new order, imagine etc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZk8ronces

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd8wwMFmCeE&feature=related

I'm a news-avoider a bit, being a mother of three and wishing them the best, and trying to make each day nice for them.

I grew up with the drone of CBC headlines over dinner. At once, glad i was sitting down to dinner, but also horrified by what i was hearing by my dinner companion- the radio. I don't eat dinner listening to the news with my children.

But, recently, I thought I'd catch up on what the usa was up to. I surfed through some news clips...news without the pre- and post briefing done by made-up women and smiling men in the 80's suits of the network drag persona. Without their padded framework, just taking the video clips of the president talking at face value. No laughing announcer making excuses for him afterwards. And what emerged was learning of their plan for a New World Order. This idea of a New World Order is deeply troubling. As is the idea of the biometric identity chip. Haven't we been taken through this scenario with Michael York in Logan's Run? How easy is it for your chip to turn on you and get a person incarcerated, disenfranchised, or similar. Next thing you know, farrah fawcett is screaming at you, and you have to book it through underground tunnels until you find an ivy drenched capitol building.

I imagined a scene where a mother of three goes to buy food and runs her hand through a scanner to reveal her assets were frozen due to her actions/beliefs and then she's unable to feed her kids. We have a lot of sci-fi movies to give us warnings around this subject- Soylent Green, Handmaid's tale, 1984, Bladerunner, Manchurian Candidate, Logan's Run, Farenheit 451, Eyes Wide Shut, clockwork orange, among them. In a way, I could include Eraserhead in there, for the main character's self-absorption and anti-social behaviour.

It seems like from all the emerging discussion on 911 that one scenario is that governments could choose to destabilize a country by starting a war , pointing the finger at a mineral rich opponent, (ei- russia?) and then initiating a sort of martial law which could then override the constitution, thereby marking the end of the USA as we know it. Thereby, opening the door to a new world order. after all, they would put forth, someone has to take charge in all the chaos. why not the most powerful country in the world. I'm just guessing here. It doesn't sound like peace.

And here's one thing that's been on my mind... In times Square at New Years, the massive crowd sways and sings in unison "imagine" by John Lennon. Didn't they also play it at the recent pres. inauguration? While I like John Lennon, his music, his sense of humour.. this song has been taken and used as a sort of national anthem for this New World Order that the president and bush sr before him, have been mentioning. The lyrics of Imagine talk about "Imagine there's no heaven..." anyway, i won't write the whole thing out for you, since most of us know it by heart..it can be interpreted as a godless utopia under the rule of one government. I'm not a historian, or an expert in anything beyond directing music videos and drawing, but it creeps me out when masses of people gather in a righteous fever, times square, the mall or other places. freedom can be interpreted in many ways. Freedoms in the constitution, freedom of speech, etc, is great. the freedom that concerns me is the selfish freedom that comes before compassion. freedom to drive a hummer in the face of mass poverty. the "me first" culture. the do what you want, do what you feel, follow your senses etc freedom can come at the expense of compassion. mtv culture. It's like the contrast of spending your christmas in a bloated state of excess, food, toys, decoration. vs spending christmas helping others, focussing on your family, considering the life of Jesus- who's birthday is celebrated on that day. When you help people, it makes you feel good. like if everyone in your family was preoccupied with their own pleasure, you wouldn't get their help or friendship if you needed it. and on a grander scale, if everyone puts their needs first, then we don't help each other, we're not, like, nice.

While peace is a wonderful goal, we have to make sure the solution is actually peaceful. cause ruling the world under one government, possibly forcing the planet to use one language for the purposes of commerce, etc, you know, it would really alter the magic of our different cultures, our history would be erased in a few generations.

It's like before tvs came, and before the family car. there were differences in one county to the next. The tribe feeling has been somewhat replaced with corporate tribes. the facebook users, the people who wear corporate logos on their clothing. there's lots of new groupings of people. people don't return to their home town after graduating college. they seek out their new tribe in like-minded people. it's different than taking an interest in your community. it's a different set of morals now. where freedom and self-expression come before accountability. it's like how some people consider how their actions will affect the coming 7 generations. most people consider only their own feelings in the here and now.

Those movies I mentioned have always been the most interesting films to me. Possible realities. warnings. George Orwell's books and essays are really great. It's at least considering the subject of society.

I don't have a utopia in mind, i hope that people, each with a peaceful heart, can make a gesture of kindness every day. even if it's picking up trash, or holding a door open for someone. just a gesture to show you care.

