Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia 13th Anniversary Tour

Last year, I saw the Mountain Goats and met John Darnielle, my favourite lyricist, on my birthday. On August 1, the Dandy Warhols' breakthrough third album Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia turns thirteen-years-old. They're touring in celebration, playing the entire album, and come to Vancouver on my birthday. Will I once again spend my birthday seeing one of my favourite bands of all time and meet Courtney Taylor-Taylor this year?:

Rickshaw Theatre + Waldorf Hotel = Fox Cabaret

Follow-up story about Main-and-Broadway's Fox Cinema being slated for renovation into a live music venue later this year:

http://globalnews.ca/news/409260/vancouvers-last-porn-theatre-the-fox-to-become-live-music-venue/

A thirteen-minute walk from my house vs. thirty minutes of being in transit. If the Fox Cabaret hosts the same caliber of shows and other events as my former favourite venue the Waldorf Hotel, things aren't lookin' bad at all.

What Is Love?

I'll tell you, Haddaway: everything I feel for Devo:

The Thrills, the Kills, the Stills, the KillERS

I remember the early 2000s. And Snow Patrol, Travis and Dashboard Confessional:

A Conquoring Feeling: The Decemberists - "Sons and Daughters"

It's sunny today. It's my first day off in six. I stood on my balcony and soaked in this song, an optimistic work-song of determination and rebuilding. Clouds clearing after the long voyage. Gotta thank the latest episode of The Office for reminding me this song existed.

Go with Guts! + Blog Status Update

A week-and-a-half ago, I started writing music reviews for the online magazine Vancouver Weekly. I'm writing as much as I can for them on top of working a full-time job, so the blogging has become less substantial. I've covered a couple of shows for them already, have an album review coming in a week and will have interview opportunities when I feel ready for the entirely new challenge of conjuring my inner-Nardwuar. My upcoming album review brings me to the other point of this post.

For my first Van Weekly album review, I narrowed down my choices from a provided list to the Strokes' new album Comedown Machine (RCA) and Wax Idols' Discipline and Desire (Slumberland Records), both due March 26. I really wanted to review DaD for a few reasons: Wax Idols' previous/debut album No Future was one of my favourite albums I heard last year (though it came out in 2011 on Hozac Records); they're from Oakland, CA and newer, so they're more relevant and present than the Strokes in both a regional and contemporary sense; and because Wax Idols are new and great, I want them to receive as much exposure as possible. Most enticingly of all, reviewing DaD would have required research, something I've never really done when it comes to music-writing because I usually write about topics/musicians/etc. I already know about. But DaD was largely inspired by lead Idol Heather Fortune's 24/7 lifestyle as a fetishist and dominatrix and thus, as she described to VICE, delves into "satirical social commentary ... a lot of references to fetish and sexuality and death—you know, the good stuff."

In the past few years, I've gotten pretty good at forcing myself out of my comfort zone - to take risks and to try new things, especially when it comes to things I'm passionate about, like music and writing. But I've also gotten pretty good at forcing myself to go with my gut. And though DaD's fetishist angle flashes glaringly like a big, red beacon, and I'd really like to tackle a subject so taboo and for the large part misunderstood, my gut feeling overrode my desire to seek a larger challenge. It told me to write my first published album review about one of the most important bands of one the most musically formative periods of my life. So for mainly sentimental reasons, I've chosen to review the Strokes' Comedown Machine over what I'm sure would have also been an exciting album to review, Wax Idols' Discipline and Desire. Plus, I'm sure as an obvious talking point, everyone who reviews DaD will be talking about BDSM. And it's not like Comedown Machine doesn't have its own daunting challenge, having been hyped to hell and back like all Strokes albums.

So to Wax Idols, I say maybe next time. And to the Strokes, I say just bring it.

Musicians Writing About Musicians, Eh?

http://thetalkhouse.com/about

And unlike the 33 1/3 series, it's mostly musicians I care about including Andrew W.K., Robert Pollard, Melissa Auf der Maur, Flying Lotus, Richard Hell and Bowie. Duff McKagan also writes about KISS which appeals to at least a few people I know ... Check out the latest read which is by White Lung's Mish Way on Waxahatchee.

