It's been a while...

Oh whoops! I am a terrible blogger. I've been so busy. Life is changing around here. But don't worry, in all my business I have certainly not neglected my ears as much as I have my blog. Since I last posted I've seen the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, James Murphy, the Pack AD...I am so lucky. These shows were all amazing, and I wish I had the time to brag to you readers about every single one, but it just hasn't been in the cards. However, in exactly 8 days I will be seeing Band of Horses in Montreal and you better believe you'll hear all about that show.
In the meantime, there is a band I would like to bring to your attention. Short of Able is great up and coming Edmonton band made up of four super chill Canadian dudes. Their folky, 90's alt rock sound is a collaboration of four amazing artists with a variety of different musical influences; Oasis, Tom Petty, Stone Roses, Foo Fighters... to name a few. This is seriously the Canadian band to watch for in 2013 in my opinion. So here - check out their very first music video and let me know what you think. You may even recognize a face or two cruising around in Edmonton's high level streetcar  ;)

Magical Music Moments

"But for now we are young let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing..."

I'm a sucker for a good cover. In fact, I think cover songs are essential to the progression of music. Artists need to keep showcasing songs from the past to new generations. Not only does it encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone and listen to a band they might never be inclined to listen to, but it also gives us the opportunity to hear bands we just may have never heard of. How do you think I heard of the Meat Puppets, or Lou Reed or Tom Waits (to name a few). Without Nirvana's 'Unplugged in New York', The Cowboy Junkie's version of "Sweet Jane' or Bruce Springstein's "Jersey Girl" I might have missed out on some serious classics. So when I go to shows and hear any attempt at a cover, I'm pumped. Without a little help from fellow Canadian Dan Mangan last November, my unfortunate oversight of a little band called Neutral Milk Hotel could have gone on forever. Mangan's cover of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is potentially the best cover I've heard live, and I've heard my share of pretty dang good covers. It is also now one of my all time favourite songs. I actually feel a little silly - claiming to be in the know about this music thing and not knowing about Jeff Mangum and Neutral Milk Hotel until a year ago. I mean who has never heard the song In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - let alone the whole album...but I digress...
Anyway, I'm posting a video from the show that I found on Youtube by TheMatthugh. It's not a great video, but it sounds absolutely beautiful. Enjoy. And give Dan Mangan a listen if you haven't already!

#WerestillwithyouJohn

So this weekend I had the privilege to see a true musical legend for the second time in my life - John Fogerty. This guy has been rockin out for twice as long as I have even been alive and he still doesn't miss a beat. His band, Creedence Clearwater Revival was a pivotal member of a very influential collection of musicians in the 1960s. A group of bands who paved the way for music today and who were lucky enough to have had the honor of playing the original Woodstock in 1969. Though it may not have been luxurious, and artists today would probably scoff at the conditions these bands were playing in, Fogerty spoke fondly of his Woodstock experience. He recalled how his band, originally scheduled to go on at 9:30pm, was delayed for several hours due to another band's set going over their time (another band being The Grateful Dead...no big deal). Fogerty said finally at 2:30am, CCR took the stage in front of a crowd of thousands of weary eyes. Of course, if something like this happened in today's world, bands may not tend to take the news so lightly - as was so elegantly demonstrated by Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong this weekend. But John spoke fondly of this hi-cup and remembered the graciousness of the audience some 43 years later. Though a lot of the crowd had succumb to a fatigue by the time CCR's 2:00am set began, he recalled one fan who ignited his lighter, held it up high and called into the night: 'we're still with you, John! Fogerty shared this story with us as an intro to one of my all time favorite songs. As he played "Who Stopped the Rain", footage of Woodstock 1969 played behind him on the stage screens. The festival's audience swayed to the music with smiles from ear to ear. They danced in the rain and offered peace symbols to the world around them. Everyone just looked so peaceful and genuinely overjoyed to be attending this amazing event. I couldn't help but feel envious of their concert experience. Sure, more than half were likely feeling a lot of their happiness thanks to a little friend called LSD, but still. As I looked around amongst the glow of iphone screens and camera flashes, I noticed the man in the row in front of me checking setlist.com for about the hundredth time since we'd sat down. He then went on to check his Facebook account, and then snapped a picture of the stage show.

