Part 2: Looking for the Music Scene in Vancouver
In part 1, I totally struck out in my search to final the local music scene in Vancouver – well, not a total strike out, I just didn’t have the necessary funds. That night might have qualified as a music strike out, but it was fun just walking around the city. On Tuesday, I found one of Vancouver’s local weeklies, WE. I scanned the nightclubs section and this led to some success on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Overheard conversation one: I was eating at an Indian restaurant. There were only two other customers in the restaurant. I couldn’t help but over-hear their conversation. One guy was talking about his marital problems with the other. He talked about how he now had different interests in life compared to his wife’s interests. He liked going out to various Goth Nights around Vancouver. He’d head out once a week, but his wife never liked going to these nights. If he had another try at life, he’d have married someone with similar interests instead of marrying an opposite. Goth equals knowledge of the music scene, I thought. I almost went up to him to ask him about the music scene in Vancouver, but I just didn’t have the guts to admit that I had listened in on his conversation.
Tuesday night. Media Club. Cover $10 CND. I’d say that this is Vancouver’s version of Hotel Café. Folks sat on ottomans spread around the floor. It was a singer-songwriter night. Now doesn’t that sound like Hotel Café? Okay, so Hotel Café doesn’t have ottomans, but benches. A guy named Rick Waines was the main singer-songwriter of the night. My interesting find of the night was seeing a poster for an upcoming night – June 12th. Who was playing there on June 12th? No other than Kate Voegele. Who is Kate Voegele? Before leaving for Vancouver, she was highlighted like crazy on Myspace. I even noticed that she was signing CDs at the Borders located on Vine and Sunset.
Overheard conversation two: I was taking a bus to one of Vancouver’s parks. A young lady was on the phone having an argument with her current/ex-boyfriend. “This is such a double standard. We were broken up.” Hmm, sounded like a Rachel and Ross moment from Friends except for the fact that Rachel was the one who cheated.
Wednesday night. Railway. Cover $10 CND. It was another singer-songwriter night. When I got there a guy named Wil was in the middle of his set. The place was rather crowded. After awhile, I was able to maneuver my way to the front. The highlight of his set: his last song. He broke the two middle strings on his guitar and played a four string song. Next up were a couple ladies from . . . the good old USA. First up was Lauren Zettler from New York. From her myspace page, it indicates she’s played Hotel Café and has a live album from that night. Next up was Allison Weiss from Atlanta. (more…)
Early Edition: Boris!’
In most media, a “breaking story” would be something involving a war breaking out somewhere, or a groundbreaking presidential election, or the fact that some celebrity had been sighted wearing tighter-than-usual pants. In my world, however, a toy raccoon is quite sufficient to qualify as something that must be shared with the world instantly. Artist Nathan Hamill has filled this niche for me with a completely kickass 2 ½ inch figurine called “Boris,” produced by U1 Toys. Since I am, as they say, “in the know,” I was able to secure an interview with the artist, irrespective of the fact that I have no idea how to interview anyone and probably don’t have any business doing so. Ignoring that, I soldiered bravely onward and provided Nathan with a list of questions, which he graciously answered despite the fact that the questions are mostly ridiculous in nature. What follows is a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred investigation into the darkest depths of an artist’s soul—or, failing that, an explanation of why everyone should own a small purple raccoon.
ES: Most interviewers would probably research a subject before an interview, but as it happens, the only research I’ve done involves knowing that you drink Red Stripe and occasionally bum my cigarettes at our local bar. So, what can you tell me about your background in art? Explain yourself!
NH: First off, thanks again for the cigarettes. I appreciate them. And I think I’m getting tired of Red Stripe and will change my regular beer so now you know one less thing about me.
My background in art consists of drawing from an early age until now, with computer work becoming much more predominant in the past few years. Also, I draws what I likes.
ES: How did Boris come to be?
NH: Boris was sketched while I was waiting at the Apple Store in 2005. I was designing him with an animated show in mind so that’s how his mask turned out the way it did. I didn’t want the black of his pupils to blend into black of the mask when he looked side to side. My friends and I never got the project going but I continued to draw Boris. When I began talking to the guys at U1 about making a toy, it was the first character that came to mind.
ES: I get the impression that, though adorable, Boris has a tragic or possibly even sordid past, evidenced by his purple coloration and the fact that he’s constantly looking to his left. Am I right?
NH: Yeah, his father, Horace, was killed when he was just a kitten. Pirates slayed him shortly after Boris’ sixth birthday party. It’s only partially based on real life experiences.
