Just give me the East Coast

Well it’s the end of the week, and I’m feeling really lazy… I’ve got an abnormal psych test and a contemporary sociology theory test next week…. I don’t want to study… And I’ve been thinking that it’s about time for an East Coast Power Pop revival… I mean… Why not right? It’s almost 2010, the 90’s can be revived! Anyway, the only reason I’ve been thinking about this is cause I’ve been on a huge east coast kick for the last month or so… It’s great rediscovering old favorites again and again! So for this post I’m just throwing down some videos I hope you all will enjoy! As for this post… Screw coffee, that can come next post again.

The Flashing Lights – Elevature ——— This is a great video from The FlashingLights solid solid debut album ‘Where the Change Is’. Did you know that the drummer is now playing for Elliott Brood?? kinda disappointing…

Sloan – Loosing California ——— From Sloan’s 1999 release ‘Between the Bridge’. This was the first tour I got to see Sloan = Super Rad —— From outside the doors of the venue…… fuck.

 

Cool Blue Halo – 52 Pickup —– Cool Blue Halo is relatively new to me, I didn’t get into them until last year. See what you think!

Eric’s Trip – My Room —– I never got to see Eric’s trip… or Elevator when they came through Lethbridge…. But I did see Julie Doiron play at The Slice… does that count for anything?

Sloan – People of the Sky — Great song from Twice Removed. This album was Sloan’s ‘clean up’ album. They really nailed down the hooky pop-rock they wanted. Before this album was Smeared, and is still my second or first favorite Sloan album.

Sloan – Penpals (live on Rita & Friends) —– Again, off Twice Remove.

Thrush Hermit – French Inhale —— From their EP ‘Smart Bomb’

The Super Friendz – Up and Running

 

The Flashing Lights – High School

Thrush Hermit – The Day we hit the Coast

 

Sloan – Chester the Molester and If It Feels Good Do It

 

Misconstrued Perception

Is consumerism and commercialism altering perceptions on the art of coffee and music? In my opinion…without a doubt.

What is “indie”, or “indie rock” for that matter? I used to think that I knew. I used to think that indie music was short-form for independent music. The genre of indie rock is now more of a fashion for consumer culture and another way for capitalists to turn music into a commercialized product. They play with the label of indie rock, attributing it to underground culture and counterculture. Just another way to falsely assure the masses that they are “individual”, “unique”, and part of a countermovement to mainstream culture. It is used now to incorrectly describe the bands sound in affiliation with their independent label, or means of production. It’s a blanket term that covers many artists, grouping them into a category that appeals to a society who is constantly looking to rid themselves of characteristics of the collective; conforming to a symbol of individualism, despite the fact they are doing the exact opposite. Indie has been appropriated by commercialism to mean something that was originally not intended; it has new meaning now. It was only a matter of time before someone was smart enough to see that they could market this idea.

I’m not judging anything about the music itself. There are many artists coming out with the label of “indie” that are wonderful to listen to, and by no means should artists be judged by their label. Also, I’m not saying that there are not truly independent bands emerging from various music genres. I just wish that truly independent musicians wouldn’t get tagged under the genre of “indie”. Am I symbolically representing myself through the music I listen to? Most likely… but I would say that their is very few that could get away with saying no. Do I mean to? Not necessarily… I did for a long time, and now realize there are definitely more important things in life than defining yourself by symbolic culture. Althought I’ll never get away from it.

Now what about coffee? How have peoples perception of coffee changed? There are about 13, 000 Starbucks around the world, and in multiple countries; opening Starbucks every 6 minutes… About 44 million people a week go to Starbucks. Starbucks coffee is the most caffeinated coffee on the market. So what am I trying to get at? I want to argue the fact that Starbucks is altering people’s perception of coffee from something that is a taste sensation, to something to feed an addiction. Among other things that I think is horrible about Starbucks, this is what I’m going to try to argue. Usually when I talked to people about coffee, the response is usually something like this: “I really needed a coffee this morning, I had a horrible hangover and needed to get picked up.” Where is the enjoyment in that? Doesn’t it seem as if people are using coffee strictly for the caffeine, as a means for energy? I’m sure that symbolic imagery also has some sort of ties, but my opinion leans more towards coffee as a means of caffeine. It really is a shame that more people don’t take the time to appreciate all things that go into coffee and all aspects that change the qualities of coffee. We need to remember that we are trying to make something consistently that naturally doesn’t want to be consistent. Starbucks and other coffee chains have constrained coffee to something that can be repeated over and over again with very little frequencies of variability. So what Starbucks is doing is dealing caffeine legally and consistently. Of course this is just my opinion, and I would love to hear discussions!!

And for some neat indie rock picks, check out: Pavement, Guided by Voices, Built to Spill, Jesus and Mary Chain, Polvo, and solid old Sonic Youth

(Am I secretly representing myself symbolically through these bands?? Fuck… This just gets confusing.)

Let us get started by first saying hello!

What does this —–>

And This —–>

Have in common?? Well… they are both very interesting… and each involve individual taste! I would like to thank you for visiting my blog, and hope that you are compelled to visit again! What I’m going to attempt to do, as often as possible, is match music with coffee.

In the same way that I select my music (mood, atmosphere, etc…), I also select my coffee. I start to select brews of coffee based on factors such as: what time of day it is, how I’m feeling, time constraints, etc… So… just like a wine connoisseur will match particular foods with wine, I’m going to attempt to match particular kinds of coffee with particular artists or genres of music.

So lets get right to it! Above I’ve selected a traditional Turkish coffee and matched it with the music of Owls. Lets take a closer look at both shall we? Turkish Coffee is most likely very very similar to how the earliest coffee makers made their coffee! It’s a combination of very finely ground coffee, sugar, and water boiled three times before being served. What you do is place the grounds of coffee, the sugar, and the water into a small brass jug – in that order – much like the one shown in the picture above, boil three times, and get ready to enjoy a unique, sweet, and delicious treat! I usually only drink these on occasions when I’m craving a sweet pick-me-up, and usually it’s after dinner or later in the evening.

Owls formed in 2001 from members of the screamy emo/hardcore sensation CapN’ Jazz, and disbanded in 2002… rumors attributed the lead guitarists heroin addiction as the cause for the falling out. None the less, Owls are amazing! Tim Kinsella’s off kilter voice will pound you like a seal clubbing mad man, Victor Villarreal’s spinning, undulating, puzzle of guitar playing will leave you in a mess on the floor, and Mike Kinsella’s intense and complex drum patterns is nothing short of extraordinary! I’ve matched this up with Turkish coffee because you can achieve the same unique experience in both situations!

Please try both! Make or buy a Turkish coffee, and listen to Owls, you will not be disappointed!