seminal

if there's one image that sticks in my mind from this past weekend, it's got to be the fridge fucking the stove in Beck's Sexx Laws video, seen as part of the retrospective at res.

right along up there was the world premiere of Rigor Mortis Got Me Down, a fantastical zombie rock opera composed by the hangout's own Carny. lyrically brilliant and solidly composed, the room was blown away with the productions smart humour and energy. bravo, yo!

right up there with that was the latest HEAVY METAL DIM SUM, the Traktor retrospective, and on and on and on

notes from the brain.

please don't mix very loud music with a lot of very dark beer. there's nothing like that sinking, awful feeling in the morning and you got to get up and carry the world another 50 feet on your shoulder (blog hyperbole, AND a little oasis reference there).

anyways, saw a lot of music over the past couple of days. an extremely diverse set of acts, looking back, and it's all cool stuff. the former Adam Brown fundraiser went well last night, not a massive crowd, but not bad either. of particular interest, for a variety of reasons, was 10,000 watt head, who pushed and pushed and pushed us. it was also cool to finally see Femme Generation too.

tonight brings no less than 4 events on the agenda, but likely only 3 will make the final cut. movies/music/parties. it's rough, really.

I'm from Barcelona

not I'm not! and neither is the band. they're Swedish, and very amazing from what I've heard so far, esp. Treehouse.

I would bring them over in a second, but there's 20 of them in the band/choir out there. Must find freelance choir. Also: exploit generous Swede arts funding programs.

bohemian like you

I decided on the way home last tuesday that a more fundamental change was happening in me-whoa! must...stop...Dawson's Creek-style-introspection!...but it was true. things are shifting, in some superficial but also really big way as well. my new surroundings are playing a big part in this, that I am aware of, and it's weird because I think I've stayed pretty static in terms of who I am in my previous 2 places, one a really shitty neighbourhood, the other almost sorta swank (but skunky).

I suspected my new place would work out as a matter of fit, and it fits me better far and away better than anything before. it's hard to explain, but I think it's one of those things that you don't realize it's possible until you experience it, and when you do it's fucking AMAZING. it's just really right.

also: had a great meeting regarding our fledgling publication/show last night. some really, really, great ideas came out of it and we're horribly excited for the launch of our online/print component at thenewpollution.net, likely around the end of the next month! stay tuned.

to dive fully into the snooze-worthy livejournal style entry format, I had a dream last night which involved Kurt Russell and the guy who carries around Oscar the Grouch in his garbage can when he needs to be mobile in some sort of stage show. and then things really got messed up...

sez you sister!

no I di-in't!




nuh-uh!




have a great day.

do they know it's halloween?

the rather sprawling video can be found here, featuring the likes of:

ARCADE FIRE'S WIN & REGINE
BECK
BUCK 65
DAVID CROSS
DEVENDRA BANHART
DESSERT’S LIANE BALABAN
ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK
FEIST
GINO WASHINGTON
LES SAVY FAV'S SYD BUTLER
ISLANDS' J'AIME
MALCOLM MCLAREN
NARDWUAR THE HUMAN SERVIETTE
PEACHES
POSTAL SERVICE'S JIMMY TAMBORELLO
REDD KROSS’ STEVE MCDONALD
R.E.M’S JOEY WARONKER
RILO KILEY'S JENNY & BLAKE
ROKY ERICKSON
SLOAN'S CHRIS MURPHY
SMOOSH'S ASYA & CHLOE
SONIC YOUTH'S THURSTON MOORE
SPARKS' RUSSELL MAEL
SUBTITLE
SUM 41'S STEVO
TAGAQ
THAT DOG’S ANNA WARONKER
WOLF PARADE'S DAN & SPENCER
YEAH YEAH YEAH'S KAREN O

the world could've used another 'studio group singalong' video, but y'know...logistics.

edited to add: the caps are theirs, not MINE.-except those ones. also, is this song kinda _______?

you know one day...

