ITheExplorer

Is Craft Beer Taking Over?

2011-03-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

Is Craft Beer Taking Over?
Article by: Dillon Rahkola

Since the first Ontario craft brewery opened in 1984, discerning beer drinkers have been drawn to the quality, taste, and attention to detail that separate craft beer from widely available domestic. Every year, the craft brewing industry has gained recognition in the rapidly gaining a cult following, the question arises: can craft breweries become more popular than their domestic counterparts?

Craft brewing is distinct because the beer is brewed in smaller batches, using fresh ingredients and new and unique flavours. Generally, craft beers also have fewer preservatives and fillers than their domestic counterparts. Though the price tag is usually higher, and craft beer varies by region, discerning beer drinkers all over Ontario are turning more often to their local craft beers over the regular Beer Store staples.

Mike Laba, marketing director at Muskoka Cottage Brewery in Bracebridge, Ontario, says that those who try craft beers are usually fans for life. “If you truly like flavourful beers, we make a far superior product versus major brewers. It’s tough to go back to a mainstream brand once you’re hooked on craft beer. Beer is no longer the bland, carbonated, mass produced five per cent drink that it once was. It is now local, exciting, all natural and delicious,” says Laba.

Brandon Benoit, a second year film student at Ryerson University, has been drinking craft beer for just over one year. “With craft beer, they pay so much more attention to detail and quality, while trying new and interesting ideas,” says Benoit.

The quality and freshness of the beer is one of the most important details of the craft brewing process. This makes the beer more enjoyable to drink, but it also gives the brewery a marketing advantage that no domestic brewery can compete with. Craft breweries are dedicated to a traditional brewing method known as Bavarian Purity Act of 1516. This method only uses malted barley, hops, water, yeast, and brewed in small batches, which most domestic breweries don’t do.

“A big difference between craft breweries and domestic breweries is freshness,” says Laba. “Craft beer is meant to be produced in small batch and delivered and enjoyed fresh. You can tell the difference.”

The idea of buying fresh local beer is becoming more popular across Ontario, with Mill St. Brewery, Steam Whistle Brewery, and Muskoka Cottage Brewery increasing their presence in pubs, restaurants, and liquor stores throughout the province.

“We want customers to support the community, the employees that come out of that community, and put profit back into the community,” says Greg Taylor, co-founder of Steam Whistle Brewery, based in Toronto.

Just like any consumer product, the beer companies employ impressive marketing tools and techniques to stand out in their market.

“Craft breweries have marketing budgets anywhere from 10 grand to millions of dollars,” says Laba. “Muskoka Cottage Brewery has a sales and marketing budget in excess of $1.5 million.”

However, this sum is little compared to Molson Coors Brewing Company, who spent ten million dollars in Ontario alone last year. Molson Coors Brewing Company has a strong presence among standard beer drinkers. They own beer brands such as Molson Canadian, Coors Light, and Creemore Springs.

Molson Coors Brewing Company refused multiple interview requests regarding their marketing strategies.

Molson Coors, who bought out the craft brewery Creemore Springs in 2005, “is committed to continually reinventing the sports and entertainment experience for Canadian beer drinkers,” reads their website, while it appeals to its target audience. Molson who has merged with Miller Coors in the United States, currently market over 65 beers in 40 countries around the world. Currently, it is the biggest brewery in Canada, with seven plants coast-to-coast and currently hold 40 per cent of the Canadian beer market. Their stranglehold on the industry is largely attributed to advertising.

To appeal to consumers across Ontario, Molson has been releasing television ads depicting funny, stereotypical Canadian imagery, usually involving hockey. The popular I Am Canadian campaign received an abundance of media attention, as well as their Unwritten Code and It Starts Here ads. These ads do an excellent job of bring the attention of the average Ontarian male, because it appeals to the median.

For any craft brewery in Ontario, if you are as big as Mill St. or as small as the newly opened Lake of Bays Brewery, this level of exposure is, for now, unattainable.

“The most effective marketing tool for the craft breweries is trial and education,” says Laba, who encourages his clientele to try the beer before they buy it.

Craft breweries introduce their product by hosting special events at the brewery, brewmaster dinners, and being involved in craft beer festivals. By offering consumers a better understanding and education about the beer they are drinking, many individuals ditch their old domestic ways and become craft beer drinkers.

This sort of marketing on a personal level with the consumer, proves to work wonders for the craft beer industry.

“We try to approach marketing our beer on a personal scale and host as many events as we can where we get to talk to the consumer,” says John Bowden, sales and promotions manager for Great Lakes Brewing Company.

Jed Corbeil, owner of The Griffin Gastropub in Bracebridge, Ont. and founder of both the Muskoka Beer Festival and Session: A Craft Beer Festival has been hosting these events in Muskoka, Ont. and Toronto since 2008.

“People see these events as a chance to taste different flavours and usually walk away with a few new favourite [beer] in their mind,” says Corbeil.

These intimate events are very popular throughout the craft beer community, with many breweries coming all across Ontario to share their beers, as well as showing off new products to their peers working for other breweries.

“I find that the Ontario craft brewers have always worked together and respect each other. Usually its high fives, trading beers, and laughs,” says Corbeil.

Breweries use these festivals as opportunity to win over fans.

“Education is also one of our most effective marketing tools. Educating consumers on the value of all-natural, freshness and small-batch brewing. These are all the things that we stand for, that the big guys can’t and won’t stand for,” says Laba.

Craft breweries are also known for producing limited edition seasonal brews. These unusual beers are often inspired by the time of year in which they’re produced.

Great Lakes Brewing Company, the oldest craft brewery in Toronto, is well known for their specialized, one-off beers.

“We started brewing seasonal beers about four years ago and we were blown away by the response,” says Bowden. “Seasonal beers have really become a core part of our business now.”

The experimental mentality that seasonal beers offer has been proven to draw in new costumers. This also lets the brewery interact with the beer community, through launch parties and cask events.

“Once a month we do something called Project X. It’s an event with our seasonal beer in casks and it’s a great chance for people to come down to try some new beer, meet the crew, and experience what craft beer is all about,” says Bowden.

Given craft breweries’ attention to both quality and community, many people are surprised that the province’s best breweries are still a well-kept secret. However, local breweries are content to generate and keep a cult following.

“We are seeing the big guys losing market share every quarter to craft breweries. Does it feel good to see that? You bet your ass!” says Laba. “Do we we want to see them lay everyone off and shut their doors? Not really.”

Some former craft breweries, such as Creemore Springs, sold to bigger beer conglomerates to gain a larger following or become more profitable. However, most craft breweries are fueled by a passion for quality, not quantity.

“I don’t think you will see the end of the domestic breweries, they aren’t about to be over done by the craft breweries,” says Taylor. “I don’t think you will see a lot of craft breweries become massive. There is always going to be room for the regular beer guys who just want to grab a beer and go to the football game.”

Craft breweries, who are always in the shadows of the domestic brands throughout the mainstream market, seem fine with their position in the industry. With the spotlight not constantly focused on them, craft brewers seem to be able to spend more time on creating new, different and exciting beers for consumers to try. While establishing what seems like a cult following, these craft breweries aren’t worried about getting more popular or beating domestic breweries, they just want to make delicious beer.

“If the craft beer industry is in it for the money, then we lost. Bigger breweries will buy the smaller ones and either shut down the competition, or take control,” says Corbeil. “If we are in it for the passion and the drive to bring local products to local communities, then we have a shot at becoming more popular locally and making a difference in the long run.”

Old Man

2011-03-29T09:52:00.001-07:00

One of the best covers I've heard.

Home

2010-12-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

With exams over and done with, I am finally home for Christmas and I couldn't be happier. I already had 2 days at work and getting back in the swing of things at the brewery. My exam schedule got me home around five days before the rest of my buddies, so I am waiting anxiously for them to come home. In the meanwhile, I am listening to a lot of CBC Radio 3 at work and drinking beer. It's good to be home.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

2010-12-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Friday: Going to the CBC studios to see Fucked Up perform on Strombo Tonight with Zab.

Saturday: Hockey Night In Canada, Leafs vs Habs with McLellan gang.

Sunday: Home for Christmas.

Not too shabby.

The Nothing Song

2010-12-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

Sigur Rós - Untitled 4 - Njósnavélin

"It's like a seven minute free fall."

Moustaches

2010-12-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

To the girl at the Arkells show who asked me why I still have a moustache when Movember is over... it's because moustaches are super rad. That is it.

www.ITheExplorer.tumblr.com

2010-11-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

Last month, I deleted my Tumblr and started over.

I picked up the same URL and I am now only posting photos that I have taken.

You can follow me HERE and look at my crappy black and white photos.

http://www.ITheExplorer.tumblr.com

Breathe

2010-11-28T00:07:00.000-08:00

Finally, all my big assignments are over with, and I can breathe.

Less than two weeks and I'll be back in Bracebridge with all my friends and family, and to be honest with you, I can't wait.

I love Toronto with all my heart, but it is always nice to have a change of scenery, especially around the holiday season.

I have two exams: one on the December 8, and another on 11. I'll be taking a bus home that night and wait for all my other buddies to come home from their respected universities.

