Thursday, May 31, 2007
wolf party
Pride Tiger is at Richard's on July 12th. By that time you'll have had over a month to memorize all the lyrics to their major label debut, the Lucky Ones, so you can sing along to every word, while you pump your fist to every riff.
Subtle is at Richard's on August 8th.
Bert Jansch is at Richard's on August 30th.
Deftones are at the Commodore on July 11th. Didn't they sell out the Commodore in a couple of hours (or maybe it was minutes) last time they were here? I wonder why they aren't moving to a larger venue.
Brooklyn Vegan has the details on Land of Talk's drummer situation. When they were here in April I found out that it was Bucky's last show with the band, but they've got someone in to replace him now. Show the new guy (and Liz and Chris) some love when they hit town on the 9th. Girl Talk is sold out, and you can probably swing both anyhow, since LoT is opening for the Rosebuds.
now playing: Amerie - Gotta Work
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
blown away
Now that I've had a couple days to recover, here's a bit of a Sasquatch recap. The line up wasn't near as good as the last couple of years, but if there's a better way to spend the last weekend in May, I have yet to find it.
I managed to get through the gates at the Gorge in time to catch the Hold Steady. If you come here with any regularity, you know that I'm a huge fan of the band. And despite being unable to pull off the somewhat foolhardy drunken plan to pass Craig Finn a beer with "Play Positive Jam!" written on it, there was certainly nothing to be disappointed about. (It honestly seemed like a great way to request a song at the time.)
After the Hold Steady I forced a couple friends to book it up the hill with me to catch the Blow at the Yeti Stage. Paper Television was one of my favourite albums of last year, and I'm happy to say that Khaela Maricich's performance lived up to my rather high expectations. She just sang over pre-recorded beats, but what she lacked in instrumentation, she more than made up for with charisma. In fact, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I now have a 14 year old girl reading YM style crush on her.
I went from the Blow on a bit of a whirlwind tour of the stages, hitting up parts of Viva Voce, Electrelane, Neko Case, and Ghostland Observatory. Most of it is a haze of hurrying between stages and stopping to consume more overpriced beer.
The next set I caught (almost) in full was Mirah's performance on the Yeti Stage. Her new LP leaked last week, and while I'm really keen on Advisory Committee and C'mon Miracle, I can't say that the forthcoming record has tickled my fancy at all. Luckily (at least for me) she pulled mostly from her back catalogue. I had some friends who thought she was a bit boring, but being able to hear "Cold Cold Water" and "We're Both So Sorry" live was enough to impress me.
I spent the time between Mirah and Arcade Fire milling about and napping, before heading down to the floor in front of the mainstage for Montreal's best export since smoked meat. I think most people will agree that Neon Bible is a step back from Funeral, so it's even more amazing that they were even better than last time I saw them (at Sasquatch 2005, when they were one of, if not the best performer). The new stuff sounded better in the flesh, but you'd be crazy if you pointed to anything but Funeral's strongest tracks as the absolute highlights. By the time they got to "Rebellion" it was pretty clear that it was going to be one of the best sets of the fest, and the closing rendition of "Wake Up" was awesome.
With all due respect to any die-hard Bjork fans out there, I took in the elven Icelander's set from further back on the hill. I also fell asleep during part of her set. I will say that the opening performance of "Earth Intruders" was pretty amazing, and I regained consciousness in time to catch my favourite Bjork tune ("Army of Me"). As I noted in my VFest recap, I'm also a sucker for anyone who shoots flames several stories into the air. Apparently we missed lasers when we made and early dash back to camp as well.
My day 2 started quite a bit later than the first day, and thanks to taking extra time to relax at our campsite, and then a ridiculously long wait to get in to the venue, we made it in just in time to catch Patrick Wolf.
As an aside, it took so long to get inside because they were slightly more thorough with the searches. That being said, the searches were still so half-assed that you could have snuck anything you wanted inside. If you intend to hold up the line for the sake of security, at least make it somewhat worthwhile. I loved the fact that they were checking in people's cigarette boxes, presumably for joints, but I pulled a full bottle of pills out of my bag and the guy at the gate didn't bat an eyelash. Granted, all I had was some Advil, but I'm just as likely (if not more so) to have drugs in that as someone with a pack of smokes. But I digress.
I haven't really paid much attention to Patrick Wolf in the past. His first couple of albums didn't really do it for me, and while I'm way more into the new one, I haven't had a chance to give it too many spins yet. For that reason, I'd have to say that he was the most pleasant surprise of the weekend. My friend quipped that he was "like Owen Pallett, but gay." And while that really doesn't make sense, in another way it makes so much sense. "Accident and Emergency" sounded like it was pulled straight from some electroclash cabaret. Y'know, if the concept of an "electroclash cabaret" was totally mindblowing.
I was pretty psyched about the prospect of seeing Bad Brains, but in all honesty, they were sort of boring. HR mostly stood fairly still, and there was a bit too much of the band's reggae influence on display for my liking.
If you were at last year's festival, you will most definitely remember when the weather took centre stage, and unfortunately during the Polyphonic Spree's set, Mother Nature decided to snag the spotlight again. Part way through their set, the winds kicked up so strongly that the band had to stop playing. The lighting rigs were getting whipped around so hard that there was a worry that they might come down. After the Spree were shooed off stage, there was a delay of several hours as they simultaneously waited for the wind to die down and solve the lighting problem. The result was the Polyphonic Spree opening up their "exclusive" after hours show (it was originally only for wristband holders who let some Verizon Wireless guy give them a schpeel about new cell phones), Michael Franti being moved to the Wookie Stage, and Spoon being pushed back. I had no interest in sitting through Michael Franti when there was nothing else to see, so the rescheduling was actually fine by me.
On a side note, the Polyphonic Spree's decision to dump their "we're in a cult, please drink our kool-aid" uniforms to new duds that are more than vaguely reminiscent of the SS is an even worse fashion decision than dumping your ugg boots for crocs.
During the ensuing mainstage delay, I made it up to the Wookie stage to catch Tokyo Police Club. They rep'd for Canada, putting in one of the better sets that I caught all weekend, and happily the sound was actually better (despite the weather issues) than when I saw them out at UBC last year.
Smoosh! I read some preview of the show that complained that "nobody likes the sound of a 15-year old girl's voice." I think it might have been in the the Stranger. To that I say, nobody likes your shitty, cynical music criticism... except maybe people who hate other adorable things like lolcats. After hearing their Bloc Party cover again, I may also go out on the unpopular limb and say that it's better than Final Fantasy's.
After checking on the progress over at the mainstage, I caught some of the Black Angels' set from afar. I totally dig what they're serving up, but a bright afternoon in May is about as far from the ideal setting to see the band that you can get.
We were waiting around (begrudgingly in my case) to catch the Dandy Warhols when we got wind (by that I mean literally hearing them line check because the wind was blowing from the mainstage) that Spoon might actually be on soon. I hung around until they played "We Used to Be Friends" two songs in and booked it over to see Britt Daniel and co, who had just torn into "The Way We Get By." Speaking of Britt, there was nary a word out of him, but what they lacked in talk, they more than made up for in rock. "The Way We Get By" and "I Turn My Camera On" were predictable crowd favourites, but the set was solid through and through.
By the time Interpol made their entrance the wind chill had made it feel more like October in Kelowna instead of George in May, and my comrades and I made a quick retreat about five songs into the band's set. I haven't seen them since their first show in Vancouver quite a few years ago, but after getting a bit of a refresher I didn't feel like I was missing much when we opted to escape the cold instead of sticking around (well, except for the Beastie Boys, but despite the fact that they're pretty stellar live, once Beastie's live experience in the last couple of years is enough for me).
Side notes...
true story.
Despite the fact that it doesn't look like it in the photo, it was absolutely frigid when I took this shot. Is it stupid outfits or hulahoops that prevent your body from getting hypothermia? Or drugs maybe. My bet is on the drugs.
