Recent press...for Phog...because of you.

With all the pleasant byproducts of CBC Radio 3 still making it into the minds of many outside of the Windsor music community, there have been a couple of more mentions in the press.

I thought it might be a good idea to share it with those who make this place what it is...

Aaron Binder of Fazer Magazine wrote a piece on Windsor music, with bits about many of the local music venues. Check it out.

And we, specifically, were mentioned in a recent Windsor Star article about the new Canadian Monopoly board being voted upon by the country.

Phog Phest Re-Cap (with thanks) Part 5 - Scott Barlow

This guy is a machine...
He ran the sound board (with bits that HE brought in independently) inside Phog all day for Phog Phest.

He never asked for a single thing all day. He never complained, and he not once was concerned. He never broke a sweat.

Scott Barlow is the most seasoned (not like salt and pepper) sound guy in this city.
He was at the Capitol Theatre, running the shows EASILY, and tackling any sound issues from any show that walked across his path.

We owe him a HUGE debt of gratitude and thanks for his over-the-top professional touch on this indoor stage for Phog Phest.

Thanks SO MUCH Scotty.

Phog Phest Re-Cap (with thanks) Part 4 - Rino Bortolin

Most of you should know this guy already.
He's known as @bkbrino on Twitter, and as the proprietor of Black Kettle Bistro.
Rino Bortolin.

He was the man in charge of food inside the licensed area of Phog Phest.
That is the lightest, most hollow description of what Rino was actually responsible for on that day.
Yes he sold out of Red Bull, and made hundreds of granola bars (organic), and also served a TON of famous Black Kettle Bistro wraps. But he did SO MUCH MORE in the lead-up to this event.

In the planning stages of Phog Phest, Rino made it known that he was available to help in ANY CAPACITY, from panning to grunt work, to layout, fencing, and volunteers. And it wasn't just talk, because he actually WAS available for help during planning, volunteering, and other such meetings. He also did a lot of grunt work before, during, and after the event.

Rino is the kind of guy who just wants to see good thing, done right.
And he's been in the general business community for far longer than I, he was a go-to reference guide for all things NUMBERS.

Ultimately, he was a guy I knew I could call at a last moments' notice to get advice or help. Whenever I asked, online, where I could get this or that, it was almost ALWAYS Rino answering forst...with an actual solution or connection.

We are all lucky to have this guy in our midst, in our business community, in our culture community, and in our creative class. He is doing everything he can to foster creativity, and to stregnthen to arts community...within his abilities, working 80 hours per week BEFORE considering the time he puts in at his booth at the Downtown Market (which kicks ass BTW) or any of the other addition things he strings together in a week.

Rino, thank you for the support, the foresight, and everything you did to help. Nothing went unnoticed. If I didn't see it, it was "reported".

CBC Radio 3 TV!! The Phog Phest Edition!

I will make it known that these episodes are ALWAYS fantastic, and you should go back and watch the ones from the past, but this one blew my mind.

The R3TV episode of Phog Phest.
Jordan Kawchuk of CBC Radio 3 made this...and I am AMAZED!
Woo-HOO!!!!!

Phog Phest Re-Cap (with thanks) Part 3 - Kevin Kavanaugh

photo by KEVKAVPHOTO

When you put on an event, one of the things you generally count on is the recording of that event. In today's tech-saturated world, everyone has a camera, shooting photos and videos. So you know it's going to be captured.

But if you're smart, you hire someone to capture this day with a professionalism and sharpness that will allow you to breathe easy on the day in question.

I didn't do that. But it still happened.

Wandering around, getting last minute planning done in June, I stumbled across Taloola Cafe and Ryan Fields (of Yellow Wood), Alistair (of Three: A Tasting Bar), Shane Potvin (of...my best bud), and Kevin Kavanaugh. Kevin and I go back at least 8 years or so...

When Kevin started The Drive Magazine, I was freshly wrapped in Journalism teachings at St. Clair College. Kevin printed a comic that a friend (Jason Sheardown) and I had done. We were thrilled, and we were GREEN. But Kevin treated us like pros. He had us come to the studio to have our portraits taken, and told us of his artistic leanings. We connected instantly as eager doers looking to make new things happen.

With him being a mover/shaker, with a new magazine in town, and we being two rookie media wannabes, he showed immense humbleness in the way he answered all of our questions, showed us around, and invited us to keep in touch.