My hope is that people won't be led like sheep to the tune of "Imagine" down a road who's course may be decided by few for many.

The 20th century saw a shift from need-based manufacturing, to advertising corporate excessive production who's waste has devastated the earth's balance. I hope people consider their lives and their choices and their community.

I apologize for not delivering this in a better form. I just wanted to point out this issue of the use of the song "imagine" and it's connection with this plan of a "new world order". And how crap it would be to have one gov't rule the world under martial law.

This is what a kitchen should look like.

A kitchen is a utility room. I think the trend of the kitchen as a glamourous open concept entertainment center is a bit like turning the bathroom into spa. How many spas have you been to where there's a toilet in plain sight? How many party rooms have a pile of dirty dishes in them? I'm all for closing off the kitchen. and i'm all for having the john in a separate room next to the bathroom that only contains a bath and a sink. I think if i were an architect, i wouldn't so much be inventing new strategies for building as using the best of the past, as a lot of cool stuff already came into being. and ever since people designed houses without front porches, and open concept kitchens and taking over a bedroom to make a toilet gymnasium, things have been looking weirder.

new video. quand je marche, Le Look

new video for le look

What's your Noah's Ark

What's your Noah's Ark

Everyone has their calling

It's probably not a popular choice, but it winds you down the garden path to the blooming flower

pick up the marble and see your colours

the 80's were dark

the 80's were a dark period. dark with pastels and plastic. And crazed clothing designers took everything that was good and made it art which became a mountain of candy coloured sweatpants and mesh tops that now wipe the windshield of your car, encased in rubber.

People wanted to walk and play their keyboard. gone was the old fashioned notion of sitting at a piano.

songwriting died to make room for the television star.

I was so happy when the calendar turned to 1990, I couldn't wait for the 80's to end. from 1979 to 1990, i held my breath.

I was just checking out A.P.C.'s online store. really nice stuff. I think my favorite stores are that one, Antik Batik, and maybe that's it. Vanessa Bruno, too.

maybe the smartest thing i've done as a parent was to buy reams of printer paper and binders with plastic sleeves and every time my children draw something i put it in their binder. they are amazing books. I have a pen/crayon/marker lazy susan holder and paper always handy on the kitchen table, so when there's a bit of time to kill the kids will just draw stuff.

I heard the song Birdland by Patti Smith for the first time, and I felt like for the first time i could hear what beat poetry might have been like. It was pretty good. I could never connect with her work before, I'd be surrounded by women who just adored her and I would have no input. .but hearing an NPR interview today, opened my eyes to her. People re-contextualize artists when they lump them into groups and fashion, so that's where I lost my way- getting turned off from some good bands or good artists just because the hum of intruding consensus always trying to draw the eye. it was hard for me to understand if she was part of that by wearing a uniform..i don't know, end of the day, she's a woman, a mother and an artist. And it's very nice that she wanted to give something to the kids of the future by going into the unknown.

thinking about Judas kiss, and how many times in my life i've been hugged and held and praised right before the axe fell on some sort of thing. Now i can see it coming. It just makes me love allegory even more that I can feel these old themes coming through. I've always liked allegorical paintings and films. I like tarot cards. I heard that we all go through the behaviours of all the tarot cards in life. Anyway, my two cents is painting isn't dead and allegory is alive and well.

This is how I learned french in the 70's.

I'm about to start editing my movie. The sequel to All She Wants. I shot Sasha talking last night. She was 2 in the last one and 12 now.

I dyed my hair dark again so i'll have to explain that in the story. The filming has taken place over a very tumultuous time in my life, so just in documentary terms.. anyway, whatever will be, will be. the ending's not mine to see.

I had a weird experience in front of a woodstove. i can't believe how relaxing that is.

I have a book inside me, i can feel it. I'm just going to get some things out of the way, like 2 albums and a movie and then i'll get serious about writing that.

I have a lot of inventions for new technologies in my head and maybe i'll try and work some of them into the story.

I like some of those "it could happen" movies like soylent green and handmaid's tale and 1984. and farenheit 451. and pretty much anything by kubrick.

I hope the remainder of 2010 is going to go smoothly.

My divorce was granted and becomes real in a week or so. so that'll change the energy in some way.

Meanwhile, winter wraps it's cloak over quebec, pushing the leaves from the trees and soon it will drop it's silent crystal discs in innumerable layers over all our mistakes and we can start anew.

