MUSIC SLANG - Gonzo Magazine.

Ridley bent • PeaRl jam • italian Getaway in Kelowna
MUSICFILMCULTURE
the
offspring
rise and fall, rage and grace
+PLUS
Music slang
•get down with the lingo•
MAY/JUNE 2009
gonzomagazine.ca
Can
May/june 09 / Issue 6 Vol 1
Best
Fests
around
the
world
e
d
i
t
s
s
i
in
g
August 14, 15, & 16
Salmon Arm Fairgrounds
06
INPUT
CD Reviews
By John Kereiff
06
10
30
the offspring
the shit is fucked up
By Teena Clipston
BLUES, WORLD, FOLK, GOSPEL, ALTERNATIVE, BLUEGRASS & MORE ...
3 DAYS, 6 OUTDOOR STAGES ...OVER 50 ACTS!!!
featuring The Sam Roberts Band, Johnny Winter,
Dr. John & the Lower 911, Serena Ryder,
Bedouin Soundclash, Youssoupha Sidibe,
Chad VanGaalen, Ana Popovic, Veda Hille, Oysterband, Darondo,
Soul of John Black, Elliott BROOD, Ari Neufeld, Murray Porter,
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Rana Santacruz, Blind God,
Tiny Bill Cody, Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, Sherman Doucette,
David Ross MacDonald, Aspen Switzer & Thistledowne, Jacobus Verburg,
Souljah Fyah, Opening Axe, Samantha Schultz, Flock, Arnold & Hopkins Trio,
Six String Nation, Children’s Programming & more……
13
music slang
Sticking it to the man
By Linda Schaab
e Sloan
16
nothing but the truth
the opinion of Dr.
Gunnar Boll
By Dr. Gunnar Boll
17
05
summer estivals
Best music festivals
around the world
By Jenn Compeau
21
our heads in the sands
development in the Fort
McMurray area of
northern Alberta
By Barbara Bruederlin
24
Italian getawayon
Enjoy an italian
getaway in kelowna
By Rhiannon Schmitt
30
That’s Gonzo
Pearl Jam, Hunger
By Jennifer Conklin
32
Tickets & Information:
www.rootsandblues.ca or call (250) 833-4096
Pre-Registered Camping Available.
concert listings
34
30
Editor’s letter
s
’
r
e
sh
r
e
t
t
Le
i
l
b
u
p
Sports Bar
Dave’s Diesel 4
a pint every Day
$ 25
Dave’s is prouD to serve full 20 oz pints
tuesDays perogies on special
WeDnesDays 30¢ BaBy Back riBs
friDays steak sanDWich $6.99
sunDays
free pool
live
entertainment
6 nights a Week (Dj)
www.davessportsbar.com
155 Rutland Rd S. • Kelowna BC • 250.765.8898
For years I have spent most of my
time buying ads for concerts and
fundraiser and sending out press releases to help promote events with
my other company Okanagan Concerts Ltd. Now, I find myself fully
involved as an owner of an amazing
new Music, Film and Culture Magazine - Gonzo Magazine. What an
adventure I must say. I absolutely
love being a part of this industry,
mostly because of the perks! Well…
I guess I am also a bit of an adrenalin
junky and like to work as hard as I
can for as long as I can ‘til I drop.
The point of me putting a few words
down is to say thank you all who
have supported us so far and those
who plan on supporting Gonzo
Magazine in the future. We appreciate all your support to become what
we think can be the Canadian Rolling Stone!
I wanted to thank Liz McKinney
our Music BC Okanagan Rep/the
Juice Radio and Quinn Best from
the Habitat. What a fantastic night
out on April 29th for the “Downtown After 5 Open Mic Night”! I
attended this for the first time and
was blown away by the amount of
people there. Jam packed full of
amazing talent (Kate Morgan and
Elle O’Brian, young singer songwriters), world class artists ( Jordan
Blue Doody & David James Doody
- www.twoartists.net), entrepreneurs
and business owners from all over
the Okanagan! Keep up the great
work and support for our Canadian
talent Liz and Quinn! www.thehabitat.ca. Check out their line up of
bands coming through! Very impressive indeed.
In March we were fortunate
enough to have full access to the
2009 Juno Awards which is incredible seeing Gonzo has only been out
for 6 months. I took 2500 pictures
just to be on the safe side! lol! One
of Gonzos new partners, Castanet.
net was all over it by the next day
posting some of the featured awards
pictures from the Gala event to
their main home page. And thanks
Castanet for posting them and the
Juno Committee for giving us that
opportunity to cover the event with
such a new publication. You can find
the gallery at www.gonzomagazine.
ca/gallery.html. Now we’re off to the
CCMA’s (Canadian Country Music
Awards) in September! Yeehaaww!
Gonzo GTeam - We are happy
to say that we now have a great
Gonzo Street Team! Welcome Angie Clowry – North Okanagan’s
marketing guru), Amanda Capuano
– Okanagan Concerts, Andy Scott
Bowie – Bowies Marketing and
Entertainment, Shaun Funk of the
Closing Iris band! If you would like
us to cover an event, please email us
at [email protected].
Looking forward
Brad Krauza
President
www.gonzomagazine.ca
Publisher
Brad Krauza
Editor
Teena Clipston
604-701-6560
[email protected]
Creative
Director
Jenn Compeau
[email protected]
Advertising
Brad Krauza
250-870-0576
[email protected]
Sales
Sheila Jayson, Shona Conroy
Contributors
Jennifer Conklin, John Kereiff, Nathan Stafford, John S.
Hatch, Fred Topel, Kristine
Sloan, Kayla Joffe, Derek
Ennison, Linda Schaab
Subscriptions to Gonzo
Magazine are available for
$30 per year + GST
www.gonzomagazine.ca
Copyright © 2008. No portion of this publication may
be reproduced in whole or
in part, without the written
permission of the publisher.
All rights reserved.
Buythetickettaketheride
“Naaah, nah-nah, nah-nah, naaah nah,
nah-nah, nah-nah!”
The meter marks ok, a track from 2007’s
Loney, Noir, has been repeating in my
head every morning for over a week
now. How can I possibly describe Loney, Dear to new listeners?
Honestly, I cannot find the proper
words to prepare North America for the
upcoming tour of the Swedish singer,
Emil Svanängen. Sanctified vocals and
small hand claps created tender despair
in the atmosphere while Emil covered
emotions from heavy hearted whispers
to upbeat joyous shout-outs.
Like Pablo Picasso advancing from
the blue period to the rose period,
Loney, Dear’s new album, Dear John
( January 2009) has topped all others
before it. Svanängen evoked emotional
memories beginning show with I was
only going out, the third track on Dear
John.
Although the performance started
with a quiet key, the pace and mood
changed quickly when Susanna Johansson accented Emil, as a she backed his
powerful vocals during Everything turns
to you.
It is truly astonishing when an artist
can send you to an emotion from the
past that brings out sorrow you thought
was hidden and then with a change of
beat, send you to a feeling of self-loathing for letting these feelings attack your
heart once more.
Prior to the performance, I had a quick
chance to speak with Emil about the
tour. Right off the get-go I questioned
why only two Canadian dates in Eastern Canada (Montreal, and Toronto),
and why not a date in Vancouver?
He responded saying that they would
be playing close by at Seattle’s Crocodile Cafe on May 13th, 2009.
Folks, it is well worth the short trek
to Seattle to experience the brilliance
of this indie folk style singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emil
Svanängen of Loney, Dear.
- Jenn Compeau
Creative Director
(on hiatus from the Lower Mainland)
5
INput
INput
By John Kereiff
LIVE AT MONTREUX
1984
WORK SONGS
Bill Johnson
David Sanborn
(Independent)**** ½
(Eagle Eye Media) ***
Eagle continues their inspiring DVD series, featuring live and historic sets at the world’s preeminent jazz festival, with one of the world’s
best saxophonists.
Sanborn’s smooth cool jazz, swinging bebop
and wild rock fusion has wooed crowds for decades now. This is his headlining set from ’84,
running nearly two hours. He was touring at the
time to support his Grammy-winning “Straight
To The Heart” album and the Swiss crowd sat in
rapt attention, hanging on his every note. His
band on that tour was nothing short of spectacular; Hiram Bullock on guitar (original guitarist
for Paul Shaffer’s band on the original Letterman show), Larry Willis on keys, with bassist
Tom Barney and drummer Buddy Williams in
the engine room. Guest vocalist Rickie Lee
Jones makes “Autumn Leaves” an unforgettable
moment for the delighted audience.
Jazz is difficult for me to absorb- similar to
listening to an older Motorhead album in that I
find it impossible to take in one sitting- but as
a music fan in general I’m able to appreciate superb musicianship, and “Montreux ‘84” has that
by the boatload. If you’re a Sanborn fan you’ll
want to note the inclusion of a pair of tracks
from David’s ’81 festival appearance, “Love Is
Not Enough” and “Lotus Blossom”.
Find the right night, pour a glass of good wine,
and let this DVD take you for a ride.
KEY CUTS: “Straight To The heart”, “Morning
Salsa”, “Lotus Blossom”
6
One Eye To Morocco
FORK IN THE ROAD
(Eagle Records)*** ½
(Reprise)*** ½
Ian Gillan
One of rock’s most distinct voices steps out from behind the Purple curtain to make his
own noise, with inspired results.
“It all started in Cracow, Poland, late December 2005, in a café where Oscar Schindler
had been active during dark times” Ian says in the liner notes, as he starts to explain this
journey. Three years later DP had an unexpected break in their schedule, and with 38
songs in various stages of completion, Ian brought in longtime Purple associate Nick
Blagona at Metalworks Studio in Toronto to create an album. The hypnotic title track,
at that point untitled and without lyrics, became the standard for the others to measure
up to.
“Morocco” has a grooviness that isn’t required in Gillan’s day job. Songs like “Texas
State of Mind” surely rocks- it could’ve easily become a Purple rave-up- but the horns
and middle-eastern tones on tracks like the gorgeous title song reveal a deeper soul than
one expects from an aging party boy.
Stepping outside of D-P gives Gillan a wider canvas on which to express himself, but
he never strays far enough from home to make you ask “what the hell was that?!?” Deep
Purple fans will enjoy this, and those that think DP has little more to say than drive fast,
watch a casino burn down and hey let’s get drunk, will be very pleasantly surprised.
KEY TRACKS: “One Eye To Morocco”, “Change My Ways”, “Ultimate Groove”
Neil Young
Neil Young spits out new records as often as most people take a dump. Hell, he makes
Prince look like a lazy stooge. Young’s zillionth album is about a car- his car- which
is, if memory serves, a Lincoln turned into an electric machine. As he’s reducing his
carbon footprint, Neil is also making some solid rock & roll.
The lyrics, mostly hand written, are a pain to read but that’s okay as you should listen
to this in the car anyway. Quite simply, Neil sounds inspired.
