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Wednesday, July 27, 2005

go to the Gorge, yo / DMB tickets for sale...

Sad news: It looks like I won't be able to go on our annual pilgrimage down to the Gorge to check out the Dave Matthews Band perform live.

Rad news: This creates an opportunity for you to go! I'm selling my tickets to anyone who's up for checking out DMB perform at one of the greatest venues ever. As you may recall from previous posts, the Gorge is a natural amphitheater literally in the middle of God's country (uhhh... the upper north west corner of Washington state). Every single time I've been there it's been an amazing experience.

Getting to the Gorge is pretty straight forward... it's a 4 hour road trip from Vancouver, and 10 hour road trip from Calgary. I believe, Dave, Julie, Gong, and Zeb will all be in attendance.

So, buy my 2 tickets to the sold out show, already. I'm not looking to scalp our gouge anyone, I just want to recoup my costs... $58.10 US per ticket (it's well worth it, yo).

The show is on Saturday, August 20th.

Tickets are sold out on ticketmaster.

Email me, or get in touch with me via the comments, if you're interested. I'm selling them to the first person who steps up.

---

It's sad, it's true, it's funny...

The Adam Riff boys get 10 points for posting this:

Nice work, CJAY 92, your suckiness is a point of discussion from Crescent Heights all the way to California.

elsewhere

KEXP | WOXY | CBC RADIO 3 | vanmega radio

[ perma-link | ]

Sunday, July 24, 2005

burning thoughts from the weekend...

In all seriousness, this has been driving me nuts all weekend.

What in the hell were Bell Biv Devoe specifically referring to with the line "smack it up, flip it, rub it down," in the song Do Me?

Yes, obviously, it's a reference to a body part... but what body part would anyone want to have simultaneously smacked AND fliped (wtf?) AND rubbed down?? What in the name of watered-down 2Live Crew are those radio-friendly, early 90's rappers going on about?? Feel free to school me in the comments or something.

While we're at it... don't even get me started on that whole "Our music is mentally hip-hop, smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop feel appeal to it," thing... I mean come on, those guys were just making shit up.

---

Entirely switching gears, it's come to my attention that spaztastically wonderful Canadian indie rock darlings, The Arcade Fire, are going on a Western Canadian tour in the fall, hitting all the spots in the process. Here are the listings:

Sept 30 Burton Cummings Theatre - Winnipeg, MB
Oct 02 Odeon Event Center - Saskatoon, SK
Oct 04 Red's - Edmonton, AB
Oct 05 MacEwan Hall - Calgary, AB
Oct 07 TBD - Vancouver, BC

I have little info on tickets, other than the fact that the Calgary show goes on sale this Saturday at 10am here. For all other shows, I'd suggest keeping an a watchful on ticketmaster.ca.

I can't stress how wonderfully amazing The Arcade Fire show is. After seeing these guys live last December, I can safely say anyone who nay-say's the band's or the live show is simply attempting put on their best jaded-hipster routine for you.

Go see The Arcade Fire, thank me later. But get on tickets fast. All dates will sell out in all of 14 seconds. Literally.

elsewhere

best appliance ever? | fuck this website | torontoist

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Friday, July 22, 2005

quickie: pre-weekend...

Just a few dashes before the weekend ramps up and you get all rowdy, and I get all depressed because I have to stay home and study.

Lots of good gig action this weekend in Vancouver. Sunday night has critics' wet-dream Sufjan Stevens at Richards. Also, on sunday vanmega-pal Andy Collins opens for Wolfblass-guzzler, Gordie Sampson at the Media Club.
Lots of bad gig action this weekend in Vancouver too. Natural born sell-outs, the Black Eyed Peas are playing a show Friday afternoon at the Best Buy on Cambie, to promote the store's grand opening. Seriously, what won't those guys do for money?
Calgary has the Folk Festival all weekend. Notables include Hawksley Workman, Buck 65, Ron Sexsmith, and Arrested Development. Interestingly enough, none of these artists really do "folk music," do they?
Impromptu LeftNutt West Coast U.S. tour. Danger bay, to the max.

elsewhere

who else but quagmire? | magic makeover | fingertips project

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Cambodia is the new summer camp...

Everyone loves vanmega regular, Shenobi. What everyone might not know is that while he's off grad school for the summer, he's working a summer job where he does humanitarian aid related stuff in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Yes, that's right, Cambodia, the place where Angelina Jolie shops for babies.

But seriously... humanitarian aid? In a developing nation? Suddenly, your office job doesn't seem so impressive, eh?

Of course since it's Shinobi (pictured above, in a photo which I've purposely cropped to look far more riske that it actually is), every single minute of his life reads like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Here's an absolutely insane story that he told to me via IM earlier tonight:

G says:
I was having quite the morning today.... got in a little late to work because I hooked up with a girl who's traveling here and then I was giving her a ride home this morning on my motorbike when I was stopped by the police.....
G says:
usually they try to stop but I run right through because they're just out for bribes - and they always stop white people
G says:
but this time, as I am accelerating toward the cop he didn't get out of the way and I ran him over

Cowboy Soy says:
WHAT!?

