Cary Brothers Band Concert Review Christine Albrecht

Richards on Richards July 16

Medium to Small Capacity

Prior to attending the three band line-up at Richards on Richards, the only things I knew about the headlining act, Cary Brothers Band were: a) Cary Brothers is from Nashville, b) he is good friends with Zach Braff (who gave him a career break by putting his song ‘Blue Eyes’ on ‘Garden State’s soundtrack, c) Cary Brothers is one person, not a band, and d) I love his song, All the Rage.

As soon as Cary Brothers Band took the stage, it was obvious that he was no longer a one man show. Surprisingly, there were two extra guitarists, a keyboardist, and a drummer. Cary made a point (his first of many) of explaining that this was his first time playing with a band in Canada.

Cary Brothers Band began their set and the sound was pleasant, vocals on pitch, quite soothing. At times it was difficult to hear his lyrics as his words were never crisp or clear, more mumbled. The band appeared redundant as Cary’s opener and following songs did not require, or fully utilize the band. The audience instantly recognized the lyrics to ‘Ride’ and you could see a few of the faithful singing along.

I found more gals were lingering in front of the stage than males; the fellows having drifted off towards the back of the dance floor. Unfortunately, I was also made aware of some gals in front/centre of the stage, hell bent on getting any band member’s attention. This was done through hair flicking, nuzzling/ kissing one another if a band member glanced in their direction, taking pictures of themselves with their cells to ‘share’, leaning forward against the stage speakers, flashing wide smiles and laughing uproariously at some private joke one had whispered in another’s ear - all while the band was in mid-song! I wondered what on earth they came for - the music, or a Cary Brothers’ band member? Despite my lengthy history of concert attendance, this trio stumped me.

Cary Brothers Band third song was introduced with a story about a girl Cary dated who turned out to be ‘crazy’; started stealing ‘shit’ from him and ‘got crazier’. (Midway, he threw out a ‘let’s face it, all women are pretty crazy’ generalization, searching the spattering of male faces for confirmation). He finished with, so I wrote this song about her called, ‘Something’. Along with his girlfriend woe stories, I found Cary Brothers’ frat boy, ‘Let’s get drunk and party’ attitude to be at odds with his articulate and sensitive music.

I was growing tired of the slow, moody set and became restless, standing, sitting, wandering, and seriously questioning if some interesting tunes would kick in. There was absolutely no interaction between Cary and his band and I would venture to guess that they didn’t even know each other (and perhaps that is why he failed to introduce or even acknowledge them to the crowd?)

Voilá, the band launched into a rocking, solid song ‘Supposed to be’‘ with full band accompaniment and I finally got a glimpse of the talent that everyone else has been talking about. Brilliant performance. As well, when Cary launched into ‘Waiting For Your Letter‘, the percussion was great, the band started interacting with each other, and the rhythm of the guitars was stirring. The full band complement sounded great in all the right places and I finally got excited about this band.

He proceeded into his next song by announcing ‘This is for all of you motherfuckers in Canada. I was dating a gal in L.A. and things were crazy, but when we travelled to Canada everything was great. But as soon as we got back to L.A...” she was miserable again and...’ Hmm, I’m seeing a pattern in Cary’s romantic relationships, and I doubt that it is always the girl who turns out to be the loose cannon. After the rousing intro (‘Yeah and this is for you too, you fucker, watching Leno on T.V..’ - directed to the DJ squirrelled away in his back booth and apparently with a T.V.. on.) The song had a slow start but a good bridge, yet again the lyrics were indistinguishable.

As Cary chatted up the next tune I kept my fingers crossed for another up tempo tune to maintain the crowd’s momentum. (I play for Jack Daniels he joked, so feel free to get me a couple.) But it wasn’t to happen. When he started to explain that he was a ‘child of the ‘80s’ and the next song may have an ‘80s vibe, I (once again) became intrigued only to be left disappointed as he mumbled his way through yet another lovely, boring ballad. The Last One I had had enough. Too many times I had been prepared for something with meat, only to sit through another ‘pretty’ song.

Why does Cary Brothers need a band? While singing his ballads (the majority of his set) only his guitar is really needed, and any accompanying music was not distinguishable or set apart either through lights or physical positioning. Cary’s singing was very nice, but his proximity to the mic made for a lot of muffled words and sounds.

Cary once said in an interview (on Zach Braff’s site, I believe) that a singer needs to be fearless and willing to fall on his ass. ’... The people I respect the most as artists are the ones who fell and got back up again. I don’t think you can really succeed until you stumble...’Given that Cary ascribes to this train of thought, I hope he will view his Richards on Richards performance as a ‘stumble’, return with a more polished audience banter, reconfigure his song sequence, and thoroughly engage and utilize his band.

6/10

Stars of Track and Field Concert Review By: Christine Albrecht

Richards on Richards, Small to Medium Capacity

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Swank's Superficial observations. As usual, we feel it's our duty to make general, superficial and completely biased observations. (And we certainly aren't changing tradition this late into the game.)

The Richards on Richards crowd was small, with the top count at approximately 100. The male to female ratio was 50:50. Audience response to the bands had the males preferring Stars of Track and Field, whereas the females appeared more enamoured with The Cary Brothers. (Over the years we have noted that male interest in a band appears to be a good indicator of a band's public duration). The crowd was young, averaging 23 years of age (if even). The overall appearance of the crowd gave the impression of a college/university fan base. Definitely not trend-setters (nor followers) with jeans and sneakers being the uniform of choice.

The Stars of Track and Field were the second act in a three band lineup, with The Cary Brothers headlining. Mother Mother opened the show with SoTaF following. I have noted that the following words (lush, dreamy, atmospheric, rich, textured, layered) are often overused by the Media when describing SoTaF's music so I will attempt to avoid the list.

SoTaF is comprised of Kevin Calaba (vox, guitar), Jason Bell (vox, guitar) and Daniel Orvik (drums). The band's presentation is minimalistic, the sparse set allows focus on the music rather than a bells & whistles distraction. SoTaF bring to mind the art-house movie vibe - a tad pretentious, yet undeniably talented.

'Melodic precision', I had written repeatedly in my notebook. Kevin Cabala's vocals are achingly beautiful. He emits every emotion possible and his clear, fluid enunciation allowed me to recognize... how obscure the lyrics are! This is one area I had trouble with. I found it hard to fully appreciate the band's musical direction because of the obtuse lyrical content. Then again, it could be me who is obtuse, and the lyric's meaning/intent is very obvious to others. I also found that towards the end of the set, I was wishing for more diversity in the overall tone and tempo.

Kevin and Jason were good at engaging the crowd while staging the songs. Not having a bass player wasn't a detriment to this act, and perhaps even helped to push them more into the media spotlight (media jumped on their decision not to replace their bassist a couple of years ago). Their use, and manipulation of samplers, programmed fillers, and drum machine question the need for a bassist and provide a good marriage to their incredible vocals. Two songs were prefaced with, 'We haven't played these songs before', making the crowd feel as though we were privy to a secret preview. Sometimes I found the herky-jerky moves, jumps from the drum platform, and leg kicks were contrary to the songs' tempos. Jason's enthusiastic playing, and stage antics did not seem to correspond to the songs they were performing. In hindsight, I suppose they can't simply stand and harmonize a la balladeers, as the audience would eventually lose visual interest.

Also, Jason was intriguing to the point where I wish I had a mute switch. At times, his physical contortions and hand sweeps/flutters are so expressive I wanted to watch him perform (on mute) to try and determine which gestures went with which songs.

Superficially, the band's appearance left me with a couple of questions. Why is 'I miss you' written on Jason's guitar? Why do they wear neck kerchiefs/ scarves in every media photo (and apparently during gigs as well)? Why is there a cd taped into the Jason's guitar's soundhole, and how does that affect the overall guitar sound?

Stars of Track and Field are definitely an act to follow. Their sound is reminiscent of Doves, Coldplay, Starsailor, yet is not. I only give these comparisons as a nudge in a potential direction for those newbies ready to take in their concert. If you are expecting a jangly, jarring, ear vibrating rock act, this is not the band for you. If you are looking for a melodic alternative rock act, with an art-house aesthetic, then you're in the right place.

