Monthly Archives: December 2011

GRUESOME GREG’S TOP 10 CONCERTS OF 2011

Posted by gruesomegreg on

New Year’s Eve, it’s that time of year again where I bust out my old ticket stubs and figure out what the best shows I saw over the last 12 months were.  This year’s list includes entries from four cities spanning two states and two Canadian provinces–with the bulk of the gigs being in Toronto, of course.  If anything, it seems that I did less traveling to outta-town concerts this year, but the ones I did take off to go see were all quite memorable.

So, with no further ado, let’s get the ball rolling, eh?

10. Blizaro/Blood Ceremony/Castle @ Smiling Buddha, Toronto, August 7th

The best local underground gig I caught this year is worthy of a spot on this list, as it paired two stellar doom bands from the States with our local flute-doom legends.  Not too shabby for a Sunday night…

CHOICE WORDS: “John Gallo and co. mesmerized with their haunting horror doom, as The Professor channeled the voice of Bobby Liebling and the vocals/guitars/keys of Paul Chain for an eerie, epic set of crushing riffs and blistering changes.  If anything, the keys were a little underutilized in the main set, but John made up for it with a 20-minute Moog solo of a second encore.  An awesome way to end the evening!” (THTGIR (RIP) review.)

9. Weedeater/Saviours/Bison B.C./Fight Amp @ Lee’s Palace, Toronto, September 13th

This was the second time Weedeater came through my neck of the woods in 2011 (Lee’s is within walking distance for me, as is the Wreckroom), and while they didn’t bring anybody across the border with ‘em the first time around, they came back in September with arguably the best multi-band touring package to hit Toronto this year.

CHOICE WORDS: “Since I was so close to the stage, I couldn’t squeeze Keko and Dixie into one shot without zooming out quite a bit, thus there are a couple pictures where the latter’s face is obscured by a cymbal.  Man, I must say, though, if there’s anybody who can make red eye look good, it’s Dixie!  (Reason Number 12, if you’re keeping track at home…)” – Amateur Concert Photgraphy Hour: WEEDEATER, Saviours, Bison B.C.

8. Fu Manchu/Honky/The Shrine @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, November 11th

Man, it was pretty cool to see the Kings of the Road back in town again, playing In Search Of… in its entirety.  While there’s a lotta mileage on ‘er, the Fu’s still a well-oiled machine.  And hats off to Honky for being one of the most amusingly entertaining bands I’ve seen in a while.  I was definitely laughing with them, not at them, that evening.

CHOICE WORDS: “I gotta say, it was pretty cool to hear tunes like “Regal Beagle,” “Solid Hex” and “The Falcon Has Landed,” which they probably haven’t done live in a little while.  I mean, this record’s so old that it had Ruben Romano and Eddie Glass on it, and a kid born the day it came out would be taking their driver’s license test in a coupla months.  But still, some tunes are timeless, y’know?” – Fu Manchu – Still Kings of the Road! (Hellbound.ca)

Psst…  More pics here!

7. Judas Priest/Black Label Society/Thin Lizzy @ ACC, Toronto, November 22nd

This was supposed to be Priest’s farewell tour, though I think they’ve since softened their stance.  In any case, we were treated to at least one song from every Halford-era album, along with a solid stage show, complete with lasers!  The supporting acts were nothing to sneeze at, either, although the putative Thin Liz took the stage bright and early at 6 pm, meaning most people missed ‘em.

CHOICE WORDS: “The stage setup was equally immaculate, a chain-adorned platform with props like tridents and disco balls, and a video screen showing past album covers as well as some specific animated backdrops for certain tunes, such as an evil eyeball on “Electric Eye”.  Most impressive was the laser show, seemingly on loan from The Pink Floyd Experience.  Not many bands use lasers anymore–but they should, cuz laser beams are freakin’ sweet!” – Farewell to Judas Priest! – Epitaph tour @ the ACC

6. YOB/Dark Castle/Sons of OTIS @ The Courthouse, Toronto, July 15th

Oddly enough, the best local doom gig of 2011 was held at an upscale downtown dance club, though The Courthouse, with its high ceilings and medieval motif, only added to the ambiance of the evening.  YOB were pretty rad when I saw ‘em open for Sleep in Portland last September, but they excelled in a more intimate setting–and OTIS opening was the sticky-sweet cherry on top!

