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Thursday, June 30, 2005
Parody of Myself in Colour Guess who spent 12 hours at work today? /Somebody/ got there at 8:30am and left just after 8:30pm. Oh, the life of a (keen) developer. Going all hardcore on whatever I'm working on just isn't something I can divorce myself from -- much like wallowing in emo-esque self-pity. At least hard work doesn't leave me feeling empty and sad.
Silver lining: long weekend this weekend! Hooray! (Here's hoping I'm not working during it...)
NP: Letters to Cleo - Here and Now
posted by Hanson |
12:09 AM
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Twenty is Not Enough A bunch of people at work -- including me -- are compiling our Top 20 Songs Ever mix, and needless to say, I'm having trouble. While there are certain songs that are shoo-ins, I've also got a shitload of songs that I absolutely adore. Just a tonne of them. How do I pick which ones to include and which to leave out? Do I want a representative mix that encompasses my musical history, or just my favourites as of now? What about artists that I love who just don't have that /one/ particular song that sticks out? And the flip side of that: what if someone has that one song that kicks ass beyond reason, but whose body of work is only so-so? Do I stick that in? Decisions, decisions.
NP: Catatonia - Post Script
posted by Hanson |
11:37 PM
Monday, June 27, 2005
Dittied and Bopped The weekend included being abandoned at the Trap on Friday night by folks that "took a wrong turn" and "accidentally wandered into a strip club," a Firefly marathon, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and the awesome Ditty Bops.
The highlight, clearly, were the Ditty Bops (pics at my Flickr page). Their costumes that night had a nature theme; Amanda wore a shoulder-less thing made entirely of flowers while Abby had on a tutu along some sort of wreath thing on her head, both going shoeless. They played under an hour to maybe 60-70 loud and enthusiastic people. It was probably the smallest crowd I've ever seen at Richard's, a sad sight considering how great they were. Along with their costumes, they had props, great songs, and a bundle of energy. I left with flowers dancing in my head, a signed copy of the setlist in my right hand.
Opening were a couple of pedal-steel-wielding country bands. Local act The Seams played that Carolyn Mark/Neko Case sort of gritty, down-home twang. Meanwhile, Blanche put the "alt" in alt-country, them being the the gothiest looking bunch of country artists I've ever seen. Led by a surly-looking Lyle Lovett and a goth Barbie, they sounded much different than they looked; that is, they ain't look very twangy at all. Both were very good and left me wishing that I had brought enough cash to buy their CDs.
The one main downer of the weekend: I finally got Nellie McKay's Get Away From Me in the new dual CD/DVD format, and the damn thing won't play on my computer. Bastard.
NP: Neko Case - Runnin' Out of Fools
posted by Hanson |
11:57 PM
Friday, June 24, 2005
Oh My Freakin' Joss!!!!111one Holy fucking Serenity awesome shit! Fucking shittin' awesome fuck!! Awesome fucking holy Serenity fuck!!!
I just saw what was easily my favourite movie of the last couple years. Hell, it's probably one of my favourite movies of all time now – and it's not even completely done. Joss' special intro was a nice touch, as was the Q&A afterwards with Jewel "Kaylee" Staite. (Her, looking oh-so-hot in a short, sparkly, denim mini-skirt wasn't bad either). On September 30th, 2005, you better get your ass out to see Serenity. If not, I'll physically force you -- I swear to Joss!
NP: (my fan-boy squealing)
posted by Hanson |
3:01 AM
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
If It Feels Good Do It My first published CD review. It feels good to actually follow through and do something that I've always wanted to do. This simple act moved me in a direction that I should've gone down long ago, to not sit idle by as things speed past me. Now, if I could only extend this to other aspects of my life...
