“Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going” – Terry Fox, July 10, 1980

In support of the Marathon of Hope – The Terry Fox Run, September 18, 2016

MISSION
To maintain the vision and principles of Terry Fox while raising money for cancer research through the annual Terry Fox Run, National School Run Day, as well as via memoriam donations and planned gifts. In accordance with Terry’s wishes, all monies raised in his name are to be used strictly for cancer research.

Terry was not interested in fame and glory when he embarked on his Marathon of Hope in 1980. His sole purpose was to raise money to find a cure for cancer.

The Terry Fox Run is an all-inclusive and family-oriented event. While Terry himself was an athlete, he wanted his Run to be open to walkers, bikers and families. We acknowledge all participants as victors if they have given or raised funds for cancer research in Terry’s name.

You can help the fund raising efforts for the 2016 Marathon of Hope by donating here. All monies collected will be donated to the Terry Fox Foundation. Read about the Marathon of Hope and Terry Fox here: www.terryfox.org

TERRY FOX AND THE TERRY FOX FOUNDATION
Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on Canada’s west coast. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977.

While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope. It was a journey that Canadians never forgot.

After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. He ran close to 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada’s Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age 22.

The heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was just beginning.

To date, over $600 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry’s name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world.

About the Terry Fox Charity
Canadian foundation which raises money solely for cancer research in Terry’s name while at the same time is a leader among charitable organizations in maintaining low administrative and fundraising cost ratios. Currently, more than 85 cents of every dollar raised goes towards finding a cure for cancer. Please visit www.terryfox.org to learn more.

Terry Fox- Marathon of Hope

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MY relationship with Bruce Springsteen, the man, his band(s), and his music began thirty years ago. I had purchased the Born to Run album at the Haverhill Music Center and foolishly decided to loan my record to a boy I had a crush on. The album was a coveted item when I was a freshman in high school and the gesture was intended to impress him. My mother had warned me about lending things out to people, especially things of sentimental value. “A borrower nor a lender be,” she would say. Her prognostication that I would lose my first collection of Springsteen’s music was accurate and it was a long time before I was reunited with the album. It was recovered in a wedding trunk when I married that same boy in 1979.

My husband and I have traveled to over sixty shows to see Bruce. We have watched him explode into the world as a musician, performer, poet, activist and songwriter.

Integrating Bruce into the Curriculum

Integrating Bruce into the curriculum seems both natural and logical to me. He is an individual whose music profoundly shaped a generation of Americans, who now have children of their own. These children are my students. Implementing an educational curriculum and synthesizing what will be included, in a world of endless material, is not based on personal taste. There needs to be an evaluation of an artist’s musical accomplishments and their place in the goals of the music curriculum. The idea is to set the benchmarks and standards of what students need to know to acquire musical literacy and appreciation and then hope you have hit your mark. Bruce embodies so many of the ideals of what a comprehensive music program hopes to realize. He exemplifies what it means to use music as a tool to educate, liberate, heal, unify, and clarify.

In the months following 9/11, there were limited outside resources to provide children with the support and clarification they needed to come to grips with what was a confusing and horrifying time. I found myself in a situation where I was instructed by educational administrators to be very cautious when dealing with issues around this subject. We were encouraged to avoid conversations with the younger population whenever possible. Our school, like countless others, became cloaked in sadness, despair, helplessness, and paralysis. Because American Airlines Flight 11 originated in Boston, our community suffered significant personal losses. It was not only the images on television that these children were bombarded with, but the knowledge that some members of the community had lost members of their families.

Then came The Rising. It was the first significant musical contribution that answered the call to make sense of the events of September 11^th. I knew as soon as I heard the first song that this body of music had the potential for initial healing and, far more important, it would tell the stories. It became invaluable in helping a fragile population sort out the unimaginable in language that was both poignant and sensitive. The Rising represented what each and every child needed–hope. They longed to be assured that the pervasive air of fear, grief, and profound sadness would in time pass and give way to a rising of unification, renewal of spirit, and light. Bruce gave us that. As a gifted lyricist, he has an uncanny talent for conjuring up powerful metaphors to frame events in history or to simply describe a contentious situation in words of the common man.

