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Archive for June, 2010

Ho! Wetaskwin! (reprise)

Posted in life or something like it, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 30, 2010| 6 Comments »

Summer time and in our little family that means road trip time!

Coral and I have done a few and this summer is no exception.

We haven’t hammered out all the details and founds beds to sleep in every night but so far the plan has us cutting through the hills and mountains on a mighty trek around lakes and beyond the horizon to scenic Alberta.  We are thinking of starting in Banff.  Coral hasn’t been there since she was a kid and the last time I can remember being the birthplace of the National Park is when Bob, Paul and I cut through there on our Cross-Canada Adventure in 1998.

I think we might also check out Calgary before pushing North to Edmonton.  The largest northern city (outside of Santa’s workshop) in North America.

And since used cars cost less there, I am sure we’ll at least pass into Wetaskwin.  We’ll see.  I think I’ll need to do the West Edmonton Waterpark and we’re thinking of bringing our bikes… so a river bike ride?

Then we’ll swing back into friendly territory after sacking Edmonton (BC Total WAR!) and head to Kelowna.  If it times out right, we’ll be there for the long weekend and might get a chance to see Acres of Lions who will be there too! They are playing the Center of Gravity Festival and it would be so cool to hook up with my man Tyson in his old hometown and see his band.

Plus! some desert bike riding will be in order and we might actually check out one of these wineries that everyone speaks of. hmm?  Maybe.  For sure, the Kelowna Waterpark will be on the itinerary.

The adventure ends on Vancouver Island where we’ll be joining my folks camping somewhere beyond civilization (like basically anywhere north of Nanaimo).

Can’t wait!  We just got to track down a bike rack.  Do you have one we could borrow?

Go with yourself.

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we fuck in sadness / a cold frustration / then we’re fine for awhile

Posted in history 101, music, tagged , , , , , on June 28, 2010| 2 Comments »

A monthly article I never miss is Resonant Frequency.

Its written by one of the editors at Pitchfork, Mark Richardson, and he waxes on about his personal relationship to music and what it means and all this 30-year-old white guy non-sense.  His tastes are were far more eclectic than mine ever were, or will ever be.

But his themes are so interesting.

He talks this week about about the albums that were our favourites at a time.  And when this record meant so much to you; you thought, “I will always love this record.”

Then, one day, years later you wake up and its not your favourite.  In fact, you haven’t listened to it in years and if you did now… heck you might not really care for it all that much.

He then talks about a group called Piano Magic.  I wanted to check it out to try and hear what he might have back in 1999 when Mark thought Low Birth Weight was destined to be a great record.  Wow, it is spooky.  Wikipedia called it ghost rock and I think, listening I might have found my perfect Steam Punk sound!

He then goes on to think about the internet and how stuff lives forever.  I found Piano Magic’s music pretty easy on Youtube.  <– This song was crazy real.  Reminded me of this old British movie I watched years ago with some of the most awkward and authentic sex scenes I have ever seen in a movie.  I wish I could remember the title.

Music lives on forever with the internet.  Last night I was telling Coral about my dream to press a 7 inch single of my old band, Smut Peddling Sam.  She didn’t get it.  Said it was silly and childish and that no-one would care.

Maybe she is right… maybe not?  I’d care, so that is at least one.  I googled Smut Peddling Sam.  Everything lives on the internet, even Smut Peddling Sam!

Our old friends were in a group called Triple Word Score and they got signed by a record label called Long Beach records outta California. They mentioned us in their bio and that bio still takes up a few bits of internet code.

SPS used to play at the Cobalt in the early days of that old punk rock bar… and I found an old page of WENDYTHIRTEEN that mentions us.

My brother Matt’s Myspace mentions us. (remember MySpace awww).

WHAT? the original Smut Peddling Sam website?

Crazy… silly internet has a long memory!

***if you care to hear some of our uhhh, unique? style on speed punk, click on my –> MixCloud page. ***

Go with yourself.

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Hold on, I’m counting

Posted in music, radio, tagged , , , , on June 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Getting ready to roll into another weekend and that means another Modern Rock Countdown.

