Michael's Blog (a "BFJS" production)

Live Downloads Volume 65: Motorhead (Milwaukee February 12, 2012)

2012-02-14T22:50:00.002-05:00

Finally, my first official Live Downloads entry of 2012! While on business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I was able to catch the Gigantour, featuring Megadeth, Volbeat, Lacuna Coil, and this entry's subject, Motorhead.

As with every other time I've seen Lemmy and the boys, they put on a solid, tight performance. No frills, no bombs, no fireworks, and definitely no make-up!

These 11 videos document the complete concert. Click on the song title to go to the video.

Enjoy!

1) Bomber

2) Damage Case

3) I Know How To Die

4) Stay Clean

5) Over The Top

6) The Chase Is Better Than The Catch

7) The One To Sing Th Blues

8) Going To Brazil

9) Killed By Death

10) Ace Of Spades

11) Overkill

UPDATE: Live Downloads Volume 61: Ladies Of The Canyon (Montreal October 22, 2011)

2012-02-11T09:59:00.001-05:00

This is an update to my original posting of this recording of the Ladies Of The Canyon playing at the Corona Theater in Montreal.

Since I originally posted this show (see post and review here), 2 things have happened:

1) Firstly, the Megaupload site where i originally stored the files was shut down by the American government. No joke: check it here. So I have re-uploaded them using "depositefiles".

2) Secondly, 67 minutes of this concert was broadcast in excellent soundboard quality on CBC Radio One here in Canada. Not the full show with 5 songs missing, but still an excellent recording. I was able to record the full recording off the Internet, then break up the tracks into individual MP3 files at 320kbps.

So this new ZIP file that you can now download contains the CBC 67-minute broadcast, as well as my full 107-minute audience recording of the complete show.

Setlists are as follows:

AUDIENCE RECORDING (107 minutes)
1) (Introduction)

2) Haunted Woman

3) Give It Again

4) Every Minute

5) Follow Me Down

6) No Deliverance

7) Hard To Find Love

8) The Loneliest Part

9) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

10) The Only One

11) (Poet Intro)

12) Poet

13) Lonely Town

14) Billy

15) Virginia

16) War And Glory

17) Send Me Somebody To Love

18) The Chain

19) Ramble On

CBC RADIO BROADCAST (67 minutes)

1) Haunted Woman

2) Every Minute

3) Follow Me Down

4) No Deliverance

5) Hard To Find Love

6) The Loneliest Part

7) The Only One

8) Lonely Town

9) Billy

10) Virginia

11) War And Glory

12) Send Me Somebody To Love

DOWNLOAD LINK

When using depositfiles, click "Free Downloading", wait for the countdown to finish, then enter the 2 words. Click the "Download the file" tab to download the ZIP file that contains the MP3s (320 kbps) and use WinZip to extract.

Enjoy.

Don't Be My Valentine

2012-02-11T07:56:00.000-05:00

In advance of the year's most useless "hoiliday", I give you my brother from another Mother: Roland Martin.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/11/martin.valentine/

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (February 2012) Is Live

2012-02-09T18:12:00.001-05:00

The February 2012 edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited once again by yours truly. Pictures from January event taken by yours truly.

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Megaupload Down

2012-01-22T15:26:00.000-05:00

In the past week, the Megaupload site which I have used for years to upload my audio files was shut down (hopefully temporarily) by the U.S. Govenment. So if you click on any of the links in my blog that are Megaupload links, you are going to see this:

But there are other file sharing sites out there. So in the future, I will just use another one.

For any shows that are presently on my blog that you'd like to have, get in touch with me directly (either leave a comment or e-mail me at bfjs69@yahoo.ca), and I will get you the show.

Thanks.

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (January 2012) Is Live

2012-01-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

The January 2012 edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited once again by yours truly.

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Live Downloads Volume 64: deadmau5 (Ottawa December 27, 2011)

2011-12-28T19:16:00.001-05:00

Toronto techno DJ deadmau5 (pronounced "dead mouse") performed in Ottawa last night, as part of the opening of a new congress center complex called the CE Centre. I was already in town to see the hockey game (Canadiens versus Senators), so once the game was done, I headed over to the CE Centre to catch his set.

I am no fan or expert on techno music, but I do like what this guy does. He was introduced to me by a co-worker of mine earlier this year, and I have since slowly developed an appreciation (and collection) of his music.

I filmed 3 portions of the show last night, which was 130 minutes long. Video 1 is at the very start of the show, video 2 is about 20 minutes in, and video 3 is during the second half. I don't know all the songs off by heart, but I am sure that video 2 captures him playing "Some Chords", while video 1 includes portions of the song "Sometimes Things Get, Whatever".

Enjoy!

Video 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFUtYLmhj8s

Video 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVNxG0EaaOg

Video 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFUtYLmhj8s

My Ten Favorite Music Releases of 2011

2011-12-26T13:24:00.003-05:00

OK, here is a rundown of my 10 favorite studio releases from 2011. Notice I said favorite, not best. Since taste is subjective, and no one can possibly listen to all new releases in a given year, to say something is the "best" is unrealistic.

So here we go (in no particular order, but mainly alphabetical):

Anthrax - Worship Music

A strong comeback CD for the New York thrash metal legends, and Joey Belladonna back on lead vocals. Not much to argue about here.

Anvil - Juggernaut Of Justice

After gaining some fame with the documentary movie "The Story of Anvil", the Canadian metal legends put out their strongest and best sounding release ever (yes, better than "Metal On Metal"). All the songs are keepers, and the mix sounds bright and solid.

Tori Amos - Night Of Hunters

My lovely Tori delivers again with an album of piano songs with orchestra backing. I've always preferred Tori CDs that are musically diverse and lyrically focused (Under The Pink, Scarlet's Walk, American Doll Posse). This manages to do both as well.

deadmau5 - 4x4=12

The only techno music I listen to. A co-worker of mine turned me on to this Toronto DJ, and he is really good. Check it out.

Warren Haynes - Man In Motion

Gov't Mule's main guy does a solo album, full of blues and soul. An excellent release by a talented and busy musician.

Lou Reed/Metallica - Lulu

That's right, I like this CD. It's not perfect, but it's not the Satan's spawn that every geek with an Internet connection has made it out to be. It has grown on me after many listens, not to mention the sheer audacity of doing it just makes it all the more laudable.

Kittie - I've Failed You

Canada's all-girl metal band have been putting out better and better albums since debuting in 2000. This one keeps that upward rise going.

Mastodon - The Hunter

Another solid slab of heaviness from Atlanta's progressive metal stalwarts. No thematic thing going on here, just a good set of songs to crank up to 11.

The Sheepdogs - Five Easy Pieces

A quick 5-song release from Canada's answer to the Allman Brothers Band. New full album coming in 2012.

Voivod - Warriors Of Ice

Finally another live release from Voivod, and better yet, a show that I actually attended! Looking forward to new material hopefully in 2012.

I Don't Understand . . . Your English

2011-12-19T19:05:00.002-05:00

For the past few days, the big story here in Montreal has been the new coach of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team Randy Cunneyworth. Nothing regarding his coaching skills of course, oh no: the big story is that the new coach cannot speak French. This in a province where hockey is followed very religiously and mostly by the French speaking majority of the province. So as a result, the French sports media have taken it upon themselves to criticize the Montreal Canadiens organization for this decision.

Do they have reason to be upset? Does a coach of a Quebec based sports team have to be able to speak French? My answer is no.

Firstly, the coach of the Montreal Canadiens needs to be able to communicate properly with his players, and quite honestly, no one else. To my good knowledge, there is presently not one member of the Canadiens team that cannot speak, or at the least, understand English. So long as this thread of communication is solid, nothing else matters. In my books, all I want to see is a winning team: so as long as the team wins, I could not care less which or how many languages the coach speaks.

Secondly, why does the media have this notion that the coach must be able to speak French? Perhaps because when the coach gives interviews, he can better answers the reporters' questions? Aha, that's interesting: a French speaking coach = no effort in translating answers provided in English. That conspiracy theory aside, here's a bottom line: coaches and players are not obligated to talk with the media. In a hockey-mad city like Montreal, it has become the norm for Canadiens' players and coaches to have daily exchanges with the media, even on days when no game is going on. This is on top of all the interviews that happen in the dressing room after a game, and the post-game news conference that the coach has. But as I said, there is no law on the books that will land a coach or a player in jail if they do not communicate with the media. The reporters should be able to report on how a game went and how a team performed just by (wait for it) watching the game! Sure, the coach or player insights are always good, but if one individual cannot (or decides not to) communicate with the media, I guarantee you that around the corner, there will be one who will.

This season so far has not been great, which is why coach Jacques Martin was fired on Saturday, and Randy Cunneyworth was made head coach. Cunneyworth was already an assistant coach, so he was a logical choice to come in at short notice and take over. That being said, the Canadiens' organization has blindly tried to placate the media by saying that Cunneyworth has been brought on as "Interim Head Coach", and that the position will be re-evaluated once the season is over. Their way of suggesting that this situation is temporary, and that come next season, you'll have a new coach that can speak French. Well, what happens if Cunneyworth actually makes a difference? What is he makes the Canadiens perform better and move up in the standings? What if they make the playoffs and go far? What if they actually win the Stanley Cup? Would the French sports media still want him out as coach? What is more important: having a well performing team that is worth paying money to see, or having a French speaking coach?

At the end of the day, as a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, I want to see a winning team. This means a talented, well organized and discplined team that play together well and can potentially beat any team they play against. In order to achieve this, they need a coach that can guide them to achieving this goal. How this guidance is communicated to the team should not be any concern of mine. If the French sports media are true fans of the Canadiens, then it should not be a concern to them either.

Live Downloads Volume 63: The Sheepdogs (Montreal November 29, 2011)

2011-12-06T18:58:00.003-05:00

My minidisc audio recording of The Sheepdogs performing at the Cabaret du Mile End in Montreal (November 29, 2011) is now available for download.

When using Megaupload, wait for the countdown to finish, then click "Regular Download". You can then download the ZIP files that contain the MP3s (320 kbps) and use WinZip to extract.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N0K81MCT

1) The One You Belong To

2) Please Don't Lead Me On

3) Southern Dreaming

4) Crying

5) Right On

6) I Don't Get By

7) Who?

8) The Middle Road

9) Soldier Boy

10) Let It All Show

11) Shine On

12) Birthday

13) Hang Onto Yourself

14) I Don't Know

15) How Late, How Long

16) Learn & Burn

Only a month and a half after opening for the Kings Of Leon at the Bell Center (see my review and link to recording here), Saskatchewan's The Sheepdogs returned to Montreal as part of a cross-Canada headlining tour. A victory lap of sorts, given the awesome year they have had after gracing the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Once this tour ends, they'll be back in the studio to record their first full length release for Altantic Records.

This complete, 73-minute recording captures the band playing a small club show. The place was packed, and the band came through with a solid set. Unlike the Kings Of Leon set (which concentrated mainly on songs from "Learn & Burn" and "Five Easy Pieces"), this set saw the addition of 4 songs from their first 2 releases as well. "Shine On", performed mid-set, was quite effective. The only lowlight performance-wise was Ewan Currie messing up the solo on "Soldier Boy" (or did the guitar go out of tune?).

Soundwise, I'd rate this recording anywhere from 7-8 out of 10. There are 2 drawbacks:

1) Given where I was in the club, I was surrounded by people who both watched the show and "mingled" (aka talked too much!). As a result, there is constant chatter heard on the recording. You get used to it after awhile, but it can still be obtrusive at times. Although hearing the woman near the beginning of "Who?" exclaim "This song is so fucking awesome!" is, that's right, awesome.

2) The recording is a bit over-recorded in places. So you will hear the occasional distortion, but it never lasts long.

That's all from me. Enjoy! And please come back soon Sheepdogs.

Live Downloads Volume 62: Judas Priest (St. Louis November 10, 2011)

2011-11-13T17:23:00.003-05:00

British heavy metal legends Judas Priest played the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri (just outside of St. Louis) on 11/10/11. The show was part of their Epitaph tour, which is supposed to be their last big world tour, before they go into semi-retirement. I'll be seeing them on 11/24/11 in Montreal, but while I was in St. Louis on business, I took the opportunity to see the show there as well.

