Updates: January - March 2001
March 19, 2001 - You may recall when The Green Room got a good review in the Globe and Mail, which is considered a bit of an honour in Canadian literary circles. What an honour it must be, then, to write a good review in the Globe and Mail. That's just what Moe Berg has done, reviewing Coke Machine Glow, the new book of poetry by beloved Tragically Hip frontman/lyricist Gord Downie. Take a look at it here.
March 18, 2001 - After a false start or two, it looks like Canadian book monolith Chapters is carrying The Green Room on shelves and online. You can order (and post a review of) Moe's book by heading here. Keep in mind you can still get your copy online at MapleMusic.
March 15, 2001 - As we keep our fingers crossed for Moe Berg's solo album Summer's Over to turn up in mp3 form in the Moe/TPOH section of MapleMusic, neophytes can get a taste in stream form. "Pray For Heaven", "Angelique Is A Free Spirit" and "Drunk Again" are now available in high and low stream quality for the Windows Media Player on the MapleMusic Streaming Media page. Also available: "Kalendar", "Save the Whales" and "Young and In Love" from Where's the Bone and "Carmalina", "She's the Devil" and "The Truth" from The Wonderful World of the Pursuit of Happiness.
February 28, 2001 - In the new issue of the Canadian fashion magazine called, cleverly enough, Fashion, you'll find an article by none other than Moe about fashion in rock and pop music: the bands who don't care about what they wear, the ones who won't admit to caring about what they wear, the record label weasels who care a lot, and the guy who cared enough to wear the makeup and the Sally Jessy Raphael glasses. If you can't get your hands on a copy, you can check it out...wait for it...here! (But you'll miss all the great ways to wear beige this spring.)
February 9, 2001 - There's a nice little interview (featuring the unsettling phrase "when I was a songwriter") with Moe about his book and writing in general in the news section of MapleMusic here. By the way, the Green Room in the book's title is a tiny hangout around the corner from the Poor Alex theatre in the heart of the Annex area of Toronto. (Between this and the Tap and all those cafes on College he's written in, a map/bus tour may be in order someday.)
January 28, 2001 - Just in case you missed it elsewhere, the Moe Berg / TPOH section is now up at MapleMusic here. Along with providing a nice bio, this section gives you a chance to buy those two elusive Pursuit CDs released on Iron Music, Where's the Bone (Moe's favourite to write) and The Wonderful World of The Pursuit of Happiness. You can also find Moe's book The Green Room. Still to come is Moe's solo CD Summer's Over and any new solo songs he sees fit to make available on mp3.
January 21, 2001 - Certainly every Monteforte show is super-special, but the one last night was extra-ultra-super-special. Not only did it mark the 10th anniversary of the band (Brad From Halifax recalled how they were watching the Gulf War on television, and while the bombs were dropping, they wondered, "What can we, as musicians, as artists, do?"), but it also marked Bobby "the Crunch" Dupont's 41st birthday. The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern was festooned with balloons and streamers and the like, and near the end of the 1st set, Bobby was feted and pleasantly humiliated by a Marilyn Monroe singing telegram! Yet with all the festivities, there was still time to Rock. They brought back the old favourites "I Was Made For Loving You" and "You're the One That I Want" (the latter a Roxy-Brad duet) and added some brand new favourites: Greg Kihn's "The Breakup Song" (and they don't write 'em like that anymore, do they?), Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl," Bad English's "When I See You Smile" and perhaps the most recent song they've ever performed, Deadeye Dick's "New Age Girl." And of course, there were the classics, including "Bette Davis Eyes", "Tainted Love", "Papa Don't Preach", "Livin' On a Prayer" ("oo-ah-oo-ah-oo-woo-woo-ah"), "My Sharona", "S-a-t-u-r-d-a-y Night" and "Voices Carry" - in which Brad took the time to give shout-outs to some folks who were there from other parts of his life: his book club, his men's support group, and his group for purveyors of barely-legal pornography.
January 18, 2001 - Apologies for an incorrect report on the next event for Moe Berg the Author (remember him?). He'll be among those reading at the I.V. Lounge, on Dundas West across the street from the Art Gallery of Ontario, between 8 and 10 on the 26th, not the 19th as previously mentioned. But this is no mistake: publishers are now being sought for Moe's book The Green Room outside of Canada. If you know of a publisher that could be interested, feel free to pass on all applicable contact information here.
- Now to address the newest of Moe's creative roles: Moe the Theatrical Music Director. As was briefly noted earlier, he'll be the music director for the upcoming Toronto production of the off-Broadway rock musical phenomenon "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." For those who don't know, it's the simple tale of a German transsexual rock star dealing with a botched sex change operation, living in a Kansas trailer park, and just basically being fairly human. Playing Hedwig will be the brilliant Ted Dykstra, possibly best known for the hit show "Two Pianos, Four Hands" and being the husband of Pursuit Pal Melanie Doane. Moe's job in all this is putting together a kick-ass glam rock band to help Hedwig tell her story as it must be told. The production will be mounted, suitably enough, at Lee's Palace in Toronto starting in April. However, you may get a little taste of things February 2nd as that same venue hosts a benefit for the company putting on this production, Crow's Theatre. Glam rock covers will be doled out by a band including members of Pursuit Pals Robin Black and the Intergalactic Rock Stars. Moe will be sitting in, and some Hedwig cast members are slated to perform as well. For more information on all things Hedwig, head to the Toronto section of the fabulous site A Hedwig in a Box.
January 14, 2001 - If you're going to the big Monteforte show this Saturday night (and you know you are!), get there extra early for the opening band, Talladega, a scrappy bunch led by Stewart Whitehead, former bassist for Pursuit Pals the Grace Babies. Meanwhile, the two MF sets are slated to start at 10-ish and 11-ish. Still no word yet on whether there will be poles for dancing.
January 9, 2001 - We'd almost forgotten that among Brad Barker's varied personae is that of bassist for the lovely and only slightly more multi-talented Pursuit Pal Melanie Doane. He'll be back at Mel's side when she records an upcoming live album at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto January 17th and 18th. Both shows so far are 19 and over, and the album is slated to be available exclusively at (where else?) MapleMusic. (January 11: Both shows are 9:30pm. $10 at the door or try for free passes when you click Mel's link up there.)
January 7, 2001 - All you Monteforte fans take note: we just got a missive from Brad From Halifax about the upcoming rock extravaganza. Thanks, Brad, for always thinking of the people...
Good day, Brad From Halifax here, giving a shout out to all the Montyheads out there.
I know the IC webmaster has been nice enough to inform ya'all about the upcoming Monteforte show at the Horseshoe on the 20th. It's also been mentioned that it's on Inauguration Day in the U.S. What America celebrating their birthday has to do with anything, I'm not sure, but I hope lots of you come out.
We should have a bunch of new material written - I mean learned - for the gig and now that Bobby ("the Crunch" Dupont, our serviceable drummer) has dropped his lawsuit against the rest of us, it should be the first gig in a long time we don't have to "fake" the good times.
God bless you all and see you down front,
Brad from Halifax
January 4, 2001 - For a Canadian author, a good review in The Globe and Mail is a big fat deal, and now Moe's got one for The Green Room. Check it out here. As well, you can do a lot of catching up with the guy (with the first press mentions of his getting engaged, getting ready for his musical director's stint on the Canadian mounting of the hit off-Broadway rock funfest "Hedwig and The Angry Inch" and even learning to drive!) in a December 30th piece in the Edmonton Journal here.
Updates: 9/01-1/02 / Updates:
4-8/01 / Updates: 8-12/00
Updates: 4-7/00 / Updates:
12/99 - 03/00