Finally, I must give a big thank you to my friend Josh, who recommended that I stay at Wild Horse Campground instead of the Gorge campsite (read: like Arts County Fair, but overnight - translation: gross). It was an amazing place to camp, and I highly recommend booking early and staying there if you plan to head to the Gorge for Sasquatch 2008 (or anything for that matter). Everything about it was great, but the food in particular was awesome. I haven't eaten a lot of red meat in the last 5 years, but when I have it hasn't made me regret the lack of beef in my diet. That being said, I think I'm looking forward to the Campground's "Wild Burger" as much as I'm looking forward to next year's festival. This probably seems totally trivial to most of you, but seriously, it was the best burger I've had in my life.
now playing: the Affair - Andy
Friday, May 25, 2007
don't believe the hype
And I quote:
You may now continue forgetting that the Mooney Suzuki still exist.
Have a good weekend.
now playing: Mazarin - Another One Goes By
accident & emergency
now playing: Wil - By December
Thursday, May 24, 2007
don't get your back up
Standing, thankfully, doesn't bother me, so at least I can still enjoy standing and watching bands at Sasquatch.
Andrew Bird is at Richard's on September 1st.
You should also check out this Q&A with Trent Reznor (whether you're a NIN fan or not) in the Herald Sun. (via the Lefsetz Letter)
now playing: Feist - 1234
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
he doesn't look a lot like jesus
Since it decided not to pour rain, and because there were some bands that I'm a bit more fond of on the bill, I spent most of the day at VFest today.
We got to the stadium just in time to catch You Say Party! We Say Die!. My jury's still out about their new one, but they seemed just as at home on the rather gigantic mainstage as they are in a tiny club. In fact, they might even be better when they have some room to rockstar it up.
Smoosh followed YSP. While you always hear about how adorable the kids in the band are, I think this is the first time I've ever bothered to listen to them. Thankfully, they weren't half bad, because you'd think they could only ride the "cute kid" thing for so long. The girls' set was punctuated by a rather stellar cover of Bloc Party's "This Modern Love" as well. Check the blog Asya wrote for Much, where she proves that she has better taste in music than most of the people in attendance today.
Despite the fact that I found Live it Out a bit disappointing, Metric were probably my favourite band on the bill. That being said, I wasn't really feeling their set all that much. They seemed a bit more subdued than usual, and while the pair of new songs ("Up in Flames" and "Stadium Love(?)") in the set were a nice change, neither of them are all that mindblowing in their current form. Since Last Gang is re-releasing Grow Up and Blow Away, the band also dusted off "Rock Me Now." My opinion of the "lost" record is that, aside from "On the Sly," the record is probably better off forgotten, and the live performance didn't really change that. "Combat Baby" still rocked though.
I was milling about after Metric, so Hot Hot Heat wasn't really on my radar, but even though I wasn't really paying much attention, it was hard to escape just how bad AFI were. If yesterday's thumbs up for MCR is any indication, I'm not above admitting when bands I dislike put on decent shows, but christ AFI were painful. If you strip Fall Out Boy or MCR of their sense of melody, and made them look utterly joyless, you'd have an idea of what they were like. They also did a "punk" cover of "Just Like Heaven," that was really unnecessary. I know it seems stupid to go somewhere like VFest and complain about the bands, but unlike the majority of the rest of the mainstage bill, I can't even fathom why this band is popular.
To Brandon Flowers' credit, even though he blew out his voice three nights ago and his Killers had to cancel a couple of dates, he toughed it out (or got a cortizone shot or both) and the show went on as planned. Despite being quite fond of "All These Things That I've Done," I'm lukewarm to generally disdainful about the rest of the band's catalogue. In fact, I out and out despise "Somebody Told Me." But as with MCR, you can't really say that the Killers don't know how to entertain. And other than my loathing of their breakout single putting a damper on things for all of three minutes, they were a decent time for a non-fan, which means they were probably amazing, if you're into them.
On a side note, I find it odd/interesting that the Killers have this glammed up, effeminate swagger to them and Brandon plays all of that up to a tee, but if the crowd was any indication, their hardcore fans are mostly macho 20-something dudes. I understand that they're massively popular, so they're going to have some fans in every demographic, but if you took the biggest cross section of, say, Duran Duran's fan base, I doubt the same thing would hold true. By contrast, last night's closing set was predictably populated by teenagers. Anyhow, enough of the amateur sociology.
If you were unhappy with the two days that this blog became a poor emulation of the Modern Age with 2% of the readership, I assure you that we will return to regularly scheduled programming next post.
now playing: Smoosh - This Modern Love (Bloc Party Cover)
Monday, May 21, 2007
helena
No, Billy Corgan hasn't regrown his hair. That is, in fact, Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance via the video screen at TBird Stadium. Thanks to my own curiosity and my friend Shea hooking us up with some free passes to VFest, I found myself braving the rain tonight to check out the emo juggernauts.
Despite major fawning by everyone from Spin to Stylus, my expectations were still quite low, based on my tendency to want to smash the radio whenever "Welcome to the Black Parade" comes on. That being said, I tried to go in with an open mind. And you know what? They weren't half bad.
I'm not going to run out for a copy of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm still going to want to turn the radio dial as fast as possible when "Welcome to the Black Parade" comes on. That being said, while I'm not a fan of the music - credit where credit is due - they're great performers. And honestly, sometimes when I find myself watching some critically "respectable" band who stares at their shoes and looks like it would be criminal to look the least bit excited, I could settle for a drop in music quality in exchange for a little glitz. Speaking of glitz, I'm also happy to see that the grande rock n roll tradition of shooting fire three stories in the air and blowing stuff up hasn't yet been lost.
It was also sort of nice to be in a crowd where the majority of people were both a) having a good time and b) not just having a good time because they were blitzed (although, there were definitely some people who were).
For the record, I have no idea what a "cancer bat" is, but I feel bad for the person who repeatedly texted the screen about losing their wallet.
Round two of the fest runs tomorrow, with some bands whose music I actually quite enjoy.
If you are heading down tomorrow, and you were hoping for some more arena rock size glamour via the Killers, you might be disappointed. Word on the street is that Brandon Flowers' throat injury is iffy for tomorrow. I am hoping that they grab some last minute headliner a la BSS stepping in for Massive Attack in TO last year, but I'm sure anything of that sort is a longshot.
Adjective, Dead Film Stars, the Ludvico Treatment, and It's a Living Thing are at the Lamp on June 13th.
now playing: Manic Street Preachers (feat. Nina Persson) - Your Love Alone is Not Enough
Saturday, May 19, 2007
wintering in brooklyn
Promo Pile: Vol. 4
The Last Town Chorus - Wire Waltz
When you pop Wire Waltz into your computer, iTunes spits back that the appropriate genre is "folk." It's not completely off the mark. Megan Hickey's songs drip with the same slow moving molasses that flavours early Cowboy Junkies releases and her weapon of choice - a lap steel - certainly fits in with the traditional folk/country aesthetic. On the other hand, I have a hard time filing this along side my Jayhawks, Jolie Holland, or Gillian Welch records. Instead, it seems like it'd find a better home next to my Slowdive records.
While she can certainly wail in the traditional sense, more often the noises that Hickey coaxes out of her guitar are like the Americana version of the washes of sound that characterized the shoegaze movement. The comparison's helped along by the album's production as well. The vocals are drenched in reverb, giving them a Hope Sandoval-like quality.
The obvious attention grabber is a slow burning version of Bowie's "Modern Love," but the cover doesn't overshadow some of the stronger originals. The title track starts the album off on a strong point, but "It's Not Over" is my personal highlight. The lost love subject matter might be a bit overdone, but the theme's given a more sinister tone on the track, especially after the squeals of slide guitar fade out, and a ghostly nursery rhyme chant that plays out the coda.
download: The Last Town Chorus - It's Not Over
now playing: Sloan - Deeper Than Beauty
Friday, May 18, 2007
someone start the countdown
On Thursday, May 24th a bunch of Vancouver area schools are getting together to put on Urban Aid 2007 at the Jericho Hill Community Centre (5196 W.4th). Hosted by CBC Radio 3's Lauren Burrows, the night features the music of Hey Ocean!, Panurge, Vancougar, the Doers, Rio Bent, the RAF, Pernell Reichert, and Roddy MacIsaac, as well as two bands - Goodbye Enemy Airship and the Grammercy Riffs - that are culled from the organizing schools.
Tickets are $15 advance and $25 at the door and you can get all the details on where to get them at the event's Facebook group. If you're currently thinking "but I don't have facebook," you clearly aren't in highschool and shouldn't be creeping around at this event anyway, creep. All proceeds go to one of my favourite charitable organizations, Covenant House.
