Today is such a gloomy, rainy, and cold day. The professor informed me that there is a chance for snow, but I’m not sure I believe it.

Do you ever have a moment where you expect something to be a certain way, but then find something unexpected and that something unexpected, unexpectedly exceeds your expectations?

Huh?

That’s how I felt at my spinning class this morning. I love my Saturday morning spin teacher. She is ass-kickin’ good. I heard through the gym rumor mill that she wouldn’t be there, but when I called to ask the front desk guys said that she would be there. Of course, when I walked in this morning she wasn’t there. Turns out we did in fact have a sub.

I am always a bit disappointed when there is a sub, but hope for the best. Well, today’s sub was just as ass-kickin as the regular teacher. She really gave us a sweaty good workout and pretty good music as well.

Now that’s what I call being pleasantly surprised! I was so sweaty at the end of class, it was terrific!

I’ve been pretty lazy for the first part of this morning after spin class, but I got off my butt to do my whittle my middle and my knee exercises. I had my longest plank hold today of 80 seconds…not too shabby!

In a couple hours we’ll be hopping the train to NYC to go see a concert. We’re going to see The Cat Empire. Have you heard of them? I was introduced to their music though an old aussie co-worker and saw one of their shows down in SD. I was super stoked when I saw they would be coming to NYC and on a Saturday. Glorious!

Their music gets everyone pumped and dancing. They really put on a extremely good live show.

I am going to be up and dancing tonight. Talk about a calorie blast! Did you know that dancing expends 266 calories per hour for a 130lb person. The number goes up to 317 calories for a 155lb person and 388 for a 190lb person. Nice! So I plan on dancing and having some good old fashion fun tonight. I definitely need it!

Have a great Saturday and don’t forget to enter my first giveaway…only 2 days left!!

Phish

That’s from the Jeffery Lewis song “I Saw a Hippy Girl on 8th Avenue”. But just because most hippies have successfully made the transition into the 21st century isn’t a reason to shun Phish. As you might guess, there are plenty of great reasons to catch them while they’re in the area. Starting tonight through Friday they’ll be at Madison Square Garden, so you can just hop on down to midtown for what’s going to be a great show. They just put out a new album – “Joy” this year, which was a first for them in five years. And in part of the buzz-making process they played a full-length acoustic set a month ago at Festival 8. So anything will be possible at these upcoming shows.

Tim Reynolds

Also, tomorrow night you can catch another fantastic show – Tim Reynolds at the Blender Theater at Gramercy. Tim, as you know, is good friends with Dave Matthews since they met at a bar in 1987 and most recently played Electric guitar on Dave’s “Big Whiskey and the Gru Grux King” which came out earlier this year. Tim will be performing with appearing with the other two members of the Tim Reynolds Three (TR3). It’s going to be awesome, and what’s more – we’re giving away tickets to the show! Sign up in the lab soon!

Jumping ahead two days we come to a band that I’m very excited about and frustrated at the same time. Excited, because they put on an incredible live show, and frustrated, since I’m not going to be able to go. I’m talking about The Cat Empire, who are coming to the Nokia Theater on the 5th. If you haven’t heard of The Cat Empire, they’re a Aussie rock band out of Melbourne, that’s got a great world sound to their music. The last time they were in NYC was three years ago, where they opened for the Brazilian Girls at a free Summerstage show in Central Park.

Felix Reibl, right, and Harry Angstrom, left of The Cat Empire

But they’re back now, one album later, with the devilishly handsome Felix Reibl leading the vocals. Following close behind is Harry Angstrom, who’s voice can be heard on about half of the band’s new tracks. Harry backs up his powerful tenor voice with a blazing trumpet that cuts through the rest of the music. And he scats to boot. Of all the shows in NYC this month, this is the one I wish I could go to the most. So please, if you can, check it out for me and let me know how it was.

Good friend of the station Derek Trucks will be playing with his band down at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU on the tenth, with a follow up performance the next day at the Paramount Theater in Peekskill. Audiences at both shows will be treated to a performance by Shannon McNally as well, the singer/songwriter from Long Island.

Matthew Paul Miller a.k.a. Matisyahu

Now in the realm of Zion-reggae, December means Hanukkah time, and when Hanukkah rolls around, things come in eights. White Plains’ own Matisyahu knows this and that’s why he’s got eight shows this month – a climactic end to his appropriately named Festival of Lights tour, which has been ongoing since the release of his latest album “Light” in August. The 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th you can catch the bearded bard at Webster Hall, and the 16th, 17th, 19th and 20th he’ll be at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. Each show will be with a different local artist ranging from indie singer Kevin Devine to dub rock group Dub Trio – both from Brooklyn. Check online to try and win free tickets from The Peak!

