Useless update post

KNEE = OK.

oh yeah, and i found like $100 in my checking account today. For those who want to steal my identity and money the account number is ...

1 ...
2 ...
3 ...
4 ...
5 ...

The same combination an idiot would have on his luggage or the air shield surrounding Druidia. yeah, that's showing off a lame popculture joke. I suck.

And I want to live in downtown Los Angeles or Manhattan. I envy you, Mon.

Oh, here's a preliminary taste of my fave songs of 2007 ...

If The Brakeman Turns My Way -- Bright Eyes

The Story -- Brandi Carlile
Josephine -- Brandi Carlile

Intervention -- The Arcade Fire
The Well And The Lighthouse -- The Arcade Fire
Keep The Car Running -- The Arcade Fire
Black Wave / Bad Vibrations -- The Arcade Fire (on the CD I mix, only one song per group, except perhaps Rilo Kiley)

Underwater (You & Me) -- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Sleeping Lessons -- The Shins
Phantom Limb -- The Shins

Le Disko -- Shiny Toy Guns

Not Too Late -- Norah Jones

Take What You Take -- Lily Allen

Icky Thump -- The White Stripes

Prematurely aging

KNEE = BAD

The Maple Leaf turns brown

This is a list of the 102 Greatest Canadian New Rock songs ever published on CFNY, my favorite radio station growing up. This is the station that introduced me to some of my faves like The Tragically Hip, Spirit of the West, Single Gun Theory and the only station that ever played Curve on air (and even threw in some Eine Kleine Nachtmusik once). They also introduced me to Sloan, Sarah Craig, Lowest of the Low, 54-50 and really popularized Sarah McLachlan.

So how can Nickelback and Our Lady Peace end up all over that list and Spirit of the West just one song, same with Sarah McLachlan and The New Pornographers.

And no Stars or Broken Social Scene???? WTF?

The best and the brightest

Raise a glass to Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter David Halberstam, who died this morning in a car crash.

This is taken from the AP story.

"... When for a variety of reasons -- a flawed, deeply flawed policy -- the government starts lying, that is when independent journalism really matters," he said.

Such reporting, he said, is a key component of democracy.

"The idea that somewhere before it is a big story that there is some young person ... putting themselves on the line morally, ethically, journalistically, that is a great thing," Halberstam said. "I mean, that is what a free society is about."

Easy way to raise money for autism research

Peter King at SI.com mentioned this in his Monday Morning Quarterback Column:

i. Chances are you know someone with an autistic child. I know a few, and they're trying to raise money for autism research by asking people to watch a Five For Fighting music video online. If you click on this link and watch this video, you'll be generating 49 cents for autism research, so please do it if you have the time.


--My nephew Alex is autistic (that's him in the picture with Sabre co-captian Chris Drury). I love Alex. He's pure joy. I wish I could do more, but 2,000 miles away, I feel powerless almost all the time when it comes to Alex.

So check out whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com. It's a site that raises money for various causes, like autism research or VH-1's Save the Music, which raises money for instrumental music education in public schools. All you have to do is watch user-created videos that promote awareness of the causes. They're all heartfelt, some will make some of you cry, some are little over-the-top. But it's easy. I'm not sure exactly how it works. It says that you can raise up to 49 cents by watching videos. I don't know if that means you gotta watch all of them or what? But you can leave the videos playing in one browser tab while you do the rest of your Web browsing.

Check out Rodrigo y Gabriela!

Two music discoveries

Those of you who have known me since high school (Scott) and those of you who have intimate knowledge of my CD collection (I thought Dave, until he accused me of hating all music recorded before 1981), know that my music taste skews toward Lillith Fair more than the Warped Tour or Ozzfest. Maybe, I really am a lesbian trapped in a dude's body? Anyway ...

The first is Bassboosa, a quintet from England. Here's the bands' MySpace bio:

Lead singer Jasmine Badir and keyboardist/production Tim Clarke met whilst working in a London record store a few years ago and began writing and recording songs together, blending atmospheric pop with strong melodies, stirring lyrics and a creative mix of electronic and live instrumentation.

They have just completed their much anticipated, self-produced debut album which was written, recorded and mixed almost entirely in Tim’s makeshift studio in his parent’s attic! Coming from very different musical backgrounds - Jasmine’s influences from the likes of Jewel, Alanis and Tracy Chapman, whilst Tim has come from a strong classical background with a passion for electronic music – they have created a unique sound of their own, instantly recognizable by Jasmine’s intoxicating and infectious vocals combined with Tim’s intricate and atmospheric musical textures and production. OK, I know that the Jewel reference could be frightening, (I once suckerly bought Pieces of You), but worry not. This is good stuff. There's a bit of Jem in there, but with an airier, breathier voice.

Thanks to huge support from Sat Bisla’s Passport Approved radio show in the US (aired on Indie 103.1, LA, WEQX, NY and KNRK, Portland, OR) 2006 saw Bassboosa finding themselves a loyal fanbase before they had even finished or released their record. BTW, this show has a Web site, so check it out and scoop everyone on the next big imports.

