Have you ever thought of doing something meaningful, something that would make a difference? I think all of us often think about it, but to actually do it, it's a different story.
Steve Gaul (shown above) set the world record for marathon drumming just a few days ago, in my hometown! The record was 120 hours, and he beat it by 1 hour. It was so cool to be able to watch him drumming whenever I wanted to, and it was only a 10 minute drive from my house! I could also watch him via an online stream, so that made it really easy to know if he was still drumming.
I went down to the music centre on the first day of his marathon. My producer’s band, Freedom Train, was one of many guests Steve had throughout the drumathon. He had been playing for 9 hours when we went there, and he wasn’t tired at all. I would have already been tired after drumming for that long. But Steve was remarkable and to think he did it for 121 hours is amazing!
Day 1
Guinness’ rules for marathon drumming records are:
Only 1 drummer can attempt the record
It must be played to recognizable songs
Each song must be more than two minutes long
There can be no more than 30 seconds between songs
The songs must be played to a recognizable standard
You get 5 minutes break for every hour completed, and can bank unused.
Day 3
Steve Gaul tried to break the record last year, and only got to 78 hours. He was doing it to help his sister who was battling cancer. Toni had Para-nasal Cancer, and lost her hip, eye and shoulder. She passed away last December. Steve had previously battled and overcame Testicular Cancer himself, so he wanted to break the world record for the cancer society.
So this year, Steve broke the record in honour of Toni. He was constantly surrounded by friends, family and complete strangers who were cheering him on. In the evenings, he was accompanied by local bands.
On Wednesday morning, I woke up and went straight to the online stream to watch him drum to his last song, ‘We Are the Champions’ by Queen. After he finished, he was raided by media crews trying to interview him before he went to bed. His crew had a bed in the music centre for him so he could fall asleep immediately after he finished. Imagine how tired you would be after drumming for 121 hours!
One of my favorite treats ever is a Brazilian sweet called "brigadeiro".
It's basically condensed milk mixed with cocoa and butter and cooked until it's nice and gooey. And you just roll it in a ball with chocolate sprinkles or whatever you want (shredded coconut, ground nuts, just use your imagination). It's really to die for!
I learned how to make a vegan version and it's pretty awesome. I use soy milk powder and earth balance instead of the regular ingredients and it's really good. I made some a while ago and gave it to my grandma to try and she said it tasted funny. So, that got stuck in my mind. How could it taste awesome to me and "funny" to someone else? And it hit me that my taste buds changed or better yet, adapted to the vegan flavours. My friend Dani helped me put the pieces together when she commented how fast people can adapt to almost anything in life.
It's so true! We can adapt to lack of light, change of temperature, so many things really! So why is it that it is so hard to get used to good things for our body? Like sugar addiction and the totally nasty stuff, like drugs? I know, it's all about chemistry and I won't get into that. But when I see people poisoning themselves and being unable to get out of that situation, I just do not understand the motivation to even start in that lifestyle.
I was on twitter when I found out about Amy Winehouse's sudden death and I was really sad. When you see someone so talented with so much potential just end up like that is very disturbing. I think life is something we should be grateful for and that we should embrace the good stuff and bad stuff. And learn everyday a bit more about it. I myself use songwriting as an outlet. I know some people paint or play sports. And it's cool that people can vent that way. I just wish it was as easy to adapt to doing positive things than getting into trouble.
Gonna miss you, Amy...
Some may think that being vegan equals eating boring and untasty food. I just want to share some of the awesome stuff I've been eating lately.
First of all, it does take a bit of planning to eat healthy. So it's not like I eat veggie dogs and burgers everyday. And as much as I really like french fries, I don't eat them often either. I usually eat beans, rice, couscous, quinoa and loads of vegetables everyday. And lots of cool salads too - raw kale is amazing and so is raw collard green. Mix them with beets, carrots, whatever you have in your fridge and you got a great meal. I help my mom in the kitchen all the time and it's fun to be part of our cooking adventure.
What I discovered since I switched to a plant-based diet is that food can actually taste amazing just raw, the way nature gave it to us. It's so cool to re-discover all these incredible new flavours!
Here are some pictures that are going to make you very hungry:
Arugula salad with edamame
Lots of yummy stuff from the buffet at Commensal
I eat nuts all day, so there you have it ;)
Salads are easy and great!
Mom's Brazilian beans. So good and so good for you!
I love Grand Bend! Every summer I look forward to getting there. Lake Huron is super inviting and the beach is awesome. My dad used to live in Sarnia when he was about my age and I'm kinda jealous he got to spend the whole summer by the lake. Guess he probably wishes he were somewhere else at the time. But trust me, Grand Bend is great! It's about 3 hours from Burlington, so not too far.
