Insound Rocks My Boat

Awhile back I mentioned the awesomeness of the newest Pavement reissue. To capatalize on the sweet deal I ordered from Insound. Yesterday I finally received the disk and all of it's collective goodies. To up the ante Insound was generous enough to include some nice extras, a 15 song sampler (included were new cuts from Trail of Dead, Blood Brothers, The Decemberists, TV on the Radio, & Tokyo Police Club), a double sided poster & a wonderful catelogue. I was quite pleased and wanted to spread the word. The only downside is that shipping takes a little longer because it is coming from the USA.

Links November 21, 2006

Coachella Expands To Three Days, Country Fest To Follow
The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival will expand to a three-day event for the first time in 2007 when it overtakes the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. on April 27-29.

Mama Was a Riot Grrl? Then Pick Up a Guitar and Play
HE children whispering and fidgeting in front of the stage at Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn, looked like any kids awaiting, say, a storyteller. Then Zora Sicher and Hugo Orozco, the two 11-year-olds who make up the band Magnolia, climbed onstage and broke into a hard-driving original song called “Volume.” It was clear this was not quiet time.

A Phone Call Leads the F.B.I. to a Stolen Goya
F.B.I. officials in Newark and Philadelphia said yesterday that they had recovered a Goya painting that was stolen from a truck this month while it was being transported from the collection of the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio to a major exhibition now on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan.

Fast Food Nation

Do yourself a favor and make the effort to go see Fast Food Nation.
It's playing at the Princess in Edmonton.

Mr. Lif Cancelled

The entertaining Mr. Lif will not be making the Wednesday show @ the Starlite Room. Looks like cowtown show is still a go.

MSTRKRFT in Edmonton

According to Pollstar, MSTRKRFT will ring in the New Year will a show @ the Citadel.
Strange venue choice. We'll give this one time to sort itself out.

Snow Patrol in Edmonton

Who new how much Grey's Anatomy could change a bands career?
The boys will be hitting Shaw in April. The Journal has OK Go for support. SP have no indication of show on MySpace or their website. I'll go out on a lim and say Silversun Pickups will also be supporting.
Ticket info here.

Eric Clapton in Edmonton

Old slowhands will be hitting the Rexall stage in March. Tickets available Friday @ 10am. Hit up ticketmaster for more info.

Links November 15, 2006

A Comic Who's Sitting Pretty
Canadian Russell Peter's career was a modest success -- until MySpace boosted him into another league.

The Art of Pricing Great
By the time the crowd began arriving in Rockefeller Center last Wednesday for the big auction at Christie’s, rain had already been falling in New York for 19 consecutive hours. It was one of those blustery rains for which umbrellas were no match, so the assembled art lovers were left to peel off their damp overcoats in Christie’s lobby and wait in a long coat-check line.

Sacha Baron Cohen - The Real Borat - Finally Speaks
In his only interview as himself, Cohen talks about growing up kosher in London, inventing a new kind of comedy with Ali G and conquering Hollywood with Borat.

Trail of Dead

The new Trail of Dead record came out yesterday. Pitchfork weighs in with a review. TOD have had a love hate relationship with PFork. The band is the only one that I know of to receive a 10 from the staff. The new one didn't fare as wll. TOD talked to PFork last week. The boys will be in Edmonton with the Blood Brothers Dec. 12. @ Ed's.

Snoop Dogg & Ice Cube in Edmonton

Two orginal G's will be hitting the Rexall stage Wed. Jan. 17. Ticket info here.
WEST COAST

Brand New Brand New

The new Brand New record, 'The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me', hits stores a week from today. Another song of that lp is now streaming on Purevolume (thx ap). I am really looking forward to this record. These guys blew me away with the last release. If they can capture even a tenth of the magic from the last one we all are in for a treat.

Links November 13, 2006

Music Review | Trail of Dead; Blood Brothers | By Their Despair You Shall Know Them
“I had a house on a rock,” wailed Conrad Keely on Saturday night at Irving Plaza. “I turned around and it had gone to rot.” He went on, over a thrusting drone of guitars: “All that was left of me were walls of doubt; I asked a question but the world returned with silence.”

A Wild and Uncrazy Guy Will Ferrell used to apologize for being normal. He knew that comedians were traditionally angst-ridden, misunderstood misfits who survived unhappy childhoods by masking their pain and anger with humor. Comedy was an outlet and a remedy for their rage or melancholy or fear. From Richard Pryor to Woody AllenJim Carrey, they all had their demons. “I have no interesting demons,” Ferrell told me on a sunny early-autumn day in Hollywood.

Interview: Cat Power
Hi, I'm Fred. I got to interview Chan Marshall (thank you Pitchfork!). I found her to beincredibly charming and very sweet.

RIP Ed Bradley

Yesterday brought news of the passing of legendary newsman Ed Bradley. He will be greatly missed.

