Monday, May 31, 2004
Give Me More!
Gee, two days without a new post. What gives? Lets just say I've been occupied with some borderline autistic stuff (and listening to the new Organ record non-stop) and leave it at that. Now, on to the topic at hand.
Have you ever been to something, and when you get out, you feel as though it's only beginning? Well, the Decemberists/Long Winters show on Friday night felt just like that. It's not uncommon from bands to play short sets at Richard's on Friday nights. After all, the place turns "clubby" around 10ish, so bands can't play forever. Still, for a full-priced ticket, you'd expect more than an hour and a half of music, eh?
So, the ticket said that doors were 7 pm and show was 7:30. I got there at 7:15 just to be on the safe side, only to stand in line for a half an hour. For an early show that'll end early, they let us in *45 minutes* late. For a normal show, I wouldn't be that pissed, but there's a fucking curfew! All the bands were there, so what gives?
Not long after the people in line were let in, The Long Winters made their Vancouver debut with a fine 30 minutes of Northwest indie rock. Fronted by a former university professor wearing tinted aviator glasses, the three-piece hammered out a selection of songs from their two records. I almost saw them in Nashville back in April, and their set on Friday night was certainly a delight.
During the break, this girl came up to me and asked if I was at the Sondre Lerche show on Tuesday. I said yes, and she told me she was also there. She then asked me if I went to SFU, and I said yes to that too. Then I saw her friend. And then I looked over at her again. And then it clicked: these were the two UBC girls I met while standing in line at the Death Cab show in Seattle last November! Apparently, she recognized me too and came over to say hi. So we got to talking, and I found out that she was also at the John Vanderslice/Beulah show last Halloween as well as the Shins show last week. Hehe... I love running into people at shows!
So while we were discussing cool music and east coast accents, Colin and friends came on stage to set up. At about 9, they started their short-but-sweet set. After playing 6 "regular" numbers (none of which was The Legionnaire's Lament, unfortunately), they ripped into their 20-minute, Irish-epic inspired, a whole EP take-upping masterwork The Tain. They followed that up with a two song encore that featured a new song simply marked as "Dance" on their set-list. It was different from all their other stuff, mostly because it had this weird techno loop looping throughout. It wasn't something I'd expect from them, but then again, I wasn't expecting an Irish mythology-themed 20-minute prog-rock epic from them either.
At a few minutes before 10, I walked out of Richard's and into a crowd of decided UN-Decemberist club goers, a new button and poster in hand, but feeling a bit cheated. I mean, yeah, the Bright Eyes and Pedro the Lion shows at Richard's on Friday nights were damn short too, but at least they had *two* opening bands each! As great as the Long Winters were, it was only 30 fucking minutes! I wanted more -- certainly more from Colin and his band of merry Portlanders -- but I guess only an hour and half of great music was still better than a full day at the Warp Tour.
NP: The Organ - Memorize the City
posted by Hanson |
12:49 AM
Friday, May 28, 2004
Pornos At Home
Hometown gigs are always fun. When the New Pornographers played here last night, the vibe was different. No, the crowd wasn't uncharacteristically loud, it being a Thursday night in Vancouver, after all. No, it was the sheer enthusiasm of the people who were there -- the crowd wasn't big enough to cause a major ruckus, but those who were there really wanted to be there.
The Cinch opened up the show. I've been meaning to check these guys out for a while now, so I'm glad they were added to the bill at the last minute. They had a lead singer who looked like a less mannish Hilary Swank, kind of that waif-y indie rock chick look, complete with a short, flair-y hair cut. Their sound is very mid-90's-ish DIY power-pop stuff with cool harmonies, very Jale and Velocity Girl-y. Playing a solid 30-minute set, the Cinch were very enjoyable.
During the break, I saw a guy setting up the drum kit for Ben Lee's set. For some reason, he looked a little familiar, but I thought nothing of it. A lot of people look like a lot of other people, I thought. Plus I have bad eyes. So when Ben introduced his drummer as "Jason," it just clicked: dood! That's freakin' Jason Schwartzman, ex-drummer of Phantom Planet and movie/TV star extraordinaire! How cool was that?
