A Simple Question

Why do people send their loved one's personal messages on a public forum? First of all, if I'm your friend, I will already know most of the drivel that is being spewed.

Yes I know Wifey A loves spending her life with Hubby A because YOU WOULDN'T HAVE MARRIED HIM IF YOU DIDN'T!!!

I know when Hubby B's birthday is because 1) I'm his friend and should know the approximate day it falls on, and 2) Facebook will tell me anyway. So why does Wifey B need to send a Facebook message to wish him a happy birthday.

Is she so insecure in her relationship that she feels she has to do it? She doesn't know how to leave a nice message that is hand written on the kitchen table? Is she to lazy to roll over and say "Good Morning, Happy Birthday honey?"

Wifey C gets a message from Hubby C saying that she's the best. Why. Shouldn't she already know that vital piece of information?

So from now on, anyone who posts a personal message is going to be deleted from all my public forum accounts. Boy I can't wait to lose some weight.

Slakah, Ebrahim, and Tingsek tonight at Lula Lounge

Tonight there's a show I really want to be at but most likely won't be able to make it. It's at the Lula Lounge and it's featuring Slakah the Beatchild, Ebrahim, and Tingsek. I have to say it's going to be a great show. I played with Slakah in Detroit and had a lot of fun. He sent me the tunes to do these shows but I couldn't make it due to being in one of my best friends' wedding this same weekend. What are the odds? Really .....

I really thing everyone should check out this show. I've heard the tunes they're going to do and they're great. As soon as I put on Tingsek's "Good Way of Life" my wife asked who it was because she really liked it.

I'm telling you, go to this show. It's only ten bucks at the door. I've spent countless dollars on shows that charge more than twice as much for less than half the talent that will be on the stage that night.

So people: Slakah, Ebrahim, Tingsek, Lula Lounge, 15 bucks. Be there.

NHL Conference Final Roundup/Stanley Cup Prediction

Well the Conference Finals have ended, and so has the question of who could get more picks right. I went 1 and 1. Meaning A. Rambles cannot catch me. But to finish it off, I will say that the Philadelphia Flyers will be Stanley Cup Champions this year.

Finally Saw It.

Through the generosity of director Juan Baquero, I was finally able to see the movie "Listen to This" on Sunday. I am very proud to associated with Thompson regardless but when I saw this movie about how the foundation he created helped those little girls sing their own songs, my wife and I were blown away.

It is a little strange watching the film because I knew about a lot of the things that were going on for the program because I play with Thompson a lot during the summer while this is actually going on. I guess it gives the film a more personal perspective than the average viewer, but it really made the movie interesting.

We were both filled with pride. We are proud of the girls. We are proud of the Thompson T. Egbo Egbo Arts Foundation.

It was such an honour that I got to be included on this. You can hear my bassin' on the song that plays during the opening and closing credits. The movie will be on TV Ontario later this year.

The Weekend Update

Here are the results from my long weekend.

In Little Big Planet we have beat some kind of wedding level and moved on to a Mexican level of some sort.

In Rock Band 2, we ordered for songs for download. They were Hier Kommt Alex by Die Toten Hosen, Smooth Criminal by AFI, This is a Call by Foo Fighters, and We Die Young by Alice in Chains. We are also getting to the point where we have to play the harder levels that won't let us play on easy. She doesn't like that so much.

On Sunday we went to church. The music was fine I guess. The choir was fantastic. But she didn't like the vibe so unfortunately I don't think we'll be going back, and the search continues.

The football game went great. I had a couple injuries but even so, I was asserting my dominance on the defence. It was nice to know I can outrun younger athletic players with a swollen knee and a pulled quadricep. And yes, I caught a few balls.

But the weekend also contained a nice treat that I wasn't expecting. More on that tomorrow.

Happy Victoria Day.

To celebrate the Queen's Birthday, Inside Randall's Pocket is taking the day off, because I'm lazy.

Long Weekend

This long weekend I plan to do a lot of PS3 playing with the wife. I have two games that she loves playing. One is Rock Band. Actually Rock Band 2, and the other is Little Big Planet.

On a side note, guess who bought little big planet right before the price dropped and lost $25. I hate when that happens.

Every time we play Rock Band 2 we order new songs to try out. So we'll see what's out there and rock away.

Also this weekend I have to attend a church where the music director is somewhat interested in my services. I have to say, ever since people found out I wasn't playing regularly on a Sunday any more, there has been a lot of interest in what I've been doing lately. It's definitely flattering but strange.

But I won't attend or regularly play at a church that my wife isn't comfortable being a part of so that's why we have to go. I can go anywhere that pays me but with Church it's a little different.

And finally this weekend, on the Monday, it's the long weekend football game I was invited to be a part of. The last two times I went I didn't get the ball thrown to me and I left. The last time I left it was a little legendary. Lots of cussing and Randy Moss antics, just like the jersey I wear when I play (Raiders, #18, Moss).

So there will be a lot of drama this weekend. Will work make me to tired to do all this stuff? How will church go? Will we pass a level in LBP? Which songs will be purchased as DLC for RB2? Will I catch a pass, or better yet, will they throw me the ball? Stay tuned for the answers.

Zeus

Tuesday my wife styled a video shoot for the band Zeus. The song was "How does it feel." You can check the song out here.

I don't know if Zeus is even aware of this, but their message board has spam on it with a rap mix tape that is embedded in the message so you have to go down and turn it off. It's so annoying. No wonder nobody likes MySpace anymore.

The Best Songs of All Time

Everyone is different, but we all have songs we call "the best of all time." These make our top tier. There are hundreds of good to great songs on every one's list, but not on the best of all time list.

I have thought long and hard about how to determine what should be on my list. I have standards that I have set for albums, and people would be very surprised at what rises to the top once all the "data is calculated" so to speak. But I think I have finally figured out how to determine what songs make the cut.

