Tag Archives: Ottawa

Posts from Base Camp

Who is Paul Carrack and what does he have to do with this trip?

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

This post includes some additional pictures from my recent visit to Ottawa.  However, the main purpose of this post is to let you know about what’s happening next.

Later today, I will be leaving on another intercontinental flight.  Here’s a long story about one element of the trip…ending with the theme and location of this exciting journey.

In 2003, I saw Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band perform live at Casino Rama (just outside Orillia, Ontario).  It was the first and only time I had seen the ex-Beatle in concert but he was not the most impressive musician in his band that night.  That honour went to Paul Carrack, an immensely-respected vocalist and musician who has remained relatively unknown because his biggest successes have never been in his own name.

End of the Rideau Canal (closed for the winter) in Ottawa, Ontario
End of the Rideau Canal (closed for the winter) in Ottawa, Ontario

His first big hit was with a band called Ace and a song called “How Long”. The title may not be familiar but the song is immediately recognizable once you hear it.  While it’s by no means my favourite Carrack track, it’s a concert mainstay.   Here’s a 1974 performance of How Long from the legendary Midnight Special television show.

El Tucan restaurant in the Vanier area of Ottawa
El Tucan (a.k.a. “Tukan”) restaurant in the Vanier area of Ottawa

After Ace, Paul Carrack was a member of Roxy Music and then joined the legendary Squeeze as a keyboardist and vocalist.  My favourite song from this era is the classic track “Tempted”.   This clip is from the earliest days of music videos;  the video may not have much flash but I always thought that the composition and performance was ahead of the pack.

Paul Carrack is probably best known as the vocalist for Mike and the Mechanics.  Another mainstay of his live shows, and certainly one of his most emotional lyrics, is “The Living Years”.   There is rarely a dry eye in the house when he performs this live; here is the promotional video for it.

A delicious "pollo en mole" (chicken in a chocolate/chile sauce) at El Tucan in Ottawa
A delicious “pollo en mole” (chicken in a chocolate/chile sauce) at El Tucan in Ottawa

Carrack also writes many songs for other performers.  One of his most-heard compositions (“Love Will Keep Us Alive”) was recorded by The Eagles; here is Carrack’s version.   As for songs released as singles in Paul Carrack’s name, some of you may be familiar with “Don’t Shed a Tear” or “I Need You“.

U.S. President Barack Obama apparently bought some cookies at this Byward Market bakery in 2009. They're still milking it!
U.S. President Barack Obama apparently bought some cookies at this Byward Market bakery in 2009. They’re still milking it!

So what does all this have to do with today’s journey?  Musicians in Ringo’s All-Starr Band are generally restricted to three songs of their own.  As Carrack stole the show with his three well-chosen performances, I have always wanted to see a full-length solo Carrack show.  Alas, since he is most popular in Europe, he rarely tours solo in North America (although he recently completed a tour with Eric Clapton).   In this year of special travels, it only made sense that I try to see Paul Carrack live…and, as a result, one of my activities on this trip is seeing Paul Carrack perform in a small concert hall on the English coast.

Stay tuned for not only the Carrack concert, but some even bigger surprises on my self-guided music tour of Southern England!

Posts from the road

A Visit to Ottawa

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(Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

I recently visited Ottawa for a few days, although not as a tourist. The rainy weather, combined with recent events and the relative absence of people on the streets, created a eerie mood that I have never experienced before in our nation’s capital.

Less than two weeks before my visit, an unarmed reservist was brutally murdered at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa. The attacker then went to the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings and began shooting before he was finally brought down in a hail of bullets.  This was only a couple of days after a similar attack in Quebec resulted in the death of another Canadian soldier.

Parliament Hill from a distance (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Parliament Hill from a distance (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

After such brazen attacks, it is not surprising that there was a conspicuous police presence near Parliament Hill. On the evening I visited, I counted about 15 RCMP vehicles in the large driveway that circles in front of the Centre Block. Despite this, the public was not prevented from approaching the Parliament Buildings. I’m sure that our group was being closely monitored but the monitoring was done as discreetly as possible. I was able to take many pictures here, although the rain and clouds made it a real challenge.

It would have been easy to shut the gates and prevent any access by the public, particularly since it was about 9:00 p.m. at night and there wasn’t any practical need for the public to be on Parliament Hill. However, I think that the gates were purposely left open to indicate that the country will not be brought to its knees by what appeared to be terrorist acts.

Peace Tower, Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Peace Tower, Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

As most of the group members were lawyers, it was only natural that we would also visit the Supreme Court of Canada (see photo at the top of this post). At night, it looked smaller than I remembered. There also was a visible RCMP presence here, something I don’t recall seeing the last time I visited the Supreme Court.

Finally, we walked back to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Here, too, there was a security presence but we were able to walk right up to the Tomb.  One of the group members was familiar with what had happened and pointed out the very place where the reservist was killed. It was unsettling to be there, to say the least, knowing what had happened there just a few days before.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

The emotional charge of this evening understandably overshadowed the rest of my visit to Ottawa. As it doesn’t feel right to include any of the other aspects of my Ottawa visit in this post, I’ll hold on to those details until a later date. Nonetheless, I think it is an important time to visit Ottawa, both to appreciate our nation’s capital and to demonstrate our resilience as Canadians.