so here is my little wrap up of the top sets of 2009. i guess i should say shows, but due to the fact that i went to tons of shows, and that i went to lots of festivals and such i think i'll just put down the top sets of the year. i would just like to point out that i was very fortunate to travel around a bit, and hit up alot of amazing shows out of town, i guess i could make a top ten of sets from out of town and top ten in edmonton, we'll see how it goes.
1. bon iver- sasquatch
2. explosions in the sky- sasquatch
3. the get up kids- neumos
4. isis- neumos
5. rural alberta advantage- brixx
6. sunny day real estate- commodore
7. peace- wyrd fest
8. ra ra riot- sasquatch
9. gobble gobble- wyrd fest
10. treelight room- hydeaway
11. library voices- hydeaway
12. baroness- club vegas
13. therefore i am- warped
14. weakerthans- winspear
15. torngat- hydeaway
16. monotonix- sasquatch
17. joan baez- winspear
18. famines- hydeaway
19. the mae shi- pawn shop
20. lovely feathers- hydeaway
there's probably even more that i should be putting on there. i'm really bad tho at keeping track of everyone i have seen, and people like laura barrett and sun kil moon should def be on there. maybe i'll put some more thought into it and revise, but for now i think that's pretty solid. now i just have to make it out to vancouver to see Phoenix and next year will be off to a great start.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Top Twenty for 09
So I put together my list for my Top Twenty of the year. As always my discretion is that these are all albums that I absolutely adore, for many reasons. For the songwriting, harmonies, instruments, and whatever else. It's usually pretty varied and this list covers my most loved albums of the year, and the ones that I feel are the best all around, of everything that I have listened to. Which is generally alot. I'll do a write up after the school year is done and make it a bit more in depth, but here they are.
1]Phoenix- wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2]Rural Alberta Advantage- hometowns
3]Baroness- blue album
4]GOBBLE GOBBLE- neon graveyards
5]Treelight Room- the children win
6]ISIS- wavering radiant
7]Green Go- borders
8]The Low Anthem- oh my god, Charlie Darwin
9]Grizzly Bear- Vecatimest
10]Headaches- Dirty Hairy
11]Mamiffer- Hirror Enniffer
12]Yeah Yeah Yeahs- It's Blitz
13]Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca
14]Kisses of Fire- Only Mountains
15]Dan Mangan- Nice, Nice, Very Nice
16]Converge- Axe to Fall
17]Bike Month- s/t
18]Yacht- See Mystery Lights
19]Black Diamond Bay- s/t
20]Wavves- Wavvves
1]Phoenix- wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2]Rural Alberta Advantage- hometowns
3]Baroness- blue album
4]GOBBLE GOBBLE- neon graveyards
5]Treelight Room- the children win
6]ISIS- wavering radiant
7]Green Go- borders
8]The Low Anthem- oh my god, Charlie Darwin
9]Grizzly Bear- Vecatimest
10]Headaches- Dirty Hairy
11]Mamiffer- Hirror Enniffer
12]Yeah Yeah Yeahs- It's Blitz
13]Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca
14]Kisses of Fire- Only Mountains
15]Dan Mangan- Nice, Nice, Very Nice
16]Converge- Axe to Fall
17]Bike Month- s/t
18]Yacht- See Mystery Lights
19]Black Diamond Bay- s/t
20]Wavves- Wavvves
Monday, November 16, 2009
WYRD Fest: a view from the side of the stage
This past Saturday I had the opportunity to take part in the first ever WYRD Fest, a day long music festival celebrating the fringes of western Canadian music and including musicians and bands that cover a variety of genres and sub genres and sub sub genres. This was the first year of the festival and the hopes were that it would do well enough and there would be the support to potentially have a 2nd one, and so on after that. The festival was put together with tender loving care by mister Aaron Levin, operator of Cantor Records and foremost champion of the music that is most definitely not in the mainstream. I had offered to help out Aaron with whatever he needed and figured I would end up being the guy doing doors as I often do but instead ended up being the sound man for the main stage at the fest. This shocked and thrilled me to say the least. What follows is a brief recap of the day of events and a retelling as told from the side of the stage. Please note that this mostly pertains to my room that I was in charge of, as there was also a 2nd room with more bands but I only had a chance to check out Krang and Friendo that had played there.
