Two weeks 'till Sherri Woodstock II

Isn't this an amazing poster? Just a reminder that Sherri Woodstock II is only a few weeks away. Check out the bands and see you at the 'Shoe Aug. 29.

Another Sherri Woodstock!

From Sherri's mom Debbie's Facebook page: "The second annual Sherri Woodstock has been confirmed at the Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, August 29. $10 at the door more information to come..."

One Year Later

Sherri lost her brave fight against cancer one year ago today. She missed a tough, tough year in the newspaper business, but one put in perspective by her untimely death. Celebrate her life by wearing a funny hat, kooky socks or T-shirts or drinking decafinated tea. Even better, make an extra effort to brighten someone else's day. Keep her spirit alive by spreading some of that always warm and welcome Sherri Wood sunshine, we all need it more than ever.

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.