Kissening Post: Kiss - Hotter Than Hell

Kiss - Hotter Than Hell - 1974

Two albums in one year! 74 was a great year in this regard. Queen also put out Queen II AND Sheer Heart Attack. It was a heady time for Rock. Bands just couldn't be contained.
From the first strains of the opening track we can tell that something is....different. This album is muddier. Darker in tones, yes, but also, where the first album shimmered and gleamed this one sounds like it was recorded in a wind-tunnel. But that is redeemed by the sheer riffosity of Parasite the second brilliant Ace Frehley track in a row (he wrote Cold Gin on the previous record) and the sheer weird-dark metal "Goin' Blind". A song, after some research, I've learned is about a love affair between a 93 year old and 16 year old.
I found myself bored during the rote blues-title track and songs like Mainline sound like 2nd rate Cheap Trick, but you can't go wrong with a true breaker like Let Me Go, Rock 'N Roll.

Hotter Than Hell - Kiss

Grade B
A Side: Let Me Go Rock 'N Roll
BlindSide: Parasite, Goin' Blind,

Kissening Post: Kiss - Kiss

I've heard "Beth". Who hasn't? Or "Detroit Rock City"? Even "Strutter" and others. But this band has put out, like, 235 albums. Well, more like 19 but still! And that doesn't include the 4 "Alive!" albums. Or the 4 Solo albums. And I'm not even talking about Simmons' later solo albums but the cheesy quad-set that the band foisted on America in 1978, during the height of Kiss Mania.
Since I just heard the new album and realized I had, well, quite a bit of the back catalog in various forms (Alive II was one of my "free" records during my 9 year old self's experiment with the Columbia House record club, a sojourn that also provided me with an unheard for 15 years Steve Miller Band "Joker" and a couple Barry Manilow albums, which I listened to wayyyyy too many times) it was time to delve into this massive catalog, pound my ears, get myself ready for some truly crass, disposable rock and settle in to the musical stylings of.....KISS!




Kiss - Kiss - 1974

The first thing I noticed when about halfway through "Kiss" was how sorely this album was missing a cut by seminal glam-rock producers Chinn & Chapman. If it had a "Little Willy" or a "Wig Wam Bam" or a "Who the Fuck is Alice?" it would easily be one of the greatest glam rock albums of the era.
It has all the elements. The quasi-blues numbers. The songs that stink of low-rent but high aspiring production. It's all cock of the walk, ego driven, narcissistic adolescent rock and roll. So, what's wrong with it? For me? Not all that much, except that it just falls between the cracks between seminal and classic. It could be the vocals. Simmons and Stanley want SO bad to rawk! To sound like MEN WHO SING ROCK MUSIC. Anti-Freddie Mercurys. (Check them on Firehouse or Nothingn to Lose) The only one who truly succeeds in that regard is drummer Peter Criss on "Black Diamond". (Did you know it was Peter "The Cat" Criss on that track? Me neither.
Other than that, this is a fine outing, something I am proud to own and would gladly recommend. Not sure how I feel about Kissin' Time, the sole cover recorded for the purpose of having a hit single. I think it's the strongest produced and performed track but the song is just so awful in hard rock context that it hurts my brain.

Kiss - Kiss

Grade A
A Side: Black Diamond, Strutter, Cold Gin
BlindSide: Nothing to Lost, Let Me Know
DownSide: Love Theme From Kiss

Architecture Hoedown! Done!

So, I had to go out of town during the work on the bathroom. Beth took over as foreperson and I think the job came out lovely.




Beautiful brand new tile on the shower wall. The wall the tenants all but destroyed through negligence. Could've been avoided with, I dunno, a shower curtain maybe?



Holes in walls spackled (sp?) and painted. New toilet, caulked and ready to go.




Hey, instead of just glazing an old beat up sink, howzabout a new one? With a cabinet?

Of course, they found something to complain about. The most egregious thing that upset them? That the workers used their bucket for cleaning.
A bucket.
A two dollar bucket.

This from people who keep their office looking like THIS:



A little perspective, guys, yes?

The Top Fifty (six) albums and Top Eighty (six) songs of the Decade

Update! See 2009

Looking back on the first decade of this century I think it might have been the most rewarding, musically speaking.
Everyone and his brother has a blog and a decade end list and none of them are alike. Well, there are overlaps on every album. And it seems that just about every single one of them features a bunch of Radiohead and Arcade Fire. I didn't really ever give Funeral a chance so it won't show up here despite the fact that it's currently playing in the background.
The decade started off with a subscription to Columbia House, moved on to Amoeba's opening, the transition to buying through iTunes, then Soulseek, BitTorrent, emusic, trading and even more consumption than ever before. It turns out that making music available for free didn't stop me from spending more on it than any other decade before.
And given the breadth and wealth of music from the past 10 years it would be impossible for me to distill it down to one record a year. Especially in a decade as diverse as the one that the iPod and “Shuffle” has allowed.
So, what I will try to do is highlight the albums that I just couldn't get enough of from each year of this decade. The ones that seemingly never left my CD player and then my iPod. The dates that I fell in love with the record has no bearing on when it came out. Many of these I just plain came to late.
With the songs, it's the same. Just what I kept turning to, replaying or loved.
There are no links to mp3s or places to purchase or videos. I don't think I have enough readers to warrant that kind of work.
But, if you trust me, give all of these a listen.
Let's take a look.
2000
1.The Strokes – Is This It?
When the video for Last Night came on MTV, it was 9 in the morning. I watched mainly because it was directed by Roman Coppola and I went to school with him. By the end of the song I knew that I would be trudging up the hill to Virgin Megastore a block away. I did and this record was part of the soundtrack to that year.
2.Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP
I was a little late to the Eminem phenomenon. When I finally hunkered down to listen I was blown away. I started with the next album but, pretty soon grabbed this as well and the two of them were played nonstop.
3.Everclear – Songs from an America Movie Pt 1.
I was given a copy of So Much For The Afterglow by a member of my band and I enjoyed it so much that I got this on the day it came out. I was mesmerized by the over-production, the care, the smarts involved. Too bad nothing the band ever did after was of any use.
4.Green Day – Warning
The big departure, right? Except I thought it was even more punk than Nimrod. All the different directions they were heading in and mastering so well, it's almost crazy that we didn't know they were going to be one of the biggest bands of the decade.
5.Radiohead - Kid A
I got this from Columbia House because my Bass player told me how great it was. I gave it away after one listen. This was shit. Bad. Inorganic. And then, about 7 years later I gave it another listen. I wasn't old enough or mature enough to appreciate it when it came out. It's is one of the greatest achievements of the rock era.

