The End of Birds.

Hey folks, well it's been 2 months since my last post. I think that's a sign. I started this blog almost 3 years ago, really just for myself. I wanted a place to talk about music, film and Toronto. I also used it as a way to talk to people I looked up to. People like Barzin, Wilderness of Manitoba, Nick Zubeck... people who've become friends.

So here's what I'm doing. I won't be posting here no more. I'll leave the site up at this address for a while, and when my "Lease" runs out, I'll post the Blogger address. From now on, I'll be focusing my attentions to my personal website (which this sorta was anyways), and writing for the odd blog here and there (hopefully I'll have some content up at Roots Music Canada soon).

Thanks for reading! If you want to continue following me, I'll be posting here:

www.shawnclarkemusic.com

Love,

Shawn William Clarke

New Music Website!

Hey there! I don't like to focus too much on my music here, so I'll make this short. I finally have a website! You'll notice it's a blogger layout, but I think it looks pretty dapper. Anyways, if you can spare a couple minutes, check it out at:




Please, let me know how I can improve it! Talk soon.

Toronto Love

Hey there. Well, it's been a crazy few days for the city of Toronto, and the fall out will be felt for sometime. I'm not here to give my opinions on what went down at the G20. There are far too many questions, and far too much information to get things together so soon. Today I want to send a little love out to my city.

Earlier this week, Jessica from the blog Roundletters, asked if she could post my love song to the city, "To Think I Once Was Lost". She felt like the song kept her sane through the weekend, and wanted to share it with her readers. I though that was a great idea, so not only did I let her post it on her blog, I made it a free download for anyone who wanted it. So, I'm inviting my readers (you guys and gals!) to do the same. Feel free to click the link provided and download the song. Tell me what you think in the comments section. Let's spread a little love today!






If you dig the song, and want to hear more, you can always help a brother out and check out my iTunes account here:

Shawn Clarke on i-Tunes

I hope all is well, and Happy Canada Day!!

Putumayo give away winners!!

Hey there! I just wanted to congratulate the two winners of last weeks Putumayo Give away!

Tiffany Brown of Orillia Ontario
and Hannah Burgie of Toronto Ontario

have both received a copy of the newest release "Putumayo presents Rhythm & Blues".



Now, don't be upset if you didn't win. The good folks at Putumayo got in contact with me and they want to give me more new releases! That means I'll be giving more to you!

So keep checking back, I'll be doing at least 4 or 5 more giveaways in the next couple months!

Giveaway!!

Hey guys and gals, I mentioned yesterday that I have received a couple copies of "Putumayo Presents Rhythm and Blues" from the good folks at Putumayo. If you're not familiar with the name Putumayo, you'd definitely be familiar with their work. They've been releasing compilations of music from around the world for the last 17 years. While sometimes I find their choices to be a little on the safe side, they must be commended for providing a platform for music that may otherwise go unnoticed here in North America.


That said, the compilation I currently have in my possession (and would love to give to you), contains Rhythm and blues from the States and UK. A few stand out tracks for me are: "My Honey and Me" by the Emotions (A 70's soul cut by the group that brought us "Best of My Love"); a surprisingly restrained version of Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" by Sam Moore, Keb Mo, and Angie Stone; The wonderful, previously unheard by me, Rockie Charles; and of coarse the always show-stopping Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

So here's what I want you to do, email me at shawn_clarke25@hotmail.com with answer to this question: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings have an album coming out April 6th. What is the name of the album? (hint, maybe this link will help).

The first two to send me the answer will get a copy of this compilation. In the mean time, check out this track from the album "Before I find the Right Girl for Me" by Rockie Charles.

100th artist on Southern Souls!

Hey folks, just want to make a quick shout out to Mitch Fillion. As most of you may know Mitch is the man behind Southern Souls, a video site that highlights the best of up and coming music in Ontario. What makes his site special is that Mitch goes out of the way to find interesting places to shoot most of the acts.

