Musical Greatness from the UK

Martyn Joseph
Originally uploaded by the fod.

I heard "Turn Me Tender" late in 2007 and I was humbled by the vulnerability and musical excellence of this incredible Welshman. When my professor discovered that Joesph was touring Canada, he sent off an email that resulted in a visit from one of the best songwriters I know. (Which may or may not be saying a lot.)

He played some tunes, talking about the context in which he wrote them. Then spoke some soul-bearing words in response to our questions before giving us time to dry our tears while he picked through a few more songs. What a guy!

I was so honoured to meet him and super awkward when I gave him my demo. I had all these clever segues thought out about 'passing the time traveling to the next gig' or whatever – I just ended up mumbling something like, 'Uh, this is some of my stuff...' trying to pass it to him while he was signing his latest release for me. Man. I should hire a choreographer just to help me get through the day.

Margaret has done the sweetest thing for me. She designed and put together a cover for The Sheraton Sessions so I can look all pro at the Guitar Summit on Monday. She inspires me to be better than I am, that's for sure.

If you're a Clash/Strummer fan and you haven't seen Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten – you MUST. It's playing at the Royal Theatre (608 College St.) for a limited time – the best $10 I've spent in my life.

Well, I think that's about enough. To steal a phrase from a guy who should run for Prime Minister,

That's time.