Compared to his 2003 opening slot for ASMZ, Perri has scaled down his band. The two-drummer attack is gone (Boo!!), resulting in a quieter, looser ensemble of guitar, brass and ramshackle percussion. For the sake of these newer, lyrically introspective songs, scaling down the instrumentation is likely to their benefit because the old band would have completely overwhelmed them. Still, I spend most of their set wondering if I'm watching a pleasant slice of Toronto country-tonk or a slightly botched performance of Peter Maxwell Davies' "Eight Songs for a Mad King".
This is ASMZ's 51st show ever (IIRC, the 2003 shows were their first of that tour and only their 10th and 11th gigs together) and it quickly becomes apparent that they've shed any remaining morsels of apprehension in regards to their singing. They're no longer singing with a shy, nearly bashful confidence, like someone singing karaoke for the first time in front of long-time friends. Now, they're really belting shit out to incredibly powerful effect. There is no better advertisement for their talents than "Teddy Roosevelt's Guns", which starts with the impassioned "O Canada, I'll never be your son" line, disintegrates (in a good way) into a noisy, droning jam; and completely comes apart (also in a good way) in the finale with drums pounding, the Branca-esque sound of detuned guitars being struck while melting, and crazed screaming of the song's title. Intriguingly, they seem to give a preview of the next album, too. Last time, some of the "Horses In the Sky" tracks appeared as codas to the older songs and with this show, the pattern is repeated.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Jews Rock
Jewsrock.org is a fun site about -- take a guess. It's a new site, and very much a work in progress (where are Jonathan Richman's Bar Mitzvah photos? Get them, dammit!) but there are already plenty of essays and factoids to chew on. I thought that I'd read my books and knew who was Jewish in rock and roll, but it turns out that I hadn't. Now, far be it from me to complain that some of the writing is, er, "too Jewish", but I can understand that they wanted the site's writing to appeal to the broadest possible age group. Hmmm ... here are some things I learned from the "Challah Fame" portion of their site, AKA the RNR Jewish roll call. (I'm also including some passages that I felt like excerpting for the hell of it -- all excerpts are from jewsrock.org):
Er, I didn't know they were Jewish!
Robbie Robertson! MC Paul Barman! Jack Black!
Chris Blackwell!!! This one really blew my mind. His family started the first synagogue in Jamaica.
Gavin Rossdale (half)! I'm just on the "B"'s here!
"Family Portrait" makes a bit more sense now
I wouldn't have guessed that someone named Alecia Moore was Jewish, but she (Pink) is indeed. Her completely non-revelatory family exposé (ooooh, her parents argued, she wasn't happy, how -- NORMAL) made her parents cry when they first heard it. This whole scenario is very Jewish.
This is stretching it a bit
From their early days in the San Francisco psychedelic scene to their one radio hit, 1987’s "Touch of Grey," the Grateful Dead have always had a large Jewish following. Deadheadism is a lot like Judiasm. Fans of the Grateful Dead, like observant Jews, glean spiritual meaning from the intensive study of their chosen texts: in this case, song lyrics. They view themselves as misfits in the greater world but draw incredible strength from their own communities.
I'm cool with the first sentence. I raise an eyebrow with the second. By the third, I'm trying to contain laughter. By the fourth, I'm merely trying to quantify how much acid the writer took at Grateful Dead concerts in the 80's and 90's. Somebody had a good time in college, I'll tell you that.
They mention that the band's manager was Jewish (no name given). I'm not sure if they had more than one Jewish manager, but one of their first was Hank Harrison, who is a) half-Jewish, b) wrote one of the first Dead bios, c) Courtney Love's father. Strangely, none of this is mentioned in the entry about Love.
See what I mean? Too Jewish
On the Yeah Yeah Yeahs: The jury is still out on lead singer Karen O (does that stand for "Oy"?) and guitarist Nick Zinner, but drummer Brian Chase definitely qualifies as a Jewish rocker.
Who says that?
On Yo La Tengo: Every Hanukkah, Yo La Tengo puts on an eight-day show at Maxwell’s, the veteran rock club in Hoboken. Frontman Ira Kaplan, who has been called "the Jewish Jimi Hendrix," brings his Jersey hometown covers by Jews ranging from Neil Diamond to the Ramones.
I think they made up the "Jewish Hendrix" bit. I've never heard anybody say that. I can't imagine that anyone would think that. If Ira Kaplan ressembles anybody, it's the Jewish Lou Reed ... oh, redundant. If anyone is the Jewish Hendrix, it's Lenny Kravitz :)
See what I mean? Too Jewish
On Lou Reed: As they say at seder, if he’d only founded the most influential band of all time, it would have been enough. But after his run with the Velvet Underground, once he’d made it OK to sing about heroin and S&M and to use feedback and soundscapes in rock songs, Lou Reed went on to release Transformer in 1972. If he had only added New York grit to glam rock with an album produced by David Bowie and featuring the Top 20 hit "Walk on the Wild Side," dayenu.
He did sing about heroin, but I wouldn't say that he made it acceptable to sing about it. Funny how people always use that song to support the notion that Reed kicked down a lyrical barrier. Did he also make it OK to sing about orgies involving sailors and transvestites? I've never heard anybody argue that.
Oh, if he'd only utilized a silly pun on the song title "Original Wrapper", outdone Depeche Mode in the "WTF? World events? Why? What is this?" song contest of 1986, and written an album ("Mistrial") that even his most devoted fans won't defend -- it would have been enough for us!
That lawsuit is making a bit more sense now
Richard Blum, aka Handsome Dick Manitoba, senselessly sued Dan Snaith for ownership of the name Manitoba.
This might be all you ever need to know about Phish
Like the Grateful Dead, Phish play unstructured, jammy, jazz-inflected music, tour incessantly, and occupy a special place in the hearts of many a Jewish hippie.
A perfect summation. Oh, half of the band was Jewish.
Er, I didn't know they were Jewish!
Robbie Robertson! MC Paul Barman! Jack Black!
Chris Blackwell!!! This one really blew my mind. His family started the first synagogue in Jamaica.
Gavin Rossdale (half)! I'm just on the "B"'s here!
"Family Portrait" makes a bit more sense now
I wouldn't have guessed that someone named Alecia Moore was Jewish, but she (Pink) is indeed. Her completely non-revelatory family exposé (ooooh, her parents argued, she wasn't happy, how -- NORMAL) made her parents cry when they first heard it. This whole scenario is very Jewish.
This is stretching it a bit
From their early days in the San Francisco psychedelic scene to their one radio hit, 1987’s "Touch of Grey," the Grateful Dead have always had a large Jewish following. Deadheadism is a lot like Judiasm. Fans of the Grateful Dead, like observant Jews, glean spiritual meaning from the intensive study of their chosen texts: in this case, song lyrics. They view themselves as misfits in the greater world but draw incredible strength from their own communities.
