For me, Boxing Days always feel like Saturdays.

Now let's see if The Car will start without a boost.

Our elec.power outage ended Dec. 24 @ around 10:26 a.m.

  It feels so good to be able to enjoy light, heat, fridge, freezer, stove & stereo! ~ Laundry & a hot shower r the 'order of the evening'.  <><>
  To any of you whom I somehow can't reach by 'phone, Merry Christmas!

For those still "electrically inconvenienced", my prayers
and best wishes go out 2U & yours!  ~ Attached pics show what we'll be up to on "Boxing Night" and New Year's Eve @ Melange, 172 Main St. @ Gerrard St. E. ~ Be safe. Be well. ~ Yours In  Music, "Lee John".

Kosh'n! Don't eat the hollyberries.

Sal Monella: crafty fella / 'Til d'Jaundice turned 'im yella.
~~  Anyway, Happy Hollydaze!  ~~

Pic: too many of THESE out there. 'Hoo-d'ya' think u r, Clapton J. Hendrix? PLUS, there can only be ONE Jeff Beck, by heck!

I've never seen so many Peavey amplifiers outside of a music store...

...as at the International Steel Guitar Convention. About the MUSIC? Well, I
could rave for days and days!

11:15 p.m. Dec. 3rd, 2013 -- Just got back from a Listening Session...

...@ Articulate Music Recording Studio. The final pre-master of the "Sawing Through Bone" CD sounds 'flippin' GREAT' except for the 'bottom end' of the
Van Leer Theme Song, "Party Music", which is "boomy". ~ Engineer / Co-producer Doug V will FIX IT. I'm waay enthused! ~ I hope Beaches Blues Fest Sound Engineer / on-site Co-ordinator Pete A. lets me play at least a few
tunes from it over his xlent house system between live sets on Sat. Dec. 7th at Melange, 172 Main St. @ Gerrard St. E. ~ I believe it'll help sell the remaining 16? copies of the "A Work In  Progress" CD that night -- ONLY SIX DOLLARS EACH, 12 songs. The 'finished product' has 14.

  We're talkin' 'bout R and B, 'funky pop', a "soul ballad" and a slow but HAPPY Blues! ~ I hope this description piques your interest! ~ Tally-Ho, Ybmfo,

We're Kickin' It Up A Notch!!

American Thanksgiving proved to be the BEST EVER Thursday evg. Event @ Melange.

  Biggest attendance and MOST FUN! Live music continued 1/2 hr. past our usual 'cutoff' time. WAAY cool guests incl. three singing bassists who doubled on gtr. -- one even drummed competently! They all said they'd return next week AND on Sundays from 6 to 10+ p.m. A # of new happy faces ;-) in the audience, too. ~ We rcvd lotsa praise/compliments, which is always nice!  ~  See YOU there in the weeks to come.

Happy Chanukah to those of u who observe this Holiday.

L.

It feels really good to own TWO of these:

One for The Soul Instigators, one for all other live gigs.

The Jillard "Lee Van Leer Custom" guitar w/ case is FOR SALE on Craigslist, $799.00

This sale will immediately defray the cost of recording "Sawing Through Bone". ~ Hard maple neck and fretboard cap ~ 24 1/2" scale ~ LOUD
Ibanez V5 humbucker ~ Ultra-stable Schaller tuners. ~ Slim "early Fender-style" stainless steel frets. This was the MAIN guitar used on the "Sawing
Through Bone" sessions. ~ Fairly priced at $799.

Atlas? NO, AT LAST!!

Final recording of tracks for the new Lee Van Leer CD "Sawing Through Bone" was completed Friday Sept. 20th -- rejoice! Now we begin the final mixdowns starting Mon. Sept. 23. I'm totally enthused! The engineer/co-producer and the musician-vocalists have done a GREAT job -- I am CONTENT. ~~ College radio host Danny Marks will rcv. his copy really soon.

Other local college radio DJ's and CKAB Music Director will rcv. theirs in Oct.
Yes, we can  get aired on CKAB bcuz drummer Benny Sanders is Metis.

The Sru, a highly intelligent race on the planet Gargantica, are truly advanced:

They have television!

Please 'RE-VISIT' June 25, 2013 Post RE: Van Leer Logo Anniversary UPDATE!

Thank you!  ~~ Lee, Wayne M., Guitar G, Benny P. Sanders (core members of  Van Leer-the-band.) ~ BTW, the Jillard guitar and case are for sale @ $799.

Big ups to Mr. Pat Rush for making my 'spare gtr.' really playable!