CHOICE WORDS: “YOB was simply crushing.  I’m almost at a loss for words.  Yes, this isn’t the YOB of old, Mike Scheidt was obviously stoned on something–and the dude’s a dead ringer for Jim Gustafson of 70′s rockers Poobah nowadays–but so what?” – YOB, Dark Castle and OTIS–Oh my! (Hellbound.ca)

5. Pentagram @ Montage Music Hall, Rochester, NY, August 20th

I’d seen Bobby and the Pentagrams about a year and a half beforehand, but having Victor Griffin back in the band gave this gig an added air of authenticity that their prior performance had lacked.  However, I do hafta give their Cleveland 2010 concert the edge when it comes to opening acts: Argus, Keelhaul, Midnight and The Gates of Slumber, to be precise.  Local doom titans Orodruin opened the Rochester show, but it was all downhill from there–until the screams came, that is. ;)

CHOICE WORDS: “From where I stood, Turley’s double Laney attack made my knees shake, whereas Griffin, on the other stage of the stage, was a little low in the mix.  I also got up close and personal with Bobby Liebling, whose wild-man antics are the stuff of legend.  The man is truly a unique talent!” – Amateur Concert Photograpy Hour: PENTAGRAM, Valiant Thorr, Orodruin

4. Accept @ Mod Club, Toronto, 4/20!

Coincidentally, I also caught Accept for the first time in Cleveland, on the first leg of their North American tour last October.  At the time, I didn’t know that they’d be adding any Canadian dates, so I was pretty stoked when I first heard about this gig.  They really couldn’t have picked a better day, either… ;)

CHOICE WORDS: “The nineteen-song set had a couple more new tunes than the last time around, but they also dusted off a few deep cuts that I didn’t hear in Cleveland (“Losers and Winners,” “Aiming High,” “Burning”) to go with all the title tracks (“Breaker,” “Restless and Wild,” “Balls to the Wall,” “Metal Heart”) and other anthems like “Son of a Bitch,” “Fast as a Shark” and “Princess of the Dawn”.  My only complaint was that I didn’t procure one of those Accept picks that were flying around, despite being directly in front of the stage.” – Accept: Just as good the second time around (if not better)! (Hellbound.ca)

3. Metalliance Tour (feat. Saint Vitus, Crowbar, Kylesa) @ Peabody’s, Cleveland, OH, March 26th

Ah Cleveland, The Mistake by the Lake.  Home of the Cavs, the Browns, the Agora, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and Rocket from the Tombs (look ‘em up!).  I’ve seen a few great gigs in this city, which is often the closest stop on many US-only tours–like Metalliance, which featured the one-two punch of Saint Vitus and Crowbar with solid support from Kylesa, Red Fang and The Atlas Moth, to name a few.  Sure, Helmet was headlining, but I didn’t bother to stick around.  There was only one bus outta town on Sunday that would get me back to Toronto before dusk, and it left some time around 8 am…

CHOICE WORDS: “Vocals were too low, I was almost singing as loud as Wino–but that mighta had as much to do with him as it did with the sound guy. He looked pretty hammered. Dave Chandler was really great to see live, stole the show IMO. He even went into the crowd during “Born Too Late” and rubbed his guitar’s neck against other people’s heads, haha.” (a post I made on the Hellride Music Forum)

I actually took a few pics at this gig, although my camera ran out of batteries, or memory, or something.  Anyways, here are a coupla shots that I haven’t posted anywhere yet:

2. Sleep/The Sword/Buzzcocks/Bison B.C. @ Olympic Plaza, Calgary, AB, June 24th

When I heard that Sleep was only playing three gigs this year–and one of them was in Calgary!–I immediately purchased a plane ticket back to the old country.  This Sled Island festival was a pretty sweet setup.  I had lunch at a pub where I saw Dead Meadow play in the middle of the afternoon, then moseyed on down to Olympic Plaza where they’d assembled a decent supporting lineup for the Weedians’ performance.  One thing they didn’t do, however, was purchase a powerful-enough PA system, as we couldn’t hear Al Cisneros’ vocals for shit.  That said, it was still quite the weekend.  (I caught The Sword, Red Fang and a coupla cool Canadian bands in a club the following evening…)

