the acoustic diaries

A Note

2008-07-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

Still writing
Just on paper these days
It's more comfortable for me
The ride hasn't stopped.

Until The Morning Light

2008-02-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

i'vemissedwritingandreviewingandwanderingthoughts.
andsleeplessnightsobsessingoverdetailsandemotions.
theyallmeantoomuchtome.
thebreakwasneededandi'veuncoveredafewmoretruths.
friendsloversstrangersandthieves.

thankstotonighti'vedecidedtostartwritingagain.
it'sabouttimeitoldmyself.
let'sgetcaughtup.

I fall down. You get up. Not a sound between us.

2007-10-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

MG Show #25 - Monday September 17 - Matthew Good @ McPherson Playhouse, Victoria

Off to Victoria to catch MG Show #25 for me. I've been fortunate enough to catch Matt several times over the years without having to leave Vancouver...so I figured now would be a good time to venture out for a little change of scenery.

Tickets...check. Bag...check. Car with gas...check. Excitement...check.

Accident inside George Massey Tunnel on the way to the ferries...crap! It was a big one. I avoided an accident to get on the highway, but this would slow me down. Found out later that two semi-trailer trucks were involved with the accident inside the tunnel, which meant a lot of delays. I was stuck in traffic with nowhere to go, as with everyone else. 11am ferry sailing...not gonna happen. Thanks to the guys in Attack in Black for keeping me occupied during this long delay. Their cd is fantastic!

An hour and a half later and still no movement. We finally end up getting re-routed in a completely separate direction, where long lineups are waiting on every turn. Miss the 1pm ferry sailing but am able to catch the next one.

Fast forward a few hours and I'm finally in Victoria close to showtime.

Doors are now open and I walk inside the McPherson Playhouse and take my seat.

Dala come onstage and open. Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther comprise the duo from Toronto who met while in highschool music class. The play a solid blend of acoustic folk-pop filled with rich harmonies. Hockey Sweater and Marilyn Monroe were my two favourite tracks from them.

Matthew takes the stage at 8:30pm to the backing track of Girl Wedged Under The Front Of The Firebird being played and follows shortly with I Am Not Safer Than A Bank. It's the opening night of his two month solo acoustic tour that will take him across the entire country and back.

Champions Of Nothing plays and hits me like a ton of bricks. MG jokes about starting his own Victoria Tours and how members of the legislature voted themselves a pay raise before taking off for a summer break. City Hall is located right beside the venue and there were thoughts later on of whether some members were in attendance at the show.

Matt mentioned that Rod was supposed to do I'm A Window with him but had to stay in Vancouver for work. Just prior to 99% Of Us Is Failure, MG discusses that the song is for Rod's dad and one of Matt's friends battling cervical cancer.

Lots of jokes with the crowd on this opening night, many of them aimed at Pete doing lighting. Someone yells out for Matt to "play the cheerleader song" (Giant)...which MG responds by jokingly saying he'll play that one, followed by "the one with the clock" (Hello Time Bomb).

A performance of Avalanche washes over me, as does his powerful voice to Catastrophe and Prime Time. Matt goes into a story about the MGB days and how he somehow managed to smash 42 Fender Stratocasters onstage between 1997 - 2000. True Love Will Find You In The End plays out the main set.

Matt starts the encore off with a nicely reworked version of Suburbia, followed by Odette. He introduces Girl In The War to the crowd, then ends the 2hr set with The Fine Art Of Falling Apart.

SETLIST:

Girl Wedged Under The Front Of The Firebird
I Am Not Safer Than A Bank
Champions Of Nothing
Born Losers
Strange Days
Black Helicopter
She's In It For The Money
I'm A Window
99% of Us Is Failure
Avalanche
Metal Airplanes
In A World Called Catastrophe
Prime Time Deliverance
Generation X-Wing
Apparitions
True Love Will Find You In The End
------------------------------------
Suburbia
Odette
Girl In The War (Josh Ritter cover)
The Fine Art Of Falling Apart

***

MG Show #26 - Tuesday September 18 - Matthew Good @ McPherson Playhouse, Victoria

Spent the day around the harbour of downtown Victoria and had some nice Fish N Chips.

Back at the venue for night #2 in Victoria. Sheila and Amanda hit the stage once again and do a fantastic job warming up the crowd. Their harmonies remind me of Cherry Bomb, who were comprised of Jenny Galt and Vicky Sjohall.

Matt comes onstage and opens with North American For Life, then into Strange Days. He debuts a new song for us. I asked him after the show about the track and he said it's an unfinished song called Silent Army In The Trees.

Empty Road makes an appearance in the set tonight, as does Alert Status Red, and If I Was A Tidal Wave.

The reworked version of Pledge Of Allegiance is wonderful and I can completely feel it beating in my heart as I watch the show.

Matt performs a cover of Keep The Customer Satisfied by Simon and Garfunkel.

Suburbia and Fated close out the show. Matt really builds up the ending of Fated on this night...stretching his vocal part at the end a few bars longer.

Set lasted 1hr 55mins.

SETLIST:

North American For Life
Strange Days
Load Me Up
Silent Army In The Trees (new song)
Black Helicopter
Empty Road
I'm A Window
99% Of Us Is Failure
Born Losers
Odette
Prime Time Deliverance
Alert Status Red
She's In It For The Money
Pledge Of Allegiance
Apparitions
-----------------
Keep The Customer Satisfied (Simon and Garfunkel cover)
If I Was A Tidal Wave
Suburbia
Fated

Special thanks to MG, Mike from Bernie Breen, and Tim the tour manager for a very memorable night.

***

MG Show #27 - Thursday September 20 - Matthew Good @ Centre For Performing Arts

Hometown shows for Matt are always fun. The atmosphere is electric and unmatched. Walking through the venue and down the aisle to our seats, many familiar faces surface. Many of Matt's family and friends are also in attendance, which means Matt will try and be on his best behavior for the night.

Dala were in fine form again opening the evening. I'm enamored with Hockey Sweater.

Matthew takes the stage to Girl Wedged Under, followed into Load Me Up and Strange Days. He's dressed in a nice blazer for the show and drinking some red wine once again throughout it...though this time in a plastic cup.

MG takes some time to discuss to horrids of event parking prices, mentioning that he doesn't see any cut of the parking revenue. He also talks about the suburbs, joking about Whalley and Poco. At one point, Matt stopped to adjust his guitar strap...jokingly saying he was doing so not because it's really bothering him, but because it doesn't look good.

A personal introduction to She's In It For The Money leads into the moving song. The setlist for the evening was very well done and carefully chosen by Matt from beginning to end, telling an exceptionally moving story for his family, friends, and fans in attendance.

The biggest performance highlight for me for the evening was seeing Rod come out onstage and perform I'm A Window with Matt. Nothing can beat watching two best friends smiling together and giving it their all onstage. They were having the time of their lives up there. That solo was fantastic!

Symbolistic White Walls, 99% Of Us Is Failure, Avalanche, Odette and Prime Time grace the show. Apparitions finishes of the main set.

During the encore, Matt notices a few people are leaving their seats and heading towards the exit. He then says with a smile that "It's probably past the two hour mark cause people are taking off...and they're gonna miss this", then launches into Suburbia.

Matt comes back on for a second encore, delivering Metal Airplanes and Fated. He then stays for another two and hammers out a tearful version of The Fine Art Of Falling Apart, and closes the night with True Love Will Find You In The End.

Set lasted 2hrs 10mins.

SETLIST:

Girl Wedged Under The Front Of The Firebird
Load Me Up
Strange Days
Born Losers
Silent Army In The Trees
Black Helicopter
She's In It For The Money
I'm A Window (w/ Rod Bruno)
Symbolistic White Walls
99% Of Us Is Failure
Avalanche
Odette
Prime Time Deliverance
Keep The Customer Satisfied (Simon and Garfunkel cover)
Pledge Of Allegiance
Apparitions
---------------------
North American For Life
Champions Of Nothing
Suburbia
---------------------
Metal Airplanes
Fated
The Fine Art Of Falling Apart
True Love Will Find You In The End

I can hear my train coming...it's a lonesome and distant cry

2007-10-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Monday Septmeber 10 - Damien Rice @ Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto

I spent the day exploring parts of the city. Criminal Records is a really awesome store I came across that sells various indie band merch along with their assortment of cds and vinyl. In stock were many types of shirts and hoodies from artists such as Broken Social Scene, The Album Leaf, Grizzly Bear, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Neutral Milk Hotel, and countless others.

Rotate This seemed like a smaller version of Zulu Records, which also sells tickets to the various indie shows around the Toronto area.

Damien Rice was playing on this night at the newly renamed Sony Centre, formerly known as the Hummingbird Centre. Going into this, I didn't have a ticket in-hand prior and figured I would test my luck just before the sold out show. I walked up to the venue and was able to land a Row 5 ticket so inside I went to this new territory to me.

The interior halls of the venue reminded me of The Orpheum, with pictures of influential personalities and artists lining the walls upstairs. The concert was advertised as "An evening with", which meant there was no opener and Damien and company would come onstage as soon as the show started. After a bit of waiting, they took the stage and began the set with Rootless Tree.

The major set highlights for me were Amie, I Remember, and Coconut Skins...all three of which had some really crazy and drawn out jam sessions to end the songs. During Eskimo, there were balls of light surrounding the stage that resembled snowflakes. At one point, Damien unplugged his guitar, walked to the front of the stage without a mic, and sang The Blower's Daughter.

Damien was in a great mood the entire night, telling many stories and cracking an assortment of jokes throughout the performance. He mentioned that Childish is about singer/songwriters and "how they spend a lot of time up their own arse". He also told us the Mr. Penis story before playing The Professor, and recited a great story comparing a relationship he had to a can of peas. In addition, the Irish singer mentioned that after this tour, he was gonna take a break and won't be around for awhile.

The show was completely wonderful with Damien's charging and emotional lyrics, the beautifully arranged music, and the intimacy of the venue.

Set lasted 2hrs 5mins.

SETLIST:

Rootless Tree
Amie
Eskimo
Cannonball
I Remember / Bang Bang
9 Crimes
Childish
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Flaming Lips cover by Vivienne Long)
The Blower's Daughter (unplugged)
Me, My Yoke and I
Grey Room
Coconut Skins
Woman Like a Man
-----------------
Accidental Babies
Volcano
The Professor & La Fille Danse
Cheers Darlin'

***

Tuesday September 11 - City and Colour @ Danforth Music Hall

I had a look around the venue once I was inside and explored many different angles, including the very top of the balcony, to check out the sightlines. For a venue that seats about 1100 people, the views are fantastic all-around.

Attack in Black opened the night. The Dine Alone Records label mates of Dallas played a fantastic upbeat set with catchy riffs and well placed harmonies. I was really impressed with their showing.

Dallas Green took the stage on this night for the first of a four night stand at the Danforth Music Hall. He was accompanied by Spencer and Dan from Attack in Black on bass and drums. They kicked things off with Forgive Me.

It was interesting to hear the songs reworked with a backing band. Hello I'm in Delaware featured some awesome harmonies between Dallas and Spencer. Dallas mentioned that he just finished recording the new City and Colour album the previous week and that it's scheduled for a release early next year. He previewed two new songs for us on this night...both of which were wonderful.

A couple songs into the set, Spencer and Dan left the stage and Dallas pulled up a chair to sit down and play a few songs solo. This included a solid performance of Day Old Hate and Confessions, along with a Neil Young cover of Cowgirl In The Sand and Boiled Frogs from the Alexisonfire catalogue.

The guys joined Mr. Green once again during Comin' Home and followed through until the encore. Dallas came back out for one more song after the break, playing a nicely reworked version of Save Your Scissors.

Throughout the performance, Dallas was his usual funny self.....as people would randomly yell stuff at him and he would throw it back and poke fun at the audience. He would also constantly joke around with Spencer and Dan in-between songs. You could tell that he was having a lot of fun up onstage.

Set lasted 1hr 20mins.

SETLIST:

Forgive Me
Sam Malone
Hello, I'm in Delaware
new song
Day Old Hate
Confessions
Cowgirl In The Sand (Neil Young cover)
Boiled Frogs
Comin' Home
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band cover)
new song
Sometimes (I Wish)
----------------
Save Your Scissors

***

Wednesday September 12 - City and Colour @ Danforth Music Hall

Spent a few hours during the day exploring a bunch of vintage clothing stores and various other things around the city.

Back for night #2 with City and Colour. Casey Baker and the Buffalo Sinners opened on this night. Casey's Song by Dallas was named after Mr. Baker. You could tell the guys were a bit nervous playing to their largest crowd to date. They played a very brief set and had a few standout tracks. The drummer was lighting it up on the last song.

Dallas and co. played pretty much the same set as the night before...with the exception of the order switch between Delaware and one of the new songs. Once again, hearing the harmonies between Dallas and Spencer near the end of Delaware gave me shivers.

The crowd was a lot more rowdy on this night.....in part to a few bad apples ruining it for everyone else. You kinda lose the impact of a song when people are yelling during the slow, quiet parts.

Dallas of course did his best to joke with the crowd, stating he may have heard a cell phone ring during Day Old Hate...which he called a "rookie mistake". He also referred back to a comment made the previous night about Doritos.....and how a friend of a friend who was at the show heard about it and left Mr. Green a huge box of Doritos upon his arrival to the venue earlier in the day.

Other jokes were abound throughout the performance such as making fun of people in the audience who spend the show watching it behind their digital camera as they record footage to upload to youtube later. He also talked about making sure that people who take pics with their cell phone to turn off that clicking noise as it captures the picture.

Confessions was mentioned as a song written about the realization of being a jerk. As he played the new songs for us, Dallas stated that his new album is currently scheduled for a February release. He also noted the second of the new songs played as being called What Makes A Man.

Set lasted 1hr 20mins.

SETLIST:

Forgive Me
Sam Malone
new song
Hello, I'm in Delaware
Day Old Hate
Confessions
Cowgirl In The Sand (Neil Young cover)
Boiled Frogs
Comin' Home
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band cover)
What Makes A Man (new song)
Sometimes (I Wish)
----------------
Save Your Scissors

***

Thursday September 13 - City and Colour @ Danforth Music Hall

Went and caught the anti-war documentary Body Of War at the Toronto International Film Fest. The film was gripping, insightful, and emotional. Ed Vedder wrote some music for the documentary.

The Danforth was littered with a few familiar faces, amongst many new ones. Attack in Black opened again this night, which meant double duty for Spencer and Dan. I must say they've been by favourite openers so far this year to date.

Sensible Heart makes an appearance in the setlist, replacing Confessions. Boiled Frogs sounded especially fantastic on this night.

Dallas' family and girlfriend were seated near me. When a few rowdy guys nearby started acting inappropriately, Leah did a good job of getting them silent. No more interruptions from them for the rest of the show. The crowd was more behaved overall this evening over the previous night and after Sometimes, the audience gave Dallas a solid standing ovation as we waited for the encore.

Set lasted 1hr 15mins. Not as much talking and interruptions from the crowd.

SETLIST:

Forgive Me
Sam Malone
new song
Hello, I'm in Delaware
Day Old Hate
Sensible Heart
Cowgirl In The Sand (Neil Young cover)
Boiled Frogs
Comin' Home
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band cover)
What Makes A Man (new song)
Sometimes (I Wish)
----------------
Save Your Scissors

***

Friday September 14 - City and Colour @ Danforth Music Hall

Casey Baker and the Buffalo Sinners opened for the final night.

The City and Colour comedy show once again ensued with jokes on the crowd for filming the entire show and deflecting comments of love towards Mr. Green.

Dallas took the time to mention that Day Old Hate is about looking at yourself and realizing you're not as strong and that you can be a better person.

Set lasted 1hr 20mins. Same setlist as the previous night.

SETLIST:

Forgive Me
Sam Malone
new song
Hello, I'm in Delaware
Day Old Hate
Sensible Heart
Cowgirl In The Sand (Neil Young cover)
Boiled Frogs
Comin' Home
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band cover)
What Makes A Man (new song)
Sometimes (I Wish)
----------------
Save Your Scissors

Five wonderful shows down in five fantastic days. Time to fly back to the other side of the country and hop on a ferry.

When Ice Met Cream...

2007-09-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday September 2 - Tokyo Police Club @ Plaza Club

Immaculate Machine opened. Just prior to their set, I stopped by the merch booth and found they were selling a special Immaculate Machine flask. I picked it up to have a look and was convinced by Kathryn Calder to buy this item when she told me "This flask is all class". It ended up being their only one in stock.

The trio from Victoria played a 50min set that showcased their catchy riffs and a bunch of new tracks off their latest release, Fables.

Tokyo Police Club hit the stage running with Cheer It On. The Newmarket, Ontario quartet performed a ferocious set that kept the crowd jumping, dancing, and clapping the entire time.

Keyboardist and vocalist Graham Wright plays with so much intensity. His presence in Cut Cut Paste was explosive and off the wall! They played a handful of new tracks on this night.

Vocalist and bassist Dave Monks gets animated when he sings, constantly lifting a knee up. Citizens Of Tomorrow, Nature Of The Experiment, and Be Good were definite highlights as both the band and the crowd were so involved in the songs. It was great!

Being that most of their songs are around 2 minutes in length, their 45min set didn't seem so short. Infact, I was completely exhausted and spent after their physically demanding performance.....though I had so much fun in doing so. This has so been my favourite club show so far this year.

***

Wednesday September 5 - The Brunettes @ Media Club

Ferraby Lionheart was the first opening act of the evening. The recent signee to Nettwerk Records played a folk-rock set with some lush tones and harmonies.

Local dance pop-rock trio Bella were up next. They got the crowd moving to some tracks off their new soon-to-be Mint Records release.

