Velvet

You should go to Chatham and do a Chathamlog about the poo-water at the splash pad ;^)

Investigative travel reporting huh? Sounds interesting...

Funny, phorbesie and I came thiiiis close to booking a trip to Madagascar around November. We planned for quite some time eventually altered our plans. We should be in West Africa early in the new year instead.

Have a great time all of you!

Bueno Mr. M.

Yep, thanks everyone! We got third, though 1st and 2nd were the winners.

Perhaps I should have mentioned that Tammy was in a WHEELCHAIR?

The Newestfoundlogs are now complete and posted. Heather will be adding pics to the final entry tomorrow.

www.velvetslog.com

If you're interested in reading past logs, I'll be adding more and more past stuff this week.

Though the summer was packed with fun and adventure, it still seems like there should be lots of summer left, doesn't it?

It feels like maybe two weeks ago we were gearing up for Jazz Fest. Where, oh where does all the time go?

Like beach sand through the hourglass of eternity, these were the summer days of our lives.

And no fall tour this year.

Sigh.

Don't eat the yellow snow.

Sorry, no real tips as I haven't been there...yet.

I might go sometime soon though. I know a dude who just got a totally cool posting there. I think he's got heady couch space and likes to buy lots and lots of rounds of beers for his guests.

Actually, one of my best buds is half S African, and he's been there plenty. I'll ask him if he has any tips.

I have this rug that is gonna go in the garbage for want of a little cleaning. It got water damaged during a little basement flooding and has been sitting on the front porch for too long.

Garbage gets picked up Wednesday morning. Cleaned or tossed, the rug will be off the porch this week.

Hey!

Thanks a lot for voting everyone, that's very kind of you.

If you think of it vote from work or your mom's computer. There's nothing like cheating for a friend!

Final review is up.

I thought the festival went really, really well, and what a lineup! In just four days I saw:

Hawksley Workman

Justin Townes Earle

Punch Brothers

Bruce Hornsby

City and Colour

Garland Jeffries

Steve Earle

Tom Morello

Kim Churchill

Colin Hay

JJ Grey and Mofro

Sean McCann

Levon Helm

I've been to Folkfest before, but I think only when I had been playing there - I never bought a ticket. I was usually on vacation when the fest was held, though missing it never really concerned me.

I'll be making a point to stay in town for it from now on, if this year was any indication. That said, I hope I maintain my record of not buying tickets...

I thought Morello would be really interesting and that Colin Hay would be slighly nostalgic but otherwise meh. Wrong on both counts. Morello was so lame it almost sounded like he was joking, and Hay was so awesome I didn't budge for his entire set. I would totally go see Colin Hay again.

If any of you are on site early today allow me to recommend Sean McCann. I know nothing about McCann himself outside of being a member of Great Big Sea, but his sideman Craig Young is a pretty damn good player.

11 registered users (felicidadsudbec, phorbesie, danalacio, sherabrodeur, Velvet, luettamartinat, pamhisrich, Hartamophone, bradm, NewRider, michelinaadamya) and 25 anonymous users are online now.

I don't like it, it makes me feel weird. It's like my toaster is eavesdropping.

8 registered users (phorbesie, Velvet, beecaricofe, Blane, lauricehaukaas, toniaingwerson, gaylanyquist, flipzoso) and 18 anonymous users are online now.

Day two review is up. About 4am tonight (yeah, yeah, tomorrow) Day 3 will be up, and then about 24 hours or so on, Day 4 will be up.

Unless I die or the internet stops.

There as a point during The Way It Is where Bruce was commanding the band through hand and facial signals and the whole band erupted into laughter and smiles- I wasn't sure what had happened or is they were just getting off on the groove. When Bruce left the stage with his band they were all still laughing and he grabbed his drummer in a big walking hug and told him "You saved my ass during The Way It Is"- to which the drummer replied, "Wow I thought you saved my ass!".

It was a refreshing moment that reminded me that this band was really in the moment and it was not a totally rehearsed and timed set.

I had completely forgotten about that.

Heather and I both caught it, and I think it was totally Bruceès bad. He held up his finger for the "One last progression and then end it" signal, but then he changed his mind and asked for another...three times! As soon as the last note was hit the drummer totally called him on it, laughing and pointing his stick accusingly at his boss.

Hilarious.

...can be found at my new webthing:

www.velvetslog.com

I had so much fun I got cut off at the bar.

Good to see she's in her right mind.

That Owen Meany book is fantastic.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, lurkers of all ages! I'm pleased to announce the launch of my very own World Wide Internet personal web place. It's called Velvet's Log, and you can find it at www.velvetslog.com

So far I've got some previous travel logs and some music interviews and reviews up there, and I will be adding more backlogged stuff (har) as quick as I can, with the plan to have all my written stuff collected together in one place.

You can go to velvetslog now to read about my recent return to outport Newfoundland. I'll be adding entries somewhat daily of the two-week trip.

There will be tweaking and changing of things as time allows so feel free to click in once in a while and watch the site morph before your very eyes.

I will be posting daily reviews of Ottawa Folkfest this week, and already have several vacations planned in the coming months that should prove log-worthy.

Heather and I have stayed at Jules Underwater Hotel and Quebec's Ice Hotel and both were unforgettable - definitely destinations in their own right.

Under the category of best views for the buck it's hard to beat the Canmore Hotel. Another room with interesting views: Basher got us a steal on a split-level room at the Skydome with views of the playing field for about $80 a night. That was a blast too.

In Mali we stayed at a place in Djenne called the Djenne Djenna (or something close to that). The place was absolutely beautiful and made out of mud.

Perhaps my fanciest was spending a week at the Waikiki Hilton in Hawaii, which offered commercial submarine rides from their own pier.

I like hotels. I'm a sucker for free soap.

Does anyone have the setlist?

Sure!

Over The Rainbow

Ain't Gonna Wait

MGR (aborted)

Drunk

Francois

Inchworm

Will A Bear

Dead Yet

Stash

Fez*

Hucksters Creed*

Ice Cold*

* w/JP Cote

I just read a book called Long Way Down, by, is it Nick Hornby? I believe AD might have given it to me, and I'll have to thank him for introducing me to myest new favorite author.

I could not stop laughing, like eyes slammed shut laughing. The book is about four people trying to commit suicide. So very clever is this Nick.

Happiest of birthdays Mike.

Tonight I share argon with a Beatle.

I just shivered.

No t-shirt to mark the occasion for me though 'cuz I just donated my merch money to save lives in Africa.

http://www.worldvision.ca/give-a-gift/Pages/DroughtintheHornofAfrica.aspx?mc=4249355

I suggest you do the same - think about what you may spend at your next show on merch and feed some kids instead. Just this once, why not?