8/10

Set List

Centuries,Arithmatik, Say Hello, In Bright Fire, Dying of Light, Movies of Antarctica, Exit the Recital, With You, This Could Break Your Heart

Upcoming Tour Dates

With The Cary Brothers

7/18/07 Bourbon Street @ Big Easy, Boise, ID

7/19/07 Burt's Tiki Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT

7/21/07 Soiled Dove, Denver, CO

7/23/07 The Waiting Room, Omaha, NE

7/24/07 Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN

7/26/07 Schubas Tavern, Chicago, IL

With Smashing Pumpkins

7/27/07 The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA

7/28/07 The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA

With The Cary Brothers

7/29/07 El Mocambo, Toronto, ON

7/30/07 Petit Campus, Montreal

7/31/07 Higher Ground, Burlington, VT

8/1/07 Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA

8/3/07 Paradise Lounge, Boston, MA

8/4/07 Belleayre Music Festival, Highmount, NY

8/6/07 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

8/7/07 Dante Hall Theater of the Arts, Atlantic City, NJ

8/8/07 World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA

8/9/07 Jammin' Java, Vienna, VA

8/10/07 Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC

8/11/07 Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA

8/12/07 Zydeco, Birmingham, AL

8/14/07 Exit Inn, Nashville, TN

8/15/07 Blueberry Hill St. Louis, MO

8/17/07 House of Blues, Dallas, TX

8/18/07 Stubb's Bar-B-Que, Austin, TX

8/20/07 Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ

8/21/07 Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach, CA

8/22/07 Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA

Bumbershoot 2007

9/2/07 Bumber Shoot, Seattle, WA

View a hilarious video interviewing SoTaF at

Stars of Track and Field

Stars of Track and Field Myspace

Windup Records

The Polyphonic Spree Concert Review Christine Albrecht

An Extremely Verbose Review
July 13, 2007
Commodore Ballroom Full Capacity

Overhead at various points in the evening (by more than one!): Is this your first ‘Spree experience’?... Oh? Yes, it’s my 3rd... I felt is was a... euphoric... freeing experience. I don't think I've ever felt so happy...A lot of adjectives were being bandied about after Polyphonic Spree’s Commodore gig, but the one that kept surfacing was joyous. What the hell? Pause. Well now... okay... right then. Who am I to devalue their experience?

Hailing from Dallas, Texas The Polyphonic Spree have found their niche in the indie market thanks to the hard work, self promotion and thorough dedication of founder, Tim DeLaughter.

Images from www.petenema.com/concert

The core members in The Polyphonic Spree are Tim DeLaughter, Mark Pirro, and Brian Wakeland joined by a continuous revolving influx of 7-20 musicians. For those in the ‘music know’ the three main members of TPS are also the former members of Tripping Daisy, a popular 90’s act which disbanded after drummer, Wes Berggren’s, unexpected death.

With a firm nod to Electric Light Orchestra as an acknowledged influence, DeLaughter has transformed his musical vision into a concrete choral rock show slightly similar to Arcade Fire, and definitely sharing AF’s leading fan, David Bowie. And who are we to argue given Bowie’s musical track record?

On to the show.

The Commodore was packed - not sold out to-the-rafters packed, but legally full. The material stretched across the front of the stage (serving as both stage curtain and screen for various video montages) was a classic TPS prop. One that already had the crowd clapping in frenzied anticipation. The dance floor was already 15 rows deep with expectant, sweat sheened bodies staring at the stage, as if willing some thing, some one to appear and begin the show.

Images from www.petenema.com/concert

It worked. Starting off as some acapella, karaoke-tinged sing along came the chant, “... No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me. With just a pocketful of hope. Money for dope. Money for rope...” then swelling to the familiar refrain, “All I want is the truth. Just gimme some truth now” Voilá, DeLaughter had the audience singing John Lennon’s Give Me Some Truth like a fully rostered church choir. Alongside the floor, launcher cannons were intermittently shooting confetti and streamers overhead.

TPS is very dramatic with their melodies, instruments, random objects, physical presence, and use of space. Every single thing available is utilized, every space occupied to ensure their message/music is heard. The 20+ entourage of musicians included a 6 member back ground choir, a string section, a full-sized harp, four horns, a flutist, two drummers, and a pair of keyboards/typewriter (perhaps a prop with sound sampler?). Even the arguably, over the top actions of DeLaughter’s, like his grand entrance using scissors to cut through the material/screen, I deemed fabulous. (Hey! I was caught up in the moment.)

Images from www.petenema.com/concert

With being a somewhat cheesy, drama queen, I was eating this up. Frankly, if I was to shell out a chunk of change to see a relatively uncharted act (TPS was voted 2nd worst act of 2004, just behind William Hung) I would demand my money’s worth. And yes, a band can deliver on talent alone, but sometimes one needs some ‘shtick’ or ‘oomph’ to feel monetarily vindicated. With such a strong opening, I was starting to think that TPS could do no wrong.

And here’s where my minor, morning-after-regrets/ complaints kick in. The sound level was too much, especially given that many musicians/singers on stage. It isn’t necessary to have all decibels pushing into the red and thus beyond the limits of the average ear. I wonder how many fans’ ears were still ringing two days after the fact?

As well, for a lyric-phile such as myself, there’s not enough meat in TPS’s song repertoire for me to chew on. ... You don’t see me fly into the red one more. You’re nuts. Just follow the day. Follow the day and reach for the SUN!!... or ... Hail to the sky. Time to watch the show. Trees wanna grow, grow, grow, grow. Still a man. It seems the time has gone away but all at once you knew your mission well... just do not ‘speak’ to me. Yes, I know there are a few songs with sentences thrown in that appear to have more substance, but I shouldn’t have to search.

DeLaughter’s talented back up singers brought attention to his limited vocals. Rather than playing on, adding to, or filling out his vocals, the singers’ (and audiences’) voices actually amplified and drowned out the lead singer’s weaker efforts. That’s not to say that TPS has weak vocals. The frontman’s vocals just weren’t housed and presented properly.

As personable as DeLaughter’s audience interaction was, at times it appeared forced and unnecessary. He was trying to whip the already hyped and appreciative audience into further frenzy. (Come on, this is Canada. We don’t readily subscribe to frenzy as easily as our Southern counterparts.) He also did his ‘Apology on behalf of Americans for Bush being President’. A standard that is so familiar to Canadians it would only capture our attention if an American band didn’t apologize for its leader.

Images from www.petenema.com/concert

Now, after having said all of that, I still feel the concert was excellent. The sheer amount of effort put forth, both musically and physically, allows DeLaughter to be forgiven any weaknesses. The show’s encore found the band discarding the army uniforms (with red crosses) in favour of TPS’s familiar long robes. Band members wove in and out of the audience while singing the encore songs, including some covers (one being Nirvana’s ‘Lithium’; very appropriate given the audience’s mood altered appearance after attending a TPS concert).

Although I enjoy TPS’s cds, it’s their live act that peddles the goods. A cold cd with ‘good’ music cannot capture and contain the band’s personality, atmosphere and ambience in the way their live show does. If you are already a big fan of The Polyphonic Spree’s music, than it is imperative that you attend a show to fully appreciate the band’s offerings. Attending a TPS show is similar to attending a church revival. I am positive some fans were ‘healed’ of some unknown ailment/malady while in the audience tonight. Never before have I seen a more elated group of people as I did tonight.

8.5/10

pegasusnews.com

The Polyphonic Spree is currently touring North America to promote the June, 2007, release of The Fragile Army.

It's Because of all the Horror Movies I Watch By: Rob Williams

It's because of all the horror movies I watch that I received thefollowing results results...

I have a 44% chance of surviving a Zombie Apocalypse!

See what your chances are...

Mingle2 Quiz

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Image from www.irishblogs.ie

Change in status...on becoming a dad (Introducing Theodore): Mark Thristan

Announcing Master Theodore Thristan

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I haven't had the opportunity yet to write up my thoughts on KCUK, as my wife and I have been busy with our new son, Theodore, who chose the auspicious date of 07/07/07 to mark his entry into the world.

There are very few ‘Thristan’ (surnames) in the world (obviously not including the Christian names), so I think Theodore may take us up to a count of about 15 worldwide.

I will blog on KCUK and other things soon, but in the meantime, may try to catch up on some sleep!

Image from auntiestreasures.com

(Editors postscript: The Swanktrendz community extends its warmest congratulations to the Thristan family - CA)

70 years of Bill By: Mike Gillis

In honour of Bill Cosby's seventieth birthday (which was yesterday - I was busy) I’ve compiled a modest list of his ten greatest accomplishments. Let's all bask in the warm, hilarious glory that is ‘The Cos’.

Disclaimer: 'Ghost Dad' will not appear on this list.

- The Cosby Show. You simply cannot fuck with The Cosby Show. The first few seasons anyway.

- Picture Pages episode "Animals". You. Will. Laugh. And no one will learn anything. Which is awesome, because this is purportedly an "educational kid's show". Enjoy this one with some drugs; Bill did.

- Leonard Part 6. A movie where Bill tries to stop an evil vegetarian from controlling the world. I hear he accomplishes this using some kind of Magic Meat. Please, please, please, someone help me find this movie.

- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. You love this.

- Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings. Actually contains a song called 'Don'cha Know'. Also, in the running for Best Album Cover Ever.

- Phylicia Rashad. Goddamn.

- Picture Pages episode "Shapes and Colors". Holy wow, he's done it again.

- becoming the first black actor to have a starring role in a dramatic television series with I Spy. Helped pave the way for a crappy Owen Wilson/Eddie Murphy movie.

- when Theo wanted that designer shirt to impress that girl at school but it was too expensive, and Bill, sorry "Cliff", refused to give him the cash to purchase it. Then Cliff made a copy of the shirt for Theo, but it didn't fit properly and Theo was hilariously flustered. No, wait. Denise made the shirt. Nevermind.

- His years spent toiling in the underground Omega Sector of the Jell-O laboratories, developing a new gelatin sensation codenamed "Jell-O Jigglers". Which is just regular Jell-O. In different shapes. Good on ya, Bill.

Visit Mike’s Blog

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Burning Brides - No Show at Richards on Richards By: Christine Albrecht

Yours truly has just returned from downtown Vancouver with an empty notebook.

I was to review the Burning Brides tonight, only to be told there was 'trouble at the border' so the band is MIA.

I am trying to find out what really happened, but I am reminded that this is not the first time I have missed out a performance due to Canadian border issues.

Either we have zealous border guards, or...?

Has anyone else experienced this annoyance? For that matter, are there any bands here in cyberworld who have had troubles trying to enter Canada for a gig? I'd love the hear your stories re: what happens at the border. How detailed is the paperwork (required to cross)? Do Canadian bands have the same amount of trouble getting into the US for shows? Let me know.

Image from obscuresound.com

Dress For Success by Christine Albrecht

Wow. Being a longtime, avid lover of dresses, imagine my surprise at coming across a site devoted to dresses, strictly dresses. Finally, someone has designed a site after my own heart.

Windsorstore.com has dresses for the casual, club, or girly girl. If you don’t feel like shopping by lifestyle, try specific dress requests like ‘polka-dotted’ or ‘gold’ dresses. The site also has a ‘most popular search’ feature which allows you to see what others are considering ‘trendy’ and ‘hot’ at the moment.

Finally, the prices are shopper friendly (even moreso for those of us with Canadian dollars clanking about in our pockets). And even more shopper friendly considering known designer names like, Nick Verreos (made popular through Project Runway) are featured at great prices. Nick’s popular dress, Addison, is on sale for $49.00 from $110.00, and his Justina dress is on sale for $29.00. Imagine, the perfect little black dress for under $30.00? Unheard of. There’s nothing I like better than a good dress scoop.

I think I will be spending a lot of my July hours racking up my Visa with windsorstore.com dresses. Check it out.

Windsor Store

Images from windsorstore.com

Warner’s New Releases as of July 11, 2007 By: Christine Albrecht

JULY 17

Against Me! New Wave

Laurie Anderson Big Science (Reissue / Enhanced)

Image from img278.imageshack.us

Avenged Sevenfold All Excess

Blue Collar Comedy TourThe Truckload Sale

The Cribs Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever

OST Talk To Me

Queensryche Mindcrime At The Moore

Strata Presents The End Of The World

Various The Gift – A Tribute To Ian Tyson

JULY 24

The Doors Live in Boston

Silverchair Young Modern

Image from 991.com/newGallery/

JULY

Slayer Unholy Alliance

AUGUST 7

Boyz N Da Hood Back Up N Da Chevy

Flaming Lips U.F.O.s At The Zoo…Concert in Oklahoma City (MVI)

Image from bumpershine.com

The Honory Title Untouched and Intact (EP)

Operator Soulcrusher

Plies The Real Testament

AUGUST 14

Eisley Combinations (Sp. Ed.)

Federation It’s Whateva

Kids In The Hall The Pilot Episode

Lori McKenna Unglamorous

Various Diana: An Intimate Portrait

Various Entourage

AUGUST 21

Hey Rosetta Plan Your Escape (EP)

(Image from www.freds.nf.ca/)

Idiot Pilot Wolves

Talib Kwell Ear Drum

AUGUST 28

Collective Soul Afterwards

The Honorary Title Scream And Light Up The Sky

The Spill Canvas TBD

Yung Joc Hustlenomics

AUGUST

Bloodsimple Red Harvest

Belinda Brady Naked

Peter Cincotti East of Angel Town

Jordan McCoy Just Watch Me

Jonathan Rice Further North

Image from www.answers.com

SEPTEMBER 4

Naruto The Movie: Ninja Clash In The Land Of Snow

Naruto Vol. 15 The Evil Hand Revealed

SEPTEMBER 11

Genesis Turn It On Again (Tour Edition)

Faith Hill The Hits

Hot Hot Heat Happiness Ltd

Mick Jagger The Very Best Of

Image from www.rollingstone.com

Various Inside Hockey (NHL Unauthorized)

SEPTEMBER 18

B5 I Don’t Talk, Just Listen

Bee Gees Greatest Hits (Spec. Ed.)

James Blunt All The Lost Souls

H.I.M. Venus Doom (Vinyl, too!)

Kevin Michael Kevin Michael

Randy Travis TBD

Twista Adrenaline Rush 2007

SEPTEMBER 25

Cowboy Junkies Trinity Session Revisited

Iron & Wine The Shepards Dog

Image from artistdirect.com

Kid Rock TBD

Louis XIV TBD

Naruto Vol. 16 Ultimate Defense

Seal System

Randy Travis Around The Bend

SEPTEMBER

Josh Groban TBD

Rilo Kiley Under The Black Light

Madonna Best Of Remixes

OCTOBER 2

Cassie TBD

Deemi Soundtrack Of My Life

Matchbox Twenty Greatest Hits

Ashley Tisdale Trilogy

Image from www.aceshowbiz.com/

Trey Songz Trey Day

OCTOBER 9

Armor for Sleep Smile For Them

Michael Buble Let It Snow (EP re-release)

Eric Clapton Complete Clapton

OCTOBER 30

Lupe Fiasco TBD

OCTOBER

Larry the Cable Guy TBD – Xmas

Madonna TBD

R.E.M. Live

Various Artists Live Earth

NOVEMBER 6

Elephant Man Let’s Get Physical

Image from www.mtv.com/

NOVEMBER 27

Sean Paul TBD

NOVEMBER

Larry the Cable Guy TBD – Live

Ashley Tisdale Life & Times Of Ashley Tisdale

*All Dates are Tentative

Die Mannequin opens for The Deftones at The Commodore Ballroom by Christine Albrecht

Don't miss this one!

You know that song you’ve kept hearing thess last two weeks - yeah, that ‘Cannibal something or something...” song?

The band (Die Mannequin) behind "Autumn Cannibalist" is opening for The Deftones Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (July 10, 11, & 12) this week at The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver.

That’s right, Die Mannequin (formerly The Bloody Mannequins - not as friendly a name) , the Toronto based alternative rock band has had a few great gigs this last year having opened for everyone from Buckcherry to Guns N’ Roses.

Fronted by talented Care Failure, the band has hit the ground, running since spring, 2006.

Check them out tonight, tomorrow and Thursday at the Commodore Ballroom. Oh, and you might want to stick around for The Deftones as well.

Image from Wikipedia

VooDoo Dolls By Lezah Williamson

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One of the hottest crazes to hit the toy market recently are VooDoo Dolls. VooDoo Dolls are cute little dolls that are made out of a single piece of string; they are used primarily as backpack and cell phone ornaments, and are big hits with Asian celebrities.

With prices between $10 and $20 (Cdn), the recently opened VooDoo Palace in Aberdeen Mall, Richmond has seen the dools flying off the shelves. No wonder, since VooDoo Palace is the only Canadian retailer of these hot, hot items. Only 200 locations world wide stock the dolls, which come in 70 different types.

Image from grandworldinc.en.alibaba.com

Life on Mars by Lezah Williamson

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Lately I've been actually falling asleep as I drive home from work. Why, you ask? Too many late nights is the answer. And just what is it that I'm doing up, so late at night, you ask? Watching 'Life on Mars' is the answer!

Yup, 'Life on Mars' now heads the top of my list as my all-time favourite TV show. It starts off in modern-day Manchester: a CDI is investigating a serial killer. He removes a female detective from the case, amidst her protests. Getting back to the station, he receives a call from her: she has defied his orders, has tailed the suspect to his home, and she now has him in her... (insert screaming here).