December gets rounded out with two great female performers – Ingrid Michaelson and Dar Williams. Michaelson will be performing a sold-out show at City Winery on the 21st, a Monday, as she settles down in New York for the holidays. She’s just come off of a host of shows abroad with fellow musician Greg Laswell in Europe. Hopefully you snagged tickets for that show.

Dar Williams

And Dar Williams will be playing at Southpaw Entertainment and Music in Brooklyn on the 27th. Support this Mt. Kisco singer by seeing her live in her home state. Plus Vanguard Records is offering a free holiday sampler of some of their singer/songwriters. She is giving away one of her songs, It’s Alright, which was the first cut off her 2008 album “Promised Land”. Incidentally, Greg Laswell is on the album as well, with his cover of Kristen Hersh’s “Your Ghost”.

So big things, as always, happening in New York’s backyard. Check them out – and if you feel like there’s a great concert or event going on that I should be talking about, feel free to leave me a comment.

So happy holidays – and make sure to see some great concerts so you’ll have plenty of conversation material to fall back on at that awkward holiday work party.

————————-

PEAK KEYWORD: SMORGASBORD

I have a pretty amazing life, and I share it with my friends…Here`s some happy days!

The Cat Empire – The Lost Song (Live)

Asta e o piesa pe care o recomand cu caldura. Cat mi-ar placea sa merg la un concert de-al lor…8->

In alta ordine de idei, am primit unda verde de la proprietar sa ne bagam chestiile in administrator, daca mai guitzeaza ceva. Yupiiii!!! )

Cred ca ma cheama patul, maine o sa ma trezesc devreme. [mda,am cursuri de dimineata...]

“I had nine lives but I lost all of them,
And I”ve been seaching the night
And I’ve been seaching in the rain,
I tried to find them
But they disappeared.
They walked away they dressed in black,
They left my side and all I say
Is that i wasted time
When I looked for them,
For now I know that things gone past
Are never to be found again…”

Ataaaat! :heart:

So, as many of you may have heard, I lost my tickets. It’s been a little touch-and-go on whether or not I could actually get them replaced, but we confirmed it tonight at about 6pm, that I would indeed be getting replacement tickets! SO I GOT TO SEE MY FAVOURITEST BAND LIVE!

By the way, all caps there?  Totally justified.

I KNOW I should be in bed, technically I am, but I should be asleep. But I just got home from seeing the Cat Empire live (on earth) and I am WIRED! They are fantastic and very talented individuals! They played tons of my favourites, not nearly all of them, every song turned into an insane instrumental and Harry’s voice is so very impressive.

I seriously can’t believe his voice. I always knew there were two vocalists, the deep voice and the high voice. I always though Felix, the small skinny guy, was the high voice, and Harry, the big guy, was the deep voice. Not even a little. Felix does most of the writing, I thought he did most of the singing, but it turns out that’s Harry. And Harry has an amazing range. Like, I don’t believe it at all.

Just listen to the first 15 seconds of that song. That’s Harry, and felix does the speaking parts. I had it totally backwards. I’m super impressed. Their set list went something like…

1. fishies
2. days like these
3. the lost song
4. how to explain?
5. the rhythm
6. so many nights
7. A new song from their album coming out next year
8. til the ocean takes us all
9. the darkness
10. sly
11. in my pocket
12. two shoes
13. the wine song
14. the chariot

Ok, that’s not the order, but I tried. I know they for sure did all of those, the last three songs are in order, and the first three. Everything else is a jumble os AWESOME.

Jon & Roy, the acoustic folk rock trio based out of Victoria, B.C., have gone from being a west coast secret to an internationally recognized band.

Consisting of Jon Middleton (vocals, guitar), Roy Vizer (drums, percussion) and Ryan Tonelli (bass), the trio have released two albums together to date. Their latest, Another Noon, found Jon and Roy on an Exclaim! sponsored tour across Canada, a nine month ad campaign with Volkswagon, an invite for Jon to sing the national anthem for an NHL game and an overseas tour with Buck 65.

If that’s not enough resume fodder, they’ve also got a few future accomplishments to add to the list. Jon and Roy are currently touring across Canada with The Cat Empire. Come December 13, they’ll be organizing their second instalment of the Jon and Roy Holiday Special show in Victoria, which will feature acts such as Hey Ocean, Dan Mangan and Hannah Georgas.

Roy was nice enough to take a break from all the fun he’s been having to answer a few questions via e-mail. Here’s what he had to say:

1. Since the release of your sophomore album Another Noon, you’ve accomplished a heck of a lot. How is this newfound recognition treating you?

Roy Vizer: Well, I think that we are just happy to continue doing what we love. Getting the recognition is great and deep down I think some sort of recognition keeps you going and moving forward, but at the end of the day, Jon and I just want to keep growing as musicians and continue producing music that interests and excites us, and hopefully some listeners, too.

