Great things - 2; Bad things - 1

Two great things happened while I took a few well-deserved days off and headed to Ottawa for Canada Day. A not-so-great thing happened, as well.

The Good:
Sarah Palin resigns.
Al Franken finally wins his senate race.

The Bad:
Karl Malden died at the age of 97.

Two Eulogies

I wish I could say that I have a bad habit of eulogizing celebrities, but that's a vast understatement. Fact is, I eulogize everything: Record stores that I've never stepped foot in, friends who move away, time periods of my life, a pet, and even entire years.

I guess, really, that's what this blog is -- A series of eulogies. And this post will be no exception.

1) Michael Jackson:

The second tape I ever bought was Michael Jackson's Dangerous. My sister and I would belt out "Heal the World," standing on top of our twin beds, fighting over who would recite the monologue at the beginning of the song. Eventually, we decided just to take turns. 

This is just one of dozens of Michael Jackson memories I have. After all, I was a child of the 80s. However, it's not my first Michael Jackson memory.

I remember seeing the video for Thriller when I was just a few years old. It must have been the first music video I ever saw, because I didn't know what it was. I remember thinking "They're making movies out of songs now." Because, really, that's what Thriller is -- a short film, set to music. 

I truly don't think I can think of another artist who is as entwined with my childhood, and even parts of adulthood, as Jackson, whether it be: The friend who used to kiss the screen when the Michael Jackson video came on at the end of the VHS copy of Free Willy; The Super Bowl half-time show where he stood completely still, for what seems like hours; Listening to Billie Jean on repeat in the Fshop audio room because it's what was used to test the speakers; Dirty Diana on car rides home. 

I realize I'm jumping on a bandwagon here. Jezebel posted the perfect headline this week: When a Superstar Dies, Everybody Gets to be a Jerk or a Poet for 15 Minutes, but I'm unapologetic about it. The last few days have been nostalgic, as everyone seems to be paying their own tribute to the King of Pop by blaring his albums from car and house windows. 

2) Jackie Washington:

While the death of Michael Jackson is being felt on a global scale, this one hits closer to home. Yesterday, local-legend Jackie Washington died, at the age of 89.

For as long as I can remember, Hamilton's Festival of Friends has been a long-standing family tradition. And nearly every year, until arthritis made it too difficult for him to play, Jackie Washington was a staple. 

According to The Hamilton Spectator, Washington was the grandson of a slave, and performed for 80 years.

It's a bad, bad week for music.  

Youtube Channel

I have no flashy title for this one. It's simple really — I was very productive this weekend as Jordan was jet-setting to New York with the band, so I created my very own Youtube channel. I've even posted some content. More to follow!

News flash ... Sarah Palin cares about women's rights ...

... But only when they affect her personally.

It's funny how someone who is seemingly willing to roll back the women's movement by a century, can issue a statement like the following and expect to be taken seriously.

"I would like to see him apologize to young women across the country for contributing to kind of that thread that is throughout our culture that makes it sound like it is OK to talk about young girls in that way, where it's kind of OK, accepted and funny to talk about statutory rape."

I'm not defending Letterman's joke, but seriously, this is clearly a subject that Palin knows nothing about.

26/7

I just wrote a lengthy post about how I'm pretty sure decades from now I'm going to look back at the simplicity of this time in my life with great fondness, but I seem to have pressed something I shouldn't have, because the whole post is gone. Unfortunately, I don't have time to rewrite it. I'm off to put the finishing touches on a book review for Ricepaper.

So, just a few quick things:

• I had an incredible birthday. Jordan surprised me with tickets to see Macbeth at Stratford, which I thought was wonderful, though the Toronto Star obviously did not, calling it "worse than murder."
• As if turning 26 wasn't enough to make me feel old, Jordan and I are heading to the Royal York on the weekend to celebrate 7 years.

I'll have to write later to make up for the deleted post!

R.I.P Jay Bennett

Jay Bennett, dead at age 45

Jay Bennett, a rock musician with deep ties to Chicago best known as a former member of Wilco, died early Sunday morning in downstate Urbana, where he had been running a recording studio, according to a spokesman for his family.

The singer and multi-instrumentalist was 45 years old.

