Blown Wide Open Yet Again

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ian Thornley is a rock god. In this crazy year of 2006, I've been fortunate enough to see him play three times with his band Thornley (and also see him make a guest appearance at the Nickelback show at the Molson Amphitheatre getting trigger-happy with a T-shirt cannon, prompting Chad Kroeger to say, "You and I are never going hunting!"). The last two times were shows at the Mod Club that both Jacqueline and I got to see. Having a wit like my sister's on hand makes for a fun time, as she can mock other concertgoers with the greatest of ease.

The setlists at both shows were pretty similar, but both contained new Thornley songs, which makes me look forward to the new album, whenever it comes. I'm just going to concentrate on the most recent show on Nov. 15, a benefit show for Mukibaum Treatment Centres. The venue had multiple projectors showing pictures and video of Mukibaum's efforts at work, which was cool to see. The 'hosts' of the event, Dean Blundell and Darrin Pfeiffer, were absolutely horrible in the role of MC's. Hurling lame insults at the crowd is not the way to encourage donations. There were two bands playing ahead of Thornley, The Dunes and Crush Luther. Here are the setlists:

The Dunes

1) 'broken'
2) 'now'
3) Easiest
4) 'hurry up'
5) 'Saturday night'
6) Do It All The Time
7) Let It Go
8) ?
9) 'cold'


Crush Luther

1) 'don't get hostile'
2) 'traffic is tricky'
3) 'trouble'
4) 'stop the clock'
5) The Cools
6) 'you're the most? city girl I know'
7) ?
8) 'look out for yourself'
9) 'writing on the bedroom wall'
10) ?

Thornley

1) So Far So Good
2) Falling To Pieces
3) 'weathering the storm'
4) That Song
5) Found Another Way
6) 'it's hard to see the better side of me'
7) Blown Wide Open
8) 'wish you could see me now'
9) Easy Comes
10) intro from an old Big Wreck song -The Wall - Ladylike
11) Beautiful/All Apologies/No One Knows
12) Conscience & Consequence
13) The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)
Encore:
14) 'step outside the lines'
15) 'never had a gun'
16) Come Again/Sunday Bloody Sunday
17) 'easy does it'
18) 'this is my battle cry'

This show was fantastic for fans of Thornley who were anxious to hear new material, unfortunately the crowd wasn't as into it as much as the Sept. show (Wednesdays must not be party nights here). The Dunes didn't impress either of us, who weren't bad but nothing memorable, except for the fact that the song they've chosen for their single (Do It All The Time) is by far their worst one. Crush Luther was better, the songs were more uptempo and seemed to fit with the band members' obvious enthusiasm for their music. Thornley finally came on and dazzled us with a great mix of new songs, tunes from Come Again, and the Big Wreck classics. They also threw in some covers in the middle of, or at the end of some songs (Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age at the end of Beautiful? So awesome!). I don't want to drone on (much more, anyway) about the content of the show, except that it was so good I was smiling the whole time. Jacqueline was smiling too, but she was also having fun mock-dedicating Blown Wide Open "to the swaying drunks" and ripping on two girls in front of us who looked confused during So Far So Good - "Hey, this isn't Hanson!" :)

I left the show entirely satisfied (well, actually I would have enjoyed hearing The Going Rate (My Fix), but that's nit-picking) and I anxiously await a new album and even more live shows. It's not every day I get to hear a rock god play live, after all. :)

Let It All Bleed Out

I know it's been a couple weeks since I actually saw Rob Zombie at Kool Haus (April 4) (Editor's note: a much longer time than that) but it really was a great show, one worthy of a review on this self-indulgent blog. :) Bullet For My Valentine and Lacuna Coil provided support for the show for which I was willing to miss Blue Jays Opening Day 2006, and all together it was a fantastic lineup. I really was keen to see each of the bands play, none of whom I'd seen before. Here's the complete setlist:

