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All the News That's Fit to Print... |
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External Links WouNDeD FrieNDs:
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November 10, 2008...Joe writes: Hey there WouNDeD Pals...here I go again...I just can't seem to get those other lazy buggers in the band to write about anything, so you'll have to listen to me!!! Haha!....SAD NEWS!!!...52Pickup is no longer...many of you WouNDeD fans will be familiar with 52Pickup...that was a side project that WouNDeD Mikey, Gar and Joe were involved with for many years....we had a great time with that band and we had the privilege of working with some great Canadian acts such as Blue Rodeo, Kim Mitchell, David Wilcox and many others. Unfortunately, personalities got in the way of things (as they often do), and sadly, the fun came to an end. I must say right here and now - and I know this sounds vindictive - but the demise of 52Pickup must rest squarely on the shoulders of Paul Higgins, who by the way, is a very talented bass player. Talent notwithstanding, however, it was solely Paul's decision to give up on the band. I hate to say it, and I hate to throw stones, but Paul's sizeable ego caused him to forget where he stood, creating a rift that cannot be repaired. Even more unfortunate is the fact that Paul thinks (and dreams) that he can continue performing in a REMADE 52Pickup, without the three of us. While I wish this new band complete success, it will never be 52Pickup. Imagine if you will (and I'm certainly not trying to include 52Pickup in the same league or even make a comparison) if Ringo had decided to call his new band 'The Beatles' rather than 'The All-Stars', or if Robert Plant chose to get three new guys together and call them Led Zeppelin. It's just not the same band. 52Pickup was a five-piece band that had a great chemistry - we all loved playing and working together. It can never be duplicated. I loved 52Pickup, but it's over. That's all I have to say about that. Okay, now that all the nastiness is out of the way, (and I must apologize for that, WouNDeD FrieNDs, but I had to get it off my chest), what good stuff is happening? Well we finally slowed things down a little - what a beautiful crazy summer it was! - and we settled into some really cool gigs in September and October. After a real successful night at Oscar's in Brampton, we made it to their A-Team, which means we're now on their Saturday Night list! So we'll be there next Saturday - November 15 - and a bunch of WouNDeD ChiCKs from The St. George have promised to be there!!! Nothing makes me happier than fans showing up for away games! Halloween at the Good Ol' McGibbon was nothing short of awesome...as usual! The band dressed up as WouNDeD CaveMen...but we paled in comparison to some of the other costumes...once again, we had a great time and we look forward to many years of that happy nonsense...thanks George and Nick....pictures are on their way to the GaLLery soon... Believe it or not, the band will be playing at Bracky's Pub in Georgetown AGAIN! On New Year's Eve!!!! We had so much fun there last year that we just had to get a piece of it again...thanks to Dave and Ron for inviting us back - we can't wait. Tickets are available at the bar, or contact us here at TheWounded... Don't forget the St. George Charity Pub Crawl and Poker Run...November 22...hop on a bus and visit five of Georgetown's finest establishments...pick up a poker card at each joint and you could win a groovy bar fridge!!!.....Even if you don't win, all proceeds go to the Georgetown Hospital....and when you return to The George, THe WouNDeD will be playing!!! How cool is that????? Tix are $25 at the bar...Way to go George and Samantha... We're doing Parkinson's Christmas Party (our heroes), we've got birthday parties in December and January, The McGibbon, Oscar's, Bracky's all coming up...winter sucks, but we're Canadian, so it's only going to get better... ...Stay warm and cool at the same time, WouNDeD Groovies.... -Joe
