In the ‘60s, the Saddleworth Moor above Manchester became infamous for its contents - namely the bodies of 10 year old Lesley Ann Downe, 16 year old Pauline Reade and 12 year old John Kilbride. Lesley had been the fourth of five rape/murder victims abducted by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. (12 year old Keith Bennett and 17 year old Edward Evans complete the five). Lesley’s murder was perceived as especially heinous as the killing of the 10 year old was photographed and audio taped; subsequently played as prosecution evidence during the trial.

Both killers were reviled but Hindley, in particular, drew the most hatred because of her active involvement in the murders (luring and transporting); her lack of compassionate nurturing (assumed to be instinctive in all women), and her harsh demands heard, overriding the pleading of the victim during her ordeal. The audio tape was also needed as an identification tool for the police. Sadly, Downe’s mother was burdened with identifying her daughter, determined by Lesley’s recorded voice, which haunted her until her death.

Fast forward to The Edinburgh 2006 Fringe Festival where the question of art versus exploitation will be tested as one of the plays, ‘Wasted’, completes its three week run at the Pleasance Theatre. The play was created by Henry Filloux-Bennett and based upon his correspondence with the convicted killer, Ian Brady. The play is said to portray Myra Hindley in a sympathetic light as she was 19 years old at the time and supposedly ‘brainwashed’ by the older Brady. However, the audio tape clearly indicates otherwise.

Filloux-Bennett defended his decision to write the play saying: "There is always a section of society which is offended by something and we respect their views. But it is not a reason to attempt to ban it. You can choose not to go and see something rather than try to ban it. I think it is narrow-minded. I have real issues with people who either with or without reading the script decide that just because of the subject matter and their own personal opinions you shouldn't be able to express your point of view or an artistic piece." (See link citation)

Forty years after the crimes, Filloux-Bennett has effectively picked at a scab that the community had long since attempted to heal. In doing so, he has also stimulated arguments regarding art. What defines this play as cultural art? Can original, creative playwrights co-exist with reality based playwrights? I feel any activity that stimulates critical questioning/ thinking and conversation to be a good thing. I look forward to reading “Wasted’s” reviews if only to guage the public's ability to view Myra Hindley in a different light.

July 25/06

The Warner label efficiently set up an interview (thank you Charlotte) this time around so Ryan Phillips was waiting at the Croatian Cultural Centre for our interview. The first thing I noticed was that Ryan had lost weight since our last meeting in January, the second thing I noticed was that Adam wasn’t present.

http://www.swanktrendz.com/ph...

After pointing out his thinness, Ryan responded with a ‘good’ and said he wasn’t drinking beer or partying during the Canadian leg of the tour. In response to my second question, Ryan somberly told me that Adam had to leave the Canada last week as Adam’s father is seriously ill with pancreatic cancer. This information was an immediate downer, and it’s times like this that you feel as though you should leave one alone with his thoughts, etc., but Ryan is a professional and continued on.

The interview opened with Swanktrendz asking how it was, touring with Hawthorn Heights. So how was it being second billing? Ryan felt it was different and great. Usually Story of the Year brings bands along, so it was nice to tour with someone else headlining for a change.

ST I noticed Hawthorn Heights is going on to Japan. Will you be heading there as well?

SOTY Yeah, we’re going to Japan tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow... (Yells to HH Hey, are you guys going to Japan? They respond yes, but they are playing a different venue; Summer Sonic whereas SOTY is at Fuji Fest). Yeah we’re going to Japan tomorrow and then Korea.

ST So, since I last saw you in January, have you been touring nonstop or have you had a break?

SOTY We went to Japan, and then... Australia... and New Zealand and England ...

ST Oh my god, all that in six months?

SOTY And then we did a couple of small shows in the States

ST And your following? Is it getting larger and larger?

SOTY Definitely overseas. This is the first time we’ve had a following overseas. With our first album it was just stuck in the States, but we played to 5,000 in Sydney, Australia. That was pretty nice. We’re bigger in Australia than anywhere else.

ST Well, that’s a great place to start because I often find music from Australia hits Germany (with the tourist connections) and from Germany to the UK and so on back to North America.

SOTY Yeah, I‘ve got no complaints, you know.

ST There’s some things that you and Adam said to me last time that I want to revisit. For example, the statement was made that male fans are loyal and (well, Adam said) what a male is listening to between 10 and 15 will largely influence his musical tastes. I’ve been testing out your theory just by asking a lot of men what they were listening to when they were younger, and indeed they are still loyal.

SOTY It’s the truth, man.

ST Yet with females it’s different

SOTY Every four months they have a new favourite.

ST Explain that male psyche to me

SOTY I have no idea, it’s like some weird phenomenon - when guys love a band they just keep going to see them.

ST I think females become more loyal to a band the older they become. I have a ten year old boy and guess what he listens to?

SOTY What?

ST Story of the Year. His favourite song is ‘Falling Down’.

SOTY Are you serious? That kid rules. ‘Falling Down’ is my favourite song off that record. It’s the heaviest.

SOTY When I was 10 I was listening to Metallica, Megadeath, and Pantera.

ST I still like the song ‘Meathead” but for some reason I always refer to it as ‘Jarhead’. I can’t get the name ‘Meathead’ straight.

SOTY The working title was ‘Jarhead’ and I think it’s actually imbedded in the cd so it will come up saying Jarhead even though the cd cover reads otherwise.

ST What genre did the label assign you? I realize that nobody likes to be categorized, but labels choose genres as soon as they sign a band - it is unavoidable. If I were to walk into a store where would I look?

SOTY Gee, I don’t know. Hopefully just rock or something else. Honestly, I couldn’t care less what people call my band. Call us bluegrass, rat band, country, screamo, or emo I don’t give a shit, I don’t care.

ST Just so long as you get heard

SOTY Yeah, that’s right. It’s nice to be heard.

ST I wanted to get your opinion on MP3 file sharing of music.

SOTY Here’s what I think, I think the internet, well you know how it started with Napster and all that... I think the internet can be an awesome tool for struggling new music, you know? I think if you find a band - it’s a great tool for finding a band - but if you find a band you really like, that you’re really passionate about, I think you should buy the cd. If you download the shit for free and you don’t like it - whatever. But if you like it, then buy it. You should support the band. I would say that for every cd we sell, maybe ten are pirated. And I think I am being generous.

ST Really? So you find that to be the case? I like filesharing because when I hear about a band through word of mouth and I go on Limewire, I can see how popular the band is through the numbers. Then I buy the cds prior to reviewing a show.

SOTY Look at bands in the 80’s early 90’s that were big - they sold millions and millions of records. Now you don’t really see that too much. For the 20% who buy the cds, 80% download the music for free,

ST Wow, you think the numbers are that high? Another area I will have to look into.

SOTY Then they go to itunes after hearing a song on the radio and buy one song for 99 cents instead of buying the whole record. Coming from the artist’s side, it’s kind of hard. But then again we wouldn’t have gotten known in the early days if it weren’t for downloading.

ST I have to agree with that I would not have known about you except through word of mouth by a loyal fan; looking you up on Limewire, listening to a couple of songs and then buying your cds. So if it hadn’t have been for Limewire I may not have followed through.

SOTY Fair enough. That’s how it works these days. You know back in the days when people would go to mp3.com? Well. we set the world record as the number one for downloads.

ST Well, just go to Limewire you’d be amazed at how many hits there are for your name

SOTY Really? Well I’m not joking - we broke the record for mp3.com’s downloads. And like those people wouldn’t have known about us if it weren’t for those sites. So, I‘m not complaining about it, but...

ST Just buy the music

SOTY Yeah, support the artists. Go out and buy it.

. ST Which reminds me, when I attended your concert in January, there weren’t any cds available. Did you bring some this time around?

SOTY We’ve had weird problems with our label in the recent past. If we’re in a mall, or a small town we’ll look for our cd, and we’ll call people if the cds aren’t in a store. But we still don’t bring cds to concerts, So I don’t know if they will have anything tonight.

ST Well, we have the cds in stores in Vancouver.

SOTY That’s good to hear. If we’re in the States we’ll just call and say there aren’t any cds, but up here we can’t do that.

ST As well, you have great shirts and merchandising, but the cds are a big cash cow.

SOTY Yeah

ST Last time we spoke, you talked about “saturation effect” with the crowd at your first big festival. Do you remember? Could you explain to me again, what you did? What advice would you give to a Vancouver band who has the same opportunity to be seen?

SOTY Oh yeah, we did a great self promotion. We did everything stupid you can think of. I’ve never heard of any other band doing this. We were psycho at the time. We had band practise every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. So every Tuesday we each had to put in 20 or 30 bucks to buy cds. We recorded our songs right onto the computer and then sat there and burned cd after cd. We made 5000 copies. We passed the cds out for free. 5 to 7 thousand off our laptops. We made pamphlets. Adam and I had software to make a home video. That video we made was what did it at the festival. We broke into all the tour buses and put our video in each band’s bus. Then the singer from Goldfinger, took it to Maverick, and we showcased for Maverick and were signed. If it wasn’t for that video and us being total psychopaths, well, I’d still be delivering pizza.

ST That’s really aggressive marketing.

SOTY While I think this business, no matter who you are, involves a little luck and knowing the right people. You can be the best band in the world, but I believe that without giving it everything you have, giving up everything, sacrificing everything, putting everything in the back seat for what you want - no amount of luck is going to help you. You know what I’m saying?

ST I know exactly what you are saying. You obviously have a strong work ethic.

SOTY You have to care, and do it long enough. New bands have to give it everything they’ve fucking got. Most people are just so lazy, people don’t want to do the work themselves.

ST Often bands expect to get discovered and signed in some bar. They want the labels to come to them.

SOTY People don't want to do the work themselves. Or they’ll get a record deal, sit back and expect the label to do all the work. What can the label do for us? Signing to a label - that’s just the first step. Do you know how many bands are signed, record a record, and their first cd is shelved because the band hasn’t done anything to promote themselves? We treat our band as though it’s independent. We are really serious about our music.

ST Well you guys are pretty tight - ousting the original singer and sticking to the lineup you have now was a good move.

SOTY Yeah, I think it’s ... well yeah, we’re all best friends which helps...

ST Anyhow, Charlotte’s looking at me, so I should get going. I had one more question, but now I’m not sure if it’s the right time to be asking it.

SOTY No, go ahead and ask it.

ST Back in January we discussed where and when songs/lyrics were written. Later, there was a discussion amongst some of my friends about good lyrics being born out of sadness or tragedy. Essentially, without those harsh emotions you can’t write. Do you believe you have to have a certain amount of tragedy or trauma in your life to be a good songwriter?

SOTY Well, I don’t write lyrics - Dan and Adam do that. I think their lyrics are awesome, but I am biased and in a band with them.

ST But you write excellent music

SOTY Well thank you. Yeah, and they write really really good lyrics.

ST Yes, but in your world ... in “Ryan’s world” ... would you agree with that statement - that good lyrics are born out of tragedy, trauma, or sorrow?

SOTY I would agree to a certain point. I think human emotion sparks creativity whether its tragedy or ....

ST So if life is ‘golden’ from the get go, do you think a person could write good lyrics?

