Another Quick Post Before I Go To Bed;

Good Vibes first and foremost for a loved one of mine that is currently sick and in hospital. I hate both the former and the latter, and good vibes are important.. so.. there.

I am settling in quite nicely. The flat is slowly coming together. We gave it a good once over today including scrubbing the floors and windows, and need to get some more furniture and organize accordingly before it is truly home. I got a duvet cover and a rug from Ikea, as well as an iron and a coffee maker, so I'm making headway. It's not cheap, but I think I've spent the brunt of it and it's all downhill from here. I live in the best neighbourhood in Amsterdam. It's fucking brilliant. As hip as the Annex (for the Toronto folks), but also sophisticated and old. A perfect mix of old and new. The only thing is, the stairs coming up to my flat are 90 degrees straight, like a ladder. It's a bit of a pain.

I'll post pictures soon.. once there is something to show.

xx

Home Sweet Fucking Home:

I moved. This is my third place since I moved to Amsterdam, and I have great vibes concerning it. It is much closer to the centre than my other places; well, it actually is in the centre! It is on a fantastic, hip, cooler-than-thou street in the northwest called Haarlemmerstraat (look it up if you want) beside Amsterdam's prettiest canal, Brouwersgracht. The flat is quite modern, cozy and hip. It is built on two stories, with super dangerous stairs connecting them. I also have a rooftop terrace big enough for any BBQ. Plus, the flat is within my price range. Lots to do on the flat though, making it home and all that, so I will post pictures in a week or two when I'm truly settled. I dont have a wardrobe yet, so my shit is still on the floor. I get that on Monday.

good news :)

Quick post...


Looking for a new flat still... May have found something soon.. Will be happy if so happens. But on another note; Do you know what I did today? I went into a coffee shop, Homegrown Fantasy in Amsterdam on Nieuwzijds Voorburgwal and did not do or order any drugs. I just like their coffee... It is possible. I was looked at funny in there, prolly because everyone else was off their rocker...

Things are okay; disorganized from moving..

I have not had time to update my blog in a while, so I am sitting in a train lounge in Berlin, with another ninety minutes to go to catch my train back to Amsterdam, so here I am, unable to steal internet and writing this in Microsoft Word. I will copy and paste this into blogger tonite when I return after my eight-hour journey back.

This has been a whirlwind week. Not a great one, I might add. I am not going to go into detailed specifics, as this is not the avenue to do so, but I know a few concerned people read this, so what the hell. First, I have been away for ten days now, and the feeling of not having a home has intensified. I am plainly tired. Since December 14th, I have been on the road over ¾ of the time. I am not complaining though; just bitching. This was my choice and I have been to some amazing places. Berlin is brilliant, for example. But I am excited to go home.

Yet, I do not have much of a home to go back to. A misunderstanding between my landlord and I have resulted in us parting ways, and I have to find a new home for April 1. Nothing horrible happened, just a difference in opinion concerning a few things. Therefore, I have placed an ad online and will begin searching again.

This happened on Tuesday, when I was in Berlin. An exchange of emails affirming our opinions led to the decision, which is welcome but annoying. Moving is expensive, time consuming and stressful. Plus, I was supposed to go to Dresden today with a friend, but have decided, at a high cost I might add, that my time would be better spent in Amsterdam right now. Saying that, I will be home for six weeks starting tonight, home being Amsterdam, and I will begin physically looking for a flat immediately. I got lucky last time, as this flat has been lovely for the short period I have lived there. I guess I will see Dresden another time. It is not below sea level, so it is probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

Work remains stressful, but such is life. Formulating business plans and work with DiS and LPL is a humdinger, but I am excited for the future. Yet, I am presently consumed with the move, and keeping whatever is it that has become of me to keep going. Hold on for a moment; I do think this post is way too melodramatic. I am fine. Berlin was wonderful, and I had a brilliant night out last night with my friend Elisa and her cousin, who plays drums in a famous German band called Silly. We went to a trendy rock club called the Sage Club and stayed out dancing till 6AM, listening to old-school German hip-hop and speed metal. Having had to get up at 10AM to checkout and now sitting in an uncomfortable lounge may explain my childish verbal aggression right now; coffee just doesn’t do it like it used to.

