Unicorns & rainbows...and Telfer...

The Guys from Telfer dropped in for a chat today. It's always a good time when they stop by. Check out the interview & performance...and hear a story about their "beef' with Ross Neilsen...



And here it is - Thanks to Telfer - in actual Video Form:

My DJ Day Was Rad...

Ross Neilsen & The Sufferin' Bastards have a new album for your listening pleasure and on Friday, Ross, Shawn & Karl dropped into the Fox-Hole to chat about it, and the Release Party...plus they performed one of my favourites from Redemption: "What I Can"...hear it here:

Another Love Letter To My Favourite Music

“Hope,
A new beginning
Time,
Time to start living
Like just before we died

There's no going back
To the place we started from…”

-From All Secrets Known by Alice In Chains

Black Gives Way To Blue is an album that shows Alice in Chains as a band re-emerging from dark times – their lead singer, Layne Staley, died in 2002 – to not only pay tribute to their friend, but also to prove that they’re a band with more to say . The album opens with the aptly titled All Secrets Known; a song that shows a broken band picking up the pieces and carrying on doing what they do. Rightfully so, that song also begins their live set.

With the lights down, the album’s bare-heart logo is projected onto a white curtain covering the front of the stage. With nothing more than the sound of a heartbeat, anticipation builds as that familiar “thump, thump” grows increasingly more hurried. Then he appears.

A 30 foot silhouette of Jerry Cantrell towers over the nearly sold out crowd at the Civic Center in Portland, ME. This is the first time Alice in Chains has played a show in the city for 20 years; anticipation has now reached a boiling point. Cantrell raises his arms in the air to a cacophony of cheers. He begins the opening riff of All Secrets Known and the rest of the band appears, silhouetted on the curtain.

“...Time to start living; like just before we died...” Cantrell sings. The curtain drops. “There’s no going back, to the place we started from”, the crowd erupts at their first true glimpse at a band resurrected; a band on fire. They played for nearly two hours.

To say my opinion of the band is biased, is entirely expected; I’m a huge AIC fan. However, as I’ve mentioned in this blog before, I’m a fan of music with meaning. What excites me about this band is their ability to convey emotion in what they do; both musically and lyrically.

Many bands will say how their albums are reflections of where they were at the time they recorded them. The same can be said for Alice In Chains. Looking back on it, they laid it completely on the line; wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Layne Staley’s drug addictions (and let’s face it, the rest of the bands demons) are prominent features of the bands material; especially the last album with Layne.

As for live performances, the Portland show was my first time experiencing the band live - other than on a DVD. I’m well aware of the haunting performance that was given for the bands MTV Unplugged session (rivalling that of even Nirvana for the distinction of the best in the series, if you ask me). This performance - while loose, fun and technically stunning - is filled with sadness. Staley looked like he was on his last legs then and yet he still “lived” for 6 more years; simply chilling.

A lot was said when William Duvall took over vocal duties for the band in 2005. Many claimed you could not have Alice in Chains without Staley. Well, for my money, he more than handled the back-catalogue with ease and exuberance, making the songs not only as memorable as they were when originally recorded, but making them his own. He’s a fantastic vocalist and he’s also no slouch when it comes to guitar. Trading guitar parts with Cantrell as much as he traded vocal duties, Duvall proves himself worthy of being in this band.

The show I saw was filled many a memorable moment - The opening from behind the curtain was certainly one of them - but it was the introduction of the band that will stand out as one of the most memorable, for me. Taking a moment to introduce each member, before introducing himself, Jerry Cantrell confirms what the crowd is already gleefully aware: “(they) are Alice in Chains”. This was followed by a touching tribute to their lost friend which transitioned into a haunting performance of Nutshell – you could almost see the pain in Jerry’s eyes as he began. Woah.

Alice in Chains has shared their emotions with every album; with, presumably, every live performance. Amidst the aggression of their music is a soul that beats beautifully; it may be scarred, but therein lies its character. The band I saw on stage in Portland last week is a band that has lived through the grief and sadness to only appear that much stronger, conveying that very emotion with each song - the black has given way to blue - I can’t wait to experience it again.

-Crash-
Follow me on Twitter

Make a Date Night to See Date Night With Your Date...Tonight...

As an engaged man approaching a Summer wedding, I’m more than aware of the amount of jokes related to how “romance is almost over” for me. However, after watching a movie like Date Night, I’m made aware that it’s not that romance is over; it’s just that life (and in this case, Kill-shots) can sometimes get in the way.

