"You and Whose Army?" Radiohead/Incendies

I really can't get over the use of Radiohead's "You and Whose Army?" in the film Incendies. It's absolutely haunting.

Best use of a song in a film that I've heard in ages.

YOU MUST SEE INCENDIES in theatres.

Additionally, you know what's real funny? I can't stop listening to Amnesiac when I just bought the new one.

"Night Moves" Bob Seeger

Rich Terfry ended his program today with this tune, awesome:

"Take Care," Tennis and Various Artists

I really flocked for the line "I'll Take Care Of You" when I listened to Tennis' lovely tune "Pigeon." At their live gig, the lead singer Alaina Moore declared "Pigeon" to be her favourite song. In hearing that, I felt a little perplexed as to why someone would declare that their favourite tune of all the other great upbeat, breezy tracks on Cape Dory. But I can't seem to get it out of my head, it's just so god damn lovely!



Big Star's tune "Take Care":



Kevin Drew's bizzaro video for Beach House's "Take Care":



Yo La Tengo:



BTO:

'Incendies' Dennis Villeneuve

My wonderful evening of Radiohead. I purchased Radiohead's latest album on vinyl today, in addition to hearing their music set perfectly to the beautiful film Incendies.

z

If you haven't seen Incendies yet, there's still time. It has to be one of the most well-told stories I've seen all year. It reminded me a bunch of the Kristen Scott Thomas film Sarah's Key - they basically both trace back former events, flipping narratives from the past and present. Both films unfold their stories with great sophistication, keeping me on edge throughout.

I can't glow enough of the film's use of "You and Whose Army" by Radiohead. It was haunting but not painfully out of cultural context - it definitely got me more into the movie this way. I love minimal soundtracks, it really better focuses a movie whose prime interest isn't in storytelling with music. There's something really mood evoking about Radiohead, it just gives me the chills to listen to that song and think about the movie.

'A Guy Thing' Soundtrack and Jason Lee

Not really much to say about this everything-goes-wrong comedy but they very smartly used Ben Kweller and The Shins in the soundtrack. I'm on a bit of a Jason Lee kick with Almost Famous, A Guy Thing and Chasing Amy.

Selected tunes:

"Family Tree" and "That's How It Should Be (Sha Sha)" by Ben Kweller

"One By One All Day" by the Shins

Lowell

One of my dearest friends moved out to Toronto and lived in a rough apartment for a month or so. The girl she sub-leased from was named Lowell, and all I knew of her was that she left school for a bit to make an album in Ottawa.

Meet Lowell, the original tenant of the apartment. She's actually surprisingly pretty good, sort of Regina Spektor-like.

Okkervil River "Wake and Be Fine"

Okkervil River is easily one of my favourite artists but I'm not sure about this new tune "Wake and Be Fine." Waltz end is nice though.

Juno Fest with Meaghan Smith and Julie Doiron; Saturday March 26, 2011

Day two, a really great Saturday evening of good friends, food and concerts.

I am completely in love with Meaghan Smith (pronounced Me-gan). She has to be one of the loveliest personalities I've seen on stage in a while and The Drake served as the perfect environment for her folk-jazz sound.

I first dipped into Meaghan Smith after hearing her song "A Little Love" off of her latest release The Cricket's Orchestra (listen for Kid Koala's contributions). You may also recognise her from the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack with a cover of the Pixies' tune "Here Comes Your Man." Although I don't recall it actually being featured in the film.





Smith was absolutely charming live, she has a nice modest character that just radiates and on top of everything, she's got a pretty lovely voice. She played just with a second guitarist which also happened to be her husband, Jason Mingo. She very cutely called him Mingo in the live show. Big fan of her outfit too, go curvy girls!

Apparently, she beat out the Hannah Georgas for the Best New Artist Juno Award. Georgas was the show's headliner. Not bad Meaghan!

I later hoofed my way on over to the Garrison to see the instrumental band Fond of Tigers - endured two tunes and felt overwhelmed by their progressive rock sound. The first tune sounded really ornate, but tight, with no musical heart; The second was messy and unbearable. I left to eat the first burger to reach my mouth in four months at the BQM Burger Shoppe on Ossington. As predicted, it was one of the best burgers that I have ever had, hands down.

Made me way back to the Garrison in time to catch Julie Doiron. We made our way pretty close so I was able to hear the ridiculous, airy things Doiron had to say. Although not everyone is in agreement, Doiron's presence on stage is absolutely charming. She's a warm, flighty person in conversation, but absolutely full of energy in her performance. I have to say, Doiron is someone I really enjoy seeing live for her quirky personality. Furthermore, she plays a huge variety of songs from her large catalogue - you really never tire of one album at her live gigs.

She played a very similar set to the one I saw a month ago at the Horseshoe. She even commented about how she and her drummer - William Kidman. Kidman seems like the kind of person you'd want to be your friend for his musical ability and easy going nature. Doiron was switching and flipping this poor guy around this evening like it was nobody's business. She introduced "I Woke Myself Up" as a song they don't play very often and told everyone she hadn't told William what she was going to play. He played perfectly.

She very casually added they hadn't practiced a bunch of tunes they played. She sort of giggled afterwards for acknowledging that they had practiced, but kept her edge by stating they only practiced five tunes. It's pretty incredible to hear how well Kidman and Doiron make music. Their a pretty bare ensemble with Julie mostly on guitars, she's no guitar hero by any means, but she definitely makes do with what she knows. Seems like a great fit. Kidman is a very talented drummer (although playing the guitar below on that badass Neil Young cover!)

I loved hearing "The Wrong Guy" as the opener again, also off of I Woke Myself Up. It is really exciting to hear the first yelp of this song, a very odd extended singing of the word "I". She really emphasises the personal pronouns in this song in the live show, often pulling away from the mic to sing them. It was really powerful to hear it right from the front. You'll get what I mean after you listen to the tune, just so much energy. If you listen to the recorded version on headphones, the very first "I" flip flops from ear to ear, it gives me the chills.