Cut to next shot: the police have cordoned off the area from which their colleague has been kidnapped. The inspector leaves - but wait: he's crying! Yes, the female officer was his girlfriend. He's so distraught, he almost causes a car accident, but, being a conscientious policeman, he stops his car, gets out... only to get run over by passing vehicle. We see his body bouncing down the road...

The next thing we know, it's 1973. The soundtrack is awesome, the clothes are hilarious, and the attitudes and ethics of the cops of the time leave a lot to be desired.

Our hero, you see, has woken up in 1973. He's still on the force, but has all his 2007 knowledge without the technology. He's new to the area, and was found lying in the road, having been hit by a car, so everyone thinks his odd behaviour is due to the accident.

Together with his old-school boss, he's got his first case - which is eerily similar to the one he just left way back in 2007.

A crazy concept, but it works. I am sooo hooked.

Image from www.020.com/webs

Prevention by Lezah Williamson

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An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - I'm sure the old quote goes something like that.

Anyway, that is certainly in keeping with the philosophy of Prevention magazine, which has been around for years now offering great advice on diet, fitness and general good health.

So, in keeping with my new trend towards a healthier lifestyle, I recently picked up a copy of Prevention magazine (www.prevention.com). My mom subscribed to Prevention for years, and it has not changed much: it is still packed full of sound nutritional advice, good fitness tips, as well as the occasional uplifting and inspirational story. I find that it can be a little heavy on the naturopathic supplements, sometimes; I used to find, as well, that it recommended walking as practically a cure-all for everything (although this in this recent issue I picked up, the trend has changed a bit there).

But overall, it is a good little magazine for the health conscious. I've noticed it's frequently on the pile of magazines that collects at doctor's offices, and you know what they say - 9 out of 10 doctors can't be wrong.

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail By Bill Bryson

Contributed by Lezah Williamson

I recently read Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail' (1998), and was immediately struck by the desire to walk our own West Coast Trail. Of course, every time I read a book or article or travel guide that outlines one of these long trek-type journeys, I get the itch. The big difference is, Bryson tells his story with such self-effacing humour that even his pain is a joy to read about.

Bryson outlines his struggles finding someone to accompany him on his quest, and then further regales us with his struggles coping with his new-found trailmate. Along the way we learn a lot: about the history of the trail, the numbers and types of songbirds that used to inhabit the East Coast, the vagaries of the climate of each particular region he passes through, the death of many of the native trees, deaths and murders on the trail, and so on. It is a fun, fact-filled book that made me want to read more Bryson.

And read I can - I currently am part way through a copy of 'The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way' (1990), but Bryson is even better known for the following works: 'Notes from a Big Country' (1998); 'Notes from a Small Island' (1995), and'A Short History of Nearly Everything' (2003).

I predict there will lots to read in my near future...

image from riannanworld.typepad.com/

Lyrical Evolution by Baba Brinkman

Organic Life forms, I've been getting some interesting curve balls this spring while gigging around the UK. For instance, in a few days I will be at the University of Birmingham for an event co-sponsored by the English and Biology Departments, a day of events celebrating Darwin and Chaucer, those two great beacons of English enlightenment. Besides the Rap Canterbury Tales, they will also have a performance of "The Origin of Species in Dub" (no joke) and I will be unveiling a new rap song called "Natural Selection" (produced by Tom Caruana) in honour of the day, which you can preview online at

this link:

Originally they approached Richard Dawkins about being the keynote speaker, but unfortunately he's in the Galapagos and had to send his regrets. Now that would have been a gem in my CV: "Opened for Richard Dawkins". Also, check out the delightful poster featuring funked-up versions of Charles and Geoffrey:

this link:

If you want to learn more about the "Origin of Species in Dub" project you can listen to mp3s and such at this link:

this link:

In the past week I've had performances in Bath (where the Wife was right at home), Nottingham, Birmingham, Brighton and Essex. Five weeks into my UK tour, I now have only two weeks left here before heading back to Canada for some Fringe Festivals. Speaking of which, I think this would be a good time to plug the upcoming Fringe blitz. If any of you have friends in Montreal (June 7-16), Ottawa (June 17-24), or Toronto (July 4-15), I will be performing in all three and would be happy for people to meet, people to stay with, or especially people to play to. Invite them to come to the show and bring the extended family. Good times, laughs, and thought provocation are guaranteed. You can check out the complete schedule here:

this link:

Also, brace yourselves, my brother and I are going back to Edinburgh in August for another full run with an updated version of the show (featuring projected illustrations), and this time we're bringing friends. This came about in a bizarre way, since I had no venue and no plan to return until literally the day before the deadlines closed, but long story short I was offered a choice time slot in a choice venue at the last minute and decided to go for it. I will be performing every night at 8:45 pm at the Roman Eagle Lodge from August 4th - 26th.

I also got a venue for Aaron Ross to preview his album to a world audience, so he will be doing a musical cabaret show every evening as well for the first week of the festival. For those of you just tuning in, I signed Aaron to my label earlier this year and we have been working on his record all spring. It's in the mix process right now and is sounding incredible, so rest assured you will be hearing more about him soon.

So, if any of you know anyone in Edinburgh, I am looking for affordable accommodations for the three of us there for the month of August. To give you a sense of proportion, I recently inquired about renting a three bedroom basement suite in town and was told the festival rate was £4500 for the month. Hmm, time to pitch a tent on Arthur's Seat?

There's a new episode of my Lit-Hop Podcast now posted online if any of you want a little dose of Lit-Hop to tide you over. I've been recording loads of new songs and collaboraions since I've been here, and the verses are flowing like cask ale. Download or subscribe at this link:

this link:

I'm leaving in an hour to catch a plane to Germany, where the University of Munster has booked two days of events, workshops and performances. No rest for za vicked.

Cheerio,

baba

Baba in Bath Image from johnmacdonald.com

Withdrawal & Renewal By Sashi

This is Day 2 of my Cutting Down On Coffee experiment. Yesterday, I had a splitting headache, and wasn’t really feeling on top of things (although I believe I managed to mask it pretty well in public). Today, I’ve started the day with no headaches, although mentally I am not revving my engines to the max as yet, but it’s still early hours so fingers and toes kept crossed.

It’s also Day 2 of my personal Drive Safely campaign. I’m now keeping watch on my speedometer to ensure I don’t exceed (by too much) the speed limits. I try to make sure that I always use the turn signals when I’m supposed to, even when there are no other cars or pedestrians within sight. I try to be considerate to motorcyclists and other drivers by giving way sometimes.

It’s Day 3 of my Living Healthy experiment. Been taking some herbal products and working out a bit. Combined with the no-coffee experiment, though, means the results are as yet fuzzy. Again, it’s still early days.

This is also Day 4 of another experiment. Slow going on that front, however. (Experiment soon to be posted)

http://sashi.wordpress.com/

Warner's New Releases by Christine Albrecht

JUNE 26

The Click 5

Modern Minds and Pastimes

Andrea Corr

Ten Feet High

Meg & Dia

Something Real

Pearl Jam

Live At The Gorge 05/06

White Stripes

Icky Thump (Vinyl – Ltd)

JULY 3

Cornielle

The Birth Of Cornelius

Mark Olsen

The Salvation Blues

Operator

Soulcrusher

Soundtrack

Talk To Me

Soundtrack

Transformers – The Album

Paul Simon

Essentials (2CD, 2CD/1DVD)

T.I.

T.I. vs T.I.P. Various

The Classic Collection: Vol. 2 Classic Caribbean JULY 10

Against Me!

New Wave (CD, CD/DVD)

Justice

† Soundtrack

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Soundtrack

Smashing Pumpkins

Zeitgeist

Pegi Young

Pegi Young

JULY 17 Laurie Anderson

Big Science

Avenged Sevenfold

All Excess (DVD)

Blue Collar Comedy Tour

The Truckload Sale (4 CD Set)

The Cribbs

Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever

Strata

Presents The End Of The World

Various

The Gift – A Tribute To Ian Tyson

JULY 24 The Doors

Live in Boston (3 CD)

The Federation

It’s Whateva

Silverchair

Young Modern

AUGUST 7

Boyz N Da Hood

D Book Up In Da Chevy

Belinda Brady

Naked

Idiot Pilot

Wolves

Plies

The Real Testament

Various

The Classic Collection: Vol. 3 Classic New Wave

AUGUST 14

Elephant Man

Let’s Get Physical

Talib Kweli

Ear Drum

Lori McKenna

Unglamorous

Queensryche

Mindcrime At The Moore (2 CD, 2 DVD)

Twista

Adrenaline Rush 2007

AUGUST 21

Riko Kiley

Under The Black Light

Daniel Powter

Daniel Powter (MVI)

AUGUST 28

The Spill Canvas

TBD

Uncle Kracker

TBD

Yung Joc

Hustlenomics

SEPTEMBER 11

Hot Hot Heat

Happiness Ltd (CD, CD/DVD)

SEPTEMBER 18

Armor For Sleep

TBD

James Blunt

All The Lost Souls

H.I.M.