Their cover of the Chris Isaak classic "Wicked Game" became a No.1 hit on KNRK, Portland, Oregon. "It is the most requested song we've ever had in the 11 years we have been on the air," says KNRK programme director, Mark Hamilton. Word is now spreading fast and radio stations all over the US and now in the UK are picking up on the Bassboosa vibe. Honestly, the cover is only so-so. Giant Drag's cover blows this one away.

2006 also saw Bassboosa move onto the stage with their fantastic band. In May they played their first US dates. As well as a packed acoustic evening at LA's Key Club, they also headlined to a capacity audience at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon, selling over 1700 tickets. I totally missed this, dammit.

Now, with the album ready for release, a video (shot in the Spanish desert) in it’s final stages of production and more tour dates planned in both the US and Europe, 2007 looks set to be an even more exciting year for the band. Yay, more U.S. tour dates.

Second music recommendation is Kate Walsh (NOT FUCKING ADDISON FROM GREY'S SOAPY HOSPITAL).

She looks a fuckuva lot like KT Tunstall, but the music is very different and so is her voice. It's very intimate. She lists the following as her influences on her MySpace:

Longpigs, Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Rufus Wainwright, The Shins, Talk Talk, The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, Red House Painters, Magnet, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Sufjan Stevens, Debussy...chocolate.

A combo of Joni Mitchell and maybe Bic Runga seems to be running through my mind as I listen to Your Song right now.

I'm a writer not a grammarian

The BACKHAND: Understand it, hell, they probably don't even know who they are. This is 2007, you want a legacy for this generation you can't go any farther back then Play Station One.

Brad May of the Anaheim Ducks is also a good person, but he's not that good at decision making in the heat of the moment and his sucker punch of Kim Jonsson of the Minnesota Wild did more then net May a three-game suspension.

--Those are bothgs from Jim Kelley's column and/or blogs on sportsnet.ca. Kelley, a former Buffalo News writer and columnist, is one of the best hockey writers around. I think he's even in the media wing in the hockey hall of fame. So messing up "then" and "than" is just NOT FUCKING ACCEPTABLE.

Game on

The hockey playoffs have started and I've barely blogged because I've been buried in work. Guess that happens when you get a promotion.

But first I made these a while ago (promise)

sabres in 5 -- this is 2-1 sabres
devils in 6 -- this is 2-1 lightning
thrashers in 7 -- this is 3-0 rangers (and the games haven't been close)
pens in 6 -- this is 3-1 sens

wings in 6 -- this is 2-1 wings
ducks in 5 (though i could see Wild taking this one in a LONG series) -- this is 3-1 ducks
canucks in 6 (turco has to show me now) -- this is 3-1 canucks
Preds in 6 (Thornton also has to show me) -- this is 2-1 sharks

these are robbie thompson's picks (and he's a far more knowledgeable hockey guy than I)
Sabres in 5
NJ in 6
NYR in 6
Pit in 6

Wings in 5
Anaheim in 7 (i actually think this might be the upset of the first round and Min could pull it out...)
Dal in 6
SJ in 5 (could go either way, especially if Jumbo Joe does his usual disappearing act, but i just hate the Preds)

But lastly in honor of the playoffs, enjoy ...

Now at least 29 dead

This is one post that I never want to update again. But the news is now reporting that at least 29 are dead in the rampage at Virginia Tech. With what were reported as at two dozen injured, I fear that total could grow.

Why?

22 people are dead at Virginia Tech

A gunman killed 21 people at Virginia Tech this morning. He was later killed by police or took his own life (The AP story noted that that information hasn't been released yet). As my students contemplate which college to go to, I find myself seeing things (for the first time) from the point of view of parents who fear what could happen (no matter how seemingly outlandish) once their children go hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Think good thoughts for those in Blacksburg. Pray if you do.

Here's an update from the NYTimes.

At least 22 people were killed today, some of them students, and about two dozen more injured during shootings at Virginia Tech, some of them in a classroom, the police said. A gunman was also shot to death, officials said.

I miss college

1 Fat Tire + 3 Guinness + 1 Jägermeister + 1 Corona

Bon Appetit?

This was the No. 1 e-mailed story on the BBC news Web site. It's about exotic food in Beijing—various animal penii.

Um, no pictures. Well, the story has them, I just won't post them here. You know, copyright and all that.

Quickie music post

Saw Brandi Carlile at the Troubadour last night. Wow. I almost cried during the duet version of Hallelujah. Being in the presence of passion-fueled brilliance is such an amazing thing. I've realized that I just want to be incredibly greedy and spend my time exposed to brilliance, beauty and talent.

And now for something completely different ...

This is one person's review of the new Martina McBride CD on iTunes:

"GREAT ALBUM I POOPED MY PANTS WHILE LISTENING TO IT."

Eastern Conference Champs!