THE PET LION PRESENTS

Oh the partisan said "there are photos in your head I want to know what they are" - Swan Lake

2007-03-03T02:50:00.000-04:00

It's strange how I always feel I am a mixture of optimism and pessimism. I feel things aren't so bad and have the opportunity to get better. I feel I'm going no where in my life. At blinding speed. I wonder if I’m easily contented or just have no drive to do anything, really. When I do make any small advancement I don’t seem to capitalize on them to go further.

I want drive.

I want to achieve.

I want to stop floating.

Enough self conscious rambling for a blog post?

I am excited about things. I’m going to Toronto at the end of the month to see what is likely to be the last Rheostatics concert at Massey Hall. As it stands I’ll probably arrive home on my birthday and throw the third annual Feast of Beardo. I have an Australian Shiraz for a red wine and a Sauvignon Blanc for a white on the go right now.

I’ve got a laptop now so I’ll likely start posting here again. I’ll award a yet to be determined prize to the first friend who leaves a comment on this post.

Summer's over and the last few seconds weren't so bad 22 degrees and the stereo upstairs is nice and loud - Greg MacPherson

2006-08-25T12:44:00.000-03:00

Today is wine bottling day. It is a white wine called Symphony. It's a better kit than I usually do and takes longer than a month. My dad has made this a few times and for an off dry white, it's damn lovely. I figure the wine will be flowing sometime post 5:00 pm. Come visit if you know me well enough to know where I live.

I'll be heading to the North End Pub later in the evening.

Greg MacPherson was excellent last night. Glen and Lachie did a great job backing him up on a bunch of songs. Still think its awesome that musicians I think are great will come over to me to say hello.

Somewhere it's August in the evening That's where you'll find me changing seasons -Blinker the Star

2006-08-13T13:42:00.000-03:00

I'm sick this weekend. My throat feels pretty terrible. I tried hot toddies last night but it really didn't help at all. After a few my throat felt worse. So much for trying to have a few drinks while aiding my health.

Brutalize the Dancefloor had its first jam last night. We only had four Casios going but it was a really full sound. It'll be interesting when we get everyone together. Sort of have two songs in the making right now. I think we need to make the second one more dancy though. This will be my first band. I'm pretty excited about this. (Coming soon to a $Rockin' 4 Dollar$ near you, provided you are in Halifax).

Already it is August and there are still so many things I want to do. Like an actual camping trip. Hopefully to my favourite place, Pollett's Cove. September may be a good time to do that. Also, I have to organize a formal picnic. When browsing a book of art by Monet I saw paintings of people in nice dress having a picnic and thought it we be fun to do with a group of people here in Halifax. I will have to figure out a date and a good place for a picnic. My suits need dry cleaning as well.

I don't have no answers I don't have no clue. I'm turning round and tumbling down and fading out of view - The Unintended

2006-08-05T18:41:00.000-03:00

Why hello inquisitive visitor. Were you hoping to find out something about me? What I was up to? What is on my mind? Maybe a funny anecdote? You could call me, or drop by my place and see if I want to hang out. Send an e-mail or even a letter. Wouldn't that be lovely? Maybe I'll take my own advice and drop by and visit you or get your number and give you a call. Might be nicer than this silly internet thing.

Please leave a message after the beep

*BEEP*

Someday they'll lock the gate And your crescent moon will fall. Who will help you to your feet? Who'll say "Don't give up" again? - Rheostatics

2006-07-14T14:16:00.000-03:00

This should be a fun weekend.

Tonight is An Evening with Dave Bidini at Ginger's. Dave of course is a member of my favourite band ever, Rheostatics. He will be doing some readings from his writing projects and hopefully some stories of his recent international travels. The future of Rheostatics is uncertain at the moment as Tim Vesely has left the band and Dave and Martin are deciding if the will continue under the name that's about the same age as I am. Alfred asked me the other day if I was more excited about getting to drink Granite's Peculiar or seeing Bidini. I stopped a moment before saying Bidini, as I do love that beer.

Tomorrow night is a Stage Nine night as Spincycle², HotShotRobot and Joyless Streets are playing. Hopefully lots of people will be out to party and rock out. Haven't seen the Joyless Streets yet but HSR and S^2 are amongst my favourite Halifax bands/people.

Sunday night is Geoff Berner, again at Ginger's, which I can assure you will be awesome. He's playing as part of the Jazz festival but he's some strange, wonderful conglomeration of klezmer, punk, intelligence and drunkenness. Of course I will be enjoying more tasty, tasty Peculiar. GO SEE THIS!

Also, some soccerin' is going down Saturday. It should be starting at 4:00 apparently. We'll be somewhere on the Commons. Come and play.

A mossy bed Is where my love is led Thirst quenched and city life unlearned - Old Man Luedecke

2006-06-24T15:55:00.000-03:00

I guess I should post something again.

I could talk about what I did last night.
I went to the One World to see Broken Deer (or Deer Folklore?) and Scribbler (on acoustic guitars). It was really great and a nice start up for the night. Alfred and Bryce met up with me there. We stopped and visited Dale for a bit before going tot Hell's Kitchen. We arrived with Oh, Beautiful! Majestic! Eagle! already playing. I believe I have already mentioned my appreciation for this band. Definitely one of my favourite local bands at the moment. Shapes and Cymbals were up next. They had a different formation then previous performances I've seen. Ali wasn't playing the drums. Instead they had three tables set up with assorted toys and they had tambourines and other percussive tools at their feet. It was really great to see them again. The Sleepless Nights ended the night. They were using borrowed gear as Godwin is still stuck in Ontario with their van and gear. This lead to some technical difficulties but they played really well and the crowd definitely enjoyed their set. Bryce, Alfred and I then headed to Freeman's for late night food. On the way we decided on making a movie that starts with a quote I make often. "If I die in Halifax it will be by a taxi driver." It will have a great Halifax soundtrack. We ended up not working on the story any further at Freeman's but instead had our usual random conversations about music and our lives.