Steve Carell & Tina Fey play The Fosters: a happy, albeit slightly bored married couple, with two children, who have to schedule their dates… often times forgetting they’ve done so. After friends reveal they plan to split, The Fosters, worrying they’ll endure the same fate, decide to change it up a bit. Rather than hit up their usual New Jersey date night watering hole, they head for Manhattan for a night on the town at a swanky new restaurant. There’s only one problem: they don’t have a reservation.

So, while waiting for a table (which they’ll never get) they decide, in the spirit of spontaneity, that they’ll take a table reserved for no-shows, The Tripplehorns. From here comes mistaken identities, car chases, gun fights and a shirtless Mark Wahlberg. The basic premise is as far-fetched as what transpires on the screen, but it’s made believable, or at the very least acceptable, because of the way Carell & Fey play it. The two leads show great chemistry and comic timing and you believe them as the Fosters - a couple in love that just wants the best for each other.

Tina Fey essentially plays the suburban mom version of her character in 30 Rock (which is perfectly fine) but Carell is especially great as Phil. He takes all of the awkwardness and despicable qualities of Michael Scott and trades them in to play a down-to-earth regular Joe with just enough charm to make you want to be friends with the guy. It’s almost as if her were playing the role of Jim (pre-management position, or course) from the Office and making it his own.

Sure, it’s silly and things get over the top, but this is a comedy; as long as you laugh, who cares if that car chase isn’t at all possible. I laughed a lot, and I admired the heart of the film. If you don’t see your own relationship played out on screen, you will most likely know someone to compare it to. At the very least, you’ll walk away learning one valuable lesson: don’t take someone else’s reservation.

3.5 Dented Bumpers*



*Crash’s Film Rating Legend:
5 DB’s -- Freaking Fantastic! (a rating that’s not easily attained, btw)
4–4.5 DB’s -- Great: It’s worth seeing again/owning.
3–3.5 DB’s -- Decent – Good (I’d watch it again on cable)
2–2.5 DB’s -- Meh; (possibly had potential, but I won’t watch it again)
1DB -- Awful; I want my money back.

Anything less is not even worth downloading illegally

Another Reason to Love my Job...

As a huge Foo Fighters fan, this is a highlight of, not only my fandom, but my career... I chat with Taylor Hawkins. Enjoy.

Carbo-Loading on Pizza May Not Be the Best Idea...

I've said before that I’m a huge hockey fan. Now, I know that being a Leafs fan opens me up to many jokes: “That’s like being a music fan and saying Nickelback is your favourite band”*….well, c’mon, it’s not that bad! Having said that, it is true: I love hockey! Which is why, when given the opportunity to play Spring Pick-up for 8 weeks, I jumped at it like a cougar on a young man at the 20/20…there’s only one problem: (unlike the cougar) its been a while.

Before last night, I hadn’t played a game of hockey since Killarney Cup 2009 (that’d be February); before that I hadn’t played since Killarney Cup 2008. Even with the Killarney Cup, I haven’t played in full gear for at least two years…possibly a bit more. As I found out: that’s a long time.

Now, you could say playing the game is kinda like riding a bike; you never forget. Well, that may be true; as a fan of the game, the general rules, and positions are certainly ingrained in the mind. In fact, the way to put on the equipment, do stretches and take shots or feed passes all comes back instantly. The problem is skating. Playing hockey is kinda like riding a bike, if the bike you’re riding is a stationary on the hardest possible resistance.

As I stepped onto the ice last night, the first time in full gear in over two years, I was confident. I mean, I go to the gym regularly, where I jog on a treadmill** for extended periods of time. ( I can’t help but think of Anchorman with that sentence) So, you’d think that the opportunity to take a break on the bench every couple of minutes would make playing the game a cinch; right? Yeah; not so much.

As I jumped the boards for my first shift, I felt my legs tense up as they, seemingly, spawned about fifty pounds each. It was a mess. When I reached the bench for my first break, I tried to catch my breath, except my breath had left me so long ago, that catching it was never a possibility…it remained that way until the rest of the guys finally slowed down (which occurred about 50 mins into an hour ice-time), making me feel as though I was finally starting to get some wind. I have seven more weeks. Can I borrow your puffer?



*Standard Nickelback slam, which is bound to be a recurring feature of this blog…

**Hockey & Treadmills don’t mix...