Late Nights in the City: Poutine & Rock Shows March 18, 2010
Posted by Shannon in eateries and restaurants, music.Tags: Canadian Music Week, CMW, Concerts, Late Night Food, Lee's Palace, NXNE, Parkdale, Poutine, Poutini's, Shows, Sweet Thing, Toronto
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"Question: do you like your hands? If yes, then you better get your mammy to knit you some mitts, you baby, because lead singer Owen Carrier will make you clap, hard."
Last week was Canadian Music Week – a fairly unknown event, except, I think, for bar owners and people in music industry. Basically, there is a big conference in a swanky hotel, and tons of amazing shows in venues all over the city. It smells a little bit like NXNE without the brand recognition.
During CMW 2010 I stayed out past my bedtime 4 nights in a row, I ate food in the middle of those nights, and I had my socks rocked one or two times. No night rocked (popped?) quite as hard, however, as the night I saw Sweet Thing at Lee’s Palace.
I was won over in such a big way by the band’s stage presence, quirky sexiness and musical force. In the morning I reviewed 6 outgoing text messages on my phone that all read (gushed?) something like: “omfg! Sweet Thing are soooooooo good! You have to come next time!!!”
There are very few things in this world that can force me to use internet memes or more than one exclamation mark in a communication – never mind both.
I read CHARTattacks’s CMW 2010 Report Card about Sweet Thing’s show on Monday morning and was so relieved that I wasn’t the only one peeing in their pants at Lee’s Palace on Saturday, March 15th. If you haven’t heard of Sweet Thing yet, you’re not alone, but I think you’ll be in the minority really soon.
Check out their official site for a free download of the track “Dance Mother.” It’s amazing.
**and available in a non-explicit version just in case the f-bomb offends your sensibilities**
MP3: Sweet Thing – Dance Mother
OM NOM NOM indeed.
I basked in another sweet thing last week, as well. Poutini’s at 3AM. It’s actually magical.
On a Friday or Saturday night you really have to work for your middle of the night poutine in Parkdale – but not on a Thursday! I was in and out with my fries, cheese and gravy in 5 minutes flat. Awesome.
sexy 3AM photo shoot.
I strongly advise you stick out the intimidating looking wait instead of hitting up the Pizza Pizza down the street (ick. gross). In all honesty, even when the line up is out the door on a weekend, they generally get the goods in people’s hands within 15 minutes.
Poutini’s makes the perfect classic poutine. Just the right amount of salt, with the squeakiest cheese, and then there’s gravy – oh, the gravy! There is a vegetarian option as well – plus, they’ll layer the toppings for just a couple of extra coins.
According to their website, Poutini’s is open for brunch as well. The name Poutini Florentini totally does it for me, and they get bonus points for serving Balzacs coffee.
I’ll have to give this a go and report back – let me know if you’ve tried it!
What is the Cost of “Free” Music? March 14, 2010
Posted by Shannon in miscellaneous ramblings, music, tv.Tags: copyright, downloading, music industry, OK Go, piracy
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Copyright and piracy are two things I’ve really struggled to come to terms with.
On one hand, I had Napster on my computer when I was 14. I didn’t spend many years as a music fan without access to pirated music. On the other hand, I’ve never walked into a record store and expected to walk out without paying for a CD. I’ve never walked into a gallery, taken a painting off the wall and then just walked out with it under my arm. I’ve definitely never walked into Sears and expected them to let me take bed sheets or appliances home without paying for them.
It has been a real moral struggle for me as these two ideas clashed, and I started to really wonder why I felt this sense of entitlement to take whatever music I wanted without paying for it. In recent years it’s become crystal clear to me, however, that downloading music from a torrent is theft. Even the commonly used term ‘pirated music’ suggests it’s stolen. Let’s explore:
pi•rate [pahy-ruh t] noun, verb
–noun
1. a person who robs or commits illegal violence at sea or on the shores of the sea.
–verb (used with object)
6. to commit piracy upon; plunder; rob.
7. to take by piracy: to pirate gold.
8. to use or reproduce (a book, an invention, etc.) without authorization or legal right: to pirate hit records.
alright, we admit that *this* was a mistake.
Record labels get a bad rap, but it’s important to know that if it wasn’t for a record label – major or independent – you never would have heard of your favourite band. I’ll let OK Go do the explaining about the symbiotic relationship between the record companies and the artists who sign with them.
**In a nutshell, the labels act as banks who take risks on funding artists. Without a label willing to invest some money in your favourite band it would be very hard for them to get paid for playing music full time. When people stop paying for music, the record companies can’t afford to take risks on bands anymore.**
OK Go recently left their label, but they were only able to do this after years of record label cash injections, which got them to the point of self sufficiency.
As an aside, did you know that 900 magazines have gone under in just 2 short years?
