Burton Cummings is proud to be surviving the Taylor Swift era
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
With some turbulence facing the country these days, the Canadian music environment remains strong. It's an outlet to help carry the load.
Article content
Enter musician and walking music encyclopedia, Burton Cummings, on the phone line. With decades filled with hit songs and historical Canadian firsts, Cummings, 77, has seen it all.
Article content
In the midst of another leg of his A Few Good Moments tour, the proud Winnipeg native has a brief break after recently headlining the all-Canadian lineup for Line Spike Frontenac, north of Kingston, Ont. Keeping Canadiana spirit in full force, performing Runnin' Back To Saskatoon (co-written with Kurt Winter), was a perfect inclusion.
Article content
Article content
Off the stage, one of his biggest achievements is his ever-growing MP3 collection, staggering in scope.
Article content
'The minute CDs were invented, I was a happy guy and I went and got a whole half a dozen iPods and loaded them with all my favourite stuff because I fly all the time … so I've worked on my library now for 40 years and I can say this very honestly, I have way more documented music than any radio station in the world — anywhere.
Article content
'I was never a vinyl fan because back in the hippie days we would party for days — and drink beers and play the records and they got scratched all the time — and then I would go and buy another copy of the white Beatles album … I never liked vinyl because there was always so much noise.'
Article content
Article content
But he remains faithful to his era.
Article content
'I don't listen to that much modern stuff anymore, but I have to take my hat off to Taylor Swift. She broke all the records that I ever knew about in the industry. I kind of joke on stage now that I've survived into the Taylor Swift era and it makes me very proud.'
Article content
'To have a new album out at this age in my life and have the tremendous reviews that I've gotten — it's like people, and the critics, have been very kind to this album. I'm very happy about this at my age.'
Article content
Article content
A Few Good Moments also reveals a bookend to his life. Cummings shot the cover photo.
Article content
'It was 1970. The big clock you see I bought on tour in the Maritimes, I think Halifax. The small clock was my mother's alarm clock through her whole entire adult life. The watch in the middle — I got for being on The Dating Game and not getting picked — so there you go.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
25 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Review: Blueridge festival honours 'Three Queens' with special concert
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. It hardly seems possible, but one of Vancouver's newer classical endeavours, the Blueridge Chamber Music Festival, is now in its fifteenth season of using innovative, quality music to enliven late summer. This year a quartet of concerts clearly defined the festival's mission: a program of works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an almost forgotten star of the late Victorian era; a program of very demanding music by the dean of contemporary German composers, Helmut Lachenmann; and a program of new works by local composers Jordan Nobles, Jennifer Butler, and Mary Jane Coomber. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Particularly noteworthy was the Aug. 13 concert, held downtown in The Annex, dubbed 'Three Queens,' which focused on music of Violet Archer, Jean Coulthard, and Barbara Pentland, important Canadian women who died within a few weeks of each other in 2000. Blueridge commemorated the 25th anniversary of their passing with an unusually well-curated event, combining performances of Coulthard's three piano trios with Archer's final string quartet and Pentland's 1983 Piano Quintet. Although these exemplary works were written within a fifteen-year period by composers in late maturity, three very different and still underrated musical personalities were revealed. Coulthard's Lyric Trio launched the program, an elegant, often touching piece of great appeal. Two members of the Microcosmos String Quartet, violinist Andrea Siradze and cellist Zolton Roszy joined Coulthard specialist pianist Jocelyn Lai in a performance that was as fresh as it was charming. Lai gets the balance between lush lyricism, sparkling keyboard figurations, and formal rigour just right. To conclude the first half of the program, the same performers tackled Coulthard's one-movement Legend of the Snows, an evocative proposition created for a trio of young Canadian musicians, Desmond Hoebig, Gwen Hoebig, and Jon Kimura Parker, who all went on to have sterling careers. The second half began with another Coulthard trio, The Birds of Lansdowne, played by violinist Marc Destrubé, cellist Zoltan Rozsnyai, and pianist Jane Hayes. This is something of a sport in the extensive Coulthard catalogue, a work suggested by the avian paintings of J. Fenwick Lansdowne that weaves recorded birdsong through the musical textures. While ultimately a minor Coulthard, it demonstrates the concern for the environmental issues, which became an ongoing thread in her later compositions and certainly appeals to green-conscious listeners. Archer's Third String Quartet, heard in the first half of the concert, is an intense and ambitious proposition. Archer's early works often demonstrate her lineage as a student of Hindemith; her third quartet takes up where Bartók's celebrated series of quartets leaves off. The work has a certain austerity, pandering to neither players nor audience, but what a finely thought out work, and what a strong, committed performance by the Microcosmos. The program ended with one of Barbara Pentland's last works, her Piano Quartet, yet another work of outstanding quality. Pentland was one of the few women to participate in and learn from the famous Darmnstadt summer music sessions, and for about a quarter century her music reflected the then-potent influence of Anton Webern. By the 1980s as the serial ice age was melting into postmodernism, Pentland found a more relaxed, richer idiom, rife with exceptional textures. The quartet still counts as 'difficult' by many standards, but despite a certain loquaciousness it's always impressive, and was performed with integrity and high style by the Microcosmos with the third pianist of the evening, Manuel Laufer, an evening that defines the value and rewards of a festival setting. Concert three of this year's Blueridge festival is Lachenmann at 90, tonight, Aug. 14. The festival winds up Friday, Aug. 15, with Happy Blueridge Birthday. Both programs run at 7 p.m. at The Annex. Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances.