I'm cool with the first sentence. I raise an eyebrow with the second. By the third, I'm trying to contain laughter. By the fourth, I'm merely trying to quantify how much acid the writer took at Grateful Dead concerts in the 80's and 90's. Somebody had a good time in college, I'll tell you that.
They mention that the band's manager was Jewish (no name given). I'm not sure if they had more than one Jewish manager, but one of their first was Hank Harrison, who is a) half-Jewish, b) wrote one of the first Dead bios, c) Courtney Love's father. Strangely, none of this is mentioned in the entry about Love.
See what I mean? Too Jewish
On the Yeah Yeah Yeahs: The jury is still out on lead singer Karen O (does that stand for "Oy"?) and guitarist Nick Zinner, but drummer Brian Chase definitely qualifies as a Jewish rocker.
Who says that?
On Yo La Tengo: Every Hanukkah, Yo La Tengo puts on an eight-day show at Maxwell’s, the veteran rock club in Hoboken. Frontman Ira Kaplan, who has been called "the Jewish Jimi Hendrix," brings his Jersey hometown covers by Jews ranging from Neil Diamond to the Ramones.
I think they made up the "Jewish Hendrix" bit. I've never heard anybody say that. I can't imagine that anyone would think that. If Ira Kaplan ressembles anybody, it's the Jewish Lou Reed ... oh, redundant. If anyone is the Jewish Hendrix, it's Lenny Kravitz :)
See what I mean? Too Jewish
On Lou Reed: As they say at seder, if he’d only founded the most influential band of all time, it would have been enough. But after his run with the Velvet Underground, once he’d made it OK to sing about heroin and S&M and to use feedback and soundscapes in rock songs, Lou Reed went on to release Transformer in 1972. If he had only added New York grit to glam rock with an album produced by David Bowie and featuring the Top 20 hit "Walk on the Wild Side," dayenu.
He did sing about heroin, but I wouldn't say that he made it acceptable to sing about it. Funny how people always use that song to support the notion that Reed kicked down a lyrical barrier. Did he also make it OK to sing about orgies involving sailors and transvestites? I've never heard anybody argue that.
Oh, if he'd only utilized a silly pun on the song title "Original Wrapper", outdone Depeche Mode in the "WTF? World events? Why? What is this?" song contest of 1986, and written an album ("Mistrial") that even his most devoted fans won't defend -- it would have been enough for us!
That lawsuit is making a bit more sense now
Richard Blum, aka Handsome Dick Manitoba, senselessly sued Dan Snaith for ownership of the name Manitoba.
This might be all you ever need to know about Phish
Like the Grateful Dead, Phish play unstructured, jammy, jazz-inflected music, tour incessantly, and occupy a special place in the hearts of many a Jewish hippie.
A perfect summation. Oh, half of the band was Jewish.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Jacques Lu Cont
Sometimes you just ignore the hype. JLC can do no wrong, the Gwen Stefani remix is the best of 2004, gotta hear his Missy Elliott remixes, etc. You can't keep up with everything.
This is further confirmation that there's always music that is beyond brilliant floating around out there, unheard by your ears. You can't walk around in a constant bother about this, rather, just accept it as the state of things and enjoy everything you hear, whenever you get to hear it. There was a time when I kicked myself for sitting on Drugstore's debut album, inexplicably not getting around to hearing it for three years. That sort of thing is common now, the difference is that I've stopped kicking myself as hard as I used to.
Lu Cont's hot streak is reminding me of all the Timo Maas hype from a few years ago. Essentially, both guys have a remix formula, with each remix turning out more or less identical to the others once fed through the formula. What's more, their styles aren't all that different -- Maas is looser, proggier; while Lu Cont has a knack of coming up with addictive new melodic leads. Huge, thumping, quaking 4/4 house beats; and euphoric, crushing breakdowns are among the qualities they share. However, I never really got into the Maas hype, whereas I'm feeling JLC, big time. I'm confused about why this is, considering the similarities between the two. One theory: I don't remember Maas relying so heavily on vocals during the climactic moments of his mixes.
It's also interesting that lots of people dislike the original tracks but love their JLC mixes/overhauls, which is just about the best compliment you can give to a remix. I also don't recall this being as much the case with Maas.
Some of this is old news, but if you haven't done it, track down JLC's work on "What You Waiting For", "Jetstream", and my tune of the week, the Thin White Duke Dub of "Mr. Brightside". All of them handily slay the originals.
This is further confirmation that there's always music that is beyond brilliant floating around out there, unheard by your ears. You can't walk around in a constant bother about this, rather, just accept it as the state of things and enjoy everything you hear, whenever you get to hear it. There was a time when I kicked myself for sitting on Drugstore's debut album, inexplicably not getting around to hearing it for three years. That sort of thing is common now, the difference is that I've stopped kicking myself as hard as I used to.
Lu Cont's hot streak is reminding me of all the Timo Maas hype from a few years ago. Essentially, both guys have a remix formula, with each remix turning out more or less identical to the others once fed through the formula. What's more, their styles aren't all that different -- Maas is looser, proggier; while Lu Cont has a knack of coming up with addictive new melodic leads. Huge, thumping, quaking 4/4 house beats; and euphoric, crushing breakdowns are among the qualities they share. However, I never really got into the Maas hype, whereas I'm feeling JLC, big time. I'm confused about why this is, considering the similarities between the two. One theory: I don't remember Maas relying so heavily on vocals during the climactic moments of his mixes.
It's also interesting that lots of people dislike the original tracks but love their JLC mixes/overhauls, which is just about the best compliment you can give to a remix. I also don't recall this being as much the case with Maas.
Some of this is old news, but if you haven't done it, track down JLC's work on "What You Waiting For", "Jetstream", and my tune of the week, the Thin White Duke Dub of "Mr. Brightside". All of them handily slay the originals.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Polmo Polpo, Off the International Radar, The Peppermints @ Sneaky Dee's
Flanked by halos of coloured light that pulsate along with the beat, Polmo Polpo spirals through a spectacular 30-minute version of "Kiss Me Again and Again". Incredibly, he starts off with a sparse, stoic crowd and succeeds in getting almost everyone to dance and funk out to disco laced with the ambient bleeping chaos of a dozen cosmic video arcades. Never mind all this, just go see the guy next time he plays because after five years of this (this was my eighth PP gig), I'm running out of superlatives.
