Canada, Departure, Mouse & Man (Man), & The Ear infection from Hell

Well it's certainly been a long time, since the last one, so here's another go my Gentle Viewers.

For the longest time I didn't update because nothing was happening. I was working my tax job, I'd come up and chill with Kim, and that was about it. Now everything's different and will still change even more in the coming weeks/months. So it's time to catch my blog breath before things get crazier. Here's what's been going on so far...

* Modest Mouse in concert!!

Surprise! Modest Mouse is coming in 3-4 days! I scrambled to get tickets, and did thanks to Kim's keen Internet skillz. They played on South Lake Union at the Naval Reserve Building. I've been in there before for an interview and didn't really envision it as a concert place, because it looked for like a gymnasium than a concert venue. However, it worked really well, and we had an easy time seeing because they built the stage so high up. It was also decorated with old lanterns that in pictures just looked like stage lights, but in-person they blinked periodically, and swayed to the vibration of the music, and made for excellent ambiance, especially when the stage was darkened.

They opened with a rather lackluster "Ocean Breathes Salty" that had me worry it was going to be a repeat of their half-hearted performance at Austin City Limits Festival, but it was only uphill from there, cranking it into high gear with catchy, head-bobbing single "Dashboard." They mostly played tracks from their latest (We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank) and Good News, with a few older ones sprinkled in. And that was a bit of a bummer, but since I am a big fan of their latter day output, I didn't mind so much. But they completely KILLED "Doin' The Cockroach." Holy Jumpin' Jesus On a Pogo Stick! It was incendiary and exhilarating. They definitely still "have it."

Johnny Marr is on the far left, Issac Brock on the far right.
Thanks to whoever & their blog I stole this pic from...

I've also read a few blogs where people were excited to see new member (and ex-Smiths) Johnny Marr, but didn't feel he added to the performance. But I was up close on his side and I felt like he really added a lot to their sound. Filled out more jangling, sparse numbers, and gave the newest songs that added melody, rhythm, and glitter that really make the POP. I'm only a casual fan of the Smiths, but it was very cool to see a legend and unquestionable pro thrown into the Mouse mix. All in all it was great show and I had lot of fun.

This is such a cinematic & beautiful promo picture.

But before I leave the topic of Modest Mouse, I'd like to spend a moment and sing the praises of their latest release, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. It has received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. Old fans and indie critics aren't happy because it's not like their old stuff and assume every song on it is trying to be the next "Float On." Pop critics are complaining that there isn't another "Float On" and that the album isn't as catchy as the last. Both the types have retarded expectations are stuck in a fixed paradigm about the band. Just relax and appreciate what is in face a fantastic album, full on great, catchy yet off-kilter tracks. The opening song "March Into The Sea" is fantastic opener, portraying Brock as some mad sea captain, sailing into oblivion and laughing all the way defiantly. Then we jump into the catch-as-all-hell and toe-tap inducing "Dashboard." I won't do a track-by-track analysis, but suffice to say it's got a little bit of everything, emotions rise and fall in all the right places, and somehow brings out more of the strange dark humor and odd melodies of their past than Good News did. Plus it's got James Mercer of The Shins on a few tracks adding some super-sweet backing vocals! Other notable tracks are "Missed The Boat" "Little Motel" and "Spitting Venom."

* Victoria, BC (Canada!!!)

Thanks to the very gracious lending of her by Nannette, Kim & I were able to go to Victoria, British Columbia 2 weekends ago. We drove as far as we could on the US side, parked, and hopped on a boat to takes us to the magical land of Canada, where Kraft dinner reign supreme, and the good folks have beady eyes and flappy heads, or at least that's what South Park says.

Despite slightly adverse weather, we wandered around for a while checking out the town before heading to our hotel we had booked for the night. The hotel was pretty nice and quite comfortable. Kim wanted to stay in and lounge for a bit, so I took to the streets and wandered around. Very quaint big city, if you catch my meaning. Just a cool vibe. While wandering around I got offered drugs THREE times on the same street corner! I just had to laugh to myself and keep walking. I came across a pretty good bookstore in my wanderings and stopped in long enough to pick up some essential reading, which you can check the sidebar for in the future.

