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First Listen: Linkin Park – “A Thousand Suns”

September 15, 2010 by morningaftershow

If I went into yesterday’s listen of the new Brandon Flowers CD with hopeful expectations… today’s endeavor with Linkin Park was met with trepidation.

Actually, trepidation might be the wrong word, but I like it…

Linkin Park’s A Thousand Suns is LP’s forth studio record and likely destined for a billion-trillion copies sold and numerous radio hits.  It seems to be the way of this band.  Generally speaking, I don’t care much for Linkin Park.  I don’t hate them, but I don’t go home and get jacked to throw their music on.  For me personally, its kids music.

Now here’s the thing, the new record in kind of interesting.

From what I’ve been able to gather from LP fans; they are disappointed in the direction… but as an outsider that has always wished there was more to Linkin Park’s facade, I like all the audio textures.  I punched the record up last night and enjoyed all the weird little sonic interludes that intertwine around all the cuts.

Even the second single, “Burning in The Skies” which I generally hate on the radio, sounds good in the context of the record.

Lots of weirdness and samples and meandering between the songs.

This record will probably not be something I focus on too much when it gets buried by something newer and shinier in a week or two… but then again, no Linkin Park record ever has for me.

Linkin Park is sounding very adult contemporary with their style these days.  Pleasant.  Maybe they are growing up and getting old?  Not so much rage or anger.  The last song soars with some babble about love being the answer or something and there is a song in the middle with a hackneyed, “the weight of the world will give you strength to carry on.”  No it won’t Chester… it’ll crush you into the ground.  I think they’ve been millionaires too long.  Some songs don’t resonate with me at all.  Weird middle school kid lyrics.  But whatever, when he sings it with a dainty little guitar, it sounds pretty.  I guess that is what Linkin Park is all about.  And tattoos.

I’ll give the record a “download it for free” recommendation.  It’ll be cool for a few listens then you’ll move on to something meatier or graduate middle school.

Go with yourself.

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jabbered their hearts out

September 15, 2010 by morningaftershow

I read a great editorial today that got me thinking about music.  Writer Steve Guttenberg asked; why can’t you listen to music?

Basically the man talked about the idea of the act of enjoying music.  Setting aside a unit of time for the sole purpose of consuming music.  He talked about people that go to rock shows and talk through the music sets or get locked into their phones texted away.  I must say that that is both a major pet peeve of mine and also something I have been guilty of.  Strange but true.

I am fortunate that my line of work surrounds me in music. I am not terribly funny or any more interesting than anyone else.  I got into radio because it was one of the few jobs I could think of that paid me to do the one thing I loved to do.  Listen to music. I was like, “they pay people to sit in a room and jam out rock & roll all day… and fucking people still fight wars?”

As a kid in highschool, I’d fire a CD into my discman every night before bed and listen to a whole album, often twice before going to bed.  The same record would live on my bedside table for weeks.  CDs were like $25 back in the mid-90s!

I have a vivid memory of laying on the floor of the living room in my parents house one hot summer afternoon and listening to Big Wreck’s “That Song” over and over and over.

The hobby or habit of listening to music for the sake of the experience continued into adulthood except girlfriends put a real crimp into music time.   they always want your undivided attention at bedtime.  Hard to bury my head into headphones when there are breasts to bury that head into.

Now that I am married guy with kid… everyone goes to bed and some nights I get left to my own devices.  Believe me, internet porn was fun again for awhile… but the call of the record has crept back into my life.  Lately I have been finding myself decompressing to music as I lay on my couch at some weird hour.

Some nights I pull out old favourites, others, something totally random or new.

If you love music, and you’re not setting aside music listening time… you’re doing yourself a major disservice.

Go with yourself.

Posted in music | 5 Comments »

First Listen: Brandon Flowers – “Flamingo”

September 14, 2010 by morningaftershow

Here is a post for Vancityrockgirl… the new Brandon Flowers’ solo record Flamingo is out today.

First listen and I must say, I do enjoy it.

The man is having a pretty good couple days.  His record has already gone #1 in the UK and it was also announced that he is expecting another young’n to his family brood.

I have always loved the Killers and so far so good, the solo stuff is as good… or maybe better than some of the Killers songs.

