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Monday, May 31, 2004
Retraction, like whoa!
Ok... remember a few weeks ago how I posted a big promo for Dave B's birthday Toga party? Yeah? Good? Guess what, it's been canceled.
Well not exactly canceled... delayed.
Since the local sporting team appears to have a scandalous plan of dragging out the Lord Stanley Cup playoffs to at least 6 games, we're rescoping the party.
Word on the street is that game 6 of the playoffs will go down on Saturday night. This is the same night as dave's birthday party. The vanmega crew is loyal and rolls deep.. but let's not kid ourselves. Unless the night has a huge playoff hockey element to it, no one will be showing up, let alone draping themselves in a toga. Civic duty is a bitch, ain't it?
So this Saturday night prepare for an "intimate evening with Dave B". And when I say "intimate", I mean "block rockin'". And when I say "evening with", I mean "house party". And when I say "with Dave B", I mean "at Dave & Darcy's place".
Be there or be square, drop it like it's hot, etc. If you can read this, you're invited. There's no need to wear a toga. We'll celebrate the awesomeness of Dave, the local sporting team, and the fact that the sun now happily stays up in the sky until 10pm.
I should also point out that I've heard a rumor that entire softball team is sleeping over, and going straight to ball on Sunday.
Either way, things get underway this Saturday at 3:46pm. (I assume)
elsewhere
K-OS, acoustic, on the cbc | explodingdog.com still rules
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The local sporting team is kicking ass for the first time in over a decade, and in turn, morphing the city into a giant euphoric wonderland. What do I do? Bask in the glory? Nope. Apparently, I get the hell out of the city.
This weekend I road tripped up to Edmonton to hang with the boys from the little punk band that could, LeftNutt. As mentioned before, jamming with the boys from LeftNutt is one of the most generally pleasing things for me to do. I'll amp up an electric guitar and play until my ears bleed and I collapse from using up every ounce of energy in my body. Hell, if the 3 hour commute (each way) to go see the boys wasn’t so soulsucking, I’d be there every weekend. But yeah, the commute is ghoulish, and therefore I only hang with them once in a blue moon.
So on Saturday as the blue moon hung in the sky, myself and 4/5ths of the LeftNutt band jammed it out in their industrial practice space. Because Steve-o was absent I ended up sitting in on drums, and drumming my ass off until I literally became exhausted. I haven’t really played the drums in about 13 years, so I was beyond rusty... and now have a new found respect for percussionists, and a better understanding as to why most drummers are sweaty messes and play wearing little or no clothing.
As the night went on this random round robin musician thing went down, where mid-song you'd switch roles while the jam kept going. One minute, you’d be handed a guitar, then next you’d be back behind the drum kit, and the next you’d be singing vocals. It was the kinda improvisational band geekery I live for.
Over the course of the night, I taught the boys a few tasty riffs, and in return they performed for me their new songs. Here’s the funny thing, these songs are really good. They don’t even have lyrics for them yet, but the boys are pumping out these surprisingly impressive bluesy-punky jams. Think NOFX meets Zeppelin... meets a whole bunch of hair gel.
There's something going on here. These boys have something. It appears I'm not the only one who's buying into the whole "Dang, yo... LeftNutt is getting good" mindset. Kids are eating up the LeftNutt CD, strangers are coming to their shows wearing home made LeftNutt T-shirts, people know all the words to all their songs, talent agents want to work with them. Perhaps the most impressive feat is that the boys will be playing Nevfest over the July long weekend. From what I understand the festival is a few days long, with thousands of people in attendance... oh and Wide Mouth Mason is headlining. That’s right... LeftNutt is opening for Wide Mouth fucking Mason. Brilliant.
elsewhere
pictures from the weekend jam session on buzznet | LeftNutt.com
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Friday, May 28, 2004
Uhhhhhhh???
What in the hell?
Could someone out there be a lamb, and please tell me when the CBC became cool?
