1) Working. Too much. Though less than a few weeks ago.
2) Reading this (need some escapism after point 1. And who doesn't love a slightly homoerotic military dragon story?)
3) Booking a trip here - for work (see point 1.), the second week of December. LOVE this city. Having been caught in the airport there for about 14 hours due to a winter snow storm (with nothing to do but stare at a taxidermy tiger that they have in a glass case in the waiting area) I do NOT love this city in winter. I do NOT love the fact that it will take longer to get there than it does to fly to London. Workmates in Halifax tell me there is now a pub at the airport. Which means next time I can be drunk staring at a taxidermy tiger. Great....
4) Watching this. Well worth it. And this. Winston always, always makes me smile.
5) Fainting on the bus home from work. Related to Point 1 perhaps? Now suffering terribly embarrassing post-faint visions of exactly what I looked like when that happened.
6) Becoming strangely obsessed with this blog - partly for lovely straight-ear scottish fold (like Miss Mags) Maru, partly for the great english translations, but more because the environment is so incredibly white, clean, and cat fur free....how? how is this possible? If I watch long enough, maybe i will figure it out...
7) Falling in love with these pieces by local artist Arleigh Wood - which I am happy to say, after this weekend, will officially be mine. Here's hoping nothing major at the house goes wrong, as my contingency fund is now pretty much gone.
Yes, the new chair arrived. Still not 100% sure about it but I think it will work out.
It took Thomas about two minutes after the delivery to hop up. He hasn't hopped down since. He seems to understand how well it matches his eyes. In fact, it is like a big grid of Thomas eyes (crazy work days are not doing my mind any favours). Maggie did try to wander by and investigate, but she got a quick swat on the head from the Newly Enthroned One and skittered off. No worries - We the Banished will stay on the couch instead....
The last week (and more) has been crazy busy. Quite frankly the idea of even trying to post something was way too much work. But it's Sunday, and I have 20 minutes free before my next mission (visiting my Dad).
So here goes. At least briefly.
54-40 Welcome to my youth.
54-40 were one of my first concert-going obsessions. I used to go see them all the time playing in little grim halls in Vancouver with my friend Barb in the early 80s (unlicensed places that would let 15 year olds in thankfully). They were fantastic. And sometimes the opening band was the Grapes of Wrath. And my friend Barb knew the GoW- she had been on holiday in Kelowna one summer with her parents, and was walking down the main street when a car full of guys (who turned out to be the band) pulled over and said Hi. Barb had blue hair, so they thought she must be cool. There weren't many cool people in Kelowna apparently. So they hung out. And she began a long penpal-friendship with them (oh the complexities of life before email...). This didn't really impact my life very much except we'd get to chat with the band when they were in town playing, and I once watched in horror/amazement as the drummer Chris ate a big mac in two bites when we sat in the MacDonalds at Granville and Smithe before their gig.
Barb and I eventually stopped hanging out. Last I heard of her, she got married in a teepee and joined a cult near Pemberton run by her psychic mother in law and had two blond boys that looked like they should be out of Children of the Corn. But I kept going to 54-40 gigs. And I remember when I hit 19, going to the Savoy and reading some rather complimentary washroom graffiti about Neil Osborne's non-musical talents...which for some reason I have chosen not to forget. But I digress.
SO - it was great to see 54-50 again, and extra great to see Grapes of Wrath's Tom Hooper playing with them. I've got to say they seemed a little mellower than usual - but they sounded great. I can't help but wonder if Neil's slightly ... mocking? jokey? not sure how to put it... performance "I Go Blind" is a result of the happy bouncing oblivion of the audience - like most of the band's songs, it is highly political & am not sure the audience really gets that. Or maybe it is that they are sick of singing a song that is now known more by the Hootie & the Blowfish version than their own (though I know they've got to love the royalties from that). OK, admittedly, I'm just projecting.
Neil Young & Bob Dylan
Oh where to start. Neil put it all out there, thrashy guitar and all. Bob brought his increasingly...unique...voice and a great tight band - and arrangements so different I am guessing they confused a fair chunk of the audience. And before I run out of steam a couple of comments:
1) DAMN you LiveNation. When I bought Neil Young tickets, you were selling them for the 'concert bowl' - HALF of GM Place. My tickets were good. When we arrived, the whole stadium was sold, the stage moved waaaaay further back, making my pre-sale tickets pretty shitty. Since when is changing the stakes part way through ticket sales OK? Grrrr.