So yeah, accompanied by the Rushmore star and the cute keyboardist/bassist Lara, Ben put on a great show, playing mostly new songs from his upcoming album. Before one of the songs, he told the audience that they were recording in LA, and went out dancing every night. They would always hear this one song, so they decided to cover it. He then ripped into an acoustic version of Modest Mouse's "Float On." I don't think anyone was expecting that! For the last song, he got three kids from the audience to go up on stage and clap along to the song, which was pretty cool.
After a intermission, the stage cleared, and the conquering indie heroes of Vancouver took to the stage -- minus Dan Bejar -- who was touring the states with his own outfit, Destroyer. They played all the hits, doing two encores, the second one featuring The Donner Party's "When I Was A Baby," a b-side on the UK-only "Letter from an Occupant" single. Fans sang loudly to a good number of the songs (you'd be punching up a storm, Val), and like I said before, those who were there were really into it. Neko is hot. Yeah, just thought I'd throw that non sequitur in there just for fun.
Oh! One more thing. Katie Sketch, the lead singer of the incredible Vancouver band The Organ, was watching backstage during the New Pornographer's set. Hehe... celebs everywhere! BTW, The Organ's Mint/604 debut, Grab That Gun, came out on Tuesday. I'm listening to it right now, and it's pretty damn sweet, continuing the dark 80s new wave, Joy Division-esque thing they had going on their last EP (except way more polished). Run -- don't walk -- to your local indie record store and pick it up. They're the next big thing to come out of Vancouver.
NP: The Organ - Basement Band Song
posted by Hanson |
1:29 PM
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
11 Posters and 1 Smitten Ho
Last night's Sondre Lerche show proved to be more rewarding than originally anticipated. Sure, he put on a great show as usual, playing his brand of breezy guitar pop and charming the girlies with his Norwegian wiles. But it was the opener, L.A.-based singer-songwriter-pianist Charlotte Martin, who completely floored me with her undeniable brilliance.
Other than a few exceptions (the Sleanster, for one), strictly piano-based singing-songwriting chickies do very little for me. Some of them may have nice voices, but often times, their songs can be horrendously boring, repeating the same themes over and over again. That is certainly not the case for Charlotte.
Besides having a glowing stage presence, she had great songs to go along with it. On "In Parentheses," she sings: "I'll get medieval on boy bands / is anybody listening / the way life makes nice girls fast / is anybody listening." I'd like to hear Vienna Teng try that. She's also got this song called "I'm Normal Please Date Me" about her stalking this guy one time. I'm pretty sure she's kidding, but the song is no less hilarious. Last night, she did a Cure cover that was wonderful too. And that voice! It's like Kristy Thirsk without the crazy high notes and weird-ass low notes -- I would say a Kristy that doesn't try as hard but sounds just as good. Her banter was top-notch as well, even with a crowd of mutes. She completely owned up there, and in the process, thoroughly won me over.
After her set, I went over to the merch table with Janis to pick up her CDs, Noah and Val holding our places up at the front. I got both her self-released and major label EPs, the latter of which I got her to sign. She was so nice, hugging everyone who went to talk to her. If you could believe it, she was even prettier in person than in her pictures on website. I didn't think that was possible! She mentioned that her major label debut album will drop in August, so hopefully, she'll come back soon. I'm so competely smitten with her right now, it's not even funny. Well, maybe a little.
Oh, but the story doesn't end there. When the whole show was over, Sondre did the signing thing too at the merch table. While we were looking for the lining up (Val and Janis to get their pictures taken with Sondre and me to get my setlist signed), I noticed one of Charlotte's posters on the wall. Naturally, I grabbed it, thinking it'd be a nice souvenir. After we got what we wanted from Sondre, we left, only to go back in cos we forgot to get buttons. Then I saw another one of her posters, but this one with the show date on it. I was like: "ooh, I need that too." One thing led to another, and when it was all said and done, I ended up with 11 posters. Yes, that's right -- 11. They're nice glossy ones too, ones that you'd pay money for. And now I have 11 of them. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them, but it's better that they ended up with me than thrown in the trash, eh?