She played a bit off her latest album including "Tailor," "Heavy Snow" and "Consolation Prize." Not too many, but I've been feeling her older stuff lately for all her melancholy.

She played for well over an hour, the pleasures of playing the headline slot in a festival. Closing off with a four or five song encore, of which she plucked songs from audience requests. The last song I heard her play was the very odd request of "Snow Falls in November." She also fielded two requests for covers they'd played at their last gig in Toronto - "Love Hurts," first recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1960 and most popular by Nazareth.



They also played a really great cover of Merle Haggard's "Reasons to Quit" which carried some kind of significance as a shared tune between musicians. Doiron was introduced to the tune by Phosphorescent, she mentioned she felt the need to make a recording of the song to pass on.



Kidman played a cover of Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" with Doiron on the drums.





I left before her last few songs because it was already 1:30am and my poor feet were aching like a pregnant woman's would. She announced to the crowd she was going to play two more, "Dance Music" followed by "Sweeter." I was really killing to hear "Dark Horse," but maybe I was just spoiled to hear her play that in December of last year at the Dakota.

I got a new lens, you can probably tell. Awesome concert photos.

Chad VanGaalen "Mini TVs"

Chad VanGaalen, weirdest voice ever. A bit like Neil Young.

The Beatles "Rocky Raccoon"

My Dad played The White Album disc one in the car earlier this week. It's an album I cherish but really hate a few tunes on it ("Piggies" and "Don't Pass Me By").

I adore the tune "Rocky Raccoon" which was supposed to be called "Rocky Sassoon," but McCartney thought "Raccoon" sounded more like a cowboy. At the beginning you'll note a bit of folk sound to his voice, it was his way of poking fun, a pastiche style mish-mash.



I also love the way my world's can collide so effortlessly! I just found out about the American rock band Roky Erickson because of Will Scheff/Okkervil River's work with his latest album True Love Cast Out All Evil. Will Scheff even won a Grammy for his liner notes! You can see my wee rant on this here. Apparently the song "Rocky Raccoon" was maybe inspired by Roky Erickson, or at least that's what his drummer Danny Thomas had to say about the McCarntney tune.

Juno Fest with the Darcys and Royal Wood; Friday March 25, 2010

I didn't intend on buying a wristband for this festival, but it just sort of worked out that way. Fortunately, wristbands for this festival are only $30, a great way to get your butt around the city.

My evening began with the Darcys at the Garrison, a venue that I have very few quality memories of. The first being a tremendously slopping New Years, with great friends. So, maybe it wasn't that bad, rather I was a useless sack of shit. But to the point - the Darcys as always pleased me. Great looking guys, tight jeans and clean cut button up shirts, what more could a girl ask for? I was pretty pleased with the people that showed up. I was getting a little nervous at the beginning because no one was around, but by a few songs in the venue was comfortably full. Festivals mean short sets, but it also means there's never a dull moment!

I'm a softball player, I love to play and learn the sport. Something I was taught to do was to watch someone that plays your position for the whole inning to see what they do. I sort of adapted that strategy to live shows. My knowledge of music is pretty slim, as much as I pride myself on coming from some sort of musical trained background. I spent sometime listening and watching the dialogue between the bass and drums. They really compliment each other in this band.

I started giving thought to the role of a bassist when I attended a York University class on rock and popular music with Professor (and Rock 'n Roller) Rob Bowman. He played a song by Cream called "NSU" that has a sweet bass/drum dialogue. I found it so exciting to hear a bass-drum melody (or somewhat), I never gave consideration to the dominance that a bass/drum combo could give. I definitely felt that quite a bit listening to the Darcys last night.

N.S.U. has a few funny connotations to it. First and probably most reasonable is that it is a German car company with lyrics like: "Driving my car/Smoking my cigar/The only time I'm happy's when I play my guitar." The second is the acronym for a venereal disease called "Non-Specific Urethritis." Who knows.

Live version (skip to 6:30 to hear what I mean):


Studio version:


I can't wait for the Darcys to put out something concrete. If given the chance, see this band.

After the Darcys finished, I tried to squeeze my way into the Dakota. There unfortunately was a massive line that stretched all the way to the bank. There was some loud mouth girl that kept yelling the 9:45pm act out loud "HARLAN PEPPER!" I was trying to see Del Barber at 11:00pm, no dice, I quickly moved to catch the second half of Royal Wood's set at the Great Hall.

The Great Hall is a marvelous, underrated venue for the arts of all sorts. I recently saw an odd play called 300 Tapes in the theatre back space, they call it the Theatre Centre. It was a nice flexible space that allowed a 360 set up. Last night, I saw Royal Wood play in the Hall, a large, church like space that is equipped with gorgeous pews around the upper lip of the concert hall.

The Great Hall was established in 1889 as the first west end YMCA. My bet is that the Hall served as the race track or the gorgeous pews I earlier commented on, and the Hall served as the basketball court.

And even more interesting:

In 1912 the property was sold to the Royal Templars of Temperance, who conducted business in the building until 1940's when there was a major shift in the buildings use. It was acquired by the Polish National Union, and soon, presses on the ground floor were rolling out copies of The Polish Voice newspaper. On the top floor, rooms were pressed into service as temporary shelter for Polish refugees fleeing the war in Europe.


 Pulled from their wesbite


To say a few words about the show -

I had no prior knowledge of Royal Wood, other than his well established name. There are a lot of 'Royal' named bands, can you blame a girl? (Royal Wood, Royal City, Royal Crowns) I figured he was a well-established artist of the nineties, until his last song where he mentioned that he was featured on Grey's Anatomy. He seemed a little reluctant to admit that that was his biggest claim to fame, but he played it without any regret. His crowd was significantly older, with more middle-aged people than anything else.

I learned today his name is actually Royal Wood. Funny, that it took a Wikipedia page for me to realise t hat. He got his feet off the ground in 2002 in Toronto and has been pushing through ever since.

Great sound, but nothing I'd flee to watch anytime soon. I could see him winning a Juno or two.