I first saw and heard about The Brunettes just over two years ago when they opened for Rilo Kiley at Richard's. They put on a show-stealing set that night and won many people over. Everyone I talked to at this show mentioned the same thing, that they were blown away by the Auckland, New Zealand duo during their first Vancouver stop in 2005.

The Brunettes kicked off their set with Structure and Cosmetics, followed by the very upbeat song Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth.

Heather Mansfield is a multi-talented musician, with duties on vox, keyboards, clarinet, glockenspiel and harmonica. As you can imagine, their setup and soundcheck took some time to get the levels just right. One of their backing band members even utilized a kick pedal that was connected to a tambourine!

Their new single, Her Hairagmai Set, sounded wonderful. The band is a complete pleasure to watch, especially with all their funky instruments and ethusiasm onstage. As with last time, trumpet player Harry Cundy was a hit with the crowd, amusing us with his funny banter. Set lasted 1hr.

***

Friday September 7 - Wolf Parade @ Richard's

Holy Fuck opened the evening. The quintet from Toronto played a blend of fuzzed out electronica that was quite intense.

The Montreal based Wolf Parade entertained the sold out Richard's crowd with their indie prog-rock stylings. The last time I saw them, they were opening for Arcade Fire and missed their soundcheck as they were stuck in traffic on the highway en route to the venue. They also didn't have a setlist prepared for said show so they had to wing it onstage.

This night was a bit different and the quintet were able to devote their full attention to the performance. Vocalist and guitarist Dan Boeckner helped lead the charge as the Sub Pop mainstays introduced an array of new songs to the welcoming crowd.

With Dan also in Handsome Furs and vocalist-keyboardist Spencer Krug having his own side project Sunset Rubdown, the guys still showed no signs of burn out and slowing down...at least not on this night. I really enjoyed the new song Soliders, as well as It's A Curse and I'll Believe In Anything.

Set lasted 1hr 15mins.

Note: first song during encore was This Heart's On Fire, which is not written on the setlist.

At Least That's What You Said

2007-09-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

Monday August 20 - Wilco @ Malkin Bowl

We arrived in time to catch the last bit of Richard Swift's set. The California native had a good sense of humour as he laid down his witty, pop-rock tracks.

Wilco took the stage to a nice Vancouver reception. The last time they played in town was 2004, not including Jeff Tweedy's solo acoustic stop at the Commodore last year. The guys kicked things off with Side With The Seeds and You Are My Face, two selections off their newest release. A loud applause followed as the opening notes to I Am Trying To Break Your Heart were played.

Guitarist Nels Cline was on fire this night. You couldn't tell that he was still getting over his case of the chickenpox by the way he was playing with such intensity.....what a trooper. He was incredible to watch, especially on his solos during Handshake Drugs and Impossible Germany.

Before playing Too Far Apart, Tweedy mentioned that they haven't played the song since aroud 1995.....so when he forgot the lyrics partway through, everyone shrugged it off with a good laugh. The guys sounded extremely tight together, feeding off each other's energy. Other highlights from their 2hr set included War On War, Jesus Inc., and Via Chicago.

SETLIST:

Side With The Seeds
You Are My Face
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Kamera
Handshake Drugs
A Shot in the Arm
Pot Kettle Black
Impossible Germany
Sky Blue Sky
Too Far Apart
Via Chicago
War on War
Jesus, etc.
Walken
I'm The Man Who Loves You
I'm Always in Love
-----------------
Red-Eyed and Blue
I Got You (At The End of the Century)
Monday
Poor Places
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
-----------------
Hate It Here
The Late Greats
Heavy Metal Drummer

The National + Canada Day Festival

2007-09-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Friday June 29 - The National @ Richard's

I'm glad I found out the set times before heading down to the show as The Broken West couldn't get across the border. With no opener, some of the audience waited 2.5 hrs between door time and show time.....brutal.

Once The National came onstage and opened with Start A War, the crowd seemed to have forgotten about the lengthy wait and just flowed with the music. Matt Berninger has such a unique posture when he sings, with his tall frame hunched over the microphone and his left hand silently placed under his right arm. He sings with emotion on his sleeves, and with such intensity during Mr. November that his words seep into my veins.

Another treat to watch is violinist and keyboardist Padma Newsome. His energy onstage is all-consuming and he plays with pure heart. The Brooklyn natives showcased songs from their critically acclaimed newest release Boxer, as well as playing such favourites as Secret Meeting, Waspnest, and All The Wine. They finished off their encore with a stunning performance of About Today, complete with ferocious violin and guitar riffs.

Set lasted 1hr 30mins.

***

Surrey Canada Day Festival

Arcade Fire + In-Flight Safety + Architecture In Helsinki + The Pipettes + Wil

2007-08-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday May 24 - Arcade Fire @ Deer Lake Park

We arrived at Deer Lake Park in time to catch the last bit of St. Vincent's set. Annie Clark was supported by a large backing band, and the multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter left a good impression on me with what I heard of her set.

I had just seen the Arcade Fire play a stunning performance a month prior at Coachella, and on this night it was no different. The Montreal natives were out in full force accompanied with their video screens, lighting, and stage props. They delivered a show filled with such strong energy, intensity and emotion.

One of my main highlights for any Arcade Fire show is watching Richard Reed Parry and William Butler go absolutely ballistic on Neighbourhood #2 (Laika), throwing their instruments and using various parts of the stage and themselves as a surface for their drumming.

Regine Chassagne commands a great presence, especially during her playful self in Haiti. Violinist and backing vocalist Sarah Neufeld is a pleasure to watch onstage, full of life and dancing the entire time.

Other highlights for me during the 1hr 30min set were Keep The Car Running, No Cars Go, Rebellion, and Wake Up.

SETLIST:

Black Mirror
Keep The Car Running
No Cars Go
Haiti
Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)
Black Wave / Bad Vibrations
In The Backseat
Intervention
Antichrist Television Blues
Ocean Of Noise
Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)
The Well And The Lighthouse
Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
-------
My Body Is A Cage
Wake Up

***

Saturday June 9

Did a CD Release show for some fantastic musicians, which turned out to be my last show at The Lamplighter before it closed down.

***

Tuesday June 12 - Young Galaxy and In-Flight Safety @ The Media Club

The venue was full and there were many family and friends in attendance to show their support and welcome home the duo in Young Galaxy. The Arts and Crafts signees, comprised of couple Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless formed the project in Vancouver before moving east to Montreal to record their debut album. They mentioned that this was their most important gig to date as they were playing infront of so many close people in their lives.

Their set was filled with dreamy pop-rock songs such as "Swing Your Heartache" and "The Sun's Coming Up and My Plane's Going Down". There were some nice harmonies and they reminded me of Stars. Props to Stephen Ramsay playing the show despite having his hand in a cast.

It's unfortunate that most of the family and friends of the first band didn't stick around to catch the In-Flight Safety set. I first saw the Halifax quartet last November and they blew me away with their well-crafted atmospheric rock songs. Singer John Mullane does a soild job making you feel the lyrics he's singing.

The guys have a Vancouver tie as well, as a few of the tracks off their debut LP were recorded by Warne Livesey in the city. They played a few new songs during their 1hr set, which was highlighted by Surround, Fear, and Coast Is Clear.

***

Thursday June 14 - Architecture In Helsinki @ Richard's

Yacht opened the evening at Richard's. The solo artist performed a set of interpretive dance and spoken word backed by his pre-recorded music samples. He had some pretty sweet dance moves and even stopped during one of his songs and did an impromptu q and a session with the audience. It was good times.

The playful folks from Architecture In Helsinki came on next and started things off with Red Turned White. The collective from Australia performed a fun filled set with their orchestral pop numbers.

There were some sound problems with the monitors during the set but the band still kept a great level of energy going. It'5 had many in the audience dancing, as did Nevereverdid during the encore.

Set lasted 1hr 10mins with one encore.

***

Friday June 15 - The Pipettes @ Plaza Club

The girls from Smoosh opened the show. It was my third time seeing them this year in an opening slot. They once again played their nice cover of Bloc Party's This Modern Love.

I've wanted to see The Pipettes since I first heard them over a year ago. Their blend of 60's girl pop is absolutely infectious and you can't help but wanna dance everytime you hear their songs.

The British trio came onstage supported by a four piece backing band and opened with Don't Forget Me. Their choreographed moves are simple and easy to imitate.....which the ladies do intentionally so the audience can follow along and get involved in the show.

Songs like Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me, Pull Shapes, Dirty Mind, and ABC were highlights for me during the 1hr set.

For their encore, the ladies brought onstage the members of Smoosh as this was their last tour stop together. Together, they sang and danced the night out with We Are The Pipettes.

***

Tuesday June 19 - Wil @ VECC

Leeroy Stagger opened the show. He played a solo acoustic folk rock set that sat well with me. I could feel a lot of raw emotion in his songs.

Wil was touring in support of his new album, his first major label release. No Pat Steward on this night as the Calgary native was also sporting a new support band, which included Ryan Dahle on guitar. It was only the third show together for this new lineup so there were a few noticeable things to improve upon.

Still, Wil and his tremendous vocals and guitar skills can never disappoint. Ryan and him had a really awesome guitar duo during the performance. Honey Pie sounded really good too. Set lasted 1hr 40mins with one encore.

***

Saturday June 23

Put on a rock fundraiser event with the folks from CFOX to raise money for diabetes research. It ended up being my last event at The Buffalo Club before it closed down. We're losing way too many venues in this city.

Jonesy and the 2 Elephants

2007-07-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Friday May 18 to Sunday May 20 - Wedding on Bowen Island

Such a fun weekend filled with many great memories...

***

Monday May 21 - Virgin Music Fest @ Thunderbird Stadium

Metric Setlist:

Monster Hospital
The List
Poster Of A Girl
Up In Flames
Rock Me Now
Hustle Rose
Stadium Love
Combat Baby

John Mayer + NMW Showcase + VECC + BRMC + Stag + Feist

2007-07-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday May 1 - John Mayer @ Pacific Coliseum

Kathleen Edwards opened the show. The Ontario native warmed up the crowd with her acoustic pop-rock numbers.

John Mayer and his seven piece band played an entertaining set. Mayer as usual showcased his fine skills as a very talented guitarist. Highlights included Slow Dancing In A Burning Room, Bigger Than My Body, The Heart Of Life, the nice extended intro to Vultures, and the long outro jam to Gravity.

Set lasted 1hr 35mins.

SETLIST:

Belief
No Such Thing
Good Love Is On the Way
Slow Dancing In A Burning Room
Clarity
Waiting On The World To Change
Bigger Than My Body
The Heart of Life
Vultures
I Don't Need No Doctor
Why Georgia
Gravity
----------
Your Body Is A Wonderland
I'm Gonna Find Another You

***

Thursday May 3

Went to see some friends perform a New Music West Showcase at The Penthouse. It's definitely not an ideal venue choice for live music, which made it an interesting experience.

***

Friday May 4 - Getting ready for the show

***

Saturday May 12 - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Richard's

The Fratellis were scheduled to open but cancelled...so BRMC played a longer set. 1hr 45mins in total including their 2 encores. The lighting for the show was intense.

Highlights for me were Berlin, Spread Your Love, 666 Conducer, and the two solo acoustic songs played during the encore.

***

Sunday May 13 - Someone's Getting Married

***

Wednesday May 16 - Feist @ Orpheum

Chad VanGaalen opened the show. The Calgary native had a few decent songs. His vocals sound distinct. It was interesting to watch him strum some powerchords full of distortion while he played the harmonica. He also had some Tokyo Police Club-esqu abrupt endings to his songs where he would stop playing...then his band would just stop.

Feist came on and opened her set with Honey Honey followed by I Feel It All. She used lots of vocal and guitar looping during the set. I really liked the end of My Moon My Man where she looped her bird chirping whistles and had it continue into The Park...stopping just as the vocals kicked in for the song.

Before performing One Evening, the part-time Broken Social Scene Member mentioned she hadn't played the song in over 2 years. She forgot some of the words during the song so she would just hum at certain points.

Feist had lots of audience interaction during the set and encouraged many sing-alongs. She also had some funny crowd banter....noticing at one point all the cameras in the audience and saying she would check youtube later. She also asked an audience member why they would want to take a picture of her while she was in a weird pose.

Highlights for me during the 1hr 35min set included The Park and Let It Die. She finally had the seated crowd standing for the rockin' Sea Lion Woman. The encore ended with Mushaboom followed by Brandy Alexander.

Coachella Day 1

2007-06-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

Thursday April 26

We arrived in L.A. in the afternoon, picked up our rental car, then headed towards Santa Monica. There was a bit of time before meeting up with a friend so we hit up the Santa Monica Pier for a nice stroll.

The Pier had some cool structures and workout gear. It was fun doing pull-ups on the beach.

We then met up with our friend and had some dinner. Before heading towards our destination of Indio, we grabbed some groceries for the weekend and made an impromptu stop to have the best ice cream sandwich ever.

Their recipe is so simple but the result is like a taste explosion. You get your choice of two freshly baked cookies along with your desired flavour of ice cream. I had rocky road sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies that were literally taken straight from the oven the second it was made.....it tasted like heaven. Best $1.25 I've ever spent!

Afterwards, we began our trek towards the Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA. Nearing arrival, it was hard to miss the long beams of light that were shooting straight towards the sky.....a sign that we had made it.

We arrived at the Coachella parking/campground area around 1am in the morning thinking it would be a bit quiet as people rested and prepared for the next three days ahead.....nope, that didn't happen. As we entered the parking area, it was littered with thousands of cars and what seemed like endless rows of vehicles.

After stepping out of the car and walking towards the campsite, you could clearly see thousands of people milling about and carrying their gear for the weekend. We had a brief check-in and registration and were assigned to the Camp J area for our tent. The campgrounds were organized alphabetically in rows and alignments to somewhat help the campers locate their area of residence for the festival. They also had on-site camp counselors to answer questions and make sure you were setting up the tent in your proper area and within fire and safety regulations.

After that was done, we wandered around the camping grounds to get familiar with our surroundings and take in some late night entertainment. We quickly stumbled upon a large drum circle that was happening.

Unfortunately, the cops came and busted it up shortly afterwards. I passed out that night around 4am.

----------------------

Friday April 27

So I wake up from the glaring sun shining down on our tent along with a bunch of noise going on outside, thinking I must have slept in.....I look at my watch and it's only just after 7am. What? I've only been asleep for 3 hours.....son of a bee sting! I then fall back asleep and wake up again two hours later.....there's no way I could have slept any longer after that as the tent was boiling inside from the sun. The average temperature that weekend in Indio was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.....about 40 degrees Celsius.

After a bit of work, we made a small shading area for our tent and met up with two other friends and helped them get setup. We also spent some time chilling out, eating a bit, and playing some cards before heading into the festival grounds.

Entering Coachella...

What's neat about Coachella is that it's a whole music and arts festival experience that showcases many different genres of music along with one of a kind artistic sculptures and creations. With 5 stages spread across the festival grounds, they always have different genres of music playing simultaneously so that it offers something for everyone.

The first act we caught at the festival was Tokyo Police Club at the Mojave Tent. The guys from Newmarket, Ontario put on an impressive set filled with their catchy two minute songs. It's pretty amazing to think that they're playing such high profile gigs and festivals in support of only a 7 song 16min EP. They had a really good turnout for their set too.

After TPC, we chilled for a bit in the shade and grabbed a bite to eat. Nickel Creek was play adjacent at the Outdoor theatre so I listened to some of their set as we relaxed. They have more of a bluegrass feel.

Up next at the Outdoor Theatre was Of Montreal. Kevin Barnes and company entertained the crowd with some costume changes and their alternative psychedelic pop sound. They had some sound problems with their monitors but worked through it and the audience was having fun.

The 40 ft. tall three legged creature titled I.T.

After the set, we were off to the Gobi Tent to catch some Amy Winehouse. There was a huge crowd for her set that overflowed to outside of the tent. We stayed for the first half of her set, not wanting to leave the soulful jazz and blues singer.....but it was off to meet up with others and catch the Arctic Monkeys rock the Coachella Main Stage.

On our way there, we were distracted by this colorful dome with an inviting entrance.....so we entered. It starts off with a tall walkway, which slowly gets shorter and shorter until you pretty much have to crawl til you reach the centre area.

Walking back out to the opening chords of I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.....we headed to the main stage to catch the British quartet. Their songs are quite upbeat and catchy, though frontman Alex Turner could work on his stage presence a bit more. There's a noticeable sound bleed between the Coachella Stage and the Outdoor Theatre at times so we could hear some of Stephen Marley's set in-between songs.

The Megamite Army walking through the crowd.

We then went and grabbed some dinner from the concessions and watched a bit of The Jesus and Mary Chain while we ate. After that, it was over to the Outdoor Theatre to catch Peaches and her mix of rap, hip-hop and rock sounds. She's quite an eccentric performer and also managed to climb the scaffold on the side of the stage.

After Peaches, I spent the next hour wandering the venue and doing some exploring. I finally took my first washroom break of the day. Despite drinking loads of fluids to stay hydrated, it was so hot throughout the day that I basically sweated everything out.

Interpol was up next at the Coachella Stage. I stayed for part of their set, then headed off to the Outdoor Theatre to catch Sonic Youth. Unfortunately, Sonic Youth's set was delayed by around 25mins as it apparently took a long time for Jarvis Cocker to get set up shortly beforehand. It was nice for me to finally see Sonic Youth live.

I then headed over to see Bjork at the Coachella Stage. The Icelandic artist performed with a large supporting band and was sporting an interesting costume. After exiting the stage with a long wait, she came back and did a one song encore.

DJ Shadow was spinning some tunes still after Bjork so I made my way over to the Outdoor Theatre to finish off the night. His set ended around 12:30am.

Walking by the empty Gobi Tent at the end of the night...

The Big Round Cubatron consists of 6720 lights arranged in a cylinder 40 ft in diameter by 10 ft tall. It's solar powered and runs at night only.

