Monday, June 30, 2003
Weekend at Ho-ie's
"Day is never finished / massa got me working / someday massa set me free" - Eric Cartman, South Park S1E12
Yeah, today was fun. I spent the whole day working on a take-home midterm that's due tomorrow. Yay. I got it on Monday, and had meant to do it last week; it's just that stuff got in the way, stuff being my need to procrastinate. Anyway, it didn't goes as planned, and I ended up doing the simple definitions part yesterday and the longer essay part today. Is it super duper? Doubtful. Does it lick major balls? Don't think so. Is it good enough? Yeah, that sounds right.
Yesterday was better though. I ventured into Delta for Leah's summer bash, and after driving up and down the street for nearly half an hour, I found her house around 9-ish. Yeah, my direction sense, not that hot. Anyway, it was BYOB, so I bought a six of Keith's, drinking only two of them since I was driving (note to self: warm Keith's is not that yummy). I had a really nice conversation with Leah's friend Leslie about soccer and the future prospects of United. It's good to finally meet a real United supporter who knows about the likes of Michael Stewart, Kieran Richardson, Roy Carroll, and John O'Shea! She told me she was going to be at the United vs. Celtic game down in Seattle, and that just reminded me of how pissed off I am (going to be) about most likely not being there! If there were some way to ditch my big-ass presentation... pish tosh... I'm too responsible for that. Maybe I can prepare for it when I come back on Wednesday! Oh, the scheming I must do.
Anyway, Ross showed up a bit after I did. I had ICQ'd him earlier in the day to see if he need a ride, but I guess he was too busy playing Civ III to answer messages. He ended up macking on one of Mark's friends from Argentina for a good part of the night. Oh to be the playa of SFU Quiz Bowl! Hehe.
So, a good number of people were there, most of whom I don't know, and some I got to know a little bit. Leah sure has some interesting friends! Luckily, there were enough people there that I do know, some of whom I got to know better. Taking to people is always fun, though finding out that so many people are into Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie from Full House) was a little disturbing. I also got myself into a little impromptu duet of Angel too. Hehe... I never turn down the chance to sing (re: butcher) Sarah, even if it's Surfacing stuff! At around 1-ish, I left. By then, the majority of the partygoers were gone too and the host has long since been incapacitated, so I couldn't say bye. I gave Ross a ride home, and made some threats about him not puking in my car. I think he's got one of my beers too!
Anyway, that was my weekend in a nutshell. I worked semi-hard, played semi-hard, and procrastinated like it ain't no thang. All in a day's work for tha Ho!
NP: Brandy Johnson - Picture Frame
posted by Hanson |
1:37 AM
Saturday, June 28, 2003
Filling My Drive
I'm downloading the three unaired episodes of Firefly now. Hehe... no more waiting for the DVDs to come out! Once those are done, I'm going to try to get Meet the Feebles again because it screwed up last time due to a time-out. BitTorrent is so damn cool :-)
In the meantime, I'd better get going on that take-home midterm for my Canadian political economy course. I've been mocking its easiness since I got it on Monday, so I'd better do well.
Speaking of doing well, Liz Phair was on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, and she did and looked *much* better, even playing the show out with Supernova (the main song she performed was Why Can't I). I can't wait until she comes back to Vancouver!
And while we're on the topic of Liz, my prediction has come true: Pitchfork completely thrashed her new album, giving it 0.0/10. Wow. That's elitism for ya!
NP: Michelle Branch - Breathe
posted by Hanson |
2:43 PM
Friday, June 27, 2003
Tragedy Strikes Football
Marc-Vivien Foe, former Lens, Lyon, West Ham, and Manchester City midfielder and Cameroon international, died yesterday during a Confederations Cup semi-final between Cameroon and Columbia. This is sad, sad news. I will find a way to pay tribute to him.
NP: (silence)
posted by Hanson |
4:40 PM
Thursday, June 26, 2003
100 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Me But Couldn't Be Bothered to Ask
I've seen a lot of "100 things (about me)" lists floating around, so I thought I'd hop on the bandwagon. I was in the mood last night so I whipped the list up, and I formatted and posted it tonight. Anyway, here it is, my 100 Things list. Comments on any surprising (or unsurprising) items are always welcomed.
NP: Angie Hart and George Sarah - track 2 of unreleased EP
posted by Hanson |
1:27 AM
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Lizzy in the Hizzy
I splashed out for four cds today: Liz Phair's self-titled, Stereophonics' You Gotta Go There To Come Back, Michelle Branch's Hotel Paper, and Our Lady Peace's live album, Live. Since I've been listening to Liz and Michelle's new ones for a while now on mp3, I think I'll crack open the Stereophonics disc first and pop it in my car. Well, technically, it's the cd player attached to the tape adaptor that's in my cassette deck, but you know what I mean.
