Great music from noon to 3 a.m. on CMW Saturday

It was bed at 6 a.m. and bands at noon for my Saturday at the Canadian Music Week festival. Luckily, the two acts I got up and out for at The Garrison's front bar were worth it.

Huttch

I bought a coffee at the bakery across the street and Windsor, Ont. power pop trio Huttch were preparing to go on when I brought it in and planted myself on a stool. The personable young band played its "Gimme Some More" single, "White Sheets," "Fake Conversation" and several other melodic and rocking guitar-driven songs that were interspersed by calls from the drummer out the club's open windows for passersby to come in and watch instead of shopping. I was given a download code for some songs and enjoyed them on my computer almost as much as I did in person.

The Spook School

By this time I was ready for a French Press Vanilla Stout, which I figured was a good breakfast beer, as Edinburgh, Scotland's The Spook School set up. The quartet shares the wealth on vocals and plays quirky, punky and sometimes jangly pop songs, many of them with thought-provoking LGBT themes. "I Want To Kiss You," "Burn Masculinity" and "Binary" were among the most infectiously catchy songs played to a too-small crowd. By the end of the set, the drummer had taken his shirt off to reveal a large tattoo and nipple tassels.

I returned home to work for three hours before venturing out again at 5:30 p.m. for the annual Music Nova Scotia Tiki party hosted by Mike Campbell at The Rivoli. Cam Carpenter had a couple of beer tickets waiting for me, and I filled myself on free seafood chowder, scallops, oysters and wraps.

Reeny Smith

Reeny Smith -- along with a bassist, keyboard player and two female backing singers -- delivered a soulful and funky three-song set.

Smith was followed by The Mike Bochoff Band, which reminded me somewhat of Frank Turner on one song and The Weakerthans on set-closer "Distractions."

I moved to The Rivoli's front bar to watch the second half of the Toronto Raptors-Miami Heat basketball game, and more and more people kept joining me to cheer the local team on to a hard-fought win.

Forever Distracted

It was time for more music as 8 p.m. rolled around, so I moved on to Cherry Cola's for a young Hamilton pop-punk quartet called Forever Distracted, which opened up promisingly with "Pay Day." A cover of The Police's "Message In A Bottle," with a different singer, wasn't nearly as successful. There were about 15 people in the audience, largely parents and girlfriends, when one of the guitarists picked up a trumpet to add a ska-punk element to a song. "Charlotte" had a reggae rhythm, the lead singer's girlfriend came on stage to sing a cover of Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You," and the band also covered Eiffel 65's "Blue (Da Ba De)." More and better original songs are needed, but there's potential here.

No Stories didn't show up for its 9 p.m. slot at Cherry Cola's so I went to  Velvet Underground for the first time since its recent renovations to see England's The Orielles, which I had really enjoyed on Thursday. A more ethereal Best Coast is one way I'd describe the group, but it's quite difficult to pigeonhole. Unlike two nights earlier, the band ended with a Sonic Youth-like instrumental extro that showed yet another side of a very promising young band. I had spoken with the trio's manager, Damian Morgan, outside The Rivoli and talked to him again at Velvet Underground. He's an interesting bloke who also manages The Specials' Terry Hall, whose shirt he was wearing.

Sam Cash and the Romantic Dogs

I'd seen Sam Cash and the Romantic Dogs a couple of times before and liked it, but the group's 10 p.m. set at the Horseshoe Tavern seemed to take things to a higher level than I remembered. There was a fine mix of roots rock and power pop at play, and I was impressed by songs from the new Tongue-In-Cheek Vows album, including lead single "Tossing & Turning," "That Was The Summer" and "You Can't Hurt Me."

Walrus

I returned to The Rivoli for another Nova Scotia band called Walrus. The quartet played some new songs that it had only performed for the first time the previous night. When the band was in '60s psychedelic/garage rock mode it was quite effective. When it wasn't, the songs suffered despite consistently good musicianship throughout the set.

Attica Riots

I returned to the Horseshoe at 11:30 p.m. to hear the last song from Modern Space and then stuck around for a few numbers from Attica Riots, which I enjoyed. But I had bigger fish to fry.

