Welcome to Vancouver. If you haven’t left your rock shelter for the last little while, you’ll be surprised to hear that the Winter Olympics have descended on our fair city. This huge event that is occurring in my back yard has left a deep personal conflict inside me. And that conflict is this:

How does one support all that is great about the Olympic games (i.e. the spirit, the coming together of the world, the celebration of sport and the greatest athletes in the world) while at the same time oppose all that is terrible about the Olympic games (i.e. VANOC and their complete disregard for human rights, civil liberties, the homeless and disadvantaged, the indigenous nations of our country, not to mention the huge cost overruns that are already leading to cuts in health care, education, social services and the arts. And let’s not forget everyone’s favourite: corporate greed and control)? I’m not sure how to navigate these waters yet. Any ideas?

This feels a bit like supporting the troops but not the war…

If you haven’t read “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein, you probably should. Or at least get a Cole’s Notes version. Or at least watch enough youtube videos of her talking about the book to understand what it’s about (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG9CM_J00bw). In it, Ms. Klein (author/pundit/activist/babe/genius) talks about the concept of “Disaster Capitalism:” the conscious effort of big business and government to take advantage of the mass state of shock that a society finds themselves in after a disaster (i.e. Terrorist Attack, War, Natural Disaster, etc.). When such events occur, people are sent into a state of shock and are in turn, very disoriented, unsure, and of course, malleable. They don’t really know which way is up and they look for anyone to lead them, to tell them what’s happening and what they should do. Enter from stage right the descendants of Milton Friedman and the corporations and government agencies who are awaiting such a moment to implement policies and money making ideas that would never be accepted by the public under normal circumstances. Examples of this include post 9/11, the implementation of The Patriot Act, as well as the unlimited outsourcing of the “War On Terror” to Halliburton and Blackwater. And let’s not forget the auctioning off of beach property to big resort developers after the Tsunami in South-east Asia, or the elimination of public services in New Orleans after Katrina. I could go on, but it’s probably best you read the book.

Well, in my extensive research, I have discovered a different type of Disaster Capitalism. And it involves two of our favourite things: Celebrities and The Interweb. Whenever a celebrity takes a nose dive, there is a firestorm of web based entrepreneurship waiting to snap into action, and make a shitload of money off the impending personal collapse.

The obvious culprits are the press. Brad and Angelina are merely rumored to be on the rocks at the moment and they are on the cover of every tabloid magazine that you see flying off the grocery store shelves. When something disastrous actually does happens, like our friend Tiger and his proverbial wood, even the “reputable” magazines, like Vanity Fair, get in on the action.

But beyond the papers, lays an online ocean of capitalistic capitalizing on our fellow human being’s sufferings. You see, when a celebrity disaster hits, the public doesn’t know what to do. We are shocked! Everything we thought we knew and loved about this person is suddenly put into question. We need more information, and more importantly, we need more products to satiate our thirst for scandalous blood.

If you will indulge me for a moment… some examples:

Remember OJ? How can you not? Who saw that one coming? That trial created a whole new industry: OJ merchandise trading, not to mention a complete redefining of 24 hour news networks. You could watch CNN all day and not learn a single thing about the rest of the world. Memorabilia from that trial is still worth millions: http://www.cnbc.com/id/20872506

And let’s not forget Billy Clinton. That scandal single handedly reinvigorated the cigar industry: http://www.politicalgifts.com/monicacigars.html

Even minor press scandals like Rosie O’Donnell vs. Donald Trump can garner an entrepreneurial fiesta: http://www.cafepress.com/+trump_odonnell_2008_womens_dark_tshirt,105300252

But the cherry on top of the crumbling celebrity sundae is Tiger Woods. This was as big a fall from grace as we’ve scene in years. And my favourite product to be released in the wake of this story is by far the “Tail of the Tiger Golf Balls”: http://www.tailofthetiger.com/index.html

But to be honest, I’m really not sure how to feel about all these celebrity disaster based products that I have just ordered online to be delivered to my home in 4-6 business days. I figure either all these online entrepreneurs are greedy, power hungry, manipulative disaster capitalists, or all those politicians and CEOs are just clever business people with quirky ideas. I’m not sure which is true… yet.

