Rainbows over East Van
Tuesday, December 16 2003
Posted by brockp

What a gray, foggy, rainy day ! My only solace when it gets like this (which it so often does in BC) is that up on the North Shore Mountains, snow is falling. In fact, Clayton called this morning asking if I wanted to go snowboarding, which of course I would have loved to do, but I was busy singing a mini set of christmas songs at C's kindergarten when he called.

I was asked to learn a few yuletime nuggets by his teachers and was pretty inspired downloading the lead sheets and lyrics. The kids and parents seemed to be having a great old time, so I did the "One King and the Page" (as C calls Good King Wenceslas) and "The Three Kings" too. Somebody told me I sounded like the "Barenaked Ladies guy" which I guess I should take as a complement ...

Many of those carols can be played in the Bob Mould pedal-the-B-and-E-string-at-the-third-fret (standard tuning) style, which had me longing to do a Mongoose version of Away in a Manger but alas, as I have recently been reminded, my creative vision is perhaps a little out of line for that band. I still think it would rock. Just think Flip Your Wig era Hüsker Dü

Anyway, I said rainbow because there was a wicked one to be seen out my window as I did the dishes earlier, contrasting a kind of dark gray with the orange-y tint of the sun pushing through the clouds.

Hang on - my rice and beans are beeping upstairs...mmm...red rice - yum.

Yeah, so - rainbows. I don't know. They're kind of a sappy ideal but strangely relevant to all sorts of things, including my last blog about Mongoose and the stuff I didn't write anything about. Its like that Hüsker Dü song New Day Rising, or what I get from it anyway. Rainbows just kind of exude hope and happiness, which makes it kind of awkward for me to write about them. I like to complain about stuff, which is how this whole blog got started, and being all sunny and optimistic isn't really that comfortable for me. Why I am writing about this is that despite that I feel like I should do it. Its a really, really small example of what I wanted so much to say to RC yesterday but somehow could not—that sometimes it is good to do something which is uncomfortable, which may not be exactly what you would wish for. That no one (despite Gotama's instructions to, "Make of yourself an island") can do it completely on their own. OK maybe if you are some dhutanga bhikku (wandering forest monk) just about to reach the third Nibbanic stage or something, you can do it alone. For that matter, we all already are alone anyway inside ourselves - that moving out of that little familiar place could just lead to (gulp-sappy content ahead...) the rainbow.

OK I promise I will not get all preachy and "happy" again for at least one blog entry. Besides, I have to work all night taking down the Andy Lau stage at GM Place tonight anyway so maybe I'll just complain of aching muscles or something.

Bombs away !
Monday, December 15 2003
Posted by brockp

Bombs indeed. I am probably risking recrimination with this post but what good is a blog if it is continually edited for political or social correctness ? Bland pablum, no ? Well after our grand Mongoose performance last night we had a brief band meeting on the calendar for this evening at eight pm.

After a pleasant day at the aquarium looking at sharks, crocodiles, frogs, and anemones and such with our Edmontonian guests, the four of us met back at the Sanctuary for some unannounced purpose, presumably band finances and tour planning or what not. RC had a bunch of SOCAN new work registration forms with all of our new titles written on them for us to complete, as well as a release for the video guys who shot some footage at the show last night and wish to do something with it.

I began filling out the forms with my info when RC announced that he wanted to "put the goose to sleep for a while." I stopped filling the forms to pay attention to the words he was saying because the alarm bells started going off in my head and something flashed around the room.

Our very first band bullshit session ensued. Technically this was our second because I had attempted to initiate one after the Sean Kennedy Show at the Tim Horton's in Langley, but since neither RC nor Shockker really said anything that time and the air remained tense and reserved, I will say that tonight was the first.

Every band eventually has bullshit sessions, and I think Mongoose holds some kind of a record for amount of time elapsing and level of accomplishment without having one (in my experience anyway). Those of you who are wincing reading this may complain by email. After all, some of you keep lobbying for more frequent entries here so this is what you get when I don't select out what gets blogged here.

Well, not that much anyhow...

Yeah, so we finally actually began talking seriously about the band business as a band tonight, but only in the context of RC wanting to call it quits because of it and many other variations on the theme. Surprise - things don't always happen exactly as you want them, and four people working together closely on a creative project have differences of opinion and need to work on the challenges together.

To some degree it was all moot because RC is going back to the farm for Christmas and everything will be different the next time we get together as a band to decide what to do about springtime tours and new recording and gigs in Whistler and the next trip to wherever or nowhere. It will be 2004, for example. So by that I mean none of that paperwork actually got filled out and nothing really got decided other than that we finally all pretty much showed up and laid our cards on the table. Even still, Clay was pretty torn up about it and, to be honest, I don't blame him for it. He is a sensitive guy and has really put a lot of himself into this project, as have we all. Its kind of weak for one person to just decide to pull the plug when a situation arises which is unknown, demanding, and probably somewhat unpleasant. Nothing worth doing is ever easy.

It will be interesting to see what happens. Interestingly enough, we did just do another band photo shoot, which often seems to be the kiss of death for new bands. Stay tuned for more in the ongoing saga here on Brock's blog.