Speaking of Liz, the reviews of her new record have been following two general directions. The too-cool-for-school indie press have blasted it, and reviews like the one from Pop Matters have been scathing, throwing words like sell-out around like they were going out of style. I can't wait to see how Pitchfork will trash it; they always have such great this-sucks-so-much-balls-it-hurts reviews. While indie snobs might be turning their noses up at this fine piece of pop, the mainstream press have been digging it. Although they always mention that it's overproduced (like I do), they also admit that as mainstream pop goes, it's pretty good. Chart likes it, as does a bunch of other traditional media outlets. I mean, it's not like she didn't warn us about this! On her last record, she told us that "it's nice to be liked / but it's better by far to get paid." Deal with it, hataz: this isn't Liz circa 1993 anymore!
Oh, and if she saw her on Leno tonight, please don't judge her by that performance. Honestly, she sounded (and looked) pretty bad. In person, she's much better in both departments. I swear :-)
NP: Stars - Liar
posted by Hanson |
1:10 AM
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
The Best Laid Plans...
Let me quote Frente once again: "the best laid plans always fail." I just found out that CMNS 110 won't count towards my lower division Canadian Studies requirement after all (though CMNS 130 will), meaning that I won't get the opportunity to write my Buffy essay for credit. It also means that I'll have to find another lower division course that will fit the Canadian Studies criteria. Argh.
This revelation came about when I started to plan my courses for next semester. By my count, the earliest I'll be done my schoolwork will be at the end of Fall 2004 (which leaves me with 2 years of academic quiz bowl eligibility), and I'll still have a co-op semester left to do. Of course, this is the best case scenario, as I would need to get all the courses I want/need in just the right time, providing I don't take those courses that I don't need but are tempting me so (CMNS 458 looks so damn good, as does a bunch of philosophy courses). And for those of you keeping score at home, I'll have more than 190 credits by the time I'm done, really not that many considering I would've been at SFU for 6 2/3 years by then. True, I'll be getting two majors, a minor, a liberal arts certificate, and a co-op thingy, but people have done their undergrads and masters' in less time! Whatever. It's not like the job market's so hot right now anyway.
Hmm... I'll need to get that pesky CMPT 320 (Implications of a Computerized Society) waived too. All those tech and society courses I've taken should count for something, eh?
NP: Arm of Roger - The Pussy Song
posted by Hanson |
1:33 AM
Monday, June 23, 2003
Blurry Vision
Yes, that was a Veruca Salt shout out, but it also aptly describes the contents of this post. You see, I went to see Blur on Saturday, and, errr, well, uhm... Blur's in the title so it makes sense, ok? If I hear one peep out of you about my subject headings, I swear I'll get angry! And you wouldn't like me when I'm angry... ;-)
So like I said, Blur played the Vogue on Saturday night. I got there at 7, thinking that doors were at 7:30, but apparently, they opened before I even got there. Luckily, people were crowding the stage, so it wasn't like I was going to be stuck with a crappy seat. Like at most shows, I get to stand in the crowd, which of course I preferred. When I got there, both Val and Priscilla were there, and in prime position too (to the right, a couple of people deep). We talked about who the opener would be, but little did we expect what was to come.
So, by the time 7:30 rolled around, the first act, Living Things, took to the stage. The three of them would not look out of place at a Ramones convention, the lead singer looking quite like a younger, dirtier Richard Ashcroft with a smaller nose (which isn't saying much). They proceeded to play a spectacularly unspectacular set, managing to use only 4 chords for all of their songs! And no, they weren't even punk! Theirs was a simplistic garage-y sound that nodded heavily to classic rock. Try as they might, even resorting to an anti-Bush/America rant, they still couldn't get the crowd going. It was just... bad. Their music was boring, and their set just draaaaagged on. The ironic thing was, they gave out free stuff after their oh-too-long half hour set, and I ended up with a 10" single after it was passed over by 3 other people. Well, it was my first 10", and I didn't even have to pay for it. No snickering, pervs!
After the Living Things finished up, people began to crowd the stage. There was these two girls behind us, and they just started talking to us (or vice versa, I don't remember). Oh, the things that happen when you're around a couple of chatty girls! ;-) Anyway, one of them was from Montreal, and the other had a Ben Kweller button on. We chatted about music and such, and my New Pornographers shirt even got noticed.