August 26, 2008...Joe writes: Hello WouNDeD WoNDeRs!!!!...WoW - it's been a LONG TIME!!! ...I can't believe it's August already...the CNE is almost over...Labour Day is almost here...and I haven't found the time to sit down and rap about anything!!! We have been crazy busy, I must admit. My last post was February?!?! That's unacceptable, and I have to apologise. (Even though WouNDeD Gary was SUPPOSED to write the last rant...BAD Houndmaster! BAD! BAD!) No matter. What's been happening? I hope everyone has had a great summer...just like I did. The weather could have cooperated a little more...record rainfall this year in the GTA - what is this, Vancouver?...but we can't complain - at least the grass is greener than it's ever been!! The band has been super-busy, as I'm sure you all know. We played all our usual haunts - The Good Ol' McGibbon, Bracky's, Oscar's - as well as our annual events like McNally's Glow in the Dark (a great time as usual - thanks Dean!), Murray's Honey Harbour Hoe-down (more about you guys later), and of course, Carter's 16th Annual Special Olympics at The Shack in Penetang...what can we say about that?...Bill & Eva outdo themselves every year, and we hope it never ends! In addition to our usual stuff, we also played at the Chrysler Summer Picnic at Heart Lake Conservation Area ...unfortunately we got dumped on by a freak rainstorm from an otherwise cloudless sky, but we survived, and I think everyone had a great time...congratulations to Wendy and Laura for organizing a fabulous event...I think everyone appreciated the change in venue and it was a job well done and a heck of a lot of fun!!! We've also got to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to Jamie & Lynn Murray, as well as Dave & Michelle Willis for the great time at the Corn Roast last weekend...and a special hello and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Melissa and Michelle - YOU GUYS ROCK!!!...we had so much fun. By the way....Jamie - give Coach Driver Richard a big raise...the guy was awesome...Thanks Richard, for getting us to the show safely and for all your help with the roadie work - haha!...and a huge special thanks to Parkinson's Coach Lines for the EXCELLENT TRANSPORTATION...I'm telling you, if The WouNDeD ever goes on a cross-country tour, Parkinson's will be our drivers!! On the personal side...I am so lucky to be a GRANDAD once again!!!...Brayden Joseph joined The WouNDeD FaN CluB on April 6, 2008...congrats to Jenn and Mike!!!...Brayden is almost big enough to strap on a guitar, and he's already demonstrated that he's got the lungs to belt out a few tunes!!! Big sister Emma is so proud, and she's already told me that she can't wait until she and Brayden can start singing backup with the band!! WouNDeD CEO Rose and I made a long but groovy trek to Pasadena, California in July, where I picked up a sparkling new Rickenbacker 12-string...what a solid and sweet instrument (the guitar, that is...well Rose too)...like I said, it was a long drive, but well worth it...the scenery was spectacular...did the Hollywood tourist thing...Las Vegas strip...Utah is the most underrated state...beautiful mountains, canyons...breath-taking...we were also fortunate enough (well I thought so anyway - Rose wasn't too happy about it) to drive right next to a TORNADO in Nebraska...HOW COOL IS THAT???...about a mile away!!!...very, very cool...anyway, the whole trip was fantastic and we had a great time...but of course, it's always great to get home to Good Old Ontario...we might not have majestic mountains and canyons, but there's nothing quite like spending a few days and nights paddling a canoe through the Canadian Shield and hearing nothing but some loons giggling (although I've heard a few of them at The McGibbon!!)...don't forget..."just click your heels together three times and say..."...well, you know how it goes... Hey I finally finished my graduate school and now I'm the proud holder of an MBA...at least I'm finally a Master of Something...you wanna hear a great band?...check out The Contrast...my new faves...if you like that, visit Rainbow Quartz Records...it's a label featuring some very very cool bands... We're working on a whole bunch of new songs...we're heading back into the studio in the Fall to put together a full-length album of covers and maybe some WouNDeD OriGiNals...keep your fingers crossed...we're back at Oscar's in Brampton in September...The St. George in Georgetown in October...and of course, HALLOWEEN AT THE McGIBB-ROCK!!!!...Stay tuned, WouNDeD Freaks...it's gettin' better all the time... "I'm just a singer in a Rock and Roll Band"...and you guys rock my world. Stay cool. -Joe