While this could have been a truly great set of tunes for Crazy Horse to sink their
teeth into, Young and his usual band of comrades give these songs their due.
I wonder if he knew that the lyrical subject matter might raise a few eyebrows, and
so that’s why the music is this strong.
It was a surprise to note that “Fork” was not recorded at Young’s home studio in California, but rather at facilities in Nashville, New York, and London England. Perhaps
the change of scenery had something to do with the band’s energized performances
as well.
I don’t like everything Neil Young does, and I certainly don’t go out and buy every
album that comes along (“Prairie Wind” was my last one)… but Neil Young has made
a pretty damn good rock & roll album here, and that’s good enough for me.
KEY CUTS: “Johnny Magic”, “Fuel Line”, “Light A Candle”
Bill Johnson is one of the most talented guitarists and bluesmen you’ve likely never heard of.
So do yourself a favor and get your hands on
this disc of delicious acoustic blues.
“Work songs or field hollers are songs AfroAmerican farm workers sang together to pass
the time” Bill notes in the booklet. I first heard
him play at the AGM of the Victoria Blues
Society earlier this year and was spellbound.
He might be a big white guy from Victoria
but as he sat on his chair, often accompanied
by no more than his liquid slide work, he took
everyone in that room on a journey. “Work
Songs” is much like that- mostly just Johnson
and his guitar as he tears through a mixture of
standards and originals. His take on Robert
Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” is different from
any I’ve ever heard- almost jaunty- and as he
makes his way through Son House’s “Preacher
Blues”, you get the feeling that this man has
hellhounds on his trail.
I can’t say I know much about Bill Johnson,
other than he and his band play a joint in Victoria called Bart’s every Wednesday and he
plays solo at the Superior Café on Sundays (I’d
recommend that show for sure) but next time
you’re in town, do yourself a large favor and
catch Bill Johnson on stage- you can thank me
later.
KEY CUTS: “Cross Road Blues”, “Crawling
Back to You”, “Home Loan Blues”
7
August 14-16, 2009
Salmon Arm Fair Grounds, Salmon Arm, BC
Get set for the hottest weekend of the summer as some of the best world, folk, roots,
and blues artists on the planet fill five daytime and two nighttime outdoor stages at
the 17th Annual Salmon Arm Roots and
Blues Festival, August 14th, 15th, and 16th
at the Salmon Arm Fair Grounds.
Set beneath the splendid natural backdrop
of Mount Ida and the Fly Hills, this three
day music extravaganza features over 45
Canadian and international acts, representing a rainbow of music and cultures from
around the globe. The Festival has longed
been hailed as the “crème de la crème of fes-
8
tivals” and was listed in the Toronto Globe
and Mail in 2008 as one of the summer’s
“must-see events”. This year’s performers
will include the Sam Roberts Band, Johnny
Winter, Bedouin Soundclash, Dr. John and
the Lower 911, Serena Ryder, Youssoupha
Sidibe, the Black Pioneer Heritage Singers, Oysterband, the Soul of John Black and
many more of the world’s finest artists.
Site amenities include food concessions,
artisans’ market, two beer gardens, limited
pre-registered camping and a family fun
area jam-packed with play and craft activities, plus innovative and entertaining chil-
dren’s performers. Preview all the artists
and activities on the Festival website where
you’ll find line-up, schedules, free outreach
performances leading up to and during the
Festival, and everything else you need to
know to make the weekend the best one of
your whole summer.
Don’t miss out on the fun, it’s all at the
17th Annual Roots and Blues. Children
twelve and under are free and the site is
wheelchair accessible.
For more information or to order tickets
online, visit www.rootsandblues.ca or call
(250) 833-4096. g
the
offspring
The Shit is
Fucked up…
by Teena Clipston
I’ve got punk rock music
in my blood, straight from
the day of the Ramones
and the Sex Pistols, I
still can’t get that shit
out of my head… what a
sweet opportunity it was
for me to hook up with
punk rocker extrodinaire,
‘Noodles’ - kick ass guitar player and all around
fantastic dude from The
Offspring.
For any of you turkeys or fiddle players out
there living under a rock The Offspring hails
from Huntington Beach, California. They’ve
been credited with bands like Green Day
and Rancid for reviving mainstream punk
rock in the US, and probably a lot of other
places too, eh?
They have released eight studio albums, one
compilation, four EPs and three DVDs. They
have sold over 50 million albums worldwide,
making them one of the best-selling punk
rock acts of all time.
The release of Rise and Fall, Rage and
Grace, released in June of 2008 (hit singles
You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid and Hammerhead). The album also brings us the song
Stuff is Messed Up, a tongue and cheek song
about what’s wrong with the world of today.
10
The inspiration behind The Shit is Fucked
Up Tour.
On June 10th, they bring their The Shit is
Fucked Up Tour to Vancouver, at the UBC
Thunderbird Arena. And speaking of shit
that is fucked up, I got the shit straight from
Noodles…
“Shit is still pretty fucked up. We are involved in two wars, we got hurricanes, natural disasters, people in the news that can’t
seem to get it right, the economy is tanked
and now we’ve got swine flu.” states Noodles.
“Look at the news coverage Anna Nicole
Smith got, it’s crazy, we’ve got wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan that are still going on, people are dying and we don’t get coverage of
that... it’s there but such a small portion.”
Not speaking out as an avocet or anarchist,
The Offspring is not starting any movements
just yet, but more commiserating with everyone on the situation of the times. Perhaps if
only pointing out the facts, creating a diversion, or having a laugh. Noodles points out,
“The Stuff is Messed Up is the only tonguein-cheek song on the whole album (Rise and
Fall, Rage and Grace). We usually have at
least two or three of those on every record,
Cool to Hate, Pretty Fly, Pranksters, stuff
like that. Most of this record is pretty serious. It was not something we set out to do,
but more of a reflection of the times.”
“We spent almost two years making this
record (Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace),
it took longer than any record we’ve ever
done. We did things a little differently this
time, usually the songs are pretty much done
when we get to the studio, and this time everything was kind of written in the studio,
while bouncing ideas off of Bob, Bob Rock
the producer, very Canadian, award winning
Bob Rock.” I could tell Noodles was smiling
through the phone lines.
Rock began his career in Victoria BC.
He is best known for giving bands such as
Metallica and Mötley Crüe a more intricate
record production. He has also worked with
Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Cher, The Cult, David
Lee Roth, Skid Row, Veruca Salt, Nina Gordon, Our Lady Peace, The Tragically Hip,
The Tea Party, Lostprophets, American HiFi and Simple Plan.
“Bob is the coolest guy in the world, he
would take us to task when we needed it
but did it well, he could tell you something
sounded like shit and make it sound like the
nicest thing you’ve heard all day.” Noodles
laughed. “Bob was excited about doing this
(producing Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace),
and he was like that the whole way through,
he never waivered, which was really cool because he had to work on it for a long time.
In fact Dexter just talked to Bob, he went an
hung out with him for about a week, bounced
some ideas off of him, and the plan is to go in
and do another record with Bob.”
The third single to be released from the
album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace was
Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? A music video
was made with director Lex Halaby and can
be viewed among other places, on their website at www.offspring.com. The song is one
of my favorite songs on the album. It is a
touching ode inspired by real life events that
took place in Dexter’s childhood. The song
involves a woman who was sexually abused
at a young age and describes the loss of innocence created.
I asked Noodles if the song would help
young people today say or do something
about abuse.
“I hope so, again when you are coming up
with a song, you just have to express emotion,
you can’t say I’m going to write a song that
helps young people. But hopefully people
will recognize themselves or someone they
know in that song, maybe stand up and do
something, maybe just feel like hey I’m not
so all alone. The statistics are terrible, it still
goes on; we are talking about it more and
more, when I was a kid nobody talked about
it. It’s not a warm fuzzy topic, it’s a topic that
is very hard to talk about, and hopefully it
does help people.”
The Offspring was formed by then high
school students, Dexter Holland and bassist
Greg Kriesel. They invited Kevin ‘Noodles’
Wasserman, the school janitor, to join the
band allegedly because he was old enough to
purchase alcohol for Dexter and Greg, both
of whom were under the legal drinking age
at the time.
“I knew these guys before I was the night
custodian at the high school, I was 22 and
Greg was 20, if they would have waited one
more year they wouldn’t have had to deal
with me at all.” Noodles jokes about buying
the beer. “I did play guitar for a lot longer
than any of them, I had a few tricks up my
sleeve that I could show Dexter on guitar,
but I don’t think it made a better guitar player than he was.”
Noodles was being modest, infact he was
the only one in the band at the time that
could play his instrument. Both Dexter and
Greg formed the band without knowing
how to play.
Noodles added, “Sometime around day 4
they first started playing, they begged their
parents for instruments, they even scrounged
up what ever money they could to buy cheap
equipment,” Noodles laughed, “and it just
took off from there.”
Nine years later the band achieved stardom
with the release of the album Smash (1994).
The release would become their biggest selling CD. Fueled by the hit singles Come Out
and Play, Self Esteem, and Gotta Get Away,
this album set the all-time record for most
units sold by an independent label band at
16 million records.
I asked Noodles how it felt to find stardom
after all those years.
“Well it was crazy, the way we looked at
it before was it was our hobby. We liked
making music, we liked making records, but
punk rock bands just toured the country in
a van playing small clubs and having a good
time, never really making any money. But
things changed in 94, first with Greenday
about two months before us, it was exciting,
it was very different, but we had to kind of
run with it, see where we could take this, we
never dreamt of it happening to us but once
it did it was like lets see if we can pull this
off.”
After the release of Smash, and equipped
with a newly expanded income, Dexter and
Greg created their own record label, Nitro
Records, and started signing bands.
“Dexter has always got so many irons in the
fire, he always has something going on. Besides making music, he has hot sauce (Gringo Bandito), his record label, his plane.”
Noodles explained.
Dexter is also a licensed pilot and has made
a solo trip around the world in ten days.
“Back in the day, we were always pretty good
beer drinkers,” said Noodles. “and Dexter
decided he was going to give himself a little
break so he started putting together those
little remove control planes, so he will build
the planes and then learn how to fly them.
He was still a student and I was still a janitor. He always had a love of that stuff, once
Smash took off, I think it was an anniversary
present his wife bought him, flying lessons,
he just went from there.”
Dexter has also been known to fly the band
around from city to city for band promotions
and radio interviews. Fucking sweet.
Wrapping it up and coming back to the
Ramones. Noodles agreeing that there is
definitely some Ramones influence behind
The Offspring. We parleyed on about the
Ramones and how they affect our lives Noodles added.
“When I got that first Ramones record
it didn’t leave my turntable for a month at
least, it was simply mind blowing, just great
stuff. The energy was just over the top, so
powerful yet simple and straight forward.
