Halloween Gigs and More!

Yes, that's me. I guess that was about 86' or so, when He-Man ruled my life. That's my Dad, the clown and my sister, the baby. Halloween has always been a huge deal to me. I guess it has something to do with the smell in the air this time of year, and perhaps the thought of ghostly spirits walking around in the night. It still sends chills up my spine a little. I have fond memories of my Mom ordering pizza while we got our costumes on, and my Dad would be cranking M.J's Thriller while adjusting the speed on the strobe light that would be directed at the front of our house. I usually knew what my costume would be around Sept.1st each year. To my recollection, they included, and not in any particular order....

He-Man, A Pirate, Zombie, Ninja, Gorilla, Freddy Krueger and The Terminator. Last year, I dressed up as a Butcher of humans. Yes, I have a strange affliction with this time of year, and I think I always will. We don't have kids yet, but it's stuff like Halloween that pushes me in that direction a little more each year. We already have our pumpkins ready, and I have a dead man sitting in a chair in my garage. Don't worry, I didn't kill him. He's just waiting to be sat on our front porch for Halloween night. I also usually hook up my P.A System in the windows upstairs, cranking scary sound effects so the whole neighbourhood knows how crazy I really am. Don't be scared kids! We have chocolate too!

Looking for something to do this weekend?

Friday October 29th:

The Sadies @ Orono Town Hall

Saturday October 30:

The 407's, I Dunno and The Stables @ Murphy's Pub and Grill

Unknown Pleasures...

First of all, I want to say thanks to my good friend Dave at Warner. He's always had my back when it comes to helping with albums I've been waiting to hear, or concert tickets etc. Yesterday I opened a package that came here to the studio, and to my surprise I was sent 2 Joy Division reissues on vinyl. It seems that both "Closer" and "Unknown Pleasures" have recieved the deluxe re-mastering treatment, and are being pressed for the first time in 10 years. When I got home last night, I raced down into my studio and threw these on while my wife made dinner. If you know these albums at all, you may think you know what to expect, but let me be the first to tell you that the mixes on these albums sound light years better then they ever have before. I'm now hearing more of Ian Curtis' vocals, and actual harmonies that I didn't know where even on tape...maybe they weren't before? Peter Hook's bass lines have never sounded so, well, hook-y, and the songs stand as strong today as they ever did in 1979. I urge you to grab both of these for your record collection.

I hope you enjoyed my Four Tet interview. I know it's kind of tough to understand what Kieran is saying because of his accent, and how fast he talks, but the show was really amazing, and I sincerely thank everyone involved with making that happen for me. It was really a night to remember.

Moving towards the end of this week, I'll have some Halloween related posting to do, as it's by far my favourite time of year, and I always like to compile a list of spooky music for my audience. Boo!

Four Tet

Photo by Jason Evans

Four Tet - There Is Love In You Feature Interview Oct 21.2010 by Matt Diamond's Interviews

R.I.P - ELLIOTT SMITH

August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003

Twilight by Elliott Smith

Hey there. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I've been holding off posting here in order to give readers of the blog time to watch our Xiu Xiu interview. I hope you enjoyed it, and that some of you even purchased some of their music. That's the goal here, to introduce you to some new music, and to help promote concerts, events, album releases and more. I'm really excited to announce that my friend Brian and I have begun filming for our new site. This past weekend we spent some time with local artist Dan Brooks, and shot a feature performance and interview with him from my home studio. Expect to see the feature piece on our new blog within the next couple of weeks.

Lot's of amazing shows are happening around Toronto this week. I'm also very excited to announce my next audio interview with Four Tet. Kieran Hebden is the one man band behind this project, and it looks like he'll be calling me on Wednesday to talk about his tour, and the amazing electronic album he put out earlier this year. It's called "There Is Love In You" and it's easily one of my favorite releases of the year. He's coming to the Mod Club on Wednesday, so expect to hear the feature piece right here by Friday. No, it's not just rock n' roll, but it's really tasty and dancey, and I'm very excited to talk with him.

Tomorrow night, Toronto plays host to a couple amazing gigs. Atlanta area band Deerhunter are in town at The Opera House. They've just released a beautiful disc titled "Halcyon Digest" and I urge you to pick it up. I've already witnessed their live act a few months back when they opened for Spoon at the Sound Academy, and I need to watch my budget as far as shows go these days. That same night, L.A band Local Natives play The Mod Club, and they're really amazing too, so it's a toss up. I've posted links at the bottom of this post, so you can judge for yourself.

This Thursday, the one and only Band Of Horses are in town for a sold out show at The Kool Haus. I've interviewed this band a couple of times, the first time way back in 2006 when they first played here at Lee's Palace. Ben Bridwell has become somewhat of a house hold name, and I urge everyone to go get their latest, "Infinite Arms." It's a real beauty, and must have for anyone who loves their rock southern fried. It has a few ballads in the tracklist too, and after one week with this one, I knew the songs' lyrics front to back. Our wedding song was actually Ben covering Gearge Harrison's "Your Love Is Forever." Go see this show if you can get your paws on some tickets.