Back to Taloola. In betwixt out general prep-talk for Phog Phest, Kevin kind of blurted out that he'd be thrilled to shoot the event, for nothing, as long as he was allowed to use the images as he saw fit, and that he would have special access to capture the shots he wanted. I don't know if he could see the amazement in my eyes...that HE wanted to shoot OUR event!

If I could have head-hunted someone to do it, knowing I was paying for it, he is the guy I know I could get the best shots from, and who would be the reliable, tireless pro. And he was offering his services to us for nothing...so that we would have a startling record of the biggest day of our professional lives.

To put it bluntly, he was perfect. Aside from scrambling around the stage during sets, no one knew he was there, shooting here, there and everywhere, capturing the candids of the crowd and the sweat of the bands. Kevin, like George Manury and Pete Lawlor, showed up shortly after 8pm, and photographed THE WHOLE DAY!!! I don't remember him leaving, and I don't remember properly getting on my knees to kiss his ring and thank him for shooting Phog Phest.
photo by KEVKAVPHOTO

A few days after the event, I got an e-mail from Kevin with this link :
http://www.kevkavphoto.com/postits/main.php?g2_itemId=2266
It was the edited gallery of photos from that day that he had taken.
THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PHOTOS HERE!!!

He outlines that anyone can use these images if they want to, as long as they give credit to KEVKAVPHOTO on each shot that is used in publication or web. HOW AMAZING IS THAT!?!?!?

And in his e-mail he said this, "It's my small gift to you Phoggers for givin a shit about art, local talent, and good music. It's the least I could do."

Actually, it's the most you could do Kev. You couldn't have made us happier. I am still over the moon about these images, as I scroll through them with the spare moments I find during my shifts at Phog.

How we find the best people, I will never know, but we are grateful to have you Kevin Kavanaugh, even when you aren't gifting us with thousands of dollars worth of work!
We're lucky to have you in this town.

Phog Phest Re-Cap (with thanks) Part 2 - George Manury

Photo by kevkavphoto

This is what he looked like for a while.
Like he went to Ishtar and asked to borrow their look.

George Manury was the first man on the scene, aside from the stage dudes, and myself.
He pulled up on his bike and asked what he could help with.
He knew he was the indoor stage manager after 2pm, but he wanted to lend a hand.

Now, the initial investment George was SUPPOSED to make was from 2pm-5pm inside, and then every OTHER 30 minutes until 2am.

He was not having it.

George was running inside and out, helping on BOTH stages. Not only was he letting bands who were playing inside know that they needed to get GOING!!! But he was also running around to help prepare the outside stage!

Believe me, the inside stage alone, with sound being done by Scott Barlow, is a big job.
George didn't have enough trying to erect the stage, the canopy roof, the tents around the area, the fencing, among other things.

All night long, people were stopping me saying, "You need to kiss George's ass after this is done...cuz he's the reason this is working so well."
Photo by kevkavphoto

They went on to tell me that he was making up time with all the bands, because we were chasing a schedule from the word "go". George was telling bands that they were already over time, and that they needed to get their set-time down, just to get the schedule back on track.

And he did.

He succeeded.

The schedule was saved, twice. Once before the Radio 3 broadcast, and once after the broadcast.
He was a tank.
He never stopped, and he never worried.

He was the cooing, calming voice telling me that everything was going to be fine.
He somehow, also, managed to use his wisdom in another way...
How?
He stopped to smell the flowers.
I remember seeing him standing still, watching music, inside and out, ENJOYING THE SHOW.
This must come with experience, because Frank and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying desperately to keep it together.

Mr. Manury is a phenomenal example of a community supporter, organizer, and champion volunteer/helper. He was titanic in his efforts, and it never for one second went unnoticed.

For this George, we thank you.
Much love.

Phog Phest Re-Cap (with thanks) Part 1 - Pete Lawlor

There were loads of people who made this event special on Saturday. Phog Phest was bound for failure without these cogs of professionalism that stepped in and made things seamless when the pants were falling apart.

I will take the time to thank the people who helped in subsequent posts, to the best of my ability.
Here's the first of many.

When the planning for this event was happening over the phone with CBC Radio 3 in Vancouver, and some sound technicians and producers in Toronto, there wasn't a clear indication to them what we had in mind. Maybe that was due in part to my inability to properly contextualize the size I was seeing, but there was a minor glitch in communicating what we had in mind...until Pete Lawlor appeared.

Who?
This guy.
He's going to flip when he sees this here, as he is the LAST guy who wants attention for doing his job...but too bad.