Fat White Family

Fat White Family was one of the buzz bands at the beginning of the week, and the British band didn't disappoint. The sextet struck me as a mix of The Black Lips, Jesus and Mary Chain and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, with brooding songs that often somehow managed to maintain an uplifting underbelly. A dark surf song stood out in an exceptional and loud extended set that I still loved even after singer Lias Saoudi dumped part of his beer on me. I wasn't alone in my adulation as the packed front of the house was also totally digging things.

Ferraro

Ferraro's Losing Sleep is one of my favourite albums of the year thus far and the group played a late-night set on its home turf at The Cameron House that filled the front bar -- and deservingly so. From opening with its own "Shake It Off" and following it with a cover of The White Stripes' "Hotel Yorba," it was evident that good times (and several bottles of Collective Arts' Rhyme and Reason) were in store for me as I alternated between taking notes and dancing at the foot of the stage.

The quintet continued to mix great original songs like "My Girl For You," "Losing Sleep" and "Coffee Smokes" with well-chosen covers of The Crew Cuts' "Sh-Boom," The Beatles' "When I Saw Her Standing There," Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" (with guest vocalist Sam Cash), Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)," Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On The Bayou," Dion's "Runaround Sue" and The Band's "Up On Cripple Creek."

The choice of covers is reflective of Ferraro's overall sound. Losing Sleep is a blissful listen full of pop hooks and a healthy reverence for music from the 1950s and '60s that's at least twice as old as the band members. And the group pulls it off live while creating a fun party atmosphere.

By this time it was after 3 a.m. and, while it may have been possible to catch one more act at a nearby club, I was happy to end things on a high note that capped off what was probably my favourite Canadian Music Week festival of the past several years.

Pop thrills at Nightowl and Handlebar for CMW Thursday

My Thursday of the Canadian Music Week festival was divided between Nightowl and Handlebar and was likely the most consistently enjoyable night of the four I spent club-hopping.

The Kickstand Band

Nightowl is a relatively new live venue located in the basement of a bar/restaurant of the same name. It's an intimate space but seemed cavernous when I comprised half the audience at the beginning of The Kickstand Band's 8 p.m. set. The Detroit male-female, guitar-bass duo deserved much better, as they opened with "I Don't Care" and ended with "New Year's Eve." In between were several short, snappy and relatively simple but wonderfully melodic songs with a retro vibe, excellent harmonies and great pop hooks. The band's appreciation of well-crafted power pop was evident by its cover of the Dwight Twilley Band's "Looking For The Magic." The soundwoman came out from behind the board to dance, which was a nice touch, as was The Kickstand Band's use of house lamps with no shades as stage lighting.

Surf Dads

I then made my way to Kensington Market and Handlebar for Surf Dads. The four members looked too young to be dads but some of their songs delivered a surf-style guitar sound with a much tougher edge than offered by The Ventures. The loud quartet hails from Regina, Sask., which of course is renowned for its surfing. Several other songs were a mix of punk and alternative rock that didn't really stand out like what was produced by others who I saw on Thursday.

The Orielles

England's The Orielles -- comprised of a male guitarist/singer, female bassist/singer and female drummer all wearing what we called when I was a kid, flood pants -- followed. This was the young trio's first Canadian show  and it exhibited talent well beyond its years. There was sunny pop played with a raw edge but skilled precision. There were chiming guitars and a great mix of '60s garage rock and '80s power pop, but also some more atmospheric moments. The tempo changes were very proficient and the overall impression left was great. Gillian Zulauf gave me a three-song CD from The Orielles and a Woodhouse Stout. Both were much appreciated.

Thrifty Kids

The space in front of the stage filled up for Ottawa's Thrifty Kids. Lead singer/guitarist Sarah Cogan has a beautiful voice which she made fine use of on the enchanting "Cherry Wine," and the harmonies from the other members were also spot-on. The group often conveyed a vintage '60s pop sound with plenty of hooks and reverbed guitar, and a cover of "Twist and Shout" fit perfectly among the original numbers. There wasn't a lot of chatter between songs, but the music spoke my language and it went down quite well with a "Dark and Stormy" cocktail.

