Update

5/8: Sonic Youth, Eleventh Dream Day, Yo La Tengo
5/15: Hot Chip, The Knife, Tres Chicas
5/22: Band of Horses, Liars, anything else we may have lying around to get done before vacation.

I'm afraid my jury is still kind of out on that Gainsbourg tribute CD, though for once I have to side with Pitchfork, which is a shame, because I waited for a while to snag it (the roster of artists is very impressive on "paper"). Do yourself a favor, though, if you ever have to find one of his very own and many compilations (HMV in Toronto is a good place to start), snag one; even if you can't understand French, they are still a gas to listen to.

PS: Another favorite author has a blog, available right here.

how about revised revised schedule?

5/1: Sunset Rubdown, Final Fantasy, Magneta Lane
5/8: Tres Chicas, Sonic Youth, Eleventh Dream Day
5/15: Gainsbourg tribute, Hot Chip, Yo La Tengo

Ready to change in a heartbeat, but it helps me to get a fix on what we have and what looks good together.
One of my wishes is that people will look at that week's playlist and say wow, look what I missed. Not likely happening, but it helps on my end. And I'm excited to be giving the new FF a spin; I thought the title might raise a few eyebrows, but the boss at the station says no problem.

No matter what people are saying, I still have a hankering to see this movie, since it seems to evoke (deliberately) Paris, Texas, which remains a favorite. Lots of good stuff coming to the Eastman House in the next two months as well. It never hurts to go check the calendar over there and give them some support.

Revised schedule

4/10: See You On the Moon, Glissandro 70
4/17: Elbow, The Witnesses, The Raconteurs
4/24: Jon Auer, Head Like a Kite, Gomez
5/1: Sunset Rubdown, Islands, TV On the Radio
This is all going to change, I'm sure, as more stuff flows in and I sift thru what I already have (sadly, my copy of the new Charlatans is defective) but for now, it helps me stand back and plan for the next few weeks. And I am hoping that by the end of the month I will have the much-awaited (to my ears) new Eleventh Dream Day by then. More to come...

Fanmail from some flounder

In the past week, a few people have told me that they read my blog so they can keep up with what's going on in my life, and I have to say that I'm remiss in putting thoughts down to template. This blog seems to fulfill three functions, or at least was an attempt to:
--act as an online diary
--act as a supplement for my radio show, what's coming up, what's not being played and so on
--act as a reading diary to kind of coincide with the day job, namely librarian/champion of information (sheesh)
The fact that I'm too busy sometimes to update, even though I compose it in my head and have every intention of putting it down when I get the chance, indicates that for the most part, I'm pretty happy with my life and leave it at that. So for all who might be wondering, life is great.

Had a beautiful time in Toronto with the person who makes life great, namely my wife. We started by going to this gallery, right in the best part of Queen, the non-commercial part. A former co-worker, Julie, is having an exhibit there, and while we missed her, we got to see her and her aunt's great stuff. Sheila found a perfect little oddball store called the Tin Taj and got some ladybug items, and little oddball stores are what TO is all about.

Afterwards, a fine dinner and a new discovery, Allen's which just happened to be right next to the hall where the superb Neko played. Expectedly enchanting, but a real highlight, believe it or not, was the silk-screened tour poster which I got the artist and Neko herself to sign. Pretty perfect all around.

The next day I visited HQ of one of the two greatest labels out ot Toronto, Paper Bag, of which more on Monday nights show. And may I recommend this fabulous place, which is rapidly becoming a regular visit.

To the lineup below, add some Elbow and Raconteurs and maybe some Charlatans, though I'm not sure when. I'm hoping for a slew of new stuff when I get back to the station next week.

As for books, recommended most highly is the new one by Kevin Brockmeier, "The Brief History of the Dead", which, like his previous masterpiece, "The Truth About Celia" is upliftingly sad, or sadly uplifting, depending. He has joined the ranks of authors who I will now read as soon as new stuff hits irregardless.

PS: new blog from another author I will read irregardless.