2. What is it about your music that resonates with such a varied audience? One day you could be playing to a bunch of indie kids, and the next you’ve got an ad campaign with Volkswagon!

Well, Jon and I are pretty non-pretentious, down-to-earth people so maybe that makes it easier to relate to our music than a big rock star persona with a wig, costume and two pounds of makeup. We’re not trying to reinvent anything and we don’t try to create music that’s meant to be commercial. I think that comes through a lot in our music and definitely in Jon’s lyrics. I also think that playing in a variety of genres makes us a bit more accessible to people, but you never really know what it is that people respond to. Pinning it down kind of kills the mystery and makes it too scientific … we make music that we like playing, not for a target audience.

3. Coming from Victoria (which, from my experience, is a very tight-knit city), how did the local arts and music community influence where you’ve ended up today?

I think at the early stages we got hooked in to a group of musicians that supported and encouraged us to keep playing. Both Jon and I have also performed and recorded with a bunch of musicians in the area and I think when creative people flock together it creates an environment where people are more inspired and challenged to create. Victoria definitely has that sort of inclusive, supportive community.

4. Listening to Another Noon, I feel like Victoria and the west coast in general place prominently in your songs. Is this a correct observation, or am I way out in left field? And if Victoria DOES contribute to the majority of your musical fodder, what is it about this city that inspires you so?

A lot of Another Noon was actually born in Vancouver while Jon and I were living in a big dilapidated mansion near the water in Kits. We played a lot of music at the time and we traveled around BC too, but I think Victoria does have a special place for both Jon and I. To me Victoria just strikes a perfect balance between being a real city with a pulse, while at the same time having that direct sightline to the landscape that makes it so surreal and beautiful. I also really like moist air.

5. Now that you’ve been travelling and touring intensively, how has your perspective of Victoria changed? Has it changed at all? Do you long for home, or do you find yourself looking elsewhere for inspiration?

I can definitely say that every time Jon and I get back to Victoria we appreciate it. It really is a hidden gem in Canada, but that being said, I think the band definitely feeds off the energy that we get from exploring this country. Places like Wakefield, Quebec, Kensington market in Toronto and those smoky-sweet, late-night shawarma shops in Ottawa really inspire us too …

6. You’re about to tour with The Cat Empire. How do you feel about that?

We are uber excited to be playing with a great high energy act that we have all been fans of for some time. We are also super excited to be playing in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, places we’ve never played as a band.

7. The Cat Empire employ some pretty dense instrumental layers. Do you think touring with them will convince you to add other instruments to your minimalist songs?

I don’t think that playing with them will have that affect but we are definitely branching out with more instruments and bigger arrangements on this upcoming album on our own.

8. The didgeridoo: a future instrument of Jon and Roy, perhaps?

I won’t rule “the didg” out for the future. We are big fans of Xavier Rudd and the way he plays.

9. You’ve just announced your 2nd Holiday Special, a Victoria show that will feature yourselves and Current Swell, Hey Ocean, Dan Mangan, Sgt. Strumalong and Hannah Georgas, to name a few. Why do you feel events like this are important to the music scene?

To be honest, we just really like these artists and wanted to share the stage with them. So we came up with the idea for the show. Last year was a huge step for us and we’re really fortunate to be in the position to gather the talent and put on a show that the musicians and the audience will really enjoy. Also, I think that events like these really do help to open people up to new artists that they may not have come across on their own.

Jon & Roy’s upcoming tour dates:

November 15 at Sugar Nightclub—Victoria, B.C.*

November 17 at The Commodore Ballroom—Vancouver, B.C.*

November 18 at the Garibaldi Lift Company—Whistler, B.C.*

November 20 at the Starlite Room—Edmonton, Alberta*

November 21 at MacEwan Hall—Calgary, Alberta*

November 23 at Louis’ Pub—Saskatoon, Saskatchewan*

November 24 at the Garrick Centre—Winnipeg, Manitoba*

November 25 at The Outpost—Thunder Bay, Ontario*

November 26 at O’Hanlans—Regina, Saskatchewan

November 28 at the The Royal—Nelson, B.C.**

December 12 at Errington Hall—Parksville, B.C.***

December 13 at Alix Goolden Hall, Holiday Special Show—Victoria, B.C.

(*with The Cat Empire, **with Sunparlour Players, ***with Wil)

Listen to “Another Noon” and “Little Bit Of Love” from the album Another Noon below.

Ah, so the LIT mixer was tonight. Tons of fun, plus a free meal. Informative panel, although I am getting worried for semester three. Oh well, I suppose I’ll corss that bridge when I get to it. No use worrying now.

