New Dodos

Here's a new album coming out in a couple of weeks that I'm looking to pick up:

http://pitchfork.com/news/41411-new-dodos-black-night/

I heard about The Dodos thanks to Neko Case tweeting about it.  She sings on about half the album, so that's reason enough to look forward to it.  It does sound pretty promising on the whole, though. 

Also take heed...they're coming to Edmonton on March 29th to play at the Starlite.  I, of course, will be on spring break vacation with the little one.  But don't let the guilty feelings stop you from going!

Family Portrait

Oh my God...it's real.

The Friday Five - February 18, 2011

Well, after a little hiatus, I'm back with another Friday playlist.  How about fom now on you and I have this agreement:  it's not a weekly feature; it's a whenever I feel like getting around to it feature.  Fair enough?

Honey Pie – The Beatles, White Album

Yay!  The Beatles!  This is a pretty prime example of a McCartney composed tune, although the credits list both Paul and John.  It kind of has this old timey sound to it, and in fact they added some crackly records type sounds for the enhancement of that feel.  I think one of the interesting trivia type things about this song is that George played the bass on it, while John played both rhythm and lead guitar, including the solo.  This is one of the first songs baby Ruby joined me in singing during our car commutes.  She was about 3 at the time of singing along with me: ”Oh, Honey Pie, you’re driving me craaaaaazy!”  Actually, we haven’t listened to that together in a while now.  Better change that.    

Man Research (Clapper) – Gorillaz, Gorillaz

I remember back in the good ol’ year of 2001, I discovered Napster and the availability to make my own CD’s from songs I downloaded.  It was also the genesis for me of finding all sorts of great music thanks to a robust search engine on the site.  I was sitting there, browsing around, looking for new stuff when I came across a few tracks from this album.  I’d never heard of them and none of friends had ever heard of them, but I was digging it.  A quick search of a few music review sites told me more about Damon Albarn’s weird new project and so I returned and pirated the whole album.  It was fantastic!  I’m paying it in my car like its my own secret little stash of golden music booty and I ended up burning copies for those friends of mine that were taken by it.  I would say, at that point, Napster helped a band like this…although let’s face it; they were destined for success anyway. 

One In A Million – Guns N’ Roses, G N’ R Lies

Here we are looking back on high school days.  In fact, I was never really a fan of the band.  All through their Welcome to the Jungle days, with all the other charting hits from that album, it just wasn’t my thing.  One of my best pals, however, loved them.  That meant I always had to listen to them…in his car, at his house, on camping trips…I lived through it. But then came this Lies album and to be honest, things kind of changed for me.  The songs were a little more witty, a little more eclectic and infinitely more interesting.  This track is a great example of that.  This remains the only album I have ever bought from this band and one that I still enjoy listening to.

No Woman, No Cry – Fugees, The Score

First, it’s kind of hard to believe that this album is 15 years now.  Especially when I look at 23 year old co-workers and realize they were eight when this album came out.  For at least two members of this band, Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, this was a launching pad for successful solo careers.  And let’s make that with a vengeance…Ms. Hill is still considered a force that people wish they got to see more of, while Wyclef proved a force on his own, although these days he’s trying to translate that popularity into political power.  What I’m not sure how to translate out of that, is how much success this album brought on the strength of covers.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s a ton great original stuff put forth, too….but the songs they were most recognized for at time was this Marley staple and Killing Me Softly.  Perhaps that’s aviable way to break into the industry; give the people something that’s familiar so that they’re comfortable and welcoming to you….or maybe it’s just that their interpretations of those songs was fucking great.  

