St. Joseph Oratory

I made it to the St. Joseph Oratory today and it was quite an experience. I’m trying to wrap my head around the entire thing, and will probably share some of my ideas about religion and whatever. At this moment my mind is too blown, and the course of the day has made it quite hard to put my ideas and musings in to a blog post.

I actually slipped and fell while testing some “shoe enhancing wheels”, and I am wishing I hadn’t. When my ego and brain are repaired, I promise I will make a effort at a good blog post.

‘Live in Eivissa’ by Die Verboten – Expensive Vinyl

So I was checking my twitter feed, when I noticed word of an interesting vinyl buy being announced by Soulwax:

news: Pre order ‘Live in Eivissa’ by Die Verboten now! Ltd edition of 300, 1-sided 12″ with stunning artwork > http://www.soulwax.info

Pretty cool idea, one side is a track, and instead of just releasing a B-side no one will like, the band cuts a cool etching (sometimes Directly onto a piece of brass) on to the flip-side and presses the record with one killer (hopefully) track, and you get a nice little collectible piece of vinyl to add to your collection. I had the pleasure of playing a Dinosaur Jr. single with this method applied to it, and it’s actually a very cool exercise in art. Doing it back in the 80s/90s must have been ballsy for Dinosaur Jr, imagine the stones these blokes have. I was ready to whip out my beaten up credit card when I read further on the website..

Here it is: the first EP by Die Verboten, a collaboration between Soulwax, Feargadelic and Riton. It’s called ‘Live In Eivissa’.
PRE ORDER HERE!
This first edition is limited to 300 copies, is pressed on 200 gram vinyl and the artwork is stunning! It’s not cheap though: 30 GBP.

So you got some cool stuff going… First EP, Collaboration, Soulwax, Pre-Order, Limited to 300, 200 gram vinyl. All things that make record collector salivate… but wait… how much is that? 30 GBP? If GBP stands for Great Britain Pounds and not “Garfield Book Payment” (which is probably the case, and why I’m baned from ebay.co.uk), then that is one hefty song! 30 GBP is pushing 55 Canadian dollars once you factor in the conversion and any fees associated with such, then tack on the shipping cost of such a heavy piece of vinyl, then maybe some VAT or whatever beaurcratic laws apply, and oh geez, I bet we’re pushing something close to 70 Canadian dollars! I could buy a lot of used records for that mighty sum… or I could make the investment, wait a few months and try and sell it on eBay for double, triple or quadruple the price?

Woes is me, what shall I do? Check out how ellaborate and awesome this release shall be on the SoulWax message board:

http://www.kevinenjoyce.com/soulwax/forum/viewtopic.php?id=137

Endangered Ape Live In Montreal (The Review)

Pictures and Video are to come.

While “Balls To the Wall” has been a cliché phrase for a while now, I must say that it’s the only phrase I want to use for the show that pummeled Montreal this past Friday. The band drove in to town in their cream coloured Ford Econoline van, smelling like savages with greasy hair. Coming all the way from Lethbridge via Econoline isn’t luxury transportation, and the band had some interesting things to say about the entire experience.

The show started late for Montreal, I am assuming this is due to the fact that we were down below the Lachine canal, where I hear there are no rules. The lateness is not a problem for me, most shows I’ve been to in cities other than Montreal tend to get pushed on passed midnight, which gives me plenty of time for drinking, and drink we did. Introductions with the new members of the band were done, some reminicing and putting down 4 beers was swiftly taken care of before Montreal’s O’Voids took the stage.

The O’Voids did a very good job of some straight forward punk that wasn’t stale or screaming “Throw back”. The sound was their own, and their drummer’s hair looks great as she rocks out. The whole thing sounded great for a basement punk show, the vocals sounded less garbled than I am used to, and each instrument had it’s own place in the dank little cavern we were sharing.

After the O’Voids, the Apes took little time to set everything up and get rocking. For music so raucous and wild, there is a surprising amount of discipline behind all of it. From Paul’s powerful Rickenbaucker bass, to Kent and Evan’s dueling guitars, Jane’s keyboards, Ryan’s drumming and of course Adams vocal chords from hell, it all came through in a very professional manner with the precision of a well oiled machine (the machine being an aging washing machine with too many pairs of jeans, and a rinse cycle that’s set to 11, yes 11).