CHOICE WORDS: “It probably didn’t help that I was standing right in front of Matt Pike–and his twin Marshall stacks–on the opposite side of the stage.  Pike’s approach to both this, and last year’s reunion gigs, is the same as he takes to High On Fire, where he’s the stalking, menacing centre of attention–Cisneros is much calmer and Zen-like by comparison.  And since I couldn’t hear the vocals at all, it was great to be able to see the fingering that Matt uses on those classic riffs.” – Just got back from Calgary–and boy, is my wallet tired! (Hellbound.ca)

1. Kyuss Lives! @ Sound Academy, Toronto, September 16th

Sure, the Sound Academy’s a shitty place to see a show.  It’s a ways outta the way, down on the waterfront–and for a place with “Sound” in its name, you’d think they could get a better live mix.  Nevertheless, this was still the best gig of the year, in my books.  Had you told me I’d see Kyuss live–twice–in 2011 some five, ten years ago, Ida asked ya for a hit offa yer Green Machine.  Even without Josh Homme, the new (old) lineup still shines–especially with Scott “Hurricane” Reeder on bass for the Canadian dates.  And yes, I paid my 200 bucks to see ‘em again tonite.  Better make that 1 and 1A…

CHOICE WORDS: “Suits me just fine, since Sky Valley is my favourite Kyuss record.  I think it branches out into psychedelic territory more than their other releases–and the band took full advantage of that, playing some longer, drawn-out versions of a few tunes.  Man, I would probably pay just to watch these guys jam for an hour, it’s really that good.” – Kyuss Lives! Long Live Kyuss! (Hellbound.ca)

…

And there you have it.  I gotta say, I’ve got no idea which gigs will be in my Top 10 for 2012, as there haven’t been a lotta exciting tour announcements made to date.  Looking back, though, I think this past year will be pretty hard to beat.  See ya in the pit!

P.S.: I’ll be putting out my list of Top 10 albums tomorrow.  There may or may not be a radio tie-in with Gruesome Tunes, as well.  Okay fine, there will be.  Stay tuned…

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WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Ruth Ellen Brosseau

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Although TIME Magazine changed its Man of the Year award to a more politically-correct “Person of the Year,” sometime along the way, you can count the number of women who’ve single-handedly won the award on one, erm, hand–the last being Filipino president Corazon Aquino back in ’86.  Buncha sexist, chauvinist pigs, if you ask me.  Thus, with no further ado, I give you my Woman of the Year 2011…

Ruth Ellen Brosseau

No semi-finalists in this competition, as there can be only one.  I have been fascinated with the new Berthier-Maskinongé MP ever since her election, even if I once offered to take her place and had a brief dalliance with Niki Ashton.  Never has someone so unqualified and unprepared for public office been thrust into the national media spotlight by agreeing to put her name on the ballot as a paper candidate, then being unexpectedly swept to victory in a far-off riding where she didn’t even speak the language.

Yet for all her hardships, R-E has acquitted herself reasonably well.  She’s learning French, attending local events in the riding, and even taking the opportunity to smack-talk Tony Clement in the House of Commons.  As a matter of fact, she’ll be appearing on the year-end edition of popular Radio-Canada talk show Tout le Monde en Parle tomorrow nite at 7:30 pm, where she’ll confront Gilles Duceppe, a man who once criticized her election, saying «on a élu une personne dans Berthier-Maskinongé qui dit “Quand ça parle trop vite, mon ‘brain’ ne suit pas”» (Translation: We’ve elected someone in Berthier-Maskinongé who says “My brain doesn’t follow when they talk too fast.”).  I can’t hardly wait.  As Mme Brosseau might say, «Je suis vraiment, vraiment excité» for this episode.

For a taste of what’s to come, check out this interview she did with a local public access TV channel back in September:

…

(Okay, I’ll admit it.  I only picked her cuz she’s hot.)

COMMENT OF THE DAY: Racists for Rob Ford!?

Posted by gruesomegreg on

From: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1108648–911-calls-to-ford-s-home-a-sensitive-issue?bn=1

Well, it seems that just one day after I named him my Man of the Year, the Toronto (Red) Star goes and takes another shot at the mayor of this city, Rob Fucking Ford, by breaking the news that his mother-in-law called the cops on Christmas “to report that the mayor had been drinking and was taking his children to Florida against the wishes of his wife, Renata.”  Something tells me that the Star won’t start receiving any mayoral press releases till after the next municipal election…

Of course, most of the commentors on this piece spoke out either against the mayor or in defense of the paper, although a few Ford supporters chimed in, like this guy:

I hafta say, I was confused by his “lily white” comment.  No shit that most Torontonians aren’t white–this is the most ethnically diverse city in the known universe!  Unless this is some old-timey expression that I’ve never heard before.  So I decided to google it, which led to some shocking results…

Mind you, the first result was for a flower shop in Kitchener, but the second led me to this Wikipedia entry for something called the Lily-White Movement.  Here are a coupla choice excepts, for those who can’t be arsed to click the link:

“The term Lily-White Movement is generally attributed to Texas Republican leader Norris Wright Cuney who used the term in an 1888 Republican convention to describe efforts by white conservatives to oust blacks from positions of Texas party leadership and incite riots to divide the party.”

“This movement is largely credited with driving blacks out of the Republican party during the early 20th century, setting the stage for their eventual support of the Democrats.”

Oh boy.  So what you’re saying is that most of us aren’t turn-of-the-century racists–and as a result, we have no idea what’s going on?  Erm, okay.  I guess if 1967 was the summer of love, ’65 musta been the summer of racial bigotry.  Now, excuse me while I go read the Sun’s coverage for a laugh.  Wait, I don’t actually see anything about this in their Toronto & GTA section.  No wonder there’s these whackjobs sullying up The Star!

FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY: Ulcérer

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Ulcérer: Literally, to give someone an ulcer.  Figuratively, to piss someone off.

As seen in: « La décision du ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) de fermer les voies de circulation du pont Mercier en direction sud sans préavis en a ulcéré plus d’un hier. »

(Translation: “The decision of the Quebec Ministry of Transportation (MTQ) to close all southbound lanes of traffic on the Mercier Bridge without warning pissed off several people yesterday.”

http://fr.canoe.ca/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2011/12/20111230-075023.html

SEARCH TERM OF THE DAY: Sorry dude, nobody cares about your crappy cover band…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Ever tried googling yourself?  It’s all the rage amongst perspective employers, apparently.  But when you have an average whitebread name, if you’re not the most famous guy with said moniker–or the biggest SEO master–you’re probably not gonna show up in the first few pages of results.  Thus, a more specific search is required…

 

That said, there isn’t a single article about this dude’s cover band online.  If he found my August archives on Page 6, it’s only cuz there’s a Toronto Sun writer with the same name. ;)

 

MY MAN OF THE YEAR: Rob Fucking Ford

Posted by gruesomegreg on

You know how Time Magazine does its Man of the Year?  Well, I figured I’d jump on that bandwagon.  Mind you, there aren’t any smelly hippies or peace-loving tent-dwellers to be found on my list.  Here are my five finalists, in ascending order.

5. Dixie Dave

There’s no denying that Dixie is the man.  In fact, here are 10 reasons why.

4. Tim Tebow

The man who put the Jesus in the National Football League, Tim Tebow has brought his Broncos and the Bible back with his late-game heroics this season.  The rookie QB has inspired a legion of followers that would make a Jehovah’s Witness jealous, and even ended up on SNL the other week.  Here, see for yourself:

3. Stephen Harper

After years of holding a minority government, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives finally won their strong, stable majority this year, picking up several seats following a snap election that was called due to his party being declared in contempt by the opposition.  Since then, Harper has hardly reached out to his contempt-holders, pulling such “jackboot shit” (eh, Pat Martin?) as pushing the budget through parliament with little time for debate, extending jail sentences for potheads and juvies and buying expensive jets–that are still in development–while getting rid of such key icons of Canadiana as the Wheat Board and the gun registry.  Stephen Harper: The reason why I don’t vote Conservative.

2. Patrick Bateman

While TIME can give its “Person of the Year” award to the Occupy Wall Street protestors, I happen to see the other side.  Pat Bateman is rich, good-looking and has a great body–though he’s probably a closet homosexual who does a lot of cocaine.  He works on Wall Street, for Pierce & Pierce.  Have you heard of it?  Bateman has all the characteristics of a human being, but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion–except for greed and disgust.  He also makes $360,000 dollars a year, adjusted for inflation.  Patrick Bateman, you are the one per cent!

