Get Along Home Cindy
The Cameron House
May 1, 2010
by Live Music Head
How am I gonna squeeze through this crowd
and not spill beer on Dwight’s head?
The farewell party at The Cameron House
is full under way, and jam packed.
Cindy Matthews,
manager of Paradise, is leaving
and a Cosmo is taking over.
But for the last 12 years,
many have known Cousin Cindy for
playing washboard and singing like a songbird
with the house band, the Cameron Family Singers.
And having played the front room of
this Queen St Public House
every Saturday afternoon at 6,
has garnered them quite a following.
Today is May Day 2010,
and most of Toronto’s finest
have come out to celebrate and share the stage.
For starters,
I spot a Colonel of the Backstabbers kind
playing mandolin and Sometimes She Forgets.
And he may not be the Easy Rider from Hollywood,
but Jack Nicholsen still can’t help telling us
they’re gonna put him in the movies.
Cousins Booth and Coopersmith are the upstairs fiddlers,
and ridin’ the pony of a bass playin’ Tony,
is a Ferarra musical saw.
I spy Clive,
the swing dance guy,
and Whoa, Nellie!
Vera is Johnny-less in hot red pants!
And when Cousin Kevin moves from piano to upright bass,
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.
But I don’t.
Despite the cloths
passed over head to wipe up the mess,
I’m leaving the sobbin’ to Metrault from Rancho Misterio.
Under Benattar boots,
Cousin Chip plays penny whistle and
Burt is a pedal steel.
And it looks like the river Cimmeron
will overflow the jug once again.
But where are those Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds?
David Baxter waits in the wings for
Stahl to finish Pickin’ Little Jimmy’s Chickin’.
And Screamin’ Sam wipes the cheese grater,
with a side order of Zappa on Walton’s Mountain.
Gee, that went down well with a Mill Street Organic.
Sue is the Angel of the Morning,
and how can anyone not notice Tanya’s dress?
Justin Rutledge and Corin Raymond have a stab at the stage
and you know,
not only does Toronto have the best musicians,
but most of ‘em are here, right now
under Sybil’s painted ceiling.
And that includes the boy bassist,
(the one now singing about Ophelia)
Wasn’t he the same kid who
gave us every inch of his Zeppelin love at another party?
By the Time I Get to Phoenix,
Nigel is a tuba and St Dirt, a drummer.
Look out Waitsish banjos,
Jack Black’s gonna give you a Run With the Kittens!
But the highlight of the festivities came
just before Ghost Riders in the Sky arrived.
I tell ya,
A Song for You ripped my heart to shreds.
The great Leon Russell penned tune that
I got familiar with via Willie Nelson,
was delivered with such soul,
I lost the struggle to keep the tears at bay.
I can thank the one who played Stompin’ Tom for that.
Standing beside Mr Quain as he tinkles the same
piano His Purpleness played,
I’m really gonna miss these cousins.
After all, they play real country music.
But being covered in cockroaches shouldn’t stop ‘em.
I suspect Cosmo will continue the musical charm of
Toronto’s original artmusictheatrebar for some time to come.
But for now,
the entire room is not too cool to wave, Cindy...
Good luck and “so long saddle pals!”
The Cameron Family Singers on Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/cameronfamilysingers
The Cameron House
http://www.thecameron.com/