...you're working for a Jazz Festival taking orders from a kid whose dad happens to have some kind of national radio show. he's a good enough kid, but maybe a little off, and certainly in that city very well connected.


then another day (like last night) you're on college with a fellow expat and the same kid runs up pulling a rickshaw, lets out 2 people right at your feet and proceeds to have a pretty standard conversation about what's up-as if we run into him all the time, pulling a rickshaw down college, 2000km from where we last knew him. he even recommends some good places to go...all while shoving his profits into his sock.

oh, the places you'll go!

those tears be crocodile

from JAM:

"After 15 years as frontman for Canadian rock trio The Tea Party, Jeff Martin has decided to pack it in."




man oh man, what a year it's been!

I ain't saying she's a gold digger...

...but the new Kanye is quite good. Exclaim! may very well quote me again this year on him, I suspect.

the new Metric is an official 'grower', and not a 'shower'.

Becker is good, but surprise Becker is better. good times at the Tap, with Captain Moe Berg (HMCS tpoh) spinning.

then Les Chiens D'or, outstanding as always. Find me a better rock and roll band in toronto.

from friday, it was a wise move to stick the beers in plastic travel mugs, especially when our police officer friends came through the park. did I mention my neighbourhood is awesome?

lastly, the Star teases the New York Times for fucking up their BSS review, but has several factual errors in its own A&C love-in the day before!

roll

Jon Rae gets a feature and some mp3s on this blog here.





this is going to be a rock and roll weekend.

open city

The Lazers have it their way-instrumental style.


SO the trip back to the homestead, was as always way too quick in passing by, with seemingly the most time spent at any one place on the plane, compared with anything else.

Friday night had me at the previously-plugged-here New Forms festival fundraiser at the newly reno'd Park Theatre on Osborne. The theatre itself is a great idea, combining cheap movies and an available performance space with a fully stocked cafe in the lobby.

Performances were varied and versatile, which I suspect is in line with the Festival's main programming. Highlights would have to include the Lazers, and I rather liked the interpretive dance set to live Sigur Ros guitar action. Best of luck to this year's festival, and the new venue!

Beyond that, lots of time spent with friends, their parents, and new children in some cases. Spent ample time at the Toad, but what else is new?

the bitch is back!

and he's not talking.

running back to saska-

make that winnipeg. tomorrow.

apparently they got a LOT of snow yesterday.

luckily, the heat from my anger regarding this will melt it as the plane approaches the province.

see the New Wave Vandal for where I'll be friday night.

also maybe: MANHUNT?

Bottle Rocket

I remember walking into Soundscapes on a sweltering August afternoon to find the Go! Team's Bottle Rocket cranked through their system. though I had had the album for some time and had even been at their infamous show at Lee's a month before, that particular song really grabbed my smelly self in that moment.

now, with the North American release of Thunder, Lightning, Strike there is a video (with some very brief clips likely from zat toronto show) and even a live version from Lee's available for purchase as well.

still not sure if I want to see them again at the Phoenix at the end of the month, as the feeling at the crazy-packed Lee's may be tough to replicate.

quotable

" Wisdom* is better than silver and gold
I was hopeless now I'm on Hope road"
-LH

* also: being forthright

" Well he's a friend and he's so proud of you
He's a friend and I knew him before you, oh yeah
Well he's a friend and he's so proud of you
You're famous friend well I blew him before you, oh yeah"
-FF (via wherry)

on the road

I'm hardly nomadic, but 3 moves in as many years counts for something, I reckon.

the move itself was smooth, with some of the most fashionable help I've ever seen lugging boxes and dresser drawers. thanks guys! after that, we went to Lakeview, which is about 2 blocks away from my new place and had lunch with DFA, which, I reckon, was pretty cool. the parents ate twice more there over the weekend, so they must have been really impressed with either the food or the clientele-not sure which yet. Jay from Sloan lives down the street, as does Sarah Polley, and possibly Ron Sexsmith-good company to keep, I reckon.

the place itself is cozy, but a great cozy. saturday brought us back to etobi-co where a new fancy wardrobe and rock and roll metal stereo cabinet (silver) were acquired. more more more consumption and materialistic leanings over the weekend. I now need to hit at least 2-3 anti-globalization rallies soon to make up for all of this. seriously!

we also took in Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, and it was very, very great.

the commute! through the park in the mornings, it's absolutely gorgeous right now. photo-worthy, even. right now, it's all much more than nice, I reckon.