In 2005 came the next significant Springsteen curriculum contribution, the Seeger Sessions. The music of Pete and Ruth Seeger helped shape my own musical career and I in turn considered it my professional obligation to introduce this same folk music to my students. I was thrilled when I heard that Bruce would be involved in paying tribute to an individual I consider a national treasure.

When Bruce and his newly appointed band of musicians hit the airwaves at our school, the electricity was akin to that of  The Beatles at Heathrow. I am not exaggerating. There was not a single student who failed to be swept up in the excitement of the music and hungry to learn the lyrics. The term folk music, formerly uninteresting, old, and boring, became bold, hip, and most of all, really fun. The biggest draws to the Seeger Sessions album were the participatory nature of the songs, the great refrains, and most importantly, the stories. The kids loved hearing about the heroism of John Henry, the romance of Jesse James’s philanthropy, and the sentimentality of a mule named Sal on the Erie Canal. Everyone loves a great tale, and if there is any chance that there is a degree of truth to it, it becomes irresistible. Add to that Bruce’s incredible arrangements, profound musicianship, and a bit of American folklore, and you have something kids can get very excited about. And that’s what happened. In the halls, playgrounds, ball fields, and cafeterias, the stories of American characters filled the air. The topper was that when the kids went home to tell their parents about this great new music they had heard, the parents were able to chuckle and say, “Hey, I know that music. That’s my music and now it’s your music.” Isn’t that what it’s all about? The primary thing I learned as a music educator when I introduced my students to the Seeger Sessions was that I could never underestimate the power of music to bring people together.

Bruce’s Politics

I am generally not in favor of actors, musicians, and sports figures lecturing me on political issues unless I actually see them doing something to bring about significant change. It is only then that I take notice. Bruce doesn’t just talk about change, he works to bring it about. The message in his music bids one to take responsibility, take pride locally and globally, and most of all, know that we are stronger as a group than we are individually. He does this, not as an exception but as a rule, in his music, his personal life, and through countless work initiatives.

Bruce’s work ethic has inspired me to offer students the same encouragement to work a little harder, care a lot more, and look out for the other guy whenever possible. I am fortunate to hold a position where I am able to take that lesson and pass it on to a new generation of citizens who will very soon have the greatest impact on our future. Bruce’s devotion to chronicling political and social injustice, particularly of the working class, has both endeared him to the American public and provided political retractors with ammunition. He has stood undaunted, caring more about singing about what he believes in and conveying his message, that we are all responsible to take notice of what is going on in our own country, than about musical ratings.

An opportunity to utilize Bruce’s music presented itself during a theater production in which young students were learning about the plight of factory workers in the Northeast. Students were working on a play they had written about a very young labor activist named George McNeill. George was a fourteen-year-old boy who in 1862 organized the now famous Derby Strike at the Amesbury/Salisbury Woolen Mill, a factory in the town where the students lived. The young boy cast as George McNeill had been through a very difficult time recently, and I was very grateful to have him working on something that would take his mind off problems far too lofty for a nine-year-old. He requested a solo in the production, and the song he selected, after hearing several options, was “Factory” from Darkness on the Edge of Town. He felt that the song really captured the plight of the working man and presented a palatable image of the agonizing pain and hopelessness of the factory worker. He liked that Bruce talked about the ability of the factory to both give and take life. It hit him hard, as it did the rest of the audience. It ended up becoming the anthem of the play, and the kids were deeply moved by the riveting images evoked by the lyrics of the song.

As to how parents have responded to my exposing their children to Springsteen’s politics, I would say the response has been positive. I believe when a program is structured in an appropriate manner and children learn material within the context it was intended to be taught, the casualties of misunderstanding are minimized. Having presented learning objectives in that manner has afforded me the luxury and privilege of utilizing the musical genius of Bruce Springsteen with little opposition. I have been able to use Springsteen’s work to provide students with opportunities to think analytically and move outside their comfort zones. They are asked to stretch themselves with regards to their preconceived notions and look and listen with new eyes and ears.

