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Sunday, May 29, 2005
gig night goodness...
The Wil show on Friday night was kinda bizarre… about 50% of the content was brand-brand-new never heard before stuff… which was kinda cool… but, it was the most mellowest mellow-esque performance ever. If it any other musician were to perform at such a slow pace it would have been nice, but I mean come on… it’s Wil… the over-clocked guitar wizardry is the crux of what captivates the crowds. With that said, at about the 2 songs left mark Wil put on his game face, drop-tuned his guitar, and went off kicking out the hyper-speed bluesy slide guitar jams… and I, in turn, stood there happily grinning like an idiot.
Apres-Wil, headlining for the evening was Ray Lamontagne. Hmmmm… how does one describe him? Homeboy has got the most gorgeous, smokey, soulful voice ever… he performs these tender, gentle, little acoustic songs. It’s amazing, it’s captivating, and it’s a total buzz kill when you’re trying to ramp up your Friday night. So much so, we left after a couple of songs… no disrespect to Mr. Lamontagne, but it wasn’t our cup of tea. Although, I’m sure he’s not too worried, as the other 500 people in the crowd were hanging on his every word from his every breath.
We then left Richards on Richards and cabbed walked over to the Media Club to check out Andy Collins set. He’s sounding good with the new full band… and was a lovely soundtrack pairing for the post-Wil set. Then we embalmed ourselves with flavoured vodka.
Ahhhh… I love gig nights.
elsewhere
the race walker | mastermix | 100+ mashups
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Thursday, May 26, 2005
to the art-school Brooklynites in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered eighties...
From the LCD Soundsystem official biography - James Murphy on the track "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House":
"I thought; wouldn't it be great if some kid wanted Daft Punk to play at his house? So he rings the agent who says they'll cost $40,000 and he saves for seven years and finally gets enough money and flies Daft Punk over. And, of course, they'd have no idea where they would be landing, 'cos the rider includes two first-class tickets on Air France. And the kids would be earnestly trying to meet all the rider requirements, but Daft Punk would still end up playing in the basement next to the washing machine, which we all did. A local hardcore band is supporting, and the PA consists of all the local kids' amps and stereos taped together. I thought that would be like the best show that anyone would ever see."
Oh come on... that's 'effing fantastic! I know blog-gushing about the latest LCD disk is sooooooo Christmas 2004, but whatever, let's rock out to the dancey jaded-hipster electro-clash goodness.... shalt we?
LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing At My House [mp3]
elsewhere
- Mercedes Benz offers a mix(ed) tape for download. It's chockfull of jazzy, electro stuff that they'd play at... uhhh... The Mercury, if the place were still around. Either way, the mix is worth the bandwidth if uhhhh... martini music is your cup of sonic tea.
- Blagg Blog admits to never defeating bowser in super mario brothers... then feels the shame. If only he knew the secret was to warp in level 4-1.
- Adam Riff gave a heads up to the wonderfully pointless YTMND of Darth Vader's 'Noooooooooo', however further web sleuthing reveals more Vader related YTMND awesomeness the likes of, This is CNNOOOOOOOO!, Where is Padme?, and my personal favorite United States of NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!. Hmmmmm, I feel mildly more retarded yet strangely satisfied for having watched those clips.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2005
kinda important: gig news... PART 2
vancouver is gonna be hot this weekend, not only is Wil swinging through, but musical best friend of the vanmega.com set, Andy Collins, is set to hit a stage this weekend.
This Friday night (the 27th), Andy brings an evening of energetic, melodic, singer-songwriter, goodness to the Media Club. Things are heating up for Mr. Collins as of late - increased radio support, and an upcoming Alberta tour in June - all this indicates that Friday night should offer a solid show and a full house. It's my understanding that things get underway just after 9. I'll be there, you should too. Also, buy me a drink while there (vodka/soda 4 lyfe).
And... what gig related post would be complete with out downloadable mp3 goodness? Here's a coupla Andy Collins tunes:
Andy Collins - Breathe In [mp3]
True factoid: This track sits on my list of favorite song of time. Construction as tight as a mainstream radio single, yet heartfelt indie sensibilities. Best.
Here's another track:
Andy Collins - Stoned [mp3]
Whord. See you Friday.
elsewhere
a-team: the drinking game | the future of television | cuth-bert!