The obvious contrast between the audience on screen and the one I was a part of was a little disheartening. I mean - do we really need to notify all of our friends and followers of what Fogerty is saying/doing that second? And are you really ahead of the game if you've looked on setlist.com to see if you can guess what song might be next? Real lighters have been replaced by iphone apps during heart filled ballads. And is whatever phone call you're on or text you're sending that important that it can't wait until you're finished taking in this amazing concert that you paid to get into? I look at those people at Woodstock and admire the fact that they are just actually there. They are in that moment simply experiencing the experience. And that one lone fan, that one guy who John Fogerty himself still remembers to this day - what has become of him? The guy who held up his lighter and hollered his support into that New York night  might today be replaced by a tweet; @Johnfogerty, hashtag: #werestillwithyoujohn. When did we get so disconnected? All of this technology is supposed to be bringing us together, making the world more accessible, but it seems to be taking away from us actually truly feeling and experiencing art. Half the time I feel we are so busy trying to capture the moment that we're forgetting to take a second and just enjoy it. As a kid, I remember going to shows where cameras were not even allowed past the front gates as a courtesy to the artist. Do we need to start checking our cell phones at the door? At a show I attended earlier this year, Dallas Green of City and Colour specifically requested the audience put away their phones and cameras just for one song. He asked this of us so that, if only for a few moments, we could all just get the full experience of what we had all come here for. Most people did - and what a difference it made. What a peaceful audience we became. But, as soon as the song ended, the moment had passed and the phones lit up, the cameras flashed. 
We're all guilty of it. How could we not be? But seeing a legend, John Fogerty, and hearing those classic and essential songs coming straight from the source reminded me of a simpler time. It made me miss something that I'm not sure I've ever truly experienced myself.  Call me old fashioned or just call me a square. Maybe I'm a lot closer to becoming the old lady at the end of the block who throws cats at all the 'damn kids and their music' than I'd like to admit. But I truly hope that one day, I can go to concert where we can put away or phones, cameras, Twitter followers and Facebook friends and just enjoy. Just me, you, the band, some kindred spirits and the music.

Mirage Rock is Coming!

In only a few more days, Band of Horses will be releasing their 4th studio Album, Mirage Rock. Here is a video of the band performing "Slow Cruel Hands of Time" from this much anticipated album.

A Review - Brand New - August 10, 2012



Favorite Show of the Summer? YEAH!!!!!!

Oh Brand New, where do I even start.  Here is a band that rarely comes through Canada. The last time they came to Calgary I didn't even live here so I missed the chance. So after their 2009 release of Daisy, I flew all the way to Toronto to get the opportunity to see these guys play first hand. Seeing them in Toronto was one of the best shows I've ever been to, so needless to say I had a not-so-discreet countdown going on to their August 10th show at MacEwan Hall. (Sorry Facebook 'friends') It was the most highly anticipated show for me this summer for sure, and I've seen my share of great shows in the past few months.

Brand New at MacEwan Hall.

After patiently waiting and waiting, August 10th finally came and I headed to MacEwan with so many other ecstatic fans. Once finished amply teasing his audience with a guest appearance with opening band An Horse and then walking around covering the microphone stands in flowers before his set, Jesse Lacey and Brand New finally took the stage. They opened with Milestone.
The show went on for two hours, but it felt like five minutes to me. Every single song was done in this intense, perfectly, imperfect fashion. Hearing Jesse go from singing that first verse of Sowing Season so softly - so sweetly to screaming 'YEAH' in such a beautifully tortured manner is almost impossible to articulate. I have heard that song at least a hundred times yet I nearly jumped out of my skin when he dove full force into that chorus. It gives me goosebumps just to think about it. I had still not quite recovered from that experience when a few songs later they played Tautou. I was pleasantly surprised to hear this favourite off of Brand New's second album Deja Entendu. Tautou acts as an intro to the record, is just under two minutes long and only contains two lines; "I'm sinking like a stone in the sea; I'm burning like a bridge for your body". The desperation in this song has always haunted me. I could listen to it a thousand times over and it would still feel like the first. And hearing it performed live - seeing Jesse resonate that haunted desperation was unreal. He emitted emotion into the audience that I'm not sure many coming that night knew they would or could feel from a live performance. That is why I love music. That exact feeling is why I will travel miles and miles to see a band and not regret it for a second. It's those moments that I and so many other kindred spirits live for. Not many bands today can portray that emotion and hold that presence for any amount of time, let alone two breathtaking hours. And for that, I am so grateful to Brand New and hope they keep doing what they're doing for years to come. Among other favourites performed were Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't, Degausser, Seventy Times 7, Jude Law and a Semester Abroad, Play Crack the Sky, The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot...I could go on and on. They closed with an extended version of Welcome To Bangkok.  It was a wonderful rendition of the song. As the song came to an end, Jesse tore the flowers free from their mic stands and threw them into the audience. The band left the stage and the lights came up. Though slightly disappointed in the lack of an encore, I left the venue elated. I got what I came for and more. With rumors of uncertainty looming around the release of another album I am just so happy to have had to chance to see this band again. I hope they keep making music for years to come - because every single song they played seemed to make people glad to be where they were with whoever they were there with. 

Magical Musical Moments

In the past 28 years I've put a lot of time, a lot of money and quite a few miles into experiencing live music. Simply put, it's been worth every penny, minute and mile. So,I figure I will share some of my most wonderful moments with whoever decides to read them. And maybe you can share some of yours with me - if you feel so inclined...