Unauthorized poem number 1

lie in the dirt

smoking is great

hahahahaha

rhyming without reason

in a black chevrolet

on highway 69

fruit spilling from my car window

aha! you love the light of day!

I knew it

by LB

I'd like to see a double bill of coldplay and the kinks at cabaret just for laughs with the mix not crazy loud. I want to see that right after the Habs game tonight. And then I want to go for a cocktail with David Bowie and plan our trip to the carribean. Just dreaming. But I will be seeing the Habs!

Last night I was lucky enough to catch the Sloan and Golden Dogs show at cabaret just for laughs. What a cute space. I had never been inside before. I thought it was going to be a huge room, but it was more like a venice, it. neighbourhood theatre, but like less decorated. Sorry i'm talking about architecture, but it's so rare a music venue is made to suit watching music, in canada, that it was a real welcome surprise. maybe it's my favorite hall in montreal. sala rosa kicks ass, but you got to love the balcony at CJFL.

anyway, it was great to see andrew and chris and jay and patrick. I like patrick's hair all silver. i guess i saw a lot of Sloan shows 15 to 20 years ago, whenever that was.. and it was really nice to see how everyone's changed and stayed the same. Andrew has a strong bright aura that is only magnified by his clear drums and white hair, it's like there should be a film of him performing to capture that. It's something else. he's a crazy good musician. Chris was really funny, as usual, and it's nice he plays the same bass from forever ago.

Anyway, I know those guys too well to get into all the reasons why the show was awesome. I didn't expect to go out that night. what a pleasure it was to see them perform. I took some video of Underwhelmed and one of Andrew's, maybe i'll post it or, well, if it's in focus.

I really appreciated the Golden Dogs set. It's nice to see a real band play real music. I had never heard of them before, and I was glad to check it out.

I hope Sloan puts on a four night series of shows where each band member has his own night of just his songs. That'd be really cool.

The sala rosa show on dec 14 will be amazing because jean derome, thom gossage and steve raegele have all agreed to play in my band for the night. I'll try and get two more players.

Also that night will be Le Look in one form or another. maybe a two piece.

And I will screen the world premier of All She Wants 2 .

and maybe a few music videos I've directed.

It will be a free show, so come one come all.

I'm working on a show for dec 14 at sala rosa. It'll be a video screening and my two bands. I'll have some great jazz players backing up my singer/songwriter band and Le Look will play in one form or another. either as a two piece or a full on band. depending on which way the wind is blowing.

I'm going to try and finish this feature sequel to a movie i made ten years ago, all she wants. All She Wants 2!!!!!!!!! there's already some good performances collected for this. I just have to see what's missing and find people to act it out. I will probably make a trip down to new york and get some nice folks there to act.

I hope it'll be moving. The first one was campy but i want to re-edit it and make it go better with this newer one.

I really like directing and acting is fun too. If anything, it's nice to remember a time in the past so clearly, by walking and talking on video.

The whole idea of presenting a story and letting the images speak for themselves takes some getting used to. But I like the format of longer movies where you can take your time. but i also like shorter fast paced stuff like music videos.

I like european ads that are super short. me and my brother laughed so hard seeing a panache chop ad 20 years ago in a movie theatre. it was super short. it would have been like this a bit.

I'm crazy for F and B colours. They make a room special. if you have to choose between having furniture or painting the walls, i would say paint the walls. you're making your own private universe in your home, make it pretty. and all the colours are harmonious with each other, so you can't go wrong.

this sculpture of Jesus on Chartres cathedral is so beautiful. I watched a documentary on the cathedral and now I would very much like to visit it.

follow me on twitter at 8lauraborealis8

Kevin McGowan's interview with me http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/ruckus/2010/10/53-laura-borealis-experience

I made one of these animated movies:http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7292547/

Springsteen reminds me of Beat poetry. He's like doing heavily orchestrated Beat poetry.

I'm going to do a series of video portraits of some people i know. I've been thinking about this for three years.

I'm really struck by what a good singer Frank Jr is. I going to look at his work.

this is the most beautiful prefab house I've ever seen. I want one.

Check out the live show footage of Le Look

The Le Look show. Ryan, Massimo and Steve were incredible and the National is a nice place to play and the lighting person was great and we got some video taken by Ryan's co-worker, and I had some b-roll on my little camera. I'll edit together something nice and post it on youtube so you can see what it is we do.

