I Don't Even -

Disclaimer: I will, from now on, do my best to avoid self-pitying complaints about being behind and dropping the ball etc etc. Lame and lamer. Suck it up, buttercup.

Tons of pictures because I don't know how many Posts I've missed! Sleep depravation because I'm a still a crazy voluntary insomniac! Possibly more sleep depravation because I may be getting hired as a full-time baker at Bubby Rose's (which means I will be a REAL baker, not a "faker" as we call ourselves at CG)! Lots of joy and beer because the semester is completely done for the summer! (Note also lots of riding bikes and lounging in the sun)

Also lots of shows, I hope. Vancouver folks - I'm playing at the Kits Wired Monk this coming Wednesday (the 27th). Something about a fundraiser for European handball. I don't even know. So stoked for the city. June 24th and 25th: West My Friend is playing at Campbell Bay Fest again. Also! We have actual, physical, real-life CDs now! Seriously! If you want one, let me know and I can hook you up. Five bucks gets you a hand-made, stamped, glue-and-plastic-free CD sleeve with Homesick Blues, Angels In The City, The Crow, and Tic-a-Toc. We've been told by many sources that, apparently, we sound pretty swell, so it could probably be in your best interest to head over to our Myspace to give said tracks a listen.

That was extremely rambling and crammed and poorly formatted, but y'all can just deal with it. Lot of info and I'm tired from earlier-mentioned "sleep" patterns and hiking (*cough* scrambling *cough*) up Mt Doug this afternoon. Enjoy the enormous picture pile!



























And because they disabled embedding, here is the fantastic video of "Blackout" from Muse's Live At Wembley DVD. Continue enjoying!

"Blackout, Live At Wembley Stadium"

Why We Play

What do the following people have in common?







They (in order of appearance: Pat M'Gonigle, Ollie Swain, Jenny Ritter, Elise Boeur and Meg Iredale, and Ryan, Taylor, and Adam from Fish & Bird) are all musicians from Victoria whom I've seen at a variety of places and for whom I have nothing but awe and the utmost respect.

I was making music with all of them until almost 4 AM last night at Adam's house in Fairfield.

Adam invited us (the band) to a big family party/gathering at his house after the show on Saturday, and when I stepped into their house, I have never felt so much character, love, and music in one place before. Ages ranged from me to folks easily in their sixties. Musicians ranged from casual to a quick who's who of young Victoria folk giants. A jam session of traditionals and originals opened in the middle of the house, and it kept going until a friend and I were the last to leave at 4 AM after helping Adam and his dad clean up.

Before a couple days ago, I never would've imagined that I would be up 'til the wee hours of the morning playing and laughing with musicians like that. I can keep pinching myself. I can keep feeling my finger calluses and blisters. I can say the words "fucking," "amazing," and "magical" until the cows come home. It is for times like that I play music, and it is simply not possible for me to convey how I felt while being with them all.

I don't know how to close this because I'm STILL smiling from last night, so I will suggest you do what I'm doing right now and just listen to all their music (names are linked after the photos). :)

Sunday Post

Holy posted on time, Batman!

So I'm gettin'er in nice and early today. Last night we (West My Friend) had the sheer honour and delight to share the stage with Fish & Bird, and suffice to say, it was AMAZING. Our good friend Shelder opened the night with a four-song set, and then we had the stage for ten. Biggest crowd we've played for yet, and the vast majority were new faces. Feedback was good and yeah, we're excited :)

And then Fish & Bird played, and for those of you who are familiar with Fish & Bird, there really doesn't need to be any more explanation than "they played a show." True to form, they were amazing. Two encores, and then everyone went off on their merry way into the night. I love Life.

Now I'm settlin' in for five days of madness from work and church and going NOCTURNAL FOR THREE DAYS. That's right, folks - nocturnal. Managers've got Kevin and I baking dinner buns on graveyard shifts for the clusterfuck that is Christmastime in a grocery store. Ahwell. Last night is Thursday night, then church Pageant on Friday night, and then I'm back visiting the family on the mainland for a few days. Long week indeed.

Have a good one, everyone. Be Happy :)













Treat. Enjoy. :)

Golden February

I still get goosebumps whenever I watch this. I'm becoming increasingly more aware and sympathetic to the fact that this entire country is basically built on land that was killed for and stolen from people who are still here, but fuck, I still love my home.

I don't really know what else to say about this. I'm not a fantastic writer - I can't describe it how I'd like to. Suffice to say, I think this was and still is magical to everyone who saw it.

Not to mention I didn't actually see the minute or so following the goal, as I was too busy jumping and screaming and yelling along with EVERYONE at Smuggler's Cove to watch the screen. Everyone was just hunched and wound completely to their wit's end (hell, I was actually half-hiding under my flag), and when that goal went in, the place exploded. Everyone, and I mean everyone, leaped. Fists pumped. Flags waved. The table beside us flipped.

