Alright, You Primitive Screwheads...

2010-07-11T10:33:00.002-03:00

I don't understand all the hate directed at the horns. To me it is no different from regular crowd noise in the background on TV. What a trivial, insignificant detail to whine about. Why does this bother people so much? Do they simply hate anything they're not used to? Oh....right.

2010-03-25T19:08:00.002-03:00

Yesterday was pretty lo-key, but things picked up at night, as I attended a sporting event with 72000 other people. I had spent the afternoon reading up so I had some idea what to expect. It was fun! This city in particular has a strong tradition for the game. Out of a league with 16 teams, no less than ten (!) are in the greater metropolitan area.

Tonight's plan is to drink with the house party crew from the other day. I will carry the weight of a nation on my shoulders. Good luck to me.

2010-03-24T21:22:00.002-03:00

The show was good; I've described the "facts" elsewhere, so I'll keep this description to opinion. The single, long, improvised song must have got to some people. I thought it was sort of a paradox; an artist with such a long history needs to play for more than 20 minutes (which the band did), but I think the outer reach for song length in this style is probably about that time. For my liking, at least. On the other hand, I get the sense that a second song would have sounded much like the first, so why not play them as a unit. I had warned N's parents that this was going to be "pretty weird". They were good sports about it, but I'm sure they now wish they had heeded my warning. I had fun though, and I thought it was an important thing for me to see, and I would probably have gone one way or the other.

The tram ride out was pretty interesting. One guy was drinking beer on the tram. Then this younger woman (mid 20s ish) gets on the tram, smoking, and starts asking everybody for change. A dude told her she should put out the cigarette and she loudly threatened to beat him up. Yee haw! I didn't give her any money. She lost quite a few points with that act. The show wasn't even in a rough part of town... it was in a gorgeous old theatre, with seating more befitting a gala ball than rock show. Very cool.

Yesterday afternoon I found a store that sells a lot of strange Belgian beers. Didn't find this one but I did pick up this and this. I was also looking for a certain beer from those islands off to the east, but it was not to be found. This country takes beer seriously. The variety of domestics (and imports for that matter) where I come from is sadly lacking. Those who like it may like it a lot, but they don't love it.

It's a zoo in there...

2010-03-23T19:38:00.003-03:00

Wow... we went to the zoo yesterday. I've been afraid to do this in the past, because caged animals kind of depress me. I have to say though, the zoo here is awesome. The residents have quite a bit of room, and I think if going to the zoo increases people's awareness of issues facing wild animals, then the zoo residents are kind of making a positive sacrifice, however unknowingly. I saw a hell of a lot of animals I have never seen before. We were there pretty much all day.

Tonight is the show I mentioned before.

2010-03-22T09:24:00.002-03:00

Two drinking establishments have stood out for me thus far. Today, we went to a bar on the seventh floor of a sixth floor building. Yes, the bar was on the roof, right in the middle of downtown. This would never fly back home. Someone would throw a bottle off the roof, maim somebody, then say "it was the city's fault for allowing a bar to open on a roof". Fucking weak pieces of SHIT!!

But the best bar was even less traditional. It was in a parking lot. Two walls were just the outsides of adjacent buildings; the third wall was a chain-link fence. The fourth wall was the bar itself - a transplanted shipping container. The ceiling? It covered about half the venue... patchy and makeshift. It's like the outside of Charlie's WAS Charlie's.

Tonight we went to a house party; it consisted mainly of foreign students from all over. Everyone was drunk. Now I'm not a "smoker", but I expected some "smoking" to take place and was very surprised when none did. I'm not used to that. But then I learned that that's not standard party fare here. Weird!

I did drink a bunch of homemade hard liquor though, and got somewhat fucked up.

2010-03-22T02:03:00.002-03:00

Headed west to the P dot, stayed about three stones' throws from the ocean. Beaches abound. I can't remember which night it was, but we made use of one of the public bbqs in the park. Those would never fly back home... it's too litigious an environment. Idiots would either blow the things up or burn themselves, then blame the municipality because "it's their fault for putting them there". In this part of the world, people are given this sort of responsibility, and they don't seem to abuse it. Also, the cities around here look really good, not lacking in public art.

We got to a neat market yesterday, and the day before was spent beaching and biking here. The island has a sad history as you can see. We mostly involved ourselves in the nature aspect... even met a few of these adorable little critters. What else... saw some incredible sunsets and drank a not-insignificant quantity of beer. I spent my downtime reading this book and watching strange sports on TV. Oh, also: we had hoped to see these guys the other night, but it was sold out. We did "see" them I guess... at the airport yesterday, leaving for their next gig.

Now we're back in the M dot until I think Sunday. It feels like early September. I've picked up presents for a few friends and family. I'll have to disappoint some of my friends I guess, but there is too much cool stuff here, and I wouldn't have room to bring it all back even if I could afford to. I guess a boat full of beer would be a good thing to take back.

Speaking of shows I want to see here... I scored tickets for all of us, including N's parents. I hope they know what they're getting into! They probably haven't heard anything like him before... shit, I don't think I have, either.

Jumping from late winter to summery "fall" makes me want to barbecue in a major way. When we get home, this will happen.

2010-03-16T08:35:00.002-03:00

Great record store here, bought a few items. Supper was at a japanese restaurant next to a free outdoor theatre. The city provides lawnchairs, and the movie playing wasn't even shitty. Then we went on a giant ferris wheel that exists on its own, not in a park. I drank beer in between all of these events, and a few other times. And I might be able to see an obscure artist next week. Not certain that will happen, but maybe.