Frida Hyvonen

I'm not sure when I first saw the above image. If I had to guess I would say it was some music 'zine. Something about the pic caught a bit of my heart. I had a spot for it in my heart and knew I would sometime have to track down the album to give it a spin. Fast forward a month or two, while on emusic I stumbled into the photo. The album is now happily spinning on iTunes fairly regularly. A little reading up led me to discover that Frida had performed with Jens Lekman. Great album cover + ties to Jens = Cood, sweet, little album. Treat yourself to a listen.

Emily Haines Tickets

Head over to this link to purchase Emily Haines tickets

11-7

I must admit I am a bit of a political junkie. To be more specific, an American political junkie. I watch CNN, the Newshour, Washington Week in Review & NOW on a fairly regular basis. I read the NY Times, Washington Post, & Time Magazine almost daily. I obsevively hit up Drudge & Raw Story several times a day. I am more familar with the goings on in the political climate of the United States of America than I am with my own country. I have been waiting for Tuesday to come for the last two years. I liken it to the feeling of the arrival of Christmas when I was younger.
3 more sleeps.

starlite

Islands

Tuesday night brought a little taste of summer

Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton in Edmonton

That's right, Ms. Haines will be performing Wednesday January 17 @ the Citadel according to Pitchfork. No word on tickets yet.

Wasted State of Mind

Go to MySpace to hear new ...Trail of Dead
I'm digging it

Tragically Hip

The Hip will be back in the Praires this winter
4 Dates have been announced across Alberta
January 13 in Grand Praire @ Canada Games Arena
14 in Edmonton @ Rexall Place
16 in Red Deer @ Enmax Centrium &
17 in Lethbridge @ Enmax Centre

The pre-sale starts tomorrow @ 10am for American Express cardholders & fan club members
with another pre-sale starting @ noon on Wednesday through HOB & the Bear. The password for those two are container (HOB) & inview (Bear). And finally the general on-sale begins on Saturday. Tickets go as high as $75.50 + s/c. Crazy.

So Many Shepherds Reading

more pics @ Flickr

Wincing The Night Away

The Shins record leaked
Lovely listen so far
Nothing mind blowing
Nice tunes for a Sunday

Wowee Zowee

Read up on the newest Pavement re-issue and all the cool extras you can get.

Sparta Stream

Head over to MySpace to stream the new Sparta record
'Threes' hits stores Tuesday

The Black Parade

head over to The Black Parade to stream the new MCR record
I'm quite surprised at my initial reaction to this thing
I was expecting to be turned off of the band by the grandoise nature of this project
Yet on these early listens I'm really digging it
Time will tell

Poetry Reading

An invitation to all

Ian McPhail & Graham Jensen present
An Afternoon of Poetry
Saturday Oct. 21
Cathel Books in Downtown Camrose

readings @ 1, 3, & 5pm

Links October 15, 2006

YouTube - Jeff Tweedy "The Thanks I Get"
Video Clip from "Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest"

Escape From Japan
AT the Terminal 8 food court of Kennedy International Airport, over a breakfast of Coca-Cola and greasy Chinese noodles, Miho Mimura slipped her hand into her new American boyfriend’s and the tears started to flow. “I’m sad, I don’t want to go back to Japan,” she said.

Flickr: Photos from Noah G.
Pics from Noah from the Devandra Banhart Band

Jason Collett pics

Head over to Flickr for more pics from Friday's show @ the Powerplant. I hope to post some video soon.

Billy Talent Pre-Sale

from the Bear

The Bear just announced Billy Talent coming to Edmonton and you Greedy Bastards
get another chance to beat everyone to the punch! The Bear is offering you a
chance to purchase tickets to see Billy Talent, with special guests Rise
Against, Anti-Flag, and Moneen in Edmonton on January 25th at Rexall Place,
prior to the public sale.

The pre-sale begins Wednesday, October 11th at 10:00am and runs until Friday,
October 13th at 10:00pm.

To take advantage of this sale, click the following link
http://www.hob.com/go/ine/315/edmonton_bear/ and enter the password "mass" under
the Greedy Bastards Pre-Sale offer.

Brand New return

from AP

' Influential rock act Brand New have finally announced a title and tracklisting for their upcoming third album. The album -- the group's follow-up to 2003's Deja Entendu and their major-label debut -- will be titled The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me and will feature 12 tracks, including "Sowing Season (Yeah)," "Deguasser" and "You Won't Know," all of which were showcased on the band's headlining tour this past summer; it will be released Nov. 21 via Interscope.

Brand New and longtime friend Mike Sapone produced The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me and Rich Costey, whose credits include Muse, Franz Ferdinand and The Mars Volta, covered mixing duties. The tracklisting is below.

