Frosted Tipz

 

Here's a little photoblog from the Frosted Tipz show last night at the ARTery.  They killed it!  Curtis Ross on guitar gets more amazing every time I see him play.  By day the lead singer, Roz, is the owner of Eden Lilly...the flower shop that Julie works at.  More than a boss though, they're more like best friends.  It was a reunion show, so I'm glad I had the opportunity to see them play after listening to their album on my iPod for the past couple of years.

You may notice the "AVK" lettering they are all sporting on their outfits.  Another of the original lead singers was Amy Van Keekan.  Amy was expected to join the rest of the band for the reunion show, but ended up not being able to attend.  Never far from their hearts, the rest of the band made sure her presence was recognized.

The show was put on by Birch Heart Productions, the one man promotional unit that is Sean Borchert.  Another band reunited for the show, The Skinny also played last night, playing in the opening slot.  Unfortunately, although we could hear them loud and clear (and they were rad!), we were too busy in the back of the house socializing and drinking beer, to get any pictures of them.  *sad face*

The Friday Five - Nov. 26, 2010

The Runner – Kings of Leon, Because Of The Times

I know you’ve all heard it a million times and some of you have maybe even said it, but I’m gonna have to be a douche and be that guy.  I’m just saying it is absolutely 100% true and unwavering.  Loved this frickin’ band (and still do) before they hit the big time.  For real…this album is as solid as it gets.  I even have a lot of friends that didn’t know anything about KOL before their breakthrough a couple of years ago and hate the band and their crappy hits these days.  And rightfully so…it’s crap.  The sad part is that they won’t give the band a fair shake on their old stuff because of it.  And that really is too bad.  Because Of The Times is actually my favorite album of theirs and I will continue to rock this shit, no matter how many hipsters judge me for hating a terrible band.  They weren’t always that way.  Here’s to the old days…..

Fit But You Know It – The Streets, A Grand Don’t Come For Free

I received this album as a gift from my former brother-in-law a few years ago.  It was a re-gift of sorts.  He received it in some contest at his work, had never heard it, and decided he’d pass along this seemingly shitty album he got for me to me as a Christmas gift.  That’s just the kind of guy he is.  Ultimately, I guess the joke’s on him.  It took me a couple of spins to get used to the casual talking banter of this Scottish rapper, but it turns out I like it!  Thanks, sucka!

Chameleon – Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters

Long before the days of my brother and my early teenage years, where we hung around the street corners with a huge ghetto blaster resting on our shoulder, doing some paltry imitation of a moon walk to Hancock’s digital display of excellence, Rock It, the man had been making groundbreaking funky shit for years!  Who knew?  Well, although I didn’t know when I was thirteen, I sure knew by the time I was passing into adulthood.  More than jazz and horns, Hancock always embraces sounds of the now, and more to the point, sounds of the future.  This album, listed as one of Rolling Stone’s greatest albums of all time, by the way, was so far ahead of it’s time I can’t even wrap my head around what people must have been thinking back then when they first heard it.  This album would be a stand out today in 2010, but he brought this shit out in…..wait for it….1973!  God.  My mouth is agape at that shit.

Still Fighting It – Ben Folds, Rockin’ the Suburbs

Great album, great song, great musician.  Although I personally find Ben has hit a bit of a rut on his last couple of albums by not being able to break out of whatever mold he’s in, I think everyone can agree that this album kills.  The range of styles and songs throughout is mesmerizing.  This is a song from a father to his son and for a sensitive fella like myself, is gorgeous.  Lyrically, Ben used to be in a place where he simply couldn’t be matched by most of his peers and this song is a great example of that.  From his invitation of buying his listener a roast beef combo (and assuring him that he’ll pick up the tab) to the soft lament a few lines later where he apologizes to his son for having to be such a chip off the ol’ block, it’s funny, witty, personal and even tugs the heart strings.  At least for me it does.  I hope someday I have a son so that I can l can sing this to him.

Vultures – John Mayer Trio, Try! (Live)

Although this is a bit of a pop number from his studio release Continuum, the live version offers enough funky guitar bends for me to get into it.  Here’s another one of my guilty pleasures that a lot of my peers may laugh at me for.  Mr. Hollywood, tabloid, twitter attention whore himself.  I prefer to think of this as a phase.  I mean, after all…he’s still a young dude, comparably new on the scene.  You can’t get too hard on him for having some fun with the lucky life he’s been afforded.  But after it’s all said and done, John Mayer is a killer fucking guitar player.  He just is and I’ll take on anyone who doesn’t recognize it.  I prefer to listen to his live stuff, as it usually ends up on a bluesy road and showcasing his talents outside of the “recording can”.  I predict, and I will wait and stick by him until it happens, that John Mayer is our Eric Clapton.  I’m sure the comparison has been beaten to death but much more knowledgeable people than me, but I see so many similarities that I can’t let go of it.  Even if it is just a fantasy.