We have a lot on the schedule, including...
12 Bars of Christmas Pub Crawl
Multiple Christmas parties
Thursday nights at The Griffin
New Years Eve
and many unplanned nights drinking in "x" kitchen

With school being so busy, I wasn't able to update the blog as much as I would have liked. I have been to multiple shows, met a bunch of awesome people, and have had some unforgettable nights, but I don't want to spend time boring you with details.

I'm having a great time, and that pretty much sums it up.

I hope you're doing well!

Late CASBY Recap

2010-10-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

The CASBY awards, hosted by the edge, were held a few weeks ago down at the Kool Haus and featured some of the best Canadian bands. Even though the CASBYs brought out the best band, they certainly didn't bring out the best crowd.

With tickets being given out through various contests and through out the music industry, a whole random bunch of people showed up. And because it was an award show, those people brought dates, and those dates wore high heels and cute dresses. There is nothing wrong with high heels and cute dresses, but when Alexisonfire is ending the night, it is a bit inappropriate attire for the time and place.

The crappy crowd aside, I was super stoked to see two bands on this particular night. Tokyo Police Club and Alexisonfire, and of course interested in discovering some new bands that I haven't been exposed to as of yet. That new band for me happened to be Hollerado. This incredible band from Manotick, Ontario really blew me away. I was impressed with their three song set from the award show, but I was really impressed at their after party. My buddies and I went to The Piston after the show, to see Hollerado's second show of the night where they played a full set. Their songs are incredible, they will be huge in the next year. Guaranteed.

Tokyo Police Club played well. I wasn't completely blown away by their live performance. I really have nothing bad, or spectacular to say so I won't bother.

Now for the moment many of us were waiting for, Alexisonfire. Even though they only had time for four songs, I was thrilled because they would be debuting the title track from their new EP Dog's Blood. It was a truly amazing experience, hearing the song for the first time. I zoned everything out everything and was completely absorbed into the song. I didn't notice the dozens of kids crowd surfing above me. I didn't notice the pain in my mid section from the barricade pressing against my ribs. I was just in heaven, being lucky enough to have the privilege to be the first crowd to hear this song was really special.

Looking back on the night, it was fairly incredible. Free tickets from The Edge, discovered Hollerado, and got to hear Dog's Blood for the first time. Great night.

PS. For CASBY Awards 2011, please get a different beer sponsor. I was bummed when I had to pay $6 for a warm can of Canadian. Get local Toronto breweries to sponsor the show next year! The show would have been way better with a Steam Whistle or Mill St. in my hand.

MORE SHOWS!

2010-09-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

With a month living in Toronto under my belt, I am finally getting used to the city. I am comfortable with my surroundings and having a blast finding new places in the city. In the past month, I have been doing three things.

School work, drinking beer, and going to shows.

I have been taking terribly shaky videos of these shows and I would like to share them with you!

LAND OF TALK - LEE'S PALACE

SHOTGUN JIMMIE - THE DAKOTA TAVERN

THE COPPERTONE - QUEEN AND BAY (BUSKING FOR CHANGE)

BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH - THE MASONIC TEMPLE (MTV LIVE)

Tonight I won tickets to the CASBY awards at the Kool Haus! I will do a blog post after!

Happy Birthday Caitlin

2010-09-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Happy 20th birthday to the lovely Caitlin Martin. I miss her so much. Who knows... maybe next year we will be celebrating your 21st birthday in Toronto. Love you xo.

Ryerson Orientation Week!

2010-08-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

As my move in day to Ryerson creeps up closer by the day, I'm slowly starting to find out more and more information about Pitman Hall Residence, Ryerson's Orientation Week, and my Fall 2010 classes! The most exciting thing so far other than seeing my schedule has defiantly been the announcement of bands playing Orientation Week, the first week at Ryerson.

Class of 2014 is getting some incredible bands playing our O-Week. We have Shad, MSTRKRFT, and Kid Sister. I met Shad a few months back outside Horseshoe Tavern and he is the nicest guy so I am happy he is playing. Also after a few beers I'll be dancing up a storm to MSTRKRFT. Hopefully I'll see you all there!

No eviction notice, still I’m homeless on a poet’s mission

Not that I’m a fiend stealin’ base like Otis Nixon

I smiled at you
And you smiled back
Thats when I knew
There was no turning back

SHOWS SHOWS SHOWS!

2010-08-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned a million times before, I am moving to Toronto to study Journalism at Ryerson University. I move at the end of the month and I am ecstatic to be moving on to a big city. One of the biggest thrills about Toronto is the music scene and the amount of shows that are put on any given night. I was looking at concert tickets sold at Rotate on Queen St. and I was screaming with excitement on some shows coming up in Toronto.

September 15 / Dirty Projectors / Opera House

September 16 / Land of Talk / Lee's Palace

September 17 / Caribou / Phoenix Concert Theatre

September 29 / Holy Fuck / Phoenix Concert Theatre

- - - - -

October 10 / Casiotone For The Painfully Alone / The Piston
October 12 / Neon Indian / Lee's Palace

October 21 / Band of Horses / Kool Haus

October 22 / Phoenix / Richo Coliseum

October 28 / Angus & Julia Stone / Opera House

October 29 / Matt & Kim / Phoenix Concert Theatre

- - - - -

November 3 / Florence & The Machine / Sound Academy
November 6 / Yukon Blonde / Lee's Palace

November 11 / Jason Collett / Church of the Redeemer

November 13 / Mumford & Sons / Sound Academy

November 26 / Wolf Parade / Sound Academy

Now I just need to pick the ones I really want to see, save up some cash, and I'll be on my way.

Whistle While You Work

2010-08-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Whistling is one of those things that I love doing, but if anyone else does it, it gets so annoying I want to rip their heads off. Unless of course they are putting their whistling talents to music then it is absolutely gorgeous. I first discovered how incredible whistling can be in a song while at an Andrew Bird concert. That man is a whistling machine. A fair bit of musicians like to incorporate whistling into their live shows... but when you have whistling in your studio version of a song, you have my attention.

These are my five favourite whistling songs. If I have missed your favourite ket me know please leave a comment and let me know! There is also no order for the five songs. All are equally awesome.

ANDREW BIRD - OH NO

EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS - HOME

THE BLACK KEYS - TIGHTEN UP

PETER BJORN & JOHN - YOUNG FOLKS

BECK - SISSYNECK

Muskoka Cottage Brewery Playlist (August)

2010-08-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late for posting the new playlist for the retail store at Muskoka Cottage Brewery but here it is. I threw on 100 songs this month and some of them have been on previous playlists but I don't care. I'm the one who has to listen to them for 9 hours a day! Anyways here it is

My boss retweeted my post on the new playlist and I got this in response.

Thanks!

Hockey Night In Roskilde

2010-07-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I fall asleep at night, I dream, as I'm sure many of you do. Last week I dreamt that I was at Roskilde Festival in Denmark. In this dream I was living the classic Roskilde experience. Camping outside before the gates opened, warming up for 4 days, and going the next 4 music days with no sleep. Seeing every band possible, and being a part of an incredible camp with your best friends.

In this dream me and some buddies were a part of a hockey themed camp, called "Hockey Night In Roskilde." We would play nothing but the HNIC theme song, and The Good Old Hockey Game on the speakers and we would be decked out in various hockey jerseys through out the festival. Our camp would have full 3 on 3 hockey games with crushed Tuborg cans as pucks. The winner would win the Orange Cup in honour of the famous Orange Stage. This would be held year after year and would become a legendary camp.

Once I woke up from this incredible dream I told Caitlin right away. She got so stoked on it and it got me thinking we should actually do this! This would be an incredible camp to be apart of. I got to work and designed the camps jerseys that everyone would wear. They are modeled after the Vancouver Canucks 1994 away sweaters. I added the Roskilde Festival logo (the orange tent) and layered it with the same colours as the stripes. It worked perfectly because the orange in the Canucks jersey is very similar to the Orange in the Roskilde logo.

Anyways yes, I might have a bit too much time on my hands to create this rad jersey but I am serious about all of this stuff. Either Roskilde 2011, or Roskilde 2012 this is happening. And it will be incredible.

It's Such A Perfect Day

2010-07-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

It's such a great feeling when a song can bring you back to a certain place in you're life. For me this video really does it for me. It's a live performance of Coldplay - Strawberry Swing at Roskilde 2009. They were the final band and I remember I was working the bar while Coldplay was playing and I bailed early just so I could hear this song. It is by far my favourite Coldplay song and I think I even blogged about it a year ago.

It summed up the festival perfectly. "It's such a perfect day" was ringing in my ears for the rest of the night. This video, taken by Roskilde Festival and broadcasted on Danish Television is what I watch when I miss Denmark and in particular Roskilde. Seeing the Orange Stage glowing in the dark sky, the farris wheel in the distance, and the thousands of people all coming together as one was such a incredibly uplifting feeling. Singing along to the same song with 75,000 people was something I will never forget, and seeing this video brings me right back to it. The butterflies are out of control right now.

