tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66682962373411475212024-03-13T02:55:05.208-07:00No Look Gunswhat would jimmy do?Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-23415827855661988482018-01-01T17:21:00.000-08:002018-01-01T19:10:31.707-08:00The Final Jimmy Awards<br />
Well, this is it. We knew the day would come: when we had no more relevant input on new music. Sure, we could keep handing out Jimmys for things like trap music and field recordings of snowflakes, but it's time: there's simply no place for an annual music blog in this age of immediacy. But we've had a good run. So good, in fact, that instead of handing out awards, we've chosen to shoot off a farewell no-look-gun salute, by counting down the ten best moments in NLG history:<br />
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<b>10. Getting a shout out from a stranger who met Serge’s parents at SXSW.</b> It's when we knew we had officially arrived.<br />
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<b>9. Getting offered free tickets in exchange for reviewing a show by Wooden Sky</b> (or was it Wooden Hands, or maybe Woodpigeon).... The offer was later rescinded, but we’re pretty sure it’s the thought that counts. <br />
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<b>8. Hanging in the Market Square green room at Rifflandia 2009</b>.
It was our first time in a green room - we said we were "journalists"
and chugged free beer and conducted an interview with Topless Gay Love Techno
Party. We were confused why the walls were white. It was exhilarating. </div>
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<b>7. Garnering 9 unique followers on our blog:</b> Hong, Efren, Paula (thanks Mom!), Danielle, Will, Alex, Marguerite, Big Cat, and Gamelle. Did you click the ads like we asked you to? You guys are the best. <br />
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<b>6. Almost getting accepted as a contributing blog by Hype Machine.</b> Ultimately, our application was rejected - we weren't "commercial" or "consistent" enough to "hype" - but we bet they are kicking themselves RIGHT NOW. <br />
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<b>5. Getting shot at with a No-Look-Gun by Robbie Slade of Humans</b>, after sneaking into their show during the Winter Olympics. Robbie - you don’t know us, but you'd love us if you did.<br />
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<b>4. Getting a response from White Denim to <a href="http://nolookguns.blogspot.ca/2010/02/apologies-to-what-may-have-been-white.html" target="_blank">our apology letter</a> </b>after getting exceptionally drunk at their show and soliciting them to take a cab to Kerrisdale to get in a hot tub with us. The offer still stands, by the way. <br />
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<b>3. Earning over $14 on Google Adwords.</b> That’s real money (as soon as we figure out how to withdraw it). A lot of people have been asking us what we’re going to do with it. Retire? No way. We’re gonna invest in the future and buy <span class="uccAmountWrap"><span class="uccResultAmount">0.000835643</span></span> of a Bitcoin.<br />
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<b>2. Our exclusive interview with Canadian rap sensation Shad</b>, way back in September 2010. Shad won a Juno for his album after this interview. Coincidence? You be the judge: <a href="http://nolookguns.blogspot.ca/2018/01/the-shad-interview.html" target="_blank">read the full, previously unpublished, interview here</a>.<br />
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1. <b>The No Look Gun that started it all:</b> shot by the man, the myth, the legend himself -- Jimmy, that's J-I-M-M-Y -- after he burned rubber in his GMC in the parking lot of an unfinished waterfront mansion in Manzanita Oregon, while we shielded our eyes, not from the gravel that rained down upon us, but from that most obscene and flippant gesture, the most brazen NLG the world has ever seen, which would spawn all of this: nine years of semi-regular music bloggery, two alter-egos, fifteen Jimmy awards and a hell of a lot of hangovers. It is to you that we fire our final no-look-gun. You will always be our Faded Glory. <br />
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Yours Truly, Serge Eon & Gene Ral</div>
<br />Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-71723135229487123242018-01-01T17:19:00.001-08:002018-07-12T20:29:05.007-07:00The Shad Interview<style>
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Back in September 2010, Gene and Serge had the incredible good fortune of being granted an exclusive interview with one of Canada’s best musical talents: Shadrach Kabango, aka SHAD. <br />
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The rapper should need no introduction, but since Shad is far too modest a gentleman to sing his own praises, we take this opportunity to remind ourselves that he has been nominated for two Juno awards (winning one for best rap recording, beating Drake for the distinction), hosted Canada's distinguished radio program <i>Q, </i>and been nominated for the prestigious Polaris music prize <i>three</i> times—to name just a few highlights. His songs are eloquent and fluid, full of cultural references, wordplay and calls for social action. And above all, we think he's a really, really nice person.<br />
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Shad met us in his residence, which he shared with fellow musician Dave Vertesi (of Hey Ocean! and solo work), and the two were in the process of searching for a new place. This didn’t bother NLG one bit, as our goal was simply to observe Shad in
his natural habitat.<br />
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Without further ado, here is one of the greatest moments in NLG history, the glorious twenty minutes we got to spend with one of our favourite humans. <br />
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<b>NLG: </b><i>Shad, question number one. What are you sayin’? </i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> Just chillin'. What are you guys sayin’?<br />
<b>NLG:</b> <i>Uh…we’re chillin’. Yeah, we’re chillin’.</i><br />
<b>Shad:</b> Nice. <i><br /></i><i><span style="color: #666666;"></span></i><br />
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<b>NLG: </b><i>Alright. Question number two. We were wondering if you…how you felt about…losing the Jimmy award. Don’t know if you got the newsletter.</i> </div>
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<b>Shad: </b>Who did I lose to?</div>
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<b>NLG: </b><i>Islands. Best
Cardigans cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> What!?! (<i>dejected</i>)
Ohh. Well actually I have an excellent track record of losing awards.</div>
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<b>NLG: </b><i>Yeah?</i></div>
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<b>Shad: </b>It's kind of my thing.
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>So you took it in
stride?</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> I took it in stride.
It's what I do best. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>We know this one might
have cut a little deeper though, especially considering your love of covers<b>, </b>and after all, this was an award for best cover of The Cardigans’
“Lovefool”.</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> It did hurt. It did
hurt a little bit. I'm not going to lie about that. But I didn't want to make a
"Kanye moment" out of it. So I tried to take it in stride. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>Word is, there is an award out there for best cover of
the Cranberries' "Linger". </i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> There's no way I could possibly lose that. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>So you're planning on entering?</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> Well there's no way I could possibly lose that. But I
don't know if I can really enter, because it just might not be fair. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>It might be a little unfair. People might even think it was preplanned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> Well, the thing is, most of the time, when I cover
“Linger”…(<i>laughs</i>)…the problem with it is, people just think it is the
original. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>You’ve been confused for a Cranberry before?</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> <i>(Laughs) </i>Yeah the problem is, I recorded a cover one time, and
it floated around the internet, and people just thought it was the original. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>Or they thought that “Linger”, by The Cranberries, was
a cover of your song.</i></div>
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<b>Shad: </b>Yes! That was a lot of the feedback!<br />
(<i>laughter</i>)</div>
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<b>Shad:</b> And a lot of that feedback started to get back to
them, and anyways, it was meant to be a tribute thing, as you know. It was
never meant to start that kind of controversy. It almost ended up causing a
rift between me and them. That’s not what I wanted to do at all. </div>
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<b>NLG: </b><i>So you may not even want to open up that rift by
entering.</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> I might not even want to go there. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>Will that song be featuring on your latest album?</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> There are five or six versions of it that I’ve
recorded for the album. I don’t know how many of them I’ll be putting on… (<i>laughter</i>)
…A lot of people say, “Put them all on!” And I say, “I could, and I might.”<br />
<b>NLG: </b><i>Your fans might be mad if you didn’t. </i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> I think so. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>Are you on a label?</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> Yeah, for this release. For this release they want to
do it worldwide--J Records, from down in the States. They just heard my idea. I
said “I want to do Linger seven times on this album” and they said “That’s
gonna be a smash”. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>That’s got platinum written all over it.</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> It’s got platinum written all over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>It's got Grammy written on it I think. </i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> Yeah, so they want to get involved. There’s a lot of
funding behind this one.</div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>They threw a lot of money towards it?</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> Yeah they threw a lot of money at me. </div>
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<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> They’d be crazy not to. </div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>They would be. </i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b> They threw a lot of money at me, and I was kind of
like, this is not what this is all about. I’ll take it! But that’s not what
this is about. </div>
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<b>NLG: </b><i>When is it set to release?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b> It is set to release very soon. I can’t specify the
date exactly, but soon. I mean, I want to spend a couple months
and just think about that, and not even record it…</div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>Just let it linger?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just let it
linger. And then think about recording it. It could take years…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG: </b><i>Is there a name for this album? Or untitled?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b> I’ve been kind of tossing around a couple of ideas…</div>
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(<i>silence</i>)</div>
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<b>NLG: </b><i>Care to share?</i></div>
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(<i>extended silence</i>)</div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>Cranberry juice?</i></div>
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<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>Cranberry juice
would be a little too obvious, so I was thinking “Cranberry Cocktail”. </div>
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<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> Linger 11.</div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>Yes! Linger 11!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not a
bad idea. </div>
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<b>Dave Vertesi: </b>Goldlinger.</div>
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<b>NLG:</b> <i>But then if it goes platinum—that could be kind of
confusing. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b> “Goldlinger Goes
Platinum”. When I think about titling my albums and my songs, I like to think
about how they are going to sound in headlines. And I just like the sound of
“Goldlinger goes Platinum”, you know? You have to guide the press, I find, a
lot of the times. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>That’s true. Like you are doing for much of this
interview. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>Yeah, I’m just
guiding you guys. (<i>laughs</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>Seeing as this is our first rodeo—as you could say—are
there any questions you would like us to ask you? What would you like to
answer?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b> (<i>strums guitar</i>) Umm… </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Serge: </b></b></b><i>Yeah, how about you answer, and then we’ll make up
the questions, based on your answer. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Gene:</b></b></b><i> Yeah, we’ll pose a question, based on your answer.