February 27, 2008...Joe writes: Holy Crap!!! I can't believe it's been almost five months since I publicly ranted about anything!! Especially on The WouNDeD's site!!! I must be getting older and mellower. NOT!! Maybe we've all just been too FREAKIN' BUSY!!! Yeah, that's it. Let's start by saying that I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday back in December...Santa was good to all the little WouNDeD folks I hope...I know I'm still in love with the jolly ol' dude - he brought me the new Roland VK8 keyboard that I asked for...how does he do it??...but more importantly, I hope everyone had a chance to relax and spend time with your special people...I have mixed feelings about the whole Christmas thing - don't get me wrong, I love it - but while it's great that we all get together and love each other and all that, it's a shame that we seem to limit those activities to once a year...I propose that we have Christmas at least once a month...I don't mean all the presents and all that stuff, I'm talking about the cool feelings we get when we're all together...or just dropping over to your brother's house, or calling up a friend you haven't talked to in a while, or going to your Mom's place for dinner. Or most importantly, just being friendly to each other. I was recently in the small town of Leamington, Ontario, and I was struck by how FRIENDLY and laid-back everyone was - shopkeepers, taxi drivers, hotel clerks - and it hit me that we here in the GTA are all so busy and hurried that we sometimes lose sight of the real important things...it's funny how we call it the "GREATER Toronto Area"...Greater than what?, I sometimes ask...anyway... So what's the band been doing? Well, the Cancer Prevention gig in November was a huge success...it was really good to see so many people coming out to support such a great cause...I know a lot of money was raised that night and The WouNDeD thanks everyone involved for their generosity, not to mention all the fun we had...you all know by now that The Good Ol' McGibbon has re-opened under the original management - George & Nick - we're all real excited about that...we've already been in there a couple of times and it's just as mental as it always was !!!...we played at Bracky's twice in December - Gord's "surprise" 40th birthday party (the poor bugger found out about it beforehand but didn't have the heart to tell his wife he was wise!) was a total panic...and then we were right back in there for New Year's Eve, which was one of the most funnest NYE gigs we've played in a long time!!!...a small, intimate venue - packed to the rafters!!! - and just a super bunch of WouNDeD MoNKeys....thanks to Dave and Ron for having us... WouNDeD CEO Rose and I recently got back from a one week cruise of the Caribbean!!...yeah, I finally broke down and shelled out - I couldn't take winter any more - and I must say, I highly recommend it to anyone...what a great time!! Even though the weather was mostly cloudy - WHO CARES??? WE'RE IN THE CARIBBEAN!!! ...we took in The Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, and just about every rum-based drink ever invented...what made it even more special was the fact that the ship was full of WOUNDED FANS!!!...A whole whack of WouNDafarians from Bracky's made the trek as well, and that made for one unforgettable trip!! With any luck, we'll do 'er agin next year...keep your fingers crossed! It's been a long, hard winter so far....lots of snow and cold temps...but, as always, we're getting through it...we're Canadian!!...don't let it get you down, WouNDeDites, it's almost over...we just had a great weekend at The Good Ol' McGibbon (even though Sock Girl didn't show up like she promised!), and the Spring Gigs are comin'...we've got the Easter Weekend at the McGibRock, and the Spring Blast at Bracky's (always a barn-burner)....we're heading back to Oscar's in Brampton...and guess what? ...GARY is going to write the next rant!!!...by the way, we just hooked up with some really cool guys at the Georgetown Online Radio station, and they're playing WouNDeD songs!!!! Check them out - Russ Horton, Sidekick Scottie, Newfie Don - at www.grapevineinternational.net or www.live365.com/stations/hhhr_radio - it's a lot of fun...and don't forget, you can always rip some WouNDeD covers right off our home page... That's all for now, WouNDelutians...I'm gonna try and update the Photo Gallery...I don't want to sound like Oprah Winfrey or anything, but remember...if we all fired off a little Random Act of Kindness every day, the world might possibly be a better place....the Hippies of the 60's weren't completely wrong...like Elvis Costello said.... What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding? -Joe