2) Who let these people out? I see a lot of live music. A lot. A lot of fairly alternative stuff. These two concerts were as mainstream as you could get. And god help me these were perhaps the most bizarre, rude, loud, annoying audiences I've come across (ok, with the exception of here). Our Neil Young view was partially impared by the distracting view of two guys so...special...ok, I will stop or it will get nasty. But here is a picture of them.
And I will make the comment that if you are such a huge fan of the performer, why do you spend all your time talking to your friend? or turning to face the (seated, except for you) audience as you pump your fists in the air? Please. Go home until you learn some manners. I'm all for audiences enjoying themselves. I'm all for freedom of expression. That is, until it impedes the ability of others to enjoy the experience too. Like the teenage boy sitting behind you who couldn't see a damn thing. Grrr.
Anyway, for those who are interested, a fairly crap Neil Young vid, and a slightly better Bob Dylan one.
Gorgeous sunny fall day today. If only my house were already clean, it would be a perfect day. As it is, I am avoiding cleaning by blogging, but I can't avoid for long.
Two gigs to report on: Weezer and Hayden - experiences as similar as apples and tacos.
Weezer at GM Place: Since this night, I have been thinking about whether my affection for Weezer is really just affection for Rivers Cuomo. I think it probably is. No disrespect to the rest of the band, but Rivers could front a pile of tree stumps and it would still be worth watching. If you were looking for a guy to front your band, I'm guessing you wouldn't set out "small framed, bespeckled, just-balding, porn-stache sporting" as your criteria. But man does he wear it well. The night opened with Angels & Airwaves, Tom DeLonge's new band. And I will follow the rule of "if you don't have anything nice to say..." and leave it at that.
Weezer came on in Devo-like white jumpsuits (later to be taken off to show some mighty fine red Weezer old school track suits), with Rivers adding to the effect with some weird medical-looking balaclava covering his face, and owned the place from note one. Seriously one of the most purely entertaining things I've seen in a while. Let it be said though, as much as I like seeing fans enjoy themselves, there are some that I would like to be able to BAN. Forever. From attending ANYTHING. We sat behind one such guy ... he heckled Angels & Airwaves, I think to impress his (girl you could do so much better) girlfriend, and was pretty obnoxious during the first few Weezer songs. Until, that is, he lit up a joint and was promptly turfed from the building. Ahhh sweet justice. You can hear his grating 'buenos noches' at the beginning of this video. I think he ceased to exist by the end of it.
The night ended off with the Weezer Hootenany of local fans, which I managed to film:
There are about a half dozen more songs here as usual.
Hayden, Vogue Theatre: First - this wasn't sold out. FOR SHAME! (Not that it was badly attended, but it should have sold out).
Ahh Hayden. How great. His between song stories are almost worth the price of admission on their own. Unfortunately I didn't manage to tape the stories, or the moment when the audience reaction to a song cracked him up to the point he had to stop and collect himself. But I did manage to tape a few songs, albeit broken up by the bodies of people walking up and down the aisle I happened to be sitting beside, leaving my poor camera losing its mechanical mind trying to focus/refocus. The videos are a bit dark - I have "lightened" them as much as I dare, which has left them a bit grey and weird looking, but oh well. Here are a couple - Woody, a song about Hayden's cat which I also used as the soundtrack for Thom's Bellyrub
And I should say that I think Woody must now be a bit of a thorn in Hayden's side. It's a very short song about his cat, likely put together without nearly as much effort as most of his other stuff, but THIS is the song the audience is calling for (which could be due to some of the very funny stories he has told about the song, and his cat, when introducing it in the past). I'm guessing there is an untapped market for songs about cats....I'm just saying. And here is Hollywood Ending, which includes Cuff the Duke, who were backing him up this tour. Excuse the gimpy framing at the start - I had my stealth camera viewfinder cover on, and couldn't see a damn thing I was filming at first. If you really feel like watching the videos it is worth going to the YouTube site and watching them in High Quality mode - they appear kind of blurry otherwise. I will be posting a few more for those who care.