Like Jeopardy. Let’s play “Jeopardy Interview”. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Serge:</b></b></b><i> It’s Jeopardy Interview!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b> In Jeopardy interview you guys would say the answer,
and I would say the question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>We can’t be giving answers. No, you say something
really rad, and we are going to act like, “Oh, we just asked the question that
spawned that awesome statement!” </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b> So I’m Alex Trebek?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>Yes, you are Trebek, and we are Ken Jennings. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad: </b>Okay. So I go (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a
la Alex Trebek)</i>: “This artist is awesome.” And then you guys say:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>Who are you? Who is Shad?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 432.0pt;">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>Who is Shad. Yeah! Okay! That’ll be how it
goes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 432.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 432.0pt;">
<b>Shad:</b> (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a la Alex Trebek)</i>: The category is: “Canadian Rap Artists That
Start With Shhhhh”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 432.0pt;">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> Choclair?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 432.0pt;">
<b>Shad:</b> That’s right, it could
be Choclair. That’s why you have to be careful. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 432.0pt;">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> One of the
answers should be “Who is Choclair”!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 432.0pt;">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>That’s for the daily
double. </i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
(<i>awkward silence </i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>Alex Trebek is
Canadian. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Gene:</b> <i>I knew that. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Serge: </b><i> Really?</i><br />
<b>Gene:</b> <i>Yeah.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>So is Alan
Thicke. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Gene:</b></b></b><i> Is David Duchovny Canadian?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Serge:</b><i> </i><i>That’s a good question. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Gene:</b></b></b><i> </i><i>We were pondering that earlier. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>Hmm…I don’t
know. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Serge: </b><i>I think he is. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Gene:</b></b></b><i> </i><i>I think you are just confused because they filmed
X-files in Vancouver. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Serge:</b><i> </i><i>And I think they filmed Red Shoe Diaries in Canada as
well. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Gene: </b></b></b>(<i>laughs</i>) <i>Is that right!?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(<i>laughter</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b>Gene:</b> </b><i>(t</i><i>o Shad</i>) <i>Do you think that?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(<i>more laughter, then silence</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> What the hell are you guys doing?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>I think we are just shooting the breeze.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi: </b>This is actually the worst interview I’ve
ever heard in my life. And I’ve been in a lot of interviews.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Gene:</b></b></b><i><b> </b>This is probably the best I’ve ever been a part of.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Serge:</b></b></b><i> Definitely the best. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(answers his phone) </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hello? Hello?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> Who was it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>I don’t know.
No one talked to me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi: </b>What was the number?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Serge:</b></b></b> <i>Call back.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Gene:</b></b></b> <i>Yeah, call back. We have time! </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(on the phone) </i>It is…Oh no
problem…Okay…Sure…How is, tomorrow at noon?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG: (</b><i>to each other</i>) <i>Think how this will look on the
blog! Great!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(on the phone) </i>Okay, perfect.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>Let’s just post the entire audio file. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(on the phone) </i>Uh-huh. Okay, perfect.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>If there were some way to see how long each person
listened…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shad:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(still on the phone) </i>Thank you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>…the average listen length…three or four seconds
probably…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> Dude, that
place looked really dope, and you guys were fucking losing your minds
in the background.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(<i>Laughter</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi: </b>And that sucks, because
it’s like, a three-bedroom, with all amenities…a carved fireplace…all wood…and it’s $1745.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> This is the </span>one
with arts and crafts?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi: </b>Yeah<b>. </b>In-suite washer dryer…clawfoot tub…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know
why people are all about that clawfoot tub. I’m not so into it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi: </b>Me neither.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People are
always saying, “Aw dude, it's got a clawfoot tub!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>Is that a selling point?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad: </b>Yeah it’s a huge selling point. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>NLG:</b></b></b><i><b> </b>Because you can have a bath that is overflowing,
with the water spilling and splashing all around you…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> ...Hydro and gas included…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>Who takes baths?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Serge:</b></b></b><i> </i><i>I do.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b> I can’t take baths. I’m too big to take a bath. I
haven’t taken a bath in a long time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>You’re too old, you mean?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad: </b>I’m too large! For it to be comfortable. Plus the
water gets cold.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><b><b>Serge:</b></b></b><i> I like a good bath.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> …Looking for working, responsible adults or
students…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b><i> That doesn’t fit you guys...</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>I can front as
a student, it’s all good. That’s what I always say when I reply. I say
“Student. Check my backpack.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>Do you put that in brackets after you sign your name?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say “I’m a
student. You check my references and my backpack to see I’m a student.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>You actually just show up with your Eddie Bauer
backpack?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>I do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>They assume from there.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> Are you still recording?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>We’re still recording. This is all going in. The
backpack. Everything.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(<i>silence</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>How long do interviews usually go on for?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> 15 minutes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>How long have we gone on for?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi:</b> 20 minutes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>Too long probably. Although we’ve only asked about 5
questions so far.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad: </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(on the phone) </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hi, I’m calling about the ad on Craigslist for
the three bedroom?...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NLG:</b> <i>This has got to go in!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(on the phone) </i>...Yeah
I was hoping to set up a time…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(extended Shad phone
call, during which<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NLG discusses
travel times from Vancouver to Victoria, during which at one point Gene claims that
he could run 100 km in 7 hours)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi: </b>When can we see it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(off the phone)
(To </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dave Vertesi)</i> I don’t know when. Maybe next week?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dave Vertesi: </b>Why didn’t you say we could see it today?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Shad:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Gene:</b><b> </b><i>You didn’t want to sound too eager.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Serge:</b><b> </b><i>Plus you’re busy with this interview. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(the conclusion of the interview </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">occurs when </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dave Vertesi asks for
his phone back, which is coincidentally being used as the recording device
of the interview…)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-55779012936859425222016-12-31T20:01:00.001-08:002017-01-01T13:44:46.970-08:00The 2016 Jimmy Awards: Best Album / Chip Combination<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofeGlcJ0ZW79vHwPkoGK0Zov6ThlmfsUn1vD9pY-zKr_rmlqnuGBQhgTC2_1TPWiuycU2vco1_BPgf70nTwtlCeskRKYNvWqR5oH6ZQZ3RnFWc-H0wJYMzLKtWckSAfv4IxhQxaH2JTg/s1600/Post+Pop+%2526+Chips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofeGlcJ0ZW79vHwPkoGK0Zov6ThlmfsUn1vD9pY-zKr_rmlqnuGBQhgTC2_1TPWiuycU2vco1_BPgf70nTwtlCeskRKYNvWqR5oH6ZQZ3RnFWc-H0wJYMzLKtWckSAfv4IxhQxaH2JTg/s320/Post+Pop+%2526+Chips.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Winner:<b> Iggy Pop & Old Dutch - Post Pop & Chips Depression</b><br />
<br />
<i>Iggy Pop is still alive?</i> was Serge's first reaction to hearing Iggy's latest album, <u>Post Pop Depression</u>. His second was a wave of nostalgia (expressed as a sneeze), for he had also opened a bag of Old Dutch Salt n' Vinegar chips, and a familiar acidic punch had just hit his nose. <br />
<br />
Serge soon realized how much Old Dutch and Iggy Pop have in common. Both have punk roots from Midwest assembly-line inspirations, and both have stuck around long enough to become the low-rent elder statesmen of industries otherwise dominated by glamour and flash. They use only a few key ingredients, and rely instead on a simple combination of maltodextrin-based flavour-coating backed by a strong crunch. And like ravaged cadavers from yester-year, they have staggered to the stage in 2016 to claim the honour of this year's Best Album / Chip Combination. <br />
<br />
We'll admit it: although very good, there are probably better albums and better chips out there. But strangely, none are as relevant. Why? Nostalgia. These two understand our current obsession with the past, and they're taking all of our preoccupied insecurities and feeding them back to us, chip by lip-blistering chip, line by acrimonious line. They are, at the same time, contributing to and satirizing the cultural time warp that we are currently living in, where teenagers are refusing to become adults and adults are refusing to become seniors and seniors are refusing to die. Iggy and Old Dutch know that in a world of change, everything must remain the same, and oh how we all love it. <br />
<br />
