Song of the Moment

I'm totally digging this collaboration between new R&B artist B.O.B. and Hayley Williams of Paramore. Wishing Hayley's part was expanded.

♪ Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?

I could really use a wish right now ♪

Forgetful

The frustrating thing about reviewing the concerts I attend is the fact that my mind is basically a sieve. I have a hard time finding a place in my brain to store song titles, so while I remember all the details at a show, I can never remember what song it was.

I often have to research online and see if I can find any articles that may have picked up on the same things, or ask friends who were also in attendance if they remember. Sometimes I’m successful, other times not so much and I am forced to leave out that particular observation from my piece.

While in a state of attempt to remember something important, I often think to myself that I should remember to bring a notebook and pen to write down key moments, setlists, quotes, etc. I mean, every good writer has a notebook, right? If only I could remember to bring one. Next time I will, along with the ear plugs I never remember to bring…

I must be getting old! 

Reliving the Peace

I was 11 years old when Our Lady Peace released their second album, Clumsy. In 1997, at the time of the release, they were sharing the charts with the likes of the Spice Girls, and still managed to break through the rock scene and become hugely successful, not only in Canada, but in the US as well.

The Pretty Reckless

Bye bye Jenny Humphry, Hello The Pretty Reckless.


Taylor Momson's character from the popular teen drama Gossip Girl is being written out of the story for the end of Season 3 so Taylor can tour with her band The Pretty Reckless. 


After hearing this news I had to check the band out to see if they were any good. I love chick music but the whole actress/singer crossover is really hit and miss. To my surprise they are actually pretty good! There is no album yet, but they're first single 'Make Me Wanna Die' was just released on I-Tunes. It's worth the $0.99 download. 


The Pretty Reckless will be in Edmonton for Warped Tour 2010 in August. Can't wait to see how they are live!

Check it Out!

Chop Stix Sushi Train

Brand new to Red Deer, located on 5004 48th street,next to Plaza Nightclub and around the corner from Classic Tattoo.

You sit around a little bar with a CP rail train that brings a selection of different kinds of sushi and non-sushi items for those that aren't into it. You select whatever looks good, or whatever you feel sorry for that no one else has chosen. Prices are based on the color of the plate you select. There is a menu in front of you that tells you what is under each color, and you may order from the menu as well if nothing is coming around that interests you. The benefit of ordering from the menu is they will usually put another plate on the train, so if you over hear someone ordering something interesting, chances are you can steal some too!

The best place to sit is at the back of the restaurant where you get first dibs on what comes off the train, to escape having someone steal something delicious before it makes its way over to you.

The food doesn't compare to other sushi places in the city, but the experience is silly and fun and I definitely recommend trying it out for something new.

And the best for last: order a fruit sorbet for desert. They come in a variety of flavors such as pineapple, coconut, lemon, apple and come in a fruit bowl. The coconut in a coconut shell apparently tastes like pina colodas! I sure wish I had known about those before I ordered my green tea ice cream!

Song of the Moment

I'm in love with this song right now! It's got a great beat to dance around your living room too. Pumped for the rest of the album, "Bionic", which is released June 8th, 2010! Already marked on my calender. Fingers crossed for a tour stop in AB. Missed the last tour and I WILL NOT miss it this time!

Amused

There aren’t too many musicians that I can list that compare to the mind blowing talents of Matthew Bellamy, singer/guitarist/pianist of British alternative rock band Muse. Up until a few months ago, Muse was nothing but a name to me. Thanks to a special someone urging me to check them out, they are now on my list of top bands and best live shows of all time.

As the lights to the Saddledome faded, 3 tall structures resembling that of office buildings stood onstage. Made of video screens, the pillars showed a line of human silhouettes climbing stairs, only to tumble down when they reached the top. Curtains dropped and in the middle of the structures, Matthew Bellamy and his band mates erupted into ‘Uprising’ and ‘Resistance’, two singles from their latest record, released last year.

The visual effects for this show were some of the best I have ever seen. Live video feed of the band jamming, along with various other video complimented the mood of the song and were streamed through the giant three dimensional screens throughout the show. It was highly comparable to the last Nine Inch Nails tour.

But what Trent Reznor was missing were the lasers. Midway through the show, green laser beams were emitted across the stadium, some straight into the crowd, others from the roof to be deflected off the stage and outward. They were nothing short of spectacular albeit slightly distracting. Regardless, I had seen nothing like it previous to this show.

Even the grand piano Matt played during ‘United States of Eurasia’ and ‘Ruled by Secrecy’ lit up with each key hit.

Some may say that over the top lighting and stage setups are for the less talented bands of the world. This is definitely not the case for Muse.

Matthew Bellamy may currently have one of the strongest, most powerful voices I’ve witnessed, but also brings his superior guitar, piano and even key-tar (we all know how much I love the key-tar) skills to the table, making the rest of the band look a bit meek in comparison.

With their at times operatic sound, it’s really hard to compare this band to any one of their predecessors. They are in a league of their own for a band in this generation in both sound and theatrics. I left this show blown away, much like the giant eyeball balloons dropped over the crowd before the show’s end, only to explode into a flurry of confetti.  Needless to say, Muse is definitely more than just a name now.