They also had these pop sensibilities, you
could really sing along to the Ramones, it
was what other hard core bands at the time
were lacking. The Ramones did have these
great pop songs underneath all the energy,
angst, and aggression.”
In 1999 the Offspring appeared in the
movie slasher Idle Hands. They played a cover version of I Wanna Be Sedated (originally
by The Ramones) and Beheaded at a school
dance before Dexter’s character was killed.
“That was weird, it was fun, we spent about
two days on the set.” Noodles snickered “It
was fun seeing Dexter get his head ripped
off.”
The longevity and success of the band is
inspiring to say the least. And its success can
be defined simply by you got to really love
what you do.
My recommendation, don’t worry too
much about shit being fucked up. Pick up
the album and go to the show!
See ya in Vancouver Noodles… g
“Science in a Bottle”
Okanagan’s Own 100%
Organic Nutritional
Supplement
Tiell Voth
250.808.2883
[email protected]
ourworldnetwork.com/tiell
11
MUSIC
SLANG
FOR STICKING IT TO THE MAN
By Linda Schaab
Do you do the herky?
What about swagger? Do
you know the meaning
of “Baby Got Back”?
Slang can be the bomb for self-expression
and for sticking it to the Man. We use slang
because it’s creative and identifies us as insiders. Slang is for giving emphasis to our
speech, and for coolness. Slangophobes, on
the other hand, think slang is gross and
makes them sound unintelligent. Or they
worry their slang is outdated and will embarrass them.
Brother slang comes naturally to “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson. In earlier
seasons of the show Randy overused words
such as “Dawg,” “Man,” and “You know what
I mean?” to the point they were crutches.
Cutting back on his slang forced Randy to
put more variety in his comments to contestants.
Most articulate on the show is probably
judge Simon Cowell, followed by host Ryan
Seacrest. Paula Abdul tries hard but too often fails. Kara DioGuardi does better and
stood out with a comment she made regading Allison Iraheta’s talent.
I usually tune out Ryan’s time-filling questions and comments, but he caught my attention when he told a contestant “You had
Paula doing the herky in her seat.” And it
happened again when Ryan accused Simon
of buzzkill. Simon’s middle name should be
“Buzzkill” for all the times he’s told contestants they have “absolutely no chance of winning the competition.” As true as that may
be true, how is a contestant to maintain their
swagger on the show after hearing that?
“Swagger” originally came from sports
where it was used to refer to a team or a player’s game. On “American Idol” Randy and
Simon use it to refer to how a person presents his or her self to the world, their self-assurance, and the ability to handle themselves
in new and challenging situations. While he
encouraged contestant Anoop Desai to have
more swagger, Simon can be supremely ir12
ritated by a contestant who shows much
swagger, especially in the early rounds – and
he’ll then throw deep shade on that person.
But then Simon is known for his bitchassness. Moments before Megan Corkrey left
the show Simon chopped her down for
standing up to his low opinion of her singing, when Megan was merely demonstrating
her swagger.
I felt better for Megan when I remembered
the previous week Simon had repeatedly addressed Lil Rounds as “Little.” He kept on
doing this in spite of being corrected by the
others, and it ended with Simon declaring
that Lil is short for “Little”. Too funny. A
few weeks later a clip was aired in which
Lil’s mother gave the origin of Lil’s name.
Turns out it’s not short for anything.
Paula and Kara have had their fun punning
on Lil’s name with comments like Paula’s, “I
predict you’ll be around for many more Lil
Rounds.” What we’re not likely to hear, es-
pecially now she’s gone, is that this contestant has “Lil Rounds in back,” referring to
what African-Americans fondly refer to as
stuffed butt. From what I can remember of
“Canadian Idol” last year (when Theo Tams
won) there wasn’t much of either wordplay
or slang, although Ben may have occasionally inserted some slang into his comments.
Sass, Farley, Jake, and Zach could definitely
ramp up their music slang. They’re in the
business after all. You may have heard the
downturn has deprived us of a 2009 season
of “Canadian Idol.” It’s more than patriotism
that causes me feel we have superior judges
and a deeper pool of talent in Canada. Here’s
hoping the show regains its corporate sponsorship in 2010.
Meanwhile, those with the level of talent that Kara DioGuardi referred to as not
something you can teach but coming from
God will have an extra year to work on their
swagger. g
Music Slang Dictionary
• baby got back – the appearance of two hams stuffed in back. See stuffed butt.
• bitchassness – overall stank actions towards others through words, facial
expressions, and/or song. Symptoms include thinking you’re better than those
around you, and holding back your true feelings while throwing large amounts
of shade. (From the Urban Dict.)
• buzz kill – when someone or something ruins a special moment or druginduced experience.
• guitar face – facial contortions when approaching the climax of a song.
• gravy train – lucrative endeavours; “The Boxmasters” effectively got off
the gravy train when Billy Bob Thornton referred to Canadian audiences as
“mashed potatoes with no gravy.”
• herky – dancing, as in doing the herky jerky.
• mash-up – two songs synced together to create a new sonic feel.
• pulling a Joaquin Phoenix – also known as pulling a Billy Bob Thornton and
characterized by replying in monosyllables during an interview and answering
“I don’t know” to simple questions such as “When is your birthday?” (Joaquin),
or “When did you form your band?”
• stuffed butt – drug smuggling using an orifice of the body; see also baby got
back.
• swagger – presenting oneself to the world with self-assurance; being audacious and taking chances.
13
Western Canada’s largest slo-pitch tournament and music festival is gearing up for
its 25th year in Vernon! Scheduled for June
26th – 29th, Funtastic is looking forward to
welcoming thousands of players and visitors
to our region for another great weekend of
sporting fun and music festivities.
This year’s Funtastic will include slo-pitch,
soccer, tennis, lawn bowling and music in
several north Okanagan communities including Enderby, Armstrong and Vernon.
The music festival will feature headliners
Aaron Pritchett Friday night, 5440 on Saturday and March Hare on Sunday. Tickets
go on sale at Lake City Casinos in Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops starting June 1st.
Great music is a key component of the
Funtastic summer event, and for the past 25
years since its inception, Funtastic’s popularity in presenting top acts has skyrocketed,
drawing crowds of more than 6,000 nightly
to the Lake City Casinos Music Festival.
Previous acts have included April Wine,
Trooper, Northern Pikes, Kim Mitchell and
many more great Canadian performers.
“Funtastic is unique in that in addition to
the incredible music, it offers four days of
friendly slo-pitch competition,” says Funtastic President, Wilf Mulder. “We take a
great deal of pride in providing an overall
first class entertainment experience for our
visitors from across BC, Alberta and the US
and the music festival is another component
of that experience”.
Aaron Pritchett offers country rock at
14
it`s finest and he’s coming to Vernon this
summer. This highly acclaimed Canadian
country music artist will be making his first
appearance at Funtastic and represents the
first time a country artist has appeared at the
summer event.
“Funtastic board was looking to create a
special and diverse music offering for our
guests to celebrate the 25th Anniversary,”
says Wilf Mulder, Funtastic President. “We
considered a country rock performer and
Aaron Pritchett was the obvious choice.”
As the Lake City Casino Funtastic Music
Festival is better known for bringing classic 80’s rockers such as Kim Mitchell and
Trooper, Pritchett will add a different flavour to what festival goers are used to in
the headliners. The Funtastic Sports Society
prides itself on promoting and bringing Canadian entertainers to Funtastic. This year all
three headliners hail from B.C., including
Aaron Pritchett from the Okanagan, both
5440 and March Hare are from Vancouver.
Along with being the marquee event on
many sports calendars, Funtastic has become
one of the most significant events in the
North Okanagan for driving tourism and
providing economic benefits; supporting
many worthwhile efforts and organizations
in our community; and working toward
building more playing fields and playgrounds
as a lasting community legacy.
“It’s very rewarding when we see – firsthand -- the impact an organization can have
by giving back to the community,” explains
Funtastic’s executive director Jim McEwan.
“When we look at the incredible economic impact we have on local businesses, the
community initiatives supporting sport and
recreation and the $1,000,000 Funtastic has
contributed back to the community since
1985, it is truly an amazing organization. ”
Funtastic is fortunate to have the community support, specifically from more than
425 volunteers who help to ensure we to host
a first-class event and showcase our region.
Many teams have participated at Funtastic
for more than 10 years and this year we are
international as we host our first team from
New Mexico.
“The success of our event is determined
by the number of returning teams and the
support of the business community. We are
thrilled with the support we continue to receive from the community for what is a major economic stimulator for our region” said
McEwan.
“With the support of more than 100 community minded corporate leaders, the 25th
Anniversary of Funtastic in Vernon is destined to be an overwhelming success.”
This year`s Funtastic will take place June
26th to 29th in Vernon, Armstrong and
Enderby. The Lake City Casinos Funtastic
Music Festival takes place in Vernon on June
26th to 28th nightly starting at 6pm. Details of the performances, the Lake City Casinos stage schedule and the map is posted
on the Funtastic Web site, www.funtastic.
org. Festival programs will also be available
a locations throughout Vernon in starting
June1st. g
The Center of Gravity Beach
Concert on July 31st is the Okanagan’s Outdoor Concert Event
of the Year. The Sun FM Main
Stage will be set along the beautiful
Okanagan Lake and the evening
will host a number of Pro Sports
Shows, the Coronaville Beverage
Gardens, Skydivers, DJs, Breakdancers, and of course Danny Fernandes and Kardinal Offishall!
Canadian rap/reggae star Kardinal
Offishall is pumped to kick-off the big
COG Festival weekend in Kelowna! Kardi
was one of the biggest winners at this year’s
Juno Awards, winning both Single and Rap Recording of the Year. He boasts a number of massive
hits including “Dangerous” and “Numba 1” (Tide is
High).
And YES ladies, pop star Danny Fernandes will help Kardi fire
up Hot Sands Beach! Danny just landed two back-to-back Gold
Singles and the #1 Video on the MuchMusic Countdown twice for his hit singles “Fantansy”
and “Private Dancer”! Danny’s fantasy has become a reality - sold out shows, screaming fans
and another gold single.
The Center of Gravity Festival will draw crowds from all over BC and Alberta to Kelowna
for the August Long weekend, July 31st – Aug 2nd…what better way to kick it all off than
a Beach Concert on Okanagan Lake. Tickets start at just $18 (available at selectyourtickets.
com)…get them before they sell out! g
Annual Cultural Grass Roots
Celebration
started & run
by BC Reggae
Soca Warriors
SAMSARA
is held on the
Okanagan Indian
Band’s
Pow
Wow
Grounds outside of Vernon
BC on Okanagan Lake. Heading into its 8th year on July
31 - Aug 2 The KMF is gaining recognition
for pioneering a healing cultural melting pot
bringing communities together to connect,
celebrate, create and rejuvinate!
Attracting music/dance lovers from every
corner and cutting edge artists from across
the globe for 3 days of music , dance , art, cultural awareness, community, family, camping,
UNITY and MAGIC!!
Held on ONe of the most beautiful festival
sites on the planet!! Promotes the unique aspect of Drug and Alcohol Free!
this event attracts some of the country’s hottest up and coming acts - all artists invited
are hand picked by experienced award winning musicians.
A huge portion of energy is focused on
children and families and an impressive vendor alley, food market, workshops, swimming
and something for everyone!! A cultural village for the weekend!
This historic piece of land of this nations
first people is steeped in spiritual energy and
history and when people gather here and
music is shared in this atmosphere the result
is pure magic!! The intention of this festival
is to promote personal/global healing and to
bring forth the best in everyone involved!! to
celebrate together the beautiful aspects of our
life here on earth and from this gain strength
to carry on in a positive uplifting force!!
15
Nothing
but
the
truth
I never do up my seatbelt
when I’m in Eduardo’s
Escalade. That could be
suicide. He’s on his fourth
one. All black. He drove his
last one into False Creek.
He claims that ‘enemies’ reprogrammed his GPS and
made him do it.
“I was just following directions,” he said.
For him the computer is infallible. He obeys.
He said he was floating on the water in his
Escalade and he heard the voice of Jesus.
“He even called me ‘Sir’ What a nice guy,
I’m surprised!” I told him it was OnStar. You
wouldn’t think a dentist would have that
many enemies. But Eduardo does. And most
of them have really bad teeth. Or none, but
that doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous.
He’s my dentist too. Of course I don’t let
the bastard touch me. You should see how his
hands shake before he has that first drink of
‘water’ in the morning (eau de Bols). And the
booze is affecting his eyesight. He goes all
squinty. He usually can no longer distinguish
a molar from a bicuspid, and he really doesn’t
care either way. Teeth are not really his thing.
They’re boring. He was really cut out to be
a nightclub bouncer, but he has expensive
tastes. But whatever his dental deficit, when
it comes to administering nitrous, he has no
rival in the open wide world of dentistry.
This he does with an aplomb lacking in every
other facet of his failing practice. I try to visit
daily for drinks and gas. And camaraderie, of
course, such as it is.
I’m a journalist with Gonzo Magazine, so
I don’t have that much time. The editor is a
demented slave driver. She keeps imposing deadlines and strange ultimatums. She
calls me up and shrieks vile imprecations in
the middle of the night. I asked Eduardo to
please do a hit, but he can’t get it together.
Too shaky to shoot straight.
16
Did you know that dentists have the highest rate of suicide of all the professions? You
probably thought it was psychiatrists, right?
They’re second. I have to watch Eduardo like
a hawk. I’m afraid the bastard will take me
out with him, and I have important work
to do. Literary work. Every time he picks
up a gun, I wince. Two birds with one stone
does not represent poetry to me. More like a
prophecy.
Democracy is in action in BC, and I decided to cover the Premier’s news conference
at the new convention center. Impressive, and
only a billion or two over budget. As usual
the place was surrounded by Latvian thugs
and hangers on. The Premier uses them as
bodyguards because they can practically kill
you at a glance, and they don’t speak English.
That’s why we wore reflective shades. Eduardo was lurching significantly after a near
fatal overdose of nitrous and vodka. You really wouldn’t want to be his last patient of the
day, unless you’re me. The nitrous makes him
amorous, and I had to prevent a possible incident with a Latvian of dubious gender. But
our crudely fake credentials got us inside. The
Latvians can’t read English either. Lucky for
us. I was thinking up some questions to ask
in case the usually suavely boorish Premier
decided to allow any, but a lot of my time
was taken up in trying to restrain Eduardo. I
forgot—being in the presence of the Premier
tends to bring out the worst in my dentist for
some reason, and he just starts swinging like
a windmill. He claims it’s something about
that smug pasty face. He calls it a punch
magnet. Luckily the booze and nitrous had
just enough of a slight calming effect that I
was able to sit on him. I admit that we drew
a few glances, but journalists are allowed a lot
of leeway, at least when on the job. We need
it, and appreciate it. Thank you very much.
The Eduardo Effect can be infectious, and
as he struggled and swore and uttered the
most spine-tingling threats against the Premier, the Latvians and even the deceased
Mother Theresa (the latter disdain which I
thoroughly and enthusiastically share) and as
I listened to the usual torrent of drivel exit-
by Dr. Gunnär Böll
ing the lips of El Primo, I found myself tensing up in ways that some of the best doctors
counsel against. I released Eduardo, who was
now weeping hysterically and urged him on,
but he was almost a spent force. Forgotten
was his devilish plan to surreptitiously slip
some vodka into El Primo’s water glass in the
hopes of inducing an embarrassing politically
suicidal bender. Gone was the plot to plant
damning disinformation amongst the Latvians—he even had brought an English/Latvian dictionary. I made him sip some vodka.
Now it was question time, and as usual my
colleagues didn’t hold back.
“Mr. Premier, BC has the highest rate of
child poverty in the nation, but we don’t give
a fuck because the Olympics are more important. Right? Agree?”
“Well yes, Bob. I don’t know if I’d use exactly that language, but yes.”
“Mr. Premier, sick people are dying in hospital waiting rooms, and it takes twenty-six
years to get a brain tumor looked at, but we
don’t give a shit because we’ve got the Olympics. Is that correct, sir?”
“Well, I’ve never had to wait. But yes, we
have to support our young athletes. What
could be more important than that?”
“Mr. Premier, why are you such a great Premier, Mr. Premier?”
“Well, modesty prevents me from answering that, Don. I’ll just leave it to history to
sort out the nuances.”
Really, that’s how it sounded to me. I admit
that maybe the nitrous was causing me auditory hallucinations. It wouldn’t be the first
time. But I was furious anyway. Now Eduardo’s sobbing had caused his false teeth to
fall out, and I grabbed them and was about to
throw them at the Premier, but a look from
one of the larger Latvians pierced my mirror
sunglasses and stopped me in my tracks.
Later I had to take Eduardo to Emergency
where after a long wait (roughly two weeks)
he got two saline drips to replace all the salty
tears so uselessly shed. Another Premier news
conference tomorrow. It’s a bullshit marathon, always won by a slouching white guy.
But all in a day’s work. g
Best Fests around the world
Last week I started doing some online shopping. Not the typical mid-twenties kind of
girlie shopping for new summer dresses, bikinis and strappy sandals. Shopping for the
most exciting and important part of summer - music festival tickets!
For the last ten years I have shopped around for the best festivals throughout world
and found it requires three things:
• Patience - waiting for the lineups to be announced.
• Research - reading up on not only the headlining bands but the support acts as well.
• Travel - can you actually take the time off and make the distance to go.
Research is the most time consuming part of this process. Thirty-two hours later, my
eyes scorched from the computer screen and my wrist morphed into something that
resembled Quasi Motto, I created the guide for British Columbia Music Festivals.
But why stop there? What else are other parts Canada hosting this summer? What
about our neighbours south? How about over the Atlantic pond?
To save Gonzo reader’s from doing hours of research, we decided to map it out for
you! Whether you are a Jazz, Blues, Classical, Folk, Celtic, Rock, Metal, Country, Top
40 or Indie Music lover you will find it in the Gonzo Festival Guide. From your own
backyard to across North America to Europe you will find the festival suits your fancy.
Upcoming issues from June to October of Gonzo Magazine will give full reviews of
many different festivals listed over the next three pages, so sit back, in-hale, and plan
your ultimate summer of music!
British Columbia
1
1. The Edge of the World Music
Festival
August 7-9
Queen Charlotte Islands
- Ballgag ‘n’ Chain Gang
- Jarimba
2. Vancouver Island Music Fest
July 10-12
Courtenay
- Arlo Guthrie
- Enter The Haggis
3. Sooke River Bluegrass Music
Festival
June 19-21
- The Downtown Mountain Boys
- Clover Point Drifters
4. MusicFest Vancouver
Formerly Festival Vancouver
August 2 - 16, 2009
- Groove For Thought
- amarcord
5. PENDER HARBOUR JAZZ FESTIVAL
September 18-20
- Jim Rotondi
- Ken Lister
6. **BRAND NEW
Mountain West Music Fest
Whistler
August 21-23
Roll out the picnic blankets, unleash
the kids and rock out to the good vibes
at the first Mountain West Music Fest,
a weekend of live music in Whistler.
7. Cottonwood Music Festival
Fort St. James
July 17-19
- Back Porch Swing
- The Stooks
8. Kispiox Valley Music Festival
July 24-26
- Viper Central
- Redboot
9. Mission Folk Music Festival
July 24-26
- T. Nile
- Headwater
10. CHILLIWACK BLUEGRASS
FESTIVAL
September 4 - 6
- Tall Timber Grass
- Bix Mix Boys
11. Harrison Festival of the
Arts
July 11-19
Variety of local, national and
international performers
12. Merritt Mountain Music
Festival
July 9 -12 2009
- Doc Walker
- Emerson Drive
13. Centre of Gravity
July 31-August 2
Kelowna
- Kardinal Offishall
- Danny Fernandes
71
14. Rarearth Jazz & Blues fest
Vernon
August 8-9
- Alfie Zappacosta
- Real deal with Laura Bono
15. Rarearth Festival
August 8-9
Vernon
- Kal David
- GreenLaw
16. Funtastic Music Festival
2
June 26–29
Vernon
- 5440
3
- Aaron Pritchett
17. Action Festival
June 5-7
Summerland
- Canadian Idol Star Jaydee Bixby
18. Salmon Arm Roots and
Blues Festival
August 14-16
- Bedouin Soundclash
- The Black Pioneer Heritage Singers
19. ROBSON VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL
AUG 21-23
Dunster
- Rastrillos
- La Comuna
8
19
6
5
4
9
10
11
14 18
13
16
12
15
17
20
21
22
20. Nakusp music fest
Jul 17-19
- Trooper
- Blues Traveler
21. Kaslo Jazz Etc. Summer
Music Festival
July 31, August 1 & 2
- Blackie & The Rodeo Kings
- Ridley Bent
23
22. Shambhala Music Festival
August 7 - 10
Salmo River Ranch
- Five Alarm Funk
- StickyPod Connection
23. Creston Valley Fest
July 24-25
- Prism
- Rippin’ Rattlers
17
Best Fests around the world
2
1
3
38
Yukon
5
North West
Territories
Nunavut
7
37
36
British Columbia
Newfoundland
35
4
5
9
Alberta
7
3 2
1
Saskatchewan
9
6
ALBERTA
1. Canmore Folk Music
Festival
August 1-3
- Bop Ensemble
- Carlos del Junco
2. Calgary Folk Music
Festival
July 23-26
- Iron and Wine
- Kid Koala
PEI
33 34
Manitoba
11
8
12 13 15
14
10
3. Calgary Stampede
July 3-12
- George Straight
- Reba McEntire
4. Jasper Heritage
Folk Festival
- July of every other
year next in 2010!