Be – Lenny Kravitz, Let Love Rule

Okay, weird.  Remember that buddy I was just talking about that loved G N’ R back in the day, forcing me to listen to it all the time?  Yeah, so he also loved Lenny.  These were his two favorite bands…I so wish he was reading this post, he’d be in his glory.  The difference here is that I was all over Lenny, too.  This album was so solid, all the way through.  I often thought of Kravitz as the last living rock star.  As he evolved  with way-out fashion, hot girls, a pierced cock and the well rumored “Heavy Petting Room” in his house, complete with fun fur everywhere, most other rock stars were reverting to the grunge (eventually indie) lifestyle.  Kravitz wasn’t exactly a throwback, but much like The Dude, it was nice knowing he was out there partying on behalf of all of us fans.  I finally got a chance to see him in Vancouver around 2003/04 or so.  Needless to say after experiencing one of the most underwhelming live performances I have ever witnessed, his rock stardom died with me on that day.  Too bad.

Friday Five - January 28, 2011

Lake of Fire – Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York

Okay, so just get it out of the way right off the bat, I love this song.  Although (as kindly brought up to me by music all-star, Julie) the song is a Meat Puppets cover, I kind of think the sound epitomizes the overall personality of this album.  In its entirety, the album was a little bit of a game changer for me.  This live set was recorded in 1993 and this was the first album Nirvana released after Kurt’s death, in 1994.  But at the time, it gave the band a completely different personality from what most were used to seeing from them.  This album also started the “Unplugged” craze that is still going today, 16 years later!  Unplugged albums started to become much craved from fans of normally electric musicians.  Such a novelty, hey!

Nice in Nice – The Stranglers, The Hit Men (The Complete Singles)

This is a band Julie introduced me to.  They got their start on the UK punk scene (although not anything like what I would consider a British punk band) in the mid-70’s and are still creating music today, in their 5^th decade together!  For me, listening to this double album, I think about the first time I heard them.  We were at Julie’s cabin in Sooke, B.C. and during a day in the tiny town, looking through the tiny used record store, she came upon this and a couple other little gems.  We took it back out the cabin and played it most of the night, getting drunk of tequila.  Aahhhh….good times.

I Did It – Dave Matthews Band, Live at Folsom Field, Boulder Colorado

I have ten live DMB albums in my collection, and Folsom Field is one of my lesser favorites.  It was done around the tour for Everyday and for some reason, the energy just isn’t there in this one for me.  I will say however, that the overall setlist is a bit eclectic compared with other live releases, so I do respect that part of it.  This song in particular was a bit of a hit from the Everyday album for them, and I like it.  It’s got that dirty little Dave growl to it. 

Driving All Day – Little Mike & The Tornadoes, Hot Shot

This “Chicago Blues” style band, who reside in Florida now, are the spawn of an excellent story.  I know this guys as a friend of a friend, Troy Chandler, who was a fantastic guitar player.  I mean really, really truly gifted.  He was a blues player among other things, able to riff SRV at 14 years old.  But this is not a cranial player…it was all from the heart.  You think John Mayer makes funny guitar faces?  You should see Troy.  As teenagers in junior/ senior high school, we’d never seen anything so weird.  Anyway, at sixteen Troy was busking one night on Whyte Avenue on a night that Little Mike was here on tour in Edmonton.  After stopping and listening to Troy for a bit, he complimented his playing and asked for his number, in case they were ever in need of a guitar player.  Yeah, right.  Three years later, He was true to his word: Troy got a message at his parents house from Little Mike…come on and play with us.  Troy has played with them ever since.  I go to catch them at the Commie every time they’re in town.

Let It Bump – Missy Elliott, This is Not a Test

Missy is a hot potato, baby!  I love the attitude and what she brings to the table.  It’s not like the rest of hip hop at all, I don’t think.  She’s not a big sampler and her time signatures are often out of the 4/4.  She loves Bjork and she loves things being weird.  She’s got so much personality, how do you not love a girl like her?  The album was produced by the ever present Timbaland.  Although this album was a bit of a rush job for her label to capitalize on her popularity from just releasing  a monster hit of an album in “Under Construction”, the Rollingstone review that prompted me to buy the album advised, “Why anyone would choose to spend their life without a copy of this album is a mystery to me.”  And I agree…I call it fun!

40

Today is my 40^th Birthday. 