I was so inspired a couple of years ago, that I composed one of my songs there.
And I wasn't the only one that got inspired. Local musician Brian Dale also wrote a really cool song about Grand Bend.
The first time I saw Brian was at the Oakwood Inn where he gigs regularly all through the summer.
summer 2009
He's a really nice guy. And can play anything that he's requested. For real, he has this amazing memory for lyrics and can sing whatever people want to hear. I never saw anything like this! No wonder he's known as the "human iPod". He's incredible!
On one occasion, he told the story of a girl he was dating and that she always used the expression "all that and a bag of chips". So, he wrote a song for her (how totally cute is that!). They ended up breaking up. But the song is great and you gotta listen to it!
Nina Folino is a Canadian singer/songwriter from my city, Burlington. I saw Nina for the first time at the Burlington Sound of Music Festival in 2009. Her music producer, Steve McPhail was hosting the open jam at the festival and I was getting ready to play with my cover band at the time. Nina took the stage before we did and I saw her from "backstage". My first impression was she was young and pretty. I also thought she was a great singer.
I liked her songs, so I bought her EP. And the more I listened, the more I loved it.
I think her songs have an unique originality. She's grounded without having lost the artistic sensibility.
Nina's writing and sense of emotion probably come from having travelled a lot when she was young. It's hard to have friends when you're always moving around. Nina told me she was a very imaginative kid. Music and singing became part of who she was and when her parents decided to live in Burlington, Nina joined the drama club and chorus at school. When she was in college, she wrote her first EP (the awesome one I was talking about) .
Nina's writing is honest and clear. And she has a fantastic voice!
She told me she's taking acting classes and playing with a few bands as a featured guest recently. I think any band should be lucky to have her singing with them :)
If you'd like to find out more about her, I suggest you go to her youtube channel and "like" her on facebook cause she's awesome!
The first time I saw them was when I watched Going The Distance. I was intrigued and decided to find out more about this band. Who were the faces behind this catchy song?
I found out they had already released a couple of albums. So, thanks Hollywood, good job introducing them to me :)
I have recently been listening to their latest release, The Cold Still. The Boxer Rebellion is one of my favourite bands right now and their songs never get tiring. I’ve listened to the album a few times now, and every time there's something new for me to discover. You know what I'm talking about, right?
The Boxer Rebellion consists of Tennessee’s Nathan Nicholson (vox, guitar, keyboard), Australia’s Todd Howe (guitar), and England’s Adam Harrison (bass) and Piers Hewitt (drums). They have released 3 records, and I highly recommend you check them out. If you enjoy bands like The Cinematics, Editors, The Airborne Toxic Event, and The Dears, buy The Boxer Rebellion’s new album.
No Harm (4:02) - The opening track to the album, maybe not the strongest song of the album, but gives a good build-up to the rest of the album. A pretty slow song, it starts off with some nice acoustic-sounding drums. Sounds exactly like their old stuff. The lyrics are simple, and the choruses get kind of repetitive after a while. But still a good song to just listen to with your eyes closed, and make your own story around the lyrics.
Step Out of the Car (3:07) - Starting with bass and drums, this song has a very strong start to it. This song doesn’t have the simple 4-chord progression like the first track, and that gives this song a bit more depth. The chorus is really catchy, and makes you want to sing along. Check the live performance on The Late Show with David Letterman. They nailed it!
Locked in the Basement (3:42) - With more of an acoustic and folk feel, this song is also very strong, with your typical folk pattern, but with a little rock feel to it as well. It uses a simple progression, but the vocal melodies make it sound like it changes, even though it doesn’t. This song is for sure one of my favourite songs on the record. The video above, an acoustic performance. What can I say? These guys SO know what they're doing!
Cause For Alarm (3:34) - A very acoustic, soft rock-sounding song. I like it. It sounds simple, but is very complex in its own ways. A slow jam, this song showcases the band’s musical knowledge and talent. The drummer shows this by making a complicated, but strong rhythm. The guitars mainly follow the vocal melody, which I like, but can sometimes take away depth from the song. This is probably the most meaningful track on this album to me, and I give this song a 5 out of 5.
Caught by the Light (4:51) - With a shuffle feel, this song brings a lot to the table. I like it because of its simplicity, and the power it has to make the simplicity sound AMAZING. This track reminds me of winter, and I would consider this song the title track because of that (hence ‘The Cold Still’). Although everybody would have a different opinion of which song best suits the name of the record, I’m pretty sure that this song would get a lot of votes. The piano in this song is so defining, and the heavy drums closer to the end make this song just even better, and its a nice little surprise to hear heaviness in this soft and quiet song. I like that about the song.