October 4, 2007...Joe writes: Greetings Fellow WouNDeDites...it's been a while, and a lot has happened since my last post. Up and down, up and down...but mostly up. First the good stuff...I LOVE SUMMER!!!! What a whack bunch of gigs we had this year! Carter's Olympics...I don't know how Penetanguishene survives it year after year. The usual crowd, great weather (even though the fire ban was a bit of a drag, but The WouNDeD would rather be safe than scorched), the refreshments (my kidneys are still pissed off at me)...you just can't beat that event...Bill and Eva are the best hosts anyone could wish for, and we're already planning for next year...August Long Weekend - mark your calendars!! Unfortunately Murray's Honey Harbour Extravaganza was cancelled at the last minute due to the rain...the only bad weather we had all summer, and it had to fall on that weekend...oh well, our WouNDeD luck couldn't hold out forever, right?...no big deal - as much as we missed it, it'll be sure to happen next year...right Jamie & Lynn??? Our premier date at Oscar's Roadhouse in Brampton went well, despite the fact that many of the Oscar's regulars couldn't make it due to a wedding....it's a great little bar that yours truly used to frequent in my younger days...as a matter of fact, it's where I first ran into the love of my life and mutual fan, WouNDeD CEO Rose. Even though it was fairly quiet, lots of WouNDiDos turned out (as usual), and everyone had a good time. Nothing is more fun for the band than having WoundCorp Fan Club folks show up at an away game...you guys are great... Congratulations to one of our favourite long-standing WouNDeD couples on their nuptials on Sept 22...Malcolm & Debbie...The St. George Tavern was rockin' that night...I don't know who had more fun, The WouNDeD or the guests...it doesn't matter (although I'll bet the bride & groom had the most fun later, nyuk nyuk...)...anyway, we'd like to send out a huge Thank You to everyone, but especially to "Sock Girl" and her friends for rocking with us all night long...man that girl can dance...hope to be back there soon...it's up to you now, George... Congrats and best of luck to Dave and Ron for their recent facelift at Bracky's Pub in Georgetown...these guys have got big things planned for that place, and if last weekend was any indication, they're going to be very happy millionaires!!! What a boatload of fun...people dancing on tables, great food, intimate atmosphere, and once again, enough WouNDeDites to blow your mind...you can bet your ass that we'll be back there, even if they don't invite us! It wouldn't be the first time that The WouNDeD crashed a party...or started one!! On the downside (it wouldn't be a true rant unless I was negative about something, right?)...well the strength of the Canadian dollar is killing us...just kidding, economics is not my strong suit...as many of you know, the Knights of the Round Table has closed...I don't know any details and I will not speculate...all I can say is that The WouNDeD is terribly disappointed...we really enjoyed playing there, and if there was any dirty work involved, we are deeply saddened...with any luck, the bar will re-open soon and bring much-needed live music back to Georgetown. It would be a shame for The WouNDeD to miss out on the best Halloween party in the GTA after playing there for over a decade... On a REAL downside...one of my oldest and dearest friends, Ken Auger, succumbed to a brain tumour on September 12...normally I wouldn't write about this kind of stuff, but Ken was my best man, my best friend, and the best person I will ever meet...we had known each other since we were about thirteen, went through teen hell, went into business, grew apart, you know...we hadn't seen each other in about a year...we had drifted apart, like a lot of friends do...I guess what I'm trying to say, WouNDeD Friends, is, if you're thinking of someone, call them up!!...It only takes a minute to say hi to an old friend and it will make you both feel better...yeah, yeah, I know...we're all busy in our important little lives, but friends are what make it all happen...our hearts and sympathies go out to Ken's family...in honour of Ken, The WouNDeD will be playing at a Cancer Prevention fundraiser at the CAW Hall in Brampton on November 3...tickets are forty bucks each for dinner, silent auction, and all the WouNDeD dancing you can handle....a small price to pay if you think of the big picture. Send us an email for tickets or more info. Let's try to get rid of this shitty disease once and for all. Anyway, we've got some good stuff coming up...drop out to the Chrysler Plant in Brampton for the Open House on October 21...The WouNDed will be playing OUTSIDE from 10:00am to 2:00pm...with any luck this global warming thing will prevent us from freezing our asses off...it'll be fun to see how those great Dodge Chargers are put together...Wanda from The Olympics is getting older - October 20th - that'll be wild...Christmas & New Year's parties are just around the corner...stayed tuned Woundonians...it just keeps getting better, and better, and better, and better, and better, and better, and better, and better, and.....