Happy Canada Day Folks! I know you love your country, and so do these guys. They drop names like it's hot! And I know you secretly love it too when you hear an obscure geographic reference close to your heart. Like the name of your hometown or the CN Tower or the fact that the background for the Barenaked Ladies "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" video was filmed five minutes from where you live.
Yeah, so I asked my sister to fill in for me for the last post. We got on the topic of what we would do if either of us had won a crap-load of money because I entered a contest to win a quarter of a million dollars while at The Canadian National Exhibition a couple weeks prior. Obviously, I didn't win. Nonetheless, I had a great day at the CNE. It's just one of those things that you have to go to every year if you live in the vicinity. You keep telling yourself that there's nothing new THIS year, and it's not ACTUALLY that much fun, but still wind up ambling through the front gate.
Looking back on it now, I had a very kick-ass last week of summer! Went to the CNE and the Chinese Lantern Festival. The morning after, I woke up early to set myself at the Edge 102,1 store front studio for a short performance and interview by Bedouin Soundclash. They played a two song set, starting with the single Walls Fall Down and ending with 12:59 Lullaby, which can be found by a quick YouTube search. I'm not sure why I'm so surprised... but those guys are nice. So nice. I had a short conversation with Pat and Eon, during which they promised to play some more all ages shows (I'm holding you to that, boys) and they used my cell phone. Bedouin Soundclash used my cell phone! That's my current greatest claim to fame.
I also saw the Joel Plaskett show down at Yonge and Dundas Square for Ryerson. That man is still as sharp as ever, I tell you. He and the Emergency (plus Peter Elkas) dished out a load of crowd teasers like Extraordinary and Nowhere with you. Ashtray Rock, the song, was a bit unexpected though. The audience enjoyed themselves so much, that all of the front row pushed the barricade forward for the second song of the encore. I don't think the band could have been more pleased.
I think that was a great way to follow up my first two posts. Funny, I didn't even know about these two shows when I was writing those entires. It must be fate. But that's all come and gone.
Evil Dead: The Musical is also ending tomorrow, as I was told. I saw it way back before the summer even began. That was a good show, indeed. It was based off the first two Evil Dead movies, long before Sam Raimi started directing web-slinging blockbuster hits. Deliciously cheesy like its ancestor, and 100% more ear-pleasing to a music lover. I was kind of upset that I didn't get splattered with fake blood as was promised in their advertisements, despite sitting in the first row. I guess it was a hit and miss sort of thing. Well, here's what I believe to be the greatest summary of the campy musical:
Cheers to a great run, cast and crew of the Toronto Evil Dead Production!
Anyway, school has started for me once again. I've got a terrible morning and a very La De Daa afternoon. Data Management, followed by Physics and Visual art. I take a break for lunch and then head off for Drama before the school day is finished.
For those of you who might not personally know me, I'm in my last year of high school and I've finally realized that it isn't as great as television and movies make it out to be. I feel pretty much the same as I did in grade 9, only with a larger sense of urgency. I don't like it!
I imagine that this is just another one of those "phases". It's like when I said I was going to learn how to sew (well) or play the guitar (well). Like when I promised myself I was going to stay fit, even after mandatory phys ed. classes or when I said that by the end of this summer, I'll have written the first few chapters of a novel. Lies! Lies! All of them! Thanks to my month-long attention span, blogging will likely soon join the list.
Lemme lay down some details about what you're about to experience by reading my future posts made at awkwardly proportioned intervals. Firstly, my mind works in a strange way. I do not say this in a proud manner. Secondly, you should be prepared to endure my obsessions with relatively obscure bands as I fail at attempting to make Impressionable Youth a third rate music blog. Lastly, I use writing as a way to vent. With that out of the way, let's get started with my first "post". Bear with me. All of this typing-what-I-think business is quite foreign to me.
Lately, I've had a lot of free time, seeing as to how my education is on hiatus until early September, so I've devoted a good chunk of it to surfing the Hype Machine. Very few things get me more giddy than discovering a tune decent enough by my standards to slap into repeat for the next week. I guess it's a trait that I've inherited from my makeshift hippie of a sister. She was the one that lead me down the road to become a music junkie anyway.