Venus Doom (CD, Vinyl)

Kid Rock

TBD

Kevin Michael

Kevin Michael

Randy Travis

TBD

SEPTEMBER 25

Iron & Wine

The Shepards Dog

TBS SEPTEMBER Josh Groban

TBD

Faith Hill

The Hits (CD, CD+DVD)

Madonna

Best Of Remixes

Seal

TBD

OCTOBER 2

Matchbox Twenty

Greatest Hits

Trey Songz

Trey Day

OCTOBER 30

Michael Buble

Let It Snow (EP)

TBS OCTOBER>

Larry the Cable Guy

“TBD – Xmas” (CD)

Various Artists

Live Earth (2 DVD + CD)

ALL DATES ARE TENTATIVE

The Click 5 from tummymonsters.com
Elephant Man from rollingstone.com
Matchbox Twenty from matchboxtwenty.com
Larry the Cable guy image from whatshappeningmemphis.com

Serena Ryder’s Star Continues to Rise - Posted By Christine Albrecht

Serena performs at the Music Hall in Toronto and Tapes a Live at the Rehearsal Hall Concert at Bravo.

Serena Ryder is bringing her exquisite voice back to Canada after touring non-stop to rave reviews in the US over the last few months. With previous sold-out performances in Toronto, she is back to perform at the Music Hall on Friday, June 8.

Serena has a amazing presence and her three octave range makes her well worth a listen. This is a homecoming show not be missed. She also has shows in Montreal (opening for Keren Ann) at Le National on Tuesday, June 5 and in Kingston at the Ale House on Wednesday, June 6. There will be more Canadian and US dates this summer and fall.

Serena will be joining the company of Feist and Ben Harper (to name a couple), as she tapes her very own Live at the Rehearsal Hall, Bravo!'s Gemini award-winning concert series, on Monday, June 4 (airs on Bravo! July 3 at 10 p.m. ET and 1 a.m. ET, and July 7 at 8 p.m. ET).

This is an incredible accomplishment at such a young age. In the meantime, fans should not miss watching Serena on Canada AM airing Tuesday, June 5.

If your Memory Serves You Well, Serena's beautiful album of great covers and original songs, is still holding strong in the Top 100 on the Canadian album charts. The only other Canadian artists that share her longevity are: Nickelback, Nelly Furtado, Billy Talent and Three Days Grace.

Her first single, "Good Morning Starshine" was a Top 5 single on AC Radio, while her new self-penned single "Weak In The Knees" is quickly making an impact.

image from accessmag.com

Evanescence Signs Two New Band Members for Extended Summer Tour

Wind-up Records (Canada) announced that with the continuing success of their multi-platinum, sophomore album, The Open Door, Evanescence has welcomed drummer, Will Hunt and guitarist, Troy McLawhorn (both formerly of Dark New Day).

I am a big fan of Dark New Day and can’t wait for the fans to see what the guys bring to our live show, says front woman, Amy Lee.

Evanescence will debut their new line-up on Saturday, May 19th at Columbus’ sold out, Rock On the Range Festival, along with ZZ Top, Hinder, Velvet Revolver and Buckcherry. Their next gig will be at WMMR’s BBQ Festival, in Philadelphia, on Sunday, May 20th at Camden’s Tweeter Center. Then Evanescence will be on a one-month Tour in Europe performing in Belgium, France, and Russia at various festivals and headline dates.

On July 20th in St. Louis, Missouri, Evanescence will co-headline the U.S. leg of The Family Values Tour with Korn.

(Evanescence consists of Amy Lee (vocals, piano), Terry Balsamo (guitar), Tim McCord (bass), Troy McLawhorn (guitar) and Will Hunt (drums). Fallen, their major-label debut, was released in April, 2003, to critical and commercial success and has sold more than nineteen million copies world wide. Their second major label debut, The Open Door, debuted at Number One on the Billboard charts and reached platinum status in just over a month. For more information, please visit Evanescence or Wind-up Records

Image from fruciano.it

Al Gee Bra By: Sashi

Check out Sashi’s site.

I found this email from a friend in my Inbox today - an “Ooh! This is cool! I’m SURE my friends would love to read this, no matter how many times they might have already seen it, and regardless of how much they hate such spam mail!” email.

Yeah, one of those.

Anyway, here are the contents of said e-mail:

GUESS YOUR AGE BY EATING OUT

Don’t tell me your age; you probably would tell a falsehood anyway - but your waiter may know!

YOUR AGE BY DINER & RESTAURANT MATH

DON’T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!

It takes less than a minute.

Work this out as you read.

Be sure you don’t read the bottom until you’ve worked it out!

This is not one of those waste of time things, it’s fun!

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would “like” to go out to eat.

(more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1757 …

If you haven’t, add 1756.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number. The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how! Many times you want to go out to restaurants in a week.)

The next two numbers are YOUR AGE!

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2007) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS

Ok, here’s one of those mathemagical formulae that people like to use to say, “Whoa! Check it out! Maths rules! It can predict your age! It can read your mind! It can predict the future! It can change the universe!!”Of course, all that is true (Ask me how! Call now at 1-866-RICH-SUCKA and change your life! Calls will be charged RM500 at all hours) but in this case, it’s just a simple con.

A play with numbers, if you will. Allow me to explain, in mind-numbing detail, how.

First off, you’re asked to pick a single-digit number (more than 1, less than 10). Let’s call this number x.

Then you multiply x by 2.

Result = 2x

Add 5 to it.

Result = 2x + 5

With me so far? Good.

Let’s now multiply the result by 50.

Result = 50(2x + 5) = 100x + 250

You can use a calculator to double-check what I’m stating here, in case you don’t believe me.

Next, we add one of either 2 numbers to the result depending on if you’ve had your birthday this year. I’ve just had mine a couple of months back, so I’m adding 1757. Add 1756 if your birthday is still to come.

Result = 100x + 250 + 1757 = 100x + 2007

Oh wow, what a coincidence! This is year 2007 as well! Well, not really a coincidence, is it?

If you added 1756 instead, you would have had 2006. I’ll explain the minor difference in a bit.

Anyway, moving on….

You’re now asked to subtract your birth year. Let’s say your birth year is y.

Result = 100x + 2007 - y

Now, if you subtract 2007 (this year) from y (your birth year), what do you get? Your age, duh! Let’s say your age is zz.

Thus result would be = 100x + zz

And since x is a single digit number, multiplying it by a 100 would mean the number would look like ‘x00‘. Adding your 2-digit age (unless you’re really old, you centenarian, you!) would result in a 3-digit number looking like xzz… .e.g 525, with x being 5 and zz being 25.

If you had added 1756 to the equation earlier instead of 1757, you would have subtracted your birth year from last year, which would be your age if you hadn’t reached your date of birth this year. Makes sense, innit?

So there you go. Mathemagics demystified. Not that anybody was wondering, I’m sure…

Oh, and that last bit in the e-mail where it says this will only work this year is obviously stupid. To make it work next year, just add 1758 or 1757 in step 5. Duh.

I so need something to do on the weekends……

Update from Baba Brinkman - Chaucer’s “Rap” re-incarnation

Gentle Folk,

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote... er, that is, in April there are supposed to be sweet spring rain showers, but due to climate change there is now a perpetual draught of March, the hottest and driest spring on record here in England. At any rate, in April, when the spring offers up all its goodness, that's when people people long to go on pilgrimages, and wend their way to Canterbury-ward, to seek the shrine of some martyr, perhaps the result of a medieval jihad or something. Out the train window to my right I can see the mighty Thames river, first of many landmarks on the journey between London and Canterbury, where I am now writing on a rail-bound iron horse.

The last time I was in Canterbury was in the fall of 2000, but I hadn't managed to successfully fashion myself into the modern re-incarnation of Chaucer back then, so I was skeptically received. The Vancouver Sun published a story about that first ill-fated trip to Canterbury when I put on my show at the Fringe back in 2003, which you can read here, if you're interested: This time I'm going to perform at the University in Canterbury by invitation, part of a six-week tour of the UK that began a few days ago.

Many things have been happening recently that seem worthy of mention, so I will try a brief recap, with some glances to the future. The day before yesterday I had the honour of performing at the London Chaucer Conference for an audience of medieval professors, the cream of England's Chaucerian crop. My presentation followed a paper by the Chaucer specialist from Yale, described to me in a hushed tone by one of the other professors as "the top Chaucer-man in the world". Harumph. My vote goes to James Simpson at Harvard.