Maybe one day, when Iggy finally croaks, we'll all grow up, like some bizarre sequel to the classic film <i>Hook</i>. But the way he is outlasting everyone else, that day might never come. So for now, we'll continue to revere albums by aging rock stars and eat chips 'til our bellies hurt. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u>Our Favourite Albums / Chips of the Year:</u><br />
<br />
1. Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression / Old Dutch - Salt n' Vinegar<br />
2. Rhoneil - Nature // Cosmos / Dutch Crunch - Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar<br />
3. Preoccupations - Preoccupations / Kettle Brand - Classic Caesar<br />
4. Wizaard - Starfish Buffet / Kettle Brand - Hawaiian Barbeque<br />
5. David Bowie - Blackstar / Que Pasa - Ancient Grains<br />
6. Aidan Knight - Each Other / Lays Original - Ketchup<br />
7. Black Mountain - IV / Garden of Eatin' - Sesame Blues <br />
8. Your Boy Tony Braxton - Adult Contempt / Pop Chips - Barbeque Potato<br />
9. David Vertesi - Sad Dad Cruise Ship / Sun Chips - French Onion<br />
10. The Growlers - City Club / Doritos - Green Bag<br />
<br />Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-20579353639980048982016-01-02T13:00:00.006-08:002016-01-02T14:02:13.159-08:00Gene's Picks 2015 (Return of the Ral)<div class="p1">
Gene and music have been on shaky ground the last little while. In the latter half of 2014 and into 2015, Gene and music were, let’s just say, <i>taking a break</i>. It wasn’t that Gene no longer loved music—he will always love music—nor that he no longer found music <i>attractive</i>—beauty is in the ear of the beholder. It was just necessary for Gene to have some time to himself—to read a book, or listen to birds chirping, to dogs barking, to car horns honking, whatever, just NOT MUSIC, OK? </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
But in the Autumn of this past year, something extraordinary happened. After nearly one year of aural isolation on an icy and remote island nation in the northern Atlantic Ocean, something finally struck a chord in Gene’s ear. One that hadn’t been struck for some time. Was is music? You be the judge. It makes sound, has lyrics (although Gene can’t understand them), and inspires a certain body movement akin to dancing (although locals might not be so forward). What was it that ended Gene’s harmonious hiatus? Why, it was Icelandic Hip-Hop, of course.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
Not in a long time had Gene’s senses been so aroused by something so confusing. An inexplicable feeling was roused in Gene—one that made him think maybe he was born this way. But whether he was born it, born of it, born to it, or bore it himself, he <i>likes it </i>for Pete’s sake, and that’s just the way it is.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
The following are Gene’s top 3 picks for Icelandic hip-hop in the year 2015</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<u>1. Úlfur Úlfur</u></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
These guys are dope. We’re talking pony tail, tucked in shirts, car rallies, riding horses in the suburbs. You name it.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<u style="text-align: center;">2. Reykjavíkurdætur</u></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
These women are dope. We’re talking flesh-tone body suits at their live shows, equal numbers of performers on stage as in the audience (no small feat for sold out shows), and what Gene’s told are empowering lyrics. However, Gene is constantly worried that one of them might punch him in the head for enjoying them a little too much. </div>
<div class="p2">
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<u style="text-align: center;">3. Gísli Pálmi</u></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
This guy is… cold. In fact he’s the nucleus of the coldest crew in Iceland— Glacier Mafia. Even though it’s cold outside, you’d be hard pressed to find Gísli Pálmi wearing a shirt. He’s fit, he has tattoos, he punched Bam Margera in the head, and he might be dating Björk (Gene has trouble understanding the Icelandic gossip sites). Bonus points if you can figure out if he's wearing a grill.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<u>Honourable mention:</u></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
Whatever this is:</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
Gene Ralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06284823015560401298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-8057304350379448042015-12-31T19:39:00.002-08:002015-12-31T19:50:01.194-08:00The 2015 Jimmy Awards: Best Albums (albums that we actually listened to) <style>
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<span lang="EN-US">Anyone following the progression
of NLG’s musical tastes may have noticed us inching closer to not listening to
any more music at all. Refer to Gene insisting in 2013 that <a href="http://nolookguns.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-2013-jimmy-awards-artist-of-year.html" target="_blank">no new music needs to be created</a>, for example. In fact, we were “off” music for much of 2015. We were worried we might have to follow <a href="http://noisey.vice.com/blog/how-to-make-a-perfect-year-end-list" target="_blank">Vice’s oh-so-easy guide</a> when choosing the best albums of the
year for the annual Jimmy Awards. Luckily though, Gene began to take an interest in a very niche sub-genre of hip-hop and Serge eloped to the
woods with a radio. And so, NLG is proud to be able to list 10 albums we
actually listened to during the year. </span></div>
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<u><span lang="EN-US">Album of the Year:</span></u></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>Laura Marling</b> - <i>Short Movie</i> </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span lang="EN-US">& </span> </b></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Courtney Barnett</b> - <i>Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit </i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We'll admit it: we are in love with these two ladies.
They don’t know it, but that’s okay. It’s not the first time we've fallen for
a disembodied woman, either. That would have been the time we first heard Laurie
Brown slide the word ‘sex’ over the airwaves on the CBC. But this year we fell
hard - and it wasn’t just the fact we've got "bush eyes". It was the quick-witted humour of these songstresses; their no-shits-given confidence; and the poetic
way they describe their lives (and ours too, we think). We've written them letters asking them to go with us to Paris to eat white
bread and smoke cigarettes but they haven’t answered yet. Do they hate people?
No. It might be easy to mistake them for misanthropes. They are morbidly
fascinated by the mundane but would simply rather make origami than deal with
other people’s bullshit. Can’t say we blame ‘em. Nobody really cares if you go
to the party, right Courtney? But they do know how to live. They are punk rock,
they are Lou Reed, they are Joni Mitchell echoing in the canyon of 21<sup>st</sup>
century music. They put up their fists and take what is theirs. There’s no stopping
these two. Because as Laura Marling says, it’s a short
fucking movie, man. </span>
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<span lang="EN-US">1. Laura Marling – <i>Short Movie</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">2. Courtney Barnett – <i>Sometimes I Sit and
Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">3. Beirut –<i> No No No</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">4. El Vy – <i>Return to the Moon </i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">5. Modest Mouse –<i> Strangers to Ourselves</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">6. Patrick Watson –<i> Love Songs for Robots</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">7. Tame Impala - <i>Currents</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">8. Cougars in America – <i>Postcards</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">9. Twin Bandit – <i>For You</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">10. Bob Moses -<i> Days Gone By</i></span></div>
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Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-38644975433563480842014-12-31T01:55:00.000-08:002015-12-31T00:43:49.770-08:00The 2014 Jimmy Awards: Album of the Year<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span lang="EN-US">Saturday night. Rickshaw theatre. The most
anticipated show of the year. The album, <a href="http://www.future-islands.com/" target="_blank">Singles by Future Islands</a>, had only come out two
months before but it had gripped us, kissed us, picked us up and kicked us. Tickets were hard to come by but by hook or crook everyone was
there. The energy outside the venue was palpable. We had seen the Letterman
video, we knew all the words, we were full of PBRs and Jamesons and love for
each other and the music we were about to hear. It was all very exciting and a
little bit overwhelming and Serge was getting anxious. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Slurring slightly, Serge asked a man
outside the venue for a shhhhigarette. The man said sure, he was withered and looked
like he was waiting for the #20 bus down Hastings to sleep at the Astoria
Hotel. Hat pulled down over his eyes, long army trenchcoat, he pulled out a bag
of Drum and rolled up a smoke and handed it to Serge, their eyes catching for a
second. “Are you….?” asked Serge, astounded. Yes, the man said. It was Samuel
T. Herring, lead singer of Future Islands. Milling around with the hipsters and
hangers-on outside, smoking hand rolled Drum, looking like a Main and Hastings
bum. Your music, said Serge, I love it. Mr. Herring humbly said thank you, it is
our passion, and disappeared into the crowd. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Passion indeed. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Later on stage, dressed in his customary
tight black T-shirt and jeans, </span><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">Herring was
transformed. He </span>looked like a young Bob Seger. He and the rest of Future Islands put on a show that left us
breathless. Herring pounded his chest and moved around like he was on a ski
machine while the synths carried us up and up and up. We held each others' clothes to keep from
getting trampled in the mosh and
felt the way we did every time we listened to the album, full of love and
happiness. Precious commodities these days, those two, and "Singles" supplies
them in abundance.</span></div>
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/1Ee4bfu_t3c/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/1Ee4bfu_t3c&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/1Ee4bfu_t3c&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">NLG's Albums of the Year</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1. Future Islands - Singles</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">2. Caribou - Our Love</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">3. War On Drugs - Lost in the Dream</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">4. Alt-J - This Is All Yours</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">5. De Lux - Voyage</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">6. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">7. Bahamas - Bahamas is Alfie</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">8. Jungle - Jungle</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">9. Little Dragon - Nabuma Rubberband</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">10. Peaking Lights - Cosmic Light</span></div>
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Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-55902660772282151342013-12-31T14:01:00.001-08:002013-12-31T14:01:51.958-08:00The 2013 Jimmy Awards: Artist of the Year<u>By Gene Ral</u><br />
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A recent emphasis on getting back to the roots or essence of musicality is being reflected in modern bands' latest efforts. The result is stripped down "acoustic" indie rock which is still over produced and artistically flat. If Gene has to listen to one more poorly banjoed love ballad from an alliteratively titled "folk" band, it might just as well mark the end of his existence in the world of the hearing.
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If one wants to listen to good music, listen to Beethoven, Townes Van Zandt, or Hall and Oates. As far as Gene is concerned, it's all been done before, and with the accessibility of music today, there's no reason new music need even be created. We have the entire history of music at our fingertips and anything that comes out now can be easily traced back to a work that was at it's time original, exciting, and novel. Until humans can be trained to hear sounds that weren't available to our hearing spectrum 30 years ago, there's not going to be anything "new". That's why new music needs to be taken gently out of the ears and thrust violently into the eyes.