"Early this morning, Jay died in his sleep and an autopsy is being performed," said Edward Burch, a friend and musician who collaborated with Bennett on the 2005 album "The Palace at 4 a.m." "The family is in mourning and is unavailable for comment at this time."

Amazing!

Wikipedia hoax points to limits of journalists' research

I can't help but think this is brilliant!

Wikipedia hoax points to limits of journalists' research

"Wikipedia may be a fantastic resource, but any savvy Internet user is aware of its limits. Edit wars, entries made and modified for PR purposes, hoaxes, and basic inaccuracies all creep into (and back out of) the system, meaning that any use of the information there for purposes that might be considered significant should require some serious fact-checking. And, accordingly, many academics don't accept references to Wikipedia, and its entries have been rejected as evidence by US courts. So, it's a bit of a surprise to find out that one Wikipedia hoax, perpetrated by a sociology student, managed to appear in a variety of news reports, and has stayed there even after the hoax was revealed.

According to the AFP, the hoax traces back to Shane Fitzgerald, a student at Ireland's University College Dublin. Upon learning of the death of the Oscar-winning composer Maurice Jarre, the student modified his Wikipedia entry, adding a completely fictitious post that was nicely designed to fit perfectly into any obituary. "When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head, that only I can hear," the added material read in part.

Fitzgerald was apparently curious how far his hoax would spread, and expected it to appear on a variety of blogs and similar sites. Instead, to his surprise, a search picked it up in articles that appeared at a variety of newspapers. Fitzgerald eventually removed his own fabricated quote and notified a variety of news outlets that they had been tricked, but not all of them have apparently seen fit to publish corrections or to ensure that their original stories were accurate, even though fixing a webpage shouldn't be a challenging thing."

Visions of patio bars dance in my head ...

I can hear people having fun on the patio across the street. It's nearly ten thirty, but it's still 20 degrees in Hamilton. Jordan's down the street having a few beers on another patio. All of these things can be quite depressing for someone stuck inside with some strange 24-hour flu, which luckily I seem to be on the other side of.

Until last night, when the flu kicked in, we had a great weekend. The Rest's CD release was a great (and sold out) success. The guys are headed to New York City later this week to tape a Take-Away Show, so everything seems to be going really well in music land. There isn't too much to tell about Saturday and Sunday, which is probably a good thing. I've been overbooking myself again as of late, so I've needed a few days just to unwind.

But how can I not overbook myself with so many interesting things out there to do? Jordan and I went to a panel discussion at the AGH this week that looked at Creative Cities and the role of the arts in Hamilton. It turned out to be a yelling match between some members of the city and some local artists, which was both depressing and exciting all at the same time. This happened the same week of the CD release and my date with Hawksley Workman, so it was a busy week.

I should also mention that rabble.ca celebrated their 8th birthday about a week ago, and we celebrated by hosting a panel discussion with Peter C. Newman and Linda McQuaig. The Maclean's magazine blog posted some pictures on their blog, available at: http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/04/24/eight-years-of-rabbleca/

Public Radio Love

The Rest's Walk on Water in NPR's Song of the Day today. Check it out at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103402095&ft=1&f=4703895

Album Out!

One quick, quick, quick thing before I rush out for my date with Hawksley Workman, Mom, Dad, and Sis.

The Rest's latest album is out, and it can be purchased here: http://auteurrecordings.com/. The Ceeb has a little blurb about them up today on the front page of Radio 3 and there's some other great things coming, including a few trips to NYC, which unfortunately does not include band girlfriends.

Also, we're celebrating Friday night with the Toronto CD release. Shoot me a message for details.

Hawksley time!

Remembering Kurt Cobain - Fifteen Years Later ...

Jezebel has a great post about Kurt Cobain today, summing their article up with the following:

It's strange to think that Nirvana might become (or, perhaps, has already become) one of those bands that is talked about more than listened to: I knew people in college who had Jim Morrison posters on their walls ("he's like, such a poet") but never listened to The Doors; it was more about the image, the encapsulation of a time period, that Morrison provided, rather than the music itself. One wonders if Cobain's iconic image will serve the same purpose. Or, perhaps, Nirvana's music will be there for those who seek it out, for the "real" fans, who appreciate Cobain for his songwriting as much as for his pop culture legacy. And that, perhaps, is the most hopeful scenario.