SOTY Hmmm...if you are ultra happy, poppy, maybe you can write like Hootie and the Blowfish... maybe ... Love, tragedy, heartbreak, good friends, good times, are necessary. Without emotion, what are you going to write about if you don’t experience it?

ST Thanks again and I am really sorry about Adam’s Dad. Send our regards.

SOTY Okay, thank you.

A Fan’s Band Croatian Cultural Centre, July 25/06, Medium capacity

Story of the Year was to be third in a lineup of four bands. Apparently, the bands like to switch it up every other night, so I had to sit through Hawthorn Heights’ set. When I say sit through, I do mean that literally. HH has a following, but I can’t help but think they must be a studio band. Four guitars, one drum, and weak vocals does not, a band, make. I went into the lobby and sat out their set three songs into the gig. The drummer was the only one able to carry a beat and it was painful to listen to the singer as well as watch the apathetic crowd. Even the band attempted to cajole the listless crowd into moving, but as soon as the singer stopped pleading - the crowd stopped moving. Grant you, there will always be a few diehard fans moshing about at the front, even for Hawthorn Heights.

You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone That Joni Mitchell tune was running through my head after the Story of the Year gig. Adam is a great bassist, but I didn’t realize how much he gave to the band by way of vocals and energy until I saw them live again.

First of all, Phil (Biff) Steele promptly stood in for Adam who went home to spend time with his ailing father. Phil had to learn SOTY’s songs in a matter of days and still didn’t have them all down. As well, he doesn’t lend his vocals to the group - and actually stays out of the spotlight unless Ryan forces him out. Due to Adam’s absence, some songs (and especially their covers of old radio hits) were not performed

Despite this, SOTY still remains an outstanding live act. They are truly a fan’s band. Totally accessible, gregarious, and patient when it comes to the multitude of teens screaming out their names. Being the last show for their Canadian leg of the tour, the band was relaxed and more into bantering with the crowd. They invited two teenaged boys up onto the stage explaining that the boys had followed the band across Canada, attending all of their gigs. So they invited them onstage and let them sing along and ‘hang out’. Ryan pulled off a Pied Piper by going into the audience and allowing a group of girls follow him back onstage.

The songs they did perform were well done and Phillip (guitar) stepped up vocally in Adam’s absence. Phil usually does the harmonizing etc., but I found he was more in the forefront than last concert. Ryan and Dan were all over the stage par usual and taking photos of them is nearly impossible, between the smoke onstage and the flurry of motion.

The grand finale had Ryan insisting the band take off their shirts. Dan actually wrung his shirt in front of the crowd, and there had to have been two cups of sweat in it. Truly disgusting, but admirable in a - don’t get too close to me- way. I noticed Ryan hanging a silver chain and pendant off of his mic and then passing it on for Josh to wear and wondered to myself if the necklace had any relevance to Adam’s absence. For now, I will just make a mental note for the next time they come through. That’s right, I’d probably go for a third time just because they are that entertaining. 9/10

was painful to listen to the singer as well as watch the apathetic crowd. Even the band attempted to cajole the listless crowd into moving, but as soon as the singer stopped pleading - the crowd stopped moving. Grant you, there will always be a few diehard fans moshing about at the front, even for Hawthorn Heights.

You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone That Joni Mitchell tune was running through my head after the Story of the Year gig. Adam is a great bassist, but I didn’t realize how much he gave to the band by way of vocals and energy until I saw them live again.

First of all, Phil (Biff) Steele promptly stood in for Adam who went home to spend time with his ailing father. Phil had to learn SOTY’s songs in a matter of days and still didn’t have them all down. As well, he doesn’t lend his vocals to the group - and actually stays out of the spotlight unless Ryan forces him out. Due to Adam’s absence, some songs (and especially their covers of old radio hits) were not performed

Despite this, SOTY still remains an outstanding live act. They are truly a fan’s band. Totally accessible, gregarious, and patient when it comes to the multitude of teens screaming out their names. Being the last show for their Canadian leg of the tour, the band was relaxed and more into bantering with the crowd. They invited two teenaged boys up onto the stage explaining that the boys had followed the band across Canada, attending all of their gigs. So they invited them onstage and let them sing along and ‘hang out’. Ryan pulled off a Pied Piper by going into the audience and allowing a group of girls follow him back onstage.

Ian and I are music fiends. We got hooked into watching the TV show "Rockstar Supernova" - stop with the groans, please. We are both fully aware that Tommy Lee et al are looking for a 'rocker' and Ian and I are extremely critical during the singers' performances.

However, one night Jenny (our Vancouver gal) got up there and did an acoustic version of a forgettable song. Ian and I just shook our heads in dismay - buh bye.

Sure enough, Jenny was in the bottom three the next evening and she had to 'prove herself' to the band. Jenny attempted to rock out as hard as she could, but her voice wasn't 'nasty' enough.

Ian turned to me and said (whilst shaking his head) "Jenny is pushing against a brick wall, metaphorically, and it isn't going to break". Sure enough, our Jenny was sent home.

However, when our 10 year old boy made that statement with the seriousness of a judge, both his father and I looked at each other, threw up our hands and simultaneously chimed "Not my kid".

In my head I was saying, what the Hell was that? but to my boy, I simply said, Ian you are aabsolutely right.

Visit Swank at http://www.swanktrendz.com

By: Christine

Am I missing something here? By no means do I feel that life is not precious, be it born or in utero, but come on Dubya! We’re talking stem cell research and you can apply restrictions to the type of research. His veto has set back the entire movement.

"This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others," Bush said at the White House, following through on his promise to veto the bill. "It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect. So I vetoed it."

As someone wrote on the internet (sorry - no citation as it was a flash) here is the “Decider” of which lives are sacred and which aren’t. So Dubya, that squiggly little cell mass in a petri dish is far more important than those dying in Darfur, Lebanon, etc.

