fridge bUzz

Track Review: Arcade Fire – “Month of May”/”The Suburbs”

2010-05-30T14:08:00.000-03:00

Track Review: Arcade Fire – “Month of May”/”The Suburbs”

Olympic preview: Canada vs. USA men's gold medal game

2010-02-27T15:00:00.002-04:00

The Canada vs. USA game should be very tight.

Where the United States has the advantage:

1. They have a goaltender who is capable of standing on his head and stealing games. We saw this versus Canada in the preliminary game. 42 saves is no easy task.

2. More rest and practice time. They had a bye into the quarterfinals while Canada had to play Germany. Also the game versus Finland was more of an in-game simulator in the semis since they were in front 6-0 after the first period and had the game in the bag.

3. Youth and quickness. The Americans have a young team that will be energized and can really test the defense with their quickness and agility.

Where the United States has a disadvantage:

1. They aren't a very experienced team internationally. The old guard of Gomez, Gionta, Modano, and the like were left home this year in favour of the young guns. We'll see how they handle the pressure of such a big game and if they can keep their emotions under wraps and not take dumb penalties and make careless errors.

2. Lack of adversity all tournament. Other than Canada they have cruised through all their games with no problems. The Swiss game was pretty close but at no point did it seem like they would lose. Sometimes adversity can go a long way in helping teams learn where they need to improve.

Where Canada has the advantage.

1. Home rink advantage. Although the US will be the home team because of their record, the Canadians will have thousands of screaming fans and all Olympics we've seen how the fans have helped give Canadian athletes a boost.

2. Leadership and experience. Crosby won the Cup last year, Scott Niedermayer has won pretty everything you can win, and there are nine players on this team that are Captains with their clubs. So they know how to prepare and perform when everything is on the line.

3. Mobile and punishing defense. Canada has big boys like Pronger who can dish out big hits, players like Boyle and Niedermayer who can go into power forward mode, and a group of mobile defense with hard shots and punishing hits. Other than the preliminary game, the US has not had to face a defense of this calibre.

Where Canada has the disadvantage:

1. Energy? Canada has had to play an extra game and has had a much tougher path to the final having to dispose of Russia in the quarterfinals and then Slovakia in the semis. In such a short tournament that is alot of hockey and some tough games.

2. Can Luongo come up big in the big game? We've seen big collapses by Luongo in the past in game 7s. Up until a few years ago he had played most of his career never making it to the playoffs. Also so far this tournament Canada hasn't had to rely on their goalies to steal games, although Luongo did come up huge in the last 5 minutes of the semi-final versus Slovakia.

So in conclusion both teams have plenty of strengths and weaknesses. I have to root for my country though: Canada 4 USA 2

10 Reasons Why You Should Cheer for the Saints

2010-02-06T00:56:00.005-04:00

Welcome to my third annual installment of “10 Reasons why you should cheer for (insert team name here)”, although I’m not sure why I haven’t just renamed it to “10 Reasons why you should cheer for the NFC team and not the AFC team”. The purpose of this article is to help people sitting on the fence to fall of the fence on one side or the other. It is a serious article and I truly hope it does not entertain you.

10. Lets be superficial here, gold and black not only is more intimidating than blue and white, it also looks better. When people have the blues they are said. When they have gold they are happy. Simple colour theory.

9. Where the heck is Indianapolis and what is so exciting about it? Sure they have the Pacers and their 0.347 winning percentage and a big raceway, but other than that? Snore. Meanwhile New Orleans is the home of the Mardi Gras spectacle and is the birthplace of jazz. A Superbowl party in New Orleans would be much more exciting than one in Indiana.

8. The Colts won Super Box XLI in 2007. I’m not sure about you, but I would rather watch a new episode of LOST than watch a re-run. Also how can you not cheer for the team that has never won it before?

7. Drew Brees. He is the man. While Ray Lewis is in a league of his own when it come to pumping up the team before a game, Drew comes pretty close (see video at end of post). Not only does he pump up his team, but he has also pumped a city and helped a city get back to normal after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

6. Jeremy Shockey will hunt you down if you don’t cheer for the Saints.

5. Archie Manning (Colts QB Peyton’s dad) was a QB for the Saints for ten years. He still lives there and has close connections to the city. Both of his sons have Superbowl rings and have had their chance, so even if his son’s team loses, it is a win-win situation for him as the team that he is closely associated with would be champions.

4. When is the last time a horse has done anything for you? The car has made the horse and buggy irrelevant. When is the last time a saint has done anything for you? Well Jolly Ol’ Saint Nicholas fills your shoes with candy every year.

3. The key to success is a healthy and balanced diet. Now while Peyton Manning may be the best chocolate in the superbowl box, you can not survive on just chocolate alone. You need your brocolli, baby carrots, bread, milk, and sunshine. With Brees, Colston, Meachem, Henderson, Shockey, Thomas, Bell, and Bush, you have just that.

2. The Saints bandwagon has shinier rims and shock absorbers.

1. And the final reason, the one that I use year after year. The one that is meant to pull on your heart strings if all those strings have not yet been pulled: Cheer for the underdog. Sure these are two very good teams led by two of the best QBs in the game. But just take a peak at NFL.com and the overwhelming majority of experts peg the Colts to win the Superbowl. Reality TV and drama are not made up of the favourites ruling all, they are made up of the underdog coming from behind to melt your heart and put a smile on all. So get out your black and gold and cheer on Whodat Nation.

Side project

2010-01-18T13:35:00.003-04:00

Hello fridge buzzers. I have started a new blog that focuses on music. Lately this blog has turned into a place where I've just been putting up concert reviews, album countdowns, and the like. So from now on most of my music content will be on the new blog and I'll set this aside for non-music stuff.

Check out the new site:

The Broken Speaker

The Decade In Music: Personal Reflections Part 2

2010-01-09T12:27:00.002-04:00

Sr. Highschool Late 2003- mid 2006

By the start of Sr. High, I had purchased a bunch more U2 records as well as their Live from Boston DVD. In grade 11 I went on a trip to Boston and saw them perform on the Vertigo Tour. Their album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb was released on my mom's birthday in November 2005. I never had been, and never have been so excited for an album as this one. I listened to the daylights out of this album. I was completely obsessed with U2 listening to their entire discography at any given moment.

Another significant moment in Highschool came in early July of 2004 when I was the sickest that I've ever been. During this time CBC showed Coldplay's show from Sydney Australia which is on the Coldplay Live 2003 DVD. Usually when you are sick you play lots of videogames and watch lots of TV. I did neither. I just watched/listened to the recording that I made of this onto VHS and craved Subway which unfortunately I could not stomach. This started off a big love of Coldplay and had them firmly entrenched as my favourite band after U2. The release of X&Y was a special day as a bunch of us skipped class to walk to Future Shop and pick up the album and then all walked into Physics with Mr. D (we were all late) and listened to the album in our discmans and gave the thumbs up to each other as we heard songs like White Shadow for the first time. My friend Alex also introduced me too a bunch of bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Trews, and Pink Floyd. All of which I grew to really like. All these influences caused me to love other British bands such as Keane,Oasis, and the Killers who are from Las Vegas but sounded like they were a British band on their debut album Hot Fuss. A fond memory I have of that album is walking down a beach with Colin in Cape Breton blasting Everything Will Be Alright and buying way too many slushes.

The Junos were held in Halifax in March of 2003 when I was finishing up Grade 11. Coldplay were playing one song, but I wasn't willing to dish out the big bucks to see them play one song and have to suffer through Nickelback and the Black Eyed Peas. Luckily there were other exciting and free music events including a show with Joel Plaskett Emergency, Matt Mays, the Trews, Jimmy Rankin, and Garrett Mason. All of these Nova Scotian artists were my among my favourites, and still are some of my favourite musicians. The show was downtown and I had never been in such a large area filled with so many people standing for 5 plus hours. There was no room to move anywhere and my ears rang for a day straight after, but it was all worth it.

The last couple weeks of highschool while I was studying and preparing for graduation/prom and all that fun stuff I started listening to The Eraser by Thom Yorke. An album that would radically alter my listening tastes during my university years.

The Decade In Music: Personal Reflections Part 1

2010-01-08T20:03:00.004-04:00

Pre-2000
Being born in the middle of 1988 set me up perfectly for this sort of a Decade in Music sort of review. In the 80s I am not quite sure what sort of music tickled my fancy. I think at that point I was subconsciously being fed Bruce Cockburn since I know a large number of his songs but have no memory of ever listening to them until a few years ago. In the 90s I wasn't really that interested in music either. At this point I was mostly listening to the folk music of the Rankin Family (Cape Breton), Rawlings Cross (Newfoundland), and the Irish Descendants (Newfoundland). In particular Rawlings Cross version of McPherson's Lament is what made me want to learn the bagpipes, which I did play for a short time. And yes, I had that song mastered on the pipes.

Jr. Highschool 2000-mid 2003

Jr. High is when I first started listening to music. I would hook up this old discman to crappy computer speakers in my room while I played with Lego. It usually consisted of Christian rock, so bands like dc talk, Newsboys, and Delerious. I was also listening to quite a bit of Blue Rodeo. The random button was my best friend. But the first band that I really became obsessed over was Newfoundlands folk rockers Great Big Sea. In November of 2002 I went to my first "big" concert at the Metro Centre where they played along with Crush. Me and my friend Chris listened to them all of the time and also had our own hilarious versions of their songs. I was also listening to some Our Lady Peace at this point. Looking back I had a very limited range of music. Mostly Christian with a few other Canadian bands thrown in.

Perhaps the biggest moment of this time period came in February of 2002. The Superbowl halftime show featured Irish band U2. The site of Bono singing MLK and words from the Psalms with the names of victims of 9/11 scrolling was a very powerful moment. The climax of Where The Streets Have No Name when the names collapsed will forever be embedded in my mind. The power, emotion, and big sound that came from this guy in sunglasses started off the U2 journey for me. I had a burnt copy of All That You Can't Leave Behind as well as the Best of 1980s greatest hits album.

2009 in Music Songs 1-25

2009-12-23T00:57:00.003-04:00

25. Patternicity - The Most Serene Republic

24. Model Homes - In Flight Safety

23. Steamroller - Bruce Peninsula

22. Dreams - Young Galaxy

21. Soft Shock - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

20. These Are My Twisted Words - Radiohead

19. Daniel - Bat For Lashes

18. 1901 - Phoenix

17. Hearing Damage - Thom Yorke

16. Blood Bank - Bon Iver

15. My Girls - Animal Collective

14. Intro - the xx

13. Cornerstone - Arctic Monkeys

12. Moment of Surrender - U2

11. You and I - Wilco (feat. Feist)

10. Old Crow Black Night Stand Still - Hey Rosetta!

9. Lisztomania - Phoenix

8. Stillness Is the Move - Dirty Projectors

7. Quick Canal - Atlas Sound (feat. Laetitia Sadier)

6. Demon Host - Timber Timbre

5. Through & Through & Through - Joel Plaskett

4. Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

3. Sick Muse - Metric

2. Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

1. While You Wait For The Others - Grizzly Bear

2009 in Music Songs 26-50

2009-12-22T01:54:00.003-04:00

For this section of my year in review I will be posting my top 50 songs of 2009. While I won't be writing about each track, I will include youtube links to the top bunch as well as a couple 8tracks links so you can listen to selected songs.

50. Sing Sang Sung - Air

49. Eazy Speaks - Apostle of Hustle

48. Laura Palmer’s Prom - You Say Party! We Say Die!

47. Still - Volcano Choir

46. Empire State of It - Rich Aucoin

45. Walkabout - Atlas Sound (feat Noah Lennox)

44. Frank AB - The Rural Alberta Advantage

43. Somalia - K’naan

42. Fake Blues - Real Estate

41. Money - Acres and Acres

40. African Velvet - Air

39. One Wing - Wilco

38. Robots - Dan Mangan

37. Heartbreaker - MSTRKRFT (feat John Legend)

36. Islands - the xx

35. Heartbreaker - Jenn Grant

34. No Bold Villian - Timber Timbre

33. Alligator - Tegan & Sara

32. Runaway - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

31. Blindness - Metric

30. Roslyn - Bon Iver & St. Vincent

29. You Let Me Down - Joel Plaskett

28. Bluish - Animal Collective

27. Useful Chamber - Dirty Projectors

26. Up & Down - The Mountains & The Trees

2009 in Music Albums Top 10

2009-12-20T00:35:00.002-04:00

1. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimist
2. Metric - Fantasies
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Its Blitz!
4. Joel Plaskett - Three
5. Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain Is A Mouth
6. Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre
7. The xx - xx
8. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
9. U2 - No Line On the Horizon
10. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

2009 in Music Albums 1 and 2

2009-12-19T22:43:00.003-04:00

1. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimist
Earlier this year, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead declared that Grizzly Bear is his favourite band. Call it the Oprah effect, but now everybody wants in on the Grizzly Bear action. Jay-Z was spotted at one of their shows this summer, and even Michale McDonald of the Doobie Brothers lent his vocals for a b-side version of While You Wait For The Others. Basically Grizzly Bear, the indie darlings, made it huge this year. The first single Two Weeks had a power of its own, the opening piano notes, the catchy chorus, the harmonizing vocals. After being stuck in the heads of indie hipsters and not so indie hipsters for weeks the album finally dropped. But don't drop it too hard, since each and every note in the song is carefully crafted. The timing of each wave of percussion, each set of harmonizing vocals, every pluck on the bass. While it is apparent great care was taken in the recording of the album, this in no way detracts from the grandness of the whole thing. While You Wait For The Others is proof of this, one of the best overall songs of the year. While the album may not click on the first listen, a few listens in show why this album has spurred on a new group of Grizzly Bear fans.

Favourites: While You Wait For The Others, Two Weeks, Southern Point, Foreground

2. Metric - Fantasies
Some albums take a few listens to make their impact. But not Fantasies. Metric bring their A-game to the table delivering over forty straight minutes of pop with meaning, rock with soul, and the sounds of finely crafted songs. The album opens up with the first single Help I'm Alive, almost a cry to show that this album is alive, that there is something behind the drums, bass, guitars, and vocals. Don't blink, as soon as its over it is straight into Sick Muse continuing the themes of love, real love, mirages of love, and finally stadium love. Metric is at their finest here, with a healthy mix of guitar and synth sounds. Emily is in peak form delivering some of her best lyrics of her career, including the unforgettable question of "Who would you rather be: the Beatles or the Rolling Stones" in Gimme Sympathy.

Favourites: Sick Muse, Blindness, Satellite Mind

2009 in Music Album 3

2009-12-18T21:28:00.002-04:00

3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Its Blitz
First of all, the album cover is awesome. Secondly, the artwork inside the album is even better. The inside sleeve looks like a pizza box, grease and all. The actual disc has a pizza design on it featuring the heads of the band members as toppings. This chart topping album is full of delish flavours. Ranging from electrorock songs like lead single Zero to the softer and quieter Soft Shock. This album shows diversity with Karen O telling you to dance until you're dead in one song, and then politely and sweetly asking not to leave on the next. The album is engaging the whole way through, full of distinct sounds and songs leaving a pleasant taste ensuring you come back later for another listen. The extra acoustic tracks at the end of the album are a great bonus as well.

Favourites: Heads Will Roll, Soft Shock, Runaway

2009 in Music Albums 4 and 5

2009-12-18T12:58:00.003-04:00

4. Joel Plaskett - Three
Joel Plaskett has ruled this blog the past 12 months or so as I've been privileged to see him perform multiple times which no doubt has influenced my view of this album. Three is Plaskett's ambitious triple album containing a total of 27 songs as well as 3 other songs available on iTunes and vinyl. While this may sound like overdoing it, surprisingly each album is carefully crafted and is full of songs that should last the test of time. The real strength of this album is the way that he collaborated with Ana Egge and Rose Cousins, drawing on their musicianship and vocals to make songs like Through & Through & Through really come alive. They play a central role in many of the songs, doing call back parts with Joel, as well as really driving the catchy choruses home. The album contains a variety of songs, from the country infused Pine, Pine, Pine to the traditional East Coast sounding Sailor's Eyes. Plaskett's lyrics are at his best on this album, thoughtful, playful, and witty. This album propelled Plaskett from an artist that I appreciated to one of my favourite artists making music.

