Supporting Cast

Hello to all of you in internet-land. You probably only being Melissa since she's the only one who knows about or reads this.

Anyways, a few days ago, I ended up going down to the beach with my girlfriend and roommate (one of 3) and one other friend, we had a good time and they all enjoyed a few cigarettes and some wine. And then the drunk talks of starting a business together and having our own modelling agency started up, (thus coinciding with the increase of fascination with fashion in my household) and I realized that I never going to be the big star of whatever group I am in.

I have noticed I am definitely more of a behind the scenes person. I'm generally quiet, reserved and don't speak my opinion all that often. Thus I resort to internet blogs which no one reads to get out what I need to say. But that's beyond the point. I've did the grad film for our school, where I was behind the camera, I've done tech work, backstage work and even at parties I end up cleaning up after everyone. I usually go unnoticed.

Even in my house, I compare myself to the disgruntled mother who makes sure everything happens in such a way. The pots in our sink are piled up because no one is willing to do them, the trash is sitting outside of the bin, but it's open and in our kitchen, waiting for someone else (which probably will end up being me) to take it out. And it pisses me off. No one will clean anything on their own.

I know you're going to say, well just leave it and let them live in their own filth. Well then I will retort with, "then I have to live in it too" and I have a few OCD tendencies and thus I clean our kitchen on a rather regular basis. Maybe next week when my one roommate leaves to Toronto, I'll go stay with my girlfriend on a semi-permanent basis, and then I won't have to deal with this at all.

So I guess part of my personality, part of my life choices and part of my situation has made me the way I am. I am complaining about it, but I don't want to change it. I like being unseen sometimes, I don't need to be the shining star with the spotlight on me at all times. But it's nice to get some credit and be appreciated once in a while. I guess that's all I want.

That's my rant for today, in other news, Microsoft bought Yahoo and now their search engine "Bing" may provide some actual competetion for the giant that is Google. Also, Michael Phelps lost a race! The first time in four years since he's lost, and the guy throws a hissy fit. The german guy who won was apparently wearing an 'illegal' supersuit that makes swimmers more buoyant and streamlined, thus making swimming easier. He says that he won't return to the world competitions until "it becomes about swimming again." But apparently he just broke another world record, I guess things change pretty quickly. According to the Globe and Mail, swimming world records are being broke twice as often as they used to be since 2004, each having a life span of about 382 days.


Microsoft buys Yahoo
Michael Phelps Loses but then He Wins Again!

That's all for now,

Later Days
-J

CD Review - John Pippus - This City & Five Star Trailer Park - The Fight That Broke Your Heart

Here are my first two reviews for my school paper. I'm only allowed around 300 words, so it's hard to write what you want with so few words. I hope you enjoy!


John Pippus – This City - SOCAN
http://johnpippus.com/
John Pippus is a Vancouver born singer and guitarist who has put out an album entitled “This City,” he’ll also be appearing at this years Victoria Fringe Festival. According to his website, he’s been playing and singing since age of twelve and is finally putting out his first CD. It should be known that he was twelve when the Beatles were finally striking it big in America. So John is about the same age as my dad, who recently celebrated his 56th birthday at the end of July. This gives you the kind of idea of what I was expecting when I picked up his album.

Surprisingly on the first track “Some Days,” John’s age does not come through the headphones. He sounds like he could be fit amongst many of the boys with guitars like Damien Rice or Conor Oberst. But in later tracks you can start to hear his age catching up with him, almost whispering on tracks like “Little Things” and “Don’t Want To Think About That.” While listening to the gentle CD, the track “Yes We Can (Dreams)” comes out of left field and hits you upside the head. John starts rapping. This is definitely not something expected from listening to the previous tracks, and needless to say, my roommate can think up better rhymes than “We have WMD’s and ToysRUs/Endless strip malls and kids named Gus.”

Overall this is CD is well put together, but it’s lacking a few components. John’s vocals stay in the same range through all thirteen tracks and “Yes We Can” seems better suited for someone else. I was left waiting the entire CD for something new and astounding to happen. Maybe I can give it to my dad for a birthday present; he’d probably like it.

Five Star Trailer Park – The Fight That Broke Your Heart
www.fivestartrailerpark.com

The sextet from Toronto, Five Star Trailer Park delivers a record full of different stylistic and musical content. If Matthew Good and Gord Downie had a love child, this is what he would sound like. Nick Spence’s vocals are so strikingly similar to much of the rock music of today, but there is something that makes them distinctively different.

Each one of the twelve tracks on “The Fight That Broke Your Heart” gives a unique point of view of the band. The record really starts to kick off on the fourth track, “Goodbye Caroline” that had me singing along with the chorus while listening for just the first time. Right after that, the high-energy track “Aviator” is very reminiscent of Sloan or The Trews. The peaks and valleys of this CD reach it’s lowest point on “Last Train to Montreal,” a slow piano based track. This reflective piece has you swaying back in forth, imaginary lighter in hand. Directly afterwards Five Star Trailer Park picks it up again with “Leave The Light On.” “Station Girl” hits you with a hard guitar riff, which could be mistaken for something from the late 70’s.

All in all, Five Star Trailer Park put out a rock CD that can hold it’s own in the music world of today. They’ve incorporated bits and pieces each of their varying influences, and it comes through loud and clear on the record. I would love to see what they could do with a live show. “The Fight That Broke Your Heart” has tracks that you could listen to in any mood, and it will be the perfect companion to the highs and lows you go through.

Moral Victory

Hello you!

How are you doing today? I hope all is well wherever you are! Because things are going smashingly here.

As of 10:30 today, I am officially finished taking English for the rest of my life. As you probably don't know, I am not much of an English buff, I can hardly stand the stuff. So this last month has been quite the drag for me. But! Today! I am done! Hurray for me. This is a big accomplishment for me. Now I can focus on what I love.

In current events, the girl who was a 'puppetmaster' behind the murder of a 14 year old girl got sentanced to first-degree murder today. I've been kind of keeping up with this story and I personally agree with the verdict. You can read more on the link here. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/teen-gets-life-in-rengel-case/article1233643/

Yesterday was quite the eventful day I must say. Ever since my girlfriend got back from her vacation I've been noticing in myself how much she affects me. In a good way. I think I've been in a better mood overall! It's good. I really appreciate her and everything she does for me. And she's starting to come out of her shell more I think and making more new friends, but it's kinda sad that they all leave soon. Sigh. So yay for my girlfriend! Yay for me! Things are wonderful.

Also yesterday, I had a job interview @ an IMAX theatre in town. I'm not sure how willing I am to accept the job. I have another job lined up as a line cook with Applebee's later in the fall, so I don't think I need two jobs, but who knows. So we'll see how that turns out.

You know how I said I wanted to start reviewing CD's on here? Well I found an outlet to do it! I emailed my school newspaper and asked them if they had any CD's that needed reviewing, and lo and behold! They do! So I went over and grabbed about 12 and brought them back. I've already listened to two so far, and should be writing the reviews later this afternoon!

So stay tuned!

- J

Fashionable People, Doing Questionable Things

Salutations,

Clearly I have nothing better to do with my time, and thus, I blog more.

The big thing around my house right now is fashion. My roommate has a friend who has a fashion blog, and together, with my girlfriend, find great pleasure in mocking each and every post that the authors put up. Granted some of their outfits are a little over the top and extreme, I don't believe that they're entirely that off the mark. I spent something ridiculous like 2 hours yesterday just looking at fashion lines for men with my roommate. I like to believe that I am a somewhat fashionable person, but I by no means try to be a trendsetter. So I enjoy watching people and looking at magazines to see what people are wearing, and then try and emulate that in what I have.

I read an article today about Apple iPod's have been catching on fire and burning people. And what's more, is that Apple is trying to cover it up. I can imagine that the negative publicity for Apple if these claims were to be true would be pretty astronomical. Maybe even as bad as the Dixie Chicks war bashing remarks. Click here for story. http://blog.inmusic.ca/inmusic/2009/07/did-apple-try-to-cover-up-ipod-fire-hazard.html

So I think for the blog to be useful, and to give me some kind of continuity, instead of just constant rants about my life, I am going to start trying to review a new album every week. This could become problematic if my funds start running out from buying CD's. I'm also going to try and go to more local music events here in Victoria and review those and those bands in the local scene! So comment and give me a few suggestions on albums you'd like to know about, I'll do my best!

I think that's all for now, stay tuned for more posts throughout the day, I'm out of my house for another three hours, so I've got nothing better to do!

- J

It's Only Right

Hello to you.

