Articles written by Al Reilly

How To Guides |
Community

About me - Al Reilly

Al Reilly Has been performing on stage since before the age of 14. The singer/songwriter is also a published writer, having had a weekly column in the now defunct Brampton Daily Times.

Whether he is playing with one of his several bands or else cutting loose

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) True gardening stories and lessons learned: 2 of 23

Several years back I had the great fortune to be living in a house with a huge back yard. At the bottom of that yard some 80 feet wide and 25 feet deep I embarked on creating a magnificent vegetable garden. I rented a machine and tilled the soil. I cut up skids in 18 inch wide sections and placed them around as pathways to t...
Entertainment > Music Business Musicians: The importance of building a fan base: 2 of 17

Musicians want to believe that they are entertainers. The sad fact is that until they have established themselves to the point where they are playing in concert venues rather than clubs, they are first and foremost "beer salesmen". I should perhaps clarify this statement as I am sure that I have rubbed more than a few buddin...
Entertainment > Musicians & Bands When rock legends sell out: 3 of 15

Do rock legends really ever sell out? One might say that Metallica sold out when they made the song Nothing Else Matters and a few others. My opinion is more that they opened their repertoire up to the masses who only thought of them as a thrash metal band and allowed those who liked the new material to explore the older stu...
Entertainment > Music Genres, Trends & Scenes Reflections on the best and worst of karaoke: 6 of 25

There is precious little in this world that I enjoy more than going out on a Saturday night, after a hard week of work, and kicking back at my favorite karaoke venue. To be able to sit back with old friends and pound back a few cold ones and then get up and let loose is something I truly pleasure in. My wife and all our frie...
Entertainment > Music Genres, Trends & Scenes How the power ballad destroyed metal music in the late '80s: 15 of 37

To say that the power ballad destroyed metal music is akin to saying that Stairway to Heaven was the downfall of Led Zeppelin. Those amazing songs didn't destroy the genre, it brought Metal to the forefront. The real kicker is that this is nothing new and it applies the same today in rap, hip hop or country. For generations ...
Arts & Humanities > British Literature The universal appeal of Harry Potter: 11 of 26

I must admit that I am by no means an avid reader. It is far too easy today to sit down in front of the tube for a few hours and have a story mindlessly fed to you. That being said sometimes you just need to escape and let your own mind paint the picture for you. The Lord of The Rings series of books did that for me in my yo...
Entertainment > Musicians & Bands Assessing who is the greatest rock guitar player of all-time: 9 of 21

In assessing who the greatest guitar player of all time is, you must first consider all the factors. Originality, the people influenced by the player, the technical brilliance of their moves combined with the technical equipment at their disposal in their time and finally look at how long they were around for. It does appear...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Getting pulled over by a police officer: 39 of 76

Perhaps humor is less the point here more than a big lesson learned. I was working part time as a promoter for a local bar, when one night just before Christmas I was leaving there very tired, having had only 1 beer, and looking in my rear view mirror I saw the flashing lights. I was quite nervous and nearly couldn't blow a ...
Politics, News & Issues > US Economy Is raising the minimum wage a good idea?: 14 of 19

As a member of society on the lower end of the scale, I would love to see the minimum wage go up. But the harsh reality is that I would only be fooling myself should that happen. Most of the consumables we purchase on a day to day basis are provided to us by those who work in that lower bracket income. If I were to work at a...
Entertainment > Music Genres, Trends & Scenes Video killed the radio star: Assessing MTV's effect on music in the early '80s: 12 of 16

I have a real love hate relationship with MTV and the hundreds of other similar stations that have come into existence since the official launch in 1981, but the closer I look at it, the more I begin to see a natural evolution that started in the 70's. Woodstock came and went in August of 69 and it might well have vanished i...