20 Sep 2005
So I went to check out some more music tonight. This place wasn't as nice as the last place. It was another hole in the wall without a sign as well. I guess that's how they do things here.
Basically my friend and I were walking down the street looking for it and it went like this; shop, shop, store, restaurant, brickwall with door, shop, store, shop restaurant; realized we had gone to far; walked back hole in the brickwall. That was the club.
Now this club was small. Walking into it and up the steps made me feel like I was in my old junior high. Going into the actual performance area made me feel like I was at a junior high dance, only worse. Basically the stage was covered with faded red velvet. The side walls of the room were covered with faded black velvet. There were a half dozen tables down each side of the room and the rest was just a big open space. I guess they were expecting a bunch of people who didn't ever show up.
There were three bands playing but we only stayed for the first two since the metro closes down a little after midnight and we didn't want to cab it.
The first act was horrendous. It was called Alex and Sebastien. If you ever get a chance to see them, turn in the other direction and run far, far, FAR away. They opened up with a three, five, eight, twenty minute intro? I have no idea really. It sounded so bad it was unending torment. Then they slipped into a song that made me feel like I was somewhere under the sea with that singing crab from the little mermaid. Shortly after that one of the guys pulled out a triangle and started playing it, along with the already going bass, keyboards, drums, two violins and guitar. Then they finally said the only thing that sounded good to my ears at all, that they were only going to play one more song. Then they jumped into a country song that morphed into a 13 minute medley of waterous torcher that sounded like a giant space whale being bludgeoned to death by cosmic fiddles.
After that a band called Limited Express (Has Gone?) took the stage. From seeing the three of them on stage, a small Japanese woman and two Japanese guys you would never expect what happened to happen. From the firs touch of pick to string they three of them just lost it completely! It was insane! It was wild! It was awesome and fun! For the next 30+ minutes all you could see, hear and feel were these crazy Japanese rockers absolutely blowing the first band out of the water. The whole place stood up and moved toward the stage. Feet were tapping, legs were twitching, hands were clapping. It was like Rammstein (spelling?) only led by a crazy five foot tall Japanese woman. They were jumping all over the stage, pointing at the crowd, jumping off of the stage, going over and up and down from chairs, screaming like mad and making beautiful metal music. Someone at the venue noted afterward that they had never seen so many people there with smiles on their faces or so caught up in a show. If you get a chance to see Limited Express (Has Gone?), just do it. It's loud, it's wild, it will rock you.
15 Sep 2005
I'm good for you
In a broken way
Like when a lamp shade shatters
It's the light that matters
Everything is torn apart
In the beat of a desperate heart
The pieces won't go back together
You just sweep up the glass dust
Live with the bare light
Build some new trust
I used to be one of your heroes
From everything to nothing
In far less than zero
Faster than light
I was supporting you
You were fixing me
It was working so well for us
Or at least I thought it was
I really am good for you
In a broken way
You're right for me
In too many ways
You scare me
Or maybe I'm just afraid of what you offer
Now with the lamp shade broken
The shadows are gone
Pure light has burned away our illusions
Maybe it's just me
But I'm slowly filling with confusion
To steal a line from a favourite song
I never felt alone until I met you
The bright colours have all faded
The world is monochromatic blue
Everything feels so cold without you
You made everything feel like a dream
My beautiful bed, so soft and wonderful
That place that used to be a haven
It barely gets used anymore
I sleep on the couch most nights
My bed is made for two
It feels so empty without you
I am good for you
In a broken way
Maybe I'm bad for you too
In a broken way
Or maybe I'm not and I can't see it
Maybe we need to find a new lamp shade
To make things like they used to be
Or maybe I'm just broken
14 Sep 2005
Sometimes they hurt. The little things, the simple things, the once happy things. Sometimes they dig and claw and bend and break. The world is like that. Life has it's ways.
Sometimes they feel wonderful. The big things, the hard things, the once uncomfortable things. Sometimes they float and fly and jump and sing. The world is like that. Life has it's ways.