The band made a lot of noise, but it all came through as a musical arrangement that forced it’s self down your eye tubes, and made you chest rattle like a rusty birdcage. There was a point where I had to plug my ear, as it was about 4 feet away from one of the PAs, I could however still differentiate between guitar, vocals, and MOOG. Kudos to all those involved. I am more and more impressed by the Apes every time I see them, they are like a louder and more catastrophic Joy Division, with pangs of bands with “Fuck” in their name. Luckily for everyone in the audience, the loud and crazy music being emitted by the Apes has no angry over tones, and the lyrics don’t incite riots (although I am sure they could if they wanted it to, Montreal is known for a good riot now and then).

One thing that may have squashed any possible riot is Adam’s stage theatrics. Since the beginning, Adam has pushed the limits of “Acceptable Behaviour”, I’ve seen him hump faces, rub his sweaty chest on audience members, and now, I’ve seen him completely disrobe, and perform completely in the nude. Best four dollars I have ever spent! Seriously.

Endangered Ape – May 8th @ Squalor

For those who were wondering what years of conservative oppression sounds like when it explodes out of a sleepy southern Alberta city, come and you shall hear.

Yes, the Bridge has exploded, and indie/punk/garage/noise bands have gone screaming out in all directions. My home town of Lethbridge has come along way in terms of music since I rolled in as a freshman attending the University of Lethbridge (note: I didn’t technically grow up there, but I was born there and spent many formative years under the bridge).

It would be unfair to shower one band or person with all the akolades, but recently Paul Lawton and his start-up label Mammoth Cave has been making a lot of noise and really pushing for a genuine scene in Lethbridge. Long has the Lethbridge music scene been relatively under the radar, recent appearances by Lethbridge acts in Beatroute, FFWD Magazine and even in Vancouver’s Georgia Straight has proven that people will pay attention if you simply scream loud enough.

Being a tight knit community, Endangered Ape shares strands of DNA with other Lethbridge bands. I’ve seen Paul play in more bands than I have fingers to count them on, Lead singer Adam is the king of Karaoke in town, and one of the guitarist Kent has even played in a short lived band with myself (when we were sure that the world needed another Screamo Band). Sadly, I am not in Lethbridge anymore and haven’t been keeping the close tabs on the band that I once did. With a roster of a few new members, Endangered Ape has increased it’s gene pool and has been dragging it across this fair country for the past few weeks.

While it’s still snowing in Southern Alberta, Endangered Ape will be at Squalor House with Ottawa’s The Sedatives, Montreal’s The O Voids, and Regia SK’s very own Hot Blood Bombers. It should be quite a kicker!

Vinyl Review – Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains

I went down to the local record store and picked up myself the newest release from Death From Above 1979’s drummer/singer Sebastien Grainger. I actually got to see him play live here in Montreal, although I spent the entire set trying to recall where I remembered his name from. The show was great and the band really exceeded my expectations, so when I saw the record I knew I had to have it.

The record is on Saddle Creek, is on 180 gram vinyl and comes with a plastic card that permits you download a digital version of the release for your portable music player. I must say that I am rather impressed by the overall quality of the release. Usually when you buy an album, that is usually the last thing to go through your head, however of all my recent vinyl aquisitions, this is probably the best. This is a full 180 gram piece of vinyl, it’s heavy, thick and without much of a warp, it sounds great.

Overall, the album is great. Way more laidback than DFA 1979, but still very catchy and meaningful. I realize this is a super weak review, originally I wanted to write something more substantial, but halfway through the last sentance I started feeling woozy. Maybe I’ll drop something better later…

4 stars out of 5.

Super Ice

It’s really hot in Montreal today and I needed to get some change anyways sooo…… What’s your favourite popsicle?

New T-shirts & Contest!!!

Hey everyone! I just made this shit hot new t-shirt and I wanted to share the love with all of you!

So this is the new T, designed and printed all by myself and Joey (From: You Are What You Love). This makes a T-shirt like this extra special because, A; It’s made with love in North America (American Apparel Ts are made in L.A and I printed this in Montreal), and B; They are going to be super rare! and C; They can be custom made just for you!

So in the future I’d like to set up some way to help this system along. Picking your colour, size and type of shirt will be the easy part, shipping and payment will be a bit harder. That being said, I’d like to have some fun before the hard part comes!

Let’s have a contest! I want to drum up some interest in my shirts, see if anyone actually wants one, so help me out by telling your friends about this blog, and following me on TWITTER! That’s actually how you get entered, on May 31st 2009 at 11:59 PM I will go ahead and select a winner of a free T-shirt. The winner will get to pick from any of the standard T-shirt sizes, colour and all that fun jazz.

After the contest, I will release how you too can purchase one of these very limited T-shirts for yourself and loved ones. Depending on demand, the run will be very limited, and I doubt I will make even close to 100 so as an owner you would be in a very exclusive niche.