I could talk about next weekend.
I hope to get the time off to go to the annual Jackson/Lionais lobster boil. I don't eat lobster but its always a great time. The Jacksons have a great little place on a beach in Ingonish. I'll hopefully get to camp there and fall asleep and wake up to the ocean lapping on the sand. My New Year's resolutions included visiting Cape Breton more often and getting outdoors more. Hopefully this trip will accomplish some of this.

I could talk about what's on my mind.
I've been thinking a lot about those things I want to accomplish to improve my life. I'm generally a content person but there are some holes in my life. I have a feeling at least one should be easier to fill then I let on. If I were more confident about myself, stopped second guessing myself and didn't think myself out of taking actions. Thought is often the killer of action. Especially with me.

Is that enough for now? If not contact me. We can hangout or if distance prevents engage some other form of communication. The rain is letting up now so I may try and go get a new batch of wine started. I'm thinking of maybe doing a white.

Rebel radios will broadcast dreams On the short wave dials I fell asleep - Wooden Stars

2006-05-30T09:51:00.000-03:00

I need to learn an instrument. Any good suggestions? I would prefer to avoid guitar/bass/drums.

Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree? - Eurythmics

2006-05-04T17:00:00.000-03:00

Went to karaoke last night. It was a blast but getting up with barely time to make it to work sucked. I slept through my usual alarms but had my mind in the right place when I turned on another when I got home last night. I just forgot to set it to the appropriate time. So I woke up an hour later then I should and left without breakfast. I'm not the type to normally skip breakfast so that sucked. Now I have to get up really early for work tomorrow. Then its the weekend.

Jenn hosted a pre-Bearly's party that was quite fun. Some non-karaoke attending people showed as well. Jenn and I decided my knowledge of Supertramp lyrics was not adequate so we instead did Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) by the Eurythmics which was a blast. I have a feeling I might not be of the Supertramp hook yet though.

Last weekend was all kinds of goodness. Thursday was Lil' Seifus/Telecommando/Spincycle at Gus. Friday was
HotShotRobot/Oh, Beautiful! Majestic! Eagle!/some of the Stance at Gus before going to the Attic for The Fembots. Saturday, as I felt like going for a hat trick, I was at Gus again for the Radiator collective comp release show. It was really crazy and fun and from there went to Vince's going away party for a bit.

I really enjoyed Oh, Beautiful! Majestic! Eagle! at Gus on Friday and Saturday. As Newwave Nathan said "It's like all my favourite bands are four girls". I'll definitely make sure I go see them again.

This weekend: Lots of shows I want to see. Dwindling funds. I might not be drinking.

Oh rabbit, rabbit you've got this habit of breaking legs for nouveau carat - Frog Eyes

2006-04-16T14:05:00.000-03:00

It's Easter. I'm bored at my apartment. I can't taste cause I'm sick. Which almost made me think the tea I bought yesterday was no good until I realized I couldn't taste the blueberry jam on my toast either. Hooray for sickness! Some people would try to relax and take it easy. Not me. I medicate myself with alcohol. Really though, a few drinks and I don't feel as stuffed up and cough a lot less. Tuesday night was the last night I stayed at home. Ridiculous. I went to see Sixtoo and Kid Koala last night. It was amazing. I've missed Kid Koala every other time he's been through so I'm really glad I went. Stopped at Cornwallis St afterwards to catch the tail end of the party there.

I've been on a bit of a Carey Mercer/Frog Eyes kick lately. Carey Mercer has a project with Dan Bejar (Destroyer/New Pornographers) and Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade/Sunset Rubdown) that I'm pretty excited about called Swan Lake. Also, Absolutely Kosher is rereleasing The Bloody Hand and The Golden River with bonus material including the Blue Pine second album (didn't even know there was a second) and some other Frog Eyes tracks. Plus there is supposed to be a Blackout Beach single and Frog Eyes are working on another album. This has got me so excited that I'm listening to all the Carey Mercer projects I have every day for the last week.

Next weekend I'm going back to Cape Breton for my Nana's 100th birthday. Crazy she lasted this long. Still has a sharp wit although no short term memory. She'll probably make fun of my "whiskers" like she usually does. Only on one visit did she believe the beard to look nice. I'm hoping if time and weather allows to go out in the woods behind our house. Need some wilderness time. It'll be fun to hang with the family. I saved the last bottle of Feast of Beardo wine (only two bottles survived the night) to share with my dad as I think it's the best batch I've made so far.

Or in the flood you'll build an Ark And Sail us to the moon - Radiohead

2006-04-07T14:43:00.000-03:00

Radiohead are probably playing in Montreal this summer. Maybe even for two dates. I must find a way to see this.

When the birthday boy comes to town All the children gather round - Junkhouse

2006-04-01T11:42:00.000-04:00

So the age-o-meter just clicked over to 26.

I get to see the Lighthouse Choir today, which is a great treat, and Tom Fun as well. After that my plans are unclear but I'm leaning towards trying to catch Dog Day at the Seahorse then going to Hell's Kitchen for C'mon and whoever else I can catch beforehand. If I feel up for it afterwards I may go to the Casino for the True North Revue, because I like Tom Wilson. I promise not to play cards for money with Corby Lund if I do go.

