arrghhh!!!

I was about to go to bed but I got all agitated while chatting with Janice on msn. And then I read her blog and I should know better, cuz every time I read one of her rants, I get ranty too. So just a warning, if you follow that link, you may get the same feeling, especially if you're really passionate about music...and also, you may be wondering who this freak Janice is ;) Anyway, the point of this is to say that British men should not marry American women because it screws up the music. The end.

Hope dangles on a string

Don't you love it when an amazing song is in your head all day (or for weeks) and you finish work, get into your car, and the song plays on the radio. You blast the song to 10 times the decibels your ears & speakers can handle and sing along, having the time of your life, not caring that the nosy people in the car next to you think you're having a seizure, because the song is so evocative, expressing precisely what you once felt/are feeling/wish to feel, that it makes you wish you could BE music........


Vindicated - Dashboard Confessional

Hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption
Winding in and winding out
The shine of it has caught my eye
And roped me in
So mesmerizing, so hypnotizing
I am captivated, I am

{Chorus}
Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
I swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself

So clear
Like the diamond in your ring
Cut to mirror your intention
Oversized and overwhelmed
The shine of which has caught my eye
And rendered me
So isolated, so motivated
I am certain now that I am

{Chorus}

So turn
Up the corners of your lips
Part them and feel my finger tips
Trace the moment, fall forever
Defense is paper thin
Just one touch and I'd be in
Too deep now to ever swim against the current

So let me slip away (3x)
So let me slip against the current
So let me slip away (4x)

{Chorus}

Slight hope
dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption...

logic will break your heart

I went to the Olympic Island concert yesterday. First, since everyone asks, Olympic Island is one of the Toronto islands, right beside Centre Island. Second, the weather was PERFECT concert weather. Third........What a freakin' amazing show! What was even more mindblowing was my eventual realization half-way through the festival that all the bands playing were Canadian. How often does that happen. And not only does that rarely happen, but when it does, the promotion for the concert usually centres around its Canadian content, exploiting our inferiority complex. But yesterday's concert was about more than just the fact that everyone was Canadian...the people I wanted to see are actually really amazing bands. I never thought I'd see Pilate, The Stills, Broken Social Scene, Sloan, and Sam Roberts on the same bill. I was most looking forward to see BSS and the Stills because I hadn't seen them live before. And they didn't disappoint...and of course, Pilate (i.e. Chris Greenough) is always a pleasure to watch...Sloan and Sammy know how to rock a show. The entire day was like some big happy family jamming...that's what made the day so entertaining...it's the most beautiful thing to watch musicians just having fun on stage, doing what they do best. k, so here's a recap/critique of the day. You can also view pictures from Janice's 2 albums (part one and part two)

8:17 am - Wendy calls my cell from hers to make sure I am getting up first to use the bathroom...so tired...

10:00 am - Met Janice & Erin at Finch station, where we spent way more time than necessary buying tokens from the machine, and then we end up going to the collector booth anyway cuz Janice has only 1 token.

11:05 am - Board ferry. The thing Wendy was most looking forward to about this concert. She forces Janice to take a picture of this great moment.

11:20 am - Wait in line at Centre Island for the gates to open at noon. Noticed girl with interesting getup (what the heck were those on her legs...) and security guard with interesting haircut (buzzed with long "bangs" plastered to his forehead, tucked behind his ears...yes, it was quite funny..and bad).

12 - 12:45 pm - Once the gates opened, Wendy & Janice made a bee-line for the merchandise table. Janice bought a tee from the Stills, Wendy bought one from BSS..and stopped me from buying one from the Stills :( j/j..she is a good sister, she knew i couldn't really spend any money. We scoped out perfect spot near medical tent/rock star "secret" entrance to backstage as well as location of bathrooms and food.

And now the bands (I'm gonna stop doing the times cuz that's too "anal"....but u all know I still have the times in my head...HAHA..shut up)

Death From Above - Janice & I took this opportunity to buy our food tickets so that we would not succumb to the death-invoking noise of this "band." It truly was death (to our ears) from above (the stage). Was that too harsh. No more screaming please. Also, Erin & Janice spotted some people from Sam Roberts' band..so some stalking or "picture-taking" took place..haha

Aracade Fire - looked a lot more promising than the first band from the moment they got on stage to setup, with their white shirts and black ties. They have potential. But gotta get rid of that girl. Her sound didn't go with the band. Erin bought their CD. The liner notes were printed on a placemat.

