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2007-04-26 - 2:01

Wet and wild

Things have been busy since I last wrote, in a good and bad way. The weekend after my last entry was full, with Robin's birthday on Friday followed by concerts from Apostle of Hustle (Saturday) and Interpol (Sunday). I'm happy to say that each show was more fun than I was expecting.

I got front and centre for Apostle, leaving with a setlist after a solid show. The percussion sounded great, since the band employed a standard drummer plus an additional percussionist. For Interpol, Laurie and I took it easy and showed up late, but we still managed to get close by heading up along the left wall, finding a spot from which even Laurie could see. Interpol's set was short but sweet; and they sounded excellent all night.

I just now got around to uploading my full reviews: you can read about Apostle of Hustle here and Interpol here.

One of the reasons that I deferred these reviews is that the next day, after a ridiculously unseasonable dump of snow, followed by a gush of rain, my basement flooded and stayed flooded. I called the city, who sent someone to validate the line on the street; my insurance company, who are doing nothing for me; and a plumber, who got the basement floor drain working again.

I was in the midst of demolition, anyway, so there wasn't much to damage; but I've since stepped up my efforts to rip up the basement floor, the paneling from the walls (and in some cases, the walls themselves), and everything else that needs destroying. Greg came by this past weekend and helped me get two truckloads of garbage to the dump, which cleared up enough room for me to get back at to work.

The demolition is actually fairly fun but paying for the foundation repair will be less so. With the wedding less than six months away, though, why not go all out and make it a truly expensive year?

Tonight was a break in the action, as I caught Patrick Krief at Zaphod's. The band is just getting started as a touring squad (this was their second show); but I was still amazed at the low turnout. When I arrived, the band members and bar staff easily outnumbered the paying crowd. It was still a fun night, though. Both Krief and opening act JP Houston played energetic sets for the small crowd, which I really respect.

Before the first set, I chatted with Houston's bassist, talking hockey, setting the casual tone of the evening. George Donoso III is drumming with Krief on this tour; and he said hi before their set. (He actually said that I should tell him when I'm coming to their shows so I can get on the guestlist; but I think that I'd feel guilty taking away revenue on a night like this.)

Krief is an amazing guitarist, which I already knew but is worth repeating; and I was really impressed by his set. As is also the case when he and George play with The Dears, the live experience is very passionate and energetic, striking a more aggressive tone than the recorded songs. I'll try to get a proper review up soon.

In two pieces of major musical news, this year's incarnation of the Bluesfest (July 5-15) is going to be huge. I'm most excited for The White Stripes, who will be perfect for this event, although there are several notables on the bill, including George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars and Cat Power. At first glance, there aren't as many acts that interest me as there were at last year's festival but there's enough that I'll get a full pass (at a very reasonable $125 during the presale) and explore.

Prior to that, though, the newly-created Capital Idea! Festival is bringing The Walkmen, The Fiery Furnaces, Sunset Rubdown, and others to Ottawa at the end of June. It sounds like after a slow start to Aught-Seven, it's shaping up to be a strong year for concerts.

J.

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