Friday, September 19, 2008

Jumping on the Obama bandwagon

In case you live under a rock and haven't heard, the U.S. economy is going down the shit drain.

Let's state the obvious:

*The Neo-Conservatives AKA Wolfowitz, Cheney, and the rest of the Bush camp knew all along yet decided to tell the rest of the world right as George W.'s term is ending (sneaky sneaky!)
*If Obama becomes the first black President he's going to spend his entire term cleaning up this Neo-Conservative mess

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Interview with Chris Adeney of Wax Mannequin

*You’ve been quite busy this tour, are your creative juices still flowing? 
I’m usually ready to burst with juice. I actually just got a new guitar. I’ve been having fun with that… It’s hard for me to finish songs while on tour, but I get lots of ideas that I record into a little device. Then I finish things when I get home. 

*What has been your favourite city and/or concert so far? 
I just played a neat little gig in Ymir. We performed in an weird old school house. It was a pretty spooky building and half of the town came to the show. People got drunk and screamy by the end. 

*Have you played in Edmonton before? If so, what was it like? 
I play in Edmonton a few times each year. It’s usually pretty fun. I like smaller venues, but I’ve been playing at the New City lately. They’re really nice to me and the decor in there is fuckin crazy. I’ve heard good stuff about the Haven. It seems like the right size of room, and they treat people fairly there. I played at the Haven before it was the Haven—the Black Spot. That was a deluxe little activist commie place. It had the right kind of thing going on there. Hopefully the Haven has tapped into some of that craziness. 

*You mentioned you were touring with a lot of people on your website, how 
has this experience been so far in comparison to your other tours? 
Yea. I traveled east with Rich Laviolette and the Burning Hell. Two really deluxe acts. I really like the camaraderie that goes along with that sort of travel, but there are logistical issues with getting from place to place, sleeping, eating and whatnot. I like the fact that we all suffer together. Solo is more painful, but I make more money. I prefer the poor, rambling caravan tours that I’ve been doing lately. 

*Do you prefer a band backing you over performing solo? 
I used to like playing solo better, but now I like them both in completely different ways. My band is fucking incredible. Aidan and Mark are supremely talented fellows. 
When I play solo, I get intimate with my machines. That’s nice too. 

*Carl Wilson of the Globe and Mail called your performance “Un-Canadian,” 
what are your thoughts on this statement? Have you changed your performance style since then? 
I don’t know. I think that what I do is very Canadian. I’m not quite sure what Carl meant by that, but he’s a nice guy none the less. I think that I represent all of the things that this Country is afraid to admit about itself. They’re not bad things at all… just scary things. 

*How would YOU describe your performance style? 
Scary and funny. Dancy and sombre. 

*What was your goal after the success of your third album The Price? Have 
you succeeded at accomplishing this goal? 
I just keep making stuff. I really enjoy the things that I do. I think it’s more about the road than the destination. 

*What is the music scene like in Hamilton and/or Ontario in comparison to 
Edmonton and/or Alberta? British Columbia and/or Vancouver? 

Hamilton is gritty and explosive. Edmonton is attentive, drunk and dancy, Vancouver is awesome fights on the inside until you can’t afford the rent and you move someplace cheaper. 

*What is your connection to animals in relation to your music, song titles 
and lyrics? 
I wrote a few songs about the animals. I seem to have moved on from it, but it felt really right at the time. It turns out a lot of people are writing songs about the animals. I just try to do things that feel right. I like that animals are funny and scary at the same time. Right now I’m watching a cat scouring a kitchen counter for old bits of tuna. It’s cute and fairly gross. 

*Do you miss the days when it was just you and a computer recording your 
music? Or have you embraced the studio recording process? 
No. I used to record with a four track device. I did miss playing my classical guitar. An ex-girlfriend of mine smashed my last classical guitar when we broke up. I finally bought a new one on this tour. It’s bringing back all kinds of old juice. 