Bullet For My Valentine

1) Her Voice Resides
2) Four Words (To Choke Upon)
3) Suffocating Under The Words Of Sorrow (What Can I Do)
4) Tears Don't Fall
5) No Control
6) Hand Of Blood

Lacuna Coil

1) Tight Rope
2) Fragile
3) To The Edge
4) Humane
5) Swamped
6) Fragments Of Faith
7) Enjoy The Silence [cover - Depeche Mode]
8) Our Truth
9) Heaven's A Lie

Rob Zombie

1) American Witch
2) Demon Speeding
3) Living Dead Girl
4) Creature Of The Wheel
5) More Human Than Human
6) Never Gonna Stop (the red, red kroovy)
7) Let It All Bleed Out
8) House Of 1000 Corpses
9) Super Charger Heaven
10) Foxy Foxy
11) Thunder Kiss '65
First Encore:
12) Superbeast
13) Dragula
Second Encore:
14) The Lords Of Salem

From what I can remember, the guys from Bullet were pretty sure of themselves and perhaps expecting a louder response from the crowd, who were clearly waiting for Mr. Zombie. They played a great set, and ended on a strong note playing Hand Of Blood, a favourite of mine that I actually first heard on the video game Need For Speed: Most Wanted.

Since I was really looking forward to seeing Lacuna Coil, my mind was racing with the possibilities of songs to hear, and I was hoping that they'd open with Tight Rope. When I heard the opening riff, I almost lost it. How often does a band open with the song you most want to hear? :) During the first song, the band also did a fine job of synchronized head-banging, a feat not seen (by me) since Meshuggah opening for Tool on Sept. 18/01. :) The set was an excellent mix of tunes from the new album Karmacode and from Comalies, and Cristina Scabbia must be proclaimed a rock goddess. Not only is she supremely hot, she rocks out with the best. And hey, she can sing. :P With the conclusion of this awesome set, the show is already a great one, and now I get to see Rob Zombie.

I was expecting a considerable amount of theatrics to go along with the music given that hey, this is Rob Zombie after all, and he didn't disappoint. The video screen showed images from his videos, as well as some crazy anime nudity, and what looked like scenes from a Russ Meyer movie. :) The backdrop consisted of some monsters and some topless women statues. :) The music itself was fantastic, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Zombie's vocals, given that the guy is screaming most of the time. The guitars were strong and didn't drown Rob out. The only song I wish had been on the setlist was Feel So Numb. Apart from that one omission, it was a superb set. Let It All Bleed Out is now one of my favourite Zombie songs. The end of the main set was preceded by some humour from Rob and John 5, the lead guitarist. Most American bands that come to Canada tend to want to poke fun at us Canucks by referencing Rush, and John 5 played a bit of The Spirit of Radio riff. Rob said something to the effect of, "Come on, you Canadians don't only like Rush! I hear you like Celine Dion, too. So here's some Celine Dion for you!" The band then immediately launched into Thunder Kiss '65, which the crowd absolutely loved. The first encore was cathartic for me, allowing me to scream along to both Superbeast and Dragula - so much fun. :) The band came back to play The Lords of Salem to wrap up a truly memorable rock show.

Here's hoping Zombie comes back to Toronto if continues to tour for Educated Horses, let's just not have it coincide with Opening Day 2007. :)

2006 Toronto Blue Jays Season Preview

There's been a lot of hype surrounding the Blue Jays ever since the team acquired B.J. Ryan and A.J. Burnett for a whole lot of money (combined $102 million, if I'm not mistaken), and many prognosticators are picking the team to seriously threaten the Red Sox and Yankees for the division. I'm very cautiously optimistic that the Jays will actually be in the running for a playoff spot. However, it comes down to avoiding injuries and having every player perform to the best of their abilities, which is definitely easier said than done. Having a great won-lost record within the AL East will be the key to victory for Toronto. A quick look at their opponents: first, the Jays proved that they could beat the Red Sox, and they'll have to do the same thing in 2006. Second, the Yankees will prove to be the huge obstacle. That batting lineup is superb, top to bottom. Finally, if the Jays can't beat Tampa Bay and Baltimore, they don't deserve to make the playoffs.