1. Crying

There’s a very distinct difference between the crying of an adult and that of a child. You never see a grown person wailing their lungs out after they’ve soiled themselves. And if you do, you agree that they should promptly be heavily medicated. And you never see an infant quietly sobbing to himself, tears quietly rolling down his cheek, with his shoulders bouncing. I think that’s one of the first transitions in the life of the human being: when you stop crying loudly and start crying quietly.

2. Movie Ratings

Overall the movie rating system makes sense to me. You have your G: good for everyone. PG: maybe a couple swear words. PG-13: a little bit more raw, perhaps some heavy petting. Then we have this 14A, which used to be called M: someone’s definitely getting shot and you might even see a boob. Then there’s the coveted R spot (or 18A? Is that the same thing?): this one’s strictly for adults, but only because people are getting slaughtered and using the F word a lot, not to mention the likely full scale nudity (which is apparently as damaging to a young mind as the image of mass scale human death and suffering). And then there is the oft internet searched X rating: we all know what this is about. And then this is where the wheels come off the cart for me. We go directly from X to Triple X. What’s with that? Is there no Double X? I have never in my entire life ever heard of a movie being rated Double X. Is that fair? I’m sure there are some people out there who watch an X rated movie and think, “Egh, it’s okay, but it’s a little tame for me,” who then go try out the Triple X and are repulsed. Where do these people go? At the moment, nowhere. Is there no in between? Have we as a society not yet acknowledged that the truth so often lay somewhere in the middle? I’m just saying, let’s be reasonable. Let’s add another category. Double X. Not that I have ever seen any films like that, nor do I have any interest in seeing them in the future. It’s just the principal of the thing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my “Girls Gone Wild” marathon.

Alright, I’m squeaking it in under the wire this year. The annual list of my year’s favourite records. You probably think some of my choices suck. Well, then you suck. So, here’s my faves. I decided to go for the countdown format this year. I feel it adds more drama. This way you don’t get bored after the first couple choices, because you have something to look forward to. I’m shocked I haven’t done it this way in the past. Here we go baby:

10. Tegan and sara – Sainthood

These girls are amazing. They make pop songs like no one else. It’s almost infuriating how good some of their songs are. “Hell” is a perfect pop song. It’s like “Back in your head” on their last record. I catch myself constantly humming it. There’s a couple tunes on this album that lose me, but overall, another stellar effort.

9. Jay Z – The Blueprint 3

Why do I love Jay-Z so? He’s fascinating. The beats and production on this record are just stupidly good and Hova is undoubtedly the elder statesman of modern hip hop. Plus he’s just cool beyond the rest of us mere mortals. He’s like those Gatorade commercials where the athletes are sweating Gatorade, but he sweats cool. But beyond all that, he is fascinating. The first song he says he only wants to talk about “real shit” and doesn’t want to talk about the past, and then the next song he’s bragging about his fancy suits and how rich and famous he is and all his past accomplishments. It’s crazy, and it’s totally charming. How does he do that. How do I think one minute, “Wow, this guy’s totally down to earth,” and then the next I think, “This guy’s the biggest egomaniac alive?” And I just love him more for it all.

8. Ben Lee – The Rebirth of Venus

Ben’s a friend of ours and couldn’t be a nicer man. This album is quite possibly my favourite of his. It’s a tribute to the feminine energy of the planet. That’s something I can totally get behind, especially these days. He begs for Yoko Ono to come save us, and often times, I feel like that’s our best chance to turn things around. There’s a power in the feminine that we need to embrace. We’ve spent thousands of years trying to supress it, to stifle it. We need to embrace it. I think that’s where our future is. Ben does a  great job of putting all that into pop songs. Full of pop gems, hooks, humour, and truths, this album just makes me feel good. Well done Ben, well done.

7. The Swell Season – Strict Joy

Beautiful. These guys are the duo from the movie “Once,” and he’s (Glen Hansard) the lead singer in the band The Frames. He’s amazing. I want to be him. He’s so good, and she compliments him perfectly. There’s a great poem in the booklet with this CD called Strict Joy, and it’s all about how the job of the artist is to take sorrow and transform it into joy. I love that. And FYI: mission accomplished.

6. Pearl Jam - Backspacer

I loved Pearl Jam when I was a teenager, and then they kind of lost me for a number of years. Well, I’m back. Some friends of ours spend their holiday time following these guys around North America on tour. I’ve never really understood that. But after I heard this album, I wanted to hide in their suitcase so they’d take me with them. This record rocks. Front to back it kills. Perfect pop rock songs. Short and sweet, like a bank heist. They get in and out before you even know what hit you. Eddie Vedder sounds so awesome on this album, and there’s a couple slow ones for good measure.

5. David Gray – Draw the Line

Mr. Gray is one of my favourite’s and one of my biggest influences. And this record has everything I like about him. Politics, love, heartache, soul searching, and all of it has life, it doesn’t feel soft or distant. This album has an energy that his more recent albums have lacked. It sounds live, and like he’s singing for his life. It grabs me. I’m in.

4. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

It was great to see these guys finally break through to the superstardom they deserve with this record. They nailed everything they are about on this record. Awesome pop songs played really really well. Those first couple songs, “Lisztomania” and “1901″ were enough to make my list alone. I could listen to those songs back to back for well over an hour.

3. Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King

Dave Matthews Band is one of my all time favourite bands. This record is by far their best of the last decade. I think it captures their live energy better than anything they’ve ever done. It certainly rocks more than any of their other records. And it’s laced with tribute to their fallen comrade, Leroi Moore. I love this record. We saw them in September at The Greek Theatre in LA. Beautiful intiimate venue, and we got in for free (that’s another story). It was amazing! I couldn’t stop listening to this record for a week afterwards.

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

This album is perfect. It’s got everything I could ask for. Rockers, dancers, and beautiful emotional ballads. “Hysteric” is probably my favourite song of the year. So beautiful, so melodic, and executed wonderfully. Karen O is the incarnation of some Hindu goddess, I swear. Either that or she is channeling pure divine rock n’ roll power.

1. Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey

Definitely my favourite album this year. Our friend Jared recommended this record to me and I can’t thank him enough. Every song is awesome. Great musicianship. Great soul and groove. And it’s all marinated in 190 proof coolness.Album of the year. Fo shizzle. (I thought I’d use “fo shizzle” one last time in the only decade it will ever be considered cool.)

So there you have it. Those are my faves. A couple honorably mentions are The Dead Weather, Flight of the Conchords and Gomez. All great as well. Happy new year to everyone! And may the next decade be filled with love, compassion and amazing music!

We’re back in LA for a week to play a couple shows and work on our tans before summer officially ends. Hopefully both objectives are successful.

Love this city; so much creative energy and everybody’s pushing something or got an idea for the next best thing. Pure ambition. There’s a feeling that anything can happen.

Our first show is tonight at The Hotel Cafe. It’s become such a renowned venue that even Barbara Walter’s was talking about it on her radio show yesterday. And if any of you watch The View, you know that if Barbara’s talking, everyone listens. I’m assuming, based on her praise of the venue, she’ll be there tonight and we’ll all party in the dressing room after the show and then she’ll look at her watch and be like, “Oh shit, it’s 4 am, I gotta get to New York to film The View!” And then she runs off to catch her private jet. And then a moment after leaving the room she comes back in and says, “Hey! You guys should come with me and play on the show! We’ve got Enrique Iglesias on today, but we’ll totally bump him for you.” We agree, hop on the jet with Babs, keep the party going all the way to the big Apple, shotgun some Red Bull, and play to millions of housewives, home sick children and unemployed college grads, thereby selling millions of records and headlining stadiums by January.

