s h ! n d ! d

The Gallery2 plug-in in Wordpress has been producing less than desired results of late. Please bare with the formatting…

So I’ve been playing with Facebook again, and have decided I don’t know how to or even much like to play the “games” on there. I say that now, but watch as I check, check and recheck the status of my Oregon Trail or reattempt to Conquer the World…

Also, new music has been made aware to me in the form of Sufjan Stevens check out the video below to hear one of his songs; Chicago. He intends to record 50 albums after each of the fifty U.S states. Good luck. My brain thought of Damien Rice and Ennio Morricone meet The Polyphonic Spree when I first heard him. Plus he has an actual asthmatic kitty cat! So Sad!
I think the Canda Candna Canadians have been on to him for a little while already. Damn Canadians with their cool and pretty indie music, great dry senses of humour, responsible and well-informed ways, with their toques and “ab-oot”…
He’s also playing between Jan 12-14 at the State Theatre at the 2008 Sydney Festival. So you lucky buggers in Sydney for the best arts festival in the land down under better check it out.

Still working like crazy atm, dunno what my plans are atm… Kinda wanna not think too hard about the future as that’s all I’ve ever thought about. Maybe just get through each month for now. Get through Winter! That’s my priority, I can’t wait to see what Summers are like here. AND I want to start shopping. Retail Retail Retail. It’s 4:50AM and I can’t think of sleeping.
What’s wrong with me?!

Oh yeh, here’s a random comment someone left on my site on a previous article about Emo’s in the mainstream. Comment #11 is totally kicking emos and shindid. I love how it’s always the Emo articles that attract fiery comments from random strangers. I also love that little post. Damn Emo’s. Is anyone over the age of 17 still really flying that black flag?

I just hit the jackpot, found a random blog site with great music, covers and film new that I dig. My kinda stuff: Captain Obvious.

From Christie Eliezer’s column:

RAVES GET BAD RAP

Expect the inevitable crackdown on raves following tabloid excitement about two dance parties held in Victoria. Three revellers were carted off to hospital at the Daft Punk concert at the Myer Music Bowl before 15,000 and 30 needed on-site treatment. Promoter Michael Coppel Presents and the Metropolitan Ambulance Service traded barbs in the press, denying claims by the MAS that requests to have a proper ambulance on site were ignored. Coppel said there were 15 St. Johns ambulance officers, a doctor and a nurse on site. A few days earlier, three were taken to hospital and put on life support at the Ultraworld Festival attended by 5,000 at the city’s Krystal Castle, organised by Harware Corp and Killrockstar Entertainment. It looks as though dance parties will be banned from the venue, according to sources in the local council. The local doctors are certainly pushing for it, saying that someone will die there one day. But drug education group VIVAIDS blamed over-zealous police who scared ravers into swallowing all their drugs rather than risk arrest.

That last sentence is GOLD! Hilarious and true.

I missed the Daft Punk show… so gutted… But I can say I’ve seen LCD Sound System live now… and they sing a sing a song about Daft Punk playing at their house…

I’m finally here. After all that stressing about cash, the immigration people didn’t even bother to check my bank balance. Phew!It’s cold in Canada. I’m all nice warm and dry in the hostel for the time being. Currently in Quebec City in the province of Quebec! I walked this evening judging how much longer I could stand a soggy left foot, when I looked up and there was a beautifully lit citadel towering above me! Very Disney… but better and real.

It’s so cold here, as I walked to the city centre I saw snow on the footpath! I think it was a plowed pile, cos that was all there was of it. It’s been raining – trickles of rain the whole time I’ve been here. Need new shoes and coat. I’m getting wet. I also need a haircut.

Whilst walking the main street of Kingston a woman stopped me and handed her salon’s business card with an offer of a discount. Do I look that bad and poor? I am very inspired to get my hair done in trendy ole Canada.

Canada is a very intelligent, cultured, cosmopolitan and a very liberal country so far. People in this part speak French, and English with a French-Canadian accent. People communicate a lot, love gourmet food, care about their hair a lot, wear smart glasses and big warm coats. Unlike most of the USA there are interracial couples and same-sex couples everywhere everyday. It’s amazing how different things are here to the US. It’s also unbelievably natural, beautiful, old and European!

I stayed low key watching films and going to exhibitions in Montreal – saw the Museum of Contemporary Art and chuckled with artistic jealousy at the work of Vik Muniz. Watched Into the Wild, the true story of adventurously spirited Chris McCandle aka Alexander Supertramp as he lived in the wild in Alaska. I was very inspired to do the same as I fear I have so many of the same beliefs, but none of his aptitude or will – especially when it comes to hunting, skinning and gutting your own food… egh. Also, Brand upon the Brain a new super 8 silent film narrated by Isabella Rosellini. Quirky!

On a spur of the moment with no accom or tickets, I decided to see Tegan and Sara in nearby Kingston. Tickets sold out, but I lucked out at the door with strangers. Cheap too! Got real close. Sara looks too skinny. Got pics. They’re better with a home audience.
Seemed like a Tegan fueled night – as I suspected the new album was. Kicked off withCall it Off and lots of new stuff followed by Under Feet Like Ours stuff by an emo 18 year old Tegan. Then a mix of stuff (all my faves were played!). Then they did a crazy New Order-esque keyboardy version of Rhiannon’s Umbrella! It was actually really good! I hope there’s a good bootleg somewhere. I wished they had recorded it!

Giggled to their silly sibling bickering and useless everyday anecdotes about getting haircuts and going to illegal parties in your twenties. I like musicians who share stupid regular stories on stage… like John Mayer. They played at the Sydenham United Church which turned out to be a pride church… I didn’t know they existed! Crazy Canadians! It was very bizarre seeing pride colours in a church, let alone a band!

Kingston is a small town – mostly uni students (there are two unis). Lots of nature and old buildings. I walked with a frog at night. Scared I might run into a bear soon… What does one do in that situation?

In New York saw the Guggenheim, the Museum of Natural History, For the Bible Tells Me So, Romance and Cigarettes, Bloc Party at Madison Square Gardens, Arcade Fire, Les Savy Fav, LCD Soundsystem and Blonde Redhead (check them out!) – to add to the already long list of things I did culturally.

The End.

First real gig involving a release form. First time escorted in & out for shots.  First time I was bustled out. First time someone said to me “3 songs, no flash”. Sweet.

Had no idea what kinds of pics I was taking, just needed to get as many as possible.  Pretty stressful. More here.

My lastest Faster Louder pics are up. I think I’m getting a little better, but mostly I think the venue was great for photos. Building my own gallery for travel prep soon too.

Notice the new blog name? “Shin.did.” Geddit??