memories of the ’70s – Van Halen

Although they were the kings of the 1980s, Van Halen was formulated in the hard rock era of the ’70s, grabbing gigs at rock clubs in small town California as they developed their unique sound and stage theatrics.
Formed in 1974, Van Halen was born out of the ashes of Monmoth, a band formed by Eddie [...]

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memories of the ’80s – Adam Ant

Were you an Ant person? Did you have Ant fever? I did – I was an Ant person!
Born out of the punk movement of England in the late ’70s, Adam Ant aka Stuart Goddard, formed his band, Adam and the Ants after attending a gig in 1977 by punk faves Siouxsie and the Banshees in [...]

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memories of the ’80s – Loverboy

Loverboy – Get Lucky (1981)
At the beginning of the 1980s I was about to become a teenager – and my hair styles, clothing, pop culture preferences and musical tastes would for ever be imprinted with this decade, known for its extremes in all those categories.
Growing up in Canada’s wild west, my musical impressions were a [...]

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memories of the ’70s – The Hustle

I remember standing in the living room of my neighbours The Wrights. Their eldest, Lynette, was a few years older than me, but kindly tried to teach me the hustle, while her brother Verner (who was the same age as me) and his younger brother Derek watched us, laughing and trying to imitate our moves. [...]

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memories of the ’70s – You Light Up My Life

Music can evoke a powerful memory – a reminder of being with friends, a special dance or for me, a new purchase in the house. When Debby Boone’s You Light Up My Life became a radio staple, I was the new recipient of a radio.
My parents decided to buy a new stereo – speakers, turntable, [...]

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N+D – Beaches Jazz Festival

Queen Street East filled with fans during the Beaches Jazz Festival, Toronto 
The Lowdown: Nearly a million people converge on the usually laid-back Beaches neighborhood for the Beaches International Jazz Festival every summer in Toronto. More than 750 bands and solo performers including traditional and experimental forms of the music, as well as blues, Afro-Canadian, world [...]

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memories of the ’70s – The Village People

The halcyon days of disco – with its freewheeling night clubs, conglomeration of people from all levels of society and the burgeoning era of gay rights – a brief period of the 1970s that burned fast and furious. Urban centres like New York revelled in the clash of classes with the music levelling the playing [...]

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memories of the ’70s – KISS Army

Fan – (noun)  an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity etc…ie. a baseball fan; a great fan of Charlie Chaplin; origin: 1885–90, Americanism; short for fanatic; synonyms: supporter, enthusiast, partisan, booster, addict.

 

Music fans are by definition supporters, boosters, addicts. They crave more, they want more, and they demand more from their [...]

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memories of the ’70s – Led Zeppelin

My not so secret love of Led Zeppelin causes many people to laugh at me. I guess I don’t exude the classic rock vibe, but growing up in a small town, the music scene is fixated on classic 1970s rock. Whether it was the back of the bus, the now non-existent smoking area at the [...]

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memories of the ’70s – Cher

What’s the first thing that you think of when think of Cher?
 
I always think of her long straight hair. I had long hair when I was a kid, up until I was 14. My Mum was sick of dealing with my long hair, and so was I. So I decided to take a risk [...]

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