Mitch celebrated his 100th artist, and you should definitely check it out at

SouthernSouls.ca

And while you're there, check out some of my favorites: Olenka and the Autumn Lovers in a lamp store! Bahamas by the fire! Grand Analog at an abandoned Lee's Palace! It's really just so much fun exploring the site. OH, and I'm on there too! So, you know, check that out!

We Are Devo.

Holy shit! I just saw Devo!! Yes it was one of the best shows of the year, and yes I want to start a Devo cover band. Who's with me?! Are we not men?! WE ARE DEVO!!!

My day started innocently enough. I went to work, I arrived late. I slaved away in the basement of a toy store, pricing Tiger Men, counting Thomas toys, etc. I received a call. Would I want to go to Devo tonight? Damn right... Although first I had to figure out who was on the phone. You see, his voice was a little muddled, so I couldn't hear him when he said his name. After a few qualifying questions, I realized it was my sisters friend Dan... or as I like to call him, my new favorite person in the world.

Free Devo tickets. I called up my friend Dana (the biggest Devo fan I know) and invited her along. She said "Damn right, I'll come!".

So then I was in the Phoenix. Waiting for something to start. What would this show be like? Will they be pathetic old men desperately clinging to their youth?

Well... sort of... but for some reason that didn't bother me. I was trying to figure that one out. Why, when I see The Who or Rolling Stones or someone like that, I cringe. I find it a little embarrassing. But Devo made me smile. They rock as hard as anybody. They're interpretation of the classic album "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo" really focused on the punk elements within. Songs like Uncontrollable Urge and Come Back Jonee rocked out in a way only hinted at on the great LP. For me the highlight was their performance of Jocko Homo. It was one of the best performances I've ever seen. The audience responded to each chant of Are We not men? with enthusiasm. I don't really know the theories behind De-Evolution, but after that performance, I'd gladly be apart of the cult.

Anyways, to anyone reading this with any power, what's the possibility of getting me some tickets for tonight's show? Tonight is a full performance of the fabulous "Freedom of Choice". I want more Devo.



Good night folks.

Men of Salt, Men of Earth

Hello. How are things this fine Wed morn? Things are OK here, thanks for asking. Over the year and a half that I've had this blog, I've really focused it from a Toronto arts Blog to a Toronto Music Blog. But every so often I have to put up news about something I know little to nothing about, and that something is writing (as this first rambling sentence proves). But one of my collaborators, Matt Lennox, has published his first book of short stories. Matt has put up a couple articles here under the title Walk the Planck.


I've read a couple of these stories and they're great. Lennox sits comfortably in the company of Hemingway and Cormac McCarthy. His stories are honest, biographical, and retain some of his wicked sense of humor. If you're a fan of the short story genre, or just want to read an exciting and new voice in Toronto, you can pick up a copy of his book here at Oberon Press.

Also, there will be a book release, probably on December 3rd, more details will appear as we get closer. See ya tomorrow!

Cheering up at the Press Club

I've been in a bit of a funk for the last week or so. Personal reasons, don't pry... Anyways, I woke up yesterday morning feeling 100% better. What did it? I think it might have been a trip to the Press Club the night before.

I almost didn't leave my house. The other option was to wallow in self-pity, it was a viable option, but I choose to walk to the Press Club anyways. It's about a 40 minute walk from my place in Roncesvalles, but I like to walk, as long as I have my I-pod fully charged. So that night I was accompanied by Wilco, Radiohead, Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, Bob Dylan, Holy Fuck, Electric Light Orchestra, etc... good company.

I arrived to find the opener setting up. The opener who's name I can't remember. Which is really unfortunate because I thought she was great. She played beautiful folk songs, and Canadian covers (and a Wilco cover!), accompanied by back up vocalist, a guitarist (not really sure what he did through out the set... played the odd solo, but seemed a little lost) and Cello player who was probably my favorite part of band. He played clever bass lines and counter melodies, and supported the vocals with some great harmonies. Was anybody at the Press club to see Gord Zubrecki? Who was the opener?! [the opener's name was Tiffany Hanus, thanks to Marshall for the info! Ed.]

