kung

I have both of JBT's albums, the first is more of an EP and the sedond a somewhat major debut disc. Both albums have a kind of busker quality to the playing and songs, good busker you could say. He's something like the fourth biggest artist in Oz which for an independent is huge. I know what you mean about veering to the middle of the road, I was hesitant to see him but missed the show more because of work. He does have great socially conscious songs, Media is one that comes to mind. Maybe another called Pickapart? One song can't remember the title deals with domestic abuse. Betterman is by far the best song of the bunch, and it does justice to his voice: "A betterman I am says I comin' through on back to you, cause you have taught me so many things about myself and you know this is true."

On another note Upstream rocks that is for damn sure.

I think it was a Shakedown lot party at the Ball and actually I think Shakedown was playing come to think of it. I'm all gooned, there's a tank set up under the tent, dancing my ass off. Then I see racoon eyed Mike and am kind of stunned cause he's just standing there checking shit out. So I run up to him and I totally want to talk to him about Wagner and Nietzche and the like, then I get right up next to him and I'm looking at him and I think this isn't him this is somebody that looks just like him (driving around on a golf cart?). So I just walk away and go back to dancing and he gets a good laugh in.

Scores of others but the alltime life highlight is meeting Bob Dylan's idol Ronnie Hawkins about a month back at the Garth show. Got a pick with him spat a few Ronnieisms at him, 'happier than a dead hog in the hot Georgia sun'.

That sucks for so many reasons. Big shoes to fill is an understatement, Shane was the real connection to the gay underground and without that core audience what have you got: One sensible drummer and the late Jim Morrison.

Seriously though I am deeply saddened by this news. Not really words to describe the feeling.

I would have agreed with everything said if I hadn't caught them at Hillside and Evolve. They are definitely much better outdoors and with a big appreciative crowd. The setlists are identical, they've got 'their show' as the band puts it, but I think they've actually been mixing it up a little. I really liked their Hillside set and was blown away that they pulled out the stops at Evolve. My girlfriend had said 'I'd hate to be them' after the Slip played and I tended to agree (they were loving the Slip by the way). Their rythym section is tight, Massimo, Santiago and Joanne- stellar. I like Blu Rum 13 (James) flow, Mark the lead guitar is a real songsmith/ producer craftsman, and Koala's sick of course. They were definitely playing a sort of psychedelic tweaked set at Evolve likely feeding of the crazed energy and teeming rain. I had totally expected it would blow but they really blew me away. When you think about it they're good friends, have been together over nine years and they're real craftspeople at their instruments. They have a sophisticated understanding of a variety of percussive styles of music, a rooting in R & B tradition, a great frontman and great songs. I may be a little let down to see them in a club the next time but my opinion has taken a full one eighty.

Music from Big Pink - The Band

The Band - The Band

Stage Fright - The Band

anything by The Band

Hall & Oates Live at The Apollo

Abandoned Luncheonette - Hall & Oates

almost anything by Darryl and John

(seriously those two albums kick fucking ass)

I must say this seems like a fairly tolerant and understanding discussion. I don't know if it's representative of how people actually react when faced with criticism objective or otherwise. I seem to remember someone telling me to shove a 9 iron up my ass on this board recently. I also had the Evolve promoters intervene with the editors at Jambase and pull a mildly mildly critical review in place of an awfully written press release. That pisses me off to no end. Now I could worry about what people will think of me if I do what my conscience dictates or I can just act....

Here's a thought when Dylan went electric what were people booing at? Alot, Marcus Greil's 'Old, Weird America' deals with the issue at length. One thing he does say is that by not playing the seemingly objective anthems (Blowin' in the Wind) that had defined the generation and instead going completely subjective through compositions that veered (Ballad of A thin man) he was in effect saying everything that you believe in is bullshit. If your whole life is peace, love and flowers ('the answer my friend') then a sneering 'you know something is happening but you don't know what it is' comes off like fuck everything you believe in. I guess I mean if you derive value, meaning or your sense of your self in any way from the scene then an affront to the scene is an affront to your character.

Oh so we want to play do we? Watch NorthernHeads come back hard to kick all your asses.... this looks like a job for me. The lack in updates is totally deplorable but as The Abe put it to me recently 'fuck those guys and fuck all the biographical reports on the scene... just stick with the funny fucked up shit and let some other putz do that shit'. Well said my good man. It is a hell of alot of work to try and write thoughtful reviews of every show you see (it's not like this site does). Jamhub is really doing well for comprehensiveness plus all the wicked downloads. This site is great for the board- 'the place where nothing ever happens'. Then NH can be the equalizer, like the guy who goes to the high school party. It is tough being friends with the bands and the promoters but somebody needs to dish the honest truth. Or the fiction which is truer than truth... storytellying is lying.