And who knows. There isn't an answer to the question "What is Kurt Cobain's legacy" and there likely never will be no matter how many biographies are written about him. To me, I can still put on a Nirvana album and it seems just as relevant as it did when I first started listening to them in the 90s.

It doesn't cease to amaze me how fast time goes by.

I know I've posted this before, but here's my own tribute to Kurt Cobain from Halloween 2008!

Friday Afternoon Listening

If I could recommend one thing today, it would be this: Go listen to Joe Pug's song Hymn #101. I saw it performed live at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival a few months ago and I still can't get it out of my head.

How could you with lyrics like:

I've come to meet the legendary takers.

I've only come to ask them for a lot.

Oh, they say I come with less,

Than I should rightfully possess.

I say the more I buy the more I'm bought.

And the more I'm bought the less I cost.

Hear it here: http://www.myspace.com/thejoepug

Who's Your City?

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but like many things right now, adding to my blog has been put on hold. But, today is the one-year anniversary of me getting the keys to my apartment, so it's an especially fitting day to post this.

When I moved in I was very insistent that the apartment was my own place. It was a token of independence, both personally and financially. Even though Jordan was here every night, I seemed reluctant to call it our place, but now I can't even think of it any other way.

Which leads me to one of the few books I'm reading right now: Who's Your City, by the brilliant Richard Florida. Early in this book, he poses a number of questions, calling readers who have seriously pondered their answers to these questions a "very small minority."

I spent the better half of a few years pondering these exact questions as I struggled to picture myself anywhere but Ottawa. Who knew that a year or two later, I'd be in Hamilton, loving this city more than I thought possible.

Florida asks his readers to think about the answers to these questions. So, here goes:

1. How do you like the place you're living now? Is it somewhere you really want to be? Does it give you energy? When you walk out onto the street-or the country lane-in the morning, does it fill you with inspiration, or stress? Does it allow you to be the person you really want to be? Are you achieving your personal goals? Is it a place you would recommend to your relatives and friends?

Hamilton is energetic in ways I hadn't even thought about when I moved here a year ago. I chose Hamilton for one primary reason — the cost of living is considerably lower here than most other parts of the G.T.A. What I've discovered is an arts community that seems unparallelled to the suburbs I grew up in, to Ottawa, and even to Toronto, which is often cold and clique, for lack of a better word. It's a tight-knit community, because the size of it's downtown allows it to be, a luxury that Torontonians likely don't have. And I do recommend it to people, though it seems most people have preconceptions about this city, many of which aren't true at all.

2. Have you thought about moving? If so, what are the top three places on your radar screen? What do you like about them? Specifically, what do you think they offer you? How would your life be different in these places?

I've spent way too much time than I should of over the last few years contemplating moving. I've contemplated moving to and from Ottawa more times than I can count. I contemplated living in Toronto, instead of Hamilton, and though I love this city, I still find myself going down the mental checklist of all the other places in the world I'd love to visit or live. Among them, Europe and Canada's east coast. And yes, I do think about Ottawa still, especially as I feel myself drifting away from the people and the places that were so close to me for more than four years of my life. But my life would be different and I'm still young. I feel that right now I'm in exactly the place I need to be right now, focusing on my career and paying down my looming student loans while enjoying a practical cost of living.

3. Have you ever sat down and compared where you're living now to those places? Honestly, have you given this a fraction of the thought and energy you've given to your job and career prospects, or if you're single, to your dating life?

I have spent too much time contemplating these things and I'm happy to be at a point now where I know longer need to — at least for now!

Arlo and Emmett have another playdate

Emmett, Arlo, and Libbie

Emmett and Arlo tire each other out.

Arlo: The aftermath

Emmett: The aftermath

Is it bad when your dogs have a more exciting social life than you do?

A note on GO Train etiquette

It's simple. Don't cut your fingernails on the train. It's disgusting. Nobody wants to hear you clicking away and people are sick of choosing seats that are sprinkled with nail clippings.

How does this manage to be such a difficult concept for people?

