*...The times they are a changing...*

Last week a friend named Debbie passed away. Debbie was a friend to many and a huge supporter of music in the Yukon. She ran a club called the Jarvis Street Saloon. This is the last venue in town where you can have a band play on a bigger stage and play loud. The only alternative is playing small pubs where your band plays quiet, ends early, and gets paid meager wages. Debbie always paid her bands and had more live music nights than any other venue. She would even have all ages shows, which I know was a huge pain in the ass, thanks to government red tape. She had all kinds of music and especially metal. So in a way, she was one of the biggest supporters of heavy metal in the North by consistently giving it a live venue.
 Closer to home, Debbie always hired my bands and spoke highly of them. She never ripped me off or was dishonest, and that is sadly quite rare in this business. The Jarvis Street Saloon will be closing and that is very sad for live music in town. We need a place with a big dance floor and where the band can cook, you can't cook when you're volume is on two. Music has to be felt, and dance music has to hit you in the chest with the beat. I'm sure the story of this venue closing is one echoed all across Canada for whatever reason. People just don't seem to go out as much: oversaturation, a lot of unrehearsed bands, a lot of sub par bands who wouldn't get gigs back in the day, bad economy, improved home entertainment systems, crime and violence, gaming, 24 hr sports networks and etc. All is not lost and I believe there will always be people who wanna see a live band and dance the night away, and there will always be a band ready to deliver. I'll make sure of that!
 Anyway, Debbie was a kind human being and the world is truly a darker place without her here in the present form. Her spirit will live on in all the lives she touched and we can all say we have had amazing nights of music, laughter and love thanks to her. So many times, she would call me to play and that put food on my table. I hope she is finally well and dancing to a smoking band right now...Thanks Debbie!

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