OK, this is one of the most cryptic posts I've seen from you (??) For one thing BiaB IS a Canadian company .. anyway I'm confuzzled This is how your post appears to me
Last edited by rharv; 01/28/2206:07 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Canada is a nice place to visit, the people are very nice, but I wouldn't want to live there. Why? It's way too cold for me. It's too cold in Florida this week.
I woke up to -1 and 70% humidity, Notes. What is you cold day, 55? LOL!!! My cousin in St Augustine is constantly telling me how cold it is on 63 degree days.
I loved touring in Canada. 12 weeks at a time, usually one city per week. Sometimes we did half weeks so we'd see 4 cities in 2 weeks. Most were small towns but we had our share of weeks in Ottawa, North Bay, The Soo... We regularly played a city an hour north of Toronto and had a good time there. With all day long to explore I always found something to do.
We played in Thunder Bay. When we pulled into town on Sunday afternoon, the front of the bar was lined with bikes. My first thought was that this place wanted metal, and we were 180 degrees opposite from that music, so we would likely not be well received there. On the first night, our extremely charismatic singer won them over to the point where when we went down to play Tuesday the bikers were sitting against the stage with their backs to us providing security. And Saturday night they loaded the truck for us.
Nice people in every city I played up there. A lot fun stories that would turn into [********] if I told them...
LOL that's because the main stream media is not showing anything about the great Canadians. I only found out from a friend in Canada. I just totally appreciate what these Canadians do, people would be totally lost without them so you don't say one week thank you so much for what you have done for the country over these last 2 years, then attack them the next week as "a small fringe minority holding unacceptable views" ! that small fringe minority is turning out to be 91%. It has broken the Guinness Book of Records. So you appreciate and don't delete them as you will be totally lost without them. It's like deleting PG, so many would be lost without them.
I woke up to -1 and 70% humidity, Notes. What is you cold day, 55? LOL!!! My cousin in St Augustine is constantly telling me how cold it is on 63 degree days.<...snip...>
Anything under 70F is too cold for man or beast
We're having a cold snap down here, we get a severe one every 10 years or so, usually when the Northeast gets a super-storm. It got down to the low 40s this morning, and will only get to the low 60s today. They predict 69 tomorrow, the 70s won't be back until Tuesday, and a delightful 80 returns by Thursday.
I live between a 2-mile wide lagoon and a protected wetland, so the temperature is typically a couple of degrees warmer.
I've visited Canada dozens of times, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, Quebec, Ontario and Yukon. There is some beautiful country and there are some wonderful, polite, helpful people there.
One year in Newfoundland, we were having breakfast in a local diner/cafe. Mrs. Notes and I like to visit the tourist spots, and then get out to the real country.
We got to talking to some locals, and mentioned that the last time we were in Canada, we wanted to go whale watching, but a tropical storm came through, and we were holed up in a motel in Digby Neck.
A woman got on the phone, and when she hung up she said, "Do you know how to get to ____ Beach? (I forgot the name). We said, "No."
She paid her tab, packed her two kids in her car and said "Follow me."
We twisted and turned and got to a beach, nothing was happening. She got on the phone and told us to follow her again.
We got to another beach where the whales were happening, and she drew a map to get us to the main highway, said Bye and left.
The Capelin (small fish) were running. Millions of them, so many that even the seagulls were so stuffed they were just sitting on the rocks saying something like, "No more for me, Ethel, I can't eat another bite."
Locals were scooping the fish out with dip nets and filling up garbage pails to use for bait all year long.
The drop off must have been steep, because the humpback whales were coming out of the water, perhaps 15 feet from shore. Opening their huge mouths to gorge on the Capelins and then splashing back in the water.
They were so close we were getting splashed as well, and so close we could smell their breath. It lasted a couple of hours, and then we found the highway and continued our meandering.
What a nice thing for that woman to do for us.
The last time we went to Canada was early September to Montreal. Freezing cold for us, but extremely charming people, and we heard some great music; A symphony by the McGill university orchestra and a mass at the Notre Dame Cathedral with pipe organ and chorus. Outstanding.
Notes, we used to pick our spots so we were never there in "winter". The latest we were there was mid December, and that time while we played that LAST show of the tour it snowed like the snow gods were acting like an angry lounge lizard trying to show he's still got it. We started playing at 9:30 and the ground was clear and dry. When we finished at 1am my car had 5 inches of snow on it. We were very near Buffalo and I decided to just drive home that night. Once I crossed into the USA that snow was almost completely invisible. Had that 5 inches of snow been present the whole way home it would have taken me 8 hours to make a 4 hour drive. I was hoping to be in Ottawa when it was cold enough for the Rideau Canal to freeze so I could skate on it but that never happened. We were really popular there too. They had us in for Grey Cup week and the public transportation was horrible, so one of our guys who had a van ran people from the hotel we were playing to the stadium for 10 bucks a passenger. He had to have made like 300 bucks doing that. It was a big van with all the seats removed to hold gear, so 10-12 people easily fit into it. Ottawa is a great city. They had a rotating restaurant on top of a hotel there that was cool. The best Ottawa story though I can't tell.