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There is, today, one bright shining star who knows that new music should be seen and not heard: a young woman who isn't afraid to stay true to her art, who knows that music and performance go hand in hand, who exudes confidence, embodies art, and oozes more sensuality than a tube of K-Y Jelly. Gene is writing, of course, about Destiny Hope, or as you know her, <span style="color: white;"><b>Miley Cyrus</b>.
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America's 21 year old sweetheart knows that her music isn't going to be any good, just as nothing else coming through the recording industry's mixing tables is going to be any good. That's why her music is secondary, if not tertiary (Gene would certainly rather smell her than listen to her), to her visual performance. When the video for "We Can't Stop" hit the airwaves in June, it only took one glimpse of Miley's distended cow tongue for Gene to be hooked. The writhing, the gratuitous crotch shots, the sopping wet pool wrestling were just icing on the cake. Then in September came the release of probably the greatest 3 minutes and 42 seconds in music history. Gene is referring, of course, to the music video for "Wrecking Ball". This one has it all: the tongue, the legs, the aerodynamic haircut, and enough underboob to have Gene tucking up into his belt like a tenth grader in science class. The plot is simple: a naked nubile cries, rides a wrecking ball as it destroys a cinderblock room, then performs fellatio on a sledge hammer. The wrecking ball is probably a metaphor for a destructive relationship, but who knows? Gene has never actually listened to the song.
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For all she has done for music this year, Gene has no choice but to send Miley a huge no look gun and award her his endorsement for <span style="color: white; font-weight: bold;">Artist of the Year</span>.<br />
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Now, for your eyes only, here's the video for "Wrecking Ball":<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/My2FRPA3Gf8" width="560"></iframe>">
Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-72551279766559931202013-12-31T14:01:00.000-08:002013-12-31T14:01:18.511-08:00The 2013 Jimmy Awards: Album of the Year<b><u>By Serge Eon</u></b>
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At first listen to <b><span style="color: white;">The National’s Trouble Will Find Me</span></b>, one
might mistake the offering as a sign that lead singer Matt Berninger had stayed
down a vodka-soaked rabbit hole a little too long. Like Serge on a Monday
morning, it was dark, boozy, and breath tinged with Belmonts and regret. Although
this is exactly what we have come to expect from The National, this time we thought
they might have gone a little too far – resembling Serge’s mood on what Gene
empathetically refers to as Suicide Tuesdays. Forgive us, Berninger & Co.,
if we were a little reluctant to follow you into the rabbit hole at first
listen. The rest of the world was getting high on the fidelity of the album
that “gave life back to music” (courtesy of Pharrell Williams and a couple of
helmutted Frenchmen) and we were distracted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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When we woke up from that inevitable hi-fi hangover underneath
the proverbial tree, it wasn’t a helping hand that Trouble Will Find Me held
out to us, it was a tall glass of dark humour poured over elegant and rich musical
constructions. It was like a Gin Pahit on ice and we drank until we felt warm
on the inside. But it wasn’t the booze that made us feel warm, it was summertime
and the fact that this album was so grand in scale yet so completely relatable.
Somehow, Trouble Will Find Me became the perfect accompaniment to a perfect
summer. Songs such as "Don’t Swallow The Cap" and "Demons" became soundtracks for public indecency and joy rides to the local nudie beach with a young Minnie
Driver – rather than theme music for sitting alone with Tylenol and beer or
trips to the methadone clinic, as their names might suggest. With these songs
and others such as the dance party darkhorse "Graceless" forming the plotline of
Serge’s summer, and the thrilling crescendo of a rain drenched late-September
performance at the PNE delivering a fitting finale, the selection of Trouble
Will Find Me as <b><span style="color: white;">Album of the Year </span></b>was an easy one to make. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">1. </span><span style="text-indent: -24px;">The National – Trouble Will Find Me</span> </div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">2. Arcade Fire – Reflektor</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Daft Punk – Random Access Memories</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push the Sky
Away</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Haim – Days Are Gone</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Sigur Ros – Kveikur</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">7.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Foxygen – We Are The 21</span><sup style="text-indent: -18pt;">st</sup><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Century
Ambassadors of Peace and Magic</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">8.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Kurt
Vile – Waking on a Pretty Daze</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">9.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">The Strokes – Comedown Machine</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">10.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Phosphorescent - Muchacho</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFnA-8H-5lo" target="_blank">The National - Don't Swallow the Cap</a>
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Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-72467623545360303352012-12-31T12:50:00.000-08:002012-12-31T12:50:13.133-08:00The 2012 Jimmy Awards<br />
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<b><u>Gene's Pick</b></u>
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Gene, perhaps feeling nostalgic or perhaps concerned with the (formerly) impending doomsday, could not find a vested interest in new music this year past. In the entire year, Gene happened himself upon only one single new album. Even though the year did not find Gene as well listened as surely most others were, it may be stated without doubt that this album was the best of the year.
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Please give a warm welcome (more like standing ovation) to the <b>Modern Grass</b>’ sophomore release, <b>High on the Mountain</b>. This record is an aural-erotic-asphyxiation, a cochlear Fleshlight™ so to speak.
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<br />
The Atlantic quintet has packed together an acoustic experience so dense it bends time. The Grass’ harmonies could sink ships, their fret-work (and unfretted work) could debone an elephant, and their lyricism could <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w7RTu10Swk">body-slam Yokozuna aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid</a>.
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Certainly this is an album worth listening to on repeat, on full volume, on a Bose Soundwave, on a train, in a Buick Skylark, under water… you get the picture. Listen to it.
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I10NpesnSo">The Modern Grass – JD</a><br /><br />
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<b><u>Serge's Picks</b></u>
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<br />
While Gene was delving into the dusty backshelves of bluegrass barber shops from the Deep South, Serge found himself reliving the 1980's in an entirely different way than the first time. Gone were the days of soothers and Jolly Jumpers...Serge was experiencing a musical re-birth via the lyrical poetry of Morrissey and Charles Thompson. But alas, the Jimmys are not for the best albums NLG listened to during the year. They are for the best albums of the year.
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<br />
Serge's list is topped by band that has been the instigator of many a no-look-gun pointed during a late-night dance party. Hot Chip's fifth album, In Our Heads, is not only their most fun, but their most polished. And any band that can put lyrics such as "A church is not for praying/It is for celebrating the life that bleeds through the pain" on a dance album and make you want to shoulder-shrug until your arms fall off, well, they are worthy of NLG's top honour.