A quick note about door sales. Not only are they more expensive, but you have to an independent school student to buy at the door. Why? I have no idea. Apparently, it's some sort of school rule, which may be further proof that when you get adults involved in something they're bound to muck it up.
Yes, it's the same day as Arcade Fire, but it's also about 70% cheaper. And also not in Burnaby.
Thanks to Nigel for emailing me about the show.
Leeroy Stagger opens that Wil show that I mentioned yesterday.
One of my favourite blogs, Soul Sides is putting out it's second compilation CD and to celebrate, there's a whole wack of listening parties. Hennessey lounge plays host to Vancouver's on May 22nd. Unfortunately, O-Dub won't be in attendance.
Dudes, I'm totally going to see MCR and the Killers this weekend. I'm not even joking.
Oh, and happy birthday to Beyond Robson/Taxes' Sean Orr.
now playing: the Flashing Lights - Elevature
Thursday, May 17, 2007
if you've got the money honey
The Lavender Diamond show has been moved from Richard's to the Lamp.
Wil is at the VECC on June 19th.
The Choir Practice is celebrating the release of their album (out now on Mint) at the Railway tomorrow night. Greenbelt Collective and Victoria, Victoria! support.
The Tittsworth and Ayres show is sadly moved from the Chapel to Library Square. (via Chalked Up)
Also from Chalked up, news that 1/2 Alive is moving:
May 18th at 150 W. Hastings
May 25th and June 1st at the Sweatshop (1820 Pandora - alley entrance)
June 8th at 108 W. 1st (alley entrance)
now playing: The Last Town Chorus - It's Not Over
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
i feel it all
It's totally redundant to post something that's on the PFork mainpage, but just how excellent is this video of Feist's performance on Jimmy Kimmel? I am sort of regretting my decision not to buy tickets to her show tonight now.
Rufus Wainwright is at the Plaza on July 28th with the lovely Sarah Slean. Unfortunately, I don't think Miss Slean will be performing her Toronto Songbook set.
Immaculate Machine are at the Ukrainian Hall on June 16th for an all-ages celebration of the release of their forthcoming long-player, Fables. Victoria, Victoria! and Meat Draw support.
The Clips are at the ANZA on June 1st with Run Chico Run, Ghost House, and Japandroids.
Brooklyn Vegan posts a letter from Trent Reznor about CD pricing.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
a storm electric
The Polyphonic Spree is at the Commodore on July 13th. No matter what the guy in the white robe says, don't drink the kool-aid.
In addition to their show at the Lamp on Friday, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? are celebrating their album release early (it's not out until June 5th) on Saturday with a show at Hoko's.
The schedule for Music Waste is up now on Facebook (and probably on the website soon). After taking all of 20 seconds to look at the line up, I humbly point to Secret Mommy at the Royal Unicorn on the 7th, Bison at the Royal Unicorn on 8th, and Ghosthouse with the National Shield at Hoko's on the 9th as highlights.
Speaking of Music Waste, they're having a fundraiser on Friday at the Emergency Room (821 E. Hastings - back alley entrance) with Art Rose Aujourd'hui and Stuffed Animals.
Three Inches of Blood are at Richard's on June 28th with Bison and Jaws.
Crowded House are at Orpheum with Pete Yorn on September 3rd.
Simon from Jump+Dash emailed me to let me know about some shows that they've got coming up. On May 31st they're on a bill at the Lamp with Fury and the Mouse, Vonnegut Dollhouse, and Transylvanian Polka. And on June 22nd they're headlining a show at Hoko's with Hey Everyone and Trembling.
Simon's also slinging bass for Abernethy, who are at the Railway with the Battles (note the "the") and Bells Clanging on May 23rd.
The Sadies are opening for the Hip.
now playing: Wilco - Hate it Here
Sunday, May 13, 2007
roll the credits
photo by Yuki Hamade
Feel free to tell me that my opinion must have been coloured by the fact that a) I was sick and b) I was hopped up on cold medication, but I didn't leave the Commodore all that moved by Peter Bjorn and John last night.
I'm a pretty big fan of Writer's Block, but it seemed like a lot of the songs dragged on a bit live, despite the band's enthusiasm. There were, of course, exceptions. "Up Against the Wall" and "Objects of My Affection" were massive sounding, and morphing "Teen Love" into a cover of "Teenage Kicks" was a pretty perfect way to close out the show. "Young Folks" was predictably met with excitement, but the estrogen free version was a bit disappointing. On that note, while I wasn't particularly enraptured, if I were actually playing with the band, I'd make an effort to at least look somewhat amused.
If you recall, earlier this week Peter mentioned in the Straight that the band wanted "local bongo kids" to fill in on percussion on their big hit. When I read the article I sort of thought he was joking, but Dan from Panurge took Peter seriously enough to email the band, offering up his talents, and he was invited on stage to beef up the rhythm section last night. Technically speaking his performance was fine - great even - I just can't understand why he looked so pissed off to be there. Maybe it's because Bjorn called his band "Purnage" by accident.
edit: Dan emailed me to say that he was, in fact, enjoying himself immensely. And also noted that PB&J are all great guys. This reflection on my ability to read people's facial expressions probably explains why I spend my free time blogging and not raking in money playing poker.
Fujiya & Miyagi opened to the show. Their slinky dance-funk thing is pretty ace when it pops up on mixtapes or periodically on iTunes shuffle, but 45-minutes of the same thing got a bit tiresome. I also couldn't help but wonder if the guys get tired of whispering all the time.
Patrick Wolf will demonstrate his magic positions on May 25th at the Media Club.
Tegan and Sara's VECC appearance has been expanded to a two-night stand. The sisters play a second show on July 17th. (thanks to Jessica for the info)
Someone posted an Acid Mothers Temple story in the comments of my last post. Take the anonymous anecdote on the internet for what you will, but I don't see why anyone would make it up:
download: Final Fantasy - Good Mother (Jann Arden Cover - live in TO)
now playing: Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Melt Your Heart
Friday, May 11, 2007
do whatever you want, don't do whatever you want!!
I'm not really big on psych rock, but on the recommendation of my friend Luke, I made it out to see Acid Mothers Temple. Ironically, my girlfriend also attended, but had told me "don't come, you'll hate it" before hand.
My mind wasn't blown, but I didn't hate it either. And if you're going to attempt to expand your musical horizons, you should do it by enjoying the best a genre has to offer. By all accounts, that's just what I did on Wednesday night at Richard's. Some of it got a bit too noodley for my tastes, but on the whole the combination of guitar freak outs and surprisingly traditional sounding Japanese vocals (a bit like a cross between my grandmother's singing and a Buddhist funeral) were pretty damn pleasing to my unfamiliar ears.
If you're of a similar mind to me, you should know that the performance was completely free of any of the stereotypical downsides that come with the words "psychedelic" or "progressive." The openers on the other hand (their name escapes me), were like every bad prog cliche come true. I'm not a fan of heckling, but I was might tempted to yell "PLAY STONEHENGE NEXT!"
Julie Doiron is at Video In with Calvin Johnson on June 21st.
Tegan and Sara are at the VECC on July 16th in support of their forthcoming newie, the Con.
And last, but certainly not least, congrats to Clint, who won the Circlesquare Contest. There's a ridiculous amount of great things going on, but seeing as Peter Bjorn & John and BRMC are sold out, I suggest heading down to Open Studios tomorrow. Thanks again to Erin and the folks at Boompa for hooking up the prize.
now playing: the Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
the poor orphan child
There's a really nice solo take on "Sad Eyes/Blue Eyes," but my favourite (after one listen) is the version of "Long 'til the Morning." The druggy jam out clocks in at over 7 minutes on Ladyhawk's record, but here it's just over half the length and is decorated with some alt-countryish banjo leads.
It's a nice treat for any Ladyhawk fans out there, but also a pretty damn good little release in its own right.
Normally, I don't post full albums, but as far as I can tell this is long since deleted. If you're on #IT, please grab the torrent from there and show the uploader some love. Otherwise, enjoy.
download: Duffy Driediger (of Ladyhawk) - Under the Cities Lies a Heart Made of Ground
Due to overwhelming demand, Music Waste - which runs June 7th to 10th this year, is opening up the fest with "Go Your Own Waste" in addition to the Only curated shows. The details from their Facebook group:
And finally, while I don't usually talk about movies here, I have to mention something about Spiderman 3.
