On Wednesday my coworker showed me the video for “Take Everything”, which I thought was a pretty great song with a just-fine video until she told me it was done in a single shot and he is singing the thing backwards. Now that my friends, is fucking amazing.

Seriously, watch this and tell me you don’t want to bang your hands on the closest surface and exclaim “That is fucking amazing!”:

Greg posted this amusing blog on his MySpace page about the video:

Hello!
My video for Take Everything premieres today on filtermagazine.com! If I had known I was going to have to learn how to sing the song backwards for the video I would’ve written it quite differently… and with a lot of “oohs” and “ahs.” My parents make a very small cameo towards the middle. My brother is a dick and didn’t show up that day. I hope you enjoy it! (Just kidding, I don’t have a brother).

Anyway, I immediately ran back to my desk, dug out the album Three Flights From Alto Nido, and gave it a listen. It’s pretty good. Seriously. Every once in a while I find myself humbled and ashamed for not being more proactive with my listening habits.

Greg Laswell’s music is not going to blow your mind with it’s originality and new interpretations, but it is going win you over with it’s accessibility, honesty and great composition.  Plus his voice makes me weak in the knees.

I’ve had the track “Take Everything” from his new album Take A Bow stuck on repeat for the past couple of days. Definitely looking forward to hearing the entire thing (out May 4th) and checking out his Toronto show on the May-June tour.

mp3: Greg Laswell – Take Everything from Take A Bow (iTunes)

The back story is that I was vegan for about six years; I learned to cook and bake without meat or dairy. In this time I learned that while there are a million delicious vegan meals, there are definitely not a million delicious vegan desserts.

I don’t know if I’ve ever baked something and heard it was delicious (from a non-vegan) without a qualifier like, “Wow! I can’t believe that banana bread is vegan, it actually tastes really good!” But last Thursday, for the first time (thanksgiving family tradition cheesecake aside), I baked a cake and people loved it – actually!

I baked this cake for one of my favourite coworkers on his last day. He’s an amazing man with a sweet tooth and a cheeky attitude. It just felt right that my first attempt at a cake, complete with layers and icing fonts, should be in his honor.  It definitely looks pretty amateur, but the flavour and texture were brilliant!

After the feast in the cafeteria the president of the company actually called me direct to tell me how much he liked it.  Obviously, he didn’t see the cake in full. He thought it was so good, in fact, that he even asked if it was an old family recipe. It was super exciting that he called, though I might have preferred if it had been to say he likes how I do my job. But anyway…

Please don’t tell anyone that this started out on MarthaStewart.com, I have a reputation to keep up, ya know? I made some modifications but since I’m still fairly new to non-vegan baking I’m not sure what difference they made. You can get the original cake and frosting recipes from Queen Martha, or you can go with this cake – named after the most momentous phone call.

The Presidential Vanilla
You need: electric mixer, 2 8″ inch cake pans, 2 or 3 big mixing bowls

CAKE
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups cake & pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and lightly flour the two cake pans. Tap out excess flour.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in one of the mixing bowls.  In the other, use your electric mixer to beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs to the butter mix, beat on low until combined, then add the vanilla.
Alternately beat in the flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. You should find the batter quick thick, and not at all runny.
Divide batter between pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 32 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Dip a toothpick or knife into the centre, when it comes out clean your cake is cooked through.  Let the cakes cool in their pans for at least 10 minutes then run a knife around edges of the pans and drop the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  FYI – you may need to get a spatula involved to get the cakes out of the pans.

ICING
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
4 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
~1/2 cup 18% cream to taste and consistency

Beat butter until it’s light and fluffy.  Add icing sugar by the cup until well mixed and smooth. Add vanilla.  While beating the icing add the cream by steps to desired creaminess.

Finally, place one of the cakes on a plate or cake stand. Use a butter knife or a spatula to spread icing over the top.  Put the remaining cake on top and frost the top and sides.   For the writing, I just beat a few drops of food colouring into the leftover icing, put it into a sandwich bag, cut off a small corner and squeezed it out that way.

I’ve written about my love of a good opening credit in the past, and Aloe Blacc’s track “I Need A Dollar” in the How To Make It In America opening sequence is definitely one of the greats. I’m not sure it’s a coincidence that so many of the best come from HBO shows…

The visual of the opening title feels a little bit like the opening of The Sopranos, and like the Sopranos theme, it does a great job of creating a backdrop for what’s to come.  My man friend (who has been watching the show regularly) tells me that lyrically the track is perfection as well.