Now, of course, all these unused frozen embryos will have to be disposed of in case someone actually keeps trying to do research with them. After in vitro, ‘embryo adoption’ - which is a rarity, or whatever else is ‘legally’ needed of these embryos, they will be destroyed.

He and his ilk are idiots. One step forward, three steps back in Bush’s case.

This:

Is more important than this:

...or, Where to Shop in the UK

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Contributed by Lezah

It used to be, back in the days before kids and mortgages, that I tried to get over to Britain about every third year, where I could stay with my relatives for free, do the tourist thing - and shop! I would stock up every three years on my trips to the UK, so I really had very little I ever 'needed' to buy back here at home - and everyone was always asking me where I got my stuff; it was so 'different'. And that's different in a good way, folks - if I do say so myself...

Sadly, I have not made it to Britain for five years now, and I am feeling it most intensely this summer. My cousin is getting married, so I'm missing a big family re-union - and I'm running low on clothes! Sure, I can always buy something here, but it's not really the same, is it?

If you happen to be going to Britain, you will find it one of the most fashion-forward places on earth. So fear not: even if you are going to the furthest reaches, you can still come across some fantastic finds, no matter where you are.

Take, for instance, the great little fitted white pillowed hoodie vest I found on my last trip to Stromness in the Orkney Islands. Or the fabulous flower-covered Dr. Martens I picked up on my second last visit to Glasgow (these boots garner the most compliments of any item in my wardrobe - and in typical 'Doc' fashion, they are still in great shape ten years later, in spite of some very hard wear). Or the suede jacket I picked up on Petticoat Lane at the open market there? And what about the car boot sales - armloads of clothes for one or two pounds per item. It's just crazy - brilliant crazy, that is!

But if you don't have time to run all over creation, try this: Topshop. Now, I don't usually shop in chain stores at home, but when in Rome... If you go to Oxford Street in London, a shopper's paradise, you will find the flagship Topshop store. It is a multi-level store containing a variety of mini-stores to appeal to a broad range of different fashion tastes. But if you're not in London, Topshop pops up in pretty much every other major (and smaller) city throughout Britain. Check it out. Another good chain store is Selfridges, also at various locations throughout the nation.

Also on Oxford Street (301-309) is River Island, where one can find budget-friendly versions of whatever was most recently shown on the last runway shows.

And London abounds in vintage clothes, too. Check out any charity shop - Oxfam being one - or, if you prefer your vintage a little more organized, try Cloud Cuckoo Land (6 Charlton Pl.)for styles from the 1890s to the 1960s. Shoes more your thing? Absolute Vintage (15 Hanbury St.) has the best selection.

But you really must try one of those open air markets.

...and other stuff I listen to

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Contributed by Lezah

Inevitably, when I give someone a ride in my vehicle, said person will make some comment about the music I listen to. A couple of my favourites include, "This sounds like a cult!" and "What is this garbage?" (okay, so I don't actually like that one so much...). Most commonly, however, it'll be something a little more generic, like, "You listen to weird music." To which I usually want to give some snappy (and oh, so mature) comeback like, "Yeah, and you smell bad, but I'm not so rude to tell you that" - but somehow, I never do return the big insult.

Too polite? Too jaded? Too wimpy? Who knows.

The fact is, it's not really me who is responsible for the so-called weird music that is played in my car. That honour goes to Dave, who not only owns a huge collection of music spanning many different decades and genres, but who also enjoys spending all his spare time making mixed tapes or cds. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. The one I am listening now is actually one of my favourites, so I'm going to share with you.

He's entitled it 'Superstars of the 1890s' and has even created a cover that's somewhat reminiscent of an old K-Tel album from the '70s. On it he has put 15 different artists - some I like, and some I could live without.

1. Stereolab's 'Kybernetcika Babicka Pt. 1' - I love Stereolab, having seen them live quite a few year ago now. This song is light on lyrics and is a great way to start the cd.

2. The Constantine's 'On to You' - very Bruce Springsteen-ish - but in a good way.

3. Judee Sills' 'I'm Over' - I've read in a few places where the late Ms. Sills has been compared as the female version of Nick Drake. This folk songstress has a strikingly beautiful voice, but the between you and me, the whole folk thing is really not my cup of tea...

4. Gene Clark's 'With Tomorrow' - co-founder of the Byrds, Gene Clark has the most wonderful, melodic voice: soft, smooth, soothing. And yet everything I hear of his leaves me tinged with sadness. I thought this song was just him on acoustic guitar, but not so - there's percussion as well, but it's just laid down with such a fine touch it complements Clark's voice wonderfully without distracting the listener.

5. Iron Maiden's 'Killers' - Iron Maiden was the first concert Dave ever went to. That's the only explanation I can think of for this being on the cd.

6. Joanna Newsom's 'Sprout and the Bean' - avant garde would be how I would have to describe this one, a harp tune accompanied by Newsom's arresting baby voice. Definitely the least accessible song as far as the general public would be concerned.

7. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti 5's 'Every Night I Die at Miyagi's' - this is one of my favourites. Kind of the Cure meets a salsa band. Mojo rated this one a 4/5.

8. The Beta Band's 'Inner Meet Me' - the first time I saw the Beta Band (my all time favourite live act), they started the show with this song. It just builds and builds and builds. And I love a song with so many layers. It slays me.

9. The Cure's 'The Lovecats' - I never listened to The Cure much, but this song is making me want to go back and dig out some old cds to see what else I missed.

