last week i went to see the mike butlin band play at lee's palace. a lot of people turned up from past and present, near and far.... okay that was cheesy. but it's true.
you would never know that they've only rehearsed twice in the last year... and that the rehearsals were crammed into the week of the show. the guys looked like they were having a ton of fun on stage. accompanied by a new member on keyboard they had a fresh and exciting dynamic. many favourite songs were played but we didn't get to hear all of them. every single one of those guys rocked it out and put on a great show.
you can create play lists and also listen to other people's. 8tracks is an easy way to find new artists who are similar to the ones you already like. it's a quick fix for when you're sick of your own play lists. you can search by genre or artist or just select at random.
i've created an account, so far i've made one play list but i hope to make lots more. it takes a while to upload and so it's a bit time consuming but definitely worth it. mike has also opened up an account but has yet to make a play list.
how many times can i use the words play list in one post?
i've been recently introduced to some new bands. first up angus and julia stone. amy sent me a bunch of their songs, and here is my favourite of the ones i've heard so far:
the next song is from steph, it's called her morning elegance by oren lavie. not only is it a beautiful song, the video is so cool!
the diary of alicia keys was released in 2003. at the time i was still into purchasing cd's... as it was before i had started collecting newer albums on vinyl and before i knew anything about itunes. i am especially fond of the design on the actual cd:
and unlike other music that i was listening to in 2003, this album still finds itself in the mix of albums that i listen to regularly... which says a lot since my musical preferences are always changing.
this past saturday included my first trip to massey hall. i was impressed. we saw two acts there: the opening act was one of my favourite canadian artists: jill barberand the incredibly talented michael kaeshammer. in between sets i waited in a busy crowd and was able to meet her and get this album signed and speak with her briefly. i was over the moon.
i had never really heard of michael kaeshammer before. he was introduced as canada's harry connick jr. but i think he stands out on his own. notably, the drummer was out of this world and the interaction between them made the show what it was. the whole group was awesome to watch and listen to. you can get an idea of what i mean from this video:
The most important thing in art is The Frame. For painting: literally; for other arts: figuratively-- because, without this humble appliance, you can't know where The Art stops and The Real World begins. You have to put a 'box' around it because otherwise, what is that shit on the wall?
frank zappa
over the weekend i picked up some frames. i had a few items i've been wanting to frame for a long time but hadn't gotten around to it... there is a custom framing store near my house that looks awesome but also expensive... so that's where ikea came in handy.
some of these items may look familiar for various reasons. they each hold a different sentiment, personal to me.
the two in the squares were given to me as cards. the one of the left was given to me from my co-workers at atlas cafe when the doctors took out my appendix out. they pooled together some money to help me out (as i had to take some time off work) and signed this lovely card. it was a time that i felt a genuine sense of community, and honoured to have such amazing people in my life.
the second card was from my dear friend amy on the day my brother and i left for the trip back east. she handed me the card and said: read this... sometime... later. i knew it was going to be emotional and i think i had been home for about a week before i had the guts to open it. it contains some of the most beautiful words of friendship i have ever read.
i don't know much about art. but i know what i like. i like art that evokes feelings and isn't just nice to look at.
since i quoted zappa i figured i should include a song of his that i like:
it's funny, i should have known it wasn't his song... i feel silly for not questioning it... it was originally written by earl lewis and morgan robinson and was recorded by the channels in 1956.
i was first introduced to raphael saadiq through mike. at the time, i was falling in love with sharon jones and the dap kingsand his style fit in perfectly. listening to modern artists who can replicate the sweet sound of soul music and make it new, has become one of my favourite pass times as of late.
and for good reason, his music makes my fantasy of travelling back in time almost a reality. for many years i have dreamt getting in a time machine and landing roughly when soul music was flourishing and new, sometime starting in the 50s and moving through to the 70s. how exciting it would have been to see any number of the motown artists preform live. and artists like raphael saadiq and sharon jones and the dap kings have the potential of bringing those dreams to life in a way. here he is covering the spinners 70s hit it's a shame...
last night mike and i went to a little place in the junction called aquila. i've been meaning to check out and we were pleasantly surprised. they have live music from wednesday through sunday... and never any cover charge. the food and drinks were reasonably priced and it had an eclectic, jazzy kind of feel.
