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Sunday, April 30, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
tamarindo, costa rica: the editorial
whoa.. it's already been a week since i returned from 10 days of beach, sun and hammock in Tamarindo... where has the time gone?? oh right... i've been working.. and... umm... exercising... or something... and all the while musing about how i might like to document my trip, in typed form, on this little piece of world wide web real estate.. i wrote a ton while i was down there, and have been taking ideas and themes from that, but in the end, here i am, typing away, with no real ideas... off the cuff we go...
so - tamarindo - hmm... well, they say a picture paints a thousand words, but i suppose you need the right picture. does the opposite hold true? can a bunch of words create a thousand pictures? sometimes, maybe. i'd ask you to close your eyes while i got it all out, but then, well, you wouldnt see anything on the screen... so, you're gonna have to do 2 things at once here.. like walking and chewing gum... i know some of you can do it - the rest, well, maybe time for a little evolution, hmm?
evolution is maybe where i should begin. the town has evolved, and continues to evolve more fully, into a haven, a paradise, for rich white people. from the way the land is being sold off and developed to the sizeable amount of tourists... someone told me it is the most touristy place in the country - not surprised. if you're one of those people who is looking to invest in a piece of land, tamarindo may be the place for you: you're hard pressed to go anywhere and not see a billboard for Century 21 or Re/Max. the boom is apparent as soon as you move 3 or 4 streets deep into the town - there is construction everywhere - future vacation palaces being built for a buck 50 an hour. i was taking some pictures one day of the moon through some trees, i happened to be in front of a construction site, and a local walking by asked me if i was "recording the destruction of tamarindo" - i got him. in talking to some locals, i realized how quickly this has happened. in talking to some others, i got the feeling that this has always been happening to them.
i am a white person. by no means would i say i am rich. but parts of me still felt guilty for feeding into something that i dont necessarily agree with. it was a little difficult for me to deal with for the first part of my trip while i got settled with where i was. i didnt stay at a resort. in fact the place i stayed was incredible and exactly what i would have hoped for - and i'd recommend it to anyone. in fact i will right now:
Casa Tamarindo, owned and operated by Kyle Zelley - a little property with a couple bungalows and a house and incredible rates for the area, with a great host, and a perfect location, given you're far enough away to avoid the noise and craziness of the nightlife, but also close enough that you can jump right into it, or onto the beach, with a short 3 minute walk down the street.
the town itself really panders to the tourist. cool - makes it real easy. but sometimes, its a little much: such as showing up for a brazilian music night at a restaurant, and yes, granted there was a brazilian on stage, however the songs he was singing were far from brazilian. not even the same hemisphere. the food was good, though.
actually, the best places i found to eat were the ones that weren't pandering to the tourist... the best food, feel, and prices came from the most authentic.
there is lots to do, if you have the cash and the right number of people to do it with. otherwise, the beach is beautiful and the hammock's are comfortable. and sometimes, for some people, thats all you need. i certainly got my fair share of relaxing in - so much so that i started to get bored. i guess it is possible to relax too much.
left the town one day, we rented some scooters and went on a little adventure, which was a lot of fun... took backroads to Avellanas on Easter Thursday. it was neat to see parts of their "countryside" - is that what you'd call it? i guess for lack of a better expression.. and for me, the most intriguing part about it was seeing some of the little villages and housing.. i wish i got more pictures than i did, but we took a different way back and missed a lot of that. basically, a lot of shacks, or poorly constructed dwellings, but hell if they didnt have their own little charm! thats probably when i felt most connected to where i was - exploring and seeing that side of it.
i mentioned Easter Thursday. i wasnt even thinking of this when i planned the trip, but it happened to fall right into their Easter Fiesta celebrations... and they take that shit SERIOUSLY! i guess everything around the country shuts down from Thursday on, but being in a resort town, we didnt feel that crunch at all. well, they did stop selling alcohol until saturday, but that was it, really. so, Easter is a big deal... thats when all the Tico's come to town and take over - and good on 'em! but good lord, do these people party! you know, i've partied once or twice in my life, but even i felt out of my element amongst them. when we ventured down to the circle on good friday night to check out the scene it was like out a movie with all the people bumpin' and grindin' on the streets, in the backs of pick-ups, drugs and alcohol everywhere you turned - mayhem is about the only way to describe it. mucho mayhem. after a few trips through the crowds and deciding it was all too much for me, i decided to regroup on a log on the beach, where i ended up hanging out with a gay costa rican who wanted to fuck my brains out. it wasnt all that bad, he was actually cool to hang out and talk with, and given my state of mind at the time, i thought it was rather funny that this was happening to me - of course it couldnt have been a sexy beach bunny - c'mon! he likened my name to Scott Paper Towels with a remark about kimberley-clarke (talk about attention to detail!), and i told him he'd always think of me when he wiped his ass. i later found out they dont do that down there (it's a luxury for the tourists, apparently), which made me even more glad that i didnt get raped. they're forward as hell, though: i had to tell him "no" more times than i was comfortable with before i bolted. i might not have stuck around as long as i did, but like i said, alcohol sales stopped on thursday, and well, he had some beers for me... the aftermath the next day is something to see, as well... drunks sleeping in beach offices, crackheads down the way sprawled out, chewing their faces out, lotsa litter, the whole deal. interesting to see and experience, though.
the rest of my experience there basically consisted of lounging on the beach, or lounging in the hammock, and eating... like i said, a ton of relaxing. i got about 200 pages into Another Roadside Attraction and wrote a shitload. day 3 i got burned so bad on the tops of my feet that i could barely walk for 2 days. my head, too - it bubbled up and eventually started leaking and peeling in a most sexy manner. settle down, ladies....
i'd say, though, on the whole, i learned more than a few lessons on that trip. i think i learned some things about myself, and the way i feel. i learned a bit about the culture, though i really do with they showed their identities more. and i learned a little spanish along the way, too, but dont ask me to speak any... most of it is likely forgotten by now....
one of my best memories of the trip will be the spanish lesson i received from a 47 year old woman whom i met at dinner my first night in town - somehow in her broken english and my non-existent spanish i agreed to meet her for a morning swim, that surely would have killed me had i gone through with it, and turned into a vocabularly lesson in the pacific ocean. not a bad welcome to the mighty pacific.
my other favourite memories spawn from the thoughts and feelings i had within myself during my times hanging out at on the rocks at langosta point, watching the sunrise, sunset, and moonset... my walks on the beach puffin' cubans, and the little interactions i had with the locals, getting a feel for the way they live, and the way they feel... and also from the people i met while travelling, whether by shuttle bus or plane, or hangin' in the airport.
overall, i cant say this was a bad trip at all. certainly it had its ups and downs, but on the whole, it was really good for me. i think i got most of what i needed out of it, and the rest, well, its a good excuse to go back, right?
stay tuned for the pictorial, coming soon.....
so - tamarindo - hmm... well, they say a picture paints a thousand words, but i suppose you need the right picture. does the opposite hold true? can a bunch of words create a thousand pictures? sometimes, maybe. i'd ask you to close your eyes while i got it all out, but then, well, you wouldnt see anything on the screen... so, you're gonna have to do 2 things at once here.. like walking and chewing gum... i know some of you can do it - the rest, well, maybe time for a little evolution, hmm?
evolution is maybe where i should begin. the town has evolved, and continues to evolve more fully, into a haven, a paradise, for rich white people. from the way the land is being sold off and developed to the sizeable amount of tourists... someone told me it is the most touristy place in the country - not surprised. if you're one of those people who is looking to invest in a piece of land, tamarindo may be the place for you: you're hard pressed to go anywhere and not see a billboard for Century 21 or Re/Max. the boom is apparent as soon as you move 3 or 4 streets deep into the town - there is construction everywhere - future vacation palaces being built for a buck 50 an hour. i was taking some pictures one day of the moon through some trees, i happened to be in front of a construction site, and a local walking by asked me if i was "recording the destruction of tamarindo" - i got him. in talking to some locals, i realized how quickly this has happened. in talking to some others, i got the feeling that this has always been happening to them.
i am a white person. by no means would i say i am rich. but parts of me still felt guilty for feeding into something that i dont necessarily agree with. it was a little difficult for me to deal with for the first part of my trip while i got settled with where i was. i didnt stay at a resort. in fact the place i stayed was incredible and exactly what i would have hoped for - and i'd recommend it to anyone. in fact i will right now:
Casa Tamarindo, owned and operated by Kyle Zelley - a little property with a couple bungalows and a house and incredible rates for the area, with a great host, and a perfect location, given you're far enough away to avoid the noise and craziness of the nightlife, but also close enough that you can jump right into it, or onto the beach, with a short 3 minute walk down the street.
