Happy Birthday, ETA Brent Freeman!

Your July 30th birthday says that your zodiac sign is Leo and you have great potential to be successful in areas that let you express yourself.  You are likely to be a capable writer or storyteller and weaving tales comes naturally to you.  You are a naturally energetic and dramatic speaker and could be a performer or motivational speaker.

Those of you born on this day tend to be active—too busy, in fact. Sometimes, people get left out as there are only so many hours in the day. Funny, creative and impulsive, this July 30th birthday person needs inspiration. You have a perception that is insightful. This quality attracts other people to you.

ETA Brent Freeman emceeing at the Collingwood Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: Lori-Anne Crewe.

You tend to make compromises for other folks because you are fair and you bounce back quickly. Through experience, you have strong shoulders to lean on. Being around young people helps you keep your youthful, fun-loving attitude. You love feeling energetic and fit.

Love, for the July 30th Leo, means having a soul mate who respects your sense of passion and intellect. Your love interest can be a result of impetuous flirtations.  You are easy to get along with and have a tendency to socialize with like-minded people, and you prefer your love mate to be like you as well.  

Let’s talk about your career.  Your Leo characteristics show you to be an imaginative and energetic person.  People love working with you mainly because you are smart and funny.  When it comes to your money, you’re not too concerned about it as you know how to create it.  It’s been your trademark.

You would rather save your money than spend it on unnecessary items. Normally, if you want something, you will save until you have enough money to buy it right out.  In other words, you have excellent instincts when it comes to making investments and can work well as a team member or leader.  You’re versatile.  You can express their feelings in words, orally and written. You would do well in front of a camera.  You certainly look like a star.  Other people look up to as you are funny, insightful and fair.

Photos credited to Lori-Anne Crewe for SIDEBURNS Magazine. Horoscope credited to Sun Signs. Edits by Carolyn MacArthur.

Collingwood Elvis Festival, I Miss You My Friend

Thank you to Victor J Hanson for permission to post his article on his memories of the Collingwood Elvis Festival. For visual interest, I have added photos to the article, but other than that—and a couple of tweaks, the article is as it appeared on Victor J’s Facebook page. Cheers! Carolyn MacArthur, Editor, SIDEBURNS Magazine.

Collingwood Elvis Festival, I Miss You My Friend

by Victor J Hanson, July 26, 2020

The first time I met you I was by myself in 1998. I wanted to see you personally and figure out what all the excitement was about. I was hosting a dinner theatre show called Rock & Roll Heaven on Yonge St in Toronto at the time. I had the pleasure of watching and working with several Elvis impersonators, better known as your friends. They told me all about you.

During my first visit to you I observed my friend and TV / Radio personality Dan Gallagher doing an outdoor interview with DJ Fontana, Joe Esposito, and others. This fascinated me to no end. Dan had taught me a lot about being a good host. Y ou had an impersonator on every corner and even in the blocks in between. You covered yourself in the most beautiful coat of Elvis anyone had ever seen.

Sam Thompson, Cynthia Pepper, Kathleen DeNike, and Marlyn Mason at the 2019 Collingwood Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: Carolyn MacArthur.

The following year I talked my friend Fred Stinson into going with me to see this strange beauty that you had. We had so much fun with you, playing Elvis all day long. We got into one of your main shows at the Curling Club and loved it. You then personally introduced us to DJ Fontana and Joe Esposito where we all had a great chat. I still have the hat that you so kindly got autographed for me. You would later on introduce me to Suzanna Leigh, Christopher Riordan, Sam Thompson, Jerry Schilling, Charles Stone, Marlyn Mason, Chris Noel, Tanya Lemani George, Victoria Paige Meyerink, Gary Lockwood, and Joe Guercio, just to name a few. As you explained to me these were REAL Elvis folks. The ones that actually worked, danced, sang, acted, and played music with that guy that you honoured. Thanks CEF.