“I Need A Dollar” is available right now as a single, but Aloe is working on a new album titled Good Things.  Apparently, Turntable Lab thinks Aloe Blacc “the indie R. Kelly”, which I’ll have to assume has more to do with his music than his love of children (ick), and with that assumption made; I can’t wait to hear the album!

In addition to recording his own material, Aloe Blacc hosts the Do-Over parties in Los Angeles.  You might want to give the Do-Over blog a visit, they posts DJ sets so even the geographically challenged (like me) can enjoy.  Hats off to my pal Andrew – who throws a tribute Do-Over party in Toronto – for that tip.

mp3: Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar (iTunes)

**Update!  We can all go back to eternal misery, Refused are not reuniting after all**

In between frantic update checks on the above, I made a pretty mediocre Curry Butternut Squash Soup on Sunday.

It actually wasn’t too bad, but about a month ago I made a Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup that was near perfection.  I should clarify, the end result was near perfection, but it took ages, required a lot of ingredients, and left a war path of dirty dishes.   I looked up a few other options and put together this recipe which was really fast and easy.  I feel like the trade off was worth it, but the final product from this recipe has a slightly earthy taste that I think would be eliminated by roasting the squash first.

Without further ado, I give you:

Easy Breezy Curry Butternut Squash Soup (vegetarian)
You need:  Stock pot and a Blender

1 tbsp sunflower oil (or alternative)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped/minced
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
6 cups vegetable broth (prepared or boullion) cubes
2.5 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp honey
single serving cup of plain yogurt

Heat oil in stock pot over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic, saute for 5-7 mins.  Boil kettle and make broth while your onion and garlic saute if you’re using boullion cubes.  Add squash, broth, curry powder and salt to the pot and bring to a boil.  Stir in the honey once the water is hot enough to dissolve it.  Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender and squishy to the touch, about 15-20 mins.  Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.  To finish the soup off, you need to blend it.  An immersion blender is your best bet, or you can do it in batches in a regular blender.  If you do it in batches, make sure to put it back in the pot and give it a stir to even out the consistency and flavour – you’ll get different ratios of squash to broth in each batch.
Makes 5 decent sized servings.

In all fairness, the only thing I really noticed on the main floor, other than wear and tear, was that gross stale booze smell.  But the washroom – oh, the washroom!  It may have actually been worse than the Ladies room at the Phoenix.

Mod Club washroom (and attendant!). Smashy, smashy.

There were no locks on any of the stall doors, and it wasn’t even like they were broken, they were just gone – and the mirror was smashed to pieces!  A drunk girl actually punched it until it broke, apparently.

How do I know that?  Because the lovely woman who is paid to hand out paper towels, soaps, lotions, etc. in the Mod Club washroom told me.

Perhaps we are asking ourselves the same question; why on earth there would be an attendant in a washroom that can’t afford mirrors or door locks?  Really, what is that all about?

Someone needs to give the people running that place a shake.  If you can’t spring for cleaners or hardware, and your guests are flying into drunken rages in the washroom, you’re probably not running a joint classy enough for washroom attendants.  I was kind of offended to be asked to tip in a washroom where I had to squat to pee while simultaneously holding the door steady so no one would barge in on me.  Just saying.

Anyway, The Big Pink were great.  A little bit industrial, a little bit stoner prog-rock, totally intense.  They love smoke machines and synthesizers.  Rad.

The crowed was weird, just because I’ve never seen any of those people before. Where do those 600 hipster-goths hang out the rest of the time?  We definitely don’t go to any of the same bars, but I liked their dark lipstick and fishnets nevertheless.

MP3: The Big Pink – Dominos from A Brief History Of Love (iTunes)

"Question: do you like your hands? If yes, then you better get your mammy to knit you some mitts, you baby, because lead singer Owen Carrier will make you clap, hard."

Last week was Canadian Music Week – a fairly unknown event, except, I think, for bar owners and people in music industry. Basically, there is a big conference in a swanky hotel, and tons of amazing shows in venues all over the city.  It smells a little bit like NXNE without the brand recognition.

During CMW 2010 I stayed out past my bedtime 4 nights in a row, I ate food in the middle of those nights, and I had my socks rocked one or two times.  No night rocked (popped?) quite as hard, however, as the night I saw Sweet Thing at Lee’s Palace.

I was won over in such a big way by the band’s stage presence, quirky sexiness and musical force.  In the morning I reviewed 6 outgoing text messages on my phone that all read (gushed?) something like:  “omfg! Sweet Thing are soooooooo good!  You have to come next time!!!”

There are very few things in this world that can force me to use internet memes or more than one exclamation mark in a communication – never mind both.

