geekent’s stuff’n things

03/07/2009

[...about me #143 - 150] 33 bands: 10 - 17

Filed under: ...about me — Tags: , , , , , , , — Graig @ 11:23 am

(what is 33 bands?)

Artist: Q-Tip/A Tribe Called Quest
Albums owned: Tribe - Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990); The Low End Theory (1991); Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveler (1992); Midnight Marauders (1993); Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996); The Love Movement (1998)
Q-Tip - Amplified
Eps owned: sadly, none
Album(s) missing: Tribe - Hits, Rarities & Remixes (2003); The Lost Tribes (2006)
Q-Tip - The Renaissance (2008)

Status: Q-Tip’s “lost album”, Kamaal/The Abstract, originally slated for 2002 release, then scrapped by the record co., will finally be released by Battery Records on September 15, 2009
A sixth Tribe record was discussed around 2006-2007 when the group reunited for touring but nothing since has been mentioned.

Personal history: Tribe was always my second hip-hop love to De La Soul, but upon relistening to the albums (see anew #134-140) the once-perennial seed has once again blossomed. I’d been anxiously awaiting Q-Tip’s second album for years, then kind of gave up hope, and completely missed it when it came out last year. It’s on the list of things to be corrected. I also forgot that I had the opportunity to see Tribe about a year and a half ago in Toronto, and didn’t take it. Dang.

Artist: Godspeed, You Black Emperor
Albums owned: Yanqui U.X.O.
Eps owned: none
Album(s) missing: lift yr. skinny fists like antennas to heaven! (2000); slow riot for new zero kanada (1999); f# a# oo (1998)
Status: on hiatus

Personal history: GAK introduced me to GSYBE on a mixedtape back in 1999 I believe, or perhaps it was a mixed cd in 2000. Either way, i was fascinated and a live show at a remodeled and restored Palais Royale way way back still resonates in my mind, as does their powerful contribution to the opening moments of 28 Days Later (remember when Danny Boyle was cool, not famous…? bah). GSYBE, I miss you.

Artist: Parkas
Albums owned: Now This Is Fighting (2003), Put Your Head In The Lion’s Mouth (2007)
Eps owned:A Life of Crime (2006)
Album(s) missing: none
Status: Currently recording their third album with Dale Morningstar… and then…?

Personal history: Even though I’ve known drummer Greg Rhyno, and bassist/vocalist Mark Rhyno since high school, do I put them on the list because I know them? Hell no. The Parkas are an amazing band, full stop. Having emerged from a tumultuous career path (see the near-brilliant “Life of Crime” DVD) stronger than ever a few years back, they make fun, exciting rock and-or roll, with clever and catchy lyrics and deliver one of the best working man live shows around. New material is most definitely welcome, and anticipated.

Artist: Golden Dogs
Albums owned: Everything In Three Parts (2004); Big Eye, Little Eye (2006)
Eps owned: none
Album(s) missing: none
Status: Currently recording

Personal history: Even though married leads Dave Azzolini and Jessica Grassia are originally from Thunder Bay, I didn’t actually come across the Golden Dogs until 2006, and even that was by happenstance (of which I can’t remember). Impetuously infectious and a killer energetic live show, with a wildly varied and grandiose sound, they could be from Duluth or Bruges and I’d still be just as enthusiastic. I also have a yellow t-shirt with the “target” emblem from their last album which I just love love lurve. Their video for “Never Meant Any Harm” still ranks as one of my favourite all-time videos:

Artist: Matt Murphy
Albums owned: The Super Friendz - Mock Up, Scale Down (1995); Slide Show (1996); Love Energy (2003)
The Flashing Lights - Where the Change Is (1999); Sweet Release (2001)
Guy Terrifico - The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico (2005)
Eps owned: The Flashing Lights - Elevature EP (2000)
City Field - Authentic City ep (2004)
Album(s) missing: none
Status: Supposedly recording a new Super Friendz album…

Personal history: I was introduced to Matt Murphy and his Super Friendz by the aforementioned Parkas, Greg and Mark Rhyno, way back in 2005, when their pre-Parkas endeavour, Phasers on Stun, opened for the Halifax based band at a tiny little place with a foot-high stage and low ceilings whose name escapes me (I saw Hayden there too). Chris Murphy of Sloan was filling in on drums for their tour, I recall, and I remember him saying that Mark had the best hair in Rock and Roll. Anywho, I bought Mock Up, Scale Down then and there, and it’s been probably my favorite Canadian rock album ever since. Their track “Karate Man” was at one time adapted into chapter 3 of my novel Quarter City but was later excised.