After the formalities, a few of us headed to the king’s head pub. I’m loving being within walking distance to everything awesome downtown, by the way. But back to the king’s head, I had some fun. I think my bar mouth was on though, so I hope I didn’t destroy anyone’s stellar view of little Mia. Well, you probably didn’t think that highly of me to begin with, so it’s all good.

There was a super scary guy at my bus stop too. He came over to me, told me he had HIV, and that I was staring. I had honestly just glanced in his direction. He kind of had the look of wanting to start a fight, and honestly, black belt or no, I don’t feel confident at 10pm alone downtown. Especially while in heels and a skirt at a deserted bus stop but for him and his friends. Needless to say, I got on the first bus I saw.

So, I got home safely, and for anyone wondering, Sophie was waiting at the backdoor for me to let her in, as though it was my fault she hadn’t come back before I had to leave. I TOLD her it was raining! I suppose cats will do what they please though. Trying to clean the bathroom/kitchen area in my Grandfather;s house is going… as well as expected. At first I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t find any garbages in his house. Turns out, he doesn’t throw anything out. Not even saran wrap. This man is ready for the apocalypse.

Halloween is coming up, in addition to my birthday. But halloween is so much more fun. I also think I have found the best halloween song ever! Yes, even better than ‘C’est L’Halloween’. It’s called ‘The Darkness’ by The Cat Empire. Give it a listen, and try to tell me otherwise.

YUS!!! Someone put up this youtube clip from the night I was at their gig! The song ‘Karma’ is meant to be from their next album. Brilliant stuff. Does anyone else see now why Felix makes me melt? Seriously.

Cheers to Michelle for linking!

Throughout the world, there’s a faultless equation that “Whacky uncles” + “Vehicles” = “Comic Gold”.

In France, they have Jacques Tati. Here is a clip from ‘Mon Oncle’ from 1958.

Just look at those whacky colours on the car!!! Hilarious stuff – this was top-shelf in 1958 – and still surpasses most of the comedy France has produced since, outside of the public service.

Now, here’s Australia’s answer from the 80s, Glenn Robbins as Uncle Arthur.

Come to think of it, Australian comedy hasn’t come much further either.

Given the the precedent, could you blame me when my long-lost (well, seldom seen) Australian uncle rang me out of the blue and invited me to a car show outside of Paris?

I’m hardly the car type – the last time I’d driven one was in Montpellier, 2007. I was driving some friends to a Cat Empire concert in Arles (follow the link for my account of the event). It was night, I was driving at 130km/h on a highway in pouring rain, and I didn’t know how to reverse. Every time we entered a carpark looking for a spot, we all had to get out and push the car back out again.

At the end of the evening, I’d paid for three underground carparking tickets (just in Montpellier! – I wasn’t trying to park, just trying to find the right street home), and kicked a bin out of frustration, which almost broke my toe, and caused my shoe to fly off with comic effect and land in a large puddle.

The car show turned out to be the usual collection of old cars, old men, beige clothes, and lots of fishing vests. Seriously, why do enthusiasts, especially car enthusiasts, like fishing vests? I have enough trouble finding my car keys when I’m just wearing three-pocket jeans.

Nevertheless, i benefited from my uncle’s expertise to learn terms such as “power to weight ratio”, and “carburator”. I also learnt that enamel petrol station signs are a good investment – IF THEY ARE ORIGINAL, but what’s even better, is those crapbox tin-plate toys from the 1930s. Would you believe someone was selling a tin-plate steamer for 14,000 euros?!

Rare luxury cars have apparently not just held their value in recent times, but actually increased. So what’s the difference between investing in cars and investing in paintings?

“You can’t drive a carpaccio,” said my Uncle, later correcting himself to say “Caravaggio”*.

That evening, I was exhausted after a long day traipsing round parts of Paris best left unvisited (there’s a reason Le Bourget exhibition grounds is not as well known as the Eiffel Tower), having done lots of “Looking with the eyes only” (what is it about enthusiasts that makes them so anal about being allowed to touch things??).

My friend Lola’s uncle is a famous contemporary composer called Bruno Ducol. A performance was being held in St Germain to honour his 60th birthday.

It’s hard to imagine a greater cultural schism: I had just spent the afternoon warily avoiding eye contact with men with hair gelled into rockabilly bouffants, and was now in the thick of Paris’ contemporary music scene in the rich and chic 6th arrondisement.

The first thing I realised was that Lola’s uncle bore more than a passing resemblance to Saddam Hussein in his later years.

If not him, then perhaps one of his body doubles (you can tell by the shape of the ears – and Hussein’s body doubles also look a lot less hungover (boom boom *joke!).

The music over the next two hours ranged from cello to percussion, piano to choral, haunting to tedious, and everything in between.

I’ve always found contemporary music one of the harder contemporary arts to get into (I recently cracked contemporary dance – at a performance of two men and 25 remote controlled cars), and this performance wasn’t making it easier.