G says:
last friday I bolted after they stopped me and a soldier lung out to pull me off the bike, but he just dragged for about 15 feet and then fell off
G says:
today, I didn't hit the guy very hard but he acted like he almost died
G says:
anyway, I would've bolted if this girl hadn't been on the back, so I told her to start walking so I could bolt and catch up with her later
G says:
so she started walking, and I started my engine to take off and the cop pulled his gun. so I decided to stay
G says:
he starts listing out my offences......
G says:
1. you were going down the wrong way on a one way street
2. your bike is not registered, no license
3. you have no mirrors, etc.
4. you ran over a police officer

Cowboy Soy says:
ohhh snap!... he might have you on that one

G says:
and the last one, I just started laughing my ass off
G says:
yeah, actually, I was doing all of them, but he made the last one sound standard

Cowboy Soy says:
was he talking in english?

G says:
so that's why I was laughing - "you ran over him"
G says:
part english - I've been taking khmer lessons for the past month or so
G says:
anyway, all of that totalled up to be a fine of $2 which I paid

Cowboy Soy says:
really?

G says:
quite an exciting morning
G says:
I still laugh though about the soldier dragging behind me from my motorcyle - none of these guys weighs more than 90lbs, so they can't threaten me
G says:
unless they have automatic weapons... then... I'm fucked.

elsewhere

coldplay album art generator | 3hive | wtf?!?

[ perma-link | ]

Sunday, July 17, 2005

it's mixtape time...

I have reason to believe that it may be, in fact, the most perfect day of the year outside. I mean, it is gorgeous outside... at least 25 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. And Kitsilano... well, Kits is pumping... the streets are packed with pretty, young, people with complicated hair-do's and sassy little shorts (I'm referring to the ladies here, for the most part). Everyone and their purse-sized dogs are out and about, on the scene, working on their suntans.

Except for me. I'm trapped in my house. Doing homework. I've been up since 7:15am tearing through the textbooks and term papers. And it's a frigging Sunday. Woe, is infact, very much me.

The only summery thing I can do right now is live vicariously through you, dear sun soaked consumer of vanmega. And the best way I can do this is by hooking you up with an uber-summery July mixtape featuring the latest and the greatest in all things audio. Perfect for sync'ing up to the iPod and listening to as you lounge about 4th ave in your purposefully tacky over-sized sunglasses, also ideal for background noise as you lounge around on a patio, or drive around in a boomin' jeep (LL Cool J circa 1990 style, to the max, of course).

Is it that obvious that I'm getting academic induced cabin fever?

Click here to download the latest vanmega mixtape.

As always, this a very limited time offer.

Feedback and comments are welcomed.

elsewhere

kitsilano.ca | limp bizkit lyrics and the science of stupidity

[ perma-link | ]

Friday, July 15, 2005

Regarding Sufjan Stevens, NPR, and small woodland creatures...

Just a follow up from the last post...

Apparently, many are getting their man-panties in a knot over that track 'The Lord God Bird,' that Sufjan Stevens (pictured above, over-dramatically brooding) recorded for NPR's All Things Considered radio show.

I just discovered that the song becomes substantially more interesting and weird when you actually listen to the NPR segment associated with the with it. Hey, I would have listened to the show in the first place, but in all honesty, I can't even remember the last time I turned on a radio... never mind the fact that NPR is most likely not broadcast around here.

Anyway, I've tracked down an mp3 of the 15 minute segment about Brinkley, Ark. Very small town, very bizzaro... of those town's people they interview, they seem to be both incredibly sad and incredibly optimistic all at the same time. Kinda like most Sufjan tracks, I suppose.

Download:

NPR - All Things Considered 'Lord God Bird' Segment [mp3]

elsewhere

iron mike's real legacy | am i high | origins of band names

[ perma-link | ]

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

school's cool, stay in school...

Cripes... it's a gorgeous summer night and everyone's out at kits beach, carrying on and such. Clearly, I am not. I am stuck in a hot room, drinking hot tea, working on hot-ass homework. Hurrah for everything.

As a means of revolt against being cock-blocked from being a quintessential boy of summer by this mountain of text books I'm staring at, I'm gonna bust off a quick post.

It's unfortunate that blogging won't actually yield credits for graduation.

Anyways, here's a quick round up of some of the stuff floating around the blogisphere-mc-internet that's totally worth your time:

- The Big Ticket did an ulta-comprehensive post (ie. video, pictures, mp3s) detailing a recent Feist gig he attended (note: Feist is performing this friday night at the vancouver folk festival). Perhaps what's even more of note is the link he posted of Broken Social Scene's video for Almost Crimes. As previously mentioned, this video is so wonderfully well done... it's kinda anonymous, kinda chaotic. Download and bask in the glory of that shit, son. [mov]

- Everyone's heard that one-off track, The Lord God Bird, Sufjan Stevens did for NPR's All Things Considered radio show by now, right? What? You haven't? Laggard! You can download the mp3 of it here. The track is gorgeous, and could easily be a track on "Illinois"... you know... if it fit the album's concept.

