MS Bike Tour fundraiser 2008

Again this year I'll be taking part in the MS Bike Tour to raise awareness and much needed funds for the MS Society. I'll be riding my bike from Stonewall to Gimli, and then back again (or attempting to, anyway).

To sponsor me (please!), go here: (more info on why the cause is so important to me at the bottom of this page)

On Tell the Band to Go Home, August 17, we held a Radio Auction, but there are still plenty of items up for grabs. All of the items not listed SOLD on this page are still available. All you have to do is email me an offer on any of the items and I'll get it to you in return for a pledge for MS research. All money offered will be donated to the MS Society. You can bid as much or as little as you like; any donation is appreciated and welcome.

Offer to buy any of the following items by donating to the MS Bike Tour. The person who offers the highest bid for each item gets it. You can make your donation online or when I bring you your prize.

CDs: most of these are brand new and unopened, but a few are opened and lightly used. Most are promotional copies or in some cases I bought two of something and am giving away the double.

Dustin Bentall - Streets with No Lights (we LOVE Dustin Bentall, and this album is fantastic. If you don't have it yet, place a bid. Highly, highly recommended)

Blackie & the Rodeo Kings - Let's Frolic Again (one of my favourite groups and one of my favourite CDs of last year. Highly, highly recommended.)

Don Brownrigg - Wander Songs (East Coast singer/songwriter. Features Jim Bryson and Jenn Grant. Great songs.)

Bourbon Tabernacle Choir - live at Hillside 2008 (the amazing reunion show I travelled across the country to see. An amazing thing. My own bootleg, so quality isn't super high, but this may be as close as you ever come to seeing this amazing band live again.)

Jim Cuddy - The Light that Guides You Home (Jaine and I both had a copy, don't need two)

Dala - Who Do You Think You Are (wonderful female acoustic pop duo. Great melodies, great songs, great stuff.)

SOLD Fats Domino - Sentimental Journey: Live at the University of New Orleans (2 discs of Fats live at his prime)

Easily Amused - Novice (Winnipeg rootsy pop group's debut CD, contains "Superstar," "Social Song," and other great tunes. Highly recommended.)

The Four Horsemen: Guy Clark, Joe Ely, John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett - live at the Concert Hall (bootleg recording by me. Not super high quality, but a super amazing show. A homemade item, so I can burn as many copies as folks like. Nice glossy artwork supplied by KK)

George Harrison - Brainwashed (George's last album. I bought it during the hype over his death and never listened to it again. I'm sure it's good. I think.)

Howie James - Don't Be Ashamed (Reid Jamieson's uncle. 75 years young but still making great music. It's kind of bluesy/jazzy lounge type music.)

SOLD Dr. John - All by Hisself live at the Lonestar (CD and DVD of Dr. John performing live. I bought it to get signed at Folk Fest, so it's opened, but I never did get it signed, and I've never really listened or watched)

Lyle Lovett - live at the West End Cultural Centre (bootleg of the CBC recording of the show. Super high quality recording of the best show I've ever seen. 2 CDs of magic. This is a homemade item, so I'll burn as many copies as folks like)

SOLD Catherine MacLellan - Church Bell Blues (promo pre-release, no case, cover, or liner notes, but one of the best albums of last year by far.)

Manoeuvres 2 - A Collection of Vancouver Electronica (another winner from Jared's social.)

Moby - Last Night (I won it and a bunch of other CDs I don't care about at Jared's social. Someone else got all of the stuff I wanted and I get Moby. How fair is that. The hipster kids love Moby though, so I'm sure it's good. Maybe.)

Scott Nolan - Receiver/Reflector (a promo copy in a sleeve with artwork and info, but no real case. A wonderful CD for sure. Produced by Gurf Morlix and containing Scott's best songs yet. A winner.)

SOLD Roy Orbison - In Dreams One Hour Radio Special (documentary on Orbison featuring interviews with Roy, Chet Atkins, Brooose Springsteen, Jeff Lynn, etc.)

Justin Rutledge - The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park (Jaine and I both had a copy, don't need two)

Serena Ryder - If Your Memory Serves You Well (Jaine and I both had a copy, don't need two)

Richard Thompson - live at the West End Cultural Centre (bootleg of the CBC recording of the show. Super high quality recording of an amazing night. 2 CDs of magic. This is a homemade item, so I'll burn as many copies as folks like)

Mysterious promo CDs: They look interesting, but I don't know them well. Take a chance or do some research.

