November 6th, 2010

I was very glad to be on hand for the fundraiser for John in Spaniard's Bay, Newfoundland, on Nov. 6th. The show was organized by John's daughter Katherine and good friend David Fitzpatrick. Katherine and Dave are both superb musicians, and they and their families have been friends of my family and I for ages - in fact, David's brother Greg (also in attendance) has been a close friend of my Dad's since they were both young children.

Many of John's family and friends were in attendance, and I personally got to see some good folks that I hadn't seen for years, as well as meet some great people I hadn't met before. This short pictorial is intended to allow you, John's supporters, to meet them all, and to see what a great time we had celebrating the success of the overall fundraising effort. We're not quite there yet, but it's almost a done deal!

The man of the hour, John Reid. This is the man who made his home a rehearsal space and hangout for his sons and I when we started playing music as teenagers. It's safe to say that without his support (in addition, of course, to that of my parents), I may likely have not become a musician.

This is John's lovely and talented daughter, Katherine, in performance - she's a talented singer/songwriter, as is Dave Fitzpatrick (background). Together, these two made this event happen, from idea, to plan, to execution. Kudos to Dave and Katie!

Dave and John-boy! When the neighborhood kids and I started playing, John hired Dave, a veteran of the Canadian music scene, to coach us on everything from our writing and arranging to our individual technique and musicianship. A couple of years later, they took us to a local studio to record the fruits of those efforts. A very valuable educational experience to say the least! Dave used his extensive network to help assemble the night's excellent roster of performers.

Myself and John. I obviously recieved a warm welcome from everyone who knew about Wavelore's efforts for the cause, but this guy is the reason I made the drive to Spaniard's Bay (a stone's throw from Bay Roberts, our hometown when I was school-aged); We sat together most of the night and drank untold amounts of beer - Just what we both needed :)

Some of John's siblings and in-laws. From Left: Sister Gaylia, Gaylia's boyfirend Joe, sister in law Maxine, two friends of Maxine's, Maxine's husband (John's brother) Wallace, and brother in law Dwight. Fabulous people, through and through.

The Fitzpatrick Family. The elderly couple in front are Joe and Audrey. They spent most of the night on the dance floor, supporting the cause and whooping it up! Behind Audrey is Greg, David's brother and my father's childhood friend and another great musician who you'll see on stage shortly.

John with two of his sisters Colleen and Syreathia, and brother in law Dwight.

John with his old work buddy Boyd and his wife Karren.

The couple at center are Maureen and Aubrey Mercer. At right is their son Joel, and at left is Joel's Girfriend Eugena. The Mercers were my family's neighbors in Bay Roberts between 1985 and 1993. I had seen Joel occasionaly over the years, but it was the first time I had the chance to speak to his folks for a very long time.

The night's first performer, Larry Seymour. As a guitarist, I was impressed and intrigued by Larry's uncanny ability to bend multiple strings under one finger, and to have each string land perfectly in tune on its target (Sounds kinda like what the Pedal Steel does, huh? ;); I'm mostly a rock/blues player, and when I "squash" two or more strings like that, it's usually with the intention of creating a cacophonous "hendrixian" howl or scream. Couldn't do it the way he does if I tried!

The night's second performer, the lovely and talented Juanita Lidster.

This is the hilarious and multi-talented Ian Chipman. I met Ian in 2003 when he and Dave and I played together in a project, culminating in a performance at the enormous Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival. When I arrived at the Kozy-Glo, I didn't know he'd be there. Imagine my surprise when instead of grabbing a bass (the instrument I know him as a player of), he sat at the drums and held down a solid, tasty groove for most of the night!

This is Ward Pike, one of Newfoundland and Labrador's finest guitarists. He was a shredder of sorts in the late '80's/early '90's, and has since mellowed out somewhat. That said, when he feels like it, he can still scare the pants off ya with a blistering Ricky Scaggs-like pickin' frenzy!.

And then came "Fitz and Chips"! This is the Dave Fitz, (guitar), brother Greg Fitz (keys), Ian Chipman (drums), and Ian's dad Rod. VERY solid band.

"Fitz and Chips and Gravy" is the band in the previous picture with the addition of two amazing and important veterans of Newfoundland's music scene: Lew Skinner and Fred Humber. This was an amazing set!

Fred Humber, with Lew Skinner in the Background.

Dave and Katherine performing some original work. These two collaborated on a song for John's cause entitled "Liberation (Get Up)", which is available at Fitz's reverbnation store. All proceeds from the sale of this song go to the John Reid Liberation Fund, and the boys are also donatig 50% of sales of their merchandise, so get over there and buy the song for just a Buck, and grab as much other stuff as your heart desires!

John again, this time somewhat more sinister looking (We both got pretty sinister by the time the beers took hold!).

Dave and Rod backing up Christine Saunders on the accordian. Chris was a friend of my dad way back when they were teens.

Even though I hit Spaniard's Bay to celebrate, and had put off multiple invitations to play, it turned out I would have to play the guitar hero at some point in the night. Here I am with Dave backing up Terri-Lynn Eddy and her amazing guitarist and backup singer Renee Batten. I'm quite sure I've never heard such an accurate and gorgeous pair of voices sing together EVER. Their performances are truly breathtaking. I just hope I didn't spoil it for them ;) Hear for yourself: http://www.terrilynneddy.com/

Dave Fitz and the Fabulous ms. Batten.

Dave gets behind the drums for the first time of the night. That guy can play anything, but if you asked him what his forte was, he wouldn't hesitate to say, "DRUUUUMMMMS!" Ian looks more familiar to me with the ol' bass strapped on :)

Yours truly again, getting increasingly comfortable in my new rock-star role. Not hard to be comfortable when you turn around to see that your B+D are Ian and Dave! Add terri-Lynn and Renee out front, and, well, no prob! And that's to say nothing of this guy....

Greg Fitz, layin' down the keys and harmonies like nobody's bidness.

From the earlier Fitz and Chips and Gravy set, this shot seems to make a good closer - as if it was taken toward the end of the night...

And that concludes or celebratory pictorial of the John Reid Liberation Fundraiser of Nov. 6, 2010. Don't forget that the Wavelore sale in support of John's MS surgery is on until Dec. 1st. Boundless thanks to everyone who has made an order or donated directly to John's fund. If you haven't availed of the deal, please feel free to return to Wavelore Home to find the order button. You can donate directly to the John Reid Liberation Fund at This Site.

Many Thanks to John, Katherine, Dave, Greg, and all the great musicians, family and friends for a Wonderful Evening!

©2007-2012 Wavelore Instruments. KONTAKT is a registered trademark of NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Software Synthesis GmbH.