The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
01. Sowing Season (Yeah)
02. Millstone
03. Jesus Christ
04. Degausser
05. Limousine
06. You Won't Know
07. Welcome to Bangkok
08. Not the Sun
09. Luca
10. Untitled
11. Archers
12. Handcuffs'

new Blood Brothers video

from AP

' Seattle-based progressive hardcore quintet the Blood Brothers have posted online the video for "Laser Life," the first single off their new record, Young Machetes, out Oct. 10 via V2 . The video can be viewed in QuickTime, or it can be watched on YouTube.'

Rise Against, Moneen, Anti-Flag, & Billy Talent in Edmonton

The Journal will inform you here on what should be a good nite (Jan. 25) of rock n' roll. Too bad I'll be in Cuba.

Links Oct. 4, 2006

A Secret Society, Spilling a Few Secrets
For more than two centuries, the Freemasons and their grandiose rituals have played a secretive, mysterious role in American life. One of the Masons’ symbols looks a lot like the all-seeing eye on the back of every $1 bill. And look whose picture is on the other side.

Why Couldn't 'King's Men' Put It Together?
As Steve Zaillian's film "All the King's Men" sinks at the box office, he wonders one thing: What happened?

Jingle Bell Rock 2006

More info has emerged in regards to the Coheed show. It will be part of Sonic's Christmas show. Atreyu will be on the bill as well. Tickets are $39.50 + s/c. A presale is now underway through sonic with general onsale this Saturday @ 10am. More info here.

Cold War Kids stream

Head over to AOL to stream the debut full-length from the amazing Cold War Kids.
via Stereogum

Links Oct. 1, 2006

A Guide to the Hold Steady States of America
THE HOLD STEADY was supposed to be a local band, and in a sense that’s what it is. The members mainly live in New York, and Sunday night they’re coming to Manhattan, to Irving Plaza, to celebrate their great new album, “Boys and Girls in America.”

Booked-Up Publishers Could Be in a Bind
NEW YORK — This fall, the largest number of new titles by brand-name authors in recent memory is hitting bookstores, and the publishing world is asking itself an unusual question: Can there be too many good books?

Instead of Bad Movies, Cinema Shows None
The owner gives workers a paid vacation and closes for two weeks to protest 'lousy material.'

Tom Morello Arrested At Protest, Spends Night in Lockup
Guitarist released Friday after protesting for immigrant workers' rights at Los Angeles march.

The Writing Life
Watching a writer write is about as interesting as watching paint dry -- but something hairy is going on...

The Inside Agitator
It seemed somewhat bizarre, then, when Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, chose to make the long odyssey to Alaska at the end of May, near what was the beginning of one of the most intense and closely contested national election campaigns in memory, when every other Democrat in Washington was talking about potentially decisive states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

Coheed And Cambria in Edmonton

According to Pollstar the emo-prog band will be hitting the stage Friday Dec. 15 @ Shaw. Remiscinant of another emoish group (MCR) hitting up the praires to close the year out. I have seen Coheed once before, back @ the 2004 Warped Tour stop in Calgary. A drunk Claudio hit the stage and proceed to piss off the crowd with his antics. The bottle throwing got so bad that the group was finally cut off half way through the half hour set. Crazy moment. Read about it here, here, & here. No other dates listed as of now, I expect Calgary to be added. I wonder what kinda of reaction they would get now? If any? Time will tell.

Guns N' Roses in Edmonton

That's Right, Guns N' Motherfuckin Roses Will Be Tearing Apart Rexall Thursday December 7. Tickets on sale this Saturday @ 10am, for way too much ($79.50 + s/c). The odds of this show actually going through are probably pretty slim. In less Axl has got his meds in order. Maybe Chinese Democracy will be out by then.

pre-sale action Friday @ 10am
more info to come

K-Os in Edmonton

Thursday Nov. 9 & Friday Nov. 10 @ the Starlite Room. If memory serves me correct, the last time K-Os was in Edmonton he played Shaw. Should make for two sweet intimate gigs. Tickets on Friday @ 10am. $29.50+ service charges. More info here & here.

New Sparta

Sparta have posted a lovely new one on purevolume. The new album hits the street Oct. 10. More info here.

David Simon

I'll let the article do the work for me
Talking With the Creator of One of TV's Best and Smartest Shows
David Simon gives a preview of "The Wire" Season Five, the scoop on why the mayor of Baltimore hates his guts and more

information on the beast moans

You know it's a good start to a week when the new Swan Lakes & Beck lps leak. Swan Lakes is probably my most anticipated record of the fall/winter season. Three Canadian indie heavyweights joining forces = excitement. I'm more of a casual Beck fan. None the less 'the inormation' is like icing on the cake. Thank you wedge board.