A standout moment though, was when Bruno’s son performed a percussion solo, pausing to robot move his way across the stage yelling “I want to create, I want to create”. He is a very talented musician and I am a total sucker for percussion (I was dropped on my head as child and I liked the sound of the bounce).

For the finale, the entire front row of the audience jumped on stage and joined in the ceremonial feasting on the body of a less fortunate member of the ensemble, who had been laid out on a table in the middle of the stage.

Still, by the end I felt that my appeciation of the arts  been enriched by the experience. Not only that,  but I’d discovered that not all whacky uncles need vehicles to create moving experiences.

*This didn’t necessarily happen, but I thought it was a nice line.

Dacă până acum mă lăudam cât de minunată e prăvălia mea, ce oameni deosebiţi am cunoscut aici şi cât de greu mi-ar fi să mă despart de ea, astăzi mi-am dat seama că situaţia nu e chiar atât de senină. În general nu am probleme, mă descurc şi cu cititorii plini de greţuri şi superioritate, şi cu cei plini de pretenţii sau nehotărâţi, dar mi-am dat seama că există o categorie care mă cam pune în dificultate: nebunii.

De obicei nu mă pierd cu firea, citesc tipul de nebun şi acţionez subtil, dar eficient. Cucoana de azi, însă, m-a cam făcut să mă înfior. A stat mai bine de două ore în prăvălie şi mi-a explicat cum un nepot de-al ei a dezvoltat nuş ce tehnologie şi a prins captivă o familie în computerul său, unde îi chinuie. Femeia venise la prăvălie să cumpere Cronicile din Narnia, căci maleficul său nepot urma scenariul filmului omonim, aşa că ea trebuia neapărat să citească şi să prevină chinurile prin care urmau să treacă cei captivi în spaţiul virtual. La început am fost foarte amuzată de situaţie, dar când am văzut că avea făcute schiţe şi tot felul de notaţii pe o foaie, mi-a cam trecut zâmbetul. Erau trecute pe foaia aia toate “scenariile” nepotului, toate locaţiile în care îşi plimba victimele (NFS, Warcraft), diverse chestii aflate de ea între timp (dulapul-foarte malefic) şi începuse să-mi spună că studiază zilnic la British Council despre poveşti şi fantasy-uri.

Mi s-a şi prezentat, mi-a arătat o legitimaţie de la o universitate de pe undeva de prin Germania, vizată ultima dată pe 2005-2006. Se vedea că femeia a fost ceva la viaţa ei (nu că ar fi fost bătrână, maxim 40), doar că a dat peste ceva mai puternic decât ea, care i-a cam dărâmat echilibrul.  Iar în faţa unor asemenea specimene, sincer, chiar nu ştii cum să mai reacţionezi…

Soluţia noastră? I-am explicat că trebuie să ne luăm pauza de masă şi că vom reveni. După ce a plecat, noi ne-am văzut de prăvălie în continuare, aşa că ne-am trezit iar cu ea înăuntru, continuându-şi delirul. Concluzia: chiar ne-am luat pauză!

Seara, acasă, am găsit o variantă live nouă la The Lost Song – The Cat Empire. Enjoy…

The Cat Empire: Man, I love Felix's hat

I mean, when it comes to live band experiences these guys go BEYOND exceeding expectations. I LOVED every freaking second of their music what with the trumpets, keyboard, drums, BASS! (Holy crap, have I declared how much I am in luuuuuurve with bass?)… all were absolutely KNOCK OUT live. You know I’ve never really been a huge fan of jazz solos or really got into loving the improv thing but after last night, must say I have to strongly retract my initial opinion. Despite being crammed up against far too many sweaty bodies and suffocating in ridiculously claustrophobic heat, I could’ve easily danced the whole night away if those guys didn’t stop playing. Their music is just charged with so much energy and passion… it’s an amazing experience and you can tell that the band really were absorbed in their own music which, in my opinion, is what segregates the ‘good’ bands from the ‘eff-freaking-tastically great’ bands.

Now, I have to dedicate a paragraph to Felix Riebl who is one of the lead vocalists of the band. I. Love. Him. (Aww, don’t be jealous Nathan, you’re still my number 1). He is drop-on-your-knees-fangirl-crazy material. It’s not just that he’s a phenomenal singer and superb performer but there’s something about him which makes the entire band so inevitably ‘cool’. Maybe it’s the slight swagger in his walk or the cheeky glint in his eye when he’s serenading the audience but there’s a kind of self-assured casualness in his act that makes the band just down-to-earth enough to be relatable yet still maintain that ohmigoshrockstar status. Arrrgh! I just love them. I love them all.