I read CHARTattacks’s CMW 2010 Report Card about Sweet Thing’s show on Monday morning and was so relieved that I wasn’t the only one peeing in their pants at Lee’s Palace on Saturday, March 15th.  If you haven’t heard of Sweet Thing yet, you’re not alone, but I think you’ll be in the minority really soon.

Check out their official site for a free download of the track “Dance Mother.”  It’s amazing.

**and available in a non-explicit version just in case the f-bomb offends your sensibilities**

MP3: Sweet Thing – Dance Mother

OM NOM NOM indeed.

I basked in another sweet thing last week, as well.  Poutini’s at 3AM.  It’s actually magical.

On a Friday or Saturday night you really have to work for your middle of the night poutine in Parkdale – but not on a Thursday!  I was in and out with my fries, cheese and gravy in 5 minutes flat.  Awesome.

sexy 3AM photo shoot.

I strongly advise you stick out the intimidating looking wait instead of hitting up the Pizza Pizza down the street (ick. gross).  In all honesty, even when the line up is out the door on a weekend, they generally get the goods in people’s hands within 15 minutes.

Poutini’s makes the perfect classic poutine.  Just the right amount of salt, with the squeakiest cheese, and then there’s gravy – oh, the gravy!  There is a vegetarian option as well – plus, they’ll layer the toppings for just a couple of extra coins.

According to their website, Poutini’s is open for brunch as well.  The name Poutini Florentini totally does it for me, and they get bonus points for serving Balzacs coffee.

I’ll have to give this a go and report back – let me know if you’ve tried it!

On one hand, I had Napster on my computer when I was 14.  I didn’t spend many years as a music fan without access to pirated music.  On the other hand, I’ve never walked into a record store and expected to walk out without paying for a CD.  I’ve never walked into a gallery, taken a painting off the wall and then just walked out with it under my arm.  I’ve definitely never walked into Sears and expected them to let me take bed sheets or appliances home without paying for them.

It has been a real moral struggle for me as these two ideas clashed, and I started to really wonder why I felt this sense of entitlement to take whatever music I wanted without paying for it. In recent years it’s become crystal clear to me, however, that downloading music from a torrent is theft.  Even the commonly used term ‘pirated music’ suggests it’s stolen. Let’s explore:

pi•rate [pahy-ruh t] noun, verb
–noun
1. a person who robs or commits illegal violence at sea or on the shores of the sea.
–verb (used with object)
6. to commit piracy upon; plunder; rob.
7. to take by piracy: to pirate gold.
8. to use or reproduce (a book, an invention, etc.) without authorization or legal right: to pirate hit records.

alright, we admit that *this* was a mistake.

Record labels get a bad rap, but it’s important to know that if it wasn’t for a record label – major or independent – you never would have heard of your favourite band.  I’ll let OK Go do the explaining about the symbiotic relationship between the record companies and the artists who sign with them.

**In a nutshell, the labels act as banks who take risks on funding artists. Without a label willing to invest some money in your favourite band it would be very hard for them to get paid for playing music full time. When people stop paying for music, the record companies can’t afford to take risks on bands anymore.**

OK Go recently left their label, but they were only able to do this after years of record label cash injections, which got them to the point of self sufficiency.

As an aside, did you know that 900 magazines have gone under in just 2 short years?

As piracy continues to grow, you’re going to continue to watch the quality of media and entertainment decline.  Every time you download something illegally, you put a nail in the coffin of the very thing you’re about to enjoy.

You’ll never see shows like LOST or Battlestar Galactica again.  As piracy grows, the networks just won’t be able to afford the production budgets anymore.  As people continue to assume that all media should be free writers, journalists, photographers and performers will struggle to get paid.

In all of this mess, the companies that fund the creation of media have a responsibility to adapt.  They need to continue to find revenue streams outside of ad dollars and product sales – even legal online distribution significantly reduces income.  However, consumers need to step up and take an equal responsibility for their actions.  Consumers need to acknowledge that just because they’re not shoplifting, doesn’t mean they’re not stealing.

Here are two suggestions: (please, leave comments if you have some more!)
- When an artist offers you a free download of their song(s), why not say ‘thank you’ by going and buying a different song of theirs from iTunes?  Don’t worry, they’re only 99¢ each.
- When you stream a TV show online instead of watching it on TV, why not tolerate the 5 second advertisement to watch the higher quality version from the network website instead of watching a grainy subtitled version from an illegal Asian streaming source?

About two years ago I got on board with the idea that it was time to get my shit together, but it was little things that tipped me off to the fact I was growing up.  I left a Leftover Crack show early because I just felt uncomfortable at the Kathedral.  A couple of times I asked for the music to be turned down – just a little – at house parties, but this, this is my first first real sign of aging (the fledgling crows feet are still debatable).  I write this with a head slathered in hair dye and a heavy heart.