Næste Station: Toronto

2010-07-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

A few weekends back I went to Toronto to meet up with my buddy Benson from the Denmark Exchange days! He drove up from New York so we could both go to the Broken Social Scene/Pavement/Band of Horses on the island. It was tons of fun to see Benson because we didn't see each other for an entire year, so needless to say we had tons of fun. We had tons to do and not a lot of time to do it. Benson had never been to Toronto so I wanted to everything possible.

The show was Saturday so we both met up on Friday to hang out. We took the 501 down Queen St. W and went up Bathurst to get some Sneaky Dee's. We had some trouble with Benson's ID fromt he states but the ignorant waitress finally smartened up and let him have a few beers. It just so happened that our favourite Danish artist CALLmeKAT (that we both saw for the first time together in Århus, DK) was playing a NXNE showcase so we went to that. Both of us have massive crush on Katrine so this was a big deal for us. We were front row, and jaws on the floor in awe of her. Her set was incredible and after the show we went to talk to her, got her record, took some photos and the best part of it all, she said she remembered us from the Århus show! I called bullshit but she truly did remember everything about us and that show! It was truly an incredible night and experience.

On the Saturday we had a jam packed day. We woke up crazy early and headed down to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Benson and I are huge hockey fans and the topic of hockey is what got us talking and what ultimately made us become friends. The Hall was incredible, tons of fun for two hockey fans like ourselves. We got our pictures with the (fake) cup and looked at all the sweaters of past legends. Even got to touch the Olympic Gold Medal puck, but Brian refused to touch it. We then went down to The Roundhouse to visit Steam Whistle. Now that I work at a brewery I am extremely interested in beer and everything to do with it. The Steam Whistle facility is very impressive. The tour was well done and their beer tasted great. My boss hooked us up with a VIP tour so we didn't have to pay for a thing the whole time we were there. Truly awesome!

We rushed down to the lake to make sure we didn't miss Beach House who was the third opening band. They were rather good but nothing to great to report on. Next was Band of Horses. I knew around three BoH songs going into this show, and they completely blew me away. So tight, and so powerful. This is the perfect live band to see because they left me thinking about their set for weeks after. After the pleasant surprise of BoH, Broken Social Scene was on next. This is what Brian and I travelled for! Both such huge fans and both the first time seeing BSS live. Everything was what I would have imagined it to be. Larger than life everything, and not in the cheesy KISS type of way. In pure class and incredible kind of way. With upwards of what I counted 20 people on stage (maybe I'm exaggerating) at once, they pulled together an awesome set with new hits and old fan favourites. Even though Emily was there and they didn't play Anthems, I left with a smile my face. We stayed for a bit of Pavement, rocked out to Cut Your Hair, and caught an early ferry home with a somewhat blurry Pavement discography playing in the background as we went to shore. The reason we left early? To see Attack in Black at the Horseshoe of course! But Ill save that for another blog post.

Looking back it will be the highlight of my summer by far. Concerts and best friends always go so well together. And all taking place in the beautiful city I will soon call home. I can't wait!

Polaris Music Prize 2010: Short List

2010-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Super excited to see some of my favourite albums this year on the short list!
Ill do another post later in the week about my favourites I would like to see win (*SHAD*) but here is the list to read over! Do your research on albums you might not know too much about (I know I will) and look for some post on a later date!

THE BESNARD LAKES,
The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
(Montréal, QC)

OWEN PALLETT,
Heartland
(Toronto, ON)

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE,
Forgiveness Rock Record
(Toronto, ON)

RADIO RADIO,
Belmundo Regal
(Grosse Coque, NS, Moncton, NB, Pointe-à-l’église, NS)

CARIBOU,
Swim
(Dundas, ON)

THE SADIES,
Darker Circles
(Toronto, ON)

KARKWA,
Les Chemins De Verre
(Montréal, QC)

SHAD,
TSOL
(London, ON)

DAN MANGAN,
Nice, Nice, Very Nice
(Vancouver, BC)

TEGAN AND SARA,
Sainthood
(Vancouver, BC & Montréal, QC

Now Playing: The Great Salt Lake

2010-07-04T18:31:00.001-07:00

Ive been listening to this song on repeat for the past 7 days. Its a real shame I didn't get into Band of Horses years ago... Their music is incredibly beautiful and is my favourite thing currently. When I saw them on the Island supporting Pavement, their live show blew my mind. I knew a few songs ahead of time and I left the show with riffs stuck in my head and heaps of catchy lyrics running around in my head. Too good!

Black Bloc

2010-06-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

1. Put on your black clothing.

2. Hijack protest

3. Destroy everything in sight for no reason (Torch Police car, smash windows)

4. Change back into regular clothing

5. Travel back to Quebec

Year Of The ...

2010-06-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

It seems like every year Toronto's best band Fucked Up presents us with a new album in the on going "Year Of The ..." series. This time around it is Year of the Ox and I must say, it is by far my favourite one yet. Records released in the past were Year of the Rat, Pig, and Dog. All of them are fairly unique because the title track is a long one. In some cases 18+ minutes long.

An 18 minute song for any band is pretty crazy and you would think that after the first 5 you would skip to the next song but that isn't the case. These songs are so well composed it is stupid. FU slowly builds up to this incredible climax and you end up wishing that it was another 18 minutes long.

Year of the Ox is set to be released on September 13th on Merge Records and I can't wait to hear the studio version. A few months back CBC Radio 3 did a live version and it has had amazing reviews so far. Starting off with a string into, and back and forth vocals between Damian and Annie Claude of Duchess Says. Damian singing in english, Annie en français. The chemistry is amazing between the two and I hope she is featured on the album. Support the best band in Canada at the moment, Fucked Up, and go but Year of the Ox at your local independent record store.

Soundtrack: Philadelphia

2010-06-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

This is a gorgeous soundtrack to complement one of the most heartbreaking films. I just quickly want to talk about two of the most popular and well known songs on the album which would be Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia, and Neil Young - Philadelphia. Both songs talk about the heart ache and emotions that run through a persons body who is dealing with AIDS. Both are emotionally charged songs that leave you in awe. My favourite would have to be Neil Youngs song simply because I love Neils voice through out the whole song. So precious, gentle, and perfect.

Neil Young - Philadelphia

Someone is talking to me

Calling my name

Tell me I'm not to blame

I won't be ashamed of love

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Philadelphia

The night has fallen, Im lyin' awake

I can feel myself fading away

So receive me brother with your faithless kiss

Or will we leave each other alone like this

On the streets of Philadelphia

Listen To: Philadelphia Grand Jury

2010-06-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia Grand Jury (or Philly Jays) are a band from Sydney who are making it big in the country of Australia. They have played big and small shows across Australia and now are heading over to the UK to spread "the good news" (har har har) Their four song ep is available to download for free off their myspace. I suggest you download it and listen to it day and night.

I remember Caitlin talking about the Philly Jays back in late 2009 and she sent me the video below. I was really stoked on the video because its like a where is waldo but sexier! I sent the video to all my friends, now we are all jamming to the Philly Jays and loving it! Watch the video, download the EP, tell your friends, and get these guys to come tour Canada!

Favourite: Mr. Bean

2010-06-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

While I was growing up I had two favourite things to watch on VHS. 1992 & 1993 World Series Blue Jays montage, and Mr. Bean videos. Mr. Bean cracked me up as a young child and still does today. My shelves were decorated with the different coloured Mr. Bean cases. These little episodes have stuck in my mind and I still remember watch these little shorts with my dad. Ones that stick out in my mind would be; (sorry I don't know the proper names) Getting up late for the dentist, At the Swimming Pool, At the beach, and when he is eating candy in church!

Everything to do with Mr. Bean makes me laugh. His body language, his Teddy, his car, his voice, his "girlfriend." Everything is so thought out and perfectly executed. I recently discovered Mr. Bean had a youtube channel and all my favourites are on there! So much for doing homework tonight I will be looking through all these classic videos! I'll share two of my favourites below! I'm sure as you're reading this you have a favourite Bean video I haven't mentioned, so please comment and share your favourites!

June '10 Playlist

2010-06-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

This here is the playlist for June 2010 at Muskoka Cottage Brewery. You will be hearing one of these songs when you come in to the brewery (at least when I am working) So come hang out have a beer and jam out to these tunes with me! Click on the photo to enlarge the playlist!

Favourite: Anthems

2010-06-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Park that car

drop that phone

sleep on the floor

dream about me

Second Chance

2010-05-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

With game one out of the way, game two starts tonight in Chicago. After what some people called an exciting high scoring games, and others a sloppy show by the goaltenders, both starting goalies have their spots between the crease for tonight's game. In game one Flyers goalie Leighton got pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on twenty shots and I agree that isn't acceptable and he deserved to get pulled. After the game there was tons of talk that they would go with the backup Boucher would get the start in game two and I was shocked to hear people say that!

You can't get to the Cup Finals with bad goaltending. It is impossible. If you're goalie got you to the cup finals you stick with him even if the first game was a bust. You should give your goalie a second chance to redeem himself. That is exactly what the Flyers are doing and it is the correct decision.

Now worse case scenario, the Flyers go down 2-0 after tonight, now that would be the proper time to discuss if Boucher should be in goal. Until then, in my opinion, you go with the goalie who got you there. One bad game isn't enough to sit Leighton for the Cup Finals, but two is just enough. This is a must win for the Flyers. I'm pulling for you Philly!