2007 was the turning point for you & me. You saw to it that I was no longer an audience member when you got the most amazing musicians Mike Burns and Paco Paul Paco Danesi of the Casino Brothers to ask me to play lead guitar for an afternoon show at your Gayety Theatre. I worked my butt off to learn all the tunes. We backed four ETAs, (the word "impersonator" was now a curse word so ETA was invented), with David Lee as our headliner.
One of the ETAs in our show was not allowed to cross the Canada/USA boarder so Paco and Mike began to panic... WHAT WOULD WE DO?? I remember us laughing at them as they panicked... They asked us why we thought it was funny. We both explained that all they had to do was go out the front door of the theatre and spit. YOU'LL HIT AN ELVIS. They realized how silly it was to worry. I don't think they had to spit on him, but Paul Ross stepped in last minute and was fantastic. He looked at the set list and changed 3 songs, what a Pro. CEF, you sure knew how to pick’em.

Premier of Ontario Doug Ford poses for a selfie with Victor J in Collingwood.

If you recall, the trauma part of this gig for me was that I had only ever worked with the keyboard player before. The drummer and bass player were people I had yet to meet. The drummer and I arrived separately but very early as was planned so we could setup and work through some tunes. We setup and waited for the other guys to arrive. For a couple of hours, it was you, me and the drummer. Not the best lineup of instrumentation for an Elvis show.
About 45 mins before show time and as the audience was being seated, the other two musicians arrived. They were out of breath and looking very contrite. I t turned out that they had driven to Owen Sound as they thought that was where the Collingwood Elvis Festival would be. They came to this decision for reasons that I cannot go into right now. (If only they had read one of your posters along the way.) You took it well Collingwood Elvis Festival and I was proud of you. You were too big to be too proud. After all, people from all over the world were coming to party with you. We spent 5 mins going over the new set list and 1 2 3 4.... We were playing. It was a fun and at times an unnerving show to be part of. You, David Lee, and I knew each other from past shows, so he would ask me questions to add some comedy to the show. You just smiled and played along.

ETA Jay Zanier. Photo Credit: Lori-Anne Crewe for SIDEBURNS Magazine.

Later that day we ran into my good buddy Jay Zanier. (He still loves you by the way.) He suggested that I stay over in his room to see the finals the next day. I was ready to go home, but you suggested that I think better of it and said that I should have the whole Collingwood experience. I'm glad I listened to you. Sunday morning, we got to see my great pal and your biggest fan, Anthony Von win your Gospel competition. (He is such a big fan of yours. He even went up to spend this weekend with you, just to see if it was true that you had gone. Much like the rest of us, he is floating on a river in Egypt... Denial.) Later that night, Jay won your Grand Championship and was heading to Memphis.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!

Later that night you introduced to a lovely lady named Cynthia Pepper. I did not know who she was or that she had costarred in a movie called “Kissin’ Cousins” with Elvis. You had us start up a friendly conversation. My first thought was, "What A Nice Person," and you agreed. As the years went by, we all became closer friends and I even ended up writing a book with her. WOW. "Pigtails, Presley & Pepper."

Gerie Regular of Gerie and the Koasters in a selfie taken by Victor J at Collingwood.

Throughout the years you saw to it that I performed in nothing less than three different bands including two of your favourites, Gerie Regular & The Koasters and The Casino Brothers (Marco Spadafora). I got to play guitar and sing background vocals for hundreds of ETAs. From the amateurs to the Ultimate Champion winners and everyone in between. You even made sure that Elvis’s REAL back up singers dropped by just to make my day…The Imperials, The Sweet Inspirations, and the Stamps. You told me that when they sang, It would feel like I was playing along with the original recordings. You were so right.

Somehow, you arranged to have me host different shows at several different venues including Blue Mountain. You said how much you liked my comedy. You saw to it that I had breakfast, lunch and dinner with many of Elvis’s costars and performers that you explained you had mad respect for as they were THE REAL PEOPLE OF THE ELVIS WORLD.

An even bigger gift you gave me was the ability to meet and entertain some of the greatest Elvis/ETA fans on the planet. They still come to see me perform or at least they did before I was grounded with this worldwide pandemic. In a way I am glad you do not have to see this mess or feel the emptiness of the void you left behind.

Victor J Hanson at the Niagara Falls Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: Lori-Anne Crewe.

Thank you for introducing me to and recommending me to the Flaming Star Festival, the Niagara Falls Elvis Festival and the Tweed Elvis Festival. They all thought highly of you.