2010-03-15T06:30:00.002-03:00

So we've arrived in city #2 (see last entry). Holy crap... I'm quite impressed. After NYC, this may be the coolest city I've ever seen. So much nice looking stuff, so much outdoor art everywhere. Like the 514 back home in some ways. I have a serious case of civic jealousy. My hometown seems so lame by comparison. Granted, this city is about ten times the size.

Gonna hit a record store tomorrow. Cultural events to be taken in, and maybe some sports I have never seen live. This is the city we're spending the most time in, and I'm pretty happy about it. We're staying in a short term apartment with hotellish tendencies.

2010-03-14T18:19:00.002-03:00

The city is on a series of inlets and harbours, it's kind of confusing on a map. Very pretty though, based on where we've been. Seems like it would be an expensive place to live. I have no sunburn yet, but I've been been watching myself on that front. Our hosts have picked lots of fun places for us to go. Today we move on to the next stop, where N and I (and her brother, whom we're here to visit) hope to go off on our own a little more and hit some records stores and maybe a bar or two. Want to try some of the stranger local beers. Even the "popular" ones have been interesting, since I have never seen any of them in Canada. I'm told no one here drinks this.

2010-03-14T03:23:00.003-03:00

Listened to ancient wind instruments busked over techno beats... then a boat ride to surf land (with a huge Pacific horizon). Art exhibits... fun day so far!

2010-03-13T17:55:00.002-04:00

Long flight; I slept five times in all. Was able to do so in such a way that I made it through a whole day once we got here (arrived in the morning). Tropical big city. Walked around downtown, saw the famous bridge and opera house. Pub food, new beers. All the beers I've had have been strongly hopped... pilsners and pale ales taste like IPAs. Not a bad thing. Street markets visited... rugby on TV at the pub. Then, the highlight of the day: we're at this Thai restaurant with a removable roof (the roof was on). All of a sudden there's this heavy downpour, out of nowhere. Then BLAMMO, a huge crack forms between two of the removable roof blocks, and water POURS into the seating area! Right behind our table! It was hilarious!

More to come.

Big Trip

2010-03-11T19:13:00.002-04:00

N and I are going to the opposite hemisphere on the opposite side of the world. We are receiving hospitality on a considerable scale. I may touch a kangaroo. This is shaping up to be an epic experience. Exclusive to this blog... no fb mentions til later!

2010-03-09T22:59:00.000-04:00

What if I thought something really banal was funny?

Oh oh! I'd be in big trouble!

2010-03-09T22:57:00.001-04:00

THE ANSWER IS THIS: DON'T BRING YOUR DOG TO WORK, EVER.

2010-01-27T00:16:00.001-04:00

Not saying embarrassing things on the internet is full-time job.

2009-11-16T20:10:00.002-04:00

Say your band is playing an open mic. There are a whole lot of other bands playing too, so it's important that changeover happens as quickly as possible. There are amps there, and a complete drumkit. Brand new off the shelf, no, but serviceable.

Drummers: don't bring your own hardware and crap. It wastes time, and all of the bands after yours have to play shorter sets because of it. Perhaps a snare is ok, but all of this taking cymbals off and *maybe* putting them back on is a waste of other people's time. It's not your band's show, it's an open mic. Use what you're given. If having "your sound" is more important to you than other bands getting the chance to play a proper set length at an open mic, you are being selfish.

This is, in my opinion, poor music etiquette. Sorry.

2009-10-27T21:01:00.002-03:00

What if someone had a problem, but they didn't tell anyone about it, because they don't want anyone to say/think "don't be such a fuckin' baby!!". I think it's hard to know which complaints constitute babydom and which constitute a call for help with a legitimate issue. I think to some people, any complaint of any kind falls in the baby category. At the other extreme are people who coddle. But all that grey area. How many people in that area get over shit on their own? How many go nuts? How many do some combination of the two?

2009-10-27T20:56:00.000-03:00

Sometimes, when I make a comment about something very obviously lame being lame, I feel...

dumb.

2009-10-22T20:12:00.001-03:00

On Saturday, I am gonna do NOTHING.

2009-10-22T20:11:00.001-03:00

Blogs are more secretive now. Who would think to look for one?

2009-10-21T23:02:00.003-03:00

WHAT?!? Your band put out a TAPE?!?

Clearly, you are pretentious. Tapes died in the 90s, man. That means they are off-limits now. Even to art-wieners like YOU!!

No one can play this format in 2009. NO ONE!!! What's that? You say you put a download code in the liner notes? That's fine, but dubbing a tape and making artwork with your own two hands was a waste of EVERYONE's time.

I know people like you. You just want to try and be different! Well, don't bother! Putting out a cassette is HARDLY original. Bands did that all the time back in the day! YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL.

Put out a fucking CD like everyone else. YOU'RE NOT BETTER THAN THE REST OF US.

***

Do I have to have to explain that I'm being sarcastic?

I do?

Ok.

2009-10-20T21:31:00.005-03:00

Hearing some good new music.

I needed this. Doing the show all the time got to be too much, but there's such thing as not enough.

You'll like this band if you like:

2009-10-17T09:32:00.002-03:00

Complaining about things you perceive to be trendy, that were 5 years ago but aren't now, is so lame. You come off like a grumpy old reactionary, like someone's mean, shitty dad... "turn off that noise! we had real music back in my day! like 'skinnerd!" This attitude should be the enemy! I hated it when I was a teenager and that hasn't changed.

If I'd complain about anything it's musicians who only play the plainest, more boring, generic rock music possible because anything else would be... wait for it... PRETENTIOUS!

