what's-her-lips

Nerd. Big Big Nerd.

2007-03-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly be a bigger nerd than I already am I come across this....

... and I want it so very very much. That being said, no, I am not willing to spend the $621 it costs to buy one. But oh baby, if I had any disposable income, you may be dismayed at how fast I'd be whippin' out the credit card for this one. For those of you that DO have crazy disposable income and want your very own ray gun - have at 'er care of Weta.

Wine Fest

2007-02-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

I'm getting really excited about the upcoming Playhouse Wine Festival in Vancouver in March. Last year was my first one and I was much more mezmerized than I thought I would be. Also I quite unexpectedly fell in love with the wine industry. I had been introduced to fine wines a few years ago by a friend of mine who was visiting Vancouver and had retained a strong interest but was always tentative to go exploring. Being at the wine festival I discovered I had a bit of a passion for wines - not just the drinking, but the learning. I have a deep deep passion for music and I feel that wine is a kindred spirit to music. Just like music there are different genres, different instruments, different creators - but the same song will never sound the same twice. It can come close, but there will always be a new nuance to discover. I suppose the same can be said of many things, but I just find it amazing that one little grape can tell such vast and varied stories.

I'm still floundering a bit with my learning but I'm picking up more and more. I'm planning on studying my various resources and doing my research over the next month with the hopes of this year's wine festival taking me to the next level of my relationship with the grape. If anyone reading this has any suggestions for "must try wines" - please let me know.

Gaiman messing with Penn

2007-02-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

From Neil Gaiman's journal:
(and who am I to deny Neil's request)
(and who are you to deny Neil's request? - now go clicky clicky)

I'd like to ask a small favour of those of you who have read down this far. Would anyone reading this, anyone with a blog or a website that is, mind linking to the last post -- http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2007/02/and-in-time-it-took-to-say-that-neil.html -- with the link text Penn Jillette? Given Penn's recent rant about the power and ubiquity of this blog on his radio show, I'd like to mess with his head just a little and see if we can actually google-bomb it so that that entry shows in the top few entries if you google Penn's name.
And sshhh, don't anyone tell him. I want it to be a surprise.

Project 365 and local musicians

2007-01-04T18:51:00.000-08:00

I've decided to join Shannon in Project 365 - take a picture a day, every day, for a year. I figure it'll help me get my creativity flowing. Or at least make it so it doesn't atrophy. My pics are viewable at http://www.flickr.com/photos/chandra4042/

Also, I'm making some use of my myspace page. I have a lot of lovely musician friends in and around Vancouver so I've decided to spotlight each of them for a few days each. I'll be changing the feature song every few days and I'll write a little something about each one as they're featured. You've already missed out on Kristia Di Gregorio and The Paperboys, but you can still check out their myspace pages which features their music.

Preview - Famous Puppet Death Scenes - January 2007

2006-12-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

Preview - Famous Puppet Death Scenes
Push Festival - VECC - January 25 - 27

I seem to be spending a fair amount of time at the Cultch this year. They've had some really nice shows lately and I won't even hold it against them for the cancellation of Hecuba (seeing as it has nothing to do with them and all). A couple of friends of mine and I went to the Ronnie Burkett show 10 Days on Earth there and it very well may be the best thing any of us has seen - and we've seen A LOT. Which segue's nicely to today's topic - Famous Puppet Death Scenes as put on by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop out of Calgary. The same two friends and I went to this show last year at the Push Festival and had no idea what to expect, which is actually a rather nice frame of mind to go to a show with. We laughed, we cried, we laughed some more. It was essentially 30 or so "shorts" showcasing famous puppet death scenes. They were indeed puppet death scenes (some poignant, some silly, some both) but not famous (not yet anyway) as they were all created by The Trouts themselves. I think what I loved most about it was how varied it was. There were quite a number of different puppet styles and set styles - which really added to the feeling that these really could be Famous scenes from who knows where. So now we're gathering our friends, families and enemies and insisting everyone go to this show. If you go on January 26th, be sure to come and say hi.

And for those who are interested, one of the founders of The Trouts is the same dude from The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, also author of such books as The Wolf King. Talented bastard.

