Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘desert’

Long Drives Through the Wilderness

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , on July 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Band of Horses latest record Infinite Arms didn’t get stellar reviews… but personally I really enjoy the record.

Pitchfork was saying it is ideal for long drives through the wilderness and I can attest to that (if you consider parts of Southern Vancouver Island wilderness) as I rocked a BOH album in the earliest hours of the morning after a wedding in Shawnigan Lake.

The NEW BAND OF HORSES VIDEO features lots of two of my favourite things… driving and the desert!  its like a match made in heaven as my future will one day call for living in a dusty desert village.

I would imagine that the “Laredo” in the song is a reference to the Texas border city but there are little Laredos all over the US, Mexico and the original village by that name is in Spain.

There are even some Laredo place names in BC. There is a Laredo Inlet, Channel and Sound. Neat.

When I go there one day, I’ll rock “Laredo” by Band of Horses and think about an aquatic desert and what a mind fuck that would be.

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

Into the Flood

Posted in Dave Babych, music, tagged , , , , , , on May 12, 2010| 7 Comments »

Phoenix from a speeding motorhome SWAGed from my Mom's Facebook.

Coral and I sometimes harbour fantasies of picking up and moving away to live somewhere different.

Its no secret that I want to move to the desert.  But lately I’ve been reading so much negative stuff about Arizona and their general distrust of immigrants… that well, doesn’t make me want to be an immigrant there.  That leaves Nevada or maybe even New Mexico.

Coral is less enthused about the US in general… maybe I could talk her into Nashville?  Music City USA, that has a nice ring.  Or maybe Texas!  If we moved to Nashville I’d make records and if we moved to Texas I’d obviously take the Panthers to State.

Jeff Gentner/Getty Images

I read that Nashville recently flooded.  Nashville, being a center for music in the US had a lot of damage to the things that make music industry spin round.  Guitars, piano’s, musical venues and touring equipment.

NPR: Flood Wreck Havoc on Music Scene

I wonder if this will effect us here on our imported rock & roll the same way it effects the price of oranges when there is a frost in Florida?  Jack White records will cost double per pound?

ahhh, maybe we’ll stick to Canada.  The Canucks let me down, but they got further in the playoffs than the Coyotes of Predators.  Could you picture me wearing a Predators sweater?  not so much.

Ugh, but that Canucks game last night?  I get that the Canucks are going to lose some hockey games.  The Blackhawks are a great hockey team and favoured to win.  But the way they lost… it is all just so… typical.

The Canucks are NEVER the team that exceeds expectation, and I think that is the worst part of being a Canucks fan.

Every year for the past lot of years, the Canucks generally ice a competitive hockey club only to then fall to pieces in the playoffs.  The villains change, but the Canucks lack of progress doesn’t.  600 divisional titles but zero Stanley Cups… its just not right.  I only derive so much joy from the yearly spanking of the Leafs and the bouncing of the Oil and Flames from playoff contention (But OIL, they surprise you some years and charge to the Cup… and all the history, and the future prospects in their system!!).

Oh well, next year right?

***

Trying to squeeze a couple bucks out of our little budget to buy bike for Coral and a trailer to pull Madelyn.  Then we can go for bike rides with long suffering Oil fan Dave.

Something that felt really good last night.  Coral and I went on our online banking account payee list and deleted two.  One credit card and one monthly bill that we payed up and eliminated.  That oddly had a level of satisfaction I wasn’t expecting.  Best use of the delete button for sure.

That’s all I got.  Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

The Blinding Force

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , on May 11, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I biked downtown today to pick up a copy of The National’s High Violet on vinyl.  It is a very pretty record.  When I got to Ditch at noon, they had already sold out of their first box and I was a sad panda till Longshanks said, “wait, it might be in this parcel that arrived today.”  Sure enough, it was.

Fingers crossed, my record player acts like a well adjusted machine and spins the platter all proper like and I’ll get the chance to dive into all four sides of deep brooding guitar driven indie-awesome.

I was staring at the record package before a meeting today at The Canoe Club.  My waitress had never heard of the National, so I did my boy-scout deed of the day and gave her the MP3 download card that comes with better LP purchases.

The cover art of High Violet is a sculpture by an artist named Mark Fox.  The sculpture is called The Blinding Force.  It was neat to see the original on the web, but I picture of a sculpture doesn’t seem to do it justice.  I’d have to see it in a gallery I think, to fully appreciate.

The sculpture has a bunch of hand written words blasting out of that wood base.  On the record cover it is hard to make the them all out and I don’t really understand their meaning or theme right now.  I think that is why I’d need to see it in person, to make out more of the words… maybe drink a box of wine with the artist and listen to his ideas.

And then, why did The National chose this piece of art over all the others pieces they could or would have seen in New York City?

I am now pretty sad I’m not going to Sasquatch to see The National in May.  I just got my email approving my media pass.  c’est dommage.