Now it's time to examine the Blue Jays, position by position. :) Let's start with first base, and Lyle Overbay. Sure, the guy is a doubles hitter that will remind no one of King Carlos, but he's a solid if unspectacular defender and is an upgrade offensively over what Hinske accomplished last year. I won't miss Hinske's awful miscues last year at first base and instead I await his inevitable horrible outfield play. :) Aaron Hill must show that he can improve on his fine rookie campaign and be a satisfactory defender at second base - no easy task. In 22 games at second last year, he only made 1 error, which is encouraging. Hill will put up solid numbers offensively, so I figure there's no drop in production there. Then we have Russ Adams, our shortstop. There were many times when Jamie, Adam, Steve, and I would groan at his often terrible throws to first base, which led to his 26 errors in 2005. Ouch. His offensive production is sure to improve, given his talent, and at least I don't think he'll get worse as a fielder. Speaking of terrible defense, a quick look at the career numbers of Troy Glaus shows a guy who made the same number of errors as Rusty. Glaus, in a full season at third, has never made fewer than 19 errors. Thank goodness for those power numbers that will make Special K a distant memory. :) Bengie Molina supplants Gregg Zaun at catcher, and will be solid both at and behind the plate. As for the outfielders, Vernon Wells in centre field is a Gold Glove winner and a solid power hitter who should at the very least maintain his numbers from last year. Frank Catalanotto and Reed Johnson should continue to have success platooning in left field, but the real question for this year is whether or not Alex Rios will be able to shrug off last season and become more consistent at the plate. Eric Hinske will be desperate for playing time, and might very well push Rios out of the way in right field if he gets on a hot streak early. John McDonald will fill in well again as a reserve infielder.

Now for the pitchers, beginning with the rotation: Roy Halladay will pick up where he left off last year when the hated Kevin Mench ended his season. I think Mench is going to get some serious chin music if Doc pitches against Texas this year. I'm so glad the Jays extended Halladay's contract, we'll have a Cy Young candidate for another 3 years for sure. A.J. Burnett as a Marlin was either brilliant, horrible, or injured. I hope he's not injured (though it's not looking good early on) and if he's healthy, Brad Arnsberg might just make him a 15 game winner. Ted Lilly really needs to have a good season this year if the Jays are to contend, and since he's actually healthy for the beginning of the season (unlike the last two years), he might finally win more than 12 games. Josh Towers will throw strikes and have both some really bad outings and games where he'll throw 8 innings of shutout ball. I just hope he can replicate last year's numbers, in which case Toronto will be in good shape. Gustavo Chacin will face a real test this year in his sophomore campaign, as the opposing hitters will have adjusted. But if he can locate his pitches, he should still win 13 games like last year. If our rotation can stay healthy, it's easily the best in the division. In B.J. Ryan we finally have a dependable closer, replacing Miguel Batista, who leaves Toronto with a 15-21 record, and 36 saves in 44 opportunities. After last season's second half choke, I won't miss the guy. :) The rest of the bullpen stacks up really well with dependable relievers like Jason Frasor, Justin Speier, Scott Schoenweis, and Vinnie Chulk. Scott Downs and Pete Walker should fit in nicely as long relievers/spot starters.

Well, after writing all this stuff, I'm excited for the games to begin. We've got a shot at contending! :) Given my work schedule, the only game in the first homestand I'll get to see is the Saturday, April 8th game against Tampa Bay. Oh well, I've got the Lord of the Rings on the 1st to keep me distracted. :)

This One's For Paul, and perhaps others...