Hasn't anyone noticed that. I check it all the time and for the last two weeks at least it's been strictly snoresville.

No fucking kidding. It would be downright stupid to miss either of those shows. Also the pre and post show visits to Super Sexe are strictly written into the contract.

I take those points to heart. Sean your point makes alot of sense. Still I don't see why the decision needed to have been made then. At say 8:00 in the morning. I don't know that the DJ's were cut short at all. I mean it had relatively cleared up by 10 or 11 and the gear was all still there etc. Admittedly everything was in shambles. The garbage was a shame. Obviously more trash cans were needed as were perhaps trash bags as you came in at the gate. I just think it could have still gone on with a later start. The drive to Halifax slayed me. It was perfect only a few hours later.

Didn't get any feedback on what people thought about Evolve getting rained out. I guess Chris and Kate aren't all that important to people on this board but I fucking hated having to miss them. The whole ride back I was so pissed that happened. I mean a storm is a storm and it was a bad one but if the stage was secured better it might not have needed to come to it. That stage was about as waterproof as a K Way. I just really felt like the whole scene was gaining so much ground and that alot of the headway was lost because we were too big chumps to have things well organized. It's not like Berkfest, High Sierra, Gathering etc. get rained out and cancelled, it rains but they're prepared for it. What would heads in the states say if a stellar line-up of Sunday afternoon bands was slated for the Gathering and they raved all night then just shut 'er down. People would be livid, pissed and feel ripped off. Exactly.

I've got a certain place for Talking Heads Naive Melody or really anything of there's. So many unbelievable unplundered covers out there. Blind Faith. The Band. Motown. Best cover I've thought of recently is anything by Hall & Oates but particularly Maneater.

I totally agree it was a mind numbingly good time. The Slip stole everyone's thunder. Sunday was stellar, every night a different style for the Slip. But But But I must point out that shutting er down was an incredibly chumpy maneuvre. What is it Evolve: Shine or Shine.

For me I was going to see the Slip as much as Chris and Kate, Heavy Meadows were also really important for me to see to say nothing of Blue Quarter and Caution Jam's good times GD to roll out the weekend. When I woke up Sunday morning someone said it's off and I just got so down hearted. I knew it was going to be wet but having to see half the people already packed up killed me. Even pumping the Hall & Oates Live at the Apollo on my ghetto wasn't picking me up. I'm sure it was an incredibly difficult call to make but it should never have happened in the first place, the stages should have been better secured not flimsily. I travelled all the way from Ontario and at great expense, having very few opportunities to see Chris and Kate in particular in Canada and I was really let down. And I know that even a half hour to an hour after making the call it was clearing up and they were starting to wonder if it had been the right decision.

Two nights of the Slip at the fest and then another slot at the Planet Sunday night. Heading out on the same flight as Show whore tomorrow. Catch a couple shows then head out early Friday to get a sweet camping spot, bands start at 12:00 I believe but it won't get good til about 4. Anyways last minute picks for huge Slip bustouts. I am obviously going as should everyone for HONEY MELON, other bustouts include Rhythym and Gold, Yellow Medecine, Lucky Dragon, Steel Drum Zion. We're probably likely to here Wompsett (sweeeeat), Wolof, Tinderbox, Sorry (Marc the bass player's tune), Sometimes True to Nothing, GET ME WITH FUJI. That would be a wicked tune for them to do with Kid Koala which I think is going to go down. The band has definitely expressed interest in him in particular. I'm sure they'll do a couple of classy covers as well. Sure I'm forgetting lots, oh yeah Pictures of Calysto, Cumulus, ah shit a bunch of others. Phase One.... Nellie Gene.... Landing....

'parently Karl Denson is supposed to be doing a big tour with the Mule. Wicked double billing.

So I did take huge shit in the end. The Evolve guys are major pissed. Threatened to take away my press pass or even kick me out of the festival when I got out there.

I'm sure I'll end up offending someone on this one but I think it's a journalistic handjob. JAMBASE

These guys slayed last night at the Jimmy Jazz in Guelph. Hard to describe, very original sound that still manages to smack of something you've heard. First set was bang on and then the second really kicked it up. The drummer told me it was going to start off cooking, get denser, then just get stupid. Which is exactly what happened. The lead singer/keyboardist/trombonist is the real secret weapon of the band.

