A Stan Rogers Story

I spent a lot of time with Stan Rogers. We were not friends, but I had many encounters with him and he enriched my life. He helped me learn to sing better and I loved singing with Stan and always did in the forty or fifty shows I attended. It was always easier to get a harmony going with him as an audience member than with most other performers I encountered. I was a fan.

He encouraged people to sing along with him and seemed to love it when the room was enveloped in a rich set of vocal harmonies all linked to his rich baritone voice. For those who don't know about Stan, he was a productive and much loved singer-songwriter with a Canadian East Coast flavour in his music. He always played with his younger brother Garnet Rogers. Now they have a festival named after him in Nova Scotia, which is where his family originated as I understand it, though Stan lived in Hamilton, Ontario.

I first met Stan in the center of the road in front of the Carden Street Cafe in Guelph, Ontario when the cafe was at its previous location on the corner. This was in 1978 when I worked for the summer in Guelph between English Studies at the University of Waterloo and Chinese Studies at the University of Toronto. He was flying wind-up wooden airplanes with his brother Garnet in the middle of the intersection while folk walked by wondering, "Why aren't those men at work and why are they acting like children?" It was a bright and sunny Spring day in Southern Ontario.

My friend Hilary Stead owned the cafe at that time and we renovated it in order to get a liquor license. It was about that time that Stan showed up to perform again in one of his favourite venues, to which he returned again and again. Hilary knew how to care for musicians and having beer in the house was a benefit that appealed to Stan's refined sensibilities. :) She also made excellent recordings of the galaxy of roots music stars who paraded through to enjoy her wonderful personality, great and faithful audiences, and delicious healthy menu.

I learned most of Stan's songs by singing them with him in many places. I was present for a couple evenings when Stan's record Between the Breaks - Live at the Groaning Board was recorded live. I saw him at Harbourfront and at the Bathurst Church Theatre, the Transac Club of Toronto on Brunswick several times, at festivals and elsewhere. The last time I saw him play was at the Mariposa Folk Festival when I was a volunteer there. I had a conversation with him in the entertainers' tent while he supped back a cold one with the sun glowing on his high and prominent forehead. He had just finished an energetic set in the hot sun.

“Hi Stan, so I just got back from a year in China.” Stan never seemed much interested in what others were doing. “So what's that to me?” he asked. “Well as a matter of fact it does relate to you. After I'd been in Taipei for about a month I was still unemployed and running out of money, which had discouraged me and I was on the verge of depression as I walk along the hallway in the student residence where I was lodging.”

“As I slowly shuffled my feet towards my room I heard something coming through a door and it sounded like your music. I drew closer and pushed my ear against the door. 'Rise again. Rise again. No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend, like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.' I knocked on the door and was greeted by a smiling young Chinese Canadian scholar from Montreal who was in Taiwan learning Mandarin Chinese.

“He invited me in and we quickly became friends and compatriots...all thanks to your song. LOL” I laughed. “What the hell were those commies doing with my music?” he fumed. “This was a Canadian kid from Montreal in Taiwan, which is NOT communist.” I said. “Oh.” was all he replied as he sat back laughing and sweating in the heat of the summer sun. “Also,” I added, “your song lifted my spirit and helped me to go on. Thanks Stan.” He sneered and returned to his beer.

I should mention that this young man named Nathan knocked on my door a couple of days later with a newcomer to Taipei at his side who was looking for a good cup of coffee, which I always had available.

When he was a young doctor this 82 year old East German psychiatrist named Dr. Irvine had been a junior colleague of Dr. Sigmund Freud and Dr. Carl Jung, the inventors of modern psychiatry. He had arrived that day after a months long tour of Mainland China where he showed his film about diagnosis and treatment at thirteen of the most important psychiatric teaching hospitals in Mainland China [PROC].

Dr. Irvine and I became close friends over the next few months in that alien world of China. He introduced me to the medical and academic discipline he invented, which is called Ethno-psychiatry. This is the study of special psychiatric disorders that are characteristic of ethnic groups. His original research had been in Africa where he spent sixteen years and learned to speak Swahili fluently, along with a dozen other difficult languages in which he was perfectly fluent. He had come to Taipei to learn Mandarin. We had much fun together and drank lots of coffee. This was a spin-off from Stan's music in my life.