Pete wandered into Phog on the first night of Red Bull Air Races.
He said he was going to be helping with the CBC Radio 3 party, and that he was from Windsor originally. He asked questions I had not given thought to, and made me think I was going to be scrambling every day leading up to the celebration.

We walked the perimeter of the space outside, talking about how it would look, and he began thinking, visibly. I could tell he was crunching numbers and logistics. He started asking who I was working with for sound, stage, lighting, power, etc.

I gathered Pete info so that I could start connecting him to the correct people.

He looked at me with a grin and said, "They're going to need more than they think they need. This is going to be bigger than they think. But it's going to be amazing," or something close to that.

He also said that I was not to worry about the stage, the stage roof, the lighting, or the sound. He was going to arrange it with the connections in Windsor, and make sure none of the key elements were missed. He asked me to leave it in his hands. So I did.

Needless to say, the sound, power, lighting, and stage requirements were amazing. Pete's connection to CBC (as an engineer and MORE) and as an amazing sound-man for countless events made flawless his ability to see what was needed. Adam Marz (who I will get to in a later post) connected with Pete to make magic happen on Saturday, July 11th.

I don't know how to properly thank Pete for being a brilliant, patient, diligent, and ultra-effective stage manager outside, making legendary band changeovers.

He also was one of the only people on-site from the very beginning. He was at Phog, in the street, early, and was one of the last people to go, hoping to find some friends for last call. Cannot believe how many hours he put in.

Pete, I'm thrilled to have met you, and I was only upset that we didn't get to share a beer.

Phog Phest Success!

CBC Radio 3's New Music Canada - Where is Windsor?

Okay, I have been singing the praises of CBC Radio 3 for a loooong time.

When the DJs at Radio 3 look to play bands or performers from Windsor, they are looking at a very short list.

They can only play bands that are registered on New Music Canada (Radio 3's database of Canadian bands and performers).

When they go to that list, and there's 12 bands, it leads to the conclusion that there is little or nothing happening in Windsor musically. And this is foolish. There are TONS of bands who garner very important exposure through this site, their web radio, and their Sirius Satellite Radio Channel.

This is my request to you, your band in Windsor (or Canada).
If you are not yet registered with New Music Canada, go to CBC Radio 3's website, find New Music Canada (NMC) and get the initial application done, for your own sake, and for Windsor's.

Represent this town you have stuck with...by making your music and talent known.
No excuses.
Just go there and do it.
They will only play the music you upload to the site...so give them your best...and make Windsor proud. They're coming here to celebrate with us on July 11th, 2009 and it'd be nice if they had a few new favourite band members to meet.

Results of the CBC Radio 3 Celebration Wish List

Wish List CBC Radio 3 performer mentions:

The New Pornographers - 9
Holy Fuck – 9
Feist - 9
Joel Plaskett - 8
Metric - 8
Tokyo Police Club - 8
The Constantines - 7
Neko Case - 7
K'Naan - 7
Arcade Fire - 7
Sloan - 7
Mother Mother - 5
Elliott Brood - 4
Final Fantasy - 4
Patrick Watson - 4
Black Mountain - 4
Broken Social Scene - 4
Weakerthans - 3
Chad Vangaalen - 3
Handsome Furs - 3
Born Ruffians - 3
Lindy - 3
The Tragically Hip - 3
The Arkells - 3
Wintersleep - 3
Tegan & Sara - 3
Sun Parlour Players - 2
Daniel Lanois - 2
Crystal Castles - 2
Major Maker - 2
The Dudes - 2
A.C. Newman - 2
Shout Out Out Out Out - 2
Eric's Trip - 2
Great Lakes Swimmers - 2
Marianas Trench - 2
Wolf Parade - 2
Stars - 2
Stompin' Tom - 2
Said the Whale - 2
Plants and Animals - 2
Winter Gloves - 2
Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains – 2
The Awkward Stage
Ron Leary (Windsor)
Michou (Windsor)
Pat Robitaille (Windsor)
Beast
Islands
Woodhands
Thunderheist
Swan Lake
Sam Roberts
Iron+Wine
Beirut
Katie Stelmanis
Do Make Say Think
Apostle of Hustle
Caribou
Scarlet Sins
Plants and Animals
Hawksley Workman
Die Manniquin
Fuck the Facts
Young Galaxy
Carolyn Mark
Iris Dement
John Prine
Amos The Transparent
The Mark Inside
Kid Koala
Ghislain Poirier
Koushik
Chromeo
Bedouin Soundclash
Man Man
Dismata!
Peanutbutter Wolf
Godspeed
Buck 65
Jason Collett
Fox Jaws
City and Colour
Sarah Harmer
Alun Pigguns
Damien Rice
Pink Mountaintops
Deletequest for fire
Luke Doucet
Social Code
Basia Bulat
Magneta Lane
Huey Lewis and the News!