Monkey's at the VIFF

2006-10-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not silently protesting the VIFF by not going, I'm just still saturated by years and years of involvement with them and know that if I get within a few feet of a VIFF event I'll want to be involved again, and we just can't do that as it will inevitably end in tears. They have some really great films showing, of course. The one I was considering breaking pattern for is Monkey Warfare and really it's only because the love of my life - Don McKellar - is in it. Yes, I'm in love with a nerdy Canadian Filmmaker - there, I said it. The fact that he doesn't know who I am (unless he remembers that time we brushed up against each other at that Canadian Images party a few years ago) - is merely a minor setback. I still may go see the film this morning but I think I've caught my house-guest's cold so I may just spend the day watching my zip.ca movies instead. Besides, I'm not sure if I'm ready to see my darling Don McKellar with a handlebar moustache.

Science of Gondry

2006-10-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Michel Gondry has a twisted mind. Oh how I love twisted minds. I'm not sure I LOVED Science of Sleep. I certainly didn't like it as much as Eternal Sunshine, but I suppose it's unfair to make that comparison - it's a different film. I did like it though, but it did take me a while to talk myself through it. It's a confusing film with incredible imagry. It's not always clear when our hero is awake or dreaming and the cuts can be a bit messy but really, that's what it's like in our hero's head. Once I decided that that's what Gondry was doing (that and concluded that the hero might be mentally ill) I was able to let go of any expectations and enjoy. Gael Garcia Bernal has secured his place in my heart of one of my "I don't care what the film is, if Bernal is in it - it's good" actors. He was absolutely delightful. I also loved the used of language and stop motion. It was a rich film for many reasons, and it's definitely not a typical hollywood cookiecutter film. As a bonus - Fifth Ave Cinemas finally replaced their seats!

Sad Excuse for a Blogger

2006-10-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

I realize I'm hardly living up to my purpose for keeping this blog if I don't actually pre/re-view shows. The sad part is that it's not like I haven't had things to write about. This summer has been rather amazing for shows, music & film. Here's a sampling of what I didn't write about:
Little Miss Sunshine - I laughed so hard I lost my voice
Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir - fabulous if you like appalachian music
Mission Folk Fest - very very hot but worth it for the great music
Portobello West - has potential
Prairie Home Companion - very sweet for those into the genre

But it took going to see Hawksley Workman to bring me back. First a bit of history...
I first saw the beautiful man a couple of years ago when a friend called up to say he had an extra ticket and asked if I would like to go. I had heard of Hawksley but hadn't heard him, but I hadn't seen my friend in ages so I said okay. I think went internet-spelunking and found the video for Jealous of Your Cigarette and was stunned and the live show lived up. A couple of weeks ago when another friend asked if I wan't to go see Hawksley I just couldn't decline.

I must admit I liked the intimacy of the previous show at Richards on Richards as opposed to this show at the Commodore. The smaller venue lends itself a bit better to his intimate personality. My friend and I both agree he seemed a bit off, but "off" for Hawksley is still pretty amazing. He played all of my favourites and I rather enjoyed the mid-song interlude of Pinball Wizard. I'm only sad that my allergy meds knocked me on my ass, forcing me to leave before the 3 encores. But if a gal is gonna wear her feather boa then she's gotta takes the meds. And really, if I can't wear a boa to see Hawksley, what's the point of having one?

2006-09-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

All friends and foes who have supported the 2010 Olympics thusfar can, in my opinion, suck it.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/09/14/bc-olympic-costs.html

May the intellegent discussion begin. Please post your thoughts.

My Position on Golf...

2006-09-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

...for those that have been wondering:
Unless there's a swinging log and a windmill involved, I'm really not interested.

Microsoft - making things easier for murderers everywhere

2006-08-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many times I've been sitting at my desk and my boss asks me to do up a crime scene on the computer. Thank GOD Microsoft has finally made a Word Template.

Now you too can plot out your murders effectively before carrying them out.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC011504131033.aspx

blah

2006-07-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Just received this gem for you.
No editing was needed for this in the slightest.
I have decided to omit the email addressess I'm receiving these from in case it's an email worm and not actually spam.

Re: hi

blah
blah
blah

blah2
blah
blah
blah

blah2

reviews reviews and more reviews

2006-07-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those moments when you have too much to say about something so you end up saying nothing? That's been my last two weeks. Not terribly condusive to blogging is it.

Last-Last weekend was the Vancouver Folk Festival. I worked most of the time at the fest so I didn't really get to see much of the performances save for when I was walking from point A to point B. Mostly it was a titch boring as the job I was doing didn't involve a lot of mental strain. It was also an emotional weekend as it was the year anniversary of the death of a friend. His memorial tree and bench also happened to be mere feet from where I was working. I did see a lot of other dear friends that weekend though and that's always very nice.

