Sunday, February 23rd, 2003
So this February blahs thing. It’s for real, isn’t it? It should be some comfort to know that people the world-wide (or at least those in the northern hemisphere) are similarly unmotivated, mopey and generally unimpressed with the state of things right now. It should be, but really it’s not. The shortest and most dismal month of the year has got just five days and a bit to go (126 hours if we’re counting), so what’s the excuse if everyone doesn’t immediately start feeling better on the first of March? Who’s to blame? Of course I’m being pedantic. Just ignore me. It’ll pass.
I updated the mp3 of the week. I haven’t listened to any Lush in ages. It’s interesting to listen to their distinctive chiming, chorused guitars and angelic vocals – While there’s nothing about it that sounds dated, I can’t imagine there’ll ever be another band that puts those same ingredients together so effectively again.
I love Christopher Walken. I only caught part of his stint on Saturday Night Live last night, but I swear – seeing that man say or do ANYTHING puts me in stitches. I would pay good money to hear hiim read this old gem from The Onion aloud.
Here’s a little-known tidbit. Walken is credited with a cameo on The Simpsons wherein he reads from Goodnight, Moon to children at a book fair (“‘Goodnight room. Goodnight Moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon.’ Please, children, scootch closer. Don’t make me tell you *again* about the scootching. You in the red, chop-chop.”). However – that is not him. It’s actually Jay Mohr. Do with that knowledge what you will.
np – Elvis Costello / Extreme Honey
Saturday, February 22nd, 2003
So welcome to my first official post from the new computer. Swapped my soundcards and moved my data hard drive over this morning, and everything is running tip-top. It’s fast. XP is pretty.
Billboard has an interview with Mark Gardener about the upcoming solo tour, which is specifically to promote the American release of OX4 : The Best Of Ride. It will be predominantly Ride material from the best of, with some older tracks that didn’t make the compilation cut and a couple of his new solo tracks. Can you say, ‘excited’? Good, I knew you could.
Forecasts call for the wrath of God to be dumped on Southern Ontario over the next day and a half, but in snow, freezing rain and rain form rather than blood and locusts. It’s gonna be one of those days for staying indoors. Which I can do, with my new computer and guitar to keep me company. Huzzah.
np – Galaxie 500 / Copenhagen
Friday, February 21st, 2003
I’m getting word that Fountains of Wayne has signed to S-Curve Records, the bastion of indie-rock goodness that brought you… the Baha Men, and will be releasing the new album in late Summer. Um. Okay. That’s… different. I don’t know how this gels with earlier reports that the new album was called Mexican Wine and was going to be out on a subsidiary of Virgin this Spring. There has been no official word from the band on anything in many months, either way.
Bright Eyes are bringing their travelling spit-shower roadshow back to T.O. on May 5, with professional Scottish mopers Arab Strap in tow.
np – The Pernice Brothers / The World Won’t End
Thursday, February 20th, 2003
This is the funniest blog ever.
Got to put the new axe through its paces tonight at rehearsal. Except for microphonics coming from the bridge which I’ll have to figure out how to eliminate, it was sounding pretty good. I think I could do the entire set with the one guitar, it’s got enough different tones in it. Very nice.
517 had to go back to work afterwards, so we headed out to the east end to drop him off. En route, we passed the Toronto headquarters of the Hell’s Angels. I had no preconceptions of how a Hell’s Angel headquarters should look, so I guess a nondescript white building with picnic tables stacked outside is as good a base of operations as any. But I think I had hoped it’d be something more… biker-y. Whatever that means.
Otherwise, slow day. Actually, very busy day, but not a very interesting one.
np – Versus / Lets Electrify!
Wednesday, February 19th, 2003
Oh good, on top of the reissues of the three Rockville Uncle Tupelo albums by Legacy/Columbia, their major-label swansong Anodyne is also being expanded and remastered by Rhino and being released the same day. So instead of buying three albums I already have, I’ll be buying four.
So I’m still not making this entry from my new compter, but it’s not because I can’t. MDG did right by me by having a whole new box made up for me when I went in this afternoon. Everything worked fine in the store so I bring it home. I suspect the problem had to do with my plugging in my old keyboard, which may not be XP-compatible. I say this because as soon as I plugged this one in, the thing froze again. This time, however, it recovered on reboot with my new keybaord plugged in. Anyway, new box is puttering along downloading all sorts of illegal software. After I get everything installed, I still have to swap some hardware. I figure I should be ready to swap systems by the weekend – no rush.
Also in the ‘sorting shit out’ department, I finished wiring up the new Telecaster. Everything works as I want… as soon as I get the new neck, which is in the mail as I type, then the uber-axe will be all tricked up and ready to rock the casbah.
The Mark Gardener show is at Lee’s, April 12. That’s a Saturday night, so I expect it’ll be an early show so as to let the little Blow-Up kiddies get in there and do their thing by 11. Tickets are already available, $13 at Rotate This.
np – Beulah / When Your Heartstrings Break
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