Saturday 2:45pm. Showed up at the venue. Brought some veggies and dip and mandarin oranges for bands and such. Who doesn’t like Christmas oranges? Already people here at the venue including CJ Frena (of GOBBLE GOBBLE, and local promoter extraordinaire who is currently living in San Francisco). So good to see CJ, and already tons of other awesome people here.
3:30pm. Just setting up the sound for the big room. The past year of doing sound has been good to me, and I know a thing or two, but thank the heavens for CJ and Graham. Def tons of help. Getting things rolling.
4:40pm. The sound is pretty much good to go. Tons of troubles finding extra quarter inch cables and XLR cables and extension chords, but we improvise and get it going. Aaron is running around and super busy with getting the other room ready and organizing everything. What an organizer does right? Shocking. Meeting a few of the bands, everyone is sweet.
5:00pm. Festival is underway, everything is on time. We rule.
5:10pm. Just did a quick sound check with JAZZ, which is Aaron’s new band with Graham and another dude whose name I forget. Pretty noisy rock, got a good groove to it, I can dig. Sound is good, and we are good to go.
5:30pm. Jazz is on, right on time. Like I said we rule. Thank goodness that the drums set up are being used by Outdoor Miners and Wicked Awesomes. Alot less stress in dealing with changeover. Pretty sure a half hour though is plenty of time for changeover between bands.
6:05pm. Jazz is done. Found out that one of the fellows from Wicked Awesomes can’t play as he is incredibly ill. Not the swine I guess, but food poisoning. That sucks. Instead Peter, AKA Sans Aids is going to play, then Outdoor Miners.
6:20pm. Peeked in on Krang's set. Sounded pretty decent, really fuzzy stoner rock. Super fuzz. But sounded decent enough.
6:55pm. Sans Aids just played. Probably my favourite new local act. Its just Peter with a kick drum and snare set up that he can hit with his feet while playing guitar and singing. Mics are super sensitive and really picked up the snare, but it added an extra lo-fi feeling to the set. Great vocals too though, a sombre and unique sound. Sarcasm times a million. Great set.
7:20pm. Did a quick run through with Outdoor Miners. They are loud. Like really loud. They said they would turn it down a bit as at Likwid Lounge they were super intense. Lots of sweet friends here, definitely makes long shows go by faster.
8:00pm. Yup. Outdoor Miners. Loud. God bless earplugs. I feel bad for those that don’t have them.
8:10pm. Setting up the Ex Boyfriends from Calgary. Apparently they are punk rock. The singer is pretty nice, but a funny and really weird dude. Wearing yoga pants, and a faux fur coat and a giant hat. Looks like a pimp down on his luck. Seriously. All the band are funny though, drummer is the serious glue keeping them together.
8:45pm. The singer for the XBF’s is all over the place. Mixer almost got pulled off the table, thankfully Taylor caught it before tragedy befell us. Intense.
9:00pm. XBF’s barely ended on time. Close call, but all has been running smoothly. Lots of people here. Tons of fun.
9:15pm. Leave Graham in charge to help set up Grown Ups from Calgary. Finally met Josiah for the first time. He’s the singer. We’ve been facebook friends since summer thanks to Al from the WPP. Nice fellow. Off to get an energy drink. Sound is hard work.
9:25pm. Got an Amp energy drink. Haven’t had one in almost 2 months. Also had the last samosa that Aaron brought. So tasty. No Steel Wheels for this guy, though that’s where everyone has been hanging out drinking I would assume.
9:55pm. Grown Ups are done. Really tight set. Good 3 piece making quality rock. Crowd was getting into it.
10:10pm. Setting up the Famines. Favorite rock band in Edmonton. Best rock band in Edmonton. Just saying. God bless Raymond and Garrett.
10:20pm. Caught a bit of Friendo. I guess a super group from Calgary with a dude from Women. Mellow. With a capital M. Chill and awesome.
10:30pm. Famines are a go. Crowd is big. Rocking out is yes.
11:00pm. Best Famines set I have seen yet. Raymond was everywhere in the crowd. Garrett's drumming was ferocious. Sound was so loud. Again glad for earplugs that Nate gave me. Garrett grabbing the mic and singing out on the Sub with Raymond and a ton of people was awesome. Best rock band, hands down.