Later, back in Canada in the Fall of the next year I was dating the woman I married. I had been telling her about Stan [and Garnet] and singing his songs to her and playing his recordings...including a lengthy cassette tape from the Carden Street Cafe loaned to me by Hillary. I was excited for her that she was about to encounter an interesting Canadian musician – a singer-songwriter who stood among our best.

I remember how I planned to take her to the Transac Club of Toronto where I'd seen Stan play several times years before and before I went to China. I visualized how the evening would go again and again as I picked her up from her class at York University. Then I took her for a walk around the core of the City of Toronto. We walked in the bright sunshine along Dundas Street West past the Art Gallery of Ontario. Nearby there, by chance it seemed, I looked up on a scaffolding where some bricklayers were re-pointing a store front at a busy intersection. There among the workers was a childhood friend of mine from Northern Ontario.

We greeted each other with smiles and when Bruce asked what we were doing, I told him how Tamara was about to see a performance by a Canadian music icon for the first time. When I told him it was Stan Rogers, he said that he had just heard on the radio that Stan had died in a plane fire in the USA on his way home from a festival in Texas. I didn't believe him and thought that this was not possible. I even argued with him a little and headed anxiously towards the Transac Club where we learned the sad truth. The concert was canceled and Stan Rogers was dead.

I learned most of Stan's songs singing them with him and Garnet and audiences in many places. He taught me his songs, taught me something about being a singer, a song-writer and a Canadian; and he taught us all a little about gratitude and hope. He was a bad tempered scoundrel at times and pushy in his manner. But he was also a gifted Canadian who has contributed more to our national culture than many artists who do not capture the spirit and imaginations of Canadians as Stan did.

This man was one of the people who helped to shape my life with my welcoming and willing consent and agreement. Though I was never a member of his intimate inner circle, I did have enough of a relationship with Stan to be able to miss him still. He was one of us. I can recommend Stan Rogers songs and music to all Canadians and those who have the same spirit of Liberty, adventure and creativity in their hearts that Stan embodied and sang out from every stage that would have him.

We still sing his songs in pubs, clubs, festivals, homes and elsewhere across the nation and around the world. We are beneficiaries of his work, his craft, his gifts and sacrifices.

Thanks again Stan!

Jake Willis copyright - February 28, 2009.
Guelph, Ontario, Canada

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This Old Guitar

I am anything but an idolater. I don't worship things. I don't even place the same emphasis upon things and owning or possessing things that many people do. Things come and they go. This is life on Planet Earth. Things decay and break and are lost or stolen. I cannot possibly recall all of the things that have been in my possession through a lifetime.

But thirty years ago I had an irresistible desire to play guitar and sing songs. I wanted to play well and learned that in order to play well a good instrument is required. Bob Webb advised me about C.F. Martin Guitars and I bought a brand spanking new D-35 [with the three part back and the fingerboard binding] off the shelf in the former Chapman and Hewitt Music Store in London, Ontario with my tax return.

That guitar has been a joy to me from the start and it was yesterday too. It has endured and matured and taken on a resonance that is sweet to my ears and close to my heart where it regularly rests as I play it. This package of wood and wires and glue and metal parts has been one of the greatest gifts I have received from Life. It has been my constant companion though many travels and adventures and all through my complex journey through life and through the world.

Many people buy numerous guitars. I could not afford that in several ways. So I bought one really excellent guitar to play through a lifetime, and perhaps more lifetimes when my guitar gifted son inherits it some day. We have traveled back and forth across the continent numerous times, that guitar and me. We went to many universities together, including Princeton.