- Adam Riff has posted Jack Johnson performing "a sublime hybrid sublime cover" of Bad Fish/Boss DJ [mp3]. Team Riff ain't lying... that old Sublime tune given the surf shop and flip-flops treatment is ultra-nice, to the max.

- Technically-music related: golden fiddle on Jessica Simpson showing off her acting chops.

- Also: Mildly interesting '80s print ads! I remember about 2 of these. Clearly, I'm still repressing my childhood (I kid, I kid).

- Finally: Pictures of famous men with moustaches. God bless you, wikipedia, you endless resource of needed knowledge.

Meh... back to the books. Maybe.

[ perma-link | ]

Sunday, July 10, 2005

back, and broken...

Stampede 2005 was rightintheface awesome... a serious team vanmega reunion went down. Highlights include 5,000 person boozing insanity at Cowboys, double-fisting stella's and jaeger-shots at 11am, tearing around 17th ave on a rickshaw, and scaring the bejesus out of Leo's Vietnamese Mr. Fix-it tradesman. I'd tell you all the details of the ultra-bonkers events... but I'm feeling like $3, and I've got a mountain of homework to do.

More later, yo...

elsewhere

pinder reviews tracks | vice guide to T.O

[ perma-link | ]

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Stampede bound...

Just a quick post to boast / inform the masses that later today team vancouver is hopping on some airplanes and heading to Calgary for a weekend of stampede related insanity.

For those of you who are not in Calgary this post may be of little concern, but for those of you who will be wearing ironic cowboy shirts for the next 10 days, this post is an invite to you to hook up with us while we're in town. Hooking up has never been easier: call my cell, or Dave B's.

The collective team vanmega will be braving parade traffic, and heading down at 10am to Cowboys for the 11am booze-a-thon start of Stampede on Friday. If you've not already making plans, join us... apparently there are going to be 6 billion people there... all with lofty goals of not barfing in a port-a-pottie before 3:30pm. Me and Carpet are getting "goon-drunk" (although we're not sure what that actually means). Best.

So yeah... bring on the pancake breakfasts, the messy bails of hay, the outrageous cover charges, and the painful Country 105 country music. Actually... you can keep the country music, unless you're gonna rock out alt-country style. Goodness, that would be pleasing to hear at the Stampede bars.

Case in point:

Ryan Adams - Chin Up, Cheer Up [mp3]

elsewhere

lots of new family guy mp3's | laundromat united summer mixtape

[ perma-link | ]

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

I often catch shows near swimming pools...

Gawd bless Mint Records, the little record label that could / the little record label that brings you totally pleasing bands like the New Pornographers, The Organ, Novillero, etc... thier latest email blast gives details about an up coming one-off Mint Records showcase gig in Kits... right by the pool, blocks from my house.

Details:

Mint Records' Outdoor Concert: an outdoor concert! The Kitsilano Show Boat has been best known perhaps for showcasing schoolkid tap dances and big band swing nights, but something really cool is on the horizon. On the evening of Wednesday August 3, two Mint bands will be taking the stage at the Kits Show Boat (pictured above) in front of the faux marine iconography and a ridiculously long swimming pool.

P:ano and Duplex! will be bringing their campfire pop and children's rock on, yes, fireworks night.

Awesomeness. Although, I have no details about tickets, etc. Developing, I guess.

Anyhoo... here's a quasi-related mp3 for savoring:

A.C. Newman - On The Table [mp3]

Infectious. This track has been stuck in my head for a week.

elsewhere

blue chips ahoy | iTunes, half a billion sold = free stuff

[ perma-link | ]

Sunday, July 03, 2005

bass in yer face...

Ray and Jen came to visit over the weekend, allowing me to ignore the soul crushing mountains of homework for a few days and be reminded that Vancouver is actually a wonderfully fun place. The weekend consisted almost entirely of bouncing around from bar to club to lounge to restaurant, where we’d partake in some combination of eating, drinking, and listening to old school hip hop (and in turn playing “name that tune the DJ is mixing in within the first 4 bars”).

Here are a few weekend related truths:

- I can’t dance anymore… at least not in a serious capacity. It’s like I’m predisposed to automatically pop and lock in an ironic context the second I hit a dance floor.

- It’s funny when 18 year old boys try to pick up girls, who are married and 10 years their senior.

- Also funny: Hip hop clubs. Especially when they sell premium beer in ultra-stereotypical 40 oz bottles.

- Walking to places sucks. Please don’t try and tell me otherwise, or use the fresh air / exercise reasoning. Taxi4Lyfe, bitches.

- Bad magicians are really bad. The dude busking on Granville Island on Canada Day made Gob look good.

- The Modern Ceaser at Wild Rice is RIGHTINTHEFACEGOOD. It’s a ceaser that they concocted by decomposing the ingredients of whistichire sauce… or something. All I know is that it kicks ass… and is surprisingly refreshing.

elsewhere

pages ripped from childrens' books | drunkman jenga [nsfw]

[ perma-link | ]

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