10. The Shins' 'Turn a Square' - Elyse, from the first (and best) cycle of America's Top Model was seeing the keyboard player of this band during the show's taping. We almost went to see the band the first time they were in town, but missed them. And I am sad - very, very sad. The lyrics are so me - take a look at just a couple of examples from this song: "... Just a glimpse of ankle/and I/react like it's 1805", and "and I left my home/just to whine in this microphone." I'm all about the self-deprecation and introspection, so this band is one I'm all over.

11. Destroyer's 'School, and the Girls Who Go There' - this one hasn't caught my ear quite as much as some of the others, but I certainly, if I had a magic wand, wouldn't take it off the cd either. I'm a bit ashamed I don't like it more, as Dan Bejar is a friend of a friend and I feel that I should be loyal to the hometown boy. He's well-known for his complex lyrics and is currently getting a lot of positive reviews for his songs from all over. Yeah, Dan! Yeah, Vancouver!

12. Belle and Sebastian's 'Act of the Apostle' - not my most favourite Belle and Sebastian song, but I still like it. See The Shins above (#9) for my views on self deprecation and other assorted qualities.

13. Terry Callier's 'Ordinary Joe' - here's a guy who managed to catch the train the second time around. A childhood friend of Curtis Mayfield, this Chicago native had some regional hits during the '60s and '70s before giving up music to become a computer programmer at the University of Chicago. Then the '90s came around and some British djs got a hold of his stuff and the rest, as they say, is history. Gigs in Europe, winning the United Nation's Time for Peace Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement Contributing to World Peace - how could life get any better? He's really big on the UK soul scene, but when I first heard him, I thought it was Tom Jones! Sacrilege! But I love it. Love, love, love it.

14. Outkast's 'Hey Ya' - love this song, love the video. Don't think I've ever heard anything else by Outkast (or the Andre 1/2 of the band, anyway) - but this song is enough. It's so big. Big enough to live on.

15. Sufjan Stevens' 'The Transfiguration' - this one is Mary's current obsession, actually. Pitchfork gave Illinoise, the album this song is from, a 9.2. Stevens has stated that he as plans to write an album for all 50 states - he's got 48 to go. Busy, busy, busy is my prediction for this guy's next few years. His folk/indie pop/electronica sound might not be for everyone, but I love the celebration of spirit (both lower case and upper case 's' work). Even more than this song, I like another song of his called 'John Wayne Gacy, Jr.' - look it up if you haven't heard it already.

That's right.

I'm making a list of possible baby names.

For no reason; i'm not expecting or anything.

Don't judge me.

[Also, quick note to my future wife, some (or more accurately 'most') of these names are non-negotiable... so just pick one and deal with it.]

Lil' dude names:

-Jasper D. Gillis

-Artimus Prime Gillis

-Daniel Halen Gillis

-Night Train

-Kingsley Zissou Gillis

-Galactus

Lil' chick names:

-Reena Marie Gillis

-Zoey Ramone Gillis

-Novacane Sophia-Iris Magdelene Gillis

-Scarlett Johanssen Gillis (named after her mother)

-Daughter 1.0

Also: I think it would be interesting to name any child, male or female, Dead By Five Gillis.

picture it...

"Hey, Gillis, cool name. How old are you?"

"Why I'm twenty-two years old."

"Wow! You're doing awesome! Congratulations dude/babe!"

How encouraging!

And this will only get better as he/she ages.

Retirement will be a hoot.

Of course, if I did name a child this, and the child did perish somehow before its fifth birthday.... wow.... holy embarrassing.

My (common law) wife would fucking kill me.

While listening to Dinosaur Jr. this morning I somehow came to the realization that my going through puberty plotted an almost exact trajectory with the popularity of Grunge music.

For example: at the very beginning of the 90's, puberty/grunge seemed to come out of nowhere. And then, suddenly, it was everywhere. ever present.

Those first few shaky years of the decade absolutely reeked of puberty/grunge.

Everything was new and exciting.

It was an age of exploration; anything was possible.

Long hair was sprouting up everywhere. Everywhere.

And for a while it seemed like puberty/grunge would take over the entire world and maybe change it forever.

But then, by mid-decade, things had cooled off considerably.

Puberty/grunge wasn't new or exciting anymore.

Things became gratuitous.

Puberty/grunge's once edgy edge had been dulled by drug use and mountainous sarcasm; things began to feel forced, awkward.

People began sporting "Puberty/Grunge Is Dead" t-shirts.

And maybe it was.

Maybe it was time to give those young nubile teen starlets a fair shake.

those were heady times all right.

I'll never forget them.

And things will probably never be like that again.

Thank God.

[Update!: dude... my armpit hair is starting to get really thick!]

[Update 2!: what the fuck do you mean Soundgarden broke up?]

Picadilly Club July 14/06

Capacity Crowd

BY: Christine

The Main reason I went to the Pic was to see The Glim Project. They were third in the line-up and, again, it was to be a drummer’s night for both bands (DnP and Glim) - they were definitely both hitting their stride. Watch out Danny Carey, Neil Peart, and Dave Grohl... the new generation is arriving.

When Glim took the stage I was aware of two things: a) great getups such as: beanie hat, pink wig, Dracula shirt etc. I love a band that does not take itself too seriously in the presentation department; b) the crowd thinned out during their first song “Elitist”. If you know The Glim Project, this is a good song so I was becoming concerned that the Pic’s crowd was going to turn out to be an indifferent audience, outside smoking, waiting for the mainliners.

As soon as they struck the first three chords of “Malcontent”, the audience gravitated to the stage and literally got hooked. The thinned crowd was soon packed and jumping,and grew exponentially.

With 40 gigs under their belt, the band was tight and focused. There were minor disruptions ie: the odd injury (those damn drummers), and out of tune guitars - the usual live issues.