And that is, that it should have been a hint and a half to Sam Raimi that there was trouble when evil, symbiote infested Peter Parker ended up looking like Conor Oberst.
Approximately 35 hours left to snag Circlesquare tickets.
now playing: Duffy Driediger - My Old Jacknife
Sunday, May 06, 2007
save the planet
There's already a sizable stack of crappy promo discs, unwanted or damaged albums, and cheap giveaway compilations that are cluttering up my living quarters, and are ultimately destined for a landfill somewhere. But on top of that I've got hundreds, maybe even thousands, of CDs, LPs, and 45s. Now, barring a complete Sleater-Kinney discography suddenly becoming some sought after collectors item, one would imagine that my kids won't exactly be keen on putting dad's stupidly large record collection anywhere other than a landfill. Also, considering I don't really want kids anyhow, you can pretty much count on all these shiny plastic discs (and their shiny plastic cases) ending up as trash.
The thing is, when it comes to music, I like the physical product. I like to hold CDs and records (especially records) in my hands. I don't want to look at a .pdf of the album art. I like to go to the record store to buy things. I like the artifact - the tangible, physical, piece of art. And while CD sales are on the decline, there are still a lot of people like me. I'd also venture to guess that these people - also like me - feel guilty about their other environmental transgressions. Yet, even though it's a crappy, subpar sounding format to begin with, for some reason we won't give up our compact discs.
There are, of course, other issues that surround digital music right now. DRM is the biggest one, but there's also the fact that you're losing even more fidelity than you are with a CD with a tinny sounding 128kbps AAC file. On the other hand, some retailers are offering 320kbps or vbr DRM-free mp3s. Not only can you do whatever you want with the files, but at that bit rate, about 99% of the population wouldn't notice the difference in sound quality (and the other 1% are probably lying). More importantly, the waste generated from the record (not to mention the energy that goes into manufacturing a packaged CD) gets reduced by 100%.
What's an environmentally conscious music geek to do?
Side notes:
1) I've been sick, so I didn't get out to anything this weekend. How were the billion shows going on?
2) If New Music West happens and nobody cares, does it make a sound?
now playing: Cat Power - Shaking Paper
Friday, May 04, 2007
north american scum
A point by point summation of last night's LCD Soundsystem show at the Commodore:
1. Ironically, during "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" a full on fight broke out about three rows back from the stage. Now, I will agree with anyone who says that they could do without the disruptions, but since it appeared that no bystanders got punched, I'm actually cheering for more of these dudes to injure each other. Contrary to James Murphy's yelling, the jocks could, indeed, get in the door. With all due respect to the lovely Commodore staff, perhaps Sarah's girlfriend should handle the entry screening process next time they're in town.
2. Since James is so into mixed martial arts, I was sort of hoping he would jump into the crowd and whip an arm bar on someone. No dice.
3. Why is it that the dudes who flaunt their heterosexuality the most are also the same guys who will rudely push their way past 3-4 really cute girls to embrace their "bro."
4. Bro, it isn't funny to yell "NO!" during "Yeah."
5. The end of "Yeah" pretty much melted my brain though.
6. To the four people in front of me who partnered off and then tastefully slow(ishly) danced to "Someone Great": you renewed my waning faith in humanity last night.
7. To the inordinate amount of couples who were full on sucking face during "NYC I Love You": classy!
8. Nancy Whang is ready, willing, and able to "get loud with you."
9. The drums on "Get Innocuous" are somehow even better live.
10. Best show of the year so far? Close, anyhow.
download: Franz Ferdinand - All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem Cover)
Oh, and was my post-hockey bitterness to blame, or was YACHT like some terrible electronic version of the Moldy Peaches?
Lucinda Williams is at Malkin Bowl on June 12th.
Hot Chip is canceled. You'll have to get your summer Al Doyle fix at Celebs tonight. (thanks to Shea... for the bad news)
Tiesto is playing at GM Place on August 25th. I admit to being woefully ignorant of this type of dance music, but does that seem like a cavernously huge venue to anyone else? I emailed to ask, he is headlining.
now playing: LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
fight sounds
Contest: Circlesquare Ticket Giveaway
For the life of me, I couldn't think of any sort of gimmick to go with this contest. Plus, Circlesquare's music is so dark and evil sounding, I feel like I'm courting danger if I make fun of them. So, we'll keep it simple. If you want a pair of tickets to the following show...
Easy, huh?
Thanks to Boompa for hooking up the prize.
now playing: the Last Town Chorus - Modern Love (Bowie Cover)
disney time
Jarvis Cocker was almost good enough for me to forget how terrible it is to give up a 2-0 third period lead and blow game four in overtime. For those of you out there who aren't hockey fans, I assure you that that means he was fabulous.
The former Pulp frontman also succeeded in making people forget about his former band, as the crowd seemed quite enraptured by his solo material. And, at least from my vantage point, you couldn't hear any cries of "Common People" or "Disco 2000." He ran through most of his eponymous record (minus the "Loss Adjuster" excerpts and "Quantum Theory") and threw in a few b-sides and a cover to round out the evening. Speaking of, I didn't recognize the cover. I know he's been doing "Purple Haze" and also "Heaven" by the Talking Heads and "Paranoid" by Sabbath, but it definitely wasn't any of those. In fact, I would've loved to hear the latter, but that's not really a complaint.
If there's one thing that struck me, it was just how much of a show man Jarvis is. I'm sure he's used to playing to slightly bigger crowds at home, and that level of performance shone through tonight, without coming off as forced or disingenuous in front of the cozier Commodore crowd.
now playing: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Shot Down
wolf party
The Blood Brothers are playing an all-ager at the Plaza on August 19th with Winning and Baby Control. I am so psyched about this, I had to blog it twice. I'm always up for seeing the Blood Brothers (in fact, I went to their last three shows here by myself), but the prospect of an all-ager in the Plaza has me intrigued/happy.
Pride Tiger is at Richard's on July 12th. By that time you'll have had over a month to memorize all the lyrics to their major label debut, the Lucky Ones, so you can sing along to every word, while you pump your fist to every riff.
Subtle is at Richard's on August 8th.
Bert Jansch is at Richard's on August 30th.
Deftones are at the Commodore on July 11th. Didn't they sell out the Commodore in a couple of hours (or maybe it was minutes) last time they were here? I wonder why they aren't moving to a larger venue.
Brooklyn Vegan has the details on Land of Talk's drummer situation. When they were here in April I found out that it was Bucky's last show with the band, but they've got someone in to replace him now. Show the new guy (and Liz and Chris) some love when they hit town on the 9th. Girl Talk is sold out, and you can probably swing both anyhow, since LoT is opening for the Rosebuds.
now playing: Amerie - Gotta Work
Labels: land of talk, show announcements
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
blown away
Now that I've had a couple days to recover, here's a bit of a Sasquatch recap. The line up wasn't near as good as the last couple of years, but if there's a better way to spend the last weekend in May, I have yet to find it.
I managed to get through the gates at the Gorge in time to catch the Hold Steady. If you come here with any regularity, you know that I'm a huge fan of the band. And despite being unable to pull off the somewhat foolhardy drunken plan to pass Craig Finn a beer with "Play Positive Jam!" written on it, there was certainly nothing to be disappointed about. (It honestly seemed like a great way to request a song at the time.)
After the Hold Steady I forced a couple friends to book it up the hill with me to catch the Blow at the Yeti Stage. Paper Television was one of my favourite albums of last year, and I'm happy to say that Khaela Maricich's performance lived up to my rather high expectations. She just sang over pre-recorded beats, but what she lacked in instrumentation, she more than made up for with charisma. In fact, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I now have a 14 year old girl reading YM style crush on her.
I went from the Blow on a bit of a whirlwind tour of the stages, hitting up parts of Viva Voce, Electrelane, Neko Case, and Ghostland Observatory. Most of it is a haze of hurrying between stages and stopping to consume more overpriced beer.
The next set I caught (almost) in full was Mirah's performance on the Yeti Stage. Her new LP leaked last week, and while I'm really keen on Advisory Committee and C'mon Miracle, I can't say that the forthcoming record has tickled my fancy at all. Luckily (at least for me) she pulled mostly from her back catalogue. I had some friends who thought she was a bit boring, but being able to hear "Cold Cold Water" and "We're Both So Sorry" live was enough to impress me.