It wasn't long until Blur took the stage. Well, it was half an hour, but it didn't seem that long, especially since it was only 8:30! When Damon Albarn and crew walked out, the room just went mad. Along with a full compliment of backup players, Blur also had 3 back up singers touring with them. Yup, Kelly Rowland, J. August Richards III, and some other black chick were going to sing harmonies and such, as nobody else in the band had a mic except for Damon.
The show lasted an hour and forty-five minutes, and it was electric. The crowd was so into it, singing most of the old songs right back at them. I'm not terribly familiar with their music, so I couldn't do that for the most part, save for the big hits that everyone knows. Still, being in that crowd was something specially. Usually, the shows I go to don't bring together such an enthusiastic bunch, so this is probably one of the best audiences I've seen in a while. Also, I did a fair bit of pogo-ing too. I mean, if you're going to pogo for one band, it has to be Blur, right? They're the number one pogo band!
During the show, two events happened off stage that were of note. First, there was this dude who looked completely out of it trying to pick a fight with a much bigger guy. He and his also-sky-high female companion were forcing their way into the crowd and flaying wildly (and not at the music) so as to piss everyone around them off. His erratic swaying got so disruptive, a guy just redirected his kinetic energy which led to his falling down. He got up, and started wailing on the guy, not doing much damage. The people around them had to pull them apart, and he and his chick just sort of wandered off after that.
Second, during the encore, there was this guy in the balcony doing some air guitar action. Val pointed him out to me, and when I saw him, it looked like he was doing something else, if you know what I mean. It was probably just the angle, but it was simply hilarious, kinda like that scene in Hush when Buffy was miming the staking action, and Xander mistook it for something else. Pure mind-in-gutter gold.
Despite its longer-than-usual length, the show ended around 10:15. Holy shit, I thought. At most shows, the headliners aren't even on stage at this time! Because of that, we sorta hung around a bit. Apparently, so were a lot of people, hoping to score a memento or something. Seeing an opportunity, I popped on stage and grabbed two guitar picks from Damon's mic stand, giving one each to Val and Priscilla. I mean, it's not like they were Elliott Smith's picks!
After that, the security guy started to tacitly harass us by standing there and looking sternly. We got the message, so we moved the loitering out onto the streets. Priscilla had earlier met one of the photographers from the Discorder, so them two left after a while to do some more hanging out, but not before contemplating what to do with the possibly-touched-by-Damon-Albarn guitar picks when they get home. Trust me, you wouldn't want to know. Anyway, after holding Val's pick for a bit while she was taking pictures of the big Vogue sign that had Blur on it, I went home too, leaving her to wait for her ride near the McD's. When I got home, it was only 11:30. Wow. And it didn't even say early show on the ticket.
Oh yeah. I watched The Hulk on Friday. I might blog about it in greater detail tomorrow, but if I don't, let me just say this: it's probably one of my favourite movies of the year.
NP: Nina Gordon - Nobody's Fool (Cinderalla cover... yes, that Cinderalla)
posted by Hanson |
1:36 AM
Sunday, June 22, 2003
Sad Hockey Night in Canada
RIP Roger Neilson: Hall of Famer, Order of Canada recipient, hockey legend. By all accounts, you were a great man, one of the classiest ever to be affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks. Yesterday was a sad day indeed.
NP: (Michael Moore - Stupid White Man audiobook)
posted by Hanson |
12:47 PM
Saturday, June 21, 2003
Throw Your Hands In the Air
"Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead." The Slayer speaks the truth, but that mantra is hard to live by. Sure, I can try my best, but the best just isn't good enough. I tell myself that there are things that I should do, but do I do them? Not so much. So here I am, drifting from day to day. Good thing the ride isn't that bad! Must. Execute. Shit.
NP: (Michael Moore - Stupid White Man audiobook)
posted by Hanson |
5:33 PM
Thursday, June 19, 2003
Matters of Fact
Another book has slipped in front of Buffy and Philosophy in my reading queue: Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. I'm in the middle of the 50-page introduction now, and it's probably the fourth intro to Hume that I've read. For a person who's never actually fully read one of his works, I have a pretty darn good idea about his general philosophy ;-) Oh, and that reminds me: I have to return that collection of essays on Mill's Utilitarianism. It's been sitting on my messy table for over six months now! I think I see roots coming out of the spine!