Links Sept. 24, 2006

71, and Still Succeeding in a Young Man’s Game
Early this month the director Mike Newell started production for New Line Cinema on a film version of Gabriel García Márquez’s “Love in the Time of Cholera” that will take him from Britain to Brazil and Colombia. At about the same time, another director, Julian Schnabel, began shooting an adaptation of Jean-Dominique Bauby’s book “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” for Universal Pictures in Lourdes, France.

For N.F.L., Crowd Noise Has Become a Headache
At most big ballgames, noise is good, and more noise is better.

Click Fraud Is Growing on the Web
A year ago, DiamondHarmony.com, an online jewelry store, decided that it had outgrown its sole source of advertising, which was eBay. The company added an elaborate marketing effort on search engines that included a pay-per-click advertising campaign based on keywords and phrases. For its trouble, DiamondHarmony became ensnared in click fraud.

The Ballad of Big Mike
As he drove into Memphis in March 2004, Tom Lemming thought that everything about Michael Oher, including his surname, was odd. He played for a small private school, the Briarcrest Christian School, with no history of generating Division I college football talent. The Briarcrest Christian School team didn’t have many black players either, and Michael Oher was black. But what made Michael Oher especially peculiar was that no one in Memphis had anything to say about him.

Links Sept. 22, 2006

Le Romantique
On a sunny day in June, Michel Gondry, director of the movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and the creator of many wondrous music videos, was in his sparsely furnished New York production office, rummaging through a large cardboard packing box. He was dressed, as he typically is, in loose jeans and an untucked short-sleeve button-down shirt. At 43, Gondry is boyish, with quick, sharp eyes like those of a hyperalert bird. He is French, and although he speaks perfect English, he has a thick accent. “These are all about an ex-girlfriend,” he said, as he took several curious-looking items from the box and placed them, one by one, on an oval conference table. “I made all these when she left me, two years ago.”

Exclusive: Sondre Lerche Album Details Revealed
Having gotten his lounge-singer jollies out of his system with the jazzy early 2006 album Duper Sessions, Sondre Lerche is getting ready to rock in 2007. On February 6, Astralworks will release Phantom Punch, the Swedish cutie's "third full-length album with his band, the Faces Down," according to a press release.

Blood Brothers stream new lp

Thanks AP for the heads up. Head over to this ecard to stream 'Young Machetes' due to hit stores Oct. 10. In case you forgot the Blood Brothers will be in Alberta in December with ...Trail of Dead to melt our collective faces off. Dates to the right.

Links Sept. 21, 2006

Music From Somewhere Deep
Considering what has happened to them in the past year, it's hard to picture that not long ago the Cold War Kids had to steal into campus buildings at their alma mater, Biola University, to practice. Imagine what the odd art student must have thought, to run across four scruffy but intense young men banging away on secondhand instruments and making (considering how they sound now) what had to be a palette-shaking racket.

No Longer The Loneliest Number
On The Billboard Charts These Days, It's Crowded At The top

TV on the Radio aim for 'voice to our time' on new album, 'Cookie Mountain'
TV on the Radio already had a singer before Kyp Malone joined the band. Tunde Adebimpe's soulful, oscillating croon was considered by many one of the strongest voices in rock music, thanks partially to his ability to individually render each of the syllables in a few words like "storefront cemetery."

People Who Share a Bed, and the Things They Say About It
While researching rural life more than 20 years ago, Paul C. Rosenblatt took his 12-year-old son with him to interview farm families in the Midwest. Father and son stayed in a farmhouse and had to share a bed.“It was terrible,” said Dr. Rosenblatt, a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, because his son thrashed and turned so much that “his feet were in my face all night.”

On Sale Info

The Dears tix available Friday, Islands tix available Wednesday Sept. 27, &
Pretty Girls Make Graves tix hit Saturday thru tickemaster, Megatunes, Blackbyrd & Freecloud Records.

Mr. Lif hit the street Friday and can be found thru tickemaster, Megatunes, Blackbyrd, Freecloud Records, Listen, Foosh, Treehouse, & Soular.

The Dears in Edmonton

According to The Dear's myspace they will be performing @ the Starlite Room Saturday November 25. Blood lines to open. Union Events has more info here. On-sale this Saturday. $20+service charges.

Links Sept. 20, 2006

9 Lives and Counting: Cat Power Sobers Up
Another day, another fifth of Scotch.

Keef: I've quit 'weak' drugs
HELLRAISER Keith Richards says he has finally given up drugs — because they don’t give him Satisfaction any more.

Shout Out Out Out Out in Edmonton

Friday Sept 29 marks the return of Shout Out Out Out Out to Edmonton. They will be bringing along Holy Fuck & Land Of Talk. Doors @ 8pm @ the Dinwoodie Lounge. Advance tickets $18 @ any of these fine locations: Blackbyrd Myoozik, Listen Records, Megatunes, The Powerplant, and SU Info Booths.