Tomorrow the celebration kicks into the second annual Feast of Beardo. Last year I made wine and had a potluck. It was one of my favourite birthday celebrations. This year there is more wine and more people.

Don't run our hearts around Don't hit 'em to the ground Let's find a better place And quit this whole damn race - Black Mountain

2006-02-25T16:59:00.000-04:00

Hello friends and curious people who find my blog through my friends' blogs (lots of people coming from Lindsay's) or stumble upon it when searching for song lyrics.

Almost finished making a batch of Pinot Noir. Hopefully getting another batch started today for the Feast of Beardo (second annual). Fudge wants to do a white for our next batch which is probably going to be a Chardonnay. It will be our last before he returns to Upper Canada to make boxes for the summer. I'll have two carboys now so there will be an increase in the amount of wine I'll have.

My new work schedule is pretty cool. It gives me three day weekends. Friday through Sunday.

There is a party tonight on Cornwallis St. Should be a good time. Feel ready to just hang out with people and I've had many great times in that apartment.

My good friend Dave introduced me to a fun but simple game. Put together four random words. Apparently Dave has started writing down his favourites that I've sent to him on messenger. Care to try yourself? Leave a reply.

aural branch crystal fog

All the stories you can hold To fill your weeks with eager souls The calendar has weeks and days To count the things that no one says - Snailhouse

2006-01-20T13:14:00.000-04:00

Mid January BeardUpdate

I sang karaoke for the first time (well I've sang backups for friends or when mics have been put to my face) at Bearly's on Wednesday. I performed Blood, Sweat and Tears' Spinning Wheel. My dad had a greatest hits tape that we listened to a lot in the car. I know the lyrics to all those songs quite well. Bearly's is always fun. Dancing to karaoke is one of my favourite ridiculous pleasures in life.

Fudge and I put down our fourth batch of wine Sunday. This time it is a Pinot Noir. I only have one bottle of our Cabernet Sauvignon left. I think I will make one batch of wine specially for this years Feast of Beardo. Possibly a Merlot like last year.

Tonight I'm hitting up the Khyber for Yellow Jacket Avenger /Death By Nostalgia /Just Barelys. It could be the last Khyber show I attend. Let's hope not. Tomorrow there's a robot party around the corner with some of my friends bands playing sets. Should be fun.

Tom Wilson is playing the Seahorse on Feb 3rd. This time I'll go early so I don't miss any of his set. Silly older crowds with their early start times. I guess that is what happens when you become part of a band (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings) that is successful with the folk festival crowd. Speaking of BARK they should really come play out east again. Their show at the Marquee was one of my favourite shows of 2004. It was one of those shows that I would be happy to watch them continue playing for another two hours.

Nothin the day could bring that will surprise me I'm buildin to the fullest every minute I'm through talkin the talk,I'm bout to live it-Blackalicious

2006-01-06T02:27:00.000-04:00

So we start a new year. We rang it in here at the Lawrence St flat. Had a fantastically fun time.

I'm thinking about some New Years resolutions.

I went home to Cape Breton for a brief time for Christmas. My first resolution is to spend more time in Cape Breton. I missed Gobblefest and Stoked and only made three short visits in 2005.

I also missed out on the annual Boxing Day hike my brothers, cousins and friends do every year. I had been really looking forward to it. I miss being out in nature. The second resolution is to spend more time in nature (hopefully in Cape Breton). I really need to do some hiking and camping this year.

I hang out with musicians and other artistic/creative people. I really enjoy being around creative people and finding out about how they are created. I had planned on starting to write and to learn a musical instrument. Making myself do some creative projects is my third resolution.

I need to get my career direction in order and get involved with the type of work I want to do or get myself back to university to work on a graduate degree. So my fourth resolution is to get this on track.

These are some of the directions I want to take my life this year. I will continue to try and enjoy life to the fullest by seeking out and appreciating the beauty in the world, treasuring my family and friends, and not taking anything too seriously.

Please release it Don't forget We were wired to make no sense - The Violet Archers

2005-11-04T15:39:00.000-04:00

In an attempt not to be completely lazy I'll actually write a new post.

So much to cover. HPX was fun. Fembots were excellent. Hopefully they will return soon. Tom Fun et al were great at Gus' Pub and the surpirise band very similar to Japanther at the end of the night were quite enjoyable as well. A Northern Chorus have a beautiul name and a beautiful sound to match. Meligrove band were a good way to end the fest.

Lawrence St had a Halloween party last Friday. Fun times. Dressed as a Vegan Zombie because I like bad jokes. Roasted pumpkin seeds, which were a huge hit at that point in the evening. I had bobbing for shots towards the end of the night. A hilarious new Halloween tradition.

Next day after cleaning up post party, Fudge and I bottled the new batch of wine. Shiraz. I drank wine, listened to my favourite cd's, had a fantastic meal thanks to Melissa, went to a show at Stage 9 and hit up a going away party. It was such a good evening and weekend that I believe I raved about it for days afterward.

Tonight is the KNA ep release party. Really good line-up of the Tragedies > Spincycle Squared > Hot Shot Robot > The KNA. It might be the last good Seahorse show for a while as it seems the management wants a yuppie bar. BOO-URNS!!!!