Last weekend was the Mission Folk Festival. It was WAY too hot to be in Mission. I did my best to fight heat exhaustion but the sun fought back harder. It also didn't help that I worked all weekend lugging gear in and out of a sauna-like moving van. Of course the music was fabulous and the evenings, sitting around listening to the musicians jam, was a real treat. I also got to meet some rather exceptional people and that too is always very nice. Will I do it again next year? I would...if not for the heat. That's pretty much a deal-breaker for me.

THIS weekend I did not work (WOO!). Instead 2 of my best gals, JJ and J, and I went out to an incredible meal at O'Doul's to celebrate J's birthday. We were all quite heady with it all. Our server "Hot Jayson" was even kind enough to chill our "water" to take to the beach after to continue the celebrations. What a beautiful evening. This also marked the 10 year Friendiversary for JJ and I. I'm so incredibly lucky to have such fabulous gals in my life. They truly are my sisters (along with K who now lives in Victoria).

But there's more...yesterday I had grand plans to go hang out on a beach to celebrate a co-worker's birthday (who's number I lost so I wasn't able to locate them) and then wander around Illuminares. As much as I love a good lantern festival there was no way I was going to miss seeing the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir when I found out last minute they would be in town. I thought I was being smart and didn't show up to The Railway to meet up with last weekend's friends until 11pm, thinking I'd get there in time to maybe catch some of the 2nd act and settle in for some good ole mountain music. But in true Vancouver style, the first act (The Mountain Bluebirds) was still on stage. Fortuitous for me though as it ended up being a band I'd heard about and had been wanting to see. As they themselves state it's where Paperboys banjo players go to die - Brad Gillard is their regular banjo player and Cam Salay was filling in. Next up was Old Joe - which played quite an array of styles - mostly revolving around folk-punk. My favourite was the klezmer-punk tune. They fit quite nicely in with my collection of odd genres. And really, how could you not love a band that does a song about the CBC. Ahhh, and then The Agnostics. I'm a little bit in love with Judd Palmer. The man's a children's book author, a puppeteer and a banjo player. *swoon* But beyond all that, he's a downright lovely fellow. I'm not even going to try to describe the band - just go to their website and listen to them. The one drawback from this evening of musical treats was that it reminded me how much I HATE seeing shows at The Railway. It's got to be the worst room in the city. It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't so good at booking great bands, but they are, so they end up trying to pack way too many people into that front room. It's just wrong. At least their sound system seems to have been upgraded. I really hope the next time The Agnostics come back it's to the Media Club (unlikely) or Richards on Richards.

This morning is the first time I've slept in past 9pm in over a decade.

New poetry

2006-07-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

This one is a bit more free-verse than usual.

Re: Katherine
by 230garrick@regiomontano.com

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 02:34:10 -0400
coinage debarring brasilia beginner
condensate asexual
decadent bird
atlantes bicameral
altimeter aaron
bedraggle atkins communal bilinear

Freedom

2006-07-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Be free, Wonderhorse, be free.

You've earned it.

Esoteric Spam Poetry

2006-07-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Some of the email spam I get is downright deep.
I thought I'd share some with you.

I have reconfigured it for style but nothing has been deleted or added.

BX
by MalloryDuvall@0points.com

that?

There are too many buzzards, that's why there isn't a single clean
appeared;
but then a silver cobweb exploded
on the sun and Kirill was no
probably would have called him Pretty Boy Artie.

We used to have another

Here's another winner featuring Kirill.
Could this be a message from another world?

M8 6
by ArleneRoman@mail.ru

hankies and an orchestra.

"Thank you, doctor.

My fellow Harmonites!

Finally we have heard a clear
In other words, we didn't touch on the subject again.
Kirill phoned PPS
Jonathan was dazzled. He forgot to ask about heaven.

"How do you do

Jazz Fest - The Final Day

2006-07-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

What a way to end the fest - with a gorgeous day spent in David Lam Park, baking in the sun with good friends & family and fabulous music.

