about boiling strings when
he, Red and John would take their strings off once a week and boil them -
Red Hot Boilers. He said he couldn't prove it but he believed there was some
molecular process that happened in the strings after boiling and they
sounded better. It cleaned them and took the dirt and oils off them. He
still does it with his new strings! ...Jason had mentioned the guitar
lessons he had taken along with classical and Gord gave him a baggie with
some Red Hot Boilers. There was a red strip on the bag meaning R for Ready.
(or Reddies!)....A blue strip meant "Boil - B for Boil!"
This was too funny.... An hour later a panicked Gord called Jason
back at the store and said "Jason - don't boil the nylon ones - they'll
melt!" LOL!!
He then performed Cold On The Shoulder - smooth, cool, fabulous.

from 2006:
http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showthread...t=jason+fowler

Jason Fowler www.jasonfowler.ca sang a song from the “obscure ’82 Shadows LP” – “Baby Step Back” His exemplary guitar playing was evident all evening and in this song as well as the next one he did after he recounted the “Boiler” story. This is the story of Lightfoot telling him about how to boil steel guitar strings. We all had a good laugh again as he recounted how Lightfoot phoned him from home to tell him not to boil his classical guitar strings “cuz they’re plastic and they’ll melt!”
Jason then sang one of my favourites – “Fine As Fine Can Be.” This was done much as Lightfoot does it – soft and feathery like a lullaby should be. This song says what I feel about my daughter Lisa and what Jason must feel for his little girl. Lightfoot melts a parents heart with this one.

Before David introduced the next artist he shared the story about how he and Rachel (super organizer of the tribute shows) played a little parlour game last year when Jason told his “Boiler” story. Whenever Jason said “boil/boiler” they took a swig of beer and it was quite surprising how quickly they finished off a couple of pints!

then in 2007:
David Newland mentioned he was trying to get the show in on time and this year Jason Fowler didn’t tell his renowned “Boilers” story. This also didn’t allow David to play the drinking game he so loved last year – taking a drink whenever Jason said “Boilers”, and Jory didn’t recount his “Mother of a Miner’s Child/girlfriend/yahoos yelling out songs at Massey/breakup story. It could all be condensed into “Mother of a Boilers Child.”
Lol

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Quite so you silly old duffer
I myself sorely miss my abacus
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblo...ive/abacus.jpg
and somewhrere around I am sure I still have my old moth-eaten paper type "ready reckoner"
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...s_Tournois.jpg
the small version of a picture on an interesting wiki at:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_livre
the caption there reads:-
"A page from a ready reckoner published in 1854 shows that conversions between Jersey currency, sterling and livres were still being carried out at that time"
That is Old Jersey (just off the Normandy coast)
both of which were of course obselete after they introduced small hand held pocket electronic calculators, originally sold in the UK for a few hundred pounds I recall
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/Si...xecutive_1.jpg
The first Sinclair calculator, was the world's first calculator to be powered by button cells, was incredibly thin for the time, summer 1972.This first caculator was called the "Executive" and was a product of the imagination of Britain's genius "Uncle" Sir Clive Sinclair
http://oldcomputers.net/pics/clive-sinclair.jpg
Who a few years later (1980) introduced what
was my own first computer (I still have it with its ginormous total built-in "memory" of 1 Kilobyte, yes 1000 bytes !!)
http://bp2.blogger.com/_AzT5pruwnbg/.../s400/zx80.jpg
the ZX80
that is a picture on a most interesting blog page at:-
http://80sactualtec.blogspot.com/
WARNING lots of pictures so don't even think about opening it RM!!

To Ron (Meason)
Ever mindful of your dial up problems I have tried in this message to select only small images which I wanted to include for artistic reasons within the text rather than show at the bottom as thumbnails, sorry and I have also tried hard to "condsolidate my words", by which I take it you dislike my verbosity.
Don't jet me wrong Ron. It has just taken me about 7 minuters to bring up my new ebay thread to check your exact criticism.
So I fully sympathise
But seriously Ron (Jones) you can exceedingly easily edit your post to remove the repeated picture, yes even on your MAC.
Under your post you should see a little icon saying temptingly "edit" press it and you can then amend your text and delete the picture . just use your (Apple) invented mouse!

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I've heard about the boiling process from some of the credible voices in Gord's camp as well. I've never tried it but it makes sense that it would work fine. I don't think it would work on Elixir strings though because of the "nanoweb" and other types of coating they put on those strings. RJ.

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Thank you Sir John. I will make note of your instructions for future reference. RJ.

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I had never heard of this before, really interesting story... And to think I learned this from a Gal that only plays Air Geetar, no strings ! :redface: :eek: :biggrin:

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Thanks for the consideration, and I DO enjoy reading about technology and its accompanying gizmos. My first computer was a Commodore 64, so I know a little about the old-timers, and I continue to find the latest stuff advancing at a pace that I'm unable to keep up with.

Anyway, it was just a couple of suggestions.