The last time I checked (August 1987), the CBC was a very dry, government run, media outlet. The CBC was fodder for the Tragically Hip to sing about. The CBC put old dudes like Knowlton Nash on the TV screen every night. Yeah, I guess Switchback and the Beachcombers were cool shows back in the day, but that's because that was pretty much all the programming that was out there.
I now find myself madly in love with the CBC, they're suddenly dripping with cool. Take for example CBC radio 3... actually, don't even take CBC radio 3 for example, just take the CBC radio 3 website for example. This is not some stuffy government website... it's a wonderfully designed website, complete with rich media pumping out and promoting indie rock at its finest. The site kinda reminds me of Heavy.com, back in it's prime. Either way, it's a delight and I can happily waste hours away surfing through the site. That's pretty rare these days.
Also, check out www.justconcerts.com - again another project run by the CBC featuring countless live audio and video performances from all kinds of (really good) artists. Tonight on the site, I stumbled across a wonderfully stripped down Hawksley Workman live performance that was so beautiful, it actually justified the need to download the super-shitty real media player just to listen to the songs.
Hell, even as I type this, I've got CBC TV playing in the background. Play is on, and hipster host Jian Ghomeshi is interviewing / drinking beers with Sam Roberts discussing Canadian political stuff, interposed with clips for some other Canadian 20-something painter artist type. It's vibrant, relevant, and just maybe it's compelling. Hey, if I'm gonna pay a third of my paycheck in taxes, I'm glad it's getting spent on stuff like this.
elsewhere
archetypes of office space | so long woxy | women hate air guitar
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Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Today is Sheri's day, I tells ya. Not only is it her birthday - which means, as I type this she's most likely getting showered with gifts, well wishes, candy, and gold coins - today (er... tonight) is also the day Sheri begins to host a weekely open mic. Boo-yaa. Boo-yaa, indeed.
In honor of both the open mic and the birthday, Sheri's asking you (yes, you cyber-stalker) to come down to Jack Daws pub (downtown, on 9th ave, where 9th ave and 12th ave kinda merge) and join in on the insanity. If you've got a guitar and have at least 2/3rds of a song commited to memory, then you're required to get on stage.
Do it. Do it. Do it.
Things start at 9pm.
elsewhere
mixtape 20 is fixed | the uninformed guide to personal finance
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Thursday, May 20, 2004
Hang on, Voltaire...
I’ve come to the unwavering conclusion that The Wedge is the greatest single hour of weekly programming on Muchmusic. For years, the show, consisting entirely of videos from not so mainstream artists... well... sucked. Or maybe it didn’t suck, but my musical geekery didn't see eye to eye with that of The Wedge programming staff, it's hard to say, really.
No, really... it is.
Friday night, as I tried to stay conscious after countless hours of studying and worrying about studying, I ended up TV surfing and hit up The Wedge. For the next 45 minutes, I sat at the end of the couch, perched up like a little kid watching old school Hercules cartoons on a Saturday morning while eating a big-ass bowl of Cap’n Crunch. As each video on the playlist fired off, I became more and more giddy. 2 videos stood out:
The Shins – Kissing The Lipless [mp3]
The Shins are living proof that genius doesn’t even begin to radiate from a person until they’re in their 30’s. Are you kidding me? In the 3 minute and 12 second video clip these boys were so good that they compelled me to move to New Mexico, age gracefully by about 6 years, grow a beard / moustache combo, and then start a band... oozing with brilliance and reeking of hip.
Broken Social Scene – Almost Crimes
Holy hell. I haven't been this excited about a music video since The Pharcyde released Passin' Me By circa 1993.
I've never seen a video so vibrantly and perfectly capture the energy and wonderful chaos of a band on the rise. The greatest feat is that the clip keeps the true to life 14 person collective anonymity of the band. There are no heros, Emily Haines and Kevin Drew are neatly meshed in with the rest of the team. For the video, BSS play behind this bright white screen which only radiates their individual silhouettes. This, coupled with all the band members feverishly playing at once, coupled with the constantly cut shots = brilliance.