Favourites: Through&Through&Through, You Let Me Down, Wishful Thinking, "Deny, Deny, Deny", "Heartless, Heartless, Heartless, One Look

5. Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain Is A Mouth
Initially I was blown away by the band members personalities. Then I was blown away by their live show. Then I was blown away by their full length album. I can't say I wasn't warned. Herohill (essential music blog by the way) have raved about them multiple times and had them headlining their showcase at the Halifax Pop Explosion. The band has a big sound, having anywhere from 6 to 600 people contributing vocals, guitars, hand claps, and the like. Okay not quite 600, but you get the idea. The album sounds big too. This album makes you want to join in and lend your voice to the choruses as well. The lyrics sound like they were written outside while the rest of the world burns to pieces inside. At other times it is a peaceful album, like during Weave Myself a Dress with just the sounds of acoustic guitars creaking and Misha Brown's beautiful voice. It is a different album, hard to really pin it down to one genre or style, which is exactly what they want.

Favourites: Steamroller, Shutters, Weave Myself A Dress, Shanty Song

2009 in Music Albums 6-10

2009-12-18T00:21:00.004-04:00

6. Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre
A mysterious, deep, and dark album, Timber Timbre's self titled album features simple but moving folk songs. The music explores emotions and themes that many artists are not able to go near. Asking questions such as "Will you beg for forgiveness?/Will you pray to be saved?/Will you choke your children when they spit in your face?" just give a glimpse at the themes explored in this album. The songs can be uncomfortable at times, yet there is great craftsmanship and beauty behind each carefully written lyric.

Favourites: Demon Host, No Bold Villian, We'll Find Out

7. The xx - xx
This abum is almost the anti-Merriweather Post Pavilion. The album features simple guitars, simple drums, quiet vocals, and simple silence to make a spectacular album. There isn't one particular element of the album that stands out, yet it is easy to get lost in the music. The female and male vocals going back and forth working together in fine form. It is hard to describe what it is that makes this album so special, yet it is.

Favourites: Intro, Islands, Shelter

8. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
When this album came out in January, many hailed it as a strong contender for album of the year. Fast forward almost 12 months and this album is at the top of many year end lists (exclaim, Spin, surely pitchfork). This album is not for the faint of heart. The vocals, the sampled loops, the noises, everything is done with great detail. The creative burst of this album can be overwhelming at first, but after a few listens the power of this album really grows. At times some songs can seem to long and overindulgent, but it is definitely an album to behold.

Favourites: Summertime Clothes, Bluish, My Girls, Brother Sport

9. U2 - No Line On The Horizon
This seemed to be a love it or hate it album. Some viewed it as their best album for many years, while the usual U2 haters used it as more fodder in their cannon of hate. It certainly is not a "safe" album, although a song like Get On Your Boots did sound like they were trying too hard to make a Vertigo/Elevation type of song. The album was also overshadowed by the colossal world tour that accompanied it. However a 7 plus minute song three songs in shows that U2 are not constrained by trying to make radio friendly songs, but instead are allowed to let their creativity pour out how they see fit. Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois returned on this album, contributing guitars and vocals at various points. While Bono's voice may not be what it once is, he still delivers a passionate effort, and the Edge continues to provide his classic guitar sounds. This album sounds like a band making the music that they want to make, and something they are proud of, even if everybody does not like it.

Favourites: Moment of Surrender, No Line on the Horizon, Cedars of Lebanon

10. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
This French band has been kicking around as long as Coldplay, yet it wasn't until the release of the single 1901 that the music world really took notice. The blogosphere was all over this song, and then the album was released. And the hype did not die down, receiving critical acclaim and picking up a new multitude of fans in the process. The entire album is filled with catchy songs making it easy to get into, yet months later it still remains fresh and exciting. When making those playlists of music that you love but your friend might not necessarily know, be sure to chuck on a song like 1901 or Lisztomania.

Favourites: 1901, Lisztomania

2009 in Music Albums 11-15

2009-12-17T00:15:00.005-04:00

11. Young Galaxy - Invisible Republic
Two years ago Young Galaxy were number two on my year end list, only behind Radiohead. Fast forward two years and the band has released a second album that is quite different from the first one. The first single Long Live the Fallen World showed great promise, a track that starts with the typical dreamy atmospheric Young Galaxy sound, but in the end it rapidly speeds up and almost sounds like the Millennium Falcon will go into Hyperspace. But quickly after that the album is grounded again into the familiar Young Galaxy sound again. Both Catherine McCandles and Stephen Ramsey deliver vocals that work well together, providing a sound landscape that is dreamy but at the same time delivers a sense of urgency as it reflects on the present state of the world. It is about lovers surviving in these disposable times. Not for the faint of heart.

Favourites: Dreams, Queen Drum, Long Live the Fallen World

12. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Indie hipsters unite! This album was met with open arms by Pitchfork.com and deservedly so. It contains a wonderful mix of songs with male and female vocal parts, bursting choral background vocals, hand claps, choppy guitars, fuzzy guitars, tambourines...you name it, its there. And it sounds great together. The album also features two of my favourite songs of the year: "Stillness Is the Move" and "Useful Chamber."Useful Chamber features a song that keeps changing all of the time, alternating between chilled beats, rocky vocals, and then a huge burst of awwwww's as the song rapidly changes direction again.

Favourites: Useful Chamber, Stillness Is The Move, Fluorescent Half-Dome

13. The Most Serene Republic - ...And the Ever Expanding Universe
The album title and song names such as "Bubble Reputation", and "No One Likes A Nihilist"give you a rough idea of the creative force behind this album. A listen through confirms these suspicions. Smart, intricate, and creative lyrics are met with smart, intricate, and creative musicianship. One highlight of the album is the instrumental "Patternicity". Instrumental doesn't do the song justice though, it is an epic song that sounds like it should be performed by a symphony. By the end of the album, we're met with "Don't Hold Back, Feel A Little Longer" which makes it hard to not dance and sing along, at least a little. The album shows that this band are truly students of music and have an ever expanding knack for putting together diverse songs. The video for Heavens to Purgatory is rather awesome.

Favourites: Phi, Patternicity, Bubble Reputation

14. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
The album Wilco (The Album) opens with the song Wilco the song. The cover of this album features a two humped camel with a party hat beside a table with six empty chairs. It is a little hard to take things too seriously with such an over the top and silly presentation. But by the time you get through One Wing three tracks in it is pretty evident that there is some seriously good songwriting taking place. Jeff Tweedy delivers a stellar performance right through. What drew me to this album was the collaboration with Feist for the song You and I. Both of their voices work perfectly together resulting in one of my favourite songs of the year.

Favourites: One Wing, You and I, I'll Fight

15. Jenn Grant - Echoes
Another breakup album, how original right? At the time of writing, Jenn was still in a relationship and didn't realize it was a breakup album right away. This leads to some honest and soulful songwriting that is easy to follow and listen to. An artist using her creativity to express herself. Seeing her live as part of Halifax Pop Explosion was a bonus. She has a charming and engaging personality, and this flows right throughout her album. The strength of this album lie in the vocals and the wonderful instrumentation that accompanies them.

Favourites: Heartbreaker, Where Are You Now, Sailing by Silverships

2009 in Music Albums 19-20

2009-12-16T14:59:00.004-04:00

16. Tegan & Sara - The Sainthood
I bought this album on a complete whim and ended up loving it. The Canadian sisters deliver thirteen short pop songs featuring catchy vocals, hooks, and riffs. A very easy album to get into, and one that will leave the songs stuck in your head for days.

Favourites: Alligator, Hell, Northshore

17. Atlas Sound - Logos
Bradford Cox of Deerhunter is a scientist of music. Just read or watch any of his interviews and you will notice that he loves to talk about music, loves to experiment with music, and wants to excel at what he does. This album contains some great new ideas and new sounds, but the highlights are the guest collaborations. Noah Lennox a.k.a. Panda Bear of Animal Collective lends his vocals on the track Walkabout. Laetitia Sadier provides vocals on the track Quick Canal, an eight and a half minute long song that still doesn’t seem long enough. A great album form one of the great minds in music.

Favourites: Walkabout, Quick Canal, Shelia

18. K’naan - Troubadour
This album was highlighted earlier this year. It is a powerful mix of rap, hip-hop, rock, and brutally honest lyrics. While the headlines of the news may not be filled with headlines about Somalia, K’naan paints a clear picture about what is going on in his country. While the message is powerful, so is the medium. The album has something for everyone, everything from songs that get airplay on the radio to songs that would make any radio listener feel uncomfortable.

Favourites: T.I.A., Somalia, Dreamer

19. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
Natasha Khan delivers a beautiful album that shows why she is one of the most talented female vocalists currently making music. Songs such as Glass show off the great range of her vocals. The album also features Daniel, one of the best songs of the year.

Favourites: Daniel, Glass, Moon And Moon

20. Apostle of Hustle - Eats Darkness
The album sleeve of this album somewhere states that the album is for Apostle of Hustle fans. After many listens, this makes perfect sense. Perhaps the least accessible of their three albums, this album contains the sounds of the band making the music they want to make, taking chances and experimenting. Something that a fan of the band understands, but may throw a first time listener for a loop.The album is filled with multiple samples of speaking parts with strange music which are entertaining, but can distract from the album. It is still a fun album, but requires patience and understanding.

Favourites: Blackberry, Soul Unwind

2009 in Music Albums 21-25

2009-12-16T12:16:00.005-04:00

21. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Stoner rock! It is evident that producer Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) had his fingerprints all over this one. The album contains a mix of heavier rock songs like Crying Lightening, but also some slow ballads that really show off this bands strength, including some of their best songs yet such as Cornerstone. The lyrics throughout the album are great, its almost like sitting back and listening to some storytelling, except its done through a rock album.

Favourites: Cornerstone, Dance Little Liar

22. AIR - Love 2
AIR is one of those bands that I love to put their albums on in the background when I'm doing work or reading. The simple, yet catchy beats, sounds, plunks, synths, vocals, and lyrics that don't quite make sense make it easy to get lost in the album. At times its like being in an elevator at the supermarket, other times it is like landing on a distant planet. Either way it makes for a fun album. My favourite music video of the year also came from this album in the form of Sing Sang Sung.

Favourites: Sing Sang Sung, African Velvet

23. Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
This album came out early in the year, but I haven't really listened to it since when it came out. It contains the classic Franz sound with their art rock choppy guitars, catchy sing a long choruses, and songs that make it hard to not tap your foot. It also contains their longest song to date, Lucid Dreams, which starts off like a normal Franz song, but eventually dissolves into an electronic dance with buzzing synths taking turn alternating between the right side and left side of the brain. I'll have to revisit this album at some point.

Favourites: Lucid Dreams

24. You Say Party! We Say Die! - XXXX
Exclamation points and X's are littered throughout this album, but rightfully so as love is the primary theme of the album, and is delivered in an energetic, exciting, and charismatic manner. An album full of heavy hitting songs in the sense that almost all of them could be singles. It is hard to sit still while listening to this album.

Favourites: Laura Palmer's Prom, Lonely's Lunch

25.Acres and Acres - All Nations
Another local addition to this list, this album is perhaps ranked lower than it should be. It instantly has the sounds of a great Canadian singer-songwriter type of album. In many ways it reminds me of Bruce Cockburn in delivery as well as the very strong political undertones throughout. It is the lyrics that really draw me to the album, drawing on themes of greed, pollution, and questioning the constructs of society.

Favourites: From A Forest, Joker

2009 in Music Albums 26-30

2009-12-16T02:04:00.003-04:00

26. In Flight Safety - We Are An Empire My Dear
Halifax based In Flight Safety released their second full length album earlier this year. It features the song Model Homes which is one of my favourite songs of the year. There are some other great tracks on the album, and they are a fun band to see live. This album possesses more depth than their debut album The Coast Is Clear. It sounds less like Coldplay and more like themselves.

Favourites: Model Homes, Big White Elephant

27. Real Estate - Real Estate
If you ever need an album to just chill out to, get some work done, or do no work at all, this is the album for you. It is made up of dreamlike songs, heavy on reverb. It is easy to listen to this album and not realize you went through it all. Not because of the album's length, but rather the feel of the album.

Favourites: Fake Blues, Beach Comber

28. MSTRKRFT - Fist of God
Electro duo MSTRKRFT drop an album that is heavy on beats, bass, and guests. The album caries a high level of energy throughout its entire duration. Best played at high volumes, with flashing lights, and whatever you need to get your groove on.

Favourites: Heartbreaker, Bounce

29. Volcano Choir - Unmap
Justin Vernon of Bon Iver joined Colony of Bees to create this beautiful album. It features lots of instrumental sounds, reverb, and the distinctive voice of Justin Vernon. It takes some effort to get into the album, and at some moments it seems to drag on. But at other moments such as during Still, it is hard to not get caught up in the beauty of what is happening throughout this album.

Favourites: Still, Island IS

30. k-os - Yes
Toronto based rapper k-os did some creative things with this album. The tour supporting it was a pay-what-you-want all ages tour, allowing show attendees to determine how much they wanted to pay to show, or if they in fact wanted to pay. But not to distract from the album, this album had some enjoyable and fun songs, displaying k-os delivering a variety of genres. Pop songs, rap songs, rock songs. This diversity may take away from the diversity of the album at times.

Favourites: I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman, Uptown Girl, Burning Bridges

Concert Review: Hey Rosetta!

2009-12-14T17:28:00.005-04:00

December 11th+12th, 2009. The Paragon Theatre, Halifax, NS

Fellow Concert goers: too many friends to list here

Headliner: Hey Rosetta!

Supporting: Jon Mckiel, La Strada

Hey Rosetta! were back in Halifax this past weekend for a weekend stand at the Paragon Theatre. Halifax local Jon Mckiel and Brooklyn's La Strada. La Strada were a pleasant surprise, playing with a set up similar to Hey Rosetta! with violin, cello, bass, guitar, and drums. As well for many songs the lead singer played an accordion.
Hey Rosetta! were able to get the crowd dancing and singing both nights, bringing the passion, emotion, and energy that they have become known for. Both nights featured the staples of their live set; New Goodbye, Red Heart, I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time, A Thousand Suns, Lions for Scottie, and Yes!Yes!Yes!. They also played new songs including a song written for a CBC Radio 2 contest they won (Old Crow Black Night Stand Still), Seeds, and Glass. Watching these new songs evolve over the past 14 months has been an enjoyable experience. Of the new songs, Glass is perhaps the most exciting one. It features Adam Hogan providing haunting ambient guitar sounds while Tim Baker provides distinct guitar sounds with Josh Ward and Phil Maloney providing an upbeat rhythm. The lyrics are powerful, passionate, and honest. The song slows right down to an almost standstill before picking up again with the swooping strings from violins and cellos and Adam really showing that he does more than provide atmosphere.
Former Hey Rosetta! member Kinley Dowling joined the band on stage for a few songs during their set on Saturday night. Both shows ended with a fun cover of Oh La La by Rod Stewart. They were joined on stage by the opening bands as well as a few other musicians who were kicking around the show. The stage was crowded with a tonne of artists having a blast, while the crowd was also having fun singing and dancing along. It is evident that the band loves coming to Halifax, and Halifax loves when they come to town.

