So last night I was lucky enough to see an advance screening of the hotly anticipated Transformers. I was pretty excited - ever since the original teaser trailer came out MONTHS ago I have been getting all nostalgic-like over all things Hasbro... too bad my inner 8-year old threw a fit when the movie was over 'cuz this movie stank. Yes, the special effects are out of this world, but unfortunately that is about it. The plot - and I use that term loosely here - revolves around dorky Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) who, through an explorer ancestor, is linked to an intergalactic battle between the heroic Autobots and their opponents, the Decepticons. Still with me? No? Well neither is the movie because all possible logic and plot at this point go out the window. Which would be fine with me if it had some hella good robot-on-robot pummeling action - but even then, all the big fight scenes are shot in such extreme close-up that all one sees for 2 and a half hours is metal grinding against metal. Headaches and epilepsy ensue.
And don't even get me STARTED on the dialogue - it reeks. Jon Voight can't even make sense of it (he's obviously here just to cash a big fat paycheque). And there are SO MANY USELESS CHARACTERS that show up for a few scenes and then simply disappear with zero explanation - and they each have their own "schtick", like Anthony Anderson who keeps yelling at his grandma or John Turturro who just, well, says stupid shit or Bernie Mac who keeps yelling at his employees and, yes, his grandma. Shia LaBeouf is fun to watch though - he has geeky charm to spare.
Maybe I was just expecting too much. The group of fanboys sitting behind me stood up and cheered when the credits rolled, but I just rolled my eyes. Nothing here was edgy or frightening or awe-inspiring - director Michael Bay was playing it so safe that frankly, I got bored. Is it so wrong of me to expect something great? I wanted some killer action, some Decepticons doing some hardcore damage, someTHING to make ME stand up and cheer - but all I got was groan-inducing dialogue, jokes that fell flat, and action that gave me vertigo. Transformers are cool - Transformers The Movie is not.
I think that one of the highest honours of the acting/singing/celebrity world is to, well, one - be the guest host on Saturday Night Live and two, voice a character on the Simpsons. Like, come on - Meryl Streep, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, The White Stripes, 50 Cent, LeBron James, everybody... Well, I'm not that famous or anything (only not at all) but now I too can become a Simpsons character. And so can you! EEEE! *belly bump*
Just like the South Park personal avatars of old, you can create your own Simpsons image. That's me, sort of. There aren't really any clothing options, and I think you have to register to save it (I screen grabbed). We've got the Simpsons movie promotional page to thank for this Friday time well wasted funbit, and if you happen to post your own image somewhere on this big and beautiful interslice, share the link below!
Lil' Mama and Avril Lavigne. Lil' Mama and Avril Lavigne. REMIX.
As if 'Girlfriend' isn't addictive on it's own, they decided to release the remix with Lil' Mama. RIDICULOUS. Y'all know how much of a Lil' Mama fan I am so, when I found out that MuchAXS finally got the video I was floored. This sassy video makes me want to like just totally hang out with like my girlfriends and gossip all night. But seriously, jokes aside, this video is cute and VERY pink.
So if you ain't in the mood to listen to Avril whine then we've got a real treat for ya. Kanye West has released his highly anticipated video 'Stronger.' With Hype Williams behind the lens and a Daft Punk sample of 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' this video has to be one of THE SLICKEST, COOLEST, ROBOTTIEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR. For reals. This video maybe taking stylistic cues from Chris Cunningham, but that don't matter... because the DAFT PUNK robots make an appearance! Robots trump biters (well in this case, yes). So if there's one video this week that you can watch then make it this one.
In terms of artist's with wicked videography, we've got an oh soo bootylicious Beyonce video retrospective. We're talking never before seen videos off of 'B-Day' like the sizzling 'Get Me Bodied' and the very saucy 'Kitty-Kat.' Plus there are tons of old favourites like 'Naughty Girl' and 'Crazy In Love.' After watching all these Beyonce vids, I must say that I feel inclined to learn how to belly dance. The woman's body is fierce.
So another long weekend is upon us...and I am among the thousands of people scurrying off to a cottage, or some distant destination because there is one whole extra day, who know one day could make such a difference, I mean it's only one day...Who knew when they decided to make this weekend a long one that everyone would use it as an excuse to get insanely drunk and party like animals...whoever decided on it obviously didn't have any daughters!
