Saturday, January 8, 2011

We've Moved!

It's been fun here at Blogger, but we now have a new address for the Official Sparkling Apple Blog.

Go to http://captainmaniac.wordpress.com/ for our New and Improved blog. Reason for moving? Well, it's like the old saying, "A change is as good as a rest", so although Blogger has great features and attributes, they appear to be duplicated on WordPress. Now if it turns out that WordPress is owned either by Al Queda or even worse, Microsoft, then we may pack our bags and come back to Blogger with our collective tail between our legs. For the moment, though, we do have a different location, and if a Google search directs you to Blogger, you can still be redirected to WordPress by clicking on the above link.

Tight lines and straight shooting,
Captain Maniac

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Party Like it's 2011

Hi gang! This is my first blog entry for the year 2011, so to mark the occasion, here are some photos from a New Year's Eve gig we did in 1973. For those of you keeping score, the date would be December 31, 1973! At this point in our fabled history, the band consisted of Rocky Rockamoto (Gord Higo) on bass and tartan trousers; Captain Maniac (Colin Hartridge) on chrome drums; and Art the Fart the Heavy Metal Kid (Art Kyllonen) on guitar.

At the time, the number one song in the UK was "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade!

Sparkling Apple in 1973 at the Somewhere Else Club, Port Coquitlam, BC.

Sparkling Apple on New Year's Eve 1973 at the Somewhere Else Club, Port Coquitlam, BC.
Art on New Year's Eve 1973

Gord on New Year's Eve 1973

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Rockin' Horse

Now that Christmas and all its associated activities are finished for another year, I can return to maintain our website -- which means more Rock n Roll Road Stories for one and all.

The current chapter in our ongoing saga is "Cut 'Em Off at the Past", featuring a day in the life of Sparkling Apple in the 70s.

Happy New Year,
Captain Maniac

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Merry New Year!


Thanks to all who made 2010 a very special and memorable year for us (you know who you are). For everybody else, thanks for nothing!

Whoever I stole this graphic from, Happy New Year to you too!

Peace on Earth,
Colin (Captain Maniac) Hartridge

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Feliz Navidad


Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.‬  


May you also have a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make Canada great, (not to imply that Canada is necessarily greater than any other country), and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical‬ ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.  


By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.)‬  

Peace.
from Colin (Captain Maniac) Hartridge

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Saloon fight in Sechelt

Now on our website is yet another installment in our "Life On the Road With Sparkling Apple" series. This time, get in the Wayback Machine and travel with us to that golden year of 1973. In this episode, Art, Colin and Gord encounter a community living on the edge of fear and loathing. Drunken violence and all that great stuff.

Go to the STORIES page.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Rock n Roll Horror Stories

A new feature on the Sparkling Apple website is the addition of our Horror Stories section, in which you, the unsuspecting reader, can find out just what it was like in the Daze of Yore. Most touring bands of the 70s and 80s (or any era, come to think of it) have a pantload of recollections about life on the road -- and of course Sparkling Apple is no exception. We've got plenty of Touring Tales and Addled Anecdotes to share with you, so in our next installment, put yourself in the front seat of the Hayride to Hell!

(No animals were harmed in the making of this blog.) More to come, I promise. ("Oh, didn't we TELL you?")