(still can't get that stupid photo gallery to work right).... Oh yeah, by the way...Princess Emma (in the Photo Gallery) is going to get a new baby brother or sister soon...WouNDeD Joe is going to be a GraNDaD again!!!...we'll keep you informed....we love you Jenn & Mike.... At the risk of sounding Hippy-esque..."Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream..." .....Love each other, WouNDeD Pals -Joe July 29, 2007...Joe writes: Well, I've got lots of good news and a little bit of bad news...let's lay down all the good news first... Los WouNDiDos has had an unbelievably fantastic few weeks!!! The Carabram thing was a heckuvalotta fun - it wasn't as busy as we hoped, but everyone there seemed to have a really good time. We tried to play as much CanCon as possible, and everyone loved it. Gigs like that make us really proud to be Canadian. We're hoping that next year...once the word gets out that there's actually a CANADIAN Pavilion (finally...way to go Brampton)...attendance might be up a little. WouNDCorp sends out a great big Thank You and Job Well Done to CAW Local 1285 for all their hard work on such short notice. Definitely new WouNDeD FrieNDs... McNally's...what can we say?? As usual, a BARNBURNER. This guy does it right every year, and this year only got better. The weather, the bugs, the generator...everything cooperated, and we had a great time. Check out the pix in the Photo Gallery. (Speaking of Photo Gallery - we're experiencing some difficulty getting the darn thing to work properly...please be patient.) The Village Festival!!!! - After a shaky start (the Town Council was really being a bunch of knobs this year...no bands were allowed outside...that sucks) - Saturday night at the KoRT was UNBELIEVABLE. Packed, Packed, Packed...the band rolled out some new stuff and people went nuts...but it wouldn't have mattered - the band could have played Zamfir and it still would have been crazy! I love nights like that...it was about 110ºF in there...sweaty, slippery and ROCKIN'!!!!!...with any luck we'll have an Indian Summer and it'll be just as hot for our next show there in September... Carter's Olympics and Murray's Honey Harbour gigs coming up this month...can it get any better? The WouNDeD, beer, friends and Georgian Bay...Come On!!!!! Anyway, the bad news...some PRICK STOLE MY CAMERA at the KoRT gig...right off the stage...I don't like to bad mouth any of our WouNDed fans or call anyone names, but whoever took it is nothing short of a PRICK. Not only did I have WouNDeD pix saved, but I also had a bunch of personal shots of friends and family. If whoever took it wants to return it, that would be cool...no questions asked...but I'm not holding out much hope, because I doubt that the prick who took it can even read...anyway, I lament for our so-called civilization, and I'll buy a new camera so I can snap the real WouNDiDites. But I'm still really pissed off. So I'm trying to... ......be cool, WouNDed FrieNDs -Joe June 16, 2007...Joe writes: Summer's here in full swing!! Yee-haw!!! I hope all you WouNDeDites have lots of sunscreen - it's gonna be a hot one. We just wrapped up another weekend at the good old Knights of the Round Table...not the busiest we've seen it, but a great crowd both nights. Everyone had lots of fun. We're back there in July for the Downtown Village Festival which ALWAYS proves to be a complete blast...bands inside and outside all weekend - don't miss it! We've also just signed a deal for The WouNDeD to play at the Canadian Pavilion in Brampton's Carabram Festival - July 7 & 8 - to be held at the C.A.W. Hall on Regan Rd...I haven't been to one of these festivals for many years, but as I recall (what I can recall!), they're always fantastic. Hope to see you there. On the 52Pickup front, unfortunately our show with Blue Rodeo in Midland was cancelled, but we will still be performing with them (one of my absolute favourite bands, by the way) at the Wiarton Arena on June 29...tickets are still available through Ticketmaster, or contact us here at WouNDCorp. We've also got quite a few private gigs coming up in Cottage Country with some of our WouNDeD Friends...school's almost finished...the pool's open...boys in bikinis...girls on surfboards...everybody's rockin'...everybody's groovin'...sittin' by the fire having fun...bakin' potatoes, bakin' in the sun...pass the tanning butter...it's gonna be a great summer!!!! Hang loose... -Joe
May 7, 2007... Mikey writes: Well, whaddaya know? Looks like Joe had to take some time off, so I have
been volunteered to submit.