We hung out for a bit back at camp and I went to sleep around 2:30am that night.

Favourite sets of the day: Tokyo Police Club, Amy Winehouse.

These are the performances I caught on Day 1 of Coachella.

Coachella Day 2

2007-06-18T17:17:00.001-07:00

Saturday April 28

I woke up around 8am.....which meant I got a bit more sleep than the day before. After being in the sun the whole previous day, I headed for the showers. It was a really long wait.....I waited in line for a good hour. The sun was already blazing at the time so I'm so glad I put on some sunblock before leaving the tent to stand in line. One of the guys near me mentioned he came from Alaska and this was by far the hottest weather he's ever been in. He said he was pretty much dying out there in the sun.

After the shower, we chilled out for a bit back at camp. I left for the festival grounds early just after 12pm to catch my first set of the day.

Fields opened up the Mojave Tent for Day 2. The quintet from England combines boy/girl harmonies with synthesizers and swirling guitar sounds. I was quite impressed with their showing.

Sunflower Robots that take in solar energy during the day and light up at night.

After Fields, I hit up the Gobi Tent to catch some shade and the Puerto Rican musical stylings of Yeva. There were nine of them onstage and they had a refreshing tribal sound filled with percussions.

The Cribs were playing at the Mojave Tent so I wandered over to catch the last bit of their performance.

The festival had an Energy Factory zone where you can ride a stationary bike to convert your energy and recharge your cell phone.

Went to see Steve Aoki spin some tunes in the Sahara Tent.

Chewie & Esmerelda, a 25 ft long two-headed dragon.

Back to Mojave to catch The Fratellis, who had a warm reception and large crowd.

After that, I trekked over to the Coachella Stage to take in Regina Spektor. Regina played the first few songs of her set solo, before being joined by her band. Having seen her shortly before Coachella in an intimate setting at the Commodore, it was nice to see her perform in a different type of atmosphere. I thought she put on a solid set and handled the large crowd very well. She finished her set by playing That Time and Samson solo.

Regina Spektor Setlist:

Ain't No Cover
Poor Little Rich Boy
Us
On The Radio
Better
Sailor Song
Apres Moi
Fidelity
Your Honor
Hotel Song
Bobbing for Apples
That Time
Samson

I grabbed a burger and relaxed in the shade shortly before Travis hit the stage. The Saturday 5pm-6pm slot was the busiest one of the festival for me and the hardest to decide (with Travis, The New Pornographers, MSTRKRFT, and Peter Bjorn & John all playing at the same time at one point). Having wanted to see Travis for awhile and thinking they wouldn't be playing Vancouver anytime soon, I decided to go with the Scottish quartet.

Travis played a set filled with their Britpop influenced songs and entertained the crowd with numbers such as Writing To Reach You, Driftwood, and Turn.

Travis Setlist:

U16 Girls
Writing To Reach You
Eyes Wide Open
Selfish Dream
Love Will Come Through
Sing
Driftwood
Closer
Side
All I Wanna Do Is Rock
Turn
Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

After the Travis set, I quickly headed over to catch the last portion of the Peter Bjorn & John performance. The Decemberists were scheduled to play at the Outdoor Theatre the minute the PB&J performance ended at Mojave so I had to watch the clock closely. The Swedish Trio had a few minutes left and ended their set with a long outro jam.

I must note that trying to manoeuvre quickly through 60,000+ plus people in 100 degree heat, with many people passed out on the grass in your way, can be challenging at times.

Okay.....so I get to The Decemberists set on time and Colin and company open with Crane Wife 3. At one point, he started an impromptu Coachella Dance Party which featured 3 dance circles. At the end of the set Colin thanks us for his first Coachella and said, "Now go see the Arcade Fire for Christ's sake".....and with that comment, everyone headed over to the Coachella Stage.

Sunset during The Decemberists.

It felt like everyone and their neighbor were at the main stage to see Arcade Fire.....man it was crowded. The Montreal export delivered my favourite set of the day. The atmosphere was electric and their performance was intense. Watching Richard Reed Parry and Will Butler go absolutely nuts on Laika was quite a sight to see.

Their set lasted 1hr 10mins

Arcade Fire Setlist:

Keep The Car Running
Black Mirror
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
Haiti
Intervention
Ocean Of Noise
Antichrist Television Blues
My Body Is A Cage
Wake Up
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
No Cars Go

After their set, I found some sweet Calamari at the concessions and relaxed before the Chili Peppers came on.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers had the most intricate lighting rig of the festival. They've been using this setup for their Stadium Arcadium tour and brought it along to Indio to the delight of many in the crowd. My favourite song of the set was John Frusciante's solo cover of Fleetwood Mac's Songbird. Can't Stop and By The Way were fun. It was funny watching a guy near me with his head in the trash can puking pretty hard as Anthony Kiedis sang the words to Under The Bridge. The guy who was obviously wasted then took his head out of the garbage and tried to walk away all cool like nothing happened.....it was priceless!

RHCP Setlist:
Can't Stop
Dani California
Otherside
Readymade
Throw Away Your Television
Songbird
Snow (Hey Oh)
Get On Top
She's Only 18
Higher Ground
I Feel Love/This Velvet Glove
Don't Forget Me
Give It Away
C'Mon Girl
Under The Bridge
By The Way

After the RHCP performance, I bought an extremely overpriced Haagen Dazs bar, then entered the DJ Dome that had a bunch of trippy ravers in it. Throughout the festival, there was quite a significant sound bleed from the dome that could be heard if you were watching sets from the outskirts of the Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, and the Gobi Tent.

Inside a separate smaller dome located between the Mojave and Sahara Tents.

I then headed off to watch The Rapture completely rock the Sahara Tent. It was a huge dance party inside that only got bigger as the set progressed.

The Rapture set was going really well and I thought about staying until the end, but this was my only chance to catch The Good, The Bad and The Queen.....so I made my way to the Outdoor Theatre. There weren't too many people once I got there. In the background, you can hear the sound of Tiesto's beats eminating from the Coachella Stage. Still, it was nice to just sit back and close out the long night watching Damon Albarn along with Paul Simonon from The Clash working together on this new project.

The guys played their complete debut album from front to back and had a string section with two violins and a cello for their performance. Their set ended at 12:35am.

After the show, I was on my way back to camp when I stumbled upon a small dance party that was happening on a side performance stage.

Back to camp to hang out for a bit and discuss the events of Day 2 before passing out.

Favourite sets of the day: Arcade Fire, Fields, Regina Spektor, The Rapture.

These are the performances I caught on Day 2 of Coachella.

Coachella Day 3

2007-06-18T17:07:00.001-07:00

Sunday April 29

I wake up on the final day of Coachella just after 7am. I went for a shower in the morning, waiting only 35mins this time.....pretty good considering the lengthy wait the day before.

We hung out and played our newest card game invention, Joe Rumi.....and made some taco and salsa sandwiches.

We planned on booking it out of the festival grounds after the show so we packed up and got everything set before entering through the Coachella gates one last time.

We entered the gates just after 1pm and started off with a nice burger before hitting up Tapes 'n Tapes. Singer Josh Grier was sporting a cool mullet.

Caught a few songs from Grizzly Bear on our way over to see Explosions In The Sky.

One more trek inside the funky dome.

Explosions in the Sky played an excellent set that was dramatic and filled with intense climaxes. Your Hand In Mine was spectacular. Their performance lasted 40mins, a bit short as they still had 10 minutes alloted for them in their set.

After EitS, I headed off to catch Junior Boys at the Mojave Tent.

I scored a lamb gyro then was off to meet up with others for the Kaiser Chiefs when I bumped into Hotshot The Robot. Hotshot is a fully interactive sentient being that roams the Coachella festival and interacts with the crowd. He actually engages in full conversations with people.....pretty cool stuff.

Chilled out on the grass and watched the Kaiser Chiefs.

This toddler was enjoying its first Coachella.....and wearing headphones to protect the ears.

After the Kaiser Chiefs, I went to catch some Willie Nelson at the Coachella Stage. It was fun watching Willie enjoying himself onstage as he played with his sons in the band.

The last sunset of Coachella 2007.

The Megamite Army strolling Day 3.

The Klaxons entertained the masses at the Mojave Tent with their rave rock sound.

This guy had the coolest backpack I saw at Coachella.....good old Yoda.

After the Klaxons set, I weaved my way through the heavy crowd towards the Coachella stage. In the background, I could hear "Hey now, hey now, don't dream it's over".....which meant Crowded House had taken the stage. I watched a few songs from the newly reunited band before heading back over to the Mojave Tent to catch Lily Allen.

During the set, Lily messed up on some lyrics and without hesitant mentioned to the crowd that she was high. She also made some inappropriate comments during the performance. She did do an interesting cover of Blondie's Heart Of Glass.

Lily Allen Setlist:

LDN
Nan You're a Window Shopper
Friday Night
Knock 'Em Out
Littlest Things
Cheryl Tweedy
Everything's Just Wonderful
Not Big
Smile
Heart Of Glass (Blondie cover)
Alfie

After her set, I stopped by the Sahara Tent one last time and then went to grab a chicken gyro.

The Clockwork Menagerie

I arrived at the Outdoor Theatre with a bit of time in hand to get ready for Damien Rice. Unfortunately, Air was still playing when I got there.....finishing their set 20 minutes late. They took a really long time to setup. This presented a problem as Damien's set was scheduled to end just as Rage Against The Machine would take the stage.....and I knew getting over to the main stage while stuck in the enormous crowd would take miracles.

Damien started at 10:10pm.....20 minutes later than scheduled and opened with The Professor & La Fille Danse. He also played Volcano and Woman Like A Man before I proceeded to exit the pit and make my way over to the Coachella Stage. Not wanting to miss any of Rice's set if possible, I stood at the middle point between the two outdoor stages and watched the last ten minutes of Damien's set there. With all the delays, he only played for 30mins and closed with The Blower's Daughter.

Rage Against The Machine came out to an absolutely deafening applause and cheer. Before coming out, they showed an intro video on the screens of the guys getting ready to hit the stage. This was their first show together in seven years so the tension all weekend was high leading to this climax. The L.A. foursome took the stage and opened with Testify, followed by a rockin' Bulls On Parade. The crowd was going insane.

For a band that's been gone for so long, they sounded pretty tight. Zack De La Rocha was bleeding with intensity and delivered his lyrics with passion. Tom Morello, having played the day earlier under his side project The Nightwatchman, showed no signs of fatigue and ripped through his riffs with full-on aggression. The guys definitely lived up to and exceeded all the hype and build-up surrounding this performance.

The set was pounding from start to finish, not letting up once. Wake Up featured a lengthy monologue by Zack addressing the current U.S. administration and their occupation of Iraq. The guys came back for an encore and closed out the night and Coachella with Freedom and Killing In The Name.

Set lasted 1hr 20mins.

Rage Against The Machine Setlist:

Testify
Bulls On Parade
People Of The Sun
Bombtrack
Bullet In Your Head
Know Your Enemy
Down Rodeo
Guerrilla Radio
Renegades Of Funk
Calm Like A Bomb
Sleep Now In The Fire
Wake Up
----------
Freedom
Killing In The Name

After the show, we all eventually met up at the car in the parking lot and began heading out of Indio.....with thoughts of everything that's transpired over the last three days, along with visions of coming back the next year to do it all over again.

Favourite sets of the day: Rage Against The Machine, Explosions in the Sky, Klaxons.

These are the performances I caught on Day 3 of Coachella.

We spent the night crashing in the comfort of our friend's place in Simi Valley, a lovely area by the way.

-------------------

Monday April 30

We woke up in the morning and with the day to kill before our flight home, headed over to Amoeba Records. Upon entering it, I realized it's probably the largest music store I've been in to date. It's filled with a massive collection of mainstream and indie music, and everything in-between you could think of. They also have a great collection of used CDs and cassettes.

Along with that, Amoeba regularly has musicians stopping by to do free in-store performances. Andrew Bird, who played Day 2 of Coachella, was scheduled to perform in-store the evening we were there.....unfortunately, we had a flight scheduled to leave at that time. Anyways, I'll have to catch some shows there the next time I'm in the L.A. area.

Some Coachella 2007 Facts and Figures:

Acres (event): 78
Acres (camping): 40
Acres (parking): 200
Staff (behind the scenes): 300
Staff (food and beverage): 600
Staff (security): 450
Staff (groundskeepers): 170
2007 Budget: $15,000,000+
Estimated Coachella Festival Attendance over 3 days: 165,000

I can't take my mind off of you...

2007-04-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Went to see Damien Rice play a sold out show Tuesday night at The Centre For Performing Arts. It was my first time at the venue. We arrived inside just as Damien was finishing up his opening song Me, My Yoke and I. He then moved to the piano to play 9 Crimes. No Lisa Hannigan in the lineup as she and Damien have recently decided to part ways creatively, with Lisa now pursuing her own artistic endeavours. Vyvienne Long however did a fantastic job on cello, as did the rest of the backing band.

Damien's performance of I Remember was fantastic and breathtaking as the song built up into a climax of distorted vocals and fuzzed out guitar riffs.....along with some crazy lighting effects. It was interesting to watch Rice use all these guitar effects on his acoustic.

Delicate had many people in tears. Volcano, Rootless Tree, and Coconut Skins were great. Damien mentioned he was playing all these depressing songs but joked that he isn't depressed. Some audience requests occurred with a performance of The Professor being granted.....which then transitioned into La Fille Danse.

The venue acoustics were excellent with the music and vocals sounding crisp. At one point, someone shouted "Go Canucks!"...which Damien thought was "Go canoes!?"....then "Thought you said Go Nuts!"...then he showed a going nuts crazy motion.

Damien came out for the encore and played The Blower's Daughter. After the song, he unplugged his guitar, walked to the front of the stage and performed Cannonball without a mic. A great moment as most people remained silent, until some joined in on the last chorus. The show was capped off with Cheers Darlin' playing in the background and Damien sitting at the front of the stage with a cigarette in hand and drinking wine. He also had a waiter right onstage that would pour Damien refills during the song. Overall, a really fantastic and intense performance filled with a lot of emotion.

***

Okay.....off to the airport for Coachella!!!

Shake The Sheets

2007-04-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

Caught Ted Leo play an all-out rockin' show at Richard's last Wednesday. Opening for them was Love Of Diagrams. The Australian trio kicked off the night with a set filled with some raw sounding and catchy riffs along with a groovin' bass tone.

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists wasted no time in getting the crowd moving along to their beats. The music was aggressive and straight up rockin' and rollin'; the lyrics were intelligent and thoughtful. Ted was battling a cold but still kept the crowd involved with his interaction and storytelling.

The songs off the new album translated well live, especially The Sons Of Cain, The Unwanted Things, A Bottle Of Buckie, and The Lost Brigade. The inside of Richard's was getting pretty warm by the end but overall, it was an enjoyable night. Set lasted 1hr 30mins with one encore.

***

Did a show with Catlow on Thursday.

The folks from London Spy were also impressive.....really liked the cello in their sound.

***

Saw Regina Spektor at the Commodore Saturday night. A solo artist named Only Son opened the evening. His music didn't do much for me.....his vocals were also a bit off key at times.

Some friends found a great way to keep entertained during the long 40min set changeover.

Regina Spektor came onstage to a very welcoming ovation from the sold out Commodore crowd. It was her first time in Vancouver and she commented on the beauty of this city. She opened with Ain't No Cover a cappella, then sat down at her piano and began the opening notes to On The Radio.

Regina's solo performance was accompanied by mainly just her piano, while strapping on an electric for a few songs such as on That Time. She mentioned that her guitar had been lost on her flight into Canada and was playing a new one for this show. Regina then gracefully decided to name the guitar "Vanc" after Vancouver.

Hearing her live in person, you can clearly feel the sound of her voice as it's so full of range and beauty. Her performance of Better was full of intimacy.....Us and Fidelity drew me in close.

For the encore, Regina included a cover of John Lennon's Real Love. She ended her 1hr 20min set with the emotional Samson.

***

Flowers Falling From Dying Hands

2007-04-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

Went to see The Appleseed Cast play at Richard's Tuesday night. The venue was kinda sparse, less than half-full.

Love And Mathematics opened. I'm glad I checked the set times before we left since the show didn't start until 2hrs after doors. The local trio had some dreamy guitar riffs and some nice layering to their songs.

The Appleseed Cast finally made their first ever Vancouver stop after releasing six albums. The Kansas based quartet had some solid guitar structures in their pieces, producing an epic wall of sound at times.

Drummer Aaron Coker was a bit off in keeping time during a few songs. I don't mind drummers getting flashy during performances as long as they don't get off beat, as it can throw everyone else off.....though he did get better as the set progressed. Some highlights from the evening included Hanging Marionette, Fight Song, and Innocent Vigilant Ordinary. Set lasted 1hr 30mins with one encore.

***

Back at Richard's on Friday to catch David Usher play to a sold out crowd. The supporting band for David has been revamped. Gone are Julie Galiatsos on backing vocals and Lindsey Hilliard on violin. The new sleeker lineup allows for a more raw sounding rock feel.....though I personally liked the old lineup better as Julie and Lindsey added a new dimension to the songs and created a fuller sound. Also, bassist Jeff Pearce is now focusing more on producing duties and has been replaced by a guy that everyone thought looked remarkably like Ben Stiller.....No Blue Steel poses though during the show.

David mentioned that he lost his voice a few nights earlier at a gig in Red Deer and had not spoken for the last four days. For his first day back talking and singing, his vocals held up quite well during the set. Usher also had great interaction with the crowd, going and singing into the audience a few times in addition to walking across the nearby bar countertops to sing to the balcony and the other side of the room.

The highlight of the set for me was when they rocked out to Push, one way back from the early Moist days. They also did their attempt at Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. David did a really cool and hypnotic dance while covered in flashing lights at the end of Everything Is All Right By Me Now.....you could clearly see he was drained from the dancing as he transitioned into the next song.