This has been some impressive procrastinating, even for me. At least I rid myself of a cover letter that never should have been posted on my blog. :) Anyway, I've had a couple requests for my thoughts about the Toronto Blue Jays' 2005 season, since the start of 2006 regular season is just over a week away (can't wait until my Toronto Star season pass arrives!). I'll get to my thoughts on the season that was in just a bit. [Non sequitur - as I write this entry, I'm listening to Max Trax Rock on Rogers Digital Cable, and Control by Puddle of Mudd starts playing. This brings back fond memories of Steve Johns and Paul Hatcher mercilessly mocking the video when it was brand new some years ago.] I'm not sure about the request from Paul to do a full review of the Revenge of the Sith special features disc. I mean, it's awesome, but to review every part of it would be exhausting. Here's the brief synopsis - the web documentaries I'd seen when they were originally posted since I'm a member of Hyperspace, so that was nothing new, but now I can watch the Becoming Sidious one over and over. Superb. :) The deleted scenes were very good, but they always seem to leave me wanting more. The Padme story arc was decent, but I like the movie without it - except for the guy playing Fang Zar - cool voice, indeed. And it would have been nice to see Mon Mothma in the actual film, but when I think about it, she has almost no screen time in Return of the Jedi, either. :) The DVD documentaries are great, but they're too long to review. :)

The Toronto Blue Jays' 2005 campaign was a welcome return to competitive baseball after the 67-94 disappointment that was 2004 (At least it wasn't as bad as 1995, a horrible 56-88 record). The Jays' 2005 record of 80-82 would definitely have been improved if not for one Kevin Mench injuring our ace pitcher. I'm so ready to rain insults on Mench this year when the Rangers come to town in July. :) I was really happy with Shea Hillenbrand's season, since he came in and performed exactly as expected - solid batting average and similar power numbers to his previous seasons. Vernon Wells had a solid season, but we all know he's capable of more, and I think this season he will build on 2005's return to form. The team pitching in 2005 was so much better than it's been in recent years, with a great half-season from Halladay, and solid seasons from Chacin and Towers (despite that long slump). And then there was Miguel Boo-tista. :) The man had a great first half, but suffered a total collapse in the second half, and contending teams can't have closers do that. I won't miss the guy this year, I've got to say. I will miss Orlando Hudson, who was spectacular defensively again (Gold Glove, even) and had a solid season offensively. Aaron Hill is going to be great offensively, but he can't ever fill Hudson's shoes on defense. Much has been said about Zaunbie Nation's career year offensively, but he did a great job with the pitchers, which helped allow us to have a solid bullpen, with both Vinnie Chulk and Jason Frasor continuing to improve. The transition from Zaun to Bengie Molina should prove very interesting this year. My player reviews can't be finished without mentioning the Scotty Doesn't Know (pressure) pitching duo of Schoenweis and Downs. We got a steady lefty out of the bullpen all year plus a guy who filled in well as a starter and got a couple great 2-1 victories at the Rogers Centre in August. :)

2005 was so great since I got to go to so many games (37 in all, many of them thanks to Jamie) and got to be a part of so many great moments. The 18 inning game against the Angels was fantastic, and I can't forget the feeling of elation I had after that game. I got to see Aaron Hill's first major league HR against Baltimore, my first Opening Day, and Roy Halladay completely dominate the St. Louis Cardinals (as well as a couple other great performances from him). Getting to hang out with some true baseball fans (and they know who they are) and share some unforgettable times at Rogers Centre as well as the Overdraught Pub will be my enduring memories of the 2005 MLB season. I'll always smile when I think of things like those two women from Milwaukee who knew their baseball, the taunting of Ken Huckaby, and some shameful rocking out to Duality every time the often hapless Eric Hinske stepped to the plate. There are many more, of course, but this entry would continue, and I think I want to wrap it up. Perhaps next entry will include my musings about the 2006 Jays. Until later, thanks for reading. :)

Semi-drunk kind of post...