NP: Charlotte Martin - I'm Normal Please Date Me (live)
posted by Hanson |
2:07 PM
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Her Words Will Get Out!
Wonderfalls DVDs! Wonderfall DVDs!! FUCKING EH!!! Yes, that's worthy of 3 exclamation mark (not pronounced chk-chk-chk). Christmas. That's the earliest I'll get to see the 7 episodes that I haven't seen plus commentaries and extras. Much happy-dancing will be done then, I'm sure -- much like now.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
NP: The Decemberists - My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist
posted by Hanson |
3:23 PM
Monday, May 24, 2004
*Insert Point Here*
I'm sitting here, plugging away at my CMPT 310 homework, listening to The Long Winters, Sondre Lerche, Charlotte Martin, and that fucking brilliant Decemberists song "The Legionnaire's Lament," and I'm thinking: "gee, wouldn't it be great to see The Long Winters, Sondre Lerche, Charlotte Martin, and The Decemberists?" And then it hit me: "shit! I get to see them all this week!" Wicked.
The previous more-meaningless-than-usual post was brought to you by Procrastination. "When you've got something to do, Procrastination will be there for you (tm)"
NP: Sondre Lerche - Days That Are Over
posted by Hanson |
11:28 PM
Sunday, May 23, 2004
The Shins Were the Shiznit
Chaos can be a beautiful thing -- or it could just be pretty messed up. Both sides were on display at the Shins show at the Commodore on Friday, though neither involved said headliners.
Opening the show was US Maple, a band I've heard nothing about before Friday. Their frontman looked like a balding Chris Parnell, his hairy stomach exposed behind his too-small polo shirt that looked like it was made from an oversized tan bath towel. He mumbled into the mic with his hands covering it, barely audible behind the fuzzed out dual guitars. I couldn't look at him for more than five seconds without bursting into laughter. As I told Val, he looked like Chris Parnell trying to be a serious rock star but looking like a fool.
His band mates were no less funny. The guitarist on his left looked like Sebastian Bach with a bowl haircut that grew too long. Wearing a grey suit, he had these rock star kick-and-spin moves that looked pretty stupid. The other guitarist had some chops, but he too was clownish. He had this drugged-out half grin throughout the show, not to mention dance moves that were, uhm, odd. He looked like he could've been a German character actor named Fritz. Or Hans. No no, Fritz. It's gotta be Fritz.
As for their music, it was, as I said, a mess. Song bled into song -- literally -- and I had no idea when to start clapping. That's not always bad, as I've been known to dig some experimental stuff. But these guys were just mathy without being interesting, and I couldn't get into it at all.
On the flip side were The Fiery Furnaces, a band that I was looking forward to seeing. Like US Maple, their set was equally paced, as they too didn't stop between songs. But amidst the chaos was a clarity; the coherence that was lacking in structure was made up in style. Their brand of rootsy Quasi-meets-Unicorns quirk doesn't sound like anything that's out there, and their live show was no different.
Singer/guitarist Eleanor Friedberger played with such deliberate ferocity, it almost covered up her otherwise shy demeanour. Banter was virtually nonexistent, and you had a feeling that they wanted to squeeze as much music into their 40 minutes as possible. That they did, playing parts of 18 different songs during their short set. In fact, the epic 10+ minute Quay Cur, the opening track to their new album Blueberry Boat, was broken up into three pieces and scattered throughout the set. I've never seen anything like it. In a sense, their show was what you'd get after they've been put through a blender. It was a disassembled mess individually, but taken as a whole, it was perfectly coherent -- and fucking brilliant.