He’s always a bit suspicious of his surroundings. Tragedy plus Napoleon complex equals constant vigilance.
ES: Whose idea was it to articulate his tail and head?
NH: That was all me. The figure wouldn’t have really benefited if his little
T-Rex-esque arms and his legs had been movable. Plus, if we’d gone that route, we would’ve had to alter the design.
I have an idea for one more point of articulation that I’d like to add to a future version of Boris but I’ll leave that one as a surprise.
ES: The iconography of the raccoon (Procyon lotor) is well-documented in indigenous folklore, particularly that of the Dakota Sioux and the Aztecs. Given the raccoon’s iconographic status as a trickster, often possessing mystical powers, and taking into account more modern representations such as Sterling North’s “Rascal,” the children’s magazine “Ranger Rick,” and Bruce Willis’s character in the animated film “Over the Hedge,” I have a three-part question: why is Boris purple?
NH: Huh? Sorry, I zoned out there for a bit.
Sure, I like purple.
ES: Where is Boris available for purchase?
NH: If you’re in the Los Angeles area, he’ll be available this Friday, July 17th at Meltdown Comics. We’re having the launch party there. You can read about it at www.nathanhamill.com. We’ll also be at Comic Con. After that he will be available online at www.U1ToyArts.com and will be distributed through www.DKEToys.com.
ES: What is the “Picnic Land” series, with which Boris is affiliated? Is it a shadowy government conspiracy of some kind?
NH: Picnic Land is whatever’s in your heart, Eric.
ES: I’ve heard you’re in talks with Michael Bay to produce a live-action Boris movie. Am I making this up? Is this a horrible idea?
NH: If by ‘horrible’ you mean ‘awesome,’ then, no. This is really a terrible idea. But I signed away the movie rights long ago. Hopefully, Benicio Del Toro can save it. Did I mention it’s a futuristic musical?
ES: What Batman villain is Boris? Take the quiz!
NH: The Penguin.
ES: Do you have plans for other Boris-themed merchandise? I’ve heard people love to wear t-shirts, for instance.
NH: I’m planning on making a belt buckle and some Boris jewelry next. I’d love to make a shirt at some point too.
ES: Most interviewers would close by asking if there’s anything you’d like to add. I think this is a clichéd and tedious practice, so I’ll close by asking this instead: what do you think about the fact that I’ve just made you do most of my work on this column for me?
NH: It’s ok. I’ve got your wallet.
The Launch Party for Nathan Hamill’s Boris and the Picnic Land Series will happen this Friday July 17th from 7-10 pm at Meltdown Comics (7522 Sunset Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90046)
(click on image to enlarge)
Deltron 3030 Recommended: The Dead Weather ‘Horehound’ (Out Today)
I’m a pretty big fan of The White Stripes and of Meg White. Girl drummers are hot. Plain and simple…and sadly an easy target of criticism. However ever since I witnessed her bouncing behind the drumkit @ KeySpan Park back in 2005 I’ve defended her skills as much as humanly possible. That said this is not the best of times for Ms. White. Good times for Jack though. On “Horehound“, which was more or less recorded live with very little editing, Jack White, puts his trust in his new band mates, steps back from the writer’s table,gets behind the drum kit, and rips through these 11 scuzzed out songs.
While driving the band’s momentum into dark and murky places something occurs that would undoubtedly never happen on a White Stripes album, The Dead Weather become a band, instead of the Jack White Show. Dead sexy vocalist Alison Mosshart (of The Kills), drummer and vocalist Jack White (of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs), guitarist Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age) and bassist Jack Lawrence (of The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes) form a well oiled unit of throwback fuzz and funk that could easily be heard playing on the soundtrack to the 2009 Direct to Video sequel of Dazed and Confused. (one can dream)
You can be the judge if this bluesy rock super group is the twitter generation’s answer to the Traveling Wilburys or is it just another way for Jack White to let Meg White know easily replaceable she is. As if still suffering from a tour induced anxiety disorder wasn’t enough she now has to deal with the soul crushing 1-2 gut punch of having her ex-husband show off his superior drumming skills with another band AND Ray LaMontagne dedicating a song to her entitled, embarrassingly enough, “Meg White” on his most recent album.
Sorry Meg, but remember, on this cold cold night I still have much love for you.
Highlights: “Treat Me Like Your Mother,” “Bone House,” “Hang You From The Heavens”
MAKE A LIST BABY!!! In a Garden State…
One of the item on my “to do” list for this year was to grow something in the earth and keep it alive for an entire year. I decided that the best thing to attempt to grow would be a garden of veggies. I like eating, I like eating vegetables and honestly somewhere in the back of my mind is that Apocalyptic – world ending – no food in sight – how would I survive scenario? The best thing I can do is to know how to live off the earth! I know, I know…my brain is its own little amusement park. You wouldn’t believe some of the scenarios I can come up with. But I digress.
I am growing a garden. I’ve always wanted to have a garden with fresh vegetables. I’ve just never had the room nor a home to do it in. And to be perfectly honest, I probably don’t have the know-how to do this on my own – this is why having a brilliant landscape designer as a friend (and someone who knows about growing things in the earth) comes in handy! When I mentioned my plans my girlfriend said, ” Great, I’ll help!” and off a planting we went!
I picked out what I wanted to plant based on some criteria someone else discussed with me when I mentioned I was going to do this. As I was finding out there should be some sort of plan in order to do this correctly. Who knew?
Rule #1 – Only plant things you want to eat or will eat. The reason being, that once everything starts to sprout – they really get going. Meaning, you’ll have a lot of whatever it is. So, rather than having food wasted – you should only plant items you eat a lot of and will be using. Growing eggplant, just because they look like something you can grow, probably isn’t ideal. Sure, they are pretty but if you don’t like them, what are you going to do with them?
Rule #2 – Decide if you are going to start these plants from seeds or get partially grown plants at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. What it really comes down to is the possibility that the seeds won’t take and you’ll have to replant and the cost. Partially grown plants are higher priced and part of the work is done for you. Starting with seeds is less expensive but a little riskier. I felt like buying the plants already started was cheating so I went the more difficult route and got seeds. I do everything the hard way – why would this be different?
Rule #3 – The area in which you are going to plant your garden needs to be properly divided into appropriate plots. I knew this in the back of my mind but never thought about the act of actually doing it? So my friend Ashley became the master mind in creating a grid for my plants. We sorted them and decided where things should go – and then used some yarn (That’s all I had) to create the plots. Next we got plastic forks (again it’s all I had) to stick in the ground to attach the yarn to and then…viola – 15 minutes later…I had 4 rows with 4 plots in each row for all of my veggies! I planted Broccoli, Red & Green Lettuce, Fennel, Oregano, Carrots, Green Onions, Chives, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Squash, Bell Peppers, and Tomatoes!
Something to keep in mind – you need to make sure the area in which you are planting your garden is fairly free of weeds. Ashley, my son and I spent about 15 minutes pulling weeds out of the ground before we mixed in the potting soil. Not terribly exciting but terribly necessary if you want your garden to grow. The funny thing is – I didn’t know what were weeds versus anything else so basically I just waited for instructions from Ashley, “Pull that out”, “Leave that alone”, “Don’t worry about those”, “Yes, that’s good enough”, etc. (more…)
My ‘Star Wars’ Apology…
Intermission: The Skywalker-Solo Paradigm
“I don’t believe it!”
“That is why you fail.”
–Luke and Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
This week, I’ve decided to interrupt my ongoing “War for Independence” series to assuage my own guilt a little bit. See, I realized I’d taken a few potshots at George Lucas, in particular the Star Wars prequels. This might not seem that important—I mean, who hasn’t taken potshots at those movies?—but I felt it was a bit cheap. Sure, lots of people on the internet agree with me. But then again, lots of people’s idea of a real funny joke is to type “Fail” onto a message board. After taking those cheap shots, I felt a little diminished and a little bit empty inside. So in order to inflate myself back to my normal stature, and fill part of the void in whatever horrifying hell-dimension that passes for my soul, I’ve decided to cut George Lucas a little slack and demonstrate how important his creation is.
It’s a given that, to anyone who grew up on the original Star Wars trilogy, the prequels were…well, to be diplomatic, disappointing. It’s a disappointment that has its germination in the revamped version of Episode IV. To be specific, that disappointment sprouted the moment the movie was changed so that Greedo shot at Han Solo in the Mos Eisley cantina. At that moment, millions of detached and ironic narcissists suddenly cried out, and were suddenly silenced. See, we all grew up wanting to be Luke Skywalker. But we grew into wanting to be Han Solo.
Let me explain this Skywalker-Solo relationship. Let’s look at the character traits that make up Luke Skywalker: he’s naïve, he’s a bit whiny… but he has dreams 
and ill-defined longings. He’s idealistic. He wants to Do Things, but he’s not quite sure what or how. And then he commits to a course of action that leads to saving the day! Lots of days, in fact! All the days! These traits, I think, are shared by just about everyone as a kid. It’s no coincidence that George Lucas drew on deeply entrenched archetypes for the characters in these movies. Luke Skywalker gives kids something to identify with and aspire to.
Han Solo, on the other hand, is not a character for kids. He is a character for surly teenagers. Han Solo is the epitome of cool. He’s mysterious and noncommittal. Until the end of the first movie, you’re not quite sure what to make of him. Mainly, he’s cool because he 1) shoots people (or Rodians) in cold blood (Greedo), 2) says something ironic afterward (“Sorry about the mess”), and 3) does not commit to a course of action. Unless there’s money in it.
This is who kids grow up to want to be. It’s much more frightening to pick an ideal and act on it than to slouch and snipe from the sidelines. There is a whole internet out there full of Han Solo wanna-bes (“u r fail”). And to an extent, bashing George Lucas for not making the movies we wanted him to make places us in this category. However much we’re angry at him for creating Jar-Jar Binks, George Lucas is the Luke in this equation. He picked something that he was gonna do, and opened himself up to an onslaught of blaster fire in the process.
I’m not saying I love the prequels. I don’t. What I’m saying is this: it’s OK to be a Skywalker sometimes. Nobody can live in a world where everybody’s trying to be Han Solo all the time. It’s “Solo.” As in, “singular.” There cannot be a plurality of Solos. And I sympathize with the Solos! I want to be Han Solo too!
But I also realize that there is a time to be Luke. Sometimes I just wanna go to the Tosche station to pick up some power converters, and sometimes it feels like I’m going nowhere, and sometimes with the blast shield down I can’t even see, so how am I supposed to fight? And sometimes, every once in a while, I get to blow up the Death Star because I’ve taken a fucking stand. It’s OK! It’s painful, but sometimes it works out! And don’t forget, despite his badass noncommitalness, Han Solo eventually takes a stand too. The Millennium Falcon appears out of the lens flare, guns blazing, and kicks Vader’s ass. You need both–there is a time for Skywalker and a time for Solo, and the trick is to know which is called for.
Actually, now that I think about it, internet trolls much more closely resemble Jabba the Hutt than Han Solo, based on the criteria of articulateness, knowledge of English, and typing ability. And sometimes size and smell. So, see what can happen if you try too hard to be Han? You can overshoot and land in Hutt territory. Nobody wants that.
I think I’ve assuaged my guilt enough for this week. One of these days I’ll get to my diatribe on how the Sith make more sense philosophically than the Jedi. But I don’t think you’re ready. First you must unlearn what you have learned.
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: Dirty Projectors ‘Bitte Orca’
At this point I should just do these things Mad Lib style: “INSERT Adjective“, “INSERT OBJECT” started off as a solo project by “NAME OF PERSON IN ROOM” and since then has spiraled into a full piece band consisting of “INSERT NUMBER” members…and growing. It is “INSERT ADJECTIVE!”
” Stop trying to teach me, Madlibs!. I hate adverbs and I hate you! Someone get Mouse Trap out of the game chest!”
Enough of that flashback into my childhood. You get the idea.
The sound on Bitte Orca, highlighted by male/female call and response vocals layered over jangly guitars and constant tempo changes, is oddly accessible…or I suppose I should say is, all things considered, SURPRISINGLY accessible for a band whose last two albums were:
The Getty Address, a gibberish infused “noise opera”concept album about a suicidal Don Henley, oil, ancient Mexico, and post-9/11 America
Rise Above, an album of Black Flag songs as re imagined from memory, fifteen years after listening to it.
Yeah, they think they’re pretty damn clever. That didn’t stop them from winning over David Byrne. If you’re OK in his book, you’re OK in mine. Their collaboration was the lead track, and one of the many stand outs on the Dark Was The Night compilation, and it appears to have paid off for the band’s growth structurally and sonically….or maybe its because they stopped trying to scare people off by being too clever for their own good.
Highlights: “Stillness Is The Move”,” Cannibal Resource”, “Fluorescent Half Dome”, “Two Doves”
side note: I urge you to revisit Dark Was the Night if you haven’t listened to it yet. Go buy it now. Not only is it like a mixtape you can attain without having to put out for but every album sold will benefit the Red Hot Organization – an international charity dedicated to raising money and awareness for HIV and AIDS through popular culture. They are the people responsible for albums including No Alternative, Red Hot and Blue and many more, and this is their 20th year, and this is the 20th release!