I love how simple this song is. This song is the foundation of every european hit song ever since. Can't you hear the netherlands and germany and russia and greece and italy in this song.

I'd like to put on a music festival where at no time do people need to wear hearing protection, and there's even heavy bands playing. Where only the vocals are going through the PA and it's balanced with what the band has going on, on the stage.

I've been thinking a lot about how live music and especially live electric music is plagued by bad sound mixing. To the point where the music that was intended is so far removed from what is blasting through the speakers, that what could be a fun night just turns into a torture chamber for deafness. People enter a room and together watch their dreams of a good show die along with their hearing. Until people get a clue, which i'm guessing will never happen, shows will get bigger and badder. It will be videos and downloads that will be the way to enjoy music, not to suffer at the hands of sound engineers. It's possible venues have figured out that if they make the music so loud that people can't hear themselves talk or think, that they'll buy more beer and make more money. And it might be word from the office telling the soundperson to ruin the show, on purpose.

Every band should have their own sound person. Even if it's someone to set the final levels and oversee that the show isn't a total waste of everyone's time given that the volume doesn't permit the music to be heard right.

If I see another stack of PA's shaped like a dinosaur's spine up in front of a live stage....anyway, it's a bad sign when you see more that two PA's gracing the sides of the stage.

It's one thing when the band chooses to set their amps loud to make a certain sound or play with feedback. it's quite another when it's processed through an even bigger sound system ( almost always unnecessary) and EQ'ed beyond all recognition. What once maybe sounded 70's and heavy, might come out sounding late 80's or worse still- current.

I think, now that I've seen David Bowie and Iggy Pop perform, I'm good. I don't need to go back to hall of darkness and have my sense of hearing stripped from me.

I sort of like this .

I've been taking more band photos. If anyone wants a portrait done, let me know. Or if you need a music video made. My specialty is super fast production and low cost amazing videos.

Ryan's invited his friend Steve to play guitar for the Le Look, battle of the bands show sept 18 at le national. We're going to do the songs live instead of mp3 as a duo. I'm hopefully going to find a great drummer and i hope to get the show videotaped and recorded. It's a beautiful hall, should have perfect sound.

HANNIBAL. So nice and he made sept 5 shine like a superstar.

At some point i will elaborate into an almost book-length description of my visit to monticello ny this weekend.

I slept in my stationwagon after the shows and karaoke were all done and dawn tried to re-arrange the universe.

I arrived at All Tomorrow's Parties and realized who-all was playing, I hadn't checked with any real scrutiny beforehand, just trusting their judgement. Ten minutes after i checked in, Iggy pop took the stage and ripped through an amazing re-creation of his stooges record.

I'm overwhelmed even thinking about the weekend and everything that took place. Somehow Ron Jeremy, sitting in the bar,ended up being audience to my dancing until dawn to quality 60's music. A dance marathon that was 15 years overdue.

Sunday was my birthday. I started it out wondering if I shouldn't leave early because I had come alone to the festival and I didn't want to spend my birthday without a friend. But something told me to stay for the early evening show and it was there that I saw Hannibal do stand up. He ended up rescuing my birthday.

Jim Jarmusch's EP for SQURL is amazing. I got a copy of his cd from him after his q and a with thurston moore. The greatest oversight by ATP was that Jim Jarmusch's band didn't play. My only complaint about the weekend was the soundmen were criminally ruining sets by mixing the whole thing too loud and EQ-ing the s#$% out of the low end so that every kick drum hit or low bass note hummed and ricocheted all over the tin can of a room, making my clothes vibrate from the aftershock. The mounds of PA covering every inch of the stage were enough to bring down mt everest with one whack on the E string. Crumbling to dust any semblance of the band's intended sound. I overheard some Quebequois guys in the audience lamenting, in french, the sound and the placement of the PA.

It was with great regret that i had to leave the hall partway through a lot of sets as the overblown mush made it impossible to enjoy a great many of the bands.

My wish for ATP is that they truly represent the sound the band wishes to achieve. If the drum doesn't hum and vibrate to begin with, then don't give it new qualities. Just because some engineer made high tech EQ-ing gear doesn't mean it should process the whole sound of the band into an unrecognizable state.