And then there were The Shins. Instead of having lackeys set up their stuff, James Mercer et al did it themselves, tuning and adjusting as if Chutes Too Narrow didn't sell 100,000+ copies -- an amazing number for a album on Sub Pop. They keepin' it realz! Friday was the first time I've seen them at a club; the previous two times I saw them were at Bumbershoot last year and the year before when they were playing a stadium and an arena, respectively. Unfortunately, the Commodore show had sound that was just as bad as the big venues', and I could hardly hear James' vocals, a strong and distinctive presence on all of The Shins' recordings. That sucked big time.
Still, my favourite band from New Mexico put on a great show. And for once, the fans were really into it too, loudly singing along to songs like Kissing the Lipless and Young Pilgrim. And judging from the crowd's enthusiasm, I'm guessing there was a hardcore contingent that came from the states to see them. I've rarely seen Vancouverites that excited over a band, and I couldn't help but suspect that a bunch of 19 and 20 year-olds decided to cross the border on a Friday night to see their favourite band.
A funny thing happened when James screwed up the lyrics to Pink Bullets. Fans immediately barked out and reminded him of his mistake. Sheepishly, he aborted the song and restarted. Otherwise, the set went off without a hitch -- and they fucking ruled, bad sound notwithstanding. Yay Shins!
NP: Juliana Hatfield - Get a Line
posted by Hanson |
9:25 PM
Friday, May 21, 2004
Better Not Choke
The FA Cup final between United and Millwall is airing live tomorrow at 7:00am PST on Sportsnet. That means an early wake up for me after the Shins show tonight. I still remember when you could only see live cup finals at bars; in my area, that meant the titty bar on Barnet right near my old high school. Hehe... tomorrow morning, all I gotz to do is roll out of bed and turn the TV on -- *much* easier than going to the titty bar at 6:30am.
Side note: Metric's "Combat Baby" is going to be the Wedge tonight! Yeee!
NP: Rilo Kiley - Go Ahead (live)
posted by Hanson |
5:27 PM
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Under Her Skin
Is that Chantal Kreviazuk I hear singing back up on Avril Lavigne new album? It's either that, or co-writing with Chantal has made Avril sing like her too. (Hey, I can't be indie all the time :-)
Oh! The Gay is opening up for Yo La Tengo this Monday. Now I *really* want to go!
NP: Avril Lavigne - Together
posted by Hanson |
4:05 PM
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Angel's Last Stand
Tonight, we bid adieu to the Buffyverse. Angel: we hardly knew ya! After five years, the WB has pulled the plug on the only remaining Joss Whedon show left on the air. It's ending where it began -- in a dark place. Still, through the years, it has become the best show on TV. It has even made losing Buffy last year a little more bearable, knowing that Joss still has a weekly outlet to tell his story of vampires and demons with funny quips. After tonight, though, it'll be no more. Promises of TV movies have yet to be confirmed, and with the WB's fall schedule announced with no mention of said movies, it doesn't look good.
So saviour it. Tonight might be the last chapter of the Buffyverse saga. Mourn. This could hurt more than Buffy's departure.
NP: The Fiery Furnaces - Up in the North
posted by Hanson |
1:10 PM
Full of Charisma
Now, I don't normally buy pr0n (don't you love posts that start like that?) but the latest Playboy cover girl has made me reconsider. Cordy herself is gonna be nekkid! Yes, Charisma FREAKING Carpenter is gracing the covers of June 2004's issue of Hugh's mag. It's literally a dream come true -- circa 1998-9.
That said, I'm a bit weary about this. On one hand, I'm not really a pr0n kind of guy; it's just not.... me. And it might shatter a teenage fantasy that ought to be left well alone. On the other hand, it's Cordy boobies. To buy or not to buy? It's certainly a hard decision.
NP: The Shins - Your Algebra
posted by Hanson |
12:25 AM
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Dido and Anuses
Dido played the Queen Elizabeth Theatre today. The show was nearly sold out, but in attendance was the regular anaemic too-kool-for-skool Vancouver concert crowd. Ms. Armstrong worked the audience, urging people to stand up during some of the more stand-uppy kind of songs. But succumbing to peer pressure doesn't mean they'll actually move. Tonnes of people just stood there -- not a sway, not a head-bop. Lame mofos. When Dido asks you to sing-along to Thank You, you DO IT! It's Di-Friggin'-do! When she asks you to jump, you just say "how high?" Wankers.