Suzanne Morin
Amesbury, MA

This story was first published in the limited edition book For You, Original Stories and Photographs by Bruce Springsteen’s Legendary Fans, 2007

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It all started on November 27, 1980
Thanksgiving night.
My best friend and I were bored so we decided to take a train from New Hyde Park in Long Island to New York to see Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band at Madison Square Garden for one his River tour concerts.
We only had $35 between us but figured that should be enough to get us two tickets. Boy were we wrong! The prices were high and the scalpers laughed at our low offers. Finally the show started and we weren’t in, YET… So we figured one more walk around The Garden and then we’d head on home. Just as we were about to give up a scalper agreed to sell us 2 lodge seats for $35.
Not a favor, more like the scalper thought they were now worthless.
We raced in like we just got tix via a Willy Wonka candy bar. Big smiles, and we ran up the escalators. A few security guards yelled “slow down!” But we keep on going.
We had great seats, first level by the stage. Bruce & The E St Band were amazing. We stood on our seats, danced and during the quiet songs sat on the edge of our seats. It was fun and sad to hear Bruce speak about the memories of his father. The worst was pouring his heart out about his dad disliking him. It seemed to us that most fans did not feel his sadness. Many cheered as Bruce shed a few tears.
The rest of the show was upbeat, a bit preachy and a religious experience.
A down right addictive drug!
When the show finally ended we swore we would be back the next night and escape life for 3 more hours with reverend Bruce.  Before the November 28th show my art major friend decided she could copy a Bruce Springsteen Tour ‘Working Pass’ so we would definitely be at both shows in December. We kept stopping MSG arena personnel to get a closer look out their pass so she could make us our own.

Authentic Madison Square Garden Pass, River Tour 1980

Phoney Madison Square Garden Pass, River Tour 1980

They came out great! The hardest part would be getting in. So, on December 18, my fellow Bruce tramp and I get on line at the VIP guest door. In front of us are David Lee Roth and his date. It was exciting and very nerve racking.
We approach a lady with a clipboard and she asks, “Who gave you those passes?” Shaking in my boots I blurt out “My dad is the president of IBM!” She waved us in and we shared the elevator ride with David Lee Roth and his friend. That in itself was exciting beyond words to me as I am a major Van Halen fan!
Then the elevator stops and the doors open. We went straight to the seating area and walked around the Garden.

I believe we sat in the guest seats for half of the show and then walked backstage without being questioned by anyone. I noticed a tent area and behind a bar was Keith Richards. I was fine to stay put there. My friend made a beeline straight to the restricted area for band members only. We did see Bruce drying his head with a towel and go into his dressing room. Just then we were caught! Security was called and over the P.A. we heard repeated a few times “I need back up to escort two out of the building.” It was a total walk of shame.
Strange thing was as we were being escorted out, promoter Bill Graham was standing right there and invited us back in. I recognized him from being a big  Grateful Dead fan. It was a total pinch me I’m dreaming moment. So there we are back in the guest section to enjoy the rest of the show.  What a thrilling way to end an incredible evening.
I’ve seen Bruce and the E Street Band many more times and paid for every single ticket.

I’m still a huge  Bruce Springsteen fan and have my own fan group called “Boss Talk” on Facebook and Twitter.
To quote Bruce, “Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night”
Thank you Bruce!

Laura Balducci
@_BOSS_TALK
Boss Talk on Facebook – https://www.Facebook.com/Boss-Talk-134936333218685/

Limited Edition Bruce Springsteen book, The Light in Darkness.
IF you have ever considered buying this book, Now is the time.
The book focuses on Darkness on the Edge of Town, Springsteen’s iconic 4th album and 1978 concert tour. Read about the live concerts from fans who were there – the Agora, Winterland, Roxy, MSG, Capitol Theatre, Boston Music Hall, The Spectrum and over seventy more, this book is a must have.
With less than 20 copies left, now is the time to order this collectible book.
We are offering savings on Shipping anywhere in the world.
Save Now- Order Here: The Light in Darkness

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Fourth Annual Bruce Springsteen Holiday Gift Guide – 2015
Original list inspiration by Pete Chianca – Blogness on the Edge of Town

If you’re anything like me, it’s never too late to start thinking about holiday gift shopping. Let’s face it, it’s just easier continuing to sit here, watching football, hockey, basketball, tweeting, checking your FB page… But gifts must be got at some point, and if there’s a Springsteen fan on your list, you could do a lot worse than any of the items listed below:

MUSIC

By far, the most anticipated holiday offering this season is the Ties that Bind, The River Collection,
Bruce Springsteen Box Set.

