Today we celebrate the arbitrary addition of time to make up for the earth lagging in it's orbit around the sun. Or something like that; its all a bit convaluted for me. I was surprised to find out that the most famous person born on Leap Day is probably Ja Rule and that's crazy. It's also crazy that he could also claim that he's only 8 and that he actually didn't know any better whenever he did something stupid.
Regardless of whether I can fully understand the background (which, upon further review, is not that complicated at all), I do firmly believe that February 29th should be a National Holiday.
And, as if you didn't know this was coming, here is the song for Flashback Friday:
And as an added bonus, check out this version. Cool.
As the son of a wordy son of a wordsmith things like this are particularly interesting: the Washington Post released its annual neologism contest winners. You can see the whole list here.
My personal favourite is probably the only one that I have actually said: Esplanade(v): to attempt an explanation while drunk.
Pace out.
Update: a little further investigation into this contest shows that this particular list of winning entries is actually from 2 years ago. I could not find the 2007 or 2008 lists, which really make me wonder how they can call it annual.
Nevertheless, my oversight does allow me to use, in context, the winner of that year's contest.
Just another typical news day in Canada. Nearly everyone from coast to coast was focused on one thing today: the NHL Trade Deadline. As a Habs fan it was a sad day as Bob Gainey decided to stick with the youngters in net and sent Cristobal Huet to Washington. Losing this Cristobal simply means the vision I want to see realized is likely a year or two off. I Bob we trust though.
Buried in the jet wash of the Trade Deadline Frenzy was news that the Federal Government also delivered a budget today. Little details were given because they had to relay the fact that Hal Gill was worth more yesterday then the starting goalie for a team 1 point out of first in the division. I have never understood finance.
My crystall ball tells me the same thing Normy does; this budget probably won't change how I live my live in the next 12 months 1 iota. And he does understand finance better than me.
After it won big at the Oscars on Sunday night I decided I should probably go and check out No Country For Old Men. Thanks to Cormac McCarthy it was a very good story; thanks to the Coen brothers it was visually impressive, well paced, with great dialogue; and thanks to a great cast it was full of great performances. Anton Chigurh is one of the coolest bad guys in recent memory. And his hair is awesome. The movie is ultraviolent but hard to look away from. It's kind of like the Southwest version of Fargo with the addition of one crazy mother-fucker.
Speaking of Anton's hair; the coolest thing I learned all week was that the man who created it was a New Brunswicker. Paul Leblanc is a hairdresser from Dieppe who has been in the film business for year and actually won an Oscar for Amadeus in the 80's. Pretty cool.
When I was growing up my grandparents had this poster in their bathroom:I would expose myself to it everytime I used their facilities. I didn't tend to take the message away from the bathroom though, figuratively (sadly) or literally (thankfully). In an attempt to change this fact I took a trip yesterday afternoon to Fredericton's little gem, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
It had been a few years since I had been in and the last time was for Pete and Tracey's wedding, so I was in need of a thorough inspsection.
The main foyer is home to the gallery's centerpiece, Dali's Santiago El Grande, which is worthy of any praise it gets. Across from the Dali, though, is a massive piece entitled In My Father's House that is at once rude, offensive, weird and wonderful. It made you wonder a)why would someone paint this, b)why would someone want me too look at this and c)is this what passes for art? In other words it actually made me think, which is at least one goal achieved.
The Beaverbrook has a well regarded permanent collection, some of which dates back to the 1300's, and we made sure to make the rounds to store as much as possible in the old memory bank in case I'm not back in for a while. Beyond that, there are currently three exhibitions at the gallery and the one that interested me the most were the industrial photographs of Yusuf Karsh. These were works commissioned by giants of industry like Ford and Atlas Steel. The photos were incredible and the history surrounding them even more interesting to a geek like me. The most interesting story was the one surrounding what is likely Karsh's most famous photo; his World War II era portrait of Winston Churchill. The story goes that just before taking the photo he snatched the cigar from Churchill's mouth and this was the scowl and the photo that resulted. That photo was in turn used to depict the steely disposition and will of the Brits in wartime. And that was what I learned at the Art Gallery. Fuckin A.