Your thoughts?

Let the CBC Radio 3 Celebration suggestions begin!!

Well, it's time to make a wish-list.

It's called a WISH list for a reason.

The CBC Radio 3 celebration will be coming before too long (date to be released soon), and we need to know WHO you want to see play.

So, I need as many recommendations as possible left as comments on this blog post.
I've been asked to create a wish list, and now, as the folks who made this possible, I need your suggestions which may become a reality.

BEGIN!

Phog Cakes...

A simple video to show that we have been getting cakes. Plural. Cakessss.
We are flattered and overwhelmed by the outpouring of support...and...cake.
Thanks again to all.

Windsor/Detroit Live Music: Phog Lounge Press Updates

As I trawl the Google-Tubes, I am finding new articles about Phog, and the recent successes with CBC Radio 3.
I think you'd like to see these articles, so I will continue posting them.
Here are three more links worth checking out.

Windsor Star (March 3, 2009)
Juxtaposition Jukebox (CJAM radio show)
PublicBroadcasting.ca

This week at Phog!
March 5th
Oh! C.N.A.P. (Craft Night at Phog) will begin at 6:30pm in the back portion of the bar. Local crafters will get together and make stuff, all the while, drinking coffee, tea, and beer. If crafting is your thing, and you want to meet some new people who are into manual manufacturing, come to Phog on the 5th.
March 6
Konqistador (Turkey/Windsor) w/ Dekadens (Bucharest, Romania. How can I tell you about these bands? I need earplugs when Konqistador plays, but the awesome still leaks in. This is one of the rare shows when the band comes in and sets up TONS of gear, lights, and other show enhancers (fog machine, I believe).
Every time these guys play here, it's a spectacle, and the music is powerful. I HIGHLY recommend that you see these bands, as they don't exactly show up often. Dekadens is from ROMANIA for crying out loud! Come and see a band from ROMANIA!

March 7
Adam Rideout-Arkell (of Yellow Wood) will be playing solo, which I have seen recently at Open Mic Nights. He's a vocal monster, and his songwriting is incredible because it doesn't follow the architecture of most songs. Aside from that, you don't get much better people than Adam.

Bianca Oran (of Del Rios) will also be playing solo, and this will be my first time hearing her. I'm looking forward to it.

Efan will be putting his talents on display in one way or another. You see, the dude can play ukulele in his sleep, and sing his butt off, but he also has an affinity for electronic music production. When he busts out the samples, playing and singing over top of it, there's yet another golden prize for showing up at Phog.

CBC Radio 3 Best Live Music Venue In Canada news links...

I collected a few links to people's blogs, and mainstream media sources with reference to the Windsor celebration of Phog Lounge's CBC Radio 3 recent victory on February 25th.

The Windsor Star
National Post - Ampersand
The Kingston Whig Standard
Jamie Greer's Blog
Heidi's Cafe Blog
ScaleDown Windsor Blog
WAMM Magazine
Exclaim Magazine
Chart Attack
London Free Press
Vegetarian Selectronics Blog
Reubenspot Blog
Wake-Up-Grrl Blog
Photo 404 Blog
Border Culture Blog
Chasing Distractions Blog
MW Music Review Blog
Diana Elizabeth Live Journal
Windsor Visuals Blog
Lethbian Love Blog
AndPop.com

Unbelievably well-made video of CBC Radio 3 Best Live Music Venue Announcement

Phog Lounge: Best Live Music Venue In Canada as voted by CBC Radio 3 fans

Frank and I are still dumbfounded and proud as can be!
Proud of a community of people who responded to the idea of a music venue (community hot spot) being recognized on the national stage.
When this contest began over a month ago, we felt it would be tough to convince people that their "vote mattered", and that the Phog fans from around Canada should go to cbcradio3.com every day and vote. Seeing the other venues on the list was overwhelming. The top 10 was a startling reminder that there are a LOT of other people out there who CARE deeply for Canadian music, CBC Radio 3, and their OWN arts communities.

I truly wish I could visit every one of them.