Calfornia excitement/Coachella/Death Cab For Cutie

Since my last California trip I have been getting gradually collecting tunes related to California.

"Bixby Canyon Bridge" by Death Cab For Cutie is my latest discovery. It's a tune about the Bixby Canyon Bridge which is located in Big Sur near the cabin Jack Kerouac stayed at.



Also about California, specifically about the wildfires in Southern California. Apparently, a conversation with Johnathan Rice inspired this song. I bet this is when he started dating the California native, Zooey Deschanel! (Gush)

Kevin Smith 'Chasing Amy'

I'm a little late on the View Askewniverse and the Kevin Smith franchise.

I like the Smith has created a continuous home for his recycled characters. There's something completely comfortable about continuity and furthering along a fabricated character's story. There's also something cheesy about it too, but I definitely don't get the cheese vibe from Chasing Amy.

I couldn't help but think about how much the record store Ben Affleck's character was browsing in looks like BMV Bloor's record store downstairs. Same set up I guess.

For a New York film, there weren't many shots of the city. Thank goodness for Hollywood!

Elephant 6 at Lee's Palace; Friday March 18, 2011

I finally mustered up the interest in writing this note on the Elephant 6 gig.

Elephant 6 is a music collective that consists of artists from Georgia, a surprisingly booming music scene in the 1990s with acts like Elf Power, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Gerbils and a few others to note.

A big weakness of mine entering the show was my lack of prior familiarity with the individuals playing at this show. I, like most people in attendance bought tickets to this show in the slight hope we'd see Jeff Mangum hop out on stage for a very rare appearance. Well, just weeks ago a solo Jeff Mangum show was announced with two gigs in Toronto. Our slight hopes were shattered at that, but still there enough to keep me for the whole four hour set Elephant 6 played last Friday.

I have to admit I enjoyed the first half of the set much better for the musical spectacle, while the second half felt like I witnessed some serious musical wanking. By the end it just felt like an unemotional display of tunes that were slapped together, my mind wasn't in it at all. How indulgent. But for the hope that something amazing would pop up and sheer boredom with nothing else to do on a Friday night, I stuck it out.

I was pretty glad I did because they played an amazing closer with a cover of Sun Ra's jazz insturmental tune "Enlightenment. They smacked on some infectious lyrics on heavy repetition and voila! - the perfect closer. Apparently, these lyrics were regular lyrics that Sun Ra clunked onto live performances of the tune. I can't convey to you how fun this was live, there was just a lot of energy flowing with a song that few people probably knew -

Studio:



Live, pulled from a fantastic French documentary, the video is brief but you'll get the point -



Elephant 6:



What made their live rendition of "Enlightenment" so engaging was the fact that they half way through their twelve or fifteen minute rendition they started playing to play in the audience. It felt like more of a La Blogotheque Take Away Show than it did a ticketed concert at Lee's Palace. Again, I think many people like myself stuck it out for a spectacle finish. Another reason that made me stick was their engaging opener and middle bit. Their opener was a walk up to the stage with vocals and horns from the back of the venue. You found the band scattered through the crowd, it was absolutely exciting and fun. They also took a short intermission between sets to catch a breath, coming back on stage to play a game with the audience and one lucky audience member to ring in the spring season. They were set up with a twenty foot tall blow up snow man and a faux moon that just looked like a coat hanger bent into a circle with paper strewn across. The lucky person was to throw a soft ball at the coat hanger moon and break the paper. I was situated right next to the guy in the band holding up the moon and where the balls were flying. The girl throwing the ball got to go on stage and sing, loads of confidence I'd say! The idea was that she was to request a song they don't know so they'd have to wank their way through. Instead, they just played ACDC's "Hells Bells." An absolutely boring tune, original or cover.

I really also loved the cover of the Kink's tune "Alcohol," one of the few covers I actually latched on to. I'm sure there were more, I just didn't know them! It was the perfect fit for their odd ensemble. Neutral Milk Hotel horn player Laura Carter took the lead on this drone tune:



I thoroughly enjoyed Julian Koster's (the Music Tapes and Neutral Milk Hotel) presence and performance at this gig. I was familiar with him as an artist and his place in the Athens, Georgia, but had never really heard him. He's a little thing with loads of energy, he played practically every instrument on stage with a specialisation in the singing saw. I have never heard anyone play the singing saw so perfectly and with such great range. At half time a friend of mine was telling me about his house tour he did a couple of years ago throughout North America, with four stops in Toronto. This was in support of his album The Singing Saw At Christmas Time. Regret!

Koster was a talker, wasn't charmed by that just because of all the absurdity that was leaving his mouth. Just so off - like his bit on his Romanian roots. His performance was breathtaking and awe inducing:



A scripted bit! I hate finding that the artist says the same thing every show. This was a carbon copy duplicate of my show's performance.

His performance following his Romanian rant (different show):



Scott Spillane, of the Gerbils and horn player of Neutral Milk Hotel also got my attention to with his odd look - heavy beard, silver hair and a Dr. Seuss looking horn instrument. I really stuck (!!) to his tune "Glue" - that was originally done by his band The Gerbils, but covered (successfully) by Netural Milk Hotel.



I really like the original version which they played in the first half of their marathon of show. I was really feeling the singing guitar line following the choruses.



Shows like this one remind me that there's so much I don't know, and so much I need to wrap my head around. It's all very exciting!

Jeff Mangum in August, can't wait.

A great review of an Elephant 6 gig in Phoenix, Arizona.

Julie Doiron "Me and My Friend"

I love a good waltz.

Julie Doiron "Dark Horse"

"Feeding your kids among all these pirates. Feeding your kids the best you can, with what you've got."

Julie Doiron Saturday at the Garrison - Be there or be square!

Pitchfork Music Festival

Here it comes! Hello July!

Sun Ra "Enlightenment"

Sun Ra, born Herman Poole Blout is a jazz artist that made it big in the 1930s. Black man livin' in Alabama in the 1930s.