Also, I did one of my big presentations today. This one is on sponsorship, my part being the ethics of sponsorship (in da hizzy!). Phew. That's a load off! I think we did fairly well. I mean, we gave the class beer (Bavaria, Brasil's best since 1877), *and* we had good content and presentation skillz. What more could you ask for? If you say a secret celebrity cameo, imma smack ya! ;-)
Oh yeah. I was able to watch Tru Calling last night, and to my surprise, it wasn't half bad! Tru(e), the premise is kind of hokey, but if you get pass that, it's got an interesting Crossing Jordan-meets-Quantum Leap feel to it. And yes, that's a good thing. It feels more like a syndicated series though, and since it will be on against Friends, Smackdown, and Survivor on Thursday nights at 8:00pm, I have a feeling it won't last long.
NP: Emm Gryner - Billy Hang On
posted by Hanson |
11:53 PM
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Potential Yikes
I just finished downloading the pilot for Eliza Dushku's Tru Calling, and I think I'll watch it tomorrow. Given its premise, this has the potential to be so lame, but because it's Eliza, I gotta have, err, Faith. I've seen one semi-lame pilot already (Rachel Leigh Cook's WB vehicle Fearless), and I don't want to be disappointed with another one.
NP: Donnas - Police Blitz
posted by Hanson |
12:38 AM
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Cheese With This Whine
I wore my United shirt to school today. That red jersey is the international version of the New York Yankees cap; reviled by many because of its adoption by fair-weather and uber-casual "fans." Being the yella fella that I am, I completely slipped into honger exterior mode. I looked just like the Chinese version of a white guy wearing a Yankees hat who can't tell you who Alfonso Soriano and Nick Johnson are. Meh.
Being a non-Mank United supporter that actually follows the team closely, I've always been ostracized in the world of football fandom; the fact that I supported one of the biggest clubs in the world actually makes me an outsider in the circle of insiders! This is, of course, because United is the favourite club among posers, most of whom have no idea who's in the squad besides Becks and maybe a couple of others. It is one of the reasons we (the club and United fans in general) are often subjected to abuse from real football fans, though most of them are just haters because United have been so successful recently. This is akin to the backlash against the New York Yankees.
The fact is, some people are just ignorant when they bitch about United. Some claim that we, like the Yankees, simply buy our way to victory, which is just not true. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Arsene Wank--, I mean, Wenger! United's success in the 90s and beyond are due largely to Fergie's Fledglings, and the likes of Becks, Scholesy, Buttster, Gary and Phil were not big-money buys, unlike all the "Freedom" you imported across the channel! Sure, we've made a few buys, but it's not like we're Barca or Real!
Anyway, I need to get back to work. I'm sure you guys know what inspired this post. Let me just say this: Posh = Yoko, except that she really did fuck things up. He's a footballer, not a style-conscious tosser!
Oh. I finished Shadow Puppets today, which means I'm back reading Buffy and Philosophy. Now, if only they had an article analysing the Cheese Man....
NP: Donnas - You've Got a Crush on Me
posted by Hanson |
11:58 PM
Monday, June 16, 2003
Questions Answered
Question: Why haven't I found time to update the various websites I'm suppose to update?
Question: Why haven't I found time to watch the new cut of Emprie Records?
Question: Why haven't I found time to watch the Matrix Reloaded again?
Question: Why haven't I found time to work on the Canadian underground music genres project?
Question: Why haven't I found time to write questions for VETO?
Question: Why haven't I found time to dig into the Buffy Season Four DVDs?
Question: Why haven't I found time to finish Buffy and Philosophy?
Question: Why haven't I found time to sleep?
Answer: In the immortal words of Frente, "and now there's no ti-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yime / it's not such a crime."
NP: (buzz of computer)
posted by Hanson |
12:58 AM
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Organ On Display Before Pornographers
Another show, another t-shirt. This time, it's the New Pornographers, and sadly, the horse on the shirt isn't in a hilariously compromising positioning. Perhaps this is a good thing.
On Friday night, I headed over to the Commodore to check out local indie heroes The New Pornographers. One of my favourite local acts, The Organ, was one of the opening acts, so it's double the pleasure. I got there around 8:45, thinking that I'll be waiting for only 15 minutes before the show started (doors were at 8:00), but it wasn't until 9:30 that The Organ peeked their heads out. Diffusing my impatience was the pale ale and the cool tunes they pumped out of the speakers (Young & Sexy, The Promise Ring, Ben Folds, etc.). By the time the band took the stage, I was ready to rock.
The Organ played a no-nonsense set with very little banter. Since their songs are relatively short, they ran though their entire seven-song EP, plus five or six tunes that I didn't recognize (either new ones or covers). The reason I like the Organ so much is the interplay between the titular instrument and the simple-yet intricate guitar that emphasizes playing the lower three strings individually in a bass-like manner (I wish I could describe it better). Katie's vocals don't get in the way, and they just drone on as a good accompaniment to the music, kind of moody, and definitely nod-worthy.