Met by twinking organ drones and guitar fuzz, my first thought is that Off the International Radar aspire to be the shoegaze-inflected Inspiral Carpets. Despite my love for both the Carpets and the 'gaze, the combination would be absolutely horrid. Fortunately, things don't head down that road ... instead, muscular Can-like drumming and noisy one-chord jams make this a lot closer to Reich's "Four Organs" gone the way of Caribou's live show, rather than Madchester with louder guitars. Thankfully.
It's funny, earlier in the day I was remarking how silly bands can look when they play two minute treble-laden rock songs while girls engage in off-key shrieking. The topic of discussion was Sleater-Kinney and the narrow line they walk. The Peppermints are of a thrash and hardcore bent, but none of this is enough to make me stick around watching them for very long.
Met by twinking organ drones and guitar fuzz, my first thought is that Off the International Radar aspire to be the shoegaze-inflected Inspiral Carpets. Despite my love for both the Carpets and the 'gaze, the combination would be absolutely horrid. Fortunately, things don't head down that road ... instead, muscular Can-like drumming and noisy one-chord jams make this a lot closer to Reich's "Four Organs" gone the way of Caribou's live show, rather than Madchester with louder guitars. Thankfully.
It's funny, earlier in the day I was remarking how silly bands can look when they play two minute treble-laden rock songs while girls engage in off-key shrieking. The topic of discussion was Sleater-Kinney and the narrow line they walk. The Peppermints are of a thrash and hardcore bent, but none of this is enough to make me stick around watching them for very long.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
The Warlocks, "Surgery"
Add the Warlocks to the list of "Bands Who Made a Great Album That I Didn't Think They Had In Them". Even Spacemen 3's "Sound of Confusion", which is their best album, starts to grate on the nerves when listening to the seventy-minute CD version (containing the "Walking With Jesus" single as well as the proper album). How many two-chord jams in a row do you really need to hear?
"Surgery" moves away from the treble-heavy, jam-it-out approach of their past albums, in favour of a more 80's Jesus and Mary Chain + 60's Girl Groups approach (well OK, the JAMC already had the girl group element, but the Warlocks don't/can't explode the 60's with a treble bomb as heavy as "You Trip Me Up" ("It's Just Like Surgery" kinda tries, right down to using the same chord progression), instead, they go full swoon ahead, pianos and all -- witness "Angels in Heaven, Angels in Hell" and "Evil Eyes Again"). Sweet, anthemic melodies explode from the speakers, and for once, the singing actually conveys depth and emotion rather than merely acting as an accessory to the surrounding din.
"Surgery" moves away from the treble-heavy, jam-it-out approach of their past albums, in favour of a more 80's Jesus and Mary Chain + 60's Girl Groups approach (well OK, the JAMC already had the girl group element, but the Warlocks don't/can't explode the 60's with a treble bomb as heavy as "You Trip Me Up" ("It's Just Like Surgery" kinda tries, right down to using the same chord progression), instead, they go full swoon ahead, pianos and all -- witness "Angels in Heaven, Angels in Hell" and "Evil Eyes Again"). Sweet, anthemic melodies explode from the speakers, and for once, the singing actually conveys depth and emotion rather than merely acting as an accessory to the surrounding din.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Rock Star:INXS
"It's my dream to be a rock star". "This is what I wanted to do since I was four years old". Etc. Keep that dream alive, because it's not going to come true here. After all, it's just INXS, who haven't meant anything in 15 years.
I loved INXS. I still do -- "Kick" didn't leave my cassette player for most of 1988-9. But they've dropped off the face of the earth since Michael Hutchence's death and as soon as this show starts, even a big fan such as myself has trouble buying into the notion that these 15 hopefuls are in line for an important gig. Their profile plummetted after their lead singer accidentally killed himself in a freak masturbation incident -- notoriety couldn't stick to these guys with superglue. How many people under 20 are watching this show, and how many INXS songs do they remember?
At least nobody looks like the second coming of Hutchence, and as long as nobody tries to ape him then this show won't get too queasy (but why would anybody do that, since MH =! icon, as mentioned above?). The closest we get to Hutchence is Ty, who's the body-and-voicemeld of Terence Trent D'Arby (INXS singer for approx. 3.8 minutes) and Green Velvet. Most of them look like they'd rather be trying out for Good Charlotte, with exceptions such as Suzie from Toronto, who looks like she was singing at Grossman's just last week.
I can't see myself wanting to watch this until the last four or five weeks. How much of Dave Navarro ("good friends" with INXS, yeah right) and the stilted stoicism of Brooke Burke (didn't she used to be 100x hotter?) can I take? Oh, and Kirk Pengilly's beard and moustache look unbelievably stupid.
I loved INXS. I still do -- "Kick" didn't leave my cassette player for most of 1988-9. But they've dropped off the face of the earth since Michael Hutchence's death and as soon as this show starts, even a big fan such as myself has trouble buying into the notion that these 15 hopefuls are in line for an important gig. Their profile plummetted after their lead singer accidentally killed himself in a freak masturbation incident -- notoriety couldn't stick to these guys with superglue. How many people under 20 are watching this show, and how many INXS songs do they remember?
At least nobody looks like the second coming of Hutchence, and as long as nobody tries to ape him then this show won't get too queasy (but why would anybody do that, since MH =! icon, as mentioned above?). The closest we get to Hutchence is Ty, who's the body-and-voicemeld of Terence Trent D'Arby (INXS singer for approx. 3.8 minutes) and Green Velvet. Most of them look like they'd rather be trying out for Good Charlotte, with exceptions such as Suzie from Toronto, who looks like she was singing at Grossman's just last week.
I can't see myself wanting to watch this until the last four or five weeks. How much of Dave Navarro ("good friends" with INXS, yeah right) and the stilted stoicism of Brooke Burke (didn't she used to be 100x hotter?) can I take? Oh, and Kirk Pengilly's beard and moustache look unbelievably stupid.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Live 8
Here are a few random notes from the various Live 8 events. All times are EDT, and may not correspond to the time that those artists actually performed (i.e. I may be watching on tape delay at various points). Unlike running diaries of other events, I'm making no attempt at completeness here, just commenting when I feel like it.
Lots of people are being cynical about Live 8, complaining that we're all dreaming if we think this will accomplish anything. I refuse to buy into that viewpoint. Live 8 is not an endpoint. Nobody should be claiming that we're going to solve all of Africa's problems in one day. But awareness is important and shouldn't be underestimated. How many international causes would kill to have this sort of attention? Surely more people have learned about African debt in the past month than have learned about the Sudanese and Rwandan genocides in the past ten years.
9:32 London. Ben Mulroney and some other talking head are doing commentary between performances. They noted that Coldplay were coming on following U2 and claimed that it signified a "passing of the torch". Uh ...
9:38 London. RIchard Ashcroft (still performing in bare feet -- yes!) joins Coldplay for "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which is supposed to be one of those "moments", but feels like Mad Richard with a subpar backing band nearly ruining his signature tune. He warms up to the song after a few minutes, so good for him, I guess.
