Seven Inch Saturday (Gaslight Anthem)

Today's seven inch single is from Gaslight Anthem. This single which plays at 33 1/3 rpm was released in 2006 and is called Sink Or Swim Demos. My copy is a second pressing of this and is on yellow vinyl, with a pressing of 1600 copies. It was released on Devil Dance Records. To purchase the mp3's of this click here.

Rocky Votolato Live In Edmonton April 24th 2016

On Sunday night I went to my first living room show. This show featured Rocky Votolato who is touring across Canada promoting his newest album Sawdust & Shavings. Rocky Votolato is an American singer/songwriter originally from Texas but now calls home Seattle. This was my first time seeing him in concert. I've been listening to his music off and on for the past five years, thanks to my brother for introducing me to his music. His style of music is on the folk side. As he described it during the show, this will be a night of sad folk songs!

These living room shows is a newer concept that has been happening for a few years now, where a musician, usually a solo act books shows playing people's living rooms. Can a show be anymore intimate then playing a living room surrounded by about 30-40 people, I think not. A pretty cool concept I think. This show was hosted by a lady by the name of Andrea in a very nice home that looked and had the feel of a log cabin in the middle of the city over looking the river valley here in Edmonton. A very cool setting.

Rocky played for just over an hour and half way through the set he did a Q&A session with the audience. It was cool to see him perform with no amps, microphone, just him on acoustic, and the acoustics sounded great in this setting, his voice was outstanding too. I wish I could tell you the title of the songs he played, but to be honest I am not familiar enough with his stuff to know the titles, sorry. He told some stories between songs, talked about Chuck Ragan another musician who got his start playing hardcore music and is now doing the acoustic thing. Rocky has very high praise for Chuck. It was an interesting show, that really didn't sink in until the following day. The crowd was easy going and mellow, well behaved with people swilling a few beers and wine during the show, in which you were allowed to bring. There was one awkward moment during the show when a guy taking the pictures at the show got a little to close, ok, more then close, he was right in Rocky's face taking pictures, so close that Rocky lost the moment in the song and had to start over as he had forgot where he was in the song.

All and all a fun night for my first living-room concert. Good times!!!

Rocky Votolato.

A couple of albums I bought from Rocky after the show. This vinyl is from his punk/folk band Waxwing that were together between 1996-2005.

T-shirt.

Seven Inch Sunday (Bee Gees/Faith No More)

Today's seven inch single is one I picked up last weekend on Record Store Day. This single is part of the RSD Side By Side series. It features the song "I Started A Joke" by the Bee Gees, that originally came out in 1968 on their album Idea. Faith No More went on to cover it as a B-Side for their song "Digging The Grave", it was eventually released on their 1995 album King For A Day...Fool For A Lifetime.

Original version by the Bee Gees.


Cover version by Faith No More.

Music Collectors Show pick-ups

So the day after Record Store Day here in Edmonton we had the annual spring Music Collectors Show. Like I say, it was an expensive weekend if your a buyer of music. Luckily I had been saving up for this weekend. They had a good turnout for the show. My Cuz and I were up early on Sunday to give my buddy RCD a hand loading and unloading his records that he was selling at the show. A truck load later we were off to the Music Collectors Show. Because we had helped him, we were able to get in on the early bird special, first dibs on looking through everyone's collectibles.

I did alright on picking up some things I was looking for to fill some holes in the vinyl collection and a lot of things that I didn't need but couldn't say no to.

Here is a list of records I bought.

Some Neil Young albums as I am trying to complete my Neil vinyl collection, still need quite a few.

* Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
* Harvest Moon
* Tonight's The Night
* Trans

Same with my Bob Dylan collection, getting down to a few now.

* Shot Of Love
* Oh Mercy

And as always some Stompin' Tom Connors to fill some holes in the collection.

* Love & Laughter
* On Tragedy Trail

Some Metallica, because I am still a sucker for Metallica bootlegs.

* Metal Up Your Ass
* In From The Cold (Live at the Playhouse Theatre Winnipeg Dec.13th 1986)

And then got these six albums for the grand total of $20.00, how could I say no.

* The Blasters - Over There (Live at The Venue London)
* Black Sabbath - Never Say Die
* Midnight Oil - Red Sails In The Sunset
* John Lee Hooker - Endless Boogie
* Van Halen - OU182
* Bruce Springsteen - Live 1975-85 (five LP set) in mint condition.

I'm thinking next year I won't spend as much on Record Store Day and more at the record fair.

RIP Prince

Well this is getting ridiculous with all the RIP's in the past four months. Yet another legend gone, and this time it is the passing of Prince at the age of 57. My list of musicians that I have seen in concert and have now left us is growing, sadly!!!