Favorite from 2000 –



Tie: Warning/Kid A

Songs of the Year:
1.Faded by B9 (Local band does great)
2.Happiness in New York City by Dalton Grant (Local band does better)
3.AM Radio by Everclear (White boys can sample, too.)
4.Last Night by The Strokes (The sounding bell for change in rock)
5.Misery by Green Day (The hint of diversity to come

2001
1.Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
My girlfriend loved the single. So I got her the album. It didn't hurt that my friend's band, The Piper Downs, were in love with it. After one listen I realized it was a modern pop rock masterpiece.
2.The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
An actor told me about this little band at an audition. Said I might like the rekkid. If lasers were needles I would have worn this one out.
3.Betty Blowtorch – Are You Man Enough?
I loved the name. I loved the big hair unapologetic hair metal. I loved it so much. Then Betty died. I felt like Rock might have died with her. Certainly any chance for this to be revived did)
4.Weezer – Green Album
Rolling Stone said it was the first 5 star album of the decade. Sure, why not. It's a great piece of plastic. Pure pop at it's gummiest.
5.Tenacious D – Tenacious D
THE soundtrack to my band's road trip to SXSW. Impossible not to love. With Betty Blowtorch it almost felt like a real metal revival was on it's way. Not to be...



Favorite from 2001 – Bleed American
Songs of the year:
1.The Middle by Jimmy Eat World (Impossible to hate)
2.Designs on You by Old 97s (Pop craft at it's 1-4-5 finest)
3.Chop Suey by System of a Down (Because it was unavoidable and cuz you wanted to)
4.Fuck her Gently by Tenacious D (Sentiments to be adhered to)
5.Yeh Yeh by They Might Be Giants (Liz and I sang this over and over on a road trip)
6.Fell in Love With A Girl by The White Stripes (the return of the 2 minute rock hit)


2002
1.Bowling for Soup – Drunk Enough to Dance
There is so much confection and fun on DE2D that you just have to hear it. Dumb, frat boys worshipping at the altar of Green Day, Jaret and the guys sing songs not about how much they suck and that's why girls leave them, but rather that girls leave them and they are better for it. It plays better than I am describing it.
2.The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
THE concept album of the decade. Where did this come from? I fought so hard to be against this record but, in the end, I just fell in love.
3.Eminem – The Eminem Show
I dare you to listen to this and not see the genius and artistry in Eminem. More punk than most punks ever try to be. This is a screed. I don't think it could ever be topped. But it's the album that defines the era.
4.The Hellacopters – High Visibility
I kept reading the name The Hellacopters in Joel Harrington's book, Sonic Cool: The life and death of Rock and Roll. I finally succombed. The retro rock that I had been hoping would return? This is the album where it did. It's perfect.
5.Irving – Good Morning Beautiful
Beth and I were killing time before a show at Amoeba. The band that was playing...Irving, a local Silver Lake band....it was that holy fuck moment when you know that you want to hear more. I bought the album and it is a contender for best of the decade. True Indie Pop.
6.Bruce Springsteen – The Rising
I didn't cry on 9/11. But sitting, alone, in my house, listening to The Rising, that's when I did. It always takes music to get me where I ultimately want to be.

Favorite from 2002 – High Visibility


Songs of the Year:
1.Girl All The Bad Guys Want by Bowling For Soup (Grammy nominatingly great)
2.Need More Time by Epoxies (Retro New Wave at its finest)
3.Sleeping Aids & Razor Blades (Great pop by a doomed band)
4.Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly (I want to perform this with a 40 piece band)
5.Did I Ever Tell You I'm In Love With Your Girlfriend by Irving (The perfect beta male indie song)
6.Oceans by Paper Sun (A local band writes a song I never could)
7.Hail by The Piper Downs (A local band writes an epic I wish I could)
8.My Dad's Gone Crazy by Eminem (The pain of 9/11 burst forth on a rap album)
9.Toys And Flavors by The Hellacopters (Rock, baby)
10.If Ozzy Was My Dad (Then that Would Rock) by Danny Blitz (Local rocker cracks me up)

2003
1.Ima Robot – Ima Robot
I have no idea what prompted this purchase but from the moment the first retro-new wave beats and disaffected robotic lead singer's voice burst through I knew that THIS was the real nostalgia band and NOT The Killers. Too bad the follow up was so awful.
2.The Libertines – Up The Bracket
Mojo Magazine reported on these guys so much I thought they should rename the mag. But was the hype worth it? Yes. The Libertines were where BritPop and Punk met, fell in love, beat each other to a pulp and created a modern classic.
3.Fountains of Wayne – Welcome Interstate Managers
Stacy's Mom was inescapable and the rest of the record was just as good. Rich, poppy, Cars meets Springfield hooks with dynamite execution.
4.The White Stripes – Elephant
This actually might have been the album of the decade but it took me forever to listen to it in full. A lot of it came to me via downloads and shares. I think it was the first album I didn't buy as much as “obtain”.
Favorite from 2003 – Up The Bracket



Songs of the Year:
1.Toxic by Britney Spears (bubblegum goodness)
2.Bright Future in Sales/Stacy's Mom/Hey Julie by Fountains of Wayne (a trio of perfectly crafted pop songs)
3.A is for Action by Ima Robot (The bridge between 1981 and the 21st Century)
4.Cold Hard Bitch by Jet (This song just smells like 1977)
5.Against All Odds (Cover) by The Postal Service (Take cheese, rework, make into classic)
6.Ballad of the Sin Eater by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (Ted Leo never met a bridge he liked but on Sin Eater he is forgiven. How the hell can I believe in Beau Geste?)