My Way Out, Love Will Save The Day and Devil By My Side were also standouts. After finishing the encore with St. Lawrence River, he and his band left the stage one more time only to return again and end off with F Train. Pretty short performance for a 2 encore set that lasted just 1hr 15mins. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable show and is always a pleasure watching David Usher perform live.

After that ended, I headed off to do a show at The Media Club. Everyone did a fantastic job and I had a chance to work with Christian Thor Valdson, so that was pretty special for me. Christian is doing good and keeping busy with a few things, including working on a solo album and raising two kids.

WrestleMania 23 Trip

2007-04-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

Spent last weekend in Detroit enjoying WrestleMania 23 and its festivities. I arrived in the Detroit area Friday night on March 30th and took it easy, getting ready for the next 2 days. On Saturday, I headed to downtown Detroit to take in some sight-seeing.

Next, I stopped by Ford Field to enjoy the pre-WrestleMania Fan Axxess session.

This restaurant had some super tasty Greek food. The lamb was delicious.

After dinner, I headed to Fox Theatre to attend the WWE Hall Of Fame Ceremony. It's an annual tradition held the night before WrestleMania that honors influential legends who have helped to pave the way for the business. It was nice to see everyone all dressed up and all the wrestlers enjoying themselves and relaxing with their families 24hrs before the big event.

Each induction was special in its own way. Don Muraco shared some great road stories as he inducted Mr. Fuji. I really enjoyed Steve Austin's speech as he introduced Jim Ross. Jim was very open and honest in his emotional speech.

Baseball great Wade Boggs had the distinction of inducting his good friend, the late Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig. Wade shared a story of a hunting trip he took with Curt and how Mr. Perfect saved his life. Wade was bleeding profusely at the time and would have bled to death if not for the aid and bravery of his friend.....this was echoed by members in the audience that shouted "The Perfect Friend".....haha!

Things were also kept a bit lighthearted when members of Curt's family came out to give a speech, as shouts of "The Perfect Daddy" and "The Perfect Family" could be heard throughout Fox Theatre. Hennig was very much loved amongst his peers and fans and is greatly missed. I'm very honored to have met him shortly before his passing, and his match at SummerSlam '91 against Bret Hart still remains one of my all-time favourites.

The American Dream Dusty Rhodes was inducted by his sons Dustin and Cody. When Dusty came out, it was the first time that he and his two sons were seen together onstage so they shared a very special moment. Rhodes had a fantastic speech that helped to show why he's hailed as one of the greatest talkers in the business. Many standing ovations were had as he acknowledged some other greats in the crowd such as Harley Race, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ricky Steamboat, and Triple H.

I had a good sleep and woke up Sunday morning ready for one of the biggest events I've had the opportunity to be a part of.....WrestleMania 23. It's what everyone in the industry works for, the culmination of 364 days of hard work to get to this one special day.

Arriving at Ford Field shortly before doors, the streets were completely packed with people that came from all over to witness WrestleMania. In total, people traveled from all 50 U.S. States, 9 Canadian provinces, and 24 countries around the world to be a part of this event. I met some great people including Sign Guy Rick, some guys from the Okanagan and Alberta, two guys from Toronto dressed in Canucks jerseys, some folks that flew in from Germany, and a guy that was given tickets on last minute notice and drove across 3 states to catch the annual spectacular. The total attendance for WrestleMania 23 at Ford Field came to 80,103 people!

Once inside Ford Field, I could clearly see the enormity of WrestleMania 23 first hand. The production on this event by far exceeded any other concert, sporting, or entertainment event I've attended before. The set design was the end result of months of intense planning and coordination, built by around 300 staff members working from close to 40 semi-trucks. Huge props to everyone involved, from the stage hands, to the lighting people, to the writers, to the producers, to the people in the truck.....they did a fantastic job and it definitely showed.

The set and entranceway for the wrestlers was crazy. It's the tallest entranceway they've had at over 100 ft and the set was designed to morph accordingly to each particular wrestler's entrance. As a production point of reference between a weekly Raw show compared to WrestleMania.....Raw uses 24 LED boards compared to 414 boards on this show. For pyro, Raw uses about 65 concussions compared to over 400 for WM 23. For a normal PPV, they use about 6 searchlights compared to 56 used on this evening. In addition, there were 35 gas heads used to produce 30 ft high and 6 ft wide flames, and over 50,000 ft of cord used to set off the pyro.

Shortly before the PPV went live, they had a tag team lumberjack match featuring Carlito-Flair vs. Helms-Guerrero.

Everyone stood as Arethra Franklin came out to sing America The Beautiful and as the WrestleMania intro vid played and the insane pyro display went off.

The 8-man Money In The Bank Ladder Match opened the show with a bang. Many crazy spots including Jeff Hardy leaping off a 15 ft ladder onto Edge, who was laying on a ladder himself. That ladder broke and Edge had to be carried off on a stretcher. Thankfully, he was okay.

Kane always has a unique WM entrance with flames going off.

I was quite impressed with the technical wrestling ability that MVP displayed in his match against Benoit. A lot of nice counters and reversals.

Undertaker and Batista put on a solid match for the Heavyweight Championship. Taker had an excellent entrance with the druids and the bursting flames, and is now 15-0 at WrestleMania.

It was nice to see Dreamer, Sandman, and Sabu make their WrestleMania debuts after so many years in the business.

The Battle of the Billionaires Hair vs. Hair Match was entertaining, featuring Austin as a special guest referee and a surprise appearance by Shane McMahon. Shane pulling off the Van Terminator in his suit and tie was great to watch.

Vince got his head shaved bald in the ring after losing the match. Trump also took a Stunner from Austin.

Lumberjill match for the Women's Championship.

Cena and Michaels did a fantastic job headlining the event. Shawn had a nice pyro display during his entrance. They told a great story in their match that went back and forth with many near finishes. The piledriver on the ringsteps was a memorable spot, as was watching Michaels trying to battle out of Cena's STFU at the end. It's become my favourite match I've seen live.

Overall, I had a tremendous time at WrestleMania 23 and the city of Detroit played a great host.

So this.....is.....continuous happiness.....

2007-03-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

The new City And Colour live CD/DVD was officially released today. They also advertised a limited edition version which includes a bonus-filled USB drive.....though no one seemed to know anything about it.

Best Buy didn't have a clue. A&B Sound thought it was made up. I always have the most entertaining conversations with the folks at Future Shop.

Me: Do you have any copies of the City And Colour limited edition live album?...It comes with a bonus USB drive.

Future Shop music guy: Don't know what that is.

Me: The album was scheduled to be released today.

Future Shop music guy: Where did you hear about it?

Me: It's advertised in your flyer (shows flyer).

Future Shop music guy: (looks briefly) No...I don't see it. Oh...it's a USB drive. I'm guessing it's in our 'Computers' section.

Me: Yeah...probably not. Do you mind checking if another Future Shop store has it in stock?

Future Shop music guy: No...we can't do that.

Me: Oh...you're not able to call them? (phone is less than 5 feet away).

Future Shop music guy: No...I don't know how to use the phone.

Me: That's awesome.

en fin

Anyways, I found out from someone at HMV that the limited edition version comes out in 2 weeks.....looks like it's been delayed during the production/shipment process.

There's really no way to reach me...

2007-03-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

Went to see The Fray perform a sold out show at the Orpheum Wednesday night. Kyle Riabko was the support act. The 19yr old Regina native had a strong voice....kinda reminded me of Shaun Verreault and Adam Levine with his tone and the fact that he really likes to hit those high notes.

The Fray came onstage and opened with Little House, backed by some glaring beams of light. I completely adore their album and it's been in heavy rotation over the last while. I felt the pacing and energy of the first few songs could have been stronger, as they slowed down the tempo a bit for their early upbeat numbers such as She Is and All At Once. The guys have just got back on the road after a one month break, so they were still starting to get back in the shape of things.

Once they hit their stride in the set, the songs sounded great. I was quite impressed with Look After You and the nicely extended outro that accompanied it. Vienna also had a really intense intro that built up for about 3 minutes before the lyrics kicked in.

I felt the lighting tech made some questionable decisions at times by turning on the houselights halfway and leaving them on during parts of songs....which kinda took away from the intimacy and setting of the atmosphere and music.

Singer Isaac Slade came out for the encore and did something unique as he decided to play a song solo with no mic and his acoustic unplugged. I've seen this done before at smaller venues such as Richard's, The Stanley, and the Commodore....but this was my first time seeing it attempted at a larger venue size that seats around 2800. It was quite well received, apart from some drunken and inavoidable screams and cheers inbetween....still, a pretty special moment.

Some other highlights for me from their 1hr 15min set included Over My Head (Cable Car), Trust Me, and How To Save A Life.

Note: Hundred on the setlist was not played. It was substituted for Isaac's untitled solo acoustic song.

This Modern Love Breaks Me

2007-03-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Bloc Party, Final Fantasy, and Smoosh played a fantastic sold out show at the Orpheum on Monday night.

When Smoosh took the stage, the Orpheum was still pretty empty at the time...only about 1/4 full. The two sisters from Seattle, consisting of singer/keyboardist Asya and drummer Chloe are only ages 15 and 13 respectively. Still, they've already previously opened for the likes of Pearl Jam, Death Cab For Cutie, Sleater-Kinney, and Cat Power. It also helps that Death Cab drummer Jason McGerr produced their album and is Chloe's drum teacher.

The two of them are talented for their age and have the ability to craft some catchy pop-rock songs such as Find A Way and Gold. During the set, their 10 year-old sister Maia also made an appearance and helped out on bass for a few songs.

Final Fantasy came on next. Owen Pallett played a wonderful set that was both unique and innovative. Armed with his violin and looping pedals, last year's Polaris Music Prize Winner won over the audience with his nicely structured pieces. Owen also had his friend Steph utilizing an overhead projector to change and add slides, offering a visual representation to the stories in his songs. I really enjoyed This Lamb Sells Condos. Pallett only played a brief 35 minute set, but it sure was impressive!

Bloc Party took the stage and opened their performance with Song For Clay, the lead off track from their newest release. Frontman Kele Okereke had great energy onstage and did a good job getting the crowd involved during the show with all the clapping, cheering, and sing-alongs.

Some of the folks from ICM Security were quite strict in making sure people weren't filming any videos to upload online....this was contrasted with a security guard in front of the stage who had his back to the audience and was watching the show throughout the entire Bloc Party performance....he must of been mesmerized by Kele's heartfelt lyrics.

The highlight of the evening for me was when bassist Gordon Moakes hopped on a second drumset for the encore opening song Sunday, and he and Matt Tong pounded away on their kits. Guitarist Russell Lissack's climax in the song along with Kele's powerful statement just does it for me.

Other highlights from the 1hr 20min set included I Still Remember, Blue Light, Waiting For The 7.18, Banquet, and This Modern Love. Closing their show off with Helicopter, Kele decided to encourage some kids in the front to hop onstage. This was met with a surge in the crowd eagerly trying to get on. Meanwhile, there were a few security guards standing at the edge of the stage pushing some kids off as they attempted to jump on....wow, that was dangerous!

Anyways, it was an excellent show from start to finish with three great artists, and a great way to spend a Monday night in the city.

***

Working on some upcoming all-ages shows and putting together some Cross-Canada tours for a few artists. Should be an exciting next few months.

Okay...time for swing dancing...

All The Time In The World

2007-03-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

Good work Febs. The extended jam for The New Nightmare Sound was awesome. Invisibility As A Disability is still catchy as hell after many listens.

The Ingredients also played an impressive set with some nice dance-rock numbers that had the crowd moving.

We'll do it again soon.

sunup > running for home

2007-03-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

Arrived home today to this waiting for me...

It'll fit nicely in my collection.

Really looking forward to hearing the new album.....Hospital Music.

Mission Accomplished

2007-03-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

The only sensible way to come to a conclusion was to have a Cheezy Taste Test.

The Fighters:

Hawkins Cheezies

vs.

Old Dutch Cheese Pleesers.

It was a battle between two heavyweights.....two Goliaths of the ring. The crunchy taste of Hawkins vs. the fluffy taste of the Pleesers.....definitely not a technical masterpiece of sorts, but a delicious event nonetheless.

In the end, the intense and bold flavour of Hawkins Cheezies prevailed. Their special method of extracting cornmeal and frying it resulted in a cheezy taste per-bite-ratio that was just too strong to overcome.

Mmmmm.....that should last me for the next little while.

***

In some non-artery clogging happenings...

HOB and TM should space out their on-sale dates and times better. Having tickets for Damien Rice, Feist, Regina Spektor, and David Usher go on-sale at the same time probably wasn't the best idea.....though I'm probably in the minority in going to all of them.

Supersetting pull-ups with squats was fun.

Starting some new classes over the next week so that should be good times.

This Show Will Change Your Life

2007-02-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

Went to see The Shins play a sold out show at the Commodore Monday night. There was a lineup of people still hoping to grab some last minute tickets outside the venue when we got there.

Viva Voce opened. The band consists of husband and wife duo Kevin and Anita Robinson. The two piece from Portland had a big sound with Anita on vox and guitar, and Kevin manning vox, drums, keyboards and acoustic guitar duties. They had some groovy guitar riffs and were really impressive as openers.

The Shins came out and started with Sleeping Lessons. They continued playing the first four songs off their new album before rocking out to Kissing The Lipless. The stage was decorated with some hanging lights and the backdrop displayed the cover art to Wincing The Night Away.

There wasn't much in-between song banter with the crowd except for simply thanking the audience numerous times. The guys did go over and talk to each other a few times before songs, possibly changing up the setlist on the fly.

Vocalist James Mercer did a solid job hitting the high notes and making us feel the lyrics he was conveying. Marty Crandall and Dave Hernandez were quite energetic, bouncing around the stage. Anita from Viva Voce came back out and helped on vocals and tambourine during a few songs, including Phantom Limb and New Slang. We also had a few crowd sing-a-longs going throughout the performance.

Some other highlights from the 1hr 20min set included Australia, A Comet Appears, Caring Is Creepy, Gone For Good, and So Says I.

Split The Difference

2007-02-18T22:27:00.000-08:00

Gomez and Ben Kweller played a sold out show at the Commodore Friday night. Ben Kweller started off the evening and performed a very impressive set filled with some catchy, upbeat riffs and a few slower singer-songwriter numbers. I really liked the harmonies in his performance. It was a co-headlining show so Ben's 1hr 10min set also included a brief encore.

Gomez hit the stage and kicked things off with Rex Kramer. The six piece from Southport, England sounded strong with a full percussion backing. I thought drummer Olly Peacock was sporting a pretty excessive drum kit, and didn't really need 5 crash cymbals for his setup and playing style.

What's kinda neat about Gomez is their songs rotate between three different main singers, plus the added harmonies involved. One of the vocalists, Ben Ottewell, kinda resembles Steven Page from Barenaked Ladies. Their extended version of How We Operate sounded amazing. I also really enjoyed Chasing Ghosts With Alcohol. Some other highlights for me from their 1hr 45min performance included See The World and Girlshapedlovedrug.

Setlist:

Rex Kramer
Hamoa Beach
Love Is Better Than A Warm Trombone
See The World
Nothing Is Wrong
California
Silhouettes
Bring Your Lovin' Back Here
Notice
Girlshapedlovedrug
Ping One Down
Charley Patton Songs
Blue Moon Rising
These 3 Sins
Silence
How We Operate

Chasing Ghosts With Alcohol
Get Myself Arrested

***

Went to see Grizzly Bear play at The Plaza Club last night.

Papercuts opened the show. They played a mellow rock set with some dreamy tones.

Grizzly Bear came onstage and put on a nice display of their experimental and artsy rock sounds. The Brooklyn, New York natives had quite a few instruments at their disposal, including a recorder, flute, clarinet, and loop pedals amongst other things. The Guild electric with only a single coil neck pickup was neat, as was the really beat up Danelectro with the interestingly laid out tuning pegs on its headstock.

Easier and On A Neck On A Spit were favourites of the set, which also included a cover song called He Hit Me. Set lasted 1hr 5mins with no encore.

Up to 5!

2007-02-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

Enter music store.....Hours later.....

I have a new guitar. Fender Telecaster.

So I'm now up to five.....

Star Witness

2007-02-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

Went to see Neko Case play at the Commodore Tuesday night. We arrived to catch the final song from opener Eric Bachmann, who played a solo singer-songwriter acoustic set. The crowd for the night was diverse, with an indie-hipster meets adult contemporary feel.

Neko Case and her five piece backing band came on and opened with Things That Scare Me, followed by Favourite. The last time I saw her perform was at last year's Sasquatch Music Festival, where she was about 3 songs into her performance when the hailstorm of the century hit and ended her set.....thankfully we were indoors on this night so we didn't have to worry about being pelted by marble-sized hailstones.

The part-time New Pornographers member has such a striking and captivating voice that could be heard throughout the entire sold out Commodore crowd. The supporting band sounded tight and the harmonies were fantastic. Neko and company also cracked a few jokes, including one about Sting's leather vest apparel during The Police Grammy performance.

The encore included Neko singing a song written by filmmaker, actor, and media personality Sook-Yin Lee.....who has actually released a few albums. Some other highlights from the 1hr 25min set included solid performances of Hold On Hold On, Maybe Sparrow, The Tigers Have Spoken, and John Saw That Number.

Midnight Bicycle Mystery

2007-02-06T22:47:00.001-08:00

Things have been busy in the dragon household.....it kind of becomes a problem when you have too many hobbies combined with such little time.

***

Went to see Deerhoof play at Richard's last Friday. Arrived to catch the last two songs from Hot Loins.

BlackBlack were the next openers. The LA three piece came out dressed in some sweet costumes and played a nice set filled with mellow tones and catchy pop hooks.