And I love this place; the enormous sky, and the faces, hands that I'm haunted by - The Weakerthans

2005-10-14T01:31:00.000-03:00

Apologies again for the lack of posts. We now have internet at my wonderful flat on Lawrence St. Really happy here. My roommates are awesome and fun and good cooks. Our kitchen is big and bright. I'm aquiring art for my walls. I'm working a job that doesn't suck (and it's a call centre would you believe?).

I missed Gobblefest which was quite the downer but I'm off for Halifax Pop Explosion. Can't wait or The Fembots and A Northern Chorus. Also Tom Fun and the Holy Microphone Machine at the Mock Explosion at Gus' Pub will be great.

So I'll update more in the near future.
Thanks for your attention.

I'm not living I'm just killing time - Radiohead

2005-08-05T01:44:00.000-03:00

I'm not dead, but my computer is. Sorry to all three (possibly four) of my avid readers/dear friends for the lack of updates. I've returned to call center work for the time being but hope to have something good worked out soon. I'm trying to figure out where I'll be living come September but have a few possibilities. I'm looking forward to possibly having roommates I'll actually hang out with. Still checking out shows/attending Indie Dance Nights/playing Ultimate/acting silly any chance I get. At work my trainer offered to pick up drinks and donuts for us from Timmy's. I tried to order a apple fritter smoothie but it was a no go. The hot chocolate I ended up having was enjoyable none the less. I'll give fuller updates throughout the week. I'm house/cat sitting for my brother and his girlfriend so I have internet access.

Take care.

Beardo loves you.

Sit Down. Stand up. Walk into The Jaws of Hell. Anytime. Anytime. - Radiohead

2005-05-23T15:42:00.000-03:00

Saturday night brought another live band party thanks to the magnificent Dale Fahey. I arrived really early so I helped move gear over from the jam spot. People slowly arrived and Gilbert Switzer eventually started playing to the gathered party-goers. This was my first time seeing this madness. I enjoyed it greatly. Simple drum set-up, guitar and a vocalist. Crazy fun! Then Attack Mode unleashed their punk rock assault while disguised by nylons over their heads. I watched one of their songs but spent most of their set hanging out in the kitchen, where I could still hear the music perfectly anyway. Party stuff happened like drinking, loud music, conversations, introductions, stories, jokes and the like. Good times.

My parents were in town this weekend so I spent some time with them on Sunday. We went over to my brother Steve's and later went to Freeman's for pizza. We then decided to take in the Rodin exhibition at the AGNS. I was really glad to see it. I honestly don't go into art galleries nearly enough. Rodin's bronze sculptures were really amazing. I was really interested in how figures he had used in the making of The Gates of Hell were later enlarged and made into their own works. The Kiss and The Thinker (two of his most famous works) both originated in the creation of the gate.
After checking out the rest of the gallery we went back to Steve's for supper and spent most of the evening there. When I got home that night I decided to do some more research on Rodin's work. The Gates of Hell is based on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. I think i'll try to read that sometime this year. Radiohead's Lyrics also contain many references to the Comedy. Its interesting how it has influenced modern Christian beliefs about hell as well.

You want to see I'll show you I'll show you a good time I'll take you where the music is so loud - Greg MacPherson Band

2005-05-15T18:27:00.000-03:00

Friday night I went to see Greg MacPherson at Reflections. Got there in time to see all of Great Plains set. Greg came up to me during their first song to say hello. I first met him in early 2000 and after listening to Balanced on a Pin I've been a big fan. I'm so glad that people know about him now. Great Plains were enjoyable as always. Sean was showing off his new internet purchase, a green 12 string. Greg got set up afterwards and poured his energy out through his voice and guitar. This guy is a killer songwriter. He has an amazing voice. Also he plays some incredible electric guitar with just his fingers and fist. Someone requested West St. James which I usually request so I joined in for the calls of Company Store. Damn I wish I could be in CB tonight to see him perform that song there. Its a true story about his grandfather who was a miner from Sydney Mines. Such a powerful song. The crowd was definitely into it except for a few loud talkers near the front that you could hear during the quieter songs. Its still perplexes me how people pay money to see a show and then talk loudly over the music. Up front. If you just want to hang out in the bar and chat please go to the back of the room. There was a lot of singing along, and clapping along when Greg would allow it. It was nice of the DJ to let Greg play another song after it was past midnight. I would have loved to see him play even longer.

After he was finished I decide to hang out and see what the night would bring. I was hanging out with Megan Sampson and Mike Gillis and his friend Chad. Chad got me a shot of tequila and Megan was lovely enough to get me a beer. I then went along with Mike and Chad to a party on Cork St. Chad hooked me up with some Jack Daniels which was good. Had a good time there with all these poeple I didn't know and some crazy stories from Mike. I left when Mike did and its probably good that I did because I kept him on track till he got to where he knew where he was.

Today I had Ultimate practice and then hit up some fieldball on the commons. It feels good to run around but I'm worn out now.

Late nights rock me Sleeping on couches - Dog Day

2005-05-08T21:36:00.000-03:00

Rain. Rain. Rain. Had to deal with that as I walked to get some cash from an ATM and then head over to Dale's to hang out before going to Stage 9. Marty, Chris, Dale and I got a cab from there to the bar. My jeans were soaked through anyway but walking in the rain with high winds sucks. We got there in time to see Death By Nostalgia's set. I was glad we did as it was really good. The Sycamores were on second. I had never seen them before but I really liked their songs. Hopefully I'll get to see them again sometime. Dog Day were then on to promote the release of their cd Thank You. I really like these guys and they didn't disappoint (either live or on record).