2004
1.Bowling for Soup – A Hangover You Don't Deserve
B4S continued their formula and, while I don't think it's as good as the predecessor, AHYDD, was THE soundtrack for when Beth and I were cleaning the house we just bought. This album reminds me of the 1000 carpet nails I pulled up over the holiday season.
2.Green Day – American Idiot
I listened once and knew that this was different. Then friends would say, “hey, how is that new Green Day?” and I found myself with not only nothing bad to say, but it got better and better with each review. In retrospect, it's a perfect record and easily one of my choices for album of the decade.
3.The Libertines – The Libertines
The follow up to Up The Bracket is sadder, really. The songs portend the breakup and implosion of the songwriters with such edge and verve I was kind of glad that this was it for them.
4.William Shatner – Has Been
I stand by what I said (and was mercilessly mocked for) when it came out. “Easily one of the best spoken word albums of all time.
5.The Hold Steady – Almost Killed Me
I didn't listen to this record until this year. I wasn't all that much in love with Separation Sunday and kind of held to the belief that, while I liked The Hold Steady, I really just loved Boys & Girls in America. Then I heard this. This is better. And Positive Jam is the greatest first track on an album I've heard in ages.
Favorite from 2004 – American Idiot

Songs of the Year:
1.1985 by Bowling For Soup
They didn't write it and the truth is the original is better, but still a masterpiece)
2.Burnin' Up (Cover) by Drag (Local band does great Madonna)
3.Jesus of Suburbia/American Idiot by Green Day (Queen as angry punk)
4.King Epiphany by The Heavenly States (The 1st of the anti-Bush songs that I heard_
5.Portions for Foxes by Rilo Kiley (Possibly the best lyrics of the year)
6.Common People (Cover) by William Shatner (Joe Jackson, The Shat & Ben Folds are formidable)
7.Positive Jam by The Hold Steady (This song sort of sounds the opening knell for a very sad and angry decade. Might be the song of the decade, too.)

2005
1.Nightmare of You – Nightmare of You
Some albums take a hold of you and don't let go. A trainer/band manager I knew told me I HAD to get this. I took his advice, picked up a used copy at Amoeba and I've never looked back. Lush, smart, melodic, catchy. It's one of the best albums that no one's heard.
2.The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday
It took a while for me to get into but “You're Little Hoodrat Friend” and all the rest paint a very difficult picture of characters that Springsteen would have been proud to have created.
3.Beth Hart – Leave the Light On
So, the wife dug Beth Hart. And we went to see a friend play in a little club when we were surprised to learn that the headliner was Beth Hart. (When I say small, I mean, like 18 people small) And we bought this record. And it's great.
4.Jeff Daniels – Live and Unplugged to Benefit the Purple Rose Theater
You gotta be clever by half for me to put an album which is mainly toss offs and jokes on a list. But Daniels does it. And You Can Drink....is one of the best bar tunes ever.
5.Weezer – Make Believe
Everybody hates it. I love it. This is the real conversion record by Weezer. The album where they tossed off the emo-heartsleeves beta boy clothes forever and become hitmakers.

Favorite from 2005 – Nightmare of You



Songs of the Year:
1.Look at Me, I'm a Winner! By The Aquabats (The theme for narcissist)
2.Bounce by Danko Jones (Crazy catchy. Never could match this, Danko)
3.Asparagus Dance by Reservoir Ticklers (Soulseek friends who traded music with me)
4.Stroke of Genie-us by Freelance Hellraiser (The 1st and best mashup. Proves that all music is basically the same)
5.Lifts You Up by Beth Hart (White girl gospel)
6.I Want to Be Buried in Your Backyard by Nightmare Of You (One of many from this great Brooklyn band)
7.The Sporting Life by The Decemberists (Letter Sweater Rock)
8.Your Little Hoodrat Friend by The Hold Steady (Outdoes Springsteen in a way Arcade Fire never could)
9.You can drink an Ugly Girl Pretty (but you can't drink a fat girl thin) by Jeff Daniels (Just get this track. You will be happy)

2006
1.Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
By now it was impossible to resist the pull of downloading. And everybody was grabbing this record. I was just as guilty (although I later bought it because I loved it). In the world of great debuts, this ranks in the top 20.
2.The Fratellis – Costello Music
Lots of people in the UK had this on their hard drives on Soulseek. Someone gave me a track and I knew I had to have the record. It's the first import I've purchased since college. And it was worth every penny. You feeling down? Put on Costello Music. You will be happy in less than a hlaf hour.
3.The Hold Steady – Boys & Girls in America
Another contender for the greatest record of the decade. If you miss classic rock but feel like most of it is stale, this record will have you believing again. You might have to use that lighter app on your iPhone but that's okay, we get it.
4.Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat
Another highly traded record. It was impossible not to crave more once you heard a couple tracks. I love Jenny Lewis. I think she was also the one of the first blog entries on my old old old blog. The way she has of forcing too many words into sentences and making them WORK is remarkable.
5.My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
After American Idiot this is the bombastic uber-theatrical record of the decade. Grand, dynamic, angry, operatic. Satisfies my Queen-need wholly.
6.The Thermals – The Body, The Blood, The Machine
Bloggers and soulseekers went on and on about this record. I found a promo copy at Amoeba. It has been in heavy rotation for 3 years now.
Favorite from 2006 – Boys & Girls in America


Songs of the Year:
1.Red Light Indicates Doors are Secure by Arctic Monkeys (Manic & catchy britpop)
2.Suzie by Boy Kill Boy (The band you don't know about. And the song that should have made them stars)
3.Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken by Camera Obscura (Is it the 80s already?)
4.Sly by The Cat Empire (Zoe's theme)
5.Candyman by Christina Aguilera (Sex on a stick)
6.Chelsea Dagger/For the Girl/Henrietta/Flathead by The Fratellis (4 great tracks from an album of all great tracks)
7.Stuck Between Stations by The Hold Steady (The opening of one of the most accomplished set of songs)
8.Rise Up With Fists by Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins (She will wake up with babies....)
9.Woke up New by The Mountain Goats (When you lose someone, listen to this song)
10.Welcome to the Black Parade/Dead by My Chemical Romance (American Idiot Pt 2)
11.Valerie by The Zutons (The Jam wish they wrote this)
12.Here's Your Future – The Thermals (God has never sounded this punk. Even though he is)