I used to hate trendiness in the music scene, and to a large degree I still do. But sometimes I think it's almost the lesser of two evils. The other being plainness. You listen to plain, obvious bands that play it safe artistically, and you end up being a faded copy of that. I hate both of these things!

Good rock and roll should have at least some elements of weirdness, however minute. Even if you just play A-D-E, but you play it so hard you look like you're trying to murder your instrument (or yourself), that counts as weird. It shouldn't, because I think playing that hard is just normal. That's the least I can ask of a band!

Just give me something different, somewhere. It can be small. It can be your whole band and everything you do. But give me something. Not this grumpy old man bullshit.

2009-10-08T20:27:00.000-03:00

There, now I feel better. Yet, somehow much less cool...

2009-10-08T20:14:00.002-03:00

My brain just ground to a halt. There's too much to do. I can't get enough sleep, yet it eats into a lot of my personal time.

Oh, shut up. You could be cleaning a lake or a shoebox somewhere.

2009-10-04T22:27:00.002-03:00

I made the right decision to stay here. I wouldn't want to be in a situation where I felt I had to bring more to the table, artistically, than is within my capability. I would not want shows to become like a reading list. Yes, the books are very interesting; but if you get behind on your reading, others will surpass you in the quest for excellence, and you will have to learn to accept being a C+ student.

I could also make the metaphor sporty. A young man likes to play hockey. He's in a recreational league. He wonders what it might be like to try out for a pro team. Friends have told him he could make it. But then he would have to practice a lot more, work out a lot and maybe hire an agent. He struggles with this. He wants to be the best he can be. He has good friends who have gone pro, and are willing and able to take those extra steps a pro has to take. What they get in return is worth it. But would it be "worth it" for him? What if everyone just blew by him on the ice and he found himself sitting in the stands all the time?

At least now he knows he can can play every night and really help a team win. It's great to wonder "what if", but one has to be realistic.

2009-09-29T23:30:00.002-03:00

If someone accuses you of being pretentious: give up! Because calling someone pretentious is the trump card of everything.

"You dare deviate from my accepted norms? How pretentious!"

If you try and argue, you just prove their point... because only a pretentious person would deny being pretentious.

Fred: "You know, I think that-"

Bob: "Ah! Ah! Pretentious!!"

Fred: "Shit. I got nothing."

Bob: "See?"

2009-09-29T23:29:00.001-03:00

If I got certain details wrong, it's just because I don't care enough to meet your level of wonderfulness.

2009-09-26T23:27:00.002-03:00

"You can't just read between the lines. You also have to read the lines."

-author unknown

2009-09-02T21:32:00.003-03:00

I often think of interesting things to write here, but I'm never near a computer at the time.

2009-09-02T21:32:00.001-03:00

Complain, complain, complain.

2009-09-02T21:25:00.002-03:00

If I'm riding my bike and turning left, I hold my left arm out straight. If I'm turning right, I do the same with my right arm.

If I, say, held my left arm out (elbow bent or not), then turned right, I WOULD EXPECT TO BE KILLED BY A CAR. KILLED.

Turning signals for cyclists should follow common sense. What ever arm goes out, that's where you are turning. I feel very strongly about this. It is not rocket science.

I ride a bike at least four days out of seven.

The Underdog's Credo

2009-08-28T00:36:00.000-03:00

Their desire to kill is weaker than my desire to not die.

Donkey Rock versus Elephant Rock

2009-08-19T21:25:00.002-03:00

The continuum of attitudes about artistic license in punk rock reminds me A LOT of classic left-right political differences. If I had some time on my hands, or the ability to make a convincing argument, I'd write about it.

2009-08-16T02:48:00.003-03:00

Next week is my last Saturday night radio show. There are a number of reasons why I'm quitting, but the main one was in full effect tonight. There was a show going on where no less than three bands I'm in were playing. This was a bar show that started after 10pm, and I'm on air at midnight. After the last band I had to tear off the stage, and even then I was ten minutes late. This has happened to me a lot, and I'm kind of sick of it. There's no co-host for me to turn to when shows like these happen. I haven't had Saturday nights free in almost 14 years. This was no big deal back in the day... I was single and never went to bars. What the fuck else was I going to do?

Reason number two is the loss of Ube and Tobe from the station. I looked forward to hanging out with them every Saturday, or at least chatting for a few minutes. Or at the very least, hearing what they were playing. Those guys got me into a lot of good bands. It's kind of lonely up there now. Not as fun, and something has been lost musically as well.

Reason number three is prep time. I've become really obsessive about not repeating too much. To do this, I have to spend a lot of time gathering new material. And if I'm pre-taping because of taking a night off, that takes way, way more time. Reasons one and two seem to amplify reason three a lot.

So next week is the final edition of the show. I already know everything I'm going to play. I want it to flow like a "greatest hits 1995-2009" mixtape. It would be fun to recreate an episode circa the 90s, but I've gotten into too many good bands over the past decade for that to be fair. However, here were a few old standards tonight, and there will be more next week.

I've talked about this a lot on air and in other places. Hopefully I'm not coming off as self-important, but this is a big deal to me. The music I play... I dunno, I just think people need to hear it. When I started doing radio, I worried a lot that if I didn't play "real" punk rock on the radio no one would ever hear it, and shitty versions of the genre would take over. I still feel that way to a lesser extent, but I also feel like I've done all I can to prevent this. Hopefully the show was of use to some people, hopefully it improved their taste in music, even if only in some tiny way.