Wax Idols

One of the best bands non-West Coasters probably haven't heard (a lot of West Costers too). Oooooh, ah-ah-ah-ah:

My Favourite Irish Musician Knows What's Goin' On Today

"Ten pints, and then he starts a fight, and he lands himself a night in the cell wearing grey pants and bruises. Twelve mates bangin' on the door. Oh, the back-up vans galore never saw a street full of losers."

Torres - "Come To Terms"

There's so much music like Macon-to-Nashville transplant Torres (Mackenzie Scott) that I don't care for. But she's great. I don't know why.

Can't It Be Live Music AND Porn?

While the music's going on? Like how the Rickshaw plays old kung-fu movies while the show's happening?

As this item from VanCity Buzz points out, the Fox Theatre is slated for renovation into a new live music venue.

Bif Naked - "I Love Myself Today"

I wonder how many times I've been around Bif Naked and not realized it because until now, I forgot exactly how she looked. Probably none. Also, it's pretty cool that her favourite place to play (or see music? Or both?) was the Marquee Club in Halifax. #fuckyeahnovascotia

Kraftwerk - "Showroom Dummies"

One of my favourite songs my co-host and I played on our radio show, mainly because of the lulz that ensued. One of my favourite episodes, actually, playing Trans-Europe Express in its entirety:

#IWD

International Women's Day: Elizabeth Cotten

Influence:

Silverchair - "Ana's Song (Open Fire)"

Daniel Johns looks like a real-life anime character:

FULL STREAM: Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister (Pitchfork Documentary)

An hour-long documentary on Belle & Sebastian and the making of their album If You're Feeling Sinister. Remembering why I love the band and why IYFS is one of the few albums I consider perfect:

 

Coming This Record Store Day ...

The Black Keys cover the Stooges' "No Fun" on a 7" which will feature the original on the other side. I can't wait:

Azealia Banks - "Barely Legal" (The Strokes Cover)

Brutal:

The White Stripes - "Farmer John/Louie Louie"

Remember when the White Stripes were just a couple of punk-rock kids, and Jack wore torn, beaten T-shirts and, although not in this video, Chucks? Here are the White Stripes covering the Premiers' 1964 hit "Farmer John" and the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" at Union Square in 2002:

Carson Cox: "I Was in 100% the Worst Social Environment I Have Ever Been In."

Pitchfork: Were there any other personal experiences that inspired the record?

CC: I was in 100% the worst social environment I have ever been in. My social life had become poisoned by friendships gone down the drain. Identity played a big role in this for me. I see this new, passive identity, especially in big cities; fall in, download, and be whatever. But you can only be one thing, and that is yourself. The people that are afraid to do that are wasting their time with their image. They're wasting their time with friendships built on nothing, their love lives built on nothing, fucking people they don't care about. It's poisonous, and it became poisonous to me. So I removed myself from it and made a record, basically.

Jack and Johnny + Johnny Depp Discusses Iggy Pop

Apart from the obvious physical resemblance, Jack White and Johnny Depp even sometimes talk and sound alike: their stutters and stops, slight detachment, word choice, facial expressions. And like with Jack, I don't know how much I should believe anything Johnny says. Jack just has a bit more energy and seems to be a bit more engaged. It's too bad Jack is no longer scoring Disney's The Lone Ranger, and thus, there will be no formal connection between him and Johnny any time soon.

Google "jack white" "johnny depp" and see for yourself.

Föllakzoid - "El Humo"

Unfortunately, whether or not I decide to see New York psych group Psychic Ills at the Electric Owl this Sunday, I'll be missing both openers, Vancouver's Student Teacher (one of the best local bands) and Chile's Föllakzoid, due to work. "El Humo" has one of the gnarliest riffs I've heard in a long time and would totally slay to hear live: