HOLY SH*T IT'S A BEAR-CAM!
just when you think you've gotten to the end of the internet and there's nothing left to google - enter the National Geographic BEAR-CAM!
Yes, you read correct. We can now watch live video footage of Alaskan Grizzly Bears mucking about. I guess it's the salmon run wherever they are, so there be lots of bears. Last night i saw one bear full-on pluck a fish out of the water and them scarf it down in big chunks all while the fish flopped around trying to figure out whether it still had a tail. Yea, I screamed i'll admit it - but it was awesome!!!!!
Oh yea, and in case your realplayer picture is a little dodgy, the site offers this explanation, "One of the bears redirected a relay antenna near the river, which is causing the grainy feed. We apologize for this inconvenience, and will have it fixed shortly." How cool is that!?!
Posted by Geoff M at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2006We on a comeback tour!
A Tribe Called Quest
Kool Haus, Toronto, ON
Sun, Sep 17, 2006
Could these guys take any longer on getting their shit together and getting back on the road? I’m not going to front though, I haven’t been this happy about a concert since Jay’s Reasonable Doubt show and there was no way in hell I was going to be able to see that.
Cop your ticket early and cross your fingers this shit doesn’t get cancelled!
Posted by Manny at 09:47 AM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2006For TO Virgin: Send Us An Icon
By now you've probably heard about the Virgin Festival, the outdoor UK-style multi-band extravaganza taking place on Toronto Island on September 9 & 10.
I'm grateful for it – The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, The Flaming Lips and Phoenix are all on the bill, along with over 30 more acts, some yet to be announced. It's sure to be two days of great music, good times and skin-crackling sunburns...but at the same time, I can't help but feel a little slighted by the organizers (I'm looking at you, Branson.)
I mean, yeah, Canada finally has a cool outdoor summer festival - but it's lacking an iconic mass-appeal headliner to anchor the event; where's that one starry act to unite audiences all and in the brightness blind them?
The American edition of the Virgin Festival, which takes place in Baltimore on September 23, greedily has two such acts: The Who and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They also have many of the same performers you'll find on Toronto Island two weeks earlier.
And not to be a jerk about it, but what the heck? Baltimore? No diss on the city, but still...Baltimore? Not Toronto?
Look at population alone. Baltimore has fewer residents (640,000) than metro Winnipeg (700,000). The Greater Toronto Area has over 5 million. You can't argue with numbers, Virgin Fest organizers! Numbers can't even speak! They just represent things, like volumes of concert attendees, which can be multiplied by values of single ticket prices.
So sh'mon, V-Fest – hook a city up!
Either the Chilis or the Who would be great, but we'd totally be down with something more creative.
Jay-Z, perhaps? A Smashing Pumpkins reunion set? Prince? Shoot, we'd settle for a Cyndi Lauper comeback (as long as Cee-Lo sang harmonies on "Time After Time").
There's still time for more acts to be announced, however, so for now only my fingers - not my arms - are crossed.
Posted by Jose at 06:54 PM | Comments (1)
July 07, 2006It’s a listening party and you’re invited!!!
So my friend Kat here at work was supposed to have a listening party this weekend. I’ve never been to one, or at least one like this before – but I love the idea. Each invitee is asked to bring 4 or 5 songs to share with the rest of the party and then in the end we all get to go home with a CD-R of all the songs. Nifty, eh? Well, the party’s been canned (for the time being) but I figured why not share the tracks anyway.
All of the songs are fairly new – kind of the way I do things. From working on a show like The NewMusic you might suspect that I thrive on new music and discovering and listening to new stuff all the time. Plus, I love sharing. Here goes:
The Strokes – Ize of the World
Musically, most people wouldn’t call The Strokes show-offs, but on Ize of the World The Strokes prove just how damn good they are. Their 3rd record is by far their most musically accomplished and Ize is the perfect example of how far they’ve come and how good they are at mixing head-bobbing melodies with shredding guitar riffs.
Hot Chip – The Warning
One of the more understated songs off of Hot Chip’s killer sophomore record -The Warning is THE laid-back chill-out jam of the summer. The beautiful delicate rhymes work so well under the restrained beats, while flourishes of xylophone and soft electro-glitches come in and out. In a word, gorgeous. I don’t even care that they want to break my legs.
The Good Soldiers – You Don’t Want That
An awesome anthemic pop masterpiece from Toronto up and comers The Good Soldiers. Likely the most efficient rock song you’ll hear all year - there’s not a second of fat in this song. Guaranteed to get your energy flowing.
Phoenix – North
Perhaps the simplest song Phoenix has ever recorded and also one of the most beautiful. This late-in-the-album slow-burner meanders to an eventual climax, but really – it’s the kind of song where it doesn’t even matter if it gets there, because its so relaxing and pleasant to listen to.
French Kicks – Keep It Amazed
French Kicks have written one of their most explosive songs yet in Keep It Amazed – a sure bet single off their forthcoming album Two Thousand. The song’s biggest strength lies in its production and arrangement – carefully bringing in singer Nick Stumpf’s keyboard and increasing the percussion until it explodes into pop gold precisely two minutes in.
Unfortunately, I can’t offer any of the songs for download or I’ll get in big trouble from the ‘man’ at Much. But sh*t – have you guys heard of this website The Hype Machine? Not that you can download stuff there or search for songs to download there. No, of course not.
Posted by Geoff M at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)
July 04, 2006let the debate begin...
Extra! Extra! Canada’s music journalists and broadcasters have spoken and at long last, the inaugural Polaris Music Prize shortlist is upon us... (in alphabetical order)
1. Broken Social Scene / Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts/EMI)
2. Cadence Weapon / Breaking Kayfabe (Upper Class/EMI)
3. The Deadly Snakes / Porcella (Paper Bag/Universal)
4. Final Fantasy / He Poos Clouds (Blocks Recording Club/Sonic Unyon)
5. Sarah Harmer / I’m A Mountain (Cold Snap/Universal)
6. K’naan / The Dusty Foot Philosopher (Track & Field/Sony BMG)
7. Malajube / Trompe L’oeil (Dare to Care/Outside)
8. Metric / Live It Out (Last Gang/Universal)
9. The New Pornographers / Twin Cinema (Mint/Outside)
10. Wolf Parade / Apologies to the Queen Mary (Sub Pop/Outside)
I was asked to be a panelist and submitted the same 5 records through the first and second ballots. Three of my choices, Broken Social Scene, Metric and Wolf Parade made the cut (all easy calls), but two didn’t.
I was disappointed the FemBots amazing record the City didn’t make it and was actually kind of surprised that Destroyer’s Rubies fell short too. (perhaps because it was just released in February?). In fact, only one of the 10 records on the list was released after 2005 – Malajube’s Trompe L’oeil.
Speaking of Malajube, it’s really cool to see how diverse the list is and that a few surprises like the above mentioned francophone act, K’naan and Cadence Weapon were named. That quality of the list really speaks to the varied talent Canada has and I can’t wait to see who takes home the cash in the end.
Posted by Geoff M at 12:29 PM | Comments (1)