As piracy continues to grow, you’re going to continue to watch the quality of media and entertainment decline. Every time you download something illegally, you put a nail in the coffin of the very thing you’re about to enjoy.
You’ll never see shows like LOST or Battlestar Galactica again. As piracy grows, the networks just won’t be able to afford the production budgets anymore. As people continue to assume that all media should be free writers, journalists, photographers and performers will struggle to get paid.
In all of this mess, the companies that fund the creation of media have a responsibility to adapt. They need to continue to find revenue streams outside of ad dollars and product sales – even legal online distribution significantly reduces income. However, consumers need to step up and take an equal responsibility for their actions. Consumers need to acknowledge that just because they’re not shoplifting, doesn’t mean they’re not stealing.
Here are two suggestions: (please, leave comments if you have some more!)
- When an artist offers you a free download of their song(s), why not say ‘thank you’ by going and buying a different song of theirs from iTunes? Don’t worry, they’re only 99¢ each.
- When you stream a TV show online instead of watching it on TV, why not tolerate the 5 second advertisement to watch the higher quality version from the network website instead of watching a grainy subtitled version from an illegal Asian streaming source?
Gray Hair and Mumford & Sons March 9, 2010
Posted by Shannon in music.Tags: Mumford & Sons
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It happened on Saturday. I found my first gray hair. No one feels bad for me. Everyone thinks it’s funny – and truthfully, if the gray hair belonged to someone else I would probably agree. I did a search for ‘gray hair’ to see what would come up and landed upon this entry, which bascially explains that as you get older your melanin loses it’s will to live. As your melanin gives up on you, you’re hair goes gray. I also read that we can blame melanin for sunburns. Great.
About two years ago I got on board with the idea that it was time to get my shit together, but it was little things that tipped me off to the fact I was growing up. I left a Leftover Crack show early because I just felt uncomfortable at the Kathedral. A couple of times I asked for the music to be turned down – just a little – at house parties, but this, this is my first first real sign of aging (the fledgling crows feet are still debatable). I write this with a head slathered in hair dye and a heavy heart.
In my grief I’ve turned to Mumford & Sons. I was a bit late to the party, but better late than never I say! It was actually the exact same scenario as when I learned about The Avett Brothers. My friend Kelly called and said, “Are you going to the _______ show at the Horseshoe?” and I said “Oh, I’ve never heard of them.” I look them up, they blow me away, but it’s already too late because the show was the night before.
Mumford & Sons released their North American debut, Sigh No More, on February 16th. I’ve since picked it up and been unable to put it down. It’s one of the best albums I’ve heard in years. A cousin of The Avett’s sound, with a dash more banjo and a quarter cup of goosebumps. It’s epic and beautiful, but most importantly it’s completely accessible – you do not need a love for alt country to fall head over heels for Mumford & Sons. They’re English. Maybe that’s why.
Anyway, I would put Sigh No More right up there with two of my more recent favourites, Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Okkervil River’s The Stage Names.
MP3: Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More from Sigh No More (iTunes)
Punch Out! March 9, 2010
Posted by Shannon in recipes.Tags: punch
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Sunday just past I attended the baby shower of a dear friend of mine. It’s pretty exciting to be a fake aunt. She’s not given me the title of ‘aunt’ of course, I’ve just sort of claimed it and started referring to myself as such.
I like to lend a hand for any sort of event, especially those in honor of the people I love, so I offered to bring something to the shower. I’m good at exactly one party snack, guacamole.
I was assigned to the punch.
No big deal right? Well, I’m a pretty anxious person, so I know that the second everyone tastes my shitty punch they’re going to realise they hate me and wonder why I was even invited. Clearly I have to make sure it’s the best fucking punch that anyone has ever tasted.
Sparkling Punch
I tend to lean a wee bit on the side of health conscious, so after some serious Google searching for non-alcoholic punch recipes, and polling the mother-to-be, I finally decided on a recipe that sounded both delicious and not too loaded with sugar. Sparkling Punch from the often helpful, All Recipes.
Once I got to the grocery store, my worst nightmares came true as I couldn’t find any kind of apple cider and I when I got home I realised I didn’t buy nearly enough oranges. My boyfriend even scoffed at my substitute for the cider and soda water.
Once mixed together, the improvised punch ended up turning out really well. You could definitely add gin or vodka to this if you wanted.
Berry Citrus Punch Out
3 liters cranberry raspberry sparkling water
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate – half thawed
1 orange – thinly sliced
1 lemon – thinly sliced
1 lime – thinly sliced
1 small container of raspberries – frozen
2 handfuls of pomegranate seeds – frozen
1/2 bag ice
Drop the ice in the bottom of the punch bowl. Add the lemonade concentrate and orange, lemon and lime slices. Pour the sparkling water over top and give it a bit of a stir to mix together. Drop in the raspberries and the pomegranate seeds and mix just a little more – the seeds will sink if they fall under the ice, but a little shake up will give the punch a nice red colour.