I spent the time between Mirah and Arcade Fire milling about and napping, before heading down to the floor in front of the mainstage for Montreal's best export since smoked meat. I think most people will agree that Neon Bible is a step back from Funeral, so it's even more amazing that they were even better than last time I saw them (at Sasquatch 2005, when they were one of, if not the best performer). The new stuff sounded better in the flesh, but you'd be crazy if you pointed to anything but Funeral's strongest tracks as the absolute highlights. By the time they got to "Rebellion" it was pretty clear that it was going to be one of the best sets of the fest, and the closing rendition of "Wake Up" was awesome.
With all due respect to any die-hard Bjork fans out there, I took in the elven Icelander's set from further back on the hill. I also fell asleep during part of her set. I will say that the opening performance of "Earth Intruders" was pretty amazing, and I regained consciousness in time to catch my favourite Bjork tune ("Army of Me"). As I noted in my VFest recap, I'm also a sucker for anyone who shoots flames several stories into the air. Apparently we missed lasers when we made and early dash back to camp as well.
My day 2 started quite a bit later than the first day, and thanks to taking extra time to relax at our campsite, and then a ridiculously long wait to get in to the venue, we made it in just in time to catch Patrick Wolf.
As an aside, it took so long to get inside because they were slightly more thorough with the searches. That being said, the searches were still so half-assed that you could have snuck anything you wanted inside. If you intend to hold up the line for the sake of security, at least make it somewhat worthwhile. I loved the fact that they were checking in people's cigarette boxes, presumably for joints, but I pulled a full bottle of pills out of my bag and the guy at the gate didn't bat an eyelash. Granted, all I had was some Advil, but I'm just as likely (if not more so) to have drugs in that as someone with a pack of smokes. But I digress.
I haven't really paid much attention to Patrick Wolf in the past. His first couple of albums didn't really do it for me, and while I'm way more into the new one, I haven't had a chance to give it too many spins yet. For that reason, I'd have to say that he was the most pleasant surprise of the weekend. My friend quipped that he was "like Owen Pallett, but gay." And while that really doesn't make sense, in another way it makes so much sense. "Accident and Emergency" sounded like it was pulled straight from some electroclash cabaret. Y'know, if the concept of an "electroclash cabaret" was totally mindblowing.
I was pretty psyched about the prospect of seeing Bad Brains, but in all honesty, they were sort of boring. HR mostly stood fairly still, and there was a bit too much of the band's reggae influence on display for my liking.
If you were at last year's festival, you will most definitely remember when the weather took centre stage, and unfortunately during the Polyphonic Spree's set, Mother Nature decided to snag the spotlight again. Part way through their set, the winds kicked up so strongly that the band had to stop playing. The lighting rigs were getting whipped around so hard that there was a worry that they might come down. After the Spree were shooed off stage, there was a delay of several hours as they simultaneously waited for the wind to die down and solve the lighting problem. The result was the Polyphonic Spree opening up their "exclusive" after hours show (it was originally only for wristband holders who let some Verizon Wireless guy give them a schpeel about new cell phones), Michael Franti being moved to the Wookie Stage, and Spoon being pushed back. I had no interest in sitting through Michael Franti when there was nothing else to see, so the rescheduling was actually fine by me.
On a side note, the Polyphonic Spree's decision to dump their "we're in a cult, please drink our kool-aid" uniforms to new duds that are more than vaguely reminiscent of the SS is an even worse fashion decision than dumping your ugg boots for crocs.
During the ensuing mainstage delay, I made it up to the Wookie stage to catch Tokyo Police Club. They rep'd for Canada, putting in one of the better sets that I caught all weekend, and happily the sound was actually better (despite the weather issues) than when I saw them out at UBC last year.
Smoosh! I read some preview of the show that complained that "nobody likes the sound of a 15-year old girl's voice." I think it might have been in the the Stranger. To that I say, nobody likes your shitty, cynical music criticism... except maybe people who hate other adorable things like lolcats. After hearing their Bloc Party cover again, I may also go out on the unpopular limb and say that it's better than Final Fantasy's.
After checking on the progress over at the mainstage, I caught some of the Black Angels' set from afar. I totally dig what they're serving up, but a bright afternoon in May is about as far from the ideal setting to see the band that you can get.
We were waiting around (begrudgingly in my case) to catch the Dandy Warhols when we got wind (by that I mean literally hearing them line check because the wind was blowing from the mainstage) that Spoon might actually be on soon. I hung around until they played "We Used to Be Friends" two songs in and booked it over to see Britt Daniel and co, who had just torn into "The Way We Get By." Speaking of Britt, there was nary a word out of him, but what they lacked in talk, they more than made up for in rock. "The Way We Get By" and "I Turn My Camera On" were predictable crowd favourites, but the set was solid through and through.
By the time Interpol made their entrance the wind chill had made it feel more like October in Kelowna instead of George in May, and my comrades and I made a quick retreat about five songs into the band's set. I haven't seen them since their first show in Vancouver quite a few years ago, but after getting a bit of a refresher I didn't feel like I was missing much when we opted to escape the cold instead of sticking around (well, except for the Beastie Boys, but despite the fact that they're pretty stellar live, once Beastie's live experience in the last couple of years is enough for me).
Side notes...
true story.
Despite the fact that it doesn't look like it in the photo, it was absolutely frigid when I took this shot. Is it stupid outfits or hulahoops that prevent your body from getting hypothermia? Or drugs maybe. My bet is on the drugs.
Finally, I must give a big thank you to my friend Josh, who recommended that I stay at Wild Horse Campground instead of the Gorge campsite (read: like Arts County Fair, but overnight - translation: gross). It was an amazing place to camp, and I highly recommend booking early and staying there if you plan to head to the Gorge for Sasquatch 2008 (or anything for that matter). Everything about it was great, but the food in particular was awesome. I haven't eaten a lot of red meat in the last 5 years, but when I have it hasn't made me regret the lack of beef in my diet. That being said, I think I'm looking forward to the Campground's "Wild Burger" as much as I'm looking forward to next year's festival. This probably seems totally trivial to most of you, but seriously, it was the best burger I've had in my life.
now playing: the Affair - Andy
Labels: sasquatch, show recaps
Friday, May 25, 2007
don't believe the hype
I'm about to go to sleep, and then I'll be off at Sasquatch for the weekend, but I had to comment on this PR email about the new Mooney Suzuki record that just dropped in my inbox.
And I quote:
"What press is saying about 'Have Mercy':Here is a more full version of the text from Pfork:
'…nothing short of a miracle…' – PitchforkMedia.com"
"They parted ways with two labels, Columbia and the now-defunct V2, and the band began to crumble, losing guitarist Graham Tyler in the shuffle.I know it's these people's jobs to make this crap look good. But that was one shifty quotation.
So it's nothing short of a miracle that the Suzuki are alive and well enough to announce the very existence of their fifth LP Have Mercy, due out June 19 on the brand new Elixia Records, which is part of the Templar Label Group."
You may now continue forgetting that the Mooney Suzuki still exist.
Have a good weekend.
now playing: Mazarin - Another One Goes By
Labels: pr firms rule
accident & emergency
Patrick Wolf's show, originally scheduled for tonight at the Media Club, has been canceled due to "unforseen circumstances." Sasquatch still seems to be a go, so if I were a betting man, I'd put money on border problems of some sort. As per usual, refunds can be sought at your point of purchase.
now playing: Wil - By December
Thursday, May 24, 2007
don't get your back up
If you have emailed me and I haven't got back to you yet, it's not because I don't like you. I did something to my back and sitting in front of a computer doesn't exactly help things, so I have been sitting in front of a computer much less. Alternately, it might be that I actually don't like you, but it's probably the back thing. I went to the doctor and I'm sure it'll get sorted out soon.
Standing, thankfully, doesn't bother me, so at least I can still enjoy standing and watching bands at Sasquatch.
Andrew Bird is at Richard's on September 1st.
You should also check out this Q&A with Trent Reznor (whether you're a NIN fan or not) in the Herald Sun. (via the Lefsetz Letter)
now playing: Feist - 1234
Labels: injury report, show announcements
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
he doesn't look a lot like jesus
Since it decided not to pour rain, and because there were some bands that I'm a bit more fond of on the bill, I spent most of the day at VFest today.
