Prom

Fox furry couple at prom (2025)

    COVID-19 has taken too much off from us already, including prom from the kids. Even this year, some were not held. One in Schenectady County was held by a student instead. While it's too late too have anything now, next year, when things are likely better, I could have something myself, and it would include 2020 and 2021 graduates alike. I would maybe have it before the end of the college semester as there would be students from out of town who were deprived this year and CNY has several schools in the region. They would be too young to go to most adult proms where you'd have to be 21 because it'd be where there's alcohol (one place in town used to have it a couple times that I went and several before that. There was also a one-off for a charity and two more at a non-profit that is now closed).

I would book the OnCenter downtown if there's enough demand. I would need sponsors, an event planner, catering, DJ, you name it. If only a few people are interested, a smaller place I know would work, yet there isn't much room to dance (the other place across town was bijou, yet they could get everyone in there). I'd like to start a GoFundMe, but each time I do, I never see a dime, as I'm not good at these things.  I have posted about this before, trying to start my own only in recent years regretting not going to prom when I was in high school, as I didn't want to then and couldn't even if I did. At least by now, I've had a handful of chances since, yet would like to see something like we've seen in film and on TV, as well as online from recent memory and days gone by. Virtual just isn't the same. Sod all that.

Teens in smaller schools without their own prom, or those who schools didn't have it this year or were homeschooled since pre-pandemic could also attend, as well as those from anywhere who missed out. I would have to plan all year, and I would lose interest once the season peters out until it starts again by next spring.

UPDATE: Salt City Collective, a Meetup group in my area, started their annual Adult Prom in October, held twice at the original TK Tavern in Camillus (burned down in January 2023 and replaced in 2024 by Byrne Dairy), then held in the Ukrainian National Home on Tipp Hill, and the next one yet to be planned. The place that had it twice with me before pulling it for seven years' time until 2024 was Singers Karaoke Club a couple miles away next to Solvay. I will do a new post listing all of the ones I've been to so far and hope to get to in future.

Instagram

Steve Howe

While I'm not the biggest Instagram user myself, many artists should be on there in order to promote themselves more.  Here's a list of them who need an account:

Steve Howe

Billy Sherwood

Annie Haslam/Renaissance

Mystery

Talk Talk

Jim Diamond (run by his family or estate)

Ace of Base

Fiona Apple

Trevor Rabin

Savoy

Supertramp

Pallas

It Bites

Arc of Life

Anthony Phillips

Plixid.com

Plixid.net

Plixid was another pirate blog that had the latest releases.  It has been offline several months, and may not come back.  Another one like it is also gone.  Over two decades after Napster, IFPI, RIAA and DMCA have been trying to stop sites like these.

UPDATE: It is now on Plixid.net

The Beatles on Stargrove

Photo taken in 1963 by Bob Freeman (RIP)

An indie budget label in the Toronto area called Stargrove Entertainment released something too good to be true: cheap budget Beatles compilations. You'd think with ironclad rights, it'd be legally impossible?  However, in Canada, copyrights for older recordings expire after fifty years or so.  A fan club in Québec have a similar release that came out last year, and more releases have been put out in Europe to boot as rights run out there as well.  The Stargrove CDs were mainly sold in Walmart, where I bought three in Niagara Falls, ONT.  Recently, I found a couple more for a dollar each from the bargain bin at FYE in the Mohawk Valley (now owned by Canadian chain Sunrise Records, which I once visited in eastern Ontario, seeing how alike they were).  The Fab Four of all people reduced to this?  Makes what little that they put on their original US label Vee-Jay look fresh (classic David and Goliath story there).  It's only material from 1962-64 which I have anyway.  More for completist and novelty value, I guess.  I had room to spare if not as much cash when I found them.

Universals solicitors however did what they could to put a stop to these poor mans releases.  The sound quality isn't quite what you'd find from the official CDs, sounding like unnecessary needle drops.  I listen to these once since I heard it all a hundred times before and prefer to play it from LPs nowadays like it used to be done.  Other classic artists from the same era also have these cash grab items.

If they put out CDs of bootlegs recorded at the time, that would be a little more imaginative, as a number of different labels have gotten away with CDs of other people in the past several years sold new at small businesses, Amazon and a few chains alike, largely of radio shows from later decades, though a Pink Floyd bootleg LP (only the second one I got so far) says those alone are public domain after a point in the UK.  More on bootlegs another day as that's a world all its own.

I suppose you could call these grey area releases, much like interview discs that are exempt from the contract.  I sent a couple to someone out of state.  If I get back to Canada, I could buy and ship more, but maybe Stargrove could try to reissue material that's been out of print instead worth a bother instead of doing what's been done with Elton John, The Moody Blues, Shirley Bassey (lesser known in North America) and other classic artists who've been recycled to the hilt.  I've talked about who doesn't have these yet, but this is the other end of the spectrum.  It's nothing new, as I have a couple similar EU collections from the '80s or '90s with the same old songs.  As for these newer CDs, neither Walmart Canada or FYE have them on their sites, although Discogs sellers do, some at high prices (not worth it when you can just get the original albums as well as those of the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan or George Jones).  I just know I got there at the right time before they were extortionately priced where I may as well get a butcher cover or early white album pressing.

Morten Harket Solo Collection

Morten Harket meets the press out of doors

Outside a-ha, Morten Harket has led an equally impressive solo career.  He now has enough material for a compilation, including rare tracks never on one of his own releases before.  I didn't include tracks in his native Norwegian as this will be an international release.  Not sure which label would release it.

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (Frankie Valli cover)

A Kind of Christmas Card

Spanish Steps

Girl

Los Angeles

A Change is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover)

It Was You

When I Reached the Moon (early version)

Heaven's Not for Saints (Let It Go)

A Jester in Our Town

Jungle of Beliefs

Gildas Prayer (with Earth Affair)

Movies

Darkspace (You're with Me)

Shooting Star

Scared of Heights

I'm the One

Lightning

Undecided

Burn Money Burn

There is a Place

Do You Remember Me?

Brother

Emitt Rhodes

1973 publicity photo

The recent passing passing of Emitt Rhodes has brought out new praise for his legacy despite his limited track record.  Omnivore Recordings released his 2016 swan song comeback Rainbow Ends, his first in 43 years.  The label is known for reissuing out of print material, including Roger Taylors solo material in the US.  Rhodes released one album for A&M and three for ABC/Dunhill (all owned by Universal today, but the masters were lost in the 2008 fire).  They could be reissued if copied from Japanese CDs or good condition LPs.  He also had unreleased albums that may now be owned by his estate that also deserve a release.  Rhodes's '70s output brought comparisons to Paul McCartney.  Rhodes shared a birthday with George Harrison to boot.  It's a shame MCA didn't reissue the three ABC LPs when they bought the label in 1979.  A vinyl and CD remaster would allow for a reevaluation of an artist who was forgotten for far too long, but unlike Syd Barrett, managed to return for one last album.  Rhodes was 70 years of age.

COVID-19

Concert poster from happier times

With coronavirus the elephant in the room, all aspects of life are affected.  Tours are all on hold, and many annual events cancelled making Glastonbury fallow years look like a mere blip (even they had to cancel since it came down to that).  As such, there won't be anything new to add for some time.