Laura & Greg

I returned to Nightowl just before midnight and Meltybrains? were just finishing what appeared to be quite a colourful set with band and audience members wearing white masks splashed with paint. That late finish meant that Laura & Greg didn't come on until 12:20 a.m. It appears that I'm a sucker for male-female duos that attract fewer than five people. Like The Kickstand Band, Laura & Greg deserved a much bigger audience after making the drive from New York City. He played guitar, she played keyboards, they both sang and their voices blended well together on finely crafted indie pop songs. Laura's voice was particularly captivating. I really liked what I heard and would be happy to see the duo again, but the late start meant that I had to leave before the end of the set to make the 20-minute walk back to Handlebar for 1 a.m.

The Magic Gang

Another British band, The Magic Gang, provided more well-crafted, classic pop music that was occasionally a bit quirky but always enticing. I'd make a mild Teenage Fanclub comparison. New song "All This Way" was a standout, as were the two final songs, "Alright" and "Jasmine." I hope to hear more from this quartet.

OL' CD

The final band of the night was Toronto outfit OL' CD. The quartet plays the kind of garage rock I want to hear at 2 a.m., and it seemed that sentiment was shared by the 20 people who crowded the front of the stage -- including two guys who play-wrestled on the stage during a cover of The Who's "My Generation." OL' CD delivered a crunch but also knows its way around a melody. All in all, it was a great way to end quite an entertaining night.

Tommy Stinson and New Swears top off CMW Friday

My Canadian Music Week festival got off to a late start on Friday due to another commitment, but it was far from a lost night.

The Vidos

Things began at Cherry Cola's at midnight with The Vidos, an energetic teenage rawk and roll trio that adds some boogie, funk and classic rock elements to its sound. The band is still developing, but the musicianship is already there and there's good growth potential. The Vidos played their single "Horseshoes," but my favourite song was "Sex Potion."

From there, I took advantage of a nice evening with a drink at the Bovine Sex Club's rooftop tiki bar with Cam Carpenter. Tommy Stinson was there with owner Daryl Fine, who he's apparently been friends with for 18 years. I shook Tommy's hand but didn't ask if he remembered buying me a beer before a Replacements show at London, England's Town and Country Club in the summer of 1987. I went downstairs to the main bar where a woman promptly spilled a beer down my back while watching We Are Monroe.

We Are Monroe

We Are Monroe were a somewhat commercial sounding modern rock band that I thought was proficient but certainly nothing special. The lead singer/guitarist had a decent voice that at times was vaguely reminiscent of Joy Division's Ian Curtis and at others like Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos. I was essentially using the band as a time-filler before Stinson, and I guess it played that role OK.

Tommy Stinson

Stinson and his three-piece band started 20 minutes late and I was surprised that the Bovine wasn't more packed, but perhaps the 2:20 a.m. start time and the fact he had played the Horseshoe Tavern the night before were contributing factors. Stinson played favourites including "It's A Drag" and "Making of an Asshole" (which he dedicated to Donald Trump) as well as several new and unreleased songs that I wasn't familiar with. There was an acoustic interlude for a handful of numbers before things got electrified again for a short run to close out the set.

Aside from two Replacements shows, this was my fourth time seeing Stinson. He's good, but nowhere near the songwriter that Paul Westerberg is. He's not a great singer or guitarist, but he's imbued with the spirit of rock and roll and that shines through in his songs and stage presence.

New Swears

Collective Concerts booker Craig Laskey told me that I would love Ottawa's New Swears, and since he seldom steers me wrong I continued east on Queen Street to the Horseshoe after 3 a.m. The quartet was playing a Billy Joel cover when I walked in and the group later covered the Allman Brothers Band's "Ramblin' Man." The originals reminded me of The Black Lips, as did the on- (and off-) stage antics. The members paraded through the small but appreciative audience, climbed on tables, formed human pyramids, pulled off contortionist moves and engaged in some wrestling -- all while still playing. Confetti cannons and cans of Silly String were going off regularly while all of this was going on. New Swears are the most fun band I've seen at CMW so far this week and I doubt anyone will top them on Saturday.

Mabel, Darts and Archie Powell highlight CMW Wednesday

Going into the Canadian Music Week festival on Wednesday evening I knew I'd get one knockout show and was hopeful of the same result for five more. The anticipated KO was delivered, while the final outcome was mixed on a night which took a turn after the clock struck 12.