Ya, you read it right. Just don't ask me to pronounce it.
And I don't know what it is with Iceland and the etherial.
Moving on though - Sæglópur is the name of the Sigur Ros song in this video, kindly uploaded to Youtube by another attendee (and by far the best quality vid I could find posted). I was too chicken to take my camera for once - and was kicking myself because we were perfectly positioned for stealth filming as it turns out. Oh well. Sometimes it is good just to watch. And this is a 7:00 minute video, so be warned. But if you do watch, hang in for at least half of it. It was a really really good gig - I have to admit being a bit disappointed that they didn't bring their string and brass section with them, but oh well. They sure managed to fill the (wonderful, wonderful Chan...oh how I love you) space without any extra help. And extra big cudos to the very, very attentive audience. There was a pause of about 30 seconds in the middle of one song, and you could have heard a pin drop. No calls, or whistles, or whoops, or 'yeaaaaahhhhhhs' to break the silence. Tomorrow night: Weezer. Saturday night: Hayden. Which is why I am posting this now, however brief, or I will not get around to mentioning it as I will have too much else to talk about.
This is actually my first night at home in a week...or more come to think of it. VIFF is finally wrapping up, and I saw about a dozen films. Quite by accident, most of them had to do with either music or blindness. Hmmm. There were so many more I wanted to see, and it pains me as I know it was most likely my only chance for many of them. It's hard for me to pick a favorite, but a few stood out:
Largo : outstanding film about a small club in LA - it is entirely performance footage, largely musicians (Fiona Apple, Andrew Bird...) but some comedians as well (John C Reilly's story about Burt Reynolds and the filming of Magnolia a highlight...). Nothing big budget, and so beautifully intimate it drew you right in.
Throw down your Heart: Banjo king Bela Fleck and his brother made this great documentary following Bela's travels through Africa to find the roots of the banjo. And you know how much I like banjo.
Passage: John Walker's beautifully shot, beautifully structured documentary about one of history's unsung figures, John Rae, who brought back news about the Franklin expedition that no one in Britain wanted to hear. Brits after all don't usually snack on eachother.
As Slow as Possible: Love the idea of this documentary. A Canadian man who is going blind travels to Germany to witness the changing of a note in a 600+year playing of a John Cage composition, "As slow as possible" - and does an amazing job of explaining his experience of the world, and of his situation. How much do I love the fact that a group of Germans decided to dedicate a church, and an organ, to playing the same song for over 600 years? How much do I love the fact that the first note was in fact a rest that lasted 18 months? A lot.
There were more worth mentioning, but I am running out of steam.
Woke up this morning to a puddle of water on my hardwood floor....where did it come from? Well, I guess you could say THE SKY. Via the ceiling fixture, via MY LEAKING ROOF. Oh wait - let me clarify: my NEW LEAKING ROOF. New as of 10 months ago. And the drywall on the ceiling that is now buckling? Ya, that was new as of about 3 years ago too.
So far, the roofing crew manager has shown up. He took some photos. He was very quiet. I was very quiet. He didn't have a ladder (?!!). I didn't have a ladder. He left to get a ladder. Two hours ago. And I am waiting for his return.
I am furious. Really. Furious. Furious at the thought of having to live through drywall dust one more time. Furious that for two years I lived with a completely sketchy, rag-tag roof, worried about leaks which never happened. Furious that after spending $12,000 I relaxed completely about the possibilities of leaks. More fool me.
But enough of that. On a happier house note, Thomas Kitten Esq. made his final fabric selection as you can see (a gold polka-dotted number that matches his eyes quite nicely), and the chair has now been ordered.
Ahhhh, it's just not fair. The older I get, the more I understand how cruel aging is. But, you can't escape it, and it finally caught up with a long-standing heartthrob of mine. I have long loved his blue eyes and talent, his determination to stay out of the public eye, except to use his fame to do some greater good. Or make some wicked salad dressing (which was, truthfully, for the greater good).
