We are beginning a year that has personal meaning to me as it’s been 30 years that Gary 17 has been waiting for this one and I can safely predict that all of us are only going to experience one year ending in ’17.

And I don’t want to see it spoiled by any nonsensical and unfair year-shaming or annum-blaming when bad things happen!

In Mexico they celebrate an annual Day of The Dead —but for many of us in the rest of North America we seem to have just endured a Year of The Dead.  And many of us would gladly dance on the grave of this annus horribilis 2016 that has seen us lose so many icons musical and otherwise, as well as others not well known but who are near and dear to us.

During the past few months it seems to have become popular to anthropomorphize the year, at least as far as 2016 is concerned.  I have no doubt that one of the top ten phrases repeated on social media this year has been “Fuck You 2016!” in connection with people learning the news that someone they cared about had passed away.

But 2016 didn’t kill David Bowie, Natalie Cole, Prince, Paul Kantner, Leonard Cohen, Carrie Fisher, George Michael, Buckwheat Zydeco, Debbie Reynolds, Leon Russell nor any of those many here closer to home who shed the mortal coil during the last 365 days.  They died of a variety of causes that had nothing to do with the calendar.

Years don’t kill people.  Cancer kills people.  People kill people.  Time kills people.  Life kills people!  Hell, being born is a death sentence and that Life which you say you love so much is a serial killer of unparalleled proportions!

Get used to it.  Our icons are dying because the truly great heroes of mass culture all came to prominence in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, before the internet and social media created a world in which everyone and no one is a star.  They occupy a unique place in the constellations of our lives.  And for those of us in our 60s, 50s, 40s and even 30s, those “big brother/sister” figures a bit older than us, and even many of our contemporaries, are increasingly subject to the inevitability of death.

I can safely predict that as far as losing people we treasure, 2017 is going to be at least as bad and probably a lot worse than 2016.  You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

A lot of people are going to die in 2017, many of them who are important to you.  Some of them you will know personally and others you will have regarded as celebrity role models.  Some passings will seem appropriate —the departed one’s time was simply up; many others will seem way premature and unfair.  In many of these latter instances particularly, we will feel anguished and angry and we will want to lash out.  And by all means do so.

Lash out at cancer.  Lash out at addictions.  Lash out at violence, at human stupidity and carelessness and even at happenstance, at the quirks of fate that sometimes befall and fell us for seemingly no good reason at all.  But don’t lash out at ’17!

Because when someone you care about dies this year, it won’t be good ol’ ‘17’s fault.  So stop the year-shaming and annum-blaming and let’s get on with living instead of railing against something no one can control.

Let’s make that a resolution that we keep whatever the year ahead brings.

-Gary 17, TorontoMoon.ca

SHOW LISTINGS for Sunday, January 01, 2022

Listings are organized by area in which shows take place and listed chronologically within each area field.

Listings preceded by an asterisk (*) are repeating weekly events. (Double asterisk indicates repeating event with different hosts/guest/etc.). Events preceded by question mark (?) usually take place but have not been confirmed. Admission prices followed by a slash and minus (/-) after the amount indicates door charge with availability of cheaper rates for some purchases. /+ indicates stated price is minimum.

Names of subscribers appear in bold, are underlined and, where applicable, include a live link to their websites. Advertisers’ listings are in larger highlighted type, include live link to website and also have ad icon included in listings.

 

416 – TORONTO CENTRAL

11am-2pm> The Horables for Jewish brunch buffet @ Free Times Café, 320 College St., TO

2> Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz

*4-7> Dave & Skeets @ Graffiti’s, 170 Baldwin St. TO ~East Coast Rock/Blues Roots

*4:30-8> New Orleans Connection All Stars & guests @ Grossman’s, 379 Spadina Ave., TO ~New Orleans Jazz

8> Freeman Dre & The Kitchen Party @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz; $

*8> jam/open mic with backline & host band Meg and the Scene @ The Antler Room, 146 Front St. W., TO

8-10> The Arc Sound @ Trinity Common, 303 Augusta Ave., TO

*10> Horshack feat. Chris Caddell @ Orbit Room, 580 College St., TO ~Bluesy contemporary & classic Rock

**10> Blues jam @ Grossman’s, 379 Spadina Ave., TO

416 – TORONTO EAST

*3-6> open mic with Nicola Vaughan @ Hirut, 2050 Danforth Ave., TO East

4> The Layrite Boys @ Castro’s Lounge, 2116 Queen St. E., TO East ~Bluegrass/alt-Country

*4:30-8:30> jam @ Black Bear Pub, 1125 O’Connor Drive, TO East

7-11> Jerome Tucker Band @ Linsmore Tavern, 1298 Danforth Ave, TO East ~R&B/Blues

416 – TORONTO ETOBICOKE

*10-2> jam with Rebecca Matiesen & Phoenix @ Southside Johnny’s, 3653 Lake Shore Blvd. W., Etobicoke South

416 – TORONTO SCARBOROUGH

*7-11> open jam with host Billy Zee @ McGradie’s, 2167 Victoria Park Ave., Scarborough

8-12> acoustic jam with hosts Tommy Rocker & John Robbie @ Al Mac’s, 2459 Kingston Rd., Scarborough

416 – TORONTO WEST

4> Taxi Chain @ Cadillac Lounge, 1296 Queen St. W., TO West ~original Celtic/Rock fusion

**5-8> John Borra & Sam Ferrara w. guest @ The Communist’s Daughter, 1149 Dundas St. W. TO West ~Country

5-8> Chris Coole & Ivan Rosenberg @ The Local, 396 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~old-time Country Roots

6> Sam Dickinson @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St., TO West ~Jazz; pwyc

8:30> Marika Galea @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St., TO West ~Jazz; pwyc

9> Pigeonhawk Stringband @ The Local, 396 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~old-time Country

*10> The Mercenaries @ Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave., TO West ~retro Rock/Soul; $10

519

*3-7> acoustic open mic with Scott Rhodes @ The Pick and Shovel, 30 Water St., Cambridge

*9-1> jam @ Ivy Arms Pub, 201 Main Street East, Milton

*10-2> open mic with Nathan Coles @ Jimmy Jazz, 52 Macdonnell St., Guelph

705

3> Bluegrass Menagerie feat. Mathew Fines @ Black Horse Pub, 452 George St. N., Peterborough

2> Washboard Hank hosts New Year’s Day Levee @ The Garnet, 231 Hunter St., W., Peterborough

905 EAST

*8:30-12:30> karaoke with The English Rose & The Mad Scotsman @ Pearson Pub, 101 Mary St. W. Whitby

*10> Another Round @ Tartan Tavern, 555 Rossland Rd. E., Oshawa ~Pop Rock

905 WEST

*4-7> Glenn Groves @ The Purple Heather, 3600 Dundas St. W., Burlington ~Country

**4:30-8> The Stew hosts New Year’s Day levee & Hogmanay party @ Mulligan’s, 2458 Dundas St. W., Mississauga ~R&B/Rock

**7-11> The Nomads @ Shore Grill, 71 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit ~Pop Rock

*8> open mic night with house band featuring Mike Shotton, Tim & Dave Johns @ Black Swan Burlington, 4040 Palladium Way, Burlington

*10:30> Adam Cooke & The Adams Family @ The Dickens, 423 Elizabeth St., Burlington

-Copyright © 2017 by Gary “17” Webb-Proctor & TorontoMoon,ca. All Rights Reserved