Oh Canada.

This was the best CTV clip I could find, but embedding's disabled, so how d'ya do.

Global perspective:

Joy. Sheer Joy.

I don't think there's anything that really needs to be said about this.

I recommend muting the video and putting on your favourite song. If it doesn't make your heart flutter, you probably have no soul. (and as usual, watch on youtube for full, big-screen HD buttery goodness)

Recyclart

Evenin', all. Couldn't put off sharing this.

Best find of a long time. Today was going great, and then I got home and found a pair of bloody amazing websites (it was a similar day to this one, back in May).

First up: Recyclart. Pretty much what it sounds like - lots of people making beautiful, cool, and crazy things out of... well, pretty much anything and everything (see this guy making a shed out of old car panels). Some more great things: this, this, and these.

Second on the docket, and quite possible even more zany and neat because it's just two young guns doing the work: 01Mathery. "Two Young Designers - One Idea a Day" is the goal, and holy shit do they deliver. Similar concept to Recyclart, except everything here is a lot more accessibly DIY and thus a lot cooler IMO. Not gonna bother with highlights because everything is fucking gold. Be sure to check out their expansion site, 02Mathery.

And to fill out more reasons why my day was awesome:





Those pots are full of pasta and freshly-made sauce, the light in the apartment was just beautiful, and I had Nashville Skyline on the turntable all afternoon. I've always said that if the worst I've got to complain about is unrequited love, then I've got things pretty good. Today was solid proof. Have a beautiful Thursday.

Ride

I gave Eden a call on Monday; I had the idea that we'd grab our guitar and mandolin and go biking around town to find beautiful places to play music (ie. tunnels on the Lochside/Goose; under the Gorge Narrows bridge). Turns out she was on Mayne Island for Thanksgiving at her roommate's parents' house. She was on a boat back at lunchtime though, so she suggested I ride up the Lochside, meet her on the way and then ride back down together. Of course I said yes - you'd be stupid not to, considering how beautiful the Trail is on any sunny day and ESPECIALLY in the Fall. I dusted off my camera, tossed some apricots in my pannier and went out the door.

I made it all the way to the southern limit of Sidney before we met up. Aside from the headwind on the way back (fucking headwinds), it was magnificent to say the least.



(Okay, so I didn't take TONS of pictures [20 total], but I thought it was an accomplishment, seeing as the last two sets of photos in my folder are dated September 11 and June 18. Urg.)

Two-Wheel Tales

I swear this is not just to piss off Becca's dad :P

Anyway, because I don't think I can ever get tired of writing about bicycles and warm'n'fuzzy moments in life, I think I'm gonna start posting little story columns about extraordinary things that happen while I'm biking around Victoria (I say "extraordinary" 'cause, quite frankly, I love every second I'm biking around Victoria, so I'm only going to relate to y'all the out-of-the-ordinary happenings). Maybe convince some of you out-of-town hosers to come visit/live :P

Last night we had our regular band practice, which is always great for a number of reasons. One, I love playing with my band; two, we always have a cozy potluck dinner before practice; three, we've got a bassist now and it sounds awesome; and four, I almost always ride home with Eden. Normally the two of us cut through campus and head out Henderson to downtown, but last night we decided to go around Ring Road the wrong way on the sidewalk (such rebels). Anyway, just before we got to the exit off Ring, three other cyclists came down the other path and pulled out onto Ring just before we did, and as they did I thought to myself "heeeey, that red fixie in the back and that short girl in the front look familiar;" sure enough, it's our friends Casey and Amy and Andrew. We ride up and the five of us have a great, cheery ride most of the way back home before Eden and I take our seperate turn off; it was great 'cause I almost never see the three of them anymore - Casey's out of school and I only ever really saw Amy and Andrew in Chamber Singers (although really, Amy's in my theory class, so I really oughta keep up more often). In any case, it was great treat seeing them all again, especially on something so warm'n'fuzzy as a bike trip.

Yet another score for the bike coaltiion. As I said to Eden right after we said goodnight to the Three and went down Haultain, "see, you just can't do that in a car."


And this is where I find myself wishing that I did have some swell bike pictures a la Cycle Chic, but I don't, so here's a video about a cheeky campaign that's been going on in Malmo, Sweden.

No ridiculous car trips from Martin Lang on Vimeo.

Ride a bike - put the fun between your legs! (or, alternatively, less gas more ass.)