11:20pm. Getting ready for the GOBBLE GOBBLE set. CJ’s crazy setup is center stage, Corin and Calvin are getting dressed up in their matching crazy outfits. Percussion things and toys and various noisemaking devices are everywhere. Going to get crazy.
12:00am Sunday. GOBBLE GOBBLE set was killer. Phone video footage proves it. Everyone wanted to dance, and they did. Most of the big crowd was moving and shaking it. We were dancing a bit on stage. New Pixies cover and new tunes were good. Dancey noise pop at it’s finest. CJ definitely killed it. God bless him for flying up from San Fran for this.
12:15am. Caught a Sheering Pinx song. They were sounding pretty dece. Wish I could watch more. Back to clean up.
12:20am. Stage and floor are almost cleared from the aftermath of the GOBBLE GOBBLE set. Now setting up PEACE from Vancouver. Not sure what to expect. One of the guys Connor also plays in All Purpose Voltage Heroes, one of my all time favourite Edmonton bands, whom are keyboard driven dance rock I guess. Hopefully PEACE is good. Playing last, they probably are.
12:30am. Sound checking was good. Band sounded solid. Singer now has no pants.
12:35am. Aaron is thanking people and giving out prizes. There’s a ton of people here. Guess it’s been sold out for awhile now. That makes me happy. Love the support for the not really mainstream musicians.
12:50am. PEACE ARE AWESOME. Dancey joy division. This crowd is crazy. Had to keep a speaker from being pulled down twice, same with the mixing board. Lots of dance and mosh happening. Keep an eye out.
1:20am. Danced way too hard the last couple sets now. PEACE was mindblowing. The drummer took his underwear off about half way through, and played naked for the rest of the set. Alot of us were dancing on stage and going crazy. Too much fun. One of the most insane sets I have ever seen or been a part of. Amazing. Ridiculous. All of the above. This night has been so much work but so good.
2:00am. Still cleaning up and taking down the PA and everything. Corin and Calvin are showing me how to wrap cables efficiently. So terrible at it. Also really tired and want to sleep. Still alot of us helping out though. I love this city.
2:35am. There’s an after party at the Famines jam space and I want to go but am going home. Been a long day, definitely worth it though. Amazing. I love the unity here. So much fun with my friends and all the awesome new people I met. I wonder if other cities are this awesome.
3:10am. Bed time. Let’s do it again next year, yes?
Saturday 2:45pm. Showed up at the venue. Brought some veggies and dip and mandarin oranges for bands and such. Who doesn’t like Christmas oranges? Already people here at the venue including CJ Frena (of GOBBLE GOBBLE, and local promoter extraordinaire who is currently living in San Francisco). So good to see CJ, and already tons of other awesome people here.
3:30pm. Just setting up the sound for the big room. The past year of doing sound has been good to me, and I know a thing or two, but thank the heavens for CJ and Graham. Def tons of help. Getting things rolling.
4:40pm. The sound is pretty much good to go. Tons of troubles finding extra quarter inch cables and XLR cables and extension chords, but we improvise and get it going. Aaron is running around and super busy with getting the other room ready and organizing everything. What an organizer does right? Shocking. Meeting a few of the bands, everyone is sweet.
5:00pm. Festival is underway, everything is on time. We rule.
5:10pm. Just did a quick sound check with JAZZ, which is Aaron’s new band with Graham and another dude whose name I forget. Pretty noisy rock, got a good groove to it, I can dig. Sound is good, and we are good to go.
5:30pm. Jazz is on, right on time. Like I said we rule. Thank goodness that the drums set up are being used by Outdoor Miners and Wicked Awesomes. Alot less stress in dealing with changeover. Pretty sure a half hour though is plenty of time for changeover between bands.
6:05pm. Jazz is done. Found out that one of the fellows from Wicked Awesomes can’t play as he is incredibly ill. Not the swine I guess, but food poisoning. That sucks. Instead Peter, AKA Sans Aids is going to play, then Outdoor Miners.
6:20pm. Peeked in on Krang's set. Sounded pretty decent, really fuzzy stoner rock. Super fuzz. But sounded decent enough.