We traveled to China together and had a Great Adventure there. We have hitch-hiked together, flown, ridden on trains and boats and in every kind of automobile and truck. The guitar was even hit by a car traveling sixty miles per hours [about 90 km/hr] and flew a hundred feet through the air. It was largely undamaged thanks to the unbreakable original factory case and it was still in tune after that rough ride. The car missed me though! Lol

This Old Guitar brings joy to me, my family, my friends, fellow musicians and countless others who have had the pleasure of hearing it. It's a tool, a toy, a friend and a part of me at this point in our journey together. It has appeared on numerous CDs too.

I even have a little pet name for this sweet lump of wood and wire. I like to think of it as “the best guitar in the country” [Canada]. I certainly have never seen another that I would prefer to own or play. [Although I've always had my eye on a Gretsch Country Gentleman].

A person's instrument is more than a mere possession. It clarifies and carries our hopes and dreams and stories and longings from our minds and hearts to those of others who share our music with us. It moves the feet, the hands, the tongues, the minds and wills of others. It it a special link between imaginations and a medium for communicating the most intensely outrageous or subtle ideas and feelings and impulses.

Music is a tonic for the soul and playing our instruments is important to our health, well-being and the integrity of our minds and souls and bodies and social circles. We should cherish and protect them and respect the ownership of others who also cherish their instruments. They are the wings for our art.

When all friends abandon us and we are alone with our thoughts, feelings, fears and hopes, our instrument will find a way to express the complexities in which we are ensnared and show us the way to freedom. Others will follow, dancing, tapping a foot, singing a chorus and dreaming their own musical dreams.


Jake Willis – Guelph, Canada – February 18, 2009 – Jake Willis Daily

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A Guitar and a Song

In my own pursuit of the mysteries of how to play music well I have had many mentors and teachers. It seems that I always find someone who can help me take it to the next stage or level. In this blog I hope to discuss some of these generous people who have helped me escape my frustrations and discover the satisfactions that I sought. I did not enjoy the advantages of a formal musical education in an institution. Instead I learned from the pros.

I've loved songs and singing since I was a year or two old, whether in the living room, on the radio or elsewhere. I still recall standing in the pew beside my mother as she sweetly added to the choral harmony in our family church in Northern Ontario. She had a nice voice and loved singing...and bright eyes. I had just learned to stand and I was proud to stand up beside her in church [whatever that was!?], though my standing awkwardly beside her did seem to cause a little distress for Pauline. I watched her posture and the movement of her mouth and eyes as she glanced smiling over her shoulder at me and reached out a hand to keep me from toppling.

Pauline also helped me love to sing country songs and popular songs as we danced around the radio through a childhood lifetime. I always wanted to play guitar and just believed in my heart that I would and could some day play as I imagined in my daydreams. I could see my fingers gliding across the strings and heard sweet tones rising from the sound box. I thought I could really learn to play and help others sing songs as I had been helped by parents, brothers, neighbours, teachers and several choirs masters with whom I worked. I could never afford a guitar as a child.

After my first year of university and at the age of twenty-one when I started playing guitar I was driving a truck for a summer job in London, Ontario. There I met a very interesting young man who was about five years my senior. He was full of life and excitement and good cheer and he was kind to me even though I was a beginning musician and he was fairly accomplished. He wore a big cowboy hat and was politely boisterous in his speech...and he was funny. This alone surprised me about Bob Webb, but there was far more to his kindness than I could have dreamed.

Bob invited me to come out to the club where he was playing that week and see his show...maybe hang out a bit. It turned out to be one of those fairly swank clubs with a cocktail vibe, low lights and an elevated stage where Bob played solo – a man with a guitar and lots of songs to sing. He played so well that I was astonished and he knew SO many songs cold that I was flabbergasted.

His shtick and act also gained the rapt interest of many beautiful women who huddled around him between sets vying for his laughing attention. I was AWE STRUCK by this man. I had never met anyone who played so well, lived so deeply and was still respectful, kind and helpful. Many musicians I'd met of his calibre were arrogant, rude and generally disappointing as human beings. [Perhaps I'd never met anyone of that calibre. lol]

It got better. Bob left the bevy of giggling beauties to their drinks and gossip and walked across the darkened room to join me at his table. “That was AMAZING!” I told him. “Thanks!” [ah shucks] “How did you learn to play so many songs that well?” It was a professional question. “Oh it's easy.” he said. “All you've got to do is play a song a thousand times in a field and you'll know it real well.” “Oh!” says I.

