The Morning After

Huzzah birthday cake!

What day am I on?  I am losing track… six?  Friday was three so this must be six.

The weekend was spent in Coquitlam which was a sea of work to pull off.  My girl is a trillion miles away drinking 3 euro bottles of wine in Paris and I was left to fend for myself.  Saturday was my 29th birthday.  I decided to spend it in Coquitlam with Grandma Mom and Grandpa Jack (who wants to be referred to as the Father of the Father or Faf?  SWA?).  It was an early morning for Mads and I.  Thankfully I had packed the night before so we got up and hit the road first thing.

My buddy Bob came over Saturdat night with his girl Jen and they had a present for Madelyn.

Yeah, they brought her an Oiler’s track suit.  Bob was like, “she could walk into the arena with Ethan Moreau and people would think she was on the team.”  ha, too funny (and adorable).

Jen drove Bob and I downtown to catch the Sam Roberts show.  Randomly we bumped into Marisa who we went to high school with.

The show was pretty rad.  Sam brings the noise.  After the set, some pints in Yaletown and then a late night dash to reach skytrain before the last train.

Sunday, my brother Matt and I rolled into the Glasvegas show at Richards.  They are moving the club to the old A&B Sound on Seymour which is neat but sad.  I walking around that part of town with Matt telling him what used to be where back in my day.  I am not even that old but the physical geography of Vancouver has changed so much.

Glasvegas was an interesting juxtaposition of sounds and style.  Matt and I sensed something was up when the we walked in and some dude that thought he was a a cotton picker from the 1930s Deep South was jamming away at the guitar and singing about “pain.”

After his set, the music they played was 1950’s Dirty Dancing type music.  like this song from 1957.

The boys (and girl) in Glasvegas took the stage and they didn’t look at all like my preconception.  I was expecting an Interpol-y / Franz Ferindand-esque group of hipsters, but what I got was some Rockabilly looking Scottish dudes.  They were very striking on stage.  Their music is epic and grandiose.  Richards was full and the band elicits a passionate fan.  Many times I heard the audience sing with group.  They added to the whole experience for me as I really only know the song we play on the Zone, “Geraldine.”

They got to “Geraldine” about half way through the set and the song lit the club up.  The next song after the radio hit was maybe the band’s weakest song, so they let me down a bit.  Their drummer is also very awkward.  The guitar player and bassist however bring some energy.  They whirl around the stage banging and attacking their instruments or barking and howling their harmonies.

The lights added to their mystique.  They had bright yellow flood lights behind them that made the stage look like there were shadow puppets on stage performing.

The music sounded like a mix of 50’s pop songs and Interpol.  Unique and interesting.

***

Six or so hours after Matt and I got back from Richards, Madelyn and I were up and battling Vancouver traffic to the ferry.  By the end of the weekend, I was a veteran of ferry travel with Mads.  We worked it with the old ladies, played with the kids and devoured some ferry breakfast (mmm eggs scooped from a warm vat).

Day Six

Baby is still alive

Dad: 06
Davey Jone’s Locker: 00

***

I sat down with Tyson, Lewis and Dan this evening.  Their band, Acres of Lions, has a new record out in February.  They brought an advanced copy and we played three new songs on Capital Rock City.  Episode #40 will be posted tomorrow.

Go with yourself.