After picking up a copy of the cd and hanging around chatting we headed out into the rain. It was decided that Julia, Lindsay, Heather, Jared and myself would head to Jared's to hang out some more. This of course meant more walking in high winds and driving rain. We listened to the Dog Day cd and had a good time. I offered to let Julia stay in the extra room at my place instead of sleeping without blankets on a lawnchair mat in an empty apartment. Which also means I got a taxi ride home instead of having to walk again thanks to Julia.

I listened to Thank You three times today. Pick up a copy if you haven't already.

Let the forest grow Where trees and homes were BURN DOWN THE HOUSES - The Lighthouse Choir

2005-05-02T14:49:00.000-03:00

I went back to Cape Breton for the weekend. The Lighhouse Choir were playing and I felt that was an excellent excuse to go visit home. I had a drive up with relatives. I got home and had supper with my parents. Friday night I headed to the Maple Leaf. Tom Fun and the Tokyo Sky Pilots were on first. I've only see Ian do his Tom Fun thing once at a party last year. His Tom Waitesque persona was joined with trombone, acoustic guitar, fiddle, double bass and drums. It was a really fun set of craziness. We'll have to see about getting him a gig up here in Halifax. Next up were 3 Piece Suit ripping through a set of their instro-mental surf rock. I love these guys. Solid songs that are fun to hear. The third act was T. Leche a combiantion of laptop and guitar playing. I missed most of his set hanging out on the restaurant side chatting with people but caught the end was interesting enough. He then got the 3PS boys up to jam and Tom Fun soon sauntered up to the mic to say random things. It was an awesome jam. Great way to end the night.

Saturday I joined in for CBlocals baseball. Drinking and playing baseball with the crazy local music scene. Mid-afternoon drinking and shenanigans. Lauchie was quite drunk and hilarious. The Cobras defeated the Vultures. Not because of me, I couldn't make it to first base that game. Did I mention I suck at baseball?
We played another game where I actually made it to home twice. Fun times. I hope I can make it home (as in Cape Breton not necessarily home plate) some other weekend to join up with this nonsense again.

That night I again headed into the Maple Leaf to see the Lighthouse Choir. These guys are one of my absolute favourite bands right now. The different sounds they are combining for their music is just mind blowingly fantastic. Taking folk narratives about fishing communities and death played with guitar and fiddle and voice, then adding ambient sounds from organs and synthsizers and then throwing a touch of disco punk in with the rhythm section. I was grinning ear to ear during their set. I joined in as the backup choir for Burn Down The Houses where they got the crowd to sing chords as well as the refrain "burn down the houses". It was so wonderful to hear the energy in that little red room.
It was very wierd to have the highlight of the night play a too short opening set. I almost felt ready to wind down the night and head home. I actually stayed and hung out and chatted with people on the restaurant side. It felt good to be hanging out at the Leaf again and seeing people I haven't seen since Christmas. I missed all of Ermine's set (I've seen them a bunch of times and am not really into thir stuff). I went over and listened to some of Kuroda's set. They're not bad but some of the guitar effects are overdone and I find it annoying.

It sounds like the Lighthouse Choir might be through Halifaxs sometime in June. I can hardly wait. They are still working on their next album so I wouldn't expect to hear that too soon.

I spent $20 dollars on cover and a couple of beer. I got a few beer on Friday from friends. I ate my parents groceries. I got free transpotation to and from Sydney. Then my mom gave me $20 dollars spending money before I left. Did that ever work out well!

Beat the drum till I'm insane Give the next dance craze a name - Junkhouse

2005-04-28T16:45:00.000-03:00

Indie Dance Night April 27th, 2005. Fun, fun and more fun!

Living in castles a bit at a time The King started laughing and talking in rhyme - Neil Young

2005-04-27T13:27:00.000-03:00

Last night I went to the "first annual furniture free party (and maybe last)" at Julia's. That was all a lie though as there was still a cot in the living room. Still I had a good time. Enjoyed a bottle of wine. I found out more faces to people who post on the halifaxlocals messageboard, discussed machines that could manufacture beds or your favourite pair of pants which led to a discussion on Star Trak replicators (could you get it to replicate cooked human flesh or would it be programmed to prohibit cannabalism and would it truly be cannabalism if it was replicated?), and had other wacky conversations. Julia's leaving but we all know she'll be back soon enough.

Before the party I went to the second Shock This practice for the year. I think we're going to have a pretty solid Ultimate team by the time the season starts up. Beardo's tip of the day: When people start yelling "FENCE!" stop running. My arm is still pretty sore today.

We should shine a light on A light on And the book I write on Write on It was Right On - Joanna Newsom

2005-04-24T17:50:00.000-03:00

Friday night my brother Kevin was in town with his girlfriend so my brother Steve an I went to the Shoe Shop for a couple of drinks with them. Had some good laughs. Went home and had a relaxed evening.

Saturday night I first went to the One World Cafe (formerly The Blue Bird which was formerly Salvation) to see Shapes and Cymbals and How Memory Works. Played some speed Scrabble before the bands started. It was a fun time. Almost everyone there I knew to some degree, including the band members. They both played great sets. Check 'em out if you get the chance. Next Alfred and I took off to the Seahorse to catch Wax Mannequin. After getting through some technical difficulties he did his stuff to a loving crowd. This guy is seriously crazy. He is very serious, never cracking a smile or anything. But his songs are quite insane (and fun). Again, check him out if you get the chance. After Wax finished his set Alfred and I grabbed our coats and headed to North St after a quick stop at my place. We were catching the tail end of the party at Rachel's place so there wasn't a lot of people left. Hung out for a while but was a bit to tired and too sober to really enjoy myself so I took off for home.