9:42 London. Chris Martin says that Live8 is the greatest thing that has ever been organized in the history of the world ever. Really? Better than the moon landings? Use much hyperbole?
13:38 Barrie. Oh, here comes the "we forget that those in the Third World are people too" speech except this time it's coming from Bruce Cockburn, and it's the lead-in to the still-relevant "If I Had a Rocket Launcher". Perfect.
14:21 London. I've just now tuned into AOL's webcasts, but sadly, I am too late to catch Snoop's profanity-drenched performance. Ugh, I'm gutted. However, I am in time to hear Madonna scream "ARE YOU FUCKING READY LONDON". Eh, whatever, I already got my fix of swearing from Bruce Cockburn earlier. Still, Madonna ("Like A Prayer", Ray of Light", "Music") is easily the best thing I've seen thus far.
14:49 Philly. Dave Matthews Band are playing some background music. ZZZZZZ.
15:08. London. I would have tapped the Killers to make a lasting impression and be to this show what U2 were to Live Aid, but they only got to play one song ("All These Things That I've Done", great as always) and weren't on stage long enough to burn themselves into anyone's memory.
I'm lost as to where we are on the London schedule. Things aren't proceeding according to the schedule I've seen, but we still have (at the very least) Robbie Williams, The Reunited Floyd (where's Syd?), Sir Paul, and what's sure to be a barf-bag singalong to "Do They Know It's Christmas".
15:44 Barrie. The mere mention of going live to Vegas brought out a round of boos for Celine, probably the biggest spontaneous reaction from this crowd thus far. Celine Dion's mini-monologue about helping the poor is ... exactly what you'd expect from a Celine Dion mini-monologue about helping the poor.
15:53 Philly. What in the name of all that is holy is happening here? A rap-off between Linkin Park and Jay-Z? Oh good, Blue Rodeo are coming on now in Barrie.
16:30 Barrie. Just my luck, Lightfoot comes on stage just as Def Leppard break into "Pour Some Sugar On Me" in Philly. Lightfoot looks and sounds great for a guy who spent most of his life drunk and nearly died a couple of years ago. Despite his weakened voice, he's one badass stoic singer.
Lightfoot is from Orillia, which means he's the only performer to my knowledge that is from the area where this concert is taking place. Speaking of which, why are the Philly and London gigs all mixed up regarding the nationalities of the bands playing there? Why aren't the American bands all playing in Philly and the Brit bands all in London? All the other gigs have gotten this straight, with a few exceptions (Deep Purple, lucky us).
16:52 London. Whoa, I just learned that Mariah Carey didn't actually say that quote about flies and death and stuff (http://www.snopes.com/quotes/carey.htm). Does make her any less of a flake? A tiny little bit, yes.
17:25 London. Amazingly, Robbie Williams hasn't performed live since Knebworth almost two years ago. His retirement/burnout at the time is clearly exaggerated -- or at the very least, the time off has done him a world of good. With "Let Me Entertain You" (complete with bonus Killers and Queen lyrics), "Feel" and "Angels", he riles the crowd into a football hooligan frenzy, and confirms the notion that he should appear on the bill of every festival.
18:00 Paris. Robert Smith on saving the poor and hungry people of Africa: "It doesn't matter if we all die!!!". Naturally, the Cure are amazing.
18:26 London. Led Zep reunited for Live Aid (3/4 of them, anyway), but even they'd only been broken up for five years. Reuniting Pink Floyd (4/5 of them, anyway) is a far more notable feat considering how much Gilmour and Waters hated (hate?) each other for some 25 years. Somehow, great bands have a knack of hating each other and still creating great music, as Floyd transcend and redeem two decades of bullshit with a chilling version of "Comfortably Numb".
18:35 Philly. Is that Rob Thomas singing "Higher Ground" with Stevie Wonder? Is that Rob Thomas sounding 1000x better than I ever thought he could while singing "Higher Ground" with Stevie Wonder?
19:01 London. Passing the mic during "Hey Jude" (what happened to the first three minutes of the song, anyway) was a really bad idea, but still preferable to the planned "Do They Know It's Christmas" celeb singalong (axed for time or taste reasons?). During all of this, I missed Stevie Wonder closing the Philly concert with "Superstition" -- Toronto is now the only one still going!
(oh, it looks like the Rome show is still going on -- wow, Rome and Paris went longer than Berlin!)
19:55 Barrie. The start of Jays-Red Sox means that I don't feel the slightest inclination to see BNL. I did happen to flip over and hear Stephen Page make a good joke at the expense of The Box (anyone under the age of 27 probably didn't get the reference).
20:18 Barrie. Neil Young is a different story. If you're going to pack the stage and do a singalong, I'll take "Rockin' in the Free World" over "Hey Jude", thank you. The whole thing turned into a shambolic mess by the end, but who cares.
And that's it. Hopefully I'll remember to tune into the London broadcast in a couple of hours to see Snoop drop f-bombs all over the place.
Lots of people are being cynical about Live 8, complaining that we're all dreaming if we think this will accomplish anything. I refuse to buy into that viewpoint. Live 8 is not an endpoint. Nobody should be claiming that we're going to solve all of Africa's problems in one day. But awareness is important and shouldn't be underestimated. How many international causes would kill to have this sort of attention? Surely more people have learned about African debt in the past month than have learned about the Sudanese and Rwandan genocides in the past ten years.
9:32 London. Ben Mulroney and some other talking head are doing commentary between performances. They noted that Coldplay were coming on following U2 and claimed that it signified a "passing of the torch". Uh ...
9:38 London. RIchard Ashcroft (still performing in bare feet -- yes!) joins Coldplay for "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which is supposed to be one of those "moments", but feels like Mad Richard with a subpar backing band nearly ruining his signature tune. He warms up to the song after a few minutes, so good for him, I guess.
9:42 London. Chris Martin says that Live8 is the greatest thing that has ever been organized in the history of the world ever. Really? Better than the moon landings? Use much hyperbole?
13:38 Barrie. Oh, here comes the "we forget that those in the Third World are people too" speech except this time it's coming from Bruce Cockburn, and it's the lead-in to the still-relevant "If I Had a Rocket Launcher". Perfect.
14:21 London. I've just now tuned into AOL's webcasts, but sadly, I am too late to catch Snoop's profanity-drenched performance. Ugh, I'm gutted. However, I am in time to hear Madonna scream "ARE YOU FUCKING READY LONDON". Eh, whatever, I already got my fix of swearing from Bruce Cockburn earlier. Still, Madonna ("Like A Prayer", Ray of Light", "Music") is easily the best thing I've seen thus far.