These videos I filmed document the complete show. The great thing here is that they perform at least 1 song from every studio album they have done with Rob Halford on vocals. There are the 2 Priest records that were done with Tim Owens, those are not represented here. A solid show overall, with new guitarist Richie Faulkner fitting in better that I thought. A great way to spend 140 minutes of one's time!

Click on the song title to go directly to the video. Enjoy!

1) (Intro - Battle Hymn)

2) Rapid Fire

3) Metal Gods

4) Heading Out To The Highway

10) (Dawn Of Creation) > Prophecy

11) Night Crawler

12) Turbo Lover

13) Beyond The Realms Of Death

14) The Sentinel

15) Blood Red Skies

16) The Green Manalishi

17) Breaking The Law

18) (Drum Solo) > Painkiller

19) (The Hellion) > Electric Eye

20) Hell Bent For Leather

21) (Vocal Improvisation)

22) You've Got Another Thing Comin'

23) Living After Midnight

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (November 2011) Is Live

2011-11-05T07:49:00.000-04:00

The November edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited once again by yours truly.

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Live Downloads Volume 61: Ladies Of The Canyon (Montreal October 22, 2011)

2011-11-01T19:47:00.003-04:00

My minidisc audio recording of Montreal country rock band Ladies Of The Canyon performing at the Corona Theater in Montreal (October 22, 2011) is now available for download.

The links are as follows:

DISC 1 (51:40)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4HUN80ZD

1) (Introduction)

2) Haunted Woman

3) Give It Again

4) Every Minute

5) Follow Me Down

6) No Deliverance

7) Hard To Find Love

8) The Loneliest Part

9) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

10) The Only One

DISC 2 (55:20)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QFYAILCL

1) (Poet Intro)

2) Poet

3) Lonely Town

4) Billy

5) Virginia

6) War And Glory

7) Send Me Somebody To Love

8) The Chain

9) Ramble On

When using Megaupload, wait for the countdown to finish, then click "Regular Download". You can then download the ZIP files that contain the MP3s (320 kbps) and use WinZip to extract.

This was my third time in 2011 seeing this band, and all I can say is: the more I see them, the more I want to see them. My first time was a show in Ste. Therese, Quebec (north of Montreal) in March, followed by an outdoor show in Alexandria, Ontario in July. That show was captured on video by yours truly and written about on this blog (see here). These 2 shows left me feeling very positive about them: different setlists at both shows, a good mix of songs from their debut CD "Haunted Woman", as well as a nice selection of covers from the likes of The Band, Fleetwood Mac, Little Feat and Neil Young (to name a few).

Well, this 3rd show was the clincher. As far as I'm concerned, these 4 woman deserve more popularity than they presently have, and hopefully it'll happen sooner rather than later. This show was billed as a homecoming show, as they had not played a show in Montreal since February 2011. Well, this show made up for it in spades.

Of the 17 songs performed over 107 minutes:

-9 songs from "Haunted Woman".

-5 unreleased songs:

i) The Loneliest Part: a very new song, performed for only the 2nd time, debuted the previous night in Quebec City.

ii) The Only One: this one is not so new, it was on the Ste. Therese show setlist but not performed. So my first time hearing it.

iii) Billy: heard this at the Ste. Therese show.

iv) Virginia: same as (iii).

v) Send Me Somebody To Love: not sure how new this is, but this one killed! Very likely inspired by Queen's "Somebody To Love" as well as any number of Janis Japolin songs, this gospel-blues song with distortion vocals during the verses was excellent. Please have this on the next CD!

-3 covers:

i) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band): a strong influence on these ladies; seems to be a constant in the setlist as they have performed it at all 3 shows I have seen.

ii) The Chain (Fleetwood Mac): great version here, they also performed "Dreams" at the Ste. Therese show.

iii) Ramble On (Led Zeppelin): if anyone needed proof that there is a strong 70's rock influence on this band, this killer, jammed-out version of this Zeppelin classic is the final word. A great way to end the show.

During the show, they mentioned that the show was being recorded for future broadcast on CBC Radio. Not sure exactly when that will happen, but even if you decide to download my audience recording, I encourage you to find out when the show will get a proper airing on CBC and enjoy that as well. Although this recording is very good, an actual recording from the mixing desk will be superior. That being said, I wonder if any of the unreleased songs and covers will get aired? We'll see.

Until then, thank you to Maia, Jasmine, Anna and Senja (keep drinking that wine!) for an excellent homecoming night show. Kudos as well to Kevin Warren and Eric Lawrence on drums and guitar, respectively.

Enjoy! And by the way: the preceding entry on my blog contains a link to my recording of the recent Sheepdogs show in Montreal. The Ladies like The Sheepdogs, and so should everybody!

Live Downloads Volume 60: The Sheepdogs (Montreal October 14, 2011)

2011-10-17T17:52:00.001-04:00

My minidisc audio recording of Canadian rock band The Sheepdogs performing at the Bell Center in Montreal (October 14, 2011) is now available for download.

The link is as follows:

DISC 1 (42:19)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W15OY26X

01) (Introduction) (1:00)

02) The One You Belong To (2:59)

03) Please Don't Lead Me On (2:31)

04) Soldier Boy (2:13)

05) Southern Dreaming (4:03)

06) Right On (3:44)

07) I Don't Get By (3:05)

08) Who? (4:18)

09) Hang Onto Yourself (3:22)

10) Learn & Burn (6:28)

11) I Don't Know (3:25)

12) How Late, How Long (5:09)

When using Megaupload, wait for the countdown to finish, then click "Regular Download". You can then download the ZIP files that contain the MP3s (320 kbps) and use WinZip to extract.

Earlier this year, The Sheepdogs (from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) won the "Choose the Cover" contest from Rolling Stone magazine (see here). Since then, they have been touring and gaining fans. The best way to describe their sound is late sixties, early seventies rock: if you like the Allman Brothers Band, then you'll love these guys! It's nice that winning this contest has gotten them the added exposure and the big record deal, but regardless of these things, their music speaks for itself.

This show was an opening set for the Kings of Leon, and it was good to see that the venue was more than half full when they took the stage. Most of these songs come from their last 2 releases (Learn & Burn and Five Easy Pieces). It will be interesting to see these guys play a longer, headlining show, and see if any true jamband tendencies emerge: I sensed a few during this show.

Enjoy!

A Day In Vermont

2011-10-11T20:27:00.005-04:00

This past weekend was the Thanksgiving Day long weekend in Canada, the last long weekend of the year until the Christmas break. So when Grace Potter and the Nocturnals announced a show at Burlington's Flynn Theater on October 9, I decided to head down. I was lucky enough to get a front row seat to the show, and the first few rows would be treated to a meet & greet before the show.

The day started with me driving my newly purchased car 2 hours to Burlington. Actually, a little passed Burlington to Williston. There, I met up with photographer extraordinaire Greg Gouwens. I met Greg and his girlfriend Jody during the moe. Tropical Throe.down week in Punta Cana in January 2011. He and I both played in the golf tournament during the trip. So I contacted Greg earlier in the week and suggested a quick 9 holes if he had the time. He agreed and we met at 10:00am at Catamount Golf Club. Here is a picture I took of the practice driving range.

It was a beautiful day for golf, perhaps my last chance to play this year. As usual, my score was not so hot but fun was had.

Check out Greg and Jody's photog info here:

G-2 Photgraphy

Jody Fenton Photography

After the golf was done, Greg and I parted ways. I drove back to Burlington and had a quick lunch, followed by shopping at Yankee Candle. I then checked into my hotel and relaxed until 4:00pm.

Once back in downtown, a quick dinner, Ben & Jerry's for dessert and then off to the M&G which was on the 2nd floor of the BCA Art Gallery on Church Street. I met up with Greg and Jody and basically hung out for half an hour until Grace Potter showed up. She then proceeded to talk and sign autographs for everyone there. When we arrived at the gallery, we were given free posters of the concert (a special benefit for Vermont flood relief in the wake of Hurricane Irene), so I got her to sign that, as well as the Canadian flag I brought down. See pictures of both here:

Done with the M&G, I went back to my car and left the poster in the truck and then made my way to the Flynn Theater. Here are some pre-show pictures:

The show itself was sold-out, but it was being broadcast live on Vermont Public Television as well as webcast on the Internet.

The opening acts were comedian Rusty DeWees (who did a solid 20 minutes), followed by singer-songwriter Martin Sexton. I had seen Sexton perform back in January here in Montreal, so I knew what to expect from him. He delivered a strong solo acoustic performance, using his voice not just for singing.

At 8:00pm, as the cameras started rolling, Vermont governor Peter Shumlin and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy took the stage and gave short speeches on the flood relief efforts and all the good will that has come out after the fact. Once they were done, Grace and the band took the stage and made it happen for the next 2 hours. I won't go into great detail here: just suffice it to say that of the 4 times I have now seen them perform, this was the most emotional performance. They debuted a new song called "Mad Mad River", which Grace had written about the floods. When it was done, a standing ovation ensued and several band members were visibly emotional. Other highlights included "Nothing But The Water" to open the show, an always riveting "Joey" and a jamtastic "Tiny Light". To close the show, Martin Sexton joined the band onstage for covers of The Rolling Stones "Wild Horses" and an appropriate show closer "Goodnight Irene". Here are some pix from the show:

Since I was actually at the show, I could not see the broadcast live. It would be cool to be able to see it at a later date. My ultimate hope is that they officially release the show on DVD, in order to try and generate more funds for the relief efforts. If you are reading this Grace, hint hint ;-). Here is the setlist from the show (note that unfortunately the first encore of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Texas Flood" was not played, probably due to time constraints):

A Sunday well spent.

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (October 2011) Is Live

2011-10-09T15:12:00.001-04:00

The October edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. NOT edited by yours truly, but I'm still there!

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Live Downloads Volume 59: Edguy (Berlin September 28, 2011)

2011-10-01T11:49:00.000-04:00

On my final night in Berlin, I went to Columbiahalle to see the German power metal band Edguy. They have been around since the 90's, and have release many excellent albums. They have not toured much in North America, so seeing them on their native soil was a treat. Their sound is mix between between Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Helloween.

I filmed the first 2 songs of the show, which turned out to also be entertaining since singer Tobias Sammet experienced microphone problems during these opening numbers. You can see him become physically aggravated during "Nobody's Hero" and vocally aggravated during "The Arcane Guild".

Enjoy!

Nobody's Hero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq-5gMl2DCc

The Arcane Guild

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejgJO9SY8kQ

Live Downloads Volume 58: The Flatliners (Berlin September 26, 2011)

2011-10-01T11:40:00.000-04:00

The Flatliners are a Canadian punk band that have been around since 2002. Oddly enough, I only first heard about them this past week during a business trip to Berlin, Germany!

I promised myself during this trip that I would visit the Ramones Museum in Berlin. That's right, there's one in Berlin, not in New York City. Visit the official website if you want to know why (http://www.ramonesmuseum.com/). The museum is housed in a coffeehouse style environment just north of the downtown area. There are tons of memorabilia to look at, mainly posters and photos, but there are some unique artifacts as well. The museum also has small stage area where artists perform regularly. And on this night, The Flatliners played a 45-minute acoustic set which I was able to enjoy while I was there. This was their final performance of a 6-week European tour.

Their set was mostly originals which sounded good but I had never heard before, as well as a few covers. The last song was one of them, the Ramones anti-Reagan anthem "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg", which I was able to film.

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwaY4taW5Cs

As well, here are a few photos from the museum:

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (September 2011) Is Live

2011-09-16T17:41:00.001-04:00

The September edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited by yours truly!

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Catching Up, Back To The Blog

2011-08-24T20:08:00.000-04:00

Sorry for not posting any new entries here since July, but it's just been one of those periods of time. We all get them right?

Anyway, here is (somewhat) quick summary:

After going to see Furthur in Saratoga Springs on July 19, I returned to Montreal on the 20th. At this point, the whole Northeast of the U.S. and Canada was under a heavy heat wave. I love hot weather, but occasionally having it above 40C did seem oppressive. But as a work colleague of mine commented sarcastically, "a little abuse and oppression is good for humans, it makes them realize how good they have it when the abuse and oppression leave". So part-time, non-violent abuse and oppression for all I say!

