Rock and Roll legend Levon Helm near death says family

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Stephen Pate

The authentic voice behind the songs, the beat and one of the singers in The Band is in the final stages of cancer

Levon Helm at the Fredericton Harvest Blues and Jazz Festival 2011 (photo Stephen Pate)

Three hours ago his family posted this message on Facebook.

“Dear Friends,
Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey. …

Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration… he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage…

We appreciate all the love and support and concern.

From his daughter Amy, and wife Sandy”

Update - Rock musician Levon Helm passes away

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3 Editions of Windows 8 announced

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Stephen Pate

The number of SKUs will be simplified at launch this fall – two on Intel computers and one for ARM mobile devices

Windows 8 Metro home (picture NJN Network)

On the Windows Blog Microsoft announced the three versions of Windows 8 that will ship, greatly simplifying the choice for consumers and business.

Windows 8 will be the consumer product. Enthusiasts and organization with networking will likely purchase Windows 8 Pro. You won’t be able to buy Windows RT: it’s an OEM version for manufacturers of tablets, smart phones and other devices. Continue reading →

Review – Acer T231H Touch Monitor for Windows 8

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Acer T231H bmid is the only reasonably priced monitor capable of multi-touch with Windows 8

Acer T231H Windows 7 and 8 touch monitor

Surprisingly the Acer T231H bmid is the only $300 monitor that delivers a multi-touch in Windows 7.

Once I started using this monitor, it was hard to give it up, so I bought another one to replace an old Samsung.

There is only a small cost premium over a non-touch monitor. Continue reading →

Hip Hop Producer JR Rotem Prefers Sonar recording software

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Stephen Pate

The acclaimed producer of artists like Rihanna (SOS), Sean Kingston (Beautiful Girls), Leona Willis (Better in Time) started on Sonar recording software and still prefers it to ProTools

JR Rotem with his famous clients (Ethan Miller / Frederick M. Brown / Michael Tullberg, Getty Images)

J.R. Rotem has hit the charts with a recognizable sound for his hip-hop clients.

Surprisingly in a world where ProTools is the professional digital recording software (DAW) of choice, JR Rotem actually likes the sound he gets from Sonar.

He has produced mega hits Rihanna (‘SOS), Sean Kingston (‘Beautiful Girls’ and ‘Take You There’), Leona Lewis (‘Better In Time’), Iyaz (‘Replay’), Jason Derülo (‘Watcha Say’ ‘In My Head’), Nicki Minaj (‘Fly’), and others. Most of those hits were recorded using Sonar DAW software.

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Ron Hynes – 30 For 60 – a Hail Mary bet

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Canada’s Man of a Thousand Songs hits a genuine note

“Stealing Genius” which contains “30 for 60″ is a great gem for Newfoundlanders and people who wish they were Newfoundlanders – which pretty much takes up most of mankind.

The phrase “30 for 60″ means an all-out-bid in the Irish game of Forty-Five’s (45′s). When your down in the game, it’s a Hail Mary bid to beat your opponent with a 60 point upside or downside.

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Happy Easter

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Easter Rose, (Hellibore) in my brothers garden

From Fransen to her Flickr friends on Easter.
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Bonnie Raitt Right Down The Line video

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Stephen Pate

The official video from “Slipstream” is in the open

Slipstream, which ships on April 10, 2012, is Bonnie Raitt’s 16th studio album and the first in 7 years.
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Review – Bonnie Raitt CD “Slipstream” arriving April 10th

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Stephen Pate

First record in 7 years and tour puts blues guitarist and sultry singer Bonnie Raitt front and center

After a 7 year recording drought, Bonnie Raitt returns with her new CD “Slipstream” on April 10, 2012.

“Slipstream” is a soulful and fun romp through the blues and ballads by one of America’s musical treasures.

Slipstream is available for pre-order from Amazon.com. Check out the details at the end of this article. Continue reading →

Jim Marshall father of loud rock dies

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Stephen Pate

James Charles Marshall the founder of Marshall guitar amps died at 88 years

Jim Marshall of Marshall amps - the sound of rock and roll (photo credit Damien Maguire)

James Charles “Jim” Marshall OBE (July 29, 1923 – April 5, 2012) was a man with poor health, a musician and business person.

In the 1960s he created the Marshall guitar amp and changed the volume of rock music forever.

He died on April 5, 2012 at a hospice in London, UK surrounded by his wife and four children. Continue reading →

After The Rain

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Stephen Pate

After the Rain tiny fungi poke their pure white heads out of decaying matter. (Fransen, Flickr)

Stop blaming the Baby Boomers

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Stephen Pate

The hand-wringing over aging populations is too-little but not too late

We built this economy (photo credit - Jesselangham Wikiality)

Every day we are being told the problems of Canada and the United States are too many aging Baby Boomers.

It’s as if they want us to move onto an ice flow and disappear in the Arctic spring.

Well, it’s not our fault if we built the strongest economic boom in history. Through hard work we provided the great standard of living our children would like to inherit without the same amount of effort. Continue reading →