Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Faces of Suicide
Check out this video on suicide by Shane Christensen.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Alpha Male By Lannon McGregor

Alpha male has broken his cage,
Gnaws on bones and rusty blades.
Hard as fuck!" his snarls say,
His breath is warm, rotten decay.
Fangs are yellow, with rabid foam,
Arms are inked up, flexing tone,
Chest is pumped up, breathing slowly,
Dressed-up peacock - head to toe.
Lives in flashy, cool success,
Skanks swarm to his quick caress,
While his pack scavenges on those he’s left,
And howl - these horny, lonely pests.
Those who fly outside his flock,
Watch in silence, hushed they scoff,
"It's not so great" they whisper soft,
But who wouldn’t love to be on top?
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Marina and the Diamonds tour with Coldplay

Marina and the Diamonds have found themselves a plum position – touring with Coldplay during Coldplay’s summer world tour. Elektra’s latest recording talent will also be touring parts of North America as a headliner during this tour. Marina and the Diamonds’ tour schedule will coincide with the release of her second album, Electra Heart (July 17th, 2012). For ticket and current information, go to her site. .
Fortunately for Canadians, Marina and the Diamonds' North American tour includes two nights in Toronto (July 23rd, 24th); two evenings in Montreal (July 26th, 27th), and a performance at our ever-popular Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver (July 15th). Hmm, Air Canada Centre, Bell Centre, or … The Commodore? I have a feeling Marina’s Vancouver tickets will quickly sell out.

Although Electra Heart has not yet been released, the single ‘Primadonna’, is currently available on itunes. The song is doing exceptionally well in the UK, and there has been a lot of anticipation regarding Marina’s latest venture due to her musical collaborations with Dr Luke, Rick Nowels, Liam Howe, Greg Kurstin and Diplo

Marina and the Diamonds should be familiar to the public due to the wide coverage of her 2009 debut album, ‘The Family Jewels’. She was also a winner at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards. There has also been discussion about her single, ‘Radioactive’ and its youtube clip, seen here.
Here’s a BBC bio I found online.
Suicide is Painless... or is it
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Warners and Sealed With a Kiss' Upcoming Tours
Dawes
Date: November 10
Place: The Rickshaw
Tickets: Red Cat Records, Zulu Records
Hey Rosetta
Date: Saturday, Nov 12
Place: Commodore
Tickets: Live Nation
THE REASON
Date: Tues/Wed Nov 15/16
Place: Commodore
Tickets: Live Nation
Tune Yards
Date Friday, November 18
Place: The Biltmore
Tickets: Red Cat Records, Zulu Records
Andrew WK
Date: Saturday, Nov 26
Place: Rickshaw Theatre
Tickets: Red Cat Records, Zulu Records, Scratch Records
The National
Date: Mon., November 28th/ Tues Nov 29
Place: The Orpheum
Tickets: Ticketmaster
*MEAGHAN SMITH
Date: Tues. Nov 29
Place: Media Club
Tickets: Media Club
Blind Pilot
Date: Saturday, Dec 3
Place: Venue
Tickets: Red Cat Records, Zulu Records
Cass McCombs
Date: Tues., December 6
Place: Electric Owl
Tickets: Red Cat Records and Zulu Records
Papercuts
Date: Friday, Dec. 9
Place: The Waldorf
Tickets: Ticketmaster, Red Cat Records, Zulu Records
Tennis
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 13
Place: Biltmore
Tickets: ticketweb.ca
JIM CUDDY
Date: Sat. Jan 7
Place: The Vogue
Tickets: Live Nation
THE LOW ANTHEM
Date: Thurs/Fri Jan 19/20
Place: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Tickets: Live Nation
Youth Lagoon
Date: Friday, Jan 20
Place: The Biltmore
Tickets: Red Cat Records, Zulu Records, Ticketmaster
SIMPLE PLAN
Date: Sat Feb. 11
Place: Pacific Coliseum
Tickets: Live Nation
*MEGADETH
Date: Mon. Feb 20th
Place: Abbotsford Sports Arena
Tickets: Live Nation
*STRAIGHT NO CHASER
Date: Thurs. March 15
Place: The Vogue
Tickets: Union Events
* NEW SHOW ADDED ON THE LIST
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Rules For a Couch Gypsy by Lannon Mcgregor

There are several steps to ensure that you get sufficient rest while sleeping on a couch. Trust me, I know, I've grown up moving from couch to couch – belonging to family and friends whose hearts are way too big for human chests.
There was the Radonich era. Now THAT, was a couch. Double-wide, soft and nicely broken in. And faithful Buddy, my best friend, occasionally sleeping right at the foot.
Then there were the Riders’ Pub days. First with Jaymie, my cousin who occupied a bachelor suite. Coulda been trouble, but we were often too drunk to care.
And Chris down the hall. His couch was not quite as comfy, but a classy one nonetheless. (That is, until a lady friend and I had an accident and broke it. Sorry Chris).
Which brings us to Jenna and Ryan (who hold the glory of coining the phrase "couch gypsy"). These were (at least) four months of the most unforgettable couch surfing the world has to offer.
More recently, and not to be forgotten, the Topnik residence. So here’s some couch gypsy rules:
The first step is:
1. Forget it's a couch. It's really just a giant pillow of surreal comfort.
2. The backrest is your friend. Sure, you don’t have the full room of a bed in the conventional sense, but if you put yer leg up on that baby – POW - queen size!
3. Try and have clean clothes to slip into. This goes double if you've been drinking ‘cause you'll sweat like a bastard.
4. Always respect and honor those who have giving up their private comfort for your night of sanctity. Trust me, I've been on the other end, and it can be a real sacrifice.
5. Fold the damn blanket after you use it. These people were kind enough to share their space for the night, so do your best to clean u
p after yourself.
Follow these quick and easy rules for a night of unforgettable sleep. Whether it's a hide-a-bed or a love seat, just remember, it beats fighting off junkies in an alley for a piece of newspaper to lay on.
Peace out.
Little Miss Whalley