“But how can I learn to play good like that?” I asked despairingly. “Don't worry. That's easy too. Every time you meet someone who plays well, ask them to teach you one thing. Then practice the shit out of it until it's natural and becomes part of your playing.” “Gee thanks Bob.” I meant it and took his instructions to heart. I was hungry to learn.

“What kind of guitar are you playing there Bob?" I asked. “This here is a Martin D-28, made by the C.F. Martin Company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.” “Is that a guitar you would recommend to me?” “I sure would. I've never had any reason to complain about this beauty and she has brought me lots of pleasure.” he said nodding back at the tipsy group of sweet femininity at the end of the bar where his drink still waited for his return.

“Also you might consider the Martin D-35, which has a more rich bass tone and a more balanced volume across the tonal spectrum. My '28' is a little weak on the bass end but good for bluegrass picking.” “Okay.” I said, not quite sure what the heck he meant about “tone”. “Thanks for all of this.” “You're welcome. See you again soon.” And he did see me many more times, true to his word. “I better go attend to my fans.” he smiled as he ambled sidelong across the carpeted floor and into the arms of angels...Honky Tonk Angels.

I learned at least three big and important lessons that evening: how to learn songs; how to learn to play guitar well; and how to evaluate a guitar. BTW I bought myself a Martin D-35 a couple weeks later for my birthday when my tax return arrived. I've NEVER regretted it...not even once. That old guitar and I have become one.

These music lessons from a competent professional have brought me endless pleasure and have helped me share my song with the world. I have practiced them faithfully every day since and the results show. :)

Thanks Bob!


Post script – In the Fall of that year when I was back in school I heard on the radio that Bob Webb had won Canadian Entertainer of the Year Award. I thought he deserved it. So did those beauty queens and many others. Music goes down so much better with kindness and generosity. :)




Jake Willis Music – Daily Blog
February 10, 2009
Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Promotion

After writing a little on the subject of self-promotion I thought it might be useful to briefly explore the subject of Promotion in order to put those other comments in perspective and context.

When I think of Promotion in the music industry, in the performing arts, in business and in general, the first thing that comes to mind is the military tradition of promoting people. If someone completes special training and upgrades their skills, exhibits some gift, or performs an act of heroism they become candidates for promotion.

Many soldiers begin their career as a "buck private". With good performance and adjustment to the military lifestyle they can be elevated to corporal or sergeant. A gifted and skilled or teachable soldier can reach higher ranks in the promotion process - captain, major, colonel, general and so on.

Soldiers in modern armies are usually organized into groups of varying sizes - company, platoon, corps, brigade, battalion, battle group, et cetera. As a person is promoted they gain recognition and authority on a wider basis and they are more visible as a result of their more elevated status.

At its core music and artist Promotion is related in this way. Some artists desire to be more visible, have more say, more authority, more influence, be seen and heard more. This is all quite possible if it suits a person's life values, personality and career goals. But that discussion would take us out of the realm of Promotion and into the area of Planning. Planning really ought to precede Promotion, but it is not the topic of this brief communication.

Promotion is a process by which a person or product or service is made more widely known and recognized in accordance with its branding. An artist seeking to promote his or her self and career should have a Plan in place and a clear sense of Purpose. That is also part of the Planning process and will be the subject of a future post.

I would venture a working definition of Promotion. It is that process by which someone is elevated in the esteem and consciousness of others. Thereby they can be seen, recognized, valued more highly and appreciated by more and more viewers or fans or interested parties. I personally prefer friends to fans.

In reading this post, please understand and recognize that I am NOT militaristic and only use this as an illustration.

Promotion is a key to success in many things. It is essential to the working artist who hopes for a successful career. Let's also remember that Success can be many things and is different for each person. To Promote yourself is to raise yourself up so more others can see you.

