Another Oxford Station Pig Roast!

Greetings folks!

So, only once in a while do most of us get the chance to attend a big backyard party that features a slow-roasted hog (see "El Grande Fiesta" entry below. :) However, this past weekend, Bud & Laurie's friends Gary & Karine (who live just down the road from Bud's out in Oxford Station) held their Annual Pig Roast with a live band and a big ol' bonfire. It was a major hoot! Their backyard is a long slope down to the treeline; the stage set-up in one corner of the lot creates a kind of natural mini-ampitheatre. Everybody was sitting on blankets, dancing on the grass, enjoying the music and the warm evening air. Great stuff.

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring extra batteries for my camera, and the ones that were in it went dead right away. D'oh! The only photo I managed to get was this crappy blurred-out shot of the band on stage:



But trust me -- it was an awesome party! The band rocked and after a while the fire got huge. Thanks to Gary & Karine for putting on a hell of a blast.

Cheers!
Brian

entry one / 08/15/2006

Yo, cats!

Frank Zappa once said, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." Well put, Frank. :) Anyway, I thought I'd add a recurring (perhaps bi-weekly? nah, more like monthly) post-theme within the blog-o-rama: Your old pal Brian's random and pointless thoughts on his recent musical purchases (and his sneaky illegal internet downloads)! After all, isn't that basically what a blog exists to be? A free open space to throw whatever virtual paint you're partial to all over the mofo? In that sense, I say what the hell! And who knows, this could even provoke some thoughtful or insightful (or even humbling) discussion among whoever has time to waste actually looking at the thing. At the very least, it'll be something to blog about between...actual... real-life... post-worthy... happenings. Yeah, that's it.

I don't intend for this to be a load of tiresome online gushing band-worship. I'll be brief -- some quick graphics of the covers, followed by whatever I feel should be mentioned about each (the who's, why's, wherefore's). Note: If this sort of thing doesn't interest you in the least, feel free to scroll up or down to the next series of drunken party pictures at any time. :)

Maestro! If you please!

Bought used at CD Exchange on Rideau Street last weekend. Selected for obvious reasons. :) Highlights for me include surprising live versions of "Let It Rock," "Live With Me," "Thru and Thru" and especially, "Tumbling Dice." Also, a couple of great tunes I hadn't heard before: "Fancy Man Blues," b-side of the "Mixed Emotions" single from 1989; and a lovely ballad called "Through The Lonely Nights" (flip-side of the "It's Only Rock n' Roll" single from 1974).

Also picked up at CD Exchange second-hand. I had no idea this even existed; I thought the last album Craig and Charlie released was Persevere in 2001. What can I say? I'm a Proclaimers fan, I buy a new album when I see one...

5

Downloaded one, purchased the other. I owned Echo before, but I lost it somewhere along the way. Needed some additonal Petty/Heartbreakers stuff to flesh out a homemade compilation. The new album is excellent.

I've never been a Neil fanatic or anything, but basically I decided to check out his latest because of the title. Sure, it's entirely critical to what Bush is doing - and not doing - in Iraq and elsewhere (case in point: track 7, "Let's Impeach The President"), but most of the album rocks hard. My favorite song is "Flags of Freedom."

5
After seeing Wilco at BluesFest about a month ago, I've been meaning to familiarize myself with their catalog. I haven't yet checked out A Ghost Is Born, but YHF was probably a better place to start anyway (it being, arguably, their most well-known recording).

5 I actually picked this up after seeing an appearance by the band on "Late Show with David Letterman" on 05/18/06 (performing live on the corner of 53rd and Broadway in NYC -- click the link below for a video clip and turn it up!).

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR5gwWx6-E4

At the time I was familiar with some of the stuff from their first album Peace, Love & Death Metal ("Only Want You," "Miss Alissa," and a cool cover of Stealers Wheel's "Stuck In The Middle With You" -- EoDM sing it "Stuck In The Metal"), but this was one of those I'M BUYING THAT ALBUM moments. I dunno, their brand of rock n' roll just... speaks to me.

Other recent excursions into the unknown include the debut album from Wolfmother; Motorhead's latest (Kiss Of Death); new stuff from Danko Jones, Donavon Frankenreiter, Ben Harper and David Gray; dl'd discographies of The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Dire Straits, Little Feat and John Hiatt (excellent discoveries throughout). I also decided to check out some older Tom Waits albums -- recordings made before his voice turned into a trash compactor (Nighthawks At The Diner, Swordfishtrombones, Heartattack and Vine). I've found minor gems on all of 'em.

Anyway, that about covers it for now (I said I'd be quick). I'll likely post again in the same pointless manner after I hear some other stuff that I think may be worth blabbering on about. Who knows? AC/DC may release new material yet…

((( W Rock on! X )))

Brian / 08/15/2006