Neon News 101126 All-Request Holiday Battle of the Bands

OK, that's actually three different events.

Battle of the Bands

Friday, November 26, 6 pm - 1 am
The Big Trouble Band
The Opera House, 735 Queen Street East, $20
This is a fundraiser, and its TONIGHT! Come out and support Big Trouble.
It's all for the cause, but if it's a contest, we might as well win!
http://www.opsbattleofthebands.com/index.html

Holiday Concert

Sunday, December 12, 2-4 pm
Missisauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble
Cooksville United Church, 2500 Mimosa Way, Mississauga ON, $20
Our annual Christmas concert and fundraiser at the church where we rehearse pays our rent for the year.

All-Request Night

Sunday, December 12, 8-10 pm (same day!)
Gordon's Acoustic Living Room
Free Times Café, 320 College Street - no cover, no minimum
Vote for your favourites here: http://wayneon.ca/music/livingroomrequests.html


But that's not all . . .

Saturday, November 27, 11 pm-2 am
Rambunctious
The Port, 1179 Dundas Street West (at Ossington)
We're just makin' it up!

Tuesday, November 30, 8-10 pm
The Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble
Arnold's Sports Bar, 485 Morden Road, Oakville ON - $5
Our regular last-Tuesday-of-the-month gig.

Stinkstockmas!

Saturday, December 4
The Wee Stinky Band
Sticky Fingers Bar & Grill, 199 Essa Road, Barrie ON
The seventh annual! Still stinky after all these years!

Release Party

Thursday, December 9
Rambunctious
The Port, 1179 Dundas Street West (at Ossington)
http://UrbanMeadow.ca

More big band

Tuesday, December 14, 8-10 pm
Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble
Arnold's Sports Bar, 485 Morden Road, Oakville ON - $5
This is the regular monthly gig, but a couple weeks early.

Still more big band

Friday, December 17, 7-9 pm

Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble
Sky Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge
2680 Skymark Avenue, Mississauga, http://skyrestaurantlounge.com
We're back! Join us for dinner.


POSTPONED!

The Big Trouble Band
Saturday, November 27, 5-7 pm
Mitzi's Sister, 1554 Queen Street West
The club double-booked. (It happens.)
We'll be back. Watch this spot.

This is your December newsletter.

Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!
.
I'll be playing in Simcoe on New Year's Eve with Patio Dave.

Wayne Neon
416-407-7009
wayne@wayneon.ca

Neon News 101110

Hey Fanz!

The festive season is upon us, and the music is coming fast and furious!

Triple Rambunctious this week!

Saturday, November 13, midnight, PWYC
La Palette, 492 Queen Street West
Dinner reservations - (416) 603-4900
The band plays on the bar!

Sunday, November 14, 7 pm, $5
Saving Gigi, 859 Bloor Street West
Fundraiser for The Molotov Rag
http://g20.torontomobilize.org/node/608

Thursday, November 18
The Great Hall, 1087 Queen Street West
Rambunctious will be parading with Henri Faberge and the Boyce Naval Academy Marching Band, whatever that is.
Don't know much about this event, but it will surely be fun!

Bagpipes and Blues!

Saturday, November 20, 10 pm
The Black Swan Tavern, 154 Danforth Avenue
The Big Trouble Band returns to this legendary blues room.

Sunday, November 21, 8-11 pm
The Free Times Café, 320 College Street
Gordon's Acoustic Living Room heads into the home stretch
of our seventh year of monthly appearances at one of Toronto's favourite folk clubs.

Blues and more blues!

Friday, November 26, 6 pm - 1 am, $20
The Opera House, 735 Queen Street East
The Big Trouble Band goes for glory in the Battle of the Bands
Proceeds to The United Way
http://www.opsbattleofthebands.com/index.html

Saturday, November 27, 5-7 pm
Mitzi's Sister, 1554 Queen Street West
The Big Trouble Band recuperates and savours victory
with one of our popular matinee gigs.
Don't be late! It's over before you know it.

Big Band wraps up November

Tuesday, November 30, 8-10 pm
Arnold's Sports Bar, 485 Morden Road, Oakville ON
The Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble closes the month
with our regular last-Tuesday-of-the-month gig.
This band just keeps getting hotter!

and coming up in December . . .

Saturday, December 4
Sticky Fingers Bar & Grill, 199 Essa Road, Barrie ON
The Wee Stinky Band presents the 7th annual Stinkstockmas!

Sunday, December 12, 2-4 pm
Cooksville United Church, 2500 Mimosa Way, Mississauga ON
Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble annual Christmas concert!

Sunday, December 12, 8-10 pm (same day!)
Free Times Café, 320 College Street
Gordon's Acoustic Living Room's annual All-request night!

Tuesday, December 14, 8-10 pm
Arnold's Sports Bar, 485 Morden Road, Oakville ON
Christmas comes early for the Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble!

THE PERILS OF STRATEGIC VOTING

As always, strategic voting is becoming an important issue around the Toronto mayoralty race. Here is what I have had to say about the subject before:

December 12, 2005

THE PERILS OF STRATEGIC VOTING
by Wayne Smith

Buzz Hargrove created a sensation at the very beginning of this soon-to-be-endless election campaign with a surprising call to his Canadian Auto Workers to vote for the Liberal candidate in ridings where the NDP has no chance of being elected.