Despite the crowd, she was pretty good. Hers is standard pop star fare, but her voice -- especially live -- is just irresistible. The same cannot be said about the opener, one-half of Aqualung. The singer/keyboardist for that band flew home to Britain yesterday because his wife was about to have a baby, and he left his brother to open the show by himself. The dude -- a Ben -- did admirably despite the circumstances, but try as he might, his singing wasn't up to snuff. For a half an hour, he did what he called "Aqualung karaoke" while strumming his acoustic guitar alone on stage. Poor guy. He called it the longest half hour in his life. Although it wasn't that bad, it wasn't good either.
Oh! And to update on an earlier post, I *did* find a taker for my extra ticket. That saved me from having to swap my two row 15 tickets for a single, better ticket. Having company during that extra long intermission was worth sitting a few rows further back.
NP: The Fiery Furnaces - Tropical Ice-Land
posted by Hanson |
12:40 AM
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Aeneas Today, Dido Tomorrow
I saw me some Troy today. Saffron Burrows was a lot skinnier than I remembered her to be. The chick they got to play Helen looked like a shorter Molly Sims (but still not hot enough to launched 1000 shits ships, though). Mr. Aniston was a very good Achilles, and The Hulk was also a very good Hector. Sean Bean was very Boromir-esque, and Orlando Bloom has been officially typecasted as the arrow-shooting guy. Brian Cox was a little too crazy for my taste, while Peter O'Toole was just perfect. No Hecuba or Cassandra though. I guess they didn't have enough screen time for all of them.
Did I like it? Yeah, I suppose. Too many people died that shouldn't have (at least according to the Iliad), but they got the spirit of the thing right. The acting was decent, but the action was lacklustre. Thank you Big Pete Jackson for raising the bar! I probably would've liked it more if I saw it before 10:00 pm, December 18th, 2001.
NP: Dido - Take My Hand
posted by Hanson |
11:31 PM
Friday, May 14, 2004
Jen Subs In For Ben
I'm drinking Vita lemon tea and listening to a *fantastic* boot of a Rilo Kiley show from January of this year. It's no Death Cab, but since that was not to be, it ain't a bad substitute. Jenny sounds so damn good -- I can't wait for their new album to be leaked!
NP: Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous (01-24-04)
posted by Hanson |
11:28 PM
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Stupid Game
Argh!! Golf preempts PTI again! What good is an abbreviated school day if not for Wilbon and Kornheiser?
NP: (West Wing)
posted by Hanson |
2:43 PM
Dido, Anyone?
Let me know if you want to see Dido next Monday (May 17th). You can pay me as much or as little for my extra ticket as you wish. As it is a theatre show, I just want company :-)
NP: The Decemberists - My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist
posted by Hanson |
1:36 AM
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Got Until 10 PM
Another tempting 2-for-1 offer, this time for Erin McKeown w/ Po' Girl next Tuesday. $12.50. Hmmm.... anyone for a night of folky singer-songwriters?
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
8:14 AM
Monday, May 10, 2004
Room With the Sarah H. View
As usual, Sarah Harmer was mesmerizing last night, doing that laid back, easy-going thing that she does. She did an 18-song set, followed by two encores. Other than the material culled from her two solo albums, she pulled out the Room With the Sir John A View (an old Weeping Tile fave) and the unreleased, traditional country-ish Oleander. Nicole, who was there to see Hayden who opened the show, was really happy about Sir John A. I, on the other hand, would've liked to hear Good Fortune instead, a song I shouted for repeatedly during the "solo, nothing planned" portion of her set. Ah well. Sir John A was nice surprise too. And snagging the set list at the end -- that just capped off a good night.
On a side note, there were an unusually high proportion of cute girls at the show last night. Not the hipster indie chicks I always see at shows, but the ones I see browsing in bookstores or walking out of classes that I wasn't taking. Maybe singer-songwriters just attract a comely crowd.