I may as well start with the obvious....

April 20, 2012 - Indio, California

After travelling 2500km to get to Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival my expectations were exceeded within the first hour of being on the festival grounds. The set up, the music, the people, the weather - they were all amazing. Now having seen The Black Keys before, I knew the headliner for day one was going to be stellar, but I could've never prepared for the surprise they were about lay on festival goers that fine night. As a tribute to the great Levon Helm, who had died the day before, the Black Keys announced that they would pay tribute to him and sing one of his songs for us. This, in itself, was wonderful. My brain instantly started sorting through songs by The Band thinking of all the possibilities of what they might cover. They went on to say they would invite someone out to help them sing. Out comes none other that John Fogerty. The crowd went wild for Fogerty. Unreal. And when they started to play "The Weight", I don't think I could've smiled any bigger. Everyone sang and swayed along. What a great tribute to such an influential man. This definitely ranks high on my top ten magical musical moments.

A Review - The Evaporators - June 21, 2012

I gotta disease! I’m addicted to CHEESE!

Alright, so where do I even start? The Evaporators. Here is a band I, admittedly, know very little about, other than that their lead singer is essentially a national treasure. I can remember being amused and impressed by Nardwuar and his interviews for as long as I can remember. I even follow him on Twitter today. The Vancouver native is a common household name for most Canadians of my generation. Watching his countless, delightful interviews on Much Music has always been commonplace and I can't say I know anyone who can't properly finish a good old "Doot doola doot doo..."  So when I found out Nardwuar's band, The Evaporators, was gracing our city, it was an obvious 'must see'. 

Nardwuar - The Human Serviette

So we head down to the National Music Center to give them a go. The crowd is smallish - maybe 50 people or so - and surprisingly ages range anywhere from 10 to 60. The crowd lights up and welcomes Nardwuar on stage. Now, anyone who has watched a Nardwuar interview knows that he always does extensive research before each one. He then accompanies every question with a thrifty anecdote to get the artist thinking before he ultimately pops said question which usually results in a surprised and impressed answer to the question. As it turns out, an Evaporators show is no exception. Even the sound check was done in storybook fashion. Strategically moving from mic to mic and around the room to assure optimal sound, Nardwuar filled our ears with random factoids and information. In fact, I still couldn't tell you where the sound check actually started, ended, or where the first song began. With each tale there was a song and each song brought a contagious bout of energy into the audience; often in the form of Nardwuar himself.  Audience participation was not optional; if he wanted you up and dancing - you were. Even if he didn't ask you personally, you couldn't help but get up and chant along with such lyrics as "Gimme some ointment, I need an appointment" or "I don't need my friends to tell me who my friends are".  About a third of the way into the set, it was evident that The Evaporators had undoubtably won over this crowd. Whether you were laughing and singing along or you were getting in line to help Nardwuar crowd surf across the venue - you were all in.  Nardwuar's immense energy, hysterical antics and informative anecdotes were undeniably awesome. Even the band members of We Are The City (who had opened up for the Evaporators) were up and dancing on chairs. Just when I thought I was having an unbeatable blast, an unexpected guest performer was invited on stage. But really, why wouldn't Andrew WK come out to play "Party Hard" with the Evaporators? And of course they would go on to discuss their afternoon in Calgary taking in our sights and enjoying lunch at one of our most prized eateries - Tubby Dog. And OF COURSE they would use Tubby Dog as a nifty maneuver to mention their love for cheese. Which would obviously prompt them breaking into the song: I'm addicted to cheese.  "I got a disease, I'm addicted to cheese!" Oh the insanity. 

Crowd Surfing Through the National Music Center in Calgary

So once Andrew WK joined the brigade, any attempt even for the cool kids in the back to maintain composure was over. Between WK's party presence, Nardwuar AND his keyboard crowd surfing through the NMC without missing a note and the sheer black 'Thriller' shirt Nard was now sporting, everyone was stoked. (Find me anyone in the crowd who was still sitting down and I'll give you my first born.) After several crafty costume swaps, much sweat and several more amazing songs including a sick cover of the Hot Nasties "Barney Rubble is My Double" the show did what all great things must do and came to an end. And though the crowd was on the small side, this did not stop Nardwuar from strapping on a helmet bearing a Canadian maple leaf and crowd surfing his way around the entire room for his grandest of finales.  As we all proudly hoisted the lead singer in the air and sang along with those final lyrics I was grinning ear to ear - who wasn't? What an unexpected delight! I really had no idea what to expect going in to this show, but I was definitely leaving with a whole new outlook on Nardwuar and The Evaporators. I would highly recommend going to see these guys if the opportunity ever comes your way. Just be ready to get the heck up get Busy Doing Nothing!