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Archive for August, 2010

Pictures: Alice in Chains and Mookie Blaylock – Jaunary 1991 Harpo’s Victoria

Posted in history 101, music, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 26, 2010| 6 Comments »

Al Ford is many things (the man that hired me for the Zone, Sonic 102.9‘s Program Director) and one of those things is rock & roll photog.

Back in 1991, a little known Seattle band came to Victoria to open for Alice in Chains and Al was there to capture it all.

Jerry Cantrell :: picture Al Ford

Jerry Cantrell's Guitars :: picture Al Ford

Layne Staley :: picture Al Ford

Eddie Vedder :: picture Al Ford

Jeff Ament :: picture Al Ford

***

Years later, this concert would be immortalized in Rolling Stone.

>>  Rolling Stone 10-28-93 Five Against the World by Cameron Crowe

“An early turning point came onstage at a club called Harpo’s, in Victoria, British Columbia. It was Pearl Jam’s maiden tour, their first appearance away from a nurturing audience of Seattle friends. But this Canadian crowd was far more interested in getting drunk. In midset, Vedder decided to challenge the jaded audience, to wake them up. Unscrewing the 12-pound steel base of the microphone stand, Vedder sent it flying over their heads, like a lethal Frisbee. The steel disk crashed into the wall of the back bar. They woke up. “

By some accounts this story may or may not have happened.  The jury is out on to the authenticity of the actual event s of the night.  But what is true, Cameron Crowe believed it and published it in Rolling Stone!

Nice.

I blogged about this show before >> Vintage Victoria Rock History
Mike Devlin’s article on Pearl Jam’s Ten >> Vancouver Sun

Rolling Stone 1993

Go with yourself my jaded drunks.

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I want to fall in love tonight

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , on August 24, 2010| 2 Comments »

When the family was driving around Edmonton, Alberta a few weeks ago we were listening to the modern rocker Sonic 102.9 FM.  They were doing one of those “A-Z Weekends” where the radio plays a bunch of songs from their playlist in alphabetical order.  We happened to be out-and-about early on a Friday morning for a drive to Wetaskwin so we heard Garner lead it off with the As.

On came one of my favourite Jimmy Eat World songs, “A Praise Chorus.”

Side A, track 2 from 2001’s Bleed American was the forth single from the record and for sure, the forgotten song when it comes to airplay in 2010.

When the record began its rotations, it once again piqued my interest in the song.

Jimmy Eat World is very much one of “Coral’s bands.”  When we first met, she wanted to share a band she was passionate about with me.  At first I was skeptical.  The emo music craze was very much in backlash mode and what I knew of Jimmy Eat World at the time was… well, “The Middle.”  A fun song, but to me it was just a pop radio rocker.  I didn’t appreciate the depth of their style.

It takes context to love music.  A space, place, or emotion with a song jamming out as the soundtrack.  Jimmy Eat World will always be the soundtrack to our relationship (and fun fact: Jimmy Eat World’s Futures was a break-up record for a previous relationship she was in…. neat).

“A Praise Chorus” is an uplifting song.  Its a party song.  It might even be a romantic song… I have a hard-on for the line, “I want to fall in love tonight.”

The song has some other touch points that makes this my favourite JEW song.

The artwork for the single is a map of Arizona.  Check.

The song breaks down to a “praise chorus” where a series of lines from other songs including all-time great, “Crimson and Clover” and also some lines from 90s emo stalwarts, The Promise Ring.

The Promise Ring is a cool band if you ever get the hankering to travel back in time to late 90s alternative rock and some quality emo.  Check out this song, “Why Did We Ever Meet.”

I had a point when I sat down to write this… but I’ve been flipping between Promise Ring and JEW songs and its gone.

I think I just wanted to say, hey check out “A Praise Chorus” if you don’t know the song.  Its good.

Go with yourself.

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I make a lot of noise; because the girls are all so pretty

Posted in music, Wedding, tagged , , , , , on August 23, 2010| 5 Comments »

There two types of music we all listen to: The music we like, and the music we think we’re supposed to like.

Being paid to think about and present music, I hear a lot of different stuff and I am also exposed to other peoples’ tastes.  One of my favourite places to play music is at weddings.

I was DJing a wedding in Victoria on the weekend for some fine people.  They were beautiful twenty-somethings with their group of beautiful friends.  All good folks.

And like all weddings, the playlist has to be a very mainstream, fun and upbeat mix.  I have no problem with this as… I do enjoy me some Top 40 music and have a soft spot for Motown and classic hits.

At a wedding, later after speeches, and cake, pictures and small talk… it generally becomes time to turn it on and hit the dance floor.  Some drinks, some “Save a Horse and Ride a Cowboy,” and some cleavage revealing dresses later; the party will start to operate at an 11.