Cinerama were next. Judging by the lead singer's accent, they're a British act. They played, errrr, rocking tunes with heavy pop influences. Shit. I'm really not good at describing bands like them! Suffice it to say that they're simple without being overly simple, complex enough but nowhere near shoe-gazing, and all underlined by a pop streak that make their music pleasant sounding. There. I'm done with that.
It was 11:30 when the headlining supergroup meandered out. All six of them: Neko Case, Carl Newman, Kurt Dahle, and three other guys. As expected, no Dan Bejar, as we were told he was travelling in Europe. When they walked out, the crowd shouted many things at Neko, all positive. Screams of "Neeeeeko!" and "Marry me Neko!" filled the room, and she even acknowledged some of them! Class.
So, as some of you may know, Ms. Case was recently voted "Sexiest Woman in Indie Rock" in a poll conducted by Playboy. There were even rumours that she might pose for the magazine, though I highly doubt it. Anyway, it is my opinion that though she *is* better looking than the average alt-countrier (I'm looking at you, Caitlan Cary), I wouldn't necessarily put her on top of a list like that. Jenny Lewis, anyone? Natasha Thirsk? I can rattle off an entire list, but that'll just be silly.
Back to the music. Like on the records, Carl sang most of the songs, with Neko taking lead for a few and singing back up most of the time. You know, I'm sick of hearing how "Celine" has such a great voice; if you want a great voice, Neko Case has that, and then some! Her booming vocals are truly a gift. Fucking eh she's got a great voice! The show lasted about an hour and a half, and they ran through about 20 songs, which is a good chunk of their entire catalogue. Most of my favourites were played, including Slow Descent into Alcoholism, Letter From an Occupant, Mass Romantic, The Body Says No, Execution Day, Miss Teen Word Power. Oh! And the drumming was fantastic! The only low point for me was that there were these asswipes who budged in front of me during the set. Manners, people! I let this short one in front of me, but then she dragged in her big tall friends! Grrrrr! Good thing they didn't block my view of Carl and Neko, or else I would've..... done nothing. I'm such a push over....
So yeah, like always, it was a great show (I mean, when was the last time I was at a show that *wasn't* good?). I had to skip Maplewood Lane's gig on Saturday night because I had too much work to do, which really sucked ass. Oh well though. I'm sure they'll be playing another show pretty soon anyway!
NP: Grandaddy - Stray Dog and the Chocolate Snake
posted by Hanson |
12:04 PM
Thursday, June 12, 2003
Neko Ain't Naked
New Pornographers are playing tomorrow at the Commodore, and The Organ is opening. Guess who's going? :-)
NP: Spoon - Take the Fifth
posted by Hanson |
11:37 PM
Conor and Dave
Seeing Bright Eyes on Letterman was surreal. I would've never expect them, of all people, to go on national TV like that. They played a new song, I believe, at least not one that I recognized. It was cool, but it also reminded me of how pissed off I was at missing their show at the Commodore. Pedro the Lion even opened! Or was it just Dave? Hmm... either way, it would've been cool....
NP: Ed Harcourt - Ghostwriter
posted by Hanson |
1:45 AM
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
I Met Ben Gibbard! (was Death and Dismemberment)
Like Kurt Angle says, it's true, it's true. On Tuesday, I met and chatted with one of my musical heroes due to a crappy/awesome twist of fate. It was so cool, I had to change the cool-ass "Death and Dismemberment" title that I had originally intended to use. Details? I'll be happy to deliver!
So, last night was to be one of those wicked-ass-cool shows; it was The Dismemberment Plan's last gig in Vancouver ever (they're splitting up), and Death Cab for Cutie was headlining the thing! To top that off, laptop MC Gold Chains and the upbeat Enon were opening up, and all of this was supposed to go down at the Vogue as an all-ages gig.
Because of the all-out coolness of the show, I headed straight downtown from school after a meeting. I was going to line up an hour before doors and read Shadow Puppets until Priscilla gets there. Because of the timing of my arrival, I had my choice of parking spots, and with my car safely stopped at Smythe and Richards, I walked to the Vogue with my book in hand.
When I got there, I was surprised by the fact that there wasn't a line up; then I found out why. According to a piece of paper taped to the door, the show had been moved to Richards. WTF? My first reaction was: "Isn't this supposed to be an all-ages gig? Why the fuck would they screw over the kids like that? It's not like they're priests? *oh no I didn't!*" My second reaction was: "Fucking eh! I get to see Death Cab and The Plan up close!!" Guilty in my taking pleasure in other people's misery, I started heading to Richards to see what was up.
