[Harp-L] Sweet sounds of summer

[Headly Westerfield <headlyw@xxxxxxxxx>]

http://torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Warmington_Joe/2005/07/20/1139604.html

July 20, 2005

Sweet sounds of summer

By JOE WARMINGTON

This is the kind of thing that makes me happy so I often wonder why they 
call it the blues.

The only thing missing at this reunion will be John Belushi himself. But 
with the original Ghostbuster involved, who knows, he just might be there.

Yes, veteran publicist Richard Flohil was telling me last night that 
legendary Donnie Walsh and his harmonica will join Blues Brothers Dan 
Aykroyd and Jim Belushi on stage tomorrow night at Casino Rama, the first 
of a two-night stay for the guys on a "Mission from God."

Donnie Walsh up on stage with the Blues Brothers, with his harp! You see. 
I'm smiling. I'm not unhappy or blue about about that! Maybe that music 
should be called The Smiles.

Seriously, for fans it's definitely historic in that it was Donnie and the 
Downchild Blues Band who inspired the original Blues Brothers' act on 
Saturday Night Live back in the 1970s. It all started when John Belushi was 
with Aykroyd in a Toronto club and said, "Hey, what's that music?"

Aykroyd laughed. "I told him it was Donnie Walsh and Downchild; the best," 
Aykroyd told David Letterman on CBS' Late Show last month.

For his part, Walsh got a big kick out of the plug.

"It was pretty neat he did that on Letterman," Walsh said last night 
enroute to his home north of Peterborough. "He's always given us the nod -- 
they are absolutely great guys."

But until tomorrow night, Walsh has never played with them and still gets a 
kick out of the fact that the Blues Brothers first album covered Downchild 
songs Shotgun Blues, I've Got Everything I Need -- Almost and Flip Flop and 
Fly.

"I actually went up to see them at Casino Rama last time," says Donnie. "I 
told Danny that when I saw him a couple of weeks ago and he said, why don't 
you come up and play?"

It will happen at Casino Rama tomorrow night.

Now, I am not sure how the Blues Brothers will get to the gig but I am 
thinking they should arrive in a 1957 Caddy -- like the one owned by John 
Cusimano, of Mississauga, who does occassionally rent it out. For the most 
part it's his own hobby -- a car he's had for almost three decades. The car 
was recently used in the filming of Ben Affleck's Truth, Justice and The 
American Way but I still think it would make a great Bluesmobile.

Have you got the Smiles? Well how about this one? Starting last night at 
The Drake Hotel on Queen West in Parkdale, Sass Jordan began her summer 
stint on stage.

And Rock-it promotions Debra Goldblatt tells me if you missed it you can 
still catch the Canadian Idol judge and Canadian music star any Tuesday 
until Sept. 6. Sass is not the only Canadian Idol to get a part-time job. 
Yes, that was Ben Mulroney on doing the morning show with Larry and Maurie 
on JACK FM.

Hey, if you are in the mood to play some live music but don't have a band, 
my pals Donn Woods (bass), Norah Wallachy (keyboard), drummer Terry 
Kavanaugh and wicked guitar player Robert Mahler of the band Scavenger have 
moved their famous Jammoake over to the Cabbage Patch Pub and Grill on 
Parliament St. in Cabbagetown on Tuesday nights.

"Come on down and play with us," says Woods. One who has is Ernie Hum -- a 
maintenance worker by day and a wild harmonica player on the stage by night.

Anybody can get up and play. Who knows, maybe Mick and Keith will drop by?

For her part, pub owner Dana Lefkimmiatis, a mom of three, is trying to 
revive live music in Cabbagetown and will feature acts six nights a week. 
Dana, herself, is an interesting story. She was a medical technician prior 
to owning the pub. "It was my husband's dream," she says. She's laughing 
now. "He walked away and I got stuck with the club. But I'm enjoying it and 
I'm here for the long haul."


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