Musicstar

I feel it fitting that my first blog posting in well over a year and a half be on the topic of rituals and habits. I’ve never been one to keep a consistent schedule in my life. It’s always erratic and at the whims of my creative and professional meanderings.

I actually am sitting here attending the MUSA 8th anniversary which I have, oddly (for the guy who doesn’t observe annual rituals like Christmas or Easter) consitently been in regular attendance. It feels weird to think another year has crept by and again here I am.

So what does this boil down to? Perhaps if I make it a habit to blog more I might better capture the rituals in my life. So here goes (again)…

1. October 21 – Ryan Adams, Massey Hall, Toronto
   

   The last time I saw Ryan Adams I walked out of his double set – to match a just released that day double disc Cold Roses – show at The Warehouse. I had even bought the new disc and listened to it all day before this concert so I could enjoy it. Adams, however, was being an absolute premadona prick to the audience and I left just as the second set start.

   Flash forward to this year and I reluctantly take an extra ticket from a friend. This time, however, the recipe is perfect: Adams is off booze, drugs and anything else illicit. His band is one sickingly tight set of musicians. Adams was upbeat and jovial. The set lasted nearly 2 hours. The range of material played included all the good stuff from now and then. Massey Hall equals indescribable magic.What more could a Ryan Adams fan want? How about the entire concert recorded directly from the board, post-mixed and made available for download with Ryan Adams blessing.

2. November 27 – Neil Young, Massey Hall, TorontoI really do not need to write much here. Watch the various YouTubes from any of the four night run Neil did at Massey Hall and you’ll know what I mean. I was very very lucky to be given a ticket front row balcony almost centre. He played two of four of my favourites “Heart of Gold” and “Cortez The Killer”. This is remarkable for me considering his own commented he made to a really annoying audience (one of the worst I’ve had to sit with) would not stop yelling out requests: “I don’t know that one but I 600 other songs that all sound the same.”
3. September 12 – Bill Callahan, Music Gallery, TorontoThe Music Gallery is one of those venues that every good musician should play one day. It’s small, intimate, has beautiful natural acoustics and makes me wish the church I went to as a kid was this cool. Bill brought a band with him. He dressed up nice and fancy. He played a great selection of songs from both his older Smog albums and his latest “solo” effort. His music is so earnest sometimes it hurts but when you see him play it live it’s honestly is comforting.

1. 
   Sleep Tonight – Stars (Junior Boys Remix)
   

   The Stars (technically) released two albums in 2008. The first was a remix of Set Yourself On Fire entitled Do You Trust Your Friends. The songs were preformed by a plethora of good Canadian bands including this one remixed by the Junior Boys. Other notable tracks were those coved by The Russian Futurists, Final Fantasy, Young Galaxy and Apostles of Hustle.

   Unfortunately, their second album, In The Bedroom After The War, was not nearly as good as both the original Set Yourself On Fire and it’s remix. Perhaps their next album should be produced by the Junior Boys based on the strength of this as the perfect blend of Stars-pop meets electro-bliss.

2. 1234 – Feist

   My relationship to Feist’s music has been an on and off soap opera. Years ago when I first met her, she left the bad first impression of a naive girl without originality or aloofness. As I got to know her, via her last album, she occasionally wooed and seduced me by her charms and wit. Now this year with the release of The Reminder I was initially in denial about my feelings but admittedly, after this song, the forever associated iPod commercial and quirky video, I believe I might be smitten.

3. Amsterdam – Peter, Bjorn & John

   Yeah, I know: “Hype, hype, hype!” But this song is damn catchy, it’s sickingly cute and it’s incessantly earnest… Not, of course, to downplay Peter, Bjorn & John’s main massively catchy song… or the fact that for three guys from Sweden they put on a solid live show (as I witnessed this year in Austin SXSW). I thought at first this album was a happy accident but expect these guys to grow out the hype and remain a solid pop band. This song is proof they will not be one hit!

4. Diamond Dancer – Bill Callahan

   Indie folk with a twist of pop. Bill Callahan (aka Smog) released Woke on a Whaleheart which featured a more upbeat perspective than his previous albums. Diamond Dancer combines Bill’s mysterious deep voice with a cheerful almost hoe-down melody in this song of infatuation.

5. Night at the Knight School – Thee More Shallows

   Slacker electro-pop at its best TMS’ latest album The Book of Bad Breaks is chock full of ridiculous lyrics and raunchy synth noises like this song. Night at the Knight School is a prefect example of TMS unique song structure paired with phat sounds and nonsensical lyrics. If you catch them live observe the curiousity of the big red suitcase!

It has been a while since there was an official dispatch from blog headquarters.

I will start this one by posting a YouTube video link. This was shot during my “rare” solo gig a while back. Like I said before it’s a rare occurrence when I take the stage all by my lonesome but now there is proof that it happened on the Inter-web.

With The Pickups on a break, while Sarah attends school in Halifax, I’ve been keeping busy playing guitar, lap, bass or whatever has strings for a bunch of other musicians around town. Of course, as always, I’m still playing with the lovely Emily Weedon. I’m now also doing some gigs with singer/songwriters Jonathan Seet and Renee North. I’ve included a full list of my all my upcoming gigs below.

Emily is actually getting ready to jump in the studio to do some recording. She’s holding a recording fundraiser in December which will also include on the bill all of the aforementioned musicians and some others (can you say Gord Light).

On the topic of recording, The Pickups session is long over and the mechanics of our forthcoming EP are complete. We were originally looking to release it in December, however, due to scheduling delays it will now be released sometime in the new year. Regardless we are hoping to setup a gig in December just before the holidays.

Finally, my “solo project”, Pirates, Ninjas, Zombies!, is happily producing “demos” and some of the fruits of these labours are available online in various places (CBC Radio 3, Facebook, the website, this blog). In fact, I have just setup the obligatory MySpace page and would love to have some new “friends” (beside Tom).

Well that’s all for now. I hope this communique wasn’t too long and tedious.

Emily Weedon & Delta

November 9 @ 8:30pm – The Rivoli $6
December 7 @ 7pm – 19 Atlantic Ave PWYC (Recording Fundraiser)

Jonathan Seet

November 8 @ 9pm – The Gladstone Hotel (Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival)
November 9 @ 8:30pm – The Rivoli $6
December 7 @ 7pm – 19 Atlantic Ave PWYC (Recording Fundraiser)

Renee North

November 12 @ 9pm – The Cloak & Dagger PWYC
December 7 @ 7pm – 19 Atlantic Ave PWYC (Recording Fundraiser)

Sheila’s Day Off Fundraiser (Cherry Pie), August 30, 2007 – Stone’s Place

(Ignore the prelude of “The Tuning Song”)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY29USuqd8g