As they played into their set I was absolutely mesmerized by the frenzied playing of the drummer (Marco) and bassist (E) (ala John Frusciante of the Chili Peppers - YES I know he’s not a bassist!). Then there was the fill-in guitarist, Caleb (for Geoff, whom had a prior engagement). Rumour has it that Caleb can fill in for almost any band without missing a beat - and this came from the audience rumour mill. From my observances - definitely. The singer’s (Lucanus’) pitch was off key on a couple of songs, but not enough for the crowd to care. After I spoke with him, it became more understandable because of his prior illness etcbut that will be in a later interview/article. Luke’s voice is reminiscent of Tim McIlrath’s of Rise Against, strong yet not too forced.

My personal fave Glim Project song is ‘Coming Home’ and they did it well, although not as well as they in could in their opinion.

I find the band has interesting percussionist/bassist slowdowns in some mid songs - horrible analogy and I apologize up front, but I remember Elton John’s slow l... 2... 3...1... 2 ... piano/percussion beats during Benny and the Jets (not that Elton/Bernie Taupin and The Glim Project have much in common, other than some good lyrics).

The grand finale was eventful, fun, clanging and the audience ate it up! The Glim Project had DnP, Shiver, and who knows who else on stage playing their final song. The enthusiasm was contagious and the crowd was eating out of their hands - well done.

The band originally released “Illumination from a Candle” back in 2004/05 but feel their upcoming cd is more representative of their future direction. And speaking of direction, they were hard to classify so we just decided on indie heavy thrash rock. Let a label do the final decision. 9/10

Picadilly Club, July 14/06

Capacity Crowd

By: Christine

As usual, I feel the need for the superficial fashion observations. As Lezah and I have noted before, The Pic has some of the best looking/dressed people we’ve seen at concerts (and if you’ve followed our notes, you know of the disasters). Young uber-chic gals, showing the latest (retro) Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy mod dresses ala ‘60s. Neon geometric designs on white, tight, short dresses, with go-go boots - very interesting. Are the ‘60s making a return?

After surviving on 4 hours sleep in 48 hours, I stumbled into the Picadilly in time to see DnP’s last half hour. This band was second in a lineup of four bands, and I had no intention of reviewing them, but they hooked me upon entry.

Their presence was commanding - eye candy to be sure, but talented with an avid following. The followers knew their lyrics and were rockin’ out to the point of heat exhaustion. I cannot tell you the band members’ names, or who played which instrument, but I can suggest you keep your eyes open for this indie act.

They were actually foreshadowing what was to come during the next act - excellent drumming, amazing guitar rifts, and hard driving bass. What was unusual about DnP was that the bassist did most of the interaction/chatting with the crowd (and very well). Yes, I know bassists can be spokesmen, but it isn’t the norm.

When DnP did a fun/thrash cover of ... Corey Hart’s (gag) “Sunglasses at Night”, it actually made me want to buy the version. Yep - write this band’s name down and check out their next gig. 9/10

The ‘Passion’ of Music

A girlfriend and I were discussing the ol’ days of music and passion. I’m not talking sex here - I am talking pure passion. The kind where you are up against a wall and kissing a fellow as though you will never live to do that again. The groping, the lust, the everything... but sex. We decided that going without sex was okay (a tad frustrating) but the passion was undeniably fantastic.

Onto the connection with music.

1982 - The Ghost in You by Richard Butler.

1984 - The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen.

1986 - 1989 Don Henley - The End of Innocence, Stranglers - There’s always the Sun, Bruce Cochran - The Untouchable One, - Blue Rodeo -Try, INXS - I Need you Tonight. Crowded House - You’d Better Be Home Soon.

1990 - Everyone’s a Winner by Bootsauce.

1990’s - Anything by Concrete Blonde, Offspring.

2000’s - Queens of the Stone Age, Killers, Arctic Monkeys etc.

I am missing a ton of songs but I have too many friends to record them all so I think I have some main ones.

What is it about being in a club, hearing a live (or recorded) rockin’ song, and then suddenly needing to connect with the opposite sex? Where’s that brick wall, and let’s get to it! As Luke Doucet sings, “It’s not the liquor I miss, it’s just the days are so long,”. I hear you Luke, it’s not the liquor I miss, and yes my days are long, but every so often my friends and I can reminisce back to brick walls, cement floors, beaches, occasional golf courses, football fields - (hey, my friends are interesting!) Luke, it annoys me that I can never go back to that passionate lust after a great song. Such is age... such is marriage... such are children... such is life. But hell, been there, done that, and lived to not regret a single moment.

Serious note here - Syd Barrett (Roger changed it to Sid) of Pink Floyd died at the age of 60. I felt bad for the young’uns who are hooked on Pink Floyd and the other bands of that era. Barrett created the band in 1966, and wrote a dozen of some of their (in my opinion) best songs. (Actually his first gig was in 1965, but with different members)

He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band as well as the main mentor. In 1968 Barrett was ousted from the band for getting a too messed up on drugs (mainly acid) but rumour has it that the death of his father at the age of 15 didn’t help. Committed briefly to a mental institution - shades of a sad genius. Only a Floyd fan would understand the background of “Wish You Were Here”.

How I wish, how I wish you were here.

We're just two lost souls

Swimming in a fish bowl,

Year after year,

Running over the same old ground.

What have we found?

The same old fears.

Wish you were here.

Imagine - his band, his creation, and getting the boot? However, in 1975 Pink Floyd wrote a song to pay tribute to Sid entitled, “Shine on you Crazy Diamond”.

Nobody knows where you are,

How near or how far.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

Pile on many more layers

And I'll be joining you there.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

And we'll bask in the shadow

Of yesterday's triumph,

And sail on the steel breeze.