Friday Setlist
Saturday Setlist

Concert Review: The Most Serene Republic

2009-12-14T16:37:00.006-04:00

November 27th, 2009. The Paragon Theatre, Halifax, NS

Fellow Concert goer: Joelle Grant

Headliner: The Most Serene Republic

Supporting: Mardeen, First Aid Kit

Three guitars. Drums. Bass. Keys. The occasional trumpet. Multiple vocalists. The live show can be overwhelming at times with so many instruments all being played independently, yet mixing together to form one huge sound. The Most Serene Republic returned to Halifax to play a show for the first time since their Halifax Pop Explosion dates in 2007. Since then the band has released a new album and seems to have embraced all that goes into being a successful band, good and bad. Lead singer Adrian Jewett has gone from the clean shaven look to the scruffy bearded Joaquin Phoenix look. While his vocal delivery was spot on, it was apparent that some mind altering substances were at work as he eccentrically glanced around and sang. He referred to the show being something like grade six and not knowing what was going on. Other strange shenanigans throughout the night included two girls going backstage and coming out dancing on the stage during the last song and the encore. While the whole show was quite a bit to comprehend, it was enjoyable. The songs from the new album ...And The Ever Expanding Universe worked well live and showed off the bands great talent. They have the "it" factor that sets them apart from other bands trying to make good music. The long obscure song title name and interestingly named album provide a brief glance at the creativity that goes into the composition of their songs.

Setlist:

Bubble Reputation

Anhoi Polloi

Sherry And Her Butterfly Net

(oh) God

Heavens To Purgatory

Phages

Phi

The Men Who Live Upstairs

The Old Forever New Things

Why So Looking Back

Content Was Always My Favorite Colour

Four Humours

Don't Hold Back, Feel A Little Longer

No One Likes a Nihilist

You're Not An Astronaut

Present Of Future End

encore

Where Cedar Nouns And Adverbs Walks

Setlists: Hey Rosetta! 12-12-2009

2009-12-14T01:13:00.004-04:00

December 12th, 2009
There's An Arc
Lions For Scottie
Welcome
I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time
Glass
We Made a Pact
Old Crow Black Night Stand Still
Red Heart
Black Heart
Holy Shit (What A Relief)
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Psalm
A Thousand Suns
New Goodbye

Encore
Seeds
Another Pilot
Oh La La (Rod Stewart cover)

Setlists: Hey Rosetta! 12-11-2009

2009-12-12T18:10:00.007-04:00

December 11, 2009

New Goodbye
Welcome
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Old Crow Black Night Stand Still

I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time

We Made A Pact
Red Song

Glass

There's An Arc

Lions For Scottie

Red Heart
Holy Shit (What A Relief)

Psalm

A Thousand Suns

Encore
Seeds
Epitaph
Oh Lah Lah (Rod Stewart cover)

Faces of Christmas December 8th

2009-12-09T01:52:00.002-04:00

Dark Was The Knight

Faces of Christmas December 7th

2009-12-08T00:06:00.002-04:00

Hockey Faces in Canada

Faces of Christmas December 6th

2009-12-08T00:04:00.002-04:00

Father Christmas

faces of Christmas December 5th

2009-12-08T00:03:00.002-04:00

Santa Steve Delivers

Faces of Christmas December 4th

2009-12-08T00:01:00.002-04:00

Bubble face

Faces of Christmas December 3rd

2009-12-07T23:59:00.001-04:00

Kiddie's Face

Faces of Christmas December 2nd

2009-12-07T23:56:00.002-04:00

The Red Green Show

- this one was funny because we got a random guy to take the pictures for us. You'll see them when I do the b-sides album.

Faces of Christmas December 1st

2009-12-07T23:52:00.002-04:00

Ballin' Christmas

Bursting Your Bubble

2009-11-25T23:33:00.002-04:00

Sorry to do this, but I feel it is my duty to highlight some of the darkness that exists in our world. The hope is that you read this, see this, and make a change. Thats what it takes. One small change at a time. Baby steps. One human can't change the world, or fix all its problem. But people working together can.

If you're like me you know that there is injustice in this world. You know that sometimes the items we buy came from somewhere else, made by someone else. But maybe like me you'd rather not think about it. Here is just one simple example. Balloons. I've never thought about where they come from before in my life. But after seeing the pictures in the links, and reading the article I don't think I'll be able to look at a balloon the same. Forever all I'll be able to think about is an underpaid, underage, overworked child caked in who knows what making the balloons. Look and read, let me know what you think.

Short article.

Photos.

Lost Child

2009-11-24T23:52:00.002-04:00

I haven't updated my blog in quite some time. For the past while, most of my blog posts have been music related. For those of you who don't really care about music, I apologize for this. There should be lots of non-music bloggage in the month of December when Faces of Christmas makes its return for the second year in a row. But at the same time I will be doing my 4th annual album countdown.

In 2010 I'm looking to start a separate blog that will be 100% music related. The plan is to set up somewhere to write all my concert reviews. Also looking to do more in the way of album reviews, as well as interviews and interacting with the very people who make the music. So stay tuned for that.

Happy last week of November to you all.

Album countdown longlist

2009-11-08T20:54:00.005-04:00

This year I'll be doing my 4th annual album countdown. Right now I've picked around 30 albums to be on my long list. Over the remainder of November I'll try to get some more listens in to albums that may be considered for the list. So if you see anything amazingly awesome that I've missed leave a comment and I'll check it out.

Joel Plaskett - Three

Metric - Fantasies
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimist
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Its Blitz
U2 - No Line On the Horizon
Pheonix
The most serene republic
Timber timbre
Young galaxy
Bat for lashes
Animal collective
Dirty projectors
K'anaan
K-os
Air
Franz ferdinand
Wilco
Apostle of hustle
Gentleman reg
The xx
Atlas sound
Bruce peninsula
Jenn grant
Charles spearin
In flight safety
YSP!WSD!
MSTRKRFT
Volcano choir

Eps:
Bon iver
Deerhunter
The mountain and the trees
Death cab for Cutie

Setlists

2009-11-02T00:05:00.002-04:00

10/24/2009

St. Matthew's Church, Halifax NS

Timber Timbre

No Bold Villian

Trouble Comes Knocking

Magic Arrow

I Get Low

Demon Host

Until the Night Is Over

Lay Down In the Tall Grass

There Is a Cure

Jenn Grant

Blue Mountains

You'll Go Far

Heartbreaker

Two of You

Dreamer

Where Are You Now?

Fireflies

I Was Your Woman

Rainy Day

Unique New York

Sailing By Silverships

Week of Two

Let's Get Started

Concet Review: Halifax Pop Explosion Saturday

2009-10-31T12:29:00.006-03:00

October 24th, 2009. St. Matthew's Church, Halifax, NS/The Paragon Theatre, Halifax, NS
Fellow Concert goer: Joelle Grant/Chantelle Rideout, Luke Adamski
Headliner: Jenn Grant/Japandroids
Supporting: Timber Timbre/You Say Party! We Say Die!

Timber Timbre @ St. Matthew's Church
On a miserably wet and windy day, it was a relief to get under the roof of the old church and enjoy some chillingly beautiful music. Taylor Kirk came out of the darkness, sitting down with his guitar and a kick drum along with his two supporting musicians playing violin, pedal steel, and other instruments. The show started off with the church completely dark except for a dim red glow while the band played haunting and ambient sounds with the squeal of violins and pedal steel before Taylor Kirk started to sing No Bold Villain. The first handful of songs all bled into each other, but at the first sign of a pause the audience erupted with loud applause. He played seven songs off his latest album, which all sounded perfect in this setting. While the Coast said it was "boring" and "His stuff just wasn’t big enough to control such a powerful and airy space", I completely disagree. The way he performed made it seem like these dark, deep, and personal songs are a very delegate thing to bring into public, and if you stopped paying attention they would disappear. He put on a fantastic show which ended up being one of my favourite parts of HPX.

Jenn Grant @ St. Matthew's Church
Earlier this year, Jenn Grant was selected as best local solo female by the Coast. After seeing her show it is obvious why. She is not only a great performer, but also a great entertainer. To start off the show, her and her band went around the venue throwing and handing out Halloween candy to the audience. Before and after songs she would tell hilarious stories about the origins of the songs, or things that were going on in her life such as a mouse which was living at her apartment. Each story drew smiles and laughs. At one point she pulled out too flashing lights and told the audience we were all being arrested for being too cute. The songs sounded excellent, featuring a variety of instruments. For her last song, she went out into the audience, sat down on top of a pew, and played a song on her acoustic guitar while her band surrounded providing beautiful backing vocals. The most memorable part of the show however was when she came out and closed the show with a fully costumed ghostbusters sketch (see video below).

You Say Party! We Say Die! @ The Paragon Theatre
This show was being broadcast live by CBC Radio 3 online. YSP! WSD! came out with four brightly glowing white X's on the stage in support of their latest album xxxx. The show featured mostly songs from this record. The Vancouver based band's energetic songs combined with an excellent front woman in Becky Ninkovic kept the crowd dancing the whole time. Becky had a great stage presence as she delivered the vocals, making sure the audience felt part of the show. At one point she came down and sang amongst the crowd, and at another point she let the crowd support her as she crowd surfed.

Japandroids @ The Paragon Theatre
The headliners of the show ended up only playing a set that was less than half an hour long because they were going to turn the lights on and pull the plug on the show since it was the wee hours of the morning when they came on. That combined with the fact both Brian King and David Prowse were sick meant the show did not reach its full potential. Regardless the garage rockers were able to get the crowd moving with an energetic mosh pit the whole show. The songs were loud and powerful considering it was all coming from two guys playing the guitar and drums. They were very apologetic about being sick and having to end the show early, but promised to come back to Halifax.

Concert Review: Hey Rosetta!

2009-10-29T23:46:00.003-03:00

October 23rd, 2009. The Grawood, Dalhousie University
Fellow Concert goers: David Marsh, Joelle Grant, Sagar Jha
Headliner: Hey Rosetta!
Supporting: Oh No Forest Fires

This show was part of Dalhousie's annual Fall Fest. The opening band Oh No Forest Fires had both guitar players break strings during their set which featured energetic guitar based songs and swaying bodies that looked like they were on a collision course. Their singer is the brother of Romesh, the cello player in Hey Rosetta!
By now you know the drill, I love Hey Rosetta! I go to as many shows as possible, take a bunch of pictures, and enjoy it. So I won't write a long review. The show was great, the crowd was great singing along with every song, not just the "hit singles". They played a trio of new songs, Seeds, Glass, and Allagash. I had a great conversation with Tim Baker after the show, talking about if the shows are still good even though I've seen them so many times, talking about the new album, and new songs. There are videos of Glass and Allagash below.

Setlist:
Downstairs
Lions For Scottie
Another Pilot
Tired eyes
I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time
Glass
We Made A Pact
Seeds
Yes! Yes! Yes!
There's An Arc
Black Heart
Allagash
Handshake the Gangster
Holy Shit (What A Relief)
New Goodbye

Encore
Red heart
A Thousand Suns

Concert Review: Bruce Peninsula

2009-10-29T23:21:00.002-03:00

October 21st, 2009. St. Matthew's Church, Halifax, NS
Headliner: Bruce Peninsula
Supporting: Valleys, The Got To Get Got, York Redoubt
I already briefly mentioned this show in my HPX09 Wednesday entry. The Herohill Showcase featured two local bands; the upstart and hyped York Redoubt and The Got To Get Got. York Redoubt played through an energetic set, but hope you didn't blink. They only played for twenty minutes. The Got To Get Got also played an energetic set featuring a full band and multiple instruments. Valleys put on an ambient and stirring show. The music of a hazy dream, although they were having some technical difficulties at the beginning which delayed the start of their set.
The highlight of the night was the set put on by Bruce Peninsula. Album sales are a good indication of the impact a band has on the crowd. Before they were finished playing their first song, multiple people went to the merchandise booth and bought CDs, a trend that continued throughout the night. The band featured four female vocalists, two male vocalists, and multiple instruments. All of their voices worked together in perfect unison to fill the Seahorse with a beautiful and haunting show. All of the members are very charismatic, displaying passion as they sing their hearts out. At times it was like watching an elementary school music class in the sense that everyone was playing an instrument, clanging a tambourine or banging another noise maker. The songs all have a very organic feel to them, making it easy to connect to and appreciate the music. During the encore, they did a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "the Chain" which they absolutely nailed.

Halifax Pop Explosion Journal: Friday

2009-10-26T02:34:00.003-03:00

Throughout the week I was sending twitpics and these journal posts to the Coast online since they were offering some tickets in exchange for Pop explosion feedback. Friday afternoon I found out I was the winner of a single ticket to the sold out MSTRKRFT show that night at the Palace. Hey Rosetta! was playing at the Grawood earlier in the day, but not as part of HPX. Obviously I couldn't pass up going to Hey Rosetta!, so after that show was over I scooted over to the Palace. Going to a show that featured DJs instead of people playing instruments was a different experience for sure.October 23rd, 2009. The New Palace, Halifax, NS
Headliner: MSTRKRFT
Supporting: various DJs

MSTRKRFT know what they are doing. The Toronto duo dropped tracks for over two hours to the delight of a building full of sweaty, dancing people. There was never a dull moment as they spun their mixes of songs such as D.A.N.C.E. by Justice, Thunderstruck by AC/DC, and One More Time by Daft Punk. The set was filled with aggressive rock driven songs, heavy on base, and light on annoying top 40 chart toppers. Some have the idea that this genre of music is not music, but after the MSTRKRFT experience, it is obvious that a strong musical background, a keen ear, and loads of creativity are required if you are going to fill a room with thousands of people and keep their attention for two plus hours.

Halifax Pop Explosion 2009 Journal: Thursday

2009-10-23T01:14:00.004-03:00

Day two of volunteering. This time I was selling tickets/ushering. Its always fun to work with a team of music lovers.

October 22nd, 2009. St. Matthew's Church, Halifax, NS

Headliner: Herman Dune

Supporting: Julie Doiron

An all ages show in a historic church is considerably different from a bar show. It looks different, people all sit in rows and listen to music. It smells different as the smell of booze and wine isn't overpowering. And most importantly, it sounds different. Every note played, every word sung, and every beat drummed is heard by all there to enjoy the music. This puts all eyes on the performer to put on a great show.

Tonight it was Julie Doiron from Moncton, New Brunswick and Herman Dune from Paris, France. Julie opened up nervously, not quite used to the new strings on her guitar. But as she sang through a beautiful set she became more comfortable. She was joined on stage by a drummer as she strummed her electric guitar through a set that featured some soulful slow songs and some other more upbeat and energetic songs.

David Herman Dune then took the stage playing a couple of songs, just him and his electic guitar, before being joined onstage by Nerman Herman Dune playing drums and occasional backing vocals. There set contained a mixture of vocal heavy songs and longer instrumental songs. An event like this can seem too serious with not much chatter between or during songs by the audience. But David was able to break down some of this wall telling a story about a conversation he had earlier in the night about a Simpsons episode about Seinfeld before going into a new song which was about the moment when a superhero has to tell his girlfriend that he is actually a superhero. There were many humorous lyrics spread throughout the set of this excellent singer-songwriter duo.

Halifax Pop Explosion 2009 Journal: Wednesday

2009-10-22T12:03:00.006-03:00

Halifax Pop Explosion is one of the best things that go down in Halifax. The city looks beautiful with the leaves changing coulours, everyone has busted out their leather and denim jackets, and there are awesome bands playing awesome music all over the city.

This year is my first year volunteering with the festival, and based on last night's experience I will be doing it for years to come. I started off the night selling tickets, but soon was asked to sell merchandise for the Got To Get Got (Halifax). I ended up working the whole night selling merch for Valleys (Montreal), and Bruce Peninsula (Toronto). This gave me the opportunity to watch the show as well as interact with the artists. The folks in Bruce Peninsula were fantastic and appreciative of my work. A couple members came back and talked to me for quite a while. It was great chatting about music, stuff to do in Halifax, and life. I thinks sometimes its easy to forget that musicians are just people to and enjoy the same things as everybody else. An explosion of music lovers and musicians all over Halifax? Yes please.

P.S. I'll do some more official review type things throughout the week.

