Think you含羞草研究社檝e seen a lot of concerts? Meet Surrey含羞草研究社檚 Colin Hartridge, a walking, talking encyclopedia of rock n含羞草研究社� roll.
By his count, he含羞草研究社檚 witnessed close to 1,000 concerts in his 68 years, and has many of the ticket stubs as proof of his love for live music.
The kicker is, Hartridge is still an avid concert-goer, with two or three on his calendar every week. He also still frequently drums at jam nights around Metro Vancouver, as a blast from his past with the band Sparkling Apple.
In another music-related passion of his, he含羞草研究社檚 hosted his own from his Guildford-area townhouse for the past four years, giving listeners new themed shows every Monday on mixcloud.com.
This week含羞草研究社檚 episode, his 256th, is dubbed and features 34 songs with the word 含羞草研究社渕oon含羞草研究社� in the title, including tunes by Nat King Cole, Ozzy Osbourne, Captain Beefheart, John Mellencamp and others.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 just something I like to do, for fun,含羞草研究社� Hartridge said. 含羞草研究社淥n Mixcloud, there含羞草研究社檚 a listener count for each show, but I have no idea where they含羞草研究社檙e listening from unless they 含羞草研究社榝avourite含羞草研究社� or repost the show,含羞草研究社� he added. 含羞草研究社淚f they do that, I can see that Captain Maniac Show friends have tuned in from Greece or South Africa, or France or England or wherever.含羞草研究社�
Hartridge, a retired graphic designer who still creates posters for buddies in bands, moved to Surrey with his family when he was six years old, and has lived in the city ever since.
He started playing drums at age 16, a couple years after he saw The Beatles play Empire Stadium in Vancouver. The landmark show, in 1964, was his first as a concert-goer.
含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檇 seen The Beatles on TV, Ed Sullivan含羞草研究社檚 show, and of course I saw Ringo and said, 含羞草研究社榃ell, I can do that!含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 Hartridge recalled with a laugh. 含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檇 always be tapping on window sills with my mom含羞草研究社檚 knitting needles and my dad finally said, 含羞草研究社榊ou should take drum lessons.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可绂 I took lessons for about six months (at a place in Vancouver), but they were more interested in Latin rhythms, sambas and all that, but I just wanted to play rock 含羞草研究社榥含羞草研究社� roll. So I sort of ended up teaching myself just by listening to records and playing along to those.含羞草研究社�
As a teen in the late 1960s, Hartridge saw concerts by several iconic rock bands that travelled through Vancouver, including Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Led Zeppelin and more.
Hartridge has a sharp memory for details of those performances.
含羞草研究社淭he best concert I ever went to was the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and that was 含羞草研究社�68 at the Pacific Coliseum, and they had about three other bands on before him 含羞草研究社� Eire Apparent, Soft Machine and Vanilla Fudge, so by the time Hendrix came on, it was about midnight,含羞草研究社� he recalled.
含羞草研究社淪o he came on and said to the crowd, 含羞草研究社業含羞草研究社檝e got a cold,含羞草研究社� but he still played like nobody含羞草研究社檚 business. I remember that his grandmother was in the audience, because she lived not too far away from there, in Strathcona, around there. So when he did 含羞草研究社楩oxy Lady,含羞草研究社� he dedicated it to her.含羞草研究社�
Earlier that year, the Coliseum also played host to Cream, with Eric Clapton on guitar, Jack Bruce on bass and Ginger Baker on drums.
含羞草研究社淚 remember them playing only six songs, but of course each song was at least 10 minutes long,含羞草研究社� Hartridge said. 含羞草研究社淭hey含羞草研究社檇 do a framework of the song and then they含羞草研究社檇 jam 含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社楽unshine of Your Love含羞草研究社� with extended solos that went on for years.含羞草研究社�
Back then, he含羞草研究社檇 attend a lot of concerts 含羞草研究社渂ecause they were events you just had to go to,含羞草研究社� he explained.
含羞草研究社淏y today含羞草研究社檚 standards it was cheap 含羞草研究社� I saw Led Zeppelin for $5, so I guess that含羞草研究社檇 be like $50 today, or something. And back then we didn含羞草研究社檛 have any digital distractions, and we didn含羞草研究社檛 spend a lot of time watching TV, so we went to concerts. You know, 含羞草研究社楾hin Lizzy含羞草研究社檚 in town, let含羞草研究社檚 go see 含羞草研究社榚m.含羞草研究社� One time it was T. Rex and the opening band was Blue Oyster Cult, who we really liked back then, so we went and couldn含羞草研究社檛 stand T. Rex, so we left after a couple songs.含羞草研究社�
The band Hartridge has seen most often in concert is Blue Oyster Cult 含羞草研究社� probably 10 times, he said.
含羞草研究社淚 know they含羞草研究社檙e coming here in the summer, to that , but I含羞草研究社檓 pretty sure it含羞草研究社檚 not all the original guys. So I含羞草研究社檒l probably go see that. And a band like Zeppelin, every time they came to town we含羞草研究社檇 go see 含羞草研究社榚m, just because it was Zeppelin. They were here in 含羞草研究社�68 for the first time, and a bunch of times after that. I saw them all, I think.含羞草研究社�
Not surprisingly, the music of many of the bands Hartridge has seen in concert is played on his Captain Maniac show.
Out of the gate, his very first episode was called a two-hour collection of songs recorded by Jet, Rose Tattoo, The Cult, The Sex Pistols, Big Sugar and others.
The weekly series is 含羞草研究社渄evoted to the music *I* want to play 含羞草研究社� not what I含羞草研究社檓 TOLD to play, but what *I* want to play, with the emphasis on loud and proud rock and roll!含羞草研究社� Hartridge wrote in an introduction.
to visit 含羞草研究社淭he Captain Maniac Show含羞草研究社� page on Facebook.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of , launched in 1969, just after Hartridge had graduated from high school.
含羞草研究社淚t started off as the Plastic Rat Blues Band, and we had one guy leave so we wanted to change the name to something else,含羞草研究社� he recalled. 含羞草研究社淲e had a bottle of cider in front of us, and that was it, OK. It stuck.含羞草研究社�
For Sparkling Apple, a final gig is in the works for later this year.
含羞草研究社淲e haven含羞草研究社檛 played for a while because Art has sciatica, and I have problems with my eyes (I had a torn retina),含羞草研究社� Hartridge explained.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 going to happen, possibly at Donegal含羞草研究社檚 (in Surrey) but not until after summer, probably in the fall. I don含羞草研究社檛 see us playing beyond that show.含羞草研究社�
to read Sparkling Apple含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淩oad Stories,含羞草研究社� written by Hartridge.
Last Saturday night (April 13), in another of his concert-going experiences, Hartridge helped celebrate the 70th birthday of Doni Underhill, the former Trooper bass player, at in Guildford. The night included a four-song reunion performance by singer Ra McGuire, guitar player Brian Smith, drummer Tommy Stewart and Underhill on bass 含羞草研究社� the band含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社渃lassic含羞草研究社� edition, minus keyboardist Frank Ludwig. They played the classic cuts 含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e Here for a Good Time,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社�3 Dressed as a 9,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淭he Boys in the Bright White Sports Car含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社淩aise a Little Hell.含羞草研究社�
Early Sunday, Hartridge posted on Facebook: 含羞草研究社淲asn含羞草研究社檛 that a party?含羞草研究社�
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