If you’re a Killers fan, you’ll easily get into the solo stuff.  Flowers has stated that many of the songs were destined to be Killers tracks but when the band went on hiatus, the Dad had to stay working, so solo it is.

The Zone is jamming out the lead single right now, “Crossfire” (number 1 on NME).

Picking a favourite album cut is a challenge right now during this first listen as I have enjoyed all the songs.  The opener is pretty cool… I could see it being a travel theme song for my favourite Rock Travel Agent, “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas.”

“Hard Enough” is sexual as its a duet with Jenny Lewis and she’s hipster cuteness.

“Playing with Fire” isn’t doing it for me.  Maybe he’s singing about being a Mormon or something? I don’t get it.

Skip.

Skip again.

“Magdalena” might be another religious song. maybe he is singing about a Spanish sweetheart?  Lots of different southern Mexican sounds mixed into the epicnessisms of Brandon Flowers.  Songs builds into an expansive Western Film sounding song.  go Mexico!  I think A Perfect Circle rocked this subject matter harder.

Near the end of the record we get to the hit, “Crossfire.”

You already know this cut and have an opinion on it.

The record ends with “On The Floor” and “Swallow It.”

“On the Floor” calms it right down after the more energetic radio single.  trying to like it but sadly… skip.

And now the closer, “Swallow It.”

Brandon are you singing about a young lovely swallowing your knob?  Maybe its a metaphor for life, but it seriously sounds like forcing your wang down someone’s throat who might be performing oral for the first time.

Well there is no “Parental Advisory” on the cover, and he is a married family man… so I guess its a metaphor for life.  Sorry to take this to the gutter, but come on… listen to the song.

OK lets add it up.

10 songs.

3 skips.

I’ll give the record 7/10.

Brandon, you won’t be getting into UVic with that grade… but a couple years at Camosun, keep your nose to it, you might make something of yourself.

The record is overall enjoyable and if you’re already a Killers fan, I’ll put a recommend on this record.

Hey remember that time I interviewed Brandon Flowers?
Brandon Flowers Website

Go with yourself.

Posted in music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

The secret ingredient is love. love.

September 13, 2010 by morningaftershow

Last weekend, the rained stopped just long enough to allow Cassie, Chef Chris and myself the opportunity to head out to Sooke and take part in the Sooke Lions’ 4th Annual Great Chili Challenge.

Their esteemed judges handed out only ONE 3rd Place Trophy and I am so happy to say that team Zone claimed the honour.

SWAG'd from Cassie's Facebook

The chili challenge was a ton of work and would not have been possible without the hard work of Team Zone’s Cassie Price and Veneto Lounge’s sous chef Chris Thrift.

Also Graham Caddy from 100.3 The Q! helped shovel chili in waiting bowels and Justin “Fresh-Pots” was there to fetch me pop and came in clutch wrangling up a can-opener when our first one crapped out.

Tindy from the Q! and Boitano from The Zone both put together our supplies for the booth and Zone Ranger Cuervo-Loren brought out a tent to Sooke and set it up for us.  Thank you guys.

The Veneto’s head chef Tod Bosense lent us his propane stove and also pilfer through the kitchen for food and supplies.

Cassie has been getting some requests for the recipe so I will try to re-create it here:

The Zone @ 91-3 #11 Chili

* 2 pound(s)  boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
* 2 pound(s) boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
* 2 teaspoon(s) vegetable oil
* 20-ish clove(s) (garlic) crushed into a paste
* 2 medium onions, chopped
* 1 tablespoon(s) ground coriander
* 1 tablespoon(s) cumin
* 1 tablespoon(s) paprika
* 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) chipotle chile paste
* 1/2 tablespoon(s) ground cinnamon
* 3 can(s) (15 to 19 ounces each) pink beans and/or red kidney beans
* 1 can(s) (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
* 1 can(s) concentrated tomato
* 1 cup(s) water
* 2 packets of hot chocolate powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
* pepper
*Tabasco
* 1 pineapple
* Corn tortillas, (optional), warmed
* Shredded unsweetened chocolate and fresh cilantro chopped to sprinkle on top.

***

Brown the meat in the oil…add salt and pepper… add the onion… add the tomato… let that stew together for a bit.  then add the spices.  Little at a time, constantly taste and season. Add the garlic. Add the hot chocolate powder.  If it doesn’t taste right, it needs more salt.