I know we have many more stories that we could share but at another time. I just wanted folks to know what you have meant to me through the years Collingwood Elvis Festival. Love is the only word I feel.

You were the World's Largest Elvis Festival. Why they ended you, I will never understand.

Victor J Hanson

Photos Album One: Victor J Hanson at the CEF

Photo are credited to Victor J Hanson, AB Cooper, Buck Clarence O’Dell, and Vili Verhovsek.

Photo Album Two: Victor J Hanson at the NFEF

Photos are credited to Lori-Anne Crewe for SIDEBURNS Magazine.

For more on comedian, musician, writer, and emcee, Victor J Hanson, click here

Rockin' the Afternoon Away with ETA Matt Cage

Truth be told, yesterday wasn’t really Gale’s birthday. The retired school teacher celebrated her birthday earlier this month on July 6th. On her official birthday, from what I understand, there was a drive by of well wishers in honour of her milestone birthday. Gale’s friend, Rose, who is an ETA festival judge, and wife of Gale’s colleague from her teaching days, jokingly said that Elvis was coming to Gale’s neighbourhood to wish her a happy birthday. When a disappointed Gale found out that Elvis was not making an appearance, she wondered what it would take to make it happen. With the help of Rose, and agent Sandra Gold, Gale was able to book ETA Matt Cage for a Sunday afternoon show on July 26th. A few invited guests that included ETA Richard Wolfe, gathered on Gale’s front lawn along with neighbours who kept at a safe distance (or within their own bubble), to catch Matt’s Early Years show.

On a sweltering summer day in Stoney Creek, ON, Matt looked cool in his black and white shirt, black pants, and gold jacket. It has been four months since Matt’s last live public performance, and he was in top form for this summer show as seen in the following slide show:

For those gathered at the show who are dedicated ETA fans, this weekend was a sad reminder of the loss of the Collingwood Elvis Festival. Coincidentally, July 26th marked the 10th anniversary of Matt’s first appearance at Collingwood. Matt posted the following on his Facebook page:

Rockin the leather...I looked much better in this shot from Andrea Jones than I performed back then!

So today I did a gig, first since March! Wild! Then it occurred to me that it had been exactly 10 years since I began my Elvis journey! It all happened in 2010 at the Collingwood Elvis Festival. Sadly, it's no more (though I'm hopeful that perhaps somehow, someway it can return in 2021?) but the legacy for Elvis, myself and countless other tributes and fans live on! Here are a few highlights in all their cringeworthy goodness for you! I've come a long way baby! Not sure if I'll see through another 10 years of this, but I must say I am thankful of every minute of the last decade.

Matt’s comments on his photos: 1) My first Collingwood Elvis Fest... Well first anything Elvis for me in 2010! Hard to believe a decade has gone by! 2) Singing “Treat Me Nice”. 3) Look at that hair... I swear just a couple hours before this pic, it was straight. Definitely got better at that over the past ten years! This pic was taken just minutes before my first EVER Elvis performance (aside from Karaoke and family living room acts haha)...I would be introduced as Matt 'DOR-Sett"....hmmm....perhaps a stage name would be a good idea! 4) Me and Frank Greenwood (first fellow performer I met) meeting a young Marco Spadafora for the first time - caught on film! Wow! He's like... you?? You are gonna become Matt Cage?? Nahhh... I can't see it.

I hope everyone finds something in life that energizes, excites and makes you feel alive. This has certainly done that for me. I've been to Vegas, Mexico, Cruises. all around Canada and the US... Been in theatrical productions, tv and more... I've been invited into people's homes and hearts, and for that - I'm so grateful! Thanks for all the love and support! AND THANK YOU TO ELVIS PRESLEY! STILL THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL AND THE BEST BEST BEST EVER. WHae are just carrying the torch you left. TCB!

Congratulations on your 10th anniversary as an ETA, Matt. We wish you many more happy ETA years.

A Photo Album for Gale

Happy birthday, Gale! Hope it is the start of a spectacular year! Best wishes from everyone at SIDEBURNS Magazine.

Thank you to Matt Cage, Gale, Rose, and Sandra Gold, who invited me to join in on the fun, photographer Lori-Anne Crewe, and the wonderful people of Stoney Creek, my hometown. C.M.