Mea culpa

Almost a whole month since a post and the reason is...none. I've simply been enjoying life with my wife and listening to tunes and generally having a relaxing autumn.

But this here blog should at least give you some idea of what the show is or will be about, so I'll take a step out of imposed silence to give some sort of schedule of what's up for the next several:

10/17: (already past) Broken Social Scene, Metric, Wolf Parade
10/24: Fiery Furnaces, Constantines, Marah
10/31: Fleshtones, Bell Orchstre, Neil Young, a couple of scary tunes
11/7: no show
November: Tangiers, Controller Controller, Immaculate Machine, Richard Hawley, Yep Roc label, Clientele, Kate Bush, Iron & Wine/Calexico, Deadly Snakes, My Morning Jacket, Sons & Daughters, Akron/Family, etc.
12/14: CD pick of the year
12/21: Neko, Xmas

If you detect a bit of a Canadian theme, you are correct, sir. The flood of new music continuing to come out of Canada is revelatory and thrilling, and makes me so glad to be living in close proximity. Certainly evidence of this is the wonderful show we got to see a couple of weekends back, with Immaculate Machine, Destroyer and the New Pornographers. Top notch fun all the way around. A nice non-Canadian time was had by Sheila and I when we went to see the English Beat last weekend at the Water St. I'm not too sure it was a full on reunion, though Dave Wakeling was certainly in fine form, and the keyboard player looked like he might have been original. Main thing is we had a ball. (Dating myself: first saw the Beat at the UR Palestra back in 1983, when a little known band by the name of REM was the opener...)

Above schedule could change, but main thing is, there's some pretty great stuff out or coming. Nice year for music all around. And I really wish the Broken Social Scene would get some more love; listened to it on headphones for the first time last night and was once again re-blown away. It's prog-rock for the 21st Century and I heartily recommend it.

More later, truly...