Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

. Leroy Sibbles on stage at Lula Lounge's Sunday Jam - George Socka photo HUFFINGTON POST APRIL 2016 - E ven a reggae star will take that boomerang ride.   Reggae pioneer bass player and   singer Leroy Sibbles knows what it means to take that boomerang ride. Born and raised in Jamaica he moved to Toronto in 1973, married and became a citizen. That was then, now he is back living in Jamaica, and visits The Big Smoke whenever he can. Sibbles was the lead singer and bass player for  The Heptones  in the 60’s and 70’s and continues to this day performing in and around the US and the Caribbean. In combination with his work with The Heptones, Sibbles was a session bassist and arranger at  Clement "Coxsone" Dodd 's Jamaica Recording and Publishing Studio. Kevin O’Brien Chang describes him as “the greatest all-round talent in reggae history” in his 1998 book Reggae Routes. The Heptones were among the most prolific and influential groups of the rock steady era

Singh Twins in PAMA  - Brampton Art Gallery  Photo by Herman Custodio Story By KJ Mullina For Stephen Weir Blog There is a certain privacy that the Singh Twins have. They communicate in a way that few can, together from the start and best friends to the end. Creating beautifully intricate modern yet traditional paintings as a partnership, a single entity, creating an aura of mystery to their work. "Our identities are linked to each other but we also have very independent ideas on what we want to do, they just happen to be the same ideas." The Singh Twins were in Brampton last week promoting their latest show the Peel Art Gallery, Museum+Archives (PAMA) as a part of Sikh Heritage Month. It was a welcome visit for the artists who said that the same of the patrons that they saw at the museum were just children the last time they were in Ontario. The youngsters of the Sikh community came with a confidence that was not seen during that earlier visit. "PAMA is a

CNW photograph -  Josh Basseches Trending At Toronto's Cultural Attractions: Hire Out Of Canada . Just got a CNW release about the new head of the Royal Ontario Museum here in Toronto. In the press release ROM welcomes its new Director & CEO, Josh Basseches . He was previously the Deputy Director of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Basseches is well qualified to take-over a museum the stature and budget of the ROM. However, by passing over, once again, worthy Canadian candidates for the job (last CEO, an Australian, lef t her post early), ROM has continued a disturbing trend here in Toronto -- most of the high profile roles at this city's key cultural institutions have been handed over, at a huge expense, to foreign nationals. Earlier this year the Art Gallery of Ontario announced that after a 7-month worldwide search it had hired Stephan Jost as CEO of the Gallery. A Michigan born art expert, Jost does not appear to have a background in

. The Business of Promoting E-Books SALLOW CITY - Micah Reed's Flint Michigan Blood Bath From time-to-time I promote E-Books.   On a couple of occasion I have been very successful. Other times, well let’s just say less so.   Last   author driven project I worked on, the aging/ailing   Beatle biographer was so unimpressed with the campaign I launched that he refused to pay full freight on my invoice – it was so bad I couldn’t afford a dozen brown ones to wear on my face. When it comes to book promotion It is easier to squish a camel through the eye of a needle than it is to successfully push an E-Book work of fiction.   Electronic book sales are currently in decline in Canada, but the number of E-Books that   first timers are selling cheap   or simply giving away for FREE soars. Readers have quickly gotten used to the idea that they don’t have to pay much (or anything) to fill their Kobo, Kindle or IPad .   Every day I am offered, through programmes like Free-ebook

IAN BROWN SHORTLISTED 2016 RBC TAYLOR PRIZE Regrets? For journalist Ian Brown there are a few but not for the big things. Ian regrets the book not read, should he read three long classics or just the one he knows he will enjoy, does he have enough time to finish?  Face to face Brown is the kind of man you just want to be friends with; smart, funny, educated and able to hold his own in a conversation. His takes on life have you laughing and thinking at the same time just as they do in his recent memoir ' Sixty, ' shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize. In Sixty Ian kept a journal of his 60 th year with a touching honesty that left no wart untouched. Baring his soul was powerful and in many ways liberating for him giving him an outlet to vent all of his emotions of a mentally challenging year. Putting words to paper is what writers do but baring your soul can be like walking into a minefield. Catching a bite at Fresh and Wild during a lunch time interview I