Concert Review: Rich Aucoin

2009-10-15T23:53:00.003-03:00

October 5th, 2009. The Paragon Theatre, Halifax, NS
Fellow Concert goers: Julia Churchill, Matt Bustin, Kate Bustin, and many others
Headliner: Rich Aucoin
Supporting: Ryan Hemsworth, Windom Earle

Thanksgiving weekend is a time when old friends come home, and other friends go home. It is also a time when massive quantities of turkey, potatoes, pumpkin pie, and other tasty treats which leave you feeling rotund. This is why a night of loud music, flashing lights, balloons, and dancing is highly recommended this time of year. Those who attended this show got just that. Ryan Hemsworth opened the show playing guitar and singing over custom made loops. Rich Aucoin came into the Paragon halfway through the performance sporting a yellow rain jacket and bicycle helmet. Rich then went on stage and DJed some mashups under the name Century Club. Windom Earle then took the stage with an energetic set that got everybody moving. While they were playing, an old workout video called "Teen Steam" was projected on the screen behind them.
Rich Aucoin then came out with his band, all clad in white shirts and tight white pants. A key element of his show is the way his performance is synced with video clips. Unfortunately technical difficulties removed this element, but he compensated for this by really engaging the crowd. There were multiple times throughout the set where the barrier before performer and audience was broken as he would come down into the crowd, encouraging dancing and singing. Towards the end of the show, a bunch of balloons were thrown into the crowd to throw around. One thing that sets Rich Aucoin apart from others as a performer is his ability to unite the crowd, get them energized, and feel like an integral part of the show.

Fantastic albums/artists to listen to while doing school work

2009-10-06T23:27:00.002-03:00

All students spend too much time late at night writing papers, finishing off lab reports, studying for exams, and procrastinating. Here are some albums that are optimal to listen to in those dire times. All the albums or artists listed are not filled with distracting vocals or overpowering guitars.

In no particular order:

AIR - Pocket Symphony has been a staple of my late night studying/paper writing sessions. Two french guys making ambient music.

Portishead - The masters of trip-hop. In fact that whole genre is perhaps the best thing ever when it comes to studying/writing. It usually doesn't feature alot of vocals, at least not overpowering vocals minimizing that distraction. It also contains enough constant rythm and beats to keep you awake, focused and motivated...but also not distracting.

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing. This album is pure brilliance, a masterpiece. Never gets old.

Broken Social Scene - Feel Good Lost. Different from their other albums as this one is almost exclusively instrumental. It definitely feels good to get lost in the music as you work.

Valley of the Giants - s/t. Similar to the Broken Social Scene album in its instrumental nature. Features Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene and Charles Spearin and other members of Do Make Say Think. Its like driving through the wild wild west in a wagon.

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92. Perhaps my favourite and most listened to album after 12am during the school year. There is just something about this album that makes late night homework not as bad as it could be.

Thom Yoke - The Eraser. I distinctively remember listening to this before I failed a calculus exam. Not sure what that means.

Concert Review: U2

2009-09-26T23:44:00.006-03:00

September 20th, 2009. Gillete Stadium, Foxboro, MA
Fellow Concert goers: David Briggins, David Marsh, Chris Cameron
Headliner: U2
Supporting: Snow Patrol

Throughout history, the creativity of humans has led to jaw-dropping structures. Things such as the Eiffle Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the Great Wall of China, and Jerry Jone's Cowboys Stadium. U2's "spaceship" stage they are using on their current 360 tour may not be as impressive as the previously mentioned structures, but when it comes to rock'n'roll shows, it certainly is something for the eye to behold. Fittingly, the show started with David Bowie's Space Oddity playing across the sound system as smoke emptied from various points in the claw and a countdown instrument was displayed on the large screen. It was fitting since the band was getting ready to take the 70 000 plus people on a sonic and visual journey. Their set started off with the founder of U2, Larry Mullen Jr. kicking off the show on his drum kit as the other band members emerged to play Breathe. "We've got new song, we've got old songs, we've got songs we can barely play, we've got a spaceship. But we're not going anywhere without you. Are you ready for the ride?," Bono asked the crowd after the opener. This was followed by three more songs off their most recent album No Line on the Horizon. While the new songs sounded as if they were designed to be played to the masses, it was not until the band started to pull classic songs out of their catalog that the crowd really got into the show and were ready for the ride. Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day, and Elevation all involved chances for the crowd to sing, jump, and dance. Continuing the sci-fi theme of the night, Bono introduced each band member as a different experiment. "Experiment #1..a mix of Jimmy Page and Stephan Hawkins, the Edge." "Experiment #2, a wonder of biology, our very own big band...Adam Clayton.""Experiment #3...for he is not human at all...Robocop III, Larry Mullen Jr." After doing intros, Bono let the crowd take over, singing the entire first verse and chorus of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. It was quite an experience hearing thousands of voices singing in unison.
This was followed by Unknown Caller which featured various words of the song scrolling across the screen, making it easy for the crowd to join in on this new song, although it did not take much prompting. Next the Edge had a chance to play the keys as the band went into New Year's Day, a song that sounds perfectly in an open stadium. With such a huge stage, at times band members were on opposite sides of the stadium. But for Stuck In a Moment, it was just the Edge, his acoustic guitar, Bono, and his voice. During this simple acoustic song, it was easy to forget what an extravagant spectacle the show was. They then played an older song, The Unforgettable Fire which was when the screen started to lower, showing that the band still had many visual tricks up their sleeve for the rest of the show. A few songs later, Bono encouraged the crowd to rock the house and get a groove on as they went into a remix version of I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight featuring Larry Mullen going around the outer circle banging a djembe. It was nice to see the drummer not constrained to his drum kit, but instead being able to explore the stage. After this, they went into their usual political inspired string of songs. Sunday Bloody Sunday dedicated to those in Iran fighting for freedom and equality with the stage and crowd covered in the green of the Iranian flag. Next, after a brief speech and message of love from Foxboro to Burma, MLK and Walk On were played for Aung San Suu Kyi. The end of Walk On featured people wearing masks bearing her image circle the outer stage. After this, Archbishop Desmond Tutu delivered an encouraging message to the crowd, a message of hope, a message to continue to work as One. This was followed by a verse of Amazing Grace before the opening sounds of Where the Streets Have No Name rang throughout the stadium. The entire stadium was jumping up and down as the classic red filled the stadium. This was the end of the main set. The encore featured Bono wearing a jacket lined with red lights singing from a lit up microphone wheel hanging from the top of the stage. They played Ultraviolet Light, an old favourite from Achtung Baby. This was followed by With Or Without You, and finally after some thank yous, Moment of Surrender.

Overall it was a spectacular show, something that was obviously designed with their stadium rock songs, and something to please the crowd. With something so grand, some of the intimacy of a U2 show was lost. But at the same time it showed off how well the band works together. Playing a few hundred feet apart at times, each instrument worked together as one part. Bono was right when he called it a spaceship. For those two plus hours, the crowd was transported from a stadium in busy America to a musical experience in a different dimension.

Setlist:
Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day - Blackbird
Elevation
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Stand By Me
Unknown Caller
New Year's Day
Stuck In A Moment
The Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On
One - Amazing Grace
Where the Streets Have No Name

Encore
Ultraviolet
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Concert Review: Hey Rosetta!

2009-09-22T19:39:00.008-03:00

September 19th, 2009. Bridge Street, Sackville, New Brunswick

Fellow Concert goers: David Briggins, David Marsh

Headliner: Hey Rosetta!

Supporting: Boxer The Horse, The Novaks

This show was part of Sackville Fair, an annual festival of various activities that happens in the town of Sackville, N.B. The show featured three Canadian bands, Boxer the Horse (Charlottetown, PEI), the Novaks (St. John's, NL), and Hey Rosetta! (St. John's, NL). Not bad for a town of 5 400 people. The combination of a Friday night, a university town, a beer tent, and a free concert led to an energetic and rowdy crowd. The stage, or rather the back of something that you hook up to a trunk, was small and easy to access. The lack of security meant concert goers were basically on the stage giving it an intimate feel. Boxer the Horse were the first band to play an alternative rock/folk type of set. They were followed by the Novaks who played a more traditional upbeat rock set featuring a number of snippets of other bands songs mixed in with their original set. After these two bands finished up, Hey Rosetta! came on. They wasted no time getting down to business, opening the set with I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time. This set the tone for what would be night full of jumping, moshing, and crowd-surfing. This was followed by Lions For Scottie from their Plan Your Escape EP, the first of many songs from the EP which would be played during the course of the night. These were followed by two slower songs, a new one as well as Death Is Quick. While the performances were great, the crowd clearly wasn't in the mood for piano based ballads. They then played Seeds, a new song that will be on their upcoming album. This song is turning into my favourite live songs, following the proven Hey Rosetta! formula of a song that builds up and by the end erupts into full band rock and roll. By the end of the song, everyone is going off playing a drum of some sort, or clanging and banging whatever they can find. Holy Shit (What A Relief) featured Romesh dancing around the stage wildly at the end of the song banging a tambourine, and trying unsuccessfully to keep his glasses from falling off. The main set finished with New Goodbye, the perfect ending to a show. The whole crowd singing in unison as things come to a close. But there was too much energy in the tent to end the show here. People were still body surfing, heads were still thrashing, and people were still having a good time. The band returned to play a pair from their EP; Swing The Cellar Doors and Another Pilot, as well as A Thousand Suns. During the final song, Adam chucked a tambourine to the fans to clap with. This was followed by another tambourine, and then another, until nine of them were passed out. Once again the band put on an amazing show, displaying why they were shortlisted for the Polaris music prize. While the stage wasn't the biggest thing in the world, and the sound system wasn't the best, they still put on an interactive and energetic performance that even someone who didn't know a single Hey Rosetta! song would still enjoy.

Setlist:

I've Been Asleep for a Long, Long Time
Lions for Scottie
Death is Quick
Glass
Seeds
Yes! Yes! Yes!
We Made a Pact
There's an Arc
Black Heart
Handshake the Gangster
Holy Shit (What a Relief)
Red Heart
Simplest Thing
New Goodbye

Encore:
Swing the cellar doors
Thousand suns
Another pilot

Fall mixx

2009-09-17T00:03:00.002-03:00

http://8tracks.com/briggins/leaves-fall#

emilyhainesgrizzlybearthemostserenerepublic

joelplaskettdirtyprojectorsheyrosetta!k'naan

timbertimbresufjanstevens

enjoy

the tunes.

Music Speaks

2009-09-16T00:24:00.005-03:00

Originally this post was going to list a number of artists I have been enjoying lately and some recommendations. But after writing it the direction of the post has changed and now it is just about one album.

K'Naan - Troubadour

I'm not usually one for listening to rap, hip-hop, and the like. But this year I've been trying to diversify a little bit. Going to see k-os in May was a start. My sister received this album from a friend. Seeing that it was short listed for the Polaris Music Prize raised my curiosity. After a few listens I must say it is very deserving. There are some catchy songs that are easy for most music listeners to get into, such as Wavin' Flag and Take A Minute. But its not these songs that have me hooked on the album. Its songs such as Somalia, T.I.A., and Dreamer that have attracted me to this album. This album paints an honest picture from an artist trying to communicate what is going on in his life as well as remembering where he came from and talking about the struggles of his country (Somalia). At times the images may be graphic and vulgar, but they are brutally honest.

This politically charged album is particularly interesting because it is a situation that I'm not too familiar with. The only time that Somalia has been in the newspaper was when an American Navy captain was taken hostage by pirates. The story talking about how the country is in the middle of a civil war and how the government had almost been overthrown was just a small paragraph on the side of a newspaper. So if the newspaper won't cover it, I guess a rapper like K'Naan is the one who will have to spread the news to the masses. It makes me uncomfortable though that the only way I have really learned about this situation is through an album.

A little info: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072592.stm

Ocean ramblings

2009-09-14T00:42:00.003-03:00

This brainwave hit me while riding the ferry from Nova Scotia to PEI. It was a beautiful sunny summer day. I was standing looking out over the ocean most of the time, with my headphones in. Listening to bands such as Hey Rosetta! and Joel Plaskett. And there seemed to be such a connection between the ocean and music. I don't know what it is, who knows, maybe people who live in the mountains feel a big connection between the lakes and mountains of the area. But I find listening to music and seeing the ocean go in hand in hand, like the ocean inspires the creativity. The ocean is vast and can look endless. It can be a source of beauty as the waves crash, or the sun sets. It can be a horrible thing, destroying the land, taking lives. So I feel like the impact of the ocean on my life has made me understand a band like Hey Rosetta! who are from the Rock in the Atlantic. Or Joel Plaskett making music from a coastal city. Maybe thats why I like these artists so much. Or maybe it goes back to growing up on artists such as the Rankin Family, Irish Descendants, Great Big Sea....There's just something special about the music that the ocean inspires.

Concert Review: Joel Plaskett Emergency

2009-09-12T01:11:00.006-03:00

September 11th, 2009. Dalhousie University, Halifax

Fellow Concert goers: Joelle Grant, Jenni Richard, Dave Marsh, Rebekah Briggins, Jenna Aguinaga

Headliner: Joel Plaskett Emergency

Supporting: The Mark Inside

Getting sick of reading about Joel Plaskett on this blog? This was my fourth Plaskett show of 2009, but seeing him never grows old. The show was part of DalFest, and it was free. Last time I checked, people (especially cheap college kids) flock to free concerts and this was no different. It was a beautiful September evening on the Quad. The show got kicked off by The Mark Inside, a four piece band based out of Toronto. As the evening turned into the night, the tall and lanky Joel Plaskett emerged from the back of the stage along with the rest of the band and started into Absentminded Melody. This was followed by a pair of songs of his latest album Three. It was different hearing You Let Me Down and Sailor's Eyes sung without the accompaniment of Anna Egg and Rose Cousins, but they were still entertaining nonetheless. During Penny For Your Thoughts, Dave Marsh was experiencing some difficulties with his bass drum. There was a slight delay after the song as it took some time to repair. Joel took advantage of the delay and played Outroduction by himself. After this, Chris played a few notes on his bass which got the crowd going. Thats because they were the distinctive opening lines of Work Out Fine. It was during this song where it was evident that it was going to be a good night, the whole audience singing along word for word. This was followed by a few other crowd pleasers: Extraordinary and Through & Through & Through. Down At The Khyber got a great reaction from the crowd every time he sang the chorus which mentions Edmonton Alberta, Halifax, and Musquedobit Harbour. "I'm pressing all the right buttons" Joel said in response to the crowd. After singing the ode to Halifax "I Love This Town", they played a rocking version of Nowhere With You. The ground was shaking and the air was filled with the crowd belting out "nah nah nah nah nah" which drew smiles from everyone in the band. But Joel warned everyone that although it was nice, winter in Halifax was coming, which meant they were playing my favourite Plaskett song: Snowed In/Cruisin' . They haven't played this one at many shows I've gone to, so it was a personal highlight of the show. Having Peter Elkas there to play the harmonica during the transition between the two parts of the song is always a bonus. After the main setlist, the band came out for a two song encore. First they played Fashionable People where Dave and Joel do the switcheroo with Joel on drums and Dave on guitar. The show ended with a very fitting song for a show at a University in September; Come On Teacher. It was the perfect ending to an energetic concert.

After the concert as part of Dalfest, there were a plethora of fireworks shot off. It was rather impressive. The fireworks were constantly being shot off for at least five minutes, keeping the ears and eyes stimulating. The smell of sulphur was overpowering, and it almost seemed like Dal was being air raided or something. Way better than anything Halifax Regional Municipality has shot off in the past decade or so. Its good to know our tuition is being used in explosive ways.

Following the Fireworks, we hung around to get some autographs and pictures with the band. I yelled out to Dave as he was taking down his drum kit and asked for a setlist. He came over and handed me one, and then gave Joelle one as well. Dave Marsh told Dave Marsh his name, and Dave Marsh remembered meeting Dave Marsh at the Carleton in the spring. So Dave Marsh gave Dave Marsh a drum stick. The band are always a treat to watch and meet afterwards. Any chance you have to see this great Canadian artist, go for it. You won't regret it.