the town itself really panders to the tourist. cool - makes it real easy. but sometimes, its a little much: such as showing up for a brazilian music night at a restaurant, and yes, granted there was a brazilian on stage, however the songs he was singing were far from brazilian. not even the same hemisphere. the food was good, though.
actually, the best places i found to eat were the ones that weren't pandering to the tourist... the best food, feel, and prices came from the most authentic.
there is lots to do, if you have the cash and the right number of people to do it with. otherwise, the beach is beautiful and the hammock's are comfortable. and sometimes, for some people, thats all you need. i certainly got my fair share of relaxing in - so much so that i started to get bored. i guess it is possible to relax too much.
left the town one day, we rented some scooters and went on a little adventure, which was a lot of fun... took backroads to Avellanas on Easter Thursday. it was neat to see parts of their "countryside" - is that what you'd call it? i guess for lack of a better expression.. and for me, the most intriguing part about it was seeing some of the little villages and housing.. i wish i got more pictures than i did, but we took a different way back and missed a lot of that. basically, a lot of shacks, or poorly constructed dwellings, but hell if they didnt have their own little charm! thats probably when i felt most connected to where i was - exploring and seeing that side of it.
i mentioned Easter Thursday. i wasnt even thinking of this when i planned the trip, but it happened to fall right into their Easter Fiesta celebrations... and they take that shit SERIOUSLY! i guess everything around the country shuts down from Thursday on, but being in a resort town, we didnt feel that crunch at all. well, they did stop selling alcohol until saturday, but that was it, really. so, Easter is a big deal... thats when all the Tico's come to town and take over - and good on 'em! but good lord, do these people party! you know, i've partied once or twice in my life, but even i felt out of my element amongst them. when we ventured down to the circle on good friday night to check out the scene it was like out a movie with all the people bumpin' and grindin' on the streets, in the backs of pick-ups, drugs and alcohol everywhere you turned - mayhem is about the only way to describe it. mucho mayhem. after a few trips through the crowds and deciding it was all too much for me, i decided to regroup on a log on the beach, where i ended up hanging out with a gay costa rican who wanted to fuck my brains out. it wasnt all that bad, he was actually cool to hang out and talk with, and given my state of mind at the time, i thought it was rather funny that this was happening to me - of course it couldnt have been a sexy beach bunny - c'mon! he likened my name to Scott Paper Towels with a remark about kimberley-clarke (talk about attention to detail!), and i told him he'd always think of me when he wiped his ass. i later found out they dont do that down there (it's a luxury for the tourists, apparently), which made me even more glad that i didnt get raped. they're forward as hell, though: i had to tell him "no" more times than i was comfortable with before i bolted. i might not have stuck around as long as i did, but like i said, alcohol sales stopped on thursday, and well, he had some beers for me... the aftermath the next day is something to see, as well... drunks sleeping in beach offices, crackheads down the way sprawled out, chewing their faces out, lotsa litter, the whole deal. interesting to see and experience, though.
the rest of my experience there basically consisted of lounging on the beach, or lounging in the hammock, and eating... like i said, a ton of relaxing. i got about 200 pages into Another Roadside Attraction and wrote a shitload. day 3 i got burned so bad on the tops of my feet that i could barely walk for 2 days. my head, too - it bubbled up and eventually started leaking and peeling in a most sexy manner. settle down, ladies....
i'd say, though, on the whole, i learned more than a few lessons on that trip. i think i learned some things about myself, and the way i feel. i learned a bit about the culture, though i really do with they showed their identities more. and i learned a little spanish along the way, too, but dont ask me to speak any... most of it is likely forgotten by now....
one of my best memories of the trip will be the spanish lesson i received from a 47 year old woman whom i met at dinner my first night in town - somehow in her broken english and my non-existent spanish i agreed to meet her for a morning swim, that surely would have killed me had i gone through with it, and turned into a vocabularly lesson in the pacific ocean. not a bad welcome to the mighty pacific.
my other favourite memories spawn from the thoughts and feelings i had within myself during my times hanging out at on the rocks at langosta point, watching the sunrise, sunset, and moonset... my walks on the beach puffin' cubans, and the little interactions i had with the locals, getting a feel for the way they live, and the way they feel... and also from the people i met while travelling, whether by shuttle bus or plane, or hangin' in the airport.
overall, i cant say this was a bad trip at all. certainly it had its ups and downs, but on the whole, it was really good for me. i think i got most of what i needed out of it, and the rest, well, its a good excuse to go back, right?
stay tuned for the pictorial, coming soon.....
Saturday, April 01, 2006
blowfly
thursday night, brahm and i went to check out blowfly at call the office. a pioneer of rap/hip hop, the man claims to have recorded the first rap album ever, in 1959. he was hip hop before it was even dreamed up, so i was curious about this gig.
going into it, i knew very little, but i knew i was in for some serious raunch, and likely some funky music. i could certainly deal with that.
we get there and we're among 20 or 30 people or so in the bar. ouch. sat through the opener, a rapper from new york city who's name i couldnt make out anytime he said it. he didnt have a DJ, so he was alone on stage rappin' over an audiotrack to about a dozen people or so.. he seemed a little perturbed by the sparse turnout, but quite honestly, who had ever heard of the guy? he wasnt advertised, and in the end he was mostly boring.
has anyone ever noticed how standard and cliche hip hop mannerisms are? they all do the same thing. they all walk the same, use their hands and arms the same - it's like a code, and you cant break it. where's the creativity in style? compare that with rock n roll, and you got windmills, strutter steps, laid back slinky guitar playing, rock ninja kicks, swagger, all kinds of creative body language. i dunno, just an observation.
so, enter blowfly: a 60 yr. old crackhead in a superhero outfit and a mask with a generic white boy funk back up band, rappin' about dirtier things than have ever entered my head. brahm likened him to a extra raunchy hiphop weird al yankovic. not a bad take. for example, instead of queen's another bites the dust, we got treated to blowfly's version, a song about young girls called "another one learns to fuck". so you get the idea. add to that a few drunken dudes at the front "masturbating" their beers until they "splashed" all over each others faces, and you've got yourself one weird fucking scene at call the office.
im not even sure what else i can say about it. it was just a night of filthy listening in a vastly empty bar. the novelty wore off after a few tunes, but i guess it was entertaining for a night out. 3 girls in the crowd and they were picked on quite a bit, but were good sports about it - even eggin' him on here and there.
i guess at the very least i can say i've seen blowfly - whatever that means.
going into it, i knew very little, but i knew i was in for some serious raunch, and likely some funky music. i could certainly deal with that.
we get there and we're among 20 or 30 people or so in the bar. ouch. sat through the opener, a rapper from new york city who's name i couldnt make out anytime he said it. he didnt have a DJ, so he was alone on stage rappin' over an audiotrack to about a dozen people or so.. he seemed a little perturbed by the sparse turnout, but quite honestly, who had ever heard of the guy? he wasnt advertised, and in the end he was mostly boring.
has anyone ever noticed how standard and cliche hip hop mannerisms are? they all do the same thing. they all walk the same, use their hands and arms the same - it's like a code, and you cant break it. where's the creativity in style? compare that with rock n roll, and you got windmills, strutter steps, laid back slinky guitar playing, rock ninja kicks, swagger, all kinds of creative body language. i dunno, just an observation.
so, enter blowfly: a 60 yr. old crackhead in a superhero outfit and a mask with a generic white boy funk back up band, rappin' about dirtier things than have ever entered my head. brahm likened him to a extra raunchy hiphop weird al yankovic. not a bad take. for example, instead of queen's another bites the dust, we got treated to blowfly's version, a song about young girls called "another one learns to fuck". so you get the idea. add to that a few drunken dudes at the front "masturbating" their beers until they "splashed" all over each others faces, and you've got yourself one weird fucking scene at call the office.
im not even sure what else i can say about it. it was just a night of filthy listening in a vastly empty bar. the novelty wore off after a few tunes, but i guess it was entertaining for a night out. 3 girls in the crowd and they were picked on quite a bit, but were good sports about it - even eggin' him on here and there.
i guess at the very least i can say i've seen blowfly - whatever that means.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
thank you, canon!
last night i got to see my first NBA game, live and in person, as a guest of canon canada in their private box at the air canada center. mountains of food, rivers of booze, a great view of the game, and a great group of guys to be hangin' with - one of my fellow henry's managers hooked this up with our canon rep and about 8 or so of us, along with our staff development crew of 2, and a "warehouse guy" went along to live it up for a night, get shitfaced, and see the raps lose.
once we had everyone in tow, the headcount in the caravan stood at 8. with a combined weight of Lord Only Knows, but i'll say this: half of the guys in the van were 4 of the biggest dudes i know. im the smallest of the crew and somehow i lucked out with shotgun. sorry bout your luck in the back, boys - hilarious ride up.