Chaucer, Chaucer, Chaucer... in other news, I've been getting some emails recently from some New Yorkers who heard me interviewed on a WBAI NY Radio show called "Non-Fiction", which wouldn't necessarily merit a mention except that the host of the show is Harry Allen, famous as one of the original founders of Public Enemy, whose name is immortalized in their song "Don't Believe the Hype" when Chuck D raps "I gotta talk to my Media Assassin / Harry Allen, I've got ask him / Yo Harry, are we that type? / 'Don't believe the hype!'" When I was in New York back in January, Harry and I rapped about rap and poetry for an hour straight in the studio, and he played some of my songs on air as part of the mix. (April 20th broadcast).

After that I will keep the Mp3 on my website in perpetuity on the Audio page under "Miscellaneous".

Speaking of rap and poetry, I put on another successful "Rap is Poetry" showcase in Vancouver this spring before heading off on tour (the fourth annual!), featuring Vancouver rap artists Aspire, Junk, Ndidi Cascade, East Side Magic, and myself, all performing lyrically-heavy material at the Media Club. The show was sponsored by a new website that recently launched called "RapSpace.TV", which is a networking website for rap artists. The site allows you to record raps into a webcam and post them online for free, so that other people can comment on them and rate them, building a community of supporters and hip-hop peers globally through the web. Check out the promo video I recorded on RapSpace for my show, featuring the only rap ever to reference Epictetus, Lao Tzu, and Thomas More, both lyrically and visually: Rapspace

We also set up a webcam and laptop system at the show and recorded many of the performances, broadcasting them live to the web after each set. They are still posted on the site, so if you missed the show and want to know how it went, there's plenty of great videos, including some of Junk and Aspire and me in a freestyle cypher, and also footage of my brother Erik getting up stage and freestyling for the first time in his life. Check out all the videos.

I also recently got into the world of podcasting, and launched the Lit-HopCast, a cross between a radio broadcast and a mix-tape, which I will try to put out every few weeks from now on. Each twenty-minute mix will feature new music I am working on, artists I admire who I collaborate with on my tours, remixes of my songs, mash-ups, commentary, exclusive new verses I have recorded, and generally all things Lit-Hop. You can subscribe to these podcasts for free through the iTunes Music Store, and if you are into that kind of thing they will be automatically downloaded to your iPod or Mp3 player every time I release a new episode. So far there is only one, and I invite you all to download it at this link:

The Lit-HopCast is, of course, named after my recent album, Lit-Hop, which I have been promoting in Canada through a Vancouver-based company called Frontside. This publicity campaign saw copies of the album sent to every newspaper and magazine in the country for reviews, and to every college and co-op radio station in Canada for their hip-hop shows. The good news is that the album is now on rotation at about a dozen radio stations across the country. The bad, or rather ambiguous, news is that the reviews so far have been pretty mixed, and some critics have been having a jolly time taking the piss out of me. One called the album "boring" and one said that listening to it was "like chewing tinfoil", but I try to keep a sense of humour about it all. I mean, if I were just a lousy music reviewer I'd probably be sour-faced too. Us rock stars have to be understanding, you know. The best review came from an online Music and Arts site called Lucid ME, who gave the record 4 out of 5 and heaped on some nice praise. If you want to read this lovely review, hit the following link.

If you want to read the bad reviews, go find them yourself.

Well, the train will be approaching Canterbury shortly and I think I've said enough for the moment. I will try to write more frequently and less capaciously in the future. If any of you get indignant about critics bullying me, one thing you could do in response is go to Amazon.com or the iTunes Music Store and submit some positive customer reviews about my book or albums. If you simply find my woes amusing, then I guess we're in synch.

'Til next time, I'll leave you with some of the best lines of poetry ever written, which are rather topical for me at the moment,

baba

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth

Inspired hath in every holt and heeth

Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne

Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne,

And smale foweles maken melodye,

That slepen al the nyght with open ye

(So priketh hem nature in hir corages);

Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,

And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,

To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;

And specially from every shires ende

Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,

The hooly blisful martir for to seke,

That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

Finger Eleven Reign At Radio! Posted by Christine Albrecht

"Paralyzer" shatters the record for most consecutive weeks at #1 on the Canadian Rock Radio Charts.

Finger Eleven made their triumphant re-entry to the music scene on March 6, 2007 with their fourth Wind-up Records release 'Them vs. You vs. Me'. Since the album's release Finger Eleven have experienced their highest sales debut to date reaching #2 on the Canadian Soundscan Top 200, completed successful US tours with Chevelle and Evanescence, embarked on their own sold out Cross-Canada tour, chalked up a #1 video on Much Music and as of last week smashed the Rock Radio record for most weeks for a single by a Canadian band at #1.

According to BDS/Neilson Soundscan the music industry's official air-play monitor, the band's hit single 'Paralyzer' has held the #1 spot at rock radio across the country for an astounding fourteen weeks, breaking the record of thirteen weeks previously held by Nickelback with their single 'Someday'. The song is also gaining momentum at Pop Radio and combined air-play from all formats making 'Paralyzer' the #1 song in the country.

From the multitude of song ideas collectively written by the band, twelve finished tracks made it on to 'Them vs. You vs. Me' with 'Paralyzer' becoming the unquestionable lead single. The infectious song quickly caught the attention and support of listeners and programmers across the country resulting in 'Paralyzer's' rapid climb up the charts, reaching #1 at rock radio in six weeks and sitting comfortably at its peak for a record breaking fourteen weeks.

The accompanying video to 'Paralyzer' is also receiving tremendous acceptance at video outlets across the country. This week it is perched at #1 on MuchMusic's Top 30 countdown.

Finger Eleven is currently six shows deep into their 14 date headlining National Tour with sold out shows across the country. The band's Cross Canada tour with label mates STRATA and special guests Inward Eye runs until May 14th.

April 26 2007 Capitole Québec, Québec

April 27 2007 Theatre Granada, Sherbrooke

April 28 2007 Le National Montréal, Québec

April 30 2007 Capital Music Hall Ottawa, Ontario

May 1 2007 Kool Haus Toronto, Ontario

May 6 2007 The Outpost, Thunder Bay

May 7 2007 Burton Cummings Theatre Winnipeg, Manitoba

May 8 2007 Prairieland Park Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

May 10 2007 Events Centre Edmonton, Alberta

May 11 2007 MacEwan Hall Calgary, Alberta

May 13 2007 Curling Club Victoria, BC

May 14 2007 Croation Cultural Centre Vancouver, BC

From Wind-up Records Canada Media

Image from artfiles.art.com/

www.fingereleven.com

Artists Unite in Donating Tracks to Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur

By Christine Albrecht

Release Date: June 12, 2007

More than 20 John Lennon songs recorded by top selling musicians are being released on June 12, 2007. The proceeds of this united effort will go to Amnesty International’s Darfur campaign. Canadian artists on the CD include Finger Eleven, The Waking Eyes, David Usher, Barenaked Ladies, and K-os.

In an effort to mobilize activism around the human rights atrocities occurring in Darfur, Sudan, international musicians and record labels have united behind Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. The collection features songs written by musician and peace activist, John Lennon.

Yoko Ono provided the generous gift of Lennon's solo catalogue to Amnesty International. The funds raised will be directed to saving the lives of innocent women, children and men who are dying by the thousands, and to restoring peace in Darfur.

As well as the rights to Lennon’s songs, Yoko Ono has also donated all music publishing royalties.

Give peace a chance, indeed.

Well done, Yoko.

For more information about Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur or Amnesty International, please visit www.instantkarma.org

The full track-listing for Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur is as follows:

Disc One:

U2 - "Instant Karma"

R.E.M. - "#9 Dream"

Christina Aguilera - "Mother"

Aerosmith - "Give Peace A Chance"

Lenny Kravitz - "Cold Turkey"

Los Lonely Boys - "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night"

Corinne Bailey Rae - "I'm Losing You"

Jakob Dylan featuring Dhani Harrison - "Gimme Some Truth"

Jackson Browne - "Oh My Love"

Big & Rich - "Nobody Told Me"

Disc Two:

Green Day - "Working Class Hero"

Black Eyed Peas - "Power to the People"

Jack Johnson - "Imagine"

Snow Patrol - "Isolation"

Matisyahu - "Watching the Wheels"

Ben Harper - "Beautiful Boy"

Postal Service - "Grow Old With Me"

Jaguares - "Gimme Some Truth"

Avril Lavigne - "Imagine"

The Flaming Lips - "(Just Like) Starting Over"

Regina Spektor - "Real Love"

image from www.darfurcentre.ch

Eric Volz - Nicaraguan Miscarriage of Justice

I have often wondered how judges, lawyers and other principal players involved in a highly profiled court case are able to objectively carry out their duties under the media glare. Does the intense public scrutiny, and demand for an immediate conviction, ever find the key players wavering, or second guessing their course of action? Has an accused individual ever been falsely convicted as a result of media demand?