Sure it’s a bit of a long shot, but this is LA baby! Anything can happen.

Well, it is Canada day. A happy one to everyone.

I am currently sitting around with an ice pack to my face, nursing my left cheek after some dental surgery yesterday. The necessary rest has given me some time to contemplate the $1000 the surgery cost me and the real value of our country’s free health care system. I just paid our $100 monthly healthcare bill the other day as well. I’ll tell you, if this is socialism, it’s making me poor.

Aside from that, though, we do have a fine country on our hands. I feel quite lucky to live here. We’re going to head down to Granville island and see if they’re giving away any free Canadian beer or whisky. That would be nice. That would both ease the pain in my mouth and enthuse me with pride for my country. Happy Canada day to me!

This is an amazing thing. Karen Armstrong (who is an amazing woman. Check out her books if you haven’t read them already) won the TED prize last year, and as part of the prize she gets to make “One wish to Change the World.” So her wish was to get some of the greatest minds in the world together to write up a “Charter for Compassion,” much like the Charter for Human Rights. I won’t explain it anymore, as it’s all on the website, and I’m trying not to be redundant.

Check it out:
http://charterforcompassion.org/

I think this is such a beautiful idea and such a strong way forward into our future. It’s all based around the golden rule: Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you. Seems simple enough, doesn’t it? It is and it isn’t. It’s simple to say and to grasp, but not so simple to consciously implement at all times. It takes practice. I guess maybe that’s why we live for so long. Maybe if I keep practicing everyday, I’ll get it by the end.

Star date 9/03. Haven’t seen as many stars as tabloids have led me to believe I would.

Settled in, more or less. Starting to feel at home more and more each day as we decide on our favorite local coffee shop, corner store, etc. And I find myself becoming more and more confident using the car horn. At first, I was slightly terrified I would get shot if I honked at anyone. Now I have purchased several of my own guns and feel far more confident. Actually, side note, I have a very funny story about handguns and The Stanley Park pitch n putt. Remind me to tell you next time you see me.

We went and saw some live music the other night and then afterwards, accidentally wound up at a very gay bar on Santa Monica Blvd. (we’re new here, we’re learning as we go). I say “very gay” because we were told at one point in the night (after being asked “What the hell are you doing here?”) that it wasn’t just a hanging out sort of gay bar, but rather the kind where everyone goes home with someone at the end of the night gay bar. I just thought everyone was really friendly! Even still, we had a very fun time, and Leila recognized Thom Filicia, the interior designer guy from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” (apparently he’s on Oprah sometimes now, too) I’ve only seen the show dozens of times because it happened to be on in the background while I was building things out of wood and studying sport statistics, but Leila’s a very big fan. So she introduced herself and we ended up talking to him for an hour. Very nice man. Interesting celebrity fact: his favorite movie is “Norbitt.” I was hesitant to judge him too harshly, as mine is “Rudy.” I tear up just thinking about it.

All for now. Show next week and all sorts of action this week. Until next time…
m@

So, we’re down in Hollywood for the next little while playing some shows and meeting some people and taking the necessary steps to conquer America… as you do.

We’ll be blogging our adventures here, so check in every now and then to see what’s happening.

We loaded up the car (I should really get an honorary degree in engineering for the way I packed all our stuff into our little Toyota Corolla) threw the dog in the back (gently placed him, is really what I mean) and headed south. Took a few days stopping in Eugene OR and San Francisco. Ate as much Rice-a-Roni as we could and continued south on the I5. Beautiful countryside. For miles and miles south of San Fran it’s just these beautiful rolling green hills. It looks exactly like Super Mario World. I just wanted to pull over and run around in them. Arrived in Hollywood to sunshine. Hell Yeah!