My friend Shane from Newfoundland found his way to Montreal on July 21st. We were to do a road trip through the U.S. and back into Canada for a few days. Upon exiting the air-conditioned airport terminal into "the oppression", he truly knew he was not in Kansas anymore. Newfies don't experience that kind of humidity, but overall he dealt with it well. Our first evening found us having dinner in a local Indian restaurant with my longtime Pierre (he of the Star Wars night back in 2009) and his wife Maria. This meal was declared the best meal of Shane's entire trip even before he had had any other meals, it was that awesome. After dinner, we got caught in a heavy downpour which left us drenched getting to the car (except Maria, who smartly/uncouragely stay undercover). It's only water though.

The next day (July 22) had Shane and I driving down to Lowell, Massachusetts to see moe. This gave us a chance to stop in Burlington, Vermont, and of course drive through the beautiful Green and White Mountains. The show that evening was outdoors in a city park, and moe. ripped it up for close to 3 hours. As well, Shane got to meet Vinnie and Jim from the band thanks to my connections, as well as several members of their crew. And to top it off, we got called out during the encores for my 25th show and his 2nd (amateur!) Listen to it hear, just click on the arrow next to "Banter".

July 23rd found us driving to Saratoga Springs, New York (I know, twice in the same week for me. Go file a lawsuit bitches!). Heading west, we stopped in Springfield, Massachusetts to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame. Shane, his wife Stacey and myself had visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown back in 2007, so this was HOF#2 for us. After about 2 hours there, back in the car and back west. During this drive on the Massachusetts Turnpike came the only close call of the trip, when we almost hit a deer crossing the highway. It was more of a far miss than a near miss; I missed a deer by a few inches in Ohio back in 2009. Eventually to Saratoga and Motley Crue, Poison and The New York Dolls at the Performing Arts Center. I've seen Crue 4 times before and Poison once, but for Shane it was all first time. Great seats too, only 15 rows from the stage.

The following day was back to Montreal for Day 2 of the Heavy MTL festival. There we met up with my friend Eric from Quebec City (more on him later) and his friend Karl. During the day we saw performances by KISS (great), Motorhead (great), Anthrax (great), Opeth (new discovery, loved 'em), Lazarus A.D. (same as Opeth), Girlschool, Annihilator, Morbid Angel and a few more. Our main 3 bands to see were the first 3 noted, but we both walked away wanting to get into Opeth and Lazarus A.D.

Monday, July 25th, we boarded a plane and flew back to St. John's together, where I spent 4 days with him and Stacey and their now 18-month old son Patrick. It was amazing seeing how much he had grown up since I last saw him 1 year earlier. Not only was he walking, but he was also talking some excellent gibberish. During my time on The Rock, we did the Signal Hill Walk, visited the towns of Cupids and Brigus (the earliest English settlements in North America) and celebrated the birthday of Dana, a friend of Shane and Stacey's whom I had first met back in 2005 during my first visit. Overall a great trip with mostly good (and more comfortable) weather.

August 1st saw me back at work, and a tough week it was. There is a big difference for me between coming back from a week away as opposed to 2 weeks away. Even though I was occasionally checking e-mails during my 2 weeks off, the amount of issues that came up during my first week back was downright frustrating. The following week was somewhat better, and it's gotten under control since, although there is plenty to do between now and year end.

One last trip of the summer came this past weekend when I visited my friend Eric in Quebec City. Him and his wife are unformatunately going through a separation at the moment, but I had promised him I'd come down for a weekend. It was good to see him and his kids. I sincerely hope things work out for him and everyone involved.

My next voyage will probably be only at the end of September, when work will take to Berlin, Germany for the 4th time since 2007. I don't think I can get tired of the place, so much history and places to see. We'll se how much free time I get.

On a final note, August 23rd saw the untimely passing of Jack Layton, leader of the official federal opposition here in Canada. Jack succeeded like no other New Democratic Party leader before him, and the cancer that took his life seems like a cruel blow given how close he was to perhaps one day leading the country of Canada. But as I remarked to my friend Pierre last night on the phone, better to look at all that someone has accomplished rather than what someone could have but never did. If you want to read more about Jack Layton, go here.

OK, now you are caught up with me, go back to checking your Facebook page ;-)

Live Downloads Volume 57: Furthur (Saratoga Springs July 19, 2011)

2011-07-20T17:52:00.000-04:00

Furthur (aka Bob Weir and Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead + worthy friends) played one of my favotites venues last night (Saratoga Performing Arts Center), and I was lucky to have an awesome balcony seat for the show. The night featured lots of Dead classics, especially pre-1970 material, as well as nice covers of "Here Comes The Sun" by The Beatles and "Eclipse" by Pink Floyd.

I filmed 3 songs. Enjoy!

Here Comes The Sun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IqwIUzJkUA

Casey Jones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ykwCA6CiQ

Box Of Rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDkCFy6ekWU

Live Downloads Volume 56: Ladies Of The Canyon (Alexandria July 16, 2011)

2011-07-17T21:30:00.007-04:00

Ladies Of The Canyon are a Canadian country quartet from Montreal. They released their debut CD "Haunted Woman" in 2010 and have been touring constantly since. I first saw them live in March 2011 in Ste. Therese, about 30 minutes north of Montreal. This past weekend, they played in Alexandria, Ontario, 1 hour west of where I live in Montreal.

A funny story here is that I almost slept through this show! All along I assumed that this was a "normal" evening show, so I planned to take an afternoon nap after I was done with all my Saturday morning errands and housecleaning. By shear fluke, I decided to go to the website of "Festival Alexandria", the festival series that they were performing for. Good thing I did, because I noticed that all the Saturday and Sunday performances started at 3:00pm! Had I taken my nap and headed out to Alexandria around 6:00pm, I would have arrived to find the show done and everybody gone home. Measure twice, cut once I guess.

Oh yeah, the show. These shows for Festival Alexandria literally take place in a barn that has been retrofitted with a stage and plastic chairs for the audience. I arrived around 2:00pm just as the band was finishing soundcheck, and I basically had my pick of seats. As a result, I got front row and the result is an unobstructed, up close and personal video document of the show. Thanks to LOTC for not having an issue with me doing this, since me holding my camera for 65 minutes was hardly unnoticeable!

Highlights here include the as-yet unreleased "King Of The City" (which I requested on their Facebook page and they replied back saying they would play it: THANKS!), the acapella "Writing On The Wall" to open the show, and 3 great covers of songs by Neil Young, The Band and Ian Tyson. Although their music is presently rooted in country, LOTC are definitely influenced by the album rock of the 70's: it would not surprise me to see future releases be most rock influenced.

Thanks for a wonderful, intimate performance, and thanks to the weather overloads for providing great weather. Oh yeah, nice glasses Maia :-).

1) (Introduction)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWHig1IuvFM

2) Writing On The Wall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVOE0LioXtk

3) King Of The City

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiQx7KZTwcM

4) Forget Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL9eYpwoyTk

5) Give It Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QecA2e8lj5A

6) The Losing End

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1vdeIOzywA

7) Haunted Woman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daCtw7xPe74

8) Poet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuYZMZA-udg

9) Lonely Town

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xstc-h2xIY

10) Goodbye Gold And Blue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7-gUSGhgGI

11) Hard To Find Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35kQMSlo7Lc

12) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0zm24fPJLU

13) Follow Me Down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krRr9h1aLbs

14) (Encore/Bathroom Break)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRdw_WGJGfc

15) Four Strong Winds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PGsbmKN5WE

ASQ Montreal Chapter Golf Tournament 2011

2011-07-09T08:04:00.001-04:00

Another year, and another great time at the ASQ Montreal Chapter Golf Tournament. Thanks to my foursome members this year Chantale, David and Rajesh for an enjoyable afternoon. David and Rajesh are pictured here with me, picture taken by Chantale.

Live Downloads Volume 55: Stompin' Tom Connors (Montreal July 5, 2011)

2011-07-06T20:58:00.003-04:00

Canadian folk/country royalty came to Montreal on July 5th. At 75 years of age, Stompin' Tom Connors continues to delight audiences with his unique brand of music. Sometimes funny, sometimes serious, always with a strong Canadian tinge, it was a joy to finally see him perform live.

I filmed 5 songs from the show, many of which are quite popular ones. This includes the classic "The Hockey Song" (aka "The Good Old Hockey Game"). My apologies for the quality on these videos, but the lighting was quite sparse for this show. Still sounds good though.

Enjoy!

Moon-Man Newfie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tU4rLPJhv8
The Hockey Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-05pyO4ZUw

Margo's Cargo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gaX4uZRih8

Big Joe Mufferaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKIE2IjsvgM

Sudbury Saturday Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7vP78NUw48

Live Downloads Volume 54: Robert Plant & Band of Joy (Montreal June 24, 2011)

2011-06-25T10:39:00.001-04:00

Robert Plant and the Band of Joy opened the Montreal International Jazz Festival last night in grand style, performing a mixed set of Led Zeppelin songs, Plant solo material and covers of various artists. The Band of Joy included top notch musicians, including Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin. Plant's voice was strong throughout and his pedestrian attempts at speaking French were very amusing.

I filmed the last 2 songs of the show: Harm's Swift Way by Townes Van Zandt and the Zeppelin classic Gallows Pole.

Enjoy!

Harm's Swift Way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk50EHJLyus

Gallows Pole

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRL4v54NaE8

Among The Living (and The Dead) in Los Angeles

2011-06-18T14:01:00.001-04:00

My recent work trip to Los Angeles went pretty smoothly workwise. But of course, no one reading this cares about that. You wanna hear about the recreational stuff. Cool, here we go.

1) No trip to L.A. is complete without visiting my relatives who live in Diamond Bar (about 1 hour east of Hollywood). These are my Mom's cousins and their respective families. I went over for dinner 2 nights (Tuesday and Thursday) at one of her cousin's houses. It's always nice to see them, as they are totally warm and loving people. I ate very well for 2 nights, no complaints.

2) On the Wednesday evening (after a full day of work and a few more hours at the hotel on the laptop), I headed out to the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, and dinner at the famous Rainbow Bar & Grill. I've eaten there on 2 previous visits to L.A. (May and September 2008) and I quite like the place, given it's musical history. Unfortunately (again!), I was there at a time when Lemmy and his band Motorhead were on tour, so Lemmy was not there as he usually is when not on tour.

On the plus side, who happened to walk in about 15 minutes after I had been seated and was waiting for my food: Joey Belladonna, lead singer for the band Anthrax! Joey was in town with his solo band to do a show at the Key Club just down the block from the Rainbow, and he and his band came in for dinner. At first I was not going to approach him: I have never been one who needs to meet so-called famous people, they do what they do that gives me pleasure and adds positivity to my life and that's all I require. So my plan was to just enjoy the fact that I saw him, cool enough story. I even called my friend Shane in Newfondland to tell him about it, and he was truly amazed!

Sure enough, after heading back to my booth from a visit to the bathroom, who is walking towards me going to the bathroom? Mr. Belladonna himself. "OK then, let's make this work" I thought. So I cordially said hello and struck up a conversation with him. All I can say is he is a really down-to-earth, modest guy who did not come across in any way like a rock star. I asked him if I could get a picture after I finished my dinner and he said no problem. After finishing up 30 minutes later, I went back to the booth he was occupying with his band, and we started chatting again. When I told him I was from Montreal, he started inquiring about the Heavy MTL festival in July that Anthrax will be participating in. He was quite excited to learn that local Montreal band Anonymous would be playing the same day as them.

After a picture was taken (see below), I asked if he would mind talking with a friend of mine. He said sure, and I quickly called my friend Shane from Newfoundland, who will be coming to Montreal for Heavy MTL this year. Once on the phone, I passed Shane over to Joey who then went into a perfect imitation of Ozzy Osbourne during his conversation with Shane. At one point, he passed my phone to one of his bandmates who started talking to Shane in a "Lemmy" voice! Eventually the phone made it back to Joey who assumed his regular voice for a few more words with Shane. I know that made Shane's day, and it was nice to be able to make him part of my experience in meeting Joey.