This song is absolutely stunning. It starts out haunting and steady and evolves into something completely ornate yet not overwhelming.

I heard Elephant 6 do their rendition of it, including chanting lyrics to follow. Absolutely magnificent live.

Neutral Milk Hotel "Two-Headed Boy Part 2"

Ted, a friend very dear to me played me this song one warm summer's evening. I remember he glowed about it so lovingly from big things like the lyrics to the tiny detail of the guitar being put down in the last few seconds of the song. Listen close in the first bit, the brilliant Julian Koster plays a mean singing saw.



I really think Brand New copied Netural Milk's guitar put down in  "Play Crack in the Sky."

a note on concerts

There's something to be said about artists whose live videos on Youtube are not plugged out with lousy audience vocals.



Thanks Zeus!

St. Paddy's, Spirit of the West

So I just definitely spent the most beautiful day of 2011 thus far, inside of the Irish pub I work at.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, you silly Canadians.

If I have to hear the song "Home For A Rest" one more time, someone will die. It's surprisingly a Canadian tune from the nineties by a band called Spirit of the West. It's a ridiculous ditty that I wish never to hear again!



The music of the day was the folk band Trip Doubt and another band, just a duo called Full Tilt. A little hard to hear tunes two or three times over!

Brand New "The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot"

You are calm and reposed
Let your beauty unfold
Pale white like the skin 
Stretched over your bones
Spring keeps you ever close
You are second hand smoke
You are so fragile and thin
Standing trial for your sins
Holding onto yourself the best you can
You are the smell before the rain
You are the blood in my veins

"When Will I Be Loved" The Everly Brothers

Penned by Phil Everly, this tune shot to #8 on the charts in 1960. Such a lovely tune!

Neko Case

I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have been able to see Neko Case at Trinity St. Paul's church.

I went the first day of the two concert series she put on. I remember biking by the church when the second gig was going on and hearing her powerful voice travel through the walls of the church.

Here's a taste.

Jenn Grant at Harbourfront from 2009

I was just chatting with a good friend last night about how nice it is to be able to relive shows you went to through Youtube and live recordings.

I just stumbled upon this gig, that I realised I was actually in attendance at half way through listening to one song. I was thinking to myself - wow does that crowd look massive. Shortly, I realised that I was in fact there in the crowd. How exciting!

Jenn Grant, Harbourfront July 24, 2009 (time flies!)

They have a new feature on the CBC website where you can download them on your computer! This is new! Amazing. You should listen to Jenn Grant's Harbourfront show.

Rob Schnapf: Elliott Smith, Saves the Day

Elliott Smith's From A Basement On A Hill is an interesting release that was put out posthumourously. It was also the first Elliott Smith album that I ever listened to or bought. Fortunately, I knew he was dead as I was listening to it, so no hearts were broken in this acquisition. 

Rob Schnapf along with Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme together produced this album. It's interesting because I have given so much thought as to how this album was put together. I always wondered what it would look like if Smith put it together himself - seems as though he had the intentions of making it a double album. I'm sort of glad he didn't because I really adore the way the album came out to look like. Apparently, there were around fifty tracks, many unfinished that were potentially going to make the album. Furthermore, the track "Ostriches Chirping" wasn't even an Elliott Smith track, but a David McConnell track. It cleans up my favourite tune off of the album "King's Crossing." 

This album is spotless. I wish I was ten years older. 

A side note, Rob Schnapf also produced my favourite album of all time Stay What You Are by Saves the Day.     

Michel Gondry, Jon Brion, Charlie Kaufman 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an absolutely stunning film. I know I'm a little bit behind in acknowledging it but it is a magnificent film. As far as an Charlie Kaufman film goes, I have to say Eternal Sunshine left me with bundles more hope than Synecdoche, New York did. Both these films are very introspective, they look deep at what surface dramas are unable to touch on.

Throughout the film I felt so compelled by Kate Winslet and her acting abilities. I kept thinking back to her role as a German woman in the film The Reader. What a range!

I love these simple movie posters, they remind me of original book covers before the movie cover comes to destroy a book-turned-movie title.

So a few more words on the film - I really adored the soundtrack, not to my surprise in the slightest bit, Jon Brion was the brains behind it. Brion is the amazing producer of many albums I'm sure you have on your ipod - Elliott Smith's From a Basement on a Hill (the original 2001 version, unreleased), Spoon's Gagagdkljfdgagaa (ridiculous title) as well as albums by Keane and Aimee Mann. He's known for his Beatles like production results.

I really dig the atmosphere and environment he created with the tunes from the soundtrack. Especially, the The Korgis tune "Everybody's Got Something to Learn" he re-visioned with Beck.

Cee Lo Green "Fuck You"

OK so this marks the start of my Coachella homework. There are so many bands on the roster that I've never heard. Tonight's subject is Cee Lo Green - actor, producer, singer and rapper. This auteur was also one half of Gnarls Barkley with the other half being the incredible Danger Mouse.

From the big David Byrne like suit he's wearing to the all-girl back up band, I'm loving everything about this video:

Explosions in the Sky

Getting pumped for their new album which comes out at the end of April. I found this to satisfy my needs for the time being:

Zeus "Heavy on Me"

Remember when Zeus had a Dakota residency? Damn.

The Who's 'Quadrophenia'

I'm going take this opportunity to show you how awesome the Who's film Quadrophenia is. When I saw this artwork on the single CD soundtrack six or seven years ago, I knew I fell in love:

'Scenes from the Suburbs,' Spike Jonze, The Arcade Fire

Last week I attended a class called Rock and Popular Music taught by a man called Rob Bowman. Our class' focus was on the '70s looking at progressive rock, blues and their influences on rock n' roll.

We talked about concept albums and double albums replacing the single. Showing that there was a good market for the extended experience. With releases like Derek and the Dominoes' Layla, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen as well as concept albums like The Kinks' Face to Face and The Who's Quadrophenia. There was a desire for more, people we buying into it.