That's it for now....have a great weekend, y'all

One Night In Bangkok

To update a little bit for the time I've been away from the computer, I had a bit of bachelor time last weekend.  Julie had planned to go out to her friend Tandie’s place for dinner…bit of a girls’ night.  I decided that since Julie would be out and I didn’t have Ruby, that I would enjoy a little time for myself, too.  Lorenzo and I went out for dinner and a couple of cocktails, which is something he and I rarely do.  I bet in the 20 years I’ve known him we’ve gone out to a restaurant together like 5 or 6 times.  I dunno why…it’s just that way.  Anyway, after we finish up Lar and I are headed back to the shop to hang out and watch a little hockey when I get a text from Julie; “think I’m sleeping over, been drinking wine!”  Oh dear…here we go.  Funniest part of this, I thought, was that it was only 8:00pm when I got that text!  Hahaha!!      

Anyway, I headed home from Lar’s at about 10 with feelings of  freedom dancing in my head.  What to do?!?!?!  First, let’s think briefly about what Julie might be up to by now:  I figure if it’s an apartment full of girls and they’ve been pretty drunk for a couple hours already, this impromptu slumber party most surely must have digressed into a naked pillow fight by now!  Right?  Girls do that, right?  I knew it!

So, after rolling those thoughts around in my imagination for a while, I decided that with a couple of beers in me already and a couple more in the fridge just dying to get popped, it’s time for a little jam session.  No one but the dog around to critique me and hey…what the hell does he know?  So, after a couple of warm up tunes on the acoustic while I brought my buzz back up to that acceptable level which is conducive to freedom of expression, I plugged in the Telecaster and got a little more down into it. 

A song I started to pick up the week previous was “Rescue Blues” by Ryan Adams.  Don’t know what brought my attention to that song in the first place, but that night it couldn’t have been any better of a choice.  Simple structure of three chords or so, it’s a cautionary tale of drug use.  No complication in it, very simple…but that’s one of the things I really like about the blues and consequently about many of the artists I’ve been enjoying of late: simple songs that are made more interesting because of the investment of feeling.  By the time I finished about my third or fourth run through of that song, singing loud and feeling it, it’s one of my new faves to play.  I’ve resolved to put that chord progression down on the four-track soon (this weekend?) and try to improvise my own solo over it.  If I can achieve the same level of letting-loosedness that I had last night, I think I can bring it.

The Friday Five - Two weeks late and on a Saturday

Okay, so by now we know the Friday Five is more of a target than a qualifying statement.  Sometimes it's hard to keep up!

Rich – Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever To Tell

This song is a fantastic example of how fantastic this band can be.  This debut release from 2003 is, to date, still my favorite album of the three they’ve released in total.  Somehow for me, Karen O’s voice is somehow more defining the music in these earlier songs than in the later ones…as if that snarl could ever become a passenger to the accompanying instruments.  This song kind of shows off all of the band’s best attributes from the aforementioned voice to the simple noisy guitar, the punk rock edge and the catchy little hooks…and they combine it all perfectly.

Lights Go Down - Basement Jaxx, Crazy Itch Radio

One of my guilty pleasure bands, this is one of the few I enjoy from the genre of house (dance) music.  I’m not a big nightclub guy, to be sure and even less of a dancer, but this isn’t about that.  I don’t care how many douches you think have these CD’s in their cars, Basement Jaxx is about the music for me.  It’s innovative, and incredibly detailed.  Listening to their album Kish Kash, I was absolutely astounded at the production of it and am still amazed when I think about these guys sitting together when coming up with new music and where the hell their ideas come from.  This track is a bit of a slow burner of an otherwise average album, but all in all, there’s always room for this stuff on my shuffle.

Little By Little – Susan Tedeschi, Best Of.....

When Julie and I went to New Orleans we went to eat lunch at the House of Blues.  The sign on the wall said Susan Tedeschi would be playing there that upcoming weekend.  We immediately spent our $15 each and returned a few days later for a terrific show!  Neither of us really knew much of her music, but we knew she was there.  A blues guitar player, tall and red-headed, married to guitar legend in making, Derek Trucks.  She already had instant street cred.  Anyway, she’s the new generation’s Bonnie Raitt.  She comes off tough as nails while she’s playing, but between songs she is the softest spoken, genuine sweetheart of a woman you could ever hope to be in the presence of. 

Landfall – Jimmy Buffett, Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

Wow..we’re really showing the diversity of my album collection today, aren’t we?  Well, Jimmy…what can I say?  I honestly bought this album solely for the reason that I thought Margaritaville was a standard everyone needs to have….kinda like a black suit in the wardrobe.  Yeah, I was about 23 when I made that decision.  Not exactly what you’d call a fan of his…in fact, I think I’ve only ever listened to this album once in the 16 years I’ve had it.  But he’s not offensive either.  Just in it’s entirety, not really my thing.

The Dog Song – Nellie McKay, Get Away From Me

Another of quirky, piano playing girls I seem to keep falling for over and over.  This was a double album that I got after reading a review.  I would say it’s an average album, not one that I play very much.  But it just so happens that this is a pretty cute song.  From time to time I make Ruby her own CD’s to listen to in the car, etc. and this is one of her favorite songs.  She always makes me put it on every mix I do up for her.  Funny thing is, while singing along, Ruby has mastered the weird time signatures which impresses the hell out of me.   