What passes for art these days is certainly questionable but I thought this clip I found fits the bill for me: Pace out.
The skies were indeed clear on Wednesday night and we did get a clear view of the lunar eclipse.I saw the eclipse start as we walked into Mama's Pub for wings and by the time we came out it was almost total. We peered at it through the moonroof and agreed that, although anything cosmic in scope is impressive, it wasn't all that impressive. Maybe if I ate some magic mushrooms it would have blown my mind but, hey, it was a Wednesday. Or better yet, it would have been awesome if I pulled a Columbus and told Normy that I would take his moon away if he didn't score us tickets to a Habs game soon. Stupid hindsight.
In keeping with this week's sci-fi theme here is some news from the moon. If an American missile does not blow it out of the sky first and, more importantly, the skies in NB don't cloud over, we will witness a total lunar eclipse this evening. It start shortly before 10AST and become a total eclipse for about an hour at 11. I urge you all to have a look just to be reminded that we are but dust on the great cosmic dancefloor.
From time travel to space, um, travel; news this week that the US is planning on firing a missile into space to bring down a malfunctioning satellite due to safety concerns. There are tons of conspiracy theories out there but my guess is that this is actually an elaborate ploy by George W. to "Shoot the Moon" after his press secretary pulled it off in their weekly game of Hearts last week.
In reality, this was just an elaborate ploy to allow me to show you one of my all-time favourite videos:
Next week I found this article on the internets and now I have travelled back in time to Monday to show it to you. It appears as though people way smarter than me are doing something that they feel will be the equivalent of ripping a hole in the fabric of time. The article is only a stub, which is probably a good thing, it will only make your brain hurt.
The important thing is that time travel is clearly upon us. Soon you will be able to enjoy the car of tomorrow today! For me this is a true revelation; I have been searching (in my couch) for my life's calling for some time now and I think I have finally stumbled across it. I'm envisioning a travel show where I roam the ancient world observing historic moments...in the Moosehead shirt!Before I do that though, there are probably a few things I would need to clear up first. I would probably go back to 1981 and not thrown that rock through the window of the Charlotte St. School. Then I would go back to 1984 and not put that lawd dart through my nose. From there to 1991 where I would not have eaten that rancid hot dog in Ireland and then the short trip to '92 where I probably wouldn't have taken that drive out the Hanwell when I rolled the Popemobile. I wouldn't change too much else throughout the '90's because changing any of that would be admitting defeat. So instead I'll use my powers for good and give Dan Marino the Super Bowl he so richly deserves in, oh, let's say, 1993. And then I'd get a picture of him and I...and the Moosehead shirt.
I envision the show starting just like this:
...with one lest vest and one more Moosehead shirt. It pretty much writes itself.
Check out the article here and a clip about it here.
Guy Lafleur played in the NHL until he was 40 years old in 1991. Last year, I said I would probably play rugby until I was 37 which, at the time, meant for another 5 years. That sitll holds true but now that I have dome some research and see that Guy played until he was 40, that might be a goal I can strive for. Time will tell.
The reason I mention this now is that we are a full 6 weeks into the year, less then 4 months from rugby season actually starting and I am a good 15lbs overweight. Now I like to think that Guy did little besides smoke and drink for his off-season training program but having already tried that to little success I think it's time to try something different. .So, with that in mind, I hit the gym for the first time this year yesterday. My goal is to shed a few pounds, rearrange some others, and find a way to put my socks on without needing to sit down. If these things happen I might be able to stretch this game out for a few more years.
With the class struggles of yesterday behind me I can now celebrate the most made up of all the made up holidays by honoring my relationship status with commercialism. The best thing about waiting until the day after Valentine's Day to celebrate is that you get to take advantage of the discount chocolate section - a tip - don't spend less, just buy more. Chocolate is one sure way to a woman's panties...I mean heart.
Once again the folks over at someecards.com are doing a bang up job of getting right to the heart of the moment. I urge you to check it out here. My favourite one being "Van Halentine's Day" partially because it's a great segue for Flashback Friday:
...And partially because, depite being glib, this is the first Valentine's Day (or day after) that I have celebrated with someone in years and I am indeed hot for teacher. Awwww.
