Happy Birthday Gary Wilson!

Gary Wilson recalls the origin of his early garage band Lord Fuzz and their 1967 single "Move On" b/w "The Freak"

 

Ian Blurton's Future Now launch "Imperial Filth" @ St. Anne's, Saturday

Ian Blurton's Future Now are joined at St. Anne's by Ace of Wands, Tonnerre & Lego Money. Hear two songs from Imperial Filth below.

Get tickets for Ian Blurton's Future Now album release show at St. Anne's (651 Dufferin) on Saturday right here. 

R.I.P. honky tonk hero John Anderson, 1954-2026

Sadly, Country Music Hall of Famer John Anderson – behind "Wild & Blue" and others – has died at 71. He'll be greatly missed.   

Watch string-bender deluxe Ry Cooder on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1973

Watch Ry Cooder's 1973 performance and interview on the Old Grey Whistle Test right here. Re-edited version below. 

Vincent Price's unlikely Canadian connection

How celebrated screen villain Vincent Price wound up doing Hilarious House of Frightenstein in Hamilton isn't really a mystery. 

By the end of the 60s, Vincent Price found his phone ringing less frequently with big screen offers. The calls for the veteran actor to play the lead villain – even for no-budget drive-in chillers – had all but dried up for the St. Louis-born thespian with his 60th birthday looming. 

Of course, the residual effect of his FBI "grey-list" designation (being vocally anti-Hitler prior to the U.S. involvement in WWII meant that you could be considered a potential Communist sympathizer during the Red Scare days of the McCarthy era) was that major Hollywood studios were reluctant to hire Price after the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings 1947-1951. The dates are significant. That's when we see Price's focus shifting from film to television with Fireside Theatre ('51), Lights Out ('52), Chesterfield Presents ('52), Pulitzer Prize Playhouse ('52), Gruen Guild Playhouse ('52), Robert Montgomery Presents ('52), Summer Theatre ('53), ABC Album ('53), Phillip Morris Playhouse ('53), etc. 

It's in 1953 that Price launches his career in horror films with his appearance in Warner's commercially successful but critically panned 3-D experiment "House Of Wax" and continues in 1954 with "The Mad Magician" for Columbia Pictures, 20th Century-Fox's "The Fly" ('58), and then in 1959, Price enters the world of independent chillers with William Castle's "House On Haunted Hill" ('59) and "The Tingler" ('59) and Roger Corman's "The Fall Of The House Of Usher" ('60). In between shoots, Price continued doing television like Lux Video Theatre, Climax!, Playhouse 90, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, General Electric Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Matinee Theatre, etc. but his roles had a consistently creepier vibe. He was now effectively typecast as a horror heavy and his frequent small screen appearances made him even less appealing to directors casting big screen pictures unless it was a chiller-thriller. 

At the time, the idea of serious actors doing series television was still considered taboo by many in the film business – an open admission that you were past your sell-by date in Hollywood. It didn't appear to be any concern to Vincent. He was grateful for the work and seemed to delight in applying his skills to unexpected situations for whatever job offer – comedy or drama – came his way. 

For all his macabre on-screen menace, Price had a highly evolved sense of humour and never took himself too seriously. Whether it was spoofing his charming psychopath persona for laughs on the comedy/variety shows of Jack Benny, Danny Kaye, Jimmy Stewart,  Red Skelton and Lucille Ball or popping up in guest spots on F-Troop, Daniel Boone, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, The Man From Uncle, Mod Squad, Love American Style and famously as the clever "Egghead" matching wits with the caped crusader on Batman. He was down for whatever. 

So when Hamilton, Ontario's CHCH-TV came looking for someone to recite a few lines of creepy poetry and help set the proper tone for a kooky kids show called The Hilarious House of Frighenstein, Vincent Price knew he was right man for the job. He'd made a career out of finding the perfect balance between horror and humour. And being a lifelong Edgar Alan Poe devotee, the opportunity to bring to life the mystery and menace inherent in Poe's timeless verse like "The Raven" for a youthful audience in Canada was too perfect for Price to pass up. 

Of course, he nailed the shows intro and outro sequences as well as the segment links with a mischievous grin as only Price could. According to those present, Price was the consummate team player, ready and willing to do whatever was required for the shot. He shared some stories and fellow actors and had some laughs with CHCH-TV's impressive crew and happily posed for photos with anyone who wanted a memento. 

As the shoot was wrapping, there came news of an imminent snow storm. In a flash, Price vanished leaving everyone to think he'd raced to the airport to get catch the first flight home. Instead, our man returned an hour later carrying a two-four from the nearby Brewer's Retail and proceeded to hand out stubbies to get the party started in proper Canuck fashion. 