Deerhoof played a solid set that displayed their artsy, experimental rock sound. Singer and bassist Satomi Matsuzaki is quite petite onstage, but has great charisma and offers a very interesting dynamic to the band with her unique vocals.

I was mainly focused during the performance on the insane drumming skills from Greg Saunier. He uses such a basic drum set, but was beating the hell out of his kit. It was quite an impressive sight. I'm starting to think maybe him and Pat Steward went to the same drum school together. Their set lasted just over an hour including one encore, but their high energy showing and strong musicality left me completely satisfied.

***

The Gunther Christmas video has been completed.

Broken Toy

2007-02-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

Keane played the Orpheum Wednesday night. They were originally scheduled to perform here last October, but the show and their whole North American tour was rescheduled as Tom Chaplin was battling some personal problems at the time.

Rocco DeLuca And The Burden opened the evening. Rocco reminded me of Wil, with his big voice and rock sound that had some twang to it in his songs. He had some nice riffs and put on an impressive opening set.

Keane finished off their North American tour with the last stop being in Vancouver. Keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley came out first and played The Iron Sea, before his band mates joined him for Put It Behind You.

The set design looked really nice. It had six screens spread across the stage featuring artsy videos intertwined with live performance footage of the band being recorded during the show. The lighting for the evening was solid, especially during the climax in We Might As Well Be Strangers.

Singer Tom Chaplin has excellent stage presence, using the entire surface of the Orpheum stage to convey his lyrics and emotion. Tim Rice-Oxley is such an entertaining keyboardist to watch live as he energetically taps his left foot and swings his head, rocking out to the melodies. Tom also strapped on an acoustic guitar for a different version of Your Eyes Open. It would be the only guitar we'd see on stage for the duration of their performance. For the bass sound, Tim lays it down on the keyboards.

We actually had a surprisingly good Vancouver crowd in attendance for the evening, which greatly added to the atmosphere of the show. Hamburg Song sounded fantastic live. A poem which inspired A Bad Dream was read before they performed the song. Tom also jumped off the stage and sang in the crowd during Somewhere Only We Know. Some other highlights from the 1hr 30min set included Leaving So Soon, Nothing In My Way, and Crystal Ball. At the end of the last song, Bedshaped, all three guys hung their heads down beside their instruments for a few moments and let the lights take over and envelope the stage....it was an awesome way to end a terrific night of music.

Setlist:

The Iron Sea
Put It Behind You
Everybody's Changing
Leaving So Soon
We Might As Well Be Strangers
Nothing In My Way
Bend And Break
Try Again
Your Eyes Open
Hamburg Song
Can't Stop Now
A Bad Dream
This Is The Last Time
Somewhere Only We Know
Is It Any Wonder

Atlantic
Crystal Ball
Bedshaped

Last Night At Sea

2007-01-26T19:57:00.000-08:00

Did a show last night with the fine folks from Pepper Sands and The Februarys. It was quite special for me as the Pepper Sands are one of my favourite bands. I first saw them open for MG at the Commodore 6 yrs ago and have been hooked to their music ever since. I've seen them several times now over the years so it was really neat to do a show with them last evening. Their pop-rock riffs and melodies are just so infectious and they have such great energy onstage. Looking forward to working with both bands again in the future.

Coachella Bound

2007-01-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

Ticket confirmed.....Going to COACHELLA!!!

I will burn all this...

2007-01-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

Went to see Marianas Trench last night at the Plaza Club. It was an all-ages show at the venue...which always makes things interesting. Props to those offering live music to the all-ages crowd in the city as it's become a very limited scene...especially with the closures of the Vogue and Mesa Luna...amongst other recent and upcoming venue closures. I might be helping to put on some more all-ages shows in the future...so we'll see how that works out.

It was kinda weird though walking around the Plaza and seeing 13yr olds at the venue for the show. The Trench do seem to have a pretty young fanbase.

Two things you'll repeatedly hear at all-ages shows:
1)Oh my god! I love this song!
2)Oh my god! This is the best concert ever!

...funny stuff.

Marianas Trench had a great showing with their powerful harmonies once again...plus we scored some sweet Moderne Burger action before the gig.

***

Coachella!?!

If you find me, hide me, I don't where I've been

2007-01-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton played the Commodore Thursday night. They had a seated dance floor in place for the evening to give it more of an intimate theatre feel.

Opening the night was Tall Firs. The Brooklyn three piece recently won a contest by beating out over 300 solo artist and band submissions to open for Emily on her North American tour. I thought the guys did an okay job and their sound grew on me with each passing song.

Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton took the stage, opening with Our Hell followed by Doctor Blind. Hanging behind Emily and her piano was a screen that would feature interesting clips from filmmaker Guy Maddin throughout the set.

It was a nice change to be seated for the show at the Commodore...in an attempt to get a different feel and atmosphere of the music being performed for the evening. Though most of the audience welcomed this arrangement, the constant talking and sound of bottles colliding with canvas were clearly audible through the entire performance. I must say it's kind of hard to have a silent show when there's a bar present in the room. Ms. Haines addressed those that were constantly talking through the set...mentioning that it doesn't hurt her, but those who paid their hard earned money to come see the show, then choose to talk throughout it.

Emily and company ran through all the songs on her debut solo album, and in pretty much the same order of the LP tracklisting in her 1hr performance. Favourites of mine from the evening included Crowd Surf Off A Cliff and Reading In Bed. For the encore, she came back out and did a solo rendition of Neil Young's Expecting To Fly.

I am not bound by my secret anymore

2007-01-18T12:07:00.000-08:00

Jack and Coke.....Please take off your coat

2007-01-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

Went to see Augustana play last night. I headed straight to the Commodore after dance class, but had to miss the opening act Vega 4. Some friends said they did a good job with their set.

It didn't make much sense for HOB to book Augustana at the Commodore, considering they've had little to no exposure through any media outlets in the city...radio, t.v., newsprint, online, etc. In addition, it was also their first headlining tour and only their second time performing in Vancouver...having opened for Snow Patrol last September. All this clearly reflected in the attendance for the evening, which was just over 200 people. This was the first Commodore show I've attended where the balcony was closed off and not needed for the night.

Despite the small turnout, which is no fault of the band...they simply arrive in town to play the show they're booked for...I thought Augustana put on a pretty good set filled with their catchy pop-rock riffs and killer melodies.

The San Diego natives opened with Stars And Boulevards and Hotel Roosevelt off their debut LP. This was followed with an upbeat and rockin' version of Bullets, which got the crowd moving in unison. Singer and guitarist Dan Layus has such a strong voice that can stretch for miles.

They played a few new songs for us, including one called Devil's Blue Eyes that Dan performed solo acoustic....wow, that one was completely haunting. Seeing the mandolin onstage meant Sunday Best, which is my absolute favourite of theirs. For Boston, they changed up the lyrics and had a really nice outro. Coffee And Cigarettes was a definite highlight as well.

Set lasted 1hr 15mins.

Aqueous Transmission

2007-01-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

Went to my first show of the year Friday night...monkey off back. I wasn't scheduled to go see Incubus, but as luck would have it, I found a Row 4 ticket about 2hrs before the show started...so I said "What the heck, let's giv'er"...and found myself at the QE Theatre shortly afterwards. Besides, how can I turn down a night to rock out?

Albert Hammond Jr. opened the show. It was interesting to watch the guitarist for The Strokes assume the frontman position. It's also the first time I've seen Hammond talk onstage, as he pulled out some witty banter with the audience throughout the set...he usually keeps to himself onstage when he's the guitarist for the New York five piece. His vocals were okay and a few of the songs were somewhat catchy. He's still very much in the development stage of his side project, so we'll wait to see how things progress over time.

Incubus took the stage to an excited sold out crowd at the QE Theatre. This was my first time seeing them again in over 4 years...the last time they played Vancouver was back in 2002 on their Morning View Tour. Friday night was also the first stop on their North American Tour for 2007.

The California quintet kicked off their set with the first two tracks from their new album. Stellar came next, exploding like a giant ball of energy. Brandon Boyd has some pretty strong vocals with a unique texture and range that separates him from a lot of modern rock singers. Guitarist Mike Einziger is fun to watch as he rips through his well structured riffs...he sure likes using his Fender Jags.

The new songs translated well live, especially Anna Molly, Dig, and Rogues. I love the turntable bit by DJ Chris Kilmore in Wish You Were Here. Brandon and Mike did a two song acoustic portion for the set, playing New Skin and Drive...Brandon mentioned it was their first time playing New Skin live in over 10 years.

Sick Sad Little World featured Boyd putting on these black gloves with lights on them. He used it to shine them on himself, Mike, and the crowd...it was pretty neat. They also had a sweet extended intro for Megalomaniac. Overall, the night was entertaining and turned out pretty well in the end.

Set lasted 1hr 30mins.

Setlist:

Quicksand
A Kiss To Send Us Off
Stellar
Nowhere Fast
Anna Molly
Wish You Were Here
Out From Under
New Skin
Drive
Earth To Bella Pt. 1
Redefine
Sick Sad Little World
Talk Shows On Mute
Rogues
Dig
Megalomaniac

Echo
Blood On The Ground
Earth To Bella Pt. 2

That's a wrap!

2006-12-31T17:17:00.000-08:00

My Favourite Shows Of The Year

1) Matthew Good - Fri Aug.25 @ Matthew Good's Apartment Living Room
This is by far the most important show to me I've ever been a part of. Nothing can beat being invited by my favourite artist to attend a private show in his home, on his last night staying there. Just him, his voice, and his guitar....no mics, no amps....and more importantly, having the support of close friends and fans in the room as we laughed and shared stories about life....past, present, and future.

2) Matthew Good - Fri Apr.21 @ VECC
Matt's second night of a three night stand performing solo acoustic at the VECC. All three nights were fantastic, though the music and atmosphere on this night seemed extra special. From starting with House Of Smoke And Mirrors, to playing Born To Kill for the first time in nearly five years, to the standing ovation, to the jokes. One joke MG mentioned in particular involved Matt and 10 other guys touring in a converted ambulance....Ian Browne freaks out and gets them to pull over....then runs out screaming into the woods....and returns 30 minutes later. Classic stuff!

3) The Dears - Wed Nov.29 @ Richard's
The show was originally scheduled to be two days earlier, but was delayed due to the snow...which meant I had to forgo Cat Power in order to still catch this one. I've never seen The Dears sound tighter live than on this night. Their sound was huge, the venue was intimate, and everyone in the audience appreciated it.

4) Metric - Sat Apr.1 @ Commodore
Emily Haines and company took it to another level on this night, despite it being their third show within 24 hrs....having played the Commodore the previous night and in the afternoon on this day. The energy and music was incredible, leaving the Commodore floor literally bouncing the entire time. The 20 minute version of Dead Disco featured Emily Haines stage diving into the crowd while Josh Winstead's bassline pummeled through our bodies.

5) Pearl Jam - Sat July 22 @ Gorge Amphitheatre
It's always a treat watching one of the best live bands play at perhaps the best outdoor venue in North America on a fantastic summer night. Their set lasted close to 3hrs as they busted out a bunch of rare tracks. The sky even turned red at one point in the backdrop....as it overlooked the surrounding mountains and the Columbia River. It was absolutely gorgeous.

6) City And Colour - Sun Mar.26 @ Mesa Luna
I was superexcited for Dallas Green's first solo performance in Vancouver. The show sold out really fast, with a bunch of people scrambling hard to look for tickets. The venue was really small and intimate, insomuch that I ended up watching his performance while sitting on a guitar amp beside the stage. The songs were incredibly moving and very personal....yet everyone in the room felt it too.

7) Sufjan Stevens - Sat Oct.14 @ St. Andrews Wesley Church
My first time attending a rock show at a church. The acoustics in the venue were excellent. Sufjan and his 14 piece orchestra played a riveting set, with the music being very haunting at times. His storytelling was fantastic, in both his songs and when he worked the crowd with his banter.

8) Sarah Harmer - Sun Aug.20 @ Malkin Bowl
It amazes me how natural and perfect Sarah's voice is when you see her live. Her ability to make you feel the words in every song is incredible. Being front and centre to witness this was great. The fact that she plays with her best friends onstage really shows, as they sound so tight together.

9) Goo Goo Dolls, Counting Crows - Thurs June 22 @ White River Amphitheatre / Goo Goo Dolls Sun Nov.5 @ Orpheum
It's always a blast for me watching the Goos perform. Their energy when you see them live is insane....running all over the stage with guitars and basses in hand. The June show would have been better had they played when the sun was down....as the atmosphere...lighting...and emotion of their songs would have come across better. Still, they put on a fun set and the Counting Crows were awesome on that night as well. The November Goo show was their first time back in Vancouver in over four years. Meeting them before the show was great, and their lighting and performance on this night was fantastic and felt right.

10) The Decemberists - Wed Dec.13 @ Commodore
This show was originally scheduled for November, but was moved a month back due to Colin's illness. They certainly made up for it on this night....taking photos with someone's camera onstage, crowdsurfing the guitar, singing into someone's cell phone, dividing the crowd in half and having a singoff, getting the entire audience to sit down on the Commodore floor, then having guitarist Chris Funk sit down in the audience and play out the final song amongst the crowd. What a night!

Also:
11) Jeff Tweedy solo acoustic - Tues Jan.31 @ Commodore
12) Coldplay - Thurs Jan.26 @ GM Place
13) Foo Fighters acoustic - Mon July 10 @ Orpheum
14) The National - Thurs Oct.5 @ Richard's
15) The Magic Numbers - Mon Apr.24 @ Richard's

Top Live Opening Acts I Discovered

1) The Grates - opening for We Are Scientists, Wed Mar.29 @ Red Room
2) Islands - opening for Metric, Sat Apr.1 @ Commodore
3) Psapp - opening for Jose Gonzalez, Tues June 20 @ Richard's
4) In-Flight Safety - opening for Raising The Fawn, Thurs Nov.23 @ Lamplighter
5) Wintersleep - opening for Pilate, Wed June 7 @ Commodore
6) Augustana - opening for Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows, Thurs June 22 @ White River Amphitheatre
7) Windows 78 - opening for The Album Leaf, Fri Nov.17 @ Plaza Club
8) Glenn Kotche - opening for Jeff Tweedy, Tues Jan.31 @ Commodore
9) Melissa McClelland - opening for Matthew Good, Thurs Apr.20 - Sat Apr.22 @ VECC
10) Talkdemonic - opening for The Decemberists, Wed Dec.13 @ Commodore

My Favourite Song Performances Of The Year

1) Day Old Hate by City and Colour - Sun Mar.26 @ Mesa Luna
2) House Of Smoke And Mirrors by Matthew Good - Fri Apr.21 @ VECC
3) The Fine Art Of Falling Apart by Matthew Good - Fri Apr.21 @ VECC
4) Dead Disco (20 min version) by Metric - Sat Apr.1 @ Commodore
5) The Geese Of Beverly Road by The National - Thurs Oct.5 @ Richard's

Rearviewmirror

2006-12-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

Looking back, 2006 has been a really great year for me. I've definitely had my highs and lows along the way throughout the past 12 months....still, I wouldn't change a thing....knowing how each of these experiences have shaped me.

I've been very fortunate to have attended many great concerts this year, including some that I'll remember for a lifetime. These are the shows that I had an opportunity to be a part of this year.