It's funny because I think to how in this day, we've come a long way from the single to the full-length. Singles do not exist anymore, they've been replaced by EPs entirely. I myself, will not buy a record unless it wows me musically or artwork wise, thus singles for their minimal packaging and sound don't often entice me.

The Arcade Fire and Spike Jonze (the white Spike director) are creating a film called Scenes from the Suburbs an interesting franchise from the Arcade Fire. The movie looks great, but the trailer seems a little fake, maybe that's just me, or the ridiculous narrative. The artwork reminds me a bunch of Truffaut's The 400 Blows. I like it already!

Trailer:

'happythankyoumoreplease' Directed by Josh Radnor

How I Met Your Mother has to be one of my favourite television shows.

Seeing Josh Radnor star and direct the film makes me so happy. The film looks pretty good too!

Grizzly Bear on the Blue Valentine Soundtrack

I'm knee deep in Grizzly Bear on the Blue Valentine soundtrack.

There's something really lovely about Grizzly Bear's music with no vocals. I'm feeling it.

The Zoobombs gig tomorrow at the Silver Dollar

Since seeing them over a year ago outside on my school's campus, I've really wanted to see the Japanese punk band the Zoombombs play again. Since that gig, they've probably played here five or six times in about three separate trips to Toronto. The band definitely has some sort of affinity for the city.

I for one reason or another have missed them every single time and tomorrow will be no exception to this. Thanks work!

It's a real shame what happened in Japan in the last twenty four hours. 8.9 Magnitude! Remarkable.

Zeus at the Horseshoe; Thursday March 10, 2011

I've never been one for music festivals. Ever since I was of legal age, I have been volunteering for North by North East, but it's kind of a different bird than actually club hopping. For one, I was always given a pass - which I only really got use of in recent years. I haven't dropped good money on a wristband just because of the fear of not getting into some big shows that i'd really like to see.

Yesterday, I toughed three acts and only got let down by one! That band was Still Life Still, a very young group recently signed to Arts and Crafts. WHY? I would like to know why a band with such a lousy sounding live show can get signed. There was nothing to them. Out of tune blended vocals, fuzzy melodies and too much synth. I usually don't have the patience to stay through bands I don't care for, but I was with company so I stuck through.

Before Still Life Still I was surprised to see Torquil Campbell's band Memphis play. I was for some reason expecting Rich Aucoin to go on, but instead the very offensive Torquil took the stage. He took the time to introduce the name of his band before each song to acquaint new listeners to his music. In my Stars hey day, I bought a Memphis album or two without much thought. I also have heard his set closer "Incredibly Drunk on Whisky" on Rich Terfry's CBC radio show countless times. There's something really comfortable about hearing a tune that you know. Torquil as always gets me with his presence, but turns me off with his words - often overbearing and obnoxious. I would argue he is still someone worth seeing.

ZEUS. What can I say about one of my favourite bands? I remember this time last year I saw Zeus share the stage with both Bahamas and Jason Collett. At that time, I really didn't love the bands as I do now. Zeus and Bahamas in the last year have really become warm favourites in my itunes library. I don't think I've fallen for two acts so quickly before. It's kind of odd considering I remember heading out of their gig last year early. I think i'd give an arm to hear all those men in one show.

I can't stress to you what a good show Zeus puts on. They are true performers. Again maybe it's the comfort of knowing all their tunes, or loving them as much as I do, but I think it's bigger than that. Things seem effortless to this band. They turned a fifty-five minute set into something that felt longer - not because they were taking the stage too long, but their songs are just that engaging. I had as much fun at this gig as I did seeing them in November of last year.

I keep finding myself at the Horseshoe for these awfully sweaty shows. I sort of come prepared to get sweaty by wearing dresses made for the summer. It's not pleasant.

Here's what Zeus' set list shaped up to be, or something like it:

1. Greater Times on the Wayside 
2. River by the Garden
3. Hot Under the Collar
4. Marching Through Your Head
5. How Does It Feel?
6. Heavy On Me
7. Love/Pain
8. That's All (Genesis Cover)
9. Are You Going To Waste My Time?
10. Kindergarden
11. The Renegade

"Do You Know What You're Doing?" Terry Bush

Tonight I missed Bachman Turner play the Mod Club. I was slightly relieved when my Dad brought over a small pile of records - a few of them being some Randy Bachman solo material.

Another was a 7" of an seventies Canadian artist by the name of Terry Bush. In 1971, my Dad fell for the extremely conservative tune "Do You Know What You're Doing?" about drugs. My Dad is the epitome of square when it comes to drugs and alcohol of any kind. This song just accentuates his safe ways:



Like many other people, my Dad actually forgot about this hit. He pitched the concept of the song to a music lover he found on Ebay, and shortly after he got a 7" of it in the mail.

Jeff Buckley 'Grace'

Jeff Buckley, welcome back into my life.

This is an album everyone should own in some form.

Some inspiration

'It's Kind of a Funny Story'

I wrote about the soundtrack for the film 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' here a while back when the film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall.

It wasn't until tonight that I actually saw the film. My mom has the excessive habit of buying bootleg versions of films. Although I don't ethically agree with how she's buying them, in bulk and with no consideration, I completely love diving into her extensive library of movies.

The film was a little off, I didn't love it but it was kind of fun to watch (har har har). I really enjoyed the energetic songs throughout. The credits note music by Broken Social Scene, but I'd say the film's tunes are all over. I really loved that they used the tune "Blood" by the Middle East and "Major Label Debut" by Broken Social Scene (the fast version!!).

Hand Picked: Saturday Morning Mix

I made a really terrific mix of songs I'd listen to on a Saturday for an old friend.

Email me your mailing address and i'll send you a copy too!

The Middle East "Blood"

A great little tune from an Australian band.

Thanks Chris!

Live:

"Why Can't We Be Friends?" War

Amazing song that I got into thanks to the satellite radio we listen to at my work. I found myself singing this tune throughout the day:

Bob Dylan 'The Freewheelin'

My claim to liking Bob Dylan has always been my attraction to the cover of the album The Freewheelin', which portrays an attractive young couple taking a stroll.