As a approached the club that I've see so many cool bands at, I noticed a small congregation of people. When I got closer, I noticed it was Chris Walla, Death Cab's guitarist/producer leaning up against a van, chatting with a couple of fans! I sorta stopped and stared (discreetly) for a bit, but then Ben Gibbard emerged from the van!
Realising that this was the opportunity of a lifetime (well, not really), I approached him and stuck out my hand. He shook it, and I told him I went down to Seattle to see The Postal Service (of which he is a member), and he said cool (I'm paraphrasing here). We then chatted lightly about the last minute change in location, the new Death Cab album (will be released in the fall and is titled "Trans-Atlanticism"), and some other stuff. He even asked me what my name was and what I was reading! Yup, he's a class guy. (not a typo: just British)
About the change, Ben said that one of the reasons they agreed to do the show in the first place was *because* it was an all-ages gig, and that they haven't done one of those here in a long time (actually, you can probably safely replace "in a long time" with "ever"). The band didn't even find out until Monday at midnight! The "official" excuse the promoter gave was that they didn't know that there was a curfew thing at the Vogue (i.e. overtime for roadies if the show lasted beyond 11) and that the show wouldn't have been able to finish on time given that there are 4 bands playing. That is, of course, a big steaming pile of horseshit, as every friggin promoter here should be well versed with that law. The real reason, I suspect, was a lack of ticket sales. Richards was packed last night, but if you put those same people in the Vogue, it would've looked pretty deserted. The good thing was, Ben said they might come back in the fall to do an all-ages show because of this. If that turned out to be true, then yay!
Ben left after a little while, so I joined in the discussion Chris and some other fans were having. One of them notice my Postal Service shirt and said that it was cool! Excellent tastes, she had :-) Priscilla came by after a while, and we ended up getting pizza before the show. The pizza wasn't very good, but I didn't care; I was going to see Death Cab and The D-Plan up close and personal!
*fast forward time* So there was a line up when we got back to Richards, blah blah blah, we waited, blah blah blah, we got inside and I had a Granville Island Maple Cream Ale (so-so), blah blah blah, Gold Chains pumped beats from an iBook while four ordinary looking people rapped an entertaining set, blah blah blah, Enon played a tight set infused with pre-recorded sounds with the Japanese chick-bassist singing half the songs, blah blah blah, someone asked if I went to see the Postal Service, referencing my shirt, blah blah blah. *end of fast forward*
OK. The reason I "fast-forwarded" was because I can't wait to write about The Dismemberment Plan. They announced their amicable break-up a while ago, and they're now touring the country one last time. For the fans, I suppose. Last night was Vancouver's turn to be graced with their presence, and no, we are not worthy. They first got on stage amidst loud cheers, and they proceeded to play a few songs, including What Do You Want Me to Say and 8 1/2 Minutes. Then, Travis Morrison, their lead-singer who looked a heck of a lot like Nathan Fillion, announced that they didn't have a set list and that they'll be taking requests. *Everyone* shouted them out loudly, to which Travis responded with "Shut the hell up! Put your hands up!" (or something like that). We did that, and one by one, requests were played. He even picked *me* for a request, and I wasted no time and asked for "The City." They played it, and it was allllll right. Motherfucking awesome groove! Some of the other songs that were requested (and played) included Memory Machine, Girl O'Clock, a wicked version of You Are Invited, That's When the Party Started, Ice of Boston, Onward, Fat Girl, Time Bomb, and Ellen and Ben. Their set lasted for just a little over an hour, but the crowd wanted a lot more. I can't blame them, as this will be the last time they'll play here as a band. With their distinctive playing style (the drumming just fucks you up) and great songs, they will be missed. But that was that.
As I was saying last night, even if the show had ended at this point, it would've been a fantastic night of music. But of course it wasn't the end, and My Favourite Band is still to come! Oh the music gods have blessed me so! My appetite was wet, and as they were setting up on stage, I waited hungrily for a feast of sounds.
And then the moment came. With Nick at stage right readying his bass, Chris at stage left checking out the keyboard and his guitar, New Drummer at the back checking out his kit, and Ben standing centre stage fiddling around with the mic stand, it hit me that I was going to see Death Cab play a couple of feet in front of me. Fucking sweet. They opened up with Title Track (aka We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes), followed by, in no particular order, Photobooth (yes!), Company Calls, For What Reason (Emm-approved!), President of What?, Pictures in an Exhibition, Why You'd Want to Live Here, A Movie Script Ending, Blacking Out the Friction, I Was a Kaleidoscope, Styrofoam Plates, Prove My Hypotheses, We Laugh Indoors, The Face That Launched 1000 Shits, and a brand new song that will be on their new LP, Trans-Atlanticism. For the one-song encore, Ben and Chris came out and did 405. Overall, the sound was excellent, though Ben's vocals were a little too quiet. They also had trouble with a keyboard that was out of tune, an instrument they dubbed "The Mystery Keyboard." The banter throughout was cool too, as Chris supplied many-a non-sequiters and false promises (Darkside of the Moon was introduced but not played).