We went down there around 1:30 and caught a bit of Gary Comeau - although I was disappointed that my friend Johnny wasn't playing with them. Then we met up with my brother and wee nephew (who I chased half way round the park - or at least it felt like it) while we listened to Moses Mayes. We decided we should wander around a bit to find some shade and I bumped into a number of friends I hadn't seen in awhile - which, aside from the music, is precisely why I love jazz fest. We really wanted to stick around for Santa Lucia but we were starting to feel a bit sun-strokey, so we headed over to my friend's place for a couple of hours to recharge and eat sushi. This was the best thing we could have done - we felt SO much better afterwards. We got back in time to get a decent spot on the grass for a show I've been looking forward to for awhile - Orquesta Goma Dura. They're a 20 piece latin jazz orchestra from Vancouver and I try to never miss a show but I've been really slacking off lately. Unfortunately they weren't quite the powerhouse they normally are but I can imagine it would be rather difficult to keep up any energy in that heat. They were still wonderful though. I was just thrilled that I got to hear Danny play his signature incomparable bari sax solo.

So by the time we left the area it was about 10pm. Not a bad way to end the festival at all.

Jazz Fest - 4 down, 2 to go

2006-07-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

I'd been looking forward to this night for some time now and not just because it was exactly 15 years ago (that day) that my Greyhound bus first rolled into Vancouver after 31 hours on the road. (Look out Vancouver cuz here I am and I ain't never leavin'!) (sorry, just rewatched The Thing Called Love)

First off was a dinner out with My Very Best Friend (who I've known for 10 years this summer). It's a treasured and all too rare occurrence to have a night out with just the two of us. Incidentally - the Peter Lehmann Cabernet-Merlot-Shiraz is really lovely. Normally I'm not much of a fan of blends but this was really nice.

On to the shows! The opening act was a local group - New Orleans North - the type of band that has you smiling from the first note. This quartet of cornet, clarinet, drums and piano where completely charming and, as my friend said, cheeky. To me, nothing says New Orleans jazz like the sound of a clarinet. Their music was such a beautiful tribute to New Orleans, they were just the perfect appetizer to the main act - The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

I had seen Preservation Hall when they were in town two years ago and I knew at the time if they ever returned I would need to see them again. This band had such an amazing presence and energy - which is especially impressive considering I think their average age is about 70. It felt like the crowd would have been perfectly willing to give them a standing ovation after each and every song (had this not been in Vancouver where apparently we even need permission to clap along to the music). They didn't let us get away with being passive though - they demanded interaction. I must admit, I'm not much of an applauder after solos because I want to hear what's coming next, but even I was cheering loudly after every one. Well, you couldn't help but cheer for that drummer. Talk about cheeky. I had already commented to my friend that I wasn't really all that impressed with the drum solo during New Orleans North's set so when this Preservation Hall guy did his thing it was like he was inadvertantly saying "THIS, my friends, is how it's done". Basically this show lived up to my expectations as I knew it would. Save for one little odd...I shudder thinking about it. I wish I could convey to you exactly what it was like to watch their guest singer. This guy was in his early to mid 20s and he really just did not fit in. His singing was fine, if not a little uncreative, but man oh man he was intense. I thought he may go into a seizure at any minute. The only saving grace was that he only came out for two songs. I'm hoping my friend comments on this - maybe she can describe the experience a bit better. To end the show, after parading up and down the aisles collecting audience members in a parade that led onto the stage, they played the most heartbreaking rendition of "Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans" which has of course now taken on a haunting new meaning.

My evening was not yet over though. After dropping my friend off at home I scooted over to O'Douls (my new home away from home) where another friend of mine (the very same one I keep meeting at O'Douls of course) was holding a table for us. Every year I always have to catch a bit of Kate Hammett-Vaughn and this year was not going to be an exception. I sometimes forget how much I enjoy watching her sing. She so obviously LOVES what she does and it shines through her and you can most definitely hear it in her voice.

Once her set was done I ordered me a Black Plague Stout and settled in for the jam. There were the usual treats of getting to hear young Mr. Morgan Childs, Bill Coon and Brad Turner, in addition to what has become one of my favourite things about this year's festival - getting to hear Adam Thomas (who is normally a bassist) sing. What an incredible and soothing voice. I could listen to him all night. He wasn't the only one to get up and sing though. I have finally (FINALLY) seen Denzel Sinclaire sing. Can you believe I hadn't? He is absolutely.... He was just.... well, he took my breath away. Just when I think this year couldn't get any better.