The Modern Rock Countdown (MRC) is a show that has been on The Zone… I think since the beginning of the radio station back in June 0f 2001.

I inherited the show from Layne Mitchel (or maybe Rick Lee; I don’t even remember) when those guys took off to Edmonton in 2006 and I’ve been doing it since.

Basically, its a countdown show.  I base it loosely on the Sirius Hits 1 Weekend Countdown.  The first summer Coral and I got our Jeep, it came with a year of Sirius satellite.   It was also a time before Madelyn was born, so that summer Coral and I did a ton of road trips.

The next summer was Pemberton and Coral and I did a ton of driving that summer with our new baby.  The soundtrack through most of the hinterlands of BC and Alberta was Sirius Hits 1 (and Howard Stern).

At the time, I wasn’t too happy with the style of the countdown and I loved the Hits 1 countdown (even though it was top 40, had a great style and flow).

So I took a few ideas from that show (playing last week’s number one song at the beginning of the countdown the following week before song 20), tighter breaks between songs, playing the number one song from last year just before the current number 1.

The show has also evolved a few music interludes.

I have always begun the show with Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower.”  I don’t remember I time when that song hasn’t opened up the show.

The music before I play the #1 Song, One Year Ago is Sam and Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Coming.”

The show’s closing theme is Ennio Morricone’s “Ecstasy of Gold.”

Go with yourself.

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a Pol Plastino moment in the washroom

Posted in life or something like it, tagged on June 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I don’t want to get all Pol Plastino on you here… but I was sitting on the toilet this afternoon… dreaming as I do when I do… and I looked down at my boxer shorts/ginch/underwear and noticed that they have both maple leaves and skulls on them.

What a fucked up print.  Is this what nationalist goths wear?  I think this underwear is from Old Navy… some sort of Canada Day, national spirit series.  Some pride to wrap my balls in.  But what about the skulls?  Why?  Why did I buy this?  Why am I wearing it still to this day? (probably because most my underwear is even more tragic and holy… or hole-y… as in riddles with holes, not religious)

I’ll have to chalk this up to; something my mom would buy me.

Go with yourself.

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Good name, but now what?

Posted in music, tagged , , , on June 22, 2010| 4 Comments »

Numark NSFX for the NS7.

made a little/big capital investment for my DJ rig today.

The Numark NSFX.  It is an effects controller for my NS7 Serato Itch DJ rig.  They discontinued this thing because they now integrate the effects in all new NS7s (as they always should have!).  Since I’m a loser and bought mine last year before the change, I’d need this add on if I want to try and do some interesting mixes and blends and noises.

Watch>> some dude a 1000 times better than me rock the NSFX

Watch>> some guy give a more boring but practical demo of the NSFX

I am excited to try it.  I won’t have it till next week as it had to be brought in from Calgary.  I’ve had some very positive feedback from people interested in my DJing and I’d like to slowly start working toward being a performing DJ instead of just a classic hits pub/lounge guy. Actually my lounge set hopefully will get pretty groovy too with this set up.

I got a very nice email from a DJ in Singapore last night.  he was trolling Mixcloud and found one of my earlier mixes, “One is Not Enough” and liked it!

He is going to feature it on his radio show.  No word of a lie, I blushed a little.

Last weekend Lars Taylor stopped by The Veneto Lounge and asked if I’d ever consider opening a show (like opening opening… like while the bar staff is still counting their floats) for a touring DJ.  Considered it?

well yes… but like, no.

But now its a yes!  I got to get practicing.

The new set I am working on is called “Don’t You Want To Know What’s Out There” (based on the Explorers… right).

Good name… but now I need some good music.  I better get on that tonight.

Go with yourself.

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Don’t you want to know what’s out there?

Posted in neat-O gang, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Thanks Bud for the graphic! http://www.happydesigns.com/

When I got home late from my first wedding DJ gig on Saturday night I texted David Eleanor to see if the Dodgeball party was still raging.  It was not (the team crushed TWO kegs by 11:30/midnight!).