Anyway, I'm going to keep at this, writing reviews. This will force me to spend more time fine-tuning each piece rather than just brain-dump everything (like I'm doing now). I'll save my stream-of-consciousness babble for here :-)
NP: (nothing, again)
posted by Hanson |
12:25 AM
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Can't Stop the Signal Thanks to eBay, I'm going to see an advance screening on Thursday night of Serenity, Joss Whedon's cowboys-in-space feature based on his cancelled-but-brilliant series, Firefly. Don't ask how much I paid; lets just say I'm glad I won money at poker a couple weeks ago. This is going to be freakin' sweet, seeing it a full three months before it comes out wide. I was so pissed when the series got canned by Fox, and I just can't wait to see what Joss does with a feature.
My other ticket will go to either Carlos or Sarah, which ever one emerges from the death match alive.
NP: The Arcade Fire - Cold Wind
posted by Hanson |
12:28 AM
Monday, June 20, 2005
That Night By the Stage Went Too Fast There's a quality to Jenny Lewis that justifies my unabashed adoration. The whole cute-singer-of-incredible-band thing aside, Jenny possess an other-worldly quality that makes her seem untouchable, a superstar that didn't come from our plane of existence. You see, I can imagine Amanda from stellastarr* ordering coffee at Starbucks, and I can picture all the girls from Tilly and the Wall folding jeans at the Gap. I can even see Sarah Slean peruse the magazine racks at Chapters, but for the life of me, I can't fathom Jenny Lewis doing normal things that you or I would do. That she's almost not a real person makes my fawning over her seem natural, like a worshiper at the altar of his god.
So as you can imagine, I was rather excited for Rilo Kiley's Vancouver debut last Thursday. A nice surprise was the opener, the Brunettes. Well, there was another opener, Michael Runion. His Bright Eyes-esque, country-tinged folk songs were pretty good, but he kept complaining on stage about the loudness of the crowd, which, although completely justifiable, got on my nerves a little bit.
But back to The Brunettes. They were a pop band from New Zealand that played quirky, hand-clappy, weird-percussion-y indie pop a la their neighbour from down under, Architecture in Helsinki. Just like AiH, they had a cute brunette; this one goes by the name Heather (I totally thought she was called Hilda when they introduced her). They won me over right from the get-go, spelling out B-A-B-Y with their hands during their first song. For their last song, they donned "Michelle Tanner" masks, which was appropriate since the song was about Mary-Kate and Ashley. Yeah, it was as cool as it sounds.
When they left the stage after their short set, the crowd was clearly disappointed. Normally, I would've wanted more from them too, but knowing who was up next, I wasn't going to dwell on that. Finally. Rilo Kiley. Playing my town. My excitement was palpable. So when Jenny, Blake, Pierre, Jason, and Mike walked on stage -- 15 minutes later than I predicted -- I cheered. Loudly. Jenny was dressed in a short yellow dress that had these flappy shoulder things, her white sock pulled almost up to her knees that made it look like she was wearing boots. In other words, hot. I'm pretty sure I couldn't stop smiling.
The RK kicked off the show with a nice rendition of "It's a Hit." Surprising, they only played 6 other songs off More Adventurous, preferring to stick to a setlist that took a lot from The Execution of All Things and a few from Take Offs and Landings. Hell, they even played a song I didn't know, probably from Jenny's solo record. Aside from singing a couple of songs san instruments, Jenny played guitar, the keyboard, and even the bass. Blake, like the last time I saw him, was an unstoppable ball of energy, jumping around and shredding the guitar like it had killed his dog. The rest of the band was solid too, Pierre rocking the bass and Jason banging away at the drums. I didn't pay much attention to Mike, who was way off to my left and quite a bit away from Jenny. I'm sure his guitar playing was adequate (and probably quite good).
My favourite moment was during the sing-along at the end of "With Arms Outstretched." It was great hearing the whole room -- a Vancouver room, I might add -- singing the chorus of the song: "and some days they last longer than others / but this day by the lake went to fast / and if you want me / you better speak up / i won't wait / so you better / move fast." Oh. That was sweet-ass. The fact that so many people knew the words was heartening.
