Willy DeVille (1953-2009)

Don’t know how I missed this last week, but the news of Willy DeVille’s death on August 6th, from pancreatic cancer at 58 came as a bit of a shock. Back in punk’s heydey in the 70’s, Willy’s pompadour and Latino image in his band Mink DeVille became a mainstay of the scene.

Here’s a brief history of Willy’s career, courtesy of the All Music Guide....

The roots of American music, including the blues, R&B, and Cajun music, gave Willy DeVille's (born William Borsey) late-'70s punk band, Mink DeVille, its unique flavor. A quarter of a century later, DeVille continued to blend musical traditions and postmodern intensity. A self-taught guitarist, DeVille found his early inspiration in the blues of John Hammond Jr., Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. Determined to become a musician, he moved to London in 1971, hoping to latch on with a British band. Frustrated by his lack of success, he returned to the United States. Temporarily settling in San Francisco, he spent most of 1972 developing his stage persona in Bay Area clubs. Returning to New York, DeVille was in the right place at the right time. Forming a band, Dilly DeSade & the Marquis, later renamed Mink DeVille, with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer T.R. "Manfred" Allen Jr., he found his roots-oriented rock welcome in the city's burgeoning punk scene. When the independent Omfug label included three of their songs on the multi-artist compilation Live at CBGB's, recorded at the influential New York punk club, their punk connection was assured. With Atlantic acquiring national distribution rights to the album, Mink DeVille became one of the country's top punk bands. Willy DeVille has remained active since the breakup of Mink DeVille in the mid-'80s. His debut solo album, Miracle, was produced in 1987 by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, and included such guests as guitarist Chet Atkins. One tune, "Storybook Love," used in Knopfler's score for the film The Princess Bride, was nominated for an Academy Award. Residing in New Orleans since the early '90s, DeVille featured the city's leading musicians, including Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, and Eddie Bo, on his 1990 album, Victory Mixture. New Orleans-style rhythms remained essential on his 1996 albums, Big Easy Fantasy and Loup Garou. Subsequent releases have focused on DeVille's live shows. Released in 2001, Live combined performances from the Bottom Line in New York and the Olympia Club in Paris. Live in Berlin, released two years later, featured the accompaniment of Seth Farber (piano, background vocals), Boris Kinberg (percussion), Freddy Koella (guitar, mandolin, vocals), David Keyes (bass, background vocals), and YaDonna Wise (background vocals).

For a taste of his romantic side, here’s a clip of Willy from a festival in Germany last summer. The pompadour has grown out, there’s a hint of fragility in the voice, but the emotion remains strong. Rest in peace, Willy.

Totally Shameless Plug No. 00001: It's All Gone Pete Tong

If you happen to be in the Toronto area tonight, looking for a film a little out of the ordinary, check out the Event happening at The Revue Cinema. A special screening of the film It's All Gone Pete Tong takes place, followed by a special Q&A with director and creator, Michael Dowse. The film, already destined for cult status, is the story of a famous, loud, foul-mouthed DJ, Frankie Wilde, who finds he is quickly losing his hearing. Living a drug and alcohol filled lifestyle just encourages Frankie to fall deeper into depression, until he finally finds a reason to go on.

Shot in a mock doc style, like Spinal Tap for the Trance crowd, real major DJ's are shown in interviews reacting to Frankie and his condition. Filmed in sunny Ibiza, home to the sun worshipping hedonists, hippies, and jet set club kids, we see Frankie's life go from debauchery to delight as he recovers on the island with the help of an attractive deaf school teacher.

Tickets are $10 for non-members, and the screening begins at 7 pm.

The Demise of Spezzo

For my first post, I am writing about something from the heart. We all have favorite bars and restaurants, for whatever reason. They fulfill a physical and emotional need within all of us. So you may be wondering why I would bother reminiscing about a closed restaurant....I mean, they open and close all the time. The majority of them never make it past their first year! As anyone who frequents any gourmet establishments will know, if you visit at least once a month, it’s a favorite. If you visit once a week, you’re a regular. I may not have gone every week, but once I was introduced to it, I was drawn back to it by a sense of belonging, of friendship.

The lounge area had the intimacy of a pub, and the décor of an upscale eatery. A series of doors opened to a welcome patio on a warm summer evening. A small, black stage in the corner had played host to numerous local musicians.

The grapevine-inspired décor carried into the back area, a quiet, cozy, perfect-for-a-date collection of booths and tables. The Italian and Mediterranean cuisine and complimenting wine list consistently surprised and satisfied.

Having changed management a few times over it’s almost 15 year history, it has had it’s share of ups and downs. Like any restaurant that changes management, the often inevitable exodus of kitchen and wait staff can be detrimental to the continued success of a restaurant. Like a hairdresser, the clientele of a special waiter may follow him as he leaves one restaurant for another.

As a customer, I surmised that this was only a small piece of the puzzle that led to Spezzo’s demise. Competition from the influx of Corporate establishments (i.e. Boston Pizza, The Keg, Moxie’s Classic Grill, Jack Astor’s, and Alice Fazooli’s) into the area created a noticeable thinning out of diners. Patrons tended to migrate toward the established, heavily marketed, visible chain restaurants, rather than the number of independents, such as Spezzo, that were included in the neighborhood.

With the loss of customers came desperate changes and an attempt to win back the business – Oysters at the bar, special Music nights on Fridays and Saturdays. The regular booking of live entertainment in the lounge was one of the first to go. Despite some of the choices of artists considered a little too edgy for a room aimed at the romantic date crowd, it was still a value-added feature of the restaurant. It was not altogether dropped, since regular musician Chris Smith performed to an almost empty lounge on April 18, 2009, the last night before the doors closed forever.

Not being privy to all that happened behind the scenes, as a customer I could see that the writing was on the wall. It’s been over three months since the closing of those big wooden doors, and I have been hard-pressed to find a suitable replacement establishment. Spezzo had an understated elegance and intimacy that seemed almost unprecedented for a Richmond Hill restaurant.

I would often joke with friends that entering the doors of Spezzo was like entering my very own holodeck program. Mingling with a successful well-heeled crowd transported me away for an evening away from my ordinary middle-class life.

As the recession of 2009 took the imploding auto industry, employment levels, and interest rates down, the indirect hits within the service industry were not as highly publicized. But they've been victims just as much as anyone. Spezzo was only one of many such victims. In the end, they went out with a whimper rather than a bang. But to the regulars and the staff, the stories told and lived there, and the wonderful wines and meals consumed there will live on in our memories. One day a phoenix may rise from it’s ashes. One can only hope that it succeeds as it did in it’s former glory days.

Spezzo is dead! Long live Spezzo!

Let the suffering begin......

Before I unleash my creative content onto the blogosphere, please let me welcome you here. The idea of starting a blog has been gestating within me for months, something that everyone has said at least once. As an accomplished writer, trying to write a novel, I find that when it comes down to actually doing any writing of great lengths, I have a discipline problem, not to mention the usual household distractions and occasional bout of writer’s block. I figured a blog would suit my disciplines much better, since the lengths of most postings would usually be kept to a minimum.

My friends know the extent of some of my emails, and have been very patient and supportive of my writing. I think it was the guilt of writing extended tomes under the guise of an email that led me to this page you are reading.

So please enjoy my musings on the world around my little corner of it.