roam the city.

Life is back to normal. Well some kind of normal. Canadian Musicfest ended last Sunday –although in reality it pretty much ends Saturday night for most. It is always strange how quiet the city becomes after a big event like this. You almost feel empty after so much schmoozing, drinking and partying. I wish every day was CMW . Then again, I probably wouldn’t survive. Moderation, moderation.

I wandered the streets on Friday night, going from one venue to another (I got a wristband after all), and it was quite impressive to see how many people were out there doing the same thing. Of course, that also means having to wait in line to go in venues such as The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern.  I just can’t get myself to do that.  Blame it on my ADD.

So here are a few shows that I saw:

Blacky Jackett Jr. at Tattoo Rock Parlour at 8:30pm Friday. My favourite show of the festival.  This band is the side project of James Black and Rick Jackett from Finger Eleven. Not a big fan of the latter, but Blacky Jackett Jr. was exactly my type of show. With back vocals from the sensuous Sandra D. and songs about lost love, whiskey and the desert, this was alt-country at its best. I could have listened to them all night!

Ladies of The Canyon at Rivoli at 10pm Friday. I was very curious to see this country-folk chick band from Montreal (one of the guitarist and the drummer are male but all 4 singers are female). The girls have phenomenal voices and all have their own particularities which creates a beautiful balance in the group. They play keyboards, guitar, bass and even a standup bass (which I loooove!). The only thing that lacked, I thought, were well-written songs.

The Superstitions at Silver Dollar at 11pm Friday. I don’t know why I was expecting much better from this band, probably from what I had heard, but I was very disappointed. I was hoping for some good ol’ rock ‘n roll and this band was a little too pop for me. People seemed to enjoy themselves though, so maybe it’s just my narrow taste in music that made me leave before the end of the show.

I tried to go see Hollerado and Priestess at Sneaky Dee’s but after standing in line in the freezing cold for far too long, I realized the bouncer was only letting people who tipped him generously in to the venue so I moved on to meet some friends at El Mocambo. Needless to say that I don’t plan on going back to that place any time soon after witnessing such behaviour.

Caught two shows at ElMo: Colin Munroe and The Johnstones. Colin is a multi-instrumentalist who can certainly entertain! He is quite something to watch. I’m always blown away by musicians who can do it all. The Johnstones are a punk-ska act that play the visual aspect of their show to the max with no shame. Fun times were had by all.

After all those shows, I met up with more friends from out of town and partied the hell out of this ol’ body of mine. There was a very welcomed stop at Bovine Sex Club for good conversations and more drinks. Our last stop was The Mod Club to gather up more of our friends at the end of the night  –just in time to witness a fight. Not the biggest fan of that club…it is filled with too many uncultured thugs and macho losers for me. It is not a bad place, just not my crowd. At all.

In the end, if I felt like a rockstar Friday night, I did experience the pain of my 29 years the next day. Oh boy!  Gotta drink more water next time!

~More on the festival in a later blog. Gotta get back to work now.~

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Montreal, my darling.

 

It’s Thursday. After work I am getting  on a plane and flying to Montreal. Doing a little hop that way only for 3 days but it’ll be good to see the family and some friends. I always think I don’t go there enough, that I should spend more time in that beautiful city…but the truth is, I don’t necessarily want to. I have done my time in that place. It is filled with good and bad memories and does not have much to offer me anymore besides the friends I have left behind. It is a great place, just not for me. I think….

 It’s hard to say for sure when all the things that make up your life and your home are now away from your hometown. You kind of become biased. Maybe some day I will go back, who knows? In the meantime, I enjoy the moments I get there. The joys and fun that come with visiting. The parties, the shopping, the familiar feeling of knowing the city so well. Its smells and sounds. My mother tongue.

It feels good to be able to appreciate things in a small dose.

Sometimes moderation is better.

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everybody wants it 9 to 5.

I have been absent in writing this week because I started a new job right after coming back from Cancun and haven’t really had a moment for myself.

I now work for the Government at a pretty quiet but friendly office just north of where I live. I don’t have to take the subway to get there (just a bus for about 40 minutes) so that is a little bit of a relief in the morning. There is no need to be part of the tight, pushy crowds of rush hour on the subway if you don’t have to! The job is an 8:30 to 4:30 deal that needs some getting used to since I am not a morning person.  This week was all about adaptation. To a new workplace, new coworkers, new tasks and responsibilities, new lifestyle, new business clothes… I am proud to say that it all went much better than I apprehended. Even the husband was supportive in his efforts to stick to my new schedule. Call me spoiled, but the only thing I really don’t get is how us, as human beings, can work 5 days a week every week. With my position as a flight attendant I have been used to working only 3 or 4 days a week and that was plenty for me. Granted, flying is really hard on your body and working more than that doesn’t do anyone any good at all.  Working 5 days a week in an office?! That is asking too much of a person. I struggle to make it through the week and the only reason I hang in there is that I know that I only have 8 more weeks of this! On the other hand, coming home early enough to catch some daylight is a whole new experience for me. I am not used to that and it certainly influences your mood. I get home and still feel like I have a little bit of a day left.  So all and all, I made it through my first week in one piece but tired nonetheless and am kind of looking forward to my second week.

Ok. Now, important things: the CMW lineup is out! That makes me really happy because I strongly believe in supporting our own showcases and fellow musicians before going to all the major American festivals.  I took a good look at all the artists that will be coming to the big city in March and I am quite delighted to be living in Toronto for all this. That means I will not have to miss any work or travel very far to see the bands I like and party with some close friends.  Wicked!

Here is a list of my favourites that I can’t wait to see:

Beast, Bloc Party, Crash Parallel, Duchess Says, GrimSkunk, Malajube, Mistress Barbara, Priestess, Rebel Emergency, SNFU and We Are Wolves.

A few bands that I already know but have yet to see live:

Caracol, Hexes and Ohs, Holy Fuck and Inward Eye.

Also, I am very curious to hear these artists that I don’t know but seem very interesting. Come on, impress me:

Everything All the Time, Ladies of The Canyon, Left Spine Down, Les Handclaps, Redeye Empire, Ruby Jean, The Von Drats and Vancougar.

I will buy my wristband very soon and hopefully I get to see at least 5 or 6 bands that I like. The only issue with CMW is that often enough you will show up at an event only to realize that the lineup is huge and that you won’t make it in on time for the performance. Many times, you end up standing in line more than watching shows. The venues are packed and wristbands are not accepted everywhere. So make sure you have a map of your favourite shows and a “plan B” option in order to avoid frustration! Most of all, have fun and don’t miss the after parties! Frequently, they are the best part of this festival.

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