NP: Sarah Harmer - Good Fortune (live)
posted by Hanson |
1:13 PM
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Harmer Tonight! Harmer Tonight!
Sarah, to be precise. I hope I can say the same thing this Friday -- but referring to Nick, the bassist for a band whose name rhymes with Death Cab for Mutie.
Weeeee!
NP: The Pale - Gravity Gets Things Done
posted by Hanson |
6:04 PM
Saturday, May 08, 2004
Double the Woohoo
I'm currently downloading an unaired Wonderfalls episode off BT onto my new, old 20 gig hard drive. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeah!
NP: Weeping Tile - Westray
posted by Hanson |
10:50 AM
Friday, May 07, 2004
Mmmmmmm
Tina Fey is so, very hot.
NP: (Tina Fey on Letterman)
posted by Hanson |
12:15 AM
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Top of My World
A few things have captured my fancy over the past few weeks, many of which did so through my speakers. While I'm not as obsessed with it quite as much as other people have been, Patty Griffin's new one -- Impossible Dream -- merits an honourable mention in my little corner of the largest distributed system in the world (ignore me -- I just came from a CMPT 401 lecture).
Picking up where 1000 Kisses left off, Patty's powerful voice busts through the simple arrangement and carries the album from start to finish. The disc opens with "Love Throw a Line," an upbeat, finger-snapping ditty destined for many-a homemade roots/folk/alt-country compilations. Gems like "Top of the World" and "Mother of God" are rescued from the ill-fated Silver Bell sessions, and their re-recording yields results of similar, excellent quality. Out of all the "new" songs, my fave is probably "Florida," a song that showcases Patty's considerable talents as both a writer and a performer. Simplicity is the name of the game, and few play it better than the fiery-haired Patty.
Producing nary a clunker, Patty has churned out yet another Top-Ten-of-the-Year contender. Now, she's gotta play Vancouver so that I can see/hear her weave her magic once again.
NP: Melissa McClelland - Little Bird
posted by Hanson |
11:08 AM
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
All Hung Up Over Nothing
This PopMatters article really encapsulates my feelings towards the whole William Hung phenomenon. It makes some interesting points about masculinity and the (North) American-Asian male, rejecting the kind of outright and unqualified lambasting the poor guy and his rise to "stardom" have received from the likes of him and him. A few excerpts:
"Asian American men long been largely deprived of sexual self-definition, a result of white paranoia over the sexual and economic threat posed by early Asian American "bachelor societies" (the product of racist immigration and labor policies) and the more recent rise of Asian national economies. When these tensions erupt into media, the resultant images of Asian masculinity are almost always cast in emasculated and/or villainous terms. As a result, the sexual capital of Asian American straight men stands near zero."
"But to reject Hung wholesale as just another casualty of America's racist imagination is to see only part of the picture. Whether we find him stereotypical or not, Hung and people like him are part of the Asian American community. People who speak with accents, people who wear pocket protectors. By failing to claim them, we are conceding to mainstream culture the power to define us."
"More importantly, what Ng and others forget is that Hung has struck a chord with so many, not just because he fits into a familiar stereotype, but because he showed fortitude, and yes, grace, in the face of rejection. It was his humility, not his race, that made him stand out from the parade of crybabies and divas churning through the American Idol machine. Despite his awkward appearance, voice and dance moves, Hung dared to put his dream to the test. He may have been delusional, or simply naïve, but he tried. And then, when he failed, he took it "like a man.""
"The problem is that Hung's critics are so invested in traditional ideas of masculinity (and Asian American men's exclusion from them) that they can't see the disruptive possibilities of Hung's stardom. Guillermo rages, "What is Hung but an infantilized, incompetent and impotent male image? Strong? No. Virile? No. Sexy? The guy's a virgin." (Virgins inherently unsexy? Since when?) With these narrow-minded conceptions of masculinity, it's no wonder Guillermo thinks that Hung's fans can only be out for ridicule. He's so focused on claiming machismo for Asian American men that he can't recognize that perhaps it's masculinity, not Hung, that needs a makeover."