We got to the stadium just in time to catch You Say Party! We Say Die!. My jury's still out about their new one, but they seemed just as at home on the rather gigantic mainstage as they are in a tiny club. In fact, they might even be better when they have some room to rockstar it up.
Smoosh followed YSP. While you always hear about how adorable the kids in the band are, I think this is the first time I've ever bothered to listen to them. Thankfully, they weren't half bad, because you'd think they could only ride the "cute kid" thing for so long. The girls' set was punctuated by a rather stellar cover of Bloc Party's "This Modern Love" as well. Check the blog Asya wrote for Much, where she proves that she has better taste in music than most of the people in attendance today.
Despite the fact that I found Live it Out a bit disappointing, Metric were probably my favourite band on the bill. That being said, I wasn't really feeling their set all that much. They seemed a bit more subdued than usual, and while the pair of new songs ("Up in Flames" and "Stadium Love(?)") in the set were a nice change, neither of them are all that mindblowing in their current form. Since Last Gang is re-releasing Grow Up and Blow Away, the band also dusted off "Rock Me Now." My opinion of the "lost" record is that, aside from "On the Sly," the record is probably better off forgotten, and the live performance didn't really change that. "Combat Baby" still rocked though.
I was milling about after Metric, so Hot Hot Heat wasn't really on my radar, but even though I wasn't really paying much attention, it was hard to escape just how bad AFI were. If yesterday's thumbs up for MCR is any indication, I'm not above admitting when bands I dislike put on decent shows, but christ AFI were painful. If you strip Fall Out Boy or MCR of their sense of melody, and made them look utterly joyless, you'd have an idea of what they were like. They also did a "punk" cover of "Just Like Heaven," that was really unnecessary. I know it seems stupid to go somewhere like VFest and complain about the bands, but unlike the majority of the rest of the mainstage bill, I can't even fathom why this band is popular.
To Brandon Flowers' credit, even though he blew out his voice three nights ago and his Killers had to cancel a couple of dates, he toughed it out (or got a cortizone shot or both) and the show went on as planned. Despite being quite fond of "All These Things That I've Done," I'm lukewarm to generally disdainful about the rest of the band's catalogue. In fact, I out and out despise "Somebody Told Me." But as with MCR, you can't really say that the Killers don't know how to entertain. And other than my loathing of their breakout single putting a damper on things for all of three minutes, they were a decent time for a non-fan, which means they were probably amazing, if you're into them.
On a side note, I find it odd/interesting that the Killers have this glammed up, effeminate swagger to them and Brandon plays all of that up to a tee, but if the crowd was any indication, their hardcore fans are mostly macho 20-something dudes. I understand that they're massively popular, so they're going to have some fans in every demographic, but if you took the biggest cross section of, say, Duran Duran's fan base, I doubt the same thing would hold true. By contrast, last night's closing set was predictably populated by teenagers. Anyhow, enough of the amateur sociology.
If you were unhappy with the two days that this blog became a poor emulation of the Modern Age with 2% of the readership, I assure you that we will return to regularly scheduled programming next post.
now playing: Smoosh - This Modern Love (Bloc Party Cover)
Labels: show recaps
Monday, May 21, 2007
helena
No, Billy Corgan hasn't regrown his hair. That is, in fact, Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance via the video screen at TBird Stadium. Thanks to my own curiosity and my friend Shea hooking us up with some free passes to VFest, I found myself braving the rain tonight to check out the emo juggernauts.
Despite major fawning by everyone from Spin to Stylus, my expectations were still quite low, based on my tendency to want to smash the radio whenever "Welcome to the Black Parade" comes on. That being said, I tried to go in with an open mind. And you know what? They weren't half bad.
I'm not going to run out for a copy of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm still going to want to turn the radio dial as fast as possible when "Welcome to the Black Parade" comes on. That being said, while I'm not a fan of the music - credit where credit is due - they're great performers. And honestly, sometimes when I find myself watching some critically "respectable" band who stares at their shoes and looks like it would be criminal to look the least bit excited, I could settle for a drop in music quality in exchange for a little glitz. Speaking of glitz, I'm also happy to see that the grande rock n roll tradition of shooting fire three stories in the air and blowing stuff up hasn't yet been lost.
It was also sort of nice to be in a crowd where the majority of people were both a) having a good time and b) not just having a good time because they were blitzed (although, there were definitely some people who were).
For the record, I have no idea what a "cancer bat" is, but I feel bad for the person who repeatedly texted the screen about losing their wallet.
Round two of the fest runs tomorrow, with some bands whose music I actually quite enjoy.
If you are heading down tomorrow, and you were hoping for some more arena rock size glamour via the Killers, you might be disappointed. Word on the street is that Brandon Flowers' throat injury is iffy for tomorrow. I am hoping that they grab some last minute headliner a la BSS stepping in for Massive Attack in TO last year, but I'm sure anything of that sort is a longshot.
Adjective, Dead Film Stars, the Ludvico Treatment, and It's a Living Thing are at the Lamp on June 13th.
now playing: Manic Street Preachers (feat. Nina Persson) - Your Love Alone is Not Enough
Labels: my chemical romance, show announcements, show recaps
Saturday, May 19, 2007
wintering in brooklyn
Promo Pile: Vol. 4
The Last Town Chorus - Wire Waltz
When you pop Wire Waltz into your computer, iTunes spits back that the appropriate genre is "folk." It's not completely off the mark. Megan Hickey's songs drip with the same slow moving molasses that flavours early Cowboy Junkies releases and her weapon of choice - a lap steel - certainly fits in with the traditional folk/country aesthetic. On the other hand, I have a hard time filing this along side my Jayhawks, Jolie Holland, or Gillian Welch records. Instead, it seems like it'd find a better home next to my Slowdive records.
While she can certainly wail in the traditional sense, more often the noises that Hickey coaxes out of her guitar are like the Americana version of the washes of sound that characterized the shoegaze movement. The comparison's helped along by the album's production as well. The vocals are drenched in reverb, giving them a Hope Sandoval-like quality.
The obvious attention grabber is a slow burning version of Bowie's "Modern Love," but the cover doesn't overshadow some of the stronger originals. The title track starts the album off on a strong point, but "It's Not Over" is my personal highlight. The lost love subject matter might be a bit overdone, but the theme's given a more sinister tone on the track, especially after the squeals of slide guitar fade out, and a ghostly nursery rhyme chant that plays out the coda.
download: The Last Town Chorus - It's Not Over
now playing: Sloan - Deeper Than Beauty
Labels: promo pile, the last town chorus
Friday, May 18, 2007
someone start the countdown
Almost every time I post, it's filled with announcements about shows that are 19+, meaning of course, that anyone under the age of majority can't attend. So, it's with great pleasure that I tell you about an upcoming show that only highschoolers can get into. In fact, you'll need to show your Go Card at the door to get in.
On Thursday, May 24th a bunch of Vancouver area schools are getting together to put on Urban Aid 2007 at the Jericho Hill Community Centre (5196 W.4th). Hosted by CBC Radio 3's Lauren Burrows, the night features the music of Hey Ocean!, Panurge, Vancougar, the Doers, Rio Bent, the RAF, Pernell Reichert, and Roddy MacIsaac, as well as two bands - Goodbye Enemy Airship and the Grammercy Riffs - that are culled from the organizing schools.
Tickets are $15 advance and $25 at the door and you can get all the details on where to get them at the event's Facebook group. If you're currently thinking "but I don't have facebook," you clearly aren't in highschool and shouldn't be creeping around at this event anyway, creep. All proceeds go to one of my favourite charitable organizations, Covenant House.
A quick note about door sales. Not only are they more expensive, but you have to an independent school student to buy at the door. Why? I have no idea. Apparently, it's some sort of school rule, which may be further proof that when you get adults involved in something they're bound to muck it up.
Yes, it's the same day as Arcade Fire, but it's also about 70% cheaper. And also not in Burnaby.
Thanks to Nigel for emailing me about the show.
Leeroy Stagger opens that Wil show that I mentioned yesterday.
One of my favourite blogs, Soul Sides is putting out it's second compilation CD and to celebrate, there's a whole wack of listening parties. Hennessey lounge plays host to Vancouver's on May 22nd. Unfortunately, O-Dub won't be in attendance.