*Are you watching the Olympics? 
No, but I’m listening to people arguing about the Olympics on the radio. I think that the Olympics in themselves are fairly stupid, but I’m fascinated by all of the politics that surround them. 

*What’s YOUR favourite song on the radio right now?  
I hate the radio. I have satellite radio now and mostly listen to the news. Sometimes I listen to music stations. I heard the new Spiral Beach on there the other day. That was fun. 

*Any thoughts on the upcoming show at the Haven Social Club? 

It’s going to be nice. There are a lot of people in Edmonton that I’d like to re-connect with.

*****August 15th, 2008

Note: I haven't been posting a lot because I have two jobs and it's kicking my ass. I thought I would include something I'm working on right now for the Haven Social Club. It's a brand new live music venue in Edmonton, Alberta and I'm in charge of promotions and all that jazz. For more information go to www.thehavensocialclub.com or check us out on Myspace and Facebook! I am done my advertising for now, more posts to come when my ass is not getting kicked.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Day One of the musical orgasm


It was like a Jewish concentration camp...in reverse.
I entered the grounds of the Pemberton Festival via a bus, after a long drive from Edmonton to Pemberton through the Lillooet road. We had camped overnight in a parking lot near the entrance, and the next day after the tickets were dealt with, we were waiting for a shuttle bus to pick us up.
Three buses came fairly quickly within half an hour, but apparently the day before some people were waiting for over 8 hours for a bus and some gave up and started marching to the entrance in the dark.

After packing in our bags and packing into the stuffed bus, we all started cheering and singing "This is the song that doesn't end" for one round only. People were running along the road beside the bus frantically trying to throw their packs in. We were happier than pigs in shit: all we had left to do was set up our camp, which was a lot more difficult than it sounds.



We were dropped off at the entrance of the gate, but our campsite was a 10-minute walk away because all the closer campsites were already taken by people who arrived the day before. It was hell dragging all our crap to the site, some people simply wrapped up everything they had in a tarp and dragged it along the road.


Within minutes I knew that we had a serious case MERRITT MOUNTAIN FEST LEFTOVERS.

















After we set up our camp I headed straight to the main stage because mother fuckin' Metric was opening!!!!!! I was there two hours early, and one hour before the Festival was to officially start the guards opened up the gates and all die-hard Metric fans rushed to the stage hoping to get a front row spot.

And I did!!!! I nearly soiled myself, I wasn't expecting it to be sooo easy to get to the front row.
Waiting for the set to start it was obvious some in the crowd were already wasted. We started singing the national anthem and chanting "Metric" until some drunk-o yelled "FUCK CANADA" and each head turned in his direction.




Metric's set was more than amazing, and I was inches away from Emily Haines. She looked a lot different than I expected her to look, and was probably pushing 40, along with the other band members. For the last song Haines stated how much she enjoyed us singing the National Anthem, and then asked us to sing along to "Metric's national anthem" ("Live it Out"). They played an awesome slower version and I proudly belted out each word of the song. Emily then left the stage as the rest of the members sang the outro, and then surprised everyone in the front row by running along the front of the stage.








Although Metric's crowd was pretty big, Wolfmother drew most of the drunk hicks to the stage. I stuck in there in the front row and was completely blown away. Lead singer Andrew Stockdale was nothing what I thought he would look like, and I couldn't believe that amazing voice came out of such a tiny guy. I was told beforehand that Stockdale was an asshole who was known for throwing temper tantrums during concerts, but he seemed like a humble guy who was enjoying himself as much as we were. He was constantly looking over the sea of faces in the crowd and made eye contact with us several times. (yay!)



But the bassist was superbly lame and thought tilting the keyboard over while he played it was "cool."