We’re apparently staying right in the heart of paparazzi-ville. This poses two opportunities. One is to get dressed up, head out and get in the background of as many paparazzi photos as possible, leading to monstrous fame by sheer osmosis. Two is to give our digital camera a bit of a workout and maybe sell some shots to TMZ for enough money to finance our next record. This really is the land of opportunity.

We’ll keep you posted on the goings on. Hope everyone is well.

Keep it real,
m@

Okay, it’s time for my annual recount of my favorite albums of the last year. 2008 was a good year overall, I think. There was a few months there where I felt like there was no music I liked at all, but luckily, that slump broke wide open. These are my favourites, the albums I enjoyed most. I’m not looking at this from a music critics eye, but rather, just the music that moved me the most. I usually need to feel it in my gut to really enjoy it… most of the time… every now and then I get blown away by some weird time signature or something.
I would love to hear your favorites as well. I always enjoy hearing why I’m an idiot for choosing one thing or not choosing something else. Here we go, my faves of 08.

1. Kings of Leon – “Only by the Night”
These guys snag the top spot in my faves for the second straight year. I love, love, love this album. It is awesome. It made me excited about music again, at a moment when I wasn’t. The musicianship is so great and everything about it just moves me. It’s got so much space, the sound isn’t over crowded. And what is being played is so cool. And the lead singer’s voice is part rock n roll and part soul singer. I love it. Every song on this record is great, and they all compliment each other perfectly. I’ve listened to this record hundreds of times and am still not sick of it. Okay, I’m gushing. I sound like I’ve got a crush on these guys… maybe I do a little.

2. Daniel Lanois – “Here Is What Is”
This is the soundtrack to a documentary that Daniel Lanois made about how he approaches making music. It is a great film, and I highly recommend watching it. This album is best summed up in one word – Beautiful. It is just beautiful. The songs are filled with so much soul. There’s a few dialogue clips from the film inter-spliced throughout the album (great quotes from Brian Eno and Brian Blade), and they only serve to deepen the sentiments of the music. My favourite thing about this album is that it has a very strong sense of contentment. I could just sit in it for hours. The music is beautiful, and that’s enough. That’s the whole point. It doesn’t feel ambitious in any sense other that just trying to make great music. A lot of albums claim to be like that, but this one is.

3. The Killers – “Day and Age”
There is something very strange about Killer’s record and me. The first several times I listen to it, I don’t really like it, but for some reason, I keep listening. And then, suddenly, after listening a bunch of times, something clicks, and I love it. This is the same thing that happened with their last record, “Sam’s Town.” At first… Yawn. Now, one of my favourite albums ever. The first time I heard this new record, I felt totally let down. And then, all of a sudden, I got it. Now I get it. I love this album. I love every song, and they all add up to make a complete, spectacular product. They’ve trimmed the fat on this one. Day and Age is a lean, mean, pop rock machine, and I want to dance and think at the same time when I hear it.

4. Guns n’ Roses – “Chinese Democracy”
My friend Nick wrote me an email about this record: “I don’t know where to begin. I’ve just listened to it and I am convinced that there should be significant psychological study done on the effects of record creation that spans the course of over 5 years. Listening to this disk is like staring directly into the face of madness itself. I couldn’t turn it off. It was like a really well put together train wreck.” That about sums it up. When I was a teenager, GnR was my band (see previous blog). I’ve been waiting forever for this album. And if I’m being totally honest, it’s not really a GnR album. It’s pretty different from anything they did 20 years ago… but it’s awesome. Axl sounds amazing. A couple times, when he hit some of those notes, I was transported directly back to 1992. This album is so dense, it’s a bit like listening to an encyclopedia. I’m am still wrapping my brain around it. But I am sure of one thing – It’s awesome.

5. Flight of the Conchords
I’ve loved these guys for a few years now, ever since I discovered their HBO Special clips on Youtube. They are hilarious, and really great musicians and songwriters. Watch their show. It’s wicked. This is essentially the show’s soundtrack. It’s brilliant. It’s got so many styles and genres in it, but they stay completely recognizable throughout. It’s filled with serious musicianship, but is consistently hilarious. These dudes are one of my favourites and this album does not disappoint. Not in the least.