Then the requests comes and I get a chance to hear what people really like.

Sometimes the party-goers know who I am before and it will taint our meeting, but luckily alcohol is the great forgetter.  Almost always, the request begins with either, “you probably don’t have this but….” or “I don’t normally even like this song but….”

Then you know, Taylor Swift.

I always find it funny when people apologize for their taste in music.  Maybe its because I have confidence in what I like that I don’t care… and I take that for granted.  I like Taylor Swift fine.  There is never anything wrong with wanting to have silly fun.

I will say this, dropping Taylor Swift “Love Story” at a wedding will create mass-ovulation.  It really is in the best interests of humanity’s continuation on the Planet to come to terms with music that makes people happy.  Folks smile, babies will be made.

When I listen to music I ask myself… Do I like this, or should I like this?

Should doesn’t bother me too much.  If everyone tells you something is good… and you’re not feeling it… groovy, but I still listen very critically to try and figure out what makes it special to other people.  Sometimes the hype is pretend, too many people thinking they should like something because: their peer group does, or it fits a mold or lifestyle attribution.  Sometimes its just challenging and smarter people than me get it and get off on the  weirdness.  Sometimes its very commercial and easy sounding, so lots of people like it.

Should makes sense for me.  A new modern rock song, might not be my cup of tea at home, but learning and appreciating it is useful for my job.  Same for a new popular dance track that I can play at a wedding or an obscure R&B number from the 60s to burn down the lounge with.

The flip… if I hear Taylor Swift on the radio, I don’t change the station.  Then I want to make-out.

But if you don’t like the Japandroids, you’re an idiot. (jk)

Go with yourself.

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Hundreds of Buttons

Posted in music, tagged , , , , on August 20, 2010| 3 Comments »

The other record my wife bought for me on Wednesday was one we’ve had our eye for sometime but just couldn’t get the time/luck/money all together to buy it.

You all know my love for Four Tet.  This English electronic  artist has to be one of my favourites of 2010 for sure.

I find his music very inspirational in my quest to one day produce my own sounds.  The music is so melodic and chill meditative (and he samples little kid sounds… so I know down there somewhere, he must be a softy!).

Download >> Four Tet: “Angel Echoes (Caribou Remix)”

Obviously his style won’t be for everyone.  Its electronic but not really a dance track.  I love this music for my lounge sets at Veneto Lounge or at home when I am doing work or need to decompress from the stresses of the day.

The vinyl package is wonderful.  I love that Coral tracked it down at Ditch Records to add to our collection.  “She Just Like To Fight” was our final selection at Smiths on Wednesday and a staple of my chillwave set.

Go with yourself.

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Gimme that night you were already in bed/Said fuck it got up to drink with me instead

Posted in music, tagged , on August 19, 2010| 1 Comment »

God bless my lovely wife… she went down to Ditch Records yesterday to pick up my copy of the latest Japandroids‘ 7-inch single, “Younger Us.”

Download >> “Younger Us”

Truth, this song came out what?  back in the beginning of the summer so you can colour me new, but I just got it on the clear vinyl and I love it.  This song absolutely crushes at life.

A lot of things that are great about rock & roll go down during this songs fuzzy three-minutes and thirty-six seconds.  Its fast, punky, aggressive yet melodic.  The lyrics paint the picture or a time when most of us lived.

I seriously almost want to cry happy tears when I listen to this song and jump back in time with the lyrics to the places and people.

I like all things Japandroids, and I LOVE this song.

Go with yourself.

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Mundi Street

Posted in life or something like it, music, Wedding, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2010| 5 Comments »

I grew up n Mundy Street in Coquitlam.  If I were 27% cooler than I was (does that sentence make sense?) I would have vandalized every street sign to be “Mundi” Street.  Much more glorious in Latin.  I think ‘mundi’ translates to “of the world.”  Kinda sexual.

I went through a Latin phase as a young buck.  That is Latin for, “I never put my hand on a boobie.”

I used to take books out of the library that tried to explain all the ‘um’ in stadium and jive talk like that.  Like I said, my life path at the time pointed straight to virginitytown.

I was standing in line Fairways on Tuesday.  Buying the parts of a lunch as I have done hundreds of times before.  Standing in front of me was a beautiful woman and in front of her was a Dad and his daughter about the age Madelyn.  She wanted to help Dad… just like Mads.  Super adorable. “I can do it.”

The woman in front of me was fawning over the little girl.  She was gorgeous.  Kind of an alt rocker Suicide Girl type meets nerd.  Normally the tattoo’d look is not my style…and I never really saw the front of her… but I could just tell she was an attractive person by looking at her vegetarian food on the conveyor belt and the way she played with the stranger’s kid in front of her.  Now that I am an old pervy Dad… women that are cool with kids are cool with me.