Studio 60

Last night I had the good fortune to catch the debut episode of an amazing new television show. CTV, for reasons I'm not familiar with, aired the pilot of Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. NBC will air the show in the US on Mondays, which gives you the chance to witness greatness in the making. The show is the best network piece I've seen in ages. I usually go out of my way to avoid network fare but this, this is something special. It reminds me of Sports Night and I'm afraid it will follow the same fate. That discussion is for another time. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and check it out tonight, 8pm NBC

Sondre Lerche

get a listen of Sondre Lerche's newest here

RHCP in Edmonton

Edmonton Sun & Edmonton Journal weigh in with reviews

The Wire

Do yourself a favor later this evening and switch the channell to Moviecentral and watch the best show on Television, The Wire.

Links Sept. 17, 2006

In San Francisco, a Plague of Stickers Opens a New Front in the Graffiti War
One of the most wanted men in San Francisco — if he is a man — has no known name, no known mug shot and one very efficient sticker machine.

The Killer still kicking at 70
Jerry Lee Lewis's hard-headed life of self-destructive recklessness - filled with drugs, booze, scandal and broken marriages - didn't seem to be the formula for a long career.

Novak Slams Jon Stewart: ‘Self-Righteous Comedian Taking on Airs of Grandeur’
During an appearance on C-SPAN, columnist Robert Novak was asked about his television viewing habits. Novak said, “somebody mentioned the Jon Stewart program, I’ve never seen that in my life and I will go to my grave never having seen it.”

Links Sept. 16, 2006

Paying Top Dollar for Punishment, 26 Miles’ Worth
The notion of paying hundreds of dollars for the opportunity to run 26.2 miles may not appeal to most people, but some runners are doing just that because demand for marathons has outstripped the number of spots available in the fields.

Millions to watch farewell
MILLIONS around the world are expected to bid a tearful farewell to Steve Irwin when they tune in to Wednesday's memorial service at his beloved Australia Zoo.

The Whole World Is Watching, and Ben Silverman Is Watching Back
ON a midsummer evening in 2001 Ben Silverman, an agent with the William Morris talent agency who was in the process of starting up his own television production company, was vacationing in London and staying with a friend. He switched on the television and starting flipping through the channels to an unusual looking show on BBC2.

The Wedge @ V Festival

Tonight's epidsode of The Wedge features interviews & performance clips from last weekends V Festival. Bands included:
Phoenix, The Flaming Lips, The Strokes, and Eagles of Death Metal
Tonight @ 9:30pm on Much

Links Sept. 15, 2006

36 Hours in Chicago
THE notion that Chicago is a city of neighborhoods seems silly and obvious at first. Aren’t all cities? But a weekend here, wandering the nooks far from the tourists swarming Navy Pier near downtown or ogling the masterpieces at the Art Institute of Chicago, explains the distinction.

Canadian Dollar Declines as Oil and Gold Head for Weekly Losses
The Canadian dollar declined the most in a week as commodities including crude oil, gold and copper headed for weekly losses.

Microsoft Announces Zune Digital Music Player, Online Store

New 30GB player with wireless capability to be ready for holidays.

Who’s This Guy Dylan Who’s Borrowing Lines From Henry Timrod?
Perhaps you’ve never heard of Henry Timrod, sometimes known as the poet laureate of the Confederacy. But maybe you’ve heard his words, if you’re one of the 320,000 people so far who have bought Bob Dylan’s latest album, “Modern Times,” which made its debut last week at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.

Worst Part news

I'm making a consious effort to post on a more regular basis. Each day I hope to throw up a link post with stories that catch my eye or pose some revelance to my interests. I'd like to in the coming days change the layout a bit to provide more info on the side of the page. Concert listings and music recomendations get lost in the shuffle of posts in the current settings. I'm not sure how realistic the chance of the change is due to my lack of blogspot skill. Only time will tell.

Chuck Palahniuk

I just caught the tailend of a BBC World Hardtalk Extra with Chuck Palahniuk. Very good. For those not in the know, Palahniuk is the author of Fight Club. I've only read and listened to interviews with Palahniuk. Seeing him visually respond to questions about his fairly fucked up life was cool. He revealed he didn't become the author he is until he quit watching television. Food for thought.

Tokyo Police Club in Edmonton

TPC will be performing @ the Powerplant on Friday November 24 according to Pollstar

Sloan in Edmonton

Sloan @ the Dinwoodie Saturday October 28. Ticket info here

Emmylou Harris in Edmonton

Monday Feb. 12 @ Jubilee. Tickets $63 + service charges. More info here.

Links Sept. 14, 2006

Philanthropy Google’s Way: Not the Usual

The ambitious founders of Google, the popular search engine company, have set up a philanthropy, giving it seed money of about $1 billion and a mandate to tackle poverty, diseaseand global warming.

'On A Pretty Nice Roll'
Tiger shooting for his sixth consecutive victory

My Chemical Romance Unveil Black Parade Track List, Album Art

New Jersey band's epic concept disc due October 24.