LISTEN:

Band Of Horses: Infinite Arms - http://stream.bandofhorses.com/

Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest - Revival by Deerhunter

Local Natives: - Shape Shifter by Local Natives

Dear God, I Hate Myself...

Xiu Xiu is an art rock outfit from San Jose California. The sole member of this band, Jamie Stewart sat with me in the parking lot behind Lee's Palace before their gig with Deerhoof on October 3rd to talk about their new album. It's very bizzare, and at sometimes even ugly, but for some of you out there that are tired of the same old thing, this one is for you.

No Leftovers, Really...

What a weekend. I have so many things to be thankful for, but after spending a weekend with my family, I'm reminded of just how lucky I am to have so many people around me that I care about. Friday night I got to lay low, as I had a live broadcast from the Pickering Markets early Saturday. That was a great way to start my weekend, as I met lots of listeners, and got to see some dear friends by the name of One Divided. They played an outdoor show as the sun was beaming and people were entering. I did a quick intro for them, and they sounded great. After that, I hopped in the Rock Cruiser, and headed home to try to help prep some amazing vegan stuffing with my talented wife, but I was ushered out of the kitchen because she clearly had things under control. Next stop was my in-laws. A beautiful meal was prepared without turkey! Yep, the whole fam took a step in a new direction by trying out some new recipes including vegetarion shepard's pie, stuffing, potatoes with mushroom gravy, and 3 different deserts. Absolutely amazing. That was a great time, but I couldn't help but wish that my Mom was around on this holiday. She doesn't live close to us right now, but Thanksgiving was always a big deal for us because she spent the majority of two solid days cooking a meal that would typically last 20 minutes. Miss you Ma! After dinner, it was back to our house for my sister in law's Birthday, where we were joined by our close friends Joanne, Monty, Cal and Claire. It was a pretty mellow night, comprised of lots of red wine, and great conversation.

Sunday was a lazy morning, but with such amazing autumn weather, we were delighted to be invited to my cousin Darryl's engagement party which took place on a beautiful lot just outside of town, complete with 4 picnic tables fully dressed and decked out in true Thanksgiving fashion. I don't see that side of my family often, so it was really great to hug all of the Holtbys. Congrats to Darryl and Larissa. After we got back home, I started a fire in our chiminea, and we sat around talking about how awesome family is, especially during the holidays. More wine, cold beer, and full stomach. Me likey.

Monday was a beautiful day to do just about anything outside. I was honored enough to have my father-in-law invite me to golf with him at his club. However, I felt more than embarrassed about quite possibly the worst round I've ever played. I couldn't hit the ball straight, if at all, and we were paired up with two other golfers who were amazing. This has me seriously thinking about hanging up the clubs for good. Certainly for the season. Fore indeed. After golf, it was off to my Dad's for another meal and get together with my step brother and his family, plus my sister Amy and her family. My nephew Nate is literally running at the tender age of 10 months. It's insane. Check it out here at my sister's blog. Each time I see him, I can't believe how fast he's growing. It reminds me how awesome it is to have kids in your life... just not my own, yet!

Ok, that's a wrap. Tonight I'll post a new video interview from last weekend with Xiu Xiu as promised, and we've now officially named our new video blog, but I'm waiting for my partner in crime to make an official annoucement, and layout for the site etc. I can say this, that our first feature will be on the amazingly talented Dan Brooks. Check him out now!

Ciao.

Happy Birthday John

Saturday October 9th marks what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday. I'm not about to ramble on about how much his music means to me, because it's quite obvious to anyone who listens to 94.9 The Rock, that most of us are pretty big fans of The Beatles. This weekend is more of a reflection as to what Lennon's music means to you, the listener. I don't have any close personal attachment to John because I'm just too young to really appreciate what he meant to my parents or the generation before me. I understand it, and I think his music is absolutely important and timeless, but it would be silly of me to talk about how I felt the day he died, simply because I don't remember it. At the time, I was just months old and couldnt' possibly comprehend what was happening, or why. Hell, I still don't. Yes, I know the story, and where and when this life was taken from us, but I still don't know why, and I don't think I ever will. John Lennon spoke a different language. One of life, love, peace and understanding, and his voice was heard on a completely different level. Long live the music of John Lennon.

This weekend in honour of John's Birthday, 94.9 The Rock is giving you the chance to win a copy of "John Lennon's Gimme Some Truth." This is a 4 CD Set featuring 72 classic Lennon tracks, all digitally remastered. This is a must have for any fan. Click here for info.