Jazz Fest - My Day 3 - This post is brought to you by Red Bull

2006-06-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sadly this was another show that took convincing to leave the house, but I knew I'd regret not going to see the legendary Paquito D'Rivera. So I tracked down some of his music online and after the first bar no more convincing was needed. One would think it shouldn't take so much convincing to get me out to see phenomenal jazz for free, but once I'm home it's hard to pry me out again. Also, in this case, I'm not a huge fan of the alto sax. I am, however, a big fan of latin jazz and it only seemed right that after seeing Arturo Sandoval last year I should see his buddy Paquito.

I had no real desire to see Occhipinti but still caught about 1/2 a song (10 minutes) and rather enjoyed what I heard. Not sure I would have wanted to see the whole hour. I was lucky enough to catch a pretty smokin' drum solo accompanied by latin piano riffs though. This drummer (Dafnis Prieto - love that name) looked about 12 years old and played with the energy of one. Even the sax player was visably impressed - tossing his head back in laughter by the things young Mr. Prieto was doing.

By then I was looking forward to Paquito. I figured if he put on half the show that Arturo did last year it would be phenomenal. My mistake for having such high expectations. They were obviously very good musicians (the guy has 8 Grammys) but it wasn't exceptional. Paquito himself is quite the charmer and jokester so that was fun, and I did enjoy his playing. As I mentioned alto sax is not one of my favourite instruments but his tones were really nice and warm. That is until he brought out the soprano - definitely not my favourite instrument. Again, they're VERY GOOD - it just wasn't doing it for me. The smattering of sound issues didn't help matters either. Paquito also seemed very irritated by it. Then once the weedly solos and high notes for the sake of high notes started I knew I was done. I guess it comes down to the fact that I was hoping for more of the Cuba sound and it was more straight ahead jazz which I suppose I've been leaning away from as I get older because even though it's always different, it's still the same.

I then headed over to the Commodore to try to catch a bit of Ivan Neville. Turns out I didn't have to rush. I got there during intermission and the crowd was sparse and remained so and the change-over ended up taking 45 minutes!!! If it wasn't for the fact that I ran into a friend I would have left before they even took the stage. I'm glad I caught a bit of them but I could just as easily have taken a miss. Another case of Really Good Musicians, but the music was samey-samey. Perhaps it's because my funk-education comes from hours and hours of Tower of Power but I just couldn't get into their groove. A person I work with also happened to be there and felt the same way - he left after 4 songs. That was 2.5 songs longer than me. At least I got to see my friend which was really nice. He did end up staying longer so hopefully we can get a report from him as to the rest of the show.

(no pictures this time - my seat at Paquito was directly in front of the doors and Centre staff)

Jazz Fest - Day 2

2006-06-26T00:32:00.000-07:00

There was no need to convince myself to get out and see the show I had planned for tonight - Tango Paradiso and Pink Martini. I've been anticipating this one for a month - ever since I first checked out Pink Martini online. I had planned for a while now to go see Tango Paradiso. Turns out they were opening for this band I'd never heard of (the aforementioned Pink Martini) so of course I went to this mystery band's website to check them out. Now I can't get enough of them.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I didn't end up going to any of my planned shows yesterday. After the lovely day of sun, gardening and sushi I was just too tired to check out Cat Empire. Turned out to be fortuitous as they weren't allowing in passholders. So I caught up on some much needed sleep and ended up doing some housey type stuff during the day today.

Tango Paradiso was good, but didn't keep me in their thrall. There were definite highlights though. They did a fabulous tango version of Ellington's Caravan which pleased me to bits. One of my dirty little jazz secrets is that I collect versions of Caravan. One of my favourites is by Medeski, Martin & Wood and the strangest is a tie between Chicago and The Carpenters. But I digress. They also premiered Doug Schmidt's "Four Season's North" which was lovely. Sadly Doug wasn't playing his accordion I once held hostage at my house for a year (and have some lovely photos of) but he was playing a very beautiful very old Bandonion (like a button accordion only squarer). I think I have that right - when he "introduced" it he said "think band-onion". And hey, I've finally found out how to pronounce Budge Schachte's last name (shaktee).

As for Pink Martini... how can you not love a band who's instrumentation includes a classical harp and spoons. Seriously, if I ever decided to run away and join a band - it would be a band exactly like Pink Martini. They play with the exhuberance that once made jazz illegal. That beautiful, primal joy that comes from somewhere deep and naughty. All the while singing in portuguese, japanese, french, spanish, croatian, and english. Just a tad bit talented, that group. My only complaint is with Coastal's habit of scheduling bands at The Centre when they ought to be in The Commodore where people can dance.