They ended their regular set with a rock-out version of "Does He Love You?", one of my favourite off the new album. After a rather long break, they came out -- the Brunettes and Michael Runion in tow -- and did a awesome version of Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door", Blake playing a ukulele instead of his guitar. Nice. I cannot wait to see them again.
While it doesn't top the show The Decemberists put on in April, this comes in at a pretty close second for my favourite set of the year so far. That said, Jenny was much better to look at on stage than Colin Meloy. No offence, but there's no way he could've pull off that yellow dress quite as nicely as Jenny did :-)
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
12:08 AM
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Random Saturday Night The night took us from the Trap, to the Arch, then to the Helen Pitt Gallery. As the evening wore on, I felt more and more out of place. Oddly enough, I took comfort in that, as I think I've finally settled once and for all my whole introvert/extrovert debate; I'm pretty sure now that I'm an introvert with extroverted tendencies and not the other way around. Yay for figuring shit out!
I think I've found plane tickets to both San Fran and Austin for around $500 CDN. Now I can seriously think about my trips -- work willing.
Dan: fine, I lost the bet. Yours is smaller than mine.
Rilo Kiley review will come tomorrow -- if transcribing a 1h 15m interview doesn't sap up all of my time.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
3:20 AM
Friday, June 17, 2005
My Dear Jenny Fucking eh. What a fucking awesome show! My love for Jenny Rilo Kiley shall never wane. The sing-along during "With Arms Outstretched" was incredible. I must write more later. In the meantime, pics are here. Now, sleep.
NP: (me, giddy)
posted by Hanson |
2:27 AM
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Me Wants Woah! Dressy Bessy has a new album out, and Natasha Thirsk, lead singer of Vancouver favourites The Dirtmitts, just released a solo record under the name Catlow! Where the fudge have I been? I need to pick these up post haste.
Catlow plays the Railway Club on June 28th. Methinks I'll be there.
Edit: And Laura Cantrell is releasing a new album next week as well! Sweet!
NP: (The Inside)
posted by Hanson |
9:10 PM
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Extra Extra I am in possession of an extra ticket for Rilo Kiley on Thursday. If you want to buy it off me, you know what to do.
NP: The Ditty Bops - Walk or Ride
posted by Hanson |
10:59 PM
Monday, June 13, 2005
Fumbling Away from Ecstasy I'll post more about the big Sarah McLachlan show tomorrow when I'm less tired. For now, you can check out the pics I took sitting in row 1 on my Flickr page. Suffice it to say, it was pretty awesome.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
1:43 AM
Friday, June 10, 2005
Free Ticket I now have an extra ticket to Sarah McLachlan's big show on Sunday at GM Place. It's between rows 1 and 10 on the floor, and it's yours if you want it. Let me know ASAP.
NP: Sarah McLachlan - Wait
posted by Hanson |
1:28 PM
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Mo' Chartin' Someone went ahead and compiled a list of Buffy's Top 100 Moments -- along with clips. IMO, the latter seasons were over-represented, #35 (Buffy stabbing Angel at the end of season 2) and #88 (Giles and Joyce in "Band Candy") were /way/ too low, and for my money, #6 (the first few minutes of "The Body") should've topped the list. Ah well. I'll keep that in mind when I compile /my/ list.
NP: P:ano - The Rescuer
posted by Hanson |
11:25 PM
Charting My Obsessions I've always been fascinated by lists and charts, so one wonders why it has taken me /this/ long to do some sort of (self-absorbed) weekly chart on my blog. Well, at long last, here it is: My Carton of Obsessions. Every week, I'll post 12 things I'm currently obsessed about, in chart form. There'll be ups, and there'll be downs, all tracked in my nifty sidebar. Lets see how long I can keep this up before throwing in the towel!