14:49 Philly. Dave Matthews Band are playing some background music. ZZZZZZ.
15:08. London. I would have tapped the Killers to make a lasting impression and be to this show what U2 were to Live Aid, but they only got to play one song ("All These Things That I've Done", great as always) and weren't on stage long enough to burn themselves into anyone's memory.
I'm lost as to where we are on the London schedule. Things aren't proceeding according to the schedule I've seen, but we still have (at the very least) Robbie Williams, The Reunited Floyd (where's Syd?), Sir Paul, and what's sure to be a barf-bag singalong to "Do They Know It's Christmas".
15:44 Barrie. The mere mention of going live to Vegas brought out a round of boos for Celine, probably the biggest spontaneous reaction from this crowd thus far. Celine Dion's mini-monologue about helping the poor is ... exactly what you'd expect from a Celine Dion mini-monologue about helping the poor.
15:53 Philly. What in the name of all that is holy is happening here? A rap-off between Linkin Park and Jay-Z? Oh good, Blue Rodeo are coming on now in Barrie.
16:30 Barrie. Just my luck, Lightfoot comes on stage just as Def Leppard break into "Pour Some Sugar On Me" in Philly. Lightfoot looks and sounds great for a guy who spent most of his life drunk and nearly died a couple of years ago. Despite his weakened voice, he's one badass stoic singer.
Lightfoot is from Orillia, which means he's the only performer to my knowledge that is from the area where this concert is taking place. Speaking of which, why are the Philly and London gigs all mixed up regarding the nationalities of the bands playing there? Why aren't the American bands all playing in Philly and the Brit bands all in London? All the other gigs have gotten this straight, with a few exceptions (Deep Purple, lucky us).
16:52 London. Whoa, I just learned that Mariah Carey didn't actually say that quote about flies and death and stuff (http://www.snopes.com/quotes/carey.htm). Does make her any less of a flake? A tiny little bit, yes.
17:25 London. Amazingly, Robbie Williams hasn't performed live since Knebworth almost two years ago. His retirement/burnout at the time is clearly exaggerated -- or at the very least, the time off has done him a world of good. With "Let Me Entertain You" (complete with bonus Killers and Queen lyrics), "Feel" and "Angels", he riles the crowd into a football hooligan frenzy, and confirms the notion that he should appear on the bill of every festival.
18:00 Paris. Robert Smith on saving the poor and hungry people of Africa: "It doesn't matter if we all die!!!". Naturally, the Cure are amazing.
18:26 London. Led Zep reunited for Live Aid (3/4 of them, anyway), but even they'd only been broken up for five years. Reuniting Pink Floyd (4/5 of them, anyway) is a far more notable feat considering how much Gilmour and Waters hated (hate?) each other for some 25 years. Somehow, great bands have a knack of hating each other and still creating great music, as Floyd transcend and redeem two decades of bullshit with a chilling version of "Comfortably Numb".
18:35 Philly. Is that Rob Thomas singing "Higher Ground" with Stevie Wonder? Is that Rob Thomas sounding 1000x better than I ever thought he could while singing "Higher Ground" with Stevie Wonder?
19:01 London. Passing the mic during "Hey Jude" (what happened to the first three minutes of the song, anyway) was a really bad idea, but still preferable to the planned "Do They Know It's Christmas" celeb singalong (axed for time or taste reasons?). During all of this, I missed Stevie Wonder closing the Philly concert with "Superstition" -- Toronto is now the only one still going!
(oh, it looks like the Rome show is still going on -- wow, Rome and Paris went longer than Berlin!)
19:55 Barrie. The start of Jays-Red Sox means that I don't feel the slightest inclination to see BNL. I did happen to flip over and hear Stephen Page make a good joke at the expense of The Box (anyone under the age of 27 probably didn't get the reference).
20:18 Barrie. Neil Young is a different story. If you're going to pack the stage and do a singalong, I'll take "Rockin' in the Free World" over "Hey Jude", thank you. The whole thing turned into a shambolic mess by the end, but who cares.
And that's it. Hopefully I'll remember to tune into the London broadcast in a couple of hours to see Snoop drop f-bombs all over the place.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Xiu Xiu, This Song Is a Mess But So Am I @ Poor Alex Theatre
I hadn't even considered the Gay Pride Weekend factor until about two days before this gig. I'm referring to both the composition of the audience as well as the likely non-coincidental scheduling of the gig on this particular weekend. Sure enough, the crowd was a smorgasbord of various sexual orientations and freek folk, the kind of people who think nothing of moving their bodies to the distorted, fucked up dance beats of a band like Xiu Xiu. Ditch the bulk of Toronto's "oh, we couldn't possibly dance at a gig and appear as though we're enjoying ourselves" indie scenesters and give me a cross-section of Xiu Xiu's Toronto fanbase any day of the week.
This Song Is a Mess But So Am I played a set filled with various take-offs of Xiu Xiu's "Brian the Vampire" -- chaotic, blustery noise with stage presence to match. The one-man band's name is as true to the music as any name you'll ever find. I don't consider the name to be reflexively critical, but it is an endearing statement of truth.
Many tracks from "Life and Live" are gorgeous and inspired, but over the course of a 15-track live record, the overly sparse instrumentation and song choices becomes snooze-worthy. Oh look, it's another plaintive guitar ballad filled with long gaps of silence and punctuated by whispers and screams. The three person live incarnation of Xiu Xiu is far more intruiging. Their laboratory of percussion and effects offer plenty of sonic distractions for the brain, particularly on rapturously received tracks such as "Crank Heart" and "I Luv the Valley". The quieter "La Foret" songs also make more sense when performed live amongst one hundred entranced strangers watching a man sing with a scrunched up face on a dimly lit stage.
Xiu Xiu tread a line between stark seriousness and indie-rock ironic detatchment. In short, sometimes you're not sure if they're joking or not (generally, they're not). They're the melodramatic friend who wails about how their life sucks and they want to die. You want to listen to them and make a few cracks and get them to lighten up, but you're afraid to do that just in case they are really serious about offing themselves. Thus, when Jamie Stewart screams the "vacation" rant during a ferocious version of "I Broke Up", he rolls his eyes into the back of his head in such a ghoulish manner that there's no way I'm making any cracks about it.
This Song Is a Mess But So Am I played a set filled with various take-offs of Xiu Xiu's "Brian the Vampire" -- chaotic, blustery noise with stage presence to match. The one-man band's name is as true to the music as any name you'll ever find. I don't consider the name to be reflexively critical, but it is an endearing statement of truth.