CD Release (one of many)

Come one, come all, come everyone, all at once! (Excuse my cheesiness; It's been a long day). This is the first of a number of record release shows. Stay tuned for more info on this and the others.

Presale of Everyone All At Once starts now!

www.auteurrecordings.com

THIS Magazine redesign

I just got home from Kensington Market where This magazine, a staple in lefty independent media relaunched with a colourful redesign. But, I must admit a huge reason I made the trip into the city was the cupcake decorating contest. Above is the design of Michelle and I, representing rabble.ca in the indie-media cupcake showdown. There was no red icing provided (conspiracy?), so we did the best we could!

Arlo

Well, he's definitely not this tiny anymore!

Academy Awards: The morning after.

I'm quite tired. As always, I stayed up to watch every last minute of the Academy Awards, which to many wouldn't be worth it, but for me, just hearing Sean Penn call the Academy "Commie homo-loving sons of guns" was worth it. And, coming from someone who has seen Slumdog Millionaire not once, but twice, it was all-around a great night. Oh, and Heath! Alright, it's coffee time!

Everyone All At Once

I can’t even keep up with the amount of press The Rest is getting right now, as they prepare to release Everyone All At Once. Every morning my email is full of Google Alerts with another review, the vast majority of which are absolutely glowing.

Forgive me for posting so many links, because Lord knows even I haven't been able to find the time to read every one of these word for word. But this shows just how much press they're receiving, and it acts as a good archive for me to keep track of this stuff!

http://www.indieforbunnies.com/2009/02/04/the-rest-everyone-all-at-once/

http://www.thankscaptainobvious.net/2009/01/rest.html

http://www.hypeful.com/2009/01/02/the-rest-everyone-all-at-once/

http://junkonline.net/articles/1046-SNM-The-Rest

http://www.herohill.com/2008/12/reviews-rest-everyone-all-at-once.htm

http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vcHJldGVuZGluZ3RvYmVqYXBhbmVzZS5jb20vMjAwOC8xMi9hbGJ1bS1yZXZpZXctZXZlcnlvbmUtYWxsLWF0LW9uY2UtYnktdGhlLXJlc3Qv

http://piratesofthebargainbin.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-release-rest-everyone-all-at-once.html

http://www.stereocupcake.com/pop/the-rest

http://www.wouldbehipster.com/2009/02/everyone-all-at-once-by-rest.html

http://elrocco.splinder.com/post/19838461/@+Everyone+All+At+Once+-+The..

http://planetapopradio.blogspot.com/2009/02/rest.html

http://jai-la-cassette-a-la-maison.blogspot.com/2009/02/cest-la-fete.html

http://www.eldurogis.com/2009/02/rest.html

http://laughingevergreens.blogspot.com/2009/02/featured-artists-rest.html

http://localvertical.blogspot.com/2009/02/from-inbox-021409.html

http://www.pigeonsandplanes.com/2009/02/new-rest-sheep-in-wolves-clothing-walk.html

http://www.rocksellout.com/2009/02/12/the-rest-everyone-at-once/

http://eatenbymonsters.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/everyone-all-at-once-the-rest/

http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmFsYW5rb21hYXQub3JnLzIwMDkvMDIvcmVzdC5odG1shttp://eareyenosecandy.blogspot.com/2009/02/is-canada-new-flannel.html

http://iamthecrime.com/2009/02/19/the-rest-everyone-all-at-once/

http://swearimnotpaul.blogspot.com/2009/02/download-rest-apples-and-allergies.html

http://popstereo.blogspot.com/2009/02/rest-as-they-say-is-history.html

And, if that's not enough, here's another video:

Emmett and Arlo

A (pro) Valentine's Day rant ...

It's Valentine's Day, and while I could rant about the commercialism of it all and boycott the day all together, I'm not going to. Fact is, I kind of enjoy it. For more than four years Jordan and I were in a long-distance relationship, and neither of us had the disposable income to commute back and forth between Ottawa and Toronto on a regular basis. This meant we missed many holidays together — Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays among them.

However, Valentine's Day was different. Through no prior arrangement ourselves, we always managed to spend the day together, usually because at least one of our univeristy Reading Weeks seemed to coincide with it. One year, while I was in my third-year radio class, Jordan was at my house in Ottawa cooking me a lobster dinner. Sure, we probably would have done that even if it wasn't Valentine's Day, but that's beside the point.