There are a few tid bids to this cover that really got my heart beating a bit faster. First, Dylan was only 21 when this photo was taken, Suze Rotolo, the girl in the photo was only 19. Talk about young love.

Rotolo, whose page on Wikipedia describes her with the words:

Susan Elizabeth Rotolo (November 20, 1943 – February 25, 2011),^[1] known as Suze Rotolo (pronounced /ˈsuːziː/, SOO-zee),^[2] was an American artist, but is perhaps best known as Bob Dylan's girlfriend between 1961 and 1964 and a strong influence on his music. She is the woman walking with him on the cover of his albumThe Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, a ground-breaking street image by the CBS studio photographer, Don Hunstein.

I'm not sure if I'd want people to best know me for being someone's girlfriend, even if it's Dylan. You'll notice Rotolo just died a week ago, this album cover got a great tiny feature in the National Post a couple of days ago.

She wrote a book called "A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties." I can't wait to get my paws into this one, all I can think about is Greenwich Village.

Rotolo was apparently the woman who inspired the tunes "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." Two tunes that have been touched by so many people years after its 1963 release. I won't even attempt to put any covers on here for you.

Apparently, they were trying to recreate this photo, but with woman in hand instead:

Ben Kweller at the Opera House; Saturday March 5, 2011

Big concert night in the city with the Junos '00s party, Plants and Animals with Karkwa and finally the one I chose, Ben Kweller and Pete Yorn.

I really got excited when I made the solid decision to go to this show. I have seen Ben Kweller four times to date, three in Toronto and once in Ann Arbor. I'm not sure if I should regard this as my fifth time seeing the man because I actually didn't really see him. I got to the venue at 9:30pm to find out that he had already been on for half an hour. Flustered and with a friend who didn't wanna pay the cover to see just a bit of the show that I really wanted to go to, we left the venue. I begged the bouncers, who have an incredible reputation for being assholes, to let me just listen from the hallway, they said no without hesitation.

So I took to my own devices and hung out by the side door of the venue. It was pouring rain, a new low for me, but I was able to hear the entire show, slightly muffled. I was surprised by how much material I was familiar with, every tune!

I ended up making good friends with the bouncer who wouldn't let me in without a fee. He turned out to be an alright guy who cracked the door open very slightly for me.

What I do for music!

Sonic Boom performance from 2009:

Carl Bessai's 'Cole'

AHH! I love Netflix for surprising me. They have the film Cole which I thought I would never see again.

Fantastic!

'The Cutting Tradition'

I watched the very hard to digest The Cutting Tradition last night in the company of both my Mom and Brother.

Again, let me stress - very hard to digest.

In my last year of University, we touched a bit on the female circumcision in my Women in Africa history course. The film The Cutting Tradition very bluntly addresses this issue. In this film they make the argument that the act of female genital mutilation (the female circumcision) is not OK. As the title suggests, it is very difficult to address this issue of genital mutilation because it is a part of their tradition. Apparently, over 90% of women in Egypt have been circumcised.

My girlfriend asked me how I felt about all this and I had no idea where to go. I have a huge problem trying to tackle these cultural differences. I mean it's easy to acknowledge that the procedure is wrong because it is terribly unsafe and not necessary, but where do we go from there?

Safe Hands for Mothers is the organisaiton that produced the film. Their purpose as an organisation is to educate and promote safe practice for pregnant mothers. Their main force of action is through education.

I suppose that's a good start.

Some further reading - Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Okkervil on Big Star

"I'm going to play the first Big Star song I ever loved. I went out and I bought a copy of Third/Sister Lovers because I heard it was cool. I was in high school. I didn't like much of it at first. some of the songs took me years to like. This was the first tune I liked."

In other big news OKKERVIL RIVER are on tour! Making my dreams come true here!

Pete Yorn, BK this Saturday

Hot date with Ben Kweller and Pete Yorn on Saturday.

minus Scarlett

Matt McCormick 'Some Days Are Better Than Others,' Eluvium

Temporary Residence artist Eluvium. This tune titled "Some Days Are Better Than Others" reminds me a lot of Do Make Say Think's "Chinatown."

Numero Group, Penny & the Quarters, Blue Valentine

An interesting little tale behind the romantic tune "You and Me" by Penny & the Quarters. They're now considered a lost group because no one knows who they are.

The song in the last year or so gained serious attention and royalties with the use of their song "You and Me" in the film Blue Valentine. Director Derek Cinefrance asked Ryan Gosling to pick a song for Michelle Williams in character for the film and the song he chose was the tune "You and Me." So as you see it in the film, Ryan's character giving Michelle's a song, that really happened, all in good fun.

So thanks to Gosling's choice of song, the funk and soul big wigs Numero Group have the rights to the song. Seemingly they released a tune on one of their compilations and that's how Gosling got ear of it. The tune was bought by Numero Group at an estate sale in a box of rehearsal group tapes. They've actively sought to find any members of Penny & the Quaraters - no luck had!

They figure the song was recorded some time between 1970 and 1975.

"Baby It's You"

Music by Burt Bacharach with Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams) and Mack David (lyrics).

It was made a hit first by the Shirelles in 1961 and then shortly later by the Beatles in 1963. The current music group Tennis regarded it as the song that initially inspired them, it was the version by the Shirelles that did it.

'Blue Valentine' Sountrack

I am totally feeling the soundtrack tonight. I know it's just Grizzly Bear, but it's more than that. It's sheer perfection.

"... a few years ago, my friend and former film teacher, Phil Solomon, introduced me to the music of Grizzly Bear. I found it to be so cinematic. I would drive around with my family in my car, Yellow House on repeat, and see the world of Blue Valentine. Like the movie in my mind, I found their music had classic roots yet it was extremely modern. And the songs for the most party, were about relationships. I began writing the script while playing it in the background and I never once had writer's block. The music began to inform the situations, the characters, the world. It became the inspiration for the modern, raw version of Blue Valentine. Sometimes on set the actors and I would pile into a car and blast a Grizzly Bear song to put us in the mood of the movie. It became our cinematic landscape - the sound of the world."