Well, technically I'm not feeling drunk at all due to my moderate rate of drinking this evening, but hey, I'm feeling happy. :) For a guy who has a difficult time socializing, this was a definite step forward. I managed to talk to a hot blonde girl (a graduate of U of T) at Alleycatz who was interested in me, and not my brother. :) Nothing else happened, I'm afraid, but this achievement, I'll take. This one was all me (well, Darren was chatting up her friend, and they started the conversation, but I did my best to keep it going). No master wingman like Tyler Jones to help me out this evening. Perhaps next time I'll know better what to do, should a similar situation arise. :)

Snoogans!

Healthy In Paranoid Times, the review. :)

Okay, this has been promised for some time, and only Steve will care, but here goes anyway. Overall, this album is decent. I say this with some degree of sadness as it used to be that I loved (and still do) every track on the first four albums of OLP. Gravity grew on me after a while, but I don't really have the same connection to it as I do the others. Oh, and the fact that they name-check Greenpeace in the liner notes pisses me off to no end. This new album alternates from songs I love (Angels/Losing/Sleep) to songs that are real head-scratchers (Where Are You, The World On A String). Well, let's begin.

Angels/Losing/Sleep - This is my favourite song on this album, which is also going to be the second single released. Lyrically, much like the rest of the album, it seems more simplistic than Raine's earlier work, but it's not laughable like Where Are You is (I'll get to that later). Come to think of it, the lyrics are rather cliche, but so are the ones from a lot the bands I like. Oh well. :) It must also be mentioned that I seem to have an affinity for songs with phrases like "I'll wait" (Angels/Losing/Sleep), or "I'm waiting" (I'm Waiting - The Watchmen & Fire In the Head - The Tea Party). There, I said it. This song doesn't sound much like most of OLP's previous work, which drew me to it immediately. It's right up there with my other OLP faves.

Will The Future Blame Us - This song is solid, if lyrically benign. The guitars are pretty good here, and it's a nice mix. So, is Raine being sarcastic when he says he doesn't ask why anymore? I don't get it - Mr. Angsty activist giving up? :)

Picture - This song reminds me of Blister, but only if you made it heavier. :) And since I really liked Blister, I also like this song, just not as much. The line "Don't take my picture down" is one that like because I find it somewhat evocative. I imagine that's the first thing my ex-girlfriend did when she became so cold toward me so suddenly. :P

Where Are You - Puzzling, this song is. The lyrics go all over the place and don't make sense. This is OLP, not MSI, so somewhat cogent lyrics are expected. :) It doesn't help that I have the imagery from the video in my head now, which is so bad it makes the US version of Superman's Dead look decent by comparison. This song just isn't very good, but it has entertainment value in that it's so funny, albeit unintentionally.

Wipe That Smile Off Your Face - I first heard this song live at Edgefest 2003 during the OLP set, and I thought it was okay, but not great. I kept waiting for it to rock, and it never quite did. The album version is better, but the song still plods along.

Love And Trust - Steve Johns will probably find this song at least as offensive as Where Are You, if only for the fact that it contains the oft-repeated phrase, "it's the state of love and trust". Isn't 'State of Love and Trust' a song by some other band? :) It's an all right tune, I like it, and it brings the album back from the depths reached by the last two songs. :)

Boy - Hmm, don't have much to say about this one, it might just be my crappy setup, but the vocal mix is somewhat drowned out by the guitars. Another song which prompts a "Meh." from me. :)

Apology - A very very simple song lyrically, so much so, that many reviewers chose this track to be the subject of their vitriol. I just shrug my shoulders and wonder what Raine did to upset Chantal. :) Just kidding, everyone. :)

The World On A String - Ugh. So, so horrible. What the hell is this crap? Lyrically confusing and sonically disturbing, it makes me wish the guys had rethought the inclusion of this track. Couldn't they have just put Trapeze here instead? :) At least it doesn't ruin the album, as I just skip this track and continue on.