Their second album, Slide Show wasn’t well received, which I couldn’t ever figure out, since I’ve enjoyed it immensely from the get go. It’s not as poppy as their debut, but it does show growth and maturity. I knew the Super Friendz had sadly disbanded but I was over the moon to discover the Flashing Lights in 2000, and to see them live a bunch of times in 2001. The track “Do It To Yourself” on Sweet Release is one of my all-time favourite songs. It was bittersweet to hear that the Flashing Lights disbanded so that the Super Friendz could reunite, creating Love Energy, followed by Matt Murphy’s unexpected performance as the titular legendary 70’s country music sensation in the mocumentary film The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico. The album which resulted from the film was incredible, and the celebratory live/farewell show for the DVD release was a great time, full of nudie suits and pedal steel guitars. Taking a back-seat in his girlfriend’s band, the B-52’s inspired City Field, Murphy’s contribution is still quite tangible. He’s been rather absent since Guy Terrifico disappeared, but whatever he does next, I’m there. The man can cross genres and styles with ease, and is a damn fine entertainer.

Artist: Rod Slaughter/Novillero
Albums owned: Duotang - Smash the Ships and Raise the Beams (1996); The Cons & The Pros (1998); The Bright Side (2001)
Novillero - The Brindleford Follies (2002); Aim Right for the Holes in Their Lives (2005)
Eps owned: n/a
Album(s) missing: Novillero - A Little Tradition (2008)
Status: Active, just coming off touring.

Personal history: I don’t actually recall how I came across Duotang. Was it a live show in Thunder Bay? Late-night CBC Radio of Brave New Waves? MuchMusic back when they actually played music videos? Honestly don’t recall. But I remember making a choice between two a bass ‘n’ drums duos, them and The Inbreds. While I like both, I threw my hat in with the Winnepeg-based band and followed them for years, across three albums and at least four live shows. Duotang’s frontman, the brilliantly named Rod Slaughter, had dabbled with the Winnepeg mega-band Novillero between albums back in 1999, but it seemed to be a bit of a passing phase, only when Duotang split up, he threw himself right back into it, and while the first album was decent, the sophomore release was incredible. They’ve been active ever since, achieving some modest success. I missed out on their 2008 release, which will have to be corrected.

Artist: Interpol
Albums owned: Our Love to Admire (2007)
Eps owned: none
Album(s) missing: Turn on the Bright Lights (2002); Antics (2004)
Status: Working on a 4th album, expected in 2010.

Personal history: GAK introduced me to Interpol back in 2000/2001 on a mixed cd, and lent me an early EP, and I didn’t really get it. They didn’t strike me as interesting and I found their sound rather monotonous. Somehow, though, they found their way onto my iPod (probably when I had GAK’s entire CD collection for about 2 years) and one day, with Paul Bank’s dulcet tones ringing in my ear, I became enraptured. There’s a rock-steady consistency to Interpol’s sound which, the more their catalog builds, the more comforting it becomes, and the more they become the heirs to post-punk royal crown. I find their sound to have great momentum, perfect driving music (more daytime than nighttime though).

Artist: Ratatat
Albums owned: Ratatat (2004), Remixes vol.2 (2007)
Eps owned: none
Album(s) missing: Classics (2006), LP3 (2008), Remixes vol.1 (2004)
Status: active

Personal history: Ratatat makes stadium rock for your headphones. It was the video for “Cherry” that drew me in and while I don’t have much in the way of personal attachment, it’s really just that their instrumental merger of hip hop, guitar rock, and laptop electronica just pleases me. Their two volumes of Remixes, made available for free on their website at one time or another, (likely making rounds on the torrent sites), made some very mediocre rap palatable.

—
33 bands (in no particular order):
1. The National
2. Modest Mouse
3. De La Soul
4. TV on the Radio
5. The Futureheads
6. !!!
7. Menomena
8. Danger Mouse
9. Damon Albarn
10. Q-Tip/A Tribe Called Quest
11. Godspeed, You Black Emperor
12. Parkas
13. The Golden Dogs
14. Matt Murphy
15. Rod Slaughter/Novillero
16. Interpol
17. Ratatat

02/07/2009

[...consumed anew #144] Night Watch

Filed under: ...consumed anew — Tags: — Graig @ 1:17 pm

Over the past five or so years in blogging I’ve reviewed, or at the very least, mentioned every film that I’ve watched, with only one exception (until recently when I didn’t review “Horton Hears a Who” or “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”… on the former decent kiddie film based off Dr. Seuss with a merger of cel-[styled] and digital animation techniques, while the latter was the weakest of David Fincher’s films (even beneath Alien3 and Panic Room), taking on a cheeky Tim Burton-esque flair, only the characters’ choices and decisions, especially in the climax, were very hard to swallow), Night Watch.