Keeping with the musical theme - some news that I initially missed because I was so caught up in the ECMAs. The Band was given a lifetime achievement at the Grammys on Sunday night. In my opinion it's long overdue and if they had a song called Forever Relevant that would be the title of the post. No such luck so Forever Young will have to do - luckily it's a great song:
For other great songs from what, in my humble opinion, is the best concert DVC ever made click here, here, here, and here.
They have always been one of my favourite bands and I really like what Tom Hanks said when he presented the award: "Somehow these four Canadians and a guy from Arkansas came to define musical Americana music like no other group before or since." So true.
So today is also Valentine's Day but not really for me because I have a midterm this evening a will be postponing any displays of affection until tomorrow. Unless you're talking about my mid-term because I'm going to love my mid-term all night long.
This will be the last post on the ECMAs but I wanted to give my overview of the event as a whole and borrowed the hopeful attitude from Obama-Rama for the title.
When word came down that the ECMAs would be rolling into town I was hopeful that we could match the buzz that the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival creates annually. I would say it did that and then some. Not to knock the Harvest whatsoever but this event is actually much larger is scope simply because of the sheer number of artists that come to town. And those artists drew crowds. Everywhere I went there were people enjoying tunes..and the best part being that they are enjoying local tunes.
That is really what struck me the most about the weekend. I had a pretty good idea that there was a deep-rooted musical culture in Atlantic Canada but this weekend showed me that there is also large musical industry in the region. The real difference between this weekend and the weekend in the fall is that this weekend is as much about networking for the industry types as it is for us to watch the shows. And that's not meant to be a slag; they do a very good job of making sure all the artists get a chance to be seen. By the end of the weekend I was actually looking up hotels in Cornerbrook so I can be there next year.
Premier Shawn Graham was at the awards gala (a couple of the presenters gave him ultra-high praise for partying until 4am the night before - only in the maritimes!) and he would be wise to take a good hard look at some of the lessons of music industry. His talk of self-sufficiency is great but this is an industry that has actually made that a reality.
The Saturday show at the Back Nine did not get out until after 3 so my ECMA Sunday started a little slowly. When I did come around it was in just enough time to get myself cleaned up, spiffed up, and whisked up to the Industry Awards which were the precursor to the main Awards Gala starting at 8. My date, of course, was my all-access pass benefactor, Meghan "The Godsister" MacAfee. The highlight for us, beyond the food and drink, was Dolan's Pub being up for an ECMA for venue of the year. Before the ceremony Terry Dolan, former rugby player and lifetime Loyalist, told me that if he didn't win he was going to go apeshit and start flipping tables; I immediately started rooting against him. He didn't win and proved himself a liar; he hardly even shook his head. Probably for the best I suppose, but not for my entertainment value.
After a couple of bottles of wine Meg and I were primed for the Awards show to get started and were introduced to host Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) who crossed the line just enough and kept us in stitches all night.
The show opened with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and, although I don't know myself to be a fan of classical music, no performance moved me more during the awards show. Incredibly talented bunch. They, deservedly it would appear, took home the award for Classical Recording of the Year.
As the show wore on there were some local winners; Thom Swift and Tom Easley for Blues Recording and Jazz Recording respectively. The Divorcees, self-described outlaw country rockers from Moncton (1 from Freddy), picked up the Country Recording of the Year.By far the biggest winner though, and the guy that stole the show, was Joel Plaskett (and the Joel Plaskett Emergency). He won 6 of the 7 awards he was up for including the big ones like Recording of the Year, Single of the Year, Video of the Year. He did not win Entertainer of the Year which the fans voted on and gave to George Canyon for the fourth straight year despite the fact that he has bailed on the East Coast and moved to Alberta. Boooo...
In between his many acceptance speeches Plaskett took the time to play this song(a much better version I might add). After his last award the Trews closed the show with a flurry.