And the worst part is that I can't find a web link for the BSS video. You might as well just stay up and watch Much for the next 30 days. When Almost Crimes comes on it'll be so worth it. The Wedge, you had me at hello. You complete me. There’s no "I" in team. You don’t win friends with salad. etc...
elsewhere
adamriff falls for 24 | lost links
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Wednesday, May 19, 2004
The other night, I sneaked out from study hall and hit the city with Mr. Carpet. We ran back and fourth between a bunch of parties and whut-not... Yeah, I guess that's nothing unusual, but what was unusual was that Carpet snatched up the digi-cam from me and took photos all night. And I think he was having fun with it too.
I'm now 100% certain that vanmega has now fully taken on this strange melting pot ability. That is, it seems all the babblers are taking on each other's traits, I'm finding my self falling deeper and deeper in love with flavored vodka, and Carpet is now giving into his artistic impulses. I can't wait until all 20 - 30 of us merge into one... yeah... that won't be messy at all. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Either way, I'm sure we'll all go by the collective name Billy Von Whitesnake... or Ryan Secrest.
elsewhere
high end photography | indie rock is now too popular
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Tuesday, May 18, 2004
$100,000 in 2 days? Bring it.
Dear Molson Canadian,
Tonight while me and the homeboys were watching the local sporting team take part in a rousing game of ice hockey, we noticed your latest heavily rotated commercial on the TV.
Apparently, summertime is coming, and of course, summertime means a huge increase in parties, bbq’s, and other sun soaked social events, and in turn, means a huge opportunity for you to increase sales of your beers. Clearly to do this, you need to promote the hell out your product. Hey, I’ve read a few marketing textbooks in my day, I’m on the same page as you, I say go for it.
I assume to have the most marketing impact, you’d want to stage some sort of wacky contest or stunt, you know something you can drag out for months. Actually, I guess I don’t really need to tell you this... because it seems your summer marketing campaign is a contest where the winner gathers his / her friends and they have to spend $100,000 in 48 hours, and to this I say bravo... and fucking-bring-it-on, jerks.
Moslon, let’s not kid ourselves, you’re on to something good here, something that’ll get the kids (erm... the kids 18 years and older) in the stores, and buying the beer faster than you can put it on the shelves.
We, the boys of vanmega, have a deal to make with you. We want you to rig the contest and let us win. Do it. Do it. In exchange for the grand prize, we’ll go all out spending your $100,000. Yeah, I’m sure lots of people will tell you that they can do this, but we’re the only ones who can guarantee we’ll deliver. We promise you nothing less than Grade-A lunacy. Don’t believe me? Check out the 4 years of photos posted on this here interwebsite.
I can assure you with 100% certainty, that we’ll pack 10 boys into a private jet a go on a cross country bender the likes of which will soon become the stuff of lore and legend. We’ll start on a Saturday afternoon in some stereotypical Newfie bar in St Johns and end Sunday night at some hippie bar on Vancouver Island. Yes, I realize there will be no time for things like eating, sleeping, or apologies to those who get in our path. Yes, I realize that with 10 boys on the trip we’d each have to spend 10 grand a day... but I would like to point out that Leo will be with us, and he buys big ticket items, like deep freezes and real estate for fun. He’s like P-Diddy, he can’t be stopped… and the rest of us, well, we’re like Parker Lewis, we can’t loose.
Best of all, we’ll deliver a huge return on your marketing investment. Image if you gave away the grand prize to some frat boys, who just spent the money without purpose? They’re rookies, they’d burn themselves out, and pass out before sundown. Imagine if you gave away the prize to a bunch of hockey dads? They’d just spend the money on stupid crap like natchos or Cowboys waitresses. You deserve better - send a camera crew along on our $100,000 bender. We’ll provide you with all the footage, soundbites, and product placements you need to push in your fall marketing campaign. It’ll have all the kids saying crap like OMG?!?LOL!!!WTF?!?! and all the other internet clichés.