I'm going to talk openly about this on air next week, and thank a lot of people. And I've picked the perfect song to end the show with. Stay tuned!

Edit: I totally wrote half of this crap already. Sheesh, Ash.

2009-08-12T22:28:00.003-03:00

Initial-band is working on two new tracks. Me-drumming band is working on at least two, and I recorded a demo of one tonight. Noise project is about five minutes into the editing of a 14 minute track for a comp.

2009-08-12T22:26:00.001-03:00

There's a really good microbrewery close to my house. It's like buying beer from a big shed!

Political Blogs

2009-08-12T22:23:00.004-03:00

I never read them 'cause I'm afraid to see crazy shit that will piss me off or make me depressed. People are so polarized nowadays. It's like the whole word is a ^%$@#%^@$ show. That wasn't "shit", it was the name of a band.

More Politics

2009-08-12T22:20:00.002-03:00

I'm no commie. I'm all for the downtrodden pulling themselves up by the bootstraps without help from The Man. But you can't pull much of anything when your hands are broken and you can't afford to go to the hospital.

Let's be realistic here.

Another Genius

2009-08-12T22:17:00.001-03:00

...of hilarity. We don't have a lot in common, yet I feel like we do somehow.

2009-08-11T23:39:00.001-03:00

I'm sorry, but this show is hilarious. I hope you don't think I'm dumb. Or old.

2009-08-05T21:48:00.000-03:00

I eat mainly for pleasure, yet I sometimes have this sense of "whooooaaa, that's enough of that for awhile".

I guess that's still bad.

2009-08-02T03:08:00.002-03:00

I often think about this fable, but for some reason I always picture the "villain" as a drug-addicted rabbit.

I think a parent should be really careful about telling this story to a child, because I can see negative ideas coming from it. It kind of teaches a child to be judgemental. The grasshopper is lazy. But why? He just is. Some people "just are", and they get what they deserve in the end - misery and death.

To me this story encourages us to pass some pretty harsh judgements on face value. Maybe the grasshopper needs some different kind of motivation s/he hasn't found yet. I mean besides starvation. That's just too bleak.

I'd rather a child try to learn to see the bigger picture. When someone is in need, our instinct should be to help them, not to make snap judgements. Maybe something from the grasshopper's past causes him/her to have problems self-motivating. Maybe it's something that can be helped somehow, rather than just shaking a smug finger as the poor bastard dies in the gutter.

Don't think kids don't pick up on these things. I highly suspect they do.

2009-07-29T22:17:00.001-03:00

EARN MONEY FROM YOUR BLOG!!!!

2009-07-29T22:09:00.003-03:00

Here's another thing I've been thinking about lately. I often feel weird watching television. There might be something on that I know I'll find funny, but then I think, "isn't TV just for old people now?" I dunno... I don't often seek out funny things on the internet, even though they abound. Here's an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw5oJoUYTb8

If I see something on TV I find really funny, I'm afraid to talk about it with anyone. Like showing up at a party in 1983 wearing bell bottoms. Maybe I'm being paranoid.

In my defence, there is more strange shit on specialty channels now than there was when I was a kid.

2009-07-22T22:35:00.002-03:00

Birthdays seem more fun for people not having the birthday. One time a person got mad at me because I openly discouraged them from getting me anything. She said,

"It's not all about you, you know!"

WTF?!? Uh, yeah it is! It's my birthday and I can do whatever I want! And you have to do what I say!! And I say I don't want any presents! My parents renew my CAA every year, that's enough. I do random stuff on my birthday. Went up north one year... (like, NWT north)... another time I biked 20km into the woods and slept under a rock in the rain. Did the Cabot Trail once with a coupla pals. Watched an acquaintance compete in the Special Olympics once. And this last one, I got engaged on a hill in France over pink champagne.

I'm not even kidding.

As I proposed to her, we listened to this artist on an iPod docking thingy.

I thought I'd provide video to illustrate my point. It's a rather manly thing to propose to someone, and this video pretty much leaks testosterone through the screen. I felt strangely badass. Like "yeeeeaaaahhhh, I'm the fuckin' king".

2009-07-22T22:34:00.000-03:00

My noise thing is doing another song, for a comp. I'll keep working on that whole project, but not when I'm as tired as I am today.

2009-07-22T22:03:00.002-03:00

A pet peeve of mine is when I make pop culture references that people I'm talking to are too young to understand. I absorbed pop culture constantly when I was little, whether it was aimed at children or adults. As a result I now sometimes drop references that make more sense to people my parents' age... never mind people 10 or more years younger than me. I usually catch myself, but when I slip (and know it), it's embarrassing.

I started to make that sentence say "younger than I", but then I thought that looked dumb. Refer to post from earlier today.

2009-07-22T21:05:00.002-03:00

I'm quitting my radio show at the end of the summer. Without a co-host and without my old friends hanging around the station with me, I feel like the joy is gone. I'd keep on giving up all of my Saturdays if I still felt that sense of community OR had someone to give me a break every other week. Keeping the show from getting repetitive takes up a lot of time, especially when it's every Saturday. I find myself scrounging for longer songs to play, and that's just not very punk rock. I don't like having to make other arrangements when there's a show/party/road trip. Taping a show takes way more time than doing one live, and getting a fill-in host at that hour is tough.

I suspect the last few weeks will be filled with a lot of bands from the 90s... so I can go out the way I came in. I already know what the last song will be on the final show. I've known for a long time. Stay tuned.

2009-07-22T21:04:00.001-03:00

Some guy tried to post a link showing me how to improve my writing style. This is a blog, not a PhD thesis. I could care less about writing style.

