Basically, this is how I remember things going down:
It was 1983. Barb and her sister Margie put an ad in the paper for musicians to back up their 5 girl quintet. I answered first and was with them when Dave came for his audition.
Of course, he knocked it out of the park. All 5 were "Yes! Let's keep him!" but I couldn't be swayed so easily so I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a crumpled, folded poem called "Check-Mate", handed it to him and said "Here... You have one week to put music to it."
Later that evening, that same evening, he called me at home and said "Here... Listen..." and plunked the handset, old-school phone on the edge of his parents' upright and proceeded to play this amazing melody singing my words back to me. (I can't express how many shivers I get every time I tell this story... Including right now.)
The next day, I ran over to Dave's place, old-school tape recorder in hand and we captured the only recording of this song we'd had until January 2024, when David's daughter Erin came to visit.
Dave's Mom, way back in 1983, had suggested changing the key word and title of the song to Stalemate. I was opposed to it for illogical reasons but she was absolutely right.
That original recording from 1983 is kicking around somewhere and, when I find it, I promise I'll upload it here as well. But here… for your listening pleasure is the version David and his daughter Erin recorded on January 10th, 2024.
And just for fun, here's the Reel Dave posted including my reaction in the comments and here's the post I made on my Facebook shortly thereafter.
Performance: The Whiskey Ghost
Pat Cooney - Bass
Peter Daigle - Drums
Ian Dumanski - Guitars
Luc Normand - Vocals & Guitars
Martin St-Hilaire - Keyboards
www.TheWhiskeyGhost.com
____________________________
Original song "Meagan":
Words & Music: Luc Normand
© L. Normand All Rights Reserved.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra's epic "Carol of the Bells" has always been a favourite of mine. So when my friend Ian enlisted me to help him record and produce his own version from scratch... I jumped at the opportunity. 3 weeks later... and just in time for Christmas... this pandemic induced Tribute to Carol of the Bells was unleashed...
Guitars: Ian Dumanski
Drums: Ben Mouchet
Bass: Pat Cooney
Keyboards & Production: Luc Normand
Back in the '90s Dan, Richard and I had a little 3-piece band. I was the lead singer and they both did a ton of backing vocals but each of them had one song they sang lead on. To surprise Dan-O on his 60th Birthday (being celebrated during the pandemic restrictions) his daughter Kirsten reached out asking for friends and family to send in videos of well-wishes. Richard and I got together for the first time in decades and hastily slapped together this take on the song Dan used to sing lead on.
~ Happy Birthday Dan-o! You sang it better Buddy.
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Performance: Luc Normand & Rich Katsmith
Song: Powderfinger Words & Music: Neil Young
All Rights Reserved.
Intervention
A quick little video I slapped together a couple days after I wrote this song.
See if you can spot the photo-bomb (video-bomb?) of my biggest fan.
Likely will be released on "Sipping Maples".
Rocky Mountain Way
Came across this old video while setting up my new studio. This was many moons ago (2000 I think) at a United Way benefit held at the Palladium (as it was called back then). Friends drew the highest bid (a whopping $25) to get me to go up and do Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way.
It was goofy fun but the band was outstanding (apologies, I don't know their name but recognized more than a few of their faces as gents who worked at Steve's Music downtown Ottawa). Quite the unexpected thrill to share the stage with such incredible talent.
Summer Solstice was released on cassette in 1993. I had borrowed my friend Rick Watson's Fostex 4-Track recorder and cranked out 26 songs in one weekend from the comfort of my tiny basement apartment in Hull... with a raging head cold.