"I
hope I don't make too many mistakes."
So in the near future, fans of WoundCorp will be able to purchase and take home and enjoy the sounds of The WouNDeD in their own homes. And not only that, my friends. You may also purchase the official WouNDeD T-shirt. Just come on out to the show and BUY, BUY, BUY!!!! They make the perfect gift for that special someone. On another note, some of you have been asking about 52Pickup and what that's all about. 52Pickup is another project that some of The Wounded guys have been involved with for many years. We've got a lot of great shows coming up this year, including Blue Rodeo, Kim Mitchell and others...tix are still available for Orangeville and Wiarton...head over to Ticketmaster or the Blue Rodeo site, or contact us here at WouNDCorp and we'll set you up! This is Mikey, signing off .......
April 8, 2007... Joe Writes: What a great week for The Wounded. The boys were treated to tickets to see "We Will Rock You" - the stage production written and produced by Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor - at the Canon Theatre in Toronto, courtesy of our Super-Wounded friends Jamie & Lynn Murray! Not only did they invite us to the show, but they provided luxury transportation (complete with an abundance of "refreshments"...) aboard one of Parkinson's finest coaches. Great show, great friends, great time...we can't thank them enough. You guys are fabulous. Friday and Saturday we were once again at the Knights of the Round Table...the place was PACKED both nights! Must be a long weekend or something. I was able to get a couple of dance-floor pix before the batteries in my camera crapped out...AGAIN! I've dumped them into the Photo Gallery, so have a look. Both nights, the house lights had be turned on before we even thought about getting off stage...everyone was in a crazy rockin' mood this weekend, and didn't want the night to end. I love it! In the Big Exciting News category...The Wounded will be heading into the recording studio at the end of the month, to work on a new demo CD...five or six songs...details to follow. Some time in the near future we're hoping to throw together something a little more full-length. Stay tuned. We're really looking forward to spending some time fiddling with gadgets and stuff, and of course, making music. That's all for now...stay real. -Joe
March 12, 2007 Another great weekend at the Knights of the Round Table. That place gets better all the time. Each time we play there we see more new faces and a wider variety of age-groups, as well as some of the old regulars (whom we couldn't do without!) Julie and Larry are doing a great job with the place, and we hope that we keep getting invited back (nudge, nudge.) We tried a couple of new songs this weekend - what a panic! One of the new ones is Todd Rundgren's "Bang the Drum All Day"; we had this great idea to increase audience participation by handing out maracas and claves and stuff for people to fool around with, and we also set up a snare drum at the edge of the stage so folks could have a whack at that. Unfortunately we underestimated (or overestimated) the ability of some people's rhythmic skills after a few drinks, as well as their desire to cut loose and make a lot of noise! I didn't realize how difficult it is to play a song while someone else is playing a different song on the drum. What a laugh. We also broke out Bram Tchaikovsky's "Girl of my Dreams" - maybe not a real well-known dance tune, but it's always been one of my favourites...great harmonies and nice & poppy. Besides, that's what The Wounded is all about, right? Playing stuff you might not hear in other bars. I hope everyone's enjoying their March Break if that's your thing...we certainly can't complain about the weather here in the GTA. That lucky stiff Martin is off on his annual ski vacation somewhere snow-covered (I guess I don't envy him that much after all), so cross your fingers that he gets home in one piece and ready to rock. No gigs this weekend, so I think I'll check out the St. Patrick's Day shenanigans down at the KoRT...there's a really great Celtic band called The Rivals playing there this weekend. It'll be worth your while to see them. That's all for now. Stay cool. -Joe |
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