Many tracks from "Life and Live" are gorgeous and inspired, but over the course of a 15-track live record, the overly sparse instrumentation and song choices becomes snooze-worthy. Oh look, it's another plaintive guitar ballad filled with long gaps of silence and punctuated by whispers and screams. The three person live incarnation of Xiu Xiu is far more intruiging. Their laboratory of percussion and effects offer plenty of sonic distractions for the brain, particularly on rapturously received tracks such as "Crank Heart" and "I Luv the Valley". The quieter "La Foret" songs also make more sense when performed live amongst one hundred entranced strangers watching a man sing with a scrunched up face on a dimly lit stage.
Xiu Xiu tread a line between stark seriousness and indie-rock ironic detatchment. In short, sometimes you're not sure if they're joking or not (generally, they're not). They're the melodramatic friend who wails about how their life sucks and they want to die. You want to listen to them and make a few cracks and get them to lighten up, but you're afraid to do that just in case they are really serious about offing themselves. Thus, when Jamie Stewart screams the "vacation" rant during a ferocious version of "I Broke Up", he rolls his eyes into the back of his head in such a ghoulish manner that there's no way I'm making any cracks about it.
Monday, June 20, 2005
MMVA's 2005
I'm stoked because this year's lineup of guests is the best in the history of the MMVA's. Ciara! Yum! For those who aren't familiar with the wild chaotic masquerade street party that is the Much Music Video Awards, read the first paragraph of last year's post for an introduction.
I caught a couple of minutes of the red carpet arrival, which appeared crazed and disorganized while the VJ's tripped over their words trying to kill time amongst the screaming and chaos. Ah, Much Music. Good times. And here we go ...
9:00 PM. ... with Billy Talent. Let's review. I hated their performance last year. I make a concerted effort to flip their channel when their videos come on the air. And now, they're screaming a bunch of bullocks and stinking up the main MMVA stage, therefore continuing the established pattern. At least the stage looks great. I walked by it last night and it looked absolutely majestic -- sleek, metallic, and very, very, shiny.
9:05. Matte uses the word "ever" over and over and over and over and over again in his opening spiel. I hate this guy, I really do. I can't recall ever hearing him say anything intelligent on air. To be more precise, I can't recall ever hearing him not say anything unintelligent. This show is off to a terrible start.
Where are the gaudy Halloween outfits? Sarah looks normal. Does the spirit of Sook-Yin Lee no longer reside at Much Music?
9:11. As expected, four billion things are happening and I can't keep up. Sarah makes dumb Canada vs USA small talk with the Killers, K-os wins an award, and Ciara jacks up the crowd with a "Oh"/"1-2 Step" medley featuring some astoundingly dodgy lip-synching.
9:21. Black Eyed Peas get a Sandman-esque entrance, which leads to them announcing Billy Talent as the winners of the Much Loud Best Rock award. The highlight of this show so far is the constant, excessive screaming.
9:31. Well, that's all changed thanks to a mindblowing effort from the Arcade Fire. They slam into a noisy sprawl, dressed in (appropriate) funereal black, surrounded by the fallen bodies of a marching band that has apparently drank too much of their funny-tasting kool-aid. They tear through "Rebellion (Lies)", thereby hopefully selling another 20 000 copies of their album in Canada by the end of the month. That song has been slowly climbing the Much countdown, so it's possible that The Kids really do like this song and don't think of it as a Flaming Lips/Polyphonic Spree-type wacky joke (I'm sure that's what the Billy Talent fans are thinking, but to hell with them). Finally, they hit the final minute of the song and the marching band wakes up, joins in the song, continues to play as the song ends, and marches out the front door of the Much studio with the band following them in a weird reversal of the Pied Piper motif from the video. Meanwhile, I'm sitting in front of the TV nearly lost for words. If there's any reason for you to beg, borrow, or steal a copy of this show, this is it, as I can't recall a better musical performance on any awards show in recent memory.
9:38. It's all downhill from there, although Sarah shamelessly hitting on the Backstreet Boys like a drunken sorority girl is certainly quite entertaining. The crowd is going bezerk, nobody can hear anything, and A.J. looks really fucking old. Whose dad just wandered on stage? Did Oasis get another new guitarist and forget to take him with them after their concert on Friday? Eventually, the Killers win for Best International Video by a Group ("Mr. Brightside"), which I can certainly live with as that's a better song than the other nominations put together and multiplied by ten.
9:42. Matte kept his streak alive while talking to Tie Domi. Way to go, dude.
9:44. Best Independent Video goes to Alexisonfire. It's a good night for rock in the T.O. tonight. Later, Rob and Amber dodge a bullet with Ed the Sock. That is, Ed didn't completely humiliate them and reduce them to rubble -- it must be an off-night for Ed.
9:54. Black Eyed Peas certainly know how to rock an awards show, and this time is no exception. Fergie has the MILF shtick down pat, while Will.I.Am and the other two do their usual shinier happier impressions of Andre 3000. K-os' "Man I Used To Be" wins for Best Rap Video, and the recipient simply thanks his parents despite Matte's protestations that he say something wacky and stoopid. It's appropriate that this followed the BEP's performance, because the aforementioned Andre 3000 would empathise with that sort of humility and general disdain for awards show silliness.
10:04. What a difference a year makes. After a rough debut last year, Devon is now completely comfortable in this environment and is the only VJ tonight that hasn't been spewing complete drivel from his mouth.
10:07. Alexisonfire deliver a frantic, treble-drenched performance. Impressive through sheer willpower, if nothing else.
10:09. It's definitely an off-night for Ed, as he admits that he's got no dirt on Billy Talent. The band has obviously spent years watching Ed's antics and just laugh along with everything he says anyhow. Ed, where is your muse?
10:13. Best International Video ... the usual suspects ... Snoop, Usher, Kanye, 50 Cent, and ERIC PRYDZ'S "CALL ON ME"? Huh? Did they throw that in there to check if we were paying attention? Spoof or not, the song is pure cornball junk. Does a Steve Winwood sample pass for irony these days? Man, what can I get for a Genesis or Supertramp sample? There's a reason we laugh at Olivia Newton-John videos these days, so what gives? It's no "Praise You", that's for sure.
Usher's "Caught Up" is the winner, despite being the worst song of the bunch. Yeah, Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" was also the 19th single from a mega-selling album, and it was also a fun video despite being a bleh song, but what do you expect when you're milking an album for bonus singles? Also, he couldn't even be bothered to come up with a half-assed excuse as to why he wasn't there. The tried and true "I'm in the studio" line always works, it's the "I have an early meeting tomorrow" of awards show excuses, but no, he's going to just chill down in Atlanta and enjoy the award. Jeez.
10:23. In the Best Video category, Billy Talent are nominated twice, as is K-os. Simple Plan are also nominated for their ripoff of the Good Charlotte suicide video. When you pattern your career after Good Charlotte, I think it's safe to say that you've hit the bottom of the barrel. Yeah, these three acts were huge in Canada this year, but three artists in a five-noms category is embarrassing. Predictably, Billy Talent win for "River Below".