I was up and still buzzing from the party and felt like watching something that was not internet porn.  I punched up Tool’s AEnima record.  I don’t know what it is about the song “Eulogy” but I started thinking about the 1985 sci-fi classic, Explorers.  The movie stars a young Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix in their first feature film roles!  Plus a young Amanda Peterson (SWA?  we’ll get to her later).

The story is basically about a group of teens who build a spaceship and take off into space to explore.  They meet some aliens and presto-bango-bongo, you got a movie.

When i saw it as a kid, I loved the movie.  iTunes sells films, but it was $10!  Luckily, youtube has a much nicer price-point, free.

Watch>> Explorers part 1/14 (just follow the links after each segment to complete the film)

The movie is pretty great as far as old 80’s films of my youth go.  The film is worth your time strictly on its historical merits of featuring River Phoenix in his debut film role.

The female lead (who isn’t in the film much… girls ewwww!) is an actress named Amanda Peterson.

Amanda is an interesting story of the life and career of likely so many Hollywood actors.  She was on the up during this film.  landed a few good roles, nominated for the odd award then gets the lead in 1987’s Can’t Buy Me Love.  This movie was one of Patrick Dempsey‘s first starring roles and at the time… Amanda and Patrick were a big teen idol deal.

Yet oddly, Amanda would go on to do no other films of note.  Weird?  I wonder why that is?  Wikipedia doesn’t have those answers and doesn’t do speculation.

I had to watch Can’t Buy Me Love… and wouldn’t you know it, youtube has this move too, broken down into a 10 part series.

Watch>> Can’t Buy Me Love 1/10

I might like Can’t Buy Me Love better than Explorers, if only because it is an even greater 80’s film in the traditional sense.

The film hits all my basic 80’s film foundations except one [gratuitous topless shot(s)].

01) Jock vs Nerd Conflict
02) Quest to date the hottest girl in school (cheerleader)
03) Slow clap to end the movie

Patrick Dempsey plays Ronald, a nerd that has a super duper crush on Cindy… the hottest girl in school.  Cindy fucks up and needs $1,000 bad!  Ronald has a grand so they work out a deal where Cindy will “date” Ronald for one month and help him achieve popularity in exchange for the money.  Along the way, they discover a little something about each other and there is some miss-communication, some conflict, some growth and then… yes a slow clap.  Sounds like a pretty epic 80’s comedy to me.

Ask Coral, I actually joined the slow clap myself!  I had too… it was no Lucas slow clap, but it was grand.

If you have the technology, plug your laptop into your TV and invite the kids around this portal into a distant past… one where Jock and Nerds waged a war for Cheerleader supremacy.

Go with yourself.

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Interview: Vince Vaccaro

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , on June 21, 2010| 1 Comment »

On Friday, Victoria singer/songwriter Vince Vaccaro came by my radio show to co-host for the day. We shared some mighty times including a performance of his hit, “Costa Rica.” Kim from the Traffic Department made the journey down the hall from her office to sing with Vince. They used to be in choir together back in the day! Small world. Enjoy.

Mixcloud>> Interview and live performance: Vince Vaccaro
Facebook
Tall Tree Festival

Go with yourself.

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Maddy and Daddy 02 // First Wedding

Posted in ...this is your father speaking, Wedding, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 20, 2010| 4 Comments »

Today is Father’s Day… and when I woke up this morning; I was alone.  Maddy had spent the night at Nana’s and Coral was in Coquitlam.  So I got the greatest Father’s Day gift of all, peace in the morning.  With no one snoring or kicking me or poking me to “wake up Daddy!” I was able to sleep till 11AM! That hasn’t happened since the winter of ’08.

After a morning that involved working the email for wedding leads and washing my Jeep… it was off to Nana’s cottage house to hang out and watch my sick baby play (she has a cold).  I’ve been feeling sick the past week too… so it was a sick Father’s Day for us.  We didn’t get up to much, but what we did do, will live on forever as a streaming piece of internet audio.  Have a listen.