Add the chipotle paste till you get the heat you need. Tabasco will help with the heat too.  Be BRAVE… let this yummy concoction stew for a bit.  You can serve it when its all hot… but it excels at delicious if you let the meat get nice and tender.  Right before serving, add the chopped pineapple.

To garnish… shave some rich, dark chocolate on top and hit of fresh chopped cilantro.  Prepare to come in third place!

Madelyn got her fingers all over my camera so it wouldn’t take pictures and needs a cleaning.  So this evidence comes from Cassie’s facebook.

Cassie is so silly.

Justin Fresh-Pots and Me.

Chef Chris doing his thing and Cassie choppiong the pineapple.

These two giant pots of chili were not enough. We head a steady line all afternoon. Many second helpings.

So busy out in Sooke.

Chef Chris and I adding the "sex" right at the end.

Go with yourself.

My camera

Posted in food | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Download: “475-0913/Zone DJ”

September 6, 2010 by morningaftershow


Download: “475-0913/Zone DJ”

The Zone will be unleashing some crazy devil science during our back to school crawl.  Some sort of “push” technology. We’ll be up at the University and College campuses over the next week or two and asking people if they want to add some content to their phones.  The experiment will be Tuesday, 11AM-1PM at Camosun Landsdowne.  The first bit of content will be a ring-tone.  The above spin on the Tommy Tutone 1982 hit anomaly, “867-5309/Jenny.”

I was looking for some help brainstorming ideas for a ring-tone when a facebooker named Alexandra sent the link for the song.

The next day, I hopped in the studio with Cassie and she banged this out with the help of Megan, Tess and Kim.

***

A gorgeous rainy day.  Its Labour Day and so to celebrate, I labour.  Its started pouring rain last night and to have an honest moment, I enjoyed it.  After watching the Kurt Cobain documentary, “About a Son,” I went out on my deck and just sat watching the rain.

Today I was excited to dig my rain pants out of the closet: “CORAL! Where are my rain pants?”

“I don’t know, have I ever wore your rain pants?  Where did you leave them?”

“NO! You must have moved them because they are not… oh, here they are.”

And off into the rain I go.


Go with yourself.

Posted in Jeremy Baker, music | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments »

this is out of our reach

September 6, 2010 by morningaftershow

“The most exciting time for a band is right before they become really popular. I’d love to just be in bands that just do that every two years.  Every time I look back at the best times in this band it was just right before Nevermind came out. It was awesome.

“Without my choosing its become a job, whether I like it or not. Its something I love doing and I’d always want to do. But I have to be honest I don’t enjoy it nearly as much as I used to when I was practising every night… imaging what it would be like. And its nothing like what it was like the first couple of years actually playing in front of a few people. Loading up the van going to a rock show to actually play. The privilege of that can’t be reproduced after doing it for 10 years.” – Kurt Cobain

***

I finally got a chance to check out Aux TV tonight.  I had heard Dylan Willows talking about the channel on the morning Zone sometime ago.  I never thought I had the channel…but I guess I do, as I was searching around and came across the documentary, Kurt Cobain: About a Son.

The documentary was amazing, sad, tragic and insightful.  In 1993, Kurt Cobain gave his time for a series of audio taped interviews with a journalist he trusted (maybe the only one he did as he was found of tearing into journalists during the interview).

The interview was very thorough and talked about Kurt’s growing up, forming a band, moving to Seattle, becoming famous, meeting and marrying Courtney Love and the birth of their daughter before getting into some of his plans for the future (like how he planned on breaking up Nirvana and his goals on life for providing for Francis Bean).

It was interesting to get into the mind of Kurt Cobain in his own words and listen to him share his stories.  It was at times hard to watch as we know the outcome of the story, especially when he talks about how much he loves his daughter and how he was so excited to provide a family for her.

If you have the time or energy, the documentary is on Youtube in 9 or 10 parts.  You’ll have to get started at part 2 as Warner Music blocked the audio of part one because of copyright or some bullshit: About a Son part 2

Go with yourself.

Posted in music | Tagged , , | 3 Comments »

Its a dirty job but someone has to do it

September 3, 2010 by morningaftershow

ugh… woke up at 6:30 AM this morning.  Haven’t been sleeping too well but it really butters my biscuit today because Mads is at Nana’s and I really could have and should have woken up at 10AM.