Must See: This Movie Is Broken

2010-05-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

When I heard that Broken Social Scene was going to put out a movie called "This Movie Is Broken" I thought it would be a documentary, but to my surprise it is totally different. Critics have described it as a Rock Show Romance set at a Broken Social Scene concert in Toronto. It looks very interesting and I can't wait to see it! It debuted at SXSW 2010 and was a big hit. Guaranteed my little town will not have this in the theaters so I will probably see it on the internet, hopefully some time soon. Here is the trailer!

This Movie Is Broken - Trailer from Arts & Crafts on Vimeo.

I'm A Workin' Man

2010-05-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a week into my job and I couldn't be happier with how everything is going. Working in retail is super fun. I'm selling people beer, pouring taste tests for people, and giving them tours of the brewery! It is so incredible! This is the most fun I have had at a job ever! I get to talk about beer with new and interesting people! My boss is incredible, and the people are lovely.

My boss is also a huge Canadian music fan (as am I). His favourite is Joel Plaskett so we get along pretty well. We are changing everything up in the retail store, giving it a complete face lift. One of my responsibilities is make sure good Canadian indie music is always pumping so I have been making a play list! Tell me what bands I am missing everyone! Click on the photo to enlarge.

So if anyone reading this is from Bracebridge, or planning on visit Bracebridge this summer stop by the brewery for a beer, and a tour! Also leave me a comment on who I left out on this playlist!

Rad Stuff Happening!

2010-05-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

As you can read in my previous post, I had an interview at Muskoka Cottage Brewery this past week and it went extremely well. I got the job for the summer and I couldn't be more thrilled! I will be working in the retail store which consists of me selling beer, merchandise and so on. I will also be giving guests tours of the brewery, pouring beer for guests to test the beer, and helping with events throughout the summer. I am so excited! The brewery is going through a huge face lift, and their product is getting better and better. They just came out with a new Mixer 5 Pack featuring all 5 of their beers, and later in the summer there will be a 5L Cream Ale Keg available! It will be a interesting and exciting summer for both myself and the brewery and I can't wait!

This past weekend my band Sparrow Lake played a show at a house party and it went extremely well and was a lot of fun. A few hours before the show our friend Jon Pignataro took promo shots of us in the brewery! It was a great experience and the photos turned out great! We are trying to get our selves on the map locally so this involves us getting a pretty myspace, take pretty pictures of ourselves, and record demos of our pretty songs. This will hopefully all be done my the end of May and we can start the summer with some fans and get some shows!

Job Wanted

2010-05-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

Since I've been back in Muskoka, I have updated my resume and sent it off to all different places over town. Clothing stores, haunted hotels, magazines, breweries, and restaurants. After one week of waiting I only got one call back from Muskoka Magazine offering me a freelance position for "What's Up Muskoka." That's all well and good for me because it will give me some practice writing articles during the summer, but this isn't a full time job. This is something I can do on the spare time I have, and later I can sell them to magazine.

With no other calls back, and no job in sight, I started calling them and following up. I spoke with a man from Muskoka Cottage Brewery in Downtown Bracebridge and it seemed to me like he was impressed with my resume. He asked me to come in on Wednesday for an interview. It was odd because when he asked me what I would like to do when working there I answered, "anything" because in all seriousness, I would like to do anything! I believe I am very versatile in the work place and I think (and hope) this be an advantage for me!

Now for the next few days I will be studying their website, what kind of beers they make, how they make them, what events they are putting on this summer, and anything to help me prepare for the interview process. I am super nervous already and I hope the interview goes well! I would really love this job. It also means that I won't have to go paint houses with my buddy all summer! I really don't want to do that.

Wish me luck!

Keep Me In Mind

2010-04-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post, aimed towards my buddies overseas. I am on the search for all the Fucked Up 7" records I can find. With the most recent 7", there was a check list included and I realized I need to start hustling! I am searching through record stores in Toronto, and on ebay. So if you are in a record store in your town over seas and you see a record I don't have, please let me know and Ill send you the money! Here is the list. Click on it to enlarge.

If you find anything leave a comment... or send me an email at dillonrahkola@hotmail.com

Must Have RSD Releases

2010-04-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

I missed Record Store Day this year and I was super bummed about it. Now I have to go on the wild goose chase that is finding the record for a reasonable price on eBay! Here is my must have RSD list:

Neil Young - Heart of Gold 7"
Passion Pit - Little Secrets 7"
Bon Iver/Peter Gabriel Split 7"
Tegan and Sara - Saints 7"

Fucked Up - Daytrotter Session 7"
Bob Dylan - Dreamin Of You 7"

Reasonable right?

JUNE 14TH SHOW w/ JBAC

2010-04-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

My band Sparrow Lake is opening for Japanese Beavers Are Canadian, Stalwart Sons, and The Chronic. We will be playing at One Of A Kind on 15 Gray Rd. Its all ages and only costs $4. Please come out it will be fun times!

I'm Home!

2010-04-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone I have been home I have been home for the past week now and the transition has been much smoother then I would of thought. It is still really hard though leaving people that you care so deeply about. But now that my trip is over I just want to say thank you for the people who helped me get there and all the kind words through out my time over seas! Thank you all so much. xo

... I turned 19!

2010-04-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for the Birthday wishes! It means a lot!

PS. Underage kids reading my blog yes I will buy you beer... but you have to drive me to The Beer Store and give me 10 bucks extra. Its only fair.

Sydney, Australia

2010-04-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of updating, things have been fairly busy around here. Last week Caitlin and I caught an early flight to Sydney from Adelaide. We stayed in a nice hostel minutes away from China Town and Darling Harbour. Our flight got in around 8am and we couldn't check in until much later so we decided to do all the "must-do" thing right off the bat. This meant that we caught the subway to Sydney Harbour and saw the iconic Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The Opera House is what foreigners from all over the world think of when they hear of Australia. It was incredible to see it up close in real life.

Being so close to China Town we took the opportunity to go to the local market and check out the deals. Thats where I got some gifts and, my favourite, a Sidney Crosby jersey for 45 BUCKS! Must have fallen off the truck or something. Caitlin and I went to go see How To Train Your Dragon in IMAX 3D and it was incredible! I loved it so much. I think I loved it more then Shrek! Dragons and Vikings are two of my top 10 favourite things ever! We also finished the day off with a nice visit to the Sydney Aquarium. We saw all the usual under water creatures; Sharks, String Rays and tons of fish... but when I saw a Sea Turtle I actually screamed like a little girl and lost my mind it was so incredible!

While in Sydney we also took the time to travel out to some legendary Australian beaches such as Manly and Bondi. Bondi especially is one of the most famous surfing spots in Australia and is not only home to massive waves but also their own reality show. "Bondi Rescue" is a show on Australian TV about the Bondi rescue team that helps save hundreds of lives each year. I have seen the show and basically all it is is a bunch of hunky Aussie dudes going out to save stupid tourists who drown. I wanted to be that stupid tourist, not so I could get on TV, but instead to meet the hunky rescue dude! I didn't have any luck and I lived to travel another day.

Looking back on the trip Sydney was great and I wish I had more time to spend in the city. It was a massive city so there was a lot of ground to cover but I think we did our best. I have thrown together some videos of our trip and I will try to upload them as soon as possible. Next blog post will be about Melbourne. Stay tuned.

More pictures will be uploaded when I get home and have a more reliable internet connection!

Off To Sydney!

2010-04-02T03:58:00.000-07:00

Its an early night sleep for Caitlin and I tonight as we have a 6am flight tomorrow morning. Our friend Regan is graciously driving us there. We need to find her an awesome gift in our travels to compensate for her crazy early morning because of us. I am thinking of getting her an awesome shirt of some sort.

We are all packed up and ready to go. I can't wait to go to Bennelong Point and see the Sydney Opera House! I'm so excited. We are bringing a laptop and a portable internet stick with us on our travels so hopefully I have the time to fire off some blog posts and share some pictures. Maybe a video or two? We will see how everything goes.

Off to bed! Wish us safe travels.

Good Bye Small Town. Hello Big City!

2010-03-28T02:27:00.000-07:00

Rye High

2010-03-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

I phoned my Mom today and she told me that I got a package from Ryerson. My top pick of schools I wanted to go to. And I got in. I couldn't believe it. This has been a dream of mine ever since I started High School and got interested in journalism. Its been my dream to live in Toronto ever since I was a little kid! Its all finally coming together. I couldn't be happier. I never thought I had the grades to get into Ryerson but I did it. I worked my ass off and it paid off! I did it, and I'm stoked as hell.

I can't believe it! This is way to good to be true. Somebody pinch me!

Its ironic that this is a terribly written blog post... and I'm going to Journalism school. I don't care I'm too excited to care!

Surfing In Middleton

2010-03-22T04:28:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Caitlin and I drove to the Fleurieu Peninsula once again, but this time it wasn't for sight seeing. Caitlin booked us a "Learn to Surf" lesson with some locals from the town of Middleton. We spent 30 minutes on the beach stretching, learning about the board we would be riding, and learning the basic techniques on how to get on top of the board and ride the wave.