In the case of the murder and rape of 25 year old Doris Ivania Jimenez, it appears that the Nicaraguan public determined the fate of ex-boyfriend, Eric Volz, rather than the judge presiding, Judge Ivette Toruno Blanco.

It is unnerving enough that outside influences could affect a trial’s outcome, but it is incomprehensible that a judge’s ruling could be handed down with blatant disregard of key evidence exonerating the suspect. On February 21st, Eric Volz was sentenced to 30 years in jail for the murder of Doris Jimenez.

Doris was murdered in San Juan, Nicaragua, on November 21st, 2006, some time after noon. Eric was in the city of Managua; a two and a half hour drive away. In total, four suspects were arrested: Julion Martin Chamorro, Armando Llanes, Nelson Lopez-Danglas and Eric Volz. Eric was arrested after Lopez-Danglas alleged he had seen Eric in the store on November 21st and that Eric had paid him 50 cordobas to move some bags. In exchange for his confession, police dropped all charges against him.

It was soon apparent that the trial was not going to be fair when the judge would only allow four defence witnesses (out of ten available, including Eric himself) to testify. Furthermore, there wasn’t a court stenographer; the trial was tape recorded and the judge would not provide copies of the transcript to Eric’s attorneys. Then Judge, Ivette Toruno Blanco, went on to refuse medical examiners’ testimony as well as cell phone records and instant messaging documentation.

Here is a list of evidence given (and eventually dismissed by the judge) during the proceedings:

• Doris’ friend, Gabriela Vanessa Sobalvarro stated she phoned Eric, in Managua, at 2:43 p.m. (to inform him of the murder)

• Rossy Aguello, Eric’s hairstylist, testified she had cut Eric's hair at about 2:00 p.m.

• Hertz provided a receipt showing Eric rented a car at 3:11 p.m (to drive to San Juan)

• Ricardo Castillo, a Nicaraguan journalist, met with Eric on the day of the murder from about noon until 2 p.m.

• the prosecutor’s medical experts examined hair, fluid and blood samples, and determined that none of the physical evidence linked Eric to the crime scene

• Nick Purdy, an American journalist, had a conference call with Eric and Ricardo from 12:19 to 1:14 p.m.

Eric is currently doing his time in El Modelo, a maximum-security corrections institute east of Managua. A site has been developed to allow others to be kept aware of Eric’s progress and his recent communication with his parents notes,

"At times, the despair is so overwhelming that there are no words.  There is pain so deep it does not have a name, and the fear is so powerful we cannot paint his face.  Yet, as a result of those who love and support me, I see beauty above it all.”

www.friendsofericvolz.com

http://www.crimelibrary.com

(image and quote from www.crimelibrary.com)

$$ For B.C. Musicians - Apply before May 25/07

Taken from the Georgia Straight onlineThree times a year, the B.C. government serves notice that it's willing to spray money at the province's touring musicians. And for the most part, the hundreds of struggling artists in British Columbia pay little attention.

Music BC recently announced that $100,000 in funding has been earmarked this year for its Music Industry Travel Assistance Program. Artists have until May 25 to apply for grants designed to offset the costs of hitting the road. While three such deadlines are announced over the course of a year, there's hardly a rush for what amounts to free money. “It's hilarious. Maybe people think it's too good to be true, but we only get around 30 applications for each deadline,” Music BC spokesman Nathan Stafford told the Straight . “We'd love to get more because the higher the quality of the applicants, the more money we can ask for next year.”

Under the program, artists planning European tours are eligible for grants up to $4,000, with $2,000 available for Canadian tours and $1,000 for showcase events like CMW or South By Southwest. When deciding where MITAP money is going to go, Music BC gives priority to applications that look professional and well thought out. “The music is half, but your marketing plan is just as important as your music,” Stafford said. “We need to know why you are going on tour—are you promoting a new album?—and where the tour falls into your overall scheme. Having a well-put-together press kit works as well—nothing handwritten.”

To help make your next cross-Canada jaunt—or working European vacation—a little more tolerable, visit www.musicbc.org .

Like a Storm - Buffalo Club Gig May 5th/07

I determined two things last night at the Buffalo Club: 1) Audience determines the success of a set and 2) Talent and popularity don’t always go hand in hand.

We popped into the Buffalo Club to view a portion of Like A Storm’s gig. We arrived a bit early and managed to catch the latter half of Kill Rhythm. The crowd loved this group. The majority of (male) fans sang along to each and every song and did the customary head bang in unison. But, the band couldn't carry a tune to save their life! To be fair, this was probably an off night for the singer, and the acoustics in the Buffalo Club are atrocious, but c’mon, even giving these ‘outs’ the gig still came up short. I imagine their recorded stuff is amazing, given the fan reaction.

Like A Storm, Canadian born, but hailing from New Zealand, hit the stage with guns a blazin’. But try as they might, they could not stoke this crowd into a frenzy. It just wasn’t happening. Singer, Chris Brooks, even joked (after urging the crowd to yell something) “Great, that was ... about three of you... okay, maybe one with a loud voice.” The Brooks boys (Chris Brooks: guitar, lead vocals, Kent Brooks: bass, vocals, Matt Brooks: drums, vocals) are definitely appealing when it comes to eye candy requirements, but even shirtless, speaker jumping enthusiasm wasn’t moving this stunned lot.

The audience was not your typical indie crowd. Perhaps the New Music West acts performing throughout the city determined the atypical crowd. I am not sure. I just seemed to noticed that no one looked as if they ‘belonged’ anywhere. It was an eclectic mix of young to old, poorly dressed to tackily dressed. Not an original thought to appearance was in the crowd.

During LAS’s performance, I noted the typical good signs: the crowd got thicker during their set, more were pushed to the front, no one left... yet the audience remained as bland as milquetoast. I had one fellow beside me turn to his companion and say, ‘Gee, they sure like to swear.’ I can honestly say I’ve never heard that comment at a gig. Always time for a first.

LAS’s performance was fine - a little over the top for the venue, but I like to see that. It shows me that they give the full show whether they’re playing an arena or a pub. Their vocals are spot on, given the venue. Their sound system was lacking, having various parts of the songs become amplified, and parts of the vocals seemed to drop off. As well, the tape loop/backtrack was out of sync with the general sound. They obviously have ability and talent, but something kept striking me as not quite right.

When they launched into their new song, Generica it struck me. LAS’s ‘look’, sound, and logo are in conflict with each other. The recently recorded song, Generica, goes with the LAS logo, and seems to be a good direction for the band (given the reception to the song). However, their ‘look’ doesn’t match their sound, or their logo. I think the band needs to revisit their look, along the direction of dressing ‘down’ coupled with their great belts and other accessories. Otherwise, they will be in danger of being dismissed as a hair band - a shame - as they do have talent. (As well, those scary, simple, vacant audiences won’t be as mesmerized and preoccupied with the bright and shiny things on the band members.)

Last note - I despise ice machines/ smoke machines etc.

great image from www.muzic.net

poor images from swanktrendz.com

Christine's Mini Family Brag - Christine Albrecht

Here is my mini family brag - You know how events (be they good or bad) often occur in batches of three? Well, the Albrecht household received a hat trick of good news.

In April, my 11 year old's (Ian's) Atom team, The Flames, won the Langley Cup for the second year in a row.

On May 1, my husband was awarded 'Coach of the Year' from the Langley Minor Hockey Association. This is the highest honour a coach can receive and Paul was shocked, humbled and very pleased about the award. (I call it the Oscar of minor hockey involvement.)

Lastly, my husband's (Huskies') recreational hockey team won their season's playoff tournament last night.

Truly a year of hockey and honours in the Albrecht household.

The Cliks: Online Interview with Singer/Songwriter, Lucas Silveira By: Christine Albrecht

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The Cliks were kind enough to respond to an online interview with Swanktrendz. I have to say, this interview is definitely up there amongst my ‘favourites’, despite not getting a chance to meet them and my naivety showing in some of my questions. I think Lucas’ personality shines through in his answers. As well, we’d like to remind our readers that The Cliks’ debut CD, Snakehouse is on sale now!