Also big thanks to Richard Fathers, mgr. of L and M Bloor Elec. Gtrs. Dept., for rendering the previously !distressed! instrument more affordable. I am content. ~ Gtr., BTW, is an Indonesian-made Squier Mustang. My love affair w/ short-scale (24") solid-bodies (and the Offset-Waist design) began with the
gtr. u c in the pic   John F. "before he was Lee" 1972! elsewhere on this website. ~~ Now for some fantasy and silliness: BANDS I HOPE2 RECORD WITH: Rhee Psycho and The Bloobins // The Fischel Bros. (Benny and Artie) // Jimi's Ghost  // Carmine MeRandy ~~ Brethren and Cistern, u can't go 2far wrong if your guitar's neck is made of MAPLE -- Leo Fender knew that!

Van Leer "Sawing Through Bone" recording project: PROGRESS REPORT.

GUITAR tracks are starting 2B added to the mix, ALL of them utilizing the
Jillard Lee Van Leer Custom guitar and 1980 Peavey Standard amp head, my
"Magical Combination"! The spkr. cab? NOT utilizing a Peavey Black Widow 15" as per usual, but a vintage 12" of "secret identity"! ~ On board, "committed to participate" are drummers Benny P. Sanders and Wayne Orgill,
guitarist/bassists Doug Virgin and Wayne Munzy and guitarist "Guitar G".
  Lead and b.u. vocals: yours truly, plus b.u. vocals from Benny, Doug and possibly some from the other players.  ~~  Other crucial instruments used
besides the above-mentioned and a (year 2000?) Ludwig drum kit is a
 (glorious!) Lakland bass.  The Hammond Organ-like tones come from a Korg M1 and my !essential! Yamaha DX21, which I've owned for TWENTY-TWO YEARS, and which I've used on every recording I've played on since 1993.  (Time flies when you're having fun!!)  ~~ Yes, Virginia (and other very interested parties) I, Lee Van Leer, will play guitar on at least 2 of the 15 tracks 4sure! ~~ The track list: one instrumental and fourteen SONGS. Several songs were written in 2011 and 2013, but many date back to the band "Trill" and B4 that, "Lee Van Leer and the Nouns" and "Party, Unlimited"  FINALLY making their CD debut! ~ Release date? hopefully in
time for the earliest of Christmas shoppers and even the 'Autumn sales push'. Can't afford a new car? DON'T WANT a new car? Buy yourself some
NEW MUSIC, my friends! ~ Yours in Music, Lee Van Leer.

The recording sessions are going REALLY WELL...

...and we haven't even brought in the live drummer(s) yet, OR the guitars.
~ Bassists are Doug Virgin and myself ~ Guitar: Andy Ray Fong?, you ask -- Well, Andy and
Debbie have moved to the Bobcaygeon area and are rarely seen down here on weekdays, which is when the tracks have been laid down thus far.
  We're re-issuing "Grown To Love You" and our much-loved 'soul ballad'
"A Love To Last A Lifetime Long" bcuz they truly do deserve another crack at the market. ~ One song and an instrumental are from an earlier recording that was never released, but everything else being laid down is as fresh as the raspberries in Mom's back yard! ~ The disc will contain FIFTEEN tunes and yes, they'll fit on a CD bcuz 3 tunes so far clock in around the two minute mark -- perfect for slipping in a radio playlist B4 a station break! ~ We'll be introducing some of the new songs at a 5-band Event at Melange Saturday, Sept. 7th. Hint: BE THERE or miss some Sirius musical FUN!

Van Leer Logo Anniversary UPDATE!

In August, the glorious triangular Lee Van Leer logo will celebrate its 28th anniversary. ~~  We ARE participating in a 5-band  Event to celebrate this occasion!
It will be held at Melange, 172 Main St. @ Gerrard St. E. on Saturday, September 7th. Start time: 7-ish p.m., but Van Leer will take the stage @ nine-ish for a 55-minute Showcase Set.  ~~  Why not in August? Bcuz  we are
on hiatus from live gigging while we lay down tracks for our long-awaited
SECOND CD, titled "Sawing Through Bone". When u finally see the cover
art, you'll be relieved that there's NO blood, gore or "creepy-ness" involved.
  Another reason for the September date: If we WAIT 'til AFTER Labour Day,
we feel that MORE of you will be able to attend. (Here's hoping -- please spread the word, thank you!)

MELANGE UPDATE!!

Wednesday nt, karaoke has been CANCELED! Owner Aubin has announced that this summer he's working towards a policy of having live duos and bands Wednesday through Sunday -- Wao! Shades of the '80s! I hope it proceeds excellently!

chirp.

