Welcome to my world.

After a few short weeks and after some enthusiastic reports about how well things were going, Harpin’ Norm Lucien has decided to end his involvement as host at Hirut for the two open stages I created there Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. While it would appear that the Wednesday event that I started in December 2011 is now kaput, popular East York songwriter and open stage host Nicola Vaughan has stepped in to say she’ll be hosting the Sunday 3-6 shows, starting today.

Norm said in announcing on Friday that he’s abandoning the hosting role that it was because “I haven’t been able to generate the interest needed to keep the Hirut Howls viable.” While I also struggled with sparse attendance at times, that wasn’t why I quit on the afternoon of Sun. January 27. (Any experienced host knows that an event’s popularity will ebb and flow and that consistency is the key to success.) I walked out after an argument with one of the owners (not Hirut) and Norm stepped into take over the event that very afternoon. (Perhaps if people had just stayed away for a bit things would have gotten resolved between me the club and I’d still be doing both nights, but that’s water under the bridge.)

Norm brought his own style to the events and created some magical moments while doing it. But it’s also hard work, as he perhaps now more appreciates.
I’d expect Nicola will generate more than her fair share of great times and superb music on Sunday afternoons as well. Perhaps she’d also considering taking over the mid-week show and moving it to another night, since she’s already spoken for Wednesdays, when she hosts a pretty popular open mic night on the ground floor at the Black Swan.