I meant to sit down here and write something with at least a modicum of interest, but I’m kinda drawing a blank.  I don’t really have anything to say about the actual turning forty part.  All I can really say right now is that my life has been interesting, I’ve done some cool stuff and I have a wonderful group of peers in my friends and family.

I’m a father to the best little 5 year old girl you could ever imagine.  I have an outstanding woman as my lover and partner and we have another little baby on the way. 

I like being 40.

The Friday Five - January 21, 2011

Nude – Radiohead, In Rainbows

Ahh…the album that made the music industry stand up and ask a collective, “HUH??”  When this band, very much in the prime of their career, flipped the record industry off by not only releasing their new 20__ album independently from their own website, but in a digital format preceding the  CD’s physical release in music stores, they were carving new territory.  But they didn’t stop there.  They introduced the pay-what-you-think-it’s-worth concept.  You could download the album for as little as free or pay as much as you wanted.  “HUH??”  I wish hockey executives could find a way to pay their athletes like that.  We’re still working through the new age of music and how to market/ obtain it…but Radiohead has certainly proven to be ahead of the game, not just in this practice of album release, but also in their music.  In Rainbows is a great album….well worth the, uhhmm….money.  It often reminds me of the mini-beat sound from Bjork’s Vespertine, but somehow in analog form.

Soma – The Strokes, Is This It?

One of my favorite albums of the previous decades, so much so that it epitomizes for me what the “L.A. sound” is supposed to be about.  After spinning the hell out of this album for the couple of years I had it, I brought it back out last year for its first listen in a while and found I still love it as much as I used to.  The Strokes were playing at Austin City Limits when Julie and I were there a few months ago and I did get to hear them blasting away on the stage while I stood in line at the ridiculous pee-shack lineup.  Too bad that they were playing at the same time as Phish…I really wanted to stay for their show, but not for the price of missing my fave.  So I kind of feel ripped off…like I’m owed a Strokes show.  My eyes are open!

Faded/ Whole Lotta Love – Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Live From Mars

This was the first Ben Harper album I ever bought and man, what a choice!  When just trying to figure out what this artist was all about, this two-disc show recording gives it all!  From ballads to blues to jazz to covers of Led Zeppelin..are you kidding me?  Exquisite live show and highlight of Ben Harper albums, in my opinion.  Listening to this album so often made me want to see him so badly, which I’ve managed to do a couple of times now.  On this track the heavy guitar sounds from Whole Lotta Love cause quite an imaginary visual as I picture Ben ripping the shit out that “gentle” guitar on his lap.  Perfecto!

There’s a World – Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall 1971

If you can believe it, this is the first Neil Young album I’ve ever had.  Outstanding, too.  1971 is my birth year, so I was somehow drawn to it when seeking to add a little Neil to my collection.  Live is also where it’s at with this cat.  I’ve seen him twice now and loved it all.  What never ceases to amaze me is how hard he shreds on the gee-tar.  Seeing him play in front of you on that Les Paul of his, it’s easy to see why they call him the Grandfather of Grunge.  This song, and album in fact, are not of the shredding sort, however.  Nice acoustic guitar playing coupled with his piano makes for a relaxing listen.



Curtis w/ Tom Murray (courtesy of Fish)

 Shuttlecock Rock – Bebop Cortez, The Romantic Panther….

Here’s a shout out to local band and a buddy, Curtis Ross.  One of Curtis’ projects from before I knew him, Bebop Cortez is downright funky!  On this album, his guitar playing probably is probably getting its best chance to emulate his influences, from what I know.  Curtis likes his music funky and is often citing the best from the Motown/ R&B age as his heroes.  If you can find it, add it!  They got back together a couple of years ago for a gig at Calgary’s Sled Island festival, so there’s always hope we’ll see them soon.

 

Guitars As Children

I could hardly believe when I opened my Christmas gift from brother, Randy, this year.  It was a guitar!  That’s pretty frickin’ rad!  It was a white Fender Squire Stratocaster.  Certainly not one I would have personally hunted down to buy, but that’s exactly what makes it such a great gift; that I normally wouldn’t go out and buy one myself. 