I don't need 2B taken seriously 'til I open my mouth to sing, and then...
LOOK OUT!

TWO fine institutions gone "pfft!" this week:

1): Sat. nite karaoke @ Kwame's Fusion, 476 Cosburn Ave. has stopped, no fault of hostess Erika, who is EXCELLENT.  ~~
2): Regency Dental Hygiene Academy Inc., 481 University Ave., Suite 400...
stopped dead. Possibly true story: principal owner runs off w/ $$, plunging
biz into bankruptcy. For shame, for shame. Now I gotta find a new place for
my affordable thrice-yearly teeth cleaning. Maybe George Brown College?
We'll see. Current students, esp. 3rd Semester about-to-graduate ones, are in a tizzy, to say the least. I'll keep y'all up to date on this as I'm informed of
news.

For GOOD MUSIC & GOOD FOOD, pls visit...

...Melange, 172 Main St. @ Gerrard St. E. this Sat. June 1st @ 7-ish p.m. and Fri. June 28th @ 9: p.m. (band starts @ 9:30 p.m.)

You may not post new threads, but you may BUY and WEAR new threads.

"grey" aliens like the "greyness" of these old Fender t-shirts.

BTW, there are cantilever bridges on Zeta Reticuli.  I mean, who'da thunk?

Stvplyr, thanks for joining/following Lee's Blog.

History:

After I bailed out of Air Traffic Controller School, I got deeper into music. After a while, it calmed me down. Now I stick with it and it feels really good.

Celebrating Rex Cantler's 70-topping pizza.

Diameter 15", Height 4 1/2" incl. a thin crust. Be amazed!

A Race Of Giants

And lo, there came upon the Earth from a distant galaxy a race of giants known as the Nephilim, who invented both the t-shirt and the tank top, also the knitting machine, for the Nephilim thought that cotton was cool, and also
comfortable. The Nephilim had only three surnames, one of which was Buick,
and the other two were guttural and quite difficult for humans to pronounce. Humans adopted the surname Buick, which exists to this day as Buick or La Buick. After reducing the edible vegetation of their adopted
region of the Earth to waay short supply, the Nephilim boarded their streamlined craft and left our planet. They have left us, though, with three pearls of wisdom: 1) the peanut is not a nut, but actually a bean. 2) Strawberries are not true berries. 3) "Building pyramids is easy!" This latter
may be true if your race's average height is eight feet and you have extremely advanced technology at your disposal. Some believe that the Nephilim will return to Earth someday, but the majority of UFOlogists say, "Not bloody likely!"

If I have to live in L.A., I want to live in Echo Park.

Random Ramblings

A bunch of us attended Jon Long's B'day party @ the Black Swan & it was FINE FUN. Apparently it started around 1 p.m. We landed just B4 9 p.m. Heard Cathy Young, still in full, fine voice. Re-connected w/ Lyn Mantle, whose at last getting back into gigging. I hope we see much more of her on
local stages. Many bands played -- short sets of 4-5 tunes. One "guitar virtuoso" power trio got up & did ONE blazing instrumental, thanked the audience and stepped down. Duh, gawrsh, Mickey! ~ Only vocal harmony I
heard all evg. was from a trio doing Bob Marley reggae. The drummer was the 2nd voice. I didn't catch their name but they were GOOD! ~ My vote for strangest food fight would be: Sherri & I SPITTING CHICK PEAS at one another. Yes, my darling was... intoxicated! And I was just in High Silliness
mode. ~ Unanswered Question of the week: Back when he was plain ol'
John Feeny, did Lee Van Leer play on the Feral Katz album? I'm told that this gem fetches around $200 USD per copy in v. good condition. I'll bet that YOU
don't have a copy -- I don't! ~ Attached jpg: two tens and a horn: that'll

do!

NEWS! Recording sessions for the long-overdue Lee Van Leer 2nd CD...

...will commence during the 2nd 1/2 of June 2013. I'm even selling my Peavey
Bass Mk. III amp head to help cover costs ~ Price: $175. It has an over-long
A.C. cord w/ a HD 3-prong plug.  Orig. owned by Troy Sinister when he was still playing bass, it still has a "The Sinisters" stencil AND a "Lee Van Leer"
stencil on the top. 105W RMS into 4 ohms. It duznt mind a 3 ohm load or a 2.6 ohm load, but 2
ohms is NOT recommended, say the Peavey experts @ Steve's Music.  These
heads are quite versatile, w/ even a biamp capability!

It's the one on the left. ~ The other gear in the photo is absolutely NOT for
sale as it's used in a rehearsal room, AND my kbd.-playing granddaughter might want it someday!