Shameless Self Promotion

Shameless self promotion is a theme I hear discussed frequently by musicians and songwriters. In many cases it seems to mean that a person will do anything at all to promote themselves and will not be ashamed no matter how crude and crass and rude that method might be.

This approach has never worked for me. I would be ashamed to do what some people do.

My own Rules for Shameless Self Promotion are -

I will not do anything that will make me feel ashamed.

I will not take another person's opportunity in order to advance my career.

I will not step on someone in order to rise. I would rather give someone a hand up when they are down or when they stumble, as we all do.

I will act respectfully towards those who are competing for opportunities...but I will not compete. I would rather help someone than hurt them or make them feel small.

I will be creative in finding ways to enhance and advance my career and in sharing my music with the world.

I will reach for the heart, not the cash or the glory.

I will seek and find my own place in the world of music and I will not hurt or injure anyone in the pursuit of my dreams...for this will diminish my Dream.

I will help others find, create and build their own place.

I only go places I've been invited and I stay as long as I feel safe and welcome.

I will always nurture my own career and believe in myself.

Using these methods I have moved from total obscurity to having a reasonably obvious profile online and in the music communities into which I've entered and where I play or perform. In five years I moved from unknown to fairly well known. No one was injured in this process and I have made some amazing and wonderful friends along the way while providing assistance to many.

I am seeking and building my own place in the world and do not want someone else's place.

The principle that guides me is, "Love your neighbour."

I remain unashamed. :)

Visible Advantages

There are many ways to deliver our music to the world and to our friends and supporters. Sound files of high quality can be made with a laptop computer anywhere you happen to be. Musicians and songwriters have websites and blogs like this one.

But for my money, which always seems to arrive in very small portions, I see video as the cheapest, most effective and best way to promote myself as a performing artist. Fans and friends like to see as well as hear. There can be an excitement in the visuals.

I have found a process for video making that suits me. It requires only my Sony 740 digital video camera with tripod and remote controller, my computer and the Internet. Actually the musicians are the most important part, along with proper preparations and rehearsal.

I have made many videos [at a low price] for other artists. These vids have found their way onto digital promo pack discs. Some of the vids I produced in this way have been uploaded to websites or to You Tube, or just used for reflection by the artist in order to review performance methods. There are many applications with this simple and user friendly technology. And you get a HUGE bang for the buck.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch and enjoy a couple songs from my 2008 Quantum Tour on Google Video. This is my gift to you. Check out Swing! I made over forty of these live music videos and uploaded them to Google Video in thirty days in January 2008.

Many of these vids have proven their worth in the lives and homes and activities of people across the face of the Earth. They are thought provoking and entertaining. That's one of the Visible Advantages provided by decent video footage of your performances. Decent sound is also possible.

I'm now in the planning stages of another video project that will put more of my material in the hands of others so they can do what they're supposed to, for songs have a life of their own and they need wings. The Internet provides wings. I hope to produce the equivalent of a CD before spring and upload it to the world.

People are being touched by my songs in this way and the videos and songs never go away. They require no further production or promotional costs. These are more Visible Advantages. Cool and inexpensive works for me. If you do this, always think Light and Framing.

Peace

40 Videos in 30 Days

Last January I made and uploaded over forty live music videos of my songs to Google Video in thirty days. I had some help from Ken Brown on upright bass and co-producer.

We had three other musicians add to the music including Chris Williams and Don Beals on guitars and Matthew Glass on fiddle, along with other friends in pubs in Fergus and Cambridge, Ontario. That was a bit of an adventure and the results have been encouraging.

This year we plan to make more vids. This project will be the equivalent of a CD in terms of the amount of material we hope to record. I'm also hoping to upgrade the production values on this next round of vids. I had a brief planning meeting with Ken and Chris this morning and we're looking forward to this little project.

In the meanwhile I hope you'll take some time to check out what we did last year. Many have been viewing Swing! [yellow version], The Box, Did You Forget About The Morning and many others.

You can hear me play and/or join me to play at Delainey's Restaurant in Fergus Tuesday evenings 8-11:00 pm, with host Terry Golletz and a group of warm and supportive others.

Peace