Setlist:

Absentminded Melody

You Let Me Down

Sailors Eyes

Ashtray Rock

Penny For Your Thoughts

Outroduction

Work Out Fine

Extraordinary

Run, Run, Run

Down At The Khyber

I Love This Town

Nowhere With You

Snowed In/Cruisin'

Face of the Earth

A Million Dollars

Wishful Thinking

Encore

Fashionable People

Come On Teacher

Hello blog

2009-09-09T23:44:00.002-03:00

I haven't blogged much for a while. These past few months have been busy, yet fun filled. I was working at Malagash this summer for the fourth summer in a row. I'm sure there will be a few posts about that as well as a selection of pictures taken this summer. I just have to get the pictures onto this computer.

The past week was spent in PEI vacationing with my entire family. Its always fun to get all the aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, grandparents, etc. together for a few days on the island. There are always the anticipated laughs, arguements, campfires, and bathroom lineups. But its always great to have the family together and enjoy the few moments of the year that we can share together. This year the weather was fabulous. Not a raindrop to be felt (well technically about 200 fell on me on Saturday night, but not enough to make one wet).

So in the next little while look for some pictures of those events here, as well as a plethora of concert reviews this fall.

Still Living.

2009-08-07T17:25:00.002-03:00

Concert Review: Virgin Festival Nova Scotia

2009-07-05T00:09:00.009-03:00

July 4th, 2009
Fellow Concert goers: Alex Greenwood, Julia Churchill, and a plethora of other friends
Artists: In Flight Safety, Arkells, Plants and Animals, Hey Rosetta!, Handsome Furs, Dinosaur Jr., Metric

Ever since the lineup for Virgin Festival Nova Scotia was announced I really wanted to go. However I wasn't willing to spend $75.00 for a ticket mostly to see Metric and Hey Rosetta! who would not be playing for that long. In an effort to increase ticket sales, tickets went 2 for 1. And then due to a sudden family emergency, the headlining Tragically Hip were forced to pull out of the show turning it into a free show. I didn't think I'd be able to go. But after a few phone calls and kms later I was down in the muddy pit known as Citadal Hill with a plethora of old high school friends and other friends. Here is a quick summary of each artist that played and some highlights.

Dog Day - Unfortunately I missed this great Halifax band since they were the first ones on stage. Seeing them last September made it a little easier to miss.

In Flight Safety - I only heard the last three or four songs in their set. But luckily I heard my favourite song, Model Homes, as well as their most popular song Surround. One of Halifax's best bands. They are always a treat to watch.

Arkells - A Hamilton based band, they put on an entertaining and lively show. While they were playing I was visiting the merch booth, so I can't properly review them. They are a band I will be checking out more in the future.

Plants and Animals - A Montreal based band, I was looking forward to seeing these guys live finally. Parc Avenue was a critically acclaimed album drawing great reviews from pretencious indie websites such as Pitchfork. They put on a good show, playing some of my favourites including Good Friend, Bye Bye Bye, and A Lorree Des Bois. Elements of psychadellic rock are present as intricate drum beats are played backed by passionate vocals and mesmorizing guitar.

Hey Rosetta! - Always a highlight to see these Newfoundlanders rock out. I was talking to Josh(bass player) before hand which was neat. A real down to earth and friendly guy. Hey Rosetta! always picks a fantastic setlist depening on the type of show they do. This performance was kicked off with the playing Red Heart. Everytime I hear the opening guitar riff of I've Been Asleep For A Long Time, I can't help but let a cheer out in anticipation of the great song. They also played two new songs, including Seeds which sounded much improved since when I saw them in May. Tim hitting a snare drum, plus everybody else hitting objects equals epic ending to a song. They finished off with New Goodbye, which the crowd instantly clapped along with without prompting. Up to this point of the festival, they definitely had the most fan support.

Handsome Furs - A Montreal based band featuring the husband/wife duo of Dan Boekner and Alexei Perry. This is another band I knew nothing about, but as soon as Dan started singing I thought his voice was very familiar. After a few minutes of trying to figure out who it was I realized it is the lead singer of Wolf Parade. They put on a lively and loud show. It was a mixture of rock with heavy synth and pre-recorded drum beats. Alexei was very energetic and entertaining to watch. Another band I will be looking into more closely now.

Dinosaur Jr. - A Massachusetta based band that has been on the go since 1984, I had heard the name, but not much of their music. They are an influential band in the alternative rock music scene, but not exactly my cup of tea. They seemed uninterested to be there, but the moshing fans seemed to enjoy pushing each other around while they played. I was just waiting for them to end and for Metric to begin. Maybe if I was more into the alternative rock and roll scene I would have enjoyed them more.

Metric - What to say, what to say. I've been on a huge Metric craze the past few months, so seeing them was a dream come true. With the Hip pulling out, they were able to play longer which was fantastic. Emily Haines was in fine form, dancing, singing, banging her tambourine, playing guitar, you name it. The setlist started with Twilight Galaxy from the new album, a song that builds from a slow and sweet ballad into an electronica rock song at the end. The set was heavily loaded with songs from the new album, but also featured some old favourites such as Dead Disco and Monster Hospital. From Fantasies they played Twilight Galaxy, Help I'm Alive, Sick Muse, Satellite Mind, Gold Guns Girls, Gimmy Sympathy, and Stadium Love. Throughout various parts of the set Joules would lead the crowd in sing alongs and fist pumping. Hopefully they return to the Maritimes soon and play a full proper concert.

The Offspring - I left before they came on. Maybe if I was a teenager in 1994 I would have went. But I wasn't.

In a little while I'll be gone

2009-06-28T01:37:00.002-03:00

Off to camp. See you all on the other side of the moon. I'll try to update some during the summer. Play outside, stay hydrated, don't waste stuff.

Growing Up

2009-06-24T00:45:00.003-03:00

It is funny how as you grow up the thing that you want to be when you grow up changes so much. When I loved to draw. Looking back my most common objects that I drew were policemen, police cars, firemen, firetrucks, and Patrick Roy holding up the Stanley Cup. I don't distinctly remember ever wanting to be any of these things. The first occupation I remember really striving to be was an astronaut. I was fascinated by the worlds away from this world. Although being scared of water, I'm not sure that I would be able to hand open space. Once for my birthday I met Steve MacLean which was a pretty awesome experience for a kid. Maybe not every kid wants to go hear an astronaut speak on his birthday, but that was right up my alley. I also used to go to dad's office where I could access the internet (since we didn't have it at home) and print off pictures of Mars and other spacey stuff.
Then there was the period of jr. high and high school where I didn't really have any dream job. In high school I loved stuff like geography, learning about the way things worked in the world. About poverty, injustice, greed, and people. Sometimes I thought maybe it would be cool to become a teacher.
I went to university not really knowing what I wanted to do or become. Its always awkward being asked what you want to be and 3 years later still having the same "I don't know answer". I'm doing a double major in environmental science and international development studies (my new doctor asked if I could have picked something a little shorter). I have no idea what I'm going to do with the rest of my life, but I've definitely learned alot of things through school. I think that kid in me who wanted to help people and explore space is still there. Although maybe the helping people might translate into fighting for justice not only with humans, but also with the space and life that us humans interact with. The goals and dreams of your childhood, no matter how unrealistic they may have been, and the events of your childhood definitely shape you are becoming.

And also I think watching this subconsiously inspired me to pursue a degree in Environmental Science.

Sleeveface

2009-06-24T00:30:00.003-03:00

For those of you that don't have facebook or I'm not your friend on facebook here are some pics that me and my friend Matt took a few months ago inspired by the website www.sleeveface.com.
First person to comment with the name of each album wins a special prize (which may or may not be purely theoretical.)

Concert Review: Matt Mays

2009-06-20T22:08:00.006-03:00

June 19th, 2009. The Seahorse Tavern, Halifax
Fellow Concert goers: Matthew and Peter Bustin
Artist:Matt Mays

Matt Mays was in town this weekend playing a hometown show before heading out on a cross Canada tour this summer. Recently dropping the El Torpedo part of the band name, Matt was joined on stage with some familiar faces such as Jay Smith (El Torpedo, Rock Ranger) on guitar and vocals, Dale Murray (Cuff the Duke, Hayden, The Guthries) on pedal steel, guitar and vocals, Serge Samson (The Guthries) on bass, Damien Moynihan (Garrett Mason) on drums, and Adam Baldwin (El Torpedo) on keys, and vocals. There was no opening act. Instead Matt came out and played a few songs on acoustic guitar including an excellent version of Travellin from his second album. The rest of the band joined him for a few more songs to round out a half hour set. After what they said would be a short break (which turned into a half hour break), the band returned. It was like a whole new band, the intensity was turned up, the crowd was more into it, and after a few false starts the band ripped through a rocking version of Stand Down at Sundown. All night Matt was having sound problems with his guitar. During What Are We Gonna Do Come the Month of September he tried to fix things, so while he was doing that Jay was improvising guitar solos. It still sounded great. Eventually Matt just got fed up, took off his shirt, threw it to the ground, then grabbed the mic and sang for the rest of the show without a guitar. He pulled it off and was able to entertain and interact with the crowd more than he usually would be able to.
As an encore they came back out to play Cocaine Cowgirl followed by On the Hood. For the last song, he invited Matt Epp to come on stage. When he got up there Matt just said "Holy beard!", probably shocked to realize he didn't have the biggest beard in the room.
There was potential for the show to turn into a disaster, but instead it turned into a memorable experience. Matt seemed comfortable entertaining without a guitar in his hands. Adam looked like Monster from the muppets on the keys the whole time and was always entertaining to watch. Nova Scotian rock and roll at its best.

Poll: Who will win the Cup?

2009-06-12T00:21:00.004-03:00

Simple question. It comes down to game seven. Stanley Cup final. Will Marian Hossa be shut out again? Or will he lift the cup. Sixty minutes or more of hockey and we'll know who the kings of the ice are for 2009.
Personally I'm going for the Red Wings. Love me some Franzen.

TRURO

2009-06-07T19:11:00.003-03:00

This past weekend was spent hanging out with my cousins in Truro. It is fun to have family members that you are close to and can hang out with for a whole weekend without wanting to slit their throats (wasn't always the case with us).
Back in the day me and Christopher used to get together and play with LEGO for the entire weekend (specifically Star Wars sets), so in an act of nostalgia we went out and purchased a set from Wal Mart. Those plastic bricks are pricey! We never realized since we weren't the ones buying it as kids (moral of the story: be thankful towards your parents for all the toys they spoiled you with as a kid). It was fun cracking open the cardboard box, ripping open the plastic baggies with pieces inside, then following the instruction booklet and building away.
We also went to the theatre and watched a few movies late last night, which was fun at the time, but made it sort of difficult to maintain conciousnous and alertness during church this morning. It was also fun to pig out after midnight getting a McChicken meal from McDonalds, drinking cans of Pepsi, a tin of Pringles, and a Reeses Pieces bar (man those things are good, chocolate and peanut butter together are the ultimate duo). Finally saw Star Trek. I'm not a Trekie at all, but it was well done and easy to follow.
Here are some pics of the fun we had.

Playoff Journal Part VI

2009-05-31T18:30:00.003-03:00

Eastern Conference Champions Pittsburgh Penguins versus Western Conference Champions Detroit Red Wings
Wait a second, wasn't this the matchup last year for the Cup? And what's that Hossa guy doing wearing a Red Wings jersey this time around? A plethora of games have been played since last years Stanley Cup final between the Pens and the Wings, but they've led to the same result: a matchup featuring two high skilled teams who play a precise and exciting offensive style of hockey. This time around the Penguins are more experienced than last year, and more hungry than last year. However not much has changed since last year other than the Wings perhaps becoming even better with Hossa up front. Franzen has shown he is not just a one hit wonder as once again he is lighting it up. As well Dan Cleary has become a playoff monster this time around. Osgood has stepped up his game for the playoffs and has proven that he can make the big save when needed. With the Penguins, they have the same solid core as last year led by Crosby and Malkin up front. Both of them have been providing the big goals that would be expected of the two young stars.
So it has all the makings of a good final once again. Who wins? I'm going to go with a repeat here for the Wings mainly because I think their defense is superior to the Penguins.
Prediction: Red Wings in six

Concert Review: Joel Plaskett

2009-05-30T00:00:00.005-03:00

May 28th, 2009. Rebecca Cohn, Halifax
Fellow Concert goers: David Marsh and Joelle Grant
Artist: Joel Plaskett Emergency with Bill Plaskett, Ana & Rose, and other friends

Halifax loves Joel Plaskett. A sold out show on the 30th and a show near capacity on the 28th at the Rebeccca Cohn is evidence of that. It was a homecoming show as they were getting back from a cross Canada trek. Joel mentioned numerous times how it was good to be home, although I think what he was most excited for was seeing his cat White Fang again. He mentioned his cat numerous times throughout the show, adding to his already lovable and down to earth personality.
The show was split into two sections. The first part was an acoustic based set that saw his father Bill along with Ana Egger and Rose Cousins accompany him for a number of songs. Both Rose and Ana also took a turn singing a song off of each of their records. Joel also played a few songs with just his father, including the tune Heartless, Heartless, Heartless which they wrote together. Joel also played a few songs alone with his acoustic guitar. At first he stood at the mic trying to decide what he was going to play. He wanted to play something different since he was back home. After some requests thrown his way including somebody who yelled "play something by the Beatles!" before he settled on You Came Along. A few lines in he quiped "this sounds like a Beatles song" as he continued the solo acoustic set. During that set he also played Love This Town, an ode to Halifax. The solo set wrapped up with him playing Lazy Bones before being joined halfway through by Ana & Rose. The acoustic part of the show was enjoyable, getting to see the talents of not only Joel, but also the friends who really have helped make the whole Three experience a display of great musicianship both on the album and live.
After a brief intermission the show continued. This time he was joined by the rest of the Emergency band and Peter Elkas along with numerous other musicians throughout the night. A saxaphone and trumpet player came out for Through & Through & Through, which was fantastic as there was a plethora of muscians playing one of the finest songs off the new album. A couple guys playing penny whistles joined him for Sailors Eyes which made it next to impossible to forget that you were in Nova Scotia. Another highlight of the night was during A Million Dollars when everybody in the audotorium was clapping together sending a thundering shudder throughout the room.
The show ended with an encore where Dave Marsh came out with a guitar which can only mean one thing; Fashionable People featuring Joel on the drums. The song even got some people in the crowd onto their feet. Finally the show ended with On & On & On. Which went on and on, with Joel trying to make up a few ryhmes in the middle and faultering in a hilarious way as Dave had something wrong with his drum kit. But they kept going on and on with the song ending with Joel getting the whole crowd to sing along about his little White Fang.
Overall it was a fantastic show, a fine display of a plethora of talented musicians who maybe don't get as much attention outside of Nova Scotia as they deserve. Throughout the night there were 13 or 14 people who contributed to the show. After seeing them rehearsing in April, it was neat to see the way that the songs had gelled nicely together into a well organized show with many parts that kept the audience captivated while feeling fresh at the same time. This was my fifth time seeing him, and hopefully I'll see him five more times!

May mIxx

2009-05-29T01:04:00.005-03:00

I'm not going to upload music onto my blog for mixtapes. Instead I found a free, legal, and easy to use website to make your own mixtapes. So I'll be using that from now on. Plus there will be an easy link to it on the side of my blog.
This month features some old favourites and some new favourites. Part of this website requires that the playlist be randomized. So here is what you'll get, in what order I'm not sure.

Metric - Blindness
Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Soft Shock
U2 - I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
TV on the Radio - Playhouses
David Bowie - Moonage Daydream
Brendan Canning - Chameleon
Phoenix - Lisztomania
Joel Plaskett - Through & Through & Through
Apostle of Hustle - Soul Unwind
Metric - Blindness

http://8tracks.com/briggins/briggins-mixx-for-may

Q&A with a carpet cleaner

2009-05-24T16:18:00.002-03:00

The last gazillion blog entries have been about hockey and or music. So to spice things up a little I was contacted by a contact and asked a few questions about carpet cleaning. Enjoy.