got there and walked into a cozy little suite all decked out with sushi trays, cheese platters, and someone waiting to take my order. i ate so much i had to go puke to make room for the rest of the rye and beer. if you're in a gut wrenching situation and there is ice cream involved, you can take comfort in the fact that cherry garcia ice cream bars taste about half as good coming up as they do going down - not bad. FYI. keep that in your back pocket. i think the ribs were the clear winner on the night, though. meat just driiiiiiiiiiiiiiiipping off the bone. aaaahhhhhhhggglgglllrrrrssshhhhhhhhooohhhhhhhhyeah. .
the game itself was pretty good, i thought. bosh was out with the sprained thumb, alonzo was out for the heat, and shaq wasnt dressed. but mo'pete stole the show and played an amazing game - unfortunately it wasnt enough, as dwayne wade lead the charge for the heat and put 'em to bed late in the 4th. the raps played a great game and at times lead by 15, only to run out of steam in the end. they started taking it to the outside way too much as the game wore on and they werent having much success - but they were having great success on the inside for most of the game. oh well, 98-94 finish for the heat, and an exciting game right down to the last basket (which was an over/under deal breaker for some of our crew - someone owes someone some chicken wings, i think. in the "$11 range").
and lemme tell ya, fellas out there, the scenery at a basketball game is unreal. all i've gotta say about that is "smirnoff". scanning the crowd and other boxes with the binos was a lot of fun. saw chewie from london sitting a few rows below us, that was hilarious - nice to chat with him... and, as luck would have it, we also spotted pretty much all of our bosses and head office folk about a dozen or so boxes away from ours - so much for keepin' our little boys night out a secret. hahah. funny scenarios all over the place all night.
the bill at the end of the night was ridiculous - glad that wasnt my credit card. we gave a hundred dollar pizza to a homeless guy on the street instead of change. probably the biggest score he's ever gotten.
cant wait for the retreat.
once we had everyone in tow, the headcount in the caravan stood at 8. with a combined weight of Lord Only Knows, but i'll say this: half of the guys in the van were 4 of the biggest dudes i know. im the smallest of the crew and somehow i lucked out with shotgun. sorry bout your luck in the back, boys - hilarious ride up.
got there and walked into a cozy little suite all decked out with sushi trays, cheese platters, and someone waiting to take my order. i ate so much i had to go puke to make room for the rest of the rye and beer. if you're in a gut wrenching situation and there is ice cream involved, you can take comfort in the fact that cherry garcia ice cream bars taste about half as good coming up as they do going down - not bad. FYI. keep that in your back pocket. i think the ribs were the clear winner on the night, though. meat just driiiiiiiiiiiiiiiipping off the bone. aaaahhhhhhhggglgglllrrrrssshhhhhhhhooohhhhhhhhyeah. .
the game itself was pretty good, i thought. bosh was out with the sprained thumb, alonzo was out for the heat, and shaq wasnt dressed. but mo'pete stole the show and played an amazing game - unfortunately it wasnt enough, as dwayne wade lead the charge for the heat and put 'em to bed late in the 4th. the raps played a great game and at times lead by 15, only to run out of steam in the end. they started taking it to the outside way too much as the game wore on and they werent having much success - but they were having great success on the inside for most of the game. oh well, 98-94 finish for the heat, and an exciting game right down to the last basket (which was an over/under deal breaker for some of our crew - someone owes someone some chicken wings, i think. in the "$11 range").
and lemme tell ya, fellas out there, the scenery at a basketball game is unreal. all i've gotta say about that is "smirnoff". scanning the crowd and other boxes with the binos was a lot of fun. saw chewie from london sitting a few rows below us, that was hilarious - nice to chat with him... and, as luck would have it, we also spotted pretty much all of our bosses and head office folk about a dozen or so boxes away from ours - so much for keepin' our little boys night out a secret. hahah. funny scenarios all over the place all night.
the bill at the end of the night was ridiculous - glad that wasnt my credit card. we gave a hundred dollar pizza to a homeless guy on the street instead of change. probably the biggest score he's ever gotten.
cant wait for the retreat.
Friday, March 24, 2006
unintended in london
no, not a witty slogan for my time spent here in this city. this week i had intended on attending the unintended at call the office. the show was last nite, and indeed i did.
my cronies along for the ride: scottie, brahm, darin and erin.
the unintended are The Sadies with Rick White (Eric's Trip / Elevator fame) and Greg Keelor (of Blue Rodeo fame).
canadian rock n roll at it's ugliest and most pyschadelic. they ploughed through most of their only release to date, a self-titled album that was born on keelor's farm in the winter of 2003, and mixed in some newer tunes and some ridiculous covers for the encore. it was obvious to me that Dallas Good is the pyschadelia in the band, while Keelor is the man keepin' it heady... the grin never left his face all night... due to rock n roll or hashish, i dont know, but i'll take it either way. i've seen Keelor twice before on larger stages, so it was great to see him in a club setting like this. also, having seen the sadies before, it was a real treat to see them show off some of their more grittier skills. at times, the 4 guitar assault was mind bending and ear piercing, but very welcome... throw dallas on the organ, close your eyes and drift... put keelor on the 2nd kit, and the double drum attack had me thinking back to my grateful dead collection, reminiscing of a sweet '68 Eleven jam. right on! i cant offer a setlist, but i can tell you my favourite of the night was Stay Calm - a super heady subway that winds it way through a snowy forest and reminds us to stay calm in the cold... yes.. will do... thank you. i think it was The Collapse that closed the set and that was an absolute monster - massive jam to finish the show in a big way, or rather, to set up for an even bigger encore... they came out and launched into a raucous version of neil young's Are You Ready For The Country, then followed that up with 2 successive tracks from pink floyd's Pipers At The Gates of Dawn.... are you kidding me??? the most EPIC of encores!
this was a real treat to see this little canadian supergroup, especially in a little club 3 minutes away... show was sparsely attended, maybe 40 or 50 people, and as usual, we missed the opening act, Andre Ethier of the Deadly Snakes... which is too bad cuz i really wanted to see that, and darin said he was real good. shit.
all in all, a great show, and im real glad i was one of the few lucky londoners who got to take this in. looking forward to more future unintended related musical goodness - if they're ever in your neck of the woods, dont miss 'em.
my cronies along for the ride: scottie, brahm, darin and erin.
the unintended are The Sadies with Rick White (Eric's Trip / Elevator fame) and Greg Keelor (of Blue Rodeo fame).
canadian rock n roll at it's ugliest and most pyschadelic. they ploughed through most of their only release to date, a self-titled album that was born on keelor's farm in the winter of 2003, and mixed in some newer tunes and some ridiculous covers for the encore. it was obvious to me that Dallas Good is the pyschadelia in the band, while Keelor is the man keepin' it heady... the grin never left his face all night... due to rock n roll or hashish, i dont know, but i'll take it either way. i've seen Keelor twice before on larger stages, so it was great to see him in a club setting like this. also, having seen the sadies before, it was a real treat to see them show off some of their more grittier skills. at times, the 4 guitar assault was mind bending and ear piercing, but very welcome... throw dallas on the organ, close your eyes and drift... put keelor on the 2nd kit, and the double drum attack had me thinking back to my grateful dead collection, reminiscing of a sweet '68 Eleven jam. right on! i cant offer a setlist, but i can tell you my favourite of the night was Stay Calm - a super heady subway that winds it way through a snowy forest and reminds us to stay calm in the cold... yes.. will do... thank you. i think it was The Collapse that closed the set and that was an absolute monster - massive jam to finish the show in a big way, or rather, to set up for an even bigger encore... they came out and launched into a raucous version of neil young's Are You Ready For The Country, then followed that up with 2 successive tracks from pink floyd's Pipers At The Gates of Dawn.... are you kidding me??? the most EPIC of encores!
this was a real treat to see this little canadian supergroup, especially in a little club 3 minutes away... show was sparsely attended, maybe 40 or 50 people, and as usual, we missed the opening act, Andre Ethier of the Deadly Snakes... which is too bad cuz i really wanted to see that, and darin said he was real good. shit.
all in all, a great show, and im real glad i was one of the few lucky londoners who got to take this in. looking forward to more future unintended related musical goodness - if they're ever in your neck of the woods, dont miss 'em.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
happy birthday mom
i know as i've gotten older and started to build my own life i may not call or come around often enough, but that doesnt mean im not always thinking about you.
you're one of my biggest inspirations in life, and a true survivor in every sense of the word. to be the person you are with all you've endured in life is absolutely amazing and gives me hope for my genes.
love you, mom.
may you always be 39.
you're one of my biggest inspirations in life, and a true survivor in every sense of the word. to be the person you are with all you've endured in life is absolutely amazing and gives me hope for my genes.