If you try this out, I’d love to know how it turns out – and any substitutions that work!
Oh, hello. This is a re-introduction. March 7, 2010
Posted by Shannon in miscellaneous ramblings.add a comment
Whoa. Remember this place? I took a week off and then just forgot all about it for a while. Oddly though, this blog had more visits while I was ignoring it in December than it had in the previous 3 months – combined!
For years I wanted to start writing a blog. I didn’t act on it because I knew I wasn’t interesting enough for anyone to actually read it. That said, I’m a person of action, so I just committed myself to starting a music blog anyway.
yup, I love beer.
I thought it was a good choice since I work in music, fancy myself a little bit “in the know”, and…well, I’m just not really an authority on anything else.
You know what I learned from my two month stint as a music blogger? I don’t know a fucking thing about music that 1000 people don’t already know – and blog about.
I do marketing for a major record label, and let’s face it, the people who are discovering exciting and obscure bands don’t work in the music industry. I learn about music from other (way cooler) blogs and other (way cooler) friends, and while I may listen to a band or two that my mom hasn’t heard of, I know far less about those bands than pretty much everyone else who keeps a blog.
Of course, I’ll still write about the music I’m listening to – in fact, that will probably be the crutch that supports this whole thing – but if you’ve come here strictly to get a musical education, one of the music blogs listed over on the right will serve you well. I’ve decided, instead, to keep posting on here, but to take a slightly different direction.
If you decided to keep visiting my place on the internet, I’ll make you a promise. I promise that I will (try) not be too boring or self-indulgent. I may not be an expert in any one subject after all, but I am at least intermediate in a handful. I know quite few things about:
1) wondering if you’re ever going to succeed at getting your shit together
2) learning how to be domestic
3) paying off debt
4) stay out late
5) trying to a keep a (good) job
6) and so on.
Basically, I think it’s a universal truth that people feel amazing when they find out that someone they respect is bad at the same things, or that they have something embarrassing in common with someone else – like nose picking, or peeing in the shower. With this in mind, my goal is to project all of my negative qualities on to this blog and then follow-up with the results of various attempts to correct these failings.
It’s a Sad Week for the Goths… October 21, 2009
Posted by Shannon in music.Tags: M83, Mariqueen Maandig, Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor
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I was definitely a goth in high school and like every black-clad rocker girl in the late 90’s, I loved Nine Inch Nails. I was pretty sure I was going to marry Trent Reznor and have all of his angry little babies. In 2005 I had the opportunity to spend about half an hour in a room with the man (and 2 other people) and I could have sworn he’d realised I was the love of his life.
I guess not though, since that isn’t me in the dress. Frig!
Trent Reznor took Mariqueen Maandig, solo artist and former singer of West Indian Girl, as his bride this past Saturday, October 17th. I have to say, as details come out, I’m surprised at how traditional the wedding seems to be.
NIN touring member, Danny Lohner, let the cat out of the bag when he updated his Twitter page on the worst day of my life.
Click for the photo.
ExploreMusic has learned from a ‘credible source’ that it was M83’s “We Own The Sky” that took the honor of being the song that Mr & Mrs Reznor are dancing to in the photo that Lohner posted.
If you’re curious, both Mariqueen Maandig’s solo work and West Indian Girl are kind of interesting. Both projects are heavy on the electronic clicks, beeps, pops, and rhythms, though they are more shoegaze (or nu-gaze) than dancy. Mariqueen’s solo stuff is definitely darker and more experimental than West Indian Girl, but if you like M83 you’ll probably dig what they have going on.
Today, coincidentally, is also the 20th anniversary of Pretty Hate Machine’s release. We’re getting old, my friends.
mp3: Nine Inch Nails – Sin from Pretty Hate Machine
mp3: M83 – We Own The Sky from Saturday=Youth
Holy Wilco, Batman! October 16, 2009
Posted by Shannon in music.Tags: Feist, Wilco
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If you didn’t see Wilco at Massey Hall on October 15th, don’t worry. It was boring. The sound was terrible. Feist definitely didn’t come out for “You And I”. I had no fun.
Just kidding!
It was a great show – it was the opposite of everything I wrote up there. The crowd was even the opposite of the standard Toronto crowd; cheering and dancing happened!
There was a full on crowd sing-a-long to “Jesus, Etc.” Feist, introduced as Jeff Tweedy’s ‘friend Leslie’, came out for “You And I.” ”Impossible Germany” was a real highlight as well, very intense.
mp3: Wilco – Jesus, Etc. from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
mp3: Wilco – You And I (feat. Feist) from Wilco (the Album)
mp3: Wilco – Impossible Germany from Sky Blue Sky
Canada, the Weekend. October 15, 2009
Posted by Shannon in music.Tags: Broadway Calls, Gaslight Anthem, Jesse Malin, Murder By Death
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As I mentioned a few days ago, I went to see The Gaslight Anthem, Murder By Death, Jesse Malin and Broadway Calls on Tuesday night.