It took a good 45 minutes for me to finally stand up on the board and when I finally did I fell off quite fast. Landing pretty hard in really shallow water is a huge bummer. I finally got the hang of it and was standing on my board and successfully rode to the shore. It was such an amazing feeling, just floating on top of the white waves while it caries you to shore. I had some super good waves but those ones didn't make it to the video below. The ones that did were the last waves of the day before we had to call it quits.

We have some free time in the next week and we might take a day to go out again. This time we might just hire boards instead of the lesson. Even though we should try to learn more about surfing and how to improve, both Caitlin and I know we both aren't getting any better any time soon. But we certainly can't get any worse!

Here is the video! Enjoy!

Going Surfing!

2010-03-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

On Monday we are driving to Pt. Elliot to go surfing! Caitlin enrolled both of us in a learn to surf class for two hours! Super stoked! I'm hoping to make another video of the adventure and post it to the blog. It will either go really well or really horrible. I'm guessing I will look something like this out on the water...

Next blog post will be on Monday. Have a good weekend everyone.

Happy Birthday Dad

2010-03-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Cleland Wildlife Park

2010-03-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today Caitlin and I went to the Cleland Wildlife Park just outside of Adelaide. I was super stoked on seeing two animals. Koalas and kangaroos. They were the first animals I ran to see and they didn't disappoint. They were so amazing! Very friendly too (this was because many were raised by humans in the wildlife park) I got a polaroid taken with both a koala and kangaroo and I will upload them as soon as I get my hands on a scanner.

Other amazing animals we saw were emus, dingos, wallabies, and tasmanian devils. I have never seen any of these animals before and I was so excited to see them for the first time. The "Maybe a dingo ate your baby" never got old all day no matter how many times I said it in a terrible Aussie accent. Im sure Caitlin can tell you other wise.

My favourite animal was by far the koala. I met a koala named Hank and he was an orphan koala that the wildlife park raised from an extremely young age. His mother got hit by a car and he was raised by trainers since then. The trainer told us that they are nocturnal so they get around 19 hours of sleep every day and have certain times during the day that they come out to see the public. They can only live in places that have eucalyptus trees because they only eat the leaves from those types of trees. I got to pet him and hang out with him for a bit while Caitlin and I asked questions about Hank and the eucalyptus trees that surrounded us.

Instead of taking a bunch of photos like I usually do I decided to do something a little bit different and something I have never tried before. I borrowed Caitlin's video camera and recorded some clips and threw them into a little video! I think it came out okay considering it was my first time! So here is the video I hope you like it!

(PS. The camera died before I got a chance to film myself petting a Kangaroo but I totally did it and it was wicked!)

Hitting The Town.

2010-03-10T02:41:00.000-08:00

Watch out Adelaide! Myself, Caitlin and my mustache are going out tonight! My mustache doesn't have a name yet. Leave a comment and suggest a name.

Soundwave Festival Highlight: Gallows

2010-03-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

During the hottest part of the day, the sun filled the whole stage where the gear of Gallows were laying around, ready to be destroyed. In the background of the makeshift stage you could see the band members chatting amongst themselves. Saying hello to their peers on tour and gearing up for their show time. I walked up to the front of the stage effortlessly. There were a few girls standing at the front with sandals and goofy sunglasses who had no clue who Gallows were and obviously had no idea what was going to happen when they boys dropped that first note.

The first song was strong. Those girls I saw a few minutes prior had suddenly disappeared and I had the front row on lock down. It seemed that the lead singer Frank wasn't too impressed with the crowd. He wanted to put on the best show possible for us, and he wanted to get the best out of the crowd. And that was exactly what he did. Frank got his mic (which was attached to what I guessed was a 50ft. lead) and hopped over the barrier and started chaos.

With the nudge from Frank to stir things up, kids came from all over the place and joined us in the pit. The amount of people grew larger and larger and soon enough the smallest stage at the venue became the biggest attraction of the day. The raw energy from Frank in the pit translated into one of the best shows of the day. I reckon he was in the pit for 4-5 songs and thats all we need to go completely insane.

Frank pushed everyone in the pit back as far as possible and said the phrase that every Gallows fan waits for, "I want to be the biggest circle pit of this festival... all the way around the sound table." And that is exactly how that went down. It was the biggest circle pit I have ever been a part of. From circle pit and the end of the show there were quite a few more memorible moments. A gorgeous Wall of Death, a very sloppy (yet funny) Human Pyramid and to top it all off Wade from Alexis and Eva from Rolo Tomassi came out to finish off the last song Orchestra of Wolves while Lags staged dived.

It was completely fantastic and it was one of the best shows of the festival. I can't wait to see them in Toronto soon. Last time they were in town supporting AFI and I didnt have the money for tickets, especially just to see them in an opening slot. I will wait until they headline a Canadian tour and god I hope it is soon.

After their set I got heat stoke and passed out in the shade. I woke up coughing up blood. So worth it.

Road Trips & Oceans.

2010-03-03T02:42:00.000-08:00

Over the past little bit Caitlin & co. have been taking me to all these gorgeous places across Southern Australia. This past weekend Caitlin and I went down to the local harbour and had a nice evening of swimming and mini golf. It was my first time swimming in the ocean in Australia and it was great! Had to get used to the salt water a bit but other than that it was glorious. We then watched the sunset and caped the evening off with a game of mini golf (lame I know... it was my idea). I won't brag too much but the I'm pretty fantastic at mini golf so Caitlin didn't have a chance. She took it like a champ though.

Yesterday Caitlin and her friend Regan took me on an unexpected adventure. It was unexpected because I wasn't expecting how much of an awesome adventure it turned out to be! We drove around 2 hours south of Adelaide to Victor Harbour and surrounding area. It was so wonderful to see ocean again. This area is known for tons of whales but we unfortunately didn't see any. We went into town and got lunch at a cute little bakery and enjoyed each others company. The town reminded me a lot of Bracebridge. Mostly because it is a hot summer tourist destination (cottages and such) also the large amount of retired couples that called the town home.

My most memorable and most exciting moment of my day was driving to Pt. Elliot to go swimming! There was this empty beach with the biggest waves I have ever seen! My tour guides said these are small waves compared to some spots close by where it is popular to surf. I immediately got my swim suit on and ran into the cold water. It was pretty cold because it was nearing the end of summer, but nothing compared to other waters I have swam in. It took a bit of convincing to get the girls in the water but after a few minutes of nagging I got them in the water with me. I don't blame them for being hesitant... it after all was 25 degrees and that is "way too cold to go swimming." ARE THEY CRAZY? I had a blast jumping into huge waves and letting the waves carry me into the shore. The bottom of the ocean was all sand and it was just perfect.

I love the ocean I can't wait to go back swimming. Today I bought the new Guinness Book Of World Records 2010 so that will keep me busy for the next few days. Pretty stoked.

Im going to take Caitlin public skating and teach her how to skate. Should be interesting to say the least!

Soundwave Festival Highlight: Alexisonfire

2010-02-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

Alright!

this is from our hearts

and there is always going to be a part

of this crowd who don't understand.

As always, at every Alexisonfire show there were a few people who just didn't get it. Its too loud, to rough, and too much. These people got pulled out of the crowd the first song in. That separated the average festival goer and the true Alexisonfire fans.

I didn't know how this concert was going to go. I didn't know how big Alexis was in Australia. They played the main stage so I knew that meant something but I didn't know exactly what. I heard them on the radio a few times but didn't think anything of it. When the first note dropped in the first song Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints it was then I knew how big Alexis was in Australia. They are huge. I looked behind me and it seemed like a sea of thousands of people were behind me. Battling for every open inch of space and pushing the person in front of them harder and harder. With my arms over the barriers, the pressure of the thousands of people behind me were crushing my ribs on the steel bar. I felt so alive.

I was so zoned in on the performance from the boys, the hot 35 degree sun didn't effect me the whole show. Neither did the cloud of dust I was swallowing at any moment in time. The boys in Alexis were tight as ever and they played songs off their new album Old Crows/Young Cardinals a long side a bunch of old ones. I believe that they successfully put on a entertaining show to satisfy their die hards while grabbing the attention of their new fans.

For me it was just classic Alexis all the way through. George in a pair of shorts running around the front lines howling memorable words. Wade with slick back hair, asking the crowd for the biggest circle pit of the day. Steele, as always, running around like a mad man, swinging his bass around while making connections with people in the front row. Jordan impressed me with his amazing drum fills on songs from the new album, while stepping up his game by making old Alexis songs sound even more incredible. And of course everyones favourite Dallas got a "Beatles reaction" from the female portion of this Australian audience. His voice was so perfect at this show and it just pushed the performance from amazing to awe inspiring!

This was my fourth time seeing Alexisonfire. I have seen them in a small club, a big club, an amphitheater and now a summer festival and it keeps getting better and better. My four shows is nothing compared to some of my friends out there who remember seeing the band when half of the members were still in high school. It is incredible. I got into Alexis after their second LP was released and I wish I was there since the beginning but thats life. All I can do is be the best fan possible now. Support them as much as possible and give it everything I got at their shows. I think I am doing a pretty damn good job so far.

Congratulations Team Canada!