So there.. I am moving.. Again. But now, I can talk a bit about Berlin. I arrived Tuesday evening and spent much of the time with my friend Elisa walking around. We went to all the haunts; Alexander Platz, Potsdamer Platz, some Holocaust memorials, Reichstag, Brandenburg Tor, and Sony Plaza.. Saw a wicked movie last night as well called “Notes on a Scandal” with Judy Dench. Other than that, it has been fairly relaxing. I was going to see McCoy Tyner, but I forgot to get press passes and it was too expensive. I was supposed to carry on to Dresden with her to see her aunt, but I am way too pre-occupied and decided to buy a ticket back to Amsterdam, forfeiting my ticket on Sunday and costing me some cash. March will a transition month, most definitely.

Love you all.

Quick Update;

all is surprisingly well. Work is leading me slowly towards madness, but its keeping me busy. I'm doing a lot, both school and job stuff. I guess that's me.

Sunday night is a big night. At the SOCIAL in London, my label is being launched, featuring a performance from Prospect Lane, a band we signed from Birmingham, along with The Jubilees and We Make Friends. If you are about, it's at Oxford Circus Tube Stop and starts at 8. a measly 5 quid will get you into the festivities. Come support independent music!!!

love you all... especially the ones dreaming for themselves.

Shain

Self-Serving News:

Well, the website for my brand-new label is up and running; therefore, the label is up and running. It'll be a slow and steady process, but my partner Dominique is amazing so I'm pumped for this. Visit us either HERE or on our Myspace.

In other 'news,' my debut with Spin got published today, a short review of the Brazilian Girls last night. Check that out at this link.

Good news all around :)

Love Ya

Great Article of Climate Change!!

Read This Almanac:

Globe and Mail Climate Change Study

Raining,

It has been raining all day. Just one of those days where it doesn't stop; I biked to school in the rain, but I refuse to bike home in it too, so I'm waiting it out, using the free wifi at school. Anyway...

All is pretty much the same. I'm busy, as per usual, but the same. I found a site online where people post pictures of Cats that look like Hitler, which has been a lovely time waster, in addition to catching up on some writing work. Check out the angry "We Hate Kittlers" section on their site; too funny :) But I digress, because my organization of my life has to be flawless, or I'll never get everything done.

Another funny website I stumbled upon is the sport of Wife Carrying.

Ah the Internet.. so much useful information.

Howdy,

I am in London, even though I do not have enough time to update this, I am. I've been on the road a lot lately, as is my life, and it won't stop. I'm all over Europe in the next month, but delving into specifics is time consuming, so I'll leave it mysterious. I was in Bristol on Wednesday. I drove up to Stone Hendge, which was fucking fantastic. I'm so glad I saw it; as when I lived in the UK, I never made it down. It has also been snowing, and snow seems to shut down the United Kingdom. Trains are late, people are more insane.. all good..

I've been working a ton. Catching up on some Uni reading, working on the band, label, magazines and all that jazz and trying to find some time for a meagre social life. I am excited to go home on Sunday and sleep in my own bed, still coatless, but my own bed. Not that I sleep with a coat on, but the coat thing still perturbs me. I hope the thief is warm and stylish.

Big night on FEBRUARY 25TH. The label I work with, Last Press Label, is being launched in London and a bunch of our bands are playing. It's at the Social in Soho, so if you're in town, please come and support independent music and music management. It should be one heck of a party. Other than that, same shit, different day, different city. My bag smells like Risotto, as a bag of it ripped in transport. It's somewhat soothing.