Elizebeth Nomel: What got you into carpet cleaning?
Briggins: All my life I've been surrounded by carpet. So it is only natural that I would seek to gain experience in the workforce by making them clean.

EN:A typical day in the life of a carpet cleaner?
B:The day starts off waking up early to make sure that I get to work on time. Lunch usually is composed of pre-packaged food that I don't have to touch in order to get it into my mouth. After some mental preparation and meditation its time to load the van with stain and dirt destroying machines and chemicals. We then go to a location with carpet. This may be someones house, an apartment, an office building, you name it. The day is filled with conversations that make absolutely no sense, songs that have never been written, and of course epic battles with stains. You know when the day starts, but never know when it will end. You never know when you'll come across a carpet dirtier than expected.

EN: The biggest stain you've seen?
B:Some carpets are so disgusting I would classify the entire thing as a stain. I try to block the biggest ones out of my memory so they don't haunt me later on in life. I want to be able to have a future that will not be negatively impacted by flashbacks every time I see the smallest stain on someone's carpet.

EN: Your speculations on where the biggest stain came from
B:One that I saw last Friday looked suspicious. It was red and had chunks in it. I suspect that an alien had its head blown off with a double barrel shotgun in that room (after being in a fight with a giant cat. There was more cat hair than carpet in that apartment).

EN: The frustrations of a carpet cleaners
B:People who are unaware of the invention known as the vacuum cleaner. People who think that carpet cleaners really means furniture movers. People who watch you like a hawk the whole time you do your work. And of course, there is nothing more demoralizing than a stain that will not come out. It is upsetting to be defeated by dirty fabric.

EN: How its changed your life and made you a better person?
B:I appreciate the cleanliness of my home. It has taught me the importance of vacuuming and cleaning up spills after they happen.

EN: How are you contributing to society by being a carpet cleaner?
B:I'm not really. I'm more of a taker from society than a leaver. If everybody would just get hardwood my existence would not matter.

EN: The unknown joys of carpet cleaning
B:While doing mundane repetitive work you get into an interesting mindspace where you can ponder your future, perhaps come up with a plot for that novel you've always wanted to write, create the ultimate carpeted building in your head, and much more.

EN: Your dream carpet to clean ?
B: I would love to clean the carpet's of a famous musician's house.

EN: Your carpet cleaning weapon of choice
B: Gotta go with One and Two. Two cleaners that work together to fight stains. Mostly because I pretend that I'm spraying Thing One and Thing Two from the Cat in the Hat onto the stains and that they're the ones destroying the stains.

Concer Review: k-os

2009-05-19T17:37:00.006-03:00

May 16th, 2009. Cunard Center, Halifax
Fellow Concert goers: Alli Churchill, Joelle Grant, Matthew Bustin
Headliner: k-os
Supporting: Lioness

k-os was in Halifax this past weekend wrapping up his karma tour for his new album Yes! The way the shows worked was entry was free to enter, but fans had the option of making a karma donation for the show including options to donate to the David Suzuki Foundation. If you made a donation you also received a copy of his fan remixed album. An interesting idea to say the least.

I went to the show with Matt (finally got to see a show together), Alli (only because she didn't want to miss something epic), and Joelle (because she is epic). I don't think any of us were die-hard k-os fans, but we all got into it. Putting up our hands when told to (some of us more enthusiastically than others). After standing in line and once again being bombarded with Rogers urMusic propaganda (which luckily me and Joelle pulled the not interested face off pretty good) we were able to go in and watch Lioness which was okay at some points, but painful at others. Perhaps the most entertaining part was watching/avoiding the two guys infront of us who were slightly intoxicated and very into the music. Luckily they ran off when Lioness did.

Finall k-os took to the stage in a large jacket and started off a loud and energetic performance. The band supporting him featured a talented guitar player, bass player, drummer, percussionist, and DJ. It was the first time I'd ever been to a rap/hip hop show, and must say it was entertaining to watch. Definitely different from a rock concert. Although k-os incorporates a variety of genres and instruments into his performances. At times he would play the harmonica, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. He played a bunch of songs off of his new album including 4 3 2 1, Burning Bridges, and I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman. As well he played some of his hit songs such as Crabbuckit, Sunday Morning, and Man I Used to Be. Although the crowd wasn't the most energetic thing in the world, k-os seemed to be enjoying his time here. I guess with an all ages show that is pay-what-you-want you'll get an interesting mix of people. There was everything from little kids to older grownups.

Playoff Journal Part V

2009-05-18T21:19:00.003-03:00

I know, I know. Round 3 has already started. Not to worry, I made my predictions before the round started, and I'm sticking to it. No matter what the result of one full game and one full period may indicate. Ben and I accurately predicted that the Hawks, Wings, and Pens would win. And the Canes? Well neither one of us saw that coming.

Eastern Final

4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 6. Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes just keep on blowing through their opponents in game sevens, beating the number one and number three seeds on way to the Eastern final. They've been able to win games thanks to monster performances by Eric Staal, rock solid goaltending from Cam Ward, and timely goals from heroes such as Jussi Jokinen. The Penguins meanwhile are coming off a seven game series with the offensive juggernaut known as the Washington Capitals, solving a hot rookie goaltender in Simeon Varlamaov, and having Crosby play better than Ovechkin. It would be easy to pick the Canes here, considering who they beat. However, I don't think that the Canes will be able to contain MVP nominee Evgeni Malkin or that other non-MVP nominee Crosby. Both teams had coaching changes in the middle of the season that paid immediate dividends. Both teams have goaltenders that have carried their team to the Cup Final. However Pittsburgh holds the edge in offensive depth as they have wave after wave of players who can score. The no-name defense of Carolina may have been able to handle the limited offenses of the Devils and Bruins, but Pittsburgh will be too much to handle. Pittsburgh doesn't exactly have a stellar defensive unit either, but they are effective.

Prediction: Penguins in seven

Western Final

2. Detroit Red Wings vs. 4. Chicago Blackhawks

A classic matchup featuring two original six teams. Earlier this season the two teams met in the outdoor winter classic. Now its May and the heat has been turned up as the winner gets to go to the big show. Chicago has proven this playoffs to be relentless. A 3-0 lead heading into the third is not safe with the young Hawks prowling. The Red Wings meanwhile ended up playing a series that was longer and closer than they would have liked. Both teams have fossils in nets who have put father time in their back pocket for now at least. This should be an entertaining series as Chicago has a stable full of young rising superstars while Detroit has a stable full of established superstars who have won it all before. Both teams feature strong defensive units that give their offenses a chance to play run and gun hockey. It will be entertaining to watch Byfuglien and Holmstrom in the same series as Byfuglien is starting to gain a reputation for being a Holmstrom like player. I'm giving the edge to the Hawks in this one. They have more youth, and the Wings are just coming out of a tight checking grueling matchup against the Ducks. If Hossa and Datsyuk wake up a little more things may be different, but until then...

Prediction: Blackhawks in seven

Prediction:

Albums of 2009 so far.

2009-05-14T23:36:00.008-03:00

This calender year, my favourite albums have been those featuring female vocalists in the forefront. Having said that, it's not surprising to see Metric, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Bat for Lashes in this list. With Metric you have Emily Haines and a sort of cute/pop rock sound. With Yeah Yeah Yeahs, you have Karen O. One minute you think she might rip off your head if you don't dance. But the next moment she is melting your heart with Hysteric. It's Blitz is a great demonstration of her talent as a female rock star. Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes also shows off her amazing vocal skills, the best of the abovementioned trio. All three albums are a great listen, although Metric and Yeah Yeahs have more danceabilitly to them.
And what is in the zoo? Animal Collective have released an album that Pitchfork and other pretencious indie sites are loving and handing critical acclaim. Their album is one that keeps growing on me more and more as the year goes on. So much going on throughout the album making each listen a new experience. Also in the zoo we have Grizzly Bear. I haven't heard the full album yet, but the first single Two Weeks is one of the best songs of they year (more on that in a later post).

So here is my rough list of albums of 2009 so far:
1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
3. Metric - Fantasies
4. Joel Plaskett - Three
5. Phoenix - Wolfgng Amadeus Pheonix
6. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
7. U2 - No Line on the Horizon
8. J Tillman - Vacilando Territory Blues
9. Bon Iver - Blood Bank
10. Gentleman Reg - Jet Black
11. Death Cab for Cutie - The Open Door EP
12. Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
13. Charles Spearin - The Hapiness Project

Concert Review: Hey Rosetta!

2009-05-03T21:21:00.005-03:00

May 1st, 2009. The Paragon Theatre, Halifax
Fellow Concert goer: Julia Churchill
Headliner: Hey Rosetta!
Supporting: Rich Aucoin

This is a concert that I was looking forward to ever since I saw them opening up for Stars last November. They have so much energy and passion on stage and are something else to behold. Leading up to the concert I felt like such a fan boy getting so excited. Even though we showed up quite a bit after the doors opened, we were still able to go right to the front of the stage allowing us to have the best seats (even though we were standing) in the house.
The opening act was Rich Aucoin who put on a well organized and interactive show. It was just him at a keyboard and synthesizer, and a drummer. To his left was a screen that had videos projected onto it to line up with his songs. They included old Christmas classics such as Scrooge, Its a Wonderful Life, and the Grinch. It was rather cool to watch as he sang distorted vocals and played the keys in an almost futuristic way with the videos going on at the same time. At times he would run and grab a trumpet and play it behind the sheet the videos were being projected on. During his last song he got the crowd to sing along as he sprinkled glitter on the first few rows and then threw about twenty baloons into the crowd that continued to be passed around for a while afterwards.
Next Hey Rosetta! took to stage playing what I think is a new song called Seeds. (not 100% sure on that one). They then kicked into the upbeat Yes!Yes!Yes! from their Plan Your Escape EP. This was followed by I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time. At this point you knew it was going to be a good show. The energy was at a frenzy. The fans were into it, the band was into it, all indications of a special night. Next Tim Baker sat down at the keyboard to sing the beautiful song Tired Eyes. It starts off slow, or as Julia said, it sounds like a funeral. But by the end it explodes into a rocking song full of bass, drums, violin, cello, and a guitar solo at the end that pierces through everything. They followed this with more songs from the EP and their album. The crowd singing along word for word, Tim Baker looking half drunk/half posessed the whole time as every word was sang with passion. Then Tim introduced us all to Kinley Dowling who recorded violin on their album and also performed with them for a while. He also said that he had another special guest. When he started the opening chords of We Made A Pact on piano I grew very excited since I knew the special guest would be Haliax native/angel Jenn Grant. With one hand placed on Tim's back and another on the mic she sang through her part of the song. At the end of the song she gave Tim a kiss on the cheek which no doubt was very salty. They then played one of my personal favourites; Handshake the Gangster. Another song that follows the classic Hey Rosetta! pattern of a slow start that leads to a full out rocker. The live version featured an extended outro which was a blast to watch. I couldn't stop watching Romesh on the cello just being 100% into the music singing along and being as intense as a cello player can possibly be. They ended the main set with Black Heart. Kinley came back out for this one as well. And Romesh played the tamborine. At the end of the song he was just dancing like mad all over the stage. A great song to end the main set with. It was one of my favourite songs of the night to because it was just so fun to belt out the "Ooooo Oooo Ooooo's" during the bridge of the song.
For an encore Tim came out and played a song on the acoustic guitar (one I didn't recognize). The full band then came out and joined him as they finished off the song. And obviously they can't go through a show without playing New Goodbye. So that's how they ended the show. The whole crowd helped out by adding hand claps to throughout the intro. It was one of those songs you knew was going to be really special as at this point everybody in that club was completely tuned in. At the end of the song Tim came out to the front of the stage. It looked like he wanted to go crowd surfing. After getting a look of approval from the fans (i.e. us) right in front of him, he jumped out. He then was lifted to the back of the bar, and then back to the front again. Where I was standing there was a little bit of a gap, so I had to get my hands under him to keep him from falling to the floor. I, along with the people beside me helped give him a final thrust to the safety of the stage. It was a pretty exciting moment where the barrier between performer and audience was completely broken down. The whole show was amazing, it was awesome being right at the front. Making eye contact with Tim and other members of the band as they played. I'm sure they enjoyed looking out and seeing people enjoying their music and singing along.
I'm still on a concert high from Friday night, and I want to see these guys as many times as possible in my life. And if you ever have the chance to see them, don't think, just do.

Setlist (may not be 100% accurate)
Seeds (title?)
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I've Been Asleep for a Long, Long Time
Tired Eyes
Lions for Scottie
Red Heart
There's An Arc
We Made A Pact (With Jenn Grant and Kinley Dowling)
Handshake the Gangster
Holy Shit (What a Relief)
A Thousand Suns
Black Heart (with Kinley Dowling)

Encore
Unknown song
New Goodbye (With Jenn Grant and Kinley)

Concert Review: Joel Plaskett

2009-05-03T21:01:00.003-03:00

April 26th, 2009. The Carlton, Halifax
Fellow Concert goer: David Marsh
Artist: Joel Plaskett Emergency with Bill Plaskett, Ana & Rose, and Adam Baldwin

Its good to have friends in high places. That is the only way that you get into a "private function" a.k.a. a Joel Plaskett tune up show. Last week we were tipped off about a show, so we tried to go but were not able to get in since we were not on the guest list. 45 minutes and a few phone calls later we were in sitting at a table right in front of Plaskett. First the band started off with the old favourites Work Out Fine and Extraordinary before going into a plethora of songs off his latest album Three. It was the first time that they tried some of the songs live. Ana and Rose, the two female vocalists featured predominantly on the album were there singing along with him. Joel's father Bill also joined him for a few songs including the song country flavoured song Heartless Hearless Heartless which they played as a duo. Some of the new songs sound fantastic, right up there with his other songs. Highlights from the new album include Through & Through & Through, Sailors Eyes, You Let Me Down, and Wishful Thinking. Ana and Rose's vocals add alot to the show, and whoever goes to see him on this tour is surely in for a treat. Mixed in with the new songs they played Down at the Kyber, Penny for Your Thoughts, A Million Dollars, and the catchy Fashionable People featuring Joel on drums. Before playing Lazy Bones he explained how some reviews were calling it the weak point of the album, but he proved that theory wrong. The show ended with Adam Baldwin playing the keys as they played the epic song On and On. Which is properly named since on the album it is twelve minutes long. Live it was way longer. It was fun watching them play it, especially as Joel ended up singing multiple verses at the end about his white cat named Fang. It was a fun, intimate affair. A great way to spend a Sunday night in Halifax.

Playoff Journal Part IV

2009-05-02T22:52:00.003-03:00

East
1. Boston Bruins vs. 6. Carolina Hurricanes Briggins says:
The Canes are coming right off an upset of the New Jersey Devils. They scored some huge goals including game winning goals with 0.2 seconds remaining in game four and 18.9 seconds left in game 7. Don't expect the same magic against the Bruins. The B's are well rested and ready to take on a Canes team that no doubt will be tired from a long seven game series. The usual playoff monster Rod Brind'Amour has been contained, being held to zero points in their series against the Devils. I imagine the Bruins have been watching the tapes and will also contain him. Boston is a team that capitalizes on every turnover and mistake by the opposition, making them too much to handle.
Prediction: Bruins in six

Ben says:
The Carolina Hurricanes Definitely sent a message in their first round series with the New Jersey Devils- they won’t be taken lightly. The Devils entered the series as clear favourites, but were shocked in the end by a young and determined Carolina team. However, Carolina could be in for a frustrating series against Tim Thomas. Their determination pushed them through into the second round but I don’t think that will be enough against a team as deep as the Bruins.
Prediction: Bruins in 5

2. Washington Capitals vs. 4. Pittsburgh Penguins
Briggins says:
This is a dream matchup for the NHL and fans alike. Superstars Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin go head to head in what should be a series full of highlight reel worthy plays. The Capitals rallied back from a 3-1 deficit against a Rangers team that was not nearly as strong as the Penguins. The Penguins meanwhile were inconsistent against Philly and will need to play solid all series if they hope to win. The Capitals also have to work on their consistency. Last series the Rangers were able to win games they shouldn't have. This series will go to whichever team is the most consistent. Who wants it more; Crosby or Ovechkin?
Prediction: Penguins in seven

Ben says:
This has potential to be one of the best series in the playoffs. Finally the two best Players in the world get to face off in the playoffs. Pittsburgh got a bad scare in the first round against the Flyers but rallied in game six and took the series. Washington, meanwhile, showed a lot of guts and determination coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the New York Rangers. Washington will come out with a lot of speed. Alexander Ovechkin has the ability to completely take over a game offensively like no other player in the league. However, the longer the playoffs go on, the more important depth becomes, and Pittsburgh is a slightly deeper team that can get it done throughout the lineup.
Prediction: Penguins in 7

Playoff Journal Part III

2009-04-30T21:42:00.004-03:00

Round 1 was here and now is gone. It featured some nasty matchups, a handful of suspensions, a handful of sweeps, playoff heroes, and playoff failures. The biggest surprise by far was the Ducks devouring the Sharks in six games. Who saw that one coming? Not I. For the Round 2 predictions I have brought on another unofficial hockey expert and enthusiast, my cousin Ben for our predictions in Round 2.