the musicians of the night werethe gypsy rebels and consisted of a bass, accordian, piccolo or trumpet, and a spanish guitar player who is also the vocalist. they were exceptional musicians, but most exceptional was the bass player. i think we could have observed his talents for hours on end. it was also the first time we'd seen anyone play a piccolo. i knew the opening song from the movie gypsy caravan, a documentary about gypsy music. it features one macedonian gypsy singer: esma redzepovato whom i feel a connection to. after first seeing that film i tried to convince my family that i was part gypsy. my dad still calls me gypsy. it's all in good fun, i'm not really a gypsy.... here is a video of esma, please be prepared for her intense singing style:
below is a clip of the gypsy rebels playing it at an outdoor show in toronto. last night they were full of life, energy and ... a bit of audacity. most of the audience appeared to be regulars, or friends and family of the band. during one song he walked into the floor of the restaurant and played a song while staring intensely at one of the patrons. we couldn't stop laughing. after a few traditional gypsy songs they went into covers. near the end of the first set people were up and dancing. it was quite entertaining to say the least.
sam cooke, what a talented man. i read recently on the exclaim website that there is a sam cooke biopic being made.isn't it tragic that he was only 33 when he was shot and killed? there has been a lot of controversy surrounding his death. i think he struggled with alcohol addiction and maybe drugs, i guess i'll learn more about that when the movie comes out. or in one of the 3 biographies written about his life... my main interest in him comes from my love of his music. he soulful and smooth voice is like no one else.
cold war kid's third album came out this year in january. i love it. i haven't listened to their second album much but i loved the first album, robbers and cowards. i was initially drawn to the songs that are driven by rock-y and heavy piano. mine is yours has less piano (if any?) but after a few listens, i'm really into it. my favourite song is louder than ever
the best part of the album, in my humble opinion, are the first 4 songs.
on friday i saw them perform live at the phoenix. the venue is definitely not one of the best in toronto. but it easy to get to via ttc at least. i thought the band fell a little flat live. in fact it inspired me to decide that from now on i primarily want to go to shows of musicians that i genuinely love and respect and love dancing to their music. dancing being the most important part at the moment.
audience is one of their singles that features more of the piano sound i like:
people seldom do what they believe in. they do what is convenient and then repent
not long ago i bought a postcard with the image off of nashville skyline (but in black and white) from sonic boom.. there was something about bob dylan's expression that made me smile. i liked the feeling it gave me. it has a similar calming effect that his music often does. i put it in a frame on the windowsill by my bed with some other images that make me happy:
here are my top 5 bob dylan songs in no particular order:
unfortunately i missed a fantastic show last night. mother mother played at the phoenix and i had no idea. it's canadian music week in toronto. mike is exhibiting for work, so he has this fancy badge that i think is really cool. it doesn't look anything like this:
i had briefly skimmed the artists but there were so many i couldn't be bothered to search (thoroughly) for a familiar name. please listen to my favourite mother mother song:
the weather appears to be trending to the warmer side. i've noticed major improvements in the quality and quantity of people watching. i find it much more interesting during spring, summer and fall. maybe because i'm not a huge fan of winter after the month of decmber.
. . . toronto is a great place to observe different styles. it might be due to the mass amounts of people. my current favourite website has brought their street style feature back. this is entertaining for several reasons: sometimes it's inspiring, and sometimes it inspires laughter, and other reasons to be determined by the viewer. i wish i had the guts to take photos of strangers because there are a lot of different styles i'd like to document. but it's pretty much impossible to take a photo of a stranger and not feel like a creep. whether or not you're taking it in secret. that's why i like pages like street style!
when i was a teenager i didn't like listening to female singers. i can't think of a particular reason, other than most of the bands i liked had male vocalists. my the times have changed. the list of females vocalists that i adore is continuously growing. but here is a sample of my current favourites:
1 - florence and the machine:
2 - adele:
3 - jill barber:
4 - fiona apple:
5 - julie doiran:
6 - cat power:
7 - lily allen
i'd love to go on but i'm stopping myself here. too much of a good thing. or not a good thing for everyone. but if you haven't listened to say, fiona apple since the 90s you should definitely give her another try. and if you've already heard it all, well i hope you enjoy my playlist.
being that i'm on a serious motown kick, i picked up this record last weekend. at the time, i had no idea what tcb was. in hindsight, it should have been obvious. taking care of business, the title of this musical from 1968. it is really fun to listen to. not only because the music is awesome, but there are some talking interludes that are funny and make you feel like you've travelled back in time.
