In honor of Mary-Kate’s loss, here’s a video of Stars’ “Your Ex-Lover is Dead.”

A buddy of mine posted a bulletin with this Stars video this morning, and it reminded me of how much ruleage this band achieves. Just one more reason to love Arts & Crafts Records and Toronto. Enjoy.

I’ve just spent the better part of an hour eating soup and watching Nardwuar the Human Serviette confound, impress and annoy his interview subjects. That man is one hell of a Vancouverite. Best known for putting his interviewees on the spot with the most obsessively-researched, obscure questions, Nardwuar has been a staple on Canada’s MuchMusic television. He also fronts a band, The Evaporators.
I just got done listening to The Evaporators’ latest album, Gassy Jack and Other Tales, and let me tell you, the enthusiasm that Nard displays while interviewing his subjects is just as contagious on record. Basically, the album amounts to a British Columbia / Vancouver history lesson set to sugar-spun punk rock music. Only don’t expect the kind of history included in most text books - this is all obscurities, from esoteric figures and places, to references to random Canadian rocker stage banter. Plus, with members of The New Pornographers and Canned Hamm (the latter being one of my favorite live bands ever) the music is….pretty good. Sorry, it’s hard to actually focus on the music when imagining a flailing, overexcited Nardwuar fronting a punk rock band.

So yeah, I’ve spent about an hour with Nardwuar today. I think my favorite interview of his is Nardwuar Vs. James Brown:

Part 2 over here. Have a good brunch.

I never played V:tM or anything, but when no one’s looking, I like listen to female-fronted Euro prog/goth metal. I’m not sure if I really like it, but I like to listen to it. Maybe it’s all the pomp and circumstance, or the beautiful women in corsets, or because when I was in high school, I used to read Tolkien and Anne Rice novels in the library instead of eating lunch in the cafeteria.

This is getting embarrassing.

Uh…yeah… After Forever are from Holland. And now they’re coming to the US and Canada for the first time. Here are the tour dates and videos, after the jump. (more…)

If so, then perhaps Victoria, BC Canada is where you might want to be.

Citing many problems with open transient drug use on street corners, there seems to be much concern surrounding the health of a once vibrant city… heh… From what I’m reading it sounds like that part of Candinadia is turning into downtown Frisco.

(Victoria, B.C. mayor Alan Lowe) thinks Vancouver may be on the right track, offering such services as a supervised injection site where injection drug users can fix in a controlled, “safer” environment rather than in streets and alleyways. Mr. Lowe wants to open a “supervised consumption site” where users can both inject and smoke drugs.

I coulda swore we had those things here in the United States… I think we call ‘em train tracks.

Hey, I’ve got a good idea… Let’s get all them people who don’t have shit to do or anywhere to go… and lets legally get them all just fucked up enough and let those son muh bitches roam free. Sounds like a movie premise.

Help is nice for people who need such, I suppose. But a new outlet must be found… Yeah, i’m sure they won’t just let anyone come in and do whatever. Perhaps potentially taking an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach towards the average party people just wanting their self instigated downward spiral kicks. But with open arms to junkies and weathered veterans who have been pumping themselves full of shit for years to the point of oblivion it almost seems as if they’re preparing to take the “If you ain’t gak’d, here smoke it” approach.

The mind is a terrible thing to waste. Drug addicts creep me out…

—————> There was another sentence or two here, but I awoke to see that this post had been altered the day after I put it up.

“Once-classified reports obtained by the Associated Press in May revealed that three times in late 2005 and early 2006, the U.S. Department of Defense issued espionage alerts regarding newly designed Canadian 25-cent pieces, which the Pentagon warned may contain embedded transmitters capable of eavesdropping, and which perhaps were given purposely to U.S. contractors working in Canada. Some time later, according to the reports, the Pentagon learned that the coin’s coating was not a film-and-mesh transmitter but merely a covering to preserve the limited-issue coin’s unique design.” [Toronto Star, 5-7-07]

What?? Your saying our government was WRONG?? Imagine that…

I’m not saying that other governments aren’t trying to eavesdrop on our conversations by giving us money. They very well could be. But come on, its Canada.

Now I want Bacon

We don’t give enough love to our Canadian friends. Hey guys. Now that hockey season’s over, you’re probably looking for something to do, and what better than seeing live music? Hiero Imperium All-Star Del The Funky Homosapien is hitting the road across Canada with stablemate A-Plus. Del is hitting the road in support of his upcoming new album 11th Hour, while A-Plus will be promoting his latest, Last Good Deed, which is currently out in stores. Dates after the jump. (more…)