I really wonder who is actually going to read this. What does it take to the make a blog or an open diary or something like this 'successful'? Do I have to post three times a day and dedicate myself to my blog? That seems a little unnecessary in order to carry on a normal life. It's almost unfathomable to think of the people who become celebrities because of their blogs. I occasionally watch a YouTube channel - sxephil, and he basically reads the news and gives odd headlines. But I guess it's the way he spins it that makes him so liked. I also came across a blog not to long ago, called 'style rookie' about a girl named Tavi, I think, who is 13, and is already a fashion mogul! It's incredible what the internet has done for the world.

But at the same time. It makes me feel insignificant. I will agree that YouTube is a great thing for our generation and that it's making an entire new series of superstars. On the other hand, it takes away from the luster of being local and being great. No longer can you be the kid who's best friend's sisters aunt's cousin knows because he can play all of Stairway to Heaven. There's always someone on YouTube who can do it better, and is probably younger.

So if you've paid attention and actually read this far, then I congratulate you. I am impressed that my banter has maintained your attention span for so long. Thus, I thank you.

I think that because of YouTube it's cause people like me to try and stand out less, at fear of feeling inferior. So I try and take pride in the little things, like when someone has a picture I took as their profile picture on Facebook, or something I said as their status.

Like yesterday, I sent this girl I know an honesty box message, and it read:

"You have a great personality and good tastes in music (In my humble opinion), but I think you need to step out of the shadows and stop following everyone else. Be you! No one sees this personality! Like the things you like, not what you're suppose to like because it's trendy. Step up and stand out. The diamond in the rough has to sparkle someday."

And today I noticed that the last line was her status. It gives me a warm feeling inside that you've actually helped someone and made them happier somehow. And that's pretty cool.

So this whole blog thing is kinda getting on my nerves; anytime I go to a new page, and then come back, I have to change my font size. Pain in the ass.

I think that's all I'm gonna say for now. My house is being filled with pesticides right now because my roommates are disguting and we have ants! Yay. So I am a refugee at my girlfriend's house. Thank goodness she likes me.

sxephil - http://www.youtube.com/user/sxephil?blend=1&ob=4
Tavi - Style rookie -> http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com/


Over and out.
- J

One.

Good Morning Internet!

I suppose it's about time that I got on board the train that has long left the station, thus I created a blog. I've been wanting to do this for a while, just to get some stuff out and down in words, also to let all you know about my life and how it's going! I suppose...

Well, I guess I should start with introducing myself, I am a university student attending the University of Victoria undergoing a combined degree in Music and Computer Science. Yes, it is a weird combination I know. But you probably can't think of all the ways that the two fields actually cohiesively combine.

The following is the description given by the University Of Victoria: "The combined degree program in Music and Computer Science is for those who intend to work with both music and technology. The disciplines of Music and Computer Science have a natural affinity. The history of music over the last half century has been very largely a history of its attempts to take in and adapt the new possibilities afforded by technological innovation. A lot of live music performance involves computer technology, ranging from sound synthesizers and samplers to 3-dimensional controllers for manipulating sound. Computers are used to create digital audio (recorded and computer-generated) which is used for musical activities such producing music recordings, music for film and music for video games, and delivering this music in the form of CDs, DVDs, internet broadcasts and MP3 files for download. "

Just in case you were curious.

So that's what I'm taking in school. But there has to be more than just school!

Well, as a musician, I am in the process of learning as many instruments as possible. Currently I am taking on guitar and slowly learning my way about it. Last year I produced an album called "The Leap Year" which was a combined disc with Steve Wirzba, a friend of mine from school (See link at end of post for his music). This summer I am working on my own solo EP from the humble lodgings of my residence room. "Cluster" should be expected in September and will have between 6 and 7 songs on it. Which is a lofty goal for me.

I am a big lover of photography and thus I try and take a lot of pictures. I have begun to dwelve back into the film realm and I am really enjoying the results. This is partially because I let my brother borrow my D-SLR, but that's beyond the point. In the future I will do my best to post some of my photos.

So that's basically a quick wrap up, which brings us to the here and now. It's 5:45 am as I am writing this. You may ask yourselves why it is that I am up so early. Well, I shall explain.

But in order to do that you need some more background knowledge.
My wonderful girlfriend just returned home from her family vacation to their cabin on the lake. It was a joyful reunion that I am sure none of you really want to hear about, but that's besides the point. She is home now, and I stayed over at her place last evening. And unfortulately, switching beds does not go over to well for my body. So alas I am up.

I think this is really all for now. I'm going to do my best to post often and with some interesting stuff for you to watch, read and listen to!

Later Days,
J.

Steve Wirzba's Music -> http://www.myspace.com/stevewirzba