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tcb - i first heard this acronym from my brother. i have a feeling he really likes acronyms. he also coined aqap (as quickly as possible). and i feel like this is a good time to mention that he is participating in a fundraiser called live free. this is the email i received from phil this morning that i'd like to share with you:
As you may know I'm a volunteer board of director with Halton Food For Thought (HFFT). HFFT ensures hungry kids are fed at school and given a better chance to learn. We are in the midst of one of our major fundraising campaigns. This one is called Live Free. The point of Live Free is to give something up for a day. I'll be giving up coffee on that day. Most of you know I really enjoy coffee and consider this a pretty big sacrifice given that I’ll be a parent any day now (I'll keep you posted on that too). Please consider donating and know that your money will go directly to purchasing food to feed hungry kids at Halton schools. You can donate by clicking here and any donation is appreciated. Thanks
Phil
i keep thinking to myself i haven't done any volunteer work in a while... and that i'd like to... but i haven't gotten around to it yet. considering all that phil and alison have on their plate - it is pretty amazing (and inspiring) that he is taking this on.
after work i stopped by bmv and sonic boom. i find that browsing is soothing and relaxing after a long day. i think it's because you have to make time for browsing... so many things we do have a designated time limit, but if you're really into browsing you could be anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hours. well that, and it's really rewarding to find something awesome for under $10.
i found a couple of good deals at bmv - books. i'll review them once i'm done.
and after years of searching, i came upon this little gem:
which is the soundtrack to the movie. i've never actually seen the movie but i love the soundtrack. and it was in very good condition. it's late now and i'll have to wait until tomorrow to listen to it ... it's been a couple of years since i've heard it.
this is the title track:
on a more philosophical level... i heard a quote tonight: whatever you resist, persists. i was told it is a carl jung quote but i can't find concrete evidence of that at the moment. it makes me think about procrastination. we're all guilty of it. but anyway, i guess it means you can't run away from anything... because wherever you go there you are....
this is a dishcloth i started knitting in early december for mike's mum for christmas. that was 2 months ago, for the record. it's based on the same one i made for my mum one mother's day a few years ago. it was all going smoothly until i took a closer look and noticed i had made a couple of mistakes.. instead of finishing it i just stopped. whether or not you know anything about knitting - i believe it is evident that i am approximately 3 rows away from completion. realistically, not many people are going to notice the mistakes i made but for some reason this was reason enough not to finish it. not long ago i took all my incomplete knitting projects and turned them back into balls of yarn. that took an unexpectedly long amount of time but i felt a lot better afterward. once that was over with i was able to start this dishcloth. and now here i am, daydreaming about a new project and still dreading the old one. the solution is simple: finish the last three rows (in roughly 4 minutes or less) and cast off. the end.
i started thinking about the dreaded dish cloth yesterday. i had called andrea to wish her a happy birthday. (imagine sharing your birthday with saint valentine?...) she was telling me about the yarn harlot, which is a blog that she suggested i would like. our conversation went something like this: "the yarn hartlett?" "no, the yarn harlot, like a whore...let" "ohh!" we had a good laugh about that. (and hartlett isn't a word so i'm not sure exactly what i was thinking) and the blog is fantastic... thanks andrea!
tonight i was chatting with amy online and she sent me a link to this video:
and i was moved. i will be doing some research on this newfound adele character. and listening to this song on repeat. thanks amy!
i can never seem to get the name of the album right. is it meant to be that way or is there really a flying club cup? because a flying cup club just makes more sense to me. am i supposed to care enough to remember if club comes before cup or vice versa? admittedly i don't like the album name, but i do like the album. this was the first beirut song i ever heard, and i was pretty much sold. and here is the video that introduced me:
it comes from the people at la blogotheque, you may have heard of their take-away shows and if you haven't the nantes video is a good introduction. you get the idea.... take... away... show... and put a video on the internet. yep, it's that simple folks.
the song immediately stood out because of the way it made me feel. i neglected to become critical of any musical factors because of that powerful feeling. so around 2 years ago i got this record:
and it's a good record. and i still listen to it, which is maybe why i'm reviewing it so long after the fact. but mainly i love listening to nantes. his voice is very.... unique, and maybe that's a good thing but i can't say i am really a huge fan of his singing style or his voice. the overall composition (the feeling) i think is great, and the cover is pretty ... retro looking .... so that's fun.
this song is stuck in my head. i remember when it came out about 7 or so years ago. it's ridiculous, hilarious and awesome at the same time. like most good things in life. and that's all i have to say.