My comment ratio has shrunk considerably. I haven't gotten one in 2007 yet. Ah well. I guess interest in my blog and therefore my life is waning.. just kidding.

I had my coat stolen on Saturday, or at least that is the conclusion I've come to. I put it somewhere in a club (first mistake: going to a club) and after returning an hour later to the space, it was gone. I looked all over and couldn't find it. I had to bike home in the freezing cold, minus bike lights (in the coat), gloves and scarf and gum. Thankfully nothing of value minus the aforementioned was in the coat, and I bought it for €20 in London anywho. No biggie. The principle bothers me more. I hope to see someone walking down the street in Amsterdam wearing my coat, so I can harangue their unbridled stupidity and lack of humanity. People are messed up sometimes. I'm off to replace what I lost today (bike lights, gloves, scarf, jacket) as well as go to my first class. yee-hoo!

What a lovely day!

It has been sunny and gorgeous all day, which is an anomaly in Amsterdam. The sun comes out sporadically, usually between clouds and only for a few minutes; today it has been glorious. Welcome global warming. As long as Amsterdam doesn't sink, I can get used to this in February. I'm no idiot; I know this is erratic and horrible, but nice weather is nice weather.

I took advantage of the brightening up today. I had to vacate my house between 11AM and 1PM today, as my new landlord has meditation and yoga classes, so I took my Museumcaart (year pass to every museum in Holland) and went to both the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum. I've never been to the latter, well the part that is open, and both were fantastic. I felt like a tourist.

I then found a quaint cafe for lunch and coffee, and have returned home to work, which so far has been relatively productive. I'm going to the Albert Cuyp Markt with Jared in about 45 minutes as well. It's the largest outdoor market in the Benelux and in this weather, will be fantastic. These are days I know Alli is with me.

My 125th Post...

Back home in Amsterdam, and the entire city has erupted with construction. I don't know if erupted is the right word, but Pierce Brosnan's horrible 'Dante's Peak' is on my mind for some reason, so I shall use it. Anywho, there was a hurricane-like storm here two weeks ago, fucking up the entire city's water system, essentially. That means in addition to building a subway, they are tearing up streets to fix the levees and protect the city from the inevitable. That means both of my major routes to school are cut off completely, and it now takes me much longer because I have to weave through side streets and down back alleys to get into the centre, instead of going straight through a park, because half the park is closed. What a welcoming surprise.

I have a whole whack of work to do. It never stops. At least now I'm home and I don't have to leave my flat all day. Pajama day it is, starting now.

Home...

I missed Amsterdam. I missed its innate clostraphobia, the bevy of grocery options that enable me to avoid any hint of the megastore lifestyle, the sheer insanity and ignorance expelled from every tourist dangling along Dam Square, the hot food in vending machines, the jittery trams, the rain, the canals and the fact that you have to bring your own bags to stores to save money.

I was away for a long time. Six weeks to be exact. I enjoyed my time away, especially with my family and my band, but it is time for home, and home means school. I have a paper exploring the craziness of duty free shops from a discursive analysis point of view due shortly, and throughout I have a shitload of work coming from all angles. Anywho, I'm going to enjoy home while I'm here. I do leave again next week.

x

In the studio,

We have been the studio for eight hours now and miraculously laid down the bare bones for four tracks, which is fantastic. Three of the songs are old and are found on "Soliloquy" but have been completely re-orchestrated and performed while one is brand new, a song called "Shivaree" which actually comes from a play that our friends What The Thunder Said scored. There have been some moments of jubilance, as everything seems to be coming together perfectly. I cannot wait for people to hear the record, and we're in good shape for having it done and ready to roll on May 1st. Right now we're sorting out the nooks and crannies for our single, "Stay Up," which un-mixed and un-mastered sounds fantastic, so I have good vibes on how it'll sound when completed.