The show was great; Gaslight have really found their groove, they were improvising and taking risks with some of their songs on stage. It was an A+ show, though the sound at the Kool Haus was the worst I’ve ever heard it. The echo was so bad in parts of the room that the vocals were completely muffled. Once we moved to the centre of the room it was much better – keep that in mind if you find yourself at a similar sounding show!
Whether you were at the show in Toronto, are just a proud Canadian – or neither – you will probably appreciate this blog entry that Benny from The Gaslight Anthem wrote for Exclaim.
*********
Well, Toronto did not disappoint.
This is a show we’d been looking forward to for quite a while, the last show at the Opera House was one of the best shows of tour and we had a good feeling about this one.
We pulled up to Kool Haus early, and got to know the local neighborhood of office buildings, fish hatcheries and a sugar refinery. Like some bizarre version of Newark, NJ. When I walked into the venue I was blown away at the size, and was shocked we could play a venue that size. It was also still decorated with orange banners laced with confetti and giant yellow stars on the wall. I thought I walked into a senior prom from an 80’s movie. To my pleasure they ripped it all down, TGA are anti-balloons, especially in Canada.
It was the second night with Broadway Calls and Jesse Malin opening up the show. They both played really strong sets to a really large audience for so early on. I watched both from out front and really dug the sound there, not too bad at all. Murder By Death were celebrating anniversaries and had their usual bad-ass, whiskey soaked show. One of the best bands around these days.
We came out to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. Because, why not? No better way to get the good time started. Well, there is probably a better way, but it’s damn fun regardless. We played a mostly ‘59 Sound set, scattering in Elvis, Woody Joe and Angry Johnny throughout. The crowd was so incredible, the energy was truly infectious and we felt it all the way up on that big stage. Great feeling for sure. When we came back out to do more songs, we played 4 more old songs and finished off with Rivers Edge. I loved the show, this city is really becoming one of the best places in the world for us to play.
Until next time, I’d like to thank anyone who came out to the shows and the people who help us out in Canada. As usual, it’s truly a pleasure and we can’t wait to make it back. Like Brian said last night, these days, America is the workweek, and you guys are the weekend. I feel as tall as Joe Carter.
Bob Dylan…What the Fuck? October 14, 2009
Posted by Shannon in music.Tags: Bob Dylan
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He’s done some wacky shit in the last couple years, but, I have never experienced anything like Bob Dylan’s rendition of “Must Be Santa.”
I warn you now, listening to it feels like putting a hand mixer directly into your brains.
1) It’s going at 2000 beats per minute
2) There is an insane accordion breakdown
3) The man-choir really draw attention to the drunk-uncle quality of Mr. Dylan’s voice
4) The list of reindeer and presidents at the end. Yes, reindeer and also presidents.
Jokes (oh, so many jokes) aside, the project is for a good cause. Click the ‘STATEMENT’ tab on the widget for Bob Dylan’s quote. **Note, I replaced the widget because it was crashing my safari and firefox browsers**
Tom Waits Is My Hero October 14, 2009
Posted by Shannon in music.add a comment
That title doesn’t actually make any sense since I don’t play any instruments or write songs. I’m just a really, really big fan.
November 24th (my birthday!) Tom Waits is releasing Glitter And Doom, a 2 disc collection of the best tracks from the sold out Glitter and Doom tour of the US and Europe last summer. The first disc is 17 tracks from the 10 shows pieced together to sound like a single show. The second disc, called Tom Tales is a “selection of the comic bromides, strange musings, and unusual facts that Tom traditionally shares with his audience during the piano set” according to tomwaits.com.
The press for the album has been great; read Tom Waits’ interview with himself, and watch highlights from the pre-packed press conference announcing the tour – both made me laugh out loud a couple of times.
Enter your email address into the widget on this page and you’ll receive an email with a download link for a free preview of the album, 8 of the tracks in mp3 format. I did this yesterday and then pre-ordered the package with the t-shirt and the booklet - I’m a sucker for the words ‘limited edition.’
Glitter and Doom Live
01. Lucinda / Ain’t Goin Down
02. Singapore
03. Get Behind The Mule
04. Fannin Street
05. Dirt In The Ground
06. Such A Scream
07. Live Circus
08. Goin’ Out West
09. Falling Down
10. The Part You Throw Away
11. Trampled Rose
12. Metropolitan Glide
13. I’ll Shoot The Moon
14. Green Grass
15. Make It Rain
16. Story
17. Lucky Day
mp3: Tom Waits – Singapore (live) from Glitter and Doom