I was never the biggest Prince fan but there have been a few times I have seen clips of him live that have blown me away. Once of them instances was when Prince played the halftime show at the Super Bowl in 2007. After seeing that, I always said I need to see him in concert. The man is one of the most under rated guitar players ever. Well in 2011 I got my chance when Prince played Rexall Place here in Edmonton. While I didn't give the show the greatest review, I am definitely glad that I went to the show. To read the review click here.

There is no doubt Prince made a big impression on many musicians and was a big inspiration to many. RIP Prince, your music will live on.

Super Bowl Performance, though the video is awful.



Click here to see some great footage of the performance.

Edmonton setlist.

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Blackbyrd Record Store Day after party with No Problem

After hanging around home and listening to music all afternoon, it was off to the Blackbyrd Myoozik Record Store Day after party in the alley of the record shop. The party consisted of a couple of DJ's spinning music, free beer from Red Racer and Edmonton punk band No Problem.

The after party started at 6pm, with No Problem starting at 8pm. The half keg they had for those in attendance ran out rather quickly, but they cracked open another one before the band started, so that was good as things were just getting fun!

This was my second time seeing No Problem perform and again these guys kicked ass. This is how punk should be, loud, obnoxious and in your face. Lead singer/guitar player Graeme MacKinnon is a great front man for this kind of music. He was entertaining, could actually understand the lyrics and again in your face, very impressive. Backing up the band are Matt Bouchard on bass, Ian Whithamon drums and on guitar Steve Lewis who all held there own as well. Their 40 minute set was awesome. Great party Blackbyrd, thank you! Good times!!!

No Problem.

No Problem - Kid Killer seven inch limited edition release.

Record Store Day 2016

One of my favorite weekends of the year has just come and gone and what a weekend it was. I'm talking about Record Store Day which is held on the third Saturday of every April, a celebration of the independent record store. This is a weekend I always save up for starting right after Christmas, and thank goodness I do that as I did spend a pile of money. Not only is it RSD but here in Edmonton, the following day is the Music Collectors show.

So my Saturday started with lining up outside of Blackbyrd Myoozik at 8am, store opened at 10am, I was about twentieth in line by that time. Word was that the first person in line had been there since 5:45am. So a two hour line up for me. By the time the store opened I would estimate about a hundred plus people lined up.

Glad I lined up as I got pretty much everything I was hoping to get and then some. Ya, some of the RSD stuff is over priced, but with the Canadian dollar being what it is, it's no surprise. But at least most of the Record Store Day releases are very limited pressings, so it's worth it the long run. And this one very busy day for the record shops is usually a good way to keep the store afloat after a slow few months after Xmas.

And with record stores disappearing in Edmonton here, you have to get out and support these independent record shops. Record Store Day used to be an all day thing for me, but this year I was done by 10:45. It was only last year that there were three different record stores I would go to within walking distance of my home. This year, only one and that is Blackbyrd Myoozik. In the last year Sound Connection and Permanent Records have both closed there doors, and in the last five years you can add Octopus Ink and Southside Sound, again all within walking distance. I miss being able to make a day of record shopping and seeing local bands play Permanent Records all day. So things were done early for me on this day, which gave me time to go home and listen to all my new purchases.

After Blackbyrd closed they held an after party in the back alley behind the store featuring the local punk band at No Problem.

Here is a list of what I picked up on Record Store Day 2016. Good times!!!

Because I lined up early I was lucky and managed to snag a copy of this years Mystery Single which is a seven inch single which is part of the Side By Side series that they do every RSD. The cover is just black and you don't know what two bands will be on it. The series is always the original song by the band then covered by another band on the B Side.

This years single featured the MC5 song "Rocket Reducer No.62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)" with The Melvins covering it on the B Side, very cool.

* Shawn Colvin & Steve Earle seven inch single. Limited edition of 2000.

* Bob Dylan seven inch EP “Melancholy Mood” that was released as a limited edition 7” vinyl EP for Bob Dylan's recent Japanese tour. This was something that really made me want to line up early and get. It features four songs from his upcoming album Fallen Angels. This is on red vinyl and limited to 7000 copies.

* Another seven inch single in the Side By Side series, this one with the Bee Gees song "Started A Joke", and on the B Side Faith No More covering the song. This FNM version was originally on their 1995 album King For A Day... Fool For A Lifetime. This too is a limited edition release of 5500 on mint green vinyl.

* Also got the Brian Fallon solo (Brian also sings for Gaslight Anthem) ten inch three song EP called Georgia. Limited pressing of 2000.

* Another album I picked up which I have ever only had on CD was the Soul Asylum album Grave Dancers Union. This too is a limited pressing of 3800 and the album is numbered, mine being number 2430. This too is on coloured vinyl, very sharp looking.

* Finally got myself my very first Runaways album, this one being the album And Now... The Runaways. This is a limited pressing of 1000 copies.

* Picked up Volume 2 of the Tom Petty - Kiss My Amps Live. This album features some deep tracks from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers 2013 tour. Limited edition of 7500 copies.