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1. Hot Chip - In Our Heads<br />
2. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
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3. Half Moon Run - Dark Eyes
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4. Breakbot - By Your Side
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5. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
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6. Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship
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7. Grimes - Visions
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8. Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits
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9. Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur
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10. The Darcy's - Aja
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=plpp&v=RTJ9NmA2yjI">Hot Chip - Ends of the Earth</a>
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Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-19082499110709802242012-01-12T20:03:00.001-08:002012-01-29T22:29:17.208-08:00The 2011 Jimmy AwardsIt took some time to tally the votes, but the results are in for the Bi-Annual Jimmy Awards. This year, the Jimmy's will be presented to the top 10 albums of the year in two categories. For one of the categories, NLG commissioned the help of a very special guest judge, longtime No-Look-Gunner Doc Roberts. And what great job he did. Using a highly subjective and cryptic set of criteria, Dr Roberts came up with a selection of choices that were so unique to the selections of NLG that it only seemed fair for the Doc to have his very own category. Without further ado, here are the awards:<br /><br />Doc Roberts' <span style="font-weight:bold;">"The 10 best albums of situational/emotional relevance that doesn't necessarily mean they are stylistically/musically the best just the best albums of the year"</span> category:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwRmgr0piRe5bNOVL5NnfEohE5jpGRi7cjeURHJQl9QTVvUTrV8vrOv06VBuQgh4aqogUZtK5N96kG9zZKcrKQ35UG4eTBiukPKfaeAVXdxDwCUB6sBXNQJB0xEvnznOdiTeIOTCKt2Q/s1600/Beirut-the-rip-tide.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwRmgr0piRe5bNOVL5NnfEohE5jpGRi7cjeURHJQl9QTVvUTrV8vrOv06VBuQgh4aqogUZtK5N96kG9zZKcrKQ35UG4eTBiukPKfaeAVXdxDwCUB6sBXNQJB0xEvnznOdiTeIOTCKt2Q/s320/Beirut-the-rip-tide.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703305587803278354" /></a><br />1. Beirut - The Rip Tide<br />2. Bon Iver - Bon Iver<br />3. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation<br />4. WU LYF - Go tell fire to the mountain<br />5. Destroyer - Kaputt<br />6. Drive OST<br />7. Bright Eyes - The People's Key<br />8. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See<br />9. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto<br />10. Girls - Father, Son and Holy Ghost<br /><br /><a class="htrack" href="http://files2.earmilk.com/upload/mp3/2011-08/06 The Rip Tide 1.mp3">Beirut - The Rip Tide</a><br /><br />And NLG's <span style="font-weight:bold;">"The 10 albums that came out in 2011 that we actually listened to"</span> category:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG70yTsK158-kuq8uYv8dp2lzjbNAcntvoFbLyFresWXN7ct4_ntw4CcpBp-NQ1T8L-cV0vlQYcqXTvjQIxsgjgSSDRjW9gyG1SGxi9bBIp94Xeq0uoebddoTamu1IvsTY71qtGM1WKI/s1600/the_rural_alberta_advantage_departing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG70yTsK158-kuq8uYv8dp2lzjbNAcntvoFbLyFresWXN7ct4_ntw4CcpBp-NQ1T8L-cV0vlQYcqXTvjQIxsgjgSSDRjW9gyG1SGxi9bBIp94Xeq0uoebddoTamu1IvsTY71qtGM1WKI/s320/the_rural_alberta_advantage_departing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703305436566170290" /></a><br />1. Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing<br />2. Radiohead - King of Limbs<br />3. The Roots - Undun<br />4. The Antlers - Burst Apart<br />5. M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming<br />6. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital<br />7. The Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions<br />8. Justice - Audio, Video, Disco.<br />9. Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming<br />10. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues<br /><br /><a class="htrack" href="http://www.thosewhodig.net/uploads/raa_stamp.mp3">RAA - Stamp</a>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-59285005209460139362011-02-19T22:01:00.000-08:002011-02-20T00:59:09.938-08:00NLG catches The Thermals<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3rmimCRGS_Hun_eVKJ7YlDRMLr_VPrEy9lvQEL7qKOQDnPH_VkgfMnQR20pAvqP8gNaHcJ2tcv5l1WfacMJOx7GYOel3X25VuNa6fXCbgiHUxjJSCaugRnAN52MdE3ceEmYAortuyNc/s1600/thermals.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3rmimCRGS_Hun_eVKJ7YlDRMLr_VPrEy9lvQEL7qKOQDnPH_VkgfMnQR20pAvqP8gNaHcJ2tcv5l1WfacMJOx7GYOel3X25VuNa6fXCbgiHUxjJSCaugRnAN52MdE3ceEmYAortuyNc/s400/thermals.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575649723649695922" /></a><br />Do you remember the 90’s?<br /><br />"You know, people were talking about getting piercings, getting tribal tattoos. People were singing about saving the planet. Forming bands. There is a place where that idea still exists. Where that’s a reality. Its <a title="we stole this from the awesome song, Portlandia: Dream of the 90's" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVmq9dq6Nsg"_blank">Portland</a>...Dream of the 90's."<br /><br />It is no surprise, therefore, that the Thermals hail from this capital of Nostalgia. For if one hears their sound, which NLG had the pleasure of doing at the Media Club recently, they would think that they were transported back to the era of cell phones with antennae, flannel shirts, and Birkenstocks…wait, we just described Gene. Either way, it was T.G.I.F. at the Media Club with The Thermals shredding the finest post-pop-punk of the current age. While some bands plying the 90’s-type garage rock make tunes that would made you think there was an Arch Deluxe sitting under the stage for the last 15 years, The Thermals’ high octane vocals, awesome melodies and clever lyrics has distilled the best of the decade. Although Serge may have missed the second part of NLG theme song <a title="Liquid In, Liquid Out" href="www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IeK12mnXJ4"_blank">Liquid In, Liquid Out</a>, there were some memorable moments, including such aggressive moshing to the title track to their newest release “Now We Can See” that Perry Farrell would have been proud.<br /> <br />From their album Now We Can See, dedicated to Inspector Gadget:<br /><a class="htrack" href="http://terrorbird.alphapupserver.com/online/Thermals-02_We_Were_Sick.mp3">The Thermals - We Were Sick</a>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-82005894702998815272010-12-13T16:45:00.000-08:002010-12-13T18:44:19.536-08:00Gene Ral: Middle East Correspondent<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVqeJUoH_ZcXpkb5AUs_uiUAoeuDBX0ODTGbhYVJgMiIvZ4K1Q3_TYEOF8RbOFM5JYsNLUK01mGgrLhP1PkbL8Bwe_JJysrMWB6BTH1CWTikXuVuaUGN2TfdHHvLWwYu3LGmArakd7Fg/s1600/l_41a61ee037ce4d708fd33f3c83e4db5a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVqeJUoH_ZcXpkb5AUs_uiUAoeuDBX0ODTGbhYVJgMiIvZ4K1Q3_TYEOF8RbOFM5JYsNLUK01mGgrLhP1PkbL8Bwe_JJysrMWB6BTH1CWTikXuVuaUGN2TfdHHvLWwYu3LGmArakd7Fg/s400/l_41a61ee037ce4d708fd33f3c83e4db5a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550336152817692674" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Gene Ral recently ventured to Halifax's most infamous subterranean venue to sample the finest garage-rock Israel has to offer. </span><a title="Monotonix on Myspace" href="http://www.myspace.com/monotonix" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Monotonix</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, a 3-piece wrecking ball from Tel Aviv, came to the maritimes to offer up a live show unlike any Gene has ever experienced. Past shows by these Israelites have included flaming drum kits, singer Ami Shalev diving into the crowd from the balcony, crowd surfing on a kick drum, and a fan lighting himself on fire… With the knowledge that Monotonix shows are prone to being shut down almost immediately by police on account of unruly band behaviour, Gene suspected he might actually be safer in the Gaza Strip. Perhaps it was fear for his safety that drove Gene to down an excess of 'Horse Power', the bar's special brew of 'beer' that delivers an effect akin to a horse kick to the head, before the band took the stage.</span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As Gene's horse power reached a maximum, Monotonix's maniacal members emerged from backstage wearing only the shortest of shorts and the longest of facial/chest/back/head hair. They proceeded to set up their amps on the frontmost edge of the stage, and the drum-set in the middle of the dancefloor/mosh-pit/sauna, all while engaging in a stretching routine that would have brought proud tears to the eyes of Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod. As soon as the music started, one didn't need to question why the stretching was necessary. Front man, Ami Shalev, shot like a Hezbollah rocket into the crowd which sent us into a frenzy. People were falling over, bodies were thrown into the drum kit, knocking over cymbals, we were upside down, inside out, easy over, and sunny side up. Gene could even be seen playing the crash cymbal with his fist.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Shalev showed off his colours as a true band leader, leading his band by picking up and moving pieces of the drum kit all over the venue… At one point, the guitarist was standing on a table in the middle of the bar playing the kick drum, while the drummer played the remaining pieces of his kit in the mosh pit, all while Shalev swung from the rafters screaming like a lunatic. Next, the show invaded the men's washroom then exploded back into the bar amidst a blizzard of soiled paper towels. The ensuing riot was breathtaking, literally, just trying to keep up with the band could have put a strain on Lance Armstrong's lungs. The band did their best to use every inch of the venue, and Gene kept pace. They only stopped playing long enough for Shalev to yell instructions to the raucous crowd. He could have been speaking English, Arabic, or Hebrew, it didn't matter, we were all deaf by then anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">When all was said and done Gene emerged whiplashed, deaf in both ears, with bruised knuckles, soaked in a mixture of Horse Power and sweat... and a Zionist.