Hartamophone

The show was damn good. A bit of a late start (it was pushing 11 by the time Noises From the Toolshed hit), but it was worth the wait. NFTT sounded awesome, and the general consensus in the room was that their set alone would have been worth the cover charge (and then some). JSB threw down hard. They played a couple of their shorter, harder rocking tunes, but for the most part just jammed it out for close to two hours (I think). They definitely won over some new fans on the island, and brought the party as usual. Good times indeed. Peace, Hart

How was Vancouver?

My first name (Hart) was my mother's maiden name.

Just a few short hours of procrastinating to go! Looking forward to rocking out tonight with some beautiful BC peeps. See y'all there. Peace.

Vancouver tonight? No. Victoria tomorrow? Hells yes.

Your father and family will be in my prayers, and I'll send all positive energy your way. Peace.

Slippy, Sorry to have bailed early, as I said above it was out of my hands (I was part of the large(ish) group that left in the first few minutes of the second set). That said, I really dug what I heard (as did some of my friends) and really look forward to making a night of it the next time you guys are in town. Peace, Hart P.S. Thanks for the download!

Thanks guys, much appreciated!

The website for Steamer's lists Arbutus Trio as the opener. Is this a complete mistake, or are there two openers? Either way, looking forward to seeing Noises From the Toolshed for the first time. Peace, Hart Edit to Add: Nevermind. I just called the venue, and NFTT are the only openers. Word.

[color:purple]Slightly below Guelph, I'm sure.

Great article Shain. Speaking as someone who couldn't be there, I really felt like you conveyed the essence of the weekend. That said, I have to disagree with your comments about how the end of nero meant the end (or at least long-term stagnation) of "the scene" in Canada in general. This might be true for the scene in Ottawa and maybe even Ontario as a whole, but I think it's a little bit far-reaching to paint all of Canada with the nero brush. I say this having lived a few places in Canada where nero was an appreciated musical afterthought to the more readily-available regional talent. Again, though, I thought the article was really well done and brought out as much of the emotion and intensity of the weekend as the written word possibly could. Bravo. Peace, Hart

So freakin' excited for this show.

Yeah, I'm already looking forward to seeing them again. I really wanted to stick around on Friday night, but I was entertaining someone who had just flown in that night and really wasn't feeling a night out. Which members do you know? I was talking to a couple of them at setbreak.

Personally, I've never had the "behind the eye" routine in about eight years of wearing contacts (knock on wood). I have frequently had it happen, however, that one will fall out when I rub or scratch my eyes. It only happened once or twice without my noticing, as I now know to be careful when rubbing my eyes while wearing my lenses. I also noticed that one was missing halfway through breakfast, only to return home to realize that it had fallen out as I was trying to put it in. Way to be on the ball, Hart. Hope it works out for you, kitkat - nothing to get to freaked about, though. Peace.

Stumbled upon this show (and a near-empty Steamer's) accidentally on Friday night and was really impressed. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a position to throw down, and the majority of my time at Steamer's was during set break (circumstances beyond my control), but I really dug what I saw. Can't wait to catch these guys again and get into 'er.

Thanks, Brad, as always. This will get me properly psyched for next week's Victoria show. Anybody who was there have anything by way if a review? Comments?

Looking forward to hearing the full report on this one.

I definitely get the joke; I said above that I find him funny in small doses. And maybe I haven't seen enough of his show, but I'd be surprised if 90% of his guests get it. Meh. To each his own. I agree with most of his points, just not the medium. At least he gets people talking. Peace, Hart

But are we really getting anywhere when Colbert does the exact same thing that the far-right does, only on a comedy show? I don't see how he has any right to beef at what the far-right does when he's no better - comedy show or not. I think satire like his is hilarious and important in small doses, but is dangerous when it becomes the news. Careful with the generalizations, there. I agree that Fox News is dangerous, but one need only watch CNN or CBS News for a little while to see that not all mainstream media outlets pull the Bush line. (I also think that the massive popularity of Colbert and Stewart in Canada and the popularization of American political discourse up here is dangerous for Canadian politics, but that's not relevant to this thread.)

Perhaps I've just superimposed my frustration with the political opinions of the people who watch the shows, onto the shows themselves. That said, I think that Stewart, especially, could do more with the audience he has. Whether he cares to admit it or not, he adds fuel to the fire of partisan hackery that he so frequently condemns. As for Colbert at the White House, that obviously took balls. I was referring more to his own show, where he hides behind his character (a character that is completely unoriginal, if entertaining) to make his guests look like idiots. I agree with the vast majority of his stances politically, but don't jive with the way he treats people on his show.

G'Day. So I grew up in the suburbs and thought that I always wanted to stay in a relatively big city. Then I went away to school in a small town and fell in love with small-town life in a big way. I've spent much of the past few years living in small towns or isolated communities, with periodic stints back in urban life (including right now). Of all the places I've lived in my life, one reason that Lake Placid is a favourite is because it is a peaceful small mountain town, but Burlington (VT) and Montreal are each only two hours away if I want to escape for a show or some anonymity. I'm thinking that, for me, a setup like that might be the ideal. So the question of the day is: do you prefer living in/around big(er) cities, or small (definitely less than 10 000) towns and rural areas? (P.S. 10 Bonus heady points to anyone from the Ottawa area who knows what the thread title is a reference to).

I find Colbert and O'Reilly two of the most aggravating personalities on television. Colbert might be amusing in small doses, but I find the way he hides behind his character pretty cowardly and exploitative of his guests most of the time. Beyond that, my biggest issue with Stewart and Colbert is how a ton of people get the majority of their "news" from these two. The Daily Show and the Colbert Report could be worthwhile and entertaining supplements to harder news, but I think it's scary when people get most of their political news - and all of their political opinions - from these comedy shows. As for O'Reilly, he's clearly closed-minded and insecure, and that's not to mention the chronic lying. I guess what I'm trying to say is the thought of Colbert and O'Reilly on the same show is, for me, akin to having Jessica and Ashlee Simpson both coming out of my stereo at the same time. No thanks.

Hey Jake, Yeah, the Maple Leaf Inn isn't too far at all. By big city standards, it's super-close. A bit farther than the spots right on Main Street, but definitely walkable. As for me, I really, really hope to make it this year. Last year was one of the best weekends of the year, and it all goes down on what is pretty much home turf for me. I'm living in Victoria now, but have already been looking for cheap flights. If I can find something reasonable, I'll be there for sure. This event (to me, at least) is worth flying across the country for. Peace.

Closest to the Venue/Reasonably Priced: Art Devlin's Olympic Motor Inn Adirondack Inn by the Lake Lake Placid Hilton Golden Arrow Resort (although I think their prices have gone up) Crown Plaza Resort Northwood's Inn Those are all either right on Main St. or a stone's throw, which makes them a very manageable walk to/from the venue. The Northwoods Inn might be the cheapest among them, but they're all fairly reasonable (I deliberately left off ones that are super pricey or wouldn't be friendly to partiers). Lake Placid is a hometown of sorts for me, so if you have any other questions please let me know. Peace, Hart