Today, I think a series of Windsoites and other music venue lovers understand that what you do can and DOES certainly make a difference. Participation in a common goal had our supporters jumping and screaming and breaking things when the announcement was made. They went loony tunes, because they were a part of something. They went to a website every single day because they were getting daily reminders from us, or because they simply remembered and were dedicated, and it happened.

It happened.

When you want something, and you participate in what it takes to make that happen with a mobilized group of inspired individuals, you succeed whether it ends in a victory or defeat paired with a tighter community.

We are so thankful to everyone who cared enough to help.
THANK YOU!


Think of it...Windsor, Ontario is home of the best live music venue in Canada. How awesome is that for Windsorites to be able to tell others when they're asked, "Where did you say you were from again?"

We can choose to say, "We're right across from Detroit," or we can say, "We're the home of the best live music venue in Canada...across from Detroit." Hahahaha....

I'll let you know when the big party is happening...
Must go...much to do...
Here's video of the celebration open mic we held last night over live video stream. It was so fun to have a who's who of performers and supporters trickle in all day and night. Remarkable community this independent music environment fosters.

All we can hope for now is that Windsor venues are on the tour stop for more performers who were unaware of the vigor of this town until 24 hours ago.
Cheers to all!

Free live streaming by Ustream

Top 10 in Canada's Best Music Venue Search!

So many thanks to all those who have voted daily in this wonderful spotlight event by CBC Radio 3.
Now is the time to bear down, and really commit to getting people to vote for our place. We need to connect with the people who believe in our ability, our space, our vigor, and our quest to be recognized NATIONALLY as Best Live Music Venue in Canada.

It's clearly an honour to be here...but we have some work to do to inform and move people to action.

Windsor! Wake up! Let's go...

Here's the new vote link for the week.
http://radio3.cbc.ca/polls/?pollId=35
7 more votes from each of you.
That's all we ask.
7 more.

CBC Radio 3: Searchlight - Best Live Music Club In Canada Love from Friends

And in the world of support, from friends, my very good buddy Dan Misener posted THIS AWESOME POST about the CBC Radio 3 Best Live Music Venue contest. I laughed out loud and read it aloud to the patrons at the bar. Too funny. I can't imagine Frank being so poetic. Oh yes I can.

Phog made the Top 20 in the BEST LIVE MUSIC contest for CBC Radio 3/Searchlight!!!

We did it folks.
Bravo!
So proud of you guys for highlighting Phog Lounge as one of the Top 20 Live Music Venues in Canada. Huge!
It's great to see all the other places on the list that we might have otherwise not known before.
I encourage local bands, considering touring, to look closely at these places for future tour stops!

But now, onto business...
It's time to take this to the next level.
Here's the NEW voting link - http://radio3.cbc.ca/polls/?pollId=32
February 18th is the next mile-marker...when the TOP 10 will be announced...and we WANT TO BE ON THAT LIST...so please keep voting daily.
If you wan tto be reminded daily to vote, you can join the Facebook group, "I want to be reminded every day to vote for Phog as Best Live Music Venue" Click HERE!

HOW TO SIGN UP (easily) TO CBCRADIO3.COM to VOTE FOR PHOG

If you don't have an account for cbcradio3.com, you're silly. You should. You have access to live web radio, 24 hours a day, listening to people who are passionate about Canadian music and want to share that info BADLY with the rest of the country. Mostly indie stuff.

If you are a local band and your music is not registered with Radio 3...you really should be, as you cannot imagine what an amazing resource they are...get listed on there first if you are a musician and not on their database.

Okay? Settled?

Here's how to sign up.
Go to cbcradio3.com
You will see this at the bottom of the screen.
Click on "Sign Up"
This will pop up.
You only need to care about this side on the right if you want to vote...
Then sign up with a valid e-mail address and pick a screen name you'll remember...and a password. Click "Sign Up".

Then you have to sign in by going to the top right hand corner of the site -
Type in your username and password you just created, and hit the green button "Log In".

Now you're logged in. You just need to hit the giant ad under the "Log In" area and it will take you to the voting page.
Scroll down until you see Phog Lounge and select Phog (of course) -
And then scroll down to the bottom of the page until you see the vote button -

Then you've helped Phog Lounge become the venue we all know it is, except this way, the rest of the country knows.
Awesome.
Thanks.

After you've done this process, you just need to click one of the many links Phog and Phoggers are posting on Twitter (we are twitter.com/phogtom on twitter.com - if you don't follow us, get with it!) and Facebook, which will take you to voting page. Unless you log out...you will stay logged in, and it's a SUPER SIMPLE process then.
Thanks everyone. Spread the Phog love.