6:55pm. Sans Aids just played. Probably my favourite new local act. Its just Peter with a kick drum and snare set up that he can hit with his feet while playing guitar and singing. Mics are super sensitive and really picked up the snare, but it added an extra lo-fi feeling to the set. Great vocals too though, a sombre and unique sound. Sarcasm times a million. Great set.
7:20pm. Did a quick run through with Outdoor Miners. They are loud. Like really loud. They said they would turn it down a bit as at Likwid Lounge they were super intense. Lots of sweet friends here, definitely makes long shows go by faster.
8:00pm. Yup. Outdoor Miners. Loud. God bless earplugs. I feel bad for those that don’t have them.
8:10pm. Setting up the Ex Boyfriends from Calgary. Apparently they are punk rock. The singer is pretty nice, but a funny and really weird dude. Wearing yoga pants, and a faux fur coat and a giant hat. Looks like a pimp down on his luck. Seriously. All the band are funny though, drummer is the serious glue keeping them together.
8:45pm. The singer for the XBF’s is all over the place. Mixer almost got pulled off the table, thankfully Taylor caught it before tragedy befell us. Intense.
9:00pm. XBF’s barely ended on time. Close call, but all has been running smoothly. Lots of people here. Tons of fun.
9:15pm. Leave Graham in charge to help set up Grown Ups from Calgary. Finally met Josiah for the first time. He’s the singer. We’ve been facebook friends since summer thanks to Al from the WPP. Nice fellow. Off to get an energy drink. Sound is hard work.
9:25pm. Got an Amp energy drink. Haven’t had one in almost 2 months. Also had the last samosa that Aaron brought. So tasty. No Steel Wheels for this guy, though that’s where everyone has been hanging out drinking I would assume.
9:55pm. Grown Ups are done. Really tight set. Good 3 piece making quality rock. Crowd was getting into it.
10:10pm. Setting up the Famines. Favorite rock band in Edmonton. Best rock band in Edmonton. Just saying. God bless Raymond and Garrett.
10:20pm. Caught a bit of Friendo. I guess a super group from Calgary with a dude from Women. Mellow. With a capital M. Chill and awesome.
10:30pm. Famines are a go. Crowd is big. Rocking out is yes.
11:00pm. Best Famines set I have seen yet. Raymond was everywhere in the crowd. Garrett's drumming was ferocious. Sound was so loud. Again glad for earplugs that Nate gave me. Garrett grabbing the mic and singing out on the Sub with Raymond and a ton of people was awesome. Best rock band, hands down.
11:20pm. Getting ready for the GOBBLE GOBBLE set. CJ’s crazy setup is center stage, Corin and Calvin are getting dressed up in their matching crazy outfits. Percussion things and toys and various noisemaking devices are everywhere. Going to get crazy.
12:00am Sunday. GOBBLE GOBBLE set was killer. Phone video footage proves it. Everyone wanted to dance, and they did. Most of the big crowd was moving and shaking it. We were dancing a bit on stage. New Pixies cover and new tunes were good. Dancey noise pop at it’s finest. CJ definitely killed it. God bless him for flying up from San Fran for this.
12:15am. Caught a Sheering Pinx song. They were sounding pretty dece. Wish I could watch more. Back to clean up.
12:20am. Stage and floor are almost cleared from the aftermath of the GOBBLE GOBBLE set. Now setting up PEACE from Vancouver. Not sure what to expect. One of the guys Connor also plays in All Purpose Voltage Heroes, one of my all time favourite Edmonton bands, whom are keyboard driven dance rock I guess. Hopefully PEACE is good. Playing last, they probably are.
12:30am. Sound checking was good. Band sounded solid. Singer now has no pants.
12:35am. Aaron is thanking people and giving out prizes. There’s a ton of people here. Guess it’s been sold out for awhile now. That makes me happy. Love the support for the not really mainstream musicians.
12:50am. PEACE ARE AWESOME. Dancey joy division. This crowd is crazy. Had to keep a speaker from being pulled down twice, same with the mixing board. Lots of dance and mosh happening. Keep an eye out.