In other blogging news, our interview with Xiu Xiu will be posted Monday. It looks like I have some other cool features coming up, but I want to nail down some details before I announce them here. We're going to begin shooting some more video with local artists for our other blog soon too, so expect some information on how to get involved within the upcoming weeks. This weekend I get to eat 3 Thanksgiving dinners. Wish me luck, and have a great weekend of your own. Spend some time with family, eat, drink and get fat. It's your duty.

Gobble Gobble. xo

Women - Public Strain

As promised, here is my feature interview with Calgary's WOMEN. The band was in town last week for a show in support of their brand new album titled Public Strain, and I got to chat with them before their gig.
www.myspace.com/womenmusic

Women - Public Strain Feature by Matt Diamond's Interviews

Weekends Rock...

What a weekend! Everything that I blogged about being excited for last friday, turned out to be way better than I ever imagined. I will have lots of updates, and a couple of interviews to post later this week, but what a rockin' weekend! To start things off, my wife Karlie and I joined her Mom, Dad and Sister to do the Farm Sanctuary Walk For Farm Animals. It was a really special event that made me feel a real sense of community along with other people who feel the same desire to inform the public on the cruelty of mass factory farming. It was inspirational to walk side by side with people who aren't afraid to stand up for something we believe in. I shot some video of it, and will post it shortly.

After the walk, we headed into Hamilton where Karlie's sister Natasha and her boyfriend live, where we were greeted with open arms, a few bottles of wine and a delicious meal. We were in town to see Women open for Liars. I had to duck out from dinner to go meet the band for an interview at the venue, which turned out to be one of the smallest clubs I've ever been to, and I loved it. Picture seeing one of your fav bands play in someone's living room. So intimate and cool. I interview 3 of the guys from Women in their tour van, and they were super friendly and funny, and made me feel very welcome. That audio interview is coming this week too. Lot's to do!

After waking up Sunday with a little bit of a "headache," I had to drive back to Courtice to drop Karlie off, and then head back downtown Toronto with my friend Brian, as we had yet another interview to tackle with Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu. They were in town with Deerhoof, and I was really excited to meet with him to discuss their latest album. The cool thing about this interview was that it's the first video interview I've ever done, and as it turns out, Brian and I are going to continue working together, and we're starting another video blog very soon, featuring local musicians, and of course, bands that we dig. Starting with an interview from Xiu Xiu is a pretty rad start if you ask me. Things are really starting to cook creatively, and it feels good to put my own band to rest, and start on something new to support other artists. We still have lots to figure out, but we'll have an official announcement soon!

Wrapping up the weekend, and after watching an amazing show at Lee's Palace, I got home and hopped on my Macbook to check out what was happening in the land of P4K. How could I forget? One of the finest labels on the planet, Matador Records, was streaming live video of their 21st Anniversary Bash in Vegas, and my favorite band of all time, Guided By Voices were headlining! Now, there's a two hour time difference from there to here, and what was supposed to be 11:30 Vegas time, turned out being about 3:30 am our time by the time they took the stage. I tried to keep up as best I could, but as you can imagine, I had a pretty busy weekend, and I ended up falling asleep after 4am. The entire festival featured Matador's finest, including Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Belle and Sebastian, Pavement, and so many more. I was really excited to see what GBV sounded like after getting back together for this tour, but more importantly because Kar and I are heading to see them in New York City next month for the final show on their reunion tour. They were a little rusty, and they look a few years older, but it sure is fun to know every single song in a 30 plus song setlist. That and the fact that NYC is the coolest place I've ever travelled has me very excited. Expect huge posts and reviews after that one!

In closing, I'll get my interviews up here as soon as I can, but I'm just thankful that I have such an amazing team around me who support all of this fantastic art. I love autumn, but weekends like the one I just had, make it that much better.

TGIF...

Nothing major to report, other than the fact that it's finally friday! My cold has somewhat disappeared, and I have an amazing weekend planned. Tonight, visiting family, and relaxing before waking up early tomorrow to participate in The Walk For Farm Animals with my lovely wife, and her family. This is something we believe in, as we've recently become vegetarians within the past year or so. We have many reasons to live our lives this way, but I simply disagree with mass factory farming, and feel this is something I'd love to support.

Saturday we head to Hamilton, as one of my favorite bands by the name of Women are opening for another great band, Liars at a small venue called "This Ain't Hollywood." I'm stoked because I get to interview the band, and then see a killer show in an intimate setting. Their new album is called "Public Strain" and it's getting rave reviews everywhere. It's weird, and noisy, but if you're up for something different, it's a must have. Expect to hear the feature right here early next week. Sunday brings another amazing show to Toronto. Xiu Xiu are playing with Deerhoof, two bands I've loved for a long time, and frontman Jamie Stewart has agreed to sit and chat with me about their new album titled "Dear God, I Hate Myself." It's epic, and very strange. I'm really looking forward to meeting him and seeing the show at Lee's Palace.

Have a great weekend! Pictures and audio coming Monday.