NP: Anna Nalick - Citadel
posted by Hanson |
12:33 AM
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Chances It's interesting how much of life is the result chance encounters. On Friday, I ran into a couple co-workers on my way home, and ended up going to see Cinderella Man with them a bunch of other co-workers. On Saturday afternoon, I ran into Emily at Best Buy and ended up going to see Athlete with her that night (who, BTW, exceeded all my expectations and really kicked ass). And after the show, over a plate of perogies, she and I convinced me to finally to do something I've always wanted to -- take a step towards writing cd and show reviews for The Peak, SFU's student newspaper. This morning, I fired off an email to the art editor.
Now, this wouldn't have happened had I not decided to stop at Best Buy (after seeing the Longest Yard). It'd be interesting to think about how different my life would be if certain things in my life hadn't happen -- like if I didn't check out this "quiz bowl" thing after seeing a poster at school a few years ago, or if I decided to do history instead of CompSci at school (which almost happened). Suffice it to say, life as I know it would be drastically different, for better or worse.
NP: Annie - Heartbeat (on repeat)
posted by Hanson |
11:32 AM
Friday, June 03, 2005
Did the Whirlwind (Twice) Architecture in Helsinki were pretty damn good on Tuesday. The eight of them huddled together on that tiny Media Club stage, rotating instruments and taking turns singing. Their upbeat, catchy tunes lit up the room, their playfulness and charm shone through the less-than-adequate lighting. They were genuinely surprised to have sold out the 200-capacity room; the last time they were here, they played to roughly the same amount of people -- at a venue at least three-times the size. And that time, semi-known bands like Dressy Bessy and The Starlight Mints were on the bill too. This just goes to show the power of (well-deserved) buzz.
Local act The Winks opened the show. Whimsical and unorthodox -- the band consisted of a cello, mandolin, drums, and a saxophone/flute -- they bashed out some delightful quirk-pop a la P:ano. Alicja didn't quite dig them, but I thought the redhead really shredded the cello (and I was jello, baby). I'd go see them again, and since they're local, I probably will.
After a good show the night before, Kathleen Edwards and Danny Michel kicked it up another notch on Wednesday. Danny did his 45-minute set solo -- which is how I prefer him live -- relying only on his recording pedal things as his backup. Charming as ever, he breezed through set culled mainly from his last record of originals, Tales From the Invisible Man. His stage banter was impeccable -- funny, casual, and spontaneous. His cover of No Doubt's "Running" was a treat, as I thought Bowie or The Clash were more his style. I can't wait until his new album comes out later this year.
As good as Danny was, Kathleen Edwards /really/ brought the house down. Looking like the pin-up poster girl for alt-country, she strolled on stage wearing a denim jacket and a pair of black pants. Hot. Her initial aloofness melted away after a few sips from her plastic cup of whiskey, and she proceeded to dazzle us with her beguiling mixture of her sweet, rootsy voice and that down-home, sassy attitude. Understandably, her set consists mainly of songs from her 2005 release, Back to Me, though she did do re-tooled renditions of "hits" from Failer like "Six O’clock News." Amazingly, she went beyond the setlist and threw in a couple of covers -- Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley PTA" and Jim Bryson's "Somewhere Else" (which was actually on Back to Me). We clapped and clapped for a second encore, but to no avail. An hour and a half was all we're going to get, but damn was it good.
I took about 100 pictures between the two shows. Too bad my Flickr account has reached its upload limit, or else I'd put some more pictures up there.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
12:24 AM
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Ga Ga for J Ga A quick post before I start the workday. So, at the Kathleen Edwards show last night, I saw none other than Elektra herself, Jennifer Garner, dancing and having a good time, bopping along to the K-Ed's Americana rootsy goodness. She was right at the very front, the opposite side of where I was, but it was quite clear it was her (she's in town filming something too, so I can't be proven wrong that easily). Despite her superhero roles, she's actually quite small, and she's /a lot/ better looking in person than on film or TV. She kept telling Colin Cripps he was amazing, emphatically but not drunkenly. With no sunglasses or any sort of disguise to hide her identity, she was just there to take in a show like a regular person, which I found to be quite refreshing. Affleck definitely got an upgrade when he traded in that J-Lo for her.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
9:28 AM
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