One year we played in Sarnia and I crossed the border into Port Huron to buy some strings and reeds. I also stopped to gas up on US prices and asked where the good music store was, and I was sent to Marysville where I may or may not have been to the music store owned by Harv's family. That was like 1987 and all I remember is the the older man kept yelling at the kid "It's your fault!", so....
Fun fact, I live in Marysville but my parents started/owned Port Huron Music Center (in Port Huron, close to the bridge). It's still there but times been tough for music stores lately, especially ones that counted on school horn rentals for a percent of the revenue. From grade schools to U of M (that school up north) it was normal to be renting out a few hundred horns. Covid kinda dampened that. //FWIW I was in Chicago by 1987, so it was likely my little brother's fault that time
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
How far from the bridge was that store Harv? I think it was like a 10-ish minute drive from the gas station including having to circle a block when I either missed a turn or made one too soon. I kind of remember the gas station was straight ahead off the bridge 8-ish blocks and then I got sent to the music store by somebody who worked there. This is 35 years and a lot of miles ago so it is really cloudy. I wouldn't even have known Port Huron was there had I not been taken across the border Sunday night to go to some hot spot bar in Port Huron. And one of the girls that were with me only brought money, no wallet and no ID so going back into Canada was an adventure. 7 sheets to the wind and I am trying to plead a case with the Canadian border police...
Man to be 36 again...
For clarity, IS there a decent sized music store in Marysville? I may well have been in Marysville for all I know.
I don't think there has a been a music store in Marysville in my lifetime.
Hmm .. 1987
Pine Grove location is literally a few seconds away once you get off the bridge, and you get multiple chances to tun into the 'mall' area (of which PHMC owns 80% or more now)so hard to miss if you are looking for it. The store on Military was much smaller and a little farther away, maybe 10 minutes like you mention. I'm guessing you went to the old store, but if so, that was likely before 1987 .. getting old stinks when trying to remember details/dates.
The year suggests the new store, but the travel time suggests the old store. Can you describe the inside of the store? Was it pretty small, or big? The two locations are hugely different Cool story .. My dad came home one night and at dinner was talking about the weird experience he had that day. A Limo had pulled up in front of the store He said four long-hairs got out and came in, checking out the guitars and basses. Then only bought some strings and left.
KISS was playing McMorran that weekend .. I put 2 & 2 together and explained to him what had happened .. and reprimanded him for getting no pictures, even though there weren't cell phones back then, so not so easy But those were the days when getting a picture of the band without makeup would have been a pretty big deal.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Well, I went down about 10-ish blocks maybe from the border to gas up and then had to remember directions like "just head down here a piece and turn left at the street after the light kind of generic. I remember it being bigger than mom and pop but not as big as the chain stores of today. Like I said. 35 years. The border guy I think was the one who said Marysville. The gas station guy was the one who was all "Just go down here and take a left at whatever street and then..." And in a strange city I heard "wah wah wah wah" like on Charlie Brown. No idea if it was your family or not but think of the coincidence level of that.
I don't think there has a been a music store in Marysville in my lifetime.
Hmm .. 1987
Pine Grove location is literally a few seconds away once you get off the bridge, and you get multiple chances to tun into the 'mall' area (of which PHMC owns 80% or more now)so hard to miss if you are looking for it. The store on Military was much smaller and a little farther away, maybe 10 minutes like you mention. I'm guessing you went to the old store, but if so, that was likely before 1987 .. getting old stinks when trying to remember details/dates.
The year suggests the new store, but the travel time suggests the old store. Can you describe the inside of the store? Was it pretty small, or big? The two locations are hugely different Cool story .. My dad came home one night and at dinner was talking about the weird experience he had that day. A Limo had pulled up in front of the store He said four long-hairs got out and came in, checking out the guitars and basses. Then only bought some strings and left.
KISS was playing McMorran that weekend .. I put 2 & 2 together and explained to him what had happened .. and reprimanded him for getting no pictures, even though there weren't cell phones back then, so not so easy But those were the days when getting a picture of the band without makeup would have been a pretty big deal.
When in high school, my buddies and I skipped school, drove to Memphis to see Kiss. We were very early getting there and saw them pull up for their sound check in 2 limos and we ran around inside the front where the ticket office was in time to see them come in one of the side doors and got pics of all 4 of them sans makeup. There was a chain link fence of some kind between us though. Security guards ran us out of the building. This was in 1977 and had totally forgotten about it until I saw your post. I don't know where the pictures are now. Funny how time changes us. If they were playing within walking distance, I would have no desire to go now lol.
This was in 1977 and had totally forgotten about it until I saw your post. I don't know where the pictures are now. Funny how time changes us. If they were playing within walking distance, I would have no desire to go now lol.
I know what you mean, I didn't even go then
/McMorran is a terrible place to hear a concert, but a great place to watch hockey //Kinda like when the kids went to Little Caesars Arena for a concert .. I was like WHY? (I *think it was Semi Vibrato, at least that's the name I learned to say for Demi Lovato which irritates them endlessly) /// .. besides the whole Kiss aspect, a hockey arena is not designed for sound
Glad I brought back an old memory for you though!
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
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