So thanks to Joey for being cool with me on Wednesday night. It made fighting the traffic to get into Hollywood worth it.

3) Before flying out on Friday, I made one last personal stop to Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. This is one of the cemetaries where many famous people are laid to rest: it is where Michael Jackson is buried, although he is in a private part of the grounds and not in the public areas.

I arrived at 7:00am, a full hour before the mortuary opened. I would need to go there to find out where one gravesite was that I wanted to visit. But before that, there was someone else I wanted to visit and I knew where he was. My Mom's great uncle passed away in 2008 at the age of 91. I visited his grave in September 2008, but I wanted to go again. I remembered the general area where he was but I did spend about 10 minutes looking until I finally found his gravestone.

My feeling when visiting in 2008 was of total sadness: I was there with his son and his wife, and I cried quite a bit. I had lost another family member and I could not really muster any kind of positive way of looking at the situation.

This time around was different. My relief at finally finding his burial site was quickly replaced with sadness, but it was momentary. Instead, I stood there and talk to him about how things were going with me, and how great it was to have seen his family over the past few days. In the end, I said goodbye and left knowing that he was making some other world (perhaps heaven?) a better place.

At 8:00am I went back to the entrance where the mortuary is and went inside. I wanted to know where I could find the resting place of Ronnie James Dio, the late vocalist of such bands as Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own band Dio. He passed away from stomach cancer 1 year earlier, and even though I never met him personally, I have always loved his music. As well, he was widely respected as one of the best singers of his genre, and an all-around nice, personable guy (not unlike Mr. Belladonna I suppose).

I approached the lady at the front desk of the mortuary:

Michael: Good morning, I'd like to know where someone is exactly laid to rest, I'd like to visit his grave.

Lady: Do you have a name sir?

Michael: Ronnie James Dio, the singer.

Lady: Oh I'm sorry, I can't give you that information. He's a celebrity and so we don't give that information.

Michael: But he is not buried in a private area, so why can't I know where he is?

Lady (aka Bitch extraordinaire): Sorry sir, but that is our policy.

Michael: O.K. then, I'll find it myself.

And find it I did (see pictures below), thank you very much. If a person is buried in one of the private areas, then it only makes sense that the cemetery not give location information to just anyone asking for it. But if you are laid to rest on public grounds, then obviously anybody can go and visit you. So why would it be "policy" to not help out somebody who wants to go and pay their respects?

So off I went back into the cemetery and I looked in the 2 places that had above-ground tomestones (all I knew was that he was laid to rest in that fashion). And quickly enough, in the Courts of Remembrance section, I found his resting place. So for anyone who wants to visit his site in the future: 1) Go to the mortuary and get a map of the grounds, 2) Follow the roads that lead to the Courts of Remembrance, 3) He is near the top section on the right. There, was that so difficult? Fuck your policy Forest Lawn.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oCCI9M2TKI

And that's all for now. I made it home safe and sound.

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (June 2011) Is Live

2011-06-18T12:39:00.000-04:00

The June edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited by yours truly!

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Next edition coming September 2011.

Sneak Peak at my ASQ Article for June 2011

2011-06-11T09:35:00.000-04:00

Early this month, the city of Dorval (a suburb of Montreal where Pierre Trudeau International Airport is located) had to enact an interdiction on using tap water. This ban was in effect for approximately 3 days and resulted in city residents, airline passengers and workers at the airport to use and drink only bottled water. The reason for this was that a private construction worker working at the airport accidentally flushed approximately 200,000 gallons of stagnant water into the wrong pipe at the airport, thus contaminating the city’s water supply.

Reading about this and how the incident was deemed an “accident” made me think of the 8-step cause & corrective action form I use at my company. In the sections for defining the root cause of escape and the root cause of problem, the following statement appears: “Operator / human error not acceptable”.

Deeming this occurrence an “accident” mainly implies that the private construction worker had been trained in how to properly dispose of the dirty water, and just made an honest mistake. This may be true, but the fact that it did happen shows that the process is not airtight; that even with proper training and procedures, sometimes things go awry. A simple poka-yoke solution could work in this circumstance.

The other extreme would be that the worker had not been trained, and was unaware of the proper disposal procedures. Not only would this be a giant lapse in the training process, but as well as a reckless disregard for the environment and the well-being of the citizens of Dorval. As anyone who has had food poisoning will tell you, spending most of one’s day in a bathroom is not much fun.

So even though the quick explanation for the news media is that “it was an accident”, we know quite well as Quality professionals that it does not end there. We must start asking “Why?”, and asking that enough times will lead you to your true cause(s).

Live Downloads Volume 53: Kid Rock (Montreal May 30, 2011)

2011-05-31T22:40:00.004-04:00

Detroit jack-of-all-trades Kid Rock played Montreal for the first time to a crowd of about 5,000 at the Bell Center. He played a wide range of material from his career, which resulted in a crowd pleasing show. Early rap-rock hits mixed nicely with his newer country-rock sound.

I filmed 6 songs and the links are below.

Enjoy!

American Bad Ass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWKafSUkqzY

God Bless Saturday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E94h6J-9q5c

Cowboy (w/Midnight Rider & Lay It On Me)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i1H8OAR5GI

Bawitdaba

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNjYA3rL73o

Only God Knows Why

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CTk3vt2QhQ

Born Free
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC_Ix-Ofyqg

Live Downloads Volume 52: Warren Haynes Band (Indianapolis May 18, 2011)

2011-05-20T07:26:00.000-04:00

Warren Haynes of:

1) Allman Brothers Band

2) Gov't Mule

3) The Dead

and now

4) The Warren Haynes Band

played the Murat Theater in Indianapolis this past week. This is part of a tour supporting his new solo album "Man In Motion". His band played for close to 3 hours, with lots of improvisational jamming (much to my liking!).

I filmed 1 song from the show and you can view it below. Enjoy!

Soulshine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_71xFa1sv00

Live Downloads Volume 51: Anvil (Montreal May 15, 2011)

2011-05-18T06:01:00.005-04:00

Canadian metal legends Anvil played Montreal on their cross-Canada tour this past Sunday, in support of their excellent new CD "Juggernaut Of Justice". They played a full 90-minute set, including 4 songs from the new release and many classics, including "Metal On Metal", "Mothra" and "School Love". They are more than just the documentary that came out a few years ago: they are a solid band of musicians and nice guys to boot.

Full show filmed, links below.

Enjoy!

1) March Of The Crabs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDDASSoSZAQ

2) 666

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otBdLBCCAeM

3) School Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mv_YeN8O6k

4) Juggernaut Of Justice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW0o-Juw9B4

5) Winged Assassins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4bUZJEGRsY

6) On Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVSPFnDDbM

7) This Is Thirteen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeuvYmYreZw

8) Mothra

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wdgr-Hh1r4

9) Thumb Hang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijMgVlN_Snw

10) White Rhino

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joH69JBHINU

11) Fuken Eh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kELfGYUVCTA

12) Forged In Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncW1a0lEhl0

13) Mad Dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piC7QoZTezo

14) Metal On Metal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQNmlzBlI4E

15) Jackhammer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibyjY_1UxHI

16) Running
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq5y6nf5T00

Random Thought Diary (05/14/2011)

2011-05-14T12:29:00.002-04:00

Entering my neighbourhood Walmart today for shopping, my eardrums are immediately rattled by the sounds of a crying child to my right. I look and the child (seemingly no more 365 days old) is in a shopping cart, screaming his/her lungs out and the mother trying to calm him/her down. They eventually leave the store just as I am getting my shopping cart. Once gone and out of earshot, a nearby Walmart employee states quite audibly "Imagine having the live with that!"

Well, guess what Walmart bitch: that's what babies do, they cry. They are not mature or developed enough yet to react any differently when something of a negative nature happens to them. So they cry, and cry, and cry, and cry, and cry.

I could be presumptuous and say that the employee probably never had kids and perhaps does not understand what it takes to look after them. But I also do not have kids, and I would never say what she said. I firmly believe that I would not even think it! Even without having your own children, it is not hard to see and understand what it takes to have to raise them.

Just a random thought.

Random Thought Diary (05/01/2011)

2011-05-01T12:36:00.000-04:00

While waiting for my flight from Halifax to Montreal yesterday, I spent time looking through the paperbacks at one of the magazine/book/junk food/souvenir vendors. It occurred to me soon enough that most of the books in the paperback section had that ubiquitous pronoucement "#1 New York Times Bestseller".

Can someone please tell me how all these recently published books (within the past year) could all be #1 bestsellers? Given the vast number of books published yearly, and the fact that the NYT's bestseller list publishes weekly, it just strikes me as odd for so many new books to be #1. Or is there a way?

Let me know the answer if you know, or I'll just add this to my list of conspiracies against modern man.

Live Downloads Volume 50: Iron Maiden (Sunrise April 16, 2011)

2011-04-19T20:11:00.009-04:00

My recent long weekend in Florida included a stop in Sunrise, Florida (near Fort Lauderdale) to see British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden. This was my 15th time seeing the band, but my first time seeing them outside of the province of Quebec. As usual, they put on an excellent, energetic 2-hour show. The energy level of the band has not waned one bit: it was truly the same level of intensity I saw back in 1987 when I first saw them perform.

This show was in support of their latest studio album "The Final Frontier" and includes 5 songs from that release, including the epic "When The Wild Wind Blows". I filmed the complete 116 minute, 16 song show. Check back often as I upload more links!

Enjoy!

1) Satellite 15... The Final Frontier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuoyXWnmU7o

2) El Dorado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSN7MDUsbnk

3) 2 Minutes To Midnight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDm3LnXKfTM

4) The Talisman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDKbwum4JW0

5) Coming Home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsUWP0iZB_g

6) Dance Of Death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vcUS1QFTyA

7) The Trooper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRTjalY7NAU

8) The Wicker Man

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2xK3F0eU1U

9) Blood Brothers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=195rgFqModU
10) When The Wild Wind Blows

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooQKYHDuJ9g

11) The Evil That Men Do

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJevB4fQAao

12) Fear Of The Dark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Io1fQLBRcM

13) Iron Maiden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLbov_3_a0A

14) The Number Of The Beast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSn_oKu9-XM

15) Hallowed Be Thy Name

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLTdqYv_b9o

16) Running Free
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1N9c-SwVkc

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (April 2011) Is Live

2011-04-16T17:35:00.001-04:00

The April edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited by yours truly!

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Live Downloads Volume 49: Ricky Martin (Montreal April 12, 2011)

2011-04-13T19:41:00.002-04:00

In my never ending search for new horizons, I decided to see Puerto Rican music sensation Ricky Martin in concert last night at the Bell Center in Montreal. Ricky is not my normal cup of musical tea, but I was asked by an attractive female co-worker if I'd like to go. How can I refuse?

The recently out-of-the-closet Mr. Martin puts on a hell of a show. He has a tight band, incredible dancers and a great stage set-up, very similar to what Madonna did on her last tour in terms of layout.

The thing I liked most was that despite all the choreography (never been a fan of it for live shows), his natural charm and personality were front and center at all times, and not hidden behind a "performance mask".

I filmed one song and you can view it here:

She Bangs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5wYzSb3WO8

Things return to normal this weekend when I see Iron Maiden perform twice ;-)

Enjoy!

Yankee Candle Dandy

2011-04-02T12:51:00.002-04:00

If the month of March 2011 taught me one thing it's the following: employees of Yankee Candle stores need to tone it down, both in terms of pushing the product and themselves.

In case you did not know, I am a big fan of Yankee Candle candles. Anytime I am in the States, I seek out the nearest store and buy a few. I know what you may be thinking: only women and gay men shop at Yankee Candle ;-). Well, then I am the only straight guy in the world who shops there. But seriously, I started buying candles to take with me on business trips. All these hotel rooms always seem to have an odor that never fully agrees with me, so lighting up a scented candle once I'm in the room does the trick. Actually, a below-average La Quinta Suites Hotel near Boston back in 2008 was the one that got me going on this trend.

Anyway, this past month yielded visits to Yankee Candle stores in Burlington, Vermont and Portland, Oregon. Each resulted in its own memorable experiences.