2010-02-28T16:55:00.000-08:00

I followed every game down in Australia. I was there from the first goal against Norway to the last goal in OT against those damn Americans! We got the last laugh and I couldn't be happier! Congratulations to Team Canada you guys are legends!

Soundwave Today!

2010-02-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

I have the day all planned out!

12:00 RxBandits

2:40 The Weakerthans

3:05 Alexisonfire

3:50 Paramore

4:40 Gallows

5:40 Anthrax

7:00 Anti-Flag

8:40 Faith No More

9:20 Enter Shikari

And some random acts in between.

Can you dig it? I can dig it.

IT IS SO STINKING...

2010-02-25T18:46:00.000-08:00

...hot today. 36 degrees. A lot of you back home would probably trade a minus 10 day for a plus 36 day right? You would be so wrong. It is too hot to go outside, to hot to go swim in the ocean because the sand would burn your feet before you got to the water.

Tomorrow at Soundwave Festival it is supposed to be 33. I hope I survive.

Week One.

2010-02-22T21:41:00.000-08:00

So my first week down under went better than I could ever imagined! Seeing Caitlin was so wonderful and meeting all of her friends and family was great too.

Caitlin started university and that has been taking up a bit of her time but we make sure to take advantage of our days off to do super fun stuff together! Recently we went on a little 40 min. road trip up the Adelaide hills to a small town that is home of the "Worlds Largest Rocking Horse"

We hit the beach yesterday just for a little tour. I got to walk around in the water but no swimming yet! Save that for a boiling hot day... apparently 29 degrees isn't hot enough for the Australian girl.

We have a lot of plans for the next few days, beach and mini golf tomorrow along with a possible night out, Soundwave Festival on Saturday and recovery day Sunday.

The internet is acting up so if you want to see photos of our adventure to the big rocking horse you can click HERE

Check back for some photos of Soundwave on Saturday.

I'm Here!

2010-02-18T18:08:00.001-08:00

I made it to Australia safe and sound. The flights were long but not so painful. Sydney airport was the biggest pain in the butt ever! I waited in line to get through customs. Waited in line to get through quarantine check. Right as I got cleared through quarantine check, I was pulled to the side for a "random" drug check (I think it was because of my awesome beard). He dug through every last article of clothing I packed and was even intensely smelling my clothing for any sort of drug odor. Little did the guy know that I have never done drugs in my life and even if I did I am not stupid enough to bring them on a plane. It was such a waste of time. Near the end of the search, he saw my Harry Potter book that I was reading and he said, "Do you know that it is against the law in Australia to read Harry Potter?" I responded with, "Well lock me up! I'm guilty!"

While waiting for my plane to Adelaide I had a beer in the airport bar. I felt so grown up (since the legal drinking age is 18 in Aus.) But of course the bartender didn't ask for ID. Their beer comes in long necks AND in a STUBBY! I feel like I'm one of the McKenzie brothers on the set of The Great White North!

Caitlin picked me up from the airport and it was so amazing! Not seeing here for the past year has been super difficult but as soon as I saw here waiting at the gate I knew it was worth the wait. We immediately went to the ocean and walked around the main tourist spot and got dinner. We came back to her place to meet her family. Everyone has been so kind and super welcoming!

Tonight Caitlin and I and a few of her friends are going to Adelaide Fringe which a big arts festival here in Adelaide. They have everything from music and film to theatre and puppetry. Tonight is the big street party and a band called Arts vs Science so it should be a lot of fun.

Thats all I have for now! I'm going out shopping for a bathing suit and flip flops later on in the day and maybe a beach date is in order. I need to go swimming. It is 34 degrees and I am melting! Poor me :(

What Are You Up To Today? I'm Going To Australia.

2010-02-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

No big deal. Not sweating it.

So I'm leaving at three to get down to the airport for my 8:15 flight.

I'm all packed up! I am sure I have forgotten so so so many things but thats okay. I am kind of disapointed that I am missing the Canada vs. Norway hockey game but thats okay. Maybe they have olympic coverage on the plane.

I have 30 pounds on my checked luggage and I'm pretty stoked to get going. I arrive on Thursday in Adelaide and it is going to be +37. Ill update the blog as soon as I sleep for 2 days straight under the A/C.

One More Sleep!

2010-02-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big day and I am very excited! Im just getting packed up now and gearing up for my flight at 8:15pm.

My flight is 22 hours long:

-Toronto to Vancouver (5hrs)

-Vancouver to Sydney (15 hrs)

-Sydney to Australia (2 hrs)

To occupy myself I will bring Harry Potter 1 & 2, Macbook, iPod. That should keep me sane for the flight.

I am super nervous/excited/happy about leaving. I probably won't be getting to sleep any time tonight. I will stay up super late and watch Craig Ferguson until I fall asleep with the TV on.

I will update before I drive to the airport! Check back soon.

Gearing Up

2010-02-12T12:01:00.001-08:00

Traveling to a place that is currently +37 degrees is a very exciting thing. Especially when you walk out side your house and you think its a beautiful -10 out today.

I am very excited to be going to Australia but I don't think I am prepared for this heat.

First off I don't have any shorts. At all. I just have a bunch of jean shorts that will have to do for now. It is hard to get shorts in Canada in the winter.

This is what I need to get:

-Shorts

-New shoes

-Sandals (flip flops/things)

-Travel bag

... now that I have that stuff written down I realize I hardly have anything at all! I need to get going. I am planning on getting shoes this afternoon and I am borrowing a bag from a friend (I hope!) Sandals and shorts can be bought in Australia.

Off to buy new shoes! I have been wearing the same shoes for the past year. A pair of pony high tops. I have work them good and they deserve a break. They will still be my go to concert/festival shoes.

Hopefully the skate shop has some vans classics in stock.

I'm Back On Updating!

2010-02-11T19:34:00.001-08:00

Soooo watch out!

I'm going to Australia you punks!

Sparrow Lake

2009-10-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

So when I returned from Europe to small town Canada, my friends and I decided to start a band. They wrote a song or two when I was gone, and when I returned we figured out bass lines to them and got going on new songs and some covers.

We settled on the name Sparrow Lake and our first show is this Friday for a Halloween house party. We haven't made up a myspace yet, but I did get around to make a blog. The URL is http://www.sparrowlake.blogspot.com I will be updating it when we make new songs/record the songs. There will be show updates and many other fun things.

So tell your friends and visit the blog HERE

How Can JR Help You?

2009-10-13T15:55:00.001-07:00

JAMES READY CAP OF THE DAY:

I got this James Ready cap over the Thanksgiving weekend. I agree with this 100%. Hockey jerseys should be acceptable in everyday life, ESPECIALLY formal events! Nothing goes better than a nice blazer over top of a Leafs jersey!

"MAKE HOCKEY JERSEYS SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE FOR FORMAL EVENTS?"

Soon Enough...

2009-10-04T10:54:00.001-07:00

...this will be my new home.

Best Performance Ever

2009-10-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE

ANTHEMS FOR A SEVENTEEN-YEAR OLD GIRL

Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that

now you're all gone got your make up on and you're not coming back

bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under your breath

park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.

War Child: Busking For Change

2009-09-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (Tuesday, September 29th) marks the second annual War Child: Busking For Change in downtown Toronto. Our Lady Peace front man Raine Madia started this back in '07 busking for 12 hours and now ever one is getting in on this act of kindness. Last year over 50 musicians brought their instruments to many spots around T.O. and entertained the people on the street. This years bands are; Arkells, Ill Scarlet, Jass Jordan, USS, Neverending White Lights, and many more. Arkells are veterans of Busking For Change and you can see them at several places around the city:

4:00pm:Edge 102.1 Studios @ 228 Yonge St.
5:30pm: Commerce Court (King and Bay)
6:15pm: MuchMusic Building

This Is Long Overdue...

2009-09-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

...but congratulations to Fucked Up for winning the Polaris Music Prize a few weeks ago. It was well deserved because Chemistry of Common Life was by far the best album out of the shortlist nominees. If you haven't heard this album pick it up now. I hope FU puts that 20 grand to good use... like releasing more records!

CLICK HERE WATCH THE PERFORMANCE OF FUCKED UP AT POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE 2009

New Alexisonfire EP?

2009-09-26T19:25:00.001-07:00

Through the great twitter machine that I have slowly become addicted to (Laugh away...) I have heard news that there is a new Alexisonfire EP that should come out sometime in Spring 2010. Dallas Green told Chart Attack this past week that they had some left over songs from their fourth full length album Old Crows/Young Cardinals and some new ones. The EP will be called Dog's Blood. Other then this one article that you can see HERE, the band hasn't said anything about the upcoming EP. If the EP does get released, I'm sure all Alexis fans are looking forward to it. In the mean time pick up Old Crows/Young Cardinals. It kills!

Glasses

2009-09-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

When the eye doctor told me I needed glasses (even though it was just to see the black board better) I knew exactly what glasses I was going to get. Ray Ban Wayfarer.

I will get them in a week because they need to order the large size because I have a huge head. I hope I don't look like a hipster douche bag wearing them. My goal is to transform myself from goofy kid, to a handsome George Pettit type of guy. Woah isn't George a good looking guy?!?!?!