</span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a class="htrack" href="http://transmissionentertainment.com/_media/artists/m/monotonix/monotonix_bodylanguage.mp3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Monotonix - Body Language</span></a>Gene Ralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06284823015560401298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-4929709244212247212010-12-12T22:31:00.001-08:002010-12-13T00:21:38.706-08:00Serge goes to a Christmas party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrOW35Czz1HqOtgWrSw9YqmuWZ-lExZSGf8ekbYrG_7gP_Xb4Hw98Zb_807ydmKSxk3JlOSKx1trnCHjWv64F5PiyNr70umvcD7O6vYjYjUUFZi2lg-JvrOFWgGSJUke21W6RoDZD8oY/s1600/christmas+party.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrOW35Czz1HqOtgWrSw9YqmuWZ-lExZSGf8ekbYrG_7gP_Xb4Hw98Zb_807ydmKSxk3JlOSKx1trnCHjWv64F5PiyNr70umvcD7O6vYjYjUUFZi2lg-JvrOFWgGSJUke21W6RoDZD8oY/s400/christmas+party.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550054548151465266" /></a><br />Anytime the night ends with Phantom II blaring at 4am, you know its been a good night. Maybe not for the roommates, but definitely for NLG. As it was on Saturday, which was the night of Serge’s annual work Christmas party. Held at a fancy Cole Harbour establishment, this black tie event showcases The Man’s talent in their finest evening attire. Following suit, Serge arrived wearing his Strellson Rick James with a flask of Aberlour in his breast pocket and the younger, taller version of Don Draper in tow. While Donny entertained the female guests, Serge parlayed the waiter Jose into bringing over a case of wine and filling up their glasses as if they had a hole in the bottom. Serge then displayed some dance maneuvers that would have made John Travolta look knock-kneed and any observers get vertigo; they included the flying knee slide and fist-pumping from the top of a table. However, the best was yet to come: it came when Serge pulled the ol’ champagne trick with a beer bottle—the one where you hold your thumb over the opening and spray while you shake as if you just won the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. For some reason, it wasn’t too well received by Serge’s fellow coworkers, and a slightly disappointed Serge was told to “calm down”. However, he didn’t remain downtrodden for long. A couple of gin-waters later and he was fired up again, unfortunately, however, just as the function was winding down. Luckily, there is always Phantom II and there is always an afterparty where Phantom II is playing. So Serge went home, cranked up the speakers and threw a couple chairs against the wall, all in the name of having a good time.<br /><br /><a class="htrack" href="http://www.greenpeaness.org/mp3/justice_phant2.mp3">Justice - Phantom Part II</a>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-17628774254121238462010-12-05T23:44:00.000-08:002010-12-06T09:21:29.990-08:00NLG gets Grinderman'd<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYcBU8l14IdA1QVRhyphenhyphenfFPF_kvt2b7QeAopy1pQTy2R4S-Nirpsfo7YmzYDbIWA33C1MS1iM4-9xrxFOJWRZ-P4I7aX4rRPzYPds_LfCARX1gw8goB5lXSSjA3COZDwEKKMecCJ5TqU8Q/s1600/grinderman-heathen-child_article_story_main.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 326px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYcBU8l14IdA1QVRhyphenhyphenfFPF_kvt2b7QeAopy1pQTy2R4S-Nirpsfo7YmzYDbIWA33C1MS1iM4-9xrxFOJWRZ-P4I7aX4rRPzYPds_LfCARX1gw8goB5lXSSjA3COZDwEKKMecCJ5TqU8Q/s400/grinderman-heathen-child_article_story_main.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547480087235387474" /></a><br />What happens when you mix a general practitioner on a tax-deductible work trip, one half of the No Look Guns, a bottle of fireball, and <a title="Nick Cave" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Cave"_blank">Nick Cave</a> and his band of virtuoso Ozark musicians? A black eye, a couple of headaches and a pile of receipts for the taxman, that’s what.<br /><br />The aforementioned med (Dr. Roberts), a No Look Gunner from the wild interior hub of Okanagan Falls, was in town for a professional development course and was convinced the entire night would be a tax write off. He lured Serge to the dark world of Nick Cave’s alter-ego band, Grinderman, and into the sold out Commodore show with promises of tax deductible drinks and a bottle of whiskey in his boot.<br /><br />Like moths attracted to a bug zapper on a sticky night in the Deep South, the crowd at the Ballroom—a meaty soup of freaks—were drawn to Nick Cave. Polygamists, <a title="satyrs" href="http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3462/3302219911_510098ddc0.jpg&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/dudemaninc/3302219911/&usg=__3RMeV8fZ87DdgVKV8CUuhWD-df8=&h=468&w=500&sz=144&hl=en&start=169&zoom=1&tbnid=1YgbT7OzF3VrAM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=122&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsatyr%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D607%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C3192&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=402&vpy=299&dur=12290&hovh=217&hovw=232&tx=110&ty=245&ei=Fpv8TOecEpKcsQOcvY33DQ&oei=-5r8TJSbFIv2tgPKyeD2DQ&esq=8&page=8&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:169&biw=1280&bih=607"_blank">satyrs</a>, a Cyclops and a host of other miscreants crawled towards Cave’s omnipotent presence as if it were the ethereal equivalent of the fly-lamp, while the theologically laced lyrics and wickedly talented band of Ozark looking musicians provided the southern feel. Cave truly did seem god-like; he almost literally squeezed the huge venue of 1500 people into a tiny square in front of him. With liquid courage fueled by Dr. Roberts’ expense account, NLG made their way to the front— getting so close to the Grinderman that at one point Dr Roberts claimed that he was not holding onto the front railing, but Nick Cave’s balls. With proximity came a price, though. When Cave began breathing the heavy lyrics to “Heathen Child”, the crowd of idolaters took this as some sort of cultish summoning. This set off a physical and psychological battering of NLG that included front wedgies, ear pokes, a clothesline to Dr. Roberts’ neck and a sucker punch to the left eye of Serge. However, rather than back down, NLG heard their own war cry—Cave’s spewing rant about a prudent fan, “No Pussy Blues”. Whipped into an adrenaline-induced blackout, Serge and Dr. Roberts didn’t see each other again until they found one another outside after the show. Serge was peddling the setlist for Marlboro Lights and the Doc was holding a teatowel with Nice Cave’s face on it. Deciding to make the accountant back in OK Falls even more jealous when he sees the receipts from the evening, the two headed to the local gentleman’s club to add to the pile. Now let’s just hope the CRA doesn’t audit Dr. Roberts and ruin all the fun.<br /><br /><a class="htrack" href="http://spin.com/audio/download/25725/grinderman_nopussyblues_hi.mp3">Grinderman - No Pussy Blues</a><br /><br /><a title="we're scared of Nick Cave" href="http://www.grinderman.com/"_blank">Grinderman's website</a>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-64010686183270836112010-11-14T22:42:00.000-08:002010-11-14T23:14:12.039-08:00Do you know who Dan Mangan is?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiLVEd0OpRCzk4jqkZzAmO44CjbyPFeULZSJo_hNai1taoaDmXdYhC-lp9COaC2xksSnSVtjE2kpR-I_31Dn_gw1oOqktB1mDfltqCkFgYuq7xrbi6DNmRijQkp9lw4k8G3FcjMXIT6k/s1600/do+you+know+this+man.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiLVEd0OpRCzk4jqkZzAmO44CjbyPFeULZSJo_hNai1taoaDmXdYhC-lp9COaC2xksSnSVtjE2kpR-I_31Dn_gw1oOqktB1mDfltqCkFgYuq7xrbi6DNmRijQkp9lw4k8G3FcjMXIT6k/s320/do+you+know+this+man.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539664529107393938" /></a><br />We at NLG have come across a lot of people who don’t know who Dan Mangan is, but judging by the back to back sold out shows at the Vogue Theatre he just put on in Vancouver, there are a lot of people who do know this curly mop top baritone belter. And for good reason. If his cunning songwriting and uniquely addictive delivery were good enough to pack two shows on an otherwise bumping Remembrance Day weekend, they were also good enough to bring NLG (temporarily) out of (semi) retirement. NLG’s delegate to the show, Serge (Gene being still on assignment to Acadia), was delighted to experience firsthand all the favourites from Mangan’s Polaris prize nominated album <span style="font-style:italic;">Nice, Nice, Very Nice</span>. However, Serge was even more delighted by the new songs Mangan chose to try out on the willing crowd. Each of them happened to pluck a different heart string of Serge; as well as the entire audience it seemed, judging by the number of calls for Mr. Mangan to remove his top. Serge’s top three new songs from Mr. Mangan, based entirely on Serge’s subjective favour of what they referenced: <br />1. <span style="font-style:italic;">Rows of Houses</span> for being written about the classic film Stand By Me<br />2. <span style="font-style:italic;">Jeopardy</span>, for being introduced by an impression of Sean Connery ("I'll take Anal Bum Covers for $500")<br />3. <span style="font-style:italic;">Leaves, Trees, Forests</span> for Dan suggesting that he drinks beers alone by the phone <br /><br /><a class="htrack" href="http://youcrazydreamers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/03-sold.mp3">Dan Mangan - Sold</a><br /><br /><a title="Buy Dan's music" href="http://www.danmanganmusic.com/site/music/"_blank">Buy Dan's music here</a>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-16123124356390410562010-07-06T18:17:00.000-07:002010-07-06T21:34:50.955-07:00Byrning Down The House<!--copy and paste--><object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/DavidByrne_2010-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/DavidByrne-2010.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=883&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=david_byrne_how_architecture_helped_music_evolve;year=2010;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=unconventional_explanations;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=a_taste_of_ted2010;theme=art_unusual;event=TED2010;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/DavidByrne_2010-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/DavidByrne-2010.