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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.


I want one so bad.

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.

On Sunday night, Pol Plastino and I were invited down to a dojo/Kung-Fu club in Chinatown to take part in The Laundronauts new music video for “Stop, Drop, Fluff-N-Fold” from their album Come Clean.

Que Banh was there taking pictures; Skit For Brains provided the direction (and one of the hot Dragonettes… and uhhh, Guido).  Pol got a little speaking role and I got to be audience member #17.  Fun times.

Chucky punching out Laundronaut Gareth Wynne.

I am at the far left doing my best at being Audience Member #17.

Cheering on the Ultra Violence!

We did it! Pol Plastino.

The Laundronauts

And just in case you missed The Laundronauts last clip, here is “Stain” >> Youtube.

Go with yourself.

SPLASH!


We’re back from Edmonton and points around… I’ll share some road stories and pictures when I get a chance to decompress.  The thing I crave the most after a holiday, is a vacation.

Go with yourself.

My man Ryan from The Paper Cranes left a comment on my blog from the other day about which computer program might help me master the beat production.  he recommended the Mac program Logic.

Ryan Awram from The Q! also rocks Logic so what I would like about that is that we can share knowledge at work.  I think Logic also has some similar attributes to Garageband which comes standard on the Mac.  That might allow me to learn the Garageband as I already have it, then graduate to Logic if/when I get the hang of it.

I went down to Simply Computers on Quadra, where I normally go to stare at Apple stuff, to look at Logic.

I asked the sales rep about Logic and he steered me toward Ableton… again.  Always with the Ableton.

Ableton is expensive, BUT the sales rep said I don’t need the super duper version… the basic $500 package would be good for me.  And he said that Ableton is working with Rane (they make Serato mixers) to be compatible with Serato DJ software (and I hope my Numark???).

yeesh.  brain hurts.

Its all pretty amateur for me right now and will one day require me to make a decision and jump in.  The issue I mainly have is money.  Coral is hoping to go to University or college in the fall and will need tuition/computer/earn less money for the family.  I’ll need close to $1,000 to rock the wedding fair in the fall and that has to be the priority as success there will guarantee me the opportunity to earn the money I need for fun toys (and to pay the mortgage).  Fun toys now… wasted chance at future business.

man, being an adult sucks.  Garageband for now.

***

In other news, my set for the party Friday Night is taking shape and I like the direction.  I am stressing about it as I don’t really know what people will want to hear.  But I think if I play what I like, I’m opening… no harm no foul and like any performer… all I can do is what I do.

I’ll practice it tonight before bed and if its a good hour, its gold for Friday at Sugar. It’ll be some Brooklyn meets Ibiza chillwave and blisscore beats with some classic soul/funk/R&B.  Might be a trainwreck, but last night at 2AM… it sounded good.  I’ll try it again on the decks tonight, if I can mix it together and the story makes sense in my brain, it’ll be what you hear as you file into Sugar. if this mix that is my head doesn’t come together I was also feeling a modern rocky/remix/local beats set.  Maybe I can do both… a side A and a side B kinda dealio?

Details >> – Well Served – @ Suagr Nightclub

Lastly… I still love Four Tet.

Go with yourself.

Tomorrow (Thursday, July 22nd) Billy Bishop Goes To War opens at the Belfry Theatre.

Actor Ryan Beil stars as Billy Bishop who… goes off to war.  First as a Calvary Officer but then later, as one of the greatest flying aces of the epic ordeal.

Many of us know Ryan as “that guy from the A&W commercials.” But there is so much more to this Vancouver actor!

Zach Gray is from Vancouver band The ZolasHis father wrote the original musical!  Nice.

Have a listen>> Interview with Ryan Beil and Zach Gray

Thank you for making the time to check out this interview.

Go with yourself.

HO! DJ!

I am trying to set some goals and grow as a DJ performer and sometimes it can be hard because… well being a DJ is a singular enterprise.

I only really know what I do.

Now I have been blessed to know some generous DJs who have helped and shared with me.  Jess Taylor and DJ Anger being two early ones that helped me and later J Reign, Marshall, DJ Trekk, DJ Clinton, Rauri Lazers, DJ Fatso and of course DJ Murge.  But at the end of the day… it is a self education.

What I constantly think about is creating my own beats and sounds… but I really have no idea how to start.  My buddy Tyson gave me a midi controller keyboard thing and I have Garageband?  I guess I can start.

And now I have a destination… I want to get on the bill Camp Bisco in rural New York.

New York times >> A festival of Its Own

What an adventure that could be… if I can talk them into letting me have a slot.

It’ll be a money losing proposition.  That is certain.  Traveling to New York to DJ can’t be cheap.  I’d for sure be bringing Coral and even Madelyn… so its more a professional holiday?  sure, I like that word; professional holiday.

AND then I want to DJ in Baltimore! ha… ok, one step at a time.

***

in other news: when you type ‘Victoria Wedding DJ‘ into google, my website comes up! Spin The Black Disc.

Thank you everyone for the support.  I am sure being a wedding DJ isn’t helping my goal of club DJ too much, but the baby has got to eat (and it’s actually really fun… so far).

Go with yourself.

a "coral" coloured Chevy Nomad

When I first met Coral, one of my favourite things about her is (was?) her name.  Coral.

I never knew a Coral before her.

I did not know there was a colour shade called coral.

If I was scuba diving I’d be afraid of coral.

I never knew that corals coordinate behavior by communicating with each other.  Whoa, there is probably a life lesson in there about relationships… maybe near the bottom of the wiki, in the footnotes.

There is a band called The Coral.

One day I will visit Coral Gables, FLA… I might even bring Coral, but then, that might be one hell of a trip and fuck with the space time continuum. Maybe Coral would hang in Coral Springs? then we’d meet in Orlando?  I dunno.

I bought Coral a classic 45 single on Coral Records.

One time the History channel showed this boring naval battle.  I wanted to change the channel because I thought the Bachelorette was on but then the announcer said, “this major battle of World War Two was fought between US and Australian forces against the Imperial Japanese… it was called the Battle of the Coral Sea.” And then check this out, it was a marathon of Coral battles!

When I move to the desert one day in the future… I’ll keep my eyes peeled for coral SNAKES!

Coral is a real nerd too.  beep beep bop bop nerd nerd internets.

And sometimes Coral makes movies! I can’t understand any of them because they are in a different language.

Our long term financial plan call for winning the lotto… but I am sure she wouldn’t be against winning our retirement at bingo?  In The UK?  With the Gala Coral Group.

if Coral ever left me for another man (or progressive woman) I could only be with a woman with an equal to or greater than name.. like maybe MTV Real World cast member Coral Smith… middle name Jeanne?  WTF, Coral’s middle name is Jean!

Now coral is my favourite colour, my favourite city(ies) in Florida (and Ontario and Illinois) and my third favorite thing found in the ocean (after sharks and Zombies).

an actual real life "Coral" with alien Stitch.