1) The Burlington Yankee Candle located in the University Mall is actually one I have visited many times, having travelled to and through Burlington often. I have often gotten a fair level of employee "pushiness" once I am in the store, but this past March 25th went over the top. I was in the store for a grand total of 9 minutes (I timed it!) and in that time, I was verbally bombarded 5 times by employees:

"Sir, we have a sale today on . . . "

"Any candles on these shelves are 20% off if you buy 2"

"Oh that is new scent, very nice"

"They brought that one back, I'm so glad they did"

"Are you finding everything OK sir?"

I should walk in wearing a sign that says "Repeat Customer: I Will Ask Questions If Required". This does not include the cashier asking me for my e-mail address to send me information on upcoming sales. I have answered many times in the same store that I do visit the website to see if there are any sales going on, so having my e-mail is useless.

So a grand total of 6 unnecessary pieces of information/opinions/questions in 9 minutes, or 1.5 per minute. I guess there has to be a "just the right amount point" when it comes to customer service. None at all is obviously not acceptable, but too much to the point that you can't wait to leave the store is not acceptable either.

2) The Portland Yankee Candle store provided a few firsts for me: for the first time, I visited a Yankee Candle where the employees were all men. Usually the employees are all female; in this case, the 2 employees were gay males. As well, for the first time, I was hit on in a Yankee Candle store!

On the plus side, I did not get hassled with useless information/opinions/questions while I was shopping. The fun began when I arrived at the cash. As the cashier started wrapping the candles in paper, the following conversation ensued:

Cashier: "Is purple your favorite colour sir?

Michael: "Uh no, I don't have a favorite colour actually. Why do you ask?"

Cahsier: "Because these candles you're buying are purple and the shirt that you're wearing is purple".

Michael: "Oh I see. No, no, just a coincidence my friend".

Cashier: "Well, as far as I'm concerned, you look like royalty today".

Michael (after a very momentary mental hesitation): "Oh well thank you, very nice of you to say".

I suppose on paper this may look like just a simple compliment. But I was actually there and saw how the guy said what he said and the look in his eyes: so trust me, it was more than a compliment.

Would I have an issue with this if it was a female employee who hit on me? Well, I would prefer it given that I am straight :-). I guess my issue is with the lack of subtlety and tact: whether the Portland employee was just trying to be extra nice or seriously hoping I would ask him out for coffee after his shift is beside the point.

Yes, I will continue shopping at Yankee Candle stores, since I believe they make the best candles. And yes, I will continue to tolerate their overt devotion to customer service.

But just for a change, I hope for the day (even if it turns out to be just 1 day) where I go into a store and leave without any hassle.

Live Downloads Volume 48: The Wailers (Montreal February 18, 2011)

2011-02-19T09:39:00.000-05:00

The Wailers are a name synonymous with reggae music, and even though they now contain only 1 original member from the 70's heydays, they are still carrying the flame of Bob Marley's music around the world. They played Metropolis last night in Montreal to a packed house, and I was able to filmed 4 songs from the show.

Enjoy.

Zion Train

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2aGSX9HJOE

One Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHWtz584v8g

Redemption Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuCwznOqWyo

Get Up Stand Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag8xv7bU_uw

The Definition Of Tactless Volume #1

2011-02-12T11:29:00.002-05:00

So if you've liked my previous posts on things/acts that I deem useless, this new series covers tactlessness.

When the monthly ASQ Newsletter is completed and posted on the web, a copy of it is still sent out by e-mail to all members of the Montreal chapter. There are about 10 members though who for one reason or another have not provided e-mail addresses to the ASQ. As a result, something I personally do is mail out a copy of the event information to these 10 members to their home addresses. That way at a minimum, they have information on the next dinner/presentation and they may decide if they want to come.

As it turns out, one of these 10 individuals works in the same company I do. Different office, different department, but not a far walk. So in his case, I'll usually hand deliver him a copy, thus saving on postage.

This past week, I went by his office and he happened to be at his desk.

Michael: "Hey there. Here's this month's ASQ info".

Tactless: "Oh yeah, thanks".

While I am still standing there, he quickly glances at the paper (less than 1 second) and proceeds to dump it in the blue recycle bin under his desk.

Now I personally could not care less if he is not interested in coming to any of the monthly dinners. And it does not bother me if he finds this "mailed"/hand-delivered version of the Newsletter uninteresting: I am doing my job in making sure he gets a copy of the event information. But don't you think it would have been more tactful to wait until I had left his office, and then put the paper in the recycle box (i.e. trash)? Doesn't this act (whether he did it consciously or unconsciously) leave a bad impression? In my opinion, yes to both questions.

I ultimately let it go and did not say anything, not because I did not want to, but because there were many other people around. I quickly concluded that giving him grief right then and there and causing a scene could potentially have not looked good on me (even if I personally believed I was in the right). But obviously, my opinion of him is now tainted by this act of tactlessness.

Will I continue to provide him with paper copies of the Newsletter? Yes, it is part of my job to do so, and I will do my job. But from now on, I'll be sending him his copies through internal mail: still no postage, and no chance of me seeing him throwing the paper away.

Tactless, tactless, tactless. Next time, turn off the autopilot.

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (February 2011) Is Live

2011-02-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

The latest edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited by yours truly!

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Blast From The Past . . . In Honor Of Valentine's Day (AGAIN)

2011-02-12T09:23:00.000-05:00

This just does not get old:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/11/martin.valentine/index.html

In Memorium: Rachel Ann Wilkes (1977-2011)

2011-01-27T21:12:00.002-05:00

A good friend of mine died quite suddenly and tragically this past weekend, much too young. I only knew Rachel for the last year of her life, but I am glad that I did. We actually met 1 year ago this coming Saturday (January 29, 2010) at an Ani DiFranco concert.

Her parents requested to family and friends that they post/distribute her obituary on the Internet, as opposed to having it printed in various newspapers (the printed page cannot stand much more of a chance it seems ;-)). So this is my posting and tribute:

Given our busy schedules, Rachel and I tried our best to get together as much as we could. I can honestly say that we never had a bad time together: no matter what we did, we always enjoyed it. She was somebody with whom I could talk about anything with because she was aware and interested in so many things. Her breadth of knowledge was intimidating, but in a good, modest way: I am pretty sure she would have beaten me at Jeopardy. There were so many things she still wanted to experience and do, and sadly they won't happen now.

Earlier this week, her parents gave me some pictures and video that were on her camera that she (and I, for that matter) had forgotten about. They were taken by her this past summer during a night at the Montreal International Fireworks Festival in the Old Port area of Montreal. This is one of the pictures:

This video that I have posted to YouTube was also on the camera. She filmed it near the end of the fireworks and you can clearly hear her at various times during the video. You can read my additional comments as well that appear under the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmpAssMT07Y

Her family will have a memorial service for her this Sunday, January 30th. This day will also mark the 1-year birthday of Mr. Patrick Wallace Penney, the beautiful baby boy of my friends Shane and Stacey from Newfoundland. I had visited them this past July (a few weeks after the aforementioned fireworks night) and met Patrick for the first time. When I returned home and showed Rachel my pictures and video from the trip, she was instantly enchanted with Newfoundland and hoped she could go one day. This is one of the things that will now never physically happen.

I would like to believe though that Heaven has travel agents.

Random Thought Diary (01/23/2011)

2011-01-23T09:09:00.002-05:00

While waiting for a friend in the lobby of the movie theater last night, two things manifested themselves into more than just fleeting thoughts:

1) Two kids (a boy and girl, about 5-8 years old) are chasing each other around the lobby, playing a combination of tag and hide-and-go-seek, and being generally noisy. Twice they come very close to knocking into me. A parent/guardian is close by and is watching, but is not doing anything to actually control the kids' behaviour.

Is it wrong that the first thought that comes to my mind is to trip one of the kids the next time they come close to me? The other option would be to go over to the parent/guardian and politely ask that they better control the children, but that option is a distance second in my head.

2) Again in the lobby, I start looking closely at a poster for an upcoming movie. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it, but it looks like a medieval battle type movie. Upon closer reading of the small text, I notice that it says "PG-13: Parental Guidance Strongly Suggested. Contains battle scenes and disturbing images".

Why does this movie get this kind of warning, and yet you can turn on the news any night of the week and see gruesome war footage without any warning? Also, wouldn't you think that after 5 years of the Oil-Grab Iraq War being broadcast on a daily basis, that everyone pretty much has seen enough "battle scenes and disturbing images" to render such movie warnings useless?

Just some thoughts.

Live Downloads Volume 47-4: moe. (Punta Cana January 8, 2011)

2011-01-16T19:26:00.002-05:00

Final night of moe.'s Tropical Throe.down brings the most amount of filming on my part. The entire second set and encores, including Al's birthday celebration during Farmer Ben.

Enjoy!

Tubing The River Styx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRGekZOkMHY

The Pit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJGQfE1OSwQ

Puebla

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6CGEuzoyvQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7J2RMtm4hE

Bring It Back Home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_JTRY0_g04

Nebraska

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPepZXnB0dA

Suck A Lemon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AiVBibQUmg

Waiting For The Punchline

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9cFZ80ZoZg

(Encore Break)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw6rQP-V4Gg

Down Boy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPybD2bvDVI

Farmer Ben

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npiv2sEbZv0

Live Downloads Volume 47-3: moe. (Punta Cana January 7, 2011)

2011-01-15T11:42:00.002-05:00

Night 3 of moe.'s Tropical Throe.down brought us another excellent show on the beach. On this night, I filmed Raise A Glass during the first set, followed by the complete second set. Front row, Rob-zone for the whole show.

Enjoy!

Raise A Glass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyRtgRlUXk

Blue Jeans Pizza

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4GMAEvQRXk

Rise (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i12282sw_F4

Rise (Part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZei_NZI2uA

She (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zr0ZctqGfI

She (Part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vORBxpfJjqs

Bullet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf1KFpXX-QU

Bearsong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmcWxEFTdiU

Live Downloads Volume 47-2: moe. (Punta Cana January 6, 2011)

2011-01-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

Night 2 of moe.'s Tropical Throe.down brought us the first of three electric shows of the festival, as well as the first 2-set show. The stage was setup directly on the beach at the resort, with the band facing the resort and the ocean behind them. It was a great setup with plenty of room for everyone to move around if they wished.

The first video has the band onstage prepping for the show; I also do a full turn to get shots of the crowd. I spent the first set mostly taking pictures but did film Crab Eyes. I did videotape the 2nd half of the 2nd set, and what a great 2nd half: drum & percussion solos from Jim and Vinnie, followed by an epic McBain, and closing with a Brent Black (reprise).

Enjoy!

(Tuning)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Xjb7u6iDU

Crab Eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb5L2jR78TM

Drums

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVdCKWzbgX4

McBain (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P62QjScGRTo

McBain (Part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUBbZ9OXhnY

Brent Black (reprise)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDYb2RekLe8

Live Downloads Volume 47-1: moe. (Punta Cana January 5, 2011)

2011-01-10T18:57:00.000-05:00

Here are the videos from the first of four shows performed by moe. during their Tropical Throe.down festival at Paradisus Punta Cana, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

This opening show was a single acoustic set by the main swimming pool at the resort. The stage was setup directly on the ground, so unless you were right up front, it was hard to see band. I got up close on stage left for the first 5 videos, then behind the stage for the final video. These videos represent about half the performance.

(Introduction/Tuning)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuBg5CHiR8M

Tambourine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd7xYg1Zmls

Faker > CalifornIA (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2owdZoY96vo

Faker > CalifornIA (Part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZMYnW_cnbQ

(Question & Answer) (incomplete)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV35mhORr6o

Cornflake Girl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_j6XeGd7IA

Enjoy!

Pictures from Punta Cana and moe.'s Tropical Throe.down Festival

2011-01-10T13:19:00.002-05:00

I just got back from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic yesterday. I stayed at the Paradisus Punta Cana resort, and I found it mostly enjoyable: good food, great beach and nice grounds. I say "mostly" because hot water, water pressure and clean bathroom towels were at times hard to come by.

