bobfrombob

Don't judge me, but I flew down for this one year. It was worth it. Forget all commitments and go! I'm an enabler.

I did too. I just can't pull it off this year. Totally worth it.

I just pulled up 8 for Friday and then 8 for Saturday. And if I lived anywhere near Chicago, I would be all over this. This will be a wonderful couple of nights and I envy anybody close enough to do this.

Should that CMW date read "March" (not May)?

Canadian skiier Ashleigh McIvor is truly deserving of the gold.

This is such a wonderful it's a small world happily ever after story. Congratulations.

By my count 8 songs performed in Ottawa that weren't played in Montreal so that was good. Not nearly the energy of the Montreal show but that was to be expected. The National Arts Centre really isn't made for a rock show and so a lot of people chose to sit for a long time, most noticeably the first 5 rows or so. The good thing was that the standers by and large didn't bother the sitters and the sitters mostly left the standers alone. Given the rather lacklustre crowd, Jeff and the band seemed to be in a pretty good mood. Poor Places /Reservations was a real highlight for me. He killed it, especially Reservations. Hummingbird included the Hummingbird dance/mic swing. I also thought it was a really good version of California Stars but I have no idea what made it different from the 5 or 6 other times I’ve heard it.

The problem for Wilco is that they have raised the bar so high that Ottawa was an average night for them but it was still a show that many bands will never achieve.

Oh yeah and the Ottawa poster was really lovely and I got a Summerteeth vinyl.

I blame Nickelback.

Seconded

Helped out your Magazine Called Sunset cause and requested it for the show tonight! With the message "play it for bobfrombob from Via Chicago!"

Thanks. Looks like you put it over the top!

The temperature on Wilcoworld today is 34 degrees - in Ottawa! (That's about a 2 on the celcius scale)

I really hope the Ottawa audience doesn't disappoint, especially after Montreal, which was a great crowd and clearly delighted the band. Mikael held up a "10" sign af the end of the night, which I believe was his rating of the audience. Looking forward (hopefully) to Magazine Called Sunset.

6 man rock sled

In a statement released late Thursday, Hockey Canada apologized.

"The members of Team Canada apologize if their on-ice celebrations, after fans had left the building, have offended anyone," the statement read.....

In other words, "this is really stupid but we won the friggin' gold and had a ball afterwards, and if it will make you feel any better, we're sorry. Happy now?" Great apology.

Well done, sisters! Let's hope the men's hockey team is inspired by your victory.

During the broadcast, they kept cutting to members of the men's team, who appeared to have had their ability for emotional response surgically removed.

If you are looking for good celebration pics, check here:

http://www.nj.com/olympics/index.ssf/2010/02/canadian_womens_hockey_celebra.html

And the 18 year old is from Quebec, where the drinking age is 11

To investigate is silly. If the IOC doesn't want alcohol and cigars to be part of the public celebrations following a gold medal, they should simply add that to their rules and move on. The Canadian women got away with it, and now, if they choose to, the IOC can say that no one else will. End of story.

 

What's the investigation going to look at? Whether they got a good price on their cases of beer? Whether their cigars had proper tax stamps? Who gives a fuck?

I think the first thing they teach you at media school is that when somebody asks you a question you don't really have an answer for, say an investigation is underway. Unless their motive is to use this to eliminate women's hockey from the Olympics.

There is a place in Ottawa that has taken poutine upscale and makes a lobster poutine. It gets away from the "chip truck" spirit of poutine but is crazy good.

....but they had a big plate of pouttin waiting for them (no clue how to spell that, or even what it is, actually)...

Poutine is french fries covered in gravy and cheese curds. It’s more of a Quebecois/francophone thing - you should have no trouble finding poutine in either Montreal or Ottawa. Unhealthy and delicious.

Thanks for the review. Maybe we'll see you Saturday or Monday - safe driving.

Men's Hockey medals prediction:

Gold: Canada

I would think any team that watched that first period against Russia would not be looking forward to facing Canada. They just rolled over a team that many had picked as the favourites.