This is why I moderate that shit.

"Vote For My Band..."

2009-07-19T14:46:00.002-03:00

The hell I'll vote for your band! If your band was any good, people would vote for you without you bothering them!! Maybe if we were really good friends, I guess...

Young musicians: Making music is like dating. Never let your band appear needy or desperate. People smell that a mile away, and it stinks.

More About Radio

2009-06-28T02:17:00.001-03:00

I love the music I play and I know I have listeners... but something's been missing lately. I need a co-host. I need one by the end of the summer. Otherwise...

The Vocoder

2009-06-18T22:58:00.001-03:00

OVERUSED!! OVERUSED!!

2009-06-03T19:39:00.002-03:00

This man suppsedly said that there was a sucker born every minute. I thought of him today as I read people lavishing an attention-seeker with criticisms about being an attention-seeker.

Radio

2009-05-31T02:38:00.002-03:00

I've been doing it for a long time... over 13 years. There have been some great times up there. The mayhem of the early years... funding drive shenanigans... colourful guests... rowdy live acts... pizza parties with Ube and Tobe.

Of course, the music is what it's all about. Punk rock has been a big part of my life (I'll leave it at that to avoid getting cheesy), and continues to be. How many bands have I played on the airwaves? Hundreds? Thousands? I wouldn't know half of what I know about music were it not for the new things I've tried in the name of keeping the show fresh and current.

The world is never going to run out of good new bands, but the number of old, classic bands that fit on my show is finite. In recent times I've reached more and more for obscurities to keep up that end of things. When I felt like I had heard all of the best bands from the english-speaking world I looked beyond, to continental Europe and elsewhere.

Tonight I was playing a really obscure Italian punk comp and I thought, man... these bands are great, but I'm really digging deep here. I need good, old bands to serve as a framework for the new music I play. There's so much shitty, awful punk rock today. I don't know what I hate more, wanna-be boy bands or reactionary, cookie cutter bands that detest innovation of any kind. I need to show the world:

Me (plays old band): See, wasn't that awesome?

anonymous listener to him/herself: Wow, that was great. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

Me (plays new band): This band is doing it right. See the connection?

listener: Oh.... yeaaaah!

Young musicians: you don't have to play shitty music. The spirit of "77 punk" or "81 hardcore" that so many people look up to is alive, just not in the contemporary music you have heard. Here is some you may not have heard. See? Nothing is fucked, here. Nothing is fucked!

The problem is, if I run out of vintage punk bands that inspire me, I can't put modern music in its proper context. The context that is the whole meaning of my show.

There are other issues. Saturday night feels like less of a party time. I get the sense that Ube feels this too. The punk rock mission keeps me coming back. The mission.

Other factors have detracted from some of the joy, but I've already touched on the major ones. I guess I'm worried I may soon have nothing left to teach.

Shit, I don't even know if there's anyone still in the fucking classroom.

Hyperbole

2009-05-31T02:36:00.000-03:00

"To describe its sheer horribleness would require words which neither exist in the english language today, nor are likely to exist at any point during our lifetimes."

Swine Flu

2009-04-27T00:30:00.001-03:00

Ha!

Ooooh, I'm sooo scared!!

De-Storaging

2009-04-26T14:45:00.001-03:00

I've posted pictures of my jam-packed storage room here before. At present it's down to a little under half-full. But now, I'm finding boxes and boxes filled with old power bill receits, credit card statements and such. I've always been paranoid about throwing out anything with personal info on it, but this is totally out of hand. I'm glad I own a paper shredder now. And some WD40.

Last Call

2009-04-26T10:08:00.002-03:00

The folks at the house on North Street where I used to live are all moving out and going their separate ways. To commemorate the occasion, one final big party was thrown last night.

It was a classic party like the ones we used to have. Festivities started in the afternoon with barbecuing and homebrew. Bands and solo artists performed sets. JWO and MVH were particularly amazing. Briantology crowd surfed from the living room to the kitchen during the latter. I played in two bands; the first was a loose new project where I play drums. That seemed to go well, but I was kicking myself for forgetting my earplugs.

ECT played later on. We were looking for some redemption. There was the botched cover at the art opening last weekend, then an open mic fiasco on Monday (this involved the drums being very loud in the PA, but the three of us being too far behind the speakers and unable to hear the beat... leading to a train wreck of a set). We had to kill at this show. Five minutes before playing, N and I came to the realization that our drummer was back at the house. I was in no condition to go get him, so another solution needed to be found, and fast. Our friend 'Bango' agreed to bail us out and be the first human being to play drums in our band. With literally NO practice, he was perfect. He did not screw up a single beat. HUGE kudos to him for that. The set went well, it was a little trashier than usual, but we were all feeling it.

I know this is going to happen, but hopefully people won't encourage us to "get a real drummer" full time. We deliberately chose to used canned beats, it's an important part of how we want to sound. I'll make a mixtape for anyone who doesn't understand.

I brought along a cigar I had been given as a gift. I was rather eager to share, and definitely in the right frame of mind to do so. God knows how many people smoked that thing. Dozens. It was a good stogie, but you'd have to be drunk to be the 36th person to smoke it.

I don't know how long the party went on. We left around 1:30 and it was still going strong. N and I tried to be good citizens and bag up some bottles and cans before leaving. We gave up after two full blue bags. We didn't even touch the backyard.

It was a fitting send-off to the house. Everything was perfect as far as I could see.

2009-04-19T02:51:00.002-03:00

Look at those guys. Now THAT'S rock and roll.