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Monday, May 23, 2005
season 4 of 24: the vaguest recap ever...
Perhaps the only tragic flaw suffered by the kids of vanmega is the fact that they're a bunch of laggards... well at least when it comes the awesomeness that is TV's 24. 95% of the vanmega kids don't watch 24 when it's first run on TV - they refuse to experience the sweet insanity that is Jack Bauer in small weekly doses - instead they wait and wait and wait until an entire season is released on DVD and then feverishly watch the entire thing in crack-addict style marathon format.
And it's because of this, I can't really comment on season 4 of 24 - which wrapped up moments ago and was 'EFFING brilliant! All I can really do is (1) suggest that Season 4 seriously gave Season 2 a run for the title of "best season ever", (2) hint that the reason this season worked so well was because the writers began to mess with the tempo and formula behind 24's twists and turns and, in turn, messed with regular viewers' heads, (3) elude to the fact that the official real life site of the guy who plays Tony Almeida is a flash-based cluster-fuck... the Almeida is God website, however, is pretty rad.
While I'm unable to comment on season 4, you can comment in the brand spanking new vanmega comments thinggy (see below).
elsewhere
download the new white stripes here | crying while eating
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Sunday, May 22, 2005
adventures in movie watching...
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith
Staring: A bunch of robots, Ewan McGregor, Luke Skywalker's Dad, that guy from LA Law, Natalie Portman, Jules Winnfield.
Rating: A full endorsement.
I’m a pretty jaded guy... I’ve seen countless movies, and every time I see a random summerish blockbuster sci-fi flick, I sit there in the theatre and pick apart the special effects, rationally figuring out how in the name of blue screen they disguised some Hollywood set to make it appear like some green alien could time travel and shoot frickin’ lazer beams out of his eyes (or something to that extent).
The exception to this habit is Star Wars. In the 80’s, as an acid wash jeans wearing kid, I watched the original 3 Star Wars flicks and genuinely believed that shit was actually going down in a galaxy far, far, away. And this same blind faith stayed with me, and forced me to sit through the latest 3 Star Wars flicks, even though I knew it would suck… to the max.
I think Melting Dolls' comments say it best, Revenge of the Sith “completely redeems the last two movies”. The last 2 flicks were nothing more than bastardizations and variations of gen-x childhood icons, spun off through marketing and cross-promotion into off-screen revenue streams. Yeah, the latest flick does that too, but on-screen tubby George Lucas finally got it right. The movie was true to form, full of decent characters, loaded with remarkable visual effects, and inclusive of the appropriate level of violence required to show the rise of supposedly the most evil dude in the universe (consider the injuries of Darth Vader, or even his freak-out to the dark side).
Perhaps the movie’s smartest move was the acknowledgement that everyone who would watch the movie would already know the ending. The movie didn’t try to be entertaining by incorporating pointless new characters or plot twists, rather the movie entertained by neatly filling in the blanks and bridging the gap between the new Star Wars and old Star Wars franchises. Smartness.
Yeah, I will admit that some of the romantic dialogue between Anakin and Padme suffered from chronic cheesiness... but don’t’ forget that these kids were feeling some seriously unbridled love for each other (we’re talking dawson’s creek proportions here) and I don’t think the ability to script timeless dialogue exists when your movie’s currency is based in lightsabers. And besides, at some point Yoda and R2D2 become a couple of tiny, agile, bad-asses... and this was beyond pleasing.
elsewhere
is it me, or do the pernice brothers sound a bit like DCFC???
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Friday, May 20, 2005
weekend goodies...
Cripes... it seems the few mild references I've recently made to last weekend's Will Ferrell / QOTSA episode of SNL have been picked up by the search engines. There's been an influx of traffic composed of people looking for a downloadable video clip of Will Ferrell (as Gene Frenkle) rockin' the lead cowbell whilst sitting in with the Queens Of The Stone Age's as they performed "Little Sister".
Apparently, people the world over can't grasp the wonders of bit torrent.
Anyways... why player hate when you can facilitate? (Crap... Did I really just type that?) As a service to those who are looking for a web download of the clip, I'll help n' host it.