ONE moreLeslie cab 4sale!

Pls chk Craigslist Toronto ad #3719684160 for PLENTY of details, dimensions,etc. ~ Thank you!  ~ BTW, a Peavey Bass Mk. III amp

head is also for sale. Please see the post above this one, thank you.

Happy Easter, friends, fans & 'followers'!

  Special thanks to Peter Medvick and Jack Hussey for ridding my Leslie cabs of annoying "pop" noises when the rotor motors are switched off and on. ~
 Easter Sun. & Mon. Sherri & I will be AWAY . (Think "rural" and "hidden".) ~ We're always seeing images of the Easter bunny, the Easter hen AND the cute li'l yellow chicks all named "A. Dory Bull", but I've been saying for several years now, let's give "big ups" to the EASTER ROOSTER, without whom NO easter egg would ever hatch! ~ Dominus Vobiscum, et cum fave omelets tuo.

  These boots are made for holiday hiking: yay!

ABOUT: My go-to tech guys for electronic repairs aand mods;

For ALL amplification (tube and solid-state incl. p.a.) AND electric guitar re-
wiring, John "Buzzy" Burak , located sort-of near the Zoo: superb craftmanship and VERY fair pricing. CALL (416) 282-5088 afternoons to nights. ~~~ For keyboard instruments incl. Hammond organs, service and fine mods to tube amplification, Peter Medvick, located near 1570 Kingston Road. CALL (416) 691-5123, e-mail pmedvick(at)hotmail(dot)com  ~  Peter's currently restoring my model 760 Leslie to full functionality: a quiet rotor
motor switching system, much like model 147, and a passive 2-way crossover
network. ~ FYI, this work was necessitated by my removal of the 760's amp/
electronic crossover/rotor motor switching system. My "amp of choice"  for this Leslie is a Gallien Krueger 400RB head or occasionally a Peavey solid state head. ~ Model 760 sounds BIG and full like a 31H/31W, but with two

rotor speeds. ~ The spkr. system is a rugged 4-ohm horn driver and !5" woofer.

Like 1,000s of other blogs B4 me, I now post about the Kardashian sisters.

I personally don't find them particularly attractive, and some of their (over) -
publicized antics leave me feeling that they're somewhat of a disgrace to
their ethnic group (Armenian-American.) SO,... next topic?

Surpri-ise! A "Soul Instigators" reunion!

Pete Aube', Scott "Sharp" Aube', Wayne Munzy and I, Lee Van Leer, will take the stage at 11:00 p.m. on Friday, March 15th for a full ELEVEN-song set of '60s
classics AND choice Soul Instigators originals. Be prepared to DANCE! bcuz
that's what the set will be geared to.  We'll be preceded by FOUR (!) opening acts, yet there'll be NO cover charge at the door. ~ WHERE?, you ask, can such a thing happen?  Well, it'll happen at MELANGE,  172 Main St. near NW
corner of Gerrard St. E.  (The same venue where Van Leer-the-band will

perform the following night at 8:30 p.m.)  Can you say, Wild Weekend!?

Murphy's Law w/ Very Special Guest Lee Van Leer

This is actually from back when the group was called "The Hinges". Lee
doesn't SING on this one, but is certainly an entertaining presence on the
organ: Watch! ~ Bassist Jimmy Kennedy sings lead on this one (a J.K. original). ~ To SEE and HEAR this high-energy FUN, please visit:

www.firstpost.com/topic/person/jimmy-kennedy-woodbine-track-video-G6E_clMcAmA-13347-9.html 

PLEASE visit Toronto Craigslist - Musical Instruments for sale by Owner. Search "Leslie" @ $275.

   The modded Leslie shown in this post was SOLD March 21st -- Thank you, Ryan B.! Craigslist ad for it has been deleted... HOWEVER, it's slightly larger "cousin" is for sale, also $275. Pls see Craigslist Toronto ad #3719684160, thank you.

  

   Unlikely   item: A Hammond C-3 organ serial # plate, still attached to a small piece of hardwood
(about 4"x5") For Hammond tonewheel fans, this might be a coffee table ornament or a paperweight. First ca$h offer over $11 takes it. READ

 MORE about it in Craigslist Toronto ad #3662542774.

I finally have a Leslie with a HORN again!

  It's a model 760, as shown. (NOT for sale!)

The presence of shipwrecks in deserts is proof that most, if not all, deserts were once SEAS.

You need to know:

There NEVER WAS a continent "Atlantis." ~ Elvis Presley is dead. ~ Jim Morrison is alive and many years sober. ~ Lee Van Leer (not his real name) is alive.