Celtic Music

2009-04-19T02:44:00.002-03:00

I have to admit... and I mean no offence, here... I hate almost all Celtic music. But there are two exceptions.

2009-04-19T02:30:00.002-03:00

There's some cool stuff going on at the RG right now, you should check it out. My band played the art opening there tonight. Kinda weird. We were under the gun for time, and I felt like we were in a bit of a rush. I think the sound was ok? We played our usual songs well, but the new cover was a wreck. A WRECK. I could only laugh by the end. It was weird, because I was watching another band and thinking "these guys would be good if they had a little more practice". Glass houses, Von Foolishness. Glass houses.

We ended with our "danse punque" song and I decided I had to rock out more than usual to make up for our sonic gaffe. So I got all

on everyone.

When N and I got to the show I was pretty excited. There were a lot of people there, and a lot I didn't know. There were people there who looked too young to get into bars, and therefore could never have seen us before. "This is our big break", I thought. But in the end, most of the faces in the crowd were familiar. Not complaining about that though. Our friends understand us and we love them for it! Also, I love playing different venues. I hope we can make that tour happen this summer.

The record will be out in 2 weeks.

2009-04-16T21:29:00.000-03:00

Delicious... and inexpensive!

2009-04-15T22:45:00.002-03:00

I'm trying to book a tour for the band. It'll be short but awesome. I can't be a career rock musician, so I'll have to take it one week at a time. People should try and do things like this while they can. If you have the chance, do it.

The Little Black Poodle, Oh So Naively In The Bunch

2009-04-15T20:04:00.003-03:00

I'm gonna post this here, too. Mark my words, I'm going to form a cover band and play this at open mic night. German and all, Verdammt!

I'm too dumb to embed this so click here.

I pick the oddest bands to be blown away by. Here's another.

Headlining

2009-04-13T02:34:00.002-03:00

Conventional rock wisdom says that the headlining spot on a bill should be the one everybody covets. This is not the case around here. No band seems to ever want to headline, and a significant number of audience members don't want to stay for the last band.

I guess I'm no different. When band order was discussed tonight it was like a reflex. "Well, obviously we can't go last". But tonight it made sense. We were the veteran band of the bunch!

Is it like this in other cities? H_x definitely has its music scene quirks.

Our sound was not good at the start. I like to run the drum machine into the PA as a stereo signal, but the sound system at the bar does not like it when I do this. I like the drum rolls to... well, roll from left to right. That's why I set it up that way. But a mono signal is what I should be using because that's the only way you can hear the drums properly at this venue. I never learn.

So about 4 songs in we were sounding like ass despite playing reasonably well. The drum machine has to be bumpin'. That's what we're all about. I switched to mono and things got better. Note to self: ONLY USE MONO AT THAT VENUE. Absolutely god damn right. And never get out of the boat, either.

People liked it anyway. It's funny how a band can melt the ice if they play enough. Like Old Band... everyone HATED us at first. HATED. But by the end, I think we had earned some respect. That didn't surprise me too much... we were playing a very accessable type of punk rock. But GS and BB were able to do the same thing to a lesser degree, playing far less accessable music. Especially GS... that's a band I thought NO ONE would ever get/like. But a surprising number of people did in the end.

ECT (which isn't a the most searchable band name) is also a band I would not describe as accessable. We play punk rock using a drum machine, write lyrics in french and sing almost exclusively about fucking. We do it our own way, popularity be damned. Yet tonight, several people from outside our group of friends paid us kind compliments, even with the shitty sound at first. I find strangers are harder to impress than friends. They're less likely to understand what we're trying to do. But I'm feeling more and more like there are some in this city who get it. It feels good.

2009-04-12T03:21:00.001-03:00

I had to write a self-critique of my radio show tonight. I think I do a good show. It's a show for punk rock nerds. I don't know how many of those there are in this city.

I'll keep the faith though. I'd like to make the city seem bigger if I can.

2009-04-12T03:19:00.001-03:00

I have to admit, the guy's funny. Now.

2009-04-12T03:04:00.003-03:00

Friday night we had multiple friends over to the new place for the first time. It was fun. I have to admit, I enjoy showing the place off. Things are starting to normalize in terms of looking like we have finished moving. Now I'm trying to empty out the storage room. The one in the Tetris post.

I've dumped a lot of stuff in the garbage or at the VV. I've kept some of it. It's hard to stop being a pack rat, but if there was ever a time to stop, it's now. It usually doesn't take me long to decide what stays and what goes. I found a whole bunch of papers that required shredding. The shredder overheated twice tonight. Why all the power bills from 2002?? Sheesh.

Most of the memorabilia I'm keeping relates to music. Old gig posters and such. There is a lot of this, but it's history that's important to me. MRRs from the early 90s... setlists... I'm storing these things in the future jam room in the basement. It'll add to the rockness.

Then I'm going to start brewing again, but not the way I did at the old place. There, I brewed so that we could have crazy parties with free beer for all. Now, I just want to have some cold beverages around the house, on the cheap. Summer beer for the summer. I'm going to get into winemaking too. For us, it just makes sense. Gonna make some of these and some of these.

Techno Music

2009-03-25T20:29:00.002-03:00

I don't listen to a lot of it, but man... there's one song I'm finding absolutely mesmerizing these days. This is probably not a song you've heard; go here and listen to the track "M. in P. - FD Mix" (the initials are mine - you know I how hate to be a search result). It should be the default first song on her player. I don't often listen to a song over and over again many times in a row, but this is one.

