LIKE A FINE WINE LIFE JUST GETS BETTER WITH REALIZATIONS








(not the Vancouver gig poster)

There are definitely some very good things about getting older: you get more handsome (girls and boys), your dick gets bigger, you have more to look back on and reflect, and you meet more girls.

But another great thing is that you realise that no matter how many different types of "rock" music there is , it's like Huey Lewis eluded too, it's the heart of rock and roll that matters. This past Friday night The Hold Steady poured their hearts, as well as a lot of Jack Daniels and some reefer, right off of their sleeves and onto several hundred peoples' souls. There was a surpsingly low amount of people in The Plaza on Friday which makes absolutely no sense to me. But those that were there got to witness the equivalent of TV On The Radio playing The Piccadilly a few years ago and Queens of The Stone Age playing the Starfish room in 1998 (or was that 1999?). This was a band at it's absolute pinnacle of rockinitis. No matter where they go from here, how big they get, how big a venue they play, anything, this will be the show that now defines this band to me (and Rob after I called him at 1:30 a.m. to let him know this).

The band played most every song off the new album, Boys and Girls in America, and several off their previous two albums. There was no faking it. Craig Finn was hopping all over the stage clapping hands like a spastic nerd, Tad Kubler kept the guitar choppy, Franz Nicolay played sweet keys with the look and swagger of Al Swerengen from Deadwood, Bobby Drake was steady on the beat, and Galen Polivka was a drunken cupid shooting the audience with his fake arrows. Less than half way through the set the big-ass bottle of Jack was passed around the stage and Craig Finn would periodically bend down to take hits off one of the many joints being waved the bands way. That's rock and roll.

It's tough to say this is a truly original band as far as sound goes, but that's probably been the case for over 15 years with any music being played by guitar, bass and drums. What's not tough to say is that The Hold Steady hits you with good time rock that tells a story in every song; anyone who's grown up in North America will completely know where the lyrics are coming from. They get you into party mode no matter what you might think you're nights going to be like. This is a party band that loves their fans as much as their music. The last time they strolled through town Rob and I just missed them opening for The Constantines, but we met them at Bosman's afterwards and had good times and good chats with them. We didn't go out with them this year, but they extended an invitation to all to join them in getting more drunk and partying after the show.

It was a good night. Right now I'm holding my hand up, palms outwards and twisting my first and second fingers around each other. Will you do the same?

WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN WAS NOT

Yes, I do live a life with elements that most of you would love to have the wherewithal to do. But, yes, there are nights when there is something missing or lost from the fantastic fireworks display that is a night out with me.

This past Saturday I made it to two shows that should have been outright spectacular. However, me getting to the shows was more interesting than both shows. And that hurts me to say because the second was Yo La Tengo, a band I love more than life itself.

They were so unspectacular, both shows, that I won't even write about them. Sufjan Stevens put on a decent show in a large church; but it's not right when the venue outplays the performer. Nevertheless, god bless Sufjan and his beautiful band for making sweet, sweet music from the heart. It was still a good show, but I was looking to be blown away.

YLT rocked and rolled like not many others, yet again. I think the reason I didn't get into this show so much (asides from being drunk and stoned alone) is that I was the last person to walk in (after paying the bouncer $25 to put me on the guest list; two suckers in front of me gave him $20 plus had to buy a ticket). I had to head to the upper deck and couldn't see much; but, it's about the sound really, and the sounds were magnificent. Several tracks off of "I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One" made me happy as did the double Jack on ice.

Anyways, getting stoned in a lineup outside a church and chatting with hipsters is an all right way to spend an evening. The walk in rain several blocks to Richards is not a good way to spend an evening. And getting in line at 7/11 at 1:15 a.m. to buy hot dogs and diet pop isn't so hot either.

Next up: The Hold Steady on Friday. I know that this will be a good night.

"IT'S COMING BACK AROUND AGAIN"

The above lyric was followed by, "This is for the people of the sun!!!" as sung by Zach De La Rocha in Rage Against the Machine.

However, I don't think there's any people of the sun in this town.

Nevertheless, it appears unless I mess things up beyond reason I will once again be calling Kamloops home.


This is far from an easy decision, but take a look at the picture below. Who could walk away from that?

I didn't think so.