Today I played the season opener for field ball in the commons. We had eight people out despite the fog and drizzle and had a couple of really fun games. It feels great to get out and run around for a couple of hours. Sundays at 3:00pm if you're interested in playing.

I think I might drop by the NSCAD graduation tonight for the Sharp Like Knives performance and IDN DJ's.

...and wherever they go There is light all around It's a beautiful sound...it's a brilliant sound - Rheostatics

2005-04-08T15:54:00.000-03:00

Went to the Rheostatics show at Reflections last night. It was a really terrible turnout. I hope that doesn't dissuade them from returning to the east coast. Although Dave Bidini mentioned they may be back for Stan Rogers Festival in Canso. Fingers crossed.
Rheostatics played an excellent set though. Plenty of songs from the new album (unfortunately not Polar Bears and Trees which I was really hoping to hear) lots of the old greats like Saskatchewan, Aliens, Self Serve Gas Station, Feed Yourself, A Midwinter Night's Dream (dedicated to Bob Switzer) and Stolen Car (I love this song so much).
If I had the money I would be seeing them in Fredericton tonight. I could definitely watch these guys night after night for several shows. Maybe I should make plans to save up and go to the Fall Nationals at the Horseshoe in Toronto this year.

Talking with my friends Around a bottle of red wine - Blackie and the Rodeo Kings

2005-04-04T17:40:00.000-03:00

The first annual Feast of Beardo was a success. Even the famous Dale Fahey thought so. "This is probably the second best Feast of Beardo I've ever been to," said Dale. We had party mix, lentil and vegetable soup, biscuits, potato salad, mini spanokopitas, veggie tacos and chocolate cake. All very yummy. There were 10 empty bottles of wine this morning. Eight of those were from the happy wine that Fudge and I made. So good! I woke up without the slightest trace of a hangover. I love this wine!

I was told to put this quote from me on the blog. "I'm double fisting, cup of soup, glass of wine!" So there it is.

Pink Floyd: at Pompeii was watched. My stereo was well excercised with many cds and high volumes. Wednesday got lots of fallen scraps. We listened to an mp3 of my doppleganger Paul Cargnello. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I certainly had a blast. Thanks to everyone who came, brought food and wine, and made my first real party here really fun.

Red wine is fast At the lip of your glass And I’m gonna ruin Everything, everything - Neko Case

2005-04-02T15:17:00.000-04:00

Birthday wrap up:

Danica showed up at my place and we headed over to Cafe Vienna to have breakfast. Falafel for breakky is so good! We then headed downtown. Danica wanted to go to CD Plus so we went and browsed music for a while. The find of the day is my doppleganger Paul Cargnello. I think I might write and ask him to give my face back. We then dropped by Jared's place for a while and hung out with hampsters, mice, a snake and a rabbit. We recorded a song onto his computer with Danica and me playing shaker/percussion and kept changing our rhythm. Pretty bad, but funny. Danica and I then went hunting for Rachael Nevers. No answer at her apartment. Not taking a smoke break outside the hospital. So we went and picked up some food at Superstore and had lunch at my place. Danica then left to continue the hunt for Rachael. I eventually started to clean up my place for the wine and cake party. Fudge showed up while I was finishing the dishes and soon Danica, Dave and Alf showed up. Cake was had. Wine was drunk. We got silly. The wine led to me forgetting all grammar rules, sing alongs to The New Pornographers, The Who and Rheostatics, reminiscing about last years birthday shenanigans, and leg wrestling on my bed. I was right leg champion. Dave was left leg champion.
Fudge had to take off as he had some plans with other friends. Dave is between jobs and low on cash so he decided to head home instead of continuing the night at Reflections with us. The bar was pretty empty. Porcelain Gods were good. Sean was doing sound and between sets had his palm pilot mp3s on random. Greg MacPherson's Company Store came on and I had to find all the Capers in the bar I knew. That turned out to be Alf, Sean and me so we sang along loudly together. Two Hours Traffic were alright. I was just feeling good from the wine and hanging out with friends. The bar was still not very populated by the time the High Dials played. They were enjoyable though. Even pulled out a sitar for the final song. Jessica White bought a round of two dollar drinks although I think she expects a two dollar drink in return at some other time.
Afterwards Alfred suggested dropping by a party of his coworkers. Sorta lame, but got a free beer out of it. We didn't stay long and headed to our respective beds for sleep.

I definitely love my wine!

As far as I remember You were dropping hints And hoping that somehow that we might find them - The Lighthouse Choir

2005-04-01T16:22:00.001-04:00

A quarter century has now passed since I've started breathing air. Having chocolate birthday cake tonight. My mom rules. Didn't even have to ask. Chocolate cake. Chocolate frosting. Probably open a couple of bottles of wine as well. The wine will be in full effect on Sunday evening for the Feast of Beardo. It'll actually be the first party I've had at my flat. Should be fun.

Anyone pull any good pranks this morning? I attempted one but it was pretty terrible. Its hard to pull someones leg when you basically tell each other BS most of the time anyway.