Canada just got a silver in women's snowball fighting.

yay! although there seems to be some figure skater haters here, I am super proud and happy for the Canadian Ice Dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir who just won gold! Their free skate tonight was beautiful! I grew up watching figure skating, then stopped, and then I saw this teams free skate from last season and got hooked again. Fantastic team!

 

Olympic lesson #6 - if your name is Tessa Virtue, you are bound to win. Good on them!

I woke up early this morning thinking I was having a nightmare when in fact I had just left the tv on and was awakened by ice dancers skating to "Thank God I'm a Country Boy".

Turns out the french love John Denver as much as they love Jerry Lewis.

The Hold Steady recently put the finishing touches on ‘Heaven Is Whenever,’ their new album set for release May 4th on Vagrant Records and May 3rd on Rough Trade in the UK and EU. The album was produced by Dean Baltulonis, who engineered the band’s ‘Almost Killed Me’ and produced ‘Separation Sunday,’ and was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Upstate NY and Wild Arctic Studios in Queens, NY, with mixing also happening at Wild Arctic.

Singer Craig Finn says ’Heaven Is Whenever’ is about “embracing suffering and finding reward in our everyday lives.” Piano and keys take a backseat to guitar on the new record, which also gets production help from guitarist Tad Kubler.

Recorded in several smaller sessions spread out over a long period of time, the songs on ‘Heaven Is Whenever’ received the benefit of being tested on the band’s recent tours. As Finn says this allowed them to “see what was working and what wasn’t. I believe this record benefits from us working at a more deliberate pace.”

The tracklisting for Heaven Is Whenever is:

1 The Sweet Part of the City

2 Soft in the Center

3 The Weekenders

4 The Smidge

5 Rock Problems

6 We Can Get Together

7 Hurricane J

8 Barely Breathing

9 Our Whole Lives

10 A Slight Discomfort

See The Hold Steady perform songs from Heaven Is Whenever and more at the dates below:

April 2nd Ardsley, NY LIFE the place to be

April 3rd New Haven, CT Toad's Place

April 5th South Burlington, VT Higher Ground

April 6th Northampton, MA Pearl Street

April 7th Albany, NY Norris Auditorium

April 8th Woodstock, NY Bearsville Theater

April 9th Jermyn, PA Eleanor Rigby's

April 10th Syracuse, NY The Westcott Theater

April 12th Rochester, NY The Club at Water Street Music Hall

April 13th Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom

April 14th Pittsburgh, PA Diesel Club Lounge

April 15th Morgantown, WV 123 Pleasant St.

April 16th Harrisburg, PA Appalachian Brewing Company

May 5th Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre

May 6th San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

May 29th George, WA Sasquatch

June 12th Newport, Isle of Wight Isle of Wight Festival

June 14th Paris, FR Fleche D'Or

June 21st Amsterdam, NL Melkeg

June 22nd London. UK HMV Forum

Jun 26th Manchester, UK Academy 2

For more information and tickets please visit http://www.theholdsteady.com

It wasn't that long ago that the province of Ontario did away with grade 13.

nor long lines at Japadog

I was in Vancouver recently and Japadog was the first place that ever served me a hot dog with seaweed on it.

Since Franz Nicolay has left the band, it's looking like the rationale for the small clubs in close proximity to NYC may be to break in a new keyboard player. Or not.

I'm in for Syracuse. I've never been to the Westcott (or any other venue in Syracuse for that matter). But for anybody planning a trip, I got the Renaissance Hotel for $57 plus taxes on Priceline.

Well to each his own, Dr.No. In their prime The Who would wipe the floor with Bruce or Prince. Now, The Who are well past their prime - but so is Bruce...and Prince I never gave two shits about that guy.

I have to agree with your “to each their own” comment. I’ve seen all three acts including Bruce in his prime and The Who still pretty close to their prime. I think who wipes the floor with whom is totally a personal preference thing – all three are (or at least were) superb live. All I am saying is give Prince a chance.

Some new tour dates announced today. A lot of really small venues, which will be fun:

04-10 Syracuse, NY - The Westcott Theater

Since I seem to no longer be getting mail from THS, you are officially my new best friend. THANKS!!!