Well here it is, my first ever merchandising venture…
the Ron Leary Sextet hockey puck
Those down in Windsor/Detroit will have driven past the inspiration for this particular design numerous times…know what I’m talking about?
Thanks! to Julia Padvoiskis for the design
Pick up your very own! — only $5
For the most part I’ll just be selling them at shows, as postage will cost as much or more than the actual puck, but if you’d really like to get your hands on one let me know and we’ll make it happen.
* Made in Canada pucks, we’re talking high quality Folks!
Over the past three weeks the events in Wisconsin have been nothing but captivating. The popular uprising is both exciting and empowering and is turning into quite the showdown:
corporate greed vs. the middle class.
Governments have been obsessed with corporate tax cuts and the destruction of the middle class for three decades now. But the popular uprising in Madison is delivering a clear message – enough is enough!
My own personal experience is that it’s the middle class that drives the local economy not massive corporate profits. They are the ones who live in our communities and spend the most in local shops, restaurants and on the arts. i learned this lesson well over the past few years down in Windsor, Ontario where lots of good paying jobs quickly dried up. The end result for me was that my ability to pay rent quickly dried up as well.
i’m certainly not part of the middle class, and like most artists in the country struggle just to make it to the poverty line, yet i can’t see how the destruction of the middle class is going to improve my lot one bit. It doesn’t infuriate me that some folks have good paying secure jobs while i don’t. It makes me happy. It gives me hope for a better society and that some of that dough might trickle my way too.
But hey, not all are struggling. The two head honchos over at Ford Motor Company just got paid $98.9 million in combined bonuses.
Let’s break that down. The average Canadian family income (two people or more) was $74,600 in 2008. So two Ford execs got combined bonuses of that of 1,200 Canadian families entire earnings. The average income for unattached individuals in 2008 was $31,000 making that roughly 3,200 individuals. But we’re only talking about bonuses here not even the actual income of these two Ford execs.
And where might all that money be coming from?
Win or lose, what’s happening in Wisconsin is extremely important.
Surely the McGuinty Government and the newly minted Harper Government (excuse me?!) are watching closely. Will they take a calculated risk, bet on Canadian passivity and further the dismantling of Canadian democracy and continue to aid the corporate takeover of our country? The events in Wisconsin just made that a much riskier move.
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i’m not seeing a whole lot of coverage about this in our national or local papers so i decided to write my first topical political song in the spirit of Phil Ochs. Possibly this will become a regular thing.
Here it is…
March On Wisconsin
(free download) – right click “save link as”
march on Wisconsin
don’t be pushed around
oh we know what’s right
and what we’re hearin’ is just plain wrong
march on, march on
it’s a coup d’était
by the corporate class
they tried to slip it past
while no one was lookin’
but they were caught in the act
march on, march on
i hear voices
growing day by day
releasing decades of belt tightenin’
joinin’ hands yellin’ “SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!”
shame shame, shame shame
you been told
keep your mouth shut
let the experts shed light
while they drain pockets
in one great heist
shame shame, shame shame
there’s a chance
this is the first you’ve heard
cause the media’s been sold off
to just a very small rich few
those who control the message
we all know they rarely lose
til today in Wisconsin
we’re learnin’ there’s a brand new day
march on, march on
it ain’t just about
workers rights
it’s an attack on democracy
and that’s what they got
square in their sights
shame shame, shame shame
this ain’t no time
to just stand around
stretch your legs and your mind
let Wisconsin know
that we’re all behind
stretch your legs and your mind
let Wisconsin know
that we’re all behind
march on, march on, march on
There are a few key people along the way who have heavily inspired my career and given it direction. Sean Fitzgerald is likely the most important person for getting my solo career on track and providing me with a blueprint for how to get moving forward.
i met Sean on a whim. Bored one night in Windsor i picked up The Real Detroit and saw a listing for an Open Mic in Ferndale, Michigan at a venue called Xhedos Cafe. So i threw my guitar in the trunk, crossed the border and made my way north on I-75 to 9 mile. Sean Fitzgerald was the host and immediately made me feel comfortable and invited into his circle of artist friends.
Sean became my model of how to break into the music biz full-time – through hosting weekly Open Mic nights.
He realized the importance and responsibility of the role of the Open Mic host and took it seriously, showing genuine enthusiasm towards anyone who got up, always paying attention, no matter the skill level, and encouraging folks to keep creating and become part of a community.
If there is one word i’d use to define Sean Fitzgerald it would be ‘community.’
Sean was the bus driver of an entire community of like-minded artists. The connector for so many. He took pride in that role and was always promoting how great other people were, not himself. These are all things i tried to emulate myself and grew an appreciation for.
Long before the ‘support local’ movements gained today’s steam Sean Fitzgerald was spreading the word of the many fine artists who lived in the Detroit community. This inspired me to look inward as well and get focused on the positive aspects of the Windsor community and leave the bitching and complaining to others.
In many ways i think my love for Windsor was heavily inspired by Sean Fitzgerald and his love for Detroit. Sean LOVED DETROIT! and made me see Windsor through new eyes, as a great city full of creativity and passion.
This all led to me hosting Open Mics in Windsor every week for close to a decade at venues like Rock Bottom, Phog, Sky Lounge and The Grad House. The job as Open Mic host introduced me to so many amazing folks locally, kept the rent paid most months and gave me something to get excited about every week.
Sean showed me my ticket towards becoming a full-time professional musician and for that i will always be thankful.
Sadly Dec 10, 2008 Sean was in a car accident that ultimately took his life. This loss will be felt greatly in the Detroit urban folk community for years to come and amongst the many lives that he touched. I have a poster of Sean Fitzgerald hanging on my bedroom wall to always remind me of him and what he represented: Love, Charity, Community and Passion.
Here’s an interview i did with Sean Fitzgerald (in 2004?) on my old campus radio show called Open Mic: On Air! on CJAM 91.5 FM (features live in-studio performances of The Train Song, South of 8 Mile Blues & Jen):
* next post, coming soon – Behind the SongSitting On A Bench (from Dependent Arising)