So, after skipping Vancouver the first time around in early 2002, The Death and Dismemberment tour finally hits our town with great fervour. Too bad a bunch of underage kids was left in its wake, screwed by the promoters. At least they can look forward (perhaps) to a fall show!
NP: Grandaddy - El Camino in the West
posted by Hanson |
6:03 PM
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Hail to the Thief Sumday
After a long drought of no great new albums coming out (Electric Version was just good), June 10th marks the day that two of them are released. I am, of course, talking about Radiohead's Hail to the Thief and Grandaddy's Sumday. How do I know they're great? One word: Soulseek. I know the downloaded HttT doesn't contain the final mixes, but from what I can tell, it'll be damn good. Sumday is another fantastic album, and I'm going to buy both of them in, oh, 15, minutes. :-)
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
9:32 AM
Ouch
I have a canker sore. Talking hurts. It sucks.
Oh! Bright Eyes is on Letterman on Wednesday! Woohoo! So. Damn. Cool.
NP: Grandaddy - Now It's On
posted by Hanson |
12:06 AM
Saturday, June 07, 2003
Break in the Continuum
Just like Martina Sorbara's self-released debut, I'm Unplaceable. Not that my character is hard to pin down; it's just this fundamental duality in my personality that people find hard to relate to. Of course, this is not helped by the degree to which I get excited over things (i.e. totally geek-out). I'll explain.
Now, this duality I speak of is my fascination with both the so-called "high" and "low" ends of culture. My obsession with (popular) music has been thoroughly documented and expressed in this and basically any other forums that I can get my hands on; ditto my love for Buffy, Gilmore Girls, and all that is good on TV. In fact, my dedication and thirst for all things pop-culture would seem to propel me far away from the crowd of cultured intelligentsia that scoff at low-brow entertainment, preferring such "refined" pursuits as art, literature, and all things proper according to high society.
That side of me, the pop-loving side, is probably the most visible when I'm around my peers. If that encompassed my whole, I would be easily classifiable, at least in terms of interests. However, there exists this divergence in my character that is so vastly different, it just blows people's perception of me out of the water. I'm talking about my love of philosophy, politics, art, and other things that you wouldn't normally associate with a fan of Spongebob Squarepants. One minute, I'll be criticizing Iron Chef Chen Kenichi, and the next, I'll be lauding the brilliance (and pretentiousness) of Manzoni's Merde D'artiste. I mean, how can people reconcile that, especially when I have equal passion for both? How can people take seriously the opinions of a self-confessed fan of the dick-and-fart joke on issues like American foreign policy and the merits of pragmatism?
I sometimes find this split impedes my ability to connect with people. I'll be having a conversation with someone about, say, free trade, and then I'll drop in a reference to Survivor, completely blind-siding the other person and creating an awkward moment when I have to embarrassingly explain what I meant. The same thing can happen when I talk about wrestling, and I throw in something about the proliferation of gendered stereotypes through mass media. I'll get this sort of weird look of "WTF?" from people. Apparently, it's hard to mix high and low culture in conversation if other people don't expect it. That is if you're thought of as being interested or knowledgeable on one end of the cultural spectrum, people will assume that you don't know/like things from the other end.
My writing this is in no way suggesting that I'm unique. Quite the contrary, I think a lot of people are like me, having both high and low interests, but they don't "Hulk-out" every time they see/hear something that piques their interest. That geekiness, I'm afraid, is something that puts me in a tiny minority.
NP: Sondre Lerche - All Luck Ran Out
posted by Hanson |
10:40 PM
Friday, June 06, 2003
Say My Name
Ed Harcourt said my name on stage to a Vancouver crowd under false pretenses. I'll explain what I mean later.
So, tonight was the Ed Harcourt / Sondre Lerche show at Richard's. I had decided to go to that instead of the Radiohead thing because I figure it'll be released on DVD eventually. Since I was going after quiz bowl practice, I even got Carlos and Dean to come along. Yes, I *am* an infectious carrier of the live music bug! Speaking of Carlos, I managed to see him convocate today, and as his name was announced, I yelled out at the top of my lungs: "Number 6 at TRASHionals!" Of course, nobody knew what that meant, but yelling at people is always fun.
