When writing a collection of songs, whether for a album release or in general, we sometimes end up playing it safe and resorting to tried and true motifs and ideas for every song. For myself, when I become a fan of an artist or band, I like to hear a variety of songs. Sometimes the differences [...]

I met singer-songwriter Shari Archinoff at one of my meetup groups. Shari plays piano, guitar, sings, and lives in the same neighbourhood I grew up in. The first time we met, I came up with a simple chord progression on the piano. Shari developed lyrics and a melody for a song about moving on from [...]

Once again, I attended a night of talented singer-songwriters in a Nashville-style round, where four performers do four songs each in turn. What makes this kind of setup amazing is when the performers backup each other with guitar or harmony vocals. The performers for the February 9 show at the 120 Diner in Toronto were: [...]

I worked with the signage company to design the trade show booth for the ONPHA annual conference.  The design had to satisfy several criteria, including reflecting the association's member-driven service and the educational resources we provided.  Most of the photos used were shot by myself at various ONPHA and member events. Use of Photoshop and [...]

As a group of four, we flew in Las Vegas, took in Hoover Dam, had a couple of nights in Yosemite National Park, and spent time in Bryce Canyon, Big Sur, and Death Valley. Quite a worldwind tour, there was a lot of driving, but the destinations were well worth the travels. Perhaps the most surprising thing [...]

In 2013, I went to Killarney Provincial Park, the crown jewel of parks in Ontario, for the first time. The park deserves its subtitle, as the rugged beauty of the Canadian Shield is stunning here. The Group of Seven spent much time here painting, and somehow photos don't really convey the breadth, the smells, the [...]