1) Fri Jan.13 - Elias @ Southarm
2) Sun Jan.15 - Constantines, Crystal Skulls @ Media Club
3) Thurs Jan.26 - Coldplay, Fiona Apple @ GM Place
4) Fri Jan.27 - Coldplay, Fiona Apple @ GM Place
5) Tues Jan.31 - Jeff Tweedy, Glenn Kotche @ Commodore
6) Tues Feb.7 - Stars @ Croatian Cultural Centre
7) Thurs Feb.9 - Shaun Verreault, Wil @ UBC Pit Pub
8) Wed Mar.1 - Animal Collective, First Nation, Barr @ Commodore
9) Thurs Mar.2 - Matt Pond PA, Youth Group @ Red Room
10) Fri Mar.3 - Controller.Controller, You Say Party! We Say Die! @ Richard's
11) Tues Mar.7 - Jenny Lewis, Willy Mason @ Richard's
12) Wed Mar.8 - Low, Lavender Diamond @ Richard's
13) Fri Mar.10 - Isobel Campbell, Bontempi @ Richard's
14) Thurs Mar.23 - Elias @ Red Room
15) Fri Mar.24 - Belle & Sebastian, Rose Melberg @ Commodore
16) Sun Mar.26 - City And Colour, The Februarys @ Mesa Luna
17) Mon Mar.27 - Jason Collett, Paso Mino @ Richard's
18) Wed Mar.29 - We Are Scientists, The Grates, Foreign Born @ Red Room
19) Fri Mar.31 - Rob Thomas, Anna Nalick @ QE Theatre
20) Sat Apr.1 - Metric, Islands, Panurge @ Commodore
21) Wed Apr.5 - Pink Mountaintops, Frog Eyes @ Richard's
22) Mon Apr.10 - Sarah Harmer @ Stanley Theatre
23) Thurs Apr.20 - Matthew Good, Melissa McClelland @ VECC
24) Fri Apr.21 - Matthew Good, Melissa McClelland @ VECC
25) Sat Apr.22 - Matthew Good, Melissa McClelland @ VECC
26) Mon Apr.24 - The Magic Numbers, Willy Mason @ Richard's
27) Tues Apr.25 - Ladytron, The Presets @ Commodore
28) Wed Apr.26 - The Stills, The Diableros @ Richard's
29) Fri Apr.28 - Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab For Cutie @ Pacific Coliseum
30) Sat May 6 - Jeff Martin, Sonic City @ Commodore
31) Wed May 17 - The Strokes, The Most Serene Republic @ Plaza Of Nations
32) Wed May 24 - Mogwai @ Commodore
33) Fri May 26 to Sun May 28 - Sasquatch! Music Festival @ Gorge Amphitheatre
34) Fri June 2 - Xavier Rudd @ Malkin Bowl
35) Sun June 4 - Bright Eyes, Gruff Rhys @ Malkin Bowl
36) Wed June 7 - Pilate, Wintersleep @ Commodore
37) Fri June 9 - Yoko Casionos, Elias @ Media Club
38) Sat Jun 10 - The Walkmen, Mazarin @ Richard's
39) Thurs Jun 15 - Melanie Dekker @ Malones
40) Tues June 20 - Jose Gonzalez, Juana Molina, Psapp @ Richard's
41) Thurs June 22 - Goo Goo Dolls, Counting Crows, Augustana @ White River Amphitheatre
42) Fri June 30 - The Grates @ Limerick Junction
43) Sun July 9 - Dashboard Confessional, John Ralston @ Plaza Of Nations
44) Mon July 10 - Foo Fighters, Tim Curran @ Orpheum
45) Thurs July 20 - Wil, Kevin Mackenzie @ Buffalo Club
46) Sat July 22 - Pearl Jam @ Gorge Amphitheatre
47) Sun July 23 - Pearl Jam @ Gorge Amphitheatre
48) Tues July 25 - Sam Roberts Band, Broken Social Scene, The Stills @ Deer Lake Park
49) Wed Aug.16 - Silver Mt. Zion, Carla Bozulich @ Richard's
50) Sat Aug.19 - City And Colour, Black Lungs @ Malkin Bowl
51) Sun Aug.20 - Sarah Harmer, Carolyn Mark @ Malkin Bowl
52) Tues Aug.22 - Tool, Isis @ GM Place
53) Fri Aug.25 - Matthew Good @ MG's Living Room
54) Thurs Aug.31 - Marianas Trench @ Buffalo Club
55) Thurs Sep.14 - Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta @ GM Place
56) Wed Sep.20 - Amy Millan, Mayor McCa @ Richard's
57) Fri Sep.22 - John Mayer, Sheryl Crow @ Pacific Coliseum
58) Tues Oct.3 - Jason Collett, Ridley Bent @ VECC
59) Thurs Oct.5 - The National, The Fall Collection @ Richard's
60) Fri Oct.6 - We Are Scientists, Art Brut @ Commodore
61) Wed Oct.11 - The Killers @ Orpheum
62) Sat Oct.14 - Sufjan Stevens, My Brightest Diamond @ St. Andrews Wesley Church
63) Sat Oct.21 - The New Pornographers, Immaculate Machine @ Plaza Club
64) Sun Nov.5 - Goo Goo Dolls, Tomi Swick @ Orpheum
65) Tues Nov.7 - The Tragically Hip @ Commodore
66) Fri Nov.17 - The Album Leaf, Windows 78 @ Plaza Club
67) Thurs Nov.23 - Raising The Fawn, In-Flight Safety @ Lamplighter
68) Wed Nov.29 - The Dears, The Bloodlines @ Richard's
69) Tues Dec.5 - Joanna Newsom, Bill Callahan @ St. Andrews Wesley Church
70) Wed Dec.13 - The Decemberists, Talkdemonic @ Commodore
71) Mon Dec.18 - Sarah Slean @ Stanley Theatre
72) Sat Dec.23 - Ian M. @ West Richmond Community

So 72 + 18 other shows I attended through booking and promoting = 90

90 shows / 365 days = about 1 show in every 4 days.

Wow...I'm tired. I need sleep. Sleeping is good.

I like music

2006-12-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

My 10 favourite albums of the year, from A to Z.

Gunther Christmas Party

2006-12-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

We had our Gunther Christmas Party last night and filmed the final installment of the Gunther Trilogy. It was crazy good times!

Blue Parade

2006-12-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Sarah Slean played at the Stanley Theatre Monday night.

Chris Smith opened the show. He played a solo acoustic set which was somewhat unorganized. He had a setlist with him, but mentioned he was switching up the order of the songs and got kinda lost in what we was gonna play next. He also made a few mistakes on the guitar, which lead him to stopping the song at times and starting back up again during the song.

Sarah Slean played an intimate set accompanied with just a piano onstage.....and a castle in the backdrop. The Stanley Theatre is currently playing host to the ongoing Beauty And The Beast play, hence the inclusion of a castle....which I must say added nicely to the aesthetics of the stage and mood of the performance. When I saw Sarah Harmer at the venue back in April, the theatre was showing Waiting For Godot at the time and they also had an interesting backdrop for the show.

Sarah started off her set with a cover of Drive by The Cars. She followed that up with strong showings of Out In The Park and Lucky Me. Her vocals as always were soaring and completely haunting at times. The atmosphere in the Stanley Theatre was silent during songs....insomuch that you could hear pin drops.

Before going into California, Sarah mentioned that she played this song on an episode of Canada AM one day. Being that it's a morning show, someone asked if she had something more upbeat and catchy to play instead, and Sarah said No.

Ms. Slean made several jokes throughout the night about the castle onstage. She also talked about living in Paris for the last few months and wrote a new song about stupid ex-boyfriend #27, called Looking For Someone. She said it was her attempt to write a sad song in C Major....which is quite hard.

Sarah took a couple song requests during the set. She also agreed to an email request to play Madeline, which she hadn't played in about five years. Some other highlights from the 1hr 30min set included Eliot and Sweet Ones.

Setlist:

Drive (The Cars cover)
Out In The Park
Lucky Me
Eliot
California
I'm Your Man (Leonard Cohen cover)
Sweet Ones
Parosol
Looking For Someone
Little London Night
Madeline
Bank Accounts
Somebody's Arms
Book Smart Street Stupid
Wake Up

Me And Jerome
Drastic Measures
Pilgrim

Life Beyond The Minimum Safe Distance

2006-12-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

Heart > Head

Castaways And Cutouts

2006-12-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

Went to see The Decemberists play at the Commodore last night. The show was originally scheduled for November 17, but the date was postponed as Colin Meloy was ill at the time and needed to rest his voice. They made sure to put in an extra effort on this night to make up for the postponed show.

Talkdemonic opened the evening. The instrumental duo from Portland consists of Lisa Molinaro on violin and Kevin O’Connor on drums. The combination of their instruments, along with the keyboard and bass samples, were both sweeping and beautiful. I was really impressed with their music and performance.

The Decemberists took the stage and opened with The Crane Wife 3. I've been looking forward to this show for quite awhile now, as their new album is one of my favourites of the year. The Portland six piece have also been playing with Lisa from Talkdemonic on violin in the lineup for their live shows.

Colin Meloy made it clear that they wanted to put on a great performance for us to make up for the show postponement, and they did just that. During The Perfect Crime 2, Meloy grabbed a camera from someone in the audience and then started taking pictures onstage of the band members and the crowd. Later in the song, he took his Gibson Les Paul and decided to crowd surf his guitar! It was funny watching the guitar sail right over my head while being held up by those in the audience...it was absolute craziness!

They also played a song called Culling Of The Fold, which Colin mentioned was a track cut from The Crane Wife album because it was too violent and offended Jenny, the keyboardist and accordion player. Partway through the song, Colin took someone's cell phone from the crowd, dialed a number in their address book, and started singing into the phone.

Sixteen Military Wives featured an interlude in the performance where Colin divided the crowd in half. He then got each half to turn and face off against each other. We then proceeded to have a battle to see which side could sing the loudest. Colin turned himself into a musical conductor directing the crowd.

For the final number of the evening, A Cautionary Song, Colin and Chris had an impromptu guitar faceoff...with Chris on an electric and Colin on an acoustic. At one time, they were both doing some behind-the-neck soloing action. Shortly later, they got the entire Commodore crowd to sit on the floor...much like at Sasquatch this year.

Guitarist Chris Funk then jumped into the crowd and sat down amongst the audience. Colin said Chris would read us a Christmas story. He also handed Chris his guitar so he could play for us. They then finished off the song and their wonderful performance for the evening.

Aside from the Commodore being extremely warm inside, I really enjoyed the show overall. Colin was very entertaining throughout the whole set and the band sounded super tight together. Set lasted 1hr 50mins.

Bridges And Balloons

2006-12-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

Went to see Joanna Newsom perform a sold out show Tuesday night at St. Andrews Wesley Church.

Bill Callahan opened the show. He played a set with just him and his acoustic. The artist known as Smog had some nice stucture to his songs. Some people seemed to be getting either restless or sleepy during his mellow set, which was filled with long numbers. My feet were falling asleep on me and the pews were a bit unforgiving. As Bill saw some audience members leaving their seats, he joked about how he only had 40 songs left to go.

Joanna Newsom came on and started off her set with Bridges And Balloons. She played her first three songs solo, accompanied only by her harp and that captivating voice. Wow, her vocals are so powerful and the great venue acoustics only enhanced this feature.

She then introduced her 5 piece accompanying band and said they are now gonna perform the new album for us. Joanna then launched into Emily and they played the latest acclaimed release Ys in it's entirety, from front to back. That's the first time I've seen an artist do that at a show.

For the encore, she returned to play three more songs solo off her previous release, The Milk-Eyed Mender. Overall, I was quite impressed with her harp playing abilities along with that unique and sensational voice of hers.

Set lasted 1hr 35mins.

Setlist:

Bridges And Balloons
The Book Of Right-On
Ca' The Yowes To The Knowes (traditional Scottish song)
Emily
Monkey And Bear
Sawdust And Diamonds
Only Skin
Cosmia

Sadie
Peach, Plum, Pear
Clam Crab Cockle Cowrie

***

Spent the better half of yesterday afternoon listening to the mixes of a friend's new album. It's sounding really good. We also spent some time working on the track listing for his 15 song album. He's about to send it off to New Jersey to get it mastered by the same guy that mastered the Sufjan Stevens albums. We're currently looking at a February release.

You and I are on the outside of almost everything

2006-12-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

Went to see The Dears play a fantastic show Wednesday night at Richard's. They were originally scheduled to play here on Monday, but it was postponed due to the snow. This kind of put me in a tough spot as I also had a ticket to the Cat Power show scheduled on Wednesday as well. Even though I've never seen Cat Power before, and as much as I wanted to watch her perform with the Memphis Rhythm Band.....there's no way I would have missed one of my favourite bands touring for their amazing Gang Of Losers album and playing their first and probably only time at Richard's.

The Blood Lines opened the show. The four piece from Saskatoon played a set that displayed some nice harmonies and catchy pop-rock riffs in their songs.

The band was only formed this year, and have already been getting some good exposure...from opening for the Constantines, to playing at the CMJ Music Marathon, to touring with The Dears. I quite enjoyed their set musically.

Near the end of their performance, they decided to invite a girl from the audience onto the stage to dance. Unfortunately, the girl was drunk and fell off the stage backwards onto the floor on her attempt getting on. After she was helped onto the stage, she aimlessly wandered around trying to somewhat interact with each band member for the song. It was kind of interesting and funny to watch...

The Dears came on to Sinthtro, which lead straight into Ticket To Immortality. This was my 6th time seeing them perform live. The Montreal natives have gone through quite a few lineup changes since their existence, but these six current members seem to fit so well together onstage. On this night, they sounded as tight as ever.

Frontman Murray Lightburn plays with so much passion and energy, as does his wife Natalia on keyboards and vox. The new songs translated well live, especially Death Or Life We Want You, and You And I Are A Gang Of Losers.

Whites Only Party and We Can Have It featured pounding basslines courtesy of Martin Pelland. He and Valerie Jodoin-Keaton, (on keyboards, flute, and vox), are also married. With Martin positioned beside Valerie onstage, it was cute to watch the two have their little moments together during songs.

The Dears also added their own extra set of stage lights, which enhanced their performance nicely. They finished off the main set with Hate Then Love, before coming back with a soaring 13min version of Postcard From Purgatory for the encore. I Fell Deep followed, then the band said their goodbyes. With an overwhelming applause and show of appreciation from the crowd, The Dears came back and played one final song for a second encore...the name of it escapes me.

Set lasted 1hr 50mins with 2 encores. Wow.....I'm really happy with my decision to forgo the Cat Power show in favour of seeing The Dears once more. It's definitely been one of my favourite shows this year.

Notes:
-Die Die Die on the setlist = Never Destroy Us
-2nd encore song not listed on the setlist, as they've been mainly ending their shows with I Fell Deep.

Letting Go

2006-11-24T22:57:00.000-08:00

Went to see In-Flight Safety last night at The Lamp. It was kinda weird, though relaxing to be at the venue and not have to worry about running a show and everything that goes along with it.

The first band was called Mico. They had one nice instrumental song that featured a violin. At the end of their set, they piled up their instruments near the front of the stage. I used to do that too....except it was with lego pieces....and it didn't involve damaging over a thousand dollars in equipment.

In-Flight Safety put on a solid set filled with catchy pop-rock melodies and atmospheric tones. I was quite impressed with their performance and can see them getting big in the future.

Raising The Fawn closed out the night. They had some sound issues during their set with the floor monitors and mics. The three piece tried to stay positive throughout it and displayed some good energy with their edgy riffs. For the last song, they had two bass players going as they called the bassist from Mico to jam out with them at the end. Nice finish.

***

cardio + yoga + breakdancing = tired legs.

note to self: good luck doing squats and legs day tomorrow.

The Engine Driver

2006-11-20T17:57:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Lions.
I've completed my first FOG.
Hip Hop class was fun.
Borat is the funniest movie I've seen since Anchorman.
My heart is still an idiot.

An Orchestrated Rise To Fall

2006-11-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

The Album Leaf played The Plaza Club Friday Night.

Windows 78 opened the show. The local Vancouver four-piece played a solid set featuring rich musical layers along with a progessive and ambient tone. I was impressed with their performance and picked up their cd. Looking forward to doing a show with them in the future.

The Album Leaf came onstage and put on a solid set. Jimmy LaValle is pretty much The Album Leaf.....having recorded all the parts on his records himself. In a live setting, he is accompanied by a few other players to help bring his music to fruition. There wasn't much stage banter at all during the 1hr 15min set, just some beautiful texture provided by the violin and 4+ keyboards in use. There was a bit of a sound issue with the vocals and violin at points, but everything was resolved.

***

After The Plaza show, I ran off to do another show that night for FOG at the Pub 340. It went quite well. We sold out the venue and the bands and audience had a good time.

FOG Night 1

2006-11-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

Kick-Off Party at The Plaza Club.

I'm Going To WRESTLEMANIA!!!

2006-11-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

Purchased my WrestleMania 23 ticket this morning at 7am.....thanks to the Eastern Time Zone difference. I scored Ringside Row 3!!! It's gonna be a fantastic weekend!

This will be my 3rd WrestleMania. I previously attended:
1) WrestleMania 18 @ Skydome, Toronto - Hollywood Hogan vs. The Rock
2) WrestleMania 19 @ Safeco Field, Seattle - Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle

This is the biggest stage for everyone involved in the business and I can't wait to step inside Ford Field next April.

Fully Completely

2006-11-10T19:27:00.000-08:00

Went to see The Tragically Hip perform Tuesday night at the Commodore. It was the last show of their four night stand in Vancouver promoting their new album, World Container. No opener on this night, just an evening with The Hip.

The Tragically Hip came onstage to a great ovation and kicked things off with Yer Not The Ocean. They followed that up with New Orleans Is Sinking, to an enthusiastic crowd response. The Kingston natives covered many songs off the new album, along with some greats from their nine previous LPs.

Gord Downie is quite an interesting performer to watch. He has such a great stage presence and his mannerisms, from the way he sings, to the way he moves, to his interaction with the audience, really draws everyone into the show. During the set, he broke a few mic stands and even started spinning one around his hand like a baton.

Complete with a spring-loaded dance floor, the surface of the Commodore Ballroom was literally bouncing as The Hip rocked out to Fully Completely and Blow At High Dough. During Chagrin Falls, Gord forgot the words for a bit and was about to stop the song before coming to with the lyrics. He joked afterwards about how he ended up using a teleprompter in order to sing the lyrics of the song.

Some other highlights during the 1hr 50min set included Family Band, Ahead By A Century, At The Hundredth Meridian, Grace Too, and Little Bones. Overall, it was a fun night and a really special show as it's not everyday you get to see The Hip play at such an intimate venue.

Setlist:

Yer Not The Ocean
New Orleans Is Sinking
Family Band
Gus: The Polar Bear From Central Park
The Drop-Off
Ahead By A Century
Fly
Fully Completely
Sherpa
World Container
Luv (Sic)
At The Hundredth Meridian
Chagrin Falls
The Kids Don't Get It
Grace, Too
Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man
In View
Blow At High Dough
The Lonely End Of The Rink

Putting Down
Pretend
Little Bones

You Wait, Wanting This World To Let You In

2006-11-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

The Goo Goo Dolls played the Orpheum last night. Before the show started, I had a meet and greet with Johnny, Robby, and Mike. It was great to finally meet these guys since their music has had such a big impact on me over the years.

Tomi Swick opened the show with his four piece band. The Hamilton native played a 40min set consisting of some catchy pop-rock songs off his debut album. Tomi has a big voice and did a solid job opening the evening. In addition, his guitarist kinda resembled Hyde from That 70's Show...no Led Zeppelin shirt though.

The Goo Goo Dolls came on with their usual explosiveness, running onto the stage and starting off with Stay With You. It was their first time playing Vancouver in over four years and the crowd gave them a great welcome. The last time I saw them was back in June when they were touring with the Counting Crows.

Everytime I see them live, I'm blown away by the sheer number of guitars in Johnny Rzeznik's collection. He had one rack of eight acoustics all tuned differently, plus another rack of electrics also in different tunings. Watching him switch to different guitars after every song is pretty much a show within itself.

Robby is one of the funnest bass players I've seen live. He moves around the stage so freely, pounding on his bass and rocking out....and he does so with the biggest smile on his face while also playing barefooted. His energy during Tucked Away is tremendous.