5. Edmonton Folk Festival
August 6-9
- Lineup posted soon
on efmf.ab.ca
Quebec
Ontario
16
SASKATCHEWAN
6. Long Day’s Night
Music Festival
Swift Current
June 18-20
- Mocking Shadows
- The Roxanne Potvin Band
7. Saskatchewan
Music Festival
Different towns across the
province
August 13-15
- Arrangement of classical
music across the province
17
27
29
31 32
28 New
Brunswick Nova
Scotia
26
30
25
21
20
19
18
22
23 24
11. Back 40 Folk Festival
Modern Park
June 7
- Sue Foley
- Brent Parkin
12. Brandon Folk
Music and Art Festival
July 24-26
- Ainsley Friesen
- Cheering for the Bad Guy
13. Jazz Winnipeg Festival
8. REGINA FOLK FESTIVAL June 26 to July 5
- David Gogo
August 7-9
- U-Tern
- Plants and Animals
14. Winnipeg Music Festival
- K-OS
July 9-12
9. Ness Creek
- C.R. Avery
July 17-19
- Neko Case
Big River
15. Agassiz Summer
- Artists to be announced
Chamber Music Festival
MANITOBA
10. Dauphin Countryfest Winnipeg
June 10-20
July 2-5
- Duo Brazil
- Tim McGraw
- Fubuki Daiko
- Charlie Major
ONTARIO
16. Trout Forest Music
Festival
August 7-9
Ear Falls
- Bill Bourne
- Wyckham Porteous
17. Northern Lights
Festival Boreal
July 3-5
Sudbury
- Hawksley Workman
- Serena Ryder
18. Hillside Festival
July 24-26
Guelph
- Tokyo Police Club
- Final Fantasy
19. Edgefest
June 20
Toronto
- Metric
- Billy Talent
20. Indie Week Music
Festival
July 7-10
Toronto
- Artists to be
announced
6
21. Ottawa Folk Festival
August 21-23
- Penny Lang
- Veda Hille
22. Limestone City Blues
Festival
August 27-30
- Shemekia Copeland
- Delta Highway
23. Wolfe Island
Musicfest
Aug 7-8
- Holy Fuck
- Attack in Black Apostle of
Hustle
24. Virgin Music Festival
Montreal, Nova Scotia,
Alberta, Ontario and BC
Dates to be announced soon!
- The Tragically Hip
- The Offpsring
QUEBEC
25. Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
June 30-July 12
- Stevie Wonder
- Molly Johnson
26. Québec City Summer
Festival
July 9-19
- Sting
- Jeff Beck
27. Le Festival
De Lanaudiere
July 4-August 9
Joliette
- Artists to be announced
28. Le Carrefour
Mondial de
l’Accordéon
August 30- September 3
Montmagny
- Artists to be announced
New Brunswick
29. Miramichi Irish
Festival
July 16-19
- Bang on the Ear
- Shores of Newfoundland
NOVA SCOTIA
30. Edmundston Jazz &
Blues Festival
June 17-20
- Angel Forrest
- Sweet Soul System
31. The New Glasgow
Riverfront Jubilee
July 31-August 2
- Artists to be announced
32. The Stan Rogers
Folk Festival
July 3-5
- Don McLean
- Po Girl
PEI
33. PEI Bluegrass & Old
Time Music Festival
July 3-5
King’s County
- Artists to be announced
8
4
34. Indian River Festival
July 3-August 30
- Don Fraser
- The Grass mountain Hobos
NEWFOUNDLAND
35. Wreckhouse International
Jazz & Blues Festival
July 15-19
St. Johns
- Artists to be announced
NUNAVUT
36. Inummarit Music Festival
Dates and artists to be announced
Nunavut
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
37. Folk on the Rocks
July 17-19
Yellowknife
- Folk on the Rocks
- Royal Wood
YUKON
38. Dawson City Music Festival
JULY 17–19
The Acorn
Coeur De Pirate
1. Capitol Hill Block
Party
July 24-25
Seattle WA
- The Thermals
- Black Lips
2. Bumbershoot
September 5-7
Seattle, WA
- Modest Mouse
- Katy Perry
3. Sasquatch! Festival
May 23-25 May 23-25
The Gorge in Quinsey
Washington
- Kings of Leon
- Jane’s Addiction
4. Austin City Limits
Music Festival
October 2-4
Austin, TX
- Pearl Jam
- Artic Monkeys
5. 10,000 Lakes Festival
July 22-25
Soo Pass Ranch, Detroit
Lakes, Minnesota
- Widespread Panic
- Wilco
6. Mulberry Mountain
Harvest Music Festival
August 12-15
Ozark, AR
- The Avett Brothers
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
7. Summerfest
June 25-July 5
Milwaukee, WI
- Bob Dylan
- The Fray
8. Bonnaroo Music and
Arts Festival
June 11-14
Manchester, TN
- Bruce Springsteen and the
E Street Band
- Beastie Boys
9. Country Megaticket
June 14
Virginia Beach, VA
- Alan Jackson
- Brooks and Dunn
19
Best Fests around the world
Norway
12
Scotland
Sweden
13
10
9 11
Denmark
Ireland
4
2
3
8
14
Wales
England
6
7
5
by Barbara Bruederlin
Germany
15
16
Switzerland
Hungary
17
Spain
3
1. Primavera Sound
May 28-30
Barcelona, Spain
- Neil Young
- Sonic Youth
2. Oxegen
July 10-12
Co. Kildare, Ireland
- The Killers
- Blur
3. Electric Picnic
September 4-6
Co. Laois, Ireland
- Flaming Lips
- Bell X1
4. Live at the Marquee
June 18 - July 10
Co. Cork, Ireland
- Kanye West
- Crosby Stills & Nash
5. Bestival
September 11-13
Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight
- MGMT
- Fleet Foxes
20
6. The Great Escape
May 14-16
Brighton, England
- The Acorn
- Metric
7. Glastonbury
June 25-27
Pilton, Somerset, England
- Franz Ferdinand
- The Doves
8. The Green Man Festival
August 21-23
Brecon Beacons Nation Park, South Wales
- Jarvis Cocker
- Wilco
9. RockNess
June 12-13
Dores, Inverness, Scotland
- Basement Jaxx
- Flaming Lips
10. T in the Park
July 9-12
Balado, Kinross, Scotland
- Snow Patrol
- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Our
heads
in the
sands
11. The Wickerman Festival
July 24-25
East Kirkcarswell, Scotland
- The Human League
- The Zutons
12. Oya Festival
August 11-15
Oslo, Norway
-Crystal Castles
-Band of Horses
13. Way Out West
August 13-15
Göteborg, Sweden
- Artic Monkeys
- Bon Iver
14. Roskilde Festival
July 2-5
Roskilde, Denmark
- Cold Play
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
15. Hurricane
June 19-21
Scheessel, Eichenring, Germany
- Silversun Pickups
- The Pixies
16. Openair St Gallen
June 26-28
St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Nine Inch Nails
- Nick Cave
17. Sziget Festival
August 10-17
Budapest, Hungary
- Danko Jones
- Death Stars
They used to be called the
tar sands. But as development in the Fort McMurray area of northern
Alberta became frenzied
with the reality of peak
oil, and the world’s attention became increasingly
focused on the highly
contentious extraction of
this problematic resource,
the public relations machine of the oil industry
swung into action and
quietly renamed them the
oil sands.
It’s a much prettier name, one that conjures up images of sweet clean fuel flowing
effortlessly into our emission-controlled vehicles, rather than the thick, viscous, gooey
mess that is the reality of bitumen.
With world oil production nearing its peak
and with US oil production in decline since
the 1970’s, the scramble for the last of the
world’s oil is getting dirty. The political
situation in OPEC countries is becoming
increasingly touchy, particularly with Saudi
Arabia, once the largest exporter of oil to the
United States, now approaching the peak of
its once seemingly endless oil reserves. Accordingly, the nation is becoming increasingly insular and could yet prove to be a
flashpoint for a fundamentalist revolution.
The United States, still the world’s most
ravenous consumer of oil, prefers to fulfill its
energy needs from more benign sources.
With the world’s oil reserves becoming
ever scarcer, the low-hanging fruit is getting picked-over. At one time, light crude
gushed liberally from the ground, but now,
as the petroleum age fades to black, most of
the remaining oil reserves are being discovered either deep under the ocean or bound
up in oil sands or shale. Both the accessibility and the quality of the world’s remaining
oil are diminishing, while demand continues
to increase. And where once the Canadian
oil sands were viewed as a poor return on investment, low provincial royalties, tax breaks
for exploration and development, and a free
trade agreement that favours exportation of
oil to the U.S. has made the extraction of
bitumen from Alberta’s north irresistible
to every major multi-national oil company.
The oil sands are now heralded by many as
the potential saviour of our petroleum-extravagant lifestyle.
Canada has replaced Saudi Arabia as the
largest supplier of oil to the United States.
Supporters of oil sands development maintain that exploitation of this resource will
cement Canada’s role as a global energy
superpower, and they point to the oil sands
as the largest economic engine driving the
province of Alberta. You don’t have to look
far to find somebody whose livelihood is
directly reliant on exploration and development in the oil sands.
One engineer, whose firm supplies the oil
sands industry, cites the slowdown in the oil
patch as a direct cause of the layoffs from
which his firm is now reeling. Recently
Petro-Canada announced the layoff of 200
people in their oil sands division, due primarily to cost overruns on projects brought
on by softening oil prices. The slowing of
oilpatch investment resulting from the current economic downturn has rippled through
many sectors of the economy. Besides the
oil companies themselves, the oil sands de-
velopment industry has a huge impact on
transportation, equipment manufacturing,
engineering, trade unions, housing, and food
services.
It’s not easy to wrestle bitumen from the
ground. Only 20 percent of the bitumen
can be reached by surface mining. In his
book Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future
of a Continent, Andrew Nikiforuk describes
the open pit mines that cover vast tracts of
northern Alberta as “more hellish than an
Appalachian coal field”. During the surface
mining process sizeable swaths of boreal
forest are cleared, crucial wetlands (which
comprise 40% of natural boreal forest) are
drained, and tonnes of earth are excavated
using machinery larger than some apartment buildings. All of that earth is then
washed with billions of litres of freshwater
sucked from the Athabasca River, in order
to grapple the viscous tar from the sand that
binds it. And that’s just for the easy-toreach bitumen.