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
VUONG: Not one more tax dollar to TIFF until they find their moral compass
A Toronto resident takes a picture of the TIFF logo during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, Photo by Chris Pizzello / THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS TIFF can't seem to get its story straight. Usually, this is a sign that someone is not telling the truth. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account On Aug. 12, Hollywood news site Deadline broke the news that TIFF uninvited Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich from screening his documentary, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue . This heroic story, which was first covered by 60 Minutes , is one that should inspire anyone who cares about family, duty, and the triumph of good over evil. It follows retired soldier and Israeli veteran Noam Tibon who set out to rescue his two granddaughters on Oct. 7, 2023 and saved, along the way, survivors of the Nova music festival massacre and helped wounded soldiers. In response to Deadline, a TIFF spokesperson claimed 'conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sorry, whose clearance? The film includes self-recorded footage from designated terror group Hamas, is that who TIFF is worried about? Terrorists? Never mind the fact that the footage should fall under 'fair dealing' or that it has already been used in other films and art installations, including the Nova exhibition that just wrapped up in Toronto in June. Does TIFF recognize who they are siding with? Hamas has been on Canada's terror list since 2002 and, on Oct. 7, 2023, they murdered over 1,200 innocent people, including eight Canadians. Following the justified Canadian and international outrage, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey issued a statement on Aug. 13 to try and shift the narrative with a new story regarding alleged 'claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false.' This is called a Red Herring. 'Sure the economy is bad, but the real issue is crime (please stop talking about our economic record)!' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Contrast this with TIFF's response last year following their announcement on Sept. 10, 2024 to screen Russian propaganda film, Russians at War , that was protested by Ukrainian Canadians for whitewashing their soldiers' actions in Ukraine: Sept. 11 — TIFF released a statement defending the film and affirming their commitment to artistic expression and free speech Sept. 12 — TIFF pauses screenings of the film Sept. 17 — TIFF resumes screenings of Russians at War and is shown outside of the official festival dates to accommodate for the pause One can't help but notice the stark difference in how TIFF conducted itself in response to these two films. They stood up for one and found a way to screen it, even going outside of last year's festival dates, and cut another on not only the flimsiest of reasons but also the most morally repugnant. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. So what is the real reason for TIFF uninviting a Canadian filmmaker from screening his documentary about an Israeli grandfather saving his family and rescuing countless other innocent civilians? Is it inherent antisemitism within their ranks as some people have alleged? If they're worried about safety, bowing to the hateful mob all but guarantees disruptions. If this is a matter of art and freedom of expression, then the consistent response would have been for TIFF to defend and screen both films. Read More If not, just what are our tax dollars, from all levels of government, funding? If it's not art and it is not supporting Canadian filmmakers like Barry Avrich, then what is the return on investment? As of right now, the ROI is trending negative with TIFF's actions being mocked on the New York Post 's Aug. 14 front-page cover. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. They have caused Toronto and Canada immeasurable reputational damage as its decision appearing to side with a designated terrorist group is ridiculed around the world. Until TIFF finds their moral compass again or, at a bare minimum, can provide films centered on democracies with the same treatment as they do those from authoritarian regimes, not a single taxpayer dollar should fund the festival. — Kevin Vuong is a proud Torontonian, entrepreneur, and military reserve officer. He was previously the Member of Parliament for Toronto's Spadina-Fort York community, which is where the Toronto International Film Festival is headquartered. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls World Columnists
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Move over, brat green, Taylor Swift's new album has big brands seeing orange
Taylor Swift's upcoming album release and her love of all things orange isn't lost on her fans – or brands that are seeking a ride on what has become an enormous economic tailwind. On Wednesday after Swift went on the 'New Heights' podcast co-hosted by her boyfriend and NFL football star Travis Kelce to announce the imminent release of her 12th studio album 'The Life of a Showgirl,' major companies went into marketing overdrive. The reason? Swift's ability to generate buzz and draw dollars. Swift's tour appearances have become economic events. The singer's Eras Tour two years ago was the first such tour to cross the billion-dollar mark, according to Pollstar's 2023 year-end charts. Cities and their surrounding areas registered a sizeable economic boost after Swift appeared, with thousands of fans making the pilgrimage and spending money at hotels, restaurants and elsewhere. Companies are no longer waiting to capitalize on Swift's gravitational pull and orange-themed memes from big brands began rolling out almost immediately. That is because Swift appeared onstage wearing orange numerous times towards the end of her Eras Tour and she discussed her feelings about the color on the Wednesday podcast. Numerous corporations, from United Airlines to Olive Garden, began posting orange hued memes on their own social media accounts soon after the new album was announced. Shake Shack, FedEx, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cinnabon, Walmart and Netflix did, too. More than a dozen NHL teams followed with posts on social media acknowledging Swift's new album, both north and south of the border. Even X got in on the action, declaring that it had a new profile pic: a glittery orange X. The post has garnered 5.5 million views so far. Google is using its search engine to celebrate the October release of Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl.' Users search for 'Taylor Swift,' are greeted with a stream of orange digital confetti, along with a flaming orange heart and the phrase, 'And, baby, that's show business for you.' Here's what we know about Taylor Swift's new album, The Life of a Showgirl Many, it seemed, saw value in tying their brand to Swift. Swift mentioned during the Wednesday podcast that she had Lasik eye surgery. The X account for wasted no time promoting the fortuitous namedrop. 'i got LASIK, i have incredible vision,' they posted, accompanied by a video of Swift giving a shout out to the procedure on the 'New Heights' podcast. 'TAYLOR SWIFT EVERYONE (red heart emoji). WE'VE PEEKED!!!!!!!!' The post currently has more than 389,000 views and 15,000 likes.