Jay-Z Prepares To Reclaim His 'Kingdom'
Details are beginning to surface about Jay-Z's long-rumored comeback album, which will be his first since announcing his retirement three years ago and becoming president of Def Jam. The new disc is reportedly titled "Kingdom Come" and due in November via Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam.

Nintendo to launch Wii game console in December
intendo Co Ltd said it will launch its next-generation stand-alone game console 'Wii' on Dec 2 as the Kyoto-based company prepares to take a bigger share of the lucrative home entertainment market.

George Clooney briefs U.N. on Darfur genocide

Holocaust survivor and writer Elie Wiesel and Hollywood star George Clooney appealed Thursday for urgent action to save the population in Sudan's Darfur region from being massacred after African Union peacekeepers leave the region.

'Dog' Arrested At Mexico's Request

MSNBC has learned that U.S. officials have arrested TV reality star Duane "Dog" Chapman and two family members in Hawaii for extradition to Mexico

TOTR

Yesterday marked the North America release of 'Return to Cookie Mountain'
Check that shit out

Links Sept. 13, 2006

Dance of Diplomacy Is Grist for the Gossip Mill
There are perils to being unattached in the stodgy world of diplomacy. Sometimes it has seemed that all Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice needs to do is show up in public with a man, and people start talking.

Apple Rolls Out New Nano, Shuffle; Adds 'Pirates,' Other Titles To iTunes Film Library

New devices also include an 80GB iPod with brighter screen.

Back on defense
Lance Armstrong bristled Tuesday at a report that two former teammates admitted using performance-enhancing drugs, calling it "a hatchet job ... to link me to doping through somebody else's admission."

I-69: Yet Another NAFTA Super-Highway
Another NAFTA Super-Highway is moving state-by-state from the planning stage to the funding and construction process. As listed on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration’s website, the “I-69 Corridor” is planned to connect Mexico and Canada through Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.

Patton Oswalt Gets His Wish!! THE WIRE Gets Season Five!!
Ratings for Sunday’s season premiere were weak, but reviews were strong to very strong, and HBO has given “The Wire” its fifth season.

Irwin's fans take out grief in 'revenge attacks' on stingrays At least 10 stingrays have been found dead in Queensland waters in what are feared to be revenge attacks for the death of Steve Irwin, the popular Australian television naturalist.

Links Sept. 12, 2006

2 Ex-Teammates of Cycling Star Admit Drug Use
Two of Lance Armstrong’s eight teammates from the 1999 Tour de France have admitted for the first time that they used the banned endurance-boosting drug EPO in preparing for the race that year, when they helped Armstrong capture the first of his record seven titles.

Armchair sleuths uncover strange military sites in China
Tech-savvy armchair sleuths around the world are having a field day discovering military secrets in China.

Big Black, Scratch Acid, Man . . . or Astro-Man? Give Chicago Hope At Touch and Go Bash
Ted Leo, !!!, Calexico, Pinback, Three Mile Pilot also make waves at 25th anniversary event.

Brian Wilson, Neil Young, Reznor Play Bridge Benefit
n 1986, Neil Young's wife Pegi helped found the Bridge School, a Northern Californian educational program for students with communication impairments. Her husband has been organizing benefit concerts for the organization from the beginning.

Links Sept. 11, 2006

Apple set to start film download site
Apple Computer, whose iPod personal music player and iTunes digital music store dominate the legal music downloads business, is this week expected to unveil a service for downloading films.

Federer Wins Third Straight U.S. Open
In a class by himself.

Irwin Memorial Likely Next Week
A public memorial service for wildlife celebrity Steve Irwin will be held next week, probably in a large football stadium in the Queensland state capital of Brisbane, his family told media Monday.

IRS Reached Largest Tax Settlement In History: $3.4 Billion
he IRS announced today that it has resolved the largest tax dispute in American history: a transfer pricing dispute with Glaxo SmithKline Holdings (Americas) Inc. & Subsidiaries (“GSK”):

Matt Pond Pa & Gomez in Calgary

MacEwan Hall Thursday Oct. 19.

The Elected in Edmonton

Friday Oct. 20 @ Powerplant according to Pollstar.

BSS

I haven't really reflected in words all that much on the Chicago trip. Probably out of my intense laziness. This really made me smile about the whole thing. Look at the Best Show of This Year section. More on the magical performance here.

Islands in Edmonton on Halloween

No ticket info yet. Starlite room to host October 31 appearance of Islands.

links

Going Out On Top
Schumacher wins Italian GP, says he plans to retire

Why the Ipod is losing it's cool
Apple has added ever more extras to its digital music-player in a bid to stem falling sales. But fears are rising that the device is now too common to be cutting edge

Baby-Faced Mayor Takes Over an Aging Pittsburgh
At 26, many people haven’t even decided on a career. Luke Ravenstahl is already the mayor of Pittsburgh.