- Derek Cinefrance, Jaunary 2011, soundtrack liner notes

'Breathless,' 'The 400 Blows,' 'Anotine et Collet,' Anotine DoinelCriterion Collection

Purchased two DVDs off of the Criterion website throughout their half off sale. I came home today to a box of French New Wave love, containing:

Tonight, I watched Breathless with my Grandpa and I was the one that fell asleep! I asked him what he thought of it at the end and he replied: "It was weird. You need to have a good imagination."

I thought that was perfect.

I think I'm going to be Patricia for Halloween next year!

Tony Scherr at the Living Room, Manhattan, NY; Monday February 28, 2011

Happy March! On the last day of February 2011, I warmed up with Tony Scherr at fantastic little venue called the Living Room in Manhattan.

I got to the venue in a sweat, it's hidden at the back of a bar similarly to the way the Piston in Toronto stows away its stage. Funny, the Piston is where I last saw Tony Scherr play!

Have you met Tony Scherr yet? (pronounced "Cher")

If not, you've definitely heard his melodies in the lovely Feist tune "Lonely, Lonely" off of her effortless album Let It Die. She borrowed Scherr's tune of "Sacramento" and gave it facelift, lyric wise. I've never heard him play that song before of my three or four times watching him live.

Tony playing a spot at a Feist Toronto gig at the Rivoli.

Feist's take:

He plays a residency at the Living Room, Mondays at 9pm. You have to reason to miss him if you're in New York.

Seeing him in his native city, he seemed much more comfortable on stage. He had a full band, consisting of a drum and a bass player. Both gentlemen seemed really in tune with Tony, this was very obviously a comfortable ensemble. Tony is incredible on the guitar, he is as animated in his guitar playing as he is singing, if not more so. He has a very odd voice that I think many people would not enjoy listening to. He's also slightly older, late forties/fifties, which make him also a little less accessible to younger people. Note: I'm sorry to be ignorant, because I myself am young and into his music but I can tell you from introducing him to my friends, he isn't a huge hit with my lady friends. He raked in a decent crowd with the house only asking for a one drink minimum purchase per set and a suggested ten dollar donation in the pitch jar. I obliged.

It also seemed like a somewhat regular crowd, happy to see Tony play. Much older of course.

But more on Tony. I find myself not knowing many of his songs at his live show. In fact, I don't know many of his songs at all. I don't listen to him on repeat but I love what he does, he story tells and entices me through his ability to really play. I heard him comment to a friend that he wasn't on he felt really off at the show, he fooled me! He always looks like a really nervous guy through all his banter and his often rustling of sheet music on a stand, on stage. Even after the show in his brief exchange with his friend he was quickly and shakily drinking out of a water bottle with a thousand pounds of gear on his back. Oddly enough on stage, he performs with such effortlessness, definitely something that comes very fluidly to him.

The first time I saw Tony Scherr was at the Dakota, for a very impromptu Jason Collett show four years ago. He bitched a lot about the US at that gig, understandably. I then was reminded of him on the soundtrack to the Ethan Hawke film The Hottest State, not my favourite film as I anticipated, but one of the best soundtracks I have ever come across. He sang the very delicate "You, The Queen." He didn't pen it, Jesse Harris did. I just found this!!!! GOLD:

As you may have gathered, Tony is very loved by Toronto artists.

I had a pint of a beer called Peak Organic Spring Ale which comes from Portland, Maine. A very hoppy beer, too hoppy for my tastes.

Travel: New York 2011, selected sights

I got back from a very brief and last minute trip to New York City. I spent the last three days and two evenings exploring a lot that New York has to offer.

Five big surprises this trip:

1. Only bought five CDs.
2. Bought three books, books are on average cheaper in the states.
3. Didn't eat anywhere too fancy, although I would have really like to have.
4. Did not eat hot dogs, but did eat mac and cheese!
5. Didn't get mugged or harassed.

A few things I would like to highlight are some great shops that I had the pleasure of attending. I thoroughly enjoyed a bookstore called bookbook located in Greenwich Village on Bleecker Street.

Secondly, is my affinity for all things film and celebrities. I never realised how celebrity charged New York is, maybe even a bit more than LA. I say this because the celebs are tucked away in LA, while in New York they're everywhere. Furthermore, there are so many shows that are set in New York. I found myself eating at Tom's Restaurant at 110th Street and Broadway, a haunt you may recognise from a little show called Seinfeld.

I also saw a little hot dog shop called Grey's Papaya, which if I had a bit more time I would have tried to eat at. It's How I Met Your Mother's Robin Scherbatsky's favourite place to eat junk food.

Isn't it interesting how so many shows are based in New York but are actually filmed in Hollywood. It's such a fabricated reality and a common theme to my trip as I have been to both in 2011, so far.

New York = Real, Hollywood = Fake

I ate at the fab little pastry shop recommended to me by my girlfriend's Mom. Everyone sitting in the shop were regulars, everyone knew everyone.

This little munchkin was the highlight of my morning. She was no older than three and armed with a toddler scooter. Her father was trailing behind her and racing after her at the lights. There was nothing stopping this little nugget:

Greenwich village, where all things '60s happened in New York. I was completely intoxicated by my friend's Mom's stories about New York at that time. Additionally, I just saw the Phil Ochs film and fell for the passion and interest for music in that area. It's now more just a cluster of bars, peppered in with some solid record stores. Cait's Mom said that Cafe Reggio is the only place now that really shows how Greenwich Village once was. They are very proud to say that they were the first to bring the cappuccino to the US from Italy. The shop opened in 1927 and has a coffee machine from 1902. I don't drink or really enjoy coffee, but felt the need to order a cappuccino. I had the pleasure of sitting outside, as the weather was really warm last weekend in New York.