To end my evening my dear friend won over sleep again and we met up at O'Doul's for a bit of Tony Foster and note-comparing. She had gone to see ESQ at Ironworks. In her words "It was astonishingly beautiful. They just gelled...Wow... I can't wait for the fucking album." And trust me, this gal knows what she's talking about.

Happy Not Quite Birthday Shannon

2006-06-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

My friend Shannon got two presents from me today.
1. A lovely patio garden. (or at least a good chunk of it anyway)
2. Me starting this blog.
She'd had enough of me on myspace because she couldn't comment without becoming a member. Fair enough.

Here's a photo essay of our day:

beautiful rose garden by one of the nursery's we went to

the saddest dog I've ever seen

before

after

I've decided to start a new trend - backseat gardening

Shannon's not allowed to play with my camera anymore

world peace forum

world peace forum parade down Burrard - some flavour of protest I believe

On a completely unrelated topic:
This KILLS me.
I'm not even going to try to describe it as I couldn't possibly do it justice.

Happy Jazz Fest - Day 1

2006-06-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Day 0 - Jazz Fest Opening "Gala" (and I use that term lightly). It's best I not say anything on this subject. I just shake my head in dismay and hope they've learned their lesson.

Day 1 - Got home from work and DID NOT feel like going out. The plan was Esbjorn Svensson Trio (EST) then a couple of songs by Seu Jorge (pronounced Say-Oo Jorjay with soft j's) (the dude who played Bowie cover tunes in Portuguese in Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) then off to O'Doul's to hang with friends and hopefully be joined by a dear dear dear friend once her film shoot wrapped.

What happened was...I ended up scarfing down some food and half a can of RedBull with blueberry juice & vodka. That helped a bit. I also gave myself a bit of a time break by deciding I could miss half of EST. So I dragged myself down to The Centre and caught the last 2.5 songs by EST - keep in mind these were approximately 15 minute songs. I was so glad I didn't bale altogether. They were just as amazing as when I saw them a few years ago. Part standard trio, part electronica trance - and they'd move in and out of that feel two or three times in a song. Incredibly lulling and invigorating at the same time.

*

By then it was about 9:30 and I was feeling more awake (especially after that set) and had no problem staying for a bit of Seu Jorge. That, and the fact that I had got a text message from my friend saying she wouldn't be done til about midnight, so I had some time to kill because as much as I wanted sleep, she's MUCH more imporant.

OH. MY. GOD. It's rare that I've been to a concert so good. Not just in the performance but in what they did to the crowd. It's the first time I've ever seen an entire audience at the very conservative Centre on their feet dancing. At first there were just a few "loge parties", but then it just spread. Those boys had a way of stirring up the crowd. I can't really describe the music other than saying it was heavily tinged with Brazilian Carinval type percussion. As a lovely treat he "took it down a bit" and played (solo) his unbelievable renditions of the Bowie tunes Rebel Rebel and Ziggy Stardust (I think) as well as one I didn't recognize. He didn't let us rest for long though - the band rejoined and we were on our feet again. As they took their bows and can-canned off the stage arm in arm there was no way we were letting them go. They returned for two encores before The Centre raised their lights signalling for us that it was time to go. I think the band would have been happy to play all night. It was their first visit to Vancouver and I very much doubt that it will be their last.

*

But the night was not yet over for me! I called my friend, who was not yet done work and sounding very tired, and told her I was just on my way to O'Doul's. Mike Allen was just taking the stage when I got there and my other friends where well into their evening and having a blast. I'm not sure who everyone was that jammed with Mike. I think Adam Thomas was on bass (save for a brief song where Rene Worst took over while Adam crooned for us - what a lovely surprise there) and the always fabulous and smiling Bruno Hubert was on piano. Not sure who was on drums but we got a few tunes from the wonderful and intense Morgan Childs. A trumpet player I don't know sat in for a couple and Bruno Vansina from the Belgian band Flat Earth Society sat in on alto sax for half the night, which was nice because I had been planning on seeing them in Gastown (saturday). As a bonus, part way into the evening my friend showed up - having decided that I too was more important than sleep (YAY!). I even got to tell Seu Jorge what a wonderful time I had at his show and that I was now a new fan for life. He clasped both my hands, bowed and thanked me graciously. *swoon*

So all in all - fabulous first day!

*Yes, all of the photos will be fuzzy. I can't possibly get clear ones with my camera and lack of photo creds so I've decided to go "abstract".