As well, the resort hosted my favorite jamband moe. for 4 consecutive nights as part of the Tropical Throe.down Festival. The band played 4 concerts in total: 1 acoustic by the pool on the 1st night, followed by electric shows on the next 3 nights on a full stage setup on the beach. During this time, I got to hang out and meet with all members of the band and their crew, as well as 250 other moe. fans who made the trip as well. I also participated in a golf tournament organized by their tour manager Skip Richman, and I played my usual good (but not yet very good) game.

I have filmed over 4 hours of video from the 4 shows, which I will upload over the course of the next week. In the meantime, check out all the pictures I took during the trip. I have uploaded them all to my Flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58179933@N08/sets

For the sake of the moe.rons visiting the page, here is the show breakdown:

Jan. 5: Acoustic show

Jan. 6: First electric show

Jan. 7: Second electric show
Jan. 8: Third electric show

Enjoy!

Live Downloads Volume 46: New Riders of the Purple Sage (Houston December 9, 2010)

2010-12-12T10:06:00.001-05:00

The New Riders of the Purple Sage are essentially a country western band that started in the late 60's San Francisco scene, and originally included members of the Grateful Dead. The band eventually settled on it's own unique lineup and went on to release many albums up until 1980. 2009 finally saw the release of a new CD "Where I Come From". The band played the Last Concert Cafe in Houston on December 9th: I filmed the first 4 songs of the show.

Enjoy!

Contract

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqJlp_peTqg

Where I Come From

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jp4mYi95ZA

I Don't Know You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGpaG43brOo

Whatcha Gonna Do

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNcY4EzwPHc

Live Downloads Volume 45: The Hightailers (Houston December 9, 2010)

2010-12-11T22:17:00.000-05:00

While in Houston with work, I was able to catch the New Riders of the Purple Sage in concert at the Last Concert Cafe. The opening band for the show was a group called The Hightailers. They play both originals and covers, and they have a classic southern rock/roots rock/blues sound. They are a local Houston band who are actually the house band for the Last Concert Cafe on Thursday nights. This Thursday night found them opening for headliners New Riders of the Purple Sage.

I filmed the last 2 songs of The Hightailers' set: covers of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" and Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock".

Enjoy.

Boom Boom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Z2DOwsPHI

Let It Rock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JtowNS2K38

Live Downloads Volume 44: Knar Choir (Montreal December 5, 2010)

2010-12-06T20:37:00.000-05:00

Something different here. The Knar Choir is a choir that performs traditional Armenian songs, and Mom is a member. I filmed these 2 videos at a performance they gave at the Vanier College Auditorium in Montreal, Quebec (December 5, 2010). The first performance is of the Canadian and Aremian National Anthems, while the second is a medley of traditional Armenian songs.

Enjoy . . . the difference. And if you are wondering: my Mom is the woman with the black hair, front row center in the both videos.

Canadian & Armenian National Anthems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMhckLagrQ0

Medley of Armenian Songs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vXqlF3Zv-4

Pictures From The Armory (December 4, 2010)

2010-12-05T16:18:00.007-05:00

Here are some choice pictures I took last night at moe.'s Halloween show at the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany, New York. I watched the first set from the floor right in the front of the mixing desk, while I spent the second set and encores in the stands at the back.

1) Outside the venue before the show.

2) All the tools needed for a psychedelic light show.

3) First set: the light show/projections were awesome the whole night.

4) First set.

5) First set: blinded by the light!

6) First set: misplaced tapers!

7) First set.

8) First set.

9) Second set: the aliens invade the stage.

10) Second set: close-up.

11) Second set: close-up again.

I did not film much at the show, expect for this 1:08 clip from the second set when some of the alien characters came into the audience. Not very easy to see unfortunately. Someone you do see easily is John Dehrak, brother of moe.'s bassist Rob Derhak, manning the merch tables.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L582hjZ2bGs

Live Downloads Volume 43: Ozzy Osbourne (Montreal November 23, 2010)

2010-11-30T19:26:00.001-05:00

My minidisc audio recording of British heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne performing at the Bell Center in Montreal (November 23, 2010) is now available for download.

The links are as follows:

DISC 1 (74:55)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=43O0ZDF5

01) (Introduction) (7:10)

02) Bark At The Moon (4:45)

03) Let Me Hear You Scream (4:14)

04) Mr. Crowley (6:30)

05) I Don't Know (5:46)

06) Fairies Wear Boots (7:02)

07) Suicide Solution (6:17)

08) Road To Nowhere (6:50)

09) War Pigs (8:06)

10) Fire In The Sky (7:04)

11) (Band Introduction) (1:32)

12) Shot In The Dark (5:25)

13) (Gus G. Guitar Solo) (4:10)

DISC 2 (69:22)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0R9IWZMM

01) Rat Salad (9:49)

02) Iron Man (6:57)

03) Killer Of Giants (6:37)

04) Bassically (0:38)

05) N.I.B. (6:17)

06) I Don't Want To Change The World (5:46)

07) Crazy Train (6:45)

08) Mama, I'm Coming Home (5:36)

09) Into The Void (7:01)

10) Flying High Again (6:22)

11) Paranoid (6:24)

12) (I Love You All) (1:05)

When using Megaupload, wait for the countdown to finish, then click "Regular Download". You can then download the ZIP files that contain the MP3s (256 kbps) and use WinZip to extract.

This was 6th time seeing Ozzy in concert (4 times as a solo performer and 2 times with Black Sabbath), and given his now clean and sober lifestyle, his performance was stellar. His voice was the strongest I have heard of the 6 concerts. And even though his marathon 3-hour show from 2003 at the Bell Center (his longest show ever!) will always be my favorite, this show is a strong 2nd place. New guitarist Gus G. was amazing throughout, and keyboardist Adam Wakeman (son of Rick Wakeman of Yes fame) provided rhythm guitar on most of the Sabbath songs during the evening. The only negative for me was that only 1 song from his latest release was performed: I would have liked another 2-3 songs more.

Here's hoping that Ozzy stays on track in terms of his health, so that he can continue to deliver top-shelf performances like this.

Enjoy.

Roland Martin and I Were Separated At Birth Volume 3

2010-11-25T20:36:00.000-05:00

My brother from another mother, Mr. Roland Martin of CNN, once again proves that him and I share the same mindspace. Read on about his opinion of Sarah Nailin' Palin trashing Michelle Obama's program to help curb obesity in America.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/11/24/martin.michelle.obama.palin/

The Definition Of Useless Volume #4

2010-11-21T08:56:00.002-05:00

Someone who follows my blog regularly recently e-mailed me asking me when I going to write more "opinion" style entries. I wrote back to her saying "The same thought crossed my mind last week!". When I actually checked, the last entry I wrote which had nothing to do with "Live Downloads" or the ASQ was on July 1, 2010: I must have written that in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, since I was there to see 16th moe. show (yes, I keep track, sue me).

Well, there is no good reason for the lack of "opinion" style entries, just pathetic excuses which wouldn't hold up in court. So let's see, who's an easy target? Ah yes . . .

Pope Benedict XVI's has announced an opinion shift on condom use, and the head of the United Nations anti-AIDS campaign said it is a "significant and positive step forward".

Really?! Well, in my opinion, thanks for showing up to party 30 years too late.

AIDS was becoming a problem 30 years ago, but at the time, the position of the Catholic Church (and organized religion in general) was to treat it as a worthy punishment for all the sinning gay people to which it was mostly occurring. Then, even when it was categorically proven to not be a gay disease, the church shifted gears and started roadblocking the idea of condom use as a means of prevention. Because of this ideology passed down through the pulpits of the world for the past 25 years, one can only guess how many lives have been cut short, murdered. And people get criminal records for possession of small amounts of marijuana?! Please.

Also, if you actually go beyond the headline, here is what the Pope (i.e. the Vatican media factory) says:

"There could be single cases that can be justified, for instance when a prostitute uses a condom, and this can be a first step towards a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, to develop again the awareness of the fact that not all is allowed and that one cannot do everything one wants."

So in other words, no blanket wide ranging acceptance of condom use in all logical circumstances, but only in single justified cases (does the Catholic church even know what the word "logical" means?). Well, here is a justified case for me: if my teenage son or daughter has started dating and there is the possibility that he/she may become sexually active with their partner, you can bet all your money that I will put the condom in their hand and tell them to use it. This is my "justified case" and there may be others, and it's my decision to do what's best for myself and my children, not a church or any other organization, especially one as titanically hypocritical and out-of-date as the Catholic church.

Useless, useless, useless. Next time, be relevant.

Live Downloads Volume 42: Furthur (Minneapolis November 9, 2010)

2010-11-09T21:35:00.001-05:00

Furthur (aka Bob Weir and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead + worthy friends) played the first show of their fall tour at the Northrop Auditorium on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. In town with work, I attended. I was also able to upgrade my 25th row seat to a 9th row seat right before the show!

This is a video of their encore, performing Minnesota native Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone". The show began 3 hours earlier with Dylan's "Maggie's Farm", perhaps in response to the recent Republican gains in last week's election. In between, Grateful Dead classics galore, as well as other choice covers like "Not Fade Away" and "Turn On Your Lovelight".

Enjoy!

Like A Rolling Stone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSRQhuHwRGs

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (November 2010) Is Live

2010-11-08T17:19:00.002-05:00

The latest edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited by yours truly!

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Live Downloads Volume 41: Roger Waters (Montreal October 19, 2010)

2010-10-23T13:22:00.004-04:00

Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame played the first of 2 shows at the Bell Center on October 19, 2010. These shows are part of a tour where he is performing "The Wall" in its entirety. I was able to film the entire show, although my distance from the stage leaves a bit to be desired in terms of "detail".

Also to make my life easier, I have decided to break the show down into 9 video segments instead of 29 separate videos. I've noted the breakdown below.

Enjoy.

Set 1 Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g__m0b0m760

Outside The Wall (Intro)

In The Flesh?

The Thin Ice

Another Brick In The Wall (Part I)

The Happiest Days Of Our Lives

Set 1 Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DHFCOR1yLk

Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)

Set 1 Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGy5wGW9wc8

Mother

Goodbye Blue Sky

Set 1 Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9IPybV9y0Q

Empty Spaces

What Shall We Do Now?

Young Lust

One Of My Turns

Set 1 Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvZhchQobaA

Don't Leave Me Now

Another Brick In The Wall (Part III)

The Last Few Bricks

Goodbye Cruel World

Set 2 Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FG6pgmU66g

Hey You

Is There Anybody Out There?

Nobody Home

Vera

Bring The Boys Back Home

Set 2 Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_WPMJBg7jA

Comfortably Numb

The Show Must Go On

In The Flesh

Set 2 Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7NfQO-ggyc

Run Like Hell

Waiting For The Worms

Stop

Set 2 Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNvXTjODTmw

The Trial

Outside The Wall

Live Downloads Volume 40: The Black Crowes (Albany October 15, 2010)

2010-10-16T15:42:00.000-04:00

The Black Crowes played the Palace Theatre in Albany, New York on October 15th, as part of their final tour before an indefinite hiatus from recording and touring. Since the tour was not going to hit Montreal, I figured if I wanted to see them, I should hit the road!

The Palace Theatre is an old movie house right in downtown Albany. I had been there twice before for shows (moe. in 2006 and Trey Anastasio in 2008 right before Phish reunited). This was my 3rd time seeing the band: the first being their awesome New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden in 2005-6. The second time was last September in Burlington, Vermont.

On this tour, the band has been playing 3-hour shows, with the first half being acoustic and the second half electric. I was lucky to get a seat on the floor about 10 rows back. I was able to snap some nice pictures throughout the show, and film 5 songs from the second set and encores. For some reason, security was OK with people taking pictures, but they were harder on people they saw filming (including me on one occasion).

Enjoy.

Jealous Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp4YBdcmetk

By Your Side

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JbELGvvQxY

Hard To Handle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob-Mgq0aaiY

Oh! Sweet Nuthin'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzdgEXYQIec

And The Band Played On

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MilChk4q9jQ

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (October 2010) Is Live

2010-10-14T17:45:00.000-04:00

The latest edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited by yours truly!