Went to Richard's last night to see Elliott Brood. Actually, initially bought the tickets really because Dan Mangan was supposed to open - which combined with what I had heard of Elliott Brood, made it an appealing night out - particularly for the under $20 price. Then Dan Mangan dropped from the lineup (an early show so no time for 2 openers). So, I went, expecting a pleasant night, but not a holy-crap-what-was-THAT night.
It was a holy-crap-what-was-THAT night.
Opening up were NQ Arbuckle, and they were really really good (lame description I know). I was worried at first as Richards was pretty empty and the floor was COMPLETELY empty (what joy for a band that must be...). But within a few songs they managed to pull people out onto the floor, and they played as if they had packed the place. As for the audience, a few needed ball-gags to stop them talking. (Which makes me think of a news piece I just saw about "silent" live gigs where all the audience members wear headphones to listen to the band, and take them off when they want to talk. Maybe not such a crazy idea.)
Then Elliott Brood. Who knew that a 3 piece banjo (oh I *heart* banjo) playing band could produce such a wild, dense wall of sound. Incredible energy - my videos don't do it justice. My videos are also all really dark as the main source of light seemed to be the xmas lights on the stage. And the audience was a frothing, happy, bouncing floor of joy. Towards the end of the night the band handed out noise makers to the audience - tin pie plates, wooden spoons, plastic tambourines - and they were participating with unfettered (though not always on-beat) enthusiasm.
I think the wooden spoons gave the security guy on the side of the stage a bit of a heart attack - not sure what he was so worried about, but all night he was like a guard dog on alert. I will give him props though - before the encore a couple of audience members took the set lists, which made mr. security hop on to the stage and take them back (the gig was after all not over). At the very end of the set, mr. security hopped back on stage and handed the set lists back down to the fans. Nicely done - decent security guys have to be acknowledged, as they are a dying breed.
So - the life lesson of the night? There is nothing better than going into something without any real expectations and having your socks blown off. That, and if Elliott Brood comes around again, I will bring my own wooden spoon.
A brief update on concert life. So much better to listen to than real life.
Went to the Raconteurs show at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park this week. Of all the outdoor venues that Vancouver has to offer, Malkin Bowl is the only one I have positive thoughts about. Deer Lake, while beautiful, is too big. And Thunderbird is both ugly and too big. Actually, I'd probably say the same thing about most indoor venues - remember, my ideal club size is Richards.
Anyhoo, the weather cooperated, and it was a great show. The Kills opened, so no complaints there. Nor any re. the Raconteurs. Except maybe the argueably minor point of Jack White's hair. Don't get me wrong - I love the guy, both what he has done both as musician and as producer, so maybe I will just leave it at that. And Brendan Benson's voice was eluding him after about the half way point. It amazes me how rarely you see that happen (singers losing their voice that is, not Brendan in particular) considering what they put themselves through during a tour. That being said, they gave it their all.
As for me, I wandered down front, and stood infront of the speaker bank for a while. Maybe not the wisest move - my clothes were vibrating with each hit of the kick drum so not sure what my eardrums were doing. This is the only half decent photo I got from down there, and admittedly is more half than decent. Did a bit better standing further back One thing this does point out is how fabulous bassist Jack Lawrence's hair is. He could be a Breck model there is so much shine on those locks (yes, I am stuck on hair today for some reason)
And finally, I did manage a couple of videos. I wasn't feeling inspired to film much for some reason, but the couple I did catch turned out OK. Here's one...(and remember, if you go to YouTube from here you can watch it in high quality. HATE how grainy and compressed this looks otherwise)
And my life-lesson for the night? Don't think security won't find your camera if you wrap it in a nice soft sweater and put it in the bottom of your backpack. They will. Luckily, this time they didn't care. Honesty is the best policy. Well, either that, or figure out how to be a more successful sneak.
Sadie, Based on the fact that you are too learned a dog to use the word "leggies" in a sentence, I suspect I may be releasing this without your authorization.
But it IS rather flattering, so I'm sure you won't mind.
I have had a message from this man, claiming to be your 'owner'. Please provide confirmation of this fact, as I feel uncomfortable releasing your photos without your consent.
If he is an impostor/has been detaining you against your will, please feel free to provide this photograph to the authorities.