The night began at The Painted Lady with Toronto quartet Spindrifter. The two guitarists were talented players who made a fair amount of use of their effects pedals to create a shoegaze/indie rock sound reminiscent of the early '90s. The group was very loud in the small room and perhaps wasn't mixed optimally, but the melodies I heard in the group's recorded work were largely missing on the stage. Spindrifter didn't live up to my expectations so I moved on before the end of its set.

Mabel

Sydney, Australia's Mabel was probably the band that was formerly unknown to me that I was most looking forward to see at CMW and, after a bit of a slow start with the first two songs, the quartet soon started sounding the way I had envisioned. "Rachel" had a nifty '60s-sounding pop hook and a soulful vocal delivery and the momentum continued from there with the slightly psychy "Spaceman," most recent single "My Way," vintage power pop-sounding gem "I Wanna Love You" and other songs that were infectiously jangly and enjoyable. When washed down with a pint of Beau's Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale, it was a very tasty 40 minutes at Handlebar. Mabel is playing several shows during CMW, so I might see it again. You should as well.

Elk Walking

Up Augusta Avenue at Supermarket, Chicago's Elk Walking opened its set with "Dreams." Considering some of the group's songs remind me a bit of Fleetwood Mac, sharing a song title with that group was appropriate. Savanna Dickhut and Julian Daniell shared vocal duties, both solo and together, and also played guitar in front of another guitarist, bassist and drummer. A mild white funk rhythm spiced one number up and Daniell also played a djembe for a song. First single "Just Don't Know It Yet" was the highlight and the set ended with "Magic Potion." The set suffered from some technical issues that affected the sound and may have coloured my judgment, but I had hoped for more from Elk Walking.

Darts

The rest of my night was spent at the Bovine Sex Club, beginning at 11 p.m. with another Australian act, Darts. This was the three-women, two-men outfit's first show outside of its homeland, and its indie rock travelled well. The sound was somewhat dark, but with some uplifting moments, and the several time changes incorporated into their songs were handled very well. The somewhat spacey "Aeroplane" was a favourite along with the final song. The group members handed out free tote bags because they're not allowed to legally sell them in Canada. Darts might be playing more shows during CMW than any other band, and I advise you to catch one of them.

Archie Powell & The Exports

The Sick Things were supposed to follow at midnight, but something happened to change that so Chicago's Archie Powell & The Exports moved up an hour to take the time slot. This was the band I knew for sure would deliver since I've seen it twice before (although unfortunately just during abbreviated festival sets during North by Northeast and South by Southwest). I'd put the group's three albums from this decade (2010's Skip Work, 2012's Great Ideas in Action and 2014's Back in Black) against any other trio of records from the same period and say that they're cumulatively better. I was therefore disappointed to find out that the group isn't playing anything from the debut anymore.

But I was still satisfied with what was played, and how it was delivered to a disappointingly small crowd, with Powell bouncing around the stage and off his bandmates and losing his Blue Jays cap and his glasses in a great display of frenetic energy. The songs had the harder edge that came out more on Back in Black, but the hooks were still there, as was Powell's sense of humour between songs.

Punchline 13

I had nothing on my schedule after that, but my friend Jennifer showed up towards the end of Powell's set and convinced me to stick around even though we didn't know who was playing next. It turned out to be Montreal pop-punk band Punchline 13. Singer Sly Rawk took full advantage of his cordless microphone as he moved from the stage to the floor several times during a set that was a very pleasant surprise since the group wasn't originally on my "to see" list. Aside from a fun and shortened version of "Footloose," my favourite song was "What Will Yo Do." If you liked Simple Plan early on but not as much now, Punchline 13 might be a band for you.

Lost Cause

Jennifer thought the next band looked promising as it was setting up, so I ordered another can of Strongbow and stuck around for what turned out to be a young and loud power trio featuring two brothers from Oshawa called Lost Cause. My expectations weren't high, but the original aggressive alternative rock songs were surprisingly good and the cover of Nirvana's "Breed" was exemplary.

Bob Mould wins as Raptors lose

The Toronto Raptors threw a bit of a wrench into the start of my Canadian Music Week festival plans by playing a nail-biter of a game one in their National Basketball Association playoffs against the Miami Heat.

Bob Mould hit the Horseshoe Tavern stage with time running out in the game, which was extended into overtime through an unlikely half-court shot by Kyle Lowry as regulation time ran out.