I have enjoyed my fair share of long weekends...in fact some of my best memories are from long weekends...and my enjoying those weekends has nothing to do with the previous comments about daughters...I would just never, ever, ever let my little sister go away for a long weekend based on what I've seen and heard...
So as I embark on yet another long weekend in Grand Bend with Leah and Tim to do our annual Hot & Wet show all I can think about is the 3 hour car ride with Leah and I arguing the whole way, the fact that I haven't even packed yet, the guy with tequila breath asking me why we don't play more At The Drive In, and where and what the @#@#$% my little sister is doing!
I GUESS we could give you today's MOD links. *SIGH*
- Lindsay Lohan's car smash-up in May led to blood test(es), and LO!(han): the results are in and yawn. Of course she had "nearly twice the legal limit" of alcohol in her blood, as well as trace amounts of cocaine. This is us waving at shock, miles away from us.
- MK and Ashley are allegedly scrapping over MK's new boeufren Max. Ashley thinks he's bad news. That prude. Kidding!
- Brangelina has been spoiling their children with diamond encrusted pacifiers and $120 jeans. Meanwhile, my sugar daddy just surprised me with a half eaten sandwich and a sip of slushee. Not that I mind.
On Saturday night I was lucky enough to finagle my way backstage at the main Pride concert. I had no idea who was playing, but as soon as I heard the Justin Timberlake/ Beyonce mashup I knew it had to be The Cliks. Some bands you just need to hear live to fully appreciate their worth and this band is truly one of them. Their enthusiasm on stage and their sense of humour made for a great show.
The next evening I headed over to Peter Kane park to see Rae Spoon who had had his guitar lost by Air Canada, but the show must go on so he borrowed Lucas's guitar (from The Cliks!). I first heard Rae at the Vancouver Folk Festival five years ago and it was nice to be reunited with some honest story telling music. Fab and fierce weekend.
OK, take a few moments to absorb your excitement for the Spice Girls reunion to concentrate on this photo of Posh. Yes, I know, there are ALWAYS pics of Posh that beg criticism, but this one is truly...gah. Speechless.
Seriously?
Some reactions:
Soja: "They look like two upside down Jello moulds."
John: "That's a really poorly dressed mannequin."
Emma: "Her shoulders are freakishly wider than the rest of her torso."
Nate: "That pic's OK...I mean, it's no dramatic chipmunk..."
It's like she stuffed her already lithe body into an ill-fitting sausage encasing. I didn't think there was a modicum of fat on Posh's body, but apparently even I can be proven wrong. Please glance to the right of the photo and note the ARMPIT droop that's spilling...no, seeping, from the corset.
Another one in which she looks even MORE uncomfortable. Seriously, why do people wear corsets?!
Also, this photo's a little odd too, innit? Posh off to the side looking surly while parading the American flag. Quite the patriot!
Reunited Spice Girls @ The Royal Observatory, Greenwich - June 28, 2007
Fine! I'll tell you! What I really really want is a Spice Girls reunion! OMG - for the love of failed solo careers, it's actually happening folks! The spicy UK girl group have finally confirmed that they are getting together for an 11-city reunion tour and a recording of a greatest hits album - and it makes me want to holler.
I'm stoked beyond stoked - and since I'm a fan, I know exactly what to expect: Baby will be cute, Ginger will be abrasive, Scary will be scary as all hell, Posh will point a lot and stick out her boney hips, and Sporty will yell... lots. But then again they ARE in their thirties now, and a bunch of them have kids (and Baby is currently preggers), so maybe they'll just sit there and be more "mature" and "age appropriate" - but that would just equal booooooring.
Here is my personal dream setlist:
Spice Up Your Life
Say You'll Be There
2 Become 1
Who Do You Think You Are
Too Much
Stop
Viva Forever
Mama
Holler
Let Love Lead The Way
Goodbye
Wannabe
Yay! I wonder if they'll have a Canadian stop...? All I can say is "Holler holler holler holler c'mon c'mon holler holler holler c'mon c'mon dog child." And yes, I'm already dancing.
UPDATE: There will be NO Canadian stop. Ok, now I'm FURIOUS and I've stopped dancing. These girls are dead to me.
Whitby, ON progressive punk heroes Protest The Hero are ensconced in Toronto's Metalworks Studio now, recording the follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Kezia - and they're documenting the process on video that you can watch here.
Rise Against are touring Canada (11 dates!) soon, and they've issued a 5-song Canadian exclusive EP which we're kindly streaming in its entirety before it hits stores. Of special note: the band covers seminal punks Black Flag on a few tracks. Listen here.
The new full-length from Burlington, Ontario's Silverstein entitled Arrivals & Departures is hitting stores next week, and again, we've got a First Spin full album stream for you to sample before you buy.
Thrice have parted ways with Island Records, but according to a post on the band's studio blog, the split shouldn't affect their upcoming 4-disc concept album...stay tuned for an announcement about their new home.
Veteran punkers Bad Religion are putting out a new record on July 10 called New Maps Of Hell - we'll have a First Spin next week so check back soon!
Finally, SUPPORT THE MUSIC YOU LOVE, ATTEND SHOWS AND BUY MERCH - otherwise the bands you love WILL disappear before their time...
So, it's summertime and you're out of class now and your parents are bugging you to get a summer job. Well, what's better? Making minimum wage in the heat of a fast food joint flipping burgers? OR just pull a prank on your buddy and win $5000 instead? You won't make that cash at your McJob this summer.
So, that begs the question: what would you do for 5k? Dress up like a lady? Write profanities over your drunken friend? Swap the toothpaste with shampoo? Whatever you would do- be sure to film it, or get one AMAZING photo of it, then send it to us. Most awesome prank wins cash, a camcorder and a flyaway to Toronto for you & your victim (aka buddy) to make a TV commercial of your prank.
Here's the pranks we've received so far. If you ask me, you can do better than that! C'mon people! You pull shit on your friends as it is... why not get paid for it?
Hey Weezer fanpeople- Rivers 'n the boys are heading to the studio to record tracks for a new album! Here's the word from the official Weezer site:
Weezer is just polishing up a batch of songs for a recording session that is going to start at the beginning of July. This will be the final recording session for our 6th album which we aim to put out in the first half of 2008. We hope you are all having good times.
- Rivers
Paris couldn't pay her way out of jail, so she had to wait til the dice rolled her way (get it? MONOPOLY? Wanna play now?), and finally she was released at 12:15ish AM last night. Sure looks like she was in a waaaaaaay better mood than she was here. In fact, the above photo of Par' says, "be friends with me!" Mom is all, "aw, crap. More laundry to do."
She's right to be beaming though, and hopefully this three week visit made her think about some things. Like how she should use less square inches of magazine space. I'm sure she wouldn't mind for awhile.
She'll make her first appearance on Larry King Live tomorrow, for which she'll receive no money. But the world will be watching, and Paris will be ready to warm your heart with tears and the promise of a new leaf. The only question is... for how long?
Today's MOD link is all, Britney's trashy, and we love it! Of course you do, Perez. I don't even know what that means.
So yeah, Britney went out partying on a school night, looking like a rural route tramp (pssst, Britney: your new favourite show is called "What Not To Wear") and leaving the children for another wistful evening alone. Sure, they may be safe and sleeping in their cribs, but what about when they wake up from the recurring nightmare about that time mom drove with Sean P in her lap, or hauntings from the previous night's confusing bedtime story? What about then, Britney? What about then?
Look at that handsome hunk of man meat above. It's fair for me to say that - the lad knows he's a dreamboat and he's making millions off of it. But before he makes some more meelions with his new album "T.I. vs. T.I.P.", we're scamming the guy big time. Jess, you can listen to the WHOLE ALBUM for free ninety-nine, and galdang, it's not even in stores yet. Mwhahahahahaa. If only he knew. Then he'd come after us (read: me) and would that be so bad? No. So listen to some free and studly music now.
You may recall that the last FOUR albums by The Chemical Brothers reached #1 on British charts...why should this new album be any different? We Are The Night isn't released until July 3, but we have the entire thing streaming for you to listen to right now! In particular, I was really excited to finally hear All Rights Reversed, which showcases one of my favourite NME buzz bands, Klaxons. It's track 3, so have a listen now.
More excitingly though, I just learned that The Chemical Brothers will be scoring a movie adaptation of one of my FAVOURITE Irvine Welsh books - Ecstasy: Three Tales Of Chemical Romance.