Yeah, what he she said.
NP: Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova - Spring Cleaning
posted by Hanson |
11:43 PM
Monday, May 03, 2004
It Comes Around Every Four Months
School has started again! There's always a renewed sense of excitement that comes with the beginning of every semester -- new classes, new profs, new classmates. The novelty wears off eventually, usually around the time when the first paper/assignment is due, but as long as it's here, I ought to enjoy it. Three new classes tomorrow -- yeah! Nine hours of lecture -- uh, not so much. Maybe this honeymoon will end sooner than I thought...
NP: Melissa McClelland - Garden of Eden
posted by Hanson |
11:35 PM
Sunday, May 02, 2004
William Hath Been Slain
I finally saw a non-Ben Affleck movie in the theatres this year -- Kill Bill Vol. 2. It wasn't as good as the first one, though it had its moments. The flashback sequences were cool, as were the fights and David Carradine. The Cantonese dialogue didn't really translate into the subtitles though, but they never do. And a little more humour would've been appreciated, but given the plot, it would've been hard. I guess I'd have to see both movies back-to-back to give a fair assessment. I mean, like LOTR, it's basically one movie.
On a side note, I was told last week that I reminded someone of Quentin Tarantino. I could do worse :-)
NP: (SNL)
posted by Hanson |
1:13 AM
Saturday, May 01, 2004
Local Boys (and Girls) Done Good
Instead of going to the LOT after-party at the Caprice last night, I hopped on over to the Marine Club to check out one of my favourite local acts, Maplewood Lane, plus a bunch of local bands. Good thing Janis went as well, because when we got there, the only people at the place besides the bartender were either with the bands, or in the bands. I don't mind going to shows alone when I can blend into the crowd, but when I stick out like that, it's a bit awkward.
After I got an overpriced beer and proved once again that I really suck at pool, on came Ian Malinski -- the first of the night's four acts. He's Vancouver's version of David Bazan (of/aka Pedro the Lion) -- big guy with a beard, playing earnest and heart-felt songs. Not only does he sing like Dave, he even covers a Pedro the Lion song on his CD! Accompanied by his guitar and sometimes a keyboardist, he belted Pedro-esque songs (last time I make the comparison, I swear) and sounded pretty damn good doing it. In fact, he impressed me enough for me to splash out a fiver for his homemade CD.
Up next were Maplewood Lane. They fucking ruled as usual, playing a set of half old and half new songs. Rebecca Rowan just has the prettiest voice in the Vancouver scene, and their brand of dreamy indie-pop just gets me in the best of ways. Yes, I get a feeling -- a special, visceral feeling -- when I hear their music. The vocals, the melodies -- it's near perfection. I so can't wait until they release something else. A single, an EP -- I'll take anything! They're just so, so good.
Second -- that's the name of the band -- were third (hehe). Janis knew the guitarist from elementary school, and she was that close to getting us on the guest list. Ah well. I suppose the bands deserved my $5. Anyway, they were good as well, the band sounding like a Canadian Elbow fronted by Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet (yes, it took me a while to come up with that one). I would've gotten their CD, but they didn't have one, I don't think.
The headliners of the night were Spark that Screams, a drum-kit-less four-piece fronted by this giant of a man with Justin Guarini hair (oh gees, I just made a Justin Guarini reference....). They also had a cellist/flutist too, so that was cool. Their sound? Eh, I'd have to say that they had a similar British-y thing going on like Second, but with a more eclectic selection of instruments and longer songs that sounded Radioheadish at times. Their lead singer sounded a little Dave Bazanish as well, which was a good thing. I dug their sound, though I would've enjoyed their set even more if I weren't so tired by then.
That said, despite the show dragging on until well past 1:30, I was very happy with it. It wasn't often that you see 4 locals bands that were all good. But it happened last night. Yay to (good) local music!
NP: The Killers - Jenny
posted by Hanson |
12:45 AM
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