love you, mom.
may you always be 39.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Thursday, March 16, 2006
thought for the day...
asspants.
if you're going to wear asspants, it might be a good idea to make sure they fit first. not only will this help to ensure that you can walk straight throughout the day, you'll also likely be more comfortable, as will those in your general vicinity.
thank you.
if you're going to wear asspants, it might be a good idea to make sure they fit first. not only will this help to ensure that you can walk straight throughout the day, you'll also likely be more comfortable, as will those in your general vicinity.
thank you.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
montreal > buffalo
phew, it's been a good week! 2 little road trips, 2 slip shows, lotsa good times...
only in montreal....
so healy and i got to montreal last wednesday night, and turns out carpenter was still at work, so we chilled out with his roommate, got settled, watched school of rock,
saved the rental from getting towed, searched for a parking spot, cursed the city like the devil when we couldnt find one, and eventually, about a half hour and 2 and a half blocks later parked the car and made our way back for the rest of school of rock and the imminent arrival of our host, the fish himself. carp found us shortly after midnight and we spent the rest of the night catching up and getting drunk
next morning/afternoon found us having breakfast at chez cora's and good lord what a breakfast it was! so good we went back the next day as well. in fact, all i ate in montreal was breakfast. and a slice of pizza.
breakfast is over. healy's not happy.
we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxin' at carp's place gettin' ready for the slip show at the main hall. it was gonna be a doozie, i'd been waiting for this for a while... very excited! it was gonna be healy's first slip show as well. Needless to say, his slip cherry got fucking smashed.
we took the metro uptown for a good 40 minutes and hit up this really cool place, whose name is escaping me at the moment, i should write this shit down, but anyways, it was a wicked little bar with cool lighting and seating and whatnot, great vibe, very bohemian.. anyways, we had a drink there then headed on up to the show in time for most of apollo sunshine's opening set.
met brad outside on the way into the show and he told us they still had about an hour to go, which was good, we had time to get some drinks, get our bearings, and catch the openers... and good thing - apollo sunshine were a great treat, and an awesome new music find for me. wow, they really got my attention. i bought the cd, then it got stolen. so i bought it again in buffalo. it's really really good. i think if i had to describe them, and to keep with the breakfast theme, i'd call them a meaty rock 'n'roll breakfast skillett. it had everything. madness to ukelele duets. great rock melody to all out noise assault. 3 guys and great to watch live, as well. so after them came the big show, the one we were in town for: the slip.
i guess this was really their own first big show in their new hometown, and they came out swinging! they put on a great show with a setlist packed full of pretty much all of my favourite new songs - not much in the back catalogue, but no big deal to me, i like their rock n roll quite a bit. brad's voice was sounding really good on this night, and marc was a man possessed, playing rock star on a dime - man, he is so fun to watch when he's layin' it down. andrew shone as always, and he got a chance to showcase his vocal talents as well, for a verse in sleepyhead.
The Slip
Main Hall, Montreal QC
03.02.06
Even Rats
Wine & White Soda
I Hate Love
Sleepyhead
Paper Birds >
Mudslide
Lonely Boy
Children Of December
encore:
Soft Machine*
If One Of Us Should Fall
encore 2:
Poor Boy
*w/ simon angel - introduced as brad's neighbour
my favourites on the night were soft machine, i hate love, and paper birds > mudslide - ohhhh, that was awesome!! sleepyhead was really fun to hear, as well, as it's been a bit of an anthem of mine for a little while now... and of course, the even rats opener had to happen - the spring is nice is canada.
lotsa friends from all over the place made the trip up, and the party afterwards was a lot of fun - back at the econolodge with team ottawa representin' a dozen or so strong, very nice indeed! new brunswick even made an appearance! haha!
great times all over the place and we eventually cabbed outta there around 5 or so in the morning.. montreal looked great from the back of the cab in the pre-dawn not quite black... buildings nicely lit, gorgeous architecture.. whatta trip... one of the best parts of the whole adventure. once back at the fishtank we chilled for a bit, passed out, and it wasnt long before morning came and we had to think about getting back on the road for the monster trek back home.
not before we got some breakfast though. where we got the brilliant idea to go bowling before leaving the city - leave with some dirty montreal alley grease under our fingernails.
one lane, one game, to settle an old score.
that's right. (cue 70's badass bowler theme music..)
it'd been a while since the doc and i had been on a lane together, and this was pretty much reminiscient of old times - us sucking it up for the most part. after 6, we were tied.
but it wasnt long before the doc put me in the proverbial camel clutch and locked in for the win..
Doctor 1 - Dio 0 - the fish very respectable. i wish we coulda had him on the team.
we only paid for one game, but the doc upped the ante... he wanted to have another go at it... so, we had at it...
that's right.
so, with that, back on the road to london, and what a drive it was... man, i was so tired. but we did it, pulled in town ultra late, and i grabbed a couple hours sleep before work... had to work the weekend and most of monday, then it was on the road again....
next stop: buffalo!
monday night the slip were playing the icon in buffalo, so i made sure i was gonna check that out... it's not often they play that close to home, and i didnt care that it was a monday night. went out with craig and sari and shain was there as well, writing for jambase - i did some photos as well, but most of them were shit. we had a bit of a border stop, they didnt trust us good little canadians, and that held us up long enough to miss apollo sunshine, which was a real drag cause i was lookin' forward to that, but, we did get there in plenty of time for the slip. and they put on another rockin' show filled with some nice improv, some big rock, and a couple older crowd pleasers.
The Slip
The Icon - Buffalo, NY
03.06.06
Sleepyhead
Wine and White Soda
Even Rats
I Hate Love*
Get Me With Fuji
As Long As There's One Of Us Standing
new marc tune (mostly instrumental)
Cowboy Up*
December's Children
encore:
Before You Were Born
Take A Beetle To The Badlands
* w/ a guy on keys from Sam Champion - forget his name
the new marc tune is 'mostly' instrumental in the same way Proud is - with Brad bringing in some big vocals at the end of the tune.. but it winds its way through a few changes and keeps picking up steam as it goes... it was like a weird train, that doesnt necessarily chug along, but more or less kinda clamours and fights its way through.. i really liked it.
bit of a strange venue... i guess it was like a car garage turned into a rock bar - kinda cold and cavernous... maybe 50 people at the show, really light on the attendace, which played to a weak kind of energy in the room.. i thought the band did well to overcome that, but there still seemed to be a bit of apprehension in the crowd. still a solid monday night out in buffalo - the show was over by midnight.
im really glad i got to get to both of these shows this past week - the soul got rocked to satisfaction, and i got my slip fix for the next little while.
only in montreal....
so healy and i got to montreal last wednesday night, and turns out carpenter was still at work, so we chilled out with his roommate, got settled, watched school of rock,
saved the rental from getting towed, searched for a parking spot, cursed the city like the devil when we couldnt find one, and eventually, about a half hour and 2 and a half blocks later parked the car and made our way back for the rest of school of rock and the imminent arrival of our host, the fish himself. carp found us shortly after midnight and we spent the rest of the night catching up and getting drunk
next morning/afternoon found us having breakfast at chez cora's and good lord what a breakfast it was! so good we went back the next day as well. in fact, all i ate in montreal was breakfast. and a slice of pizza.
breakfast is over. healy's not happy.
we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxin' at carp's place gettin' ready for the slip show at the main hall. it was gonna be a doozie, i'd been waiting for this for a while... very excited! it was gonna be healy's first slip show as well. Needless to say, his slip cherry got fucking smashed.
we took the metro uptown for a good 40 minutes and hit up this really cool place, whose name is escaping me at the moment, i should write this shit down, but anyways, it was a wicked little bar with cool lighting and seating and whatnot, great vibe, very bohemian.. anyways, we had a drink there then headed on up to the show in time for most of apollo sunshine's opening set.
met brad outside on the way into the show and he told us they still had about an hour to go, which was good, we had time to get some drinks, get our bearings, and catch the openers... and good thing - apollo sunshine were a great treat, and an awesome new music find for me. wow, they really got my attention. i bought the cd, then it got stolen. so i bought it again in buffalo. it's really really good. i think if i had to describe them, and to keep with the breakfast theme, i'd call them a meaty rock 'n'roll breakfast skillett. it had everything. madness to ukelele duets. great rock melody to all out noise assault. 3 guys and great to watch live, as well. so after them came the big show, the one we were in town for: the slip.
i guess this was really their own first big show in their new hometown, and they came out swinging! they put on a great show with a setlist packed full of pretty much all of my favourite new songs - not much in the back catalogue, but no big deal to me, i like their rock n roll quite a bit. brad's voice was sounding really good on this night, and marc was a man possessed, playing rock star on a dime - man, he is so fun to watch when he's layin' it down. andrew shone as always, and he got a chance to showcase his vocal talents as well, for a verse in sleepyhead.