They play in Vancouver in September ( a day I likely won’t be able to swing) and then in Redmond, Washington the next night (an easier date for me).

***

Coral bought me a present yesterday… new Jamie Oliver cookbook.  Does it have a chapter of food inspired by the desert of Arizona?  Why yes it does, thank you for asking.

***

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

MIX: two types

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 28, 2010| 4 Comments »

As I’ve blogged about before I have had a minor obsession with the desert of the American southwest, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, and what it might have been like growing up in a suburb of Phoenix. Here is the soundtrack to those thoughts swirling around the grey matter of my brain.

My song selection feels on-point for the mood and story I want to tell save for the Ennio cut off the top which my be a challenge for some listeners, and breaks my golden rule of not staring off with a punch or a song more representative of the set. No worries… I needed this song to get me fired up on the mix.

The mix between Caribou and FM Belfast is rather tragic.  Sorry for that.  I have grappled with this list for a couple weeks and have scrapped a few attempts… I had to settle for allowing some mistakes or I’d never get it done.

The FM Belfast song is quirky… but I like it because it is all about the suburbs and being a teenager, which flows into College’s song so nicely.

“its so sexy… to be… living in America… baby, we’re living in America.”  Well done DOM.

The Crystal Castles song I added just this week after hearing it. I just like it, but it doesn’t really conjure any of the emotions or thoughts listed above. Just thought the sound fitted in.

Listen to: MIX two types

***

DJ Notes

Clint Eastwood :: Two Types Of People In This World 1 Ennio Morricone – Il Triello 2 John Talabot – Sunshine (Delorean Remix) 3 Delorean – Infinite Desert 4 Caribou – Sun 5 Fm Belfast – Underwear 6 College – Teenage Color 7 Dom – Living In America 8 Crystal Castles – Celestica 9 Health – Usa Boys. 10 Phoenix – Love Like A Sunset (Part 1) 11

***
Did you know it snows in the desert sometimes?  weird.

Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »

Bobby first of all is an actor, Clint first of all is a star. Bobby suffers, Clint yawns.

Posted in history 101, neat-O gang, playlist, tagged , on April 20, 2010| 3 Comments »

If you look at the top of my wordpress blog, you’ll see on the header a picture of Clint Eastwood from the movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

The movie is considered a (the best) spaghetti western (of all time).   A spaghetti western is a weird hic-up in history where during the 1960s, Italian and Spanish producers would make low budget movies based on themes that revolved around the American frontier west and Mexico

As of late I have been enjoying a fascination with all things desert, and this film played right into my obsession.  The last few nights, after DJing at the club or lounge, I’d come home at some weird hour and punch up The Good for a bit before falling asleep on the couch. (thank you Randy!)

A couple nights ago I finished my visual adventure and I was a little sad it was over.  I haven’t smoked pot in a few years now, but man, these past few nights had me hankering for a joint while I watched this crazy adventure for stolen Confederate gold.  The vistas and geography had me lusting for an adventure to New Mexico territory (but then I read the film was shot in Spain, so maybe I really want to go to Spain?).

The movie is amazing, if you have the chance to see it or download it or something, I say do it!  then we’ll get some horses and ride south and find a grave to dig up for gold.  Oh the times we’ll share!

The scene from the picture above happens at about 4:25 of the clip.  It is the final “Mexican standoff” in the film so yeah… SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t seen the film.

***

I remember I made a desert playlist way back in 2008 for Vancityrockgirl’s wedding that I brought on my iPod.  I am going to post this best of… for now, but I am so going to update tonight when I get home now that I found it (there are some better songs and some that i would cut given my 20/20 hindsight)!

somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert

01) QOTSA – “Better Living Through Chemistry”
02) QOTSA – “First It Giveth”
03) Constantines – “Trans Canada”
04) Fu Manchu – “Thinking Out Loud”
05) The Killers – “Sam’s Town”
06) The Hold Steady – “Chips Ahoy!”
07) Alkaline Trio – “Help Me”
08) Hermano – “My Boy”
09) Spoon – “Rhythm and Soul”
10) Teenage Head w/ Marky Ramone – “Let’s Shake”
11) Mondo Generator – “So High, So Low”
12) Corrosion of Conformity – “Redemption City”
13) Solace – “King Alcohol”
14) Eagles of Death Metal – “Miss Alissa”
15) Desert Sessions 9&10 – “I Wanna Make It Wit Chu”
16) Kyuss – “Thong Song”
17) The Sword – “Barael’s Sword”
18) Why? – “The Hollows”
19) Rehab – “Sitting at the Bar”
20) Hot Water Music – “Remedy”
21) QOTSA – “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret”
22) The Section Quartet – “Such Great Heights”

That’s all I got for right now.  Go with yourself.

Read Full Post »