That term was particularly appropriate because when we got outside of the Aitken Centre we were reminded of where we lived with a blast of winter. Undaunted we headed straight for the after party at the Delta and were happy to see that it looked like most everyone else came too. Hurricane Bardsley joined us for a birthday beer and we tucked in to catch the Divorcees play a set. They are what they claim and rocked the joint with just the right amount of twang. Very cool sound...classic country. The next band was billed as a "special guest" which I figured would be an outsider. It was not; it was Chucky Danger. I couldn't understand why they were billed as a "special guest" until about five minutes into their set, when they started really ripping. They slowed only once, playing like their hands were on fire the rest of the time. It was the most intense show I saw all weekend and I really look forward to seeing them again. The last performance of the night was by traditional Celtic band Shanneyganock. It's never quite been my bag but I was truly impressed that these guys could pull off a great sound in a big room without having to resort to some of the schtick of a Great Big Sea. And by the looks of the dancefloor when they played they were a crowd favourite for sure.
At that point I dragged my weary body out of the Delta which was still going strong. The whole place was a free-for-all; they were actually serving drinks in the lobby. At 3:30 I declined the offer from the bartender and got in a cab to call it a weekend.
Sometime last summer we were talking about good band names for the Tallest Band on Earth (although it has grown on me and the acronym T-Bone even moreso) and I suggested Guerrilla Funk. That name became Guerrilla Gorilla whith the thought of a group of kickass musicians dressed in gorilla suits and fatigues. It should be noted that this conversation took place at 3am on the beach.
The reason I bring it up now is because of a couple of things I saw on Saturday of the ECMAs. Around noon time I was driving down King St. and looked to the sidewalk and saw a kid with a gorilla mask and a guitar slung over his back walking down the street. I gave him a honk and went on my way. The gorilla theme would continue as, on my way home, I came across Ross Neilson and the Sufferin' Bastards playing an ECMA guerrilla show. They hired a flatbed from the Trius Truck Center and set up their badass music making machine out front of The Playhouse. Very quickly a crowd gathered and the boys set about rockin them. As the music pumped the crowd swelled, with industry types streaming out of the Crown Plaza across the street. And with one brilliant idea Ross earned a bunch of new fans without having to sell his soul. You can check some of it out right here.
That was just a sign of things to come as the day wore on. The evening was to be spent at the Music NS stage at the Back Nine. When I arrived there at 8:30 there was literally a thousand people in a line the snaked from the side door to the intersection of King and Regent. Fortunately we shelled out for a booth that let us slide in past the line.It also allowed us to mix our own drinks; which led to some drinks that you shouldn't be allowed drink in public.
The aformentioned crowd was there for a pretty kickass lineup. When we arrived Rebekah Higgs was onstage and she sounded great from what I heard but we were just getting settled so I would need to hear some more to offer a decent opinion; she did do enough that I would at least hear some more. She was followed by Jill Barber for whom I had high expectations. She sounded good but she lost me when she shhhhed the crowd for her set. This was a show in a bar with 50% bad seats, not a theater with good sightlines. She should have realized that...and played a set appropriate for the scene. Jordan Croucher came on next and sounded good. I would have listened more attentively if I had known at that point that he was a member of the St.F.X basketball team a few years ago. Smooth sounds though. The Sleepless Nights followed him and they were the best of the unknown bands for the night. Big band with big rockin' sound. Joel Plaskett came on next and he was the highlight of the night. I'd seen him before but not is such a cozy little venue. The crowd was eating it up and he played his hits in a tight 45 minutes set. The Contact came on next and seemed as surprised as anyone that they earned the slot between Joel Plaskett and the Trews. They sounded good but the crowd was getting drunk and wanted to hear songs they knew. I'll reserve any judgement on them. By the time the Trews came to the stage the crowd was fully lubed and eager to finish off with a flourish. They did just that, playing the straight ahead rock and roll they do so well. They were joined on stage by Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar, Grady) for a couple of Big Sugar songs to end the night. It was a great ending to another long and lively day of music. Oh, and this was cool too:Final day recap to follow.
Pace out.
PS - in case you were wondering, here is the reason for the title of the post.