The Slip
Main Hall, Montreal QC
03.02.06
Even Rats
Wine & White Soda
I Hate Love
Sleepyhead
Paper Birds >
Mudslide
Lonely Boy
Children Of December
encore:
Soft Machine*
If One Of Us Should Fall
encore 2:
Poor Boy
*w/ simon angel - introduced as brad's neighbour
my favourites on the night were soft machine, i hate love, and paper birds > mudslide - ohhhh, that was awesome!! sleepyhead was really fun to hear, as well, as it's been a bit of an anthem of mine for a little while now... and of course, the even rats opener had to happen - the spring is nice is canada.
lotsa friends from all over the place made the trip up, and the party afterwards was a lot of fun - back at the econolodge with team ottawa representin' a dozen or so strong, very nice indeed! new brunswick even made an appearance! haha!
great times all over the place and we eventually cabbed outta there around 5 or so in the morning.. montreal looked great from the back of the cab in the pre-dawn not quite black... buildings nicely lit, gorgeous architecture.. whatta trip... one of the best parts of the whole adventure. once back at the fishtank we chilled for a bit, passed out, and it wasnt long before morning came and we had to think about getting back on the road for the monster trek back home.
not before we got some breakfast though. where we got the brilliant idea to go bowling before leaving the city - leave with some dirty montreal alley grease under our fingernails.
one lane, one game, to settle an old score.
that's right. (cue 70's badass bowler theme music..)
it'd been a while since the doc and i had been on a lane together, and this was pretty much reminiscient of old times - us sucking it up for the most part. after 6, we were tied.
but it wasnt long before the doc put me in the proverbial camel clutch and locked in for the win..
Doctor 1 - Dio 0 - the fish very respectable. i wish we coulda had him on the team.
we only paid for one game, but the doc upped the ante... he wanted to have another go at it... so, we had at it...
that's right.
so, with that, back on the road to london, and what a drive it was... man, i was so tired. but we did it, pulled in town ultra late, and i grabbed a couple hours sleep before work... had to work the weekend and most of monday, then it was on the road again....
next stop: buffalo!
monday night the slip were playing the icon in buffalo, so i made sure i was gonna check that out... it's not often they play that close to home, and i didnt care that it was a monday night. went out with craig and sari and shain was there as well, writing for jambase - i did some photos as well, but most of them were shit. we had a bit of a border stop, they didnt trust us good little canadians, and that held us up long enough to miss apollo sunshine, which was a real drag cause i was lookin' forward to that, but, we did get there in plenty of time for the slip. and they put on another rockin' show filled with some nice improv, some big rock, and a couple older crowd pleasers.
The SlipThe Icon - Buffalo, NY
03.06.06
Sleepyhead
Wine and White Soda
Even Rats
I Hate Love*
Get Me With Fuji
As Long As There's One Of Us Standing
new marc tune (mostly instrumental)
Cowboy Up*
December's Children
encore:
Before You Were Born
Take A Beetle To The Badlands
* w/ a guy on keys from Sam Champion - forget his name
the new marc tune is 'mostly' instrumental in the same way Proud is - with Brad bringing in some big vocals at the end of the tune.. but it winds its way through a few changes and keeps picking up steam as it goes... it was like a weird train, that doesnt necessarily chug along, but more or less kinda clamours and fights its way through.. i really liked it.
bit of a strange venue... i guess it was like a car garage turned into a rock bar - kinda cold and cavernous... maybe 50 people at the show, really light on the attendace, which played to a weak kind of energy in the room.. i thought the band did well to overcome that, but there still seemed to be a bit of apprehension in the crowd. still a solid monday night out in buffalo - the show was over by midnight.
im really glad i got to get to both of these shows this past week - the soul got rocked to satisfaction, and i got my slip fix for the next little while.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
rise and shine sleepyhead
rise and shine sleepyhead
up and at 'em
outta bed
the day is new
love's been lookin' for you
rub your eyes
ya got somethin' to do
you're a miracle, boy
i've been sleeping.
but i've been listening. constantly. to these:
surprise me, mr. davis - 11.23.05
ryan adams bedhead 5 live compilation
nathan moore and ryan adams do wonders for my soul.
(above lyrics by nathan moore)
up and at 'em
outta bed
the day is new
love's been lookin' for you
rub your eyes
ya got somethin' to do
you're a miracle, boy
i've been sleeping.
but i've been listening. constantly. to these:
surprise me, mr. davis - 11.23.05
ryan adams bedhead 5 live compilation
nathan moore and ryan adams do wonders for my soul.
(above lyrics by nathan moore)
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
the flu.
well, it finally caught up to me - months of resistance are now proving futile, and it's making me pay dearly.
sweating buckets while shivering.
enormous coughs that dont do anything to move the cue-ball sized ball of phlegm in my chest cavity, which oddly enough feels absolutely hollow with each cage rattling hack.
diarrhea.
sinus' pounding.
energy low.
and aching bones and muscles that make it nearly impossible to stay in any one position for a prolonged period of time.
put a fork in me.
at least i've got Lord Lionel to watch over me.
sweating buckets while shivering.
enormous coughs that dont do anything to move the cue-ball sized ball of phlegm in my chest cavity, which oddly enough feels absolutely hollow with each cage rattling hack.
diarrhea.
sinus' pounding.
energy low.
and aching bones and muscles that make it nearly impossible to stay in any one position for a prolonged period of time.
put a fork in me.
at least i've got Lord Lionel to watch over me.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
gospel. voodoo. bunk.
said thorgnor.
the constantines are a damn good rock n roll band. heavy in the tradition of fugazi - fuzzy, raspy, loud, political, intelligent - and homegrown. i believe they call guelph home, though i'm pretty sure a couple of the guys are from right here in sunny london, ontario.
they played call the office on friday night, sold the place out, and put on another great rock show in that bar - man, i love their energy. although i've been a fan for quite a long time, i never got a chance to see them until last august, the last time they played the orfice - that show was mostly a showcase for the new record, as most of the tunes from that night appeared on the album when it came out... friday was no different, lots of new stuff, but no Draw Us Lines, the lead track on the new album - which i really wanted hear - however, i did get to hear Justice, a favourite of mine from their first album, that they didnt play last time. see, i guess all things balance out.. haha..
i wish i remembered more, but we had a bit of a rager back here afterwards, plus it was 2 days ago - im toast. Team London had a full roster for the night, queen mary of toronto made an appearance, a bunch of folks from the bar that i dont know and might never see again, and a couple guys from the cons. a long night indeed. i dont even wanna get into the debauchery, but i think it was some kinda gospel voodoo bunk shit.
(9:30am, saturday morning - the results.)
the constantines are a damn good rock n roll band. heavy in the tradition of fugazi - fuzzy, raspy, loud, political, intelligent - and homegrown. i believe they call guelph home, though i'm pretty sure a couple of the guys are from right here in sunny london, ontario.
they played call the office on friday night, sold the place out, and put on another great rock show in that bar - man, i love their energy. although i've been a fan for quite a long time, i never got a chance to see them until last august, the last time they played the orfice - that show was mostly a showcase for the new record, as most of the tunes from that night appeared on the album when it came out... friday was no different, lots of new stuff, but no Draw Us Lines, the lead track on the new album - which i really wanted hear - however, i did get to hear Justice, a favourite of mine from their first album, that they didnt play last time. see, i guess all things balance out.. haha..
i wish i remembered more, but we had a bit of a rager back here afterwards, plus it was 2 days ago - im toast. Team London had a full roster for the night, queen mary of toronto made an appearance, a bunch of folks from the bar that i dont know and might never see again, and a couple guys from the cons. a long night indeed. i dont even wanna get into the debauchery, but i think it was some kinda gospel voodoo bunk shit.
(9:30am, saturday morning - the results.)