So, my apologies to Mould, bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster if my attention was divided through the first 20 minutes of your set -- particularly because it hit the ground running at full speed by beginning with back-to-back Sugar dynamos in "A Good Idea" and "Changes." Luckily, as you'd expect from a Mould show, the volume was loud enough that I could hear everything from the rear of the back room and even when ducking into the front bar for hoops updates.

Those two opening salvos thankfully weren't the last Sugar songs we'd hear, as Mould dipped into his impressive catalogue that dates back 35 years with generous helpings of Husker Du and solo songs filling out a 70-minute set.

Mould's Fender Stratocaster still both shimmers and quakes, full of power but still with enough subtlety that he doesn't totally bludgeon the listener. His voice shows no signs of strain and adapts well to each song as they almost bleed into each other, as banter is kept to a minimum. Narducy and Wurster, excellent musicians in their own right, have been with Mould for years and it shows. The rhythm section was in lockstep with the frontman, creating a ferocious power trio -- the lineup composition that Mould has always preferred.

I've yet to hear all of Mould's new Patch The Sky album, but I'm sure that there were a few numbers from it thrown in to the set that fit the mood and tempo of the rest of his repertoire.

Song selection definitely wasn't an issue. With a resume as long as Mould's, there are always going to be songs that you want to hear and don't. And now that I've probably reached double digits in seeing him in various incarnations, there likely aren't a lot that I'm aching to hear for the first time.

Tuesday night's set progressed with the likes of Sugar's "If I Can't Change Your Mind," solo number "See A Little Light," Husker Du's "I Apologize," solo track "Tomorrow Morning," the new "Losing Time" and Husker Du's "In A Free Land." Husker Du's "Hardly Getting Over It" then offered a nice respite and slowed things down after a frantic pace.

It didn't take long to crank things back up with Husker Du's "Celebrated Summer," which ended the set.

The musicians left the stage for less than two minutes before returning for a short encore capped off by the Husker Du cover of Sonny Curtis' "Love Is All Around," which some might know better as the Mary Tyler Moore theme, and the Husker Du standby "Makes No Sense At All."

Mould, Narducy and Wurster will be doing it all again tonight at the Horseshoe as Canadian Music Week kicks into a higher gear with more venues getting involved.

UIC reunion and more as part of Mike Star tribute

UIC

Before Saturday night, the only other time I'd gone to Oshawa, Ont. to hear music was for a Bob Dylan show at the General Motors Centre in 2008. While no one who took part in a fundraising tribute concert to the late Mike Star will ever reach his iconic status, I can say without hesitation that their performances were more inspiring and less bewildering than that of Robert Zimmerman.

I never met Star (whose real last name was Shulga), never shopped in his Oshawa record store and never attended any of the concerts he promoted. I was a fan of many of the punk and garage rock bands he supported, however, and bought some of the albums he released on his Star Records label. But that's as close as a connection as I had to the man who passed away last September at age 64.

Most of the more than 200 people who came out for the April 2 concert at the Royal Canadian Legion in Star's honour had deeper bonds than that, and it was evident in the organization of the event, the live and video tributes offered at it, and in the sets played by the acts who took the stage.

What follows is a brief synopsis and photos from the tribute.

Bradley Boy MacArthur was the only artist on the  bill who I wasn't familiar with, but his solid one-man-band blues-rock performance got the audience warmed up as it grew in size early in the evening.

Bradley Boy MacArthur

"O Canada" is normally played at the outset of events, but Paul Irvine inexplicably performed it after MacArthur. It seemed a bit out of place, but his solo saxophone version was impressive.

I've been a fan of The Royal Crowns since the rockabilly group's inception. I've written glowing reviews of their albums (which are something we could use more of, by the way), seen a couple dozen of their performances, had the privilege of singing with them a few times, and was honoured to be asked to don my inherited Elvis jumpsuit and pay tribute to drummer/singer Teddy Fury for his 60th birthday celebration at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern last August.

I've never been disappointed by The Royal Crowns, whether it's Fury or guitarist Danny Bartley handling lead vocals or whether the trio is performing an original song or a golden nugget from the '50s. Saturday was no exception. The group was tight, the sound and vibe were perfectly vintage, and Fury's one-liners kept people chuckling between songs. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of The Royal Crowns.