2007
1.Against Me! - New Wave
The blogs were afire about this band and once I got the album I understood why. 30 minutes in length, New Wave is a brash, bold, vitriolic attack force. Every song is a keeper and I can't wait for the next one.
2.The Builders & The Butchers – The Builders & The Butchers
Another Blog discovery. This is soundtrack music for the Green River Killer.
3.Grace Potter & The Nocturnal – This is Somewhere
Blogs blogs blogs. Potter was on everybody's short list and it was worth it.
4.Mika – Life in Cartoon Motion
I was so glad that I liked Mika as much as I did. It's like what Freddie Mercury's Mr. Bad Guy was supposed to sound like. Instead of sucking, I mean.
5.Okkervil River – The Stage Names
I really wanted to not like this album. It was so darling-of-the-Indie scene. But, it grew on me until I realized that I liked every song and was turning to it for background music more than anything else.
6.Radiohead – In Rainbows
The download phenomenon. The game changer. I paid about $5 for it. Worth double.
Favorite from 2007 – New Wave


Songs of the Year:
1.White People for Peace/Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart/Thrash Unreal by Against Me!
(Punk you can dance to)
2.Online by Brad Paisley (Funny cuz it's true)
3.Vampire Lake by The Builders & The Butchers (The vampire zeitgeist can be summed up here)
4.Cornfields! Cornfields! By Cheese on Bread (The goofiest track on this list)
5.Ah, Mary! By Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (Psst. Mary is America.)
6.Big Girl, You Are Beautiful by Mika (The second theme song for Zoe)
7.You Made Me Like It by 1990s (Power Pop at it's Knackiest)

2008
1.Blitzen Trapper – Furr
I avoided this like the folk-revival plague I assumed it was. It is. But it's also not. It's as much a power pop album as anything else. With a dark humor that offsets the seriousness of it's sound.
2.Taylor Swift – Fearless
The girl can write a song, lemme tell ya. With this record 10s of thousands of 13 year old girls asked for guitar lessons this year.
3.Lady Gaga – The Fame
I think we bought this more based on the performance on SNL. I was kind of hoping that there would be more actual singing than it turned out to have. That said, the songs are all great, retro disco, mirrorball funness.
4.Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
This was on a few top ten lists last year so I gave it a go. Elbow is the way station between Radiohead and Coldplay. With the worst name for a band...um...ever.
5.The Gaslight Anthem – The '59 Sound
Springsteen reborn. If you can get past the annoying vocal production this is a great record for people who like their songs to resonate with defined characters.
6.Jukebox the Ghost – Let Live and Let Ghosts
THE album for me. The bloggers were chatting about Good Day and Hold it In, but the real treat were the song suites in the second half. A much more assured album than one would expect from skinny 20 somethings. Let alone a band that is drums, piano and guitar. If Queen bred with Ben Folds THAT is what Jukebox the Ghost sounds like.
7.Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Who doesn't have this record by now? Easily the most traded of any on this lists. This is also the first year where none of the albums on this list were purchased on plastic. All digital, baby. And VW, with a terrible name and bad album cover, made one of the best, comfortable, exciting albums ever.
8.The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride
I was asked to review this album for the now defunct Shuffleboil. It became my favorite of that month. And I still go back to it. Sadly, I don't really care for any other MG album. This is the only one you really need. It's really terrific.
Favorite from 2008 – Let Live and Let Ghosts


Songs of the Year:
1.Furr by Blitzen Trapper (Folk song about transforming into a werewolf. Really)
2.The Fame by Lady Gaga (We live for it)
3.The Best Day by Taylor Swift (The stanza about her dad made me cry)
4.Angelina Jolie by The Chevelles (None of their other songs rock this hard)
5.Some Riot by Elbow (Lush, beautiful, sad, morose, insert adjective here)
6.The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem (ain't supposed to die on a saturday night)
7.Hold It In by Jukebox the Ghost (Indie Pop finds it first piece of true perfection)
8.Sax Rohmer #1/Autoclave/San Bernadino by The Mountain Goats (the three MG songs that made me fall in love with John Darniell)


2009
1.Owl City – Ocean Eyes
I want to hate this record. It sounds JUST LIKE POSTAL SERVICE. Ben Gibbard should sue for stealing his sound. But, it's so catchy and poppy and irresistible.
2.Lily Allen – It's Not me, It's You
I don't care for The Bird and the Bee. But the producer of that band produced this and Lily is more snarky and sardonic than before. It's a dance record but so much more.
3.Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
How do you follow up the best Rock Opera of the decade? Do another one. Bigger. Bolder. More self assured. There was no way this album could catch fire the way AI did. But, in many ways, it's much much better.
4.Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Mika tops Life in Cartoon Motion with an album so undeniably charming it's a shame he will never truly cross over.
5.Ida Maria – Fortress Around My Heart
This album had me wanting more more more. There are almost no lyrics. The singer can't really sing. But it's rock at it's garageiest.
6. fun. - Aim & Ignite
I should have been listening to this all fall but I forgot about it. I just got it. It's great. It's like the best parts of Mika, ELO, Queen, Power Pop, Rock, Theater all rolled up into a big pie of....well, fun.
Favorite from 2009 - 21st Century Breakdown

Songs of the Year:
1.Fireflies by Owl City (I defy you to not like this song)
2.Now We Can See by The Thermals (Who knew the Thermals could write a pop hook?)
3.If You're Wondering if I Want You To (I Want You To) by Weezer (The catchiest, coolest and most resonant song Weezer has penned in a while)
4.Got Some by Pearl Jam (Pearl Jam finally rocks again)
5.Blame it on the Girls by Mika (You will want to salsa dance with somebody)
6.I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked by Ida Maria (Song of the year)
7.Viva La Gloria/Peacemaker by Green Day (Epics)

So, there ya have it. I should have probably broken this down by year and done each entry separately. But I'm too lazy. And maybe I should have been more diligent about links and such. But, I'm not.
These were my favorites of the decade. I think there was more to love than just about any decade prior. Anyone who says that rock or pop music is dead isn't really listening. I barely scratched the surface.
It was a pretty good decade. We'll see what the next brings.