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Live Downloads Volume 39: KISS (Toronto September 10, 2010)

2010-09-12T19:58:00.007-04:00

Kiss performed in Toronto a few days ago at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. This was the only Canadian date on their "Hottest Show On Earth" tour, in support of their latest release "Sonic Boom". It was everything you come to expect from Kiss and more. As well, for the 3rd time, my friend Shane from Newfoundland was there by my side to enjoy the show. It was his 6th Kiss show and my 8th.

I filmed the following 14 videos which comprise 63 minutes (46%) of the show. In terms of highlights:

1) Listen for Shane's "evil" laugh right after Gene breathes fire during Firehouse (at about the 4:00 mark).

2) Paul flying to his mini-stage during "I Was Made For Lovin' You", which was superclose to where we were sitting.

3) The most insane amount of confetti I have every experienced during "Rock And Roll All Nite". Shane makes an appearance at the 1:42 mark (if you blink, you'll miss it), and my off-key singing ruins the choruses.

Enjoy!

1) (Introduction)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtRx7z8hfSw

2) Modern Day Delilah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M90OqOVtocM

3) Cold Gin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxpGwX-tzT4

4) Firehouse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G8Ae9_BUT0

5) Deuce

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS7Hp4iGOuI

6) Calling Dr. Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Notu7C_JG8Y

7) Like An Animal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCZck_vCJyw

8) (Gene Simmons Blood Spitting and Flying)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PmN3AyCw7w

9) I Love It Loud

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-ts1PCdYWE
10) Black Diamond (with Whole Lotta Love)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYq_Of5kz2U
11) Beth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw_GW0f6xdg
12) I Was Made For Lovin' You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msqi4Fsi1Vw
13) God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAH-Ys4HH_Q
14) Rock And Roll All Nite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW8sEW-b9sU

ASQ Montreal Chapter Newsletter (September 2010) Is Live

2010-09-09T18:01:00.000-04:00

The latest edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal chapter is now live. Edited by yours truly!

Go to http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

Live Downloads Volume 38: Priestess (Montreal September 4, 2010)

2010-09-06T16:18:00.000-04:00

Montreal metal almost-legends Priestess played as part of the "M for Montreal" festival this past weekend. This was a free festival held in the Old Port area of Montreal, and showcased mainly Quebec bands. The show was outdoors and open to the public, so you had Priestess fans mingling with people who were just there to hear what was going on.

I was able to film the complete 10-song performance, which included the 7 songs from their latest release "Prior To The Fire" and 3 songs from their debut effort "Hello Master".

Enjoy!

Sideways Attack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0K7I5FJMuU

Communicating Via-Eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfN6E0lseY8

Two Kids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mGNrbD5vvY

It Baffles The Mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pil-PB500qw

The Gem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbAdPulrVs4

Lay Down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO_3UCdpMhY

Lady Killer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66gXsFTgyws

The Firebird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GARO-E0wCg4

Lunar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxbFfzd3cZc

I Am The Night, Colour Me Black

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOt1F8Vccl4

Live Downloads Volume 37: Voivod (Montreal September 4, 2010)

2010-09-06T11:00:00.005-04:00

Quebec metal legends Voivod played as part of the "M for Montreal" festival this past weekend. This was a free festival held in the Old Port area of Montreal, and showcased mainly Quebec bands. The show was outdoors and open to the public, so you had Voivod fans mingling with people who were just there to hear what was going on.

I was able to film the complete 8-song performance, which included the rarely performed "Experiment", and the newer song "Global Warning" taken from last year's "Infini" release, the final one with the guitar contributions of late guitarist Denis D'Amour. Here's hoping the new lineup with the excellent Dan Mongrain on guitar makes some new music together.

Enjoy!

Voivod
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8lxPYweskY
The Unknown Knows
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-qfRgQbDg8
The Prow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNj6YV2LaSY
Ripping Headaches
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlU7qAvb-2k
Tribal Convictions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvsUvjUVU8Q
Global Warning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8lgyxqHmS4
Experiment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq1Kd8FRFFE
Astronomy Domine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz1T55hMvVo

Live Downloads Volume 36: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (Burlington August 14, 2010)

2010-08-15T16:58:00.002-04:00

Vermont-based band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals played the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival in Burlington on August 14th. After seeing Gov't Mule the preceding evening, I was excited to see Grace and the band perform in their home state. I had seen them once before in Toronto in December 2008 at Lee's Palace and they impressed me a lot, so I had high hopes for this show.

I was able to get to the front of the stage on Grace's side right by her organ, and it was a excellent vantage point. As a bonus, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont was on hand to introduce them at the start of the show. Other highlights you'll see are the disco ball during their cover of "Heart Of Glass", two bubble machines on either side of the stage, and a ballon war during "Paris (Ooh La La)" and "Medicine". As well, the show was being filmed with multiple cameras, so fingers are crossed for perhaps a DVD release of the show.

Enjoy.

(Patrick Leahy Introduction) / Hot Summer Night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqHLbrkOui8
That Phone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss4LH_FZkXU
Big White Gate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeS1mURXxlU
Heart Of Glass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7XOyJ6xh7k
Paris (Ooh La La)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgI53KA58kc
Medicine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcI1XlKYCiU
Some Kind Of Ride
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK-zQEsH72w
White Rabbit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xza-XOyZYQ4

Live Downloads Vol. 35: Gov't Mule with Jackie Greene (Burlington August 13, 2010)

2010-08-14T10:26:00.000-04:00

These are videos that I filmed during the encore of Gov't Mule's concert at the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival in Burlington, Vermont. Mule performed 2 full sets of music before returning for a 2-song encore with opening act Jackie Greene. They performed 2 Grateful Dead classics to close the show: the first is the Elmore James' song "It Hurts Me Too" which the Dead played frequently in their early years, followed by one of Jerry Garcia's signature songs "Sugaree".

There is also a short video that I filmed during Jackie Greene set of the waterfront and Lake Champlain. A very beautiful night had by all.

Enjoy.

It Hurts Me Too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3LYhP3Q9ts

Sugaree
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l7yFXB6KwI
Burlington Waterfront

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fDFpxdKZ-k

Live Downloads Vol. 34: Paul McCartney (Montreal August 12, 2010)

2010-08-13T18:01:00.018-04:00

Some British musician named Paul McCartney played to 17,000 people the other night in Montreal. He is supposedly a legend, and I was told that I should consider myself lucky to have seen the show.

(Sarcasm off): O.K. so Paul played for 3 hours and was incredible (how very Springsteen). In 2008, I was lucky enough to see Ringo Starr perform in Boston. So seeing Paul now means I've seen all living Beatles in concert.

I filmed 45 minutes of the show, mostly the tail end. One of these videos is actually of a woman who came onstage for Paul to sign her arm, so that she could then go to the tattoo parlor the next day and get it done up permanently! Very cool. My seat was pretty high and near the back, so I had to use plenty of zoom, which leads to the picture going out-of-focus sometimes. But the performance more than makes up for it.

Enjoy!

Blackbird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuoXCGO_fcE
Oh-Bla-Di, Oh-Bla-Da

100 Posts And Counting

2010-07-21T20:20:00.000-04:00

My last posting regarding my recording of the Iron Maiden Montreal concert resulted in I achieving a milestone of sorts. It was my 100th blog post since I started this blog on December 26, 2008.

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog on a regular basis, or time-to-time, or whenever you remember. It is appreciated.

Live Downloads Vol. 33 - Iron Maiden (Montreal July 7, 2010)

2010-07-13T18:41:00.010-04:00

My minidisc audio recording of British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden performing at the Bell Center in Montreal is now available for download.

The links are as follows:

Disc 1 (58:19)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=F3YICE7A
1) (Introduction)

2) The Wicker Man

3) The Ghost Of The Navigator

4) Wrathchild

5) El Dorado

6) Dance Of Death

7) The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg

8) These Colours Don't Run

9) Blood Brothers

Disc 2 (60:34)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=C9CKVAC1
1) Wildest Dreams2) No More Lies

3) Brave New World

4) Fear Of The Dark

5) Iron Maiden

6) The Number Of The Beast

7) Hallowed Be Thy Name

8) Running Free

9) (Denouement)

10) (Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life)

When using Megaupload, enter the passcode at the top right corner (it's case sensitive), then choose "Regular Download". You can then download the ZIP files that contain the MP3s (320 kbps) and use WinZip to extract.

This show was my 14th time seeing Iron Maiden, going back to 1987 with the Somewhere In Time tour. Since then, I have seen 1 show per tour. This time around, the band were out in support of their soon to be released CD "The Final Frontier". Only 1 song from that CD was performed; here's hoping they return again later to perform a different setlist with more new songs. The rest of the set mainly concentrated on songs from the last 3 studio albums. In fact, 10 of the 16 songs performed were from these 3 albums.

My seat was in Section 102, side stage. A great vantage point where I could also see the backstage happenings during the show. The recording of the complete show (119 minutes) is quite good, but at times lacks the fullness and uniformity of a "front of stage" recording. I was able to keep the microphone away from any "close voices", so there is good ambient crowd noise throughout the recording. A solid 8 out of 10, IMHO.

Enjoy.

Live Downloads Volume 32: Howling Mind Glide (Pointe Claire July 2, 2010)

2010-07-03T15:22:00.025-04:00

Howling Mind Glide are a local Montreal band that have been around since the early 1990's, and have always been very "D.I.Y.". They have put out many CDs but you can only get them at shows or if you happen to know a band member. In my case, I fall into the second category since the bass player and I haved worked together for the past 3 years. The band's sound can best be described as a cross between the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine.

This was their first show in quite awhile, and it was to celebrate the release of their new CD "Hollow Money God". In fact, they performed the CD in its entirety as the last 9 songs of the first set.

I was able to film the entire show, as well as one song from their soundcheck. Enjoy.

Soundcheck

Laziness? You Decide

2010-07-01T08:34:00.000-04:00

The other day I had my yearly appointment with my ophthalmologist. Once all was done, I went to leave the building. Walking towards the doors to leave, there was a woman about 7 feet in front of me. She looked to be in her early thirties and in good physical health. She was also not carrying anything in her hands or arms.

As she approached the first glass door, instead of pushing the door open with her hand, she pressed the "handicap" button which you find at waist level on some doors and allowed it to open automatically for her. Once through the first door, she approached the second glass door and again, pressed the "handicap" button on that door and allowed it to open automatically for her.

In my books, this is pure and simple laziness. These buttons are there specifically for:

1) Handicapped individuals in wheelchairs, on crutches, with canes, etc.

2) Parents who are pushing a baby stroller or carrying a baby in their arms.

3) People who are pushing something or carrying something in their arms.

Obviously, choices 2 and 3 do not involve the traditionally thought-of handicapped individuals. But let's face it: you are still handicapped/hindered in your ability to open the door with your hand.

But the woman in front of me did not fall into any of these categories: no physical handicap, no baby in sight and not carrying anything in her arms or hands.

When I recounted this later in the day to some people at work, one colleague offered that maybe she was a germaphobe and did not want to touch a door handle that so many others have touched. Sure, this is a possibility, but consider that:

a) She pressed the "handicap" buttons with her bare hand as well. They could just as easily carry germs.

b) If she was really afraid of germs, she should have used the sleeve of her blouse to push open the doors or press the buttons.

So I really don't see a valid reason for this type of action under the circumstances I have presented above.

I suppose another way of putting it (perhaps a mild positive spin on it) would be to say that she was merely taking advantage of a convenience that resulted in her causing less strain on her body. Again, this is possible, but to this I think: What does this say about her personality and character? Is she the type that would expect ease and luxury at every turn? Potentially do things an easy way instead of a harder yet righter way? More taker than giver? Stuck-up? Self-centered? Arrogant?

I am not saying that I want everything in life to be hard for me, or that I do not take advantage of conveniences when presented. But the convenience of using a "handicap" button to automatically open a door is not a convenience I have earned if I do not fall into 1 of the 3 categories noted above. And the woman 7 feet in front of me the other day certainly did not fall into one of these categories.

In case you are wondering how I went through the doors, the honest answer is I walked right through without touching them, since these kinds of doors stay open for several seconds before automatically closing. Does this now make me a hypocrite? Not in my opinion because:

i) I am not going stand there and wait for the doors to close automatically, just so that I can then push them open myself (and admit it, neither would you).

ii) Had I been alone approaching the closed doors, I would have opened them without using the buttons.