What more can I say? Check out these pictures!!! (by clicking on “Read more”)

Aloe Vera a.k.a Green Power

While walking home from a nice gathering at the parc I saw a photo op that I could not turn down. Puts a pretty spin on such a concept.

420 Montreal

Update: It looks like the place to be in Montreal for this event is Parc Mont Royal. Be there or be square!

Hello friends!

This is a nice time of year, spring has sprung and our friend Summer has officially RSVP’d so everyone is preparing for her arrival. Everywhere you look, and even in places you don’t, you’ll see the changing face of the urban environment in preparation for all the wonder that such a season will bestow upon us. All because we so dillegently survived a lap around the sun, our reward is astronomical.

Another nice thing about today is the calendar day being represented as 4/20. A counter-culture holiday celebrated by hippies and business people a like, if you’re a regular reader I have a feeling I shouldn’t need to explain this, but a little info never hurts.

Santa Cruz Students Blaze Sadly, I had a rough time finding any first hand 420 info concerning Montreal, but reading this is a good indication of what goes on with some awesome pictures.

Thousands of students from around the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas participated in a “Four Twenty” celebration in Porter Meadow at UC Santa Cruz on April 20th, 2008. Four Twenty (420) is a time of day when people, often a group of friends, smoke cannabis together or eat foods cooked with it. For that reason, April 20th has evolved into a counterculture holiday where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis.

Fairly straight forward no? Check out these pictures…

Are these kids fighting a wild fire? Nope, that’s a different kind of smoke.

While there are detractors, haters, police, politician who will shoot down people like this. Those who want to arrest people who get high, who want to smash glass bongs and pipes, and stop people from doing something humans have been doing for centuries. These people get together to show solidarity in marijuana usage, to reinforce the peace and harmony involved in smoking or ingesting marijuana. Trying to prove that Marijuana is not a dangerous substance, but the opposite.

Well, I’m sure I’ll have a perspective employer Google my name and probably not hire me because of this post. If you had the interest to read this far, please consider that I am not an abuser, but a free thinking user who wants to spread the word. I am not a junkie that will space out of his job to smoke pot, or let what I do at home effect what I do at work. I am a normal, functioning citizen of Canada, who can proudly stand behind something I don’t think is all that bad.

That being said, Marijuana is not for everyone, and I want you readers to be aware there are consequences to all actions. Do not take my blog post as a recommendation for illegal activity, or to incite illicit behavior.

One love, peace be with all of you!

12″ of Love

Since buying a new turntable, I have been having a hard time NOT spending money on records. With the economy the way it is, who can afford spending 15+ dollars on a new CD, or risk spending 10 dollars on an album on iTunes, only to accidentally have your files deleted by a virus or some other digital catastrophy. My cure for these economic ailments, is vinyl, plain an simple. Shall we count down the reasons?

Greenliness is next to Godliness: Buying used vinyl saves it from the landfill! Vinyl and other petro made plastics don’t decompose very quickly (if at all), and with all the great music out there, it’s terrible for the environment to just throw it out and buy it new on CD.

Phonographic Phun: Flipping through records on a grey Monday is so much funner than a gluttony fest over at The Pirate Bay dot Org. It’s like cooking your own meal vs. sitting down for an all you can eat Chinese Buffet. Hell, I’ve done both, and both have their up and downsides, but for me, Flip Flip Flip beats Click Click Click any day of the week.

Cheap Inexpensive: Used vinyl can be found for pennies. While some vintage shops, and record stores can charge an arm and a leg for some hard to find stuff, your favourite golden oldies should be reasonably priced (as long as the disc is still in print, and not printed in some remote country). Sadly, a brand new copy of a new release might set you back MORE than the CD version, especially if it’s at a small shop that is competeing with HMV and the like. Luckily, it tends to balance it’s self out, if you can get some classics for loonies, then you won’t feel like such a chump spending a few bucks more on a new release.

Do I really need to say more? Well if you need some more convincing, please check out the website of my new favourite place to get LPs. http://www.aux33tours.com/ Just down the street from my apartment, it’s a refuge that’s still open on my way home from work. SCORE! If you want some more insight check out these blogs:

SevenTenTwelve – Paul Lawton of Lethbridge Alberta reviews Seven, Ten and Twelve inch records. It’s not much more complicated than that.

Vinyl Nerd – Again, pretty self explanatory

Collecting Vinyl Records – A little insight on the actual collecting of vinyl. It’s actually quite lucrative considering the diminishing nature of certain albums in their original form.

Thanks for stopping by, I will get to the actual reviews of some of the stuff I have been buying when I get a chance.