OK so after having no job I forgot about this little blog here, even though I think Mark is the only guy who's ever read it, oh well. But what everybody in highly evolved seried of inter-connecting databases should know is that White Owl is dead.
For anybody that would care we aren't breaking up but dropping that name as soon as possible, i.e. decide on a better name. When our record comes out it will not be under the White Owl name it will be under our new one. White Owl was something of a compromise in the beginning. Mike, our drummer, wanted to be called "The White Owls", I liked the idea of just "White Owl" and Lindsey never liked either but refused to come up with anything better so we just went with it.
Well 2 years later we have decided that the name sucks and if we're gonna take this to the next level in the fall we needed a name that if you put it in a search engine doesn't come up with a billion things not to do with our band. Plus there's enough Owl bands out there, we're not even the only Owl band in town for Christ's sake.
We got a show coming up at Funky Winker Beans on Aug 30 which will probably be the last show as White Owl. Plus we'll be playing a batch of new songs, new kinda sound but still in the same range. Some of it is very Kraut, some of it is very groove centred droney. Plus a new cover!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Are Gambling and Poverty Really Connected?
I am unemployed right now, it sucks I hate it. For the first time in my "adult" life I haven't had to go to work 5 days a week for close to 40 hours a week, and I've never wanted to gamble more. I don't know if there is some inherent connection to not knowing when you're going to get another real paycheck, and wanting to risk all you do have for the Big Dirty. Take for instance what would be my favorite way to gamble, sports betting.
I like to think I know a fair bit about sports, and thus obviously think I could make a killing betting on sports, even though my brain tells me the system is rigged so if you play enough you can't come out ahead, just like Keno. The sport in which I would say I have the best chance of winning on is MMA. This past Wednesday the UFC aired a free event on Spike TV in which they televised 4 bouts. The undercard had another 7 bouts I believe but am currently too lazy to check. Well UFC.COM has a free fantasy pool, which I have been playing in for the past year and half or so. given an average of 16 events per year I figure I have entered my picks for 20 events give or take a couple. Only once have my picks been below 50%. Their pool requires you also pick how it will end, also in what round and time. 2 Times I have placed in the top 20 which means they send me a free shirt, an octogon mouse pad (anybody want one? i have extra) keychains, stupid shit like that. Last week's event I correctly pick he winner in every bout, and all I could think off is why won't Canada let me bet on this. I literally would only have to work part time. I realize once odds are factored into the equation it gets a little more complicated.
If I had $1000.00 to bet on fights with, I know I could make enough money off that to feed myself and probably pay the rent too. Which brought me to this question, why didn't I thnk like this when I had a job?
I like to think I know a fair bit about sports, and thus obviously think I could make a killing betting on sports, even though my brain tells me the system is rigged so if you play enough you can't come out ahead, just like Keno. The sport in which I would say I have the best chance of winning on is MMA. This past Wednesday the UFC aired a free event on Spike TV in which they televised 4 bouts. The undercard had another 7 bouts I believe but am currently too lazy to check. Well UFC.COM has a free fantasy pool, which I have been playing in for the past year and half or so. given an average of 16 events per year I figure I have entered my picks for 20 events give or take a couple. Only once have my picks been below 50%. Their pool requires you also pick how it will end, also in what round and time. 2 Times I have placed in the top 20 which means they send me a free shirt, an octogon mouse pad (anybody want one? i have extra) keychains, stupid shit like that. Last week's event I correctly pick he winner in every bout, and all I could think off is why won't Canada let me bet on this. I literally would only have to work part time. I realize once odds are factored into the equation it gets a little more complicated.
If I had $1000.00 to bet on fights with, I know I could make enough money off that to feed myself and probably pay the rent too. Which brought me to this question, why didn't I thnk like this when I had a job?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Release the Neil Young Archives Part 2:Importance
How many artists have enough material to even consider a project of this magnitude? Try and think of a couple that exist in the Pop category, sorry no Miles Davis or John Coltrane sets, I'm talking about top 40 stuff here. In my limited amount of time I came up with a couple. Bob Dylan, Guided By Voices, Johnny Cash, and maybe some sort of all encompassing Lou Barlow project. Bob Dylan gets a vote because he has been releasing the "bootleg" series for a while and because you know he probably has a bunch of half assed demos from the early days when half of the album would be covers. Guided By Voices because as Robert Pollard once said, and I'm paraphrasing at best, "I can write 3 songs while sitting in the john, and 1 of them is good". Johnny Cash got a vote because well he was around forever and he recorded 100's of songs with Rick Rubin that never got released, and very few artists live material translate as well as his. Lou well, he has been involved in Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, Folk Implosion, and the numerous Sentridoh releases which were Lou solo. If you could complie all of his material as well as a shit load more of his unreleased stuff and demos which I'm sure there are plenty then maybe you could come together with a 40 disc set, but probably not.