Monday, February 06, 2006
the bus stops here
yesterday, tough yardage running back extraordinaire jerome bettis, one of the games greatest and most respected, fulfilled every kid's dream who ever played a sport: to win your sports world championship in your hometown in your final game ever. wow. i was a baseball player when i was growing up, and at one time in my life i tricked myself ino thinking i might be able to take it somewhere (kids....), and believe me, that was my dream. so i can only imagine how that man must be feeling. on top of the frickin' world!
congrats to the bus and hispittsburgh
scottie threw the superbowl party so we watched the biggest sporting extravaganza* innorth america over at his place (*i'll come back to this). 2 screens, i brought my projector and we had that on one wall, and then the tv in the living room as well... and the little guy in the kitchen so you wouldnt miss anything when you went to get a beer. played some tiger, played some madden, watched the game, ate and drank a shitload, and had a great time! woke up this morning and paid for it dearly. crazy heartburn to wake me up, and my morning shit was marred by all the cheese bunging me up long enough for the chili to sear my colon. jesus hubert christ. the chicken wing dip won the prize for sure. however, there were no chicken wings involved.
so im gonna go back to the "biggest sporting extravaganza", and i wanna type about something i was thinking about yesterday when al michaels went on about the sheer size of the thing and basically what it is to america - it is quite a celebration. the biggest. and really, of all the major's (nfl, nhl, nba, mlb), the superbowl is the newest of all the major titles. so i made some comparisons and drew up some parallels that kinda got my noodle goin'. i thought if this game isamerica america
im a baseball man. i love the game, i played it growing up, i wish i still could, and in fact i just might again. as a kid i was always fascinated with the lore.. the history of the game is incredible. i loved reading books about old-time baseball, or reading my total baseball encyclopedia pushing stats through my head for fucking fun. watching ball talk videos, you name it. baseball held a certain respect that got my attention at a young age. baseball had a feeling. and it was looked upon as a gentlemans game, tough and competitive, but with a certain civility. and that aspect, i think, was part of the celebration of that game at that time - it was a certain pride, a standard the game was to be upheld to. it was the game - respect it. now, the baseball timeline im using for this analogy is old time baseball, say, loosely, up to the halfway point of the 20th century. (in real baseball historical timelines i'd say that extends a couple era's beyond old time baseball, but thats not really the point here...)
all that said, i love me a good football game as well. i also played organized football as a kid, and grew up with a certain fascination for that game. my dad was agreen bay america canada
it's quite a contrast.
then i started thinking about our culture, my own perceptions, history classes, history books (though, who's to say what our future history books will look like - depends on who's in charge, i suppose), various topical studies, culture studies, social/political, etc etc. and when i go back in time, to my old time baseball era, i see a culture that had heroes. real heroes. people to be proud of. class. some of them were in uniform, many of them were overseas, some of them even wore suits. i see a culture
i thought of us now and football now, and the progression through time, the evolution of a species socially, (un)ethically, and the changes that have occurred, the people in charge, and the eras that have come in between to get us from there to here. and here feels kinda filthy. it doesnt smell so good. there is nothing sacred. and man, there is a ton of smut. corruption, greed, and people with little respect for anything runnin’ the show. then we look back at the nfl - the players that get the most airtime, the ones setting the example, are the ones who are the most disrespectful, the greediest, the most arrogant. you have theminnesota western culture
so with all this on my mind, i watched the bus pull into detroit, put it in park, and turn off the lights. and with that, the game lost one of its greatest role models. and it couldnt have come at a worse time.
the kids need heroes.
congrats to the bus and his
scottie threw the superbowl party so we watched the biggest sporting extravaganza* in
so im gonna go back to the "biggest sporting extravaganza", and i wanna type about something i was thinking about yesterday when al michaels went on about the sheer size of the thing and basically what it is to america - it is quite a celebration. the biggest. and really, of all the major's (nfl, nhl, nba, mlb), the superbowl is the newest of all the major titles. so i made some comparisons and drew up some parallels that kinda got my noodle goin'. i thought if this game is
im a baseball man. i love the game, i played it growing up, i wish i still could, and in fact i just might again. as a kid i was always fascinated with the lore.. the history of the game is incredible. i loved reading books about old-time baseball, or reading my total baseball encyclopedia pushing stats through my head for fucking fun. watching ball talk videos, you name it. baseball held a certain respect that got my attention at a young age. baseball had a feeling. and it was looked upon as a gentlemans game, tough and competitive, but with a certain civility. and that aspect, i think, was part of the celebration of that game at that time - it was a certain pride, a standard the game was to be upheld to. it was the game - respect it. now, the baseball timeline im using for this analogy is old time baseball, say, loosely, up to the halfway point of the 20th century. (in real baseball historical timelines i'd say that extends a couple era's beyond old time baseball, but thats not really the point here...)
all that said, i love me a good football game as well. i also played organized football as a kid, and grew up with a certain fascination for that game. my dad was a
it's quite a contrast.
then i started thinking about our culture, my own perceptions, history classes, history books (though, who's to say what our future history books will look like - depends on who's in charge, i suppose), various topical studies, culture studies, social/political, etc etc. and when i go back in time, to my old time baseball era, i see a culture that had heroes. real heroes. people to be proud of. class. some of them were in uniform, many of them were overseas, some of them even wore suits. i see a culture
i thought of us now and football now, and the progression through time, the evolution of a species socially, (un)ethically, and the changes that have occurred, the people in charge, and the eras that have come in between to get us from there to here. and here feels kinda filthy. it doesnt smell so good. there is nothing sacred. and man, there is a ton of smut. corruption, greed, and people with little respect for anything runnin’ the show. then we look back at the nfl - the players that get the most airtime, the ones setting the example, are the ones who are the most disrespectful, the greediest, the most arrogant. you have the
so with all this on my mind, i watched the bus pull into detroit, put it in park, and turn off the lights. and with that, the game lost one of its greatest role models. and it couldnt have come at a worse time.
the kids need heroes.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
campbell's martini party
my buddy mark and his roommates threw a martini party the other night at their place, and wow, big party! 2 in a week like that, and man, i wasnt sure if i could do it! im gettin' old! i only knew, literally, a few people there, and it was definitely a university party, and though im not so far removed from that and certainly no stranger to the party, at times it was still a little strange for me in a bit of a nostalgic kinda way, remembering back to my good ole college days partyin' it up with all my good people... it's an interesting perspective being an outsider... and kinda weird not really having an answer when someone asks what im doing in school. hahah... but yeah, good times, in ways made me miss a lot of people, in others, made me feel real good about where life is now and where it's headed... a good reminder that although the faces and places may change, good times and good people are just that.. nostalgia aside, plough on - the good times dont end if you dont let 'em.
[spoon] all i need is a crew...
l - r: mark, box, myself, erin
erin and some dudes...
one that can stay on cue...
one that can act as if..
uh-huh, alright... [/spoon]
(pictures courtesy of the lovely lady in the hat)
[spoon] all i need is a crew...
l - r: mark, box, myself, erinerin and some dudes...
one that can stay on cue...
one that can act as if..
uh-huh, alright... [/spoon]
(pictures courtesy of the lovely lady in the hat)
Monday, January 30, 2006
Operation: Full Throttle.
11.28.06 - Jambands.ca Fundraiser - Lancaster Tavern, Kitchener Ontario.
the mission: to have a grand ole time turning ourselves into little balls of human goobly goo with a couple hundred of our closest friends, rock the fuck out, party the night away, shake hands with the sun, and meat ourselves into submission.
i was also on photo duty, however, i failed miserably. i hope the photograph i donated made up for it and they were able to raise some coin from it.
the team: ian, lesley, scottie and myself - sometimes known as team scott.
we caught a ride to k/w with lesley and ian - lesley is our saviour whenever we go to k/w - and started the night at uncle schwampy's, where he presented me with a kotke and gordon show for winning his caption contest! score! we partook in the regular pre-gaming festivities and then headed down to the lanc for the show.
2 floors of SoOn Jam: harvard mouse, high plains drifter, what the thunder said, diesel dog, fat cats, and superfly.
harvard mouse got it kicked off with a nice little warm-up groove session,
and high plains drifter followed to set everyone up for the rest of the night. what the thunder said opened the stage upstairs with a high energy set that really caught my attention, very groovin', totally rockin', and interactive as well - great stage presence those dudes have. diesel dog headlined downstairs and ploughed through a set of heavy hittin grooverock 
that got everyone movin' and shakin' and smilin' and primed up for what was set to go on upstairs: the fat cats closed the night and ripped the living hell out of 2 sets showing why they're among canada's finest when it comes to rocking, rolling, and jamming like monsters. somewhere along the lines i lost track of time - i was shocked when it ended - i thought for sure that was only 1st set!!
parking lot gathering was perfect at the end to get the bearings, chill out, enjoy some company - we chilled with the st. catherines crew while trying to make plans - so awesome to hang out with dup, deany d, anz, and mike - the chicken wing and garlic bread was killer! after holding lesley up we opted out of a ride back to schwa's, instead going for the manglefest over at mangle mansion - good times - but crowded as hell - cleary showed up with a pizza and that was golden! we bolted shortly after the cops showed up, but had no idea where we were, and only an address of where we needed to get to, without a sense of direction. we took to walking and waiting on a miracle when a car flyin' by grinds to a halt and calls us over - dave and deb! they offer a ride, but also have no clue where the address is, MISSION ABORTED, a cab is coming down, better option, he'd know, we jump outta the car, yell and flag the cab, he goes flying by, dave and deb take off thinking we're saved, and we're back to square one at the corner of weber and bridgeport, laughing like idiots.