I spotted on her arm one of the tattoos, it said ‘Mundi.”  “Hey, I lived on Mundi Street,” I thought to myself.  I tried to glance the rest… ‘sic’ ‘transit’ ‘gloria’ ‘mundi.’

A Brand New fan?  huh.  I like that band too… but tattooed on her arm?  and ‘mundi’ isn’t part of the title.

When I got to work I punched the phrase into the google machine and it spit out this: Sic transit gloria mundi is a Latin phrase that means “Thus passes the glory of the world”. It has been interpreted as “Worldly things are fleeting.”

Knowledge is power.

What I mighty fine tattoo… but it turns out “something in Latin” is a popular style of tattoo.  Not saying I ever want to get one… but sometimes I do.

Coral was thinking I should get a Pisces fish on my arm… to represent Madelyn.  She is a Pisces, neat.

I like the idea of lyrics or words, more my style… but that is less bad-ass than some sleeve tattoo.  Maybe I should work on doing those 100 push-ups then I’ll have some arms worth tattooing.

***

In other news…

Your favourite Victoria Wedding DJ (I hope) is in action with a pub gig tonight.

Coral and I will be doing our husband/wife all vinyl DJ set at Smiths Pub starting at 9PM.  Smiths $12 Burger and Beer special pairs exceptionally with quality music selected with care.  I hope you can come.

***

Lastly…

Pinkerton from Weezer might not be the greatest record ever made… but it has to be one of Weezer’s best.

The record didn’t see much love when it was released back in 1996.  But because it is weird and different… it lives on as a bit of a cult favourite.

Seeing as I personally can’t handle Weezer’s “good” music…. their weirder, older stuff is my fave.

Weezer is going to re-issue the record in October.  If there is a vinyl run with this re-issue, I’d consider adding a Weezer record to my collection.  Maybe.

Go with yourself.

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A weekend in Twitpics

Posted in life or something like it, tagged , , , on August 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

A weekend in Twitpics!

Mads enjoying some ice cream backstage at The Blue Sky Festival

Afra, Mark and Vince Vaccaro getting ready for their set at The Blue Sky Festival.

Sunday, we headed to Sidney to see Jon and Roy! Sunny at the Sea.

A pic from Coral's phone. We hit Sea Cider for some patio drinking and farm life late on Sunday afternoon.

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Spin 45s >> One Two Three Four Five

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , on August 12, 2010| 1 Comment »

Spin 45s jams out some recent finds from Talk’s Cheap Record store on Pandora Street in historic Victoria, British Columbia.

I love the old 80s alt. rock, so the XTC was a good find… even if it has a skip on it. sad panda face.

Arctic Monkeys add something a little more contemporary to the mix before sliding into arena rock and Van Halen‘s anthem, “Jump.” The owner of Talk’s Cheap gave me this 45 for free! Said no would buy it anyways. It had a sticker price of $3!

The show ends with some local Victoria music. First a band still pressing vinyl, The Laudronauts. “hard Water” comes on a rad white vinyl platter.

The last song is a classic bit of Victorian modern rock history… 1996’s Santo. On green vinyl! Nice. Thank you Jess!

Have a Listen: Spin 45s >> One Two Three Four Five

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my selections.

Go with yourself.

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Hmmm… I could but I shouldn’t

Posted in neat-O gang, tagged on August 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »


I want one so bad.

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I love living in the city

Posted in life or something like it on August 11, 2010| 2 Comments »

I love living in Victoria. One of the main reasons why I love the Garden City so much is because of the girls.  Everyday, its like there is a hot girl convention in town.  And all you have to do to attend, is be there.

I know that people that live outside of British Columbia will roll their eyes and go, “yeah yeah yeah, I know… the scenery in BC is so nice.”

But the reality is, the SCENERY in BC IS very nice.  I can always tell the Canadian men that have recently moved to town. They are the ones sporting a semi in their jeans all day.

I like Victoria because everyone seems to be out and about.  I bike to work everyday at around 10AM. And everyday I bike past a parade of people biking, walking, running, trekking.  On a weekday at 10AM?  Amazing.  I went downtown to buy some running shoes… and a never ending chorus of ladies would just run into the running room, grab a drink of water and ducked out.  the clerk didn’t even pay them any notice.  None.  The man is so accustomed to hot, sweaty girls in athletic stretch pants coming into his store… his eyes, they do not gaze.  That does not happen in Toronto (or the clerk was gay?).

I bike home and I pass another crowd of folks out for leisure time.  Young people, old people, friends, seniors.  There are 91-year-old Betty’s going for a stroll in Victoria right now who remember what rationing was during war time.  But you can bet that while they were saving their lard to make bombs to kill Nazis, they were smoking hot doing it.

Its mental.

My running shoes are pretty nice.

Go with yourself.

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