Video In
Sunday, December 14 2003
Posted by brockp

Just back from the raging Mongoose party at Knight & Day Family Restaurant, I am responding to a request to blog more frequently. Apparently someone other than my mother in law is actually reading this stuff. We must be one of the only punk rock bands on earth that chill out after a show by ordering salads, veggie burgers and eggs benny at a mom and pop diner.

Nevertheless, Crystal came all the way from Lacombe, AB to enjoy our company, as did Jeremy and Amanda from Edmonton. Crystal is currently crashed out on the futon behind me and she actually is wearing Cat in the Hat socks, rubber duckie pajama bottoms, and has Snap, Crackle and Pop on her t-shirt. So much for corporate branding !

Willie the cat is about to cough up a big hairball I fear, but I think this is all falling into the "too much information" category of blogging. What about the show tonight ? Well I can say that despite 500 posters and three or four radio interviews promoting the show, we and four other bands drew about 50 people tonight. I am told this is a pretty good turnout for the venue, but it is more evidence in my Vancouver is a lame supporter of live music theory. I know it is a typical negative thing to say but even back in the late eighties Vancouver was often kind of laid back and apathetic in the audience response department. Big towns seem to be that way. Small towns like, say, Appleton Wisconsin, on the other hand...

That being said, the audience finally danced by the time Black Rice were about three quarters done. As I shouted to them in the middle of our set, there were only three bands left and they were running out of time to get going. Who knows...

It was a great lineup tonight (if you like the punk rock thing) and a very old school kind of vibe. Only vocals through the PA and everything very raw and intimate. You didn't need to talk into a mic to be heard by the crowd.

Billy and the Lost Boys were also damn fine tonight and Billy showed her form by continuing to sing and play despite having her guitar being switched for Shockker's Les Paul (broken string). She finally got it on and whoa ! Shockker wears his guitar slung low, so on Billy it is almost at her knees. Joel from Black Rice is trying to tighten the strap and she is strumming away but is too far from the mic to sing into it until Joel notices and pushes her ahead by a step or two.

Side 67 were also in top form. I was reading down their set list before they began and the guitar player asked me what I thought of it. I mentioned it looked a little long - sixteen songs for a half hour set. He promised that they would get through it no problem and I must say I am impressed - that's a lot to fit into 30 minutes.

Mongoose's set tonight was the usual falling all over crazy. Clayton even got a bit steamed when RC managed to knock a mic stand into his bass but no harm was done. Its really hard to play when the drums are not miked because you have to play really hard to be heard competing against all the power of the amps, but there is also a very beautiful and simple thing about just playing like that with about a foot between audient and musician.

OK I'm babbling idiocies now so I will shut up and go to sleep right after saying that the Rebel Spell, band number one tonight, also turned in a fine set of the old school punk rock. I longed to dash into the middle of the crowd and instigate some dancing but Clem did not want me to leave his side and it was the least I could do considering his friend was not home when I went to drop him off pre-show. He insisted on staying until after Billy the Kid too. You've got a fan, Billy - but you've gotta tell Shane to stop knocking over his drums and cymbals at the end of the set à la Keith Moon OK ?

Jeff hits it
Friday, December 5 2003
Posted by brockp

I should have known something was up last night when Mr. Jeff von Gantner (Cormorants bass player) arrived to the gig saying he had nearly been pummelled by some "football jocks" outside moments earlier. Only after all the bands were done and we were loading out did I learn that Jeff had consumed a bottle of wine outside the club before entering and was "making an experiment" of asking passersby for spare change by simply asking, "money ? got any money ?"

Apparently, the aforementioned "football jocks" asked Jeff for directions to a club nearby and were met with provocation, whereby, Jeff was dubbed a "faggot" and threatened until our Peruvian buddy Walter showed up. Hmm. Maybe its better I did not know this, but it does explain why Jeff was hard at his Arnold Schwarzenegger impression as I tuned up before the first song onstage. ("Get to da choppa !").

That being said, The Cormorants turned in a nobly sloppy but energetic set, particularly so for the second time playing together. The Funkshun boys subsequently gave a clinic of uptempo jazz-funk which had at least two of us dancing. Those who stuck around for Roadbed were treated to an amazing horn solo from one of Super's friends who'd made one out of a limb of an elderberry tree. I swear, I saw this guy earlier in the evening carrying what I thought was a wooden staff, and the next thing I know, he is onstage with us during the first Roadbed song, making incredible music with it ! He was changing pitch and everything. You had to see it...

Roadbed was also joined by the inimitable Jack Freelance for a one-drop version of Gibbering Fool, who had also turned in a fine set of acoustic songs earlier as Dustin.

A good time had by all once again.

Cormorants at the Marine Club
Thursday, December 4 2003
Posted by brockp

Tonight (Dec. 4th) the Cormorants will be playing at the Marine Club at 573 Homer St. in Vancouver along with Roadbed and Funkshun. I will be pulling double duty by drumming with Roadbed as well. I've seen Funkshun recently at a party at ARC and they can bust the big grooves so come on out if you can and say hello !

Set times should be 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30pm.