This year, Jordan had to work. He was just promoted to Chef at the bistro he works at, so the hours are long. The upside of that is a late dinner at the bistro once all the diners leave. It's 10:06 PM right now, so I'm remarkably hungry and hoping for his phone call any minute.

I guess my point is that I know so many people that go out of their way to rant about the reasons they don't celebrate Valentine's Day, and really, my thoughts are: Why not celebrate? Sure, it's trendy to say "Fuck it. I'm boycotting this holiday that was created by the card companies ..." and that's just fine! But while you're doing that, I'm off to have a late-night dinner with the guy I love!

Seeger still singing after all these years

rabble.ca

(www.rabble.ca/news/seeger-still-singing-after-all-these-years)

By Jessica Rose

The crowd at the Hill Auditorium, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, erupted into a standing ovation the second 89-year-old Pete Seeger took to the stage. For many, like myself, this was the first time they'd seen the folk elder - a contemporary to Woody Guthrie - perform live. And he didn't disappoint. Seeger's performance on Jan. 31 was part of the two-day Ann Arbor Folk Festival.

Without really knowing it, as a small child, Pete Seeger was part of the culture I was eagerly soaking in, albeit through popular covers of his songs. Most notably, I recall my Dad listening to the Kingston Trio's version of Seeger's song "Where Have all the Flowers Gone," which played countless times in our house. And of course, what child of the 1980s doesn't remember Fred Penner's version of "This Land is Your Land," which was originally written by Woody Guthrie, but has been performed by Seeger for decades.

Last year, another road trip took me to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Here, lining a wall near the entrance to the main exhibit, is a number of modest black and white photographs, each honouring an artist who was a precursor to Rock and Roll. Among artists who are long gone - Leadbelly and Billie Holiday among them - is Pete Seeger, who is very much still alive and performing.

It seemed only natural to pack my bags and load into a van, en route to Ann Arbor, to see Pete Seeger take the stage at the 32nd Ann Arbor Folk Festival. The festival seamlessly blends the old and the new, featuring traditional roots musicians and contemporary folk-inspired singer songwriters. Among the performers at this year's festival were Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Kris Kristofferson and Canada's Luke Doucet.

The festival was a perfect fit for Seeger, who took up the banjo and began playing in the late 1930s. A pro-union, antiwar leftist at the core, Seeger's politics resonate in his passionate songs. He was investigated for Communist involvement by the HUAC and Senator Joseph McCarthy in the late 1950s and he has spent his entire career acting as a social activist, folklorist and singer songwriter.

Seeger was accompanied on stage by his grandson, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, and by Sarah Lee Guthrie, daughter of Arlo Guthrie and granddaughter of Woody Guthrie.

Seeger's uplifting song "Midnight Special" kicked off the set, followed by a humourous cover of a song called "English Is Crazy," which points out the unpredictability of the English language. However, one song stood out among the others - "Amazing Grace." Keeping with his tradition of storytelling, Seeger told the audience the story behind this well-known song, leading in to a sing-along, where 4,000 audience members acted as Seeger's back-up choir. By far, the audience at the Hill Auditorium was the most attentive crowd I have ever seen at a concert, barely uttering a word, or even a cough, during Seeger's set.

Seeger was spry and enthusiastic as he bounced to and from the stage before performing his encore. First was an antiwar protest song called "(If you Love Your Uncle Sam) Bring Them Home," which was originally written during the Vietnam War. However, Seeger's lyrics in this song still resonate today.

Last, but hardly least, Seeger was joined on stage by the rest of the festival's Saturday night performers, including Kris Kristofferson, to lead the crowd in a sing-along of "This Land is Your Land." Seeger recently performed the same song with Bruce Springsteen at the Lincoln Memorial as part of Barack Obama's Inauguration Concert.

With his 90th birthday only a few months away, Seeger isn't playing as many concerts as he used to, but for those lucky enough to see him, one thing is clear - Pete Seeger is still just as politically charged as ever, whether he's singing and talking about Vietnam or Iraq. It was an honour just to sit in the audience and listen to the stories of this legendary folk troubadour.