Based, roughly, on the popular Russian anthology series written by Sergei Lukyanenko, Night Watch is the first in a trilogy (Day Watch being the second and Twilight Watch, or Dusk Watch, currently in pre-production, the third) based off the four books Lukyanenko has published (”Final Watch” was his other). This movie takes elements from the first two books (”Night Watch” and “Day Watch”) each containing three novella-sized stories, loosely inter-connected) while the sequel is based the two other tales of “Night Watch”

The DVD version I bought in the UK (Region 2) has 2 discs (where as the domestic only features one), one featuring the extended cut, the other the Theatrical version. The extended cut doesn’t have the absolutely funky subtitles that I recalled from seeing in the theatre (I’ve not checked the Theatrical version to see if it has them) which is too bad, because the subtitles were like a whole other facet to the viewing experience.

There’s a commentary with director Timur Bekmambetov and a text commentary with Lukyenanko, both of which I hope to peruse at some point, because I love the film. It seems so long ago (although Night Watch didn’t emerge into North American theatres until over a year after it had set box office records in Russia) but it was really only 4 years ago that I entered the strange world and supernatural powers of the Others, and the jarred truce between the light and dark.

The film’s look and feel masks brilliantly its unbelievably modest budget, and is directed with vigor and flair by Bekmambetov. It’s no surprise why Hollywood came calling nor that it was primarily the director that made Wanted a hit. Night Watch and Day Watch are incredibly symbiotic as films, to the point that I was looking for scenes that I remembered from Day Watch whilst revisiting Night Watch.

By using the Lukyenanko’s densely constructed world of good and evil policing one another, the films veer off on their own course, like an alternate dimension version of the books, providing a bit more focus and a cohesive story amidst the unusual and often unexplained backdrop. It’s a dark film full of wonder, a grown-up fable, not as fanciful like Burton or Del Toro, nor as excessively generic as Spielberg or Cameron, but somewhere in between.

27/05/2009

[...consumed all new #144] Warlord of IO and Other Stories (one-shot)

Filed under: ...consumed all new — Tags: — Graig @ 10:00 am

warcover1Now Not appearing at a comic store near you: James Turner’s Warlord of IO.

Hot off the heels of his well received series Rex Libris, you would think that Turner’s next venture would be hotly anticipated by fans and retailers alike, but apparently orders for this introductory issue to the ongoing series did not meet monopolistic comics distributor Diamond’s new order cut off minimum criteria. Is this Diamond’s fault? The publishers? Retailers? Fans? Critics? The economy? All of the above, methinks. While on the one hand I think that Diamond’s order minimum presents a survival of the fittest scenario that reduces the number of comics flooding the stands every month, on the other hand sales ranking is the worst qualifier of what makes a worthwhile comic, and it’s a fairly callous and purely economical policy on Diamond’s part. Could SLG have promoted Warlord of IO better? Sure. Could retailers and fans have paid more attention? Sure. Does the economy suck, thus making retailers and readers much more cautious of new product, and constricting smaller publishers’ ability to promote new material? Sure. Could critics have helped draw more attention to the book? I know I’ve been unfortunately sitting on reviewing it for about a month now. About the only contingent that is not at fault here is the product.

That Diamond will not solicit the book bodes ill for the ongoing Warlord of IO series, in that it will not be available to hold in your hot little hands, but also, more than likely, reducing James Turners drive to work on the book, and if reports are to be trusted, perhaps on comics altogether. Turner is one of the medium’s freshest storytelling voices, and on the shortlist of most unique illustrator. Here’s a man who has only two other projects under his belt (Nil and Rex Libris), but together with Warlord of IO, showcase a singularly unique vision of the medium, equal parts innovative and accessible, artistic and yet (should be) commercially viable. Publisher SLG stands behind Turner, as they do with other talents they’ve nurtured, from Evan Dorkan to Roman Dirge, Jhonen Vasquez to Tommy Kovac, and they will still be making the series available as a digital comic as long as Turner wishes to produce it. But, if you’re like me, until there’s a good portable, affordable digital comics reader on the market you would much prefer the tactile, ecologically unsound paper version. At least if Turner maintains his interest there will invariably be a collected edition to look out for.

26/05/2009

[...learned #144] attending Stratford festival?

Filed under: ...learned — Tags: — Graig @ 5:10 pm

Steer clear of May and early-to-mid June dates, as these plays may be booked up by high schools and thus the theatre flooded with teenagers, ruining your experience. Lots of whispering, tittering in inappropriate places, and a general audience disturbance.
Me = grumpy old man.
Our last Stratford experience was in July and it was actually quite pleasant.

24/05/2009

[...i ate #142-144] brunch

Filed under: ...i ate — Tags: , , — Graig @ 3:23 pm

Had brunch with Joany and Cap (the second sunday in a row we’ve been entertained.. hooray we’re social), with the ulterior motive of unloading them of some of Willow’s baby stuff. They more than obliged on the latter and Joany made a delicious brunch of french toast (made with a fruit bread, yum), and cinnamon sausages (double yum), served with a blueberry frizzle. Thanks for all Joany!

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