Velvet

Dammit.

I don't really get the fresh prince reference, but how did you get a picture of my mum?

Exam week, grade 11, 7:30 am. My phone rings. My friend Carleton yells in my ear, "C'mon over! Spaghetti!" and hangs up. Dunno why, but I dragged my ass outta bed and drove the 25 km's to Carleton's house. His family had just got a new housekeeper, and she had just arrived from Italy. Carleton put her to the test and we had homemade pasta and meat sauce with garlic bread and salad with wicked Italian pastry dessert things. Pretty good breakfast.

My god.

Either a) everyone is lying and is really gonna be having peanut butter and toast over the sink,

everyone decided to have their ultimate fave meal tonight, or c) I really better start eating better.

Grilled marijauna sandwiches, and perhaps a chai.

What's the official point spread today?

The used vinyl/cd place on Cooper at Bank is called Turning Point. Yeah, good store.

And A & H? I think they have a special on today.

Funny you brought this up, 'cuz I just realized that there are two cd's I just can't bring myself to take out of my player.

1) Mr. Bungle 'California' I just picked it up and I'm convinced this is a bona fide masterpiece.

2) Lucinda Williams 'Car Wheels on a Gravel Road' This is the first Lucinda Williams I've heard (a friend just gave me this cd) and frankly I'm surprised I like it this much, but it's great.

As always, my permanent rotation is fleshed out by 'Picture of Nectar', 'is it morning', and 'Shady Grove', though somehow Shawn Lane/Jonas Hellberg/Apt.Q-258's 'Temporal Analogues...' is playing right now, and will be for a while, 'cuz there's only two tracks.

Is April Wine really sold out!??! I mean, c'mon, the only original member is the guitar tech! These guys were has-beens 20 years ago, and in their prime they'd be lucky to sell out the Moncton Coliseum! Sure, I'll admit I took a bite outta the old nostalgia biscuit a few years ago and actually saw these guys in Ottawa at some festival or another. I had an open mind (okay, I was actually looking forward to it a little bit) and it was real, real bad. What made it worse was that people were loving it. Okay, the 'loving it' crowd had acid-washed jeans permanently tattooed to their legs, but still, have some integrity people! They can't even accurately play their records, and they've had 25 years to learn 'em.

My god, it must be embarrassing to be in April Wine.

Call me a sicko but I just had a really funny mental image: April Wine and Loverboy both stop their vans at a Sloppy Ron's on the 401 and have a pathetic fight over the last 'Hot Apple Pie'. A fight that is really just an extension of their rock and roll frustrations. Not really funny unless you see it just as I'm seeing it, which involves Mike Reno being really, really fat. And angry at being a living joke.

What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?!?

Three cheers for not being dead yet, Mr. Rabid. Here's to the greatest year so far...this time on the bus.

Tickets are available at:

Lauzon Music, Wellington St.

Record Runner, Rideau St.

Ottawa Folklore Centre, Bank St.

Compact Music, Bank St.

There ya go. I'll see you all there.

Final warning: If you miss Bob Wiseman you might miss something amazing.

Bob Wiseman/Don Ross. Saturday, Carleton U. 8pm

Ahhh, the Police. All Police albums are the best Police album. Thank the gods they broke up when they did, or they mighta started sounding like solo Sting.

Oh Yeah, I remember now...there was an article in the Star or the Citizen where the Days of You guys were dissing the whole Dead scene. That's when they ended. All the fans dissed Days of You right back. Sorta like when Beavis and Butthead dissed Winger and ending their career. Needless to say, Days of You were, of course, way cooler than Winger.

Besides, Freeway Band was the shit back then. Too bad they aren't still doin' it.

Hey, I quit smokin'! Yee Hawww!

Yep, good time last night. Actually a damn good excuse to get really drunk. I awoke thinking I ran out on my tab but luckily I found the reciept in my pocket (once I'd found my pocket).

Hey Ms. Huxtable, could it be you left a little something here last night? If you can describe it, it's yours. Let me give you a hint...lessee, smaller than, say, a Glad baggie.

Which ones Ron Wood?

Hey, yer right! It is an F. I knew tele's didn't have an Eb.

Wow, and he's playing in Eb too! I didn't know tele's had an Eb on them, and I have one! I know strats have no Ab.

Music is weird.

I'm gonna sell XXX and Jagar shots in the parking lot just in case.

Wow, Trey playing a tele!

So, Scottieking and Blane, kimchi: yummy or vile?

I vote vile.

Also, soju: yummy or vile?

I vote way yummy.

Anyone else going to see Tim Berne at the NAC? I'm not familiar with his stuff, but a NY improv sax player that's played with Bill Frisell etc is worth a $25 look to me.

Happy birth anniversary my good man! Anybody getting together for celebretory drinks or shall that wait 'til tomorrow?

Ps I challenge you to get half as drunk as I got on my birthday. If you can...

Music is not a competition, ergo, these types of lists are completely meaningless. It's like those "Who's the best guitar player in the world?" conversations, which really just means, "Who's my favourite guitarist?"

A post script if I may...If you're gonna be in Toronto on a Monday night go to the Orbit Room and check out The Sisters Euclid (featuring Kevin Breit on guitar). You're mind might really get blown. Mine does every time I drive down for it. Kevin played a great show in Guelph in September with Bill Frisell. Hope they make an album together, they're pretty much my two favorite guitar players (yeah yeah, Trey's in there too).