Buck 65 - what the heck was that? I guess he's entertaining for the first 30 seconds. He imitated Raine singing. This is also when we spotted Chris & Bill from Pilate checking out the band. I regret not disturbing them for an autograph & picture. How did that happen? Also, Janice blew some picture-taking opportunites :P

Broken Social Scene - went into the crowd for this...was pretty close. They are amazing. There were at least 7 people on stage at any one time. The girl from Metric sang with them for many of their songs. And Kevin was wearing the Dears tee :) They are really talented musicians and many of them made re-appearances on stage later with other bands. I don't have any of their albums, just some of their songs so I will now buy their CDs. Gotta support.

Constantines - We didn't really know this band so this was our dinner & bathroom break. Since we bought our food tickets already, we had to wait only 30 seconds for our burgers & hot dogs...it would have been even faster if not for the confusion over how we were the only ones smart enough to get our tickets beforehand. It was 4:20 pm and it would be our last time for bathroom or eating or drinking or sitting. All for the sake of being third back from the barrier. good times =)

Pilate - was beautiful. I can't believe how beautiful Todd's voice is...Markham produces some nice singers. And of course, Chris was looking mighty fine. Thanks Wendy for taking so many pics. They played better at Lee's Palace but at least this time no one took Chris' beer...and they played "Alright" so it was all right.....

The Stills - surprise! They totally stole my heart...an entire band of Montreal hotties. These guys were very entertaining to watch...I'd definitely see them live again cuz I'm sure they'd put on an even better show at a smaller venue. They totally rocked.

Sam Roberts - Of course this guy knows how to rock...he's Sam Roberts! I'm not his biggest fan (I'm not into that dirty shaggy look that's made him so popular), but I enjoy watching him in shows cuz he's so entertaining and he really knows how to please the audience. The best part, though, was when he was about to perform "Brother Down" and all these guest stars came out - the drummer from BSS, Dave from the Stills, and some other ppl I forget...and K-OS!!!!!!!!!!! That was so freakin' amazing, i couldn't stop screaming. And then Sammy totally put him on the spot so K-OS started freestylin'....it was mindblowing. I love it when that happens....when musicians from seemingly totally different "genres" come together for the love, respect, and evolution of music...when artists aren't stuck to one sound and can use each other as influences or inspirations for their own creativity. I can't wait till his new album comes out........anyway, back to Sammy...I like him live. Janice & Erin took 57 pics of him alone..craziness.

Sloan - Sl-oan..Sl-oan..the crowd chanted while waiting for arguably the best Canadian "new rock" band. They, too, know how to please the crowd and I love that all the members sing and can play multiple-instruments. Talk about talented. (Here is also when Janice & Erin got kicked in the head from the lone idiot trying to crowd surf...) They played basically all their singles, including some of my faves, "The Lines You Amend," "The Rest of My Life," "Coax Me," and "Everything You've Done Wrong." They rocked so hard that Chris lost his glasses. Wow.

Took the ferry back...walked to the GO Union Station to grab some McDonald's (J & E) and chocolate milk (me & W). TTC back to Finch & headed home. Feet hurt like hell, eyes were bleary, stomach too empty to feel hunger...but it was one of the best outdoor concerts ever. Canadian bands kick ass.

camping!

I'm not a big camping/outdoorsy person but I always manage to have fun. And this time (#2) was no exception. The beach wasn't as nice and this place was definitely dirtier than Awenda, it was only about 45 minutes away, and I definitely didn't like the fact that it shares the same name as that crazy b*itch - i mean prof - but I had a blast. It felt so good to not worry about a damn thing (except for those insatiable mosquitoes...grrrr...). Can you believe that I didn't even wear a watch the entire trip. Good times, good times. Can't wait till next year! oh yes, and since I didn't take any pics, here are D's and R's pics. I hope they don't mind :)