Randy Newman

Since I am still cameraless, maybe I will post some other images that are making me hot these days. Came across this one today and was kind of blown away. Can't figure out who is responsible for this genius but high-five to whomever.

Heckabummed

Someone smashed the window of my rental car and snatched my little camera. Of course, the memory card was loaded to the gills with hilarious pics from Sub Pop's 20th anniversary party over the weekend. I am so sad I can't even tell you. Here's one last one from Sled Island.


Brendan, Broken Social Scene


Updates will likely be few until I get a new picture machine sorted. Sars.

Human Milk

Man. What can I say? Two great tastes that go great together:



Dudes better commit that shit to tape.

Old Timers?

What a weird thing it must be to write a setlist when your repertoire contains a gajillion songs. Sled Island did a find job of booking some classics. I was happy to catch little bits of Jonathan Richman, Mogwai, and Yo La Tengo.



Yo La brought some "Big Day Coming" which made me especially happy (even if the riff just went on and on and on and on). It's also a joy to watch James McNew. What a dude.



I was especially pumped to finally see Wire but their set was a little eh. It was disappointing to learn that Bruce Gilbert was no longer in the band, and they definitely suffered from "not playing enough songs that Ashod loves" syndrome. Still, what a joy to open for them and also, what a joy to see Colin wandering around the main site the following evening snapping photos with his little elf (just like me!)

Still Blowin' my Mind

I wrote about the Still Flyin' kids a little ways back. Since then, I've purchased their two available EPs and have continued to baffle myself with the fact that I am into a ska band full o' young, hip, whiteys. I missed their first twelve sled island appearances but was pleased as punch when one of the flyettes ended up in my room on my first night in town.



Becky had some Kokanees in her bag and was just a ball of laughs. Fell in love instantly. As did my roommate who announced to her, "Welcome to you are now my new girlfriend." This is her cleaning her crotch.



The next night we ended up in their room. I still hadn't seen them play but I was slowly falling for each one of them. What a rad group of kids. Somewhere around six in the morning (five hours to soundcheck) Sean pulled the plug on the party.



Drummer, Yoshi, pulled the plug some time earlier. We found him in the closet: the only room not raging.

I made a special effort to make it to the field in time for their early set and it was maybe the best decision I had ever made in my life. As expected, they owned it. Sean kept mentioning what a great day it was for volleyball, and then sure enough, the last song rolls around, the volleyballs come out, and the whole band leads a procession to the volleyball courts at the rear of the field. Brilliant! I whipped out my camera and was able to capture the video below before my battery died for the weekend.



I accidentally, but happily, caught Still Flyin' two more times that day. Sadly, I don't have any photos of hacky sack spiderman or any of their other kooky shenanigans. For a weekend full of highlights, Still Flyin' really took the cake.

That said...more highlights to come...

Blitzen Trapper

Despite some close calls, I survived Sled Island. Man, what a festival. Those Calgarians really know how to do it up right! Over the next few days, I hope to upload some pictures and some stories and stuff of that ilk. I'll start with the first show I stumbled into. One in the morning, fresh off the plane, I got some texts notifying me that Broken City was blowing up. I missed Still Flyin' but as I was collecting hugs and doing my best to catch up with the full-on drunkies, a beautiful racket began. "I know this song!" I thought. Funny how I live in the same town as Blitzen Trapper yet had to fly to Canada to actually see them. Their last album, Wild Mountain Nation, was a fave of '07 and their live show did not disappoint. These kids are going places. Unfortunately, Partyville is not on that list of places. After graciously giving me a ride back to the hotel, the dudes disappeared into their dens of rest and I was left to invent my own party. T'wasn't so bad. Guess that's what I get for showing up late.