Thanks to Jared for the pic and thanks to the Lighthouse Choir for making "happy birthday" (as sung by a choir of fishing boat skeletons) and the rest of their very fine album

sing me a lullaby. Sing me the alphabet. Sing me a story I haven't heard yet. - The Weakerthans

2005-03-25T12:49:00.000-04:00

The line-up for Reflections last night was much shorter than the Pavillion show. Alf and I got in with time to hit the washroom and grab some drinks and start making out way up front before Jon Epworth started. We met up with Kristen, Craig and Andrea. Epworth played a great set and tore it up on the last song even without the second guitar because of a blown up cabinet. After that set we worked our way to the front for the Constantines. The crowd was really entusiastic for them with lots of singing and fist pumping. TURN IT UP! Right after their set there was a flood of people trying to shove their way to the front. I worked with the people I ended up standing by to squeeze out anyone trying to elbow through. "I just need to get past you for a few seconds" Really, who are you fooling? I moved up here for this prime spot early on I'm not letting anyone push through now. When the Weakerthans hit the stage the crowd was just bouncing. It was definitely a sing-along fest up front. I like how with Left and Leaving John K. Sampson lets the crowd sing the high note that starts a line than comes in on the second syllable. Beautiful! Pamphleteer was performed so I was happy that song got played over these two shows. After they played a couple of songs for an encore they got the Cons on stage and did The Travelling Wilbury's End of the Line. It was great.
The coat check line was insanely long so we grabbed some drinks and hung out for a while and ended the night at Freemans for some early morning food.
Getting to see the Weakerthans two nights in a row was really a treat. Now to try a triple Rheostatics in April.

I want to call requests through heating-vents - The Weakerthans

2005-03-23T23:20:00.000-04:00

I just got back from the Pavillion stop of the Rolling Tundra Revue. I got over there at 7 and there was a line-up out to Cogswell. I didn't get in until quarter to eight. By that time The Burdocks were halfway through their set. I moved up front and grabbed some wall. I figured I could be up close without standing in front of some shorter kid and ruining their view. Rachel Nevers came by and said hello and we watched the Constantines set. I wished the crowd was more rowdy and into the set. The Cons would probably played a little more intense. It sounded really good though. I appreciated them more this time now that I'm more familiar with them from listening to Shine A Light. The Weakerthans were up next and it appeared that was what most of the kids were there for. What can I say about how good the Weakerthans are? Well Left and Leaving was worth the price of admission alone. I expecting the Reflections show tomorrow night to be killer. Hung out with the B'docks afterwards and got in on the cover debate for their next album. They wouldn't let me know what its going to be called though. Bought a Weakerthans shirt with all kinds of yellow park signs on it. Reminds me of listening to Left and Leaving while driving home from camping in the Cape Breton highlands.

Tomorrow Part II

They say "One thing always leads to another" I open my mind I don't get it - Cowboy Junkies

2005-03-21T22:49:00.000-04:00

Walking home from work I start thinking I would like some corn chips and salsa. So I decide to head to Great Ocean because they have Que Pasa organic chips that I like. So I get some chips, salsa, buttery spread and madras indian cooking sauce. While walking back down Quinpool I see the new book store Outside the Lines (which I somehow missed while walking up while wondering where it was located). Inside I browsed for a few minutes and found Investigations by Stuart Kauffman, $10.95 for a hard cover. It looked pretty interesting so I bought it. While walking further down Quinpool I decided to buy some wine at the liquor boutique in Quinpool center(Farnese from Italy is a good, yet inexpensive wine). After grabbing a bottle (well I still need a few more bottles for the homemade Merlot) I remembered my old corkscrew was broken so I needed to grab one from Canadian Tire. No sign of Alfred after a quick look around so I get my corkscrew and go home. Four purchases because I wanted salsa and chips.

And all we do is work to afford the cost of living So we can do the things that we want to do - Duotang

2005-03-20T14:32:00.000-04:00

These last few days have been great. Thursday I went to the first show for North by North End (NXNE). Camoromance were pretty good. Pop Secret were poppy and fun. SS Cardiac were fantastic. Windom Earle were a blast as per usual. The video display was excellent. Definitely a enjoyable night.
Friday I went to the Pavillion. Dog Day were excellent. Really like this band and can't wait to get a copy of the cd when it comes out. Missed most of Gary Flanagin's set and not sure I really 'missed' all that much. A/V was fun set up in the middle of the floor with dancing and crowd participation.Sharp Like Knives are plain amazing. Haven't caught any of their recent shows so its good to finally catch them again. After their set Alf and I took off for Reflections. Got there to see most of Great Plains set. Really excellent band. Alf then challenged me to some awful pool. We are both really crappy at pool so its almost a challenge to see who's the worst. Alfred sunk the eight ball losing the first game, but it was a coin operated table so I suggested making one of my balls the new eight ball. I then sunk it several shots later and therefore we had both lost the game at this point. We decided to sink the rest of out balls for an ultimate loser. It was a long battle considering how few balls were left but Alfred did finish me off. So I am the champion of bad pool for now. Any other challengers? During the pool playing The Peter Pakers were playing. I'm not as fond of their sound these days. I remember at Gobblefest 8 they were incredibly good. Now I find there is too much aggravating noise to their sound. The Meligrove Band were on last. They were super good. Tambourines were handed to audience members including yours truly. Crowd participation can be an excellent addition to a show. So they finish and now its a little after 12 and the show is over so the Reflections dance crowd can start shaking their thing. What's a guy to do? Head to Stage Nine for Slowcoaster of course. So I get their and the boys haven't hit the stage yet. Talk to the assorted ex-pat Capers in the crowd. Slowco is definitely picking up a strong non Cape Breton following in Halifax. Seems there is less percentage of us there at each show lately. So I danced around up front, yelled "Airport" with Aaron "Airport" Corbett and generally had a good time. Ended up hanging out after hours with the guys and with Sheumas from the Barra MacNeils. Sheamus was talking about getting into differnt areas with your music like them in the States and how growing up they would get beat up for even taking a fiddle to school. It's intersting how they went through some tough crap like people today can find in the 'indie' scene of working really hard to make it against popular trends in culture. Darren, Devon and myself then went for some late night grup at the Apple Barrel and then went home and hit the hay.
Saturday (Day three) I'm going to Stage Nine again. Alf comes over and we soon head to Faulkland to Kim's for pre show hanging out. Walk in the door and Jared who I used to work with at the call centre is there. I hadn't seen him in some time so I didn't know whether he was still in Halifax. It was cool to see him again. After a bit we headed over to S9 for the show. Bahai Casette were nuts. Sparkly gloves, dancing, bubbles, skipping cd players and general madness. Definitely entertaining. SS Cardiac were on second, this time minus their bassist as he and the Meligrove band were in Sydney. Christian and Sean did some extra drumming with them. (I love two drumsets at once!) I wish I had picked up their cd before I left. The Burdocks finished off the night with a kickass set. These guys are an awesome group. Had a great time rocking out to them. Afterwards we headed over to North St for some partying. Had a raving discussion about Victoria and how fantastic Carolyn Mark is. Partook in some dancing and had some more cool conversations. Another good night on a fantastic weekend.