Surreal

Beautiful merger with Nature on the way home from work. Detoured to Saxe Point and basked in the full moon over the ocean for a bit; literally no clouds across the strait so you could see Port Angeles and even the mountain outlines because of the moonlight. On the way back to Esquimalt Road I noticed a young buck standing under a streetlight (young buck as in a deer - no euphemisms here, people); naturally, I decided to investigate - joy of bicycles, my friends.

Of course, the buck took off when I neared, but as it did, around eight or nine other deer bounded out from behind some parked cars and lawns and started running with the original buck. I suddenly found myself riding about five feet behind and at pace with a small herd of deer; the only sounds were the whir from my chain and the thuds from their hooves. We ran/rode together for maybe half a block before they finally clued in to the whole "pursuit" thing and split off onto yards until there was just one doe, and then she trotted off onto another yard on my left. It was just my Bike and I again.

And then around a corner there were two racoons beating the shit out of each other.

The Wild, man.


And now, the Other Point for writing the post: a late-night song. I've posted versions of this song twice now, I think (very first post, if I recall correctly!), and you know that that means it's damn good. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Lisa Hannigan. Again.

One video viewer commented that her voice "massages that place of your brain where only coffee and hot showers can reach;" I have read few youtube comments that are truer than this - Lisa's singing and songs fill me with nothing but a delightfully mellow warmth, like a Girl sitting beside you under a blanket with a steaming cup of cocoa on a winter's day. Lengthy description, yes, but necessary for establishing sensation. Have a fine night (because it's 1 AM and I am crazy).

Sunday Post

Mornin' y'all. Hope the weekends are good - mine sure is. Two opening shifts in a row, which translates into getting to work at 4:30 AM and then having the entire store to myself (almost) and baking for ages. There is little more satisfying, to me, than wandering out onto the floor with my arms almost overflowing with fresh, still-hot loaves.

Got taken to Madrona Farm for the first time yesterday, too. Eden, Lisi and I headed out for some blackberries after I got off work, and we were settling in for some good free berries until Farmer Dave told us we had to do some work in exchange for berry pickin': we had to play a couple characters in a Scooby-Doo-themed mystery hunt for a kids' birthday party. Awesome. (except Lisi had to leave and missed out - harsh). Eden and I went back to the berries afterwards and picked close to a dozen tubs/jars/containers/etc full, as well as ate enough along the way to give me some pretty intense stomach gripes. Went to my new place (henceforth Prior House) to freeze my berries - we ain't got room in the one at my current residence. Hung out with new roomie #1 (Vanessa) and Eden and cooked up some corn, then eventually split and had a wonderfully leisurely ride back to Cadboro Bay. I already adore the new place; it's right between downtown and school, and the neighbourhood is beautiful for biking - there are quite a few streets that stretch fair distances with very calm traffic or even no traffic and a couple of these gorgeous roads lead to equally gorgeous places (cough Fernwood Square cough cough). Suffice to say, I'm havin' a little bit of trouble waiting for Wednesday to arrive so I can get back to Chilliwack to put the last of my stuff in the car to bring back.

Joy. :)

Probably more, but I'm addled by lack of sleep, not to mention there's still probably fermenting blackberries somewhere in my body fuckin' with my brain (not cool when you've been up since 3 AM). Ahwell. "For I have learned, whatsoever state I am in, therewith to be content."














Different kind of treat. I keep coming back to Thrice's "The Alchemy Index" (despite... uncomfortable mental associations), and although it's never really gotten heavy playing time from me, it's truly a fantastic album(s?). It was released in two halves, "Alchemy Index I & II" and "III & IV"; the four albums are then "Fire," "Water," "Air" and "Earth." Obviously concepts and themes factor into each, but what's astounding to me is how much musical ground Thrice covers between the four - each album is pretty damn distinct from the others. Finally - personal favourite - each album closes with a short sonnet piece. Good ol' fourteen line sonnets like we learned in English class, but - the best part - despite each one tying into its' album's theme they all close with a common melody on the ending couplet.

The following is the Air sonnet, "Silver Wings;" here's a link to the song. Tied with "Child of Dust" from Earth for my favourite, so I'll leave it up to you to find that one. Again, highly recommend looking up at least the sonnets, and if you like what you hear, definitely hunt down the rest of the albums. Have a good Sunday!

From tender years you took me for granted,
But still I deigned to wander through your lungs.
While you were sleeping soundly in your bed,
(Your drapes were silver wings, your shutters flung)
I drew the poison from the summer's sting,
And eased the fire out of your fevered skin.
I moved in you and stirred your soul to sing;
And if you'd let me I would move again.
I've danced 'tween sunlit strands of lover's hair;
Helped form the final words before your death.
I've pitied you and plied your sails with air;
Gave blessing when you rose upon my breath.
And after all of this I am amazed,
That I am cursed far more than I am praised.