Amateur Foodie: Cafe Medina, Vancouver

For some reason I gave up on breakfast in Vancouver. Most of the time when I'm here I don't have the time to get breakfast. There's usually a catering truck on set or something.
And the few times I've gone out for a breaky here it's been...standard at best.
Then I happened to hear about Cafe Medina. A little hole in the wall near the iffy section of Gastown. I'm glad I did.
I got there at about 5 to 9 and there were already some people waiting. Not many so I wasn't thinking much about it. I'm glad I got there when I did. Because by 9:15 there was a line out the door. If I had arrived to see that line I probably would have hustled elsewhere.
Like I said. Glad I stayed.
They brought me a coffee and it was like drinking silk. Just the right amount of thickness, the cream swirled, it didn't need any sweetener. My server, Chris, a french canadian local, recommended the Oeufs Cocotte. And when I suggested that I might also like some sausage, he dissuaded me, promising that the dish would be sufficient.
I should stop to say that Medina Cafe is known for it's waffles and they looked delicious. Spare, light, golden. But since Waffles are now so far off my diet I had to eschew them.
Then breakfast arrived.


The Oeufs Cocotte are eggs baked in a clay pot with a melange of Sockeye Salmon, Artichokes, Cream Cheese with a tomato pepperdew salad. A grilled focaccia is served on the side.
I can't recall a lighter dish that tasted so rich.
The line got longer as a single father and his daughter planted themselves at the window seats. a gaggle of 3 generations of women sat to my left. The server, who had asked my name earlier, came and asked me, "Is there anything I can get you, Allen?" And with that I asked for the check and wished that I was with someone so I could share this meal. The attention to detail from both the servers and the cooks was so spot on, homey and yet crowded, I found myself leaving a 30% tip. It's not like the meal was all that expensive, truly. Seemed like the least I could do.

I thought about that breakfast all day. Even after wandering around the city, going to the movies, hitting other food spots, I found myself promising me that I would make it back to Cafe Medina again before I head home.

So I did.
I had trudged there in the rain. It's a pretty miserable day here in Vancouver today. I wondered if there would be a crowd. Who would venture out in this?

It was packed.

"You're back! Welcome!" The other server whose name I never learned said. After asking me my name again, it was like I was home again.
"Would you like anything to drink?"
"Coffee, please."
"Cafe Americain, like yesterday?"
This place started to remind me of the best hotels. Where they know your name and make you feel at home.
Chris was going to give me a table of my own but I begged off.
"You're in the weeds. I'll sit at the bar."
I ordered the Fricasse as I sipped my coffee and listened to The Slate Political Gabfest on my iPhone.
When it arrived it was more beautiful than the meal the day before.
2 fried eggs on braised short ribs, roasted potatoes, carmelized onions, arugula and smoked applewood cheddar. It tasted even better than it looked.

Chris and I were talking a bit about the restaurant. He's been there since it opened. Painted the ceiling. He said that next door there is a restaurant called Chambar. It's the same owners. It was so successful that they opened Medina.
I might have to go there for dinner.
For sure I will go back to Medina tomorrow. In fact, I plan on going until I have tried everything on their menu.

DoubleShot: The Thermals

“God reached his hand down from the sky. He flooded the land and he set it on fire.”



The Thermals – The Body, the Blood, The Machine – 2006

I can't begin to explain how important music was to me in 2006. Lizzie had just died. Finding my happy was next to impossible. What's amazing is that none of the music that I discovered that year reminds of that time. All of the really good stuff transcends that terrible event. It was all just so damned good.
On Soulseek (oh, how I miss you, Soulseek) I was starting to see the name of a band that I thought sounded cool. The Thermals sounded like a New Wave band that I would have discovered in 1982 and tried to convince everyone how great they were.
The year and the genre were wrong and everything else was right.
A three piece power punk garage group with a sound and message larger than the band's number. Their 3rd album, The Body, the Blood, The Machine is a bloodletting. More often than not drawing on biblical themes of violence and religious hypocrisy, the songs on BBM contain some of the most terrific melodies against a backdrop of faith based pain.
“Here's Your Future” spits God's words and needs at Noah and Jesus with such venom one wonders if this is a deity we should worship.
“I Might Need You To Kill” takes us to the next level, after all, God has asked a lot of the likes of Abraham and Isaac.
Songwriter, guitarist and lead singer Hutch Harris' thin, nerdy voice is so perfect when he sings “It's time for reassignment, time for a new first world order” on “An Ear for a Baby”. Or “I regret leaving at all, I forgot I needed God like a Big Brother”. He's like a truth prophet, minister, evangelist, punk, town crier all rolled into one. “Good luck putting even a dent in the mission, the dream, the body, the blood, the machine.” How can a sound this big and damning come from just a guitar, drum and bass??? It does and you best be listening to it LOUD.
Thing is, The Thermals aren't a Christian rock band. It just happened, from what I've read, that the songs took on this shape and these themes. Sometimes a muse takes hold of a songwriter and guides his hand and voice and guitar to a place no one would have expected. Or could have.
The Body, the Blood, The Machine is easily one of the great records of the past decade. Perhaps one of my favorites ever. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Body, The Blood, The Machi...

Grade: A+
Aside: Everything. This album won't let you down.