BJ Cole - Trouble in Paradise (featuring Like Vibert, Alabama 3, Groove Armada, Bent, Trash Palace, Kumo, if that means anything to you...)

I See Hawks in L.A. - Hallowed Ground (very popular on the FAR Report. I know T-Bar's a big fan ;~)

Dan McKinnon - Just Another Day (two copies, because I somehow ended up with 3)

Scott Orr: Miles from Today (enjoyable singer/songwriter CD. I got two copies, one's for me, one's for you.)

The Barenaked Ladies: The Barenaked Truth (HA! No truth about drugs on here. No music, either...)

Paul Lamb: A Journey Through the Blues with a Harmonica: A tutorial and interview DVD

Mark Knopfler - A Night in London (used, very good, but I'll never watch it again or miss it much)

I've got a lot of cool/collectable records that I've been trying to get rid of. I sorted out all of the crap and have a bunch of cool old jazz/blues/soul/comedy/rock, etc that I know some collector would love. Contact me if you want to come and look. I will donate whatever I can get for these to the MS Society if someone contacts me as a result of this page. There are a lot of cool records here, and because it's become a charity thing, I'll entertain any reasonable offer in order to raise money for MS.

Why am I doing this? Well, I have a lot of stuff that I want to get into the right hands. I want to raise as much money as possible for the MS Society. Here's the story, some of you might have read it before:

When I was younger, I thought that cancer was about the scariest thing in the world. I've seen far too many people afflicted with that horrible disease, and I never want anyone to have to live through that again. But the thing about cancer is that it is treatable, it is somewhat preventable in some cases, and usually, you can see it coming and deal with it somehow. Recently, I've been learning a lot about a disease that I think might be even more scary. It's called Multiple Sclerosis, and someone close to me is affected. Luckily, this person is for the most part as happy and healthy as you and I are, but that could change at any time, and in a number of different ways. MS is highly unpredictable, and it can strike at any time. The MS Society has this to say:

"Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord. In its most common form, MS has well defined attacks followed by complete or partial recovery. The severity of MS, progression and specific symptoms cannot be predicted at the time of diagnosis.

MS symptoms are unpredictable and vary greatly from person to person. Symptoms may include: vision disturbances such as double or blurred vision; extreme fatigue; loss of balance; problems with coordination; stiffness of muscles; speech problems; bladder and bowel problems; short-term memory problems, and even partial or complete paralysis. Please keep in mind, not all people with MS will experience all symptoms and often the symptoms will improve during periods of remission."

Basically, although there are things you can do to help your chances, and treatments you can undergo when the disease strikes, you really have very little control over how and when it strikes, or what happens after that. So basically you live knowing that someday, somehow, you will likely have to go through the fight of your life, and you don't know what the outcome will be. Although MS doesn't usually kill people, it does make life really, really difficult, and it's always really frightening.

And when I see someone important to me worrying about something like that, it bothers me. Apart from being as supportive and helpful as I can, there's not a lot that I figured I could do to help directly. Luckily there are great people working hard on prevention, treatment, support, and maybe someday a cure. But those people are, of course, under-funded and struggling for whatever support they can get. That's where I can help.

Again this year I'll be participating in the MS Bike Tour where I and a bunch of other folks will (try to) cycle from Stonewall to Gimli on Saturday, August 23, and then back again on the next day. Last year I took part in this great event. The ride there was certainly a challenge, but I'll be honest, I didn't feel like I was really suffering for the cause too much. Sunday was another story. I suddenly felt for all of the people who have real struggles in life, because a crippling head-wind was making it almost impossible to keep my bike up straight. I've never worked so hard in all my life or been so frustrated and tired. I did what people with MS can't ever do, I said enough's enough and got a ride home in a comfortable car and didn't have to fight any more. This year, that wind isn't going to get me down. I'm going to make it all the way there and back (or so I plan...).

But in order to do that, I need your support. By making a pledge to the MS Bike Tour, you're helping me to support someone I love, and you're helping the almost 75,000 Canadians living with the disease, as well as their countless friends, family members, and supporters. I'm asking you to give whatever you can so that someday these people can live more peacefully, not having to worry about this devastating disease. If you think you're up for the challenge, join me on the ride. All of the cool kids are on a "team" and someday, I'd love to be a cool kid. Let me know if you want to ride along. Or, if you're not a rider and don't have a few bucks to spare, you can volunteer to help out. You can email: <candace.gower@mssociety.ca> if you'd like to help out.

	Tell the Band to Go Home Sunday, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. central time on UMFM 101.5

MS Bike Tour 2008 - August 23/24