This is now my fifth guitar.  And quite honestly, I dig that.  I appreciate guitar aesthetics like vintage tour posters.  They look nice.  They all have their own personalities, their own sound and forte.  With five in the stable, it looks like I could actually make a go of this collection thing!  Hey, it keeps me out of trouble.  So as a first installment, I thought I would write about my little strung out children and who they are.

Norman 

http://www.normanguitars.com/b15brown.html

This was my first guitar; my oldest child.  I bought it at the age of 30 in the year 2001.  I had always wanted to learn guitar, but never did anything about it.  Then came a time in my life when a changed a lot.  I suppose turning 30 may have had something to do with it.  I had just come out of a 10 year relationship and was single for the first time as a “real” adult.  My pals and I had just started our own business so I was not only newly in charge of my single/ social/ private life, I was also in charge of my work life as well.  In a little bit of a more twisted bent on the story, my great aunt, Ivy, had also just passed and left me a little bit of money in my first ever inheritance.  Looking back on it now, what a culmination of events. 

Anyway, I just gave my head a shake one day and thought, “Why haven’t I learned guitar?”  So, I found a guitar teacher, bought my first guitar and that was that.  The best part was that Aunty Ivy was not only as a school teacher as her profession, but she was also somewhat of a musician, as was her second husband, Bill.  Somehow, spending some money she left me on learning to play guitar was very fitting and stands as a bit of a legacy tribute.  I can tell you right this minute, if it wasn’t for Aunty Ivy, I would have never even ventured to pick it up.

So, there I went down to Long & McQuade to buy my first guitar.  Dude there was very helpful in it.  He didn’t snuff his nose at me some snotty salesman that hates beginners.  He did me well.  He sold me Norman. 

Norman is indeed both the name of the Canadian manufacturer and, by default, this guitar’s name.  It’s a straight up B15 acoustic, burgundy in color with a rosewood fingerboard and a tortoise shell pick guard.  The top and sides are made of laminated wild cherry wood.  It cost me $279.00.  Along with learning my first ever chords, the first song I ever learned to play (on my third guitar lesson) was The Mountains Win Again by Blues Traveler.  That’s still the first song I think of when I see Norman.  One thing that I’ve learned, or rather am still learning, is that different guitars suit different songs.  Now, I don’t mean that in the most obvious of ways, because of course they do.  But for me, personally, I can really attribute different songs for different guitars and continue to try and figure that out every time I play.  You can play any song on any guitar but some of them just…well, fit.  I cannot play Mountains near as well on any other guitar. 

Norman’s role is now one of the utilitarian and, truth be told, doesn’t come out of the case all that often anymore.  But he’s the one I take camping or traveling, out to fire pit parties or when I’m sitting in the backyard during summer.  The one that can fall down without me freaking out.  It’s also my loudest acoustic.  And it’s tough.  And now, I don’t know why, it has become the recipient of stickers.  I try to keep the decals musically compliant, but form time to time they break the mold.  Whenever I go to a show or something, I try to pick up a band sticker to take home and put on Norman.  It’s starting to get a bit better now, having gained a bit of personality over the years.  I’m starting to like the look, but need to “dirty” it up some more.  A little more convoluted would be nice. 

Since I’m usually sitting down while I play, I have rarely had real cause for wearing straps.  It is something I’d like to change, though.  You wouldn’t believe how hard it is, after having been seated on your ass for all of your guitar playing life, to play standing up.  Man…I gotta find some folks to jam with.  Anyway, I did receive a strap for Norman as a Christmas gift that suits him just fine.  Plain brown, roughed-up leather. 

A cheers to Norman, my original gee-tar pal.  We’ve grown a bunch over the years and you’ve been there for all of it.  Well, at least since I was 30.

Norman’s Songs    

·         The Mountains Win Again – Blues Traveler

·         It’s Good To Be King – Tom Petty

·         Misguided Angel – Cowboy Junkies

·         Banana Pancakes – Jack Johnson

·         Everyday – Dave Matthews Band

·         Original Blues Jam