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#Rocktober30 volume 01: Dreadful Montreal

This month I turn 30. To mark such a remarkable event, I’m spending every day of October drenched in awesome-sauce. Today in Montreal was fucking cold. Sadly, I wasn’t smart enough to look at the weather forecast for the weekend, so I didn’t pack much. I had a sweater-vest I wore yesterday, but no actual sweater. I paid a trip to a local shop which wasn’t great and were asking $500+ for their sweaters. I left, but before I left, the salesman had to wish me a Shana Tovah. SEE! I’m a visible minority1. I decided to visit The Bay or Baie (Quebecers don’t know how to spell). I got… Read More »#Rocktober30 volume 01: Dreadful Montreal

#Rocktober30 volume 00 – Montreal

This month (well, officially next month) I turn 30. To mark such a remarkable event, I’m spending every day of October drenched in awesome-sauce. I woke up this morning, watched the latest episode of Archer and then threw random clothing in my suitcase popped in my car and hit the highway. Getting out of Toronto was nice and easy. I had my iPod entertaining me through the drive. I put it on shuffle albums and started my Recently Added playlist. It started with Wild Flag’s debut 7″, Future Crimes. Next was The Rural Alberta Advantage’s Departing which seemed appropriate, as I was departing Ontario. From there we went to Peter… Read More »#Rocktober30 volume 00 – Montreal

#Rocktober30 volume -02

This month (well, officially next month) I turn 30. To mark such a remarkable event, I’m spending every day of October drenched in awesome-sauce. Though October, and by extension #Rocktober30, don’t begin for another two days, I feel that my negative-second day of #Rocktober30 is worth noting. First off, it’s erev Rosh Hashanah, and as such, when you work in a Jewish school, classes are dismissed at 11:30, and the school shuts down for the following two and a half days. What a wonderful way to begin #Rocktober30! I had promised my bro-in-law that I’d give him some nerd-help, but I had a couple hours to kill until I met… Read More »#Rocktober30 volume -02

Weather Station, Daniel Romano, & Eons

Last night was the album release for Weather Station’s All Of It Was Mine at CSI Annex, a beautiful basement space on Bathurst, south of Bloor. It had been some time since I last saw The Weather Station, and even longer since I last wrote about Tamara Lindeman’s work; I had interviewed Lindeman, along with Ruhee Dewji and Simon Borer, as part of my final piece for Being There. Back then, Lindeman was part of the group Entire Cities, and they had just released their record Deep River. She’s since left Entire Cities, but that doesn’t mean she’s been sitting idle. In addition to this new record, she’s also been performing… Read More »Weather Station, Daniel Romano, & Eons

Criminal Records

Dear Criminal Records, When you first opened, there wasn’t any gap in the Toronto record store scene. We had Rotate This, Soundscapes, Sonic Boom, we might have even had Sam’s still. Toronto’s music nerds were happy. Then you opened, I remember seeing your sign on Queen Street and being excited for this new record store, even though I had no use for ANOTHER one. Then one day, I went in, I was greeted with incredible prices, fantastic selection, wonderful staff/owners, and a lot of vinyl. Though we didn’t need another record store, we learned we needed a great record store, and you showed Toronto how amazing one can be. It’s… Read More »Criminal Records

Huluhoop

One of the downsides of living in Canada is that some media and such isn’t available outside of the United States. Us Canadians are frequently faced with: Recently I was told about this awesome app called Hotspot Shield which will easily mask your connection to be in the United States. Awesome…  

Lessons I’ve Learned In Life

This is perhaps an ongoing series of lessons I have learned in my time as a human. Lesson 1: Never marry, then subsequently divorce, someone with good taste in music No matter how you feel about someone, an album might become hard to find. I once had the traumatic experience of splitting a record collection. Yes I was once married1, and then divorced2. When we split there were many records that only one of us cared about such as my Bob Dylan records; there were records that no one wanted, such as Pretty Together by Sloan; and of course records that we both wanted, albums we bought as a couple… Read More »Lessons I’ve Learned In Life

Goals for “vacation”

I’m on pseudo-vacation. The school where I work is on break from today until a week Thursday. I’m working on Monday morning, and Wednesday (all day). That leaves ten and a half days for me to do what I please. I’m making goals for this vacation, but they’re kind of lofty goals. Wanna suggest stuff? See people Visit my family1 Visit the Millers See Emily, tonight, post-Sadies, perhaps another time2 Visit Graeme and Heather3 Do some hangouts with Vince Concerts & Events See The Sadies, tonight Ron Sexsmith in-store The Weather Station at Holy Oak, FUCK that’s the second sedar night. Damn goyim. Go to at least one other show… Read More »Goals for “vacation”

Please Kill Me

Some months back, the Blogger Brunchers were having a Yankee Swap, and with much cunning and skill, I was able to secure myself the copy of Legs McNeil’s Please Kill Me, which is subtitled “the uncensored oral history of punk.” A better subtitle, I cannot fathom. This book tells the story of New York’s punk rock scene with no holds barred. From the early days of the Velvet Underground, Nico, and Andy Warhol’s Factory, as told by those who were there, including the band members themselves. The stories are of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Crude, hilarious, disgusting, and entertaining. I think as this is far from my life, or… Read More »Please Kill Me

Dancing Guy Needs To Dance

Peter Elkas is having a good series of Tuesdays. Last week he released his third record Repeat Offender on Joel Plaskett’s New Scotland Records. Last night, Elkas played his first night of his five week residency at The Dakota Tavern in Toronto west-side. For the next five weeks, Elkas will be performing  every Tuesday, along with many guests, including Wayne Petti, The Pinecones, Christine Bougie, Alanna Stuart, Al Tuck, Ben Gunning, Rebekah Higgs, and a special guest. There’s rumours this special guest is Bruce Springstein, but I somehow don’t believe that. The Dakota Tavern is one of the best bars in the city, always a great place to hear music1, and the… Read More »Dancing Guy Needs To Dance