Swanktrendz: Your debut cd, Snakehouse has been a huge hit with the media. You also have various celebrities praising your sound, including a quote of appreciation from Cyndi Lauper. ("...new and exciting acts. A band like The Cliks are all that and more. They are a force to be reckoned with and I am really excited to be sharing the stage with them." ) What was your reaction to Cyndi's endorsement (and were you familiar with Lauper's prior popularity)?

The Cliks: We’re just beyond flattered. I mean, it’s Cyndi Lauper. I used to listen to her music when I was a kid and dance around my basement singing, ‘Girls just wanna have fun’; so yeah, I’d say I’m pretty familiar with her prior popularity. She was a very impactful artist of my youth.

Swanktrendz: I want to thank you giving Canada yet another thing to be proud of - The Cliks' musical talent.' Complicated' and 'Back in Style' are my (Christine's) personal favourites that I repeatedly play while driving. While listening to the entire cd, I've notice a continuous theme of alienation, betrayal and pain throughout the songs. What was the impetus behind the lyrics to Snakehouse? Were these songs written over a short period of time or is this years in the making?

The Cliks: You hit it on the nose. Yes, this album is very much about all of those things. I started writing the material for this album after the end of a 6 1/2 year relationship. And the end was ugly. Along through a whirlwind of bad luck, having both original band members quit, my father had a stroke, my best friend rediagnosed with cancer... it was just insane. And through all of this, I finally realize that I’ve been in years of denial and that I was transgendered. It was a tough time but I did the only thing I knew I could do to get me out of it. I wrote songs. The material took me about 10 - 12 months to write, so no, not years in the making.

Swanktrendz: What made you choose to cover Justin Timberlake's 'Cry me a River' song? Have you received any feedback from Justin in response to your cover?

The Cliks: I connected to the lyrics because I had my own ‘Britney’. I just loved the song as well and really, more than anything, used it as a therapeutic way of lashing out my anger. It’s cheaper than therapy (ha ha).

Swanktrendz: What was your and Clint McLean's (photographer) thinking, conceptual approach, behind the album's photo shoot? What is the 'story' behind the photos?

The Cliks: The album cover concept was Morgan’s. We all really loved it because it left a sense of mystery. With Clint, the rest of the photos are just him and his madness and his love for funny expressions. He likes the look of ‘surprise’. I think he did a great job and I’m not just saying that because we’ve become good friends.

Swanktrendz: How did you come across (or did he come across you) Moe Berg?

The Cliks: He came to one of our shows, bought the first CD and contacted me right away. He expressed interest right from the get go, but we had just recorded an indie release and I had no funding to go forward at that point. We kept in touch and when I was ready, I contacted him and next thing you know, we had a great record on our hands.

Swanktrendz: What exposure did you previously have to The Pursuit of Happiness band?

The Cliks: When I was a kid, they were a pretty big band in Canada so I knew all bout the music and him.

Swanktrendz: How much trust does a singer/songwriter have to offer up to a producer while making a cd.? Was it an equal collaboration, or did you completely trust his prior experience, and therefore his decisions, for the direction of the band's/cd's sound?

The Cliks: It was extremely difficult for me to give up the so-called ‘control’ of my songs, but after one session with Moe, I was so impressed that it actually became extremely liberating to have someone do the work and have an outside perspective. I wrote all of the songs so I guess you could say it was partially collaborative in production, but really, Moe is the one who made the songs come together the best they could. He has an amazing knack for taking something good and making it better. I loved working with him and I look forward to working with him again.

Swanktrendz: I've noticed you have four members listed on the Snakehouse CD that make up The Cliks. The CD’s pictures and notes show Jordan B. Wright as The Cliks' bassist, yet the band's myspace.com site makes no mention of her as a member. Could you please provide us with The Cliks 'official' lineup?.

The Cliks: This is the confusing part. The original line up for the band in 2004 was Ezri Kaysen and Heidi Chan. They both left for different reasons - actually, when I was in the middle of my entire life crumbling. I then met Jordan, the bassist on the album, and Morgan Doctor who is in The Cliks now. When we started to plan to tour, we added Nina Martinez to fill out our live sound, and then loved her so much that she is now an official member of the band. Soon after the album release, Jordan decided to leave the band to pursue her own projects. That is when Jen Benton came on board as our newly beloved bassist.

Swanktrendz: How does it feel to be playing to your old stomping grounds (Toronto) in light of your new popularity? Has Toronto's media been responsive to your CD's positive reviews? Was the media supportive of your music prior to the release of Snakehouse?

The Cliks: We haven’t really been playing Toronto lately as we are touring outside of home, but I’m really looking forward to it. We have a show at Lee’s Palace in May. The media, overall, has been very positive and has been really supportive, outside of a bizarre review we received in Xtra! magazine which insinuated we were sell outs because we worked with Moe Berg and Jake Gold, but then went on to say that the album was still good. Huh? It’s kind of funny that the dude’s perception was so completely off as Jake Gold only started to manage us after the album was completed and had nothing to do with the process. But I guess that’s what happens when you don’t do your research and it was a great lesson to learn that everyone’s perception is different based on personal bias.

Swanktrendz: Will you continue signing your name as Lucas or will you eventually return to Lilia? Or is Lucas the 'real' you, as opposed to your given birth name? (I love both names - perhaps a marriage of the two ie: Lucas Lilia? )

The Cliks: I’m transgendered and this isn’t a name game I’m playing. I changed my name as I identify as a transgendered male and I loved the name Lucas as it was my uncle’s name who has passed on. There will be no marriages of names. The real me... is who I am.(Editor’s note - it was a stupid question I asked in that I phrased it totally wrong - email questions are hard to phrase as the intent can become muddied. I did not mean to imply that being transgendered is a passing phase - I meant that Lucas’ original name sounded good with Lucas and did he intend to ever use it again. I assumed an ‘attachment’ to the first name which was unrealistic on my part. Again, my question is stemmed in ignorance, As for the: ‘the real you?’ statement ... duh, is there any other way to be.? (Rap on the knuckles for yours truly.) Hopefully, Lucas won’t hold the inane questions against me. I almost didn’t include the questions in my final copy because of my embarrassment, but that would have been misleading. So now the world can view my ignorance.)

Swanktrendz: Do you see your band progressing to an arena-style rock feature, or would you prefer a smaller, solid and loyal group of fans?

The Cliks: Never really though about it, but really, if want to marry anything - it would be a solid,loyal group of fans that fill arenas.

Swanktrendz: Fame is notorious for bringing/attracting fairweather friends or hangers-on. Since your entrance into the fame arena, have you found your circle of friends changing/evolving, or have you found yourself questioning the motives behind some friendships?

The Cliks: Darlin’, I’m not that famous and really, I have good friends and am glad to say that I haven’t encountered any negativity, thus far.

Swanktrendz: There appears to be a lot of interest in the band's, especially Lucas' sexuality. Does the media's interest in the band's sexuality hamper the band's progress, or does it provide a platform (or segueway) for personal and political beliefs?

The Cliks: It hasn’t, so far, (hampered our progress) and as far as it being a platform, well the media will take any story to create a platform and we really have no control over that. I think the fact that I’m transgendered and out is something people are interested in because it’s unusual, but really, I think after all the talking is done and people hear the music, they will come to the conclusion that these songs have a universal theme about them and we have no boundaries or boxes in the studio.

Swanktrendz: Could you please provide a brief musical experience background for each of the band members.

The Cliks: Everyone is a trained musician with the exception of me, I’m self taught.

Swanktrendz I've noticed that Morgan Doctor is also with Aporta Records. Does this present any problems when touring or recording? How does Morgan attempt to appease all those involved in her recording career?

The Cliks: It’s Aporia Records, BTW, and no, no problems whatsoever. We have a really well oiled machine here and we all work together in everyone's’ best interests.

Swanktrendz: Swanktrendz has a tradition of asking interviewees to give publicity to some lesser known musical acts whom they appreciate. Could you please name some bands whom you feel deserve more public (and media) acknowledgement. Swanktrendz will provide links to their websites.

The Cliks: : Great bands... Well... I don’t think she is that well unknown, but I have been tripping out to (Amy Winehouse) and can’t stop listening to it.

We also played with this amazing band at SXSW called, ‘The Breastfeeders’ or (Les Breastfeeders) as they are known in Montreal. There are also some amazing bands in Toronto... (Scandalnavia), (Dance Yourself to Death) ... Uhm... (The Smears) from Vancouver. I think that’s it for now.

Swanktrendz: We at Swanktrendz wish you great success with the release of Snakehouse, as well as an endless supply of material for your next chart-topping album. And thank you, in advance, for taking the time to answer these questions.

The Cliks: Thank you as well!

image 1: ladyfestottawa.com

image 2: uniter.ca

image 3: tmarkiewicz.com

image 4: Xtra archives