The Thermals – Now We Can See – 2009

It didn't take much to get me excited about the new Thermals album. But, I'd already suffered my disappointments with The Fratellis & The Hold Steady, 2 more discoveries from 2006 whose follow-ups were not as exciting as the original. I was prepared for Now We Can See to pale in comparison to The Body, the Blood, The Machine. It would be impossible to top that record and I didn't expect it to. BBM is different from Hold Steady's Boys & Girls or The Fratelli's Costello Music. It was a once in a lifetime record. A Born to Run. A Thriller. You can't catch lightning like that again. I was prepared for a letdown. What I wasn't prepared for was for there to be one song on the new record that was, well, actually, catchy. Radio friendly. Possibly, even, a hit.
The song-crafting on Now We Can See is exactly the same. Dependable. Upbeat garage pop. Maybe a little more frenetic, excited. That doesn't mean that it's redundant or repetitive. It's elegiac in it's own way.
Obsessed with water and death this time, Hutch Harris brings his 3 minute pop sensibilities to new themes with a sound that seems to embrace pop music just a little bit. The guitar licks are familiar and melodic, instead of just being angular and jagged.
The near 80s “oh way oh-ow oh woah”s of the title demand that you sing along. It's new wave pop punk at it's finest. I defy you not to dance in your kitchen while Harris is singing “But the images don't stick. Our enemies lay dead on the ground. And still we kick!” or “We still need the medicine quick. We still take the pill but only for the fix.” And the teeniest but most perfectly laid guitar solo brings the track to a new place.
The water/death themes run throughout the albums, making most of their impact on “At the Bottom of the Sea” & “Liquid In, Liquid Out”.
“When We Were Alive” simply shreds and before it even registers it's gone.
“How We Fade” takes the death idiom to a it's most desperate and reflective and drives us to the (water themed) coalescence of “You Dissolve”. “You dissolve. It's just another way you exist. It's the only way you depart.”

I'm tempted to not give the record as high a rating as the previous but that because, A) I don't want to diminish the previous album's brilliance however B) I'm afraid that Now We Can See will get a lesser grade because there is no surprise for the listener after BBM, which is such a stupefyingly great album.
What to do? Perhaps the repetition of “When I was Afraid” or “I Called Out Your Name” might feel like a band that relies on certain songwriting tricks and templates. But, had I not heard BBM, I might not think so.

Usually a review of a record that doesn't build on a sound but offers the same type of music a second time around would garner a bad review and a suggestion that “you don't need to hear this record” but I think you DO need to hear this record. Right after the previous one. Because Harris and gang won't let you down.

Grade A
A Side: Now We Can See, Liquid in Liquid Out, How We Fade
BlindSide: When I Died, We Were Sick, I Let It Go, At the Bottom of the Sea,

Architecture Hoedown! Day 1

Remember this cute little house we have?




It's behind our house. It's small. Cozy. And the people who rent it have been there for 14 years. Fully 9 years before we bought the place.
And because of them the bathroom now looks like this:



You can see the damage. Most of it is because the bathroom was never retrofitted for a shower, having been built in 1923. A LOT of this damage has come from these tenants who basically treat this house like a hovel.













Here are some shots of the damage they have done in the kitchen.








So. The workers came today. Started the process. In about 5 days this will be a gorgeous and livable bathroom. Hopefully the city will think so, too.

Architecture Hoedown!

The city came by last week to "check out' the guest house. They found stuff wrong with it. I don't disagree. It needs work. It needs the tenants to move out so I can redo it correctly and make more money on it, but that's a different story.
The city also decided that we need to do something about our carport.



It's not really a carport as much as its a dilapidated shed that really should be torn down and put out of our misery.

Trouble is, figuring out what to do:

We could just roof it, but that's a waste of time and money.


Or we could tear it down and put up a new carport. Which is what we want to do. Except that we would want it to be an enclosed carport. And we would want it to have a door. Which would make it a garage.

I went to Building & Safety today to find out the specs of what I would need to do. They told me to draw the plans and they would approve them. So, let me get this straight: You DON'T want to give me specs so I know what the parameters are for what I want to build. You just want me to draw the plans and have you approve or not. That's stupid.
Bureaucracy. Just as you imagine it.

Here's what we are looking at. Hopefully in a few weeks it will be much nicer.

Eating In: (Diabetic) Breakfast Burrito

It's been ages since I posted a recipe but, ever since I was diagnosed as T2 Diabetic I've had to re-evaluate my dining habits. Which led me to the lo-carb breakfast burrito. Before you run screaming, trust me, I've altered it enough that it does taste, truly, like it will kill you. Even if it won't.

Here's what you need:
1 Low-Carb Wheat Burrito Tortilla (31g with, like 21g fiber)
Egg Beaters
1.5 TBS Chopped Onion
1.5 TBS Green Pepper
1 strip Turkey Bacon
Cheese (optional, I like low-fat Monterey Jack)
Sun-dried tomato pesto (also optional, high in calories)
dash Cumin
dash Crushed Red Pepper flakes
Smart Balance spread
Sriracha (Red Asian Hot Sauce)

Take a teaspoon of smart balance and mix in a squirt of Sriracha. Set aside.
In a non-stick skillet (I prefer ScanPan, the greatest pan ever invented), saute the onion, green pepper & bacon.
When just about to your desired doneness add the dash of cumin and dash of crushed red pepper flakes.
When that is done, pour in your egg product and scramble.
Remove from heat.
Take your tortilla and spread hot butter all over one side.
Turn over and put in 1/2 your cheese.
Add Sun-dried tomato pesto.
Add your egg mixture and the rest of the cheese.
Cover with a squirt of Sriracha.
Roll up. It will be slippery.
Put the rolled up burrito BACK in the heated skillet. Turn every 2 minutes to evenly crisp.
Remove, let stand.
Cut in half.
Enjoy.

Calories: 500 (400 w/out pesto. 320 w/out cheese)
Carbs: 36 (32 w/out pesto)

If you were doing this with the REAL stuff.....REAL bacon, REAL eggs, REAL cheese, REAL Butter...

you will die.

Try it! It's delicious!

Whiskey A Go Go - Knob Creek

It was an old friend's birthday last night. The party was at a sports tavern in the Valley. Perhaps my least favorite type of establishment on the planet. But, heck, it was what he wanted so it's all cool. (And the macaroni & Cheese was garlicky and crispy and yummy).
It's customary to buy an old friend a drink on his birthday and he was kind enough to ask for nothing more than a Jameson.
I got him a Johnnie Blue instead. And had one for myself as well. Was there ever a whiskey as smooth and genuinely giving as Johnnie Walker Blue? I don't think so.
But this isn't a review of Blue.
So, how to follow up the tender and delicate smoothness of the Blue?
With Knob Creek. Right?
No.
Recommended by another Whiskey drinker I know, this bourbon hit my palette in every wrong way possible. Harsh, angry, biting, with a taste that reminded me too much of plastic.
That was the note I kept recalling. Like a balloon. Not pleasant at all.
Which all goes to show that I am probably not a bourbon drinker after. More of a scotch drinker. We'll find out tonight as the guys are going to a restaurant together and I plan on having (more than one) glass of liquid life.
As for the Knob.
Not so much.

How rock bands get fucked by the recording Industry.

Steve Albini is one of the most well known names in rock. He's a super producer and a semi legend. And he wrote the definitive article on how the music industry works to make money of it's indentured servants: the rock star.

I have no way of getting in touch with Mr. Albini so, until I am told otherwise, I am reposting his article. The link to where I found it is at negativland.

Be careful what you wish for........



The Problem With Music
by Steve Albini

Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. Nobody can see what's printed on the contract. It's too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody's eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there's only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says "Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke". And he does of course.

Every major label involved in the hunt for new bands now has on staff a high-profile point man, an "A & R" rep who can present a comfortable face to any prospective band. The initials stand for "Artist and Repertoire." because historically, the A & R staff would select artists to record music that they had also selected, out of an available pool of each. This is still the case, though not openly. These guys are universally young [about the same age as the bands being wooed], and nowadays they always have some obvious underground rock credibility flag they can wave.

Lyle Preslar, former guitarist for Minor Threat, is one of them. Terry Tolkin, former NY independent booking agent and assistant manager at Touch and Go is one of them. Al Smith, former soundman at CBGB is one of them. Mike Gitter, former editor of XXX fanzine and contributor to Rip, Kerrang and other lowbrow rags is one of them. Many of the annoying turds who used to staff college radio stations are in their ranks as well. There are several reasons A & R scouts are always young. The explanation usually copped-to is that the scout will be "hip to the current musical "scene." A more important reason is that the bands will intuitively trust someone they think is a peer, and who speaks fondly of the same formative rock and roll experiences. The A & R person is the first person to make contact with the band, and as such is the first person to promise them the moon. Who better to promise them the moon than an idealistic young turk who expects to be calling the shots in a few years, and who has had no previous experience with a big record company. Hell, he's as naive as the band he's duping. When he tells them no one will interfere in their creative process, he probably even believes it. When he sits down with the band for the first time, over a plate of angel hair pasta, he can tell them with all sincerity that when they sign with company X, they're really signing with him and he's on their side. Remember that great gig I saw you at in '85? Didn't we have a blast. By now all rock bands are wise enough to be suspicious of music industry scum. There is a pervasive caricature in popular culture of a portly, middle aged ex-hipster talking a mile-a-minute, using outdated jargon and calling everybody "baby." After meeting "their" A & R guy, the band will say to themselves and everyone else, "He's not like a record company guy at all! He's like one of us." And they will be right. That's one of the reasons he was hired.

These A & R guys are not allowed to write contracts. What they do is present the band with a letter of intent, or "deal memo," which loosely states some terms, and affirms that the band will sign with the label once a contract has been agreed on. The spookiest thing about this harmless sounding little memo, is that it is, for all legal purposes, a binding document. That is, once the band signs it, they are under obligation to conclude a deal with the label. If the label presents them with a contract that the band don't want to sign, all the label has to do is wait. There are a hundred other bands willing to sign the exact same contract, so the label is in a position of strength. These letters never have any terms of expiration, so the band remain bound by the deal memo until a contract is signed, no matter how long that takes. The band cannot sign to another laborer or even put out its own material unless they are released from their agreement, which never happens. Make no mistake about it: once a band has signed a letter of intent, they will either eventually sign a contract that suits the label or they will be destroyed.

One of my favorite bands was held hostage for the better part of two years by a slick young "He's not like a label guy at all," A & R rep, on the basis of such a deal memo. He had failed to come through on any of his promises [something he did with similar effect to another well-known band], and so the band wanted out. Another label expressed interest, but when the A & R man was asked to release the band, he said he would need money or points, or possibly both, before he would consider it. The new label was afraid the price would be too dear, and they said no thanks. On the cusp of making their signature album, an excellent band, humiliated, broke up from the stress and the many months of inactivity. There's this band. They're pretty ordinary, but they're also pretty good, so they've attracted some attention. They're signed to a moderate-sized "independent" label owned by a distribution company, and they have another two albums owed to the label. They're a little ambitious. They'd like to get signed by a major label so they can have some security you know, get some good equipment, tour in a proper tour bus -- nothing fancy, just a little reward for all the hard work. To that end, they got a manager. He knows some of the label guys, and he can shop their next project to all the right people. He takes his cut, sure, but it's only 15%, and if he can get them signed then it's money well spent. Anyways, it doesn't cost them anything if it doesn't work. 15% of nothing isn't much! One day an A & R scout calls them, says he's 'been following them for a while now, and when their manager mentioned them to him, it just "clicked." Would they like to meet with him about the possibility of working out a deal with his label? Wow. Big Break time. They meet the guy, and y'know what -- he's not what they expected from a label guy. He's young and dresses pretty much like the band does. He knows all their favorite bands. He's like one of them. He tells them he wants to go to bat for them, to try to get them everything they want. He says anything is possible with the right attitude.

They conclude the evening by taking home a copy of a deal memo they wrote out and signed on the spot. The A & R guy was full of great ideas, even talked about using a name producer. Butch Vig is out of the question-he wants 100 g's and three points, but they can get Don Fleming for $30,000 plus three points. Even that's a little steep, so maybe they'll go with that guy who used to be in David Letterman's band. He only wants three points. Or they can have just anybody record it (like Warton Tiers, maybe-- cost you 5 or 7 grand] and have Andy Wallace remix it for 4 grand a track plus 2 points. It was a lot to think about. Well, they like this guy and they trust him. Besides, they already signed the deal memo. He must have been serious about wanting them to sign. They break the news to their current label, and the label manager says he wants them to succeed, so they have his blessing. He will need to be compensated, of course, for the remaining albums left on their contract, but he'll work it out with the label himself.