We had some black balloons floating in the audience when they performed Black Balloon. Naked featured a really nice intro, which the Goos said they have been practicing lately and performed for the first time last night. Name and Iris also had their sweet sing-along moments.

Some other highlights for me during the 1hr 15min set included Feel The Silence, Without You Here, Better Days, and Let Love In. Korel's sax solo during Broadway and Give A Lil Bit were also very enjoyable. It's such a blast to watch one of my favourite bands perform, and especially to see them so happy onstage doing what they love.

cause = time

2006-11-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

Did my first breakdancing class yesterday. It was a lot of fun and something I've wanted to do for awhile.

Went home, got ready, then headed back out shortly afterwards to run a rock show. Promoting 3 shows in 1 night can be quite tiring.

Pinned Together, Falling Apart

2006-10-30T18:37:00.000-08:00

Super Mario

2006-10-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Found out today that I won a meet and greet pass with The Goo Goo Dolls for their upcoming show here. I'm pretty excited!

I finished my Hallowe'en costume for this year. Last year, I went as Max from Where The Wild Things Are and we went trick-or-treating. This time around, I'm going as Super Mario.

I still remember the time when I finished the original Super Mario Bros game on NES in one life. That was a good day.

Jackie, Dressed In Cobras

2006-10-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Did a show with the guys from Lions In The Street on Friday. They put on a solid and rocking set. Looking forward to working with them again in the future.

***

Went to see The New Pornographers play at the Plaza Club last night.

We arrived just before Immaculate Machine took the stage. The Victoria three piece did a nice job with their catchy riffs and harmonies. The last time I saw them perform, Brooke was singing and playing guitar while holding himself up on crutches. The trio sang part of their songs in french as they recently put out a french EP, consisting of selected songs from their previous releases.

The New Pornographers came on and started off their set with Sing Me Spanish Techno. A.C. Newman and crew sounded very tight as a unit. Drummer Kurt Dahle was sporting a funny Hitler-esque moustache. He was quite entertaining to watch, throwing his drumsticks in the air in-between beats and having a huge smile on his face the entire time. It was hilarious when he was drumming and singing along to Execution Day while doing so with a cigarette in his mouth.

Kathryn Calder has a strong voice and presence, and did a great job filling in for Neko Case's vocals. I thought the harmonies by Kathryn and Kurt sounded awesome.

They came out for their encore and didn't know what to play so they took some audience requests. A.C. also discussed the unusual early curfew time due to the dance club night after the show and mentioned they were gonna play right until curfew, even if they didn't know enough songs to play.

Some other highlights for me during the 1hr 15min set included The Bleeding Heart Show, The Jessica Numbers, Twin Cinema and Miss Teen Wordpower.

After the show, we picked up a special NP limited edition live album they were selling. A.C. Newman said that only 1000 copies of the album were made and joked that if we wanted, we can stock up on this collectors item and sell them on Ebay.

Look Beneath The Floorboards For The Secrets I Have Hid

2006-10-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Went to see Sufjan Stevens play Saturday night at St. Andrews Wesley Church. When we got to the venue, there was a huge lineup that apparently wrapped around the church. It was also pretty cold that night. We found a way to avoid the lineup and got inside quickly, settling into our seats (amongst the pews) for the evening.

It was my first time seeing a music show like this inside a church. The lighting was pretty budget and we had reservations on whether the sound system would hold up for the performance..... in the end, the venue acoustics were great and everything worked out fantastic.

My Brightest Diamond opened the show. Shara Worden was accompanied by a few of Sufjan's string players onstage. Shara also plays in Sufjan's orchestra, doing backing vocals, guitar, xylophone and other instruments for his set...so she's basically pulling double duty on this tour.

The thing that stood out most during Shara's set was by far her soaring vocals. Her range is so vast and definitely strong enough to do opera. My Brightest Diamond played a 45min set that drew from her release, Bring Me The Workhorse. She also threw in a Nina Simone cover.

Sufjan Stevens and his 14 piece orchestra came onstage and opened with an extended intro that later transitioned into Sister. Stevens came out wearing these large wings on his back that made him resemble one of his new songs that he would play, the Majesty Snowbird. His orchestra came out decked in what looked like butterfly wings. Everyone also stepped onstage wearing masks.

One of our friends is currently playing trombone in Sufjan's orchestra, touring with him across the States and soon throughout Europe. We discussed his travels and he mentioned to us that for every stop on the tour, 5 of the 14 member orchestra are locals hired to play that one show. This helps to cut down some travel expenses for the crew, especially when you're traveling for a few months over thousands of miles.

Sufjan's set included many songs off the Seven Swans album, along with some selections from Illinois, one from Michigan, one off a soon to be released Christmas album, and one new song. What really made the night was that the music was epic, and the song endings were completely haunting at times. Seeing the emotion on everyone's face as they played, and how each musician was affected by the music being presented just magnified everything.

The Detroit native also took the time to share with the audience a few stories. He mentioned the time when his parents would cut out National Geographic pictures and hang them on the wall during the middle of the night. He could literally hear the hammering of the nails into the wall as he tried to sleep. Sufjan also told us the summer camp story of him and a boy named Franco and how they came upon a predatory wasp.

Everyone gave Sufjan and his orchestra a nice standing ovation as he left the stage after Chicago to close off the main set. People then started to bang loudly with their hands crashing on the pews as we waited for an encore. The atmosphere in the place was electric and the appreciation for the music was off the charts...all this happening while considering we were inside a church. Sufjan came back onstage with a few members of his orchestra (everyone with their wings removed), to close off the night with The Dress Looks Nice On You.

Highlights for me during the 1hr 45min set included Transfiguration, The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades..., John Wayne Gacy Jr., Jacksonville, and Majesty Snowbird.

Overall, an excellent show and an absolutely wonderful evening.

Notes:
-Worst Agatha Christie Novel Ever! on the setlist = That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!
-Dress Looks Nicey Nicey Nick Lachey on the setlist = The Dress Looks Nice On You
-Casimir Pulaski and others listed below it were not played as we had already reached the 11pm sound curfew for the venue.

Wedding Crasher

2006-10-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Two longtime friends of mine got married today.

I've known the groom for over 10yrs and the bride since we were in kindergarten. It's really nice to see two people that are totally meant for each other get married. Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Midnight Show

2006-10-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

The Killers played the Orpheum Wednesday night.

A band from San Franciso named Immigrant opened. They were pretty forgetful...though I must mention that the bass player kinda resembles James Iha.

The Killers came onstage to a Sam's Town western theme set and opened with the title track off their new release. Playing on tour with them is an extra keyboard/synth player so that Brandon Flowers can spend more time canvasing the stage and working the crowd.

Brandon did a good job with his stage presence, while guitarist Dave Keuning had his rockout moments as well. Dave has quite a creepy look to him, with his intense eyes and crazy big hair.

Some of the new material went over well with When You Were Young, Read My Mind, and For Reasons Unknown being highlights.

Flowers sounded kinda flat at times as he moved around the stage singing, though the set was still quite enjoyable overall. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine and Glamorous Indie Rock And Roll were other highlights through the 1hr 15min performance. The bass lines in those two songs are infectious.

Setlist:

Sam's Town
Enterlude
When You Were Young
Somebody Told Me
Smile Like You Mean It
Bones
Bling
Read My Mind
Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
Uncle Jonny
Glamorous Indie Rock And Roll
Mr. Brightside

My List
For Reasons Unknown
All These Things That I've Done
Exitlude

Cash Cow

2006-10-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

We Are Scientists and Art Brut played a double-headlining show at the Commodore on Friday.

The avant-garde rockers Art Brut came on and played a high energy set. Their music didn't do much for me but they sure were entertaining. During the set, singer Eddie Argos went into the crowd and walked all the way to the bar on the other side of the floor. When he came back onstage, Eddie mentioned that some people near the bar probably weren't paying attention to the show because they thought he was just a crazy person going up to them. For the end of their set, they played up the crowd well with a rocking finish.

The We Are Scientists music and comedy show started immediately as soon as the guys hit the stage. Chris picked up his bass and it didn't work...so Keith did what he does best...he started to heckle his bandmate to get things going already. He told Chris to hurry up and that "Dude...you're wearing goggles and a white v-neck shirt...you're ready for some scenester action". The insults and witty banter continued back and forth throughout the whole set between the two as they tried to outdo one another.

The New York trio started the set with Lousy Reputation and played most of their debut album along with a few new tunes. I noticed that they slowed down the pacing of some of their songs a bit.

During the set, Chris went into the crowd along with his cordless bass to play. Keith meanwhile turned his attention to insulting someone in the crowd from Toronto. He then moved onto insulting the Art Brut guys who were standing side stage.

The members of The Spinto Band showed up for some pranks.

For the last song, The Great Escape, the members of Art Brut decided to seek their revenge and came onstage to wrestle down the We Are Scientists guys.

Keith attempted to give Eddie from Art Brut a Boston Crab / Lion Tamer / Walls Of Jericho.

The craziness continues...

As usual, there was a guy in the crowd that was completely hammered and so adamant about making it to the front of the stage. Once he finally got there near the end of the show, he didn't know what to do next....so he jumped onstage. Security was about to take him away so the guy decided to stage dive back into the front row. Seeing the drunk idiot come flying towards me, I did the best thing possible....I stepped aside....and he proceeded to hit the cold Commodore floor... OUCH!...that's gotta sting. Everyone had a good laugh...except maybe him.

Some other highlights from the 1hr set included Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt, It's A Hit, Inaction, and This Scene Is Dead.

The Geese Of Beverly Road

2006-10-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

Went to see The National play at Richard's last night.

The Fall Collection opened the show. The pop/rock/electro quartet features former MGB drummer Ian Browne in it. They played a brief set with some catchy numbers. I was mostly watching Ian's drumming as I haven't seen him play since he was counting beats for Alarm Bell ---> now converted back to Limblifter.

Took it easy on this night and decided to gain a different perspective watching the show in the balcony of the venue. For The National, I found a really sweet spot that had a clear and solid view of the stage. It was close enough so I didn't feel distanced from the energy of the band, and it also allowed me to lean against something and relax during the performance.

The six piece from Brooklyn opened their set with Secret Meeting, followed by Lit Up. Singer Matt Berninger sings with such emotion, and intensity. He also likes to sing while hunched over a bit and standing on his toes....it's quite a site to see.

Wow...the sound of the violin in their songs made it for me. The Geese Of Beverly Road rocked my socks! All The Wine and Mr. November were highlights too. The last song of the main set was awesome and featured the two guitarists Scott and Bryce coming to the edge of the stage and rocking out hard. Scott then grabbed some drum sticks and joined the drummer...before coming back to the front and switching up guitars with Bryce to finish off the song.

Set time was 1hr 25mins. This turned out to be surprisingly one of my favourite shows so far this year.

This is birth and this is death, all in the same breath

2006-10-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Jason Collett played the Van East Cultural Centre Tuesday night.

Ridley Bent opened. The solo country / folk rock artist entertained us with his clever and witty lyrics. He did a good job setting the tone for the evening at the very intimate VECC venue.

Jason Collett came onstage backed by the four piece Paso Mino and opened with the brilliant song, Tinsel And Sawdust. He opened with that same song earlier this year when we saw him at Richard's. Paso Mino actually kicked off that show back in March before coming back onstage that night and doing a double shift as they are also Collett's backing band.

Collett and Paso Mino have such a strong chemistry together onstage. The set featured the majority of the songs off Idols Of Exile, plus some new tunes.....one of which came to fruition only a week ago during soundcheck.

Jason shared with us some thoughts and stories in-between songs, including one about his youth that involved twinkies, beer, and a grassy knoll. His set lasted only 1hr 15mins, but definitely felt a lot longer. Some other highlights included Fire, We All Lose One Another, Waiting For The World, and I'll Bring The Sun.

Setlist:

Tinsel And Sawdust
Fire
We All Lose One Another
Hangover Days
Pink Night
Pavement Puddle Stars
Parry Sound
Brownie Hawkeye
These Are The Days
Not Over You (new song)
Roll On (new song)
Blue Sky
Feral Republic
Waiting For The World (new song)
untitled new song
-------
untitled new song
untitled new song
I'll Bring The Sun

Of Angels and Angles

2006-09-28T21:07:00.002-07:00

Did a show with the guys from Run Chico Run last night. Fun times. It was neat to watch them switch up positions and instruments every few songs. I was impressed with how the drummer would sing, and drum with one hand while playing keyboards with the other.

***

falling
fall ng
fall n
falln
fal l
fall
f a ll
f n
f

Everybody is just a stranger but that's the danger...

2006-09-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

John Mayer and Sheryl Crow played the Pacific Coliseum last night.

Marjorie Fair opened the evening. Managed to catch the last two songs of their pop-rock set.

John Mayer and his band came on next. He started with Belief, followed by a solid rendition of Bigger Than My Body. For his set design, there was a backdrop of squares that would light up differently during songs. The pattern resembled the cover art for his debut album, Room For Squares.

Mayer as always displayed his strong blues repetoire and improvisation skills throughout his 1hr 15min performance. His extended intro to Vultures, and the song itself, were really well done. I find that John is a very underrated guitarist and musician, since most people who judge him too quickly only know his music through radio hits. What they don't know is that he also attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and has jammed with the likes of Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, and B.B. King amongst others.

Slow Dancing In A Burning Room, Gravity, and In Repair were also some highlights and featured some solid jams in them.

Setlist:

Belief
Bigger Than My Body
Vultures
I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)
My Stupid Mouth
Why Georgia
Slow Dancing In A Burning Room
Daughters
Good Love Is On The Way
Gravity
Waiting On The World To Change
In Repair

Sheryl Crow then took the stage and closed out the co-headlining show on this night. Her and John are in the midst of a North American tour and are both taking turns headlining shows.

Accompanied with Crow onstage were a backing band along with a four piece string section that nicely added to the sound. Sheryl played a decent set musically, with some good performances of My Favourite Mistake, Redemption Day, and Strong Enough.

What really lacked though was the energy in the room during her performance. We had a very mellow Vancouver crowd on this night that didn't want to stand during the show. I find that's okay in some intimate theatre performances, but when you're at an arena rock show and you see most of the people on the floor and in the stands sitting down for the headliner, that's kind of a problem.....though I must note that we did have an older audience demographic for the most part attending the show.

Still, the responsibility lies in both the artist and the audience to make something of the concert and performance. It's the artist's responsibility to work the crowd and get them involved in the show, physically and/or emotionally. At the same time, a performer feeds off the energy of their audience.....so it becomes the responsibility of the crowd to reciprocate that energy back onto the stage.

It didn't really make sense when Sheryl got the crowd to sing a few lines, hear mostly silence from the audience, then have her go through the motions and say "You guys are great!".....wtf.....no we definitely were not.....and this happened a few times during her set.

It wasn't til the encore that people actually decided to get on their feet and somewhat applaud her and the band. Sheryl's Led Zeppelin cover of Rock N Roll at the end was fun at least.

Setlist:

Change Would Do You Good
Hard To Make A Stand
My Favourite Mistake
First Cut Is The Deepest
Mississippi
Good Is Good
It Don't Hurt
Redemption Day
Home
Strong Enough
Real Gone
Steve Mcqueen
Soak Up The Sun
Everyday Is A Winding Road

If It Makes You Happy
Rock N Roll

***

Found a copy of When Harry Met Sally for $1 yesterday. Best dollar I've spent all week.

Hearts wrapped in blankets laying low

2006-09-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

Amy Millan played at Richard's last night.

Mayor McCa opened the show. He was a one-man band, playing guitar and also using his right foot on a bass drum, while his left foot played a bass keyboard. His songs were split between singing and spoken word, and it seemed like he made up some lyrics on the spot.

Mayor made some funny comments in-between songs that got the crowd laughing, though we were also laughing because he seemed stoned out of his mind. During his last song, McCa brought out a clarinet to play. He then got off the stage and walked a lap around the venue barefooted while playing his clarinet. McCa then made his way back onto the stage, tripped a bit on his footing and finished the final notes to his performance for the evening. It was an interesting set to say the least.

Amy Millan came onstage backed by a six piece band. Her set consisted mostly of songs off her debut solo release, along with some new material and one number that was left off the album.

Partway through her set, the band left the stage to let Amy perform solo for a bit. She then played a nice acoustic version of Losin' You. The highlight of the evening came next as she invited Torquil Campbell onto the stage and the two of them performed my favourite Stars song - Look Up.

Ruby II, Baby I, and Skinny Boy were also some set highlights. For the encore, Amy and the band played a Gillian Welch cover and then finished off the night with He Brings Out The Whiskey In Me.

that's the way this wheel keeps working now

2006-09-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

The weekend was fun. We had a nice swing dance event happening. Saw some friends for the first time in a few months. On Saturday, I was able to get in some really good dances before jetting off to run a rock show at the Lamplighter. The two scenes for the night were such a contrast, but I felt very comfortable in both of them.

Doing some sponsorship stuff for the festival and keeping busy. Things are coming along well.

It's understood that Hollywood sells Californication

2006-09-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Red Hot Chili Peppers played to a sold out GM Place crowd on Thursday night.

The Mars Volta opened the evening. The 8 piece progressive rock band filled the venue with their many instruments and drawn out jam sessions. They started their 1hr set with a 15min version of Roulette Dares. Singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala has a unique stage presence. He wasn't as flashy with his dance moves as the last time I saw them, though he did rock out briefly with the mic stand gripped in-between his teeth.

With so many instruments combined with the arena sound system, the music was deafening at times. The high end frequencies of the sound were really loud with the vocals lost in the shuffle during some points. I'm glad I had plugs in. I would love to see these guys play in a smaller intimate theatre setting where the sound system would support their strong musicality.

Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez had some fancy stage moves himself while ripping it up on his axe. The supporting bandmates also did a solid job with the bongo solo and those flute riffs. I was quite content about their set time since openers rarely ever get an hour to play.

Setlist:

Roulette Dares
The Widow
Tetragrammaton
Viscera Eyes
Day Of The Baphomets

Saw someone eating an apple for the first time at a concert. Good idea getting their fruit intake. I wish I thought of that....though I'd probably bring one of those mini travel pack cereal boxes that open up in the middle instead where you can pour the milk in. Perhaps take a Frosted Flakes, Corn Pops, or Lucky Charms to tie me over. I didn't care much for Honey Smacks...the one with the frog on it. I did once buy a pack of Cocoa Pebbles just to get a Fred Flinstones eraser.

anyways...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers came onstage and started with an intro jam, followed by Can't Stop. Each of the members had their own unique dress style; Flea wearing a bodysuit, Kiedis in his funky street wear, Frusciante in his dress shirt and blazer ensemble, and Chad Smith simply looking like Will Ferrell.

The production of the set featured video screens in the backdrop and stage lighting that stretched into the middle ceiling of the floor. The guys had two weeks off the road leading up to this show so they were full of energy on stage. Highlights for me from the main set included Charlie, Readymade, Californication, and By The Way. Before Right On Time, they played a cool London Calling intro. During the first chorus of By The Way, they had a really neat freeze frame panoramic shot of Kiedis leaping into the air.

For the encore, they came back and played the intro to the Public Enemy song You're Gonna Get Yours, before segueing into Give It Away. The Peppers then ended their 1hr 55min set with a close to 20min jam session. Omar from The Mars Volta came back out to jam with the Chili Peppers for the show closer. Anthony did some singing during the jam while Omar and Frusciante ripped it up together. The ending was a great display of musicianship between five tremendous performers.

Setlist:

Intro Jam
Can’t Stop
Dani California
Scar Tissue
Charlie
Fortune Faded
Readymade
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Throw Away Your Television / Don't You Ever Leave (outro)
Snow (Hey Oh)
Me And My Friends
For Emily (John Frusciante solo)
Stadium Arcadium
Don’t Forget Me
London Calling (intro) / Right On Time
Tell Me Baby
Californication
By The Way

You're Gonna Get Yours (intro) / Give It Away
Outro Jam

an engagement

2006-09-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

Photos courtesy of The Mack.

awake...light...dusk...

2006-09-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Did a show with the guys from Pneuma last night. They can jam for hours on end if needed. The festival planning and other things are coming along well and making good progress.

I hate it when you wake up and it's already close to 3pm. It feels like you've pretty much wasted half the day.....though if I'd gotten up earlier, I would have taken a few steps, fell down, and passed out again.

In other news, ducks are too cute.

And we'd left our love in our summer skin

2006-09-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

A thousand promises that never seemed to help me before

2006-09-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Went to see Marianas Trench play the Buffalo Club last night. Their harmonies and pop-rock riffs are infectious.

All four of them are classically trained musicians, so it's always a treat to watch them do their a cappella song during the set. Decided To Break It, Push, and Skin & Bones were definite favourites. I first saw them play over 3 years ago, so it's nice to see that their debut LP will finally be released this October.

Mmmmm..... those Fritz Fries were tasty!

10,000 Days + 7 more

2006-08-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Tool played GM Place last Tuesday Aug.22 to a packed crowd. It was their first time back in Vancouver since their Lateralus Tour about 5 years ago.

Isis opened the show. The experimental and progressive rock quintet from LA put on a solid effort. They were onstage for only 30mins and definitely could have played longer, especially with the set changeover time being close to an hour before Tool hit the stage.

When Tool finally came on, the roar of the GM Place crowd was defining. The guys opened with Stinkfist, followed by The Pot off their new release. It is said that their latest album 10,000 Days is named after Maynard's mom Judith, who was partially paralyzed from a stroke for the last 27 years of her life (which is close to 10,000 days).

Maynard James Keenan has an enigmatic quality about him that draws the audience in. On this night, he came out bare chested and wearing jeans, while sporting sunglasses and a mohawk. He also had a cowboy hat at his disposal which he would leave on a special stand when not wearing it. Maynard positions his mic stand in the back half of the stage near drummer Danny Carey, as opposed to most vocalists who are front and centre. The singer's mannerisms are quite unique, as he would sometimes straddle his mic stand like a cowboy, then can be seen feeling out his surroundings and stomping the ground.

Guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor do a terrific job completing the sound of the LA four piece. Justin plays the whole set with pretty much his head down and hair covering his face. The sound mix for Maynard's vocals were low at times, though kinda expected with the GM Place sound system and venue acoustics.

Sober rocked, as did Lateralus. The laser lights that ran across the arena were quite hypnotizing. Maynard also cracked some jokes during the show such as "Congratulations on your high dollar. We suggest you buy our country before we invade yours for your oil."

Instead of leaving for the encore, the guys sat down on the stage together and waited a few minutes before getting back up to play the encore numbers. They closed out the 1hr 40min set with Vicarious and Ænema.

Setlist:

Stinkfist
The Pot
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Schism
Rosetta Stoned
Sober
Right In Two
Lateralus

Vicarious
Ænema

*******

Been pretty busy lately working on some shows. Went to check out a venue last week that is currently being renovated. We're gonna be booking some gigs there starting possibly next month. Also met with the publisher at the Nerve Mag. to discuss a festival we're gonna be doing with them this coming fall.

In these standard shoes and what's left of my lines.....you can see right through me

2006-08-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Matthew Good played one final show last night in Vancouver before embarking on his journey of travels throughout the world. This performance was quite special as it took place in Matt's apartment living room and on the last night he would be residing from there. It was just him and his guitar. No mics, no amps.

Matt mentioned there were around 280 people that emailed him about attending this unique occasion. In attendance were some of us from the Lower Mainland, a girl from Victoria, a girl from Ontario, a guy from Texas, a girl that flew in specially from Edmonton, and also a girl that flew in specially from Maryland.....all to be a part of this one time evening. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of this.

The total count in the room came to 25 people plus two dogs. MG's dogs are absolutely adorable. Benji is pretty much in charge and Casey has this relentless energy. They also contributed to the night's performances with Benji lending his vocals during songs while Casey chewed on the squeak toy.

The performance began at 8:15pm with Tripoli. The atmosphere was very relaxed and interactive throughout the night with Matt conversating back and forth with us and cracking jokes with Merle. It felt like just a gathering between old friends.

Up next came Metal Airplanes, a song that debuted during the July-August shows this year.

I was sitting beside Matt writing down the setlist as he performed, so he would often turn to me and ask "Alright, what's next". I did my best to request some songs that are rarely played live and/or would sound good in an acoustic setting.

Matt mentioned that he hasn't picked up his guitar since his last show in Victoria on August 1. With that said, combined with the fact that he stated some songs don't sound as complete with just an acoustic guitar, there were a few songs that weren't played. Sorry, no Born To Kill, Suburbia, Blues Skies Over Badlands, The Rat Who Would Be King, or Truffle Pigs.

We were however treated with great showings of Avalanche, Prime Time Deliverance, Sort Of A Protest Song, and House Of Smoke And Mirrors. It was fun hearing Casey chew on that squeak toy while Matt strummed the notes to Prime Time Deliverance, or when Benji sang along with Matt during the end of HOSAM.

MG also took the time to prank call his brother Chris, and A&R guy Dave Porter. In addition, he received calls during the show from his parents and from Merle prank calling him from across the room.

We were treated to a demonstration of Matt's new MacBook Pro which he had just bought for his trip. That thing sure is fast.

Matt also shared with us stories about life, MGB, the music industry, the city of Vancouver, and noted that the steak from Olympia on Denman Street is delicious. In addition, he mentioned that there will be another album made sometime in the future.

The evening finished around 11:35pm

Setlist:

Tripoli
Metal Airplanes
Strange Days
Avalanche
Prime Time Deliverance
Sort Of A Protest Song
She's In It For The Money
Alert Status Red
Fated
House Of Smoke And Mirrors
In A World Called Catastrophe

THANK YOU so much to Matt for letting us be a part of this tremendous night and all the best to you in your travels. Remember, stay away from those Bounce sheets!

This was MG Show #24 for me and by far the most important one I've attended. If it somehow becomes the last time I ever see Matt perform live, then I'll have left with closure on one man's magnificent music career.....knowing that he has an even brighter future ahead traveling the world to face new challenges in this thing we call life.

These are the shows that I've been fortunate enough to be a part of with Matt and company throughout the years:
1) July 11, 1998 Thunderbird Stadium Edgefest 98
2) July 14, 1999 Thunderbird Stadium Edgefest 99
3) Jan 2, 2001 Commodore Ballroom
4) Jan 3, 2001 Commodore Ballroom
5) July 28, 2001 False Creek SnowJam
6) May 10, 2002 Commodore Ballroom New Music West
7) May 11, 2002 Vogue Theatre New Music West
8) Apr 17, 2003 Commodore Ballroom
9) Apr 18, 2003 Commodore Ballroom
10) Apr 19, 2003 Vogue Theatre
11) Apr 25, 2003 Commodore Ballroom
12) Apr 26, 2003 Commodore Ballroom
13) Aug 2, 2003 Plaza Of Nations Celebrate BC
14) July 1, 2004 Richard's on Richards CFOX Canada Day Show
15) Aug 06, 2004 Commodore Ballroom
16) Oct 10, 2004 Vogue Theatre
17) Apr 8, 2005 Thunderbird Stadium Arts County Fair
18) Sep 13, 2005 Armoury Studios CFOX Uninvited Guest
19) Nov 4, 2005 Commodore Ballroom
20) Nov 5, 2005 Commodore Ballroom
21) Apr 20, 2006 Vancouver East Cultural Centre
22) Apr 20, 2006 Vancouver East Cultural Centre
23) Apr 20, 2006 Vancouver East Cultural Centre
24) Aug 25, 2006 MG's Living Room

I was there for his first Edgefest, last MGB show, first MG show with Christian-Pat-Mark, five crazy Avalanche Tour shows in a row, private Canada Day show, private CFOX Armoury Studios show, last show with Christian-Rich-Pat, three solo acoustic shows in Vancouver, and his last performance for now.....And I wouldn't have missed any of them for the world!

The best e-mail I've ever received

2006-08-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

MG posted this on his blog today.

"I’m going to do a completely unplugged acoustic show – no amplification whatsoever - in my now empty living room for 20 lucky people.

When’s It Going To Happen?

Tomorrow night - Friday, August 25th, at 8pm."

I got home just after 6pm today. I saw the message and spent the next while writing an e-mail to him.

Just found out that I've been invited to the performance.

I'm excited x 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000!!!!!!!

Find what your footsteps already know

2006-08-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

Back at the Malkin Bowl last night to watch Sarah Harmer perform. The layout of the show was different than the previous night as it was reserved seating with general admission on the side lawn. There were also a few environmental display booths setup to offer information on worthy causes such as the David Suzuki Foundation and The Land Trust Alliance of British Columbia.

Carolyn Mark opened the evening. The alt-country songstress from Victoria did a good job setting the tone and mood for a great summer night of music. Playing with Carolyn was Gregory Macdonald, former member of one of my favourite local acts Pepper Sands.

Sarah Harmer came onstage to a warm welcome and opened her set with Came On Lion. She recently did a few shows with Bruce Cockburn and this was her last date on her tour.

Sarah was exceptional on this night, much like when I saw her perform back in April. Her voice is captivating and displays a raw emotion that really connects you to her songs.

The Ontario native was accompanied by a few other musicians onstage and they sounded very tight as a collective.

During the set, Sarah mentioned there was a friend in the audience that had a special announcement to make to someone. She then performed two romantic songs, Silver Road and Open Windows.

For Lodestar, Sarah hopped on the drumkit to play out the last part of the song. Her bandmates left the stage afterwards for Sarah to perform a short solo acoustic set. The set included an excellent solo version of Basement Apt. after an audience member had requested the song.

Ms. Harmer and her bandmates sure like drinking their red wine during sets.

Other highlights from the 1hr 50min set included great performances of Coffee Stain, Greeting Card Aisle, Around This Corner, Goin' Out, and The Hideout. I loved that they played Dandelions In Bullet Holes near the end.

Setlist:

O ========= 0 Sarah's solo set
cover song
Coffee Stain
Basement Apt.

Encore:
The Hideout
Dandelions In Bullet Holes
How Deep In The Valley

As she walks the night, how many hearts will die tonight?

2006-08-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

City And Colour played the Malkin Bowl last night.

Black Lungs was the opener. It's basically Wade MacNeil, guitarist and vocalist for Alexisonfire, playing solo with his Fender Tele. His stuff was alright. Wade also has a solo album coming out soon on Dine Alone Records.

Dallas Green played to a packed Vancouver audience. The atmosphere of the show was definitely different than when he played here back in March. Going into the concert, I was worried about the intimacy issue of the show as the Malkin Bowl is an outdoor grassy field that holds 1500 people. I wanted to make sure that the emotion of Dallas's songs would translate well across the open air venue. Having a person play solo on a big outdoor stage with minimal lighting can sometimes lessen the effect of the songs. Maybe it was because I was so focused on his performance that I didn't let any surrounding noises distract me from the show.

Dallas came onstage and opened with an untitled new song, which we'll tentatively call Cross My Heart. He was once again armed with just his Gibson ES-335 and that amazing voice. Being a general admission show, there was a crowd huddled up standing near the front of the stage, while the rest of the audience sat down behind on the grass to take in the show. People around us were quiet for the most part throughout the performance with the exceptional few.

The St. Catharines native was quite interactive with the audience as he tuned his guitar in-between songs. He plugged the new Alexisonfire album, then asked for a show of hands "Who's gonna buy it Tuesday.....Okay, who's already downloaded it".

Dallas then played a Kristofer Astrom cover of How Come Your Arms Are Not Around Me, before mentioning that he was only four songs into the set but had to pee really bad. He played one more song, Sam Malone, before once again stating his urgent need to go. With the audience support, he mentioned that he'll be stepping offstage for a quick pee break and outfit change.

Dallas came back on refreshed and went right into a riveting performance of Day Old Hate. That song gets to me everytime. He followed up with a Constantines cover of Soon Enough.

There were people in the front that kept yelling out things and Dallas would say "It's pretty quiet so you don't have to yell. We can just talk to each other". Another person also shouted out the usual "Take it off!" and Dallas responded with "If I did, it would just make me uncomfortable...so I'm not gonna".

During Casey's Song, Dallas tried to get the crowd singing along, then asked everyone to open up their cellphones and hold it up. It resulted in a pretty interesting light display.

He ended the main set with another new song called Sensible Heart. For the brief encore, Dallas came back onstage and closed with Save Your Scissors. He tried to get the crowd to sing the whole song by themselves. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as well with the mellow Vancouver crowd so he stepped in to finish it. I thought it would have been better had he ended the show with the new song instead.

Favourites from the 1hr 20min set included Hello I'm In Delaware, Day Old Hate, Like Knives, and Sensible Heart. Also, the vocals in Sam Malone are so much more intense live just like the last time I saw him.

Setlist:

untitled new song (Cross My Heart)
Comin' Home
Hello, I'm In Delaware
How Come Your Arms Are Not Around Me (Kristofer Astrom cover)
Sam Malone
Day Old Hate
Soon Enough (Constantines cover)
Sometimes
Casey's Song
Like Knives
Sensible Heart
----------
Save Your Scissors

take these hands and throw them in the river

2006-08-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

Went to see Silver Mt. Zion play last night at Richard's.

Carla Bozulich opened. She used to play in a few other bands including The Geraldine Fibbers, Scarnella and Ethyl Meatplow. She was accompanied by four other females onstage including a cellist, who walked through the packed crowd with her instrument in hand before reaching the stage. Carla sings with much conviction in her voice and her mannerisms. The bass had a lot of reverb during the set, which drowned out the cello in the beginning. I thought her music was okay, with the best song being a Low cover that was performed.

Silver Mt. Zion arrived onstage to a full Richard's audience. It was the first time for the seven of them playing in Vancouver. The group, consisting of former members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, includes a cellist, two violinists, and a double bass player. Their orchestral sound was very impressive live.

They opened with God Bless Our Marines, followed by Mountains Made Of Steam. With their long epic tracks, they only played seven songs throughout their 1hr 40min set. During the performance, singer Efrim Menuck took the time to voice his dislike for both Douglas Coupland and Stephen Harper.

The lighting for the show was minimal as there was no one was in charge of it. The lights were left at one setting the entire night for both the opening and main acts.

For the last song of the main set, they played a new one, entitled Blind Blind Blind. The song was my favourite of the night, with all seven of them singing a cappella together near the end to produce some great harmonies. For the encore, they came back out and played another new song entitled One Million Died To Make This Sound.

It was really toasty inside Richard's during the show. I don't know how some of the hipsters managed to wear a jacket inside the venue without passing out from the heat.

Where's Gunther?

2006-08-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

What better way to spend a nice summer day than by having a Gunther Party.

We also shot a music video that's gonna blow everyone's mind.

Gunther hits up the club scene.

the wave swinger

2006-08-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Went to Playland yesterday for the first time in a few years. It was a lot of fun. Had to scarf down our dinners and bolt over to the wooden roller coaster plus a few more other rides before they closed. Good to see no one puked.

Afterwards, I headed down to do our first show at the Waldorf. Good times. The first band of the night, MMF, were great. They have a White Stripes setup, but with the roles reversed as the girl played guitar and the guy was on the drums and vocals. Their sound was quite big for a two piece and had a nice classic rock feel. Looking forward to working with them again in the future.

We Looked Like Giants

2006-08-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

Did my first set of shows the last two nights. Been meeting a lot of new people and learning about the behind the scenes venue stuff involved.

Currently watching the live feed coverage of Lollapalooza in Chicago.