Anyways, it was good to finally talk to Gord. You see, I was was supposed to play a show with him a while back, but earlier that day I ate a bad veggie burger at Harvey's and threw up... threw up green booster juice to be exact.... just off of Bathurst, north of the 401. Gord understood.

I also got chatting with drummer Marshall Bureau, who did such a great job a week earlier on my recordings. (yes, I'm recording, and yes it's going to be the greatest album of 2010).

It was great to run into some old friends as well. Dana Snell (former drummer of the Bicycles, current drummer for Gentleman Reg) and Andy Lloyd (associate of Caribou and The Born Ruffians) were there, and we chatted about the Electric Light Orchestra, The Garrison, the future of Sneaky Dee's (we figure, after "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" comes out, Sneaky Dee's will become a hub for pop punk bands and poser kids).

I wanted to stick around for Gord's set, but they weren't starting till about midnight, I had a 40 minute walk ahead of me, and had to be up for work in the morning. I commenced my journey, the first song on my I-pod was Mr. Blue Sky by ELO. You can't be upset when that song is playing. It's impossible.

I think all of this is a round about way of saying that, for me, music... well maybe Jeff Tweedy said it best when he said "Music is my savior, and I was maimed by rock and roll".

As you were.

And the Polaris Winner is....

Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life!


Yup, my wild car prediction won! It's nice to see Polaris branch out a little this time, although I still think Patrick Watson's album was better... and that Timber Timbre, Bruce Peninsula, and $100 had better albums then the top 10.... But they didn't ask me to vote this year (or any year for that matter).

There is a nice little article about it in Chart Attack you can read here. If you've never heard the band before here is a track from the winning album.



What do you think? Was Fucked Up a good choice? Or are you more of a Malijube man? Anywho, see you folks tomorrow, I gotta go earn a real living.

The NEW Toronto Song Contest

Hey folks, awhile back I had a little rant over the winner of The Toronto Song Contest. Toronto turns 175, they celebrate by picking a tune that sounds like the theme song for Marine Land. So I had asked, who else sent a song into this thing? I got a couple responses, but not enough. So I'm wondering, did you sent a song in? Do you know someone who sent a song in? Or, do you just know a great song about Toronto? Let me know!

You can either write me in the comments section, or send me an email at shawn_clarke25@hotmail.com

Thanks folks, I leave you with Concrete Heart, a song about Toronto by The Great Lake Swimmers.



Chat soon!

Show Reviews! Wilderness of Manitoba! Brooke Manning! ETC!

Had a surprising late weekend of music, and by late I mean my weekend was more Sunday and Monday than Friday and Saturday. First, quickly, I went to Fake Prom Friday night. I had a pretty good time, although for the most part it felt like a normal club with better fashion sense. But the highlight of the evening was the short appearance by the band... I didn't catch their names, the Steamwhistle was a flowin', but what I did catch, was a surprise visit by Sebastien Grangier! I never thought that one day I'd be dancing in 40's get-up to a member of Death From Above singing "Don't Stop Believing". Magical.

Saturday Consisted of watching horror movies. Halloween 2, the original. Hellraiser 2. a lot of sequels.

Sunday night was Wavelength night. On the suggestion of Jennifer Polk, I gathered my friend and photographer Cody Walker and headed down to see a band getting a lot of buzz right now, Wilderness of Manitoba.


Wilderness of Manitoba are cultivating a sound that is pure Canadiana. It's a sound that has flown through some of the finest bands in this great country for decades. There is no reason why they shouldn't be playing the best venues along side the likes of Blue Rodeo, Neil Young, or the Great Lakes Swimmers. Gorgeous harmonies, and a moving cover of Helplessly Hoping made this one of the best shows I've seen all year.



Next up was the Weather Station. Taking a much looser, experimental approach to themes developed by WoM, the energy level was high, and singer/instrumentalist Tamara Lindeman is a captivating personality. Unfortunately they seemed plagued with sound and tuning issues, I'd love to catch them at the top of their game. I'm not sure the name of the percussionist in the band, but he's a serious talent, his interplay with the drummer was a highlight.



On Monday night I headed across Queen St to the store Heartbeat 960. In behind their store, they've converted the grounds into makeshift venue. Playing that night was one of my new favorite voices in the city, Brooke Manning.

The show got to a late start with Fraser Gielen. Fraser is one of those performers I'd love to hear a couple years from now. At his young age he's started to get a great understanding for quirky songwriting, and bouncy finger picking, but his stage presence can use some work, and a stronger grasp on his songs would make for better performance.

Tisso Lake was up next from the U.K. The obvious comparison to Nick Drake came about, but I'm not sure if that had more to do with a lack of knowledge towards British folk. I'd say his voice had more of a Davey Graham vibe, but I may just be showing off. Either way, his guitar playing was more ambiguous than both, adding a far dreamier air to the night.

I've really enjoyed seeing Brooke Manning perform. The first time I saw her it was a solo show, but the addition of a band has taken it to another level. The performers (consisting of lap steel, flute and synth) create a beautiful sound scape, cushioning Brooke's unique voice and guitar playing. The city became a secondary instrument, a passing street car, buzzing air conditioner, wind rustled leaves, added new layers to Manning's performance. She's currently on tour with Tisso Lake, Fraser Gielen, and Wilderness of Manitoba, I suggest checking them out if you're along their tour route.


Well, that's all folks. Check in tomorrow for another addition of This Week in Toronto!!

Toronto Songwriting Contest

A couple weeks ago, to very little fanfare, Toronto picked it's official song. A contest was held, they selected 10 finalists, and finally picked a winner. I entered a song into the contest, because I could have used the 5 grand. But I didn't expect to win. I was sure the winner would fit a certain criteria, the song would have to be poppy as hell, the music would have to feel somewhat dated, and they'd have to mention Diversity and the CN Tower. Those weren't official rules, I just looked at winners from similar contests, and figured out what works (remember the awful song that represents Ontario?)

So what does Toronto sound like? Check out the winner song "Love to Live in Toronto" here. Was I close? A friend of mine texted me the day they chose the winner and said:
"It sounds like the theme for Marine Land. Fuck, it makes me hate Toronto, but LOVE killer whales!"

Is this really what we think of Toronto? I know, I'm in a minority of people who believe Toronto is better than a cliche song that name checks every tourist trap, but where were the Toronto songwriters? The people with something to say?

Maybe you can help. I'm interested in finding a good song about Toronto. Who else entered this thing? I'd love to hear the tracks. Just send me a link in the comments section, or email the tracks to me at shawn_clarke25@hotmail.com

Check in tomorrow for This Week in Toronto, then on Friday I'll put up the second part of my interview with Evening Hymn front man, Jonas Bonnetta.

A Horse and His Boy's Stolen Gear

Hey folks, Just wanted to let you know that one of my favorite bands from London Ontario, A Horse and His Boy, had their gear stolen the other day. It's absolutely infuriating. To think what most musicians have to go through to get the money to afford their gear, and then a couple douche hammer's can just walk in and take it all away... it makes me crazy. If you're in the London area and you meet a couple guys who suddenly have these products in their possession, send a line over to the band.

Roland SP-404
Boss SP-303
Behringer Mixer
Boss Digital Reverb RV-5
Electro Harmonix #1 Echo
Microphones, Cables, Adapters, 3 years worth of samples
A Digital Projector
Playstation

Also, if you wanna help out a band who are hard on their luck, they're excepting donations at the Oh Records website openhouseartscollective.com. Hopefully they can get a hold of their gear again, and we can welcome them into Toronto with open arms!