West
2. Detroit Red Wings vs. 8. Anaheim Ducks
Briggins Says:
It is rather surprising that the Red Wings are the highest seed remaining in the West. While Anaheim does have "dark horse" written all over their jerseys, they are coming off an emotionally tiring and physical series against the Sharks. The Red Wings on the other hand have only played four games so they are well rested and healthy. Jonas Hiller gives the Ducks a chance to win every night, and the rest of the team has heart and determination that makes up for some holes in their talent. But the Red Wings boast two of the most complete players in the NHL; Zetterberg and Datsyuk. And then their defense is anchored by seasoned veterns who know how to win. These players will not be locked down like Thornton, Marleau & Co. were in the battle of California. Players like Franzen and Holmstrom are the types that will prevent an upset from happening.
Prediction: Red Wings in six

Ben Says:
I think its safe to say that nobody expected the Ducks to beat the Sharks, Just like I don’t expect them to to beat the Wings in this series. Sure Ryan Getzlaf and goaltender Jonas Hiller are playing great, but in the end it won’t be enough to defeat the Red Wings. Detroit had the top powerplay in the league this year. Combine that with their suffocating defence and the Ducks will really have a lot on their plate in this round.
Prediction: Red Wings in 5

3. Vancouver Canucks vs. 4. Chicago Blackhawks
Briggins says:
Even though the Hawks were the number four seed, nobody seemed to give them the respect they deserved in the first round. A strong performance by the Bulin wall means this team has Stanley Cup potential. The defense is young, mobile, physical, and makes smart plays. Up front they have an exciting and youthful offense that is led by Jonathan Toews who looks like he could be one of these Joe Sackic/Steve Yzerman playoff monsters for the rest of his career. Good news for Blackhawks fans, and good news for Team Canada. The Canucks on the other hand also have very strong goaltending from Luongo, a rough and tumble defense that makes you pay the price physically, and a fairly deep and bruising offensive lineup. They are also well rested and will be ready to go. The Blackhawks will be a little more drained. And by the end of this matchup both teams will be drained as I'm predicting a long and physical series that comes down to goaltending. Prediction: Keith will not forget that Burrows pulled his hair earlier this season.
Prediction: Blackhawks in seven

Ben Says:
Feel free to discount 10% of what I say here because I’ve grown up as a die-hard Hawks fan. The fact is, the Canucks have a very good team. Roberto Luongo is quite possibly the best goaltender in the league and the team is not short on offensive weapons either with guys like the Sedin twins, as well as Ryan Kesler, Mats Sundin, and Alex Burrows. However, the Blackhawks are clearly the faster, tougher team as along with being incredibly dangerous up front. Vancouver will have their hands full physically against the likes of Adam Burish and Dustin Byfuglien not to mention budding superstars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Also, if vintage Nikolai Khabibulin shows up for this series like he did against Calgary, The Canucks could be in for a long series.
Prediction: Blackhawks in 6

Concert Review: Record Store Day

2009-04-19T19:28:00.003-03:00

April 18th, 2009. Taz Records, CD Plus; Halifax
Fellow Concert goer: Joelle Grant
Artists: Joel Plaskett, The Superfantastics, Laura Merrimen, and other random artists
Yesterday was record store day, an unofficial international holiday that caused music addicts around the world to unite in massive spending on records and cds. There was an impressive and extensive amount of limited edition vinyls, cds, dvds, and other goodies as part of the celebrations. As well indpendent record stores held sales and in store performances.
Which leads us to Halifax. It was my first time to Taz Records. I didn't even know about it until I checked the Record Store Day website. Festivities stated on their website included instore performances by The Superfantastics, Laura Merrimen, Save September and "special guests". Well we were pretty lucky to stumble by when that "special guest" was performing. There were around sixty music lovers in the store watching Joel Plaskett play songs from his new triple album "Three". It was fun since it was a small and intimate affair. Joel was in fine spirits reminising about record stores that have come and gone in Halifax and telling other stories. It was a pretty cool surprise. After he played, he stuck around for a little while signing albums and vinyls, and taking pictures. I won a signed copy of his new album, and am still waiting for it in the mail. I told him about that, and thanked him in advance. He gave a good chuckle when I told him the story.
After that we went down to CD Plus where there was more live music taking place. I think it was The Lodge who were playing. Not 100% positive. We were only there for their last song. After that we headed back up to Taz Records where Laura Merrimen was finishing up her set and the Superfantastics were coming on. I had seen them a few weeks ago. They're an indie pop duo featuring guitars and drums. They seemed almost awkward up there, but they were hilarious telling stories such as how the ending to one of their songs was the Doom metal version. They were good nonetheless.
It was just a fun day, the weather was perfect, people were out BUYING music, and listening to live music and talking about music rather than just sitting down at a computer downloading music. Unfortunately I don't have a record player, so no vinyl for me. But I did buy a used copy of TV on the Radio's album Return to Cookie Mountain and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's new album It's Blitz (which is awesome by the way).

2009 Playoff Journal Part 2

2009-04-15T23:15:00.003-03:00

Western Conference Preview
1. San Jose Sharks vs. 8. Anaheim Ducks
Ah, the battle of California. Very fitting for an ice hockey playoff series. Unfortunately for the Ducks, it is going to be a short series. Sure the Sharks are the number one result when you google "lots of skill + choke + playoffs". But they won't have much to worry about in this one. First of all Anaheim has slowly been crumbling since their Cup win as they keep having to trade players in cap related moves. And the man who delivers the playoff magic for them (i.e. Giguere) has seen his play tail off and has been replaced by the more effective Jonas Hillier. The Sharks are superior in every single category. They won't choke this year because they are anchored by stud vetern defensemen who have won it all in the form of Rob Blake and Dan Boyle.
Prediction:Sharks in five

2. Detroit Red Wings vs. 7. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets are one of the feel good stories of this season, finally reaching the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Steve Mason has stolen the show there, and will have the chance to strut his stuff against the defending champs. At the other end, the Red Wings goaltending can be downright scary at times, yet this team has been dominant all season once again. It helps when you have guys name Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski anchoring your defense. And who wouldn't want Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Hossa, and Franzen filling nets? Columbus will put up a fight, and Mason may even steal a game or two. But the defending champs will simply be too much to handle.
Prediction: Red Wings in six

3. Vancouver Canucks vs. 6. St. Louis Blues
St. Louis? Really? And in sixth place? This team has risen out of the ashes of the leagues basement all the way into the 6th slot in the west. They have an exciting young team featuring the likes of Oshie, Berglund, Backes, and Boyes. Vetern Chris Mason has been playing the best of his career as well. *Ding* That was the sound of the clock striking midnight a.ka. the puck hitting Roberto Luongo. They are being picked by many as a darkhorse team, but they are no match for the Canucks nasty style anchored around the league's best goaltender in Luongo. The Nucks are built for the playoffs with character guys like Burrows and Mitchell who make life a nightmare for the opposition.
Prediction: Vancouver in six

4. Chicago Blackhawks vs. 5. Calgary Flames
Alright, so far I've picked the favourites in every matchup. Going out on a limb here eh? Well sorry to dissapoint, but I'm picking the Hawks in this one as well. Although it seems like nobody is even giving these guys a chance, saying they're too young and inexperienced. I beg to differ. First of all they have a goalie between the pipes who has absolutely owned the Flames in his career, including a Stanley Cup victory over them. The Hawks have a young exciting team, and I believe that they learned alot through there run towards the playoffs last season where they almost slipped in. Kanes and Toews know what it is like to win in high pressure situations (Kane with the Knights, Toews on team Canada in the World Juniors). The Flames meanwhile are wildly inconsistent all the way from Kiprusoff to their defense (Phaneuf having a down year) to their forwards (What have you done lately Mr. Jokinen?).
Prediction: Chicago in six

2009 Playoff Journal Part 1

2009-04-15T19:11:00.003-03:00

East Preview
1. Boston Bruins vs. 8. Montreal Canadiens
These teams meet once again, this time with the Bruins in the top slot and the Habs in the eight slot. Last season the Habs dominated the Bruins in the regular season, but still forced a game seven. This season it was the Bruins who dominated the Habs. If the last game was an indication of anything, then expect a nasty physical season between a heated rivalry. The loss of Markov will hurt the Habs chance of an upset. They'll need strong and consistent goaltending from Price to compete. Boston has cooled off lately, but they have a strong mobile defense, and a heavy arsenal of young firepower.
Prediction: Bruins in six

2. Washington Capitals vs. 7.New York Rangers
In the two hockey pools I saw, Rangers were avoided like the plague. Big mistake. This series features too high powered offenses with exciting players, and their share of defensive holes. I'm predicting lots of goals and back and forth chances. Having Lundqvist in nets for the Rangers gives them a shot of a first round upset. Gomez and Drury always show up to play in the playoffs. Washington looks better than last year, and Mike Green has emerged as the top defenensive weapon in the league. My only worries are about the man between the pipes. Like Huet, there is a reason that the Habs got rid of Theodore (other than his massive salary and Hell's angels biker friends)
Prediction: Capitals in seven

3. New Jersey Devils vs. 6. Carolina Hurricanes
This is another series that could tip either way. The stormwaters in Carolina have been gaining momentum lately, and the Devils have cooled off. But as the ol' cliche says: the playoffs are a new season, anything could happen. Both teams have unheralded defenses, lacking big names. (Joe Corvo and Paul Martin aren't exactly household names. Well maybe Paul Martin, but not THAT Paul Martin). Both teams have goaltenders who have won it all and proved they can step it up a notch come playoff time. A well rested and rejuevenated Brodeur will be scary, and the new found firepower of the Devils will be overwhelming. This is one storm the Canes will not be able to weather.
Prediction: Devils in six

4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 5. Philadalphea Flyers
First off I'd like to state how much I hate the Flyers. Now that I have that out of the way, this should be another intense round as the battle of Pennsylvania continues. The Flyers smash and bang there way into the win column while Pittsburgh does it with two hundred plus players in Malkin and Crosby. Both teams feature a plethora of young rising superstars. The Penguins have been phenomenal under new coach Dan Bylsma, and are better than their 5th place status may indicate. The Flyers on the other hand need somebody to step up and grab the starting job. While Nittymaki and Biron are figuring that out, the Pens will knock them out.
Prediction: Penguins in six

Death Cab setlist

2009-04-14T10:51:00.003-03:00

Here is the setlist (thanks to AJ).
Setlist
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
Movie Script
The New Year
Crooked Teeth
President
My Mirror Speaks
Company Calls
Grapevine Fires
Summer Skin
I Will Posess Your Heart
Title and Registration
Cath
Long Division
Soul Meets Body
The Sound of Settling
Marching Bands of Manhattan
-----------------------------
Encore
Little Bribes
A Diamond and a Tether
No Sunlight
Transatlanticism

Who will be this year's Johan Franzen?

2009-04-13T17:35:00.001-03:00

discuss.

Concert Review: Death Cab for Cutie

2009-04-09T14:07:00.005-03:00

April 3rd, 2009. Dalhousie University
Fellow Concert goer: Luke Adamski, Jacob Greenslade, Joelle Grant, Jayme Bergman, etc.
Headliner: Death Cab for Cutie
Supporting: The Midway State

Roger's put on a contest called Campus Battle 09 or something along those lines where people voted via their Rogers phones and facebook for their school in an attempt to win a Death Cab concert. DAL had the highest percentage of their students vote, therefore winning the contest. To get tickets you had to win them, or you could buy them from scalpers who were selling them for $100+ a ticket. Kind of ridiculous. Anywho, I didn't win any tickets from the voting portion. But I did end up winning via a Z103 promotion, even though I never listen to that station, and I would rather listen to paint dry than listen to that station. The festivities started at 5:00 when Luke and I got to go to the soundcheck and get some pics with the band since we had VIP passes. There were probably 20 or so of us VIP people, so it was pretty cool just to have a small group of us there for the soundcheck. I can't remember exactly what they played. I just know it was a great oppurtunity to get some "action" shots since you could basically go wherever you wanted to get pictures, not like during a concert when there are a multitude of people in your way. It was also a good oppurtunity to see where in the room the sound was good. Right up against the barricade before the stage didn't sound the best, so we decided at the concert to listen from about ten feet back, much better sound. After the soundcheck and photos, we had food ready for us. It was all finger food, like mozza sticks, chicken nuggets, and that sort of thing. I didn't have too many because I didn't want to be full of gas and nastiness all night. After all that jazz I left and went outside to be with the "normal" ticket winners. Some were rather jealous that I had got to meet them. It was fun though, talking to some friends and music fanatics in the lineup while waiting for the doors to open.
The opening band the Midway State were horrible. They were definitely trying to hard to sound like an epic band. It failed horribly. But the biggest failure of the night was definitely the Rogers representatives who were going around the line striking up casual conversation which eventually led them into the ol' "hey check out my Rogers phone" speal. And they were trying to get us excited and stuff. But come on, this is Death Cab, and we're university students...not 12 year old girls about to see the Jonas Brothers. I think the biggest fail moment for them was when one guy asked us how many albums they had out. We told him 5 or 6. He was surprised, since he thought they were a new band. There was one Rogers girl who actually was a fan, so I gave her props for that...and the fact she allowed me to bypass the line to get in since I was VIP.

And now for a review of the actual show. It was good. I was pleasantly surprised since I didn't really know what to expect. I'm not the biggest Death Cab fan, I just wanted to see a good show. The show featured the majority of the songs off their latest full length album Narrow Stairs, and a mix of songs from their older albums. The songs drawing the biggest positive reaction from the crowd were songs off of their Plans album; Crooked Teeth, Marching Bands of Manhatten, and Soul Meets Body. The show opened with Ben Gibbard alone at the mic with his acoustic guitar singing "I Will Follow You Into the Dark". An interesting way to open a show with a slow acoustic song like that, but it worked. They also played some songs off of their new EP. I must say I enjoyed A Diamond and A Teether from the new EP the most. After a deafening cheer for an encore, they came out and played a few more songs and finally ended with the emotional, epic, and long Transatlanticism. Its one of those songs that closes off a show perfectly, and you're almost glad they didn't play any more songs just because it closed off on such a good night.
All in all it was a great show, as annoying as the Rogers commercialism was. The crowd was good too. I mean Death Cab for Cutie aren't the sort of band that will get you dancing up a storm. But the crowd seemed to be closely following along with every note they played, cheering loudly when needed. It was also nice to be at a show that did not feature intoxicated people pushing me. My favourite songs they played: I Will Possess Your Heart, Crooked Teeth, Sunlight, A Diamond and a Teether, Soul Meets Body

Cat Bracket

2009-03-21T01:34:00.003-03:00

Tonight my cat came down to the basement, jumped up on the couch stool, and slept on my bracket all night as the March Madness games were on TV. I think it brought me luck because the games going on resulted in some upsets...which I correctly predicted. Sienna won in 2OT, Wisconsin won in OT, and Cleveland St beat Wake Forest.
After the games finished she jumped off the couch and got some food.