Organ Song (3:28) - A happier song, I think the placement of this song in the record is incorrect. I think this should be the last track, with an uplifting feel to it, after a few ballads. I could see this song in a movie a few years from now. I wouldn’t be surprised. This song just makes me happy, and it’s a good change from the past few songs on the track. It has a different feel than the rest of the songs, and shows us that the band doesn’t just have one system that they use to write their songs.
Memo (3:05) - This song is a mixture of Organ Song, and the others. It brings the album together, makes it a whole. It has that deep and mellow feel of Locked in the Basement, but brings that happy and light feel of Organ Song along with it. A great track, it tells you just how talented the band is, and all of the music they have yet to write.
Both Sides Are Even (5:05) - Again, sounding like Locked in the Basement, but a little bit different, I like this one. For some reason it reminds me of Metric’s ‘Empty’, but I can’t quite put my finger on the reason why. The ‘orchestra’ in the background sounds like a computer or keyboard generated tone, which I could’ve lived without. This is a nice buildup to the end of the record, but this song is kind of lengthy. I would’ve liked to see it shortened up a bit, but it’s such a good song that it doesn’t matter that much.
The Runner (3:39) - This song has a completely different feel than the other songs on this album in my opinion. It’s a bit heavier, faster and brings out another quality of the band. This is one of my favourite songs of this album. I just think that the guitar could’ve harmonized with the vocal melodies instead of just copying the vocal melodies, but I’ll live. Overall, a defining track of the record.
Doubt (4:57) - To be honest, this isn’t my favourite song of the record, and it shouldn’t have been placed as the last song of the record, because it doesn’t leave you amazed or end with a bang. It’s just there, if you know what I mean. It’s a good song though, a simple, slow, progression, using just keyboards, and a little bit of guitars. I like the buildup to the end, leaving you with a bit of sadness that the album is over. What I think they’re trying to get at is that the record is over, and you should want to listen to it again. I will.
As a whole, this album is truly wonderful. If I were you, I would buy The Cold Still, and listen to it 70,000 times. Or until I knew every little part of every song :)
What I love the most about this festival is the always great selection of bands. Not sure what goes on, but for some reason, Canada has a lot of good bands!
The festival began on Thursday, June 16 and the first band I saw was Yukon Blonde from Vancouver.
They are super talented and really nice. I bought their CD (amazing) and got their autograph at the merch table.
I think it's ultra cool that you get to meet some of the bands after they play. AND get their t-shirts and CDs :)
Friday I watched one of the best concerts ever by The Reason. They are another great band from Hamilton, Ontario. I don't know how to describe with words, but I'll try. Have you ever been to a concert that was absolutely round with no rough edges. These guys work so well together that when they play, they create an amazing sense of musical depth. You get lost within their sound. It's not usual to see this kind of unison live. And they achieve this effortlessly. Check their Sloan cover and tell me if they're not awesome!
Crash Karma was next. It's a pretty high profile band since their members come from I Mother Earth, Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party and Zygote. So they were obviously very good.
I arrived early at the park around lunch time on Saturday and went straight to this great vegan cafe on John Street (yes, the street was closed for the festival - so cool). It was my first time at Kind Food and I liked it so much that I went back for dinner. It's a very cute place, really hip and nicely decorated and what's most important: the food is awesome. I totally recommend this restaurant, so if you're from Burlington, you should check their hours and go. Best cupcakes EVER!
Back at the festival, I watched Toronto's The Wooden Sky. Another talented group of musicians. One thing I've been enjoying seeing is that a lot of these guys play more than one instrument. It's like finding lost siblings, so there are many of my kind haha.
Funny thing about this video. If you look on the right side, you can see me right at the front with my mom and dad. Cool.
Edmonton's Stereos was another really packed concert. It was hard to get close, so I didn't really try ;)
P.E.I.'s Paper Lionswere great! I enjoyed seeing them and bought their CD.
Hollerado was everything I expected and probably a little bit more. If you don't know them, you don't know what you're missing. Seriously. Click on the link and go. Yes do it! Go! I'll wait.
See, I told you so. They are good, aren't they?
It was hard to get their autograph, but I did it.
It was a great day, but I was so tired I don't even remember falling asleep...
I had to miss Sunday at the festival. My friend got us some VIP tickets for the Hamilton Air Show and unfortunately I couldn't be at 2 places at the same time.
But here are some highlights:
