I have been working at the Zone the past few days on a new project called “Hockey! with Jeremy.” My challenge is to create a hockey feature to be broadcast on the radio during the intermission of Victoria Royal‘s hockey games. I have only made two so far (its a lot of work to produce spoken word radio… who knew?).
I have enjoyed the practice thus far… and look forward to trying to create compelling audio and improving my style as the season progresses. Have a listen to the first two segments.
“Practice” was fun because I got actually sit on the bench and yap with the boys during a rest in practice. Plus I had the chance to talk with Kevin Sundher and he is the Royal’s first line stud.
“Hockey Sense” I recorded this morning after practice and I had the chance to interview the boys (and a coach!) as they came off the ice. I of course caught up with homeboys Jesse Pauls and Brenden Persley again. But I missed my boy Timmy T who might be the most hilarious Royal I’ve talked with so far.
Tomorrow (Tuesday, November 8th), The Royals are at home against the Edmonton Oil Kings. The PR flaks from the Royals said I might get to sit in the suicide box at ice level and record the sounds of the game. Nice. Better bring my helmet. I might also interview some kids about hockey… so if you’re bringing your kid to the game and see me, say hi so I can put your midget you on the radio.
Its a bit of a retro hazy throwback style, but I dig Portland’s Blitzen Trapper.
I think it was either Cait Fraser or her old boyfriend that got me into the song “Furr.” Such a groovy song. I downloaded a couple other songs from the band. The other day SubPop sent their album to the Zone and it caught my eye so I punched it up.
Its a cool, cool record. If you enjoy the folky 70s summer-esque psychedelic rock & roll, you might like this record.
I have a few favourites and I’ll share a couple with you here.
This song has all sorts of imagery going on. I like to believe its a romantic ode to a “girl in a coat.” Singing about seasons and adventuring… its a pretty song indeed.
The other song I like talks about space! Maybe a great theme song for DW’s SpaceBook.
OK… so its not really about space… its about a girl, of course, like ALL songs. But like… I hope her brother’s don’t come after him! Nice. Spacesuits, grand “illusions,” then some good all southern style groove.
Righteous. I was third and inches from buying the vinyl on the weekend… found an ounce of discipline and kept from spending my meager pay-cheque on music for a change.
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It was my last wedding of the season yesterday under the tent at Sea Cider. I’ll have a handful of events till the end of the year, but most the hustle and bustle is winding down.
It was a very nice, contemporary wedding in a light rain. I think I like October weddings. Wait… I got married in October! (so did my folks). No wonder. Neat.
I had posted the other day about Wedding First Dance Songs. Coral and I got married in Vegas and had our reception at Dos Caminos… mighty TIME! But no dancing, no first dance… there were kinda some drunken speeches yelled over the din of the restaurant, but definitely not a traditional wedding style.
BUT what would Coral and I have chosen as a wedding song? Back when we planned such things, Coral saw on Ellen that she used this Joshua Radin song, “Today.” I imagine that in 2008/09 that was a very popular song to use for a first dance.
I would choose Grand Archives, “Swan Matches” or even The National’s “Slow Show.” I dunno if its like “romantic” in the traditional sense, but an important song to me personally.
Corjamorj texted me while I was at the wedding last night. I guess she read this blog or thought about it or whatever… but she would pick Ray LaMontagne’s “Shelter.”
Then talking with Sea Cider’s Alix… I went, “wait a minute, I have emails from all the brides and grooms and all the songs they chose as first dances… maybe I should make a playlist with the songs.”
Last night, after the wedding… I changed into my pajama pants and bro-shirt, got comfy on the couch and sifted through old emails to find all the first dance requests. Then made:
I had a great weekend with Mads. Saturday we all mostly did chores and cleaned our apartment. Then I took Maddy swimming which she loves. The public pool is just $6, which I think is good value for the amount of time it keeps us entertained and active. A movie date would cost many times that, be a strong pull towards junk food, be sedentary and keep her occupied for less time.
So I’m bullish on investing in public pools!