After I'd had my fill on aimless wandering, I went back and grabbed Kim and her and I went out. We had coffee, strolled the streets, and eventually ended up a pretty swanky Italian restaurant. It was really nice and all, but I also couldn't shake the vibe that this was the place kids came for prom, or that some guys thought of this establishment as a "romantic" place for first dates, what with it's mood lighting, urban chic design with a mixture of rustic (how that works I haven't a clue) and a pricey menu to improve your money cred (I guess). The food was quite tasty, however I found it quite strange that the bread tasted like a slightly softer Goldfish.

After dinner, it was extremely cold and windy, so after taking a pit stop for excellent photo ops, we headed back to the hotel room to lay in a full belly malaise.

I'm a blur of motion in front of the parliament building

We finally scraped ourselves out of the hotel around 11:30, and headed out on the town for more exploring and coffee. While we were out, I found a place that had the Buffy Season 8 comic! I nearly had a heart attack as I saw it in the window and had to go inside and purchase it. It's been announced as "coming soon" for so long I gave up watching the release date, so it was an excellent surprise to see it. It's freaking excellent, by the way. There was much to be had in the way of Buffy collectibles, and I almost left Canada with an Angel puppet! Who can resist Smile Time?

"Do you have anything to declare?" says US Customs.
"Just an Angel puppet," I would reply.

We even stopped by a mall where I got to play Wii for minute and totally whooped an old guy at WiiTennis.

Overall, a very pleasant visit to a great town. I'm so glad Kim and I went and would love to go back when I have more time to go to the park, do the whale watching tour and all the other things I missed.

* The Leaving of My Lovely Lady =( [x 1000]

So last Wednesday Kim left. She's off to Michigan to begin her Great Lakes adventure for the next few months (aka infinity). I miss her so much already. This apartment is so much emptier without her. When I walk in the door after work I always half-expect her to be here, ready to greet me with a hug and a kiss. But I guess between tons of overtime at work and drinking, I'll make it these next few weeks okay. We talk often, so that's good, but still... Yeah, I don't know what else to say without getting upset. I'm really sad and lonely without her.

My beautiful girl and I in Canada

* The Ear Problems from HELL! (aka Speak To Me In My Good Ear)

So while all of this has been happening, I've been coping with progressively worse ear problems. I started losing hearing in my left ear progressively for the past couple of weeks, but on our last day in Canada, it began to hurt, badly. Over the next day it only worsened to the point where it felt swollen inside and I could barely concentrate because of the pressure and itching.

Somewhere between point 1 & 2 there is a BAD problem.

I was in a bit of a pickle though, because I don't have health insurance, so I had to figure out how to be treated, so we came across Country Family Doctor Clinic or something like that. They promise the charge on a "sliding scale," so that's good. I go in and see the doctor and he he says that I've got earwax buildup. Apparently my use of q-tips packed it all in so tightly against the eardrum it couldn't move and that's why it was infected. But instead of removing the wax or giving me antibiotics, all I got was some lousy drops. On the plus side, it doesn't really hurt anymore. However, it is six days later, and I still can't hear of that ear, when the drops were supposed to work in 3-5. SIGH. So unless it magically unclogs tonight, I'm calling for a follow-up appointment and ask quite forcefully that something more be done. It's so strange to only really be able to use one ear.

* Man Man LIVE!
Great googly moogly! I heard their album and thought it was pretty damn cool and original (despite some Tom Waits-ish tendencies), but after seeing them in concert, I'd go as far as to say they are one of the best damn live bands out there today!

From beginning to end, their show was pure energy and a rambunctious hootenanny of catharsis and fun! Clad in their signature all white clothing and war paint covered they ripped through so many songs in so little time, it was almost a medley, though the best medley I've ever heard! Even the crowd was into it and moving around, which is an amazing thing when it concerns Seattle crowds! They usually just stand there arms crossed nodding their head, so to see people dancing around and even crowd surfing made me happy. If any band deserved that sort of energy, it was them.

A glimpse into the beautiful madness

The only snafu came when one of the band's personal friends got ejected from the concert. They made a huge deal about it and stopped the show for almost 10 minutes, appealing for their friend. They also let us know that this was the first time they ever stopped a show, and it would be the last time they played Neumos. But that's OK, because I think they could fill the Showbox, and not that, I'd rather see them at the Crocodile Cafe anyway.

I can't stress enough how amazing this band is in concert. If you get the chance to see them, do whatever you can to do so! You WILL NOT regret it! Seriously, this was the best show I've seen since the last time I saw The Mars Volta. They were THAT good.

Here' s a little taste of Man Man. Enjoy!

So that's it for now. I'll post if anything else comes up. Hope you enjoyed the update.