So yeah, hook us up. You know you want to. Let the contest run all summer, lead all the kids on, let them think they have a shot at the prize, but when push comes to shove, give us the goods. We won’t let you down, infact, we’ve kinda already ear marked the cash.
elsewhere
download the white stripes in vancouver | vicemag do's
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Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Tonight, I found a frantic message waiting for me on my voicemail. It was DB, he called to inform me that 1. He loves unicorns! (no, not the band, but rather the mythical creatures with the singular horn), and 2. Toga II is set to go for his birthday party in early June.
I haven't heard news this exciting since, well, the last massive, over the top birthday party we threw.
Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking... "A toga party? How played out, how cliché". Silly goose, we're better than that. For those of you who may not remember the original toga party which took place for Dave's birthday in 2000, we packed the house (548) with 60+ good-time-buddies, and turned the mutha out. Every girl we knew looked gorgeous, every guy we knew looked, well, creepy. But hot damn it was a good time, and is still referenced as a benchmark in weekend lunacy to this day.
This year for Toga II we're hoping to leverage things we learned from hosting Toga I. May we suggest you take heed to the following points as you count down the days and get ready for Toga II:
- Attire. Resist the urge to show up at the party wearing your crusty-ass rectangular bed sheets. You’re better than that. Go down to Fanny’s Fabrics, spend $5 - $10 on a square sheet of fabric that can wrap around your body 2 times. The result: You, looking like a million bucks.
- Accoutrements. Some say less is more, we say more is more. Do it up, buttercup.
- Underwear. At Toga I, Dave made the request that all ladies in attendance wear thong underwear, and this rule will still stand this year. However, we want to make sure that you understand that we said "thong underwear" and not "long underwear". There was a very unfortunate mix up last time.
- Underwear, con’t. Men, despite the egging-on by the ladies at the party, please resist the urge to go commando under your toga halfway through the party. 1. A big pile of man-gonch in the living room is never as charming as it sounds. 2. "Freddy & Eddy" always seem to get loose. Ewww.
Toga II will take place on June 5th, at Dave’s place. People get ready.
elsewhere
stereogum | achewood is teh funny
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Thursday, May 06, 2004
Dave and Jeri-Lee decided to run the Vancouver Marathon over the weekend, posted above are the pictures that have surfaced from the day. Accomplishing the insanely impossible, the pair ran their asses off for hours and hours, completing the race with respective times of 3:49:28 and 4:01:30. It is my understanding that shortly after the race they then began to consume all the beer in Yaletown, and then played Tk’s leg like a cello. Pretty standard, really.
Kudos and hazza, kids. Kudos and hazza. I think the only time I've ever done something draining for 4 hours straight was back in 1990, when I first got The Legend Of Zelda on the Nintendo machine thinggy.
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Sunday, May 02, 2004
mixtape 20 has been posted, and is available for your online pilfering.
Keep in mind this will be the LAST of the vanmega mixtapes.
mixtapes have been going now for a year or so - bringing a shitload of regular traffic to the site, and have gotten all of us into some new bands, providing a soundtrack for morning commutes, late night study / make-out sessions, houseparties and the like. But the thing is, these tapes take forever to compile and post and manage etc. And let's face it, they are flirting with a few legality issues.
So this will be the end of the series, rest assured we're going out with a relative bang. mixtape 20 is packed to the brim... that is, assuming that mixtapes had a brim. Either way, you'll find lots of hot new goodies from the likes of The Beta Band, Loretta Lynn, and the Beastie Boys. Some obscure shit from the likes of Mel Gibson and The Pants. Some standards from the likes of The Postal Service, and The White Stripes... and an insane-o track from Billy Talent, which seems to perfectly articulate what all the voices in my head are saying these days. Hooray for rock and / or roll.
This won't be the end of music or mp3s on the site. They'll still be going strong, but I think I'll just feature a few tracks each week with a bit of commentary around them... and you'll adore them as per usual. Enjoy the mixtape, Samson.
elsewhere
pics from the cord launch party | eagles of death metal
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