I think Neil is the only artist who could actually take on a project of such enormity and sustain intrigue. He has on numerous occasions scrapped entire finished albums. The archives will include according to Neil both the unreleased "Homebrew" and "Chrome Dreams" albums, plus others are rumored to be included as well. One of which is the record that Geffen refused to release in the 80's, which I got to hear, that helped down the road land Neil and Geffen in the court room together, for making music that was wholly uncharacteristic of Neil Young music. Now obviously with any 40 disc project you're going to have a bunch of live material, lucky for us Neil's live albums rival his best studio work. The albums "Rust Never Sleeps" and "Tonight's The Night" are considered that, albums, while being comprised mostly of live performances, with both featuring frequent studio overdubs. The fact that Neil was able to put out live records with original never before released material and be the definitive versions of the song says alot of his and Crazy Horse's ability to bang that shit out live.
The other factor making this an important project, is that I hope other artists take a cue from Neil and take control of their own archives. Neil has been employing someone to take care and organize everything about Neil Young's career whether it be storage of tape reels, master tapes, file reels of his own movies like Human Highway, featuring Devo in acting and performing roles, concert posters, photographs, original handwritten lyrics, and of course all this stuff needs to be taken care off or we'd lose it forever. My only hope is that it's located in a bunker underground and guarded by a fucking pack of rabid Tigers because if this place gets robbed, or struck by lightning Neil's legacy is fucked. But that's beside the point, my point is that he is going to set a new standard for how the music buying public will expect their heroes to be honoured. No more will a 4 cd box set even seem relevant. Gone are the days when a group who received the tremendous honour of the hard to come by 5 disc treatment feel privelaged, they'll feel feel jealeous that the NYA's cock is 35 discs longer.
And for the occasionally obsessive geek like me who wants to hear every note played by his favorite musicians that is what I really hope happens. CD's are dead technology I guess but what I do hope happens is that the NYA with the loaded Blu Ray discs give the fans who are intested in buying a physical product a chance for a new way of doing things. Interactive menus with music files located in an interesting manner can enhance the overall experience of the music and provide artists with a new way of impacting it's audience or relaying their vision. Neil is the first person I've heard that is using the full capabilities of the technology at his disposal. Once the world gets to see what he's been up to we may see the whole industry change their buisness model away from MP3's which they hate, and go into Blu Ray. For all of you who think I am making too big a deal of this, just remember, the man's only been working on this for the last ohh 20 years or so.
I think Neil is the only artist who could actually take on a project of such enormity and sustain intrigue. He has on numerous occasions scrapped entire finished albums. The archives will include according to Neil both the unreleased "Homebrew" and "Chrome Dreams" albums, plus others are rumored to be included as well. One of which is the record that Geffen refused to release in the 80's, which I got to hear, that helped down the road land Neil and Geffen in the court room together, for making music that was wholly uncharacteristic of Neil Young music. Now obviously with any 40 disc project you're going to have a bunch of live material, lucky for us Neil's live albums rival his best studio work. The albums "Rust Never Sleeps" and "Tonight's The Night" are considered that, albums, while being comprised mostly of live performances, with both featuring frequent studio overdubs. The fact that Neil was able to put out live records with original never before released material and be the definitive versions of the song says alot of his and Crazy Horse's ability to bang that shit out live.
The other factor making this an important project, is that I hope other artists take a cue from Neil and take control of their own archives. Neil has been employing someone to take care and organize everything about Neil Young's career whether it be storage of tape reels, master tapes, file reels of his own movies like Human Highway, featuring Devo in acting and performing roles, concert posters, photographs, original handwritten lyrics, and of course all this stuff needs to be taken care off or we'd lose it forever. My only hope is that it's located in a bunker underground and guarded by a fucking pack of rabid Tigers because if this place gets robbed, or struck by lightning Neil's legacy is fucked. But that's beside the point, my point is that he is going to set a new standard for how the music buying public will expect their heroes to be honoured. No more will a 4 cd box set even seem relevant. Gone are the days when a group who received the tremendous honour of the hard to come by 5 disc treatment feel privelaged, they'll feel feel jealeous that the NYA's cock is 35 discs longer.