Come on you boy child,

You winner and loser,

Come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine!

Yet Barrett had not spoken to Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Rick Wright, or his replacement, Dave Gilmour for 30 years. Sure the band is reforming and planning tours, but hey... where’s Sid?

Stones Tour

Well, well, the decrepit Rolling Stones have started their tour in Milan today after a delay due to Keith Richard’s brain surgery. I don’t know - I still believe the theory that he’s been dead for years and they just prop him up and pull the strings (okay... nasty considering he is my fave Stone due to my rescuing nature)

Dylan on Broadway?

Bob Dylan’s music is being turned into a Broadway play - hello? Apparently it will involve a son, father and circus. (Do you think Dylan’s idol Woodie Guthrie will be mentioned?)

Here in beautiful British Columbia, we have something called the Agricultural Land Reserve. It is designed to protect farmland, and with the increase in our population, a strong economy and the resultant building boom that's going on, protecting farmland has become a somewhat archaic concept.

Land, especially farmland, is currently being eaten up at an alarming rate. After all, it's a lot cheaper for developers to go into a farming area that's already cleared, has roads and other services rather than to have them develop on a mountainside or in a forest. So farmland seems to be fair game these days.

Case in point: Barnston Island, in the middle of the Fraser River. If you are driving into (or out of) Vancouver you will cross the Port Mann Bridge; look to the north as you are crossing over to the Fraser River. There you will see Barnston Island.

A group of developers are proposing to take 85% of the Barnston Island land out of the Agricultural Land Reserve and turn this pastoral jewel into an industrial park. The remaining 15% is primarily land owned by the Katzi Indian Reserve. Whichever way you slice it, it's not a good thing. The agricultural land on Barnston Island is currently being farmed - it is not sitting fallow. The land is graded between Grade #1 and Grade #2 (depending upon whose expert you happen to listen to) - top agricultural land, in other words.

How this proposal ever got this far is beyond me, but if it is approved, it will pave the way for developers to roll over the rest of the agricultural land in the Fraser Valley. Go to www.barnstonisland.com for more information.

Allen Torttier

TWISTED BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION w/ BENNY BENASSI Twisted Productions is proud to welcome back to Vancouver... and for a VERY cool birthday party: Benny Benassi. Benny is definitely no stranger to us here in Vancouver and we could think of no other person for this special occasion... what's the occasion' -- It's Twisted's very own Azim (July 14th) and Dennis aka. Tazix (July 15th) birthdays! Not only that BUT IT'S ALSO BENNY'S !... [more]

WHEN: July 14, 2006

PAUL OAKENFOLD

A Lively Mind is Paul Oakenfold's second artist album and his second for Perfecto Records. Of course, every single one of his mix albums and projects have involved a high level of artistry. Paul Oakenfold has long been one of the most important--if not the most important--name in modern club culture. People who don't know that much about DJ culture or the music itself are familiar with Oakenfold's name and what he represents. Of course, many people who think ... [more]

WHEN: July 17, 2006

KRAFTY KUTS - FREAKSHOW ALBUM RELEASE

Our resident KRAFTY KUTS returns to Vancouver for a very special occasion' his west coast, debut solo artist album release party! Breaks heads will already know this, but the album is called 'Freakshow' and is coming out on the label Against the Grain in June! It's been 9 months since he was last here, but in that time he has not only finished this album which touches on ...[more]

WHEN: July 21, 2006 BOTH THE FREESTYLERS

So, here's what you probably already know about The Freestylers - They've made over 50 songs, sold over half a million records, scorched the charts with jams like 'Push Up' and 'B-Boy Stance', have won numerous awards over the years, frequently tour with their live band, had their track 'Ruffneck' licensed in the hit movie Zoolander and have even opened for Lenny Kravitz! ... [more]

WHEN: August 10, 2006

I have been seriously pondering cutting a mustache. seriously.

I've been weighing the various pros and cons of wearing a moustache for weeks now, and I'm still on the fence.

Pro: I think moustaches are rad. Con: I'll probably look like a greasy pedophile.

I've been asking all my friends and advisors what they think and the results I'm getting are completely black and white.

For my male friends the answer is unanimously Yes, cut a ‘stache immediately. Female friends, about 99% say No, don't do it, not ever, we won't talk to you. The Trannies are still undecided.

Why does the moustache carry such a weird stigma for this generation? Look at our parents generation. Soup strainers everywhere, they were almost mandatory. Think back to when you were a youngster... how many of your friends’ fathers had staches? I'll wager more than half of them did. In my whole neighborhood, out of a dozen local dads, only one walked ‘stache free. And, years later, he turned out to be gay. But that's neither here nor there.

Who was it then, that hijacked the moustache's reputation? Who raped it of its days of prominence and glory and dragged it into it's current state of mockery, hipster irony and implied greasiness?

Was it you Selleck? Reynolds? Gene Fucking Shalit?

I'm going to find out. I'm going to put the crumb duster back on the pedestal where it belongs. The moustache; not just for pornstars and asshole cops anymore.

• some winged puppies

• more Polaroid film

• a taco within a taco

• a phone call from "Weird Al" Yankovic

• gigantic trampoline

• the answers to life's Big Questions, accompanied with a warm, bubbling sense of calm and acceptance

• surprise costume party!

• surprise costume BBQ party!

• some vigorous fellatio

• that old, red, pedal-brake BMX I had when I was eight

• Journey tickets

• having the stairwell replaced with a series of firepoles (so I could pretend I was Batman and/or one of the Ghostbusters, and maybe, to a lesser degree, a real life firefighter)

• a friendly chimp to drink and laugh with (a sort of "Booze Monkey", if you will)

• Laser Tag

• waterslide Laser Tag

• naked waterslide Laser Tag (naked except for the Laser Tag Laser Sensors of course, otherwise it wouldn't be much of a game of Laser Tag, would it?)

