Uncle Ron enjoy’s life including listening, playing, relaxing or rocking to music. Uncle Ron also enjoys books. So the academy has started to recognize Uncle Ron’s favorites by announcing them on Uncle Ron’s Night. These awards are known as: Uncle Ron’s Tunes and Uncle Ron Reads. It’s a rigorously enjoyable process selecting (not so much the winners) the recipients who Uncle Ron would like to recognize... Kinda like choosing what rum is going to best suit the current mood. Remember they are all good.
Pictures of recipients can be found on the Flickr link.
Roncipient of the 2011 Uncle Ron Reads Award Announced
Pictured above is Stephen Kimber receiving the 2011 Uncle Ron Reads award from Don Ron Art. It was a great night of Stories, Cruzan 9 Spiced and wild meat. Thanks to Don Ron Theo and Dona Rona Anna for hosting a great night of Mallard Duck breast, smoked venison rumpot curry, moose chili and more… The award is supplied by On Foot Glass a wonderful artisanal family business that wondrously creates functional art from used bottles that are enjoyed forever.
Stephen Kimber, a Professor of Journalism at the University of King's College in Halifax, is an award-winning writer, editor and broadcaster. He is the author of one novel -- Reparations (Harper Collins, 2006) -- and eight non-fiction books. Stephen has also completed a book entitled: What Lies Across the Water. This is not an ideological book on politics but a Non- fiction narrative about The Cuban Five, the people, the families and their stories. Besides the link to Don Ron Stephen's Book here is link to a Cuban Five Face Book Page.
His other works include:
- IWK: A Century of Caring (Nimbus, 2009)
- Loyalists and Layabouts: The Rapid Rise and Faster Fall of Shelburne, NS 1783-1792 (Doubleday 2008);
- Sailors, Slackers and Blind Pigs: Halifax at War (Doubleday, September 2002);
- NOT GUILTY: The Trial of Gerald Regan (Stoddart, 1999);
- Flight 111: The Tragedy of the Swissair Crash (Doubleday, 1999);
- More Than Just Folks (Pottersfield, 1996); and
- Net Profits (Nimbus, 1990).
His writing has appeared in almost all major Canadian publications including Canadian Geographic, Saltscapes, Financial Post Magazine, Maclean's, Canadian Business, Elm Street, En Route, Chatelaine, Financial Times, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and the National Post. Between 1985 and 2002, he was a weekly political and general interest columnist for the Daily News in Halifax, Canada. He resumed his column again in the spring of 2004 and continued until the paper folded in 2008. He currently writers a weekly column on local and provincial politics for Metro's Halifax edition. He is also currently a Senior Features Writer for The Coast, a Halifax-based alternative weekly. One of his articles for The Coast was selected as a Nieman Notable Narrative.
He has won a Dan McArthur Award for excellence in radio documentary production, a regional ACTRA award for documentary writing, a Canadian Food Writers' Award for the best magazine article on the Canadian Food Industry, a National Author's Award for Best Business Magazine article, an Honourable Mention from the Centre for Investigative Reporting for investigative reporting, a Citation of Merit from the Atlantic Journalism Awards for magazine writing and has been a finalist on several occasions for National Magazine Awards in a variety of categories, including Best Overall Article, Column Writing and Religious Journalism.
Sailors, Slackers won a Dartmouth Book Award, the Evelyn Richardson Memorial Award for Nonfiction and a Torgi Award for its portrayal of Halifax at war.
Reparations was shortlisted for both the Dartmouth Fiction Award and the Arthur Ellis Crime Writers of Canada First Novel Award. Loyalists and Layabouts was shortlisted for the Evelyn Richardson and Dartmouth Nonfiction Awards.
Since 1983, he has taught journalism fulltime at the University of King's College, where he specializes in narrative nonfiction writing, newspaper reporting and editing and online journalism. From 1996-2003, he was Director of the School of Journalism. In 1998-99, he was concurrently a Research Fellow with the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida. He holds a Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction degree from Goucher College in Baltimore, MD.
He and his wife, Jeanie Kimber, live in Halifax. They have three grown children.
Uncle Ron's Tunes 2011 Winners: Scott Macmillan and Brian Doyle
Uncle Ron’s Reads 2010 Winner: Harry Bruce, Page Fright: Foibles and Fetishes of Famous Writers
Above is 2009's Uncle Ron's Read's winner Bob Connon Presenting Harry Bruce with the 2010 award while Gabby takes center stage.
It’s His latest and Best.
Edward O. Wilson, biologist, conservationist, Pulitzer Prize winner says: “Page Fright tells more about the creative process than a dozen academic textbooks, and makes for delightful browsing.”
Various Academy members have known the Bruce’s in a variety of Shakespeare's (none melancholy) seven stages. Most recently Uncle Ron has been enjoying the “ wise saws and modern instances” of Harry Bruce’s latest book: Page Fright: Foibles and Fetishes of Famous Writers. What a great read for a few minutes or an afternoon no matter the part Uncle Ron is playing.
Harry Bruce has been pleasing and infuriating readers of national magazines and newspapers in Canada for half a century. The Concise Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature calls him "an essayist of great charm and perception," and now, in his 14th book - Page Fright: Foibles and Fetishes of Famous Writers - he brings all that charm and perception, as well as passion, to the creation of something that's been simmering in various corners of his mind throughout his entire life as a writer. Uncle Ron is in good company just check out Don Ron Harry's web site to see what Peter C. Newman, Silver Donald Cameron and Andreas Schroeder have to say...