Hey hey, remember me? Yeah, we've met before - Carolyn Mark

2005-03-13T13:13:00.000-04:00

I saw Carolyn Mark and Lederhosen Lucil at the Seahorse last night. What a fun show. Carolyn has such a great stage presence. Plus she can come up with some great lyrics. Don't be caught drinking white wine near her. She hosts a open mic seesion on Sundays in Victoria called the Hootenany. I used to go all the time when I lived in Victoria and saw some incredible performers there like Geoff Berner.

Lederhosen Lucil had a crazier performance. Her pirate/lederhosen get-up was hilarious. Jaaaarrrrrr! (combination of the German Ja! and the pirate Rrrrrrrrrrrrr!) She made people "walk the plank" to win a single (including a Kid Koala remix). You can't say there's much wrong with songs that make everyone dance and double over laughing at the same time.

I talked to Carolyn briefly after the show about Victoria. She said she thought I looked familiar (I was up front for her set). I always went to the bar(Logan's which was called Thursday's when I lived there) that she held the Hootenany at to see shows and she often hung out there so maybe she wasn't politely humouring me. Strangely I didn't bring up Frog Eyes (she sometimes contributes background vocals on their albums) considering how much I usually talk about Frog Eyes.

The Seahorse still smells like vomit/ass. I read on the halifaxlocals messageboard something about possible renovations. Hopefully they can get rid of the smell without ruining whats great about that ol' tavern.

Pretend you owe me nothing And all the world is green We can bring back the old days And all the world is green - Tom Waits

2005-03-11T20:35:00.000-04:00

I'm now working at a temporary position for DRDC Atlantic. One of my tasks is to write an integrated pest management plan for them. One day when I was researching at Dalhousie I came upon this in a book: from a Roman agricultural text around 50 AD - protection from caterpillers - " a woman ungirded and with flying hair must run barefoot around the garden, or a crayfish must be nailed up in different places in the garden." Who says gardening is dull?

Can't get the stink off, he's been hanging round for days. - Radiohead

2005-03-06T14:00:00.000-04:00

I love when spontaneous activities start up at parties. Hanging out and chatting can be good but sometimes you can stumble into doing something that is side splittingly fun. Last night a penciled portrait session started up at the pre-show party at "Club Cunard". Lots of hilarious attempts at capturing someone's look. My drawing of Dale looked a bit too much like Michael Jackson. Dave Ewenson did a better job of capturing Dale's bazooka-toting patriotic look and his manic version of Lyle was great even though Lyle didn't agree.
I then got the idea to open an art gallery of refrigerators. All the art would be magnetized to the doors of the fridges. Inside the freezers could be ice sculptures. Wine and cheese can be kept inside for opening receptions. Should I draw up a business plan?
We then busted down to the Seahorse to see Montgomery Moth, The Tragedies, and The KNA. All the sets were great. I had a fun time, despite the horrible smell that now inhabits the Seahorse. Same as Friday night. Is it because all the smoking is now relegated to its own room that the natural stink of that bar can now be experienced? I hope not because the Seahorse is one of my favourite bars in town for shows. Maybe a bunch of car fresheners would help?

Introducing happiness. Happy, yes! - Rheostatics

2005-03-03T18:39:00.000-04:00

I have several things that are making me happy right now. I'm making wine with my friend Fudge and by my birthday (April 1st) we will have a batch of Merlot. I'm hoping we can make some crazy labels for the bottles.
Also this month I get to see the Weakerthans twice (with the Constantines). John K. Sampson is one of the best songwriters in this country. I know I'll have a blast. On a sadder note this makes me think of my friend Jeremy who passed away New Years day. One of my last memories of hanging out with him is riding in his car blasting Left and Leaving and singing at the top of our lungs. It would have been fantastic to get to see the Weakerthans with him. I'll be thinking of you buddy.
On April 7th, my favourite band Rheostatics will be playing at Reflections. I'm very excited to see these guys now. I've really grown to love their most recent album 2067 and it will be great to hear these songs live. Also Michael Phillip-Wojewoda, who now is their official drummer should be tighter on the skins than last time they played here.

So, what is exciting in your life?