The Apollo in Harlem:

Tennis with the Darcys at the Horseshoe Tavern; Friday February 25, 2011

Artistic splendor. I have done so much in the last four days it's really hard for me to just sit down and try to illustrate them to you. I suppose I should address them chronologically, as they happen, but I'm going to take a more unconventional route, one that'll be easier on my brain because I don't think I can say one without tackling the other.

As always, I try to cram a few days effort into just one evening. I had the intentions of seeing the new Oliver Stone film South of the Border at the Bloor. Since taking a course on Latin America a couple of summers ago, I've found myself fascinated by anything of an educational supplement. Unfortunately, on my way to see this film, I read a really neutral review of the film that didn't do anything to make it bright and shiny for me. In fact, the one statement that thew me off of the film completely was this:

Some of the misinformation that Mr. Stone, who consistently mispronounces Mr. Chávez’s name as Sha-VEZ instead of CHA-vez, inserts into “South of the Border” is relatively benign. Pulled from the New York Times

So, in a moment of weakness I sought other films to see that night. I haven't really seen much by Oliver Stone, in fact, none that I can recall. But I love that in this article they pointed out his interest in off-beat political leaders. Beyond that, it's sort of interesting to consider anyone taking on Latin American politics with an introduction film, knowing that the audience going to see South of the Border probably know very little about Latin America to begin with. He's essentially running a 101 class on the politics and turmoil of Latin America.

The movie I had solid decided to see was Incendies, directed by Canadian Denis Villeneuve. A film that always attracts me more in trailer form than as a written description. Alright, fair enough - race my little legs out to get the extra mile to the Bell Lightbox to find that Friday night independent cinemas do sell out! Fortunately, there were a few other selections for me to choose from that evening. I was mildly torn between Of Gods and Men and the Cambodian documentary Enemies of the People. I chose the latter to feed my love of all things Cambodia.

Turned out to have been selected by my favourite TIFF/Hot Docs and now apparently Human Rights Watch Programmers Alex Rogalski. He said a few words before the film touching on how it was one of the better films of his Hot Docs selections of 2010. Shortly after, Canadian author Kim Echlin hopped on stage, breathing a great gust of excitement into my anticipation for the film. I had read Echlin's short novel on Cambodia, love and foreigners in tough times about a year ago. The book is called The Disappeared. It's always fun to have those reminders of a book you've read and completely forgot that you read. It's also an incredible moment when I think of a book I actually finished.

I was really taken by Enemies of the People, bustling with seriously intense content. Director and heart and soul of the project Cambodian native Thet Sambath talks to previous members of the Khmer Rouge throughout the Pol Pott regime about their actions. If you don't know about the incidents in Cambodia in the seventies, here's your chance to enrich yourself.

This is a documentary that proves you don't need serious money to do well. Heart will prevail. Corny, but the words that are keeping me going on here and in life! I think my Mom's Doctor Phil/Oz words of motivation are seeping into my brain, despite my best efforts of preventing this.

On a side note, I would like to just point out that awful singer from five years or so inappropriately named Paul Pots. I don't think it's too late for a name change.

The second portion of my evening brought me to the Horseshoe to see Tennis and local heartthrobs, the Darcys.

Let me put this out there - this was one of the best shows I have seen in a while. Tennis completely blew my mind, in large part because they recorded their magnificent album Cape Dory as a way to capture their honeymoon. Now, all I can think about is how they played a very tiny show at the Drake Underground a short while ago and my decision not to attend.

Quite the opposite but with no less enthusiasm were my thoughts towards seeing the Darcys, a band I feel quite at home with, with only having two songs to listen to recorded. I've said this before and i'll say it again, the Darcys biggest flaw is their limited recorded material up for grabs. They're sitting on a record that they have recorded ages ago with the Dears' frontman Murray Lightburn. It's kind of funny because they've been around for a few years with their debut album titled Endless Water, an album I can tell the band doesn't identify with very much anymore. I never did, I first saw the Darcys a few years back at the Supermarket with a different lead singer and significantly messier sound. I didn't take to them then, it wasn't until listening to their two new tracks that really pulled me to their Radiohead-like sounds, years later!

They've since released a small note giving further album details, but no release date! Stop teasing me, boys!

THE DARCYS - 10 Songs, 40 Minutes.
Produced by: MURRAY LIGHTBURN
Mixed by: DAVE SCHIFFMAN
Mastered by: HOWIE WEINBERG

Please dive into the Darcys!

TENNIS. Here's a little background on the husband-wife ensemble:

The summery, lo-fuzz songs on the “Marathon” EP, which was released this week on Underwater Peoples, are based on the sailing trip taken by the husband-and-wife duo Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore in 2009 — an eight-month journey along the East Coast that took them from “Bimini Bay” in the Bahamas through “Marathon” Florida, “South Carolina” and up to “Baltimore” on their 30-foot “Cape Dory.” Not bad for two kids from Denver who’d never sailed before. Lifted from the New York Times

I found out about this a few hours before seeing the show from a small blurb in Eye Weekly. Their full-length Cape Dory, has to be my favourite discovery of 2011 so far (which just seconds ago I realised was put out in 2010). I was blown away by frontwoman and wife Alaina Moore's vocals - carbon copied, more or less, from their recorded version.

I have found myself gravitating towards Cape Dory since purchasing it a few weeks ago. It has to be the tackiest album cover ever, with no liner notes included. I usually long for lyrics and extra paper as I am dropping fifteen bucks on a record, I kind of want more bang for my buck. But, with Tennis, like Bon Iver and Best Coast before, I don't really want to know the lyrics, I don't need them. I like the way their songs sound without knowing every word.

I wished my friends bought advanced tickets. I didn't realise Tennis were this big, yet another band I didn't know anyone liked them as much as I did until the show. Tennis makes girlfriend music, music I want to listen to with my closest girlfriends.

I am tiring a great deal of concerts at the Horseshoe - just sweaty, sweaty packed shows. This is my third week losing two buckets of sweat.

Tennis didn't play an encore, which was fantastic. I didn't want more, I was completely satisfied by their set.