6. Coldplay – “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends”
I think this is their best album. I like a lot of songs from their other ones, but this is a complete piece. Every song is great. Even the B-sides are killer. “Viva la Vida” is a hit. The instant I heard it, I thought, “Wow, this is going to be huge.” Everything about this record works together with everything else on it perfectly. I love how Chris Martin changes things up vocally on some tracks. The sounds are compelling. Nothing goes on too long, or gets boring. The whole thing is interesting all the way through. It rocks, it’s got heart, it’s beautiful. It’s what Coldplay is. Brian Eno did right by these guys. They are one of the biggest bands in the world, and they’re getting better.

7. Arkells – “Jackson Square”
Some newcomers from Hamilton, ON. Really like these guys. Great power pop/rock songs, executed very well. Very good album to listen to after a long week in the office. It sounds a bit like the side project of some dudes that are stuck in the mail room at some big company. White Collar angst rock at it’s finest.

8. The Last Shadow Puppets – “The Age of the Understatement”
As anyone who has read my past yearly countdowns knows, I am a bit of a fan of the Arctic Monkeys. They are battling the Kings of Leon at the moment for my favorite band. This disc is the side project of the Arctic Monkey’s lead singer, Alex Turner. It’s different from the Monkeys, but it’s very cool. It sounds a bit like an indie brit rock band playing soundtracks from 1970’s James Bond films in an old west saloon. Check it out.

9. Snow Patrol – “A Hundred Million Suns”
Solid Album. Maybe their best yet. Lyrics are great, music is great. They’ve totally got a style that is identifiably their own, and it gets really clear and strong on this record.

Okay, I’m having a very difficult time with the last spot, because there’s a few albums that I really loved, but didn’t win me over 100%. Soooo, I’m copping out, and I’m squeezing three records into the #10 spot.

10(a). Death Cab for Cutie – “Narrow Stairs”
I really like this record, but it took me a long time to really appreciate it. The songs are very cool, and the lyrics are awesome, but they’re very linear. There’s not many big choruses or hooks that made me initially fall in love with these indie pop darlings. But rather, this is an album of stories. I see it like a musical version of a book of short stories, and when I look at it that way, it’s a really great piece of work. The music really sets moods and casts sound scapes to compliment the tales. But honestly, does “I Will Posses Your Heart” really need a four and a half minute instrumental intro? It’s just the same riff over and over and over… I’m just saying…

10(b). Jem – “Down to Earth”
This record is almost too good for it’s own good. It sounds great, and there is so much cool stuff going on musically, and it is so eclectic, almost to a fault. I enjoy this record every time I listen to it, but I cannot for the life of me wrap my mind around it as a whole. It’s got like this Pop/Jazz/Funk/R&B/Electronic thing going on. It’s amazing. But I get to the end, and I can’t remember any of it. I remember it was great, and that I liked it, but that’s it. It’s like a dream or something, when you wake up and can’t remember any specifics, but you just know you had a good time. Her and her producers and musicians are so talented, but they’re almost too talented for my limited comprehension to fully comprehend. It’s not her, it’s me… I’m just not ready for this yet.

10(c).Mother Mother – “Oh My Heart”
These dudes are from Vancouver, like us, and some of you may recognize their drummer from his occasional position at the kit at our shows. Really cool band. Honestly, one of the coolest bands around, with a very cool, recognizable sound. “Oh My Heart” and “Body of Years” are two of the best songs I heard this year, no question. My only beef with this record is that it’s too long for me. They could have trimmed 3 songs and I’d be perfect. The middle to end of the record just starts to bleed together for me. But if nothing else, you should really buy those tracks. And throw “Hayloft” in there while you’re at it. You won’t be sorry.

Well, that about sums it up for me. Again, let me know if I missed any crucial albums, as I probably did.
Aren’t lists the best thing ever?
m@

Ho Ho Honey and the Money