Compounding problems; I hit the bourbon  last night (just one!) and woke up feeling a bit like Don Draper.  but not, “I just rocked January Jones last night” Don… more the, “I got in a fight with Peggy.”

mmm so good going down last night, but I woke up with that evil liquor taste on my tongue.

I did manage to jam out a ton of music this morning sitting on the couch before Coral woke up.  Then when she finally did… she was a little tasmanian devil of activity getting ready for her job… and out the door and I am back alone listening to music before my bike ride to the Zone.

I listened to Tommy Tuton’s 1982 hit, “867-5309/Jenny” which is a weird little power pop song.  VH1 listed as the 36th best of the 80s!  praise indeed.

I think I might do a spoof ring-tone based on this song.  Thanks Alexandra for sharing the link with me.

***

In other wonderfulness… did you know that yesterday was 90210 Day?  Of course you did… you have twitter.  Yesterday was September (9), 2nd (02), 2010 (10) so put it together and!  hilarity.

My favourite tweet: so today’s date is 90210, but I am still looking forward to 5/31/8008 so I can flip the calendar upside down and giggle.

And I was thinking about 90210, that 90s juggernaught of teen high drama, and thought about this strange bit of rock and roll history.  Remember when The Flaming Lips played the “After Dark?”  It happened and lives on forever on the internets.

Flaming Lips perform “She Don’t Use Jelly” on 90210.

Go with yourself.

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Cut Offs!

September 2, 2010 by morningaftershow

I have a DJ set coming up on Tuesday, September 7th.  I rock the party starting at 12:30AM.

Details live on Victoria DJ blog. <– hit the link please.

Go with yourself.

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Bartender: Old Fashioned

September 1, 2010 by morningaftershow

On the weekend I DJ at a lounge in Victoria called the Veneto Tapas Lounge.

They make up their cocktails using premium liquor and ingredients. Something I never really cared or thought too much about before unless I was drinking with Dave Sawchuk or my buddy Bob.

I’ve been playing Motown and chillwave records there since December/January of last year and I’ve slowly been learning about the bartender craft.

Right now Solomon Siegel and and Simon Odgen quarterback the drink menu in the lounge and Simon shared with me the art of the Old Fashioned.

The Old Fashioned is often considered to be the first “cocktail” and was invented in Kentucky in the mid-to-late 1800s.  It was the drink of civil war veterans! Basically the cocktail is spirits, bitters, sweetener, water.  Yum.

At the Veneto I learned to add some orange and lemon zest to the equation and delicious.

On the weekend I tried to track down some Bulleit Bourbon which is Simon’s pick for the Old Fashioned.

Sadly, the backwoods of Coquitlam could not provide and seeing as my old man was out of real Kentucky Bourbon I grabbed a bottle of Maker’s Mark (another good Kentucky Bourbon that is popular at Veneto: I paid $42 for a bottle).

The bitters for a Veneto Old Fashioned is easy as they use the mainstream Angostura Bitters. You’ll remember I found this bitters at Save-On Foods.

Start your glass with a sugar cube and a few dashes of bitters with an easy splash of bourbon.  Let that sit there while you slice off two pieces of orange peel and one of lemon.

Get the knife in there and shave or cut away all the pith as its not delicious.

What you do next is what separates all the Old Fashioned makers as they have their way of adding the orange and lemon which I can’t really explain.  You’ll have to watch Simon or Josh or Katie do it sometime.  I tried to copy them as best I could at a dinner party and my Old Fashioned served… but they were no Veneto.

Muddle the the first orange peel in the glass with the sugar and bitters.

In a tumbler, pour two ounces of bourbon and stir with ice then strain into your Old Fashioned glass with your sugar/bitters/orange.  Add two ice cubes (or however many you want).

Then you release some of the lemon zest in the drink and drop the lemon peel in.  Finally you take your last orange peel, heat it with a lighter over the glass for a few moments and squeeze it into the glass.  A cool little fireball should happen. Don’t be scared, be brave! That is the fun part.  Then twist the orange peel and drop it in.

Your drink should smell yummy, like a fruit punch.

Then sip and get ready to get rose cheeked!  This beverage packs a smooth but deliberate punch.

Go with yourself.

Posted in food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments »

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

August 26, 2010 by morningaftershow

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.

Posted in history 101, music | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

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