Mixcloud >> Maddy and Daddy 02

Its Father’s Day 2010 and I thought it would be as good a time as any to catch up with my favourite interview subject, Miss Madelyn Oh Yeah! She wishes me a “Happy Father’s Day” (with my prompting) then we talk about being sick, going to Nana’s, our failed trip to Tim Horton’s and ordering pizza.

The music at the beginning is Tool’s “Eulogy” and the end is The National’s “Daughters of the Soho Riots.”

***

My first paid wedding gig was last night and it was really fun.  I think I’ll enjoy this line of work.  Its great being my own boss (and super stressful) and I like the performance aspect.  I have some grand ideas for my stage set-up after last nights party. I had a good light set up for the wedding last night, but I want a great one! (and I want to find an alternative to the traditional fog machine.  Haze is awesome, but the fog machine ‘smoke’ sucks hard)

I also learned a few things, chiefly I need more 90s pop songs.  Real terrible stuff that I never listened to but today’s brides all lapped up; N*Sync, Backstreet Boys, Aqua… yeesh.  I should have anticipated that… but flaked.  I still delivered a good set, but I did have to dodge a couple requests because I had zero Aqua songs on the hard drive.  That said, we did jam out some jems and ended the night with a cut from Lamb of God!

Th first wedding worked out great and I learned a ton.  Can’t wait to apply the knowledge and make the next one even better!

Go with yourself.

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rented

Posted in life or something like it, music, tagged , , on June 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I went down to Long & McQuade and in the end decided to rent gear for my wedding events this summer.

It was just too much to dive into another payment scheme right now for the few events I have planned.

But the good news is, L&M are way cheaper (less than half the price) of the other company I had originally intended to rent from.  And I will get a better sound set up.

More sound and lights; less dollars spent.

It became a no brainer.  Plus the sales guy Matt told me that in October, you can finance Yorkville products interest free.

I hope to hit the wedding expo in September, and if I can generate a decent wedding season of bookings for 2011, then I can think about buying a mobile sound system in October.

This solution already makes me feel much better and less stressed.  I am pretty excited for Saturday and rocking one hell of a party for Paul and Jen.

***

Adam wrote a nice blog about Victoria artist Steph Macpherson and he quoted me.

Have a Read >> The Soap Box

I’ll do my best to record a live Mix from the Veneto Tonight, but I promise nothing.

Go with yourself.

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Crunching the numbers

Posted in being cheap, life or something like it, tagged , on June 17, 2010| 4 Comments »

photo: Jesse Moore Photography

The idea of taking my DJ business to a legitimate and professional level is taking shape.

This summer I have 3 weddings booked and the first is this weekend.

I managed that with a tiny amount of word-of-mouth.  no website, no ads, no wedding fairs.

I am getting to the point where I am starting to seriously consider generating some capital (money!) and trying to grow my business to a level where it can generate a sizable chunk of my income.

Where I’m at now is deciding if I want to finance my purchases myself or try and get a bank loan.  As far as businesses go, I don’t think I need a ton of money (the flip being, I won’t generate a ton either so… its likely a good investment:income ratio).

If I bought the Cadillac of sound and lights that I want for the typical 100-200 person wedding, $5,000 would set me up.

BUT, I could just buy the speakers for about $3,000.  And either finance interest free over 6 months or with interest over 12 months.  I think I could do that with out needing a loan and with the three weddings I’m doing, come close to paying it off before summer (when it will get slow).

Maybe think about the lights in the winter and rent what I need for now.  Actually, I kinda like that plan.  Glad I talked it out on my blog!

In other news: I’ll need a business plan.  What do you think about this style?

Seth Godin>> The Modern Business Plan

Even if I don’t seek a loan, a lot of the research I’ve done on starting a small business says you should make one.  If only for the practice and to help keep the business focused.

Then I better get crackilacking on a website, business cards, set decorations and advertising.

To be in the Victoria Bridal Expo in September will cost me $700!  oh vey! I’d imagine the fair in January will be similar.

Long term goals will be to figure out how to stay busy outside of wedding season with school dances, corporate events and Christmas parties.

Go with yourself.

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