It was really fun playing L'escogriffe last night, opening for Silk Screaming. Two guys were behind it right from soundcheck, murmuring Besoin D'amour when I walked by (that was the song we tried out). And later at the last song they came out and bowed at the stage like "We're not worthy". that was really nice of them. And the super nice bass player from Silk Screaming gave us a glowing review of the show. I really like french, i have only a 6th grade level of vocabulary, but that doesn't mean i can't say all i need to about love and being in a club, and I have an ok accent from having studied french from grade 1 to 6. L'Escogriffe is super cute. I look forward to the next show on the 18th. The battle of the bands at Le National.

I love the song wildfire. and then i got to meet the producer for that song last year. bob johnston. that was heavy. the guy who recorded wildfire. that's like the time i saw paul mccartney's aura in a ny hotel lobby. first i saw his aura, and then i looked harder and bam! it was paul mccartney. which reminds me of the time i saw mr t at o'hare and he was in a wheelchair and had no necklaces on. i guess cause he was going through security. which was almost as good as the time i saw iggy pop at laguardia and got him to sign a copy of rolling stone mag with tori spelling on the cover.

A grasshopper was throwing itself against my door and trying to jump really high to get in. I showed it the garden.

Yesterday I was watching some Anne Murray videos and was struck by how pretty she is and what a strong voice she has. I was wishing her hair had been longer and she was fronting a rock band. If I could go back in time and produce an album for her, I'd have her wear elbow length hair, a cute mini dress and singing some ballads, but some stuff like early Black Sabbath. But you know, with the right lyrics. Her rock potential was not mined completely.

Imagine, instead of her covering the Log, she was singing Paranoid. Too much. She can sing circles around people. I hope there's some demo tapes of her singing hard rock in the 70's that will be released for christmas.

The record release is wednesday night at l'escogriffe in montreal. I go on around 10:30. I hope you can make it. I'll have some limited edition cd's for sale. 10 bucks. there's only 200 of them. Half of which I'll send out to radio. Le Look debut album. Je T'aime. I have a babysitter and everything, so it's a go!

Here's a new video for Le Look. Footage of me relaxing on Marco Island off the coast of Florida, where the beaches were the whitest and softest I have ever seen!

I have filmed some very funny sketches by Ryan that I will post really soon. I like egging him on and filming them. It would be nice to get in the habit of filming these regularly and having almost a show. Or I guess a channel. There's a backlog of stuff I want to film. But I have to finish this movie. It's becoming way more intense than the first. "All She Wants" Once I get the mothership computer fixed I'll have access to my clips and edit it. It promises to be more gooder. But a lot depends on whether i can find my tripod so i can be in the movie. I think I'll be filming a lot of my scenes.

Ryan and I are rehearsing for the record release sept 1 at L'escogriffe. We'll do 6 songs from the album Je T'aime. I'll start the show with three folk numbers cause the band that asked us to open said they want to hear California.

I'm most likely not going to play guitar which frees me from anything that means concentration, which can only lead to good.

I really am happy with the record, and I enjoy playing music and co-writing with Ryan Myshrall. We may tackle some christmas songs while the summer sun still shines on montreal.

I'm reading about my dad's side of the family from Flint, Michigan. My dad is pictured in the back behind the Hereford. My grandfather is holding the sign. I'm going to go back there in October to attend a ceremony marking the 150 anniversary of Crapo farm. My ancestor was the governor of Michigan. And a grandson of the governor was William Crapo Durant who started GM and ended up managing a bowling alley in Flint. I want to go see if that bowling alley still exists, and get my picture taken at Crapo st in Flint. Michigan is so unique, surrounded by lakes. I'll post some pictures after my trip there.

Everett True review

Everett True, whom I met while he interviewed Sloan in the early 90's, reviewed my music.

I'm getting ready to rehearse for the two upcoming Le Look shows. I have my karaoke versions of the songs. I'm going to be free of instruments for the first time ever. Ryan's going to play bass live. We have two shows in sept. One is a record release and one is a battle of the bands. I think the battle of the bands is sept 18 at national. record release is the 1st at l'escogriffe. Come out and encourage us. Or give me your criticisms, either way, come by!

Reg Metcalf took this photo of my Sidewalk cafe performance on Saturday. The people at the show were really nice. The soundman was awesome. It's a really nice club.

A great blue heron was waiting by the lake. I floated and watched the clams waiting with their open mouths. Their teeth. The purpose behind the two doors that shut. The temperature of the water went from cold to unimportant. Neighbours left me alone.

I have a web page for Le Look now!