Now, as much as I’d love to dissect music via some Fourier analysis mechanism in the same way I break down literature, I don’t know I’m enough of an audiophile to really even pretend I know what I’m talking about so I’ll give this one a skip. I will say though that I love the lyrics in a lot of their songs. There’s a bit of whimsy and bit of intrinsic poetic-ness I love about it. That’s why ‘Til The Ocean Takes Us All’ is my favourite I think. I can’t quite decide what exactly it’s about but there’s a concept and there is poetry so whack that together with a great instrumental and you’ve just worked yourself some magic.

I’ll round off this post with a youtube clip of their live performance of ‘Two Shoes’ which I think was my favourite of the night. This one was performed a few years back in the US but it was the best camera-ship among the clips.

If I ever become a gazillionnaire I WILL buy that band.

The Cat Empire – No longer there

Like a Version is a segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It was created by Mel Bampton as part of the Mel in the Morning program. Currently the segment pops up whenever artists are available and willing to do it, though mainly on the Breakfast show. It involves Australian, and more recently, international artists playing live, acoustic versions of some of their favourite songs. This segment’s popularity has led to, so far, the release of four compilation CDs.

Samples of the 4 Vol Set:

Vol 1 Damien Rice – “When Doves Cry”* (Prince)
The Cat Empire – “Hotel California” (Don Felder/Don Henley/Glenn Frey)

Vol 2 Tegan and Sara – “Dancing in the Dark” (Bruce Springsteen)
Missy Higgins – “Moses” (Patty Griffin)

vol 3 Mattafix – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (Green Day)
Saosin – “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper)

There was one Aussie artist on the Vol 4 and on the DVD edition who I wanted to make note of. C.W. Stoneking. He has an awesome cover of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” however I could not find a copy anywhere on the net. Here’s a video of it but its not available to watch in the US….ugh!

If you would like to watch another (more recent) vid of him check out Jungle Blues below.

The Non US version of “7 Nation Army” (White Stripes)

and Jungle Blues:

track listing Vol 1:

Grinspoon – “The Drugs Don’t Work” (Richard Ashcroft)
The Pictures – “Milkshake” (Pharrell Williams/Chad Hugo)
Jebediah – “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (Burt Bacharach/Hal David)
Salmonella Dub – “Get Up Stand Up” (Bob Marley/Peter Tosh)
Speedstar – “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” (Steven Morrissey/Johnny Marr)
Little Birdy – “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” (Lee Hazlewood)
The Cat Empire – “Hotel California” (Don Felder/Don Henley/Glenn Frey)
End Of Fashion – “Quicksand” (David Bowie)
Bertie Blackman – “Tyrone” (Erica Wright/N. Hurt)
Goodshirt – “Gouge Away” (Black Francis)
Love Outside Andromeda – “Andy Warhol” (David Bowie)
Darren Hanlon – “Don’t Stop” (Christine McVie)
Damien Rice – “When Doves Cry”* (Prince)
John Butler Trio – “Message in a Bottle” (Sting)
Gorgeous – “Little Suicides” (Anton Fier/Lori Carson)
Lazy Susan – “Are You Old Enough” (Paul Hewson)
Betchadupa – “Sweet Dreams” (Philip Judd)
Starky – “Show a Sign of Life” (Josh Malerman/Mark Owen)
Serena Ryder – “Illegal Smile” (John Prine)
Missy Higgins – “Moses” (Patty Griffin)
Big Heavy Stuff – “Hyperballad” (Björk)
Donavon Frankenreiter – “Stay Young” (Graham Lyle/Benny Gallagher)
Clare Bowditch – “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen)
Track 13 by Damien Rice contains a portion of Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” (Anne Bredon/Jimmy Page & Robert Plant)

Like a Version: Volume Two
22-track compilation CD released in 2006 ©Australian Broadcasting Corporation and distributed by Warner Music Australia.

Gyroscope – “Monument” (Jebediah)
The Herd – “I Was Only 19″ (Redgum)
Eels – “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” (Prince)
Sophie Koh – “Creep” (Radiohead)
Spoon – “Upwards at 45 Degrees” (Julian Cope)
Sarah Blasko – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (Elton John)
The Drones – “Words from a Woman to Her Man” (Beasts of Bourbon)
Lior – “The Needle and the Damage Done” (Neil Young)
Holidays on Ice – “The Holiday Song” (The Pixies)
Crooked Fingers – “Long Black Veil” (Bill Frisell/Johnny Cash)
Tegan and Sara – “Dancing in the Dark” (Bruce Springsteen)
Evermore – “Relapse” (Little Birdy)
Holly Throsby – “Mistress” (Red House Painters)
67 Special – “Scar” (Missy Higgins)
Live@Subs – “Rolled Up” (Long Beach Dub Allstars)
Mia Dyson – “Can’t Let Go” (Lucinda Williams)
The Panda Band – “My Mistake” (Split Enz)
The Mountain Goats – “Wild World” (The Birthday Party)
Kate Miller-Heidke – “Little Water Song” (Nick Cave/Bruce Pisek)
The Tea Party – “The Maker” (Daniel Lanois)
New Buffalo – “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (Nina Simone)
Willy Mason – “The Way I Am” (Merle Haggard)

Like a Version: Volume Three
20-track compilation CD and 10 video DVD released in 2007 © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and distributed by Warner Music Australia.

