Thursday, March 22, 2012

golden brown

hare krishna

 

























as a youth, i was fascinated by the hare krishna movement (then known as ISKCON). perhaps it was their prominence as stereotyped bit players in 1980s comedy movies such as airplane, they call me bruce, or more funnily on television shows like SCTV (krishna sings manilow) that drew me in. or perhaps it was the fantastical imagery of their beautiful toronto temple—housed in an impressive gothic looking brick church built in 1899—only a few blocks north from my great aunt's avenue road apartment. or maybe warm memories of a family trip to fiji in 1984 where my impassioned interest in an advertisement for a krishna restaurant led to a concerned talking to by my staunch catholic parents (if i ate there, would i fall victim to the "cult?" i thought, somewhat intrigued by the notion). my elementary school chum chris king and i went as far as recording a parody radio show (hare krisha news) to showcase our naivety, projecting the voice of a fictional devotee named gopi, based on an actual syndicated community channel krishna TV program called, back to godhead. godhead's mysterious theme song, mirrored w/ images of happy people walking down a countryside road, entranced me as a wide-eyed kid and has continued to enter my mind from time to time over the years ("what was that song, dammit?@#$%???"). since then, i've kept an eye on the krishna faith from a distance, surviving horrifying 1990s "news" stories on TV shows like inside edition (brainwashing, murder, etc...), and witnessing positive public affirmations of faith like the annual chariot festival in vancouver's stanley park. musically, no less than george harrison took deep inspiration from the krishnas (and eastern spirituality in general) which definitely piqued my curiosity. elsewhere, in new york (so the story goes), zulu nation honcho afrika bambaattaa discovered a mysterious soul-funk record called everything you see is me (1978), recorded by krishna devotees rasa (including the son of eugene mcdaniels), and introduced it to the hip hop community. rasa's "chanting" was later sampled to great effect by KRS-one on B.D.P.'s 1990 edutainment track, "beef." but returning to godhead... while the program was a distant relic in my brain, its haunting theme came rushing back after a recent gift from DJ dancing bear ("govinda" by the radha krsna temple (1971) on the beatles' apple records). here it was, in glorious stereo sound, a song i figured i'd never hear again. while my knowledge and understanding of krishna consciousness remains limited, the krsna temple LP can certainly put one in a blissful space. try early in the morning or late at night—the album was recently re-released as part of an apple CD/digital reissue campaign, available at the highlighted link above—and let its spirited chanting, meditative drones, and bubbling percussion take you away... PEACE

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

cratery 36 (session b)

 




















damn!@#$%!!! busy day at VIN (lol...). the hommies at cratery just posted the second part (*click the highlighted "link" dancing bear) of my late 2011 toronto shenanigans, in this case,  a series of 1-for-1 vinyl selections w/ kaewonder, arcee, and dj serious (+ party favours + assorted friends + good vibes + kae passed out on the living room couch in preparation for late night activities). really stoked to have guested on episode 36 and wanna say that these dudes are the best. #1. ichiban!@#$%!!! PS - took me a minute, but i've regained my memories of this trip. thanks for the support!@#$%!!!

yellow submarine





















*spruced up version of yellow submarine movie available soon...

michael head 1992 documentary

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Thursday, March 15, 2012

more sunshine...

                                
*lovely vancouver day today. can almost feel the summer...

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

cratery 36 (session a)

 




















apparently i was in toronto late last year. apparently i re-joined the crunk caravan known as cratery for a follow-up jam. i don't remember any of it... did this actually happen (milan, red mitchell, and spring)??? quite possibly, but i'll have to wait until the emergence of "session b" to see if it really was me or yet another sipreano impersonator!@#$%!!! PEACE

Friday, March 9, 2012

cinemuerte 2001




















here's a couple images from cinemuerte 2001 (um, over ten years ago!@#$%!!!), the sorely missed vancouver horror film festival. organized between 1999 and 2005 by movie maven kier-la janisse, it was a unique collective opportunity for genre fans to view celluloid obscurities on the BIG screen during a time when such flicks were much more difficult to track down than they are today via bittorrents, youtube, etc... kamandi and myself were extremely honoured to help out w/ background music at the pacific cinematheque gala opening that year and played a selection of oddball soundtracks, psych, and international sounds from our vinyl archives. sponsored by R&B brewing co., the festivities certainly got loose—the screenings themselves were more surreal—and janisse went to great lengths to bring in cult icon udo kier and director buddy giovinazzo as guests of honour. "nine days to corrupt your mind and assault your senses," read the program subhead, something that has yet to be duplicated in vancouver since cinemuerte's unfortunate departure...

killer

i spy w/ my little eye... words

enterprises
joggin
wheedle's groove
solomonic sounds
keyboards, vocals, songwriter
canada post/postes canada
vampires of ottawa
chimo
march
volume
ash bday
record covers
sade
the canadian romantic
sweeter than sugar-sugar minott
specializing in west indian dishes-trinidad style cooking
only halal meat served...

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

l'affaire dumoutier (say to me)

listening to gowan...

















larry gowan? yes.
great dirty world LP. um, it's a tough listen... "moonlight desires," a certified pop classic. the rest of the disc, hard to stomach. dig the snappy horn chorus on "human drama." anybody have a "moonlight desires" 12"??? i will pay you handsomely for a clean copy...

TFF urban mix


*just got this 12" from TSM at his chicken & waffles monday night party at save on meats. pretty tight mix utilized in the scenes from the big chair DVD!@#$%!!! shouts to brooks for bringing the crates down and DJ HUBBZ (beat street records) for the tunes... record swap once a month and MASSIVE small/big hole 7" singles weekly over the sound system, lounge style. beer special and tasty grub to boot...

Saturday, March 3, 2012

dead eyes opened

365 Days Of Dining Richmond BC



























I've just submitted a job application for Tourism Richmond's 365 Days Of Dining Richmond BC and it certainly got me thinking about delicious food, old friends, and trying new things. Harkening back to the mid-to-late 1990s, I regularly found myself venturing out to Richmond with a small crew of pals to hit one of its many all-you-can eat Japanese restaurants. The price was right, the food, of varying quality and never ending quantity, but the overall experience and camaraderie was something I'll always cherish. Assorted sushi as bottomless as the deepest sea, oysters motoyaki in a half shell, miles upon miles of yaki soba noodles, and always a steaming hot cup of tea to wash it all down. It was a chance to talk about life, crack jokes, and fuel up to epic proportions. Since then, my palate (and waistline) has expanded, but I'm happy to report that the diversity of food in the area remains unequaled in Canada (perhaps only by the melting pots of Toronto or North York, Ontario???) and I'm still exploring new eateries almost weekly (HK BBQ Master is a more recent favourite!!! Char siu fans unite!!!). Asian food, western fare and a plethora of seafood, chicken, and vegetarian options, not to forget specialties from the Middle East, India, and Italy are just a sample of the culinary treats awaiting the adventurous eater in Richmond. For those in Vancouver and the outlying regions, don't hesitate to hop on the SkyTrain and get off somewhere along the No 3 Road. It's just a short trip and your taste buds will surely thank you. As for the position, I can only image the deluge of hopeful eaters applying. Thank heavens they are offering a health club membership along with the job!@#$%!!!