Polaris Prize Round Up

Last week the top 10 for this years Polaris Prize were announced. I had planned to chime in on the issue, but had yet to hear a few of the albums. But now I'm all up to date! I've given the top 10 a thorough listen, and I'm a bit surprised at some of the choices.

About a month ago, Polaris released their top 40. It was great to see a few of my favorites on the list. From the top 40, I came up with my 10 favorites:

Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows
Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain Is A Mouth
Coeur De Pirate - Coeur De Pirate
Malajube - Labyrinthes
K'NAAN - Troubadour
Land of Talk- Some are lakes
Joel Plaskett- Three
Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre
Pink Mountaintops- Outside Love
Patrick Watson- Wooden Arms

This is their top 10:

Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows
Fucked Up - The Chemistry Of Common Life
Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs
Malajube - Labyrinthes
K'NAAN - Troubadour
Metric - Fantasies
Joel Plaskett - Three
Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms

So, I got 4 out of 10. I've been hearing a lot of people talking about how this list is pretty safe. I agree that some of the choices are less then inspired. Hey Rosetta and Elliot Brood don't get much of a rise out of me. Metric is Metric, no surprises on Fantasies. Although everyone loves Chad VanGaalen, I personally don't think the album is perfect (although tracks like "Phantom Anthills" suggest brilliant albums to come).


So, who's gonna win? Personally, I think Patrick Watson's album Wooden Arms is the best thing on the list by far. It's a incredibly focused album, the vocals and instrumentation are moving, and inspired. The album is full of surprises, it's one of those albums that improves with every listen. My only concern is that Patrick won the Polaris back in 2007, so maybe the jury will try to give it to someone else.

Maybe K'NAAN's album Troubador will take the prize. K'NAAN is one of the most important artists on the list. His lyrics are worth listening to, and he speaks for people who's voices never get heard. But, unfortunately, if history is any judge, Polaris tends to be an indie rock show. K'NAAN may be overlooked like he was in 2006.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Joel Plaskett will take the prize. His triple album release Three is nothing if not ambitious. One expects a lot of filler on any album over 9 tracks, but Joel manages to make 27 tracks of passable to great music. On top of that, Joel is proving to be one of Canada's greatest personalities. He's loved by everybody who's seen him live, or met him.


To sum up:

My Choice: Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
What will probably win: Joel Plaskett - Three
Wildcard: Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life (if only to hear the word "fuck" on CBC, and to piss off the conservatives a little more).

Anyways, we'll find out on September 21st. What are your picks?

They're Dancing on the Streets of Kensington

Maybe it was the fans. The old Indian lady dancing in the middle of Baldwin St. The lesbian couple chain smoking. The aged hipster who'd seen it before (but came back again). The former punks, now 905er's, who made the trip from Brampton, or Milton.

photo from Peter's Photo Odyssey

There is something inherently strange about playing an early show. It always feels good to be done before closing time, but it never feels right. But I made the trip to Graffiti's to sit in with Myke Mazzei's band the Mod Villains. We had one rehearsal a couple nights before, and it felt OK. But I still felt strange about the 5 0'clock start time.

I arrived at 4:30 and caught the opening act. It was political folk music. Topical music is very hard to write. the unfortunate side effect being that the songs may becomes obsolete a few years later. Unfortunately there were a few songs about the Bush administration that didn't really resonate. Do you suppose a lot of folkie's are having trouble writing songs these days? Obama needs to bomb someone and fast... but I digress.

