Sherri Woodstock: A Night at the Opera House

If your ears are ringing today, relax--you were at Sherri Woodstock last night. The lid was blown off Toronto's Opera House on several occasions as six great bands pounded out song after song in a spirited salute to former Toronto Sun spark plug Sherri Wood, who lost her brave battle with brain cancer last March.
Wood's smiling face could be seen throughout the night, projected at the back of the auditorium in scenes from her "Wood on the Weekend" Sun TV days. Seeing her big smile and dimpled chin again was an inspiration for those of us lucky enough to stand on that stage.
By the time Classic Albums Live blasted out a nearly hour-long Led Zeppelin set, we were nearly half a thousand strong. Not quite Woodstock, but everywhere there was song and celebration.
All the music was great yesterday. Five Blank Pages drew the unenviable post-Zeppelin slot, but managed to both mellow out the crowd with an intimate acoustic vibes before cranking it up again for a raving finale. The Little Millionaires and Franky Moonlight ripped through two high energy screamer sets, testing the Opera House sound system beyond its limits. Opening act The Overtones set the tone with an afternoon set of straight ahead indie rock. Dani Strong said she felt a little overwhelmed by all the testosterone rock, but she and her bandmates put on winning, melodious set proving, as Sherri would have loved, that Chick Rock rules.
If you were there you felt the love. Sherri's family, mom Debbie, sis Kayla and step-bro Austin (seen in this Stan Behal Sun shot), took turns getting hugged. Little Millionaires' string-bustin' guitar man Aaron Sawyer deserves full credit for assembling a fantastic day of music. None of the bands were paid, and every one of them gave everything they had.
A bit overwhelmed by all the guitar blastin' was comedian Frenchie MacFarlane, who got in a few quick zingers before heading off to host another season of America's Most Wanted. (He's a dead ringer for AMW host John Walsh.)
Jason MacNeil has a story on Sherri Woodstock in today's Toronto Sun. You can read the Sun story here.
The incredible gift of Sherri Wood just keeps on giving. Hopefully we'll do this again and build on a great day and night of music.
Toward the start of the night, when there were mainly family and close friends mingling about, a couple of brief clips were shown up on the big screen of the Opera House. One featured Sherri, one year ago, at Halloween, dressed up as a bumble bee. She had just visited the Sun and was giving a video shout out, joking about her short term memory loss. Her brain was literally scrambled, but he spirit was indomitable.
Watching that clip made me terribly sad for a split second, but it also gave me hope. No matter what lay in front of her, Sherri was always about seeing how life held promise and possibilities. She always held an expectation for joy. Her face, as a smart music therapist remarked at her funeral, was like a flower, always turned toward the sun.
So that was the great gift we are all left with today. Memory loss has its upside. Sherri herself kept forgetting she was dying. If she couldn't remember, why should we?
Long live Sherri, and long live Sherri Woodstock.

TODAY IS THE DAY! SHERRI WOODSTOCK IS HERE!

Doors open at 4:30. Tickets available at the door for $25. What else to say? Don't miss what is sure to be one rockin' love-in. Come salute Sherri and donate to a good cause at the same time, an education fund for students in need.
The lineup:
The Overtones 5:15-5:45
Franky Moonlight 6 p.m. to 6:30
Dani Strong 6:45-7:30
Frenchie McFarlane (stand up comedian) 7: 35-7:45
Classic Albums Live 7:50-8:50
Frenchie McFarlane (second set) 8:55-9:05
Five Blank Pages 9:15-10 p.m.
The Little Millionaires 10:15-11 p.m.
Plenty of other surprises, too, including a video tribute to Sherri. Don't be outta town Brown! be there, be square!

Tickets Now Available At The Door

It's almost here! Just two more sleeps until Sherri Woodstock, and the good news is if you haven't already bought your tickets, you will now be able to buy them Sunday at the door.
Bring $25 cash in hand when you arrive at the Opera House Sunday and you are in. Six bands will be featured, including a Led Zeppelin set from Classic Albums Live (featuring Toronto Sun executive entertainment editor John Kryk on mandolin). Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
As an added bonus, Toronto comedian "Frenchie" McFarlane has been added to the bill. Frenchie does a killer John McCain and he'll be bringing his many other voices with him. You can get more information about him here.
Closing act will be The Little Millionaires, a Toronto punk band sure to blow the lid off the dump. Check out their kinetic YouTube posting below.


Brampton singer/songwriters Five Blank Pages will also be on the bill, performing around 9:15 p.m., after Classic Albums Live and before The Little Millionaires. Check out their MySpace page here.
Meanwhile, the word has been getting out on radio about Sherri Woodstock all week. Here's a plug from Bill Brioux's regular Wednesday afternoon chat with Scott Thompson over at Hamilton Talk Radio's CHML.