The Friday Five

It's late, Julie has fallen aleep while I watched the Oilers get beat by the Red Wings:  it's time to spin my iPod.

Snake - P.J. Harvey, 4-Track Demos

Nothing like hitting it hard right outta the gate.  I Like PJ mostly because of her attitude.  Kind of like a Marianne Faithfull thing for me.  I'm not educated enough in their music to really know all that much about her, but I like the attitude so much it just makes me believe she can be good at anything, otherwise she'll just meet it at the bike racks and beat it up.  Very diverse musician and bold.  I once heard her do a duet with Bjork of the Stones' Satisfaction and that sold me on her.  This is the only album I have of hers but keep meaning to get more.  This song and album is hard edged and rocking, so I like it!

Love Hater - Andre 3000, The Love Below
Slick, cool dude...he kind of surprises me sometimes.  This is a pretty jazzy little number that seems out of the norm for him, although it's likely not.  Keys and horns and a time signature that pops a little, this is a snappy little number.  Deinfitely don't see him doing it in a bright green suit.

Grey Room - Damien Rice, 9
I loved this guy at the start....really, I loved him a lot.  The first time I heard The Blower's Daughter, I swear to God my eyes welled up with tears.  I bought that first album and listened the shit out of it.  He and Lisa Hannigan were rad.  I read a story about how, to make that album, he was travelling around Europe staying on the couches of various friends and recording along the way on his little 8 track.  Such a bare feeling with all the music and very real.  I loved it.  Then I bought this second album...listened to it a couple of times and, well....meh.  It was all kind of the same.  It was like watching Dancer In The Dark over and over again.  Very good, but so emotionally draining that you can only take so much of it.  That was pretty much it.  Played out.  Haven't listened to anything of his for a few years now though.  Maybe it needs a revisit. 

Hanging On To You - Jay Farrar, Terroir Blues

Jay led a couple of groups I like, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, before stepping out solo on his own.  He's a fantastic songwriter and pretty much embodies the sound of Americana.  He and Jeff Tweedy together as song-writers?  Wow.  Anyway, on to the present...I won this album in a Twitter contest, actually.  Neat, hey?  It was the first of his solo stuff that I'd really heard and I quite dig it.  I've been in a real alt-country/ blues kind of mood for the past couple of years, so this just broadens it a bit wider.  Subdued album, but good.

The Summer of Discontent - Cowboy Junkies, Miles From Our Home
Speaking of that mood, looky what we have here!  Jesus, I haven't listened to this in a while.  If Jay above us embodies Americana, then what do I say about the Junkies' Margo?  One of the most distinctive, ethereal and beautiful voices out there.  What I can tell you about this paarticular album is this:  I was doing a lot of driving at one time in my life...back and forth to BC and all over Alberta.  I loved listening to this album as I drove on the highway because no matter what the scene through my windshield was, this album always fit.  Daytime, nightime, overcast and rainy, dead of winter frozen, mountains, prairies, cities, foothills...slow or fast driving.  It fit every single time.  Canadiana?  Whatever.  I love you Margo!

Uhhmm....I dunno

I figured I should try and update this thing regularly, lest it ends up being a page that hops from Friday to Friday, flipping through an iPod. 

For Halloween, Ruby went as Ariel....pretty cute stuff.  A little disappointed because her mother cancelled out of bringing her by the house, so I didn't even get to see her dressed up.  Except for the ever reliable Facebook photos.  But Ruby had a fun night out with her pals, and bragged to me all about her candy haul.  When I was driving with her in the car a couple of days before Halloween, we were talking about her costume and I asked if she remembered what she was last year.  Of course, she knew the answer....Princess Jasmine.  Then I asked about the year before that, and she knew she was a witch.  Then she took over, "...the year before that I was a pumpkin and the year before that I was a duck!"  This is her fifth year trick or treating....and she remembers all four of her previous costumes to when she was one.  I dunno about you, but I thought that was amazing!  Memory like an elephant, that girl.

Julie and I went to a party at Lorenzo's shop and it turned out to be killer!  Julie sister and boyfriend came as well.  It was packed on all three floors all night long.  We got a little on tipsy side (heh, heh) so by the time we left at 2:00am or so, Julie led me into crashing a party that was happening down the street.  It was hilarious!  They all knew we didn't belong.  When this freakishly tall girl started asking Julie who we were and what were we doing there...Julie kept up the act of looking for her friend, Kim.  Kim, uhmm..Reynolds.  Yeah, Kim Reynolds.

We've been thinking about taking Ruby on a Disney Cruise over spring break in March.  It departs from L.A. and goes through the Mexican Riviera.  Sounds like the kind of thing Rubes would go nutso over!  I think she'd have a ton of fun.  And although not exactly the style in which Julie and I prefer to travel, we could do a lot worse than a cruise ship through beautiful waters.  It's just being on a boat for a week with that Goddamned giant rat....!!!