Pass on Gas

An always pleasant topic of conversation these days is the rising cost of gas. These days $20 barely gets a VW Golf a quarter tank. I'm getting nostalgic for the days when I paid less the a buck a litre.

But with all your money sucked into the gas tank, what are you cutting out of your budget? This was prompted by a comic reviewer I read mentioning that with it costing $70 to fill his tank, he's cutting back on comic book purchases and being more selective in the quality of the ones he does pay for. And I imagine it's the same for other "entertainment" purchases - music, books, games, movies. I'm going to be more likely to dish out $12 to see Iron Man than The Love Guru if we're talking value for the buck.

Maybe these gas hikes may have a domino effect and consumers will demand more bang for the buck, be unwilling to risk their diminished dollar on entertainment that may not deliver, and create a demand for higher quality products.

So how are you coping with the cost of gas? Cutting back on magazines? Doing more downloading of music to "try before you buy"? Taking public transit more? Or is the thought of moving closer to your workplace a lot more tempting these days?

Comedic Icon George Carlin passes away

Shame to be the bearer of bad news, but apparently George Carlin, one of the true icons of stand-up comedy has passed away from heart failure. He was 71.

We were supposed to celebrate his legacy while he was still with us, as it was announced earlier this week that the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, a lifetime achievement award presented to an outstanding comedian, would be awarded to George Carlin, in a ceremony to be held on November 10, 2008.

Here are some favourite Carlin clips (via ALOTT5MA), as George talks about stuff, or the difference between baseball and football, the hippie-dippy weatherman, and in his most famous bit the seven words. George Carlin was a wonderful observer of life, and a master of social commentary whose influence can been seen on comedy clubs around the world and on TV in shows like "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report". His legacy stretches over 50 years, and managed to remain relevant and insightful and most of all, funny as all hell over every one of those years up until today.

Some numbers of note from a recent Washington Post article:

• George Carlin was the first host ever of "Saturday Night Live"
• He appeared on "The Tonight Show" more than 130 times?
• He released 22 albums, and won four Grammy Awards, between 1973 to 2002
• George Carlin starred in 14 specials on HBO.
  
• His three books have been bestsellers
• His TV shows have been nominated for five Emmy

Frequently when I introduce myself, the reply is often "Carlin? Oh, like George Carlin? Any relation?" None that I ever found, but I would have been proud to be.

RIP George, thanks for the laughs that will go on forever.

NXNE Night One - Coasting on a Quick March

There's this feeling - it's when you wander a song or a band for the first time, and you somehow know you're going to be a fan of that band for the rest of your life (or at least until they get full of themselves, make a pretentious half-assed album, and in-fighting pulls them apart). That feeling is a rush, euphoric and empowering all at once. And I love that at the NXNE music festival, I get a shot at feeling that sensation more than once.

NXNE is one of my favourite festivals of the year. It's not as big as SXSW, but it's a great time in Toronto - hit as many bars and see as many bands you can see in 3 days. Throw in some sleep deprivation, unpredictable weather, a 4am last call at some venues thanks to event licensing, and the fact that apparently no concert venue in Toronto has air conditioning, and it makes for some fun times.

You have a couple hundred bands in town at dozens of venues in the city. Each band has about 40 minutes to play, and if you start late, you don't usually get to make up the time. Most of these bands are looking to make a name for themselves - either on independant labels or looking to get picked up. You pick some must see bands and take a chance on some you've never heard of. You decide to camp at one venue or you hop cabs and streetcars to hit several stops in one night. And all this excitement available with the purchase of a $29 NXNE wristband for 3-days (or $19 for a one day pass).

My Thursday night stop was the always reliable Legendary Horseshoe Tavern on Queen Street. A bottle of 50 and fresh batteries in the camera, and I was set.

The Coast @ The Horseshoe Tavern
NXNE Festival
Thursday, June 12, 2008

First up from Toronto - The Coast (myspace). I hadn't really heard of them, but they were really impressive. They had a relatively early 9pm slot, but after the first couple songs, the room was starting to get packed and the screaming and cheering started. The songs were catchy pop-rocks of hooks and harmonies, love lost and found. Singer Ben Spurr worked up a sweat, much to the pleasure of the girls in the front of the stage, and 3 guitars worked together to put a smile on your face - call it joy rock if you will. They had that infectious stage presence that makes you want to root for them to succeed. With this much energy and some really good songs, I can easily say I look forward to seeing more from them as they build a fanbase - I'm already hoping a Lee's Palace gig is in their future. "Tightrope" in particular had a great sing along chorus that you could pump your fists in the air to.

The Coast @ The Horseshoe Tavern (credit by the2scoops)

The Wet Secrets @ The Horseshoe Tavern
NXNE Festival
Thursday, June 12, 2008

How could I pass on a garage rock-party band dressed in marching band uniforms? It's The Wet Secrets (myspace) from Edmonton with a killer set of tunes composed of one part sly lyrics, and another part kick-ass rock with a side of brass. This is one bad-ass marching band with a thumping bass guitar/drum beat with big brass.

The Wet Secrets are from Edmonton and everyone seems to have another gigs - Lyle Bell (lead singer, bass) plays in Whitey Houston and Shout Out Out Out, drummer Trevor Anderson's a filmmaker and festival producer; trumpet and tuba player Kim Rackel and trombonist Donna Ball run Capital City Burlesque; and keyboardist Doug Organ runs a record label and plays in jazz bands. With busy schedules and logistics (you ever try to fly a marching band on Air Canada?), that makes The Wet Secrets appearance a rare live show.

The Wet Secrets @ The Horseshoe Tavern (credit - the2scoops)

And damned if they didn't deliver. They took to the stage in band uniforms, but one couldn't help notice the hint of rock and roll flirtation - maybe it was the red lighting giving a sense of danger and menace to the atmosphere. Maybe it was the 6-inch platform boots the ladies in the brass section were wearing. Guess I'll never know.

Now just because they wear band uniforms that you're seeing some novelty band - these players are no joke. Not even with a keyboardist with the last name Organ. Which is like a boy named Jeeves - you're sort of pre-dispositioned to a calling. But these guys rocked out with some loud fuzz guitar and a some clever song tunes like "Grow Your Own F*cking Mustache You Asshole" and "It's Hard to Meet Somebody (Living As A Disembodied Head"). The tunes had an aggressive surf-rock vibe in places, and the crowd was grooving to the beat.


Pictures -
NXNE Night 1 by the2scoops @ Flickr

Recommended Listening:
The Wet Secrets "Rock Fantasy" - available at Zunior Digital Music Store -MP3s/No DRM
The Coast "Expatriate" - available at Zunior - MP3s/No DRM and iTunes

Links:
The Coast - Official Band Site
MySpace - The Coast
CBC Radio 3/New Music Canada - The Coast

The Wet Secrets - Official Band Site
MySpace - The Wet Secrets
CBC Radio 3/New Music Canada - The Wet Secrets
NOW Magazine // Music // Music Feature // The Wet Secrets

NXNE Music Festival - Fun For All Ages

(picture by Rock//Paper//Pixels)

Six Shooter Records
NXNE Backlot BBQ
Toronto
June 14, 2008

That would be Sal, son of Suzie Ungerleider aka Oh Susanna, jamming on his white fender strat.

I'll start posting my NXNE weekend reviews Tuesday morning.

Lessons To Help You Live Longer # 82

While getting staff to clean their desks at work and remove any non-standard items from their workstation, I was warned of an important piece of advice from a manager:

Never try to take away a fan from a woman in her late 40s or early 50s.