Track listing – CD
Ben Folds – “Such Great Heights” (The Postal Service)
Sharon Jones – “This Land is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie)
Eskimo Joe – “Hey” (Pixies)
Josh Pyke – “The House at Pooh Corner” (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
The Magic Numbers – “Crazy in Love” (Beyoncé)
Bob Evans – “Beautiful to Me” (Little Birdy)
Mattafix – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (Green Day)
The Bellrays – “Highway to Hell” (AC/DC)
Shout Out Louds – “Streams of Whiskey” (The Pogues)
Pivot – “Woman” (Wolfmother)
Custom Kings – “The Boys of Summer” (Don Henley)
SubAudible Hum – “Africa” (Toto)
Gomez – “Breakfast in America” (Supertramp)
Blue King Brown – “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” (Dawn Penn)
The Kill Devil Hills – “Look at Miss Ohio” (Gillian Welch)
The Zutons – “Runaway” (Del Shannon)
Macromantics – “Jump” (Kris Kross)
Broken Social Scene – “Kennel District” (Pavement)
Angus and Julia Stone – “Tubthumping” (Chumbawamba)
Something for Kate – “Rock the Casbah” (The Clash)
Track Listing – DVD
Ben Folds – “Such Great Heights” (The Postal Service)
Eskimo Joe – “Hey” (Pixies)
Bob Evans – “Beautiful to Me” (Little Birdy)
The Bellrays – “Highway to Hell” (AC/DC)
Custom Kings – “The Boys of Summer” (Don Henley)
Gomez – “Breakfast in America” (Supertramp)
Blue King Brown – “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” (Dawn Penn)
The Kill Devil Hills – “Look at Miss Ohio” (Gillian Welch)
Macromantics – “Jump” (Kris Kross)
Something for Kate – “Rock the Casbah” (The Clash)

Like a Version: Volume Four
19-track compilation CD and 14 video DVD released in 2008 © Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Track listing – CD
Regina Spektor – “Real Love” (The Beatles)
Katalyst feat. Stephanie Mckay – “Hang Me Up To Dry” (Cold War Kids)
The Panics – “Wide Open Road” (The Triffids)
CW Stoneking – “Seven Nation Army” (The White Stripes)
British India – “And I Was A Boy From School” (Hot Chip)
Plan B – “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” (The Smiths)
Crowded House – “Everybody’s Talkin’” (Harry Nilsson)
Saosin – “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper)
Lou Rhodes – “Satellite” (Elliot Smith)
Dappled Cities – “More Than A Woman” (Bee Gees)
Bit By Bats – “Orinoco Flow” (Enya)
After The Fall – “Only The Good Die Young” (Billy Joel)
Paul Kelly – “Rehab” (Amy Winehouse)
Snowman – “Strange Fruit” (Billie Holiday)
The Veils – “State Trooper” (Bruce Springsteen)
Nouvelle Vague – “Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldnt’ve)” (Buzzcocks)
Jamie T – “Hoover Street” (Rancid)
Little Barrie – “White Light / White Heat” (The Velvet Underground)
Emilie Simon – “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (The Stooges)

MUUUUUUUSIC! Music music music music!!!!!! Have forgotten about you for far too long my second love (sorry, neuro is my wife but I promise you are my first mistress).

Sooo, who do I want to rave about? I think Stars definitely deserves a mention. I can’t believe I didn’t know about them until now. Don’t you hate how that happens when you stumble across an amazing amazing band and you can’t stop kicking yourself over why you didn’t know about them earlier and instead have been wasting your time over comparatively sub-par music? ‘Undertow’ and ‘Take me to the Riot’ are definitely my favs right now. Am discovering I really have a thing for airy ethereal sounding female voices. Probably explains my secondary addiction to that iPod ad song… whatzit? ‘Bruises’?

Now the other band I want to declare perpetual affection for right now is The Cat Empire. Was it you Chloe, who I was discussing Aussie bands with once and I think Eskimo Joe and Powderfinger came up? And I said something about how I haven’t really bothered with hunting out decent Melb bands. Well I have just found one courtesy of Nathan. Going to see them perform live in a few weeks so I thought I’d do a little bit of youtube research and see what I came up with. They. Are. A. Maze. Ing. The tunes are fun, upbeat and makes me want to do the bouncy-castle-carpet-hairbrush-mic-dance.

Here’s a bit of sonic foreplay for you.

Da, mi-e dor de-o vacanta. Nu de concediu, nu de un weekend fie el si prelungit, mi-e dor de o VACANTA. Una de aia care tine de zici ca nu se mai termina (asta la inceputul ei ca la sfarsit plangi), o vacanta adevarata cum nu am mai avut din anii de liceu. Voua nu?

Da intai play si apoi citeste Da bine la atmosfera

Mi-e dor de timpul ala fara timp in care nu-ti pasa daca pierzi timpul o ora sau doua sau o zi sau o saptamana. Nu conteaza, ai destul, nu ai de ce sa-l plangi. De noptile luuuungi, cu MTV si Beavis and Buthead, cu muzica ascultata la casti, la walkman, de pe benzi copiate de la prieteni. Cat de fericit eram cand faceam rost de o caseta noua. Aveam (inca il am) obiceiul de a asculta un album nou pana la epuizare, pana stiam fiecare vers si fiecare acord. Muzica se auzea prost, nu stiam ce-i aia hai fai sau dolbi sau alte acronime dar stiam ca-mi placea. Stiam ca am ceva valoros in mana cand ascultam un album nou – pentru mine – de la o trupa sau alta. Sunam prietenii si le puneam sa asculte cate o piesa intreaga la telefon. Si apoi ieseam in oras, ne adunam cu totii si gaseam un loc, de cele mai multe ori acelasi, pentru a petrece impreuna seara. He he, cum zice si Gabi aici, sunt fantome deja

Mi-e dor de discutiile interminabile pe n-spe mii de teme, una mai visatoare decat alta, una mai arzatoare ca alta. Nu de putine ori ne-a prins dimineata prin oras tot despicand 4-ul in fire, ne goneau maturatorii de pe strazi acasa. Si cica invatam pentru admitere De invatat am invatat si inca multe, e drept ca nu la admitere am folosit acele invataminte. Cel putin nu la cea de la facultate …

Mi-e dor sa ma trezesc si sa stiu ca nu am nimic de facut. Pur si simplu nimeni nu-mi cere sa fac nimic, nimeni nu se asteapta ca eu sa fac, sa zic ceva anume, sa fiu gata la o anumita ora sau sa fiu intr-un anumit loc la o alta anumita ora. Sa am libertatea sa mai intind somnul pentru o ora sau doua, sa iau micul dejun fara graba, sa trag de o cana de cafea pana la limita nesimitirii si nimanui sa nu-i pese. Sa sun un prieten si sa stau la taclale, sa astept vizita unor prieteni cu care sa nu facem nimic, pur si simplu sa ne bucuram impreuna de timpul nostru.

Mi-e dor sa citesc o carte pana in zori, numai sa ma reapuc de ea imediat ce am facut ochi intr-o dimineata tarzie. Sa ma ingrop in paginile ei si sa uit de tot si toate, sa nu am nici un alt motiv sa ma opresc decat atunci cand nu mai vad paginile sau cand apare o alta tentatie mai mare

Mi-e dor sa am atat de mult timp liber incat sa ajungem, intre prieteni, sa ne intrebam – ce mai facem? Si sa dam din umeri si sa zicem – vedem noi – si uite asa se continua seara. Sa faci orice fel de plan, sa stii ca la fel de mult timp vei avea si maine, si poimaine si saptamana viitoare si tot asa.

Mi-e dor de tabere (asta e o poveste in sine, poate gasim timp si altadata) care erau ca niste vacante in mijloc de vacanta.

Mai tineti minte cum e sa ai timp? Mai tineti minte rima?

Vine vacanta, cu trenul de Franta

trenul de Franta

The Centre for Youth Literature (State Library of Victoria) newsletter no. 2 July 2009 advertises a concert supporting Indigenous literacy. 

When? Tuesday 25 August 2009

Where? Melbourne Town Hall

When? 7.30 pm

Featuring: The Cat Empire; Paul Kelly; Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter; Katie Noonan and Chenile Chandler.

The Songs for Stories concert has been organised by Felix Riebl (The Cat Empire), to raise money and awareness for the Indigenous Literacy Project . Since 2006, the Indigenous Literacy Project has raised over $500,000 to address the crisis in literacy in remote Indigenous communities. Funds are distributed mainly in the Northern Territory. The project is run in partnership with the Fred Hollows Foundation. Therese Rein is the project’s patron, and project ambassadors include David Malouf, Kate Grenville, Andy Griffiths, Sally Morgan, Josh Pyke and Felix Riebl.

Find out details here.

(Les images ne comptent pas… The sound, only the sound…)

…
Et pour finir, le feu d’artifices…