(... yeah I'm hurrying... I have a system though.) Sometimes it's hard to find the time… and sometimes finding the time to find the time is a problem in itself. I do my best to write these near the end of the month instead of the beginning of the next month but honestly, sometimes there's just so much I'd like to talk about that it's overwhelming... so before we get into double digit days of November *cough*… here's October. Early in the month, Breached finally used their prize from last years CMW "demo listening panel thing" which was a day at the brand new (and hugely big large) Revolution Recording studio. This place is huge… and awesome. The plan was to film and record an acoustic EP with the time instead of record a song or something. For the type of band they are and the production style involved to "do things right", recording a song just didn't make sense. If you plan properly, odds are you can maximize your time and energy… all without leaving the other side (who donated the prize) feeling taken advantage of. (...or sad... confused... and alone.) The day was pretty relaxed… the Love & Crossbones (film/video) crew were all very fun and professional, while the house engineer(s) and staff were all very pleasant to work with... something I sort of miss from my days at Pocket Studios. Having my own place, I work alone a lot, which has it's pros and cons. If I had to choose one over the other though… working with a great team is the way to go for sure. Dynamics are important in life and the dynamic you get from being part of a great team can be one of the best things about any job. Often it's a delicate balance, but so far, the vibe is good there. Revolution beyond a studio really, it's a creative space. I skipped out early to play hockey that night but it was reassuring to know they were in good hands. It's a nice change to just enjoy hanging out in a studio… as a fan… even though I was technically there to produce it. UPDATE: The Breached EP is mixed and ready to go… just waiting to finish up the video aspect and hopefully I can share it soon! (... and now...) Indie Week. The last few years I've been quite active during Toronto's big 3 indie music festivals/conferences (CWM, NXNE, Indieweek). This was the first time in a while I didn't really get out too much. I'd typically check the schedule, plan my route, hope the weather co-operates, and then enjoy my evening(s) checking out bands with a friend or two. I found the schedule tough to navigate online this year… serious side note for a minute… why can't these festivals get the schedules right? I understand there's a lot of info to organize but really… they always seem to be missing something I'd consider important… like genre, hometown, set time, etc. I'd be awesome if you could quickly scan through the schedule or filter on an app by genre... then at least you'd know what kind of acts to expect... you just can't get enough info from the artist/band name and venue. So the last couple years I've been asked to judge for indie week… all good... it's fun to watch some bands and give opinions… the latter being something everyone has to and loves to do in this line of work. I can't remember how behind schedule the show was, but when I got there, on time, there wasn't much going on at all… just the bar staff and a few volunteers milling about. Classic. At least I had time to grab food and meet up with some friends in town close to the venue. Eventually I got a text from another judge that the show was starting and I made my way back over to the venue. If there's one thing that sets pro shows apart from amateurs regarding shows… it's set times. Pro shows run on time. I don't know how they do it, but rarely do bands hit the stage more than 5-10 minutes later than they're scheduled at a well run show. Oh wait, I do know how they do it... people get in shit for showing up late and not going on stage on time. There are penalties, consequences and repercussions for not doing things the way organizers had planned to run the show. A personal favorite is the excuse to push back a show until "our fans get there". Seriously... if you tell them you're on at 10pm, and they show up at 10:45... they aren't your fans... they are your friends... and apparently your friends don't care enough to see your band... they care enough to come out and have a few drinks whenever they feel like it. (... make sense?) The thing is... trying to schedule hundreds of bands in a weekend and not having a strictly enforced schedule screws up peoples evenings. If you're trying to showcase bands and people can't see the bands, this defeats the purpose of buying a wristband that gets you into multiple venues over several nights to see as many bands as the festival encourages. There's been times I've shown up to find out a band isn't on for 30 minutes… and times I've shown up, on time, and a band is already halfway through their set. Again. I don't get it. I don't get why 90% of shows that could run on time, don't run on time. It's one of my deal breakers when it comes to sticking around at shows... since I'm actually there to see the bands… so when there's no bands… and considering how much sleep and free time I get… I'd rather be doing something else that late at night… usually involving house pants, a bowl of cheerios, and watching happy wheels. (... a little window into my life.) That being said, the show Saturday night was really solid. I think it was one of the strongest lineups I've seen… definitely the strongest I've got to judge. Every band looked great, sounded great, had some memorable tunes, and the atmosphere of the venue magnified the energy. Good times. I felt good about the band that won the night and knew they'd represent well at the finals the following day. Speaking of… the finals were great too. Being held at Tattoo, there's a great stage, audience set up, and sound system to showcase the