Queens Of The Stone Age - Little Sister (Live on SNL) [avi]
Please right-click / save-as. Also note that the hosting of the clip is a limited time offer. Annnnnnd... if you're gonna link the clip on your website or forum please link this post and not the clip directly. Kthanks.
Sidebar: Regardless of the clip's cowbell antics you've got to give QOTSA props for packing "Little Sister" so densely with rock goodness. Within the song they punch out 2 verses, 2 choruses, 1 break, and 1 bad-ass guitar solo... and do this all in less than 3 minutes. Well played, boys. Well played.
elsewhere
rejected penthouse letters | team9 mash-ups | R2D2 is a false god
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Wednesday, May 18, 2005
a tar-hut on the corner of 10th...
Man-o-man... it's late, and the promised photo post from my now 3 week old trip to NYC is way overdue. I had brilliant plans of writing up a photo journal detailing my trip in all of it's glorious details... but... it's late.
With that said, I'm still giving 110%, kids... I've whipped up a photo gallery of highlights from my 4 days in the East Village. If the photos seem a little odd, keep in mind that (1) I took some of the pics with the intention of using them as a back drop for the photo journal, (2) me and sock were a 2 man army, and in turn, we had to keep passing the camera back and fourth to take photos of each other being jack-ass's.
Here are some key thoughts about my time in NYC:
- Sock's doing well, thank you very much. I'm not really referring to his financial state, rather that he seems to be in a position to have a mind blowing quality of life whilst working down south... he lives in the epicenter of all things hip / hot in Manhattan. His apartment is nestled between an endless number of the most amazing bars and restaurants filled with the most eclectic / eccentric / insane of people. So jealous.
- To hell with Broadway musicals - before I arrived, I told Sock that all I wanted to do was run around NYC at night checking out unsigned bands, with hopes of seeing the next big thing. Sock stepped up - on the Friday night of my trip, we went on arguably the most insane pub crawl of my life. We hit upwards of 15 dive bars, lounges, and stages. I saw about 8 bands. Only one - the one we saw at CBGB's - kicked ass. Keep in mind I was soaked in gin, and I couldn't even tell you who they were or what they sounded like.
- I purposefully didn't do any touristy sight seeing, save Wall Street and the World Trade Centre site. I wanted to see Wall Street... 'cause that's where Sock works. The WTC site was actually quite overwhelming and humbling (keep in mind, I'm as jaded as they come). This is the first culturally relevant monument / casualty of war I've ever seen.
- I got lost on the subway, whilst commuting from Central Park to Wall Street. I ended up going deep into Brooklyn. I knew I was in over my head and too far gone because I recognized the names of the subway stations from the lyrics of old school rap songs.
- I actually met an American bartender who could whip up an amazing Caesar (gasp!). Secret ingredient: kosher salt. Also, on a separate occasion, I consumed the hottest hot sauce EVER. Yes, this kinda crap is important.
Anyways - NYC photos can be seen in all their glory here. Enjoy.
elsewhere
just quit work | the baby from 'nevermind' | goulet ringtones
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Monday, May 16, 2005
Why post your own original content when others are doing such a bang up job? Here are some very hyperlinks:
- Pinder met M.I.A at a Future Shop in downtown vancouver . I'm betting it was hipster love at first sight... much like it is for most boys who meet her. Based on his review of the ensuing M.I.A + LCD Soundsystem gig, I'm kicking myself for missing the show... and attempting to console myself by repeatedly overloading my playlist with "Losing My Edge". It ain't working.
- The Optimo kids are offering a free DJ set for download in handy longplay mp3 format. One half beat mix, one half mash up, rooted in hip hop dubs... stuff is nice, son.
- Speaking of mixes and mp3's... I have a sneaking suspicion that Adam Riff is posting a mixtape tomorrow. Here comes the science geek rap.
- Coolfer connects the dots on the new rock revival. grudge match style. A well written piece, but I thought that we all knew the revival was already in full swing?
- Tegan & Sara's write for amazon.com providing thier list of Music You Should Hear. Hey I heart them twins... but, creating web buzz for The Postal Service is so 2003.
- Queens of the Stone Age vs. Will Ferrell's sweet cowbell, download here. I'm buying Robert Goulet ringtones IMMEDIATELY.
UPDATE: Got 'em!
