Blog...

Yup, I'm crap at updating this blog. I just have no time. Lots and lots of gigs, trying to finish up a thesis that should have been finished ages ago and getting around in London takes time, a lot of time. I can say that today is the Rise Festival, where Sharon Jones, CSS, Emmanuel Jal and Jimmy Cliff are playing for free.. down the road from my house.. and it's Sunny.

Yesterday was also the 2 year anniversary of Alli's death. Crazy it's been two years.. seems like a lot longer than that.. regardless, it sucks.

I'll try and update again this week.

xxxx

Update...

I owe this blog a big update, and finally I have a few minutes to sort it out. Firstly, explaining why I don't have all that much time for this blog anymore. Essentially, I'm working three jobs, two of them full-time just to keep going along with my thesis. In addition to my all important, always comes first full-time gig, I'm writing, taking care of Kae Sun (who is getting increasingly busier thank the good dude) and doing some marketing for a company called Spoonfed, who are a wonderful website/listings guru in London. It's a lot of work, but all wonderful experience, but a lot of work. Oh, and plus I have a thesis to finish. Yup, damn school.

But a quick report on Iceland and Canada. I love Iceland. I'm not sure I could ever live there permanently, but I see myself visiting bi-annually, as its a place I cannot be all that far away from for too long. More often that not, Alice and I hung out with my friends in Iceland, drinking, going for lunch, coffee, walking around etc... I took a day and rented a car to do the Golden Circle but other than that, it was quite relaxing. We stayed at my boss' house, which is in the west part of downtown, sort of beside the Art Museum. It was fantastic, relaxing, uneventful, perfect.

Canada was more eventful. My mother just bought and moved, so a lot of my time was spent lifting boxes, putting things together and generally helping out. We went to my cottage in the north of Ontario and Niagara Falls, as well as went downtown for gigs with Jeffrey Lewis, Los Campesinos and Islands. Hung out a lot with friends, ate mostly good food (and a few suspicious meals) and again, tried to relax.

Now I'm back, snowed under. Lots of headway made this weekend, both organizationally and work-related, and now I'm hankering down thesis style to get things finished. I'm cutting the live gigs out, well to a minimum until Glastonbury, which is in a few weeks. I saw Lykke Li and Shout Out Louds last week. Both great but the former was much better than the latter.

More soon.

Here's some video:

Shout Out Louds:


Lykke Li (who is gorgeous)

Hiya,

I went away for two weeks with Alice to Canada and Iceland. She put a lot of the pictures up on facebook.. I'll link a few soon.. Some are quite nice.. I know I need to do a big report, and I will, but things are busier than ever and will be so throughout the summer... apologies..

love ya

Gigs a hoy...

I'm off to Iceland today. Seeing Olafur Arnolds tonight at Iono with my friend Svanlaug. Awesome. But this week, there was three brilliant gigs, all with my friend Alison visiting from Canada. Saw Kill it Kid, my favourite new band at the moment, Jesse Malin and Valgeir Sigurdsson w/Sam Amidon at a tiny Church called St. Barnabas Church. All were brilliant, so here are some links:

www.myspace.com/killitkid

www.myspace.com/jessemalin

www.myspace.com/valgeirsigurdsson

www.myspace.com/samamidon


off to Reykjavik...

Two Things..

1. I went to the Royal Horse Show with Alice yesterday in Windsor. Windsor castle is HUGE, first and foremost. Secondly, Alice's sister was competing in the horse jumping/equestrian competition in front of the Queen and her team finished third. Therefore, the Queen was to award them their gift/badge/whatever. When she walked up to Laura (her name's) and her horse Gondalo, the horse spit on her. Yup, Alice's horse spit on the Queen. AMAZING. Oh, and they have Pimm's in the can. It was all quite English.

2. I'm coming home May 21 - June 1. Any gigs? Lemme know.

Here's a video for her majesty...

London is GORGEOUS..

So warm, sunny, lovely. I'm at work. Land of Talk is performing tomorrow with Wintersleep. I'm highly anticipating the show, and I hope the turnout is good.. as I promoted it. Oh, and Amsterdam was fantastic. more soon..x

Here's Land of Talk.

Loomer...

I missed a show last night in Amsterdam I should have attended. A band I booked to play the Rivoli in Toronto four years ago was at Maloe Melo in Amsterdam. They are called Loomer and are fantastic alt/folk country, but I got too immersed in an amazing Raclette Dinner Party at Jared's to get off my ass and get down there. Too bad.. amazing coincidence though. Here's their MySpace:

Loomer

And here's a brilliant video from my favourite TV show, 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'. I'm going to try and write a pile of articles today so I can stream a few episodes. Oh, and it's GORGEOUS in Amsterdam again. I love this place.

Fuck...


Boris Johnson is not only the new mayor of London, but the BNP won a seat in the London Assembly. I've suddenly become a resident of a city with no promise anymore. Boris Johnson is a manic nut, one who will possibly ruin London, while the BNP got 69,000 votes. That means there are 69,000 racists in London. I'm utterly depressed. Poor, poor London.

Alabama 3 in Brixton..

Absolutely crazy it was. The sound was muddy and a little rough because of a constant white noise/reverb around the Brixton Academy...but it was crazy. Alabama 3 is from Brixton. So it was quite insane. They are a band everyone should see once, and apparently stories from their past are legendary. I can't divulge them, but they are insane.. Here's a video:

Gigs..