finalists. It's a shame Tattoo seems to hate bands and treat them like shit… but that night seemed to be an exception since I hardly noticed. Right from the get go, the acts were solid, entertaining, and had a nice blend of pro polish and scrappy DIY. Lots of genres represented… folk, rock, metal, instrumental electro jazz… I skipped out to grab a bite to eat at one point, but a couple things I thought were missing were hiphop/urban and RnB. Last years winners were Tiny Danza (aka Nixon now which is a whole 'nother topic). I didn't catch them that night but I'd seen them before. Even if they weren't your cup of tea, you knew they were good… no argument. There were lots of great acts that night as well, and it seemed like everything was represented for the most part. This year, it just seemed odd none of those acts made it through. (... I notice these things.) It was a great night overall though… more a celebration of bands and artists doing what they love, after countless hours in the rehearsal spaces, showcasing what they've come up with. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Congrats again to Burning The Day on taking home the top prize. I had my own top 3 and they were in it for sure. I was surprised the judges gave them the edge in some ways but in others, how could you not. Sometimes it gets down to criteria on a sheet, sometimes it's doing what you know is the right thing to do… and sometimes you do what you feel is the cool thing to do... possibly because you're out of touch. Take that however you want, regardless, Ireland will enjoy what's coming there way. Finally, the new Morgan Sadler EP is done! Mixed, mastered, and in the can! You can check out the songs here, here, here, and here. I'm really happy with how things turned out and looking forward to posting the songs when the time comes. Morgan's been thinking a lot about how to release, redefine, and basically launch her new music and "brand". It works from the ground up these days which has many advantages… in the long run for sure. We've had quite a few brainstorming sessions and I'm looking forward to where she's at in a year... or two. Big picture. ... and now to finish writing November. - Mike (... I'm working on it.)
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(... panda... *tear*) … yeah it took me a while to finally post this… reason? Well... they say the hardest part of doing anything is getting started… and that's very true… up there on the list is getting urgent/important/time sensitive things done, along with reading over these sorts of things for obvious spelling/grammar mistakes (please excuse me if there still are some). Anyway… I have plenty of pics and witnesses from my weekend in Ottawa so here's some of it... probably posting over a few days. Disclaimer: Again, please excuse any obvious errors/typos… read it out loud and it'll make sense… I mumble anyways… Day 1 (Friday) First off, I've never really spent any time in Ottawa… I've been there a bunch of times, but with bands. I got thinking about how many cities people in bands or "people on business trips" have been to but never actually "experienced". In a band setting you generally: - arrive in the city late afternoon/early evening - find venue - unload gear/setup/sound check (if possible, not necessarily in that order) - find food - play show - socialize/pretend there's something awesome going on after and/or find a place to stay that night - load/get back in the van and either find a place to sleep or head home … and that folks was insert city here! (... oh man I can't wait to play New York!!?) (... ok guys I think that's the venue up there on the left.) It's not often you get to spend quality time in a city… I wonder if that changes if a band gets more successful..? You might have others taking care of the travel/logistics but now you're probably doing press/radio, and generally shuffled around to whatever commitment you need to be at, if you're the front person(s). I imagine the best way to travel with a band is as a drummer/bassist/side guy/whatever musician... just show up for the gig… and don't get arrested, drunk, or die during the day while exploring. (... sorry fellas... things got a little outta hand at the Taco Bell.) Then again, I've met some awesome locals over the years at gigs… for the most part, people are very similar… their issues change, the landmarks they ask "if you've visited yet" change… but those are things every city has in common… give or take the level of intolerance towards outsiders. Although I did go to the Juno Cup Charity Hockey game that night… which was great since I got to hang with a childhood buddy AND see Paul Coffee in action (awesome)… the real highlight was staring out the train window for 4.5 hours. How is this a highlight? I think a lot. I brought a book. I had music/demos I wanted to listen to. I had a laptop with wifi. I was told the train was a great way to travel (which it was) and that the scenery was great (lies!?). (... lol... no.) (... lol... reality.) I swear it was abandoned vehicle after busted fence after forgotten end of a small town after pile of junk after etc. Who knows… maybe it's just because it's spring and the greenery hasn't covered it all up yet. It was a side of Ontario I hadn't seen in a while… I guess I've been away from my hometown longer than I thought. Ah well.
Still… I loved staring out that window for close to 5 hours. Hotel was nice... hotel beds are nice... glad I skipped the reception from the sounds of it... I thought it was interesting how far apart some of the venues were that weekend... ah well... couldn't wait to sleep! |
Mike Langford - Official BlogBeing on both sides of the glass, I get the chance to wear many hats in the music industry. This is a place to share my thoughts, views, predictions, rants, stories and news! Categories
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