Veteran pitcher Max Scherzer is coming back for a 19 season of Major League Baseball….and he’s coming back with the Blue Jays!
Max has agreed to a one year $3 million contract with Toronto.
That’s his base salary. With incentivesm, he could he could an additional $10 million in bonuses.
“Mad Max” was such a great addition during their World Series run last season.
A really sweet aspect to this though..
Apparently, late last year Max’s eight-year-old daughter Brooke, wrote a letter and mailed it to the Blue Jays.
The letter has been posted on social media and it’s gone viral.
Photo Credit: Erica Scherzer/Instagram
She mentions how much her family enjoyed spending time together in Toronto, especially visiting the CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium, and she simply said to the Jays…”I hope my dad is back on the team”.
If you are a lover of live theatre and our country’s favourite sport, then this is the play for you!
“Hockey Mom Hockey Dad” is Canadian romantic comedy is about two lonely single parents who meet and fall in love while watching their kids play a season of minor hockey.
Does it get anymore relatable then this for some sporting parents?
The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre is taking this production on the road for our communities to to enjoy!
I recently had the chance to speak to Gwendolyn Collins and Devin Lowry, who are the two stars of the show, about what audiences can expect and their experience with this piece.
Have a listen…
See this amazing play as it tours across our area…
It’s the day of the week were we celebrate those groups, bands and artists who made it big…even if it was with only one song.
It’s ONE HIT WONDER WEDNESDAY!!!
“Kiss You All Over” from Exile(1978)
Despite only having this single song success in mainstream pop, Exile went on to have massive success in another genre of music.
Ten of their songs reaching #1 on the country charts in both the US and Canada.
“Kiss you all Over” is still the one song that they are most well known for.
It was a smash hit, holding the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four consecutive weeks.
Billboard also calls it one of the “sexiest songs of all time”. It makes sense because apparently it was inspired by the Berry White track “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me”.
Bonus Song!
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” from Bobby McFerrin (1988)
This song was inspired by a famous quote from the Indian spiritual master Meher Baba. Bobby saw on a poster.
It swept the 1989 Grammys, winning Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
This song features no actual instruments! Every sound, including the percussion and bassline, was created by Bobby using his own voice.
It became the first acappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The music video features comedians Robin Williams and Bill Irwin.
This song is frequently misattributed to Bob Marley, even though he died seven years before its release.
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” from The Verve (1997)
This was a Top 10 hit in multiple countries, including here in Canada were it went to #5.
It was named Single of the Year by Rolling Stone and NME, and it was also nominated for Best Rock Song at the Grammys.
The song is built around a distinctive orchestral loop sampled from the Andrew Oldham Orchestra’s symphonic recording of The Rolling Stones’ song “The Last Time”.
This group had permission to use a small sample, but the Rolling Stones’ former manager, Allen Klein, sued, claiming that they used too much.
The band’s front man, Richard Ashcroft, was forced to hand over 100% of the royalties and songwriting credits to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
In 2019, Mick and Keith formally returned the rights and royalties back to him.
Bonus Song!
”Bette Davis Eyes” from Kim Carnes (1981)
This song spent nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
It won Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 1982 Grammys.
Bette Davis, the actress from Hollywood’s Golden Age who inspired the song, apparently sent letters to the creators thanking them for making her “a part of modern times” and she even accepted gold and platinum records from them as gifts.
One of the reasons the legendary actress loved the song is that her granddaughter thought her grandmother was “cool” for having a hit song written about her.
A lot of Canadians are trying to get over the disappointment of our men’s Olympic hockey teaming falling short in the gold medal game against the US.
I think a lot of us are trying to rationalize the outcome to make it more palatable.
Joe Sharpe, one of our loyal listeners, certainly offers up an interesting and compelling opinion on how the final outcome may have been cooked up behind the scenes to play out exactly as we witnessed it.
Jesse Terry, who owns and operates Sioux Lookout based “On The Land Sled Dogs”, and his team of 30 huskies are preparing for the legendary Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which is kind of like the Super Bowl of the mushing world.
The Iditarod begins March 7th in Anchorage and the 1,000 mile race ends in Nome, Alaska.
Terry and his dogs recently won third place in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon that took place near of Duluth, Minnesota. The Beargrease is a qualifier for the Iditarod.
His wife, Mary England, also competed in the Beargrease and finished in ninth place.
Terry’s team will continue their Iditarod training right up until it’s time to set out for Alaska.
During the race, the checkpoints will be set up approximately 50 to 100 kilometres apart.
At each stop, the dogs are treated to a warm straw bed, a meal, and a well-deserved nap.
You can follow Terry’s journey to the Iditarod here
The McDades are a Juno and Canadian Folk Music Award-winning band who are known for their brilliance in fusing different musical styles together seamlessly, like traditional Celtic music, jazz improvisation and more!
These siblings from Edmonton were performers at an early age, playing folk music with their parents, Terry and Danielle McDade, in the “McDade Family Band” from the 70’s into the 90’s. The then went on to form their own group.
Throughout their incredibly successful career, they have performed at the Canadian National Exhibition, the Commonwealth Games, and even for the British Royal Family!
The 2012 documentary “Brother Brother Sister Making Music” showcases their journey to success together. Watch the trailer…
The McDades are performing concerts in several community across northwestern Ontario….
Kenora – With Lake Of The Woods Concert Group – February 6th
Red Lake – With Red Lake Wilderness Entertainment Series – February 7th
Dryden – With Dryden Entertainment Series – February 10th
Fort Frances – With Tour De Fort – February 11th
Atikokan -With Atikokan Entertainment Series – February 12th
Group members Shannon and Jeremiah were kind enough to chat with me over the phone ahead of their tour around our region. They are kind and warm and I have no doubt that you’ll feel the same way about them if you purchase a ticket to hear their music and witness their talent for yourself.
Musical Evolution…
Musical Influences…
Newest Song Release – “Gardener’s Child”
What To Expect From A Live Concert…
New Album On The Way With Songs Released Ahead Of Time…
Music’s biggest night took place on February 1st with the 68th Annual Grammy Awards!
Here’s a quick highlight video in case you didn’t watch the ceremony or the performances…
Notable Winners…
Kendrick Lamar became the most-awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, surpassing Jay-Z’s previous record with 26 total wins.
Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas made history as the first artists to win Song of the Year three times, this year for Wildflower.
The hit Golden from the Netflix series KPop Demon Hunters won Best Song Written for Visual Media, marking the first-ever Grammy winfor the K-pop genre.
Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg achieved rare EGOT status after winning his first Grammy for the documentary Music by John Williams.
In a surprise victory, the Dalai Lama won Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a spoken-word album that blends his teachings on harmony, kindness, and peace with musical compositions.
Canadian Winners…
Cirkut (Henry Walter):The Halifax-raised producer was one of the night’s biggest winners, taking home Producer of the Year, Non-Classicalfor his work with artists like Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, and Rosé. While also winning Best Dance Pop Recording for producing Lady Gaga’s hit single “Abracadabra”.
Serban Genna: The prolific Canadian sound engineer shared the Best Dance Pop Recording win with Cirkut for his work mixing Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra”.
Justin Gray: The Toronto-based artist and educator won Best Immersive Audio Album for his project Immersed. He is the first Canadian to ever win in this specific category.
Joni Mitchell: The legendary folk singer won Best Historical Album for her collection Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1976 to 1980).
See a full list of this year’s Grammy winners here