1:20am. Danced way too hard the last couple sets now. PEACE was mindblowing. The drummer took his underwear off about half way through, and played naked for the rest of the set. Alot of us were dancing on stage and going crazy. Too much fun. One of the most insane sets I have ever seen or been a part of. Amazing. Ridiculous. All of the above. This night has been so much work but so good.
2:00am. Still cleaning up and taking down the PA and everything. Corin and Calvin are showing me how to wrap cables efficiently. So terrible at it. Also really tired and want to sleep. Still alot of us helping out though. I love this city.
2:35am. There’s an after party at the Famines jam space and I want to go but am going home. Been a long day, definitely worth it though. Amazing. I love the unity here. So much fun with my friends and all the awesome new people I met. I wonder if other cities are this awesome.
3:10am. Bed time. Let’s do it again next year, yes?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack
so, the other night my friend gave me a copy of the soundtrack for the upcoming film (and hopefully best movie of the year) Where The Wild Things Are, and i have pretty much been listening to it nonstop.
for those that don't know, the movie is directed by one mr spike jonze, who started off directing music videos, such as everyone's favorite, Weapon of Choice, with Christopher Walken dancing like there is no tomorrow. for the soundtrack he enlisted the help of his ex-girlfriend, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to come up with the music for the film, songs and scores. She then enlisted a handful of other fantastic indie musicians, including YYY bandmantes, and members of the Raconteurs and Deerhunter and more.
and let me tell you it payed off.
the soundtrack has a lighthearted cohesiveness to it that i just can't get enough of, and from incredibly playful and upbeat songs like All Is Love, to the eerily fragile vocals on Hidaway, Karen O has proved that she is up for any challenge. off the heels of her own bands fantastic release, It's Blitz, she unleashes this gem upon us and i couldn't be any happier. the other aspect that plays heavily in with the movie and adds to the playfulness of the soundtrack is the untrained childrens choir. on tracks like the previously mentioned Love, and on Rumpus the songs explode with an energy best represented by kids getting crazy and having fun, but also if you listen carefully, you can hear Karen's voice entwined with the childrens. but listen closely. it's magic, pure magic.
this is one of my favorite albums of the year, and a soundtrack rivaled only by some of my personal favorites such as The Fountain and Royal Tenenbaums. check it out, and watch this here.
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for those that don't know, the movie is directed by one mr spike jonze, who started off directing music videos, such as everyone's favorite, Weapon of Choice, with Christopher Walken dancing like there is no tomorrow. for the soundtrack he enlisted the help of his ex-girlfriend, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to come up with the music for the film, songs and scores. She then enlisted a handful of other fantastic indie musicians, including YYY bandmantes, and members of the Raconteurs and Deerhunter and more.
and let me tell you it payed off.
the soundtrack has a lighthearted cohesiveness to it that i just can't get enough of, and from incredibly playful and upbeat songs like All Is Love, to the eerily fragile vocals on Hidaway, Karen O has proved that she is up for any challenge. off the heels of her own bands fantastic release, It's Blitz, she unleashes this gem upon us and i couldn't be any happier. the other aspect that plays heavily in with the movie and adds to the playfulness of the soundtrack is the untrained childrens choir. on tracks like the previously mentioned Love, and on Rumpus the songs explode with an energy best represented by kids getting crazy and having fun, but also if you listen carefully, you can hear Karen's voice entwined with the childrens. but listen closely. it's magic, pure magic.
this is one of my favorite albums of the year, and a soundtrack rivaled only by some of my personal favorites such as The Fountain and Royal Tenenbaums. check it out, and watch this here.
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
pop music
it's not that i don't like pop music, i do have a soft spot in my heart for a really catchy, 3 and a half minute long song, but i generally do not have a chance to check out what's really popular and what is mainstream unless i search it out.
muchmusic and mtv rarely ever play music videos any more.
the radio has so many commercials and annoying dj's.
and my emusic subscription is solely for indie type stuff.
so really i have no idea what is going on, and what is popular and what is out there. sometimes that's not such a bad thing. there's alot of rap and r&b i really don't like, especially with tough guy posturing, and ridiculous lyrical content. give me back pack rap any day of the week. and there are some things that confuse me. such as.
how is Taylor Swift considered country?
i mean i'm assuming she gets tons of play on country stations and such, but any time i have heard her songs, she just comes across as a pop star. i hear nary a twang in her voice or song writing. pop music, that's all. and also, as much as everyone likes her.