I'd love to hear this CRANKED while riding on a roller coaster or driving a car obscenely fast down a winding road. Seriously, listen to this song.

2009-03-22T03:27:00.002-03:00

Reading these last few entries, sheesh.... I sound like I'm twelve! I've been writing a lot of teaching materials at work recently, which has been a bit stressful. Perhaps this is just the pendulum swinging back the other way.

2009-03-22T03:16:00.001-03:00

I should totally do this weeekkendd updayt as a regular thing.

Blogging's BACK, baby!

Well, for me anyway.

2009-03-22T03:12:00.000-03:00

Once into the new place, I think there will be a whole lotta this.

2009-03-22T03:04:00.002-03:00

I like the new president, and I was pretty excited when he won. Anytime he said anything I was like "yeah!".

So it bummed me out a bit when he made a crack about his bowling game being like this event. It didn't seem like something that would come from him. He seems to be all about inclusivity, so he shouldn't belittle the SOs in this way.

Hopefully, he thought afterwards "yeah that was a shitty thing to say. fuck." I've thought that a few times in my life too.

2009-03-22T02:49:00.002-03:00

I've made two posts recently on a messageboard looking for other fans of certain bands I like. At first I was disappointed to see that no strangers were interested in these bands. But then I thought, maybe the other people in this city who like them don't read this messageboard. "Not everyone reads it, you know," I said to myself.

I have to tell myself things like that. It eases the pain of not being able to migrate to the considerably more weirdo-art-punk friendly 514.

I should say though, I'm happy where I am. My job is stable and allows me to do things I want to do right here. I couldn't have that up there, not easily at least. So I've made it my goal to

2009-03-22T02:41:00.002-03:00

I'm moving this week... into a house that N and I bought. Whoa! I'm not going to rant on about it, but let's just say I'm happy to find such a nice place at such an affordable (I don't think that word has much meaning when it comes to houses) price right in the city. It's not significantly farther from the neighbourhood pub than where we are now.

So now we've gotta pack shit and find a subletter. Meanwhile, work is nutso and the band is putting out a record.

But the good news is, there's gonna be a house party when this is all over. And believe you me, IT WILL BE EPIC.

2009-03-22T02:36:00.003-03:00

As of this week I own a record so rare, I never thought I would even see it, much less have my own copy. I got it at what I feel was a reasonable price. I'm not really a record collector, but this one is particularly interesting to me because it's by a hilariously bizarre 70s punk band from the 709. There's no other obscure record I could ever get this excited about.

I might show it to you if you come over.

2009-03-22T02:34:00.002-03:00

Personally, I'm glad they didn't put atheist ads on the buses. Because if they did, you know the pro-lifers would be like "game on". And that would be waaay more annoying.

2009-03-15T04:10:00.002-03:00

I just looked at all of the links I've made at the right of the screen... you know, my friends' blogs. Awhile back I said I'd delete all links to blogs that hadn't been recently updated. But now, very few indeed have been updated in the last six months. I could be down to two links or something. Is this a lost art? Because lost arts are often interesting. Sometimes.

2009-03-15T03:43:00.002-03:00

Apparently, the neutrality of Gore Vidal's wikipedia entry is disputed. I would think that would be quite an honour... to have your own wikipedia in dispute. But then, maybe some shmuck wrote a bunch of bullcrap about Gore Vidal, and it's actually Gore himself who is disputing the neutrality. That wouldn't be as cool, I think.

2009-03-15T03:37:00.003-03:00

Man... I ate a great pizza today and I've been enjoying my burps all night. I was really busy this week, including quite a bit of band stuff. We'll have the 7" very soon. It looks like I'm doing a dj night this Wednesday, I'm excited about that.

I found a video of a guy on PCP punching through a wooden fence and I was going to post it here. But then I thought, no.

2009-02-10T22:23:00.002-04:00

The 7" has been sent to the plant. This month has been ridiculous... a record, perhaps as many as 5 shows (six if you count the solo project... seven if you count a very informal band), one out of province requiring a boat ride... best friend's birthday, and the hugest financial decision of my life. Let's just say, we're hoping to start brewing again soon. Refer to earlier post.

Playing The Electric Guitar

2009-01-25T04:06:00.003-04:00

Sometimes people compliment me on the way I play. I'm flattered, but I don't have an original rock n roll bone in my body. Everything I know/do I stole from these three people:

2008-12-28T03:36:00.002-04:00

I was reading some old entries in this blog and experiencing some good memories. I don't write much here these days. I used to make a point of remembering neat thoughts I'd have in the run of a day so I could post them here. I should do that more. All I have are random notes tonight.

I have no plans for NYE. I need to make some. Another thing I need to make is beer, but there's no room. Someday, N and I will own our own house, and then I'll start to pick up the slack again. I'll sell it after hours on the sly. I'll carry a beeper... remember beepers?? It'll be like this movie, but with beer.

I've started an ambient noise project. Even played live once. I enjoy doing this.

My main band is going to put out a 7" very soon. We're days away from sending it to the plant. It is going to kick ass.

I like to drink port after my radio show.

2008-11-21T17:45:00.002-04:00

We should be thankful ants are the size they are. Can you imagine an ant the size of a lion? That would be scary. Especially if it could walk through walls.

Rock and Roll

2008-10-13T21:43:00.002-03:00

2008-10-05T03:44:00.002-03:00

It's funny how easy it is to get away with jokes about prison rape on TV. Rape is no less horrible when it doesn't involve a woman.