Thursday was the kickoff to a monster weekend but from what I can tell yesterday was a better example of the full force of the ECMA storm. Jian Ghomeshi taped Q in front of a packed house at The Playhouse and listening to that as I left work got me in the mood for some music. To feed that hunger, the boys and I went down to Dolan's for happy hour and an acoustic show with honky tonkers The Hard Core Troubadours, blues prodigy Keith Hallett. The highlight, though, was an acoustic set with the Trews. The bar was shoulder to shoulder at 4:30 Friday afternoon and these guys were the reason why. We had to find some space at the back and couldn't see very well if at all but I did get to hear them do this song, which is one of my favourites:
From there it was off to Nicky Zee's to catch some of Music PEI's stage and finally to the Delta and the Rock Stage. We arrived there in time to meet Jian Ghomeshi (I did not introduce myself as Dr. Rock) and he seemed a very nice fellow who has a genuinely keen interest in all things musical. I told him not to dally around yakking with the likes of me (although he seemed far more interested in Erin anyways, go figure) and to go check out the Tom Fun orchestra. We did the same and seeing them was a real treat. They are having a big party onstage and are infinitely watchable. Their energy, more then their sound, invokes thoughts of Arcade Fire:
Jimmy Swift closed the show at the Delta and they whipped the crowd into a frenzy as per usual. They are very good at getting people moving. By the end of that I was ready to get some sleep and gear up for another big day.
I finished my essay in time to get to class to hand it in and sit through three more hours of class before my ECMAs kicked off. As a happy coincidence the big draw for me last night was at the SUB so I just needed to make the short walk across the parking lot from Tilley Hall.
7 bands on two stages was a pretty daunting task but I managed to get my money's worth (0$). hey rosetta!, Grand Theft Bus, The Tom Fun Orchestra, Two Hours Traffic, and Wintersleep. I made the decision to skip the Trews because I will see them on Saturday and there was logjam to get back into the ballroom. All the bands were impressive because, as a rule, anyone who can play an instrument in front of people impresses me.
hey rosetta! lived up the to hype I've heard although I arrived halfway through their set. Grand Theft Bus were their usual tight selves although, I would have hoped to see them pump the crowd a little more - this is their hometown after all. The Tom Fun orchestra was probably the highlight of my night; think Arcade Fire goes to the circus with a Tom Waits/Buck 65 hybrid leading the party. Two Hours Traffic played a very tight set and had the crowd eating it up, which is always a good sign. Wintersleep had to deal with a crowd that had been drinking for four hours and did a commendable job. Not sure what today brings but I will try to keep you posted.
Dr. Rock
PS - for the ECMA version of Flashback Friday I found this Canadian classic:
Today is Chinese New Year and this year is the Year of the Rat. "Rat People" live in the sewer but come out late at night to gnaw at your drywall and steal your food, notably yogurt. They are figments of my imagination. People born in the Year of the Rat, on the other hand, exist in Chinese Astrology and are said to be "leaders, pioneers and conquerors...charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking....rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost". They also tend to stink, hence the term "I smell a rat".
In related news, I saved a fortune cookie Erin gave me to open on Chinese New Year and here is the fortune in contained: "Now is a good time to finish up old tasks". Timely proverb; I am in the middle of another course at UNB, this one another one of my last course(s). I am finishing up an essay as we speak so I will take the advice of the fortune. How do they do that?
In unrelated news, the ECMAs start today. I will be on campus for said class and afterwards will be heading to the sub for a slew of shows including Grand Theft Bus, The Trews and these guys:
Amazingly, we are already parts of 6 weeks into 2008 and the ECMA's are starting tomorrow.
I was getting a little skeptical about the event because the website wasn't quite as clear as I would have hoped but they got that shored up, my fairy Godsister got me an all-access pass, and the buzz blew into town like a fog. Things are looking up.
There are shows all over town all weekend and the real problem now is going to be trying to determine what I really want to check out. Tomorrow night there is a big show on campus and that works out well because I will be on campus handing in an essay (I'll explain later). Friday, the Trews are playing an acoustic set at Dolan's and then there are shows at the Delta and the Crowne Plaza that I would like to check out. Saturday there are free afternoon shows and then the Joel Plaskett and friends at the Back Nine. Sunday is the actual awards gala...what to wear, what to wear. Time to pull out the canadian tuxedo methinks; Double Denim baby! Busy weekend as you can see.