At the show, we met up with Val, who, surprise surprise, was there to enjoy Ed Harcourt too! Actually, she probably knew his music better than I do, as I only have a passing familiarity with the music of Ed and opener Sondre Lerche. This fact becomes ironic later on. Also, Tara was there too, and she even got in free because she was on the guest list! Oh, to have hook ups all over!
Like I said, Sondre Lerche (pronounced SAUN-dre LER-kah) opened the show. He played a phenomenal 45-minute acoustic set, pimping his cd along the way. The dude really knows how to write them pop songs, and I think I'm going to need to check out his music a little more. You know, he's exactly the type of singer-songwriter that I wish I could be. If only I weren't so lazy and so unmusical....
So yeah, after a short break, Ed Harcourt popped on stage. He played solo too, though he was switching between a couple of guitars and a piano (yes, a real one). He also had a beatbox on stage, which provided more depth to the music, especially when he was playing his harmonica too. At one point, he had the beatbox, harmonica, and the keys going, which sounded pretty damn cool since there was just one bloke on stage. Yes, he's English, so he's a bloke, not a guy.
I actually enjoyed his songs live better than at home. Maybe it was because of the glory that is live music, but his recorded stuff just doesn't seem as compelling as his live show despite the fact that the songs were the same. And I couldn't keep my eyes off his left-handed guitars! I mean, are all left-handed guitars strung with the thick strings on the bottom, i.e. completely backwards from a regular guitar??? Anyways, watching him play the piano was cool too, cos for once, I can actually see the keys being hit, whereas at most other times, the piano usually faces the front, obscuring the moving hands from view.
So what I was saying earlier about my name being said? Well, the weirdness came to pass when Ed came back out for an encore. After saying he was going to do a Smiths cover (and no, it's not one of the ones that I know), he said: "this song is for Hanson Ho." Wah??
Apparently, Tara, who had met him earlier through a mutual contact, told him that I was his biggest fan, and so she got him to dedicate a song to me because my name was easy to remember, unlike Carly Fisher's. There was even this hat that I was supposed to get, but because I didn't know what track five off his CD Maplewod was, it was given to somebody else. I guess I don't deserve it because, obviously, my being a huge fan of his is not entirely true, although I *do* think he's a talented musician with some pretty cool material. That means that Ed Harcourt saying my name on stage, while cool, was just a tad embarrassing. Now, if it were Elliott Smith, or Ben Gibbard, or Mary Lou Lord, or Sarah Slean, or Emm Gryner, Conor Oberst, or some other artist that I'm truly a huge fan of, then it would simply be extremely cool. Anyway, I appreciate the gesture though, Mother Hubbard!
So yeah, cool night. Good music. Interesting end. Now I'm going to have to get some Ed Harcourt CDs because he said my name on stage :-)
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
2:13 AM
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Made to be Great
Built to Spill was awesome last night. They are probably one of the most musical bands I've ever seen, ending every single song with a long, drawn-out instrumental. Their playing was fantastic, especially Doug's; he played the shizzy out of his guitar, getting loud pops throughout the set, not just after each song. And the cover of Neil Young's Cortez the Killer... sublime. Too bad they didn't get to Carry the Zero. Oh yeah! Their drummer looked a heck of a lot like a drugged-out brother of Jerry O'Connell (and no, I'm not talking about Charlie) too!
During the last song, they got opener J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. fame to join them in an incredible musical orgy jam session that lasted close to 15 minutes. Fo' shizzile he's a great guitar player, even if he looked like an older, skinnier Horatio Sanz with long hair. After that, five minutes of cheering and name-chanting ensued, literally forcing the band into an encore, something they don't usually do. It turned out to be a cover of Elton John's Daniel, which capped a great night of music from two of the seminal acts of indie rock.
NP: Ed Harcourt - Jetsetter
posted by Hanson |
6:38 PM
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
Oi Oi Oi
Built to Spill today, Ed Harcourt/Sondre Lerche on Thursday, and shitloads of work from here to eternity. Yay for diversity!
NP: The Flairs - Perfect One
posted by Hanson |
9:32 AM
Sunday, June 01, 2003
Another Distraction
Shadow Puppets is released on paperback today! Time to head on over to Chapters and pick myself up a copy since the library copies always seem to be out. While I'm at it, the new issue of Magnet should be out too. Double reading fun: triple if you count Buffy and Philosophy which I haven't finished yet!
PS: Spoon's playing at Richard's on July 11. Finally, an affordable (and good) show in July!
NP: Maplewood Lane - The Colour and the Gold
posted by Hanson |
1:34 AM
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