we did make it back to schwa's eventually, and the party there was still going - awesome! we kept it going, drinkin', laughin', jokin', listenin' to tunes, well into the morning. another successful mission for Team Scott.
think i might have caught a 45 minute half in/half out nap before i was fully awoken by the most horrific generic boring shitass hippie dippie jambullshit i had ever heard. i was enjoying some great fucking silence and this girl who was leaving decided to put something on (as an exit??) no one else was awake.. i loathed it. i got up to shut it off and decided whatever it was that came out of that tray would be damned in my head forever more and i would go out of my way to not seek it out. the label on the disc said: S.K.B. fuckin' kimock... what the hell was that? i've seen you. you're better than that. not much, but you are. while i was up i had to take a picture of team chatham - granted it was 11am, these boys can party, hell, keri threw the party, but still.. i love it - swifty sitting up, keri hunched over, rankin face down, and in the background, you can see chandler's foot sticking out - he's sleeping on a fucking toolbox! awesome.
early afternoon we hit the huether (is that right?) for some breaky with schwa, craig and sari, while ian and lesley visited with some family.
coffee. keep it comin. big ass water. 5 or so chicken wings as an appetizer. medium. steak and eggs, hashbrowns, rye bread, and extra pemeal. steak medium, eggs over easy. dont want too much blood mixin with the yolk - that's sick. wrap steak in pemeal, dip in liquid chicken. yummy! wish i had a picture...
shortly after that, with full bellies, deep breaths, and paralyzed muscles, we teleported back to london with lesley at the wheel, and voila: reality!
all in all a great night in k-dub. great people, great music, great energy, great parties, great hosts, great everything. we accomplished all our missions, and i really hope mark and keri accomplished their mission and raised some money for the website.
the mission: to have a grand ole time turning ourselves into little balls of human goobly goo with a couple hundred of our closest friends, rock the fuck out, party the night away, shake hands with the sun, and meat ourselves into submission.
i was also on photo duty, however, i failed miserably. i hope the photograph i donated made up for it and they were able to raise some coin from it.
the team: ian, lesley, scottie and myself - sometimes known as team scott.
we caught a ride to k/w with lesley and ian - lesley is our saviour whenever we go to k/w - and started the night at uncle schwampy's, where he presented me with a kotke and gordon show for winning his caption contest! score! we partook in the regular pre-gaming festivities and then headed down to the lanc for the show.
2 floors of SoOn Jam: harvard mouse, high plains drifter, what the thunder said, diesel dog, fat cats, and superfly.
harvard mouse got it kicked off with a nice little warm-up groove session,
and high plains drifter followed to set everyone up for the rest of the night. what the thunder said opened the stage upstairs with a high energy set that really caught my attention, very groovin', totally rockin', and interactive as well - great stage presence those dudes have. diesel dog headlined downstairs and ploughed through a set of heavy hittin grooverock 
that got everyone movin' and shakin' and smilin' and primed up for what was set to go on upstairs: the fat cats closed the night and ripped the living hell out of 2 sets showing why they're among canada's finest when it comes to rocking, rolling, and jamming like monsters. somewhere along the lines i lost track of time - i was shocked when it ended - i thought for sure that was only 1st set!!parking lot gathering was perfect at the end to get the bearings, chill out, enjoy some company - we chilled with the st. catherines crew while trying to make plans - so awesome to hang out with dup, deany d, anz, and mike - the chicken wing and garlic bread was killer! after holding lesley up we opted out of a ride back to schwa's, instead going for the manglefest over at mangle mansion - good times - but crowded as hell - cleary showed up with a pizza and that was golden! we bolted shortly after the cops showed up, but had no idea where we were, and only an address of where we needed to get to, without a sense of direction. we took to walking and waiting on a miracle when a car flyin' by grinds to a halt and calls us over - dave and deb! they offer a ride, but also have no clue where the address is, MISSION ABORTED, a cab is coming down, better option, he'd know, we jump outta the car, yell and flag the cab, he goes flying by, dave and deb take off thinking we're saved, and we're back to square one at the corner of weber and bridgeport, laughing like idiots.
we did make it back to schwa's eventually, and the party there was still going - awesome! we kept it going, drinkin', laughin', jokin', listenin' to tunes, well into the morning. another successful mission for Team Scott.
think i might have caught a 45 minute half in/half out nap before i was fully awoken by the most horrific generic boring shitass hippie dippie jambullshit i had ever heard. i was enjoying some great fucking silence and this girl who was leaving decided to put something on (as an exit??) no one else was awake.. i loathed it. i got up to shut it off and decided whatever it was that came out of that tray would be damned in my head forever more and i would go out of my way to not seek it out. the label on the disc said: S.K.B. fuckin' kimock... what the hell was that? i've seen you. you're better than that. not much, but you are. while i was up i had to take a picture of team chatham - granted it was 11am, these boys can party, hell, keri threw the party, but still.. i love it - swifty sitting up, keri hunched over, rankin face down, and in the background, you can see chandler's foot sticking out - he's sleeping on a fucking toolbox! awesome.
early afternoon we hit the huether (is that right?) for some breaky with schwa, craig and sari, while ian and lesley visited with some family.
coffee. keep it comin. big ass water. 5 or so chicken wings as an appetizer. medium. steak and eggs, hashbrowns, rye bread, and extra pemeal. steak medium, eggs over easy. dont want too much blood mixin with the yolk - that's sick. wrap steak in pemeal, dip in liquid chicken. yummy! wish i had a picture...
shortly after that, with full bellies, deep breaths, and paralyzed muscles, we teleported back to london with lesley at the wheel, and voila: reality!
all in all a great night in k-dub. great people, great music, great energy, great parties, great hosts, great everything. we accomplished all our missions, and i really hope mark and keri accomplished their mission and raised some money for the website.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
harper it is, bitches.
well, just about 2/3's of all us canadians voted yesterday, and just over 1/3 of that 2/3's decided that stephen harper is the man to lead our country. into where? who knows. but we've got a front row seat now. and it comes as no real surprise, really. i feel like the liberals lost this election more than the conservatives won it.. more like the people of canada just gave 'em a little slap and said "nope! cant do that... this is what happens." - hopefully they'll learn. i must say, though, im very happy with the ndp pick-up.
so, now what? well. i dont know. but im not as pissed as i thought i was going to be. i needed a day to really think this over. i think there's a strong enough opposition to keep 'em in check this time around. socially, im not so worried about new legislation really fucking us over, rather im more concerned about taking steps backwards - canada's come a long way recently, something im very proud of as a canadian, something that i feel is looked upon with high regard around the world. we were on the road to some other great things as well, and now these things arent even in sight, and if they are, it's for all the wrong reasons.
but we better not be going to war. then i'll be pissed.
and the GST cut is the fucking bullshit. gee, thanks. blow me, harper. but hey, the sexy headline worked. fucker. ok, that got me pissed. IT'S NOTHING UNLESS YOU HAVE A LOT OF MONEY TO SPEND!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's like reverse robin hood: rob the poor (of their services that depend on taxes) and give to the rich (by way of not paying). and i dont believe that nothing will get cut.
but it's over. and the ndp have a stronger voice, which is all i was really hoping for, so all in all i cant be anything but happy - we all knew harper wasnt gonna lose this time around, so we had time to brace ourselves.
i watched the Your Turn program when harper was on and i remember one question, which i believe came from a woman from London, Ontario, if im not mistaken, and she asked about the party slogans and why they were different in french and english canada. the meaning behind that. i kinda thought to myself, you get on national tv, you get the chance to ask the next prime minister a question, and that's what you come up with? the slogans? who gives a shit? we all know slogans are bullshit. who cares what they mean in any language. no one really loves mcdonalds. we all know tim hortons is not always fresh. i thought everyone knew to take slogans with a grain of salt, no? which got me thinking more... if i was running for office, what could i use as a slogan? if people really care about this, if this on their minds, if it actually does mean something, well, i had better give it some thought, right? so, here's what i got...
A Different Kind of Country - A Different Kind of Guigsy.
The Guigsy Goes Straight to your Head.
Moving At The Speed of Guigsy.
Stop. Go. Guigsy.
Let The Guigsy Begin.
Think Guigsy.
Just One Guigsy - Give It To Me!
Shhh.. You Know Guigsy.
The Guigsy For All Ages.
Get More From Guigsy.
Grab Life by the Guigsy.
So Easy, No Wonder Guigsy Is #1.
Guigsy, Take Me Away.
The Guigsy That Eats Like A Meal.
Nobody Does It Like Guigsy.