Ticket Info

Get tickets for Frank Black, Jurassic 5, ...Trail of Dead/Blood Brothers, & The New Pornographers here

The New Pornographers in Edmonton

As the title says

The New Pornographers w/ Novillero & Immaculate Machine
Tuesday October 17 @ The Venue (ex-Red's)
Ticket info here

another good show hittin' e-town

Girl Talk

I know I'm a bit late on this one. Finally catching a ride I gotta agree. This shit is crazy. Go listen to Girl Talk to hear for yourself.

more ING

The ING Edmonton Marathon along with The Running Room have posted pics from the event. I have 5 pics available for purchase at the site. Kinda cool. Who knows if I'll be saying that after I see the price?

Amy Millan in Edmonton

I'm not sure if this is old news or not

Amy Millan (from Stars & Broken Social Scene)
Friday September 22 @ The Sidetrack Cafe

Ticket info to come

Spoon

Spoon, originally uploaded by shook_one.

July 30 @ Pitchfork Music Festival

Devendra Banhart Band

Devendra Banhart Band, originally uploaded by shook_one.

July 30 @ Pitchfork Music Festival

Half-Marathon Round-Up

On Sunday I took part in the Energy Capital Half-Marathon (21km). It was my first try at this distance. I felt pretty good for most of the race. With around 4km left I really started to feel it and it turned in a test of wills to keep moving. My left calf really was hampering my efforts. I only had enough gas left to muster a little bit of a sprint in the last 100m. All in all it was a great experience and I look forward to doing the distance again...probably not until next year. Made it in at a chip time of 1:43:19. The goals were a) to finish & b) finish in 1:45 or less. Both of those were achieved. Although I am a bit sore that I finished behind a prof from Augustana who I had handily beat on the Canada Day run. I feel that my youth should of overcame in the run, but you can't always get what you want. I have been limping around since the run with aches in my legs. Lack of stretching is probably to blame. I am not registered in any other runs this year. I have spent the last 48 hours scouting out some potential runs and have made some progress. For some pics from the race go here and results here.

Lolla Numbers

Big Success according to yahoo

Tomorrow

In about ten and a half hours I will start my first half-marathon. The Energy Capital 1/2 Marathon to be exact. My training has tampered off quite a bit lately. It's a concern along with the gimpiness displayed in my knees since I returned from Chicago. Outside of that I feel relatively fine. I haven't came to terms with what I'm about to undertake tomorrow morning. I think it'd be healthy to be a bit nervous or excited. I'm not really feeling either right now. My stomach is going through some strange motions after taking in some Gatorade but outside of that I don't feel a whole lot. It's strange. I have printed out a course map, course description, and an elevation profile. I'll study them a little for the rest of the evening and gather my gear for the morning. Weather looks decent. 1000+ will be in the race. Last half of the race looks pretty flat. The 15km on Canada Day was a blast. The last 5km in that run felt magical. If I even experience a fraction of that feeling tomorrow it will be amazing. From a practical stand point I am concerned that anything after the 15km marker may bring some trouble physically & mentally, a wall so to speak. I hope to fight on and if I have anything left after that 20km marker I am going to try and give every ounce of energy that my body has left into the home stretch. Finish strong. Results tomorrow, cheers

Swan Lake

When I got back, I stumbled across the first released song from Canada's next supergroup, Swan Lake, entitled All Fires. The song has been on heavy rotation on my headphones ever since. Something about Spencers voice. Scary Good.

upcoming shows

I guess concerts are still goinig down at Red's aka The Venue.

Frank Black
Thursday November 9 @ 8pm
The Venue (Red's)
ticket info here

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead & The Blood Brothers (leaked tracks here & here)
Tuesday December 12
The Venue (Red's)
no place for tickets yet
source

My trip to Chicago has sucked my concert fund dry, so I will most likely will not be attending either of these shows. Don't let my brokeness stop you from enjoying, what should be, two amazing shows.

Listen to Cold War Kids!

One of the many highlights of the trip was seeing Cold War Kids, not once, but twice. This fearsome foursome from outsid LA are phenomenal. Carl from the New Pornographers gave them a shout-out during his set. I think these guys are one of the best things out there right now.

reflection

i don't know where to start. the whole experience was a whole lot of wonderful. so many brilliant bands. this trip basically condensed a whole year of concerts into five days of festival goodness. i hope to break the trip into little sections and share it on this forum. who knows how that'll work out? i've begun sorting through the various photos and touching up the usable ones and trashing the shitty ones. i will return shortly with hopefully a lot more. until then, cheers

back

at home after the amazing trip
so much to share
sleep first
look forward to reliving the experience

i'm at lolla!!!

live from lolla
i'm in the at&t blue room at day 2 of lolla
it's been awesome

greeting from illinoise!