Dudes, I'm totally going to see MCR and the Killers this weekend. I'm not even joking.
Oh, and happy birthday to Beyond Robson/Taxes' Sean Orr.
now playing: the Flashing Lights - Elevature
Labels: show announcements
Thursday, May 17, 2007
if you've got the money honey
Willie Nelson is at the Pacific Coliseum on June 29th
The Lavender Diamond show has been moved from Richard's to the Lamp.
Wil is at the VECC on June 19th.
The Choir Practice is celebrating the release of their album (out now on Mint) at the Railway tomorrow night. Greenbelt Collective and Victoria, Victoria! support.
The Tittsworth and Ayres show is sadly moved from the Chapel to Library Square. (via Chalked Up)
Also from Chalked up, news that 1/2 Alive is moving:
Some psycho bikers showed up at the Waldorf this past Friday and flexed enough muscle to convince 1/2 Alive to find a new venue for this coming Friday. Stay safe, there sure are a lot of assholes out there...And via MySpace, the new venues until their permanent move to Richard's:
May 18th at 150 W. Hastings
May 25th and June 1st at the Sweatshop (1820 Pandora - alley entrance)
June 8th at 108 W. 1st (alley entrance)
now playing: The Last Town Chorus - It's Not Over
Labels: show announcements
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
i feel it all
It's totally redundant to post something that's on the PFork mainpage, but just how excellent is this video of Feist's performance on Jimmy Kimmel? I am sort of regretting my decision not to buy tickets to her show tonight now.
Rufus Wainwright is at the Plaza on July 28th with the lovely Sarah Slean. Unfortunately, I don't think Miss Slean will be performing her Toronto Songbook set.
Immaculate Machine are at the Ukrainian Hall on June 16th for an all-ages celebration of the release of their forthcoming long-player, Fables. Victoria, Victoria! and Meat Draw support.
The Clips are at the ANZA on June 1st with Run Chico Run, Ghost House, and Japandroids.
Brooklyn Vegan posts a letter from Trent Reznor about CD pricing.
The ABSURD retail pricing of Year Zero in Australia. Shame on you, UMG. Year Zero is selling for $34.99 Australian dollars ($29.10 US). No wonder people steal music. Avril Lavigne's record in the same store was $21.99 ($18.21 US).now playing: Neil Young - Harvest Moon
By the way, when I asked a label rep about this his response was: "It's because we know you have a real core audience that will pay whatever it costs when you put something out - you know, true fans. It's the pop stuff we have to discount to get people to buy."
So... I guess as a reward for being a "true fan" you get ripped off.
Labels: feist, show announcements
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
a storm electric
I made it down to the Lamplighter last night to see the National Frost (thank Lauren for the invite). I was really into the instrumental side of the band, but the singer didn't really do it for me. They sort of sound like some other more well known large indie rock ensembles, but the vocals just seem a bit out of place to me. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to separate yourself from the crowd, but I just wasn't into the finished product. I have to say though, I'm all for more bands with saxophones that aren't ska bands.
The Polyphonic Spree is at the Commodore on July 13th. No matter what the guy in the white robe says, don't drink the kool-aid.
In addition to their show at the Lamp on Friday, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? are celebrating their album release early (it's not out until June 5th) on Saturday with a show at Hoko's.
The schedule for Music Waste is up now on Facebook (and probably on the website soon). After taking all of 20 seconds to look at the line up, I humbly point to Secret Mommy at the Royal Unicorn on the 7th, Bison at the Royal Unicorn on 8th, and Ghosthouse with the National Shield at Hoko's on the 9th as highlights.
Speaking of Music Waste, they're having a fundraiser on Friday at the Emergency Room (821 E. Hastings - back alley entrance) with Art Rose Aujourd'hui and Stuffed Animals.
Three Inches of Blood are at Richard's on June 28th with Bison and Jaws.
Crowded House are at Orpheum with Pete Yorn on September 3rd.
Simon from Jump+Dash emailed me to let me know about some shows that they've got coming up. On May 31st they're on a bill at the Lamp with Fury and the Mouse, Vonnegut Dollhouse, and Transylvanian Polka. And on June 22nd they're headlining a show at Hoko's with Hey Everyone and Trembling.
Simon's also slinging bass for Abernethy, who are at the Railway with the Battles (note the "the") and Bells Clanging on May 23rd.
The Sadies are opening for the Hip.
now playing: Wilco - Hate it Here
Labels: lazy show recaps, show announcements
Sunday, May 13, 2007
roll the credits
photo by Yuki Hamade
Feel free to tell me that my opinion must have been coloured by the fact that a) I was sick and b) I was hopped up on cold medication, but I didn't leave the Commodore all that moved by Peter Bjorn and John last night.
I'm a pretty big fan of Writer's Block, but it seemed like a lot of the songs dragged on a bit live, despite the band's enthusiasm. There were, of course, exceptions. "Up Against the Wall" and "Objects of My Affection" were massive sounding, and morphing "Teen Love" into a cover of "Teenage Kicks" was a pretty perfect way to close out the show. "Young Folks" was predictably met with excitement, but the estrogen free version was a bit disappointing. On that note, while I wasn't particularly enraptured, if I were actually playing with the band, I'd make an effort to at least look somewhat amused.
If you recall, earlier this week Peter mentioned in the Straight that the band wanted "local bongo kids" to fill in on percussion on their big hit. When I read the article I sort of thought he was joking, but Dan from Panurge took Peter seriously enough to email the band, offering up his talents, and he was invited on stage to beef up the rhythm section last night. Technically speaking his performance was fine - great even - I just can't understand why he looked so pissed off to be there. Maybe it's because Bjorn called his band "Purnage" by accident.
edit: Dan emailed me to say that he was, in fact, enjoying himself immensely. And also noted that PB&J are all great guys. This reflection on my ability to read people's facial expressions probably explains why I spend my free time blogging and not raking in money playing poker.
Fujiya & Miyagi opened to the show. Their slinky dance-funk thing is pretty ace when it pops up on mixtapes or periodically on iTunes shuffle, but 45-minutes of the same thing got a bit tiresome. I also couldn't help but wonder if the guys get tired of whispering all the time.
Patrick Wolf will demonstrate his magic positions on May 25th at the Media Club.
Tegan and Sara's VECC appearance has been expanded to a two-night stand. The sisters play a second show on July 17th. (thanks to Jessica for the info)
Someone posted an Acid Mothers Temple story in the comments of my last post. Take the anonymous anecdote on the internet for what you will, but I don't see why anyone would make it up:
acid mothers temple ended up staying at my house (roommate met them at merch stand and invited them over). one of them woke up in the night and couldn't find the bathroom, so he peed on the floor. All was well as he found a towel and soaked it all up!On that note, happy Mother's Day.
download: Final Fantasy - Good Mother (Jann Arden Cover - live in TO)
now playing: Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Melt Your Heart
Labels: peter bjorn and john, show announcements, show recaps
Friday, May 11, 2007
do whatever you want, don't do whatever you want!!
I'm not really big on psych rock, but on the recommendation of my friend Luke, I made it out to see Acid Mothers Temple. Ironically, my girlfriend also attended, but had told me "don't come, you'll hate it" before hand.
My mind wasn't blown, but I didn't hate it either. And if you're going to attempt to expand your musical horizons, you should do it by enjoying the best a genre has to offer. By all accounts, that's just what I did on Wednesday night at Richard's. Some of it got a bit too noodley for my tastes, but on the whole the combination of guitar freak outs and surprisingly traditional sounding Japanese vocals (a bit like a cross between my grandmother's singing and a Buddhist funeral) were pretty damn pleasing to my unfamiliar ears.
If you're of a similar mind to me, you should know that the performance was completely free of any of the stereotypical downsides that come with the words "psychedelic" or "progressive." The openers on the other hand (their name escapes me), were like every bad prog cliche come true. I'm not a fan of heckling, but I was might tempted to yell "PLAY STONEHENGE NEXT!"
Julie Doiron is at Video In with Calvin Johnson on June 21st.
Tegan and Sara are at the VECC on July 16th in support of their forthcoming newie, the Con.
