THE HIPPIE HISTORIAN

An Ontario Road Trip Inspired by the Band: Part 2, Toronto

Here we are! Part 2 of our road trip focused on spots that were important to The Band's history in Ontario. If you missed part 1, give it...

Gabrielle Bossy

Nov 8, 20206 min read

An Ontario Road Trip Inspired by The Band: Part 1

The Band: an iconic piece of Canadian history and one of the pioneers of the Americana sound. How does that work? I’m not really sure but...

Gabrielle Bossy

Nov 8, 20207 min read

"Sugar Mountain" & "The Circle Game": A look at ending youth for Joni Mitchell and Neil Young

"Sugar Mountain" is arguably one of Neil Young's most beloved songs of all time. A lament and goodbye to youth, Young wrote this song on...

Gabrielle Bossy

Apr 26, 20201 min read

It's back: The El Mocambo will be lighting up those neon palms once again

Great news for music lovers in Ontario, or dare I say, Canada! The iconic El Mocambo music venue will be lighting up its neon palm tree...

Gabrielle Bossy

Mar 8, 20203 min read

Jagged Little Pill: A seminal piece of rock n' roll history

For me, the album dropped when I was just four so it’s a little crazy for me to call it an album for my generation but nonetheless I...

Gabrielle Bossy

Jan 12, 20203 min read

Ontario Venues with Historic Charm: The ghosts of music past

Scattered across Ontario like little islands on a lake, a number of historic music venues pack the punch. Nestled in beach towns, big...

Gabrielle Bossy

Mar 16, 20194 min read

How One Canadian Bad Ass Saved Nashville's Mother Church

When the live broadcast for The Grand Ol' Opry moved from The Ryman Auditorium to the Opryland Theme Park in 1974 (latimes.com), it...

Gabrielle Bossy

Jun 20, 20182 min read

Cobh, Ireland: The Port Town with 1 Billion Dollar Views

Just a 20 minute bus ride from Cork City, Cobh, Ireland sits atop a large hill offering a spectacular view of the sea. Standing near the...

Gabrielle Bossy

May 27, 20182 min read

Cork over Dublin: 6 reasons why you should skip the capital and head to the Rebel County

Dublin is a beautiful city full of history, culture and food but let's be real-- it's also had its fair shake of praise. Head down...

Gabrielle Bossy

Apr 28, 20184 min read

Welcome to Glasgow: The City Centre Mural Trail

One of the coolest things we did on our trip was check out the Glasgow Mural Trail. After scouring the web (and by the web I mean hours...

Gabrielle Bossy

Apr 18, 20182 min read

Welcome to Kentish Town!

Our recent trip to Europe found us chasing a band across the U.K. on a whirlwind tour followed by a few days rest in our favourite...

Gabrielle Bossy

Apr 9, 20182 min read

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut: Glasgow, Scotland

It's not that King Tut's Wah Wah Hut is a particularly cool-looking venue. It's not that it's that old-- only being built in 1990. ...

Gabrielle Bossy

Mar 29, 20182 min read

The Deaf Institute: Manchester, England

In the late 1800s, if you walked down Grosevnor's Street in Manchester, you'd come face to face with an institute for the deaf and the...

Gabrielle Bossy

Mar 22, 20182 min read

Whale Songs: A look at a music phenomenon that made a real difference

Whales: they’re big, they’re smart and they’re…surprisingly adept musicians. Considered to have one of the most complicated song...

Gabrielle Bossy

Jan 19, 20182 min read

Papa's Soup

Few things get my memory going like food. I love that a certain taste (or smell) can transport you back in time to a memory you can...

Gabrielle Bossy

Oct 25, 20172 min read

"It's a good life if you don't weaken."

In 2009, my boyfriend and I went to our first concert together: The Tragically Hip at London’s Rock the Park. Part of the We are the Same...

Gabrielle Bossy

Oct 19, 20172 min read

It's Not "Just a Statue": What the Charlottesville Riots can help us learn

If you have your wits about you, the Charlottesville riots are a lesson right in your face: racism is not dead. It’s alive and well (and...

Gabrielle Bossy

Aug 14, 20172 min read

The Jack White to Dean Fertita Connection (Part 2)

For music fans, diving into the biographies of their favourite band can be a hobby or a musical rabbit hole that makes you realize how...

Gabrielle Bossy

Aug 12, 20173 min read

The Josh Homme to Dean Fertita Connection (Part 1)

Remember a few posts ago when I said Josh Homme was a touring member of The Screaming Trees which connected him to the Seattle grunge...

Gabrielle Bossy

Jul 15, 20173 min read

Seattle, Grunge & the Musical Family Tree

Chris Cornell once said in an interview (and I’m paraphrasing here) that the Seattle scene was different from other music scenes like New...

Gabrielle Bossy

May 21, 20175 min read