Wood on the Wadio

Scott Fox, host of the Z103.5 FM Morning Show, gave a shout out to Sherri Woodstock this morning. If you missed it live, you can listen in here. Thanks, Scott!
There are just five days left until Sherri Woodstock rocks Toronto and the good news is that there are still tickets left. Go to TicketPro.ca right now if you want in on the musical love-in of the year. Click here to go straight to your tickets to Sherri Woodstock--just $20 plus taxes.
Today's "Best of Sherri" column in the Toronto Sun, a review of the Montreal band Arcade Fire, is a beaut. Jump straight to it here.

Sherri's Back in The Toronto Sun

"Kim Says 'No' To Sex." It's a catchy headline in The Toronto Sun from a few year ago, reprinted today as part of a series of "Best of Sherri Wood" stories. The vintage Wood articles run through until Monday, you can jump straight to today's gem here.
I can still remember how excited Sex And The City fan Sherri was as she ran off to interview Kim Cattrall for this interview. Cattrall, of course, played man eater Samantha, and as Wood discovered, she is much more subdued in person. Read right through to Wood's last line in the piece, it is a beaut.
Wood's report is well placed, if a little ironic. At the time, Cattrall told her she had no plans to shoot a Sex And The City movie. The reprint comes the day the movie's DVD hits the streets.
There are just nine days to go until Sherri Woodstock. If you don't have your tickets yet, order them today.
Listen for a report on the event tomorrow, Saturday, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., on 680News' Rudy Blair's entertainment reports.

Alert the Media: Sherri Woodstock Release

Amy Doary at MuchMusic, who has fond memories of working stories with Sherri, is helping to get the word out on Sherri Woodstock. Here's her press release for the event, just out today:

Toronto, ON (September 23, 2008) – To celebrate the life of Toronto Sun Music Writer Sherri Wood (above), the inaugural Sherri Woodstock concert will be held October 5 at The Opera House (735 Queen St. E.) in Toronto. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

Sherri was a lover of music, in all its forms, shapes, and volumes. She was a fan and champion for many independent bands in the Greater Toronto Area. Now some of those bands will play at this very special celebration of her life, including Classic Albums Live, with a special Led Zeppelin set, Five Blank Pages, The Little Millionaires, Dani Strong, Franky Moonlight, and The Overtones.

Tickets can be purchased at ticketpro.ca for $20 + service fees. No tickets will be sold at the door so orders should be placed now. This event is for 19+ only.

For more information, please visit sherriwoodstock.blogspot.com or the Sherri Woodstock Facebook page.

Toronto Sun music writer Sherri Wood left her mark on all those around her with her warm smile and musical penmanship. A major supporter of the Toronto music scene, Sherri Woodstock has been put together by her family and friends to honour her life and love of music. Sherri passed away in March 2008 after a courageous battle with cancer. She was only 28.

Proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Sherri Wood Memorial Fund.

For more information
Amy Doary, 416.732.2873, mailto:amy.doary@muchmusic.com

Sun Shines on Sherri Woodstock

Sherri Wood's sunny spirit inspired her friends, family and co-workers in life. That spirit continues as six of her Toronto Sun colleagues--news reporters Joe Warmington, Brett Clarkson, Michele Mandel, Jonathan Jenkins, Peter Worthington and Alan Shanoff--have donated the $1000 they won last June at the Sun Media Dunlop Awards to the Sherri Wood Fund.
The six won the award for their joint coverage of the trial of disgraced newspaper baron Conrad Black. From thievery springs generosity. Sherri would have loved that.
Clarkson and Warmington dropped the endorsed cheque off to Sun national entertainment editor John Kryk yesterday. The money will help defray costs associated with the Oct. 5 concert in Sherri's memory, to be held at Toronto's Opera House. All proceeds from that event will go toward a fund set up in Sherri's name by her mother, Debbie Wood.
Kryk also announced that the Sun will start running a daily "Best of Sherri" feature in their entertainment pages, starting Thursday and running through till Monday, Sept. 29. The series will reprint some of Wood's best work as a Sun club and concert reporter. Collect them all.
Sherri Woodstock is 15 days away and counting. Have you got your tickets yet?

Countdown to Sherri Woodstock: 16 Days

By the time we get to Sherri Woodstock, we'll be half-a-million strong. Just two weeks and two days until Sherri Woodstock, the concert to celebrate the life of Sun Media writer Sherri Wood. It all takes place Sunday, Oct. 5 at the Opera House in Toronto, with doors open at 4:30 p.m.

This site will be updated daily with information about the concert, bios on the band, links to ticket sales, and other vital information. Other news is available here at the Sherri Woodstock Facebook site.

Here's what you need to know NOW: Don't wait until the last minute to buy your tickets. Get them at least a week before the event. Seating is limited, with the venue holding around 750 people. Many tickets are already sold. Unlike that other Woodstock, there is no surrounding farm land to spill out into. Follow the link above and to the right and get in on the party of the year.