• a serious back-scratching

Friday night we ended up cruising the strip through the middle of Langley. Ah, but it brought me back in time, for that's exactly what I used to do back in my high school days - cruise the strip through the middle of Langley. Back and forth, back and forth. Sad, but true.

But times have changed, because today the cruising is secondary to the evening culture that Langley has developed. Back in the old days, when people cruised the strip, it was all about the cars and seeing people who you knew - and they were usually in other cars, because no one walked around back then. If you could arrange to get together somewhere else later in the evening, so be it. That's what it was all about.

But this Friday night was something else. We hit the same part of town that was the old 'cruise strip', but it's been gentrified (in a good way) - it's now full of people, art galleries, coffee shops and the like. There was a band playing in the square outside of one of the coffee shops, and the sidewalks were full of people. There were cars, many of them vintage, but instead of cruising, they were parked. A comment on today's gas prices? Perhaps. But it added to the atmosphere, as people strolled along, window shopping, looking at vintage cars, and popping in and out of the stores that were still open.

We came up to the Westwind Art Gallery where they were having an opening reception. It, too was packed, and so we went in, lured in part but the people already inside, in part by the art, and in part by the possibility of free food.

It turns out that the evening of June 23 was the opening reception of an art show featuring BC artists Les Funk and Darren Perkins. The show was entitled Shorelines & Trails, and their work celebrates the beauty of the BC Coastal region. Some aspects of their landscapes and seascapes reflect the influence of other Canadian artists like Emily Carr and the Group of Seven. But in particular, Darren Perkins' work was strong in his ability to capture light, especially reflected light. We arrived an hour after the reception had started, and already three paintings had been sold. The show continues at the gallery until July 1, 2006.

We ventured deeper into the gallery and found some other interesting artists, too. It turns out the gallery specializes in BC and Alberta artists who are either contemporary realists or who work in traditional styles in a variety of mediums. I especially liked Carol Evans' watercolours, and found Brian Croft's scenes of old Vancouver very well executed and instructive, at the same time. Another painter, Max Jacquard, specializes in paintings of trains and is said to be the equivalent of Robert Bateman. There were many carvings and sculptures that I found that were very well done, also.

So, if you happen to be cruising through Langley, stop in old Langley at the Westwind Gallery. There's lots worth looking at.

Back in the winter of 2000 (December 18th to be precise) I broke my tibia and fibula on some black ice. It was painful, to be sure, and I went through all sort of operations, rehabilitation, and then tried to cover the scars with tattoos - yet right - it merely brought more attention to them.

Imagine my surprise when my (then) six year old announced for Show ‘N Tell that his mother pirouetted three times on black ice, fell into a ditch where she lay in the dark of the night for three hours crying for help. What the hell? When I asked him why he would embellish such a simple break, he explained that my version was too ‘boring’. Hmm.

Fast forward to 2006. On April 28th I was in a car crash. Pretty serious given that I went off the main freeway, flew over a secondary road and ended up in a storefront (luckily no one else was involved/hurt.) I walked away with a broken wrist and some soft tissue damage. Took a cab home and wrote off the car, as it was totaled. “Yessiree, angels on my shoulders” as the policeman (who was giving me sobriety tests galore) informed me. After passing a clean bill of toxicity - quite embarrassing as there was no real reason for the accident. I can only blame the accident on my adhd kicking in. Hey there’s a cool sign - swerve!

After a couple of weeks I returned to work to hear exclamations of, “Oh my God, you fell asleep at the wheel?” Me - What? Hell no - where’d you hear that? Well my now ten year old decided to announce to the world that I fell asleep at the wheel and swerved off the freeway; over many other roads including going through several stores before I ‘woke up.” Why, I asked? Well Mom, it sounded better saying you ‘fell asleep’ rather than were just ‘being stupid’.

I guess it’s all in the telling.

By Mike Gillis

I am an adaptable person.

I am also no stranger to shitty plumbing.

Usually, when the spectre of shitty plumbing rears its shitty head, I just buck up, adapt, and the world keeps on spinning.

But lately, adaptation has become nearly impossible.

For the first several months of my lease in this building I'd have to let the shower run for a good four or five minutes before the water got even moderately warm (or Skywalker Warm, as I like to call it; don't judge me).

This was a minor shitty plumbing setback and I adapted easily.

But during the past few weeks things have changed.

The water paradigm has shifted completely, and now runs scalding hot almost instantly.

I was not ready for this.

I jumped in without testing the morning waters and I got burned.

Jesus ass-fucking christ I got burned.

I'm glad my balls aren't located in the center of my chest, because then I'd be minus two balls and plus one gaping lava wound where my balls used to be.

I actually screamed "YIP!!" at full volume as I recoiled out of the firestorm of boiling death water.

Now I'm a reasonable man with passable personal hygiene, but a shower is about more than just soaping up up ones nether regions.

Showertime is supposed to be a peaceful, sacred time.

A time for deep thought, for off key Van Halen lyrics.

For a few minutes each day the shower should be a man's personal and private Champagne Room; a mini Eden for one.

Not a Chamber of Skin Peeling Lasers.

Sure... I could just buck up and adapt to this too, but the water paradigm is changing every few days now. Tuesday: all scaldy. Thursday: colder than a dead nun's vag. This tri-weekly switchover is completely random comes without warning. and once it's spraying, altering the temp is barely an option; hot stays hot, cold stays cold, no matter which way you crank the temperature controlling knobby thing. I have to monitor this very closely now. Which is difficult on those gauzy, hungover mornings. Shitty plumbing, you are a wily foe indeed.