I went to the wheel club (country music club of canada) tonight because my kids are away for two weeks and I'm trying to make the time constructive, and I miss them. But I realized once i launched into "When i stop dreaming" that singing requires practicing. and it's one thing to sing alone at home on acoustic and another to sing in a bar with a so-so mic with people talking etc. but the slide guitar player is divine and he's always a pleasure to hear.
I have to practice singing in a mic. or i should just play without any mic to twelve people.
twelve people who aren't talking at a bar. But then again, i love singing karaoke at a loud place. so i don't know. anyway, i have to practice.
I want sept 1 to be a good show. I have so few shows, it always feels like it's my first and last show every time.

Sept 1 is the Le Look album launch at l'esco in montreal. were are opening for silk screaming.
please come out and support our new record.
you can hear two songs from the record on myspace. vide and sang sur la glace

I don't have a home for my french dance record, Le Look, Je T'aime, yet. If anyone has any ideas...

I have to make more Le Look videos. the "sang sur la glace" one was really fun to make. we made it really fast. all in one day start to finish. I've been trying to spread the word that I can make a $500 video for bands. I have two lined up for the summer. But I'd love to do one a week. It's way too fun working with artists and trying to make something on the fly.

The show at nxne was fun. Andrew Fraser played guitar with me after a very quick once-over of the songs. He kept things mellow which was nice. People were really nice at the show. It was a really fun festival. The bands were awesome. kind of hard to believe they transformed dundas square into a venue for iggy pop and mudhoney and x.

I directed a video for "Sang sur la glace" from our Le Look album. It stars Georges Laraque (NHL Oilers, Canadiens)and me chasing after him for an autograph. Kara Blake was cinematographer.
We don't have any shows booked for Le Look other than a battle of the bands this summer, in Montreal. And we don't have a label for the album yet. Still looking. Meanwhile, 11 videos for 11 songs- coming up.
come and see my folk music show this sunday at the sidewalk cafe in nyc. 11pm.

I have a show coming up in Toronto for NXNE. I'm running an ad for my music video services. $500 for a web video. I made an inexpensive video for The World Provider and it was really fun to do, so I'm into making more for other people.

I was thinking about it'd be cool to put on a festival in this place near shawinigan that's a re-creation of a sort of D and D village, but have good bands and stuff. And there's good camping and swimming nearby. But I don't know the first thing about putting on a show. But I find like the booming systems at outdoor summer festivals really take away from the music, and it'd be cool to make one on a small scale. Loud isn't always the barometer of good rocking. Like if the stooges were playing, and half the sound system went out, it would still be a great show. I'll start looking into it.

I'm going to play another show at the sidewalk cafe in NYC Sunday, may 30 at 11 pm
It was great to see all the cherry blossoms and magnolia trees the last time I went. It was a trip playing in the states after staying away for so long.

come to the sidewalk cafe for april 2 at 9 pm and see my first usa show since '94. solo.

Please come to the show on saturday march 13 11pm at central in toronto. It looks like it'll be my only show in canada until end of june. the other shows are in ny and ky.

Here's an interview I just did with Fern tv

If anyone wants a portrait painted of pets or loved ones, or yourself, I'll make one for $100 or more depending on size.

I learned how to do energetic healing 7 years ago. I can perform distance Reiki healing if people aren't able to have a visit in person. I can teach it. I have the Master level. I hope to make a book or a film on the subject of energetic healing, one day. If anyone is interested in receiving a treatment, feel free to ask about it. It's great for emotional and physical healing.

I saw this and it made me love fashion.

I have to say, since I went vegetarian, I feel healthier. And if it's possible to go through a day without causing another being pain, not buying meat would help make that happen.

Sala Rosa show June 28. FREE entry. Laura Borealis, Olympic Stadium, Le Look, and tba headliner.

These two represent two kinds of guys i appreciate. the slick gentleman who masks his objectives with elegant denial, and the sweet pigtailed songbird who can make an evening on the porch with an acoustic guitar EPIC. And they're having a man-date themselves, confessing their sins and bragging simultaneously, while lea...ning in and working their magic charms on each other. (there's an amazing version with johnny carson doing willie nelson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q708BEODXh4&feature=related)

Memories Attack is a really great band. I feel better when I listen to it, like when things defy description and can just be alive.

the cover art for the soon-to -be released Le Look album. available soon on Zunior!

photo by Jeanne Francis, from Chicago days

A still from the first music video i ever directed. Thrush hermit "french inhale" rob benvie in foreground, with my hand.

