October 4th, 2018
My all-time favourite album is The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. Its 15 melodic vignettes mix joy and nostalgia, polished songcraft and buoyant nonchalance to imagine a bygone world of childhood friends, motorbike riders, wicked witches, and flying cats. An innocent, hidden place full of the everyday magic of small towns and green spaces. Check out this gem “Do You Remember Walter”:
This November marks the 50th anniversary of its release. To celebrate, I’m organizing a concert on Saturday November 17 at which a host of Hamilton musicians will perform the record from start to finish, along with a few other Kinks favourites. Full details are on the CONCERTS page.
In keeping with the album’s exploration of the tension between “progress” and conservation, all proceeds will go to the Bruce Trail Conservancy to help with the preservation of the Fisher’s Pond Nature Reserve through the purchase of 87 acres of Niagara Escarpment forest, meadow, and wetland near Waterdown, on the border between Hamilton and Burlington.
I’ve loved this album for years, so I’m very excited to share it with an audience. If you’re not familiar with it, give it a listen. You’ll be glad you did.