In my grief I’ve turned to Mumford & Sons.  I was a bit late to the party, but better late than never I say!  It was actually the exact same scenario as when I learned about The Avett Brothers.  My friend Kelly called and said, “Are you going to the _______ show at the Horseshoe?” and I said “Oh, I’ve never heard of them.”  I look them up, they blow me away, but it’s already too late because the show was the night before.

Mumford & Sons released their North American debut, Sigh No More, on February 16th.  I’ve since picked it up and been unable to put it down.  It’s one of the best albums I’ve heard in years.  A cousin of The Avett’s sound, with a dash more banjo and a  quarter cup of goosebumps.  It’s epic and beautiful, but most importantly it’s completely accessible – you do not need a love for alt country to fall head over heels for Mumford & Sons.  They’re English.  Maybe that’s why.

Anyway, I would put Sigh No More right up there with two of my more recent favourites, Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Okkervil River’s The Stage Names.

MP3: Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More from Sigh No More (iTunes)

I like to lend a hand for any sort of event, especially those in honor of the people I love, so I offered to bring something to the shower.  I’m good at exactly one party snack, guacamole.

I was assigned to the punch.

No big deal right?  Well, I’m a pretty anxious person, so I know that the second everyone tastes my shitty punch they’re going to realise they hate me and wonder why I was even invited.   Clearly I have to make sure it’s the best fucking punch that anyone has ever tasted.

Sparkling Punch

I tend to lean a wee bit on the side of health conscious, so after some serious Google searching for non-alcoholic punch recipes, and polling the mother-to-be, I finally decided on a recipe that sounded both delicious and not too loaded with sugar.  Sparkling Punch from the often helpful, All Recipes.

Once I got to the grocery store, my worst nightmares came true as I couldn’t find any kind of apple cider and I when I got home I realised I didn’t buy nearly enough oranges.  My boyfriend even scoffed at my substitute for the cider and soda water.

Once mixed together, the improvised punch ended up turning out really well.   You could definitely add gin or vodka to this if you wanted.

Berry Citrus Punch Out

3 liters cranberry raspberry sparkling water
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate – half thawed
1 orange – thinly sliced
1 lemon – thinly sliced
1 lime – thinly sliced
1 small container of raspberries – frozen
2 handfuls of pomegranate seeds – frozen
1/2 bag ice

Drop the ice in the bottom of the punch bowl.  Add the lemonade concentrate and orange, lemon and lime slices.  Pour the sparkling water over top and give it a bit of a stir to mix together.  Drop in the raspberries and the pomegranate seeds and mix just a little more – the seeds will sink if they fall under the ice, but a little shake up will give the punch a nice red colour.

If you try this out, I’d love to know how it turns out – and any substitutions that work!

For years I wanted to start writing a blog.  I didn’t act on it because I knew I wasn’t interesting enough for anyone to actually read it.  That said, I’m a person of action, so I just committed myself to starting a music blog anyway.

yup, I love beer.

I thought it was a good choice since I work in music, fancy myself a little bit “in the know”, and…well, I’m just not really an authority on anything else.

You know what I learned from my two month stint as a music blogger?  I don’t know a fucking thing about music that 1000 people don’t already know – and blog about.

I do marketing for a major record label, and let’s face it, the people who are discovering exciting and obscure bands don’t work in the music industry.  I learn about music from other (way cooler) blogs and other (way cooler) friends, and while I may listen to a band or two that my mom hasn’t heard of, I know far less about those bands than pretty much everyone else who keeps a blog.

Of course, I’ll still write about the music I’m listening to – in fact, that will probably be the crutch that supports this whole thing – but if you’ve come here strictly to get a musical education, one of the music blogs listed over on the right will serve you well.  I’ve decided, instead, to keep posting on here, but to take a slightly different direction.

If you decided to keep visiting my place on the internet, I’ll make you a promise.  I promise that I will (try) not be too boring or self-indulgent.  I may not be an expert in any one subject after all, but I am at least intermediate in a handful.  I know quite few things about:

1) wondering if you’re ever going to succeed at getting your shit together
2) learning how to be domestic
3) paying off debt
4) stay out late
5) trying to a keep a (good) job
6) and so on.

Basically, I think it’s a universal truth that people feel amazing when they find out that someone they respect is bad at the same things, or that they have something embarrassing in common with someone else – like nose picking, or peeing in the shower.  With this in mind, my goal is to project all of my negative qualities on to this blog and then follow-up with the results of various attempts to correct these failings.