In a Toronto recording studio (gas sation?) in early 2000's

carry on

Show- April 2, 2010. NYC the sidewalk cafe. starting at 9pm.

Show-Saturday March 13, 2010 at 11pm. "Central" on Markham near bloor west in toronto. Part of Canadian Music Week. Please come.

When the Bee Gees are walking on the beach and he's singing really high, it's the BEST

I finished the LE LOOK album yesterday. I spent 12 or 14 hours straight, from writing to recording and then editing 4 new songs and then finishing the others. I have 11 songs. I'm aiming for a Valentine's day release digitally, but we'll see if the mastering and zunior can accommodate that. Hope so. It's a highly affectionate french album. I will call it Je T'aime, Mon Amour, and it will be available for digital download via Zunior. Hopefully, I can generate the money required to make 200 vinyl records of it, and have it re-mastered for vinyl, one day.
I'm pretty proud of myself for finishing it. It gives me confidence to do the heavy metal project I've always wanted to do.

Love conquers all.

This would make a great costume for my folk act- with ideas springing from my brain, like so many invisible crystal feathers, and the Chrysler building emerging from my bleached tresses, and a dress with a quilt of Tutankhamun's death mask on my abdomen. And a bathrobe over that.

I guess that kind of stamina I was talking about in the last post is true for life , too. cause sometimes staying true to your beliefs can be like riding a wild horse in a storm and you just have to trust you're on the right path and be one with the horse. another similie- when spock is growing up too fast and you see him go through the pain of growing up. So right on, that scene. It's painful to transform. You're shedding everything you know, your ego. You're brought to an unknown place. Then in that beautiful empty space before ego forms again, you create. It's actually harder to live through giving up than persevering, so, at this point, giving up is not an option.

I have a show april 2 , 2010 at the sidewalk cafe in NYC. 9:00pm. It'll be my first usa show since 1996 or even maybe 1995. can't remember. but around then, I opened for Half-japanese at Lounge ax, under the name Crappo, maybe the last show was at the empty bottle. if i remember correctly. Anyhow. long overdue, especially from someone who is american. Certainly, having three children and going through a divorce can limit touring. I've been living in toronto and now montreal since then. I look forward to playing to americans, cause I have a pretty good handle on what it's like playing to canadians. after doing that on and off for twenty years. I'd love to play in europe sometime, too. I know when i've been an audience member there, everyone was so attentive.
Not that playing live has to be a really cool experience. I guess it tests your will to continue with music. do you really want it? if you keep coming back, you come back stronger and more sure. It's a bit like art school and the critiques. You just love art and you go through the exminations and the unsolicited remarks and if you're still holding onto something, then good, here it is. I pretty much gave up on music in like 2002 or so, and it wasn't until 2006 or so that a chance meeting with Mr. Spike Taylor resulted in him telling me that I should keep playing music. And I thought about it over the summer and came up with the "Laura" album and now I'm like making way more music than ever and in different genres. Now I love home recording. I don't know what happened. I guess it's that thing of just holding on, and riding out the weird moments, and long quiet periods. And the "why?" expressions from friends and family. Holding on to that last shred of love you have for music that no one could rip out of your hand. See, open your hand and it's still there. that tiny piece of love that can grow into concept albums. That's all you need.
So, whether i'm playing Toronto CMW in March or april in the usa, you'll see that love I have for music, and I can't guarantee how it'll come out. but it might sound like my album.

The ipad is a knee-jerk reaction to the awesome amazon kindle that doesn't do more than let you read books on what looks like paper. ipad...it plays movies..you can hold that hot rectangle for hours. or lay it flat on the table and not watch your movie. you can do your email in full view of everyone. you can buy sleeves for it and stands for it. it's the future! 499$ buys you this betamax 8track. and when it breaks when you chuck it in anger against the wall, it makes a great tray for two champagne flutes.if you need to type, buy the other half of your laptop -a keyboard. are they going to make super big back pockets for those things.It's like when they all said vinyl's dead. now they're saying big half-laptops are really it. i'm just going to break my laptop in half and ditch the keyboard and pretend i have one. cause i will surely be the coolest person at starbucks then. with my oversized screen. and all my friends who can bring themselves to say "grande" when ordering coffee not in italy can eavesdrop on my wicked funny emailing and blogging, in FULL SIZE.