What many people didn't know at the time was that Price had a long history with Canadians, particularly those from Southern Ontario. As a child, the St. Louis, Missouri-born aspiring thespian had spent his summers in the Windsor-Essex town of Amerhurstburg, Ontario where his maternal grandmother owned a two-story house on the banks of the Detroit River. And part of the reason for taking the job in Hamilton was that it provided a rare chance to return the site of his beloved VinMar Lodge, the place of some of his most-cherished childhood memories. 

Perhaps Vincent's daughter Victoria Price will be able to shed some light the personal side of Vincent's life at tonight's screening of the documentary Vincent Price: What Keeps Us Alive at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. She'll be in attendance for the post-screening Q&A. Find out more about the film on The Perlich Post right here. 

Watch a short documentary about Hilarious House of Frightenstein followed by a discussion of the Price family's time in Amerhurstburg below. 

Remembering Celia Cruz on her birthday

Raising a glass to Cuban legend Celia Cruz – born Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso – with a few stellar live clips. 

Maggie's Wake preview new "Lifelines" album @ Hugh's Room, Oct 25

Maggie's Wake, led byTara Dunphy (of The Rizdales) & Lindsay Schindler, unveil "Lifelines" at Hugh's Room Sunday night at 8 pm. 

Maggies Wake 

Live at Hugh's Room (296 Broadview)

Sunday, October 25

Doors at 7pm, show at 8pm 

$30+ in advance, $37+ at the door

Get tickets right here.

Just having wowed the crowd at Ireland’s premier music industry showcase and UK’s Strada Music signing, London, Ontario's Celtic roots ensemble Maggie’s Wake are back on home soil with a much anticipated CD Release of Lifelines at Toronto’s premier folk/roots destination Hugh’s Room on Sunday, October 25 at 8:00pm.

The forthcoming album is a perfect blend of Canadian folk and Celtic tradition with roots swagger – expect heartfelt story-songs, driving jigs ‘n’ reels, bold whistles, double fiddle, flashes of country twang and global twists, not to mention soaring harmonies that are pure joy, start to finish.

The acclaimed quartet came together in late 2022 and quickly took their home province of Ontario by storm — selling out dates on their very first "Spirit of the Season" holiday tour. Since then, they've showcased at major music conferences across Canada, the US and UK, have whirlwind 2026 & 2027 tours on the books, won the 2025 CFMA for 'New Artist of the Year' for their debut, self-titled CD, launched a Holiday EP, were just signed by UK’s Strada Music International, and of course, are launching Lifelines here at Hugh’s Room … not bad for a band just a few years in!

Their work is 100% original, penned by Tara Dunphy and Lindsay Schindler, backed by powerhouses Andrew Kosty on bass and Kenneth Palmer on guitar.

Their first single, Bridget O’Brien, won the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Songwriting Award. After their NERFA showcase, they were told that if Maggie’s Wake was a soup, it would be a hearty bowl of everyone’s favourite folk styles finished with a dash of Loretta Lynn and a pinch of Nick Lowe. Doesn’t that sound delicious?!

About “Lifelines”

During a visit to a Portland gallery, a painting of a hand with deeply etched lifelines in the palm stopped the band in its tracks. The defining image endured and sparked an album celebrating the constellation of lifelines – from the emotional, creative, to the physical – that shape, connect, and sustain us.

 Across 14 original, new songs, Lifelines brings together some of this country’s finest folk musicians and production talent, creating a recording that honours Maggie’s Wake’s traditional Celtic and Canadian roots while pushing their sound and musical storytelling ever forward. Joining the band are celebrated singer-songwriter and multiple JUNO Award winner David Francey, renowned percussionist Cheryl Prashker, and guests Blair Heddle, Dean Harrison, and Larry Smith. Legendary Canadian producer, engineer, and musician Paul Mills returns to the studio to produce and mix the recording alongside engineer/mixer Adam Plant.

 The album represents an exciting next chapter for Maggie’s Wake, building on the band’s multiple award-winning debut and expanding their musical footprint and evolving sound. Check out "Last First Kiss" below.

Recent Highlights:

•  2026 Your Roots Are Showing Official Showcase Artists – Belfast Ireland

•  2025 Canadian Folk Music Award - New Artist of the Year

•  2025 Forest City London Music Award - World Music Group of the Year

•  2025 Folk Music Ontario Official Showcase Artists (Ottawa ON)

•  2025 Folk Alliance Region Midwest - Official Showcase Artists (Lisle IL)

•  2024 Official Showcase Artists - Folk Alliance International conference (Kansas City MO)

•  2024 Official Showcase Artists - North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance conference (Portland ME)

•  2024 North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance Songwriting Award

•  2023 Forest City London Music Award - Folk/Roots Group of the Year