Sunday I woke up oddly early. I watched a movie then thought, I better use my day before I lounge it away… as I got ready to skip outta the house, Mads woke up too and asked if we could go downtown. Sure, so I got her ready (well Corj did her hair like always) and we went record shopping (where I did NOT buy Blitzen Trapper) then to Shine for breakfast. It was lined up down the block with a whose-who of hipsters, UVic kids and people-about-town. But I was on Island time so Mads and I used the 30-40 minutes to explore the city (she really like going “downtown”) and playing train.
Then crushed back the most mighty of omelets, toast, fruit and bacon! Being only 3-and-a-half.. Madelyn is a pretty cheap date as we share just one breakfast.
That’s all I got… I kinda want to go back to Las Vegas now after recalling our reception!
I interrupt not blogging for most of August to bring you this.
The Japandroids changed my life for the better Sunday night at Lucky Bar in Victoria.
Japandroids are one of my favourite bands and I have never had the chance to see them live. Always, always… I was either working, found out about show after it was sold out or they cancelled. I was so excited to see that the one little whole I had in my schedule this summer was on the exact day the Japandroids would roll into Victoria.
I met up with Michelle and Lucas Kitchen just in time to see the supporting band, Mississippi’s Bass Drum of Death.
Wow. What a savage fuzzed out rock & roll sound to get amped on the Japandroids too.
I knew was going to get into it when second song in… the Droids drop my favourite song, “Younger Us.”
There is nothing like going to a show to see a band you truly love. I knew the words to almost every song they played… and yeah, they played “Younger Us.” I am a happy cat today. I wore a Japandroids shirt to work.
But here is what’s up… I went for a CRAZY bike ride yesterday. And I woke up today at 11AM. I haven’t slept in till 11AM since… 2007? Maybe when I was sick a couple months ago I slept that much.
Its been Daddy (and Nana) Daycare for the better part of a week while Coral is off enjoying rock and roll and freedom in South-Central Washington State. Nana brought Mads home yesterday morning and I asked her what she wanted to do. It being sunny, BEACH PICNIC she screamed.
And yesterday was such a glorious day in Victoria, I thought, we better bike there. I texted Dave Sawchuk to join us, hitched the trailer, filled my cooler full of beer and off we peddled.
Downtown was a bit of a gonger for the Bike Festival. Funny, the bike festival put a crimp into my bike riding? Weird.
I have never rode my bike along Douglas out to Dallas Road before and then along the ocean. Silly. What a most excellent route. So many bikes (and motorcycles) out now that the weather has finally turned.
I met Dave at the beach and Madelyn transformed into beach baby and made for the splashes. Gonzales Beach was ripping with families, skim boarders, sun bathers. Great afternoon. Then back on the bike and across Oak Bay along Foul Bay Road to my brother’s place. Auntie Caitlin and Uncle “JJ” made burgers. Then the LONG uphill up Oak Bay Avenue… down Pandora and back along the Gorge waterway home.
Wow, that second leg KILLED me. Madelyn slept the whole time. Lucky girl.
We both got home after all the sun and peddling and crashed.
Today I woke up late and sore and thought, yeesh, no bike ride to work. Sorry Bike to Work week, maybe tomorrow?
Finished my first little hike with Madelyn today. It went pretty good, considering she is three-years-old and at no time during the journey was there a Treehouse break.
Basically a hike can be summed up as thus:
First 1/4 of the hike, “slow down.”
Last 3/4 of the hike, “hurry the FUCK up.”
We made out way to Mount Douglas Park, but instead of going up the hill, we walked down to the ocean. I dunno what it is with people, but the ocean… rocks… people need to throw them.
Madelyn bee-lines straight for the shoreline and gets hucking. Water spilling over her gumboots, everything soaking wet. I have fantasies of me going all Hasselhoff and Baywatching it into the sea to drag her out. She is a rock throwing machine. When I finally used our picnic food to drag her away some UVic kids wandered down. And they too made a straight line to the shore and started hucking rocks. Funny how that is.