Poet: Bob Dylan

2009-09-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Artist: Bob Dylan

Song: It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)

Album: Bringing It All Back Home

Darkness at the break of noon

Shadows even the silver spoon

The hand made blade, the child's balloon

Eclipses both the sun and moon

To understand you know too soon

There's no sense in trying

Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn

Suicide remarks are torn

From the fool's gold mouthpiece, the hollow horn

Plays wasted words, proves to warn

That he not busy being born

Is busy dying

Temptation's page flies out the door

You follow, find yourself at war

Watch waterfalls of pity roar

You feel to moan but unlike before

You discover that you'd just be one more

Person crying

So don't fear, if you hear

A foreign sound to your ear

It's alright Ma, I'm only sighing

As some warn victory some downfall

Private reasons great or small

Can be seen in the eyes of those that call

To make all that should be killed to crawl

While others say don't hate nothing at all

Except hatred

Disillusioned words like bullets bark

As human gods aim for their mark

Make everything from toy guns that spark

To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark

It's easy to see without looking too far

That not much is really sacred

While preachers preach of evil fates

Teachers teach that knowledge waits

Can lead to hundred dollar plates

Goodness hides behind its gates

But even the President of the United States

Sometimes must have to stand naked

And though the rules of the road have been lodged

It's only people's games that you got to dodge

And it's alright Ma, I can make it

Advertising signs that con

You into thinking you're the one

That can do what's never been done

That can win what's never been won

Meantime life outside goes on

All around you

You lose yourself, you reappear

You suddenly find you got nothing to fear

Alone you stand with nobody near

When a trembling distant voice, unclear

Startles your sleeping ears to hear

That somebody thinks they really found you

A question in your nerves is lit

Yet you know there is no answer fit

To satisfy ensure you not to quit

To keep it in your mind and not forget

That it is not he or she or them or it

That you belong to

But though the masters make the rules

For the wise men and the fools

I got nothing Ma, to live up to

For them that must obey authority

That they do not respect in any degree

Who despise their jobs, their destiny

Speak jealously of them that are free

Do what they do just to be

Nothing more than something

They invest in

While some on principles baptized

To strict party platform ties

Social clubs in drag disguise

Outsiders they can freely criticize

Tell nothing except who to idolize

And say God bless him

While one who sings with his tongue on fire

Gargles in the rat race choir

Bent out of shape from society's pliers

Cares not to come up any higher

But rather get you down in the hole

That he's in

But I mean no harm, not put fault

On anyone that lives in a vault

But it's alright Ma, if I can't please him

Old lady judges watch people in pairs

Limited in sex, they dare

To push fake morals, insult and stare

While money doesn't talk, it swears

Obscenity, who really cares

Propaganda, all is phony

While them that defend what they cannot see

With a killer's pride, security

It blows the minds most bitterly

For them that think death's honesty

Won't fall upon them naturally

Life sometimes must get lonely

My eyes collide head-on with stuffed

Graveyards, false goals, I scoff

At pettiness which plays so rough

Walk upside-down inside handcuffs

Kick my legs to crash it off

Say okay, I have had enough

What else can you show me?

And if my thought-dreams could be seen

They'd probably put my head in a guillotine

But it's alright Ma, it's life and life only

That's When I Was Hooked...

2009-09-17T11:46:00.001-07:00

Do you remember that first time you heard your favourite bands? Better yet, do you remember that show, that song, that lyric, that riff that got you hooked? I do and I will share them with you all!

I remember first hearing about Alexisonfire on Much Music when their self titled album came out. I was watching the video for Counterparts And Number Them and first off, I was wondering "Why are they wearing pink and why is that guy screaming, but do I ever love it". Then during the song when Dallas goes into a long "Storrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre" and George calmly says "Sweater".

"I'm softer than a thrift store sweater"

That's when I was hooked. Watch the video HERE. The part that I talked about is around 1:16 in the video.

I saw Sunset Rubdown at a show in Århus, Denmark with some good friends I met on exchange. We got on the guest list and the free beer was flowing (how this happened is a different story and is another blog post all together) We went to the show last minute, and I was familiar with many of the bands on the bill, but I have heard of Sunset because my buddy Brian got me into Wolf Parade. We were at the front of the stage, beer in hand and enjoying every second of it. Then they broke into the song Mending Of The Gown and I heard that killer intro on guitar. If you know the song you know what I am talking about. It just grabbed my attention so fast, and the whole venue broke into applause. That intro is when I was hooked. I got all their albums and now I am a huge fan. Listen to the song HERE.

When I got my hands on some tickets to Alexisonfire's "Christmas" show at Arrow Hall in Mississauga it looked like Christmas came a few days early, but then of course, in typical Alexisonfire fashion, there was a blizzard. Highways were closed and it was impossible for me to get a ride to the show. I was so upset that I wasn't going to get to see Alexis... but then something magical happened. In the new year, they set up a show at the docks for the people who missed the blizzard show, and one of the openers was the Arkells. At the time they were a band I have never heard of, and I was just anxious to hear Alexis... then they started their set playing Amazing Grace.

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see"

"We've got deadlines to meet"

Then they go right into their song Deadlines and that's when I was hooked. Watch a video of Arkells Deadline w/ Amazing Grace intro HERE.

To be honest, I don't know how I got into Cancer Bats but I am so glad that I did. Hearing the single French Immersion I heard the heavy guitar and I was instantly turned on, and then Liam yells...

"LET'S DO THIS!"

I'm thinking, yeah let's fucking do this! The song, and that first "lets do this" sounded so strong and angry I just couldn't get enough of it. That's when I was hooked, and I have been given myself whip lash head banging to the bats ever since. See the video HERE.

Another Alexisonfire "Christmas" show got me hooked on another 2 great bands. Attack In Black, and Fucked Up. I was at the second of six shows, and AIB and FU were playing. Attack In Black came out and I was really into it. The only song I remember for certain they played was Cut And Run off of Widows EP. This one lyric was engraved in my brain.

"While you're making eyes across the room"

It seemed like a love story with one simple line in a song. Hearing that lyric got me looked. Fucked Up was next, and I was in awe. The energy and antics of Damian was incredible and his stage presence was what got me to listen to more of their music... so I can sing along with him when I see them next. When he cut open his forehead and he made his "blood sacrifice" ... that's when I was hooked.

There are tons of other bands that I have gotten hooked by; the first listen to a certain album, a certain song, a certain show, but I will rap up this post now... Leave a comment and tell me when and how your favourite band got you hooked.

Tickets To Wilco!

2009-09-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated this in a week or so. I have been busy with school but in that time I have got my hands on some tickets to see Wilco in Toronto at Massey Hall! I am going with my Dad and it should be an amazing show. I look forward to give you a nice review after the show is complete. I will try to update the blog again this week, maybe a few times. I am thinking of reviewing the new Every Time I Die album, and maybe telling you about a new up and coming band. Stay tuned.

Take A Look

2009-09-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

These are other blogs I check out. Some of the people behind the blogs I know personally, and some I dont. Either or, their blogs are great and you should check them out too. They are full of good photography, good music, and good times.

30 Days Of Meaningful Lyrics

So check these blogs out! Click on the name of the blog and it will bring you to the site. Oh, and remember to tell your friends about my blog www.itheexplorer.blogspot.com THANKS

Album Review: Gallows-I Dread The Night EP

2009-08-30T20:07:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, UK's Gallows released their "I Dread The Night EP". This four song EP includes the album, demo, and remix versions of I Dread The Night. The remix was done by L'amour La Morgue and sounds pretty darn good. The EP raps up with the demo version of The Riverbed.

I Dread The Night and The Riverbed are both some of the best songs on their latest LP entitled Grey Britain, that is one of my Top 5 Albums Of The Year (So Far). (The album is top notch and if you don't have it blasting out of your speakers right now, you don't know what you are missing).

This EP is a must have for any fans of Gallows and it is worth the buy just to have a listen of the killer remix. Gallows are touring machines so check when they are coming to your town HERE.

Digging Through Dad's Vinyl

2009-08-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

We recently got some new speakers and finally connected them to the record player that had been sitting in the basement collecting dust (We thought it was broken) but it is alive an kicking now. We are now flipping through milk crates and dusting off old albums that Dad has collected over many of years from living in Toronto. Most of the albums still have the Sam The Record Man plastic protective sleeve on it, so the records are in good condition and still play well.

Dad and I have spent most of our time sitting around the record player while he is showing me all his old records. From The Rolling Stones-Some Girls, John Lennon-Rock & Roll. Not to mention every Bob Dylan record to come out on vinyl.

With vinyl making a comeback and many bands releasing vinyl along side their CD and Digital Download releases, it is a good time to look through my small collection and seeing what he though of my favourites like; Shotgun Jimmie-Still Jimmie, Alexisonfire-Alexisonfire, and Cancer Bats-Hail Destroyer.

So my final thoughts... Dust of your parents record player. Go to your local record store and start buying records. Go to shows and get your favourite bands LPs. Appreciate vinyl, and appreciate good music!

Happy Birthday Mom

2009-08-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Listen To This Band: SIGUR RÓS

2009-08-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

This weeks music monday is all about Sigur Rós. They are one of Iceland's finest exports and fronted by Jónsi Birgisson's beautiful and unmistakable voice, one of the best bands (in my opinion) out there.