1. Rob Fucking Ford

Whether it’s berating 911 operators, boycotting the Star or his never-ending quest to stop the gravy train, the mayor of this city has been an endless source of amusement this year.  In fact, Ford is so funny that he almost makes us forget that Mel Lastman called in the army to shovel snow at the turn of the century.  (If only the ROC–Rest of Canada–would let it go already!)  Suffice to say that if a serious candidate emerges in the next municipal election, Ford will be gone like a stain washed with OxyClean–but I hope that some local business has the sense to hire him for its TV commercials, even if it’s his family’s. ;)

Mindless body politics at topless, erm, restaurant take the breasts outta breakfast!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Another sad workplace story from Montreal today, as CTV reports that topless waitresses at le Restaurant des Princesses d’Hochelaga must now wear shirts in order to serve customers.  I guess they’ll be removing their “No shirts, great service!” sign from the front door any day now.

Restaurant owner Raynald Morissette has apparently been at war with the city and its Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough since 2004, with the Quebec Superior Court upholding a borough verdict that the princesses violate local zoning laws.  Although the restaurant remains in business, the puritan policy-makers have hereby reduced the living wages of its workers.  “Before, when it was topless service, we made more money because there were more customers, especially tourists,” said one waitress, who is studying to be a dental hygienist and didn’t want her name used.

The kicker?  The establishment is located mere blocks from Olympic Stadium, meaning that those provincial sports ministry workers who don’t get any sunlight during the daytime are now deprived of shiny, round orbs at breakfast as well.  Sucks to be them!

COMMENT OF THE DAY: Vince McMahon disapproves of the Toronto Sun’s top concert list!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

From: http://www.torontosun.com/2011/12/29/best-concerts-of-the-year

Toronto Sun entertainment writer Jane Stevenson revealed her top concerts of 2011 today, a list that includes Peter Gabriel, Aretha Franklin and the double bill of Jay-Z and Kanye West.  (Of the latter, she writes “It was kind of impossible to keep your eyes off the two charismatic, handsome men … West was dressed in a black leather skirt with black leather leggings. Somehow he pulled it off.”)  Suffice to say that these selections did not go over well with the Sun’s faithful readership:

 

(To be fair, she did mention Chris Cornell’s solo performance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre…)

As for this site, my top 10 concert list will be posted on New Year’s Eve, FYI.  And no, it doesn’t include Soundgarden, Pearl Jam or the Foo Fighters—or any of the Sun’s selections, for that matter ;)

Think your office is the pits? Try working in the basement of the Big O for 26 years!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

I gotta say, I don’t have it too badly at the office.  Though I work in a cube farm, it’s reasonably well-lit, with my desk right next to a window overlooking Bay Street.  On the other hand, it’s hard not to feel bad for the employees of several provincial sporting organizations in Quebec, whose offices have been “temporarily” located in the fifth and sixth levels of the parking garage at the Big O for over 25 years.

As La Presse reports, turnover is high and morale is low in an office setting where employees have no access to any form of natural light in a veritable maze of underground tunnels.  «On perd deux ou trois personnes par semaine dans ce labyrinthe», jokes one long-time employee.  (Translation: “We lose two or three people a week in this labyrinth!”)

And that’s not to mention the leaks, smells and other perks of working in a sub-basement.  «Un jour de pluie abondante, la Fédération de canot a même eu droit à une cascade… dans ses bureaux! C’est comme cela presque toutes les semaines.»  (Translation: “One rainy day, the (provincial) canoe federation was able to go for a paddle … in their own office!  It’s like this almost every week.”)

Since office space above ground at the fameux Stade doesn’t appear to be forthcoming, several organizations with the means to move out have done so.  Hockey Quebec was the latest to leave, moving into an office in Anjou, where employees are now more productive.  Perhaps its time for the province to bring the rest of its sports federations out of the dark ages?

FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY: Camion-citerne

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Camion-citerne: a vehicle used to transport liquids and or gas, ie, a tanker.

As seen in: « Une tragédie environnementale a été évitée de peu à Bolton-Est, à la suite d’une collision et du renversement d’un camion-citerne rempli à ras bord de produits hydrocarbures. »

(Translation: “An environmental tragedy was narrowly avoided in Bolton-Est, after a collision and a rollover of a tanker truck filled to the brim with hydrocarbons.”)

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-voix-de-lest/actualites/201112/28/01-4481526-un-camion-citerne-se-renverse-a-bolton-est.php

P.S.: For those of you who speak the language, La Presse presents its 13 words qui ont marqué 2011 over here.