In Reflection...The First 500 Posts

My first blog posting appeared roughly three and a half years ago, on January 10, 2007. It was about scoring tickets to see the late-great Sparklehorse as well as Glaswegian twee-pop darlings Camera Obscura in Vancouver. Excited, I even included a picture of the tickets. This inaugural post, then, had absolutely nothing to do with Winnipeg shows nor anything to do with Winnipeg bands. When I look back on this entry now it triggers that uneasy, reflective “What was I thinking?” feeling. Beats me. It was certainly a strange way to start a Winnipeg Music Blog.

For the record, at least I had the right-hand column of upcoming Winnipeg shows.

Painting over Silence, then, has evolved considerably over the last 3.5 years to the blog you see now. And here I am, 500 posts deep and extraordinarily pleased with the site both in looks and, most importantly, content. Painting over Silence is, I hope, a good resource for local concert announcements and listings (with an unabashed indie-bias); a site that runs features on Winnipeg bands or musicians about to come through town; a blog that reviews some of these shows and/or displays photos; and, whenever I have ample time, a place for cd reviews.

Along this blogging journey I’ve met and even befriended readers, fellow bloggers, label contacts, publicists, and musicians; and I’ve been fortunate to sign up a few contributors to boot. It is remarkable how quickly this site became less of a solitary venture and more dependent on the direct and indirect efforts and influence of those just-mentioned folks. So I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to all my visitors for reading, commenting, emailing, and generally keeping me vigilant. Big thanks to my contributors Ben, Daniel, and Nigel for your time and your deft pens and cameras. Beers on me next time we’re at a show. And, of course, thank you to all the folks in the music industry who hook me (us) up with interviews and cool giveaways, and who email me all the exciting, late-breaking show news.

To celebrate this epochal post, I’ve lined up three stellar prizes. The giveaways are courtesy of individuals who have been highly supportive of Painting over Silence and endlessly generous: Carly and Eriksson from Maple Music Recordings and MapleMusic.com; and Jacquelyn and Mike from our city’s beloved West End Cultural Centre. All four are consummate professionals who are very passionate about getting great music out to as many ears as possible.

Giveaway #1 Three CDs
1. Minus The Bear - Omni
2. Drive By Truckers - The Big To-Do
3. John Butler Trio - April Uprising

Giveaway #2 A $25 Gift Certificate
A $25 Gift Certificate to maplemusic.com, an awesome e-commerce site with a wealth of fantastic Canadian music for sale.

Giveaway #3 Tickets + Water Bottle
1. A pair of tickets to Royal Canoe’s CD Release show at the West End Cultural Centre on July 3, 2010 w/ special guests Library Voices
2. A West End Cultural Centre water bottle

Entering is same old, same old. To be eligible for any prize, simply shoot me an email (on the right) by Friday, June 25th @ 2 p.m. with the subject line “Painting over Silence 500th Post Giveaway” and your name in the body of the email. Also, please be sure to note which giveaways you’re entering (all, 1 and 2 only, etc.). Note that prize #3 must be picked up by contest winner.

And finally, from time to time Painting over Silence is also a place where I chronicle my non-Winnipeg concert adventures although - despite the inadvertent impression my initial post back in January ’07 must have given - these road trips just don’t happen enough. (But really, I shouldn’t complain. Since this blog’s onset I’ve been lucky to catch Camera Obscura and Sparklehorse in Vancouver; Sigur Rós in Minneapolis; the Flight of the Conchords plus Peter Bjorn and John in Toronto; and, most recently, Vampire Weekend in Edmonton). It is oddly fitting that this 500th post is my last entry before I jet off tomorrow to attend another non-Winnipeg-related music event, North by North East in Toronto. Stay tuned for some coverage of the sure-to-be dynamite festival.

It has been a pleasure authoring this blog.

Here’s to the next 500!