Bonus(?) linkage:
- There's a provincial election in BC tomorrow. Based on the parties involved, it's the biggest farce I've ever seen. It's like the political process has been over-run by 2nd year arts students. Hippes. Alternatively, if Canuck politics aren't your thing, but Yankee politics tickle your fancy, you may want to check out Big Ticket's memo rant.
elsewhere
Yougottabekiddingme... see above.
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Thursday, May 12, 2005
temporary-term booze slinging...
(note: this is, in fact, the worst graphic. EVER.)
My top notch (read: free) website traffic report / detector / thingy indicates that vanmega has recently seen a mild increase in traffic due to people doing google searches on "stampede bartending", "working at a bar during the stampede", and "yehaa, boobs".
The new traffic is directing to the series of posts detailing me and Bub's exploits working as bartenders during the stampede at one of the larger (ie. 5,000 person capacity) establishments. As a public service to those wide-eye'd guys and girls looking for bar work during the 10 days of tourism and corporate wank-off-ery known as the Calgary Stampede, here's an FAQ to help you sort things out:
Q: Are the urban legends true? Will I make upwards of 10 grand in cash over the 10 days if I bartend at a Stampede bar?
A: No. Unless you've worked at said stampede bar full-time for years. Basically, the lifers get the premium shifts, the premium wells, and a premium on their tips. If you're seasonal help, you'll make what appears to be mountains cash-money, but if you divide total dollars made by by total hours worked, the cash you're making isn't any greater than that of a standard summer job.
Q: Is the work fun?
A: Yes, if you've got a little patience (a la Guns n Roses). You're working with a bunch of young, fun, pretty people. But you're working with them for 14 - 18 hours at a time. The clientele is blend of both fun loving awe-struck tourists and creepy drunk locals who think that they can do whatever they want, whenever they want... and are just ITCHING to spend $6.25 + tip on bottles of corrona.
Q: Do I get lots of perks like free entrance and free booze?
A: Not really. You get to jump the 3 hour lines, but that doesn't mean that the bouncer who doesn't know you from the other 500 temp workers just hired won't be a douche bag. Booze usually isn't allowed. You can sneak it, but you're really drinking your profits... which is wiggidy-wiggidy-wack.
Q: Will I get to hear a diverse selection of country and western music while working?
A: No. Every bar through out the city will play the exact same 10 tired-ass songs; 4 of which will be by Shania Twain, 3 by the Dixie Chicks, 1 will be that "save a horse ride a cowboy song", 1 will be that "dust on the bottle song", the final song will be "thunderstruck" by ac/dc. Over an 18 hour day you will hear this set eleventy billion times. You will also have to deal with people who genuinely get excited by the song "thunderstruck".
Q: When do the bars start hiring?
A: I recall getting hired in late june. Apparently Cowboys is now hiring online. Watch the papers, or call the bars in the evening.
Q: Will you come visit me if I work at a Stampede Bar?
A: Hells yes. Team vancouver will be sending a delegation to the stampede for a very limited 48 hour bender. Shit will be bananas... I will wear a Stetson (Hat, not the $4 aftershave)... and I most certainly will not be tending bar this year.
See you in 56 days.
elsewhere
how to eat at the dollar store | blagg blogg | brown cardigan
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Tuesday, May 10, 2005
kinda important: gig news...
Friday May 27th - if you're in vancouver, you have plans.
Highly endorsed vanmega ultra-favorite, Wil, is opening for Ray LaMontagne at Richards on Richards. What makes this gig notable the fact it's an early show (door at 7:00pm, show starts at 7:15!) - if you were so inclined, you could start your night at the show, check out Wil, and be on your way by 8pm.
However, the early departure might not be recommended; people seem to be falling for LaMontagne's stripped down live show. Plus, his throwback soul singer vocals mixed with guitar driven singer-song writer sensibilities seem kinda nice (and, yeah, melllllow). Regardless, Wil's gonna steal the show with the bonkers guitar wizardry and boundless energy. Ha. Can't wait.
Either way, I'm organizing a mob to go to the show. As your blog-based attorney, I advise you to do this as well. Tickets are a whopping $15, and available via the web at hob or in real life at Zulu. Based on Wil's growing local fan base, I'm betting the gig will sell out.