I saw White Rabbits at the Borderline last night.. Twas' quite ace. This has been a busy time.. Sharon Jones/Antibalas review is written and in the queue at DiS awaiting publication, whilst I have a new Clash column to prepare, one that explores the concept of 'indie' on music marketing. Haven't decided who to interview yet... Probably someone quite big and genre-defining like Arctic Monkeys and a smaller band like DIOYY or Eight Legs. Plus a band that is always on the outside, like Cloud Cult... Lots to think about.

Off to Amsterdam this weekend.. and I plan to re-invigorate this blog. write more. !!!

Here's a video of White Rabbits. Ace they were. Tonight is Alabama 3 and The Levellers at Brixton Academy. More boozing.

Oh forgive me blog for I have sinned...

Seriously. I was away from the internet for a month, and to be honest, I've been way, way too busy as of late to keep this up. I feel terrible, because when I'm old and forgetful (moreso) I'll lose this part of my past because I didn't write anything down. Oh well.

This are fine on planet me. Life has become quite domesticated, as I'm not on a plane every three days anymore, jetting off to to somewhere for something or someone. I try to get to Amsterdam as much as possible, but lately that's once a month or so...

Best weekend of music though I'd like to quickly divulge. On FRI (two nights ago) I saw Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings at the Jazz Cafe. ACE! I met a girl who toured with Tony Allen and Dele Sosimi as a percussionist. I gave her my number to call for a chat but to no avail thus far. Oh well, I'd really love to jam with her.. she did play with one of my idols. Last night I saw The Budos Band and Antibalas at the Jazz Cafe again. Alice and Eamon preferred the Budos Band, and admittedly it was a weaker Antibalas show than usual, but it was still brilliant. 'Indictment' was ACE. Oh, and tonight, well, I'm seeing Bjork. At the Apollo. I'm a lucky duck.

I'll try and get back on the updates. Until then...

I just got the internet back. awesome.

I'm 25 now.. Yikes.

Yup, birthday was last week.. Twas' quite nice.. had some delicious tapas with some friends, drank and then proceeding to enter into my first week of being twenty-five as a sick dog. first with a cold and then a stomach bug. Am OK now.

Also saw NEIL YOUNG last week. AMAZING. Gosh, amazing.

more soon.

Not dead...


Just really, really, really busy. Plus, I have sporadic internet access at home and really have no time to update this when I'm fighting with the flat mates to get a signal. Really, all is very very well. Things are good. I'm living in London now most of the time, seeing a shitload of shows and all that jazz.. more soon. xxxxx

Going to Iceland May 18 - 21 and Canada May 21 - June 2. :)

Really busy but not dead.. Thought I'd put up a video:



I like this band.

This blog is not dead in the water...


But I have had absolutely no time whatsoever to update it. Really. In the grand scheme of things, it has just taken a side step to everything else. I don't have much time now either, so here is a quick update. I live in London, UK and work for a record label doing PR. All is super busy. Kae Sun is doing well and we start tour on Feb 12, so come out if you can and for the first time in ages, it's quite lovely in London today. Unfortunately the neighbours decided to start jackhammering at 9AM so I'm a bit tired. More soon. xxxx

Update...

I have a cold. a bit shit really. So, in the meantime, check out this video while I get better. I'm at work though. Can't sleep just yet.

The best music video ever.

Forgive me...

I haven't updated this thing in forever. I've just been so incredibly busy, and while I update this at work while I should be focusing on other things, I think a quick how's your father is required. Well, all is well; very well. For x-mas I spent four days with Alice and her family in her village in the middle of England; Ace it was. ate well, drank well, enjoyed the country. Then we went to Ikea, drove to London to drop off our spoils and went to Fishguard, Wales for three days to my friend's cottage. We spent NYE there and it was great. It was so remote, just off the coast, that there was no phone service. We played boardgames, drank, ate, chilled... Had a pub lunch in a place called Porthgain which has 37 residents, hiked up a deserted quarry facing the sea (where there was service) and just generally had a gay-ol relaxing time.

Since then we drove back to London (via Rugby and her house) and then spent this weekend in Amsterdam, where vacation concluded. Since all has been insane; work is intense, Kae Sun is going well and generally, things are very prosperous, looking up and outward. But that means no time to update this thing.

maybe more later

Have a moment to update:

So what is on tap this weekend... well, Ikea possibly? Primark maybe? Morrisons? Definitely. Well, there is both the DrownedinSound and Clash xmas parties. I have to make appearances at both. I also plan on walking down to Camden for a visit to Fresh n'Wild for my favourite Icelandic Yogurt, Skyr (it's only sold there). I know I'll spend a lot of money, money I don't have, but it's all good. It's life sorting time.

Work is work. One more week to xmas... xmas! in London! woot!

Oh, here's a fun video I like. A friend of mine does the promo and the animation is really good.

Hiya,

Quick update. I've moved into my flat. If anyone wants the address, lemme know. It's an amazing flat; so happy! It's hard to explain the flat to people, as 1: it's an absolute maze to find it and B: it's oddly shaped. You enter from the top and the flat is reversed, it goes down... and finding it in the neighbourhood is nearly impossible. It's tucked away in the back of a private housing estate that is an absolute bitch to walk around, because it's shaped sort of like two inverted 'T's perpendicular to each other; Really, can't explain it. You just have to come and see it. More than welcome you are.