For those of you who have never heard of Sigur Rós or have heard them for the first time after reading this post, I just want to clear some things up right away. The reason why you are thinking it is hard to make out what Jónsi is singing about, it is because he is singing in Icelandic. Most Scandinavian languages are not very beautiful and are somewhat very harsh on the ear. (I can speak Danish, and I can't stand music sung in Danish because I think it sounds very ugly). That being said, I believe that this music is the most beautiful music I have ever heard.

But if you do know Icelandic and you are thinking you still can't make out what they are singing, it is because they are singing something called Vonlenska. You can hear this throughout their album (). I truly didn't have a clue what Vonlenska meant and when he is singing Icelandic or Volenska, so to give you and I a better understanding I had to resort to Wikipedia...

"Vonlenska is a non-literal language, without fixed syntax, and differs from constructed languages that can be used for communication; it lacks grammar, word meaning, and even distinct words. Instead, it consists of emotive syllables and phonemes; in effect, Vonlenska uses the melodic and rhythmic elements of singing without the conceptual content of language. In this way, it is similar to the use of scat singing in vocal jazz. The band’s website describes it as “a form of gibberish vocals that fits to the music”

Icelandic or Vonlenska, they both sound beautiful and I am in awe every time I hear their songs.

There is a certain mystery behind the Icelandic language that draws me to Sigur Rós. Each song is up interpretation because I don't know what the words mean. But to me, I feel like every song is a love song. Sung in his beautiful falsetto voice to the woman he loves and adores. But thats just me. Also the instruments they use are so varied and spectacular. Everything from bowed guitar, to flute, to glockenspiel and oboe. All the instruments intertwine and flow so freely together to create the most amazing melodic music.

Sigur Rós has released five studio albums and the group is looking to release their sixth sometime in 2010. Keep your eyes and ears out for it.

http://www.myspace.com/sigurros

http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk

Fingers Crossed

2009-08-24T10:48:00.001-07:00

Listen To This Band: ATTACK IN BLACK

2009-08-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

Attack in Black is one of my favourite bands hands down. Their songs are inspiring and poetic. Their perfect mix of rock and folk makes every album unforgettable.

Forming in Welland, Ontario, AIB's early albums are very different than what you will hear from their most recent albums. Early albums (Self Titled & Widows EP) are more punk rock then their recent folk albums and have some fans choosing sides. Some early Attack in Black fans refuse to accept the change the band has made and say they are selling out and becoming main stream (Their single "Young Leaves" was the most played Canadian song on CFNY in '07).

When you go to an Attack in Black show now, you won't hear Young Leaves in their set list. You will hardly hear any songs from their first full length entitled "Marriage". An AIB show these days will be filled with revamped live versions of songs off of self recorded LP "Curve Of The Earth" and newly released "Years (By One Thousand Fingertips)". They also throw in songs written for earlier bands and unreleased solo work (such as Empire Air and Old Skulls)

The boys in AIB are such talented musicians, three of the four members contributing in City and Colour's second album "Bring Me Your Love". They are also the backing band of New Brunswick's Shotgun Jimmie who they often tour with.

Even though you don't hear Attack in Black on the radio too much anymore, it doesn't bother me at all. They are my best kept secret again and I wouldn't have it any other way. Flying under the mainstream radar and bring their fans something new in every album, and a killer sound every time.

http://www.attackinblack.com

http://www.myspace.com/attackinblack

Damn You Sir Richard Branson!

2009-08-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, Virgin Festival is coming to Ontario the last weekend in August. This year they planned on having V Fest at a huge camping ground/field just outside of Orillia (Which happens to be 30 minutes from where I live). The venue is perfect for outdoor festivals and my friends and I got full weekend camping passes to have fun as a group before we all go our separate ways post high school.

Needless to say that we were fully stoked on seeing great bands like Nine Inch Nails, Grizzly Bear, Cold War Kids, Franz Ferdinand, Mew, Lights, Mutemath and many others! But the best part of the whole situation is, as I mentioned earlier, all these bands are playing so close to home. There is no need for us to find a car and a place to crash in Toronto. But of course it was all to good to be true.

Apparently ticket sales were very disappointing leading up to the weekend and it was due to the location. Not as many city kids were making the drive north to see V Fest so of course they pick up the festival and move it to The Molson Amphitheater. Just to clear things up, I have nothing against the Molson Amp. In fact I really like the venue, but personally I don't think it is the right place to have a festival. V Fest was planning on having 3 stages going through out the day in Orilla (this is no longer happening of course).

Now my friends and I have to find a ride to Toronto and a place to stay. With full weekend tickets topping out at $100, getting a hotel room is out of the question. Everyone is looking through the phone book and trying to find friends and family that live on the Go Train lines so we can hitch a ride in every morning, and get us back every night.

I am extremely upset on the decision that Virgin made on moving the venue almost 2 weeks before the festival and I think that they made a big mistake in doing so, but enough complaining. I am not going to let the venue change get me down. I will be at the amphitheater bright and early Saturday morning with a smile on my face to get my wrist band for the pit.

No matter where we are, as long as I'm with my buddies, I will have a great time. I hope to see you there.

Coldplay Does It Again

2009-08-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

Coldplay (in my opinion) is one of the best bands in the world. Their music is spectacular, their lyrics are heartfelt and beautiful, and they put on a brilliant live show in front of thousands of fans every night. They better themselves every album and each song on their album can be a hit single in their on right.They know what the fans want and they give it to them. They release many B-sides and Live records to fill the gap from LP to LP, and put together some of the most amazing music videos.

Looking back at all their music videos, of course they gave a lovely visual representation of the bands song, but also as the band evolved and became more successful, their videos became more elaborate and spectacular.

Coldplay's music videos vary from rather simple, yet powerful (Yellow, Shiver) too the bizarre (The Hardest Part, Life In Technicolor ii). Then there are the videos that will be implanted in to your memory for years to come. Videos so neat, so one-of-a-kind, so genius that they trump any other video on rotation on your music channel. These videos include (Talk, The Scientist, Don't Panic, Fix You) Side note: In "The Scientist" in the first few seconds, look at Chris Martin's eyes. They just suck you in.

Their latest video for Strawberry Swing falls under the "genius" category and has to be one of my favourite videos of all time. It features the "Superhero" Chris Martin in the ultimate adventure to save his true love. Chris soars high over the city skyline, sails the seven seas in his umbrella, and battles evil squirrels that separate him from the girl. It is always about saving the girl in the end. Oh and did I mention, Chris is laying on the pavement while the backdrop is moving around him... all in chalk. If you didn't understand what I tried to explain just watch the video!

The video titles in (brackets) above are links to the video on youtube. Click the name and enjoy the video!

My Five Favourite Albums of 2009 (So Far)

2009-08-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Gallows: "Grey Britain"

Released: May 2nd on Warner Bros.

"Grey Britain" is Gallows follow up to their successful album "Orchestra Of Wolves". The album is heavy and fast with vocals of Frank Carter blasting your ears. This music is the perfect way to get your blood flowing and your heart racing. The album got an impressive 5 K! review in Kerrang! Magazine.

Favourite Track(s): The Vulture (Acts I & II), Leeches

St. Vincent: "Actor"

Released: May 5th on 4AD

Annie Clark is the face behind St. Vincent and she blew me away with her second full length titled "Actor". The album really grabs your attention with its melodic side then blasts your face with distorted guitar all while a voice sings over top of the noise.

Favourite Track(s): Marrow, Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood, Black Rainbow

Attack In Black: "Years (By One Thousand Fingertips)"

Released: March 10th on Dine Alone Records

I like to think of this record as a mix of "Marriage" and "Curve Of The Earth" in the way that it is neither focused on rock or folk, but a perfect mix of both. The songwriting is better then ever and each member steps up and delivers a flawless performance.

Favourite Track(s): Years (By One Thousand Fingertips), Moon Of Day

Alexisonfire: "Old Crows/Young Cardinals"

Released: June 23rd on Dine Alone Records

"OC/YC" was the most anticipated album on my list this year and it didn't disappoint. I'm sure some people reading this miss the old Alexis as do I, but I'm not the same kid when their S/T was released, so why would I want their music to be the same. I love bands that evolve and better themselves every album and Alexisonfire is a great example of that band. Wade and Dallas harmonizing=A+ and George's new voice is better then ever.

Favourite Track(s): The Northern, Young Cardinals, Born And Raised, Burial

Sunset Rubdown: "Dragonslayer"

Released: June 23rd on Jagjaguwar

The side project of Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug, Sunset Rubdown's "Dragonslayer" is a beautiful, powerful, and intense album full of highs and lows. There are more metaphors in the lyrics than you can shake a stick at. Listen closely and enjoy this gem.

Favourite Track(s): Dragon's Lair, You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II), Silver Moons

Honorable Mentions:

Bon Iver: Blood Blank

Andrew Bird: Noble Beast

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

.Moneen.: Hold That Sound

Shotgun Jimmie: Still Jimmie

Wilco: Wilco (The Album)

The Start Of It All

2009-08-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what will come out of this blog, but I hope it is useful or entertaining in any way possible. Leave a comment if you like and spread the word.