* The last Record Store Day special album I picked up is the Blitzen Trapper album Field Rexx that was originally released in 2004, has now been remastered and available for the first time on vinyl. This too was a limited edition release of 1500 copies.

I also picked up a few albums that I have wanted that weren't RSD releases. Blackbyrd had all their stock on for 20% off, so I got Joel Plaskett's Scrappy Happiness vinyl and Lucero's album Tennessee. So I got lots of new music to listen to on this very successful Record Store Day. Good times!!!

Motörhead Monday

Going back to the 1987 Motörhead album Rock N' Roll with the song "Eat The Rich". I remember when I very first heard this song back in 87' and laughed my ass off at how funny the lyrics were, and still do.
The lyrics I am going with today is the second verse.

"Sittin' here in a restaurant,
Tell the waiter just what you want
Is that the meat, you wanted to eat,
How would you ever know?
Hash browns an' bacon strips,
I love the way that you lick your lips,
No fooling, I can see you drooling,
Feel the hunger grow"

Motörhead Monday

Today's track is the title track from 1983 Motörhead album Another Perfect Day. I had to pull this album out on cassette as it is the only format in which I own this on. Been a while since I have listened to a cassette. This is an album well worth checking out again.

"Out to lunch, speak your piece
Good and drunk, back on the street
What you see is what you get
No matter what you say"

Iron Maiden Live in EDmonton April 8th 2016

Friday night I went to the Iron Maiden concert here in Edmonton at Rexall Place with my buddy RCD. This was my fifth time seeing Maiden in concert and first time in 25 years. My very first concert I ever saw at the Coliseum, which used to be Northlands Coliseum was Iron Maiden back in 1984. This fall there will be a new Coliseum opening here (Rogers Place) so this may very well be the last show I see at the old barn. So I had to go to this show. I grew up as a teen a big fan of Iron Maiden. I'm not the fan of the band as I once was as I haven't bought an album of theirs since 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. So I'm not all that familiar with there newer stuff. This time around the band are on a world tour in support of there latest album The Book Of Souls. I have listened to it, and have to say, it really does nothing for me. But Iron Maiden always but on a big show and is always a spectacle so I bit the bullet and bought a ticket for the show.

Opening the show on this evening was the band The Raven Age which is led by George Harris the son of bassist Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. I was interested in seeing what they were all about having never heard of them before. All I can say about them is they were nothing special to me. How I miss the days of when Maiden brought great opening bands with them on tour. Some of the bands I have seen open for Maiden back in the day were Twisted Sister in 1984, Waysted in 1987, Guns N' Roses in 1988 and Anthrax in 1991. Really wish there had been a better band opening this time. But nope!!! I only watched about 15 minutes of there set and bailed for a drink and smoke.

The Raven Age at Rexall Place.

By the time Iron Madien came on stage the place had filled up with about 14,000 heavy metal fans. The band came out in a blaze of glory, with all the members closing in on the age of 60, they certainly haven't lost any energy. Lead singer Bruce Dickinson still masters the big stage running and jumping all around the place with is voice still very well intact, bass player Steve Harris hasn't aged one bit, he still looks the same as he always has, 63 year old Nicko McBrain on drums sounded great as did Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers. The band opened with "If Eternity Should Fail" the first song from their new album The Book Of Souls. There almost two hour set didn't have as much old material as I was hoping, they did six new songs which did nothing for me, and only one from Powerslave, an album I really like, doing the title track from said album. Only three songs from Number Of The Beast, one from Piece Of Mind and one from their debut album. And that song was "Iron Maiden" a song that Bruce Dickinson wasn't even part of back then. I loved the old stuff but there just wasn't enough of it for me. Though hearing "Children Of The Damned" was very cool. Highlight for me was hearing "The Trooper" and "Powerslave" back to back, that caught my attention but then it was back to a song I'm not that big of fan of.

For the encore they played "Number Of The Beast" which was really good, with a blow up devil making an appearance, and of course Eddie the mascot made his appearance a few times in the course of the night. After Number it was another song "Blood Brothers" that I'm not familiar with and felt like it went on to long. They closed out the show with "Wasted Years" from their 1986 album Somewhere In Time. Bruce also mentioned during the show that this was Iron Maidens 100th Canadian date they have done in the history of Maiden. I'm glad I went to the show but would I rush out to see them again, probably not, but if you are a die hard Maiden fan, and there were lots at the show, I am sure you loved it. Good times!!!

Earlier in the day my buddy Q was at the Edmonton International Airport and snapped these pictures for me of the Ed Force One which is the Boeing 747 that Iron Maiden travel in, which is piloted by the lead singer of Maiden Bruce Dickinson. Thanks for the pictures Q.

Ed Force One at the EIA.

Iron Maiden setlist for Edmonton.

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Iron Maiden at Rexall Place in Edmonton.

T-shirt front.

T-shirt back.