And last, but certainly not least, congrats to Clint, who won the Circlesquare Contest. There's a ridiculous amount of great things going on, but seeing as Peter Bjorn & John and BRMC are sold out, I suggest heading down to Open Studios tomorrow. Thanks again to Erin and the folks at Boompa for hooking up the prize.
now playing: the Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love
Labels: acid mothers temple, contest winners, show announcements, show recaps
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
the poor orphan child
A big thanks to Chad, who emailed me tonight to let me know that someone had posted Duffy from Ladyhawk's solo record on IndieTorrents. I knew that he did a record on Deer and Bird, but this one came as a complete surprise. The nine tracks include a cover of America's "Horse with No Name" and also three tracks that I've never heard before. But perhaps more interestingly, it captures stripped down versions of four tracks from Ladyhawk's self-titled debut, as well as live favourite, "Faces of Death."
There's a really nice solo take on "Sad Eyes/Blue Eyes," but my favourite (after one listen) is the version of "Long 'til the Morning." The druggy jam out clocks in at over 7 minutes on Ladyhawk's record, but here it's just over half the length and is decorated with some alt-countryish banjo leads.
It's a nice treat for any Ladyhawk fans out there, but also a pretty damn good little release in its own right.
Normally, I don't post full albums, but as far as I can tell this is long since deleted. If you're on #IT, please grab the torrent from there and show the uploader some love. Otherwise, enjoy.
download: Duffy Driediger (of Ladyhawk) - Under the Cities Lies a Heart Made of Ground
Due to overwhelming demand, Music Waste - which runs June 7th to 10th this year, is opening up the fest with "Go Your Own Waste" in addition to the Only curated shows. The details from their Facebook group:
GYOW works like this:Chromeo is at the Red Room on July 19th with Flosstradamus. Break out your vintage Air Jordan's, skinny jeans, and ironic plastic sunglasses.
1. Set up a gig in Vancouver somewhere, on June 7, 8, or 9
2. The cover at the door can be no more than $5.
3. You have to accept the Music Waste pass.
4. Email us the details and your contact info to " goyourownwaste@musicwaste.ca" by Sunday, May 20th.
In return, you are in. Your show will appear in the Music Waste guide, the website, and in the listings in the papers.
And finally, while I don't usually talk about movies here, I have to mention something about Spiderman 3.
And that is, that it should have been a hint and a half to Sam Raimi that there was trouble when evil, symbiote infested Peter Parker ended up looking like Conor Oberst.
Approximately 35 hours left to snag Circlesquare tickets.
now playing: Duffy Driediger - My Old Jacknife
Labels: ladyhawk, music waste, show announcements
Sunday, May 06, 2007
save the planet
If you're masochistic enough to regularly read Pacific Press' slightly less terrible BC daily, you were rewarded yesterday with David Suzuki's guest edited edition of the Vancouver Sun. The special edition of the paper featured a variety of pretty interesting stories about all things green, but the one that stuck out for me was on CDs and the waste that they generate.
There's already a sizable stack of crappy promo discs, unwanted or damaged albums, and cheap giveaway compilations that are cluttering up my living quarters, and are ultimately destined for a landfill somewhere. But on top of that I've got hundreds, maybe even thousands, of CDs, LPs, and 45s. Now, barring a complete Sleater-Kinney discography suddenly becoming some sought after collectors item, one would imagine that my kids won't exactly be keen on putting dad's stupidly large record collection anywhere other than a landfill. Also, considering I don't really want kids anyhow, you can pretty much count on all these shiny plastic discs (and their shiny plastic cases) ending up as trash.
The thing is, when it comes to music, I like the physical product. I like to hold CDs and records (especially records) in my hands. I don't want to look at a .pdf of the album art. I like to go to the record store to buy things. I like the artifact - the tangible, physical, piece of art. And while CD sales are on the decline, there are still a lot of people like me. I'd also venture to guess that these people - also like me - feel guilty about their other environmental transgressions. Yet, even though it's a crappy, subpar sounding format to begin with, for some reason we won't give up our compact discs.
There are, of course, other issues that surround digital music right now. DRM is the biggest one, but there's also the fact that you're losing even more fidelity than you are with a CD with a tinny sounding 128kbps AAC file. On the other hand, some retailers are offering 320kbps or vbr DRM-free mp3s. Not only can you do whatever you want with the files, but at that bit rate, about 99% of the population wouldn't notice the difference in sound quality (and the other 1% are probably lying). More importantly, the waste generated from the record (not to mention the energy that goes into manufacturing a packaged CD) gets reduced by 100%.
What's an environmentally conscious music geek to do?
Side notes:
1) I've been sick, so I didn't get out to anything this weekend. How were the billion shows going on?
2) If New Music West happens and nobody cares, does it make a sound?
now playing: Cat Power - Shaking Paper
Friday, May 04, 2007
north american scum
A point by point summation of last night's LCD Soundsystem show at the Commodore:
1. Ironically, during "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" a full on fight broke out about three rows back from the stage. Now, I will agree with anyone who says that they could do without the disruptions, but since it appeared that no bystanders got punched, I'm actually cheering for more of these dudes to injure each other. Contrary to James Murphy's yelling, the jocks could, indeed, get in the door. With all due respect to the lovely Commodore staff, perhaps Sarah's girlfriend should handle the entry screening process next time they're in town.
2. Since James is so into mixed martial arts, I was sort of hoping he would jump into the crowd and whip an arm bar on someone. No dice.
3. Why is it that the dudes who flaunt their heterosexuality the most are also the same guys who will rudely push their way past 3-4 really cute girls to embrace their "bro."
4. Bro, it isn't funny to yell "NO!" during "Yeah."
5. The end of "Yeah" pretty much melted my brain though.
6. To the four people in front of me who partnered off and then tastefully slow(ishly) danced to "Someone Great": you renewed my waning faith in humanity last night.
7. To the inordinate amount of couples who were full on sucking face during "NYC I Love You": classy!
8. Nancy Whang is ready, willing, and able to "get loud with you."
9. The drums on "Get Innocuous" are somehow even better live.
10. Best show of the year so far? Close, anyhow.
download: Franz Ferdinand - All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem Cover)
Oh, and was my post-hockey bitterness to blame, or was YACHT like some terrible electronic version of the Moldy Peaches?
Lucinda Williams is at Malkin Bowl on June 12th.
Hot Chip is canceled. You'll have to get your summer Al Doyle fix at Celebs tonight. (thanks to Shea... for the bad news)
Tiesto is playing at GM Place on August 25th. I admit to being woefully ignorant of this type of dance music, but does that seem like a cavernously huge venue to anyone else? I emailed to ask, he is headlining.
now playing: LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
Labels: show announcements, show recaps
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
fight sounds
Contest: Circlesquare Ticket Giveaway
For the life of me, I couldn't think of any sort of gimmick to go with this contest. Plus, Circlesquare's music is so dark and evil sounding, I feel like I'm courting danger if I make fun of them. So, we'll keep it simple. If you want a pair of tickets to the following show...
Circlesquare at the Wagon Repair Records Showcase at Open Studios on May 12th (HRDVSION, Mike McSuede, Loose Change, Ty Webb support).Just send me an email (quinn.omori [at] gmail.com) with your full name before noon on May 10th, and I'll pick a winner at random.
Easy, huh?
Thanks to Boompa for hooking up the prize.
now playing: the Last Town Chorus - Modern Love (Bowie Cover)
Labels: circlesquare, contests
disney time
Jarvis Cocker was almost good enough for me to forget how terrible it is to give up a 2-0 third period lead and blow game four in overtime. For those of you out there who aren't hockey fans, I assure you that that means he was fabulous.
The former Pulp frontman also succeeded in making people forget about his former band, as the crowd seemed quite enraptured by his solo material. And, at least from my vantage point, you couldn't hear any cries of "Common People" or "Disco 2000." He ran through most of his eponymous record (minus the "Loss Adjuster" excerpts and "Quantum Theory") and threw in a few b-sides and a cover to round out the evening. Speaking of, I didn't recognize the cover. I know he's been doing "Purple Haze" and also "Heaven" by the Talking Heads and "Paranoid" by Sabbath, but it definitely wasn't any of those. In fact, I would've loved to hear the latter, but that's not really a complaint.
If there's one thing that struck me, it was just how much of a show man Jarvis is. I'm sure he's used to playing to slightly bigger crowds at home, and that level of performance shone through tonight, without coming off as forced or disingenuous in front of the cozier Commodore crowd.
now playing: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Shot Down
Labels: show recaps