It all began a few years ago. I don't know how many to be exact. Every time I walked into her room, the same little ditty would be playing and after a week, the song in its entirety had embedded itself into my brain. I'd amble along with a soothingly familiar stranger's voice in my head, singing along to something about parties and family affairs. After another week passed, I finally got over my laziness and picked up the CD case laying on top of my sister's stereo.
Now armed with the name of the artist and the song, I proceeded to listen to the rest of the album, entitled Truthfully Truthfully. In a metaphorical sense, Truthfully Truthfully was my first cigarette. The catchy melodies were very addictive. Throw in a butt-load of Canadian references, sparkly guitar sounds and offbeat, but humble lyrics and I was hooked. How can anyone not be charmed by the words "Dans la French class je suis terrible / Apres l'ecole I'll be coming out to meet ya" from Come on Teacher? After thoroughly wearing down my sister's CD, I did some research over the World Wide Web, perhaps to an internet stalker's sort of extent. Not literally of course, but this has been my process with musical discoveries ever since. In short, Mystery and Crime was the song that started my addiction. Nowadays I get really moody when I don't get my fix of new, decent music. It's quite tragic, really.
In case you're wondering, yeah, I'm still a loyal fan of the Joel Plaskett Emergency. Rewind back to May of this year when my beloved sister and I saw one of their awesome shows. Maybe it was just because it was my first "real" concert, but I think they put on a -insert profanity here-good show! It was complete with audience sing alongs, dance moves that might be traced back to Fred Flintstone's twinkle toe bowling shuffle, and two encores. During the first, we managed to elbow our way to the front row so I could toss paper roses on stage. It was totally worth almost being tackled by security. One of the crudely made flowers was placed behind the delicate ear of Mr. Plaskett himself. It fell out two lines in to the song though. Aw.
Rewind another month back before that, back to when I dragged one of my friends down to their video shoot for "Fashionable People". It was a tough job getting her to come. My fellow fans that were friends and sister had various excuses like work, laziness and parental supervision. Psh. Fortunately for me, one friend agreed to accompany me in exchanged for dinner and ice cream. During the two hour public transit ride, I decided to tell her a thing or two about the band. Me: It's the Joel Plaskett Emergency. Her: Joel Plastic Emergency? Me: No, the Joel Plaskett Emergency. Her: Oh. Who's Joel? Me: The lead singer. Her: Oh. Who's Plaskett? Me: The lead singer's last name. Upon arrival at the shooting grounds, we waited another three hours for anything to actually happen. They filmed for a bit but all save the edge of my shoulder was cut out from the final product. You can see my shoulder threatening the quality of the shot at 3:08 in the following video on the very right side of the screen. It's the little black thing all the way to the right side of the shot.
(You can't see it when I embed the video here. The HTML conveniently cuts off the right side of the video. Hm. But you'll have to take my word for it, or go watch it here:
I expect you take the first option but I suggest you take the second to see my totally almighty right shoulder.)
HA! Take that editor of the video! (I didn't mean it. I totally apologize for standing in too close and hope it didn't completely ruin the shot when you decided to cut out the line of twenty or so people standing behind me that also waited a good number of hours to participate in the shoot. =D ) But in compensation of that, we got free vinyls of Ashtray Rock, my friend gained respect for a band called "the Joel Plaskett Emergency Room" whilst staring at the vinyl that had the correct name of the band labelled on it AND I got a Men's Washroom sign autographed by Joel and now have it hanging on my wall. True story. Here's my proof.
The following are all-ages unless otherwise specified. This list is SUBJECT TO CHANGE. I'll try my best to keep this up-to-date but ALWAYS double check official sources before you go.
I hope that sharing a few of your songs is alright by you. If not, please let me know as I will immediately remove your material upon request. We're still good though, right?
Greetings few, but well-loved readers. Please enjoy your stay but remember, the mp3s are for sampling and will only be available for a short time. If you find something you like, support the artist. Buying the record and going to shows makes everyone happy.
Music submission? Important feedback? Questions or comments? Complaint? We're more than happy to hear it: impressionableyouth@gmail.com
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