Archive for the ‘music’ Category
BIG TIME FUN AT THE BIG TIME OUT 2009
It recently struck me how The Big Time Out couldn’t be a more perfect name for exactly what it is – a day-long break from the ordinary all in the sake of fun and community. Did I mention there will be music and dancing?
Photo: Zoe52 on Flickr
Though The Big Time Out is only a handful of years old, the annual festival has been steadily and quickly picking up steam. Held each summer in Cumberland’s Village Park, 2009′s festival promises to live up to its stellar reputation. Live music is only one element as attendees will also be entertained by collaborative dance pieces, acrobatics and aerialists.
Photo: burnthatsucker on Flickr
Having hosted the likes of Metric, You Say Party! We Say Die! and De La Soul in previous years, this summer’s headliner is none other than Montreal’s Sam Roberts and his band.
A girl can only hope that he’ll sport his Jack Burton tank for the festivities – after all, August days do get rather hot in the Comox Valley. Concert-goers will also be impressed with this year’s line-up of Mother Mother, Delhi 2 Dublin (check out Raymi‘s video here), The March Fourth Marching Band, Jets Overhead, Sex With Strangers, Mihirangi, LAL and the Island’s own Vince Vaccaro.
It wouldn’t stun me to find a few fun surprises along the way…
The event is family-friendly and all kids 12 and under are welcome free-of-charge with a ticket-holding adult. Be sure to bring a whole lot of food in that picnic basket, a comfy blanket and tons of energy. The festival runs from noon until midnight with non-stop music and amusement. For those of you that forget your provisions, concession stands will be on hand and entry is by bracelet, so be sure to check out some of the great food from local eateries in Cumberland.
Photo: Zoe52 on Flickr
The Big Time Out 2009 will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at Cumberland Village Park in the Comox Valley. There will be limited parking available within the village, so please consider carpooling or taking advantage of local transit. Early bird tickets are no longer available, but advance tickets are being sold for $55 each (still a fantastic deal!) until July 21. After July 21, tickets are $65. For more information, please visit The Big Time Out’s website.
I’ve got my ticket – who of you will I see there?
JENNY LEWIS IS MY HOMEGIRL
Here’s Jenny Lewis’s newest music video. There are few things I hate in music videos as much as literal imagery, but I hesitate to be in any way critical of Jenny. What I do enjoy is how youthful her face looks. She’s like Jenny, except circa 1986.
INSERT MORE QUARTERS TO KEEP PLAYING
I’m sitting in a sea of boxes and waiting for Wednesday’s move. It’s kind of weird to be sitting here doing nothing because the last four or five days have been seriously non-stop and nothing that I had planned on.
Friday night was the Juno Cup hockey game, pitting Canucks alumni against the rock stars. Lucky us got to pile onto the Gibson Guitars bus to be chauffeured to the event.
This bus is seriously insane… fully stocked with loads of junk food, autographed guitars, rock posters, leather seating, a baby grand and a wickedly sharp heater in the bathroom that I ended up sitting on, resulting in a heinous purple and blue bruise on my right butt cheek.
I put a serious dent into the jar of goldfish crackers.
I expected the arena at UBC to be packed out, but in truth, it wasn’t much of a game. The alumni were really just standing around and letting the musicians think they were playing. After the first period, we went back to the bus to eat more goldfish, drink more rye and watch Wedding Crashers until the game was over.
Thigh guitar.
Saturday night hotel dance party. Before the Gibson Guitars Juno party, we gyrated to Beyoncé and Britney.
I think Brad was okay with it all.
Gibson Guitars Juno party, Richard’s on Richards.
BNL!
Mr. Twilight was at the party but wasn’t “doing pictures,” so no luck. Raymi and I went up to him to chat it up instead, but he had way too much attitude for someone that will probably be starring in American Pie 11 someday. I did manage to snap a creeper shot, so I’ll post that once Fil watermarks it for me.
Sometimes there’s nothing left to do but dance. So we did, and we did it a lot and we did it sweaty.
I have become obsessed with this song/video (it’s truly amazing) so I decided I’d completely rip her off and dress just like her. Tank knotted in the back.
Finally something mellow today. Us three ladies hit the hot tub, pool and sauna and kicked ourselves for not doing it days ago. I would’ve fallen asleep in the sauna if I could’ve.
And this is Elizabeth and Nick’s dog, Mitzie. She loves the taste of my nostrils.