And for the occasionally obsessive geek like me who wants to hear every note played by his favorite musicians that is what I really hope happens. CD's are dead technology I guess but what I do hope happens is that the NYA with the loaded Blu Ray discs give the fans who are intested in buying a physical product a chance for a new way of doing things. Interactive menus with music files located in an interesting manner can enhance the overall experience of the music and provide artists with a new way of impacting it's audience or relaying their vision. Neil is the first person I've heard that is using the full capabilities of the technology at his disposal. Once the world gets to see what he's been up to we may see the whole industry change their buisness model away from MP3's which they hate, and go into Blu Ray. For all of you who think I am making too big a deal of this, just remember, the man's only been working on this for the last ohh 20 years or so.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Release the Neil Young Archives Part 1:Anticipation
I don't know about you guys but I've been hearing about the Neil Young Archives forthcoming box set since I was too young to remember. But it wasn't until the label started releasing online trailers, and Young himself started doing interviews on the content that I started to believe it wouldn't be too long until I could buy it. Well a few years have passed, release dates come and gone, tears have been shed, and he's released 3 cd's of content that are going to be included in said box. Now in case you weren't aware Neil has been releasing what has deemed "important" live albums from the early period of his career and on the spines of these albums is a NYA and corresponding number, to indicate which # it is in the box set. Now the original idea was that these cd's would have an empty place in the box, you could buy these live shows on their own if you didn't want to spring for a 10 cd box set.
10 CD BOX SET? sounds crazy right? but the insane fan boy in me thought I could handle that no problem, I have every solo album he's released and there isn't a dud in the catalogue if you ask me. I think the man puts enough of himself in every song or tells a good story on enough of the songs on every album that even if his music starts to sound the same the lyrics get me off in a different way. Or I can listen to an album like "Landing On Water" and the production is so unique that it draws me in, And of course the album that was pronounced dead on release, that was given such horrible reviews upon it's initial birth that you just knew that the all the art kids would teach themselves to love it. When I was 19 I remember going to Vancouver to order it from the then gloriousness that was A&B Sound on Seymour. It was an import, which I thought was weird, the only distributor was from Germany, somehow it all seemed to makes sense. I was infatuated with the man then and my passion for the guy hasn't faded a bit since then. So 10 CD's wasn't a problem for me.
Then something I could only dream of happened, it was revealed that the 10 disc box set would only cover up to the early 70's worth of material. and that the Archives box would be released in 4 volumes, each with 10 discs! and according to the newest interviews it won't even be released on CD but on DVD audio and Blu-Ray disc. The remastering of the music has been so extensive that Neil only wants it to be released in the highest audio formats available. There will be "Easter eggs" hidden throughout the dvd's. There will be whole albums that were scrapped, including the infamous "Homebrew" album, plus rumours that "Tine Fades Away" would see it's first digital release in second volume of the Archives set. Now I ain't the biggest Neil Young fan in the world I am not one of those guys, I listen to a couple other artists as well.
As the next instalment of why the Archives need to be released will explain, after these are made available to me there may be nobody else I need to listen to.
10 CD BOX SET? sounds crazy right? but the insane fan boy in me thought I could handle that no problem, I have every solo album he's released and there isn't a dud in the catalogue if you ask me. I think the man puts enough of himself in every song or tells a good story on enough of the songs on every album that even if his music starts to sound the same the lyrics get me off in a different way. Or I can listen to an album like "Landing On Water" and the production is so unique that it draws me in, And of course the album that was pronounced dead on release, that was given such horrible reviews upon it's initial birth that you just knew that the all the art kids would teach themselves to love it. When I was 19 I remember going to Vancouver to order it from the then gloriousness that was A&B Sound on Seymour. It was an import, which I thought was weird, the only distributor was from Germany, somehow it all seemed to makes sense. I was infatuated with the man then and my passion for the guy hasn't faded a bit since then. So 10 CD's wasn't a problem for me.