I've been missing people. Lots of people. Some more than others. Some less as time passes. Some more as time elapses. I find myself wondering. Where are they? What are they doing? Are they happy? My big heart bleeds with wonder.
During the day the minutes feel like hours. During the night the hours feel like minutes. I hate this paradox. This way in which the fun moments are so fleeting and the unwanted moments stretch, and stretch, and streeeeeeeeeeetch.
I want something simple. It's so simple that it's hard. It's so hard that it feels unlikely. It's so unlikely that it seems impossible. So simply impossible.
She exists. I know she does. I can feel it in the magic moments between waking and sleeping and sleeping and waking. The missing piece. The one who carries with her the rest of my soul. That person who is broken in just the right way to fit together with me.
I will teach her to see the world through my eyes. To see the beauty and to find the good in everything. She will teach me about myself and freedom and so many other things I can't even fathom.
We will share all of our moments. The cold ones, the warm ones. I will hold her when she needs to be held. I will let her go when she needs to be free. I will push her when she needs to be pushed. I will stop her when she needs to be
stopped. She will do all of the same for me.
It won't always be easy. Who would want it to be? Where is the sense of accomplishment, of achievement, if something is easy? It will be worth it. It will last.
How did I get here? It has been such a strange day. Most recently puncuated by the fact that I bought a Kit-Kat. Mmmmmm. All I could think was “Kit-Kat. I can't wait to eat that.” Then I opened it, and it looked good. Then I bit into
it, but it didn't crunch. There was no wafer. Only chocolate. So sad… I threw it away. The chocolate was fine, but not what I wanted. I wanted a chocolate coated wafer.
I blame it all on chocolate milk. I love it, love it, love it. It doesn't like me though. It makes me feel all weird and bad most of the time. Mmmmmm, I should go buy some.
My mind is missing some key ingredient these past few days. It must be sleep, or maybe rest. They two are not neccesarily exclusive, neither are they neccesarily inclusive. In my case, they don't normally come together.
Be well friends.
Philosophy trounced by chocolate yet again.
09 Sep 2005
A friend sent me this link: Pink and Pointy
08 Sep 2005
Tonight, I saw Emm play. I listened to Emm play. I lost myself in the blissful audio groove that emanates from her. She is simply amazing. Seeing her play live is almost life altering. Being able to hear Emm play live is the closest thing to a religious experience that exists in my life.
The raw passion that she has, that bleeds through the lyrics and rips through the chords, is amazing. The best day of the year has just happened! She talks between songs, telling stories, making you laugh. Then she takes you to highest of highs and the lowest of lows with her music.
At one point she was playing Disco Lights and she made the club start the disco ball spinning before she started. Then she rocked through the song, just her voice and a psychedelic liquid bass line that dripped of nostalgia and freedom. It sounded nothing like it does when she normally plays it, yet it was still amazing and unique beyond belief.
She followed that song up with a heart wrenching, nearly tear jerking, a cappella song that could bring the strongest person to their knees with the bared sadness and exquisite beauty of it all.
If the new songs she played are any indication of the quality of her new album, I can't wait to buy it! Her new songs are simply amazing. They are sadder than normal, which she herself commented on, yet they are still beautiful. One of the things I have always loved about Emm's music is how she plays with words, and she continues this great trend with her new songs.
I'm very glad that I was able to make it to the show (conveniently played across the street from where I work). The atmosphere was very intimate. The little club was full, but it was just that, a little club.
Such a little club, that even though I work across the street from it, I had never heard of it before. You walk up to it and there isn't even a name on the door. There is only an address; 5390. You open the plain glass door, walk up a set of steep beaten up stairs, take a right and you step into a grand room. It has high ceilings, a good size stage, hardwood floors, the aforementioned disco ball, a small bar and functional seating.
It was a wonderful evening! I'll smile for a solid week :)
Emm's Website