cowbell radio, july 8, 7-8 pm (PST)

*a recording of the aftermath of recording...

okay (instrumental)

motherlode

*props to BLAZ (toronto)!!!

save-on-meats

sampled my first save-on-meats' burger platter today w/ dancing bear and bass man JG. happy to report that it was very tasty and affordable. go figure... BIG ups to mark brand and the save-on crew for bringing back a vancouver landmark!!!

summer breeze

*another sureshot from the maestro, jackie mittoo. man, i wish you were still alive... RIP

summertime blues...

it's late june and the sun is nowhere to be seen. colour me selfish, but although i've been able to catch some much needed rays here and there (kelowna, savary island, and pemberton represent!!!), i long for a solid local beach session and lengthy ocean swim. yes, warm weather is just an expanded carbon footprint away, but i want it here and i want it now—it's been a l-o-n-g winter... anybody listening up there??? are we being punished for our city's idiocy??? sorta seems like it...

give 'em enough (rope)

these eyes

wok with yan

signal + noise

signal + noise is a media arts festival running in vancouver from june 23-27 at the VIVO centre (1965 main street). the programming is extensive, but public broadcasting advocate, media historian, and film programmer anu sahota's event is tapping into the CBC vaults for visual and audio inspiration (as well as two audio remix performances by brady cranfield and joshua stevensen who have chosen to tackle a 1970's CBC station ID and the 1978 theme song from the national respectively). worth checking...

le chat bruinne

all about money

sipreano//limbo (TBTHOM DJs)

fine state of affairs

meet roots x douglas coupland

*once again, i'm fashionably late... while coupland's roots line is out of the main tier brick and mortar stores, i spotted a few interesting pieces at the broadway/boundary vancouver outlet location... no socks though... DAMN!!!

true legend (2010)

true legend is a martial arts film directed by yuen woo-ping (original poster image above). it's just seen a limited north american release and is currently screening in vancouver. don't miss the chance to view this action flick on the BIG screen. fans of shaw brothers and golden harvest period pieces, early john woo (last hurrah for chivalry), etc... take note!!! highly recommended...

we have come to bless the house

the real boss sound... TONITE!!!

flight

flight by sipreano
 *this track dates back to 2008 (the picture? flying into winnipeg for a dig/hang w/ the hommie birdapres that same year, VAN/PEG/TDOT mission)... another moldy oldie from sipreano. peace

blue sway

i've got a feeling

zulu import

blue boy

fergadelic

*fergadelic is an often imitated/never duplicated artist, musician, and cultural ambassador from the UK. here's a clip from iconic US streetwear brand STUSSY w/ a little background on the man himself in support of their new collaboration. def seek out his output w/ the TONITE clothing label and any number of other of mind-altering creative projects he has on the go (*like die verboten w/ producer riton and soulwax/2manydjs). if you dig deep enough, you may even be able to track down a rare beatbox/vocal performance from 1999. trust me, you won't be disappointed. to quote one of the maestro's anthemic t-shirt slogans, "SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TANDOORI"!!! say no more...

i love L.A.!!!

OUR LIVES ARE SHAPED BY WHAT WE LOVE: MOTOWN'S MOWEST STORY 1971-1973 OUT TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*well, the day is finally here, the physical and digital launch of light in the attic records' our lives are shaped by what we love: motown's mowest story 1971-1973. it's been a long time coming, but i'm very proud of this release. it's been an honour to help put it together and spread mowest's eclectic musical message... above is a link to one of my favourite numbers on the 16-track set, odyssey's "broken road," taken from their sole self-titled LP. please support this officially licensed issue on CD/2LP/digital formats, but whatever you do, never stop digging. keep the faith...

rewind (names)...

*the original JA/TDOT scene was a musical community. here's a few names of key players shouted out off the dome at henry's records in scarborough during the long winter of 2007... peep original soundbwoy deejay sureshot in the background digging up some 7"s!!!

lobbie the lobster

moorea

*anybody wanna catch the gipsy kings at river rock (august 5)???

the sandinistas (2 step)

gekkeikan sake

festival express

Festival Express Rock 'n' Rolls One More Time

The Georgia Straight
July 29, 2004
By Kevin Howes

Decked out in a flaming-red mini, a groovy belt, and heels, Sylvia Tyson purred out a funky down-home version of "See See Rider", backed by Ian Tyson, Great Speckled Bird, and members of the Grateful Dead and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Speaking with the Georgia Straight from Toronto, Canadian music icon Tyson laughed when reminded of her hot getup at the final stop on the Festival Express concert tour in the summer of 1970. "I still have the belt and the shoes, but I'll never wear that dress size again."
If you take the sonic assault of Monterey Pop, the hedonistic spirit of Woodstock, and the grit of Altamont, and add a westbound train carrying a gaggle of the era's most notorious musicians across the Canadian countryside, you're on your way to understanding director Bob Smeaton's Festival Express tour documentary. The film brings together long-lost 16mm footage shot for an abandoned feature, masterfully restored audio courtesy of Jimi Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer, and contemporary interviews that tell a forgotten tale of rock 'n' roll history.
Festival Express was a unique three-city tour that hit Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary. Promoters Ken Walker and Thor Eaton rented a private CN Rail passenger train complete with musical equipment, a 24-hour dining car, and sleeping quarters. Along for the trip was a talented roster of performers, including the Band, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Ian & Sylvia, and blues great Buddy Guy.
The concerts were besieged with financial problems from the start. "It was clear that Walker and Eaton were going to take a bath on it," Tyson recalled. Protesters calling themselves the May Fourth Movement picketed the Toronto date, balking at the $14 two-day ticket price and proclaiming that the music should be free. A clash with police resulted in an impromptu show outside the gates to defuse the situation.
Aware they would be losing money, the promoters still pushed ahead. With no expenses spared and "egos checked at the station", according to Tyson, the musicians were offered the opportunity to enjoy the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll lifestyle of the times while the seemingly unobtrusive cameras rolled on.
"There was constant jamming on the train's lounge cars," said Tyson, who is seen singing harmony with the Dead's Jerry Garcia. "One was for blues, one rock, and the other folk and country, but there was a constant exchange going back and forth."
Candid footage captures the performers with their guards down, clearly enjoying their newfound friends, wailing away, and indulging as only rock stars can. Surprisingly, alcohol was the drug of choice. "A very Canadian experience," Tyson added.
Asked about reliving Festival Express when it premiered at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, Tyson said she was blown away. "People behave as if they were there. They're laughing, crying, singing along, and they're cheering. Janis was just becoming the great singer she would have been, and it was great to see the Band that young, that good, and that joyful in the music."
The film opens in Vancouver on Friday (July 30). Just don't expect that protesting the ticket price will get you a free show.