Sub Pop made millions from selling off Nirvana, and Twin Tone hasn't done bad either: 50 grand for the Babes and 60 grand for the Poster Children-- without having to sell a single additional record. It'll be something modest. The new label doesn't mind, so long as it's recoupable out of royalties. Well, they get the final contract, and it's not quite what they expected. They figure it's better to be safe than sorry and they turn it over to a lawyer--one who says he's experienced in entertainment law and he hammers out a few bugs. They're still not sure about it, but the lawyer says he's seen a lot of contracts, and theirs is pretty good. They'll be great royalty: 13% [less a 1O% packaging deduction]. Wasn't it Buffalo Tom that were only getting 12% less 10? Whatever. The old label only wants 50 grand, an no points. Hell, Sub Pop got 3 points when they let Nirvana go. They're signed for four years, with options on each year, for a total of over a million dollars! That's a lot of money in any man's English. The first year's advance alone is $250,000. Just think about it, a quarter million, just for being in a rock band! Their manager thinks it's a great deal, especially the large advance. Besides, he knows a publishing company that will take the band on if they get signed, and even give them an advance of 20 grand, so they'll be making that money too. The manager says publishing is pretty mysterious, and nobody really knows where all the money comes from, but the lawyer can look that contract over too. Hell, it's free money. Their booking agent is excited about the band signing to a major. He says they can maybe average $1,000 or $2,000 a night from now on. That's enough to justify a five week tour, and with tour support, they can use a proper crew, buy some good equipment and even get a tour bus! Buses are pretty expensive, but if you figure in the price of a hotel room for everybody In the band and crew, they're actually about the same cost. Some bands like Therapy? and Sloan and Stereolab use buses on their tours even when they're getting paid only a couple hundred bucks a night, and this tour should earn at least a grand or two every night. It'll be worth it. The band will be more comfortable and will play better.

The agent says a band on a major label can get a merchandising company to pay them an advance on T-shirt sales! ridiculous! There's a gold mine here! The lawyer Should look over the merchandising contract, just to be safe. They get drunk at the signing party. Polaroids are taken and everybody looks thrilled. The label picked them up in a limo. They decided to go with the producer who used to be in Letterman's band. He had these technicians come in and tune the drums for them and tweak their amps and guitars. He had a guy bring in a slew of expensive old "vintage" microphones. Boy, were they "warm." He even had a guy come in and check the phase of all the equipment in the control room! Boy, was he professional. He used a bunch of equipment on them and by the end of it, they all agreed that it sounded very "punchy," yet "warm." All that hard work paid off. With the help of a video, the album went like hotcakes! They sold a quarter million copies! Here is the math that will explain just how fucked they are: These figures are representative of amounts that appear in record contracts daily. There's no need to skew the figures to make the scenario look bad, since real-life examples more than abound. income is bold and underlined, expenses are not.


Advance: $ 250,000
Manager's cut: $ 37,500
Legal fees: $ 10,000
Recording Budget: $ 150,000
Producer's advance: $ 50,000
Studio fee: $ 52,500
Drum Amp, Mic and Phase "Doctors": $ 3,000
Recording tape: $ 8,000
Equipment rental: $ 5,000
Cartage and Transportation: $ 5,000
Lodgings while in studio: $ 10,000
Catering: $ 3,000
Mastering: $ 10,000
Tape copies, reference CDs, shipping tapes, misc. expenses: $ 2,000
Video budget: $ 30,000
Cameras: $ 8,000
Crew: $ 5,000
Processing and transfers: $ 3,000
Off-line: $ 2,000
On-line editing: $ 3,000
Catering: $ 1,000
Stage and construction: $ 3,000
Copies, couriers, transportation: $ 2,000
Director's fee: $ 3,000
Album Artwork: $ 5,000
Promotional photo shoot and duplication: $ 2,000
Band fund: $ 15,000
New fancy professional drum kit: $ 5,000
New fancy professional guitars [2]: $ 3,000
New fancy professional guitar amp rigs [2]: $ 4,000
New fancy potato-shaped bass guitar: $ 1,000
New fancy rack of lights bass amp: $ 1,000
Rehearsal space rental: $ 500
Big blowout party for their friends: $ 500
Tour expense [5 weeks]: $ 50,875
Bus: $ 25,000
Crew [3]: $ 7,500
Food and per diems: $ 7,875
Fuel: $ 3,000
Consumable supplies: $ 3,500
Wardrobe: $ 1,000
Promotion: $ 3,000
Tour gross income: $ 50,000
Agent's cut: $ 7,500
Manager's cut: $ 7,500
Merchandising advance: $ 20,000
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Publishing advance: $ 20,000
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Record sales: 250,000 @ $12 =
$3,000,000
Gross retail revenue Royalty: [13% of 90% of retail]:
$ 351,000
Less advance: $ 250,000
Producer's points: [3% less $50,000 advance]:
$ 40,000
Promotional budget: $ 25,000
Recoupable buyout from previous label: $ 50,000
Net royalty: $ -14,000
Record company income:

Record wholesale price: $6.50 x 250,000 =
$1,625,000 gross income
Artist Royalties: $ 351,000
Deficit from royalties: $ 14,000
Manufacturing, packaging and distribution: @ $2.20 per record: $ 550,000
Gross profit: $ 7l0,000
The Balance Sheet: This is how much each player got paid at the end of the game.

Record company: $ 710,000
Producer: $ 90,000
Manager: $ 51,000
Studio: $ 52,500
Previous label: $ 50,000
Agent: $ 7,500
Lawyer: $ 12,000
Band member net income each: $ 4,031.25
The band is now 1/4 of the way through its contract, has made the music industry more than 3 million dollars richer, but is in the hole $14,000 on royalties. The band members have each earned about 1/3 as much as they would working at a 7-11, but they got to ride in a tour bus for a month. The next album will be about the same, except that the record company will insist they spend more time and money on it. Since the previous one never "recouped," the band will have no leverage, and will oblige. The next tour will be about the same, except the merchandising advance will have already been paid, and the band, strangely enough, won't have earned any royalties from their T-shirts yet. Maybe the T-shirt guys have figured out how to count money like record company guys. Some of your friends are probably already this fucked.

Steve Albini is an independent and corporate rock record producer most widely known for having produced Nirvana's "In Utero".