This is not what Jack Layton wanted to hear.

But many voters feel compelled to consider the option of "strategic" voting because we are saddled with an antique voting system under which most votes are wasted on candidates who do not get elected, and voters are offered few real choices. However, there are some downsides that must also be considered.

1. Strategic voting is an abomination. If we had a fair and well designed voting system, voters would simply vote for the candidate, party, or leader they prefer and know that their vote would probably make a difference. No one would have to vote for the "lesser evil", and Parliament would truly reflect the political thinking of the electorate. The diversity of our communities would likely also be more accurately reflected.

2. Strategic voting is not even available to most of us. Most of us live in ridings that are "safe" for one party or another. Most of us know who will be elected in our riding before the votes are even cast. If you are not in a "swing" riding where there is a close race, then forget about strategic voting and vote with your heart.

3. Strategic voting is widely misunderstood and frequently botched. To some people, strategic voting just means "vote Liberal". In fact, the correct strategy is to decide which of the candidates in your riding actually has a reasonable chance of getting elected, and choose to vote for one of them. For some people, this will mean voting NDP. For some, it will mean voting Conservative or Bloc. For most, it will mean few choices, or none at all.

4. You could get it wrong. Although Canadian elections are lamentably predictable, you never know. Strange things happen in elections, and public opinion does change during the campaign. A prediction of defeat for your favourite party could be self-fulfilling.

5. Last, but certainly not least, votes trigger campaign financing for your party. The new campaign financing rules mean that every vote really does count, at least for $1.75. That's how much the party you voted for will get each year because you voted for them.

This makes a difference. For example, the Green Party now has a significant war chest, although their half a million votes last time didn't even come close to electing anyone.

But what's your vote really worth? This is the first election under the new rules, so frankly, we're not sure what's going to happen.

Here's the strategic voting dilemma. Should you cave in, hold your nose and vote for someone you can't stand, in a desperate attempt to make your vote count for something? Or should you vote sincerely, even when your vote probably won't affect the outcome of the election? You're damned if you do and damned if you don't-that is, until Canada joins the modern world and scraps our antiquated first-past-the-post voting system.

The solution is for Canadians to choose a modern, fair voting system that accurately translates the will of the voters, as expressed by the votes we cast, into seats in Parliament, and which will therefore allow us to hold government accountable. Most industrial democracies have been using proportional voting systems for most of the last century. Canadian voters too deserve a system designed to ensure that every voice is heard.

When will this happen? Not until it can't be prevented. People elected under the current system think that the current system is working just fine, thank you. One thing is certain-we won't have a fair voting system until voters demand it.

That would be you. Democracy is still, after all, a do-it-yourself project.

Gordon's Acoustic Living Room - Lost On The Bayou

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CK1inei4Cg&fmt=22



Next Acoustic Living Room: Sunday, October 17, 8-10 pm.

The Free Times Café, 320 College Street.

Our seventh year of monthly appearances.

No cover, no minimum.

Come early, it's small.

Great food!

More Stuff Coming Up

Saturday, October 2, 1:00 pm
Christie Pits
No Fare Is Fare
Rambunctious
Come to the park to celebrate the campaign to win free and accessible transit for the GTA!



Saturday, October 2, 8:00 pm
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom
Nuit Blanche
Rambunctious
http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/


Saturday, October 10, evening
Cabo Verde Bar & Restaurant
215 Ossington Avenue
Rambunctious

Missisauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble
Friday, October 15, 8-11 pm
Sky Lounge
2680 Skymark Avenue, Mississauga




Sunday, October 17, 8-11 pm
Free Times Café
320 College Street, west of Spadina
Gordon's Acoustic Living Room

Thursday, October 21, 10:45 pm
El Mocambo
464 Spadina Avenue
This Is Not A POLITICAL Party (CAPP fundraiser)
Rambunctious and eight other bands

Stuff Coming Up

Sunday, September 19, 8-11 pm
Gordon's Acoustic Living Room
Free Times Café
320 College Street (west of Spadina)
No cover, no minimum!
Our seventh year of monthly gigs!

Thursday, September 23, 11 pm
Rambunctious
La Palette
492 Queen Street West (at Portland)
PWYC
Nine or so horns and a cute drummer--on the bar! Must be seen to be believed!

Saturday, September 26, 5-7 pm
The Big Trouble Band
Mitzi's Sister
1554 Queen Street West (at Sorauren)
$5 or free, I forget which.
Good Time Rockin' Blues That Makes You Wanna Dance!

Sunday, September 26, 2-4 pm
Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble
Pedestrian Sunday, Kensington Market
Augusta Avenue, south of College.
It's in the street! It's free!
Five saxes, four trumpets, four trombones, piano, guitar, drums, and bass!

Tuesday, September 28, 8-10 pm
Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble
Arnold's Sports Bar
485 Morden Road, Oakville ON (off Dorval, S. of QEW)
$5 - That's less than $0.30 per musician!
Handy to Halton, Hamilton, Port Dover, and points west!
Catch this residency while it lasts!

Lots more later!

The World Through A Piper's Fingers: Tunes from Rory Sinclair and friends

"Casual band." I like that.

The World Through A Piper's Fingers: Tunes from Rory Sinclair and friends