GFM is from Calgary not Winnipeg I believe. They have just put out their first disc (a double disc actually). The music ranges from Dub to Reggae, Prog Rock, Funk. Alot of instruments as well Theremin, weird synths etc.

in

the 9 iron goes in my ass right

Why would anyone have missed it. Just caught the second set rushing home from work. A Music opener says it all. But they just kept coming China> Rider, Dark Star> BORN CROSS EYED!, Morning Dew, I know I'm forgetting a ton here. Couldn't believe it when they busted out Help to start the encore. I did think though the Dark Star was a little lacklustre, although they did some cool vocal riffing on 'transitive nightfall of diamonds' that was spot on. They were well warmed up by Slip Frank though. Phil was off the hook by that point. Then as we were going to bed my non-head girlfriend (honorary head) tells me she doesn't really like Phil's playing- something about how it doesn't hold things down. Baaah.

Completely disagree. In defense I know that if you talk to bands we generally regard well such as the New Deal or Drums and Tuba they think highly of Lake Trout. You could put it in the same category as Bisco or Particle but not quite. They're a little more defying of definition akin to D&T. The name is a bit odd because it reminds me of some pokey band like Leftover Salmon.

You had me at hello...

Well said my good man. You make me think I've grown soft. You take enough flames over seemingly sensible albeit pigheaded comments and you start to back down. Everything you've said is true Senor Kibosh. At the same time I don't know if it's as bad as you make out. The Burt thing upset me not because everything you've said is untrue but because that era in our lives was over. These bands bookmark our the chapters in our lives. The Nero criticism is unfortunately valid as well... with the proviso that their intention is good and they are truly committed to improvisational freedom. I think it all comes down to right intention really. Take a band like the Slip, who in my opinion have escaped the trajectory of the jamband for jamband's sake, it is completely evident in their performance that they are putting across the right intention- which implies that they have meted out what it is they are trying to do and put across. They have thought it through to the point that they don't need to overthink it.

It's this focus on intentionality that I find most lacking today.

Not actually trying to get the last word here more like dreading chiming in. To be frank I've found the scene to be rather dead or dying as of late (with some major exceptions). The whole Burt breakup really hit me hard to the point that I didn't even go to their last show in Guelph. Beyond that I think the lack of media acceptance, general public acceptance and overall awareness is depressing to the point of making you actually question whether their not right in some way. Let's be honest very few people listen to our music live or recorded without drugs or at least alcohol. Or at least alot of what makes this music important to us is some of the experiences we've had doing drugs at concerts. As with rave culture drug culture overlaps with our culture, which is not to say they are defined by drugs but that drugs occur. Now drugs only largely appeal to people in their early to late twenties at which point the sway of career or family or whatever takes hold or is supposed to isn't it? At the same time a heads a head and they likely always will be. That's part of the reason I started a site called Northern Heads because I wanted to identify with that culture not the idiom if you like. I stopped updating it when I could no longer sincerely address the audience due to various frustrations with the scene if you like. That sentiment seems to be shifting though.

Anyways their's alot of atrophy in the college markets as understandably people move on from University. People like Craig Mercer from Jimmy Swift know this well and hit those markets over and over again to keep their name present. Things like their getting the ECMA or a deal with Keith's whatever that really reaffirms my faith in this season. As does what will definitely be Grand Theft Bus' phenomenal album just finished last Sunday. What else, oh of course Nero is just sicker than dirt. I don't think it has been said enough how absolutely sick their post-Phil show was. Leagues beyond anything they've been doing lately at least energy wise. Plus MC Dave was just kicking up a storm on the microphone a welcome break from his 'Hi we're Nero' crowd hyper.

Seeing the Fat Cats lately really reaffirmed my faith in this scene as well. I would put Nero and them pretty damn close to my top two bands in the country and I'm essentially an East Coaster so that's saying alot. Would love to see more connection between the West and the East. Everyone should go out and support Guerilla Funk Monster on their way through from Calgary. Or catch any sick show Upstream puts on in Vancouver.

That's about it really. There's also something to be said for the lack of ethnic and demographic diversity in our scene. Honestly how many persons of colour do you see at shows, and how many people couldn't be described as middle, upper middle or even upper class. Still it's an exciting time for music both looking forward and looking back and the walls are starting to come down. We need a few good ambassadors to the straight world and that'll be a start.