Here is what the box includes:

• 52 tracks on 4 CDs (12 are previously unreleased)
• 4 hours of video including: 2.5 hours live concert, 1 hour new documentary, rehearsal footage
• 200 never-before seen photos
• Lyric booklet for unreleased tracks

THE MUSIC:
The audio pieces are The River album + the original The River: Single Album, which was what producer, Jon Landau initially delivered to Columbia before Bruce went back and recorded further material. The River, Springsteen’s fifth album, was released on October 17, 1980 as a double album and reached 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The River: Single Album is the 10-track album that Springsteen recorded in 1979 as a follow up to 1978s Darkness On The Edge Of Town but never released. In addition, the package also includes a 22-track CD of audio outtakes from the recording sessions including 12 previously unreleased songs.

THE VISUALS:
The visual aspect of the box set includes a 60 minute documentary (more info below), a live concert from The River Tour and in-studio rehearsal footage. Additionally, there is a beautiful book accompaniment that features 200 never-seen-before photographs documenting the making of the album with captions from Bruce in his handwriting. There is a lyric book addition to the unreleased tracks of the Outtakes Album plus “Cindy,” an unreleased track from The River: Single Album. The lyric book will also include a new essay written by famous music writer, Mikal Gilmore.

THE DOCUMENTARY:
The Ties That Bind is a brand new 60-minute documentary produced and directed by Thom Zimny. The documentary features an intimate interview with Springsteen as he reflects on the tumultuous, extended period writing and recording The River. The film transitions between Springsteen telling the stories behind the music — and illustrating them with solo acoustic guitar performances — interspersed with period concert footage and rare photos of Bruce and the band in and out of the studio.

BRUCE LIVE IN CONCERT (MAYBE)

Performers at the 16th annual edition of LOD will include Steve Forbert, Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers, Willie Nile and Band, James Maddock and Band, Jesse Malin and Band, Jill Hennessey, Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway, Milly, Marc Ribler & Friends, Joe D’Urso and Stone Caravan, Dramarama, the Billy Hector Band, the Beach Nuts, the Billy Walton Band, Bruce Tunkel and The Red House, Garland Jeffreys, Slim Chance and The Gamblers, The Sandy Mack Allstars, and Sonny Kenn.

As usual, Bruce Springsteen is not among the confirmed acts. But keep in mind that he has performed at the main Light of Day concert in 12 of the last 15 years.
This year’s main concert takes place Jan. 16, 2016 at Asbury Park’s Paramount Theatre. Here is a partial schedule, with lineups for individual shows to be confirmed.
For complete information, visit Lightofday.org or ticketmaster.com.

JAN. 15
“Asbury Angels Induction” at Stone Pony
TBA at House of Independents.
“Rock Heavy” at The Saint.
Open Mic at Wonder Bar.
“100 Years of Broadway” at Tim McLoone’s Supper Club.
“Late Night Friday” at Langosta Lounge.
TBA at Paramount Theatre

JAN. 16
“Main Event” at Paramount Theatre.
“Rock” at The Saint.
TBA at Tim McLoone’s Supper Club.
“Late Night Saturday” at Langosta Lounge.
TBA at House of Independents.
“Asbury Blues,” noon at Wonder Bar.
“Ful Tilt Boogie Bash,” 7 p.m. at Wonder Bar.
“Asbury Underground” crawl in downtown Asbury Park.

JAN. 17
“Songwriters by the Sea Boardwalk Crawl” at Watermark, Langosta Lounge and Tim McLoone’s Supper Club.
“Kids’ Rock” at Stone Pony.
“Musicians on a Mission,” noon at The Saint.
“Last Note,” 7:30 p.m. at The Saint.

JAN. 18
“Goodbye Brunch” at Toast. 

BOOKS

The Light in Darkness, Lawrence Kirsch’s collection of Springsteen fan stories and amazing photos from the 1978 Darkness tour, has less than 35 copies left available in its limited edition. Lawrence’s previous Springsteen book, For You Original Stories and Photographs by Bruce Springsteen’s Legendary Fans, is sold out.

“You might not know where to begin to get the perfect gift for the Springsteen fan in your life. You cannot do better than The Light in Darkness book”. ~ David Lifton  UltimateClassicRock.com

 Save on Shipping Now, Available only Online Here: The Light in Darkness

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 1975 – Treasure trove of BTR-era photos 
The photography of Barbara Pyle is already familiar to many Springsteen fans and Backstreets readers: you’ve seen her images in both the 1989 and 1992 editions of the Backstreets books, in Talk About a Dream, and certainly, thanks to her kindness and love for the Big Man, all over the Clarence Clemons tribute issue.
But you’ve never seen this much of it. Packed with more than 150 color and black-and-white photographs, many of them never published, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 1975 is a jewel of a hardback celebrating the 40th of anniversary of Born to Run. Order your copy from Backstreets.com

And of course we recommend Peter Chianca’s Glory Days: Springsteen’s Greatest Albums — granted it’s hard to wrap because it’s an eBook, but you can always get it as a treat for yourself, a steal at only $2.30 on Amazon!

Christopher Phillips is the editor of Backstreets magazine and web master of go-to fansite Backstreets.com, and his collaborator Louis P. Masur is an American Studies professor at Rutgers, NJ and author of Runaway Dream, one of the best of the recent slew of Springsteen books.
Talk About A Dream, their collection of interviews with Bruce Springsteen draws from his four-decade career. Most of Talk’s 428 pages contain material unique to the volume, all of it revealing, much of it absolutely essential. You don’t have to get further than page 30 for evidence: That’s where you’ll find “The Lost Interviews” from 1975, a series of sit-downs with European press that were locked in a vault for years; they were excerpted in Backstreets magazine in the ‘90s but never published in full, until now.It’s a loss that needed to be rectified: Catching Springsteen on the cusp of his first major success, it cements themes and attitudes he would go back to again and again during his career. Using primarily Springsteen’s own words pays big dividends, and not just because fans will be able to hear his Jersey cadences and full-throated laugh in their heads as they go. He’s remarkably open and thoughtful, and you can see him gradually building and shaping the themes and concerns that have marked his career: his responsibility to the audience, the forces that drive his writing — from the psychological to the sociological — and the fact that he takes his job deadly seriously, no matter how much fun it is.

FINE ART

You can’t go wrong with a Springsteen painting. Or maybe you can. But we prefer photographic imagery for our walls, visit RoccosPhototavern.com, featuring some of the best Bruce Springsteen concert shots this side of the Mississippi. And be sure to say hello to Rocco for us.

BruceBuds

An on line store featuring hand crafted wristbands, Brucelets, necklaces and key chains made special by adding a date of your choice. And new at BruceBuds, fantastic pewter wristbands available in various crystals, colours and sizes.

These beautiful leather cuffs are embellished with either Brucebuds, Born To Run or E Street Nation. And if that is not enough, discover the BruceBuds Pin Badge Bundle:Pin 1: Round standard pin badge with a diameter of 32mm with the Brucebuds “Born To Run” logo. Pin 2: hand made Pewter “The Boss” Pin badge with two fixings – See the whole range at: BruceBuds.

LIKE A BOSS MUG

From the Emily McDowell Studio.

LIKE A BOSS… BUT WITH LESS MONEY
– 11oz ceramic mug
– Dishwasher and microwave safe
– Comes boxed for easy gifting (or keeping)
– Design is printed on both sides of mug

Not technically a Bruce item, but it works, n’est pas?

BLOW THE BUDGET

Bruce Springsteen – One Night in 1978
Patrick Harbron

• ‘One Night In 1978’ is a limited photo edition of 50 box sets and 2 artist’s proofs.
• Each contains six (6) different – 9”x12”, 310 gsm archival prints, signed and numbered
• They are made from high resolution scans of the original film negatives.
• Four of the six photographs were recently discovered files.
• The cloth covered box is hand made specifically for this edition by Samantha Couture of Fly Leaf Bindery.

For more information and to order:  Darkness on the Edge of Town- One Night in 1978
Pat Harbron took these photographs on the ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’ tour in Toronto, Ontario at Maple Leaf Gardens / Concert Bowl on November 16, 1978.

All images copyright Patrick Harbron

 Good luck everyone and Happy Shopping!

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