The Royal Crowns

Teddy Fury

A video tribute followed and included lots of great 1980s footage from bands that played The Star Club, and Fleshtones lead singer Peter Zaremba showed impeccable timing by entering the hall just when an interview with him was being shown on the screen.

During a break in the action to set up for the next band, I found out that the legion had another large room where two guys were playing classic country songs for a couple of dozen senior citizens. Their countrified take on The Melodians' reggae classic "Rivers of Babylon" was particularly impressive, but that's not what kept me returning to that room. It was the $4.50 cans of Guinness.

I was a casual follower of Chalk Circle in the '80s, never buying any of the intelligent pop-rock band's albums, but appreciating several of their songs. It was good to see former Sam the Record man executive Jason Sniderman behind the keyboards, singer/guitarist Chris Tait was in good voice and songs like "Me, Myself and I" and "The Moralist" still sound fresh. The group ended with a faithfully rousing rendition of T-Rex's "20th Century Boy" that lacked The Waco Brothers' chaotically joyful interpretation, but was nevertheless entertaining.

Chalk Circle's Chris Tait

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Bob Bryden was next up along with a female singer and dancer, and the able backing of Crummy Stuff for an illuminating long-form musical monologue titled "The Ballad of Mike Star."

Bob Bryden

Crummy Stuff, led by former Durango 95 and Purple Toads member Rob Sweeney on guitar and vocals, kept on playing their own songs after Bryden's departure. Lou Molinaro, a longtime friend of Star's who emceed the evening, joined the band for a song.

Crummy Stuff

Lou Molinaro with Crummy Stuff

Soon after, Zaremba and fellow Fleshtone Keith Streng joined the fray and … voila … Crummy Stuff became Peter Zaremba's Rock Delegation featuring Keith Streng. The black-clad Zaremba looked vampirish as he emerged wearing an identically coloured cape, which was eventually removed by two modishly attired young women.

Zaremba and the guitar-slinging Streng remain supreme showmen and party-starters and you'd be hard-pressed to ever see a more entertaining band than The Fleshtones. The group tore things up -- with the two men often jumping off the stage and into the crowd, and Sweeney laying down while still playing -- in a set that included "House of Rock," "Remember The Ramones" and a ripping cover of what Zaremba called his favourite song ever, Tommy Roe's "Sheila."

The Rock Delegation

Peter Zaremba

Keith Streng

Rob Sweeney lies down on the job.

Finally, it was time for the biggest reason that I attended the tribute (though I was also pleased that the money raised at the show went to the Mike Star Scholarship fund for Durham College's music business management program, for which I did a few guest lectures a number of years ago): a reunited UIC.

I was at what we thought was the Exeter, Ont.-formed rock band's final concert at Toronto's Lee's Palace on Jan. 14, 1995 (and have a VHS tape recording of it that hopefully will soon be converted to a digital format), and I've been friends with the guys in the band going back further than that, so this was a treat that I'd been looking forward to since I was first told about it in January.

Dave Robinson remains one of the most energetic and entertaining (and definitely the most missed) frontmen in rock and roll, and he was in as fine a form as when I last saw him strutting around on stage with his post-UIC band The Chickens a decade or so ago.

The rest of the band showed that their recent rehearsals paid off, and they delivered the expected thrills. Guitarist Fred Robinson, bassist Dan Preszcator, drummer Murray Heywood and new addition Dave Dysart on guitar celebrated the 30th anniversary of UIC's Our Garage debut album by playing songs off it and blissfully ignoring my joking calls to "play more new stuff."

It wasn't known if original guitarist Ted Triebner, who now lives in Saskatchewan, would make an appearance. But the band found out a couple of days before the concert that he would, and he strapped on the axe for a few songs as well.

Things were running later than they're supposed to at the legion, but that didn't stop the crowd from demanding an encore. It started with a cover of Tommy James' "I'm Alive," which was featured on both Our Garage and UIC's final album, 1993's Witches In Credible. Next up was The Stooges' "No Fun," which closed off that previous final show 21 years ago -- though this time I didn't jump on stage and join in like I did back then. Things came to a righteously rocking conclusion with a cover of The Ramones' "Rockaway Beach."

Dave Robinson

Fred Robinson

Murray Heywood

Dan Preszcator and Dave Dysart

And that was it. A night of great music and memories, rekindled friendships, and a giving spirit that was apparently ever-present in the man everyone had come out to posthumously honour.

