Tungsten Gruvsten

funny thing Phishtaper - that 93 Hillside was my first, with Rheostatics playing, then backing Jane Siberry as the headliner...I talked to a couple people about that after I clued in that Jane was Issa and vice versa...neat!

yeah i hear ya - move my phone over to Rogers or move my internet over to Bell. Both seem equally bad but one bill would be nice...

Lotsa surprise goodness this year – this isn’t complete of course and I simply cannot convey how freaking crazy the rain and lightning was on Sunday with text(it hit so close once the entire food tent collectively dropped their utensils and yelled ‘FUCK’ like it had been rehearsed!!) but this is what I’ve managed to throw together at work! Friday: Got there just in time for Birthday boys and a few beers with friends – they were good(uh the beers, friends and BBoys…) but early enough in the weekend I really don’t remember a lot…Hung out for awhile and sauntered over to the other stage to get under the tent for Rock Plaza Central – these guys didn’t grab me too much(sloppy first few songs) but once they got going…wheweee good stuff!! Took the crowd to some cool places. After that it was back to the other beer tent (I think I *glanced* at the main stage all weekend!) for USS and some packed tent shenanigans…a few sound problems but they got the place rocking…lots of stage antics and dnb beats. Sidenote: We drove back and forth to my place in town over the weekend – originally the price of camping had been doubled this year and we opted out, only to find out they received so many complaints that they changed it back…too late for us as we were well on our way with Plan B….and after the sheer amount of rain this turned out to be a blessing since camping would have been –challenging- to say the least. I had some friends coming from out of town and one had a bum knee so it was probably for the best – and I must say I smelled friggin great on Sunday – a lady on the shuttle bus even commented on it! So Saturday morning was long and lazy, with Anne T. setting up the household with crepes, fresh fruit, yogourt and cheese for breakfast – fantastic! Add to that some fresh coffee and a shower and we were ready for the day – getting there the site was already a bit muddy and we jumped on a shuttle bus to get down to the island – missed Green Go unfortunately (love em’) but caught a great run of Bruce Peninsula, Treassa Levasseur and Tallboys(Kevin Breit/Matt Brubeck/Jesse Stewart) – by this time Large Marge had shown up and the party had started rockin’!! Several shady below-the-table-beers and a 26’er of Jaggermeister later and we were all hootin’ and hollerin’ for Snappy on the bass during Treassa. Bruce P’s harmonies were incredible and the lead girl has all the grit and spice I can imagine that Janis Joplin had live…Tallboys was simply incredible, probably the best hour of MUSIC I heard all weekend – just in awe. Took a break to get some eats and soak up the beer(pulled pork sandwiches with homemade potato chips!) and got ready for the evening – thank god because it was a helluva run! Timber Timbre – unfortunately I was apparently a little drunk for this one and don’t remember much besides the name. I didn’t leave so it must have been ok! Attack in Black rocked the house! CR Avery had a crazy carnival barker attitude with cool beatboxing and harmonica playing overtop of a great band – fun! Library Voices amazed me with their perfect pop – every song brilliantly executed, and seemingly each better than the last. This was right around where I started losing my voice I think… Woodhands was hands-down THE tent rocker this year – USS made a valiant attempt on Friday night, and they did have the energy, but it was a bit more gimmicky than Woodhands, and definitely not as sonic – that was my 4th or 5th show and finally a big crowd and big P.A. made those old analog synth basses punishing. LOVED IT….but it made me wonder what the poor Arkells were going to do to keep up. The good news is they kept it going after Woodhands, which was no easy feat! What an amazing band. Sunday I stayed in one beer tent with friends for most of the afternoon – started with ‘Dancehall Free for All’ which wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea but were an excellent band – I did miss Dave Bidini(but had a chance to drunkenly apologize to him…jeebus) but I saw lots of ‘Pop Montreal’ bands – Witchies and Clues were great, more pop rock goodness for a rainy afternoon – Popped over to the other beer tent(sorry, by this point I was ’sloshing’ both through the mud at my feet, the beer in my belly and the haze in my head) for Rural Alberta Advantage – these guys really were everything everyone told me they would be – more great rock and ran into a bunch more friends I hadn’t seen in awhile…ate some chow and got ready for the evening – strolled past Great Lake Swimmers on the main stage(loved them at Hillside Inside but a bit slow for me this time) and spaced on Patrick Watson even though everyone told me to go see him. Curse of the main stage. Caught Dave Clark’s hour(12-lane highway) which sees a bunch of people on stage trying to do stuff while he conducts….audience participation, more rain, more beers, then it was Delhi to Dublin – another Tent Rocker that made us all wonder why they weren’t a final act! Killer beats, drumming, violin(damn cute too player too) – not nearly as bad as a celtic/Punjabi hybrid sounded in my mind! After this it was time to skip out…us adults with our Monday AM jobs….our brains had shifted gears to focus on how hard it was going to be to get the car out of the mud pit that used to be a parking lot (about ½ hr and minor amounts of pushing…I only ate a little mud) So – it was one hell of a wet weekend but since our crew was mostly ‘well-seasoned’(and broiled and baked for that matter most of the time) it was no worries! Thanks to Thomson, Marge and others for the good times, special shout out to my man Papa Nasty Snax (who travelled from Korea) for attempting to show his British girlfriend a good time in Canada. She said she could finally stop complaining about British weather! Here’s a video to show how messy it got on Sunday… …pay particular attention around the 37 second mark…..jeebus!

