vern nicholson

So, I find myself in a new band, with some old friends (and relations), and our first show is coming up in a week's time. You've seen a few of us before, in Sour Landslide and The Benvereens, and now…

Rather improbably, my Toronto Argonauts are the 2022 Grey Cup champions, squeaking out a 24-23 win over the two-time defending champs, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. For some reason, Grey Cup games are often nail-biters with dramatic and at times jaw-dropping…

I've always loved this underrated gem in George's catalogue, and today, guitar in hand, I finally figured it out. Ironically, because of the tempo, cramped hand position and ongoing issues with my ring finger, I can't play it fluently; but…

It's been a while since I've done a real chords post, so I'm due. And given the lengthy delay, I'm offering up a double dose with two of my favourite Bob Dylan songs, "Jokerman" and "Changing of the Guards."

I'll…

So, I heard a bizarre item on the CBC newscast last night. The owner of a Montreal diner just paid $15,000 to purchase a plot of "land" in a "place" called Decentraland, located in a "world" called the Metaverse. The…

Well, in this house at least, it's VST (Vern Standard Time), all year round.

Let me explain. I don't change my clocks, ever, and haven't done so for several years now. I live in the Eastern time zone, so I'm…

I've announced this elsewhere, so here's the news for you faithful blog readers: my new covers EP, Favourites, Popular and Otherwise, has now been released in mp3 format. Nine songs in all, guaranteed to warm your heart and soothe your…

As the 2021 Toronto Blue Jays continue their quest for a playoff spot, I've been revisiting my roots with my hometown team. I've been a fan from the very beginning, and attended that first game in the snow on April…

On a blustery day in March, I finally did it—I trekked out to Burlington on GO Transit and procured my dream guitar. I present to you the Rickenbacker 360 electric 12-string guitar in a Mapleglo finish:

Rickenbacker makes its guitars…

As COVID restrictions, which I'm in full support of, continue in Ontario, one thing that I really miss is going to baseball games. To compensate, I've devised what I call the virtual ballpark experience. Here's what you need:

• an interest…

E-mail recently sent to Sportsnet, media conglomerate responsible for broadcasting all things Blue Jays:

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Hello,

I'm writing to express my outrage at Sportsnet's decision to axe the Blue Jays radio broadcasts. I've been a Jays fan since 1977, and…

Peanut butter and jam. Snow and ice. Sand and surf. Certain things just naturally go together, don't they? Here's a more musical example: Vox amplifiers and Rickenbacker guitars, the epitome of mod cool in the '60s, '70s and beyond. While…