Song of the Day: Lady Sovereign - Random (Menta Remix)

You Should Get a MBA (Masters of Business Administration)

You're a self starter with a drive for success. You'd make a great entrepreneur.

Song of the Day: Wolf Parade - It's a Curse

Your Birthdate: May 9

You are a born idealist, with more pet causes than you can count. You prefer be around others, both when working and while relaxing. Generous and giving, you believe you can change the world one person at a time. You're open minded and tolerant. People feel like they can tell you anything. Your strength: Your go-with-the-flow flexibility Your weakness: Your flair for the over dramatic Your power color: Pine green Your power symbol: Circle Your power month: September

Song of the Day: Sufjan Stevens - Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland Illinois

I am a horrible horrible friend... why do I even have friends...

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Song of the Day: The Vermicious Knid - Century Soldiers

Seems like the only time I post is after a rock show, but it's the only time where I can seem to conjure an opinion about anything. It just made me think how much I missed out on all the great shows between 2nd and 4th year. Okay, so this show on the eve of a blizzard was really special. The lineup was as follows:

opener: dd/mm/yy
opener: The Sour Keys
headliner: The Vermicious Knid

So like I said, the K-niders are really special to me (an probably anyone else in my area). I still vividly remember meeting the band and all their friends at one of the most memorable life-changing events ever (circa August 2000). I still get excited thinking about how much fun and organic the feeling was just being there sharing your beloved interest of music with a sea of people who were on the same page as you. Anyways, it was an interesting dynamic as I met them as a group of friends opposed to being introduced as a band, so it really puts a perspective on things. From what I could remember, they were really respectful of each other. I still remember one of the guys buying a blue “equestrian” =w= t-shirt that didn’t fit him and all his friends were making him feel good about hot great the shirt was and it didn’t matter if it fit or not.

Anyways, to the show review… Probably my favourite show I’ve seen at the grad house. The three bands rock hard, but the K-nider’s set was more compelling given the circumstances. This show dubbed as a CD release of the new disk, Smalltown Devotion/Hometown Compulsion, as well as a farewell to friends and fans as the band breaks up after several years of crackin’ the music biz from its rigid template of fluffy pop music. The set was just as great as my first time seeing them at the Circus Room in Kitchener in 2001. Tim waves his guitar like a sickle and Brian tip toes across the centre of the stage as if he is dancing on egg shells. The set was entirely from the new album, which is f*ckin’ great. Seriously, go buy it. You won’t be disappointed. I’ve been listening to Century Soldiers for like days now on repeat. Even with a goofy band name as the Knids have, songs like these show great depth in lyrics and interpretation to frustrations of local issues. Take it for what it is… I think it’s a brilliant song. I was rather disappointed that the set was a little on the short side, as they didn’t play anything from the EP or other releases. Tim kept alluding to the Neil Young cover, but rumblings from the crowd and Tim did not surmount to an encore.

After the show, I couldn’t help but talk to the guys. Like I said to them, I grew up with the band in a sense and it’s tragic to see such a genuine group of guys no longer maintaining themselves as a functional musical identity. For me, there was so much more to the Knids than a local musical act. There’s the Ford Plant, the shared moment in 2000, the Steve McGregor’s of the world, and more! What really stuck out in my mind was the timing of this band and the events that were occurring in my life at the time. It was most as if the Knids were background music to the majority of my university experiences. Their show in 2001 changed my perspective on what a great band would sound like. Dave and I still recount the memories of that show of how Ryan would switch in and out of distortion by back-pedaling and slamming on the orange pedal. I recall saying to myself that that was so rock ‘n roll! There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be just as exciting to see as the Knids if I were to be in a band. All this was circulating in my head throughout the night and it ended by me not being able to express how I felt about the band to its members. I didn’t know what else to do, but hug them. Yeah, it was weird, but it just felt right.

Anyways, here’s an article in the Echo of the band’s announcement to call it a day. The interview, so eloquently put by Ryan, summarizes and closes the book in the Vermicious Knid.