In other news, I go home on Saturday. It has been a whirlwind week. I met some amazing people on tour, and got to spend some time with a few which was great, and I hung out with the band and K quite a bit. Things are on the up and up with this... I expect good things.

School begins on Monday, and I have a huge term paper due a week after. Welcome back to real world, Mr. Shapiro. I am excited to see my friends back at home and get to settle into my new place after I quickly moved out before going on tour. We also have a round of shows planned for May, so stay tuned for dates and stuff like that.

I am also working on some interesting articles, so stay tuned.

peace-

nero reunion...

http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=9765

enjoy-


big update coming soon...

New Kae Sun Article...

It's pretty good.

http://www.echoweekly.com/viewstory.php?storyid=6064

It's been a very lazy day, conducive for thinking. I hate those days.

Update...

I have a few minutes and I'm procrastinating as per usual, thereby refuting my New Years Resolution, but ah well. So, whilst procrastinating, I thought I'd update the blog. Let's start with Peterborough.

The show was great. The venue decided to make the show free, which is quite impressive for bands of our stature (Jimmy Swift Band and What The Thunder Said) so the bar was packed to capacity. Also, there was a ton of students, which just added to the party. Kids were dancing during our soundcheck, which was nice. I'm guessing they just need something to do in town, and we were it that night. We had a heck of a time getting there and back, as a misunderstanding between the band made us 2 hours late and a freak rainstorm made driving home tricky, but the response was worth it. We played for about 65 minutes, and I won't tell you the set as we have to play similar-ish sets each night because the collaboration was difficult enough to set up. It sounds fantastic, and it has been a treat playing with WTTS and K. They are all stand-up, professional cats and great guys, and what we are doing is truly unique. Combining hip-hop and progressive rock, with folk, jazz and electro. It's worth seeing.

I went to Ottawa this weekend for nero and to see Zach. Ottawa was the same as it always was, and hanging out with Zach was great. His house is filled with kind folks, and I seem to fit in as everyone is a sarcastic bastard, so we had fun. nero was also great. nero sounded like nero, spirited, loud and danceable, and seeing everyone from my past was great too. It was a big family reunion, more than anything.

Had a big show tomorrow in my hometown. The Toronto show. Shows till Saturday. Love Ya.

Long weekend,

I feel like half of my time in Canada is spent on the highway. The show is Peterborough went extremely well on Thursday. The bar was packed because Peterborough is a town that parties if and when there are things to do, and the band we were playing with, Jimmy Swift Band, are quite well known.

Spent the weekend in Ottawa and saw nero twice as well as Zach and his house. I'll explain more later when I have time, but it was a blast. Back to work :)

Tour...

I haven't been on the road playing music since April, and I am definitely nervous to get back on stage in front of people tonite, as I play with Kae Sun in Peterborough. I am excited too, but nervous as well. The guys I'm playing with, What The Thunder Said and K himself are terrific, so it should one hell of a throwdown...

Otherwise, I have been so busy I can barely think about anything else. It's been work, work and more work the past 10 days, as 2007 has started off busy, but well. Anything to beat 2006. I am looking forward to coming home to Amsterdam and resume some sort of normalcy, but I am on the road so often normalcy is becoming a malleable connotation. I'm in the UK Feb 7-12 and Germany Feb 27 - Mar 2. I'll probably be in Belgium as well in between then, hitting up Antwerp to see a friend.

Also, today I interviewed a living legend, Jimmy Carter from the Blind Boys of Alabama. These guys are the kings of traditional gospel, and it was an honour. I'll have a piece written about them this weekend. See you on tour!

Quiet,

Life is so busy here, but in a different way, that I rarely have time to update this. I am super excited to play these upcoming shows, as the band sounds terrific. I promise all who support us a blisteringly fantastic show. Other than that, home is home and life is well, unentertaining. I hate driving, something being back home has reminded me of, but I have enjoyed seeing many of my friends. Lots to do this week. Up early tomorrow.