Then something I could only dream of happened, it was revealed that the 10 disc box set would only cover up to the early 70's worth of material. and that the Archives box would be released in 4 volumes, each with 10 discs! and according to the newest interviews it won't even be released on CD but on DVD audio and Blu-Ray disc. The remastering of the music has been so extensive that Neil only wants it to be released in the highest audio formats available. There will be "Easter eggs" hidden throughout the dvd's. There will be whole albums that were scrapped, including the infamous "Homebrew" album, plus rumours that "Tine Fades Away" would see it's first digital release in second volume of the Archives set. Now I ain't the biggest Neil Young fan in the world I am not one of those guys, I listen to a couple other artists as well.
As the next instalment of why the Archives need to be released will explain, after these are made available to me there may be nobody else I need to listen to.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
And You will Know us By The Trail Of Revolving Band Members
Caught the Trail of Dead show last night and I have to say even though the performance was exactly what I've come to expect from them, this was the sixth time I've seen them, It no longer feels like it's the same band.
When they came out with those first 3 albums, and even he underated Secret of... EP, They were were one of my 5 favorite bands. They had 4 guys in the band 3 of which sangand wrote there own songs, and the other just stood there acting super fucking unfazed by the chaos around him. When Mark left the band I was really disappointed, I really liked the dynamic they had all sharing vocals. At the show last night I think they played 2 Jason songs which as always were highlights as that guy has some serious power in his throat and likes to sing surrounded by people.
Going to see a band that at tiems had 10 people on stage is great but it isn't what the real Trail of Dead were for me. It was 4 friends playing these super technical songs with reckless abandon on stage and being in close contact with the band. The original line up jst felt a lot more personal I guess.
Conrad's vocals last night were by far the best I've ever heard live. The 2 drummer thing has lost the novelty to me now after seeing them 3 times this way. The fact is the drums in Trail of Dead tracks are usually abnormally heavy on snare rolls and cymbal bashing and with 2 drummers it washes out the impact I think. Although the 2 drummers facing each other and playing does make for really cool visuals I admit.
I like the fact that they shoot for stars with there band, I just wish they would concentrate on hitting taking their records to tha level again as the last few have been far inferior to original line ups. Conrad you're awesome, but let Jason sing some fucking songs man!
When they came out with those first 3 albums, and even he underated Secret of... EP, They were were one of my 5 favorite bands. They had 4 guys in the band 3 of which sangand wrote there own songs, and the other just stood there acting super fucking unfazed by the chaos around him. When Mark left the band I was really disappointed, I really liked the dynamic they had all sharing vocals. At the show last night I think they played 2 Jason songs which as always were highlights as that guy has some serious power in his throat and likes to sing surrounded by people.
Going to see a band that at tiems had 10 people on stage is great but it isn't what the real Trail of Dead were for me. It was 4 friends playing these super technical songs with reckless abandon on stage and being in close contact with the band. The original line up jst felt a lot more personal I guess.
Conrad's vocals last night were by far the best I've ever heard live. The 2 drummer thing has lost the novelty to me now after seeing them 3 times this way. The fact is the drums in Trail of Dead tracks are usually abnormally heavy on snare rolls and cymbal bashing and with 2 drummers it washes out the impact I think. Although the 2 drummers facing each other and playing does make for really cool visuals I admit.
I like the fact that they shoot for stars with there band, I just wish they would concentrate on hitting taking their records to tha level again as the last few have been far inferior to original line ups. Conrad you're awesome, but let Jason sing some fucking songs man!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Demian Maia
I am extremely excited at the prospect of Mixed Martial Artist Demian Maia. This is a guy who's success goes against everything that is supposed to be true in the modern era of MMA. Maia's stated numerous times he wants to show everybody you can win your fight without inflicting any prolonged pain to your opponent. As a 2 time world Brazilian Jiu-jitsu champion he uses his chokes to perfection winning his 5 fights in the UFC all by submission, with 4 of those earning him submission of the night honours.
But what makes me so excited about this guy is that he is a Martial Artist in the truest sense. He has no desire to go out and punch people in the face and cut opponent's faces up with elbows, he justs wants to prove his style of combat is better than yours. Which is also why I salivate with anticipation everytime Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida prepares to compete. Machida though while incorporating BJJ into his game, has shown a propensity to stand and strike with his opponents. I like a good knockout as much as the next guy, but what I like even more is a guy who can knock you out, be respectful, and not talk trash like some of the idiots they put on TV.