Through skin and scabs,
In hopes of finding a vein;
Beneath the bathroom’s light,
Maybe this hit might,
Kill off all her pain.
The blood looks black,
But she pours it back,
Through a hole between her toes;
She rolls her eyes,
With a pleasured sigh,
Forgetting everything she knows.
She awakes,
To hunger pains,
But not ones for a meal;
So she walks the streets,
A piece of meat,
What she'll do just not to feel.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Terry Lowe's John Butler Trio Concert Review (repost of 2008)
The word "trio" is usually reserved for jazz ensembles, and there were some similarities here: the upright-bass player, who also played a standard electric bass guitar, at times played his acoustic bass with a bow; they played extended instrumental pieces; and the musical range was all over the map. There, though, the similarities ended.They are excellent musicians, far more instrumentalists than singers/"rock stars" who revel in mixing and matching genres and making it work. They are very versatile, imaginative, and well-rehearsed. John Butler is a superb string player (who also plays a banjo), and can coax an amazing range of sounds from an amplified 12-string acoustic guitar. The drummer was also very good, and even had a Jamaican steel drum that he played with pom-pons. And the bass player stood there and held it all together, as good bass players should.
The audience was thoroughly familiar with the material, even if I wasn't, and they loved it. This band is definitely original, and I was left wishing I'd known more about them going in (there's always time to learn), and was puzzled by the crowds' reaction at times.I've been to any number of jazz shows over the years, and seen some famous players (Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Frank Zappa, and even Captain Beefheart). I've also been to classic punk shows and seen The Clash, Iggy Pop, DOA, and so forth. At jazz shows, the audience applauds solos, but there's no mosh pit and no one EVER pogos. At the punk shows, no one cared about solos ("Wankers!"), or even cared much about music - there it was all rebellious attitude.Here, the crowd's reaction was a strange merger of the two. They both applauded the solo instrumental and pogo'd. I've never seen anything quite like it. And, outside of jazz shows, I'd never seen any band sit down and play an instrumental piece (Ocean) that went on for 15 minutes, yet still keep the crowd's rapt attention.Image from smh.com.au
I was very impressed by this band, and admire their virtuosity and originality. If you're as clueless as I am about under-the-radar musicians, the John Butler Trio might just be the best band you've never heard of.Members of the band are: John Butler, Michael Barker, Shannon BirchallThanks to Aaron for supplying the following set list:Company Sin
Used To Get High
Somethings Gotta Give
Treat Your Mama
Caroline
Thank You
Gov Did Nothing
Good As Gone
Ocean
Satisfy
Groovin' Slowly
Zebra
Good Excuse
(encore)
Losing You w/Mama Kin
Better Than
Funky Tonight
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Enter Shikari By: Ian Albrecht Band Review

Enter Shakiri formed in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, in 2003. Since then they have released three albums: their debut, Take to the Skies, Common Dreads, andDestabilise. Their label, Ambush Reality (est. 2006) currently only lists Enter Shakiri in their stable of artists. (The band recently noted that much of their stock was affected by a fire started during the 2011 England Riots.)
The members of the band are: Roughton “Rou” Reynolds (lead vocals, keyboards , acoustic guitar, synthesizers and programming); Liam “Rory” Clewlow (backing vocals and guitars);Chris “Batty C” Batten (backing vocals and bass), and finally, Rob Rolfe (drums and percussion). Their individual abilities and sounds mesh together into a perfect musical blend, similar to the group Story of the Year's members.
As I mentioned, I've been playing this CD consistently since last Fall and I consider each of its songs to be ‘gold’. (A hard feat, given how critical I can be.) Two songs I’d like to highlight (for anyone new to the band) are Mothership and Sorry, You’re Not a Winner.
Mothership has an all round cool, haunting sound combined with unnerving structure; reminiscent of System of a Down. Mothership charted as “single of the week” when released on itunes. It has an unpredictable blend of trance and hardcore. You cannot settle into an Enter Shakiri song, predicting the upcoming melody ‘cause they’ll deliver something totally unexpected.
Sorry, You’re not a winner (my favourite) is simply… awesome – great vocals, amazing guitar, wicked bass, thrashing drums, mad hook, intelligent lyrics and a good mix up of trance electronics. As well, another interesting feature is the band’s incorporation of the audience/crowd. Gamers should recognize this song from 08 NHL’s EA Sportsvideo, and Madden 08.
(Interestingly, Enter Shakiri’s released songs continue to chart high, despite not being released in a physical format e.g. CD or on vinyl. This was purposely done at the band’s request.) Another unusual fact - Enter Shakiri is the second unsigned (by choice) band to sell out a concert at London’s Astoria. Clearly, this is a band we’ll be shadowing for some time to come.

Get Destabilised today - you won’t regret it (you might regret the time you wasted not knowing of their existence).
Here is a sampling of Enter Shikari’s nominations and awards.2010: Nominated for “Best British Band”
2009: Nominated for “Best Live Band”
2007: Won Breakthrough Artist of the Year
2007: Won “Best Band Live”
2007: Won “Spirit of Independence”
2007: Won Rock Sounds magazine’s poll for “Who’s going to make it?”
2007: Won John Peel Award for Musical Innovation
2006: Nominated for Best British Newcomer
Don’t be surprised if Enter Shakiri’s next release is less synthesizer and more post hardcore. They got our attention by blending two unlikely sounds (trance and hardcore); now wait for them to discover yet another spiraling, uncharted soundscape.
Enter Shakiri's quote: "If you stand for nothing, you will fall for everything."