Next was Serj Tankian, I'm not a huge fan but I was excited to see the lead singer of System of a Down so close in the flesh, so I decided to stick around in the front row. I was disappointed to say the least. Serj is creepy, not freaky like in his SOAD days. He chose possibly the worst song to open up with and merely moved his arms around and smiled this creepy smile. All his band mates were wearing black top hats, but not Serj of course, he was wearing white (how original). Honestly, I left after the first song, and was walking away while he started singing "Empty Walls" but I don't regret it.

















I took a break from getting squished in the mosh pit and came back to watch half of Interpol's set. and this I regret. The energy was amazing and the crowd was started to grow past the main stage area and back near the concession stands. People were dancing and sitting far back from the stage and watching the big screen, and I had no choice but to stand amongst them because I couldn't push my way closer to the stage. I was truly blown away even though I have been told many times how awesome Interpol is. The lead singer would constantly look at the scenery of the mountains behind the crowd and you could tell he was impressed.














And then...Nine Inch Nails took the stage. It was FUCKING CRAZY. I tried to get up close, but I almost broke my wrist. I barely even remember those minutes of standing near the stage because it was such a blur, I was concentrating hard on trying to see Trent Reznor while getting shoved around like a rag doll. The lights and the sound were more than impressive, since they were the headlining act for Friday. Although it was a great show I was disappointed at how fat and sober Trent Reznor looked, and that he didn't play "Heresy." Shame on you, Reznor.



Coming soon...Day two of the musical orgasm

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

There's still love at the end of the world~





Here are a few pics for your enjoyment, more to come after I get back from Pemberton (with review and pics)

Just to let you know, Sam Roberts has decided to take our relationship to a new level. Tonight I saw him at Edmonton's Capital Ex, (even though I'm going to see him in two days at the Pemberton Music Festival - yes, I'm obsessed).

I brought along a homemade sign with "Taj Mahal" written in big, bold letters. I had been planning this for months, if not years, hoping he would remember me. (See post below)

And it worked! Which isn't too surprising, because throughout the whole concert I was waving it around like a maniac. At one point I was on the billboard so I knew Sammy must have gotten my hint by that point...

I knew it would be after encore, just as the band waits for the crowd to get riled up so they can discuss the closing mini-set. As soon as I made eye contact with the Egyptian pianist once they returned to the stage I knew my moment had come. (Later on a girl told me how the set list had "Oh Maria" instead of "Taj Mahal"). He pointed at me and my sign and nodded, and I got my camera ready. As soon as I heard the Egyptian pounding down on the keyboard, I jumped up onto a strong set of shoulders and waved my sign around like a maniac. The camera caught me screaming "I FUCKING LOVE YOU" and everyone around was looking at me...but I wasn't embarrased. Me and Sammy were having one-on-one action. He looked at me as he sang and I was singing the lyrics right back at him trying not to tear up. I managed to shove my camera into the hands of someone in front of me, so luckily I had the whole song taped, even at the end when Sammy blew a kiss. (Our first one!!) And I returned the love.

Afterwards I sneaked backstage and managed to talk to the Egyptian (Eric Fares) I gave him a huge hug and he asked me my name, and I told him how I was going to be at Pemberton and how much I liked "Detroit '67." The drummer walked up to us and I didn't recognize him at first because I was looking around for Sammy, and he just stared at us, wasted out of his mind. Eric promised he'd bring my beloved Sammy to me for a picture, but some Nazi whore told me to leave because I didn't have a pass. (She didn't even let me get halfway through my improv speech about how I have a media pass but I left it at home...damn the [wo]man) 

Yeah so Sam and I are pretty much boyfriend, girlfriend now, even though we didn't get any real alone time. But onto the concert...

All of the songs were a lot slower, probably thanks to the intoxicated drummer. Sammy started off with "Love at the End of the World" (good choice, Sam!) and then went into "No Sleep," "With a Bullet" (yay!), and "Bridge to Nowhere."For some reason "Higher Learning" was one of my favs of the night even though it has never been one of my favourite Sammy songs, but "Brother Down" was magical, as always, and Sammy and lead guitarist Dave Nugent play a wicked "Mind Flood." It was awesome to hear some of Sammy's new tracks as well, like "Fixed to Ruin" and "Detroit '67." I was pretty shocked he didn't play "Rarefied" because that was always a crowd favourite, or "Don't Walk Away Eileen," (another good choice, Sam).