If there is any advice I can bestow after just one little hike it is this; bring snacks. I am pretty sure another Mom told me that, but it works. In my little half sack I packed the trail-mix with the smarties, pepperoni, apple and water. Mads loved the rustic snacking on the shoreline, sitting on a piece of driftwood.
Our day ended with a trip downtown. I have had a mad lust for the Smashing Pumpkins‘ Siamese Dream album. Coral is at the Sasquatch Festival and Madelyn is doing back-to-back sleepovers and during my down time, I actually get to put on a record and just sit for a moment. I had a lot of stress balled up over the past little while, but today during my hike and just now before blogging it evaporated. I could actually feel it unwinding during a few stretches of hide-and-seek in the forest. It was kinda scary actually. Like a reverse panic attack? odd… but ultimately a good feeling.
I can’t wait to free up my Saturday nights (its in the plans for after wedding season) and actually take more than an afternoon to hike and sit.
Walking to the Zone today (sometimes I walk and not bike so I can listen to music… Jimmy Eat World right now, fairly fiercely)… right, walking to the Zone today down Gorge Road I spotted and amazing old car with a decal for Victoria on it. Nice.
It was an old classic Ford called a Fairlane Victoria. I’ll have to check my lotto 649 today… but I’ll but that beauty of a car on my list of old cars to be driving.
Dave, Christi and Me somewhere in Nevada. photo: chrstwzrd
While driving around the deserts of Nevada, the HIGH desert, where it is fucking cold as fuck. Fuck. We saw lots of a gas stations that we fondly called Dinosaur Gas. We started looking for them and only filling up there. When we’d roll through some town that had a population far lower than its elevation, Christi Wizard would point and shout, “Dinosaur Gas!” And we’d look at the gas gage of the Chevy Cruze and stop or not. Sometimes we would just stop and take a picture!
Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or lack of food… or both, but we came up with a pretty hilarious cartoon for Dinosaur Gas (narrated by actor Paul Walker). I think the Wizard has it on her “to do list.”
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Ian White is rumoured to be heading to Vancity to become a Canuck? hmmm.
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In other news…
I got a great message the other night from Dustin McLean. This Victoria artist is in the band The Wicks.
Their song “Geese” has a superbly pleasant alt-country vibe going on. I almost think about Leeroy Stagger a bit when I hear it… and then wonder, Leeroy was a bit ahead of the curve with his brand of music. Its so hot right now and I remember seeing Leeroy Stagger at Steamers in like 2003?
I think The Wicks will be your new favourite band if you like a serving of fibre with your rock & roll.
I have only met Katie Schaan one time. I was walking down Johnson Street and I bumped into Steph MacPherson.
Steph doesn’t even remember this day… so it wasn’t that much of a meeting. Steph had a young lovely walking with her and it turned out to be Katie Schaan!
I said, “Holy fuck! Katie Schaan… you’re famous on the internet.”
And so it is… Katie Schaan is famous on the internet.
Katie’s MySpace page says that her music is like reading her journal entries. Sure.
“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!
Such a perfect day in Victoria. With this heat and blue skies it feels like holidays in foreign lands but the cost is so much better.
Victoria almost feels like the interior with this heat the wraps around you the second you step outside.
I walked to the radio station today. Through a park, on a trail along the Gorge, across the trestle bridge and along the Selkirk Waterway before finally having to cut inland and onward to the Quadra Village.
With the water and the boats and parks I could be forgiven to think that I was not on my commute to work, but rather a trek on an expensive vacation.
Oddly, one of the smells on my trip that launched my memories reeling to holidays past was the smell of engine exhaust. For me, some of my great times were had at Christina Lake at my friend Bob’s cabin. A cabin that you could only get to by boat and where each day on the water had temperatures that screamed up to the 30s. With so many boats around, the smell of engines hung in the air. And though engine fumes and filth is not a pretty thing, that smell does trigger in my mind the feelings of vacation.
I’ll take it.
two more weeks till Coral, Maddy Oh Yeah and I head off on our summer adventures.
