Musical Thank You #8: Ron Sexsmith and Neko Case
The first time I saw Ron Sexsmith in concert, I arrived at the auditorium during the middle of his set. For this, I blame Chris K and his damned hospitality! It was a tradition at that time for members of the Internet’s Elvis Costello mailing list[1] to meet at Chris’s house for a barbecue prior to Elvis’s Minneapolis shows. On this occasion, Sexsmith opened the show and we carpooled from Chris’s to it. We were tardy.
I don’t remember much about the show except that shortly after it I bought a copy of Sexsmith’s debut disc. I’ve been a big fan ever since. Here I thank Chris and DiDi G for my introduction to what has proved to be one of my longest-lasting musical obsessions.[2] (This is not the first time I’ve waxed prosaic on this blog about Sexsmith; see How on Earth?.)
So why do I bring DiDi into this? I do because she is another long-time Sexsmith fan and helped to fuel my passion for his music. She is also the person most responsible for introducing me to Neko Case—another favorite artist of mine. DiDi made the trip here from Chicago at least once to see her in concert—a fantastic show at the old 400 Bar in Minneapolis.
Why now? Because I recently rediscovered some old photos taken during a trip to Milwaukee’s old County Stadium to see the Brewers play and Chicago’s Wrigley Field to see the Cubs. DiDi got us tickets for some great seats at Wrigley. Good times!
Somehow (entirely my fault) I have fallen out of touch with both Chris and DiDi. Looking through the photographs made me want to reconnect and, thought I, “If only there were some sort of popular social media site where they might be found.” Shame there isn’t, but what the heck, I’ll see if I can find them on Facebook.
This video of “We’ve Never Met” is a duet of a song written by Sexsmith, Don Kerr and Case and featured on Case’s 2000 disc Furnace Room Lullaby.
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Notes
Do mailing lists still exist? The Elvis list was the only one I followed with any regularity. I met some great people through it including both Chris and DiDi. I won’t forget that when I moved to Minnesota and knew no one, Chris showed me the best music stores in town. DiDi regularly sent me her “best of the year” music mix CDs. [^]- A meta-thank you should go out to Elvis Costello who really brought attention to Ron Sexsmith’s debut disc—calling it his favorite disc of the year. It is no coincidence that the biggest Sexsmith fans I know were once members of the Elvis mailing list. [^]
Musical Thank Yous:
| DATE | TITLE |
| 10/04/2019 | #12: The Beatles |
| 08/19/2016 | #11: Van Morrison |
| 04/11/2016 | #10: Conor Oberst |
| 01/29/2016 | #9: Reina del Cid |
| 10/01/2015 | #8: Ron Sexsmith and Neko Case |
| 05/13/2015 | #7: Elvis Costello |
| 10/09/2014 | #6: Longhair Music |
| 08/27/2014 | #5: Neil Young |
| 06/19/2014 | #4: Arcade Fire |
| 03/14/2014 | #3: Mike Doughty |
| 02/10/2014 | #2: Lucinda Williams |
| 02/07/2014 | #1: Richard Thompson |
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