Making the most of a seven-day GO Boston Card

I've received very good value from GO City Cards in New Orleans and Chicago on past trips, and made great use of another one in Boston this year.

For those not familiar, GO City Cards enable you to pay one price for an all-inclusive pass to tourist attractions and destinations in the above mentioned American cities as well as in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, Oahu, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. They also let you use shorter lines in many cases, and less waiting means more enjoying.

GO City Cards are available for one, two, three, five or seven days and can provide substantial savings versus paying admission as you go. My seven-day GO Boston Card cost $153 and was valid for 44 attractions and discounts at a couple of dozen restaurants and stores. I didn't catch all of them, but almost everything that I wanted to -- and still had time to do other things unrelated to the pass.

Day one

The first use secured two days of a hop-on, hop-off Red Beantown Trolley pass  (valued at $42) that does a two-hour loop of several Boston neighbourhoods and their highlights. It's a good way to get an overview of things, allows you to judge distances and lets you stop and check out stops that interest you.

My first stop was at Long Wharf for a narrated 45-minute cruise (valued at $22) that provided expansive views of the shoreline. I got off mid-journey at the Charlestown Navy Yard, where I checked out the Second World War ship the USS Cassin Young and the well-preserved USS Constitution, known as "Old Ironsides" for the way its thick oak hull withstood attacks in the War of 1812. I also made a quick stop at the nearby 221-foot Bunker Hill Monument before catching the boat again at 4 p.m. for the 10-minute return ride to my starting point.

Day two

A week-long Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority transit pass cost just $19 and came in handy in crossing the city, especially on a very rainy Sunday when I used the subway to return to the inner harbour area to use my GO Boston Card to bypass a long public line for entry to the New England Aquarium (valued at $26.95). It was very crowded and not as big or good as other aquariums I've visited, but it still held my interest and kept me dry for an hour.

I had a day left on my trolley pass, so I hopped aboard and went one stop to the North End, where I got off to visit the Old North Church where Paul Revere kept his signal lamps in the steeple to warn others of British troop movement during the American Revolution.

Paul Revere's house

I followed the Freedom Trail (which is well-marked by a red line on the sidewalk) to Revere's house, part of which has been restored. It didn't take long to walk through, but the $3.50 entry fee was waived with my GO Boston Card.
 
I continued my walk along the Freedom Trail, eventually ending up at the Old State House, which has been converted to a Revolutionary War museum. The GO Boston Card got me in for free instead of paying $10, and it was an informative half-hour visit.

The Old South Meeting House, where colonists gathered in 1773 to protest taxation, is still used as a meeting house and museum. Its six-dollar entry fee was covered by my GO Boston Card.

Dinner and drinks were soon on my mind and the Green Dragon Tavern offered a 20-per cent discount on my meal of Boston chowder, Cajun haddock, mashed potatoes and mixed steamed vegetables with my GO Boston Card.

Day three

Harvard University

Cambridge was my destination on day three, and the subway took me to Kendall Square, from which I walked to the Charles River for a good view of the Boston skyline on the other side. I had planned to take a river cruise (valued at $16.80) with my GO Boston Card, but had difficulty finding the embarkation point and decided to skip it.

I returned to the subway and went two more stops to Harvard, where my GO Boston Card allowed me to take the $10 Harvard University walking tour for free. I explored the rest of the campus on my own, including touring the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and the Harvard Museum of Natural History (valued at $12) with my GO Boston Card. It was a fine way to pass a few hours, though a similar museum I'd visited in Chicago a year earlier (using a GO Chicago Card) was bigger and better.

Day four

Beach at Hyannis

I got the most value from my GO Boston Card on day four, which included a day-long Cape Cod bus tour with Gray Line (valued at $62).

A two-hour drive took us through Sandwich, Barnstable and other quaint and picturesque towns before we made our first stop at the JFK memorial near Hyannis. I waded into the chilly Atlantic Ocean up to my knees at the nearby beach.

I returned to the bus for a short ride to Hyannisport, where a boat was waiting to take us on an hour-long cruise (valued at $17). It provided views of beautiful houses along the shore (including the Kennedy compound) as well as beaches, marinas and impressive boats. It felt good to be out on the sea for a short while.