We took the stage at roughly 5:30. We jammed out a bunch of Myke's Neil Young inspired folk rock tunes, to a good crowd both in front of and behind us. If you've ever been to Graffiti's you'll remember the Garage door that opens right behind where the band plays, giving the people on the streets of Kensington more music for their stroll. Good show for us, and I briefly considered ducking out and ending my night, but I'm really glad I didn't.

photo by Eddie Smith

The Throbbin' Hoods have been in the business a long time. Their brand of punk rock has been lighing up clubs in Toronto since the 80's. Although the back line has been playing in the band about 5 years, guitarist Buck Moore and bassist Mark Richads have been doing their thing for 2 decades. I'd never heard of them, or seen them live. The thought of an aging punk rock act was dismaying for me at first, but all that changed when they took the stage. These guys have the energy of musicians half their ages, they're a tight act to boot, one not to be reckoned with. Bass play and singer Richads spit funny and exciting lyrics, reminding the audience that punk rock used to be fun. Words can't describe what it's like to see this band live. So, you get a chance this Saturday at Mitzi's Sister and I urge you to check them, seriously.

photo by Eddie Smith

Come back tomorrow, when I will DEFINITELY have my Polaris Prize picks and rants up for all to see (I promise).

Shows and parties.

Hey guys, just wanted to update on a couple great acts I caught, and then, tomorrow, I'll get that Taylor Kirk (Timber Timbre) interview up, like I promised.

THURS JUNE 25

Ohbijou and Evening Hymns at The Opera House
I was excited to get out of the house on Thursday. I had a lazy day, recording, watching movies and listening to records. And the prospect of seeing Evening Hymns with a 7 piece band was too exhilarating to pass up. So I arrived a bit early, chatted with Taylor and the Ghost Bees and got in to catch the set. Let me tell you, the band is great. If you've seen Evening Hymns before you know how great Jonas is... now imagine that with a full band!! Just trust me, and get out to see him at the Orillia Opera house opening for Joel Plasket on the 2nd. Or for those who live in London he's playing at a house party with The Wooden Sky on the 24th (Yale St? I'll look into it). Oh and Ohbijou. It was thier event, so it'd be wrong of me to not mention them. They were perfection as usual. The new songs are beautiful, (especially "New Years", which you can check out here). If you wanna catch them you can head over to the Hillside festival in Guelph on the 25th and 26th of July.

photos from Chromwaves

FRI JUNE 26

Shawn Clarke and the Strip at Shawn Clarke's House!!
Well, I had, what I hope will be, the first of many Birds Too Tired To Fly music nights at my house! It was an invite only event, as it was sponsered by Carlsberg (if I said anything about the free beer, I'm sure my house would have been destroyed). So, 20 of us packed my wee house with 3 cases of Carlsberg (and more bottle openers than we had any use for), and a couple acts. I took the stage without fanfare, planning on going through a few new songs, and getting the Strip on. The new songs were very well recieved, and the old ones became drunken sing-a-longs. Kevin and Matt from the Strip accompanied me. Good times. Next up were the Strip. The played a beautiful low-key set of songs, with drummer Matt playing on a tamborine the whole time. Singer Diana Catherine came up for a couple songs as well. Great band, get out and see them tonight, at Not My Dog in Toronto.

photos by Lesley Denford and Beth Nicholls and Jessica Rae Gordon

Ok, that's it for me. See y'all tomorrow, with my interview with Taylor Kirk!

Micheal Jackson dead at 50

Wow. I didn't want to believe it. I waited until CBC confirmed it. TMZ, The LA Times... screw them, can't trust em'. But the CBC confirmed it. I'm sure there are a lot of blogs talking about this now, so I'll make this brief.

When I was young my parents bought Thriller on cassette. My brother and I listened to that album over and over again. Billie Jean, Thriller, The Girl is Mine... The cover art really stands out in my memory.

Moonwalker, the Micheal Jackson movie. Another big memory for me. The music video's were captivating, the live songs made me want to take the stage.

I really don't know what else to say. Micheal Jackson was the last of the kings. Never again, in this technological era will a musician ever be revered as much as Micheal Jackson. It can't happen. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. On one hand, we have more choices then ever. You can listen to whatever ever music you want, you don't have one or two stations telling you what to like. On the other hand, sometimes I think we have to many choices. With as many choices as we have, It's hard to get excited anymore.

I'm rambling. No matter what your opinion of the man, it's a sad day for the world of music.

A Short NXNE Adventrue

Well, as I stated a few days ago, it's North by North East time here in Toronto. Canada's premier Indie rock festival (depending who you ask of coarse). The festival for me was very short, and is now over. I had planned to head over to the Courthouse Wednesday night, but was still getting over a bout of food poisoning. I'm glad I didn't go, apparently there was no way I would have gotten in. Today I'm off to Ottawa, then Montreal on Saturday to play with Timber Timbre (opening for the Great Lake Swimmers, Eeeee!). So that just leave one day of NXNEing. Yesterday.


I received a call from Olenka and the Autumn Lovers cellist, Patterson. She was in town early (They are playing Saturday night, 11pm at Bread and Circus, FYI), and she was going to see a band called Rah Rah play at the Regency Hyatt for 2pm. I went along and I'm glad I did. At first I was in cynical mode, and found them a bit to Arcade Fire-ish (arcade fiery?), but they slowly won me over with their charm, energy and songwriting. Rah Rah is a young band, and have a some growing to do, but when it happens, I expect it'll happen big. You've got a chance to see for yourself at the El Mocambo this Sunday at 9. Oh and it's worth it to hear the drummer sing! She's got a fantastic voice, and may be a little under used as a singer, if you ask me... which you didn't.


Next up was the Arts and Crafts showcase at the Courthouse. As some of you know, I began playing with Timber Timbre not too long ago. I got in when the getting was good! We had a 5 o'clock sound check that we were all late for and subsequently missed. No big deal. I don't think we ever had a sound check before A&C, and lord knows we've never rehearsed, so we were weren't fazed. We hung around the neighbourhood and I was side stage for Zeus. Zeus is one of those bands that I've heard a lot about, but never had the chance to see. I loved it. This is a tight band. I was trying to think about how to describe them, and I think the best way is to imagine Deep Purple writing Beatles tunes. Although I hate to simplify.

After Zues I had a moment of panic. I don't really get that nervous for shows, I've been doing it for a while, but a few things hit me. 1- We hadn't practiced (we never do), and two songs I'd played maybe once. and 2- Jason Collett and Kevin Drew were side stage watching. Great. But it went fine. Really well actually. I fell pretty confident that we won over many in the audience. Phew.


Next up was Still Life Still. Another A&C band I'd been unfamiliar with. They were loud and extremely energetic. I was surprised at how much they reminded me of Broken Social Scene.... If BSS were packaged for Teenagers. I think that's a compliment.

Anyways, that was the end of our night. Early, but we're off to Ottawa today, and wanted to be well rested. I'm not, but I'll try to sleep in the car. I'm hoping to do a little mini-tour update this weekend, and if you're in Ottawa or Montreal, please come say hello (I'll be the guy with the saxophone).

OH, and I want to hear all about your NXNE experience, please leave some comments!!

Transformers Theme Song by Cheap Trick!?!?

Hey guys! I didn't see the last Transformers film, and probably won't see the new one. I stopped watching Micheal Bay movies a long time ago. "Pearl Harbor" was the worst movie I've ever seen. "Armageddon" wasn't far off. I remember seeing ads for "The Island" and thinking "Ok, maybe this time, Micheal Bay has made a good movie". I gave him the benefit of the doubt and within the first 20 minutes of the film, I immediately regretted that decision.... OH and the fucking "Bad Boy" movies are atrocious!! Damn. Anyways, I was surfin' the net today and came across this awesome song. It's Cheap Tricks song for the new film!! Oh man, do they NAIL IT!!! I'm all sorts of pumped listening to it (for the 4th time!). Anyways, chat soon!