Hot Toddy Awarded Uncle Ron’s Tunes 2010 Award
On behalf of Hot Toddy Tom Easley accepts the Uncle Ron's 2010 Tunes Award from Jeff Goodspeed.
Hot Toddy.... It’s not hard to figure out why Uncle Ron would be drawn to a band named Hot Toddy! More so it is easy to agree with Uncle Ron that they rock. The more Uncle Ron listened the more Uncle Ron understood and realized that a Hot Toddy is not a “Dusty Ol Relic” but the real “Monty”. Whether by the “ Wood Pile” in “The Cabin” or cruising the “old Dirt Road” Down By The Riverside” Hot Toddy’s recipe lends itself to any occasion, any mug, cup or vessel......
Hot Toddy is one of the east coast’s favourite acoustic acts. Comprised of Thom Swift, acoustic guitar, dobro, vocals; Joel Leblanc, lead guitar, harmonica, vocals and Tom Easley acoustic bass and vocals, this award winning Fredericton based trio is one of a kind!
Hot Toddy are regulars on the Canadian Festival scene and have played the prestigious Newport Folk Festival in the US, the Blue Balls Festival in Switzerland, Vienna Jazz Festival in Austria and Northumberland Folk in Wallace, NS. They are often heard on independent radio in the US and Canada and have been highlighted on the CBC a number of times. When they tour Hot Toddy wins fans wherever they play.
"Hot Toddy is one of a kind!".....Blues Review, Salem West Virginia
Scott and Brian... One of Uncle Ron’s favorite CD’s is Live Off The Floor. We could quote the writeup on Scot’s website ( Live Off the Floor is their 1st duo recording. Full of synchronistic guitar interplay…Ever pushing musical boundaries…and directly reflecting the pleasure Scott and Brian have playing together) or we can say: Holy smokes can they ever play and man do they ever have a bunch of fun when they are playing and when they are not.
Both Scott and Brian write and perform many music genres. Live Off The Floor is a wonderful example Scott and Brian's Jazz and Celtic collaborative prowess. In fact The Minnie Sessions Vol. 1 won the 1998 ECMA Instrumentalist of the Year. Scott put the project together and it features him and Brian on 4 cuts.
Check out Scott’s web site and you can learn more of the live performer, the composer, the writer, the educator, the conductor and the many projects he has conceived and partnered. The most recent is a great story of three generations of his family. It is the documentary: Within Sight of Shore, about the sinking of the HMCS Esquimalt at the end of the second World War. Scott’s father’s was the commanding officer, Scott composed the score Within Sight of Shore in 2008 and his son( Ian) a film maker used the score in his Documentary Within Sight of Shore about the tragic story of a ship, her captain and the legacy left behind.
Uncle Ron’s Tunes, 2009: Tonic ( Studio H CBC Halifax, 2007) featuring: Professor of Saxophone Chris Mitchell; Dave Burton, drums; bassist Jamie Gatti and the late great Doug Riley, keyboards . Tonic is a self-titled collection of contemporary jazz, funk and fusion tunes... From the liner notes: In September of 2006 Glenn Meisner and Karl Falkenham approached Chris, Dave, and Jamie to compose and record music for a new contemporary jazz recording. The recording was to be used as the genesis for a new Hip Hop CD. Doug Riley was to be involved but due to scheduling conflicts he would participate in an overdub capacity. The CD is entirely comprised of tunes by all four.
Uncle Ron Reads, 2009: Bob Connon, Sociable!: The Elbow Bender's Guide to Maritime Pubs
Bob is (as they say) a true Renaissance Man... what can I say.. wonderful guitar player, singer, writer, gifted swimming coach, proud father, loving husband he even owns a recording studio (Dog Face Records).
There is a great review of Sociable!: The Elbow Bender's Guide to Maritime Pubs here.
Uncle Ron’s Tunes, 2008: Steve Dooks, Cocktails, Heartaches and Cigars. Check it out here.
Steve Dooks (write up borrowed from Limelight Group) is a musical director and composer who has been an East Coast musician for more than 20 years. As a pianist he has performed extensively in Europe and the United States, bringing the unique sound of the Maritimes to the world.
While working in summer stock theatre as an actor, Steve landed a role as a pianist and spent six intense months at the keyboard. He never looked back, studying the stylings of Fats Waller, Floyd Cramer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson.
Years of pursuing his gift has produced a totally unique style that has reached maturity. Steve’s music takes him all over the world, playing piano clubs and jazz clubs in Norway, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland and Halifax.
Another of Steve's projects is the Atlantic Canada Ceilidh.
Uncle Ron's Tunes, 2007: Tom Roach: Piano Trios
Tom was born in New Waterford, NS where he began his musical studies, moving on to Boston to complete a Bachelor of Music in Performance at the Berklee College of Music. Since relocating to Halifax, his musical experiences have been diverse, including commercial, orchestral and jazz performances and recordings. He has played on over 100 recordings as a freelance drummer. He studied music at Berklee in Boston and continued private studies with Bob Gullotti, Jack DeJohnette adn the late Ed Blackwell among others. Tom has toured North America and Europe with east coast artists Lennie Gallant, Rawlins Cross, The Barra MacNeils and Natalie MacMaster. In 2001, after many years of extensive touring, Tom joined the Stadacona Band of Maritime Forces Atlantic. In the summer of 2005, Tom released his first CD entitled Piano Trios, featuring pianists Dave Staples, Silvio Pupo, Dave Restivo and Doug Riley. It was named jazz recording of the year at the 2006 East Coast Music Awards.