i write from clark and berwyn in the beautiful city of chicago. the trip has been a blast so far. i can't believe everything we have seen and experienced. pitchfork festival was a brilliant sucess. cheers

you meant everything

almost half past 2 in the am. a good nights rest has become a decent nap. probably forgetting something but i always do. i don't think anything has sunk in at all. this sore throat is a slight worry. food will be an interesting prospect. the bands...what can i say?...the reason i'm going, I don't have one particular group or artist that brought me to this journey. a hodge podge of beautiful music is what i hope to see. next stop my bed...after that CHICAGO!!!!!!!!!

fest tips

MTV News with an awesome article on being prepared for festivals

ing

After returning from Chicago, I will be taking part in a half-marathon. All the info is here. I have a lot of things going on between now and then. The thought of the run is frightening (not that much) and exciting (a lot). Doing a few of these organinzed runs/races this summer has been a blast. This competive energy that hasn't had a proper outlet since high school is allowed to come out. Normal runs become training runs. Those runs contain competition against yourself but being in the races it's a whole 'nother game.

so close

2 more sleeps. So much left to do, logistic wise, and I guess I should pack some stuff too.

Reading up on the Muse messageboard. The venue for Thursday's show sounds a bit sketchy.

Forecast for Chicago is hot. What I expected, but still a tad intimidating.

I still would like to share some more thoughts on Warped tour, don't know if it'll actually happen though.

Got new glasses today. I now have D&G senior-esque glasses. Feel free to point and laugh.

1 year of bliss is marked today. Love is trully a beautiful thing.

Warped

Warped on Thursday was a blast. I don't listen to a whole lot of emo/scremo/punk/hardcore anymore. One would think that this would sour a Warped experience. I beg to differ. I had a blast. The third straight one I've been to and I've had fun at all of them. This year's stop in Calgary was the best attended one I've been to. Calgary Hearlad write up say's 16 500 was the attendence. We arrived before the crowd was let into the staging area, a first for me. We were able to catch all the early sets before the majority of the crowd even arrived. By the middle of the afternoon the size of the crowd was striking. By the end of the day set's by NOFX & AFI were massive. Sunscreen and water were life savers. The day was a nice prep one for what it'll be like at Pitchfork & Lolla. My advice to all the festival goer's out there, be prepared. Sunscreen, as much water as they'll let you bring in, snacks if they are allowed, and a small day pack are a must. I wish I'd brought a bandana for the dust along with sun glasses. Live and learn. more thoughts to come...

Dancing Through Sunday

Bloody Hawt today. Didn't feel like doing anying but sleep.
AFI played the Shaw last nite. Good show, nice stage set-up and performance. The outfits were a great idea. Having seen them Thursday & last nite I must say that the use of taped stuff used in there performance is very disheartening for me. I like to see bands play all of the sounds coming from the stage. I don't want to see a Britney-esque performance with all sorts of pre-arranged music and lip-syncing and the like. On song's like 'love like winter' all the synth stuff and most of the background vocals were just the taped stuff that you hear on the record. How hard is it to add a keyboard player on stage. Band's like Green Day have added touring player's to accompany an ever expanding soundscope. To me it take's away from the experinece and does make me think twice about listening to the band in the future. I did not take any pics but I do have some from Warped, go here to see them. 5 sleeps till Chicago.

wiped from warped

very late...or early depending on how you look at it
recently arrived home from calgary
exausted
work in 4.5 hours
should sleep
before i do that i will share a pic

long haul

10 sleeps until Chicago. The trip should be amazing. It has gone overbudget a fair bit. That's life. I don't want to look back and think awe...I could of seen muse or could of seen cold war kids, I'm gonna see 'em, damnit, and it's gonna be kickass. Need to do a lot of research still, logistical stuff. Right now I'm pretty amped to see Voxtrot play the Pitchfork Pre-Party and of course Muse & Cold War Kids have the potential to be real highlights. I see that the Pitchfork Festival has posted times and stages. The connector stage is where I'll be parked for most of that fest. Any time I look at the Lolla schedule I come up with a different set of acts I wanna catch. I'll have to sort that out before I leave.

Last night I finally got my act together and registered for the half-marathon. 21km of pure fun. 5min/km is the pace I'm aiming for. I think I'm physically capable of doing better. Saying that I want a realistic goal and am factoring in that I've never ran the distance competively. It should be fun.

mmj

Holy Shit!
My Morning Jacket has been announced as the surprise guest for Lolla!
I hit Chicago in 20 days. Life is beautiful.

Dashboard put on a terrific show last nite. Pics at flickr.

Wilco last week made my all-time top 10, with potential for an even higher placing.

Added Mates of State w/ Cold War Kids concert to the Chi-Town ittenerary. It's part of the Lolla after show series, even though it's the nite before the fest.

cheers