List: Top 10 female singers that are awesome

2009-03-19T20:11:00.002-03:00

Haven't done a top 10 list for a while so here is another one. I downloaded Metric's new album Fantasies tonight and am enjoying it. The past few weeks I've been obsessed with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Portishead released one of the best albums of 2008 last year. Stars are an awesome band. I was on a Fleetwood Mac kick a few weeks back. What do these all have in common? They all feature females singing lead vocals.
For the longest time I only liked "rock music" with male vocalists. But over the past few years that has changed. While Avril Lavigne and Evanessence still makes me want to jump off a bridge, the use of female vocals on albums can have a great positive impact.
This list is of my personal favourites, so thats why people like Janis Joplin or Patti Smith are ignored. And like my previous list, this is not in order.

1. Amy Milan - Stars, solo

2. Feist - Broken Social Scene, solo

3. Emily Haines - Metric, solo

4. Lykke Li

5. Jenn Grant

6. Stevie Nicks - Fleetwood Mac, solo

7. Karen O - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

8. Beth Gibbons - Portishead, solo

9. Catherine McCandless - Young Galaxy

10. Sarah McLachlan

2009-03-18T19:15:00.003-03:00

Win: Wearing something ridiculous as long as its green on St. Paddy's Day.
Fail: Washable tattoos or face paint remains on your face the day after St. Paddy's Day.

Fridge Cast

2009-03-15T22:11:00.003-03:00

This weekend I decided to make a podcast. It is comprised of 7 songs and me talking. It is not funny. But there are some good songs on it.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/15s9cz

Talking
Phoenix - 1901
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
Charles Spearin - Anna
Talking
Deerhunter - Agorophobia
Hey Rosetta! - Red Heart
Talking
J Tillman - Steel on Steel
Fleet Foxes - Your Protector live from Sydney

Concert Review: Great Big Sea

2009-03-13T23:17:00.002-03:00

March 12th, 2009. Halifax Metro Centre
Fellow Concert Goer: Dave Marsh
Headliner: Great Big Sea
Supporting: Spirit of the West

I haven't sat down and listened to a Great Big Sea album straight through since my days of jr. high when I loved the band. They were the first band that I was obsessed with. Now I rarely listen to them, but as the concert was going on I was thinking about how they paved the way for me listening to other music. The fact that I connected with so many traditional songs spoke to me about how humans seem to have this inkling in them to connect with music. It also troubled me that I could sing "Old Black Rum" word for word after not hearing the song for so long. This was my second time seeing GBS, the first time being November 23rd, 2002. The only reason I know that date is because I was looking back and found my ticket stub for that show recently.
So six and a half years later, I got to see them again. First of all they are a great live band, they know how to get the audience into the show. This could be through asking the crowd if it was a disco or if this was Halifax...or Alan Doyle declaring that he wanted to see everybody on their feet. With the squeezebox, violin, guitars, and Newfoundlanders ranting and roaring, it is rather hard to stay in your seat and sit still. There was also lots of interaction with the crowd as all members of the band told personal stories about their times in Halifax including a few too many nights at the Lower Deck.
Secondly, they are a talented band. While their mix of traditional shanty songs along side original rockers may not be ones cup of tea, there is no denying they are talented. All members of the band played a variety of instruments throughout the night. Also Sean McCann, the shanty man, has great range with his voice. He can both sing at a million miles per hour - as demonstrated during Mari Mac- or he can hold a high note for a long time as demonstrated during General Taylor.
The band also honoured the families and victims of a tragic helicopter accident off the coast of Newfoundland (where they are from) which happened earlier in the day.
So my conclusion: It was a really fun night. It was fun to belt out songs that meant so much to me as a kid. It was fun to be entertained. It was great to appreciate the fine muscians who are Great Big Sea.
And also it was fun to sing Old Black Rum word for word.

Concert Review: In Flight Safety

2009-03-13T23:04:00.005-03:00

March 11th, 2009. Grawood, Dalhousie University
Fellow Concert Goer: Dave Marsh
Headliner: In Flight Safety
Supporting: The Superfantastics

I hadn't been to a show since the Coldplay one in November, so I was starting to get concert deprived. A facebook add for an In Flight Safety show at the Grawood caught my eye, and for $7 you can't go wrong. Unfortunately there was a delay for letting people into the show, and In Flight Safety didn't take the stage until 11:00. They played a great set featuring a bunch of songs from the new album We Are An Empire, My Dear which was released in late January. My favourite part of the night was when they played Model Homes, one of my favourite songs they have done.
I always enjoy listening to Halifax/Nova Scotia bands. There is this underlying sound to them all which I can't quite put my finger on. Wintersleep has it, Joel Plaskett has it.

Win or Fail

2009-03-10T00:00:00.002-03:00

That is the question.
I added a feature to all my posts where you can decide whether the post I made was a win or a fail.

Back to Reality

2009-03-02T12:47:00.002-04:00

After a week of no school and relaxation (i.e. 10+ hours of sleep every night), its back to reality. I had to get up at 8:30 for Ecology. I was hoping that the world would be covered in ice and school would be cancelled. Well school was cancelled, but dal was not. So stumbling along half awake (with Nikki following me everywhere) I got showered and ate some breakfast. Was glad to notice in the paper that Hey Rosetta! cleaned up at the ECMAs last night. Not so happy that I forgot that they were on last night.
Then it was time to go outside, and to my horror it was freezing rain quite heavily. So for the first time in my schooled life I went back inside and grabbed an umbrella. So I was only wet, not drenched to the bones. Having a day of school that lasts until 9:00pm it is rather unpleasant being wet all day.

Hot New Music

2009-02-26T02:44:00.000-04:00

Check out this song 1901 from the band Pheonix. Its free to download and listen to on their website. Its pretty dang catchy.

http://wearephoenix.com/

Concert Review: Coldplay

2009-02-24T19:52:00.007-04:00

November 19th, 2008. American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Fellow Concert goer: Colin Chisholm
Headliner: Coldplay
Supporting: Sleeper Car, Jon Hopikins

Well the show was almost four months ago, but I never did a proper concert review. So here it is. Now first of all I must say that I was a huge Coldplay fan in high school, but don't listen to them nearly as much as I used to. But I knew they put on a great live show, so when Colin told me he bought tickets to Coldplay and wanted me to come down, I couldn't pass. Even if the tickets were over $100. We were pretty excited on the way to the Cold Play show (inside joke). I was going to wear a Coldplay t-shirt. But I didn't want to be that guy who goes to the show and sees old men wearing the same shirt as him. So I wore my Feist shirt instead.
The opening band was Sleeper Train. Can't say I cared for them that much. The next act was a DJ, Jon Hopkins I think. I enjoyed him much more as he played a lot of ambient sounding electronica stuff that was synced with cool video displays. The animated videos were sort of twisted and weird reminding me of the Paranoid Android video. I don't think other people really enjoyed his set as I heard comments like "this isn't music" and the like on the floor.
Next came the main act: Coldplay. It was pretty epic the way they came out. A roadie was on the stage getting people to sway their arms back and forth as classical music was being played. The music picked up, hands went back and forth faster, then finally Coldplay came onto stage and went right into Life In Technicolor. What a great way to open the show, everybody was going nuts. And it was one of those moments where it was hard to believe that you were actually seeing Coldplay. Unlike alot of shows I've been to, they didn't play a bunch of new songs then the favourites. Instead they played the hit single Violet Hill second, followed by Clocks, In My Place, and Speed of Sound. In My Place was a lot of fun, just singing along at the top of my lungs and punching my hand in the air everytime the "yeaahhhhh, how long must we wait" line was sung. Being about half way back on the floor it was hard at times to see. But luckily they played a lot on the b-stage. The only major obstruction was that I couldn't really see Jonny Buckland well. During Fix You, Colin discovered that the projector for that song was behind us. So we started making hand shadows on the screen. It was hilarious. He was making the symbol for a band 3oh3. I was making a cheesey heart. Watch youtube videos of the song and you'll see my hand punch up as I jump up and down during the song. Its funny more people didn't discover they could be having fun on the big screen like we were.
After the later on in the first main set, they went out onto the end of the b-stage which conviniently was on the side that we could see best. They played techno versions of God Put A Smile Upon Your Face and Talk turning the AAC into a club with laser lighting and thumping bass. After that the rest of the band left, and it was just Chris alone at the piano doing an acoustic version of The Hardest Part followed by the then unreleased piano song Postcards From Away. Then the full band played Viva La Vida, which was also alot of fun as everybody in the building was singing along at the top of their lungs. They closed the main set with Lost! which must have resonated in the soul of this really drunk, really short guy in front of us. Since after every song he would just yell out "just because I'm losIN!" And that was it. Quite hilarious. That man was epic. After the show he ran into the hall and did this insane dance/jump/seizure then ran off into the blue.
After this they dissapeared for a few minutes only to reappear and go up into the crowd at the top of the lower bowl really close to where we were. They played an acoustic version of the Scientist followed by Will singing Death Will Never Conquer. I enjoyed this part just because this was the closest the band was to us all night, and I was able to get some good pictures.
For the first encore they opened it with Politik which has to be one of the best songs ever written to be played in an arena. Me and Colin were going nuts during it, such a great song. Then next they played my least favourite song from the new album: Lovers In Japan. But my dislike for the song didn't matter when tonnes and tonnes of confetti butterflies were blown into the crowd. The entire song. It was specatacular. They then ended the encore with Death And All His Friends.
But what is a Coldplay show without Yellow? Not a Coldplay show. So they came out and played Yellow in the final encore. As cheesey as the song might be, its still a bucketload of fun.
So the final verdict: It was an awesome show. Coldplay are definitely pros at touring. They have great sound, great visuals, and just an overall great show. I intentionally avoided reading anything about any of the tour, so it was nice to be surpsided. Things like the balls that had cool visuals on them, or them doing the techno set, or going into the crowd to play songs.

coldplaying link
Setlist Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill Clocks
In My Place
Speed Of Sound
Cemeteries Of London
Chinese Sleep Chant
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)
Talk (techno version)
The Hardest Part
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
The Scientist (acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will singing)
Viva La Vida (remix interlude)
------
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
-------
Yellow
The Escapist (outro)

Snoblast 2009: February 13-15

2009-02-21T23:17:00.006-04:00

Last weekend I was having a conversation with Jenni during Mission Impossible which reminded me of why its important to blog and write things down. We were talking about past Snoblast events, and it was quite troublesome because I barely had any memories of the two years I went as a camper. Only through conversation with Jenni, and later with Ryan, was I able to piece some things together. I guess when you've been at camp for multiple weeks and months of your life, some of the details of a short weekend 3 years ago can get lost.
So thats why I will blog.

When we arrived on Friday, it was weird to see a couple feet of snow. Pure, white snow. Instead of a foot of grey and black sludge which the snow in Halifax turns into as it melts, freezes, melts, with pollution. It was also chilly. We played some ice breaker games including the ever popular baloon popping game. I must say that is one of my favourite games as it is high energy and explosive. And its great having a height advantage over most of the kids. We then played Mission Impossible, which was freezing cold. I think my favourite moment was when Jenni and I thought we were being so sneaky tracking footprints of what we thought were campers. But on closer inspection it turned out to be deer prints.
Saturday morning started with a hearty breakfast of the famous pancakes and sausages. (Please note the bad pun: hearty...Valentines Day...get it? lolz) And as usual the sausages made there way through my digestive system almost instantaneously. After breakfast we had chapel with Matt, Anna, and Chris leading worship. Hudson then spoke. Next we played some games outside, including full contact steal the bacon. My number was called alot, and my body was pretty soar afterwards. But it was fun. Then we did the egg drop where you drop and egg from various heights hoping it won't break by creating an apparataus around it out of tape and newspaper. In the afternoon we had the usual football game, which didn't last overly long since we didn't have the usual football crowd there. In the evening we had the popular (well Ashley really likes it) Western Night which involved all kinds of Western style games highlighted at the end by a chubby bunny contest between Matt and Chris. After that we played other camp usuals: trainwreck, whack, and shuffle your buns. Since the snow in the woods was too deep, we played an indoor night game: Hide and Seek in the dark. Me and Chris had a good hiding spot, although I'm hoping that I did not breathe in any osbestos. That was followed by a campfire and then a long night of "cracking" jokes and other firey things.
Sunday was the end. We had chapel then a brunch which was delish before we bid farewell to new and old friends.

TV on the Radio and Radiohead on the TV

2009-02-12T21:09:00.002-04:00

That has to be one of the best blog titles ever. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday night I had something to look forward to on late night TV as a few of my favourite bands were doing songs here and there. Saturday night light featured the New York band TV on the Radio on SNL. While it was a fun and lively performance, the sound just didn't...well sound right. Still good though. Sunday night was the Grammys. U2 opened the show with Get On Your Boots. Coldplay was in there too playing Lost (featuring Jay-Z) and Viva La Vida and pretending they were the Beatles or something with their Srgt. Pepper getup on. The highlight for me was Radiohead, well just Thom and Jonny, playing 15 Step with the USC marching band. Epic times 10.
Then on Monday night TV on the Radio was on TV again. This time playing Golden Age on the Colbert Report. It sounded much much better than Saturday. And the interview before hand was very funny.

Radiohead at the Grammys

Pet Food Commercials

2009-02-04T23:20:00.002-04:00

There are some commercials that make us laugh, others we think are smart, others that are boring, and some that are just plain old annoying. But the one type of commercials that perplexes me the most is commercials for Pet Food. Its amazing that the same strategies used to sell products used by humans are the same as those for the food of our pets. Do you think pets actually care about flavours? Or care what type of treat you are giving them, the shape, etc? I mean I looked at my cats treats and it says crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Are we supposed to think....mmmmm jelly roll, I'll have to buy these for sure now!
I just don't get it.

Rambling II

2009-02-03T22:39:00.003-04:00

I haven't blogged for over a week, and feel slightly obliged to write some thoughts down. For me the two easiest things to blog about are sports and music. Now I know some of you love those things, but I also know that for others of you it is painful for you to even attempt to read about why Fleet Foxes are the greatest thing since sliced bread. So I'll ramble in point form since I love lists.

Large amounts of school work lead to a tired and agitate Briggins. Its funny how easy it is to become annoyed with people. For example Monday I was annoyed with this person who sat next to me and was squishing me in my seat....or how I was annoyed with two slow walking people smoking that I couldn't pass on the sidewalk, or the person who wouldn't give me a plastic fork unless I bought something. Its annoying when you act selfish and it just spoils everything around you. I think a good goal for this week would be to not become agitated, try to get some rest, and appreciate all the good things that we've been given in life.
If you are a Canadian citizen you should check out One Million Acts of Green at http://green.cbc.ca/. You can sign up and register your environmentally friendly acts, and get some ideas of other things you can do that are beneficial to the environment. Even if you don't give a care about the environment check it out. Keep an eye out on this blog for some more "green" challenges like my plastic bag challenge.
Okay, now time for sports and music talk. First of all music. This week I'll be watching SNL again for the musical guest: TV on the Radio. I can guarantee it will be much better than a white guy trying to play raggae (Jason Mraz), and it will be better than Steve Martin playing the banjo. He may be a comedian, but sorry, playing the banjo and not being able to sing is not funny.
Murlough House won the snowbowl once again. The snowbowl for those of you who don't know is a football tournament we have every Super Bowl weekend. This was our fourth one. And once again my team, Murlough House, won. Two of the mainstays on our team were unable to play, but our replacements did an adequate job obviously since we won. Unfortunately the Superbowl resulted in the Steelers winning. But it was a very entertaining game, so you can't argue with that. Plus the time with friends and the great food was much needed.

[/end ramble]