I got back on the bus again and drove a short distance to downtown, where I had about two hours of free time. My GO Boston card paid my $10 admission to the JFK Museum, which included the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame in its basement. Both were pretty small and didn't take much time to go through, but I'm glad I went. That left me time for a pint at a local tavern before boarding the bus for our last stop before returning to Boston.

View of Christian Science Mother Church from Skywalk Observatory

The Sandwich Glass Museum (valued at nine dollars) had a glass-blowing demonstration, information on the history of glass, a gallery and a large gift shop. I wouldn't have gone on my own, but my GO Boston Card paid for it and there wasn't much else to do in Sandwich.

The bus returned to Boston and I was dropped off at Copley Square. From there I walked to Boston's second tallest building, the Prudential Center, where my GO Boston Card got me whisked up by elevator to the 50th floor and the Skywalk Observatory (valued at $17). It provided excellent views of the city and beyond and an informative audio guide provided details about what I was looking at. It also included exhibits about Boston and immigration and took me an hour before I'd had enough.

Day five

Day five was another wet one, so more indoor activities were on tap to begin with. I started at the Christian Science Mother Church, which in my opinion has the most beautiful exterior of any building in the city. I went inside to the Mary Baker Eddy Library (valued at six dollars), the clear highlight of which was its unique Mapparium -- a 30-foot stained glass globe made in 1935 that you walk inside of. I was able to spend 20 minutes looking at the beautiful, accurate-to-scale map, but unfortunately no photos were allowed.

Fenway Park

I walked to Fenway Park, where I obtained a ticket for a noon tour (valued at $17) with my GO Boston Card. I'd attended a Red Sox game 20 years earlier, so I was more interested in the inner workings of the classic ball park than in seeing a game. And since the Red Sox were in Toronto anyway, it was all academic.

Our guide offered a good blend of humour and history, and I spent about two hours seeing the visitors' dressing room, press box, the top of the "Green Monster" left field wall, the Red Sox Hall of Fame, a Red Sox museum, a gift shop and more. I'm a huge baseball fan and this, as expected, was one of the highlights of my week.

Day six

Salem was my destination on day six. A $14 round trip commuter train ticket took me to the city 17 miles north of Boston and back, allowing me to arrive at 11 a.m. The station was a short distance from downtown, which is easily walkable and navigable with a free map.

My first stop with my GO Boston Card was the Peabody Essex Museum (valued at $18), which houses one million works, including collections of photography and African, American, Asian, Native American, Oceanic, Indian and Maritime art, as well as rotating exhibitions. I most liked the gallery of Maritime art and a special exhibition dedicated to Frank Burton's vivid and cinematic paintings.

Salem Witch Museum

I then walked along the shore past wharfs and historic buildings to The House of the Seven Gables, a 350-year-old house that inspired the title of a novel by local icon Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 19th century. My GO Boston Card saved me the $12.50 entry fee. A guide took us through the house and explained things, and then I went through Hawthorne's nearby house and the grounds on my own.

After walking through more of the city, I used my GO Boston Card for the third and final time of the day at the Salem Witch Museum (valued at $10.50). The witch trials of 1692 are what Salem is best known for, and an informative 20-minute performance involving a narrator and animated wax figures told the story in an effective and entertaining way. After we were told to wait in the gift shop for 10 minutes after that, we moved on to an exhibit where we were told about witchcraft for another 20 minutes.

Day seven

This was my last day in Boston, and I used my GO Boston Card twice. The first stop was the Museum of Science (valued at $23).  It's more child-oriented than Chicago's science museum, which I used my GO Chicago Card at the previous summer, and had a lot of interactive elements. I let the kids play and just looked around for about 90 minutes.

Swan Boats

I took the subway to Boston Common, the city's expansive and centrally located park, and used my GO Boston Card for the final time by taking a 15-minute, pedal-powered Swan Boat ride (valued at $3.50) with other passengers around a man-made pond.

That allowed me just enough time to return to my accommodations to pick up my bags and make my way to Logan Airport by 1:50 p.m. in anticipation of my return flight to Toronto.

So, let's do the math. I received a 10-per cent discount when I purchased a $170, seven-day GO Boston Card online, for a cost of $153. For that I received $341.95 worth of admissions and discounts over a week. That's a savings of $188.95.