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=883&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=david_byrne_how_architecture_helped_music_evolve;year=2010;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=unconventional_explanations;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=a_taste_of_ted2010;theme=art_unusual;event=TED2010;"></embed></object><br />In continuation of our love for all things Talking Heads, NLG shares the latest gems uncovered from the quarry that is the mind of former Heads’ frontman David Byrne. The first is a talk given by Byrne for a <a title="TEDTalks" href="http://www.ted.com/" target="_blank">TED Conference</a> about the role architecture has played in the evolution of music. With characteristic head-waggles, hand-wiggles, and shoulder-shrugs, Byrne claims it is “first the vessel, then the passion”—to which we couldn’t agree more. <br /><br />However, if you are like us and have a hard time seeing this genius writhing on stage for even a short amount of time without getting a serious itch for some new wave, here is a modern day classic from Byrne and long-time collaborator, Brian Eno.<br /><a class="htrack" href="http://hypeful.com/mp3s/Strange%20Overtones.mp3">David Byrne and Brian Eno - Strange Overtones</a> <br /><br />Finally, if you like the concept behind Byrne’s speech, check out the <a href="http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/art_projects/playing_the_building/media/bmbvideo.html" target="_blank">building</a> he made into a musical instrument (for the <span style="font-style:italic;"></span>sound<span style="font-style:italic;"></span> installation called <a title="Playing the Building" href="http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/art_projects/playing_the_building/#" target="_blank">Playing the Building</a>).Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-91400586431821343092010-06-17T12:48:00.000-07:002010-06-17T13:12:48.310-07:00Daryl's HouseAfter a two month hiatus from NLG, Gene Ral has found himself lost in a haze of 80’s adult contemporary, and loving every saxophone-filled minute of it. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a little gem called <a title="Live From Daryl's House" href="http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/" target="_blank">'Live From Daryl's House'</a>, wherein 1980’s biggest egomaniac, Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates infamy) invites modern musicians over to his house so he can boast about his musical accomplishments and force them to perform his hit songs. A highlight from the series comes in Episode 10, when Daryl invites the boys from Chromeo over to impart some of his drum-machine wisdom on them, and so the boys can help him recreate the magic of his timeless classic, “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)”.<br /><br />The following clip provides probably the most pleasure one can legally receive in 10 minutes and 33 seconds.<br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GXXvUa5Tzco&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GXXvUa5Tzco&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>Gene Ralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06284823015560401298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-1612703501906218602010-06-03T00:58:00.000-07:002010-06-03T01:30:49.732-07:00Stress<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FU7bFpPJiww&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FU7bFpPJiww&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-69751617769760865362010-04-01T20:20:00.001-07:002010-04-01T21:10:51.855-07:00The Hunt For Red Jimmy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4W2WX49Tv0hQ1t13Fw7YrEhg_ylQFUxJ0DRqS8lpTVPq4a7nEtCCwAf1iCReABMT4_EXYGarAT7rZNXgMCjW6TJzMl8Boz4RQ-KLrrgDc4BFQiqqzOAg-Z4dPqW0jYOtN8xhtbMqnJE/s1600/the-hunt-for-red-october-1-1024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4W2WX49Tv0hQ1t13Fw7YrEhg_ylQFUxJ0DRqS8lpTVPq4a7nEtCCwAf1iCReABMT4_EXYGarAT7rZNXgMCjW6TJzMl8Boz4RQ-KLrrgDc4BFQiqqzOAg-Z4dPqW0jYOtN8xhtbMqnJE/s320/the-hunt-for-red-october-1-1024.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455382891339996018" /></a><br />Five No Look Gunners. A rusty '91 Chevy Beauville. Every implement of destruction imaginable. One mission: Find Jimmy.<br /><br />Prowling around somewhere in the sand dunes of a wealthy seaside Oregon town is the man that started it all. The entire No Look Gun way of life. True to his nature, Jimmy's exact location is a mystery. The only clues we have to his whereabouts is a Manzanita watering hole called the Sandpiper, tire marks outside a half-finished waterfront mansion, and a stunt-limbed exotic dancer in Portland. But to us, the only things standing in our way of finding this giant-footed gambling boozehound is a chunk of wasteland called Washington State, $12 cases of PBR, and the most beautiful drive in the world: the Pacific Coast Highway.<br /><br /><a class="htrack" href="http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/10/22/2615908/02%20Pacific%20Coast%20Highway.m4a">Kavinsky - Pacific Coast Highway</a>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-49467784210400677852010-03-29T23:28:00.000-07:002010-03-31T20:09:34.430-07:00NLG has a Hooker Pop at Funky Winker Beans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOAsZ2ULcWvZU5CWusIFbcRy-0gsGJ4P3CRs2J6vnmI32qNh4rfulq5JTjVaFUxXwa0an9Y_GEt_G4Ds5sFboRIuausAoIJwC8lZZs1JMeB_mbmnRXrOH8-MVyeVLoHufLN3cToIOjAU/s1600/hooker+pop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOAsZ2ULcWvZU5CWusIFbcRy-0gsGJ4P3CRs2J6vnmI32qNh4rfulq5JTjVaFUxXwa0an9Y_GEt_G4Ds5sFboRIuausAoIJwC8lZZs1JMeB_mbmnRXrOH8-MVyeVLoHufLN3cToIOjAU/s320/hooker+pop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454314783187513410" /></a><br />If any of this talk of getting under the bedcovers, kittens, and romantic songs had us sounding a little soft, NLG's latest journey to the darkest part of Vancouver would probably convince anyone otherwise. Accompanied by 75% crazy 25% sane Lord Vatarro and a couple of other cats, No Look Guns took their lives in their hands and took down a big swig of Hooker Pop at East Hasting's favourite venue, Funky Winker Beans. <a title="Hooker Pop" href="http://www.myspace.com/hookerpop" target="_blank">Hooker Pop</a> was not actually some crude cocktail squeezed from the corner of Main and Hastings, but is in fact a fresh faced metal act that played music like it is supposed to be: with no rules. Demonstrating funk rhythms on bass and some solid shredding on the axe, these kids slowed up only enough to let the mosh catch their breath. Their skanky metal came out surprisingly clean considering there was a man passed out over an amp and a couple making out on the soundboard. Their smashing metal induced some wild scenes indeed, mostly courtesy of Lord Vatarro, including giving a female fan a punk-rock heave across the mosh and downing a full beer on stage after chipping in on the mike. As for Serge, he got whiplash from somewhere deep in the middle of the set and hasn't looked back since--he can't!<br /><br />Unfortunately metal bands don't seem to know how to upload songs to their myspaceSerge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-3325819030801932992010-03-22T21:17:00.000-07:002010-03-22T22:05:00.161-07:00NLG honours cats<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBQptWCaT56tcDxNhA1eHaDwLVd8aMvAuEI4AZvZYX821WxFXUhzoeoFHt_4Po03BVTgpGpFz9d2Hb6HsqtbxqD_Cb_NjI_yshiRyMBQlawRbWlpTlIfdcl8NdBTgjBK2IlNHqxplvTY/s1600-h/battle_of_kittens.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451680247542057346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBQptWCaT56tcDxNhA1eHaDwLVd8aMvAuEI4AZvZYX821WxFXUhzoeoFHt_4Po03BVTgpGpFz9d2Hb6HsqtbxqD_Cb_NjI_yshiRyMBQlawRbWlpTlIfdcl8NdBTgjBK2IlNHqxplvTY/s400/battle_of_kittens.jpg" /></a>Being cat owners (though not by choice), it seems fitting that NLG should pay homage to our special little feline companions. Since spending time with our respective cats is not something we particularly enjoy, we figured a more pleasurable alternative would be to dedicate an entire segment to songs about cats (for songs by cats see <a title="Saturday Night" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLeWB3C2cLo&feature=related" target="_blank">Cat Stevens</a> and the <a title="Meow Mix" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTunhRVyREU" target="_blank">Meow Mix song</a>).<br /><br />First on the docket is “Alley Cats” off <a title="Hot Chip" href="http://hotchip.co.uk/" target="_blank">Hot Chip</a>’s latest release, One Life Stand. This song apparently features vocals from <a title="Bubbles" href="http://media.canada.com/ec39df83-fe4a-4b86-8cf9-8fbd0bc59e03/bubbles.jpg" target="_blank">Bubbles</a> of Trailer Park Boys, though he is not credited on the album. Initially, one might be uplifted by this song, until hearing the lyrics about dying alone and killing things you love. However, in spite of the morbidity of the lyrics, it’s catchier than a bad case of fleas.<br /><a class="htrack" href="http://blog.iso50.com/audio/hc_ac.mp3">Hot Chip - Alley Cats</a><br /><br />Next, we have “The Lovecats” by <a title="The Cure" href="http://www.thecure.com/default.aspx" target="_blank">The Cure</a>. Robert Smith and his big-haired, goth-pop bandmates bring <em>Felus catus</em> to the forefront with this 1983 feral tail of courtship. “The Lovecats” is a ferociously jazzy number, which features a bass-line so sharp it has Roy Horn shaking in his white leather boots.<br /><a class="htrack" href="http://www.idiot.ru/radio/lovecats.mp3">The Cure - The Lovecats</a><br /><br />Lastly, we give you Bob Dylan’s “Cat’s in the Well”, which could be about a cat but you’re never really sure with this guy.<br /><a class="htrack" href="http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/10/22/2615908/cats%20in%20the%20well.mp3">Bob Dylan – Cat’s in the Well</a>Gene Ralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06284823015560401298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-67673041085716188982010-03-16T00:14:00.000-07:002010-03-16T00:44:53.073-07:00NLG's Got You Covered<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_KDpUOtfP7zln2zO0enuMlF72ce_NOepMP7qLvUKMOMgOjK3P7Yj5y4PVznO5uEsLC2TatFexYJTBZHTCvZnBKkDXmu087BGerMPVNNTDZhtG9OvFLspnRA6aB9AYC7OLGHwAGKtoLY/s1600-h/under+covers.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_KDpUOtfP7zln2zO0enuMlF72ce_NOepMP7qLvUKMOMgOjK3P7Yj5y4PVznO5uEsLC2TatFexYJTBZHTCvZnBKkDXmu087BGerMPVNNTDZhtG9OvFLspnRA6aB9AYC7OLGHwAGKtoLY/s320/under+covers.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449127942513408626" /></a><br />This edition of <span style="font-style:italic;">NLG’s Got You Covered</span>, our first rodeo of putting up a set of cover songs, will follow one of our favourite themes—classic songs sung by women. To us, there is nothing better than to get under the covers with one of your favourite female voices, a list that should now include Inara George of the duo <a title="The Bird and The Bee on Myspace" href="http://www.myspace.com/thebirdandthebee" target="_blank">The Bird and the Bee</a>. On March 23, she and bandmate Greg will release an album entirely full of covers of Hall & Oates classics. NLG was lucky enough to get our paws on its single “I Can’t Go For That”, a song so smooth it could coax a rabbit into a foxhole, and about as sensible as Simone de Beauvoir in a black-and-white fur coat. Of course, no discussion of sensibility would be complete without mention of Emily Haines of <a title="Metric on Myspace" href="http://www.myspace.com/metric" target="_blank">Metric</a>, who does an irresistible acoustic version of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It's Alright”. After this sultry rendition we certainly wouldn’t be thinking twice. And finally, for you punky types, the quick and dirty “Heard It Through The Grapevine” by the 70’s punker chicks, <a title="is this a rude bandname?" href="http://www.theslits.co.uk" target="_blank">The Slits</a>. <br /><a class="htrack" href="http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/10/22/2615908/i_cant_go_for_that.mp3">The Bird and the Bee - I Can't Go For That (Hall & Oates cover)</a><br /><a class="htrack" href="http://www.thankscaptainobviousmp3.net/content/Dont Think Twice.mp3">Metric - Don't Think Twice It's Alright (Bob Dylan cover)</a><br /><a class="htrack" href="http://buzzgrinder.com/media/slits_grapevine.mp3">The Slits - Heard It Through The Grapevine (Marvin Gaye cover)</a>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-6542633144264957822010-03-04T23:08:00.000-08:002010-03-04T23:52:38.217-08:00Humans after all<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoBeN-PLnhWSIRhacO-OEZFPkczBZqUu0075padDPYdg33Cg1JBPfJfatFTJMJSfz8vNMzCAC9g5AnYKtSI7qTYkfU2_9n6gv_EzYy76yrj2NXZl3MJXwlYD-tK7qURlLAMn2CitqWNc/s1600-h/P2210153.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoBeN-PLnhWSIRhacO-OEZFPkczBZqUu0075padDPYdg33Cg1JBPfJfatFTJMJSfz8vNMzCAC9g5AnYKtSI7qTYkfU2_9n6gv_EzYy76yrj2NXZl3MJXwlYD-tK7qURlLAMn2CitqWNc/s320/P2210153.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445048018120721346" /></a><br />In an unbelievable continuance of events, the Post-Chromeo shenanigans delivered almost as much, if not more, sensory delights than the main event itself. Graciously invited to the official after party by a Mr. Ewan Forest (many thanks again), NLG found themselves in an makeshift art demo warehouse, surrounded by metal sculptures, aerodynamic haircuts, and a piece of bicycle powered artwork to match the spider vehicle parked outside. We were in 1960’s Paris, east Berlin, and a dive bar in Rio all at the same time. In fact, the Bowen Island Cream Ale cans were the only thing that reminded us we were still in Vancouver, and they were flowing like water thanks entirely to former track star D.H. Lawerence’s heroic half-marathon sprint—his second of the night—to the gas station cashback. <br /><br />As if our appetites for musical confections were not perfectly sated by the Chromeo concert, the opening DJs at this venue endeavored to feed us an gourmet four-course meal, from Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" to the musical equivalent of duck confit—“Naïve Melody”. Demonstrated by one female’s garish response to Gene’s controversial use for a plaid button-up shirt, this tune turned up the heat on the simmering hedonism of the crowd and had us sweating with anticipation for the main act.<br /><br />Enter <a title="Humans on Myspace" href="http://www.myspace.com/dashumans" target="_blank">Humans</a>. Although their name suggests civilization and development, the duo of Robbie and Peter played such explosive party music they had the crowd acting like Cro-Magnon cavemen. Seemingly armed with instruments that would have difficulty making noise in a library, and having delirious revelers literally draped over them while playing, the question of how these homo sapiens made so much noise that was so good still baffles us…though at the time it had us shooting no look ten-gun salutes to every human in sight. Peter’s beats were so slick and Robbie’s vocals so remarkably clean that for a second we thought we found a solution for oil spills. However, on this night, the only thing that was being spilled was the sheer exuberance from the Humans’ set—captured by such explosive NLG’s from the band after the show (see above) that we are still sneezing gunpowder.<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/95Xc017M5Ts&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/95Xc017M5Ts&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-1281922959817597042010-03-01T01:25:00.000-08:002010-03-04T23:56:49.427-08:00NLG gets Chromeo'd<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmeVpegqUkTCC6eN3Z1nivIwftn5W7PtoiUD4xRPRTam1ThXc7q8EzD72B77SXn3W0EfHeuHw_a25x3YMTZStDgGM5mNSz1l90nsowiGGv5ErT61lBN7ZeaW82HN5z7WReRhmQBoHmzk/s1600-h/chromeo1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 317px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443595244681816642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmeVpegqUkTCC6eN3Z1nivIwftn5W7PtoiUD4xRPRTam1ThXc7q8EzD72B77SXn3W0EfHeuHw_a25x3YMTZStDgGM5mNSz1l90nsowiGGv5ErT61lBN7ZeaW82HN5z7WReRhmQBoHmzk/s400/chromeo1.jpg" /></a>A journey to a most questionable part of Vancouver led NLG and friends to The Great Northern Way Campus, a structure that would attempt to house the explosive salaciousness of <a title="Chromeo on Myspace" href="http://www.myspace.com/chromeo" target="_blank">Chromeo</a>. Having only two tickets between the four of us, and it being a sold out show, we weren’t sure how we were going to work the entrance. However, after a premature departure of one quarter of our crew, and the acquisition of an out of date ‘Olympic Performer’ badge, NLG’s D.H. Lawrence was able to “I don’t know” himself through the front door, joining Serge and Gene in what promised to be a most satisfying evening.<br /><br />After a plethora of seemingly excessive wrist and hand stamps, we stumbled into what appeared to be an obscenely trendy art show, with little to no art and absolutely no ATM. Realizing we had enough cash for three beers between the three of us, and also realizing our dependence on liquor, we had to make a mad dash for the nearest gas station for a quick cash back… which turned into a half-marathon sprint through the industrial sector of Vancouver.<br /><br />We returned just in time, as the trademark Wizard-of-Oz-esque chant of Chromeo-Oh-Oh emphatically announced the arrival of the Chromatic super duo, known individually as Dave 1 and P-Thugg. This hastily put an end to the art show atmosphere and transformed The Great Northern Way Campus into a thunderdome of unabashed elect-retro-funk that had the 1980’s wishing it were born 30 years later. Right from the get go, Dave 1’s guitar stylings were so sharp and so clean they could have performed a flawless appendectomy, while P-Thugg’s ruthless synth work and talk-box prodigiousness provided the perfect anesthetic. On top of that, Chromeo’s set was packed full of more sexual innuendoes than a Disney Movie, and had enough cowbell to satisfy Christopher Walken’s strongest urge. NLG couldn’t contain ourselves as we showed off our fancy footwork, 2-stepping and looking for bonafied lovin’ from needy girls of all sorts.<br /><br />For some lucky fans, the price of admission entailed much more just an exhilarating electrastic dance party, as two lucky young ladies wound up wearing elements of P-Thugg’s patriotic athletic apparel, and countless other fans acquiring the numerous drum/cowbell sticks tossed to the audience… even NLG’s Serge is now the proud owner of one.<br /><br />After all was said and done, and a tremendous time had by all, we spilled out into the deserted rail-yard that surrounded the venue. There we found a young lady (looking like she came straight off the set of Water World) driving a mechanical spider (really), who guided us smoothly to a scintillating afterparty. To be <a title="continued" href="http://nolookguns.blogspot.com/2010/03/humans-after-all.html" target="_blank">continued...</a><br /><br /><div>Here’s the most romantic song of the 21st century</div><a class="htrack" href="http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/10/22/2615908/hundredpercent.mp3">Chromeo - 100%</a>Gene Ralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06284823015560401298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668296237341147521.post-33905717747862822632010-02-23T22:28:00.000-08:002010-02-23T22:54:35.750-08:00All work, all play for The Arkells<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h8Y5P4l84ByEL6O663sq_ZXLbMIv8tuM2eu_QhtQe3v9sUHZrWEWOrEh0pwugJRm4PsCteUnMvmiMB2No6fRwdUJNLoLUIL4VmvTkmZdi_eQBJQxj9nwqjq7UNO2d2loXrnmeAWQ6Es/s1600-h/arkells.htm"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h8Y5P4l84ByEL6O663sq_ZXLbMIv8tuM2eu_QhtQe3v9sUHZrWEWOrEh0pwugJRm4PsCteUnMvmiMB2No6fRwdUJNLoLUIL4VmvTkmZdi_eQBJQxj9nwqjq7UNO2d2loXrnmeAWQ6Es/s400/arkells.htm" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441696822937391106" /></a><br />Last week NLG took a trip to Ontario, or rather Vancouver’s Ontario House, where the Arkells had the honour of representing the most populous province for Olympic visitors. Hailing from the steel town of Hamilton, ON, the Arkells played a rock n roll that was so blue collar they made Bruce Springsteen look like a government worker. Exuding more elbow grease than a Russian mechanic, they conveyor-belted out songs about punching in timecards and John Lennon (a true working class hero) with vocals that were as raw and strong as iron ore. Their driving and powerful guitar riffs were skillfully fused with blues and Motown elements, which included a hammering rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” that had the crowd stomping their workboots and Serge looking for a hard hat for fear of the roof coming down. The last song they played, the punchy “Oh! The Boss Is Coming”, was so rowdy that it may have just inspired the whole crowd to take collective sick day the following morning. From what may be the hardest working band in Canada: <br /><br /><a class="htrack" href="http://awmusic.ca/1/mp3/The Arkells - Oh! The Boss Is Coming.mp3">The Arkells - Oh! The Boss Is Coming</a>Serge Eonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00385386198949258912noreply@blogger.com0