Jesse F. Keeler - a Pemberton Preview Profile

I am a day away from the Pemberton Music Festival and shaking with excitement. Just a few days ago the line-up schedule was posted, and I was disappointed that there will be a few sacrifices I will be forced to make: I will be missing Death Cab for Cutie for Wintersleep, and half of Tom Petty's act to see MSTRKRFT. Don't get me wrong, I love Petty and "You Don't Know How it Feels," but you know and I know that Petty is a dinosaur now, and I'm not expecting to be totally blown away by his set. I am willing to miss out on hearing "Last Dance with Mary Jane" live for the first time, because I have heard it 987 times.
Now before you die-hard Petty fans fall off your seat please understand my situation in 3 words: DEATH FROM ABOVE.
After the death of Death From Above 1979 Jesse F. Keeler, the band's bassist and mastermind, went off to form an electronica project. I am not a huge fan of MSTRKRFT, but I hold DFA 1979 close to my heart. PLUS he has performed and recorded with my rock hero Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. I MUST see Jesse F. Keeler in the flesh, because he is a genius. This is his story:

GENRE: Heavy alternative - DFA 1979 and electronica - MSTRKRFT (pronounced 'Master Craft')
FROM: Toronto, Canada
STATUS: Genius
BEST KNOWN HIT: "Little Girl" (DFA 1979) or the Justice remix "D.A.N.C.E." AKA "1-2-3-4-Fight" (MSTRKRFT)


  • Keeler met his future DFA 1979 band mate Sebastien Granger when they were in prison and used to live in a funeral parlour together
  • The front cover of DFA 1979's only album You're a Woman I'm a Machine symbolizes how Keeler wanted their sound to be "like an elephant in your living room"
  • DFA's break-up was bitter, and the two still refuse to speak to each other
  • In MSTRKRFT Keeler has remixed songs by Pemberton artist Metric ("Monster Hospital"), Bloc Party ("Luno," "Two More Years," and "Flux"), Justice ("D.A.N.C.E."), Pemberton artist Wolfmother ("Woman"), actress Juliette Lewis' band Juliette and the Licks ("Got Love to Kill"), Pemberton artist Buck 65 ("Kennedy Killed the Hat"), Usher ("Love in this Club"), Jesse McCartney ("Leavin"), Kylie Minogue ("Wow"), Pemberton artist The Crystal Method "Keep Hope Alive"), Pemberton artist Chromeo ("Tenderoni"), All Saints ("Rock Steady"), Pemberton artist Brazilian Girls ("Jique"), Gossip ("Listen Up!"), the Polysics ("Ceolakanth Is Android"), The Kills ("No Wow"), and various DFA tracks


Stay tuned for my Pemberton Festival review AND pictures!!!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Sam Roberts - Pemberton Preview Profile and CD review

(yes these are my own pictures...screw you copyright laws!)

The horny Canadian girl in me cannot help but love Sam Roberts. I am more of a fan of his live shows than his CDs, and his latest album Love At the End of the World is no different. It seems that fame has certainly taken a toll on poor Sammy. His lyrics reflect a darker, aging, bitter Sam lamenting about life's hardships with a slightly harsher tone than heard on his previous albums. (Sounds like Sam needs a little Lex lovin').
Most surprisingly to me besides the change in his lyrics, is the transformation in his songwriting, which has become more mellow and bland. His first two CDs We Were Born in a Flame (2003), and Chemical City (2006), are very similar, except that the latter had a more psychedelic feel to it. But on Love at the End of the World, Sam uses blues chords and riffs in many of his songs, which I wasn't prepared for.



But before I stamp Sam down, like always, there are a few tracks that certainly prove Sammy is a credited songwriter as much as he is a performer. "End of the Empire," "Fixed to Ruin," and most of all "Detroit '67" are phenomenal and addictive tracks. "Them Kids" has also been a popular hit on mainstream radio this summer, and was remixed by his friend Canadian hippity-hopper K-OS.
Overall I recommend this album to anyone who likes Sam Roberts, but if you're not a fan don't bother listening to "Lions of Kalahari" because it's just as bad as "Bridge to Nowhere." I suggest seeing him live instead, like at the Pemberton Music Festival! He plays on Saturday, July 26th. This is his story:

GENRE: Poppy rock
FROM: Point Claire, Quebec
BEST KNOWN HIT: "Don't Walk Away Eileen"
STATUS: My lover

  • Sammy's parents are South African
  • He started his musical career with a violin and took lessons for 16 years
  • Sammy has been rightfully compared to Bruce Springsteen and Beck
  • His first band Northstar received airplay on college radio stations as well as a feature on MuchMusic
  • On the original recording of "Brother Down" as heard on the Inhuman Condition (2002), Sammy plays every instrument except the drums
  • He married his high school sweetheart and they had a daughter in January 2007
  • He can fluently speak English, French and Spanish
  • His favourite sport is hockey and the first song he ever wrote was titled "Keep Your Stick on the Ice"
  • He won three Juno Awards (Album of the Year, Rock album of the Year, and Artist of the Year) in 2003 for We Were Born in a Flame
  • His hits "Brother Down," "Them Kids," and "The Gate" won video awards on Much Music, as well as several nominations for a variety of different awards

Quote:

"I love touring. It's not just the playing, it is the whole mindset you get in when you are on tour. Having to get up for a show every single night of the week, reinventing yourself every day." - Sammy




Here is a copy of my column I once wrote about Sam Roberts for our Valentine issue:

I have a lover. He’s sexy and a true sweetheart, the kind of man you wrap up and bring home to meet your mama. His name is Sam Roberts.
Don’t laugh. Sammy and I have had quite the serious relationship for the past two years.
I remember the night we met like it was yesterday. It was May 2006 when I saw him live for the second time in Kamloops. Before the concert started, my friend and I squirmed our way into the front row.
It was a dream come true. I stood there looking up at Sam singing above me with tears streaming down my face. The first time I saw him live I lost my glasses and couldn’t make out his face (just his cute little bum). This time, I could see his angelic features perfectly. His soft brown hair danced around his scruffy face as he sang. Sweat poured off his square jaw-line and slowly dripped down his broad, veiny neck. When he rocked out to his music his sweat would shake off him, showering me.
At one point he looked right at me and winked. I almost fainted. It was love at first sight.
I read his eyes. They screamed, “I will divorce my wife. I want you to be my lover.”
Then he began throwing guitar picks to audience members on the other side of the stage. I lost my mind. I started jumping up and down screaming his name. Did his wink mean nothing? Didn’t I deserve a token of our love? I suppose my ape noises and erratic body movements caught his attention. He coyly smiled at me as he walked across the stage and handed me a guitar pick. I brushed my hand with his and stared up into his crystal blue eyes, my eyes saying, “I’ll see you after the show, lover.”
As we exited the venue I searched for him in the dark while digging through my purse for some much needed nicotine. All of a sudden there was a quick, blue flash. It was Sam!
I ran after him waving a pen and a paper and asked him for his autograph.
“Great show, Sam!” I screamed in excitement.
“Next time you come to town play “Taj Mahal”, I’ll be there!” He smiled and then pulled me into his muscular arms, embraced me with a passionate kiss and made hot sweaty love to me on his tour bus.
OK, so that last part isn’t true.
But if you’ll excuse me, I need a private moment with my beloved Sammy.
Dear Sam, will you be mine, Valentine?

(below: the hand that Sam Roberts touched)