well she is pretty boring. in my opinion anyways.
who is not boring, and is at the top of the game right now, as a female artist and as a pop star is of course lady gaga, and i must say i wrote her off. until i did some research. read some interviews. watched some videos and such.
she is definitely far from boring.
not in some time as well have i heard as much rumors as to where she has come from, and things about her that make her so bizarre. is she a stripper? is she a he she? is she from mars? does it really matter, she makes super catchy pop music, and you know, can actually write music and has a stellar set of pipes and has a ridiculous eye for fashion which always ends up being far more intersting than what anyone else is wearing. i even ended up buying her album. great disc by the by.
oh, and i clicked on the video for just dance, and noticed it has over SEVENTY SEVEN MILLION PLAYS!
how does that even happen? anyways, check out the video for poker face, probably my most favorite pop song of the year. oh lady gaga, thanks for making pop music interesting again.
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muchmusic and mtv rarely ever play music videos any more.
the radio has so many commercials and annoying dj's.
and my emusic subscription is solely for indie type stuff.
so really i have no idea what is going on, and what is popular and what is out there. sometimes that's not such a bad thing. there's alot of rap and r&b i really don't like, especially with tough guy posturing, and ridiculous lyrical content. give me back pack rap any day of the week. and there are some things that confuse me. such as.
how is Taylor Swift considered country?
i mean i'm assuming she gets tons of play on country stations and such, but any time i have heard her songs, she just comes across as a pop star. i hear nary a twang in her voice or song writing. pop music, that's all. and also, as much as everyone likes her.
well she is pretty boring. in my opinion anyways.
who is not boring, and is at the top of the game right now, as a female artist and as a pop star is of course lady gaga, and i must say i wrote her off. until i did some research. read some interviews. watched some videos and such.
she is definitely far from boring.
not in some time as well have i heard as much rumors as to where she has come from, and things about her that make her so bizarre. is she a stripper? is she a he she? is she from mars? does it really matter, she makes super catchy pop music, and you know, can actually write music and has a stellar set of pipes and has a ridiculous eye for fashion which always ends up being far more intersting than what anyone else is wearing. i even ended up buying her album. great disc by the by.
oh, and i clicked on the video for just dance, and noticed it has over SEVENTY SEVEN MILLION PLAYS!
how does that even happen? anyways, check out the video for poker face, probably my most favorite pop song of the year. oh lady gaga, thanks for making pop music interesting again.
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Get Up Kids
A couple weeks back I went to seattle and saw the Get Up Kids.
It was the greatest concert of my life.
here is a clip of the first 3 songs, and so you can get an idea of how sweet it was. please note that the venue holds about 600-700 people.
so good.
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It was the greatest concert of my life.
here is a clip of the first 3 songs, and so you can get an idea of how sweet it was. please note that the venue holds about 600-700 people.
so good.
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Green Go
So i did as show this past month (which seems even longer than that) with this amazing dance rock band from Guelph, that goes by the name of Green Go. you should definitely check them out for sure, especially if you like your dance music created by a band. i have nothing against dance music created by one or two people, especially as myself and kyle are about to embark on that journey ourselves, but sometimes when you have people singing, pounding on a kit, and "slappin da bass" there's just something i find that much more enticing about dance music being created live.
and Green Go did not disappoint.
there set was booty shaking goodness from beginning to end, and as well the last set included an epic jam out that was musically impressive and that also helped to work up a sweat that's for sure.
the album, Borders, which came out this year does a fairly decent job of capturing the live show. some of the songs i don't quite dig, the groove is only so so on, but songs like Brains For Breakfast and Cash Money Gremlins will make you if not completely move, at least tap your foot until it breaks. possibly. all throughout the album tho, even with some of the songs i feel only ok about, it's still a solid dance rock album that should be checked out, especially if you like Winter Gloves or Woodhands.
Green Go. watch out for this band. they'll continue to pick up steam. and won't stop.
and Green Go did not disappoint.
there set was booty shaking goodness from beginning to end, and as well the last set included an epic jam out that was musically impressive and that also helped to work up a sweat that's for sure.
the album, Borders, which came out this year does a fairly decent job of capturing the live show. some of the songs i don't quite dig, the groove is only so so on, but songs like Brains For Breakfast and Cash Money Gremlins will make you if not completely move, at least tap your foot until it breaks. possibly. all throughout the album tho, even with some of the songs i feel only ok about, it's still a solid dance rock album that should be checked out, especially if you like Winter Gloves or Woodhands.
Green Go. watch out for this band. they'll continue to pick up steam. and won't stop.
Friday, August 14, 2009
bon iver plus sasquatch
probably one of the greatest musical moments of the year.
if not my life.
still watching this video just gives me chills like none other.
go see mr. justin vernon if you ever get the chance.
definitely worth it.
these are my picks so far
so since it's august right now, i figured i should at least put down some of my favorite albums of the year thus far, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves, complain about why so and so isn't on my list and the whatnot. please note though that these are my favorites, and not what i would say as the hands down definitive top albums of the year. i don't have enough time or ears to listen to all of that music. that being said, listen to these albums if you haven't.
phoenix- wolfgang amadeus phoenix
dirty projectors- bitte orca
the most serene republic- and the ever expanding universe
grizzly bear- veckatimest
mamiffer- hirror enniffer
green go- borders
the rural alberta advantage- hometowns
gobble gobble- neon graveyard
the low anthem- oh my god, charlie darwin
thrice- beggars
treelight room- the children win
isis- wavering radiant
the wind whistles- animals are people too
lightning dust- infinite light
pissed jeans- king of jeans
black mold- snow blindness is crystal antz
so there you go. there's more than a few albums for you to listen to if you haven't yet. definitely a few on there will make it to the end of the year list, excited for other albums to come out tho over the next few months. keep your ears open.
phoenix- wolfgang amadeus phoenix
dirty projectors- bitte orca
the most serene republic- and the ever expanding universe
grizzly bear- veckatimest
mamiffer- hirror enniffer
green go- borders
the rural alberta advantage- hometowns
gobble gobble- neon graveyard
the low anthem- oh my god, charlie darwin
thrice- beggars
treelight room- the children win
isis- wavering radiant
the wind whistles- animals are people too
lightning dust- infinite light
pissed jeans- king of jeans
black mold- snow blindness is crystal antz
so there you go. there's more than a few albums for you to listen to if you haven't yet. definitely a few on there will make it to the end of the year list, excited for other albums to come out tho over the next few months. keep your ears open.
rhombusversary in advance
so it has been brought to my attention, by myself that is, that i am coming up on a year of rhombus shows. this has kind of been blowing my mind.
i am super pumped that the hydeaway has been doing well and serving it's purpose in our music community over this last year now. i remember in our meetings and stuff talking about how we didn't want it to just kind of disappear after a few months. it's been almost a year and more and more sweet shows are coming up. oh hydeaway, one of the greatest things i have ever been a part of.
and not just there, but in other venues and doing other things, i think about some of the amazing talent that i have gotten to work with. doing my own shows tons of sweet local talent, and upcoming amazing folk like library voices, absent sound, the rural alberta advantage, laura barrett and more. working on other shows with foundation and working with sweet people like patrick watson, the bell orchestre folk, joel plaskett and his dad, and tv on the radio and the dirty projectors. awesome.
me and raymond b. had a little discussion at the recent famines show, and he asked how big i would be comfortable in getting, as far as promotion and stuff goes. honestly, i have no idea. all i know is that i get to keep working with amazing people, talented people, and people that in general have a love for what they are creating. i like to keep it positive, and as long as things are staying posi, then i'll keep on doing what i am doing.
please note that closer to october i'll do some sort of summary of rhombus shows and thoughts and all that kind of jazz. please note that there are some amazing shows coming up this fall that i'm masterminding. oh i can't wait...
i am super pumped that the hydeaway has been doing well and serving it's purpose in our music community over this last year now. i remember in our meetings and stuff talking about how we didn't want it to just kind of disappear after a few months. it's been almost a year and more and more sweet shows are coming up. oh hydeaway, one of the greatest things i have ever been a part of.
and not just there, but in other venues and doing other things, i think about some of the amazing talent that i have gotten to work with. doing my own shows tons of sweet local talent, and upcoming amazing folk like library voices, absent sound, the rural alberta advantage, laura barrett and more. working on other shows with foundation and working with sweet people like patrick watson, the bell orchestre folk, joel plaskett and his dad, and tv on the radio and the dirty projectors. awesome.
me and raymond b. had a little discussion at the recent famines show, and he asked how big i would be comfortable in getting, as far as promotion and stuff goes. honestly, i have no idea. all i know is that i get to keep working with amazing people, talented people, and people that in general have a love for what they are creating. i like to keep it positive, and as long as things are staying posi, then i'll keep on doing what i am doing.
please note that closer to october i'll do some sort of summary of rhombus shows and thoughts and all that kind of jazz. please note that there are some amazing shows coming up this fall that i'm masterminding. oh i can't wait...
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The RAA
So, ever since I stumbled across The Rural Alberta Advantage I have listened to this album way way too much. I think you should check it out too. and now you can as they have signed to Saddle Creek (you know, bright eyes, cursive, etc) so the album should be a bit more readily available. they get alot of neutral milk comparisons, which i find to be accurate, but every song is incredibly catchy, and also the fact that most of the songs are about alberta is an added bonus.
for real, check them out:
The Rural Alberta Advantage sing Edmonton
oh. you may get to see them sooner than you'd expect.
hyped!!
for real, check them out:
The Rural Alberta Advantage sing Edmonton
oh. you may get to see them sooner than you'd expect.
hyped!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Sasquatch!!!
so. i have my tickets for sasquatch. i am going with some amazing friends, and we are going to have the greatest weekend ever. Bon Iver. Gaslight. Kings of Leon. Chromeo. Animal Collective. Explosions in the Sky. and so on and so forth. man alive it will be amazing. expect a smattering of writings and pictures from the greatest weekend known to man.
trust. also, watch this video. i lurve it.
you should too. mostly cause this song is fantastic.
zxo
trust. also, watch this video. i lurve it.
you should too. mostly cause this song is fantastic.
zxo
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Yowza I'm so Behind
Hey all, sadly I haven't written much in this little thing in quite some time. So I think it's time to change this and add a little bit.
So I have actually been super busy as of late, and have been doing lots with work and school, but also doing alot more shows. rhombus has been keeping me pretty busy, and I've been averaging about two shows a month. Tho this month is a bit different as I have three shows I have been working on. Mainly I've been stoked on the Library Voices show coming up in a couple weeks, as I love this band oh so much. If you haven't checked them out yet you should most definitely do so, as they are a phenomenal ten-piece from Regina and will blow your mind. Here's a vid of one of their upcoming songs that I can't wait to get an actual recorded version of.
As well another show that I'm excited to co-promo with Foundation Concerts is with Beast, this pretty ridiculous duo out of Montreal, but mainly i'm excited as the lead vocalist, Betty Bonifassi was responsible for tunes on Triplets of Belleville, one of my all time favorite movies. So the opportunity to work with this talented duos was something that I just couldn't pass up. Check out this video as well.
I have so much stuff coming up, but one of my favorite albums i've been listening to is definitely the new Matt Pryor album, Confidence Man. But I just thought I'd leave you with one of my all time favorite songs.
So I have actually been super busy as of late, and have been doing lots with work and school, but also doing alot more shows. rhombus has been keeping me pretty busy, and I've been averaging about two shows a month. Tho this month is a bit different as I have three shows I have been working on. Mainly I've been stoked on the Library Voices show coming up in a couple weeks, as I love this band oh so much. If you haven't checked them out yet you should most definitely do so, as they are a phenomenal ten-piece from Regina and will blow your mind. Here's a vid of one of their upcoming songs that I can't wait to get an actual recorded version of.
As well another show that I'm excited to co-promo with Foundation Concerts is with Beast, this pretty ridiculous duo out of Montreal, but mainly i'm excited as the lead vocalist, Betty Bonifassi was responsible for tunes on Triplets of Belleville, one of my all time favorite movies. So the opportunity to work with this talented duos was something that I just couldn't pass up. Check out this video as well.
I have so much stuff coming up, but one of my favorite albums i've been listening to is definitely the new Matt Pryor album, Confidence Man. But I just thought I'd leave you with one of my all time favorite songs.
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