We had our first big snow of the New Year - it snowed last night, and all throughout today.
A small dog came up to me on my way to work, and let me know that he would like it very much if I’d throw a tennis ball into the snow-bank for him. I did, and he followed me most of the way to work.
On the way home this evening, I decided to break out my cross-country skis, since they’d been sitting in the office all year. My new place is just on the other side of the mountain, so I can ski the whole way home. The snow was perfect, and there were already good tracks the whole way back. Just as I got close to home, I ran into a bunch of people sledding and snowboarding down Mont Royal in the fresh powder.
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Something More Productive, Like Roscoe
After a brief bout of actual original and not-so-original content, “Saturday Is YouTube Day” returns.
First up is current obsession Midlake. People should probably judge for themselves here, since I’ll have to recuse myself from this on on the grounds that I’d basically like any band that has 5-part harmonies, and songs about hunting for rabbits and oxen. For any Montrealers, they’ll be at Sala Rossa on Feb. 11.
Next, for something a bit older, here’s some Neil Young - a great acoustic version of “Cortez the Killer” from one of the Bridge School Benefit concerts.
Finally, I just don’t get speed metal, at all.
First up is current obsession Midlake. People should probably judge for themselves here, since I’ll have to recuse myself from this on on the grounds that I’d basically like any band that has 5-part harmonies, and songs about hunting for rabbits and oxen. For any Montrealers, they’ll be at Sala Rossa on Feb. 11.
Next, for something a bit older, here’s some Neil Young - a great acoustic version of “Cortez the Killer” from one of the Bridge School Benefit concerts.
Finally, I just don’t get speed metal, at all.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
In Which I Am Immortalized in Prose
One of her hands went to her lips. “I’m Cladis. Jimmy, I have terrible news for you. Someone came through that gate earlier today but he was killed by a rabid Boon almost as soon as he landed.” She lay a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder as she spoke. “I’m sorry.”
Jimmy was silent, stunned. The world seemed to lurch. “Rod?” He asked softly but Cladis went on, confessing.
I came across this story while doing some self-Googling, and wondered if it was coincidental that one of the characters shared my first and last names. It wasn’t, which I think is pretty awesome, actually, especially considering I die a gruesome, deserved death in the story.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Year End Wrap-Up Thingy 2006 (Introduction)
Since this seems to be the season for end-of-the-year weighing and judging, I thought I’d write a bit about some of my favourite music this year. This post has grown a lot more long-winded in the writing, so I’ve decided to separate things into five parts, with the standard caveat that this introduction may be the only thing that actually gets posted.
As in most years, I started listening to a lot more albums not released in 2006 (~90) than actually released in 2006 (~20). This is a bad habit of mine that I have decided to call my “Bob Dylan’s 49th Album” syndrome, i.e. “How can I listen to anything new when I still haven’t listened to Blood on the Tracks?”. I’ll consider the “new” albums (released in 2006), and the “new to me” albums in separate posts. After that, I’ll reminisce about some of the live shows I saw this year, and finish up with some New Year’s music-listening resolutions.
I’ll try to keep this post floating at the top, and new ones will appear sporadically over the next few days, with handy hyperlinks below!
• Sometimes I Do Listen To New Music
• Don’t Tell Anyone You Don’t Own Blonde On Blonde
• You Had Me At Track 1
• Hello Montreal! Merci Beaucoup!
• Hey, Hey, My, My
As in most years, I started listening to a lot more albums not released in 2006 (~90) than actually released in 2006 (~20). This is a bad habit of mine that I have decided to call my “Bob Dylan’s 49th Album” syndrome, i.e. “How can I listen to anything new when I still haven’t listened to Blood on the Tracks?”. I’ll consider the “new” albums (released in 2006), and the “new to me” albums in separate posts. After that, I’ll reminisce about some of the live shows I saw this year, and finish up with some New Year’s music-listening resolutions.
I’ll try to keep this post floating at the top, and new ones will appear sporadically over the next few days, with handy hyperlinks below!
• Sometimes I Do Listen To New Music
• Don’t Tell Anyone You Don’t Own Blonde On Blonde
• You Had Me At Track 1
• Hello Montreal! Merci Beaucoup!
• Hey, Hey, My, My
Hey, Hey, My, My, Year End Wrap-up Part Number 5
Here are some 2007 Music Listening New Year’s resolutions (not to be confused with my 2007 Get My Life Together New Year’s Resolutions, or my 2007 Music Playing New Year’s resolutions).
• Listen to more music
Specifically, I’d like to branch out a little bit more. A lot of the albums from this year’s lists are ones that I pretty much knew I’d like before I started listening to them, given their reputations. And a lot of them are fairly similar in style and approach - guitars, singer/songwriters, “Dude, Why Do You Still Love Her” music as JB calls it. So I’d like to listen a little more outside my comfort zone - more hard rock, more classical, more jazz, more weird.
• See more live music
This one is as perennial as the “exercise more often” resolution on my other list, but this is the year, dammit! Most of the shows I go to are artists I already know, so I’d like to go see more smaller shows, and more awful shows.
• Write more about music
This series of posts was fun, but a bit long to write! So I’d like to write more often about music, rather than let everything pile up til the end of the year.
OK, now to get to breaking these resolutions as quickly as possible.
• Listen to more music
Specifically, I’d like to branch out a little bit more. A lot of the albums from this year’s lists are ones that I pretty much knew I’d like before I started listening to them, given their reputations. And a lot of them are fairly similar in style and approach - guitars, singer/songwriters, “Dude, Why Do You Still Love Her” music as JB calls it. So I’d like to listen a little more outside my comfort zone - more hard rock, more classical, more jazz, more weird.
• See more live music
This one is as perennial as the “exercise more often” resolution on my other list, but this is the year, dammit! Most of the shows I go to are artists I already know, so I’d like to go see more smaller shows, and more awful shows.
• Write more about music
This series of posts was fun, but a bit long to write! So I’d like to write more often about music, rather than let everything pile up til the end of the year.
OK, now to get to breaking these resolutions as quickly as possible.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Bonjour Montreal! Merci Beaucoup! (2006 Wrap-up Part 4)
For part four of the year end wrap-up, here are some of my favourite live shows of the year, in chronological order. Apparently I saw no good shows in the first half of the year.
• Martha Wainwright / Andrew Bird - July 2, Metropolis
Martha Wainwright in a totally packed hometown show, part of the Jazz Fest. The opener was Andrew Bird, who did some amazing things with voice, guitar, and violin - he’d create backing tracks by recording his own performance, then playing it back to gradually build songs.
This was the second Martha Wainwright concert I’d seen. I thought the first time was seeing her opening for Neko Case, but I think it was actually her opening for Cyndi Lauper. And that is a story for another time. But anyways, this time Martha was with her full band, and it was totally excellent - Stones and Leonard Cohen covers, as well as surprise guests the McGarrigle sisters. Out of all the shows I’ve seen at Metropolis, this was probably the most packed, with the loudest audience.
• Calexico / Mariachi Luz de Luna - July 9, Metropolis
My second time seeing Calexico, who fortunately overcame the second-show curse by playing with a great mariachi band for a lot of the evening. A really fun, albeit somewhat sparsely attended show. Calexico played mostly material from their recent album Garden Ruin, and it was nice to see the changes since the last time I saw them (last year with Iron & Wine). All I have left to say is that Joey Burns’ guitar looks like some sort of aircraft carrier.
• Wilco - July 10, Metropolis
Fourth summer in a row for Wilco and me. The first time (2003, Metropolis), they were playing mainly material from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but also the not-yet-released A Ghost Is Born. The second time (2004, Theatre St-Denis), they played material from the then-just-released A Ghost Is Born. The third time (2005, Metropolis), they played mainly material from... A Ghost Is Born.
So this year, with no new album still, I’m not quite sure what I expected for the setlist. What we got (2006, Metropolis) was, lots of songs from A Ghost Is Born! Plus a few new ones. I shouldn’t really complain, because I knew what was coming, but it was a little harder to get excited the fourth time around. Having said that, though, I always enjoy seeing Wilco, and always like Metropolis, so I had a really good time.
The day before the show, I was riding around on my bike, singing “On a Sunday morning sidewalk, Lord I’m wishing I was stoned”, when I passed a dude with crazy hair, an unkempt beard, a walking cast, and a Subway sandwich. As is always the case with me in these situations, it took me another ten seconds to realize that of course, it was Jeff Tweedy, and that I was now too far away to go say hello. I think he did give me a “Is that dude really singing Johnny Cash on his bike?” look though.
• Rancid (twice!) - August 30, Spectrum, and December, Metropolis
Rancid, kings of early 90s punk. I actually saw them twice this year, in two different venues. The first time was much more exciting - smaller venue, first time seeing them, etc. But Rancid definitely realized what most people were there to hear - at least half the setlist each time was devoted to material from And Out Come The Wolves and Let’s Go. Both shows were really high-energy - I’m glad I got to see these guys while they’re still around.
• M. Ward - September 12, Sala Rossa
I wrote about this the other day, but I came in knowing almost nothing, and left a big fan. This was also the show where I realized just how many indie-rock dudes in Montreal were wearing beards (as I was at the time). But I think the Autumn is an ideal time to see M. Ward, as lots of his songs seem slightly spooky.
• Sparta - October 13, Le National
Second time around for Sparta and I. As always, I’m amazed at just how much rock these four pack into each song. Not quite as good as the last time we saw these guys, mainly because it was the second time for me, and because of the venue. Le National is a new club here, and it felt much too well lit and clean for a rock show, with weird spaces off to the side of the show making the place feel emptier than it was.
The first time we saw Sparta, at Club Soda I think, was one of my favourite shows of all time, simply because it was such a communal experience - everyone in the audience collectively lost it. At this second show, it felt like fewer people were really into it.
• The Decemberists - November 5, Metropolis
The Decemberists, perfectly executing almost the entire The Crane Wife album - even the ten-minute-plus “The Island”. It’s hard to describe the Decemberists well, so I’ll just say that this concert featured 4/6 band members re-enacting the founding of Montreal in the middle of the audience, only to be interrupted by a meteor.
• The Tragically Hip - November 10, Metropolis
I’m including this show here even though I didn’t have a spectacular time, because it wasn’t really the band’s fault. They played really well, I just never seemed to get into it. The band adhered strictly to the formula of “quickly follow the unknown with something familiar”, alternating songs from the new album with older material. And while I think Gord Downie’s antics suit the new material pretty well, pretending to be a chicken during “Long Time Running” doesn’t work so well. It also may have been the first time where I actually enjoyed a band more in an arena than a club.
OK! Back sometime with New Year’s Music resolutions.
• Martha Wainwright / Andrew Bird - July 2, Metropolis
Martha Wainwright in a totally packed hometown show, part of the Jazz Fest. The opener was Andrew Bird, who did some amazing things with voice, guitar, and violin - he’d create backing tracks by recording his own performance, then playing it back to gradually build songs.
This was the second Martha Wainwright concert I’d seen. I thought the first time was seeing her opening for Neko Case, but I think it was actually her opening for Cyndi Lauper. And that is a story for another time. But anyways, this time Martha was with her full band, and it was totally excellent - Stones and Leonard Cohen covers, as well as surprise guests the McGarrigle sisters. Out of all the shows I’ve seen at Metropolis, this was probably the most packed, with the loudest audience.
• Calexico / Mariachi Luz de Luna - July 9, Metropolis
My second time seeing Calexico, who fortunately overcame the second-show curse by playing with a great mariachi band for a lot of the evening. A really fun, albeit somewhat sparsely attended show. Calexico played mostly material from their recent album Garden Ruin, and it was nice to see the changes since the last time I saw them (last year with Iron & Wine). All I have left to say is that Joey Burns’ guitar looks like some sort of aircraft carrier.
• Wilco - July 10, Metropolis
Fourth summer in a row for Wilco and me. The first time (2003, Metropolis), they were playing mainly material from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but also the not-yet-released A Ghost Is Born. The second time (2004, Theatre St-Denis), they played material from the then-just-released A Ghost Is Born. The third time (2005, Metropolis), they played mainly material from... A Ghost Is Born.
So this year, with no new album still, I’m not quite sure what I expected for the setlist. What we got (2006, Metropolis) was, lots of songs from A Ghost Is Born! Plus a few new ones. I shouldn’t really complain, because I knew what was coming, but it was a little harder to get excited the fourth time around. Having said that, though, I always enjoy seeing Wilco, and always like Metropolis, so I had a really good time.
The day before the show, I was riding around on my bike, singing “On a Sunday morning sidewalk, Lord I’m wishing I was stoned”, when I passed a dude with crazy hair, an unkempt beard, a walking cast, and a Subway sandwich. As is always the case with me in these situations, it took me another ten seconds to realize that of course, it was Jeff Tweedy, and that I was now too far away to go say hello. I think he did give me a “Is that dude really singing Johnny Cash on his bike?” look though.
• Rancid (twice!) - August 30, Spectrum, and December, Metropolis
Rancid, kings of early 90s punk. I actually saw them twice this year, in two different venues. The first time was much more exciting - smaller venue, first time seeing them, etc. But Rancid definitely realized what most people were there to hear - at least half the setlist each time was devoted to material from And Out Come The Wolves and Let’s Go. Both shows were really high-energy - I’m glad I got to see these guys while they’re still around.
• M. Ward - September 12, Sala Rossa
I wrote about this the other day, but I came in knowing almost nothing, and left a big fan. This was also the show where I realized just how many indie-rock dudes in Montreal were wearing beards (as I was at the time). But I think the Autumn is an ideal time to see M. Ward, as lots of his songs seem slightly spooky.
• Sparta - October 13, Le National
Second time around for Sparta and I. As always, I’m amazed at just how much rock these four pack into each song. Not quite as good as the last time we saw these guys, mainly because it was the second time for me, and because of the venue. Le National is a new club here, and it felt much too well lit and clean for a rock show, with weird spaces off to the side of the show making the place feel emptier than it was.
The first time we saw Sparta, at Club Soda I think, was one of my favourite shows of all time, simply because it was such a communal experience - everyone in the audience collectively lost it. At this second show, it felt like fewer people were really into it.
• The Decemberists - November 5, Metropolis
The Decemberists, perfectly executing almost the entire The Crane Wife album - even the ten-minute-plus “The Island”. It’s hard to describe the Decemberists well, so I’ll just say that this concert featured 4/6 band members re-enacting the founding of Montreal in the middle of the audience, only to be interrupted by a meteor.
• The Tragically Hip - November 10, Metropolis
I’m including this show here even though I didn’t have a spectacular time, because it wasn’t really the band’s fault. They played really well, I just never seemed to get into it. The band adhered strictly to the formula of “quickly follow the unknown with something familiar”, alternating songs from the new album with older material. And while I think Gord Downie’s antics suit the new material pretty well, pretending to be a chicken during “Long Time Running” doesn’t work so well. It also may have been the first time where I actually enjoyed a band more in an arena than a club.
OK! Back sometime with New Year’s Music resolutions.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
You Had Me At Track 1 (2006 Wrap-up Part 3)
Next, in the “You Had Me At Track 1” category, trolling through the back catalogues of artists I’ve recently gotten into:
• Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby / Blacklisted
• The Decemberists - 5 Songs / Her Majesty The Decemberists
• Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank The Cradle / The Sea And The Rhythm EP
• My Morning Jacket - At Dawn / It Still Moves / The Tennessee Fire
• M. Ward - Transistor Radio / Transfiguration of Vincent / End of Amnesia
Three of these artists were mentioned back here. These were all cases, though, of hearing an album, and immediately wanting to hear more from the artist. Luckily, in all of these cases, the back catalogues were equally rewarding. I managed to see all of these artists live over the past year or so, and all put on awesome shows (although I only saw part of My Morning Jacket’s set when we arrived late to a Wilco show).
And finally, albums that don’t fit in any of the previous categories, but that I first heard this year and really liked:
• The American Analog Set - Set Free
• The Be Good Tanyas - Blue Horse
• Hayden - Live At Convocation Hall
• Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
• The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
• Martha Wainwright - Martha Wainwright
• Rufus Wainwright - Want Two
Looking at this list, and some of the previous ones, makes me realize that I’m listening to a lot of “quiet” music, and not nearly as much balls-out rock as I used to. I’m not quite sure why that might be.
• Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby / Blacklisted
• The Decemberists - 5 Songs / Her Majesty The Decemberists
• Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank The Cradle / The Sea And The Rhythm EP
• My Morning Jacket - At Dawn / It Still Moves / The Tennessee Fire
• M. Ward - Transistor Radio / Transfiguration of Vincent / End of Amnesia
Three of these artists were mentioned back here. These were all cases, though, of hearing an album, and immediately wanting to hear more from the artist. Luckily, in all of these cases, the back catalogues were equally rewarding. I managed to see all of these artists live over the past year or so, and all put on awesome shows (although I only saw part of My Morning Jacket’s set when we arrived late to a Wilco show).
And finally, albums that don’t fit in any of the previous categories, but that I first heard this year and really liked:
• The American Analog Set - Set Free
• The Be Good Tanyas - Blue Horse
• Hayden - Live At Convocation Hall
• Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
• The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
• Martha Wainwright - Martha Wainwright
• Rufus Wainwright - Want Two
Looking at this list, and some of the previous ones, makes me realize that I’m listening to a lot of “quiet” music, and not nearly as much balls-out rock as I used to. I’m not quite sure why that might be.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Don't Tell Anyone You Don't Own Blonde on Blonde (2006 Wrap-up Part 2)
I actually do own Blonde on Blonde, but I liked that line from “High Fidelity”. These are some albums that I really should have listened to before, but somehow managed to avoid until this year. It’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay.
• The Allman Brothers - Eat a Peach
• The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo
• Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
• John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
• Sam Cooke - Portrait of a Legend
• Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks / Highway 61 Revisited
• The Everly Brothers - Twenty Greatest Hits
• Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
• Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On?
• Joni Mitchell - Blue / Court & Spark
• Talking Heads - Remain in Light
• The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers / Let it Bleed
• The Who - Live at Leeds
• Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits
• Neil Young - After the Goldrush
My favourites from this list, or at least the albums that meant the most to me this year were of course Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks Joni Mitchell’s Blue.
More “new-to-me” albums tomorrow, and oh yeah, Happy New Year!
• The Allman Brothers - Eat a Peach
• The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo
• Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
• John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
• Sam Cooke - Portrait of a Legend
• Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks / Highway 61 Revisited
• The Everly Brothers - Twenty Greatest Hits
• Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
• Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On?
• Joni Mitchell - Blue / Court & Spark
• Talking Heads - Remain in Light
• The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers / Let it Bleed
• The Who - Live at Leeds
• Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits
• Neil Young - After the Goldrush
My favourites from this list, or at least the albums that meant the most to me this year were of course Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks Joni Mitchell’s Blue.
More “new-to-me” albums tomorrow, and oh yeah, Happy New Year!
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