Thanks for amazingly endless good times all weekend, Raymi, Fil and Brad. Vancouver’s gonna miss you but I’ll miss you more.
“NOT ENTIRELY PERFECT”
It’s been 14 years since I was a sophomore in high school. I have a hard time remembering what that was like, whether because too much time has passed or most of us generally end up subconciously blocking out that part of our lives.
The mid-1990s were a time when our most fashionable clothes and boots came from Le Château, our Sony Walkmans echoed the likes of Counting Crows, the Gin Blossoms and the Cranberries, and the biggest worry my girlfriends and I had on a Friday night was whether someone else had snagged our film-du-jour on VHS from the video store before we managed to get there.
At 14-years-old, I was awkward, goofy, entirely uncomfortable with my looks and didn’t know a thing or two about a thing or two. As a teenager, I liked the music I liked because the singers were cute and I watched the movies I watched because I had crushes on the actors. In junior high, my film of choice was Dazed and Confused, even though I was too naive and confused to understand most of the social relevance. I would spend hours fantasizing that I, too, could party at the Emporium with Slater, Jodi, Randall “Pink” Floyd and Mitch Kramer.
“That’s what I love about these high school girls, man…”
Photo: Universal Studios
In high school, I shifted from being stuck in the 70s to modern-day New Jersey. I can’t tell you how many times I watched Empire Records and how much of that film I can still quote to this day. However, like any other movie I obsessed over as a juvenile, it was just entertainment to me.
Last night Empire Records aired on KVOS, so I decided to forego my nightly ritual of Law & Order: SVU for a trip down memory lane. What surprised me more than how much I still loved the film was the understanding I gained from watching it as an adult. What I realized was why movies such as this, Dazed and even Singles were films I loved so much as a hopeful youth.
I was too young to be jaded, too inexperienced to be cynical. I believe that, as a young girl, I fell in love with the ideal that all the characters I grew up with, despite their shortcomings and marred relationships with each other, found a way to overcome. Every story had a resolution, every dispute found an answer. While that may not always be an accurate portrayal of real life, the characters we grew up with can give us a sense of optimism and remind us that there are still people in our lives that possess a little bit of true “human spirit,” whatever that may be.
I HATE COVERS…
OMG SHE IS SO HOT
How is it possible for one woman to be equal part talent to equal part bonafide hottie?
For the record, I wasn’t talking about Sarah Silverman.
WHICH SCORPION AM I GOING TO SHOOT?
Original Photo: Photos Infinitum on Flickr
THE ROOTS OF ROCK AND ROLL
It’s been more than eight years since I last saw Hanson in concert, which also happens to be the last time they played Vancouver. When I found out they were returning to play an acoustic show at the Commodore Ballroom, I insisted on dragging Becky along with me.
I have this thing with Hanson and a need to turn skeptics into believers.
Being the awesome girl that she is (and knowing how much I appreciate the rock trio of brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma), Becky went above and beyond. Not only did she score us tickets to the show, but also landed an opportunity to meet and interview them, as well as naming me “official” photographer for her writing piece.
Isaac, Taylor and Zac were three of the kindest and most genuine men who obviously have a passion for what they do.
Following our interview (audio will be available in the next day or two, so check back), Becky and I tagged along as Hanson completed a one-mile walk to promote social and humanitarian awareness.
We had time to kill before the show and did so by drinking beer and eating wings. I have beer bloat this morning for the first time ever, so it looks like I’ll be sticking to wine in the future.
While the thought of an acoustic show invokes the ideas of “quiet” and “low key,” Hanson’s show was anything but. The men know how to rock, and they know how to rock it well.
In case you were unaware, Hanson write, record, produce and perform all of their own music and have been doing so for the better part of their lives. Forget the cookie cutter concept.
You know you’re getting old when you’re at a concert, your favourite band is playing and you can’t even stick it out to the end. We left after about an hour of Hanson’s set because neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer. Despite that, the show was fantastic and the day was an experience I won’t soon forget. Our podcast interview with Hanson should be up and airing within the next day or too, so don’t miss that!
My entire set of photos can be viewed here on Flickr.
FULL SWING INTO FALL
It’s not a secret that I’m no fan of working on the weekends (one of the perks of a M-F job), but even though I spent both Saturday and part of Sunday in the office, I didn’t mind. The remainder of my Sunday was spent at Crab Park with my favourite boys, followed by grocery shopping, a nap, South Park and Snatch. Sounds pretty decent if you ask me…