10:29. K-os' understated, progrock-tinged perfomance appears to deflate a crowd that is only in it for the screaming by this point.
10:35. The mad-for-it anonymous half of Sum 41 drink with cheerleaders and introduce Ashlee Simpson. In order to cover up for her non-talent and atonal singing "style", it seems as though the band has taken to playing out of tune as well. Seriously, did anyone bother to tune the bass guitar during soundcheck? Truth is stranger than fiction. How long can Ashlee continue to get away with this nonsense?
10:39. Kalan Porter receives a curious non-reaction. Why is this -- is the crowd all yelled out, or are they horrified by his gaudy green jacket? Gwen Stefani wins for Best International Artist, and at least she had the decency to pre-record a statement and give a half-decent excuse about flying back from Italy after filming a video and being too tired after eating all that pasta, har har, etc. (Usher, I'm looking at you).
10:43. Fefe Dobson announces the Best Canadian Artist -- "KALAN FUCKING PORTER!" -- hooray for live television. He beat out Avril and K-os. Well, anybody but Shawn Desman, who, judging by his conversation with Matte, is 4'6" tall. Discovering that bad musicians are really short = a guilty pleasure.
10:46. At least they're presenting "People's Choice Favourite Canadian Group" last, unlike last year (Int Group, presented minutes before, was Green Day). Simple Plan win for the third year in a row, and they're NOT THERE??? Would Green Day skip the MTV video awards? Would any artist nominated for multiple awards not bother to show up to their own country's awards show? But principally, Much Music broke artists like Avril and Simple Plan, so if they're nominated, they should stop everything and get their ungrateful asses to the show. Maybe the impressive roll-call of A-list musicians in attendance this year (hey, Much got all five Backstreet Boys to appear, which is a big improvement from their 2/5 batting average in past years) will convince our own artists to not shit on Canada next year.
10;48. Neutered-Ed shoots the breeze with the Backstreet Boys. Summary: "Thanks for giving me so many years of great material". "No problem, it's all good".
10:55. Rob and Amber get the Liz Taylor slot and make the final introduction of the evening. I'll be sorry when they stop the party-hopping and go back to their Florida retreat to birth babies full-time, because they handle themselves better than 99.9% of all presenters on all awards shows. In the end, it's left to the Killers to play the fantastic "All These Things That I've Done" (complete with gospel choir and Kelly Osborne look-alike) as the show comes to a close. I get a lump in my throat when I hear this song and the video is one of the best in years. This song deserves to be 1000 times bigger than the wildly overrated "Mr. Brightside".
Well, the VJ's looked dazed and confused, and the show seemed even more disorganized than in past years, but the show featured some amazing performances courtesy of almost everybody except for Billy Talent (but especially Arcade Fire and The Killers). The MMVA's may have now surpassed the Brits when it comes to jamming prodigiously large amounts of content into a two-hour show. Good night sweetheart.
I caught a couple of minutes of the red carpet arrival, which appeared crazed and disorganized while the VJ's tripped over their words trying to kill time amongst the screaming and chaos. Ah, Much Music. Good times. And here we go ...
9:00 PM. ... with Billy Talent. Let's review. I hated their performance last year. I make a concerted effort to flip their channel when their videos come on the air. And now, they're screaming a bunch of bullocks and stinking up the main MMVA stage, therefore continuing the established pattern. At least the stage looks great. I walked by it last night and it looked absolutely majestic -- sleek, metallic, and very, very, shiny.
9:05. Matte uses the word "ever" over and over and over and over and over again in his opening spiel. I hate this guy, I really do. I can't recall ever hearing him say anything intelligent on air. To be more precise, I can't recall ever hearing him not say anything unintelligent. This show is off to a terrible start.
Where are the gaudy Halloween outfits? Sarah looks normal. Does the spirit of Sook-Yin Lee no longer reside at Much Music?
9:11. As expected, four billion things are happening and I can't keep up. Sarah makes dumb Canada vs USA small talk with the Killers, K-os wins an award, and Ciara jacks up the crowd with a "Oh"/"1-2 Step" medley featuring some astoundingly dodgy lip-synching.
9:21. Black Eyed Peas get a Sandman-esque entrance, which leads to them announcing Billy Talent as the winners of the Much Loud Best Rock award. The highlight of this show so far is the constant, excessive screaming.
9:31. Well, that's all changed thanks to a mindblowing effort from the Arcade Fire. They slam into a noisy sprawl, dressed in (appropriate) funereal black, surrounded by the fallen bodies of a marching band that has apparently drank too much of their funny-tasting kool-aid. They tear through "Rebellion (Lies)", thereby hopefully selling another 20 000 copies of their album in Canada by the end of the month. That song has been slowly climbing the Much countdown, so it's possible that The Kids really do like this song and don't think of it as a Flaming Lips/Polyphonic Spree-type wacky joke (I'm sure that's what the Billy Talent fans are thinking, but to hell with them). Finally, they hit the final minute of the song and the marching band wakes up, joins in the song, continues to play as the song ends, and marches out the front door of the Much studio with the band following them in a weird reversal of the Pied Piper motif from the video. Meanwhile, I'm sitting in front of the TV nearly lost for words. If there's any reason for you to beg, borrow, or steal a copy of this show, this is it, as I can't recall a better musical performance on any awards show in recent memory.
9:38. It's all downhill from there, although Sarah shamelessly hitting on the Backstreet Boys like a drunken sorority girl is certainly quite entertaining. The crowd is going bezerk, nobody can hear anything, and A.J. looks really fucking old. Whose dad just wandered on stage? Did Oasis get another new guitarist and forget to take him with them after their concert on Friday? Eventually, the Killers win for Best International Video by a Group ("Mr. Brightside"), which I can certainly live with as that's a better song than the other nominations put together and multiplied by ten.
9:42. Matte kept his streak alive while talking to Tie Domi. Way to go, dude.
9:44. Best Independent Video goes to Alexisonfire. It's a good night for rock in the T.O. tonight. Later, Rob and Amber dodge a bullet with Ed the Sock. That is, Ed didn't completely humiliate them and reduce them to rubble -- it must be an off-night for Ed.
9:54. Black Eyed Peas certainly know how to rock an awards show, and this time is no exception. Fergie has the MILF shtick down pat, while Will.I.Am and the other two do their usual shinier happier impressions of Andre 3000. K-os' "Man I Used To Be" wins for Best Rap Video, and the recipient simply thanks his parents despite Matte's protestations that he say something wacky and stoopid. It's appropriate that this followed the BEP's performance, because the aforementioned Andre 3000 would empathise with that sort of humility and general disdain for awards show silliness.