Don't Get Mad, Get Guigsy.
get your own slogan here.
so, now what? well. i dont know. but im not as pissed as i thought i was going to be. i needed a day to really think this over. i think there's a strong enough opposition to keep 'em in check this time around. socially, im not so worried about new legislation really fucking us over, rather im more concerned about taking steps backwards - canada's come a long way recently, something im very proud of as a canadian, something that i feel is looked upon with high regard around the world. we were on the road to some other great things as well, and now these things arent even in sight, and if they are, it's for all the wrong reasons.
but we better not be going to war. then i'll be pissed.
and the GST cut is the fucking bullshit. gee, thanks. blow me, harper. but hey, the sexy headline worked. fucker. ok, that got me pissed. IT'S NOTHING UNLESS YOU HAVE A LOT OF MONEY TO SPEND!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's like reverse robin hood: rob the poor (of their services that depend on taxes) and give to the rich (by way of not paying). and i dont believe that nothing will get cut.
but it's over. and the ndp have a stronger voice, which is all i was really hoping for, so all in all i cant be anything but happy - we all knew harper wasnt gonna lose this time around, so we had time to brace ourselves.
i watched the Your Turn program when harper was on and i remember one question, which i believe came from a woman from London, Ontario, if im not mistaken, and she asked about the party slogans and why they were different in french and english canada. the meaning behind that. i kinda thought to myself, you get on national tv, you get the chance to ask the next prime minister a question, and that's what you come up with? the slogans? who gives a shit? we all know slogans are bullshit. who cares what they mean in any language. no one really loves mcdonalds. we all know tim hortons is not always fresh. i thought everyone knew to take slogans with a grain of salt, no? which got me thinking more... if i was running for office, what could i use as a slogan? if people really care about this, if this on their minds, if it actually does mean something, well, i had better give it some thought, right? so, here's what i got...
A Different Kind of Country - A Different Kind of Guigsy.
The Guigsy Goes Straight to your Head.
Moving At The Speed of Guigsy.
Stop. Go. Guigsy.
Let The Guigsy Begin.
Think Guigsy.
Just One Guigsy - Give It To Me!
Shhh.. You Know Guigsy.
The Guigsy For All Ages.
Get More From Guigsy.
Grab Life by the Guigsy.
So Easy, No Wonder Guigsy Is #1.
Guigsy, Take Me Away.
The Guigsy That Eats Like A Meal.
Nobody Does It Like Guigsy.
Don't Get Mad, Get Guigsy.
get your own slogan here.
Monday, January 23, 2006
this week in review
well, another week come and gone... this was a long one. the beginning of the week was filled with work, the end filled with fun, there was no middle, and now it's done. i received good news, i received bad news, i had good times, i had bad times, i got to see many friends, but missed many more, i heard some no's, i heard some yes', i questioned some, laughed at others, and in the end it was just one of those weeks. everything goes. the best of all worlds.
the weekend, however, was a good celebration of that very notion: everything goes and the best of all worlds. timeline:
Friday, Jan. 20
shortly after 8pm - arrive in toronto
get our buzz on
10:30ish - keller williams at lee's palace - fun show, i had trouble with the sound, but i got it. highlights of the show were the high time > man smart woman smarter and the encore, what i got - the energy for that, throughout the crowd, was incredible - just a big sublime love-in. beautiful.
Saturday Jan. 21
1:30am - onward to the elmocambo to catch slammin' jack's aftershow - been a long while since i've seen them, and wow, they've gotten so much better! definitely a great way to close the night.
3:30am - up to the danforth for the afterparty (cheers to margaret & carrie) - madness ensues.
8am - i think i passed out around here
11am - think i woke up around here. had a couple cups of tea.
1pm - back to homebase (cheers to rob) to spend the afternoon gettin' 'er back together
8pm - maybe the best steak i've ever eaten? (cheers to scottie)
9:15pm - arrive at the Koolhaus for Broken Social Scene !!!
10ish - bss take the stage - madness ensues. opened with All The Gods, then slid into Shoreline and brought Feist out and from then on for the rest of the night that little ball of fire owned me. but it was kevin drew's show. the man was in command the entire evening. my favourite moments of the night were the Ibi Dreams of Pavement to close, man i love how huge that song gets, and then the Lover's Spit to start up the encore, with an honourable mention to drew's stage banter/antics during the encore break. but back to that Lover's Spit - such a beautiful song, and such a grand version on this night. how many people on stage? 13? 16? incredible. makin' it work, takes a little longer, makin' it work, takes a little time! but that encore coulda been 7 songs long - they played forever! almost 3 hours when all was said and done... a slow superconnected, an EPIC It's All Gonna Break to end it all, throw in a couple major label debut's for good measure (slow, then the faster reprise later on), send us to the hotel, give us the shampoo suicide, cause=time, a beautiful Anthems For A 15 Year Old Girl, the list goes on and on, and somewhere in there they managed to throw in a Hockey Night in Canada tease. some other observations: the soundman must be a fucking genius to be able to balance all those instruments at once and make it sound that good. there were as many as 16 people on stage at any given time. upwards of 5 guitars, bass, double drums, various other percussions, keys, how many voices? trombones, trumpets, sax, man alive. they just about killed me.
Sunday Jan. 22
1am - hotdog cart saves the night. my back is killing me.
1:30ish - back to homebase for a nice chill nightcap and finally some fucking sleep.
noon - headin' 'er outta town
12:30pm - arrive at the Swedish Embassy and spend the next 2 and a half hours in a home furnishing amusement park. my berries are not as red as they used to be. but my speakers now have shelves. 2 hotdogs and a pop for a buck 75? yes please.
3pm - on the road again....
4:45pm - arrive back in london
5pm - pick up digital projector and spend the rest of the night re-arranging, re-wiring, cursing and swearing.
2am - finish lame ass story and go to bed - we've got a big day tomorrow...
tomorrow (today), the country could get a face lift.
the weekend, however, was a good celebration of that very notion: everything goes and the best of all worlds. timeline:
Friday, Jan. 20
shortly after 8pm - arrive in toronto
get our buzz on
10:30ish - keller williams at lee's palace - fun show, i had trouble with the sound, but i got it. highlights of the show were the high time > man smart woman smarter and the encore, what i got - the energy for that, throughout the crowd, was incredible - just a big sublime love-in. beautiful.
Saturday Jan. 21
1:30am - onward to the elmocambo to catch slammin' jack's aftershow - been a long while since i've seen them, and wow, they've gotten so much better! definitely a great way to close the night.
3:30am - up to the danforth for the afterparty (cheers to margaret & carrie) - madness ensues.
8am - i think i passed out around here
11am - think i woke up around here. had a couple cups of tea.
1pm - back to homebase (cheers to rob) to spend the afternoon gettin' 'er back together
8pm - maybe the best steak i've ever eaten? (cheers to scottie)
9:15pm - arrive at the Koolhaus for Broken Social Scene !!!
10ish - bss take the stage - madness ensues. opened with All The Gods, then slid into Shoreline and brought Feist out and from then on for the rest of the night that little ball of fire owned me. but it was kevin drew's show. the man was in command the entire evening. my favourite moments of the night were the Ibi Dreams of Pavement to close, man i love how huge that song gets, and then the Lover's Spit to start up the encore, with an honourable mention to drew's stage banter/antics during the encore break. but back to that Lover's Spit - such a beautiful song, and such a grand version on this night. how many people on stage? 13? 16? incredible. makin' it work, takes a little longer, makin' it work, takes a little time! but that encore coulda been 7 songs long - they played forever! almost 3 hours when all was said and done... a slow superconnected, an EPIC It's All Gonna Break to end it all, throw in a couple major label debut's for good measure (slow, then the faster reprise later on), send us to the hotel, give us the shampoo suicide, cause=time, a beautiful Anthems For A 15 Year Old Girl, the list goes on and on, and somewhere in there they managed to throw in a Hockey Night in Canada tease. some other observations: the soundman must be a fucking genius to be able to balance all those instruments at once and make it sound that good. there were as many as 16 people on stage at any given time. upwards of 5 guitars, bass, double drums, various other percussions, keys, how many voices? trombones, trumpets, sax, man alive. they just about killed me.
Sunday Jan. 22
1am - hotdog cart saves the night. my back is killing me.
1:30ish - back to homebase for a nice chill nightcap and finally some fucking sleep.
noon - headin' 'er outta town
12:30pm - arrive at the Swedish Embassy and spend the next 2 and a half hours in a home furnishing amusement park. my berries are not as red as they used to be. but my speakers now have shelves. 2 hotdogs and a pop for a buck 75? yes please.
3pm - on the road again....
4:45pm - arrive back in london
5pm - pick up digital projector and spend the rest of the night re-arranging, re-wiring, cursing and swearing.
2am - finish lame ass story and go to bed - we've got a big day tomorrow...
tomorrow (today), the country could get a face lift.
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