Don't Stop - Not too bad a track, and after listening to the previous track (if you listened all the way through) it sounds like Rockin' In The Free World by comparison. :)

Walking In Circles - I also heard this song live at Edgefest 2003, and it was notable for Raine really becoming animated on stage during the performance - really drew the crowd in despite not knowing the song (well, most of us anyway). I always think of that performance that day when I listen to this song and smile. This song and the next redeem the album from the poor tunes mentioned.

Al Genina (Leave The Light On) - Short and sweet, this song ends the album on a positive note. It's spare and hauntingly beautiful, I really love this one.

There you have it! Healthy In Paranoid Times is a decent album, but it in no way recalls the band's past triumphs. Still, whenever the band actually plays a venue that won't immediately sell out, I'll be there. That Edgefest show was the last time I've seen them live, and I haven't seen them play a show on any of their headlining tours since Feb. 5, 1998. So, I'll wait and hope for that OLP show, and that they don't play The World On A String. :)-

I Be Joyful

Jeff's concert #242 was another great one, Matthew Good w/ The Ladies and Gentlemen at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. It's still a bit strange to attend certain shows here in Toronto that start at 6 PM, a fact that Mr. Good himself noted, but I'll get to that later. :) Here's the setlists from both bands:

The Ladies and Gentlemen
1) 'she's so strong'
2) Threw It All Away
3) Won't Make It Easier
4) 'going all the way'
5) She's The Source
6) It's Easy
7) Small Sins/Big Within
8) 'San Andreas, San Juan and San Francisco'
9) Stay

Matthew Good
1) Prime Time Deliverance (Matt solo acoustic)
2) Tripoli (Matt solo acoustic)
3) Near Fantastica
4) Load Me Up
5) Hello Time Bomb
6) Suburbia
7) The Rat Who Would Be King
8) Oh Be Joyful
9) Everything is Automatic
10) Avalanche
11) Blue Skies Over Bad Lands
12) Weapon
13) Apparitions (Matt solo acoustic)
Encore:
14) Giant
15) Alert Status Red
16) Advertising On Police Cars

The Ladies and Gentlemen are a solid band live, although the 'band' on record is the creation of one man, Thomas D'Arcy. With D'Arcy on bass (insert groan from Steve here) and vocals, the live band is rounded out by a drummer, guitarist, and two guys on various keyboards/synthesizers and tambourines. :) The songs are quite enjoyable live, and the band kept the crowd entertained reasonably well. The one thing I don't understand is the all-white clothing (it goes along with the album motif, but come on :)) I didn't actually buy the album, so I completed the setlist as best I could from the lyrics I heard; now I know for sure We Won't Last The Winter was played, I just can't remember if it was the 4th or 8th song. Oh well. :)

The audience reacted with great warmth to Matt Good's entrance, and he proceeded to blow us away with awesome solo acoustic performances of Prime Time Deliverance and Tripoli. The rest of the band joined Matt for Near Fantastica, and it truly became a rock show. There were no rants from Matt tonight, but he did make some humourous comments about how playing live was his only type of exercise, and the fact that it was too early for a rock show. Matt: "It's 7:45. Apparently later there has to be dancing. Where people can drink - look for their soulmate - fall in love - for an hour - and forty-five minutes - but I'll be long gone by then. That was totally irrelevant." Good stuff. :) I very much enjoyed the opportunity to sing along with my favourites, and Matt made a good mix between the faster and slower songs. On Apparitions, but Matt varied his emphasis on notes and words from the original recording, which made it frustrating for those of us trying to sing along. Ah, live performances.

Before the band returned for the encore, the chant of K-I-C-K-A-S-S went up from the crowd and continued through the playing of the backing track of the cheerleaders from Giant, on Beautiful Midnight. The show ended before 9 PM, and left me wanting more, but that's usually a good thing. I just hope it's not another 3 years in between Matt Good shows this time. :)