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Song of the Day: Wham! - Last Christmas or the Jimmy Eat World Cover of it

So last night was the most surreal concert going experience ever! I've been to a number of shows I don't mind telling you, but last night was definitely something very memorable. The Lineup was as follows:

Opener No. 1: Circa Survive
Opener No. 2: Thrice
Headliner: My Chemical Romance

Like the kool kats that we are, Kerni, Matt, Johny, and myself made a late entrance to an area full of pre-teen/teen meat and purposely missing the majority of Circa Survive's set (I'm sure it was fantastic) . For a second I could have sworn I had entered my high school dance again, but this time I didn't consume and alcohol. So after being ushered to our seats by a John Labatt Centre representative, we were set to watch a rock show from a comfy seat high up in the rafters in and about the 310 section of the area. First of all, I felt weird sitting down at a rock show, but I had prepared myself for this and the oodles of hyper teenaged girls with their high pitched voices cocked and ready to scream at their rockstar hunk on stage. Being that this was a general admission event, we expected to be one of the older folk in the crowd. Luckily for us, there was a parent sitting near us to take the attention away from the 4 old dudes with glasses and facial hair.

So the reason the four of us put ourselves into this situation... to see thrice; one of the most technical progressive rock bands around. A very tight band who pull out all the stops to entertain the crowd with their music! No gimmicks or fancy stage effects, just rock. It sucks that I missed their last headlining tour for "the Artist and the Ambulance", but I wanted to make sure I saw them again just in case they broke up. I wouldn't want that to happen again, where one of my person favourite bands break up bbefore I see them. Anyways, the set was relatively short (as expected). I wished they could have played "To Awake and Avenge the Dead". I would have air guitared to the max!

As the lights illuminated the sea of kids scrambling to the exits after the Thrice set, my nose picked up the smell of tuna, vinegar, pizza and chicken fingers. Low and behold, this show also served food! This totally blew my mind, as I've never been to a one day show where food was sold. Alcohol or water is okay, but chicken fingers and fries?!?!?! It's a rock show man! Eat at home and sweat away the pounds at the show! I'm sure you could have gotten chicken pot pies or lasagna if you wanted to...

Okay, so to the headliner: My Chemical Romance. First off, the band is obsessed with the dead to the sense they are glamourizing death and the whole process around the mourning of the deceased. I wonder is enrollment of mortician courses have increased and if so, what stake did My Chemical Romance have in popularizing this occupation? Anyways, like any typical pop/punk band, there were circle pits, sign-alongs, hand motions. But to the eye of the four of us, the way the MCR vocalist orchestrated the whole set was far too textbook begging the question of authenticity. It was as if the vocalist had a checklist of things to do and say onstage. For instance, "Wave your hands in the air, wave 'em like you just don't care". Okay, I would expect this at a Kool Moe Dee concert back in the late eighties, but man this was a rock punk show in the new millennium! Also, the I could not tolerate the excessive cursing that was taking place. This was a crowd of bewildered kids whose admiration and devotion for the rockstar on stage is at an all-time high. I know cursing can sometimes emphasize a point, especially of a pop/punk/punk persuasion, but this guys just milked the cow on this. F* ck this, f*ck that, like c'mon man, it loses it's edge after the second time you used it to get the crowd going. Mind you, there was no need to get the crowd going,as these kids had already consumed and average of 3 sodas, 2x slices of pizza, and a basket of fries and chicken fingers and ready to burn off those calories. As for the music, it wasn't bad. Not my cup of tea, but the guitar riffs where decent with some qualifying for arena-rock status. So after, about 20 minutes playing of me playing Akronoid, the show was drawing to an end. At this point, the band decided to shock the crowd by playing an unreleased track! Yet again, keeping to a checklist of things to do as a rockstar. Man, did jaws drop when this was announced. If I was a 14-year old pimp faced high schooler (I spend most of my time wishing I was), I'd be pretty psyched for this. Anyways, the band plays the song, repeating the chorus several times. Matt happened to chime in and sing Last Christmas over the chorus, which was hilarious because it was the exact same melody as Last Christmas. I can only wonder if George Michael would quit his daytime job of public washroom indecency, he's be furious that someone is ripping him off. We all had quite the chuckle much to the chagrin of MCR. Anyways, the set was good if you liked the music, but we collectively thought the presentation of MCR was all too textbook for our liking. Sincerity was lacking here.

Overall, I felt that I had aged myself by being there, but for the few who dared to enter this scenario were treated to a great performance by Thrice and MCR too if that's your thing.

Next week, Brantford's own The Vermicious Knid play their last show in Waterloo at the GradHouse - Thursday December 8 before calling it quits. Come out, it's on the Southside of U of W campus! I'm already practicing my dance moves for this one. So if you go, come protected, as the karate chops and roundhouses will be a blazin' Chuck Norris style!



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