Looking at the forecast earlier in this week, I started working on Bruce Cockburn's "Coldest Night of the Year" for the Open Mic night at River City Revival House last night.
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RE: https://mstdn.ca/@yegwxnerdery/116097616268782727
Looking at the forecast earlier in this week, I started working on Bruce Cockburn's "Coldest Night of the Year" for the Open Mic night at River City Revival House last night. I even figured out lyric substitutions to turn the Toronto references into Edmonton ones (the sun rises over the Sherwood Park horizon, not the Scarborough one, and Whyte Avenue, not Yonge Street, is where the punks play and the bikers dance).
I eventually decided there was no way I'd learn that song well enough in two days to perform it, but that's just as well because it wasn't actually the coldest night of the winter.
Well, I guess it was still the coldest night of 2026 so far. But it didn't actually feel that bad on my (brief, well-dressed for the weather) walks to & from bus stops: there was very little wind. At one point my phone was saying it was -29°C where I was but only "felt like" -24!
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RE: https://mstdn.ca/@yegwxnerdery/116097616268782727
Looking at the forecast earlier in this week, I started working on Bruce Cockburn's "Coldest Night of the Year" for the Open Mic night at River City Revival House last night. I even figured out lyric substitutions to turn the Toronto references into Edmonton ones (the sun rises over the Sherwood Park horizon, not the Scarborough one, and Whyte Avenue, not Yonge Street, is where the punks play and the bikers dance).
I eventually decided there was no way I'd learn that song well enough in two days to perform it, but that's just as well because it wasn't actually the coldest night of the winter.
Well, I guess it was still the coldest night of 2026 so far. But it didn't actually feel that bad on my (brief, well-dressed for the weather) walks to & from bus stops: there was very little wind. At one point my phone was saying it was -29°C where I was but only "felt like" -24!
PS, the final set list for my time on stage was:
- Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Blue on Black" (a song I learned at the suggestion of one of the guitar players from the Sunday jam, but with him not there it was a stripped down bluesy arrangement for voice & bass, minus all the guitar solos)
- Bill Wither's "Lean on Me"
- A sassy little number of mine called "Call Me When You're Sober";
- "Give It To Me", another original, a steady groove with accelerating lyrics which were heavily inspired by the fact that I was learning "Lean on Me" at the time.
After having played only at jams the past few weeks, it was really relaxing to just get up on stage & play my songs the way I've been practising them at home.
Revival is also a great place for an open mic on a cold, quiet night (and not just because it's easy for me to get there on the bus). The only people there are those really interested in the music, and everyone is so glad when someone new shows up!
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PS, the final set list for my time on stage was:
- Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Blue on Black" (a song I learned at the suggestion of one of the guitar players from the Sunday jam, but with him not there it was a stripped down bluesy arrangement for voice & bass, minus all the guitar solos)
- Bill Wither's "Lean on Me"
- A sassy little number of mine called "Call Me When You're Sober";
- "Give It To Me", another original, a steady groove with accelerating lyrics which were heavily inspired by the fact that I was learning "Lean on Me" at the time.
After having played only at jams the past few weeks, it was really relaxing to just get up on stage & play my songs the way I've been practising them at home.
Revival is also a great place for an open mic on a cold, quiet night (and not just because it's easy for me to get there on the bus). The only people there are those really interested in the music, and everyone is so glad when someone new shows up!
And coldest night or not, it was still plenty cold enough to create fancy frost patterns on my windows when I opened up curtains this morning. With a variety of old window styles in various states of draftiness, plus extra insulation panels as needed, I get quite a variety of different frost styles. Details in the alt text.
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And coldest night or not, it was still plenty cold enough to create fancy frost patterns on my windows when I opened up curtains this morning. With a variety of old window styles in various states of draftiness, plus extra insulation panels as needed, I get quite a variety of different frost styles. Details in the alt text.
@AmeliasBrain
It's such a pretty morning. And it was comfortable enough fr me heading out to plug in the car. I could have used a midday walk, but didn't plan my day accordingly. -
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