2008-09-08T17:14:00.002-03:00

How often is too often for a band to play in a city of 370,000? I'm trying to work out a formula I can apply. Twice a month at the same venue seems like too much. Two different venues might be alright. Three shows/three venues in a month is pushing it, but a special event like a house party or a guerilla show under an overpass shouldn't count.

What role should new material play in the equation? I think you earn one show opportunity over the above for each new song you play. So, twice in a month at the same venue is alright if you have a new song the second time.

I don't like to overplay. It's like fucking the audience when you should be "making love". I want the audience to have a rare and special experience at every show. And that group includes me.

We went from never playing, to playing constantly. GS spent time in this trap. It's a feeling I don't like. You never want to seem like a prick, turning down shows and all, but sometimes you just have to. You need to.

2008-09-05T18:34:00.001-03:00

The less I write in this blog, the better I think it gets.

2008-09-05T18:18:00.002-03:00

"Hey... I'm in a band called ______. Here's a link to our website. We're looking for some constructive criticism. Let us know what you think."

Man, shut up. I hate when people do this. I think that to literally ask for approval of one's music/visual presentation is, like, minus a million rock and roll points, instantly.

I've played in bands for over 20 years, depending on how you define "band". I know that it's important to get your name around. I know it's satifying to receive accolades, but come on. By saying things like this, you only make your band seem needy, which is a huge turn-off for me.

Be more subtle than this at advertising your band. I can't begin to list how many times I've been to a punk rock show and heard some band order (or worse, beg) the audience to dance. I remember this band at the old all-ages club in the 90s where the singer was like "C'mooonnn guys, mosh. Pleeeease??". Fuck you!!!! People would dance without prompting if your band didn't suck so much!! Don't assume you're not at fault here!

In that band's defence, they were maybe 16 years old. This is the same type of thing I'm talking about though. You must get into this mindset: my band is awesome. Our sheer awesomeness is so magnanimously awesome that no mortal would DARE not recognize this obvious fact. Now, keep this to yourself; never state it outright, or as subtext. But feel it. Feel it when you play. Feel it when you write. Believe it, just don't act like you do.

What was I talking about again???

Which Way Is She Spinning?

2008-09-04T18:44:00.003-03:00

Clockwise... or counter-clockwise? She doesn't change direction if you remain fixated, but if you watch in your peripheral vision you can will your perception to change, and she appears to spin the opposite way.

2008-09-04T17:54:00.000-03:00

2008-08-25T18:50:00.002-03:00

"The triplewart seadevil, Cryptopsaras couesii, is a seadevil of the family Ceratiidae, found in all oceans, from the surface to 2,000 m. Its length is approximately 30 cm for females and 3 cm for males.

(...)

Males are free swimming when young but before they mature these small fishes (about a tenth the size of the female) attach themselves permanently to the hind body of the female and become parasitic. Their blood supply becomes continuous with that of the female and most of the internal organs degenerate; in essence the male becomes an appendage to supply sperm when required."

- Wikipedia

I Hate Ska Punk

2008-06-27T19:57:00.002-03:00

Except for...

2008-06-07T03:24:00.000-03:00

You can't just do whatever you want.

Think you can?

No.

The Culling Of The Herd

2008-06-01T04:30:00.001-03:00

I'm sorry, friends. I'm removing the links of people who seemingly do not use their blogs anymore. Four months, you're off. Blogging is dead anyway...

...or IS it?

I Wish...

2008-05-19T02:44:00.002-03:00

I wish there were (even) more things about the world we did not know...

...undiscovered cultures and such, that sort of thing. And poisonous birds.

Youtube Comments

2008-04-17T18:29:00.002-03:00

Here's a craaazy idea: get a fake account and go around posting the most absurd, exaggeratedly ignorant, racist, homophobic, sexist comments everywhere possible. Make them SO over the top that people read them and think "this is funny, because no one could possibly be that ignorant".

I'm being facetious. I hate the comments section of this website. I strain to not see anything anyone writes there. It is the ultimate end result of any unmoderated speech on the internet. It confirms my suspicions that humanity can't play nice without supervision. There might be a good thing going somewhere for awhile, but someone will find it take it upon themselves to ruin it. Maybe they figure that a uniform population of ruined forums is nice and neat and tidy.

Life

2008-04-10T18:44:00.003-03:00

I moved in with N this month, making official a situation that has existed unofficially for months. I'm completely happy with this. Sad to move out of the old place, but it was time for a change. That said, the old place is a great apartment filled with wonderful folks and a great guy is moving in there in my place (and he makes his own beer too). I'm proud to be an alum of that house.

Ash, You Need To Get On...

2008-04-10T18:32:00.004-03:00

Here's the thing: I have this paranoid compulsion against using my real name on the internet for any reason... private or not (nothing's truly private in cyberspace). I just can't bring myself to register for a networking service where real names are used.

I am, however, considering adopting a fake but real-sounding name for this purpose. I'll have some kind of clue in the name so that people in the know can guess it's me. The reason I'm seriously considering this now is that I'm encountering more and more people who use fb as their sole means of electronic communication. Other than that, I wonder how much I'd really use this service... apart from seeing if old friends have aged poorly or not.

One thing I don't want to deal with is disabling a whole bunch of defaults that track my online purchases and shit. That's horrible!! (I heard that's been phased out, but still). I detest having to endlessly "opt out" of services I don't want. I've also heard it's difficult to put music on fb... a friend who uses it told me they want your sin number or a scan of a real ID!! FUCK. THAT. I'm still on ms, but music is now the only thing I use it for.

I admit I'm guilty of not giving people much to read here nowadays, but I wonder how many people even care about blogs now, given the above situation. Some probably do.