The vast majority of bitumen lies so deeply
buried and is so inextricably bound with
sand and clay that it can only be recovered
with in-situ techniques, such as steam-assisted gravity drainage. Because the natural
state of bitumen more resembles a hockey
puck than a liquid, it can’t be pumped from
these deep reserves. Instead, a series of horizontal wells are drilled and a spider web of
pipes and pumps are used to continuously
force steam deep into the ground until the
bitumen become molten. If all the area
available for in-situ extraction is developed,
it will sprawl over an area the size of Florida,
or forty times the mineable area.
Not only does this process drain enormous
quantities of freshwater from the nearby
Athabasca River or from underground aquifers, but the water must then be superheated
to produce sufficient steam to melt the bitumen. And this is where the story becomes
rather surreal. The fuel used to heat this
21
water is primarily natural gas. Natural gas
is a relatively clean burning form of energy,
in that it produces little particulate matter. It is also a finite and a shrinking resource. Andrew Nikiforuk writes that “the
tar sands industry burns enough natural gas
every day to heat four million homes. At
this rate of consumption, the project could
severely compromise the nation’s natural gas
supplies by 2030.” Energy analysts estimate
that it takes one barrel of energy to produce
between 20 and 60 barrels of oil from conventional drilling; figures cited for oil produced in the oil sands range from between
two and five barrels per one barrel of energy
expended. And that’s not factoring in the
environmental cost.
As bitumen extraction shifts increasingly
toward the deepest reserves, the energy expended on the operations can only increase.
Recently, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers issued a statement on the
development of technology aimed at reducing energy inputs, in which CAPP president David Collyer alluded to research into
finding substitutes for steam, such as the use
of solvents or electrical currents. Requests
made to the CAPP for clarification on these
technologies have been cheerfully met with
promises of information, which have never
materialized.
Simon Dyer, Oil Sands Program Director with the Pembina Institute, dismisses
these public relations battles in which the
oil companies are embroiled, as distractions
from the way in which “the oil sands are be-
22
ing horribly mismanaged”. He points out
that “CAPP is keen to present technology
as the solution to oil sands environmental
woes, but many of the cumulative impacts of
oil sands development require solutions in
the form of policies and limits that protect
the environment. Despite some per barrel
improvements in oil sands impacts, virtually every environmental indicator is getting
worse, not better, as per barrel improvements
are outstripped by increases in production.
Incremental technical improvements are not
going to deal with any of these problems.”
The Pembina Institute recently voiced objections to an Alberta Government policy
draft that would allow oil sands companies to switch from burning natural gas to
burning more carbon intensive fuels, such
as raw bitumen or petroleum coke and asphaltenes, which are waste products from
the bitumen upgrading process. “Compared
with conventional oil production, in-situ oil
sands production produces four times the
greenhouse gas pollution per barrel when
burning relatively cleaner natural gas,” their
statement reads. “In-situ oil sands operations burning petroleum coke without any
mitigation would produce 66 per cent more
greenhouse gas pollution than if the same
operation were to burn natural gas.”
But if the figures for greenhouse gas emissions are alarming, the rate of water consumption and subsequent production of
liquid tailings is staggering. Bitumen extraction, and the upgrading which is then
required to make it fluid, guzzles a lot of
water. The amount of water used in extraction and upgrading fluctuates with the process; figures vary from between two and four
and a half barrels of water being required to
make one barrel of oil from oil sands mining, and about one barrel of water per barrel
of oil for in-situ.
The Athabasca River, from which the majority of water for use in the oil sands mining
industry is withdrawn, lies in the southern
portion of the MacKenzie River Basin, the
supplier of about one-fifth of Canada’s fresh
water. Water levels in the Athabasca River
fluctuate with the seasons. The continued
withdrawal of water during the naturally low
winter flows have raised alarm bells in the
environmental and First Nations communities, who fear irreparable damage to aquatic
ecosystems. The water that is withdrawn for
oil sands operations cannot be returned after
use. Heavy metals and hydrocarbons from
the extraction process accumulate in a toxic
stew known as tailings. As of last June, 720
cubic metres of tailings were contained in
open lakes covering an area of 130 square
kms, an area the size of the City of Vancouver. These tailings wastes must be stored
until somebody can figure out what to do
about them.
Tailings lakes, euphemistically referred
to as “ponds”, are death traps for migratory
waterfowl. They mistake the vast expanses
of liquid tailings for lakes of open water,
land in large numbers and die in large numbers. When Syncrude Canada upgraded
the number of ducks who died on one of
their tailings ponds last spring from 500 to
1606, most people were stunned. Others,
who have been following activities in the
oil sands, were less so. “It was not surprising at all,” Andrew Nikiforuk told the CBC
shortly after the news broke. “I was always
suspicious.”
Wildlife consultant Guy Monty recognizes that public demand for petroleum products is what ultimately allows the lax regulations responsible for the existence of tailings
ponds in the first place. “Although blame
should certainly fall on the people responsible for creating these death traps, it should
also be applied to each and every stockholder of the companies responsible, and
every human that consumes the end product
of this industry,” he declares. “Beyond anything else, though, the government officials
who approved these projects and this way of
dealing with waste should be prosecuted for
the deaths of these birds.”
Syncrude, for its part, has been working
to dispel the negative image that these bird
deaths have cast on its operations, by enlisting extra personnel and noise makers to
discourage birds from landing on the open
tailings lakes, and by sponsoring research
into dealing with the mess that bitumen
extraction and processing makes. “We’re
actually the only oil sands company with a
dedicated research facility,” Cheryl Robb,
Syncrude Media Relations Advisor, tells me.
“We at Syncrude actually pioneered [low
energy extraction] technology in the oil
sands”. By reducing the water temperature
used in washing bitumen out of the sand
and clay from 80C to 35-40C, Syncrude estimates that it has reduced greenhouse gas
emissions per barrel by 14% between 1990
and 2004. “85% of our water is recycled,”
Robb explains, with water being recycled up
to 18 times. Still, according to Simon Dyer,
overall increases in production throughout
the industry have effectively negated those
reductions in both per barrel greenhouse gas
emissions and in water usage. It’s simply a
matter of math.
And then there is still the issue of what to
do with existing tailings. “Our challenge is
the mature fine tailings (MFT), which are
clay particles suspended in water,” Cheryl
Robb explains. Research into end-use for
this dense mixture, which settles to the
bottom of tailings ponds after surface water is extracted for re-use, is being ramped
up at Syncrude’s research facility. Proposals include water capping (in which MFT
are permanently disposed of in a mine pit
and eventually covered in water), composite
tails (in which gypsum is added to MFT as
a stabilizer and then covered with soil), and
thickened tailings (in which MFT are centrifuged to produce a solid cake).
Simon Dyer, however, expresses his concern about placing too much trust in these
unproven technologies, insisting that “without the policy direction to prohibit the creation of liquid tailings or absolute reductions in GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions,
there is not a strong enough incentive for
the step-wise change in environmental performance that is required. This is why the
tailings problem has gotten worse over the
past 40 years (despite R&D) and why the
oil sands are the fastest growing source of
GHG emissions in Canada.”
Gradek Energy, meanwhile, hopes to begin pilot testing of reusable polymer beads
to which bitumen and heavy metals will adsorb and be recovered from tailings ponds,
and CBR Inc is developing an in-situ technique which they speculate will eliminate
the production of tailings ponds. Part of
the problem is the prolonged time it takes
for research and development of new technologies. The time-frame from lab bench
to mine site is protracted, as each step must
be tested and proven in incrementally larger
tests and settings. To date, 104 hectares,
containing Syncrude overburden and topsoil, have been certified as reclaimed. And
there will always be concern over whether
these technologies are indeed safe, complete,
and reliable.
In the interim,
environmental
groups are calling
for a halt to the
expansion of tailings facilities, to
give technology a
chance to catch up.
In a recent letter
to Alberta Environment, the Oil
Sands
Environmental Coalition
(a group of environmental organizations, including
the Pembina Institute) reveals that
many oil sands
operations are failing to meet their
“original approved
tailings
volume
targets”. In fact,
they point out,
an application by
Syncrude Canada
to increase the elevation of one of
their tailings facilities will actually increase
the volume of tailings being stored. With
approximately 1.5 barrels of MFT being
produced for every barrel of bitumen and
with the Alberta Government estimating
a doubling of production based on existing
approvals alone, this presents a grave concern.
Simon Dyer emphasizes that “the biggest problems facing the oil sands are based
on absence of regulation of cumulative
impacts”. The Pembina Institute has recommended that the Alberta and Federal
Governments establish meaningful GHG
emission reduction targets, halt approval for
development of additional tailings ponds,
establish transparent reclamation standards,
halt water withdrawals on the Athabasca
River during low flow periods, and complete
an Alberta land use plan prior to granting
new approvals.
There is no question that the oil sands will
continue to be exploited. Far too much of
our lifestyle depends upon petroleum. Reducing our personal reliance upon petroleum products will stretch out the life span
of world oil reserves, but eventually they will
run out. But going slowly in the oil sands,
by insisting on careful stewardship, we can
buy some time to develop alternate technology, without destroying everything in the
process.
23
Enjoy an Italian Spring
getaway in Kelowna
by Rhiannon Schmitt
My husband and I took
our honeymoon seven
years late with a trip to
Europe. Ten countries in
eighteen days.
The stresses of travel and witnessing
our credit cards nearly smoke from overuse are enough to test any marriage, so the
7-year-itch had us scratching with vigor. We
were not alone in our bickering; all the couples on our tour had moments of attempted
strangulation.
But amore was in the air the night we dined
in the unique and beautiful Renaissance city
of Venice, or Venezia, Italy. Amidst ancient
cathedrals and marble halls of the historic
Piazza San Marco, we sat like lovers under
the stars. A string group serenaded us with
spicy tangos, mournful arias and flashy classical music by candlelight. The warm ocean
breeze blew across the satin tablecloth as
waiters with white gloves served us gelato, a
gourmet Italian fruity iced dessert. It was all
so romantic it was bordering on cliché, but
we relished every moment of it.
Ahh, Venice!
Don’t have $10,000 to spare? There is another way to get your springtime tango and
gelato fix and it’s coming to Kelowna on
May 10. The Okanagan Symphony presents
Italianissimo, a special Mother’s Day Family
Concert with Guest Artists Quartetto Gelato. For a decade, the Canadian ensemble has
24
enchanted audiences and critics worldwide
with their exotic blend of musical virtuosity,
artistic passion and charismatic presence.
Classical in intent, eclectic by design, Quartetto Gelato not only thrills its audiences with
the mastery of violin, mandolin, accordion,
piano, bandoneon, clarinet and cello, but also
offers the wonderfully unexpected bonus of a
brilliant operatic tenor. All four members are
virtuosos in their respective instruments and
have lead impressive careers on the international stage.
Their repertoire ranges from classical masterworks, operatic arias and the sizzling energy of tangos, gypsy and folk songs. Their
performances radiate a sense of spontaneity
and excitement rarely seen on the classical
stage. Coupled with the group’s relaxed stage
presence and witty humor, they create an immediate rapport with traditional and nontraditional classical audiences alike.