Also on Friday, the CBC will be broadcasting Q live from the Playhouse. Like a sucker, I have to work but I'm still going to try and see if I can't find a way past security. If my efforts fail, I have a backup plan. Here is the message I sent to Jian Ghomeshi:
Dear Jian, I'm sure you have a full itinerary of important things to do and important people to meet but if you want to see the seedy underbelly of Freddy Beach, I'm your man. And screw Woodside, he's the Mayor of Corporate Whores - I'm the Mayor of Good Times. Yours, Dr. Rock
There are football fans, there a folks who are football fans once a year for the Super Bowl, and then there are the folks who only like the Super Bowl because they are fans of hyper-extravagant advertising.
We had the US broadcast at Randell's house which means we got the big budget adds and not the Cunard Restaurant (which, sadly, I could not find on youtube). It was like clockwark though; whenever the telecast would cut to commercial the roomful of nearly 20 opinionated blowhards would get eerily quiet in fear they might miss the next marketing catchphrase (Think: Waaaasssssup!!!). I don't think there was anything that changed the world but there were some pretty good ones. You can check them all out here. For my money the Tide ad won it; I think it gets less funny the more you watch it but I actually laughed out loud on the first pass:
Update: I just watched it again and laughed again...it passes.
There I said it...Now I don't have to worry about anymore smug Boston sports fans. The game was everything you could have hoped for. It wasn't high scoring but both defenses were playing well and there were lots of big plays. Most importantly it was close and, even when it looked like the inevitibility of the Patriots win was upon us, little Eli rose up. Awesome game...one of the most Super of Super Bowls. The Super Bowel extravaganza was equally kickass.
I just made it back from the Washergate and am happy to report that no floors were damaged in the course of our drunken buffoonery. It's safe to say that the only the only thing that did take a beating was my brain; I'm just not sure if it was the beer or the inane yapping that did more damage. Nevertheles a good time was had by all at a gorgeous spot on the Miramichi.
And it continues. Today is, of course, Super Bowl Sunday. The only question that matter to me in this game is whether or not the Dolphins will remain the only undefeated team in history after today. I wasn't alive in '72 and don't remember any of the players beyond their semi-senile ramblings you see now when anyone asks them about it. Regardless of that fact, as a diehard Dolphins fan since Marino broke into the league, I have held on to the Dolphins' perfect season like I was at the Super Bowl that year. When we had an undefeated rugby season a few years ago I told the local reporter that we were just like the "'72 Dolphins baby!". They actually put it in the paper and as of now it's high on my list of likely epitaths. I am legitemitely worried that, if we ever manage to repeat the feet, that I will have to say "We're like the '72 Dolphins and '08 Patriots". It's painful to think about...
We are gathering at Wheat's place with his piss contest winning 52" flatscreen. We will also be proving that today is also Super Bowel Sunday. I'm going to take this handy reference guide to keep track of who's who in the place.
Groundhog Day is without question the strangest "holiday" of the year...and I think the folks at someecards pretty much nailed it. This shouldn't be surprising; they are pumping out some classics over there. How this day ever came to be is beyond me but apparently not beyond a wiki. My guess is that the Germans in Pennsylvania were just trying to see how gullible these Amurkans were. We bought it too...
Groundhod Day is Jackman's favourite day because Groundhog Day is his favourite movie, period. It's extra special this year because we are heading up to the Miramichi for a night at Country Haven Lodge just outside of Blackville. This is an annual trip with a crew from work dubbed Washergate after I made the unfortunate suggestion to move a game of washers indoors. The result of a few hours of tossing metal washers around a hardwood living room was a brand new hardwood floor paid for the idiots who followed my suggestion. We likely won't make that mistake again but that is not a guarantee. After all, it's Groundhog Day and things have a tendency to repeat themselves.
So the fury of the final days of the fiscal year are over and I came out without any black eyes. In fact I knocked the big one down and finished the year on a high note. The mood around the office is pretty good..so much so in fact that I heard my manager playing this song earlier:
If Boney M is playing you know things are pretty good. It's actually how I judge Normy's mood. I'm still pretty partial to the Melodians version.
Happy Leap Day!