Here's an mpthreeve:
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble (Live) [mp3]
elsewhere
chromewaves | the primary series of yoga poses for depressives
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Sunday, May 08, 2005
Regarding: Common, coffee, and collaborations...
Common's new album, Be, comes out on May 24th. Advance copies indicate that Common is still able to bring the conscious hip hop to the masses - meaning, the disk is quality stuff... meaning, there's no need to be a cheap bastard, buy a your own copy of the disk later this month. Then enjoy.
Perhaps the most interesting track / collaboration on the album, is the track "Go" which features Kanye West (not surprizing) and John Mayer (surprizing). I have no idea if Mayer's involvement is the result of some slimly marketing and promo induced crossover strategy, or if it comes from a more genuine place (hey, maybe it's just part of the evolution of hip hop's collaborative nature - a stretch, I know).
Perhaps the reason the collab works is because Mayer doesn't really get to go off in the track, his vocal work is treated more like a looped sample (I'm willing to bet that he spent less than 15 minutes in the studio while recording).
Either way the track is pretty nice. See fer yerself:
Common feat Kanye West & John Mayer - Go [mp3]
Sidebar: Anyone remember the days when John Mayer was an unsigned singer-songwriter who wrote kinda nice acoustic guitar driven jams and wasn't all over TRL and didn't date the cast of Party of Five and didn't make albums that sound like something Sting would put out? Yeah, I miss them days too.
Sidebar / true story: I ran into Common at a Starbucks in Seattle a couple of years back. I never figured that Grande Latte fit into the hip hop lexicon.
elsewhere
i <3 grammar cop | iPod vending machine
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Thursday, May 05, 2005
mixtape, for your asses...
It's been a long time coming kids - there hasn't been a mixtape posted in ages, and since it's getting sunny outside and patio pints become the norm, we might as well fire a mix up. The May mixtape is a blend of brand new and relatively new jems of audio goodness, spanning the spectrum from down-right pop music to down-right obscure indie stuff... all the content, of course, is brilliant. Please note, this is very limited time offer (ie. mixtape will be posted for a few days only), so get it while it's hot.
Anyhoo... download the latest mixtape here and enjoy.
elsewhere
most ridiculous hip hop pics | fled.the.scene.
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Monday, May 02, 2005
consumered reports...
Kids these days are a funny bunch... hell, they’re so funny that they’re causing the major breweries to freak out, to the max. Kids these days (ermmm... the Gen Y kids, that is) don’t like beer, they kinda see it as uncool, see it as the kinda thing their boring parents would drink, see it as fattening / gassy, see it as a commodity, see it as uncool. Because of this, the kids today aren’t buying beer (not even the premium stuff). My research (seriously, a whole semester’s worth of research on international beer markets) indicates that the kids are reaching for coolers in flashy bottles or cranked up stuff like red bull and vodka whilst getting their collective drink on.
In reaction to this trend, the Molson Coors Brewing Company recently released Molson Kick a larger infused with Guarana (ie. a quasi-pseudo fancy version of caffeine). Yup, the uppity twitchy part of red bull + the depressing boozy party of domestic beer. Way to think outside the box when addressing declining market shares and generational shifts, beer producers of the world (note: sarcasm). The retail world hasn't seen such totally awesome innovation since Crystal Gravy.
Anyhoo, Saturday night found team vancouver crashing a Kits house party which took place on a patio in an alley (our scene is such a classy one). Short on options we hit a cold beer store; as a self-less act for you, dear blog reader, I picked up a 6 pack of Molson Kick. Here’s the jist: Kick tastes like flat beer... which is far more palatable than a regular beaucoup de carbonated Molson Canadian. I managed to down 3 out of the 6 cans before opting to beg my roommates for a Stella or two. At the time of consumption I felt no upper-type buzz (although a fair amount of shame). However, when I woke up on Sunday morning (far too early at 7am) I felt like I had chugged a pot of coffee and bounced out of bed, not knowing what to do with myself.
Moral: Don’t spend your dollar votes on this product... unless you have a big meeting or something the next day. If that’s the case, prior to bedtime load a 6 pack in your favourite beer bong, knock it back with reckless abandon, and call it a night.
elsewhere
winner of the SAT | 1st church of pac man | hype machine
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