I've been noticing what an awesome song the star spangled banner is. I'm pretty into it. And upping my ability to play covers- so far have like four memorized. Louvin bros, carole king, and the rolling stones. and one kinks song. I'm just at the gate of learning how to roam on the fretboard to be able to play more varied stuff, thanks to a couple of kind gents who were willing to sit down and talk me through the theory behind soloing. but so far it only makes sense in my head, although, when i play with another guitarist and we trade off solos, i don't do too bad. It's just a matter of time till i'm wailing solos like those people i admire. i hope.
The only other news is I might try doing stand up at an open mic some time soon. Not with a lot of expectation, but more to vent on a few music issues. If I do it, i'll record it and post it. regardless of my achievement level.

I'm looking at guns and roses with fresh eyes, and I am into them now. I'm talking about their old live concert videos. They give plenty of room for soloing, axl can sing, ..when he's whistling and walking around in red hot pants, that kind of confidence, you don't see every day. I think he's in the plant/osbourne/roth grouping. I got to hand it to him. I was wrong to not be into it before. I got to do one at karaoke now.

If I ran a government office or a doctor's office- i would have karaoke set up for the waiting people. and an encouraging mc. you know why we're so miserable waiting in silence, cause humans were meant to sing for eachother songs of love and loss by GnR and the cars, celine, etc

people would line up to line up.

I put up the first single by my band- Le Look. Ryan Myshrall co-wrote 6 songs with me. It's called "Vide". It's a french band. I have about a grade six level of french and I'm confidently putting it to use here. French is the language of love. All the songs are very affectionate. I hope you like it.

I'm going to play at CMW in March and I'm not totally sure who's accompanying for that show, but I hope to have a venue that will allow quiet music. Last year that festival had the best programming. like-minded bands on the same bill. Still hunting for a show in the states. The ten year not playing in the states will end. I get most of my myspace visitors from the UK and Australia, though, if that's supposed to guide me in terms of touring. People say it's too expensive to tour in the UK. I know when I've gone to see shows in Paris, the audience listened. I did call out at a Paris Will Oldham show "baby Jessica", which maybe wasn't cool- but I had seen him act in the role of her dad in the made for tv movie a couple times by chance. It was fashion week and Cat Power was in attendance. when i walked out, Terry Richardson walked in. Woman in floppy hat on his arm. The UK is the home of my favorite music. 60's and 70's. But I also love the bee gee's, so australia's in there too.
I'm goin to perform my favorite songs at CMW. Hope it goes well.

I'm in the process of trying to break my decade long not playing in the states habit. Not sure why this happened, but it has to stop. So I'm aiming for the weekend of Feb 6 to try and book a show or at the very least play an open mic in NYC. Meanwhile, finishing the Le Look album. I hope to tour that band this year. It's all french so far. I'll be posting a song to my myspace soon. Hope you're good!

Other things of importance- sunken livingrooms with built-in furniture, ballroom dancing for pleasure in non-competitive environments and the montreal Canadiens. I went to two games this season, (first NHL game I ever saw) and whatever hockey fever I had from playing street hockey with my neighbour's friends was pushed to 11 when I saw them play live. I even wrote a song about it-in french for my band Le Look. I got my son on the zamboni during a game, and we were gestured by the hostess to stand right at the glass for 15 minutes. Pure heaven seeing them play up close and use the boards as brakes. Then.. I got to meet Maxim LaPierre and Georges Laraque at the screening of Earthlings . I instantly became vegetarian after seeing it and knew I would never buy leather again. It was difficult to bear witness to the suffering that animals experience due to their contact with humans. After cutting out meat from my diet, I feel a lot better physically, too. So my diet and my music have changed since seeing a live NHL game.

what the future holds

I'm going to make some more comedy videos with Ryan Myshrall and other friends and post them on my video page in the coming months. I hope you'll like them. I'll see if I can work in a video that expresses my wishes for The Who to have been a three piece. We'll see who's game. I can think of only two drummers who can do justice to Keith Moon that I know- A. Scott and M Gaudet. I have to fill out the band and continue from there.

Lately, I've been imagining The Who without Daltrey. The moment when he walked off stage, and maybe kept walking. And then, maybe- Roger joined Yes, never to return to The Who. Just thinking that might have been cool.
Pete has a great voice plus he wrote the songs. I don't really get why The Who couldn't have been an awesome three piece.

Hi, Welcome.

The river goes through my town and cuts a deep watery way past where I live and we can sit and look at it or get on it and see where it goes. It's pushing away from Toronto, out to Trois Rivieres.