Yes, time for the cats to pick more fabric - something they love to do. Well, Thomas does. (I think he'd be a good addition to "Colin & Justin's Home Heist" - official upholstery consultant.) And he is likely just as shocked as you at the cherry red velvet he's sitting on.
In short, I've decided to ramp up the replacement of the red leather Ikea Poang as it seems it could be useful in my Dad's room at the care home (a move that happened this weekend, and something I will write more about at some point when my brain has settled down a bit).
The front runner so far? The shiny stripey number in photo #2, on the chair version of the gold couch I have in the office. Still thinking about it, but I think it might add a bit of zip to the livingroom - and it has the added bonus that it would look tolerable with the gold couch were both pieces ever to end up in the same room.
Thomas will keep you posted on his final decision.
That quote is from a Youtube viewer, and knowing my love of marmite, I couldn't resist quoting. I'm not sure he's right, but that doesn't really matter.
Couple of things you can say for sure though:
1) growing up in Iceland does something to the creative side of your brain
2) these guys know how to make a music video
3) if I could get a fox hat without harming any foxes, I would.
Seeing Sigur Ros at the Chan next month. While not my favorite band (in no way meaning I don't like them alot), I have a sneaking suspicion this may turn into one of my favorite concerts.
...also known as Nardwuar the Human Serviette/lead singer of the Evaporators, who kicked off a great afternoon/night of music at the Stanley Park Singing Exhibition, a fundraiser pulled together by The New Pornographers...and the first day, there were members of the New Pornographers scattered throughout their OTHER bands (Evaporators, Destroyer, and of course, the lovely Neko Case). I didn't make the second day, when The New Pornographers were set to play but I imagine it was big fun.
And I kind of loathe the traditional concert review format, but I kind of feel it is necessary in this case. As mentioned, my man Nardwuar and the rest of the Evaporators kicked things off with a set that it is a little beyond description. Except to say that it was funny, energetic, and got the laid-back, meandering-in Vancouverites engaged whether they wanted to be or not (when a semi-naked, fully pelted Nardwuar is running towards you full tilt with a mic and a crazed expression, you participate because it seems like the ...safest...option). And when he pulls you up to help him ride his keyboard (yes, that's right) in the crowd, you do it - bemused maybe, but you do it. And they have a song about cheese (watch it here). What is not to love? Good times.
Deerhoof were good - didn't leave a huge impression on me, but I may have been in post Evaporators shock. The drummer did leave an impression. That man drums with his whole being (kind of like Animal in the muppets?)
Andrew Bird was a huge treat, bright blue and green socks and all. I have gone on about him in an earlier post, and he really is a cool guy to watch - I'm a sucker for bowed string instruments, and the way he loops and plays with things is really quite something. Quite something enough that the security guards were way more interested in watching him than watching me video the show (cheers to you, security guard!)
After Andrew Bird came the Destroyers, another solid band that didn't really leave much of a lasting impression - may just have been my mood. No shortage of talent, that's for sure - so don't think this is a bad review, I'm just reserving judgment for now.
And then Neko Case and her easy, bittersweet voice wrapped up the night. The crowd was so civilized that I was able to easily get right up front, and have plenty of space around me to watch (and pull a couple of videos). Her voice is sooo effortless. I could go on about how lovely it is but it would get boring. Instead, I'll post a couple of videos from the night. And sorry about the occasional head-cropping - I videoed these vertically (you'd think I'd learn) and had to flip them at the expense of some foreheads. You can find a few more here.
First Niko:
And Andrew Bird (half of Plasticities - I have two full songs posted on the Youtube site):
From La Blogotheque: "I never thought I would be able to film Sufjan. I tried my chance one time before but the good man needs his time, a kind of slow accession into a calm moment of rare revelation. And so it was no surprise that 10 minutes before filming him, he kind a freaked out, saying, with fleeing and frightened eyes like an animal being hunted « No, no, I don't want to be filmed anymore, leave me be. » Ok, so we'll do it calmly, letting the camera roll as discretely as possible, one take, with no time or patience for errors. Sufjan finishes by descending the staircase, whistling (phew !) with the kind air of appreciation."
Thanks for stopping by - though I am still not sure why anyone other than me would find my ramblings interesting :) Comments and questions are very very welcome!
You can also contact me at bunklelife-at-gmail.com