And in case you are wondering (part 2), the answer is "Yes": I would be writing the same things and have the same opinion if it was an able-bodied, empty-handed man who was in front of me instead of a woman.

So what's your opinion?

Live Downloads Volume 31: The Scorpions/Cinderella (Montreal June 26, 2010)

2010-06-27T10:34:00.000-04:00

German metal legends The Scorpions played Montreal last night, as part of their "farewell" world tour. It was announced a few months ago that once this world tour ends, the band would call it quits. As someone whose witness a few "farewell" tours come to no end (pun intended), my jury is still out.

Opening the show was the reformed-again American band Cinderella. These guys were unfortunately lumped into the glam-metal genre back in the 1980's, but their sound owes more the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith than anyone else who use to use too much hairspray.

Both bands put on excellent performances. I filmed the last 2 songs of Cinderella's set, and 5 songs from The Scorpions' set.

There are also 3 pictures from The Scorpions set below the links.

Enjoy.

CINDERELLA

Gypsy Road

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR2a9z24Sjc
Shake Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oETswOAKdic

THE SCORPIONS
Bad Boys Running Wild
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXC_yO89-wc
The Zoo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vurU-0KEuIs

Coast To Coast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATuSaHI5ses
Holiday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7UM1e4CGes
Rock You Like A Hurricane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJI74JgHo3I

ASQ Newsletter (Montreal Chapter 401) - June 2010

2010-06-19T15:24:00.000-04:00

This week, the June 2010 edition of the American Society of Quality newsletter for the Montreal 401 chapter was published online. What makes this edition special is that it's the first one where I was involved as the Newsletter Editior. My colleague Chantale who was the Editor is now becoming the Chair of the Montreal section, and back in April, she asked me if I would like to become the new Editor. After a bit of indecisiveness, I finally decided . . . YES.

So the fruits of my first Newsletter labour can be seen here:

http://www.asqmontreal.qc.ca/newsletter/Newsletter.html

There are some bugs in some of the links in the Table of Contents, but the important thing is that the layout and content are correct. Chantale and I worked on this first one; the next edition publishes in September, and I'll be more on my own then.

Included are 2 pieces that I wrote: the first which is a small blurb about me, and the sceond which is my "quality" take on the B.P. oil disaster (similar to the previous posting here on the blog).

Enjoy this non-musical entry.

The B.P. Oil Spill: A Quality Perspective

2010-06-06T12:55:00.001-04:00

In a previous blog posting, I presented my opinion on the Toyota Corporation's quality failures regarding accelerator and ABS system issues on several 2009-10 models. My point was that Toyota had used plenty of simple, yet tried-and-true quality practices to try and deal with the issues. Comparing this to how the Big Three U.S. automakers have manufactured automobiles for much of the 20th century, I found it unfair how much Toyota was getting hammered by the media.

Fast forward a few months and the media is once again hammering away at a major corporation: this time it's British Petroleum, for their inability to contain a leaking well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. In this case, I believe the media should be hammering away, and that the general public have ever right to be angry.

Ever since B.P. has been trying to cap this leak, the one constant question in my mind has been the following: was there any form for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) conducted on these oil wells?

FMEA is a simple form of risk analysis, first used in the late 1940's by the U.S. Armed Forces, that allows for designs and processes to be analysed for potential failure mechanisms, the rating of these failure mechanisms based on severity, likelihood of occurrence and ability of detection, and finally determination of actions to assure that the failures do not occur. FMEA can easily be conducted as products and processes are being designed, in order to decide what may go wrong, and more importantly: 1) establish what to do to reduce the chances of the wrong from happening, and 2) establish what to do should the wrong actually occur.

Unfortunately, watching the coverage over the past weeks, every attempt (to date) to cap the gushing oil has been unsuccessful, with various failures noted (i.e. hydrate crystals, malfunctioning diamond cutters). We have also been introduced to such terms are “junk-shot”, “top-kill” and “top-hat”: to me, these all sound like concocted sound bites by B.P. for the media to use and for the general public to feel like they have something to rally behind. Nothing to date has given me the feeling that somewhere in the design phase of these wells, B.P. conducted any form of risk analysis. Meanwhile, the water continues to be polluted, shorelines are becoming dangerous for swimming, wildlife is being killed off and people’s livelihoods are being destroyed.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Live Downloads Volume 30: Dark Star Orchestra (Hampton Beach May 29, 2010)

2010-06-06T11:21:00.000-04:00

Live Downloads Volume 29: George Thorogood (Montreal June 4, 2010)

2010-06-05T08:24:00.001-04:00

The rock world's most dependable performers, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, played their 1 millionth Montreal-area show last night at the Metropolis Club. This was my 4th time seeing George and he never fails to put on a great, solid rock and roll show. Even songs like "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", "I Drink Alone" and "Bad To The Bone", which he's probably performed more times that the average person goes to the bathroom in one's lifetime, were performed with vigour and purpose. There was no shortage of newer and lesser known songs as well, such as "Rock Party", "Born Lover" and "Taildragger". Chuck Berry's classic "Johnny B. Goode" closed the show almost 2 hours after it started. He performs again tonight, and even if I get the same songs in the same order, it'll still be great.

I filmed the first 2 songs of the night: the aforementioned "Rock Party", and Bo Diddley's classic "Who Do You Love?".

Enjoy.

Rock Party

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTK8tQRYyHE

Who Do You Love?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvTaAP_sJD0

Live Downloads Volume 28: Dark Star Orchestra (Hampton Beach May 28, 2010)

2010-05-31T21:19:00.000-04:00

The Dark Star Orchestra, the best damn Grateful Dead tribute band around, played 2 shows at the Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire this past weekend. I drove the 6 hours down from Montreal for a long weekend by the ocean, and to listen to them perform for the first time.

These 10 songs represent their first set from Friday, May 28, 2010. I also recorded their first set from the following night (11 songs). Those videos will be up hopefully by the end of the week.

Enjoy.

Hell In A Bucket

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJLxk1CPI9A

Dire Wolf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlkuL_P9lv4

Wang Dang Doodle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkXD1X03gDY

Operator

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVXNV8Kzty8

When Push Comes To Shove

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIvH3RhvEc0

On The Road Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I52pkgh0RKg

You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6R1jFmYBL8

Hard To Handle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veI68gvYjnc

It's All Over Now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYvPG3BPA_k

Midnight Moonlight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veI68gvYjnc

Casino Ballroom Pictures (May 28, 2010)

2010-05-29T15:33:00.005-04:00

Last night was the first of two shows by the Dark Star Orchestra at the Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. I was able to take these pictures before the show:

-Gear on stage. DSO is tribute band that plays the music of The Grateful Dead:

-The venue itself. Fairly unique setup with the stage facing the "short" end of the hall. Makes for interesting vantage points.

-A historical aerial picture from outside the venue (early 20th century). Check out the ticket prices!

-Outside the back entrance (taken Saturday morning May 29). Did you know that K.C. was even still alive?).

Oil Spill Blues

2010-05-22T09:28:00.000-04:00

If you this read this blog regularly, then you know that last month I got to spend a week in the Florida Keys, mainly in Key West. I found the atmosphere relaxing and vibrant at the same time. While there, I spent 2 full days at the beach located in the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. I was told by several locals that that beach had the cleanest water in the area, so that would be the best place for swimming. They turned out to be right: the water was very clean, and the beach was nice as well, with only some small rocks along the shoreline as your are entering the water. In my mind, I could not wait to go back again.

Now came word this past week that "tar balls" were found floating in the waters at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park Beach, as well as at Smathers Beach in Key West. I could not believe I was reading this, knowing that only 1 month earlier I had been exactly there. The results of tests conducted on the tar balls concluded that they were not the result of the BP oil pipeline, presently spewing oil non-stop for the past few weeks. That being said, the article I read did not conclude where the tar balls did come from (if not from the pipeline).

So given this, and given the seemingly blatant attempts by British Petroleum to underplay the extent of the damage from the gushing pipeline, is it any wonder I'm skeptical about the tar balls? Nothing like this has ever occurred before in the Florida Keys, so is it really just pure coincidence that tar balls appeared on these beaches just weeks after the pipeline accident?

Given the importance of the tourism and fishing industries in the Keys, surely any oil damage will ideally be handled with dispatch. And in my mind, I know I still want to go back. I just hope a have a beach to swim in.

Somewhere In North Carolina

2010-05-11T06:48:00.000-04:00

Today, I fly out to North Carolina with work. I'll be in a relatively small city called Goldsboro. To get there, I have to first fly from Montreal to Charlotte, North Carolina, then from Charlotte to Raleigh. Then I have to drive 1 hour to Goldsboro. Fun!

Although I have been in N.C. before, it was only for a flight layover. So this time will count, I guess! After this trip, the only state along the Atlantic coast I'll have left to visit is Rhode Island.

Hopefully, I will be able to see the Canadiens-Penguins Game 7 on Wednesday night. If not, I'll have the RDS website keeping me updated.

I'll be back on Friday. Then on Sunday, my Mom's choir performs at Oscar Peterson Hall in Montreal. So wonderful, I can't wait.

Live Downloads Volume 27: Cannibal Corpse (Montreal April 27, 2010)

2010-05-01T16:25:00.001-04:00

Those purveryors of love and romance Cannibal Corpse returned to Montreal this past Tuesday night to play Club Soda. This was their 2nd visit to the city in about a year, in support of their latest CD of politically correct songs "Evisceration Plague". I filmed the complete 19-song set and links to the videos are below.

Enjoy . . . because that's what love and romance are all about ;-)

1) Scalding Hail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKmLgFcNT6s

2) Unleashing The Bloodthirsty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpEOwAbGsKs

3) Murder Worship

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ5tVH-Cvjs

4) Sentenced To Burn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwKYD6VpAGU

5) Savage Butchery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN6Wufokbg0

6) The Cryptic Stench

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfGnuHAT0aM

7) Pounded Into Dust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkCg1WMPvhg

8) The Wretched Spawn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajiAo_vRCik

9) Gutted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LNwvmHgJG4

10) Evisceration Plague

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OSfeyhZSEI

11) Disfigured

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3SHxko6oMw

12) Scattered Remains, Splattered Brains

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO32Fx1z6vY

13) Make Them Suffer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYtDGEMF824

14) Priests Of Sodom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF9kn6Ezllg

15) Staring Through The Eyes Of The Dead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpZdK7eLGII

16) A Skull Full Of Maggots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2G3ohwjeg4

17) Devoured By Vermin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QupHTkV0Pv0

18) Hammer Smashed Face

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny9nJqRjjDU

19) Stripped, Raped And Strangled

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR3fIZXQ2po

Key West Vacation Videos

2010-04-29T19:13:00.000-04:00

While in Key West last week, some of the sightseeing I did was captured on video. They are as follows:

The Ernest Hemingway House

This is the house that writer Ernest Hemingway lived in from 1931 to 1939, and it's where he wrote some of his most famous works, including "A Farewell to Arms," and the short story classics "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." The house is actually only 16 feet above sea level and is the 2nd highest site on the island. Video #1 has me filming the exterior grounds of the house, while Video #2 is the interior of the main house, as well as his writing room which is in a separate building on the property. As well, you get to see the multitude of cats that now occupy the house, all decedents of Hemingway's cat "Snowball".

Video #1: Exterior

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJUVHtEQRHE

Video #2: Interior

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1AE3y98VUI

Key West Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located across the street from the Hemingway House. After climbing the lighthouse in Negril, Jamaica a few years ago, I saw no reason not to climb this one. So the video shows my ascent, followed by some cool video of Key West.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sck0lgGqUUA

Key Lime Inn and the Rooster Hunt

While in Key West, I stayed at the Key Lime Inn which was perfectly located in the middle of the Old Town area. This video has me walking the grounds at dawn. Soon enough, the omnipresent roosters which roam the area started announcing the new day, and I crossed Truman Avenue in search of them. Then back across to the Inn's parking lot, where another one was waiting for me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5rTHjnK-yk

I look forward to going back again sometime in the future.