Ipods have enabled everyone to put their entire musical life on a device the size of a mini calculator. This means the songs range from "best of all time" to "crap I should never have put on here." Sometimes these songs could be on the very same album. Having everything in one place really helps determine what should be on top.

Essentially the list comes down to whether I would skip over this song to get to the next one when the ipod is on shuffle mode. There could be a number of reasons for this. The song could be too long. I could not be in the mood for a specific song so I skip it. But there are songs I listen to every time, EVERY time, because I love them so much. These would be the greatest.

So next time you've got the ipod on shuffle, try and think about whether you would ever skip over the tune you are currently listening to.

Comment from last Friday.

Here's a comment that was left:

the2scoops said...

I've been looking to try Buca for a few months. I may have to schedule a return trip for you & Tricia. Great that you got to meet Juan - there was an article in the Star on Saturday. It's in Corey Mintz's column FED, which is basically listening in on a dinner party he throws. It was Juan and a couple of teachers having dinner and talking about, well, the same things you talked about. http://www.thestar.com/living/food/article/808939--mintz-for-teachers-it-s-music-that-feeds-the-soul.

It's a good article so check it out.

NHL Round 2 Round Up/Conference Finals

The cross-border battle between me and Rambles is almost over, mostly because I went 4-0 in the last round, and he went 1-3. He is not mathematically eliminated. We can still tie, and there is a chance that can happen as we are picking the opposites again this round.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens
Aaron says Montreal.
I say Philly (though I will be cheering for Montreal).

San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Aaron says Chicago.
I say San Jose.

Let the battles commence.
See you next round.

Great Times at Buca

Thursday is "date night." Yes, Steve Carell and Tina Fey are not the only married couple that try to go out once a week. This involves my wife and I catching a movie, or doing something together.

Thursday was action packed. We decided to go see Iron Man 2 in IMAX before heading downtown to dine a Buca, this new Italian restaurant. We decided to go there because Tricia wanted to see Thompson while he was in town. Meeting with him is great, but we got a surprise guest as well.

Juan Baquero is the director of the movie "Listen to This," the one about Thompson's music program. My wife and I were completely fascinated talking to him about the filming process, and listening to him reveal how he had to choose footage from specific scenes he shot to tell the story properly. I cannot wait to see this movie.

The food was fantastic and the price point was very favourable to us. I would recommend going there. That would be Buca.

Cover

There are many meanings to the word cover. The one that comes to mind for me, for example, would be "The Saints won and covered the -7.5 point spread." The other one that comes to mind is paying cover at the door of an establishment.

Unfortunately that's what happened to a friend and I when we decided to check out the Project Sound jam night at Alleycatz yesterday evening.

I got there first so I decided to go in and wait. I was stopped at the door and I saw a till. I'm thinking "There no bleeping way Alleycatz is charging a cover on a Wednesday night." It says right on their door the days they charge a cover, and Wednesday was not on there.

So I asked the lady at the door, "Is there really a cover for a jam night?" She politely replied that it was five bucks. I asked "Why?" as it was a dead Wednesday so the lady asked me if I was one of Karen's friends and if I was on the list. I explained that I don't know Karen and I have to make a phone call.

I called my friend and laughed that we had to pay a cover for this event. Then I paid and went inside.

I walked into what seemed a lifeless chasm. The Project Sound house band was fantastic but the place was less than half full. I'd say it was more like a third, of a section of the place. I guess that's what happens when you charge cover for your jam night.

Not many people were drinking and I got to thinking that most of the people there were probably on the list. This made me realize that we were probably funding this event with our drink orders and cover.

Maybe I've forgotten how this works, but I thought I was supposed to be entertained if I pay a cover. I didn't even last a full set before I realized it was better to get home.

Darkman

Last Saturday I went to a co-worker's 30th birthday party. It was a hero costume themed party so I decided to go as Darkman.

The great thing about working where I do now, is that almost all the people in my department are younger than me. This is a far cry from my previous employment where I was one of the youngest by a fair margin.

The downside to this young staff is that only one of them knew who Darkman was, the birthday boy. So for all those under 30, here's the bare-bones synopsis of Darkman:


















Darkman was a movie from Universal Pictures that came out in 1990. Click the link for all the info about it.

I remember it being a big deal when it came out. It was heavily promoted and I went to go see it on June 30th, which is a big release day for movies, and also my birthday.

There are Darkman action figures, pins, t-shirts, comics, cd soundtracks, collectible cards, and nintendo games all floating around somewhere in the world of online auctions.

The party was a lot of fun and as I am a newer employee to the company, I was grateful to receive the invitation. I hope I pulled my weight as Darkman.

Listen to This

Now that the movie has been successfully screened at Hot Docs, I've decided to put up one of the takes that Thompson and I recorded in January.

It can be found at my MySpace page. I called it Take 7 on my jukebox player thingy.

We recorded this live off the floor in one take. He was a couple rooms over but I could see his head. I'm used to following him so it was just a matter of decrypting the napkin that was on my music stand at the time. He had actually just wrote down some ideas on a napkin and we were trying them all out.

I don't know if this actually made the movie, but it was my personal favorite take from the sessions.

Toronto Jazz Festival 2010

Thursday I mentioned that I will be playing as part of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival for the third year in a row. This year is going to be awesome because I am playing for Lori again. It is on June 25th and I think we're on at 7pm. She is opening in support of Maceo Parker. It features most of the usual suspects so I hope to see you there.

Mother's Day

To all the good moms that read my blog, and the ones that don't (like my mom), I would like to thank you for the excellent job you have done.

To all the kids that think you have a terrible mom when you really don't, shut up and show some respect at least one day of the year, on Sunday.

Toronