a hodge podge blog of music, travel and news.
For a week in March I was down in Florida trying out my new camera. I spent most of my time on the east coast searching for some waves, but sadly they were few and far between.
Cocoa Beach, Florida
St. Augustine Beach, Florida
Ormond Beach, Florida
Cocoa Beach, Florida
Ormond Beach, Florida
Almost a year ago in July I wrote about YouCity and some test maps they had created for Manhatten. Today I ran across a post at Digital Urban that suggests they have released a final version of the map. It still looks really neat, and zooms and pans like butter.
With a weeks holiday ahead of me, the plan is to drive south and find some sun and surf. Just drive and see what the open road brings. Go south — the road trip lives.
Sitting at TD Canada Trust while waiting to see someone about a new account I picked up the book ‘Too Many Book’ by Gilles Tibo. I’m not sure it sends the greatest message. In it a child doesn’t know how to do things so his mom, dad, sister and others give him books to read on the subject and he becomes a pro. The first two tasks are tying his shoes and brushing his teeth. Is it just me or are these things that him mom and dad should be teaching him personally instead of offloading the task to a book?
AC/DC is my first big stadium show by a world class musical act. Sure I’ve seen The Tragically Hip countless time at hockey arenas, and traveling festival shows outside in the summer (including Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, aka SARSStock, where AC/DC stole the show from British Rockers The Rolling Stones), but before this I’ve never been to a show of this magnitude. There was fire, and fireworks, and a giant locomotive, and a giant blow up woman, and canons, and a sea of red devil horns — and oh yes — there was AC/DC.
I’m not a die-hard AC/DC fan, but know at least one that I’m sure influenced my introduction to the band. I am a fan of music and enjoy a good spectacle, and that is what AC/DC provides. From the endless antics and marathon guitar playing prowess of lead guitar, and obvious front man Angus Young, to the hip gyrating and easily identifiable vocals of lead singer Brian Johnson. These guys know how to rock and do it well.
Part of the experience that AC/DC provides is huge stadium shows, and the Rogers Centre was up to the challenge of providing such a venue. There looked to be a solid 40,000 screaming fans, many donning $8 glowing devil horns, in attendance for the show, with the majority of the typical baseball infield covered in chairs. I was back in section 113B (third base line) while a friend picked up a pair of floor seats 15min after the show started for only a $35 (each) above list price. Most of the photos here are from his point of view.
In searching for the capacity of the Rogers Centre I stumbled across a blog that has some images of fans getting autographs from the band after the show at their hotel.
AC/DC lives up to the legacy they have created for themselves, and having seen such an amazing show my interest has grown to see other big name shows while I still can — U2 and Paul McCartney, I’m looking right at you. Below is a montage of songs captured by a buddy on the floor and edited together by myself thanks to the ease of use of iMovie, and the lack of similar programs on Windows. Also, check out all the photos from the show at flickr.
Looking back over the albums I acquired in 2008 (that were actually released in 2008) was a might bit depressing. Mixed in with the mediocre releases were a bunch of duds, and for the most part nothing from established bands grabbed my fancy. Wolf Parade released a decent album in ‘At Mount Zoomer’, while The Constantines released a solid offering with ‘Kensington Heights’, but neither album strikes me as better than previous releases. I enjoyed Jason Collett’s ‘Here’s to Being Here’, and new comers Vampire Weekend released a catchy album that a friend calls, “an excellent album to play Mario Kart too.” Staples of Canadiana Sloan, Sam Roberts, The Trews, and Kathleen Edwards, each had an album out this year that were great additions to their catalogue, but none really had that ‘album of the year’ vibe (though I can spin ‘Love at the End of the World’ time and time again).
Now don’t think that my choice for album of the year was a default selection — a best of the worst situation — because that is truly not the case. ‘Hometowns’ by The Rural Alberta Advantage earned its place atop my best album of 2008 list. From the first listen of the first song the album struck me as original yet poppy and accessible, with enough layers to keep even the most jaded music fan interested. The entire album is a standout track, but of the standout tracks the ‘standout tracks’ are: the lead song ‘The Ballad of the RAA’ a slow builder that tries to tell the story of leaving the prairies, ‘Don’t Haunt This Place’ a tumbling pop tune, ‘Frank, AB’, and ‘In The Summertime’ a beautiful woeful closing song about love. The band has drawn numerous comparisons to Neutral Milk Hotel, but I feel a bit of Meligrove Band in them, which stems from the originality and energy in their songs.
Hometowns is a solid addition to my music library and one that I’m sure will remain in my rotation for many years to come, as well as being an album I can turn to on cool rainy day when just a little bit of warmth is required.
A recent survey for the Dominion Institute asked Canadians a few basic questions out how our political system works, and the results were particularly poor. Only 24% of those surveyed were able to identify the Queen as the head of state, and when asked what type of political system runs Canada 25% selected a “co-operative assembly” while 17% opted for a “representative republic”. About 59% (respectable?) selected the correct answer “constitutional monarchy”.
Photo by M. Abtahi
It’s not often that I have an original thought (i.e. before I read it in the news), but ever since the Prime Minster gave his throne speech, and all this talk of coalition governments and prorogation began, it seemed that every time I heard a sound bite on TV — or worse in the halls at work — I would hear people say with such authority how, “I voted for Stephen Harper and he should have a go at running the country.” I think that right there is a huge insight into how much people know about the Canadian political system. The Dominion Institute survey confirmed my observations when it revealed that 51% of Canadians believe that Canadians elect the prime minister directly. I think the reason for this is that people are inadequately educated about how the system operates, so in this absence they try to apply what they know about the American system of government to Canada, which unfortunately is destined to lead them down the wrong path.
I’ve been itching for a good show recently, but sadly anything up my alley has fallen on a weekday, which is essentially a no go. Fortune smiled this weekend and blessed me with a new favourite band playing a show in Toronto, and so I headed out to The Dakota Tavern on Saturday evening for the Sunparlour Players. I think my first exposure to Sunparlour Players was via the CBC Radio 3 podcast and the often played track ‘If The Creeks Don’t Rise’. The track grew on me immediately and I picked up the rest of the album.
The Dakota Tavern is a tiny basement bar on Ossington that drips with character and has some wonderful pints on tap. When I arrived Sunparlour was on stage just tuning up the instruments and doing sound check. The opener was a bluegrass guy that goes by the name BradleyBoy. It was a solid set and got the crowd well warmed up for the remainder of the night.
From the opening sounds of the Sunparlour Players first song, to the last refrain of their two set show I was a wash in musical bliss. The albums are good but the live show is where this band shines. The songs take on an whole new life with lead singer Andrew Penner pouring his entire being into the performance. Songs like ‘John Had a Bell and a Whistle’ and ‘Dyin’ Today’ were played with near string breaking emotion and intensity to the delightful roar of the crowd. Along with all three players stomping away on bass drums, they also employ a driving steel guitar right out front that is a unique and welcome use of the instrument.The Sunparlour Players live show is one of those shows that helps you gain a whole new respect for musicians, as well as appreciate the studio recording more.
This was probably their last live show for a while, as they are heading into the studio to record their new album, and I can hardly wait. In the meantime enjoy this standout track from the Sunparlour Players first album ‘Hymns for the Happy’.
Alliston, what a town. They have a retirement home lodge right next to a graveyard, a school across from a funeral parlour, and a combination Fish and Chips + Thai cuisine restaurant.
An article was recently posted at cnet news claiming that The Dark Knight will be the most pirated movie of 2008, and goes on to lampoon pirates of stealing money from the coffers of big business, and being the cause of a lack of quality entertainment (like The Dark Knight). I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that The Dark Knight is going to be the best selling DVD/Blu-Ray title of the holiday season, breaking a number of sales records. I’m still of the mind that most people who pirate movies do so because they can, and they would probably never have bought the item otherwise. I’ll have to remember to look up the data come the new year.
fresh comments