yup. confirmed that was a freaking blast NW!

and an addendum - apparently the GRCA got enough complaints that they are reverting back to allowing 2 tents on each site again....sigh...douchebaggery.

Bummer I won't see you folks there - I'll do some asking around but did you put them up on the Hillside msg board with a phone #?? I unloaded tickets superfast that way last year...

friggin FAQ is hilarious!

This is Roxy...technically my stepdog now I guess or whatever but she was mine for 6.5 years... ...miss her tons

Wow - just found out that they are only allowing one tent per overflow site(read: patch of grass) and at $28/night, It pretty well doubles your price of admission. Ass Pirates. Plan B is probably shuttle bus or driving back into town - with 4 tents that's a lotta cash that can be spent more wisely in the beer tents...

magical night on our home turf...first tour of duty with NW!

See ya there bud! Thomson, myself and some other locals and foreigners will be setting up in overflow!

parking his car in my laneway basically while he has a disposal bin in his...it's technically his 'property' but the right of way adjustment decision makes it a driveway for my property use....it's in the Ward on Alice St, it's like this down the whole street... I've given him the details of the right of way and am waiting for him to make his move - can't simply tow him, probably have to opt for a cease and desist then litigation. Weird thing is i've parked there for 4 years!!! sheesh.

Cause my neighbors being a douche and I have enough shit on my plate already. Not looking for advice, looking for legal counsel and probably a cease and desist letter. The short story: My tiny ass shitty laneway(Toronto style between two houses) is a 'Right of Way' on my neighbors property. The city has a Committee of Adjustment Decision in my favour on file showing the right of way, as does the property deed. My neighbor unfortunately has a cock where his brain should be, and is going to force me to use money to take said cock and shove it up his ass wrapped in paperwork. The city/police do not enforce these types of zoning issues. Contact me if interested or know someone - doesn't have to be in Guelph necessarily(at least I don't think so...)

Happy Birthday Mark!

...that's personal rocking out, not bar rocking out!! Thanks for the mix KK!!

good god people that's it? This is the hard rock that a couple of generations cut their teeth on! He isn't DJ'ing a friggin' Poison show here... If yer feeling lazy put on the 'Who Made Who' soundtrack - at least it's almost a greatest hits...I don't actively listen to AC/DC anymore(ok, ok the odd drunken cranking of Back in Black) but it isn't that hard to put together a killer list... You Shook Me All Night Long** Back in Black For Those About To Rock Highway to Hell If You Want Blood Thunderstruck(really how the hell was this missed!!!) Have a Drink On Me Jailbreak Big Balls TNT Rock and Roll ain't Noise Pollution It's a Long Way to the Top Shoot to Thrill Money Talks Rock and Roll Train That's the Way I wanna Rock and Roll*** **this song makes cougars go crazy! ***dudes rock out!

Holy shit i'm late! Happy bday from me and the pits - wish I could give you a big squishy hug ya big hunk a man ya...

KW Bookstore on King(near victoria/water) or whatever Shakedown St. is now has them in Kitch...not sure about Cambridge...

I thought it was a hippy shaking it's hips..like a hula dancer only with a Jerry bear t-shirt and birks...

Whew! I thought it was because I was sober...hehehe

Wasn't there but I listened to the Frankenstein last night(fave cover) and it was...uh, brutal.

I headbutted the fridge while trying to get a coffee. Multiple problems there with the door being closed and coffee being hot.

good christ i'm all 3...

I"m partly there on the last of my american beers from the phish/states trip... And Jaybone, right there with you - I got up at 7am and have been workign in the attic ever since...took a break to go over to a buddies house and drink beer around 3 and ended up helping him rewire his kitchen...came back home to pick up where I left off around 8...going a bit slower now!