10:04. What a difference a year makes. After a rough debut last year, Devon is now completely comfortable in this environment and is the only VJ tonight that hasn't been spewing complete drivel from his mouth.
10:07. Alexisonfire deliver a frantic, treble-drenched performance. Impressive through sheer willpower, if nothing else.
10:09. It's definitely an off-night for Ed, as he admits that he's got no dirt on Billy Talent. The band has obviously spent years watching Ed's antics and just laugh along with everything he says anyhow. Ed, where is your muse?
10:13. Best International Video ... the usual suspects ... Snoop, Usher, Kanye, 50 Cent, and ERIC PRYDZ'S "CALL ON ME"? Huh? Did they throw that in there to check if we were paying attention? Spoof or not, the song is pure cornball junk. Does a Steve Winwood sample pass for irony these days? Man, what can I get for a Genesis or Supertramp sample? There's a reason we laugh at Olivia Newton-John videos these days, so what gives? It's no "Praise You", that's for sure.
Usher's "Caught Up" is the winner, despite being the worst song of the bunch. Yeah, Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" was also the 19th single from a mega-selling album, and it was also a fun video despite being a bleh song, but what do you expect when you're milking an album for bonus singles? Also, he couldn't even be bothered to come up with a half-assed excuse as to why he wasn't there. The tried and true "I'm in the studio" line always works, it's the "I have an early meeting tomorrow" of awards show excuses, but no, he's going to just chill down in Atlanta and enjoy the award. Jeez.
10:23. In the Best Video category, Billy Talent are nominated twice, as is K-os. Simple Plan are also nominated for their ripoff of the Good Charlotte suicide video. When you pattern your career after Good Charlotte, I think it's safe to say that you've hit the bottom of the barrel. Yeah, these three acts were huge in Canada this year, but three artists in a five-noms category is embarrassing. Predictably, Billy Talent win for "River Below".
10:29. K-os' understated, progrock-tinged perfomance appears to deflate a crowd that is only in it for the screaming by this point.
10:35. The mad-for-it anonymous half of Sum 41 drink with cheerleaders and introduce Ashlee Simpson. In order to cover up for her non-talent and atonal singing "style", it seems as though the band has taken to playing out of tune as well. Seriously, did anyone bother to tune the bass guitar during soundcheck? Truth is stranger than fiction. How long can Ashlee continue to get away with this nonsense?
10:39. Kalan Porter receives a curious non-reaction. Why is this -- is the crowd all yelled out, or are they horrified by his gaudy green jacket? Gwen Stefani wins for Best International Artist, and at least she had the decency to pre-record a statement and give a half-decent excuse about flying back from Italy after filming a video and being too tired after eating all that pasta, har har, etc. (Usher, I'm looking at you).
10:43. Fefe Dobson announces the Best Canadian Artist -- "KALAN FUCKING PORTER!" -- hooray for live television. He beat out Avril and K-os. Well, anybody but Shawn Desman, who, judging by his conversation with Matte, is 4'6" tall. Discovering that bad musicians are really short = a guilty pleasure.
10:46. At least they're presenting "People's Choice Favourite Canadian Group" last, unlike last year (Int Group, presented minutes before, was Green Day). Simple Plan win for the third year in a row, and they're NOT THERE??? Would Green Day skip the MTV video awards? Would any artist nominated for multiple awards not bother to show up to their own country's awards show? But principally, Much Music broke artists like Avril and Simple Plan, so if they're nominated, they should stop everything and get their ungrateful asses to the show. Maybe the impressive roll-call of A-list musicians in attendance this year (hey, Much got all five Backstreet Boys to appear, which is a big improvement from their 2/5 batting average in past years) will convince our own artists to not shit on Canada next year.
10;48. Neutered-Ed shoots the breeze with the Backstreet Boys. Summary: "Thanks for giving me so many years of great material". "No problem, it's all good".
10:55. Rob and Amber get the Liz Taylor slot and make the final introduction of the evening. I'll be sorry when they stop the party-hopping and go back to their Florida retreat to birth babies full-time, because they handle themselves better than 99.9% of all presenters on all awards shows. In the end, it's left to the Killers to play the fantastic "All These Things That I've Done" (complete with gospel choir and Kelly Osborne look-alike) as the show comes to a close. I get a lump in my throat when I hear this song and the video is one of the best in years. This song deserves to be 1000 times bigger than the wildly overrated "Mr. Brightside".
Well, the VJ's looked dazed and confused, and the show seemed even more disorganized than in past years, but the show featured some amazing performances courtesy of almost everybody except for Billy Talent (but especially Arcade Fire and The Killers). The MMVA's may have now surpassed the Brits when it comes to jamming prodigiously large amounts of content into a two-hour show. Good night sweetheart.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
DJ Spooky spins, but nobody dances
Spooky spun at the Drake on Saturday night. True to form, he wasn't afraid to spin anything from Blondie to "Jump Around" to The Cure's "Lovecats" mashed up with Missy Elliott. But long after I've forgotten what specific songs he played, I'll remember everything else about this gig, from the layout to the clientele to the staff.
Even though the venue was nowhere near capacity, the security people didn't seem the least bit interested in getting people through the doors on time. Even after Spooky came on, there was a big, glacially-moving lineup outside. The DJ table was set up at the front of the lounge, right next to the only proper entrance and exit to the room. This meant that the front of the room was packed with spectators as well as people trying to get in and out. This left no room at the front for dancing, not like it would have mattered much because layout of the lounge contains little open space for dancing anyway. And finally, the clientele didn't look like a Spooky crowd as much as it was a Drake crowd, who (besides from teh people crammed near the front) paid little to no attention to the music or the DJ. It was like a Michael Mayer gig for the late-20's/early-30's yuppies-in-training, supper club scenester, $8 mixed drinks crowd. It was a puzzling, frustrating evening, but at least the music was good.
Even though the venue was nowhere near capacity, the security people didn't seem the least bit interested in getting people through the doors on time. Even after Spooky came on, there was a big, glacially-moving lineup outside. The DJ table was set up at the front of the lounge, right next to the only proper entrance and exit to the room. This meant that the front of the room was packed with spectators as well as people trying to get in and out. This left no room at the front for dancing, not like it would have mattered much because layout of the lounge contains little open space for dancing anyway. And finally, the clientele didn't look like a Spooky crowd as much as it was a Drake crowd, who (besides from teh people crammed near the front) paid little to no attention to the music or the DJ. It was like a Michael Mayer gig for the late-20's/early-30's yuppies-in-training, supper club scenester, $8 mixed drinks crowd. It was a puzzling, frustrating evening, but at least the music was good.
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