While Maia may not be a world champion right now, or ever, it really doesn't matter, his success at least gives these athletes a guy they can look to and model themselves after if they choose. George St. Pierre is probably the best role model MMA has in terms of acting and behaving like a professional athlete because is at the pinnacle, world champion, one of the most beloved and Sportsnet's Canadian Athlete of the Year for 2008, Demian Maia in my opinion is a more interesting case study in how people will take to a guy who almost refuses to hurt his opponents in a sport that is as blood thirsty as is gets, sorry I mean "As Real As It Gets!"
My biggest grievence with MMA is that too many of the people competing in North America are wrestlers who are looking to keep competing after their collegiate careers end. It makes for a lot of guys who want to prove they aren't just wrestlers and stand on there feet and bang it out, while not only looking like a "So You Think You're Tough?" event, it belittles proficient strikers who have studied long and hard to perfect technique that because of the small size of the gloves use in MMA can get caught a lot easier with a punch. Then I have to hear people talk about how Tim Sylvia is a better striker than Andre Arlovski because he caught Andrei with 1 big punch in their second fight, and used an abnormal reach advantage to out point him in their third fight. Just watch both of them throw a punch and you can tell who has more skill!
And as I watch Demian Maia right now, all I think is there seems to be no one else in MMA with the ability to tell the guy what you are going to do before the fightand pull it off still, and that my friends is skill.
But what makes me so excited about this guy is that he is a Martial Artist in the truest sense. He has no desire to go out and punch people in the face and cut opponent's faces up with elbows, he justs wants to prove his style of combat is better than yours. Which is also why I salivate with anticipation everytime Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida prepares to compete. Machida though while incorporating BJJ into his game, has shown a propensity to stand and strike with his opponents. I like a good knockout as much as the next guy, but what I like even more is a guy who can knock you out, be respectful, and not talk trash like some of the idiots they put on TV.
While Maia may not be a world champion right now, or ever, it really doesn't matter, his success at least gives these athletes a guy they can look to and model themselves after if they choose. George St. Pierre is probably the best role model MMA has in terms of acting and behaving like a professional athlete because is at the pinnacle, world champion, one of the most beloved and Sportsnet's Canadian Athlete of the Year for 2008, Demian Maia in my opinion is a more interesting case study in how people will take to a guy who almost refuses to hurt his opponents in a sport that is as blood thirsty as is gets, sorry I mean "As Real As It Gets!"
My biggest grievence with MMA is that too many of the people competing in North America are wrestlers who are looking to keep competing after their collegiate careers end. It makes for a lot of guys who want to prove they aren't just wrestlers and stand on there feet and bang it out, while not only looking like a "So You Think You're Tough?" event, it belittles proficient strikers who have studied long and hard to perfect technique that because of the small size of the gloves use in MMA can get caught a lot easier with a punch. Then I have to hear people talk about how Tim Sylvia is a better striker than Andre Arlovski because he caught Andrei with 1 big punch in their second fight, and used an abnormal reach advantage to out point him in their third fight. Just watch both of them throw a punch and you can tell who has more skill!
And as I watch Demian Maia right now, all I think is there seems to be no one else in MMA with the ability to tell the guy what you are going to do before the fightand pull it off still, and that my friends is skill.
Monday, February 16, 2009
What to expect
So in the coming weeks I'l be posting about movies I think not enough people have seen, concerts I've attended, and a detailed write up on why the Neil Young archives need to be released soon!
I'm also going to post about sports. Now I know a lot of my associates are going to think I'm a "loser" for being a Mixed Martial Arts fan. well...fuck that. Everybody loves Shogun Assassin right? While being a fan of MMA I have endured my fair share of ribbing, but I don't care. This is my shit and I'm not gonna write about every show at the Biltmore tis week because there are plenty of you guys out there doing that shit for us already.
I honestly have no real purpose for this thing, other than I read a lot of peoples blogs and wish I read one that entailed more than music or movies or sports or the daily events of life in Vancouver
I'm also going to post about sports. Now I know a lot of my associates are going to think I'm a "loser" for being a Mixed Martial Arts fan. well...fuck that. Everybody loves Shogun Assassin right? While being a fan of MMA I have endured my fair share of ribbing, but I don't care. This is my shit and I'm not gonna write about every show at the Biltmore tis week because there are plenty of you guys out there doing that shit for us already.
I honestly have no real purpose for this thing, other than I read a lot of peoples blogs and wish I read one that entailed more than music or movies or sports or the daily events of life in Vancouver
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)