Noteworthy: It was a musical showcase of the who’s who in Medicine Hat talent

By Bruce Penton on December 13, 2023.

On one of the saddest anniversaries in musical history – the assassination Dec. 8, 1980, of Beatles legend John Lennon – Mahoney and Friends put smiles on the faces of Medicine Hat music fans by staging their annual concert last Friday at the Esplanade.

It was spectacular.

Trent Roset, half of the Hat’s iconic musical treasure (Ryan Massini is the other) that represents Mahoney, said the musicians on stage (17 in all) were a “dream team” of Medicine Hat talent. It was as professional a show as one might expect in Vegas or on Broadway and the $42 ticket price was a steal for the entertainment value provided.

Besides Roset doing many of the vocals and playing a mean guitar, and Massini on drums and occasionally singing and playing the guitar, the performers included Rob Cook (bass, vocals), Chris Streifel (guitar), Derek Hintz (lead, harmonica), Chelsea Siggelkow (vocals), Allyson Hall (vocals), Tyler Casat (piano, vocals), Adam Koch (bass), Rick Massini (bass), Mary-Ellen Packer (sax), Teague Bates (trombone), Mark Ward (trumpet), Kaylyn Legare (violin, vocals), Jamie Fox (banjo) and Roset’s two sons, 14-year-old Gibson (guitar, vocals) and 11-year-old Jude (drums, vocals). So much talent!

It was a high-energy show, the norm for Mahoney, and the playlist was varied – from Imagine Dragons to Toto, Hall and Oates, Willie Nelson, Finger Eleven and the Supremes. And lots more. Where else in Medicine Hat can you hear a rambunctious version of The Ballroom Blitz?

“We feel that we have now put together the show that rivals anything that comes through the Esplanade,” said Trent. Hard to argue with that.

— A full page of swim results in the News recently would indicate the sport is strong in the Gas City, so there must be more than a few people interested in the fortunes of Canada’s Summer McIntosh, who has emerged as one of – if not THE – world’s best female swimmers. A couple of weeks ago, Toronto’s McIntosh broke American Katie Ledecky’s 11-year winning streak (in an American pool) in the 400-metre freestyle. McIntosh, 17, beat the 26-year-old Ledecky, winner of seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship golds, by almost three seconds, a decisive victory where results are usually measured in tenths of a second.

— Guaranteed to get you off the line when you’re trying to reach a human voice at a credit card processing company: Hearing the words “The wait time is approximately one hour.”

— A Golf Digest report examines the value in Canada of a solid snow cover over the winter so golf courses get a good start on the season come spring. No snow is bad for grass, so local golf course superintendents are probably moaning at this stretch of ‘nice’ weather and praying for a storm or two in the weeks ahead.

— So Jon Rahm has his $300 million or $400 million to join the LIV golf tour, but like the others who took the money and ran, he’s heading off to golf oblivion. And you know you can’t spell oblivion without the letters ‘LIV.’ His move represents the height of hypocrisy. Six months ago, Rahm said he deplored LIV, didn’t like its 54-hole, no-cut format, and wasn’t a fan of team golf. Suddenly, he’s OK with it. What changed? Duh! The astronomical money offer, obviously. Hard to blame him, though. I’d veer toward hypocrisy, too, if someone offered me life-changing money.

— Another sports/money note: Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year $700-million contract with the Dodgers gives him a salary of $432,000 per game. That buys a lot of sushi.

— The Medicine Hat Public Library’s promotion ‘A Library Card for Every Hatter’ aims to do just that – put a library card in every citizen’s hand. “We believe that a well-read community is a healthy community,” says a library notice promoting sponsorship levels, from $20 to $25,000. I recently renewed my library card and received an email note from Patti Renke that said “The annual membership fee is $5 and has been paid for through the MHPL Card Sponsorship Campaign.” If you’re interested in sponsorship (there are six monetary levels), give Chris Brown a call at the library at 403-502-8536 or email him at chrisb@shortgrass.ca.

Bruce Penton is a retired News editor who may be reached at brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca