Rap group Bone Thugs N Harmony's show tomorrow night at Pantages Playhouse has been canceled since the band has been denied entry into Canada. According to this site, it's because their music is "too violent".
I thought we had freedom of expression in this country?
Current rotation: The National - Boxer
Taking the time to soundtrack your day is essential. Meticulously selecting just the right songs to wake up with, listen to while on the bus, during lunch, on your way home, at night, etc. can make an otherwise trivial day feel, well, exciting and refreshing. And if the day's already exciting, a good soundtrack complements it. So today I decided to record my soundtrack for posterity - it was a lot of fun.
Breaking news...
Kim Barlow's show tonight at the WECC is cancelled.
Tom Petty tickets go on sale Monday with ticket prices ranging from $59 - $99.
Show news...
T.O.F.U. (Tons of Fun University) will bring their unique combination of spoken word poetry/music to the WECC on March 22nd. The group includes two winners of the National Poetry Slam competition. Sounds like an appealing University.
Coincidental news...
I learned earlier my co-worker went to university with Dan Snaith's (aka Caribou) sister. It's a small word indeed. My co-worker had no idea Dan is an indie prog-rock star.
Current rotation: The Boy Least Likely To - The Best Party Ever
Fleshing out some shows I missed...
Bone Thugs N Harmony are at the Garrick on Feb 1st. They still exist?
The Perpetrators are at Ozzy's on Feb 8th w/ Andrew Neville & the Poor Choices and Clint Crisher.
Big John Bates and The Voodoo Dollz pay their annual Winnipeg visit on Feb 22 at the Pyramid.
Oh and bad news procrastinating Hayden fans: his WECC show is sold out. Glad I got my ticket!
Current rotation: Kanye West - Graduation / M.I.A. - Kala
Tom Petty is coming! Tom Petty is coming! Hooray! When? August 9th. Where? MTS Centre. Tickets? February 4th. Presale? Dunno. Stay tuned. Opening Act? Steve Winwood! Am I going? Thinking about it! Depends on ticket prices.
Gotta love Tom Petty.
Current rotation: Daft Punk - Alive
This is fun and groovy and, of course, innovative. Enjoy!
Current rotation: Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
Ace Frehley, two-time member of the pioneering 70s/80s "It's ok for males to wear make-up too!" movement group KISS, is playing a solo show March 12th at the Garrick. Tix $32.50.
Oh and the presale password for Lenny Kravitz's MTS Center show is SONG.
Current rotation: Kanye West - Graduation
Unrelated-to-Winnipeg, but undeniably cool music story of the day - Folk demi-goddess Neko Case has been animated and will be appearing as a "Siren" on an upcoming episode of Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I hope the Mooninites have at least a cameo.
In Winnipeg show news, stadium rocker / 2007 Grey Cup half-time performer Lenny Kravitz is coming our way March 17th at the MTS Centre. Tix range from $35.50 - $75. Yes, it is quite the range.
I came across this great band name earlier: Times New Viking
I should make a list of greatest band names. Any suggestions for candidates?
Current rotation: Royksopp - Melody A.M.
I mentioned a few weeks back that Rush were coming to town for the first time in 25 years, and now the date is official: May 24th. Ticket information hasn't been released yet.
Surprising music-related announcement of the day: rapper-turned-actor Ice-T will be speaking at the U of M (?!) this Wednesday.
And Todd Snider, who reportedly played a poignant set at last summer's Folk Fest, is at the West End on April 6th. Tickets go on sale January 19th.
Stephen Fearing is there on March 8th with Oh Susanna.
Julie Doiron and Jill Barber play there on March 29th.
Current rotation: Josh Ritter - Girl In The War
Former teenage girl locker pin-up/ex-Our Lady Peace frontman Raine Maida will be playing a show at the Garrick on March 18th. Tickets are currently on sale if you have the presale password (it's song).
Current rotation: Andrew's Best of '07 Disc (A Friend) / M83 - Don't Save Us From The Flames
Megadeth are hitting town
Eadlining the fourth annual
Gigantour Metalfest (curated by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine)
At the Convention Centre, for one
Date on May 10th.
Expect tickets, priced at $42.50, to go fast, available through
Ticketmaster this Friday. Also included on the bill are
High on Fire, Children of Bodom, In Flames, and Job for a Cowboy.
I know, I know. I realize I took a few creative liberties while composing the above acrostic, but they're harder than you think!
Oh and the presale password for Gigantour Metalfest is song (you can tix tomorrow with it).
And George Thorogood tickets go on sale this Friday as well. The show's at the MTS Centre on May 23rd. Presale password is SONG.
And reunited British rockers The Cult will be playing the Centennial Concert Hall on April 9th. Tix Friday. Cost: $39.50 - $45.
And genre transcenders (rap-reggae-rock) 311 will play the Burt on March 24th. Tix: Friday. Cost: $23.50 - $34. Presale password is song.
And punk-powerpop rockers The Papsmears (a quartet of young ladies from Gimli) rock the Zoo on January 31st and the Park Theatre on February 6th. Tix likely at the door.
Phew, that was a lot of news!
Current rotation: LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
I decided on the weekend that I'm not really satisfied with the music I've been working out to while at the gym, and that my current gym rotation needed a serious shake-up. So, I've spent the past hour or so compiling a group of tunes that will hopefully motivate me to "take it up a notch" at the gym. These are songs that have a high bpm or build to a rockin' cresendo at one point or have a beat that just gets me going.
I present to you, Mandelbaum Mix Vol. 1, named after Izzy Mandelbum, the eldery fitness fanatic on Seinfeld (see above photo). It's go time!
I still remember the first time I saw "Star Guitar" by The Chemical Brothers and how impressed I was with the director's capacious imagination. This video reminded me just how great of a medium the music video can be, especially when the video perfectly captures the song's essence, like this one does.
One quick warning: please watch carefully. I showed this video to a visiting friend the other day and he didn't understand what was going on at first.
I hope you love it as much as I do.
Show news..
Twilight Hotel will be releasing their new cd Highway Prayer on February 29th at the West End. Special guest John Wort Hannam. Tix $10 at the WECC and Ticketmaster.
Ron Hynes and Chuck Brodsky will be there on 27th of March. Tix $20 at the WECC and Ticketmaster.
Current rotation: Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
So earlier toady I received THE BEST GIFT EVER: Jimmy Ray's Selt-Titled cd. It was a gag gift from a friend's girlfriend, but she clearly underestimated how much I'd seriously enjoy the gift. I was filled with gleeful delight and laughed and laughed until my stomach hurt, making this the best gift (joke or non-joke) EVER.
I've received some solid gifts over the years (most notably a set of Tintin frosted cups from Belgium), but they don't hold a candle to THIS.
Here's some sample lyrics from Jimmy Ray's ingenious hit "Are You Jimmy Ray?"
English hard-rock-pop band Def Leppard are coming to town April 16th for one night at the MTS Centre with special guests STYX (awesome!). Public sales start Friday through ticketmaster, but if you've got the presale password (psst. it's SONG), you can start buying tomorrow. Prices range from $59.50 to $79.50 plus fee after fee.
I think my first tape was Def Leppard's Hysteria.
Ahhh, those sweet halcyon days.
Current rotation: The National - Boxer
The artist formerly known as Manitoba is migrating to The Albert on April 13th. I've seen Caribou, aka Dan Snaith, twice and both times were a rockin' good time, although my advice is to bring earplugs. I think I have tinnitus in my left ear from the first time I saw him play (I didn't bring earplugs that time).
Profound lesson learned that night: always bring earplugs.
Current rotation: The Clientele - God Save The Clientele
So earlier today I hit the Starbucks near my place and was shocked to see In Rainbows for sale on the counter. I honestly didn't expect Radiohead to allow their album to be sold at Starbucks, even though, well, I kinda like Starbucks. After all, according to Fortune magazine, the ubiquitous Starbucks is one of the top 100 companies to work for (#16!). Perhaps Radiohead heard about this and felt enamored enough with the company to let them carry their newest record. I should really look this up.
Curiously, HMV didn't make the top 100 cut.
Also, earlier I read an alarming story about a member from The Shins being arrested for assaulting his girlfriend. I hope there's more to the tale.
Current rotation: The Clientele - Strange Geometry
I'm supposed to be working away at some writing for school, but instead I'm having a few brews while dancing around to The Rapture.
The Rapture, if you're unfamiliar, are a dance-pop band from New York that easily inspire the most inept dancers to at least wave their arms. I love 'em. They're also the band playing during the infamous dance scene in the film "Superbad". If you've seen the film, you know the part.
Anyways, I found this great video on YouTube of them performing "House of Jealous Lovers" on Letterman. Even Dave liked them enough to shake their hand - a rarity for him.
Current rotation: The Rapture - Echoes & The Rapture - Pieces of the People You Love
This year, instead of making futile resolutions that deep down I know won't stick, I decided to compose a list called: The 2008 Wish List Of Bands I Hope Will Grace Our Humble Town With Their Presence (catchy title eh?).
After intense, mentally draining deliberation, I've come up with the following:
1. Iron and Wine (The Grizzly Adamsish fellow in the above photo. I hear he puts on a great show.)
2. Sigur Ros (I wonder if the band knows that Manitoba has the highest population of people with Icelandic heritage outside of Iceland?)
3. Peter Bjorn and John (I suspect this would be a really fun show)
4. Radiohead (Dear Radiohead: You can't possibly be legends if you don't play Winnipeg. I love peer pressure)
5. Kings of Convenience (They would be the dream opening act for #1.)
6. LCD Soundsystem (I'm in a dancing mood today and would love to bust a move at their show...lol)
7. The Rapture (See previous comment.)
8. Neko Case (Solo and NOT with The New Pornographer. Yes, I know the pornos still owe us a show, but I'd rather see her sans them)
9. Mum (It's no secret I love this band; after all, they're #1 on my last.fm charts. The departure of frontwoman Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir though, hurt their ranking on this list)
10. Beck (Is there anyone cooler than Beck?)
I figure at the end of the year, I'll revisit this list and see how many, if any, of my wishes came true. This is the time for wishful thinking.
Show news...
I corrected a few grievous errors on the right, so all dates should be accurate.
Current rotation: Electric President - S/T & The Rapture - Echoes
Happy New Year folks!
Current rotation: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - S/T
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