Pioneers in the revamped “New classical” scene, Quartetto Gelato won the title
of NPR Performance Today’s “Debut Artist
of the Year” in 1996. Thirteen years later, the
group continues its reign as an international
sensation with repeat sold-out performances
around the world.
Their recordings have also, quite literally,
been heard around the world. Canadian astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk took their first two
albums with him on the space shuttle Columbia during his NASA flight!
The panel of critics at NPR said Quartetto
Gelato is “an amazing ensemble that achieves
the nearly impossible: they play salon music
with real style and classical music with real
precision; Great chops and a commitment in
all that they play.”
Okay, I’m sold! But it gets better. Our very
own Okanagan Symphony Orchestra joins
Quartetto Gelato throughout the program
and will also take the stage for two orchestraonly works.
First is a selection from “The Thieving
Magpie” or “La Gazza Ladra,” an opera
semiseria in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.
Rumour has it that, in May of 1817, the opera’s producer locked Rossini in a room the
day before the first performance in order to
write the overture.
The story goes on to tell that Rossini then
threw each sheet out of the window to his
copyists, who wrote out the full orchestral
parts just in time for the performance. Further to the passionate Italian theme, the second half of the program features the Orchestra in a performance of “The Overture to an
Italian Comedy” by Arthur Benjamin. The
work was composed in 1936 and presents a
range of themes and moods, including directions in the score to play in section in a “vulgar” manner.
Further to the notations, the published
score is humourously subtitled, “Sorry you’ve
been troubled.”
Rhiannon Schmitt operates award-winning
Fiddleheads Violin Shop in Salmon Arm, BC
and serves customers around the world. www.
Fiddleheads.ca
Italianissimo! Kelowna Community Theatre,
One Show Only, Sunday May 10, 2009, 4 pm.
Online ticket discounts and other information
at www.okanagansymphony.com
Summerland
Action Festival
“Band On The Run” Okanagan Talent
Search Finalists are announced and the winning line-up features a diverse list of up incoming Okanagan Bands and Songwriters.
The “Band On The Run” 2009 talent search
includes Studio Recording packages, Video
DVD of Live Concert Performance and numerous Career Advancement Opportunities”
Makena Entertainment Corp. (MEC) is
pleased to announce the finalists of “Band on
the Run” 2009 Okanagan Talent Search. Finalists who will be featured on the “Band On
The Run 2009” Compilation CD and scheduled for live music video production at Actionfest are: Kook Show, Moments, Devon
and Kevin, Life, Ian Hoyte, Enterlude, Opal
Maven, The Flu, Nixie Mix, Whiski-Dick,
Sean Viloria, Able Born, Cynthia Leigh Ann,
Calum Hughes, Elle O’Brien, Edouard,
All submissions featured original music
and the songs were recorded at Okanagan
Valley recording studios, plus some of the
submissions were from bands who recorded
at CATO and Okanagan College recording
facilities. The “Band on the Run” compilation CD, which is to be released on June 6th,
at Action Festival will feature and showcase
one song from each band. The bands and
artists will also be featured at Live Video
Shoot performing onstage at Actionfest June
6th to coincide with the CD Release party.
In addition, select bands will also perform at
World Of Wheels on May 17th in addition
to future performance showcase opportunities at Rockanagan, The Habitat plus some
up in coming concert events to be scheduled
in 2009.
The “Band On The Run” goal is to inspire
people to pursue a singing/music career and
to advance their individual careers with inclusion on the compilation cd, video shoot
on DVD plus multiple performance opportunities throughout 2009 to advance their
careers. “I am excited to be a part of this talent search showcase and we support encourage up & coming artists to follow their goals,
to nurture their creativity, and advance their
career opportunities. Today’s talent, are our
future stars of tomorrow” says John Karroll
of MEC. Selected Bands/Songwriters/musicians will receive promotional copies of the
CD, DVD of their Live Performance Music
Video, plus additional career advancement
opportunities. Select bands will also receive
specific prizes based on the judge’s scores to
include a Video Film Shoot at Cannery Film
Studios, gift certificates, website graphic
design etc., & studio recording packages.
In addition, select bands will also have an
opportunity for a showcase performance at
Rockanagan 2009 plus other performance
and concert opportunities to be announced
shortly. Each selected band/songwriter also
receives a promotional copy of the compilation CD and DVD of their Live Performance Music Video. Promising entrants who
did not make the final list will also receive
some recording package gift certificates from
Makena Entertainment Corp. to further advance their careers. Visit www.MakenaEntertainment.com for updates on the Band on
the Run events.
25
WE’D RAISE THE ROOF... IF THERE WAS ONE!
For More Information - www.funtastic.org
June 26, 2009
6:00pm ‐ The Dirt
7:00pm ‐ Original Replicas
8:00pm‐ Mace
9:00pm ‐ Roger Gabriel
10:30pm ‐ Aaron Pritchett
26
June 27, 2009
6:00pm ‐ Noble Five
7:00pm ‐ Channel 8
8:00pm ‐ High Voltage
9:00pm ‐ The Young’uns
10:30pm ‐ 5440
June 28, 2009
Tickets At:
6:00pm – Bombshella
7:00pm – Deja Vu
8:00pm ‐ Billy Jive
10:30pm ‐ March Hare
27
Giant auto auction
Come see for yourself and
you’ll be amazed!
$$$$ $aVe $$$$
eVery saturday at 11am
gates oPen at 9am
bailiff repos, Police
recoveries, lease
backs, fleet returns,
bankruptcies
over 150 cars, trucks
4X4’s & suVs
most units sold
unreserved
buy direct and
save thousands on
your next vehicle
purchase
eVery saturday at 11am gates oPen at 9 am
3953 Highway 97 north
Kelowna bC
250-765-5282
www.kelownaauctionworld.com
The Rarearth Jazz and Blues
Fest is slated for August 8th
& 9th, 2009 at the Kin Race
Track site in beautiful Vernon,
BC; the heart of the Okanagan
Valley.
The festival is a ‘Celebration
of the arts’ where artisans, food
vendors, music lovers, musicians and families gather together for a ‘feast of the senses’
for two full days of quality entertainment. With a vision and
commitment to our ‘rare’ piece
of earth to do our best to make this festival a ‘plastic free’ environment, we are looking to another successful year to bring our message
of ‘green’ by good example. The beautiful Rita Chiarelli, Blues King
Kal David, Jimmy Bowskill, Dawn Tyler Watson and American and
Juno Award Winner Alfie Zappacosta, as well as over 20 other acts,
both local and from across the country, are only a few of the exciting
events planned for the weekend. Along with a massive children’s area
brimming with fun activities, this year Rarearth will be offering ‘Stage
Right’ which will feature over 40 children’s musical performances.
Early bird tickets are available now! at www.ticketseller.ca - Kids 12
and Under FREE! - With tons of FREE parking and room for RVs,
Campers and Trailers and only minutes walking distance to Vernon’
accommodation and other ammenities, the Rarearth Jazz and Blues
Fest is definitely the place you’ll want to be, so get your tickets, check
out our website www.rarearthjazzandbluesfest.com and make Vernon
your destination spot for August 8th & 9th, 2009. g
“Your referral
is our greatest
compliment....”
Looking at You!
Photography & Imaging
Event, Band and Promo Photography
Kevin Kienlein
250-545-8340 Vernon, B.C.
www.lookingatyou.ca • [email protected]
WE’D RAISE THE ROOF... IF THERE WAS ONE!
For More Information - www.funtastic.org
June 26, 2009
6:00pm ‐ The Dirt
7:00pm ‐ Original Replicas
8:00pm‐ Mace
9:00pm ‐ Roger Gabriel
10:30pm ‐ Aaron Pritchett
28
June 27, 2009
6:00pm ‐ Noble Five
7:00pm ‐ Channel 8
8:00pm ‐ High Voltage
9:00pm ‐ The Young’uns
10:30pm ‐ 5440
June 28, 2009
Tickets At:
6:00pm – Bombshella
7:00pm – Deja Vu
8:00pm ‐ Billy Jive
10:30pm ‐ March Hare
29
Travelat’s
th
Ten Again
Finally, the reissue of Pearl Jam’s fabulous
Ten album is here. I went out and promptly
purchased it, in all its glory and wonder.
The CD packaging is a lovely sepia toned
version of the original but sadly due to me
being a douche (aka: too excited to think
clearly) I ended up buying the WRONG
version of it and went home without the
Unplugged DVD (Deluxe Edition).
Naturally, when I got home and started to
dissect it, devouring every morsel of sleeve
writings while it played in the background,
I thought there was some massive injustice
perpetrated against me. NO DVD! I was
sure the store “forgot” to give it to me. (I got
it at a local little shop, Lyle’s Place that has
all the displayed CD cases empty, and the
actual discs are behind the counter to avoid
theft.) Eventually upon closer examination
of the CD sleeve I realized my stupidity.
Sigh.
Anyway…I was at least the proud owner
of another new copy of the original Ten
album and the new tweaked version with
6 additional songs. The tweaked version is
cool, subtle but cool. Not a ton of change
but a few things here and there. Here is
what Darryl Sterdan of Sun Media said
about it in his canoe.ca review:
ORIGINAL TRACKS
• Once 3:52 - The drums are snappier, the
guitars are crisper, there’s less reverb, more
clarity and better separation. Basically, everything just sounds better. Cool so far.
30
O
Z
N
GO
by Jennifer Conklin
• Even Flow 4:53 - Those big, booming vocals in the chorus? They’ve been toned way
down. But the middle section now includes
a spoken-word vocal from Eddie Vedder,
begging for change.
• Alive 5:41 -The ringing, cavernous reverb
has been stripped away to get at the song
beneath. And here’s a treat: Mike McCready’s solo on the remastered version differs from the one on the remix.
• Why Go 3:19 - Again, there’s less echo
and more space, allowing Jeff Ament’s muscular bass-line and the interplay between
McCready and Stone Gossard’s guitars to
take center stage.
• Black 5:39 - The mono start is the same.
But it opens wider than before, with vocals
and guitars that are clearer and more nuanced. It’s almost like hearing the song for
the first time.
• Jeremy 5:17 - Ament’s lumbering bass is
more pointed and less rubbery, the guitars
gnash their teeth with more ferocity, and
the backups really come through. All subtle
improvements.
• Oceans 2:41 - No major changes -- but
then, it’s a pretty simple, straightforward
folk number. Still, this version seems less, er,
watery than the original.
• Porch 3:30 - Brendan O’Brien tightens
the drums and jacks the guitars way up, giving the song extra heft and momentum.
• Garden 4:58 - The original was sorta
boomy and blah. O’Brien clarifies everything so you can hear what’s going on and
gain new appreciation for it.