If that name rings a bell, it's because Mikey Way of My Chemical Romance was inspired by it when dreaming up the band's name. Now I'm extra excited to see how this movie turns out - naturally I loved the movie adaptations of Welsh's other books - Trainspotting and The Acid House.
The movie won't be out until 2008, but here's a blog where you can keep tabs on the goings on related to the film.
According to the NME, all four original members of The Vervehave reunited for an upcoming set of shows in the UK. It'll be the first time the guys have played together in over a decade.
It seems like EVERY seminal British band is getting back together, if only for brief tours or live appearances (The Police, The Libertines, Ride, Blur), but this would be quite epic!
It's no secret that no one frontman Richard Ashcroft's solo efforts have been a little...erm...lacking in quality and pizazz. There certainly haven't been any Verve-esque hits, with the exception of maybe C'mon People, Science Of Silence or Check The Meaning, but that's even stretching it. Simon Tong and Simon Jones were both in The Shining, but if you hadn't heard, that band only put out one quality track (Quicksilver) and their lone album True Skies can be found stinking up $1 used CD bins from here to Leicester. Simon Tong is in Damon Albarn's new group The Good, The Bad And The Queen, but a Verve reunion would bring him so much more. And Nick McCabe...well, what exactly has he done for any of us lately?
Now off, all of you - go participate in the eternal/impossible debate over which Verve album you love best between the three (A Storm In Heaven, A Northern Soul or Urban Hymns) while you anticipate the reunion tour. It's maddening.
PS: Wikipedia was down briefly just now and I had a mild heart attack.
OMFG I met Ryan fckn Adams! (Insert jumping jacks, cartwheels and other fun things you can do with your body that show extreme enthusiasm).
Ryan came into 299 Queen Street last Thursday to speak with us about his new record, Easy, Tiger (hitting record stores tomorrow!). But he was running late.
He really needed a cold coffee and probably a smoke. OK, fair enough but because of this minor setback, our 30 minute interview turned into a 10
minute interview comprised of three questions. Have you ever heard Ryan speak? He doesn't just answer a question, and why the hell should he, right? He's
Ryan fckn Adams, and he's thoughtful, well-spoken and really fckn hilarious. Oh, and he swears a lot. He also runs around an idea in an attempt to clarify
the wacky thoughts floating through his head. This could take minutes.
Anyway, it wasn't truly his fault that we were rushed from the get-go. I mean he's supposed to have "people" keep him in line and on time, right? It was
short and sweet and unfortunately we never got the scoop on his box set (a rumoured 90+ CDs!), his collabo with Sheryl Crow or even his wrist injury. We
did, however, get him to talk about his addiction, where he straight up states he was a "fckn junkie through and through". I thought that it was
admirable that he was so open about his battle with drugs. Dude was doing speedballs like every day at one point. He said to Matt Wells, our trusty VJ at
MuchMoreMusic, that all those drugs from 2006 went to him, because he ate them. All. He said this with a smirk but I didn't doubt it for a second.
After all, I witnessed his tragic performance in mid-05 that had extreme boozing and drug-use written all over it. He was a disaster on stage, so much so it
made me second guess my true love for his music. How could I respect a musician who has such little respect for his own craft? I was pretty much over it by
the time he released Jacksonville City Nights a couple of months later.
Once Friday rolled around I could barely contain myself. Sure, I met him the day before but would it really compare to catching a sober performance with The
Cardinals in a small threatre?
Anyway, I knew that his sobriety would mean an epic, seamless show this time. The Enwave Theatre was the perfect venue for Ryan & The Cardinals to prove their chemistry and showcase the new material. The sound was a tad shaky off the top, but a few hand motions from Ryan set the audio guy straight. When he started off with "Please Do Not Let Me Go" off Love Is Hell I knew it would be an evening of more recent material, and I was
completely ok with that. Ryan's known for playing two hour + sets because, well, he has so much damn material to choose from, but by the end of hour one he
was losing his voice. I should make note that he only struggled with certain high notes, and otherwise sounded strong and clear.
They finished at around the one hour mark with the predictable "Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd". Apparently he only cut the set short by a half hour but we
figured that because of the half-hour delay off the top, he cheated us out of a full hour. I still walked away completely satisfied with what I witnessed.
Hey, he wasn't a drunken mess, so what else could I have asked for? Perhaps to not be seated beside the hecklers, I guess?
Oh yeah and don't listen to all those b.s. reviews of Easy, Tiger. Yes, it's like a collection of all of his work, but no, he's not recreating anything he's
already written and he's clearly not running out of material. He's Ryan Adams, the same man who released three amazing albums in 05, one of which was a
double album. Get over it Pitchfork, he's not going away, he's not losing
his touch, and he's certainly not going to lose any fans over this record. In fact he may gain a few in some 30-something-year-old moms but so what? Have
you been to any of his shows? Buy the album if you like anything he's ever done. It won't disappoint. Track five is my jam and last week really fckn
I'm not really one for "remembering the good old days"...while I don't want to admit to myself that perhaps I'm reaching an age where I'm able to say something as lame as that, I'm happy to report I have long been jaded enough to do so. That being said, remember the good old days of 1991?
I don't want to say TOO much about this (though I will), I'll try to let the facts do the blogging. But in this guy's opinion, 1991 represented the last "musical movement", if you will. The obvious leaders of this pack were the bands that came from Seattle and pulled a "Musical Darwin" - survival of the fittest, only the strong survived...OR only the greatest music survived...everything else died - thank f*%k!
It seems all the music I listen to today is from artists who have transcended generations...too many to name here, but think about how many artists from the 50s, 60s, 70s and yes, the 80s, still seem so relevant today. Now try to think about artists from today or say the past 10 years that your kids and grandkids will still be listening to - in my mind and to my ears, there aren't that many, not to say there aren't any mind you, just less than say...EVER. I'm still waiting for that next great "Musical Darwin" to make everything OK again. I know the music is out there, it's just not getting to the masses (which is the subject of a whole other blog, for another time).
I think back to 1991 and scan the walls of my brain to the last really great and honest musical movement...and if that sounds ridiculous to you, just look at a SMALL selection of the albums released that year...notice not only the debuts but how great most of these albums are - I mean FULL albums, not just one or two good songs - again a discussion for a whole other blog.
I don't know about you, but most of these albums I still have in regular rotation 16 years later. Don't get me wrong...not EVERY album released that year was a gem, however I think the following list more than makes up for that year's classic Mo'Ritmo by Gerardo, I'm mean c'mon...every year has one...or two:
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Sublime - Jah Won't Pay The Bills (debut)
Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill (debut)
Nirvana - Nevermind
U2 - Achtung Baby
Pearl Jam - Ten (debut)
Phish - A Picture of Nectar
Pennywise - Pennywise (first full length)
Primus - Sailing The Seas of Cheese
R.E.M. - Out of Time
Sepultura - Arise
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish (debut)
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
2Pac - 2Pacalypse Now (debut)
Blur - Leisure (debut)
De La Soul is Dead - De La Soul
Ice T - OG: Original Gangster
Kyuss - Wretch (debut)
The Pixies - Trompe Le Monde
As you may remember, Courtney Love flipped out about month ago when she found out that Doc Marten was using Kurt Cobain's image on new ads.
Today's MOD link shows that having his face plastered on lunch boxes and key chains is totally acceptable to Courtney as long as she's the one cashing in.
What in Sam Hill is going on here? The Fug Girls have an entry of their own about it, and I really am too speechless to say any more, so I will just quote the gist of it:
Baby, I don't care if you don't want to go to rehab, but you have GOT to go to the dentist.
Earlier today, Guin sent me this video. It's five seconds. You MUST watch it. Like, if you haven't seen the glory that is dramatic chipmunk (I think it's a hamster, most likely named Hammy), do nothing else until you watch it. HERE.
Ridiculous awesomeness. So there I was, hee hee-ing away, and then I continued on with my day. An hour later, I check my mail and get a message from Busted Tees, who are now taking orders for THIS T-SHIRT. Bahahahaha....
The only problem is that in months' time, you will have to add it to your outdated t-shirt pile, along with the sad "Lazy Sunday" cupcake tee and the slowly withering "D@#k In A Box" shirt. We salute you.
Ay yi yi. Not only do I have a performance from M.I.A. to look forward to at Toronto's Virgin Festival in September (don't get in the way of my front & centre, people!), but finally we get to clasp album number 2 ("Kala") in our clammy mitts this August. If the track "Bird Flu" was any indication, "Kala" could easily hit us with a sickness - cause the album is gonna be ILL. (Groan! Sorry)
There's no way "Kala" can disappoint now - the official first single "Boyz" is making its rounds and ... holy %@#&! Whammy of a beat, totally chant-alongable and of course, it all comes down to the message. You can listen to it and watch the video here!
Yesterday a skateboarding ramp invaded the Much parking lot and a bunch of boarders came and thought they could impress us with their jumps 'n grinds (heh heh, it sounds like bump 'n grind). Well fine, they did. They were pretty sick, actually. We thought the whole thing deserved to be snapped, and in conclusion, HERE ARE SOME PICTURES!
Um, now how about you upload a photo or video to the hidden talent section and show us just how far you can turn your eyelid insideout? Oh, you've got a better talent? PROVE IT, SUCKA!
It's that time of the week, where we tell you what juicy videos we have in store this week for ya on MuchAXS...For all you lovas of smooth r&b and hip-hop jams then pay attention because we've got a whack load of some of the summer's most poppin' videos. We're talking about the return of 'the real g homie' T.I, Gym Class Heroes, Fabulous ft. Ne-Yo (my love)...
BUT first off, let's discuss Rihanna's new vid 'Shut Up and Drive.' I thought 'Umbrella' would be the summer jam of '07 but after seeing Rihanna's saucy new video I must say that this song is going to own. Rihanna takes a cue from *NSYNC a la the 'Girlfriend' days and sets the video in a garage with a bunch of her smokin' gal pals... There's not too much to the video besides the fact that there are hot girls and hot cars, which for some people is enough. Nevertheless, this song and vid makes you want to drive with your tops down low along the coast. I bought it, I'm sure you guys will too.
Moving onto, T.I...T.I. the full-time rapper and part-time wannabee actor tries his hand at acting in his new video 'You Know What It Is.' Though, he does a mediocre job of it, the song itself is catchy enough to satisfy all of your T.I. needs. It has your trademark T.I.'s 'eh, eh, eh' in between the chorus. Really, all this video needs is T.I. looking like his fine self to make it worthwhile ;)
SIDENOTE: T.I. is going to be in the new Ridley Scott movie 'American Gangster' with Denzel Washington,Russell Crowe, Cuba Gooding Jr, and Common and it looks GOOD - there's probably going to be loads of Oscar buzz around this flick Watch the trailer!
BUT the one song out of all the new adds this week that completely caught me off-guard has to be The Gym Class Heroes' 'Clothes Off.' DAMN. This song is tight and with Patrick Stump singing on the chorus it just makes it more solid. The video itself, matches the cool nature of the song and is worth checking out because of all the cameos...
That's it!
p.s. Went to this crazy dance party at The Social last night and saw Thunderheist for the first time and they were PHENOMENAL. If you're looking to find new hip-hop acts then definitely follow-up on this group. The NewMusic did a story on them a couple of weeks ago that is worth checking out!
There are very few artists who I get giddy about. I'm not talking about celebrity crushes or what not, but artists who I admire and respect. Ryan Adams is one of those artists for me. Yesterday, he was in town doing press for his 9th studio album 'Easy Tiger' and I had the opportunity to see him perform in a small studio environment - yeah, this will probably be one of the only times where I'll ever see in such an intimate environment - But before I continue on with my Ryan Adams story, I must tell you how I found out about this show...
4:30pm - I got a phone call from Antonella (who, by the way, was producing the MuchNews interview with him - more on that later) telling me that it was just posted on Ryan's official site that he'll be doing an in-studio performance at 102.1 THE EDGE at 6:20pm. I'm excited beyond belief. In fact, there was a big gasp on my end.
4:31pm - I'm grinning from ear to ear. Suddenly my day went from ok to f***ing AMAZING! I have no reservations about annoying my co-workers with my endless chatter about how stoked I am. In fact, I tell them I'm leaving work a hour early to get to the studios to ensure that I'm there on time.
4:40pm - Find out that not only is Ryan Adams in the building but so are The Cardinals!!!!! Ok, seriously, this intimate performance is going to be ridiculous. Time to re-read that NY Times article.
5:10pm - Thinking about how Ryan Adams is on the roof-top of the Much building and how I wished I was there... Ok, that sounded totally stalkerish but I ain't going to deny the love.
5:40pm - I get to the Edge Studios and there are only 15 other people behind me. YES! YES! YES!
6:10pm - Antonella meets up with me and shares her RA experience with me (NOTE: She will blog about this post-show). I now officially love him even more.
6:35pm - PERFORMANCE TIME. So, RA performs acoustically with The Cardinals and the first song they play is 'Two,' the obvious hit off of his new record 'Easy Tiger' (which btw you can listen to a week in advance on our site ). NOTE: Right off the first note, I was in complete awe. The man can really capture the hearts of his audience.
6:40pm - There's a bit of banter between the DJ and RA but nothing worth mentioning. Unfortunately, he's going to play his last song 'I Taught Myself How to Grow...' Beautiful song to end the brief but extremely memorable night.
For those of you who actually read this blog, you really must be interested...I apologize for the fangirl in me that has just come out.
p.s. You can watch his new video 'Two Hearts' on MuchAXS!
UPDATE: I JUST GOT TICKETS TO THE SHOW TONIGHT!!!!! A BLOG WILL FOLLOW WITH A REVIEW! Seriously, could this week get any better?
A few weeks ago, I saw a movie that I thought was absolutely brilliant. I raved to friends - some LOVED it, some not so much (aka Kat), but I truly believe it is worth seeing. The reason I am blogging about it only now is because I keep seeing it pop up in articles and on TV, being praised up the wazoo! It is turning out to be the Little Movie That Could and is having quite the impressive run at the box office. This movie I speak so highly of is called "Once."
Remember that awesome Ethan Hawke-Julie Delpy movie "Before Sunrise" from the mid-90s? "Once" has a very similar feel. The story is about a guy (busker and vacuum cleaner repair man) who meets a girl (piano player) and they make beautiful music together - literally and metaphorically. (The two leads are actually dating in real life and it shows - their chemistry is palpable). Who doesn't love a good ol' love story?! It is done so simply but effectively - and it helps that the soundtrack is absolutely killer (you can listen to some of the music on the movie's official site). The lead guy in the movie is also the singer for the Irish band The Frames and he wrote all the movie's music. Man - the talent oozes out of the screen.
Do yourself a favour and check out this movie (and soundtrack) now!
I'm sorry, but this just needs to be seen. It's been up on Show Me Yours for a good 5 days now, but I think it's time to introduce Matte's secret identity to a wider audience... RAIDEN?!
Photo: the Hide-n-Skate Ramp which is 20ft wide, 26ft long, 4ft tall with 5ft extension
Come by the MuchMusic parking lot today to see some awesome skateboarding by West49 team riders! The fun starts on the ramp at noon today and lasts until 6 pm. There will also be a DJ spinning tunes.
If you can't make it to Much, you can also watch some of the boarding on MOD tonight.
Also, if you're a skateboarder, please post your skateboard photos to the Hidden Talent category of Show Me Yours.
Photos are still pouring in thanks to concert goers! Keep 'em comin' and feel free to continue messing with already uploaded pics in Photoshop and sending them back to us. Use the tag "photoshop" :)
It's not so much that I long for the days of a band like Fugazi only charging 5 or 6 dollar cover to a show, or for the days I saw the Tragically Hip for $18.50, in a stadium. I'm not gonna stand here and cry about concert ticket prices...they are what they are, you have the choice to decide whether or not you think a particular concert is worth the ticket price or not.
I'm not even going to argue the skeptics in the industry who are crying over the fact that tickets to the 25 dates of Ozzfest are free this year. There is something far more important to be concerned about this summer on the festival circuit, and it's VIP packages. For about 200 bucks American you could have gotten the normal person weekend camping pass to the Bonnaroo festival and saw artists like Tool, The Police and The White Stripes OR you could have cashed in your RRSPs and gotten the VIP treatment of exclusive viewing bleachers, exclusive bathroom and showering facilities and discounted food and drink prices for a measly 1200 bucks; sounds ridiculous right... apparently not so ridiculous, Bonnaroo VIP packages sold out.
If you're planning on checking out Pearl Jam, Daft Punk and the Stooges at Lollapalooza you can also get a weekend pass for about 200 bucks unless of course you and your friends would rather get a deluxe cabana with catered meals, spa treatment and free booze...that will only cost about 30k...for real, 30 thousand dollars!!
Even the FREE Ozzfest offers VIP packages for close to a grand to get backstage and meet Ozzy.
I guess I could just say live and let live here and be happy with my place on the economic ladder knowing that I will have an amazing time at a festival, the way they were meant to be...uncomfortable, dirty, and loud. But I can't help but think that the more popular these VIP packages become to Richie Rich and all his friends, the more concert promoters will make them available and perhaps to the detriment of the normal concert goer who can sometimes barely afford the ticket price as it is. Think about it, if you can sell more space on a concert site to VIPers for a thousand bucks, who cares about an 80 dollar floor seat when it could be a 1000 dollar VIP floor seat. It's a trend that could eventually make the amount of regular tickets for sale at concerts less and less, and that would suck.
All I'm saying is that if you want to rock out to Wolfmother, Wilco or Tool with a bottle of wine, and massage, and walk away with clean clothes, go buy a CD or DVD and stay at home and let the rest of us peasants groove in our own filth for a price we won't have to miss rent over. And furthermore, instead of paying to get backstage, go rent Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" and learn how to do it the old fashioned way ... become a journalist. What did you think I meant?
I read about The Teenagers via one of my many magazine subscriptions, I can't remember which, and had been meaning to check them out ever since, but trying to find info about a band whose name is as generic as "The Teenagers" has proven difficult. So here, let me provide you with the direct link to their MySpace, where I implore you to listen to Sunset Beach (in which they reference my favourite drink - I'll let you guess which!), among other tracks.
Oh, and warning! Explicit lyrics. In case you get antsy about that sort of thing. The music sounds innocent, but the content is kinda rowdy. Spoken like Arab Strap, breathy and wispy like The Clientele, mouthy like Pulp.
No album yet, and no North American tour dates. But you know that's in the mail, right?
UPDATE: Adam just pointed me to a remix page for songs by The Teenagers - including mixes by Air and Lo-Fi-Fnk. So, so super!
When you're an undercover sleuth event photographer such as myself, the party don't begin when the show ends, no. There's uploading and editing and so on and so forth and ad nauseam to be finished, so long story short, the geek squad wasn't ready to hit the MMVA after parties til after 1am.
So I says to myself I says, lemme find my BFFs and we'll sang some karaoke! *yessss* We leave the ultrahot MMVA afterparty hosted by Hilary Duff and crash karaoke just in time to sing a few tunes. All that sangin' works up an appetite, so we were like, "yo. Let's have some 3am snacks at Fran's."
Fran's is a 24 hour chain diner in T.O. where you can always count on getting breffast or burgers or whatever late night grease you desire. We barge in there looking sassy and who's sitting at a booth near the front? Why, it's Mister Jay Manuel himself, along with CNTM's Nole Marin (also previously of ANTM). We settle into our own booth and not 15 minutes later, Andrew, the lead singer of Ten Second Epic, joins us for some poutine. And THEN, Jully Black enters the place for some eats! Apparently we found the secret post MMVA hiding spot?
OK, so I don't quite know the context of this photo, but I'm assuming Dallas Green of Alexisonfire is wearing Matte Babel's hat in this pic...where'd he get it? Why the bizarre facial expression? I just love this pic!
I feel like it needs a good caption. Anyone wanna take a shot?
Did you watch the live Press Room exclusive webcast? Well, Ed the Sock ran a tasty(?) lil burrito stand and we have video footage that will be going up on AXS. Watch for it!
More stuff is coming too! More photos, more videos and more uploads by you (or else)! I hope everybody had a blast :D
It's after midnight and we're still busy uploading scads and scads of photos from tonight's festivities to Show Me Yours. Don't forget to add yours when you get home tonight! We wanna see what kinds of cool snaps you took!
Plus, see a full list of tonight's winners and watch performance & interview highlights on MuchAXS! Stay tuned for more video and pics in the days to come! Hope you loved every second of it like we did!
So, it's summertime and you're out of class now and your parents are bugging you to get a summer job. Well, what's better? Making minimum wage in the heat of a fast food joint flipping burgers? OR just pull a prank on your buddy and win $5000 instead? You won't make that cash at your McJob this summer.