• Deep 4:18 - More articulation and separation between McCready and Gossard’s dueling guitars adds extra layers to this bluesy
6/8 rock waltz.
• Release 8:59 - The drone-y ballad benefits
from the same crispness as the rest of the
CD -- but O’Brien apparently snips away
about 10 seconds from the hidden Master/
Slave soundscape.
NEW TRACKS
• Brother 4:00 - It’s a solid mid-tempo
rocker -- but the preponderance of chunky
power chords and clumsy drums make it
seem a little amateurish.
• Just A Girl 5:03 - The mood is dark, the
groove is sparsely funk but the chorus is
weak and Eddie’s vocals seem a little out of
his comfort zone. Good, not great.
• Breath & A Scream 5:59 - You might
remember this lumbering rocker from the
Singles soundtrack. This longer version is
slightly heavier and slower.
• State of Love and Trust 4:49 - Another
Singles track, but rawer and more deliberately paced. Some enthusiastic studio chatter at the end is a nice little bonus.
• 2000 Mile Blues 3:58 - Yep, it’s a blues
jam. But a pretty decent one, thanks to
some smoking solos from McCready.
• Evil Little Goat 1:30 - It might be the
best PJ song title ever. But the tune itself
is just a tossed-off improvisation that seems
included here to end things on a light note.
It works. [Hearing Eddie Vedder bleat like
a goat/sheep on this track is worth every
penny it cost to buy this release. - Jen]
All in all worth every penny obviously since
I now have to spend another 45 bucks to get
the version with the DVD. Ha!
Blah Blah Blah
Are there any gangbangers left in Vancouver? Just curious…
Check this out; in Vancouver some residents of the Dunbar area have apparently
been encouraged by the Community Patrol
to call 911 if they see a “beggar” in their
neighborhood. Beggars = Street Disorder.
My word! How dare those beggar folk
wander into the quaintness of the Dunbar
area and inflict residents with their filth!
According to one of The Dunbar Residents
Association’s co-presidents, it’s because
panhandlers…
“…are not residents here and they aren’t
contributing to the neighborhood … And
the police just said it was a good idea to
keep them moving.”
Thank you Matt Good’s mblog.com for that
heads up.
Will the shame ever end? I hope an entire
band of downtown Vancouver homeless
people hike it to the Dunbar area and create
a tent city so those classist motherfuckers
can really squirm in their high end, brand
name boots.
I am outta here…stay out of bat country
and avoid the pig flu!
Ryan McMahon
Trent Reznor
Election Time
With the provincial election in May it has
been interesting to watch the current in power
party struggle to make themselves look good.
With BC having the highest child poverty
rate in all of Canada and watching millions
upon millions of dollars being dumped into
the fucking Olympics, their mission to look
good fails miserably. I have never been a fan
of Gordo and his little pack of power-mongering pals and I would like nothing more
than to see Carol James kick Gordo in the
balls and take over his thrown.
I am also crossing my fingers that the BCSTV (Single Transferable Vote) gets enough
votes to become a reality in BC. Time to gain
some wider representation and make candidates work to get our votes rather than just
riding the coat tails of their party. The last
referendum got 57% of voter support, which
wasn’t the 60% Gordo and Co. demanded so
I can only hope this time more people have
educated themselves about it and will get on
the bandwagon. The current electoral system
is in need of a serious over haul. Don’t make
me go Che Guevara on your ass! (Disclaimer:
this is my personal opinion and not necessarily that of the Gonzo Magazine or greedmongering/non-greed mongering individuals everywhere.)
Nothing in Common
Watched the movie Hunger this afternoon,
about Irishman Bobby Sands and his prison
hunger strike. If you aren’t familiar with Bobby Sands at all, in a nutshell, he was imprisoned for his involvement in IRA (Irish Republican Army) violence and was the 1st of
10 to die after his 66day hunger
strike.
It is a gut
wrenching
account of
the standoff between
the
British
government
and IRA prisoners trying to be
classified as political prisoners rather than criminals.
The powerful scene between Bobby Sands and
Father Dominic Moran
is flawless. It is about 10
mins long, looks like one
take, starts out as humorous
banter and gets extremely
intense. By the end of it
you fully understand who Bobby Sands is
and why is he motivated to take such drastic
measures for his cause. This is not an uplifting movie; it is ridden with disturbing images, mainly human against human.
MSNBC recently showed the last videotaped
interview
with
Charles
Manson
from
about 10 years ago.
Apparently
the
60’s boogeyman
was put on a list of
California inmates
who are not permitted to participate in videotaped
interviews so it
was Chuck’s final
time in the media
spotlight.
Having spent my teen
years eating up all
the Manson Family weirdness in
any book I could
get my hands on,
this interview was
a trip back through
memory lane.
MSNBC had an
FBI profiler on to
dissect
Chuck’s
incoherent ranting, threatening
behavior and disposition making
it an interesting
watch. He is a walking, talking contradiction of himself, playing pity cards one minute
and then playing a menacing beast the next.
He reminds me of a small animal, like those
lizards who, when trying to look intimidating
to enemies, puff out their weird lizard necks
and appear to be big and spooky when they
are just little punk ass lizards.
He is the poster-child for why people
should never abuse and treat their children
poorly.
31
Editor’s letter
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> MAY 15 / EVENING WITH
FLEETWOOD MAC
May 15, General Motors
Place, Vancouver / Doors
7:00pm / Show 8:00pm
Tickets $199.50, $85.50 &
$49.50 / RESERVED SEATING
/ TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/402908/
> MAY 17 / GOJIRA
With special guests The
Chariot and Car Bomb
May 17, Richard’s on
Richards, Vancouver / Doors
8:00pm / Show 9:00pm
Tickets $20.00 / GENERAL
ADMISSION / 19+ /
TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets also available at
Scrape
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/405649/
> MAY 22 / LADY SOVEREIGN
With special guests Chester
French and Hollywood Holt
May 22, Richard’s On
Richards, Vancouver / Doors
8:00pm / Show 9:30pm
Tickets $26.50 / GENERAL
ADMISSION / 19+/
TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets also available at Zulu
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/405017/
> MAY 25 / TV ON THE RADIO
With special guests Dirty
Projectors
May 25, Malkin Bowl,
Vancouver / Doors 5:30pm /
Show 7:00pm
Tickets $32.50 / GENERAL
ADMISSION / TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets also available at Red
Cat, Scratch, Highlife & Zulu
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/404498/
> A LIVE NATION &
SEALED WITH A KISS COPRODUCTION
MAY 28 / NEW YORK DOLLS
With special guests The Cliks
May 28, Richard’s on
Richards, Vancouver / Doors
8:00pm / Show 9:00pm
Tickets $30.00/ GENERAL
ADMISSION / 19+ /
TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets also available at Zulu
& Sctach
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/406733
> MAY 28, 30 & 31 / AN
EVENING WITH IL DIVO
May 28, Prospera Place,
Kelowna / Doors 6:30pm /
Show 7:30pm
Tickets $127.05, $91.55 &
$57.05 / RESERVED SEATING
/ SELECT YOUR TICKETS
/ PROSPERA PLACE BOX
OFFICE
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/401370/
May 30, General Motors
Place, Vancouver / Doors
6:30pm / Show 7:30pm
Tickets $127.05, $91.55 &
$57.05 / RESERVED SEATING
/ TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/401364/
May 31, Save On Foods
Memorial Centre, Victoria /
Doors 6:30pm / Show 7:30pm
Tickets $127.05, $91.55 &
$57.05 / RESERVED SEATING
/ SELECT YOUR TICKETS /
SAVE ON FOODS MEMORIAL
CENTRE BOX OFFICE
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/401375/
> MAY 30 / THE DEARS
With special guests Jets
Overhead and Black Diamond
Bay
May 30, Richard’s on
Richards, Vancouver / Doors
7:00pm / Show 7:30pm
Tickets $18.50 / GENERAL
ADMISSION / 19+ /
TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets also available at Red
Cat & Zulu
FOR MORE SHOW
INORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/405524/
> MAY 31 / THE RECESSIONISTA TOUR WITH SARAH
SLEAN
With special guests
May 31, Granville Island
Stage, Vancouver / Doors
6:30pm / Show 7:30pm
Tickets $25.00 / RESERVED
SEATING / TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/407558
> JUN 4 / RISE AGAINST
With special guests Rancid
and The Riverboat Gamblers
June 4, Pacific Coliseum,
Vancouver / Doors 6:00pm /
Show 7:00pm
Tickets $37.50 & $32.50
/ GENERAL ADMISSION
FLOOR / RESERVED STANDS
/ TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/404576/
> JUN 3, 4, 5 & 6 / BLUE
RODEO
With special guests Jeremy
Fisher (Malkin Bowl) &
Dustin Bentall (Abbotsford &
Pentiction)
June 3, South Okanagan
Events Centre, Penticton /
Doors 6:30pm / Show 7:30pm
Tickets $54.50 & $37.50 /
RESERVED SEATING / VENUE
BOX OFFICE OR WWW.
VALLEYFIRSTTIX.COM
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/407133
June 4, Abbotsford
Entertainment & Sports
Centre, Abbotsford / Doors
6:30pm / Show 7:30pm
Tickets $52.50 & $19.50 /
RESERVED SEATING / VENUE
BOX OFFICE OR WWW.
ABBOTSFORDCENTRE.CA
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/407125
June 5, Malkin Bowl,
Vancouver / Gates 6:30pm /
Show 7:30pm
Tickets $55.50 & $37.50
/ RESERVED SEATING &
GENERAL ADMISSION LAWN
/ TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/407109
June 6, Malkin Bowl,
Vancouver / Gates 6:30pm /
Show 7:30pm
Tickets $55.50 & $37.50
/ RESERVED SEATING &
GENERAL ADMISSION LAWN
/ TICKETMASTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION: http://
www.livenation.com/edp/
eventId/407110
• May 1/2 Downhome Dave
& The Dynamite
• May 8...Sherman Doucette
• May 9...The Salmon Armenians
• May 15/16 Incognito
• May 22/23 Sonny Rhodes
• May 29/30 The Younguns
441 Lawrence Ave, Kelowna, BC
250-860-1529 [email protected]
Dave’s
Roadhouse
Music
Guitars & Accessories
• Sales
• Service
• Repairs
• Lessons
• Rentals
• Buy
• Sell
• Trade
• Vintage New
and Used
• Custom instrument
repair done on site
45841 Yale Road, Chilliwack
604-792-4425
32
33
RAREARTH
Jazz & Blues Fest
Vernon, BC Aug 8-9, 2009
[250] 938-2231 or [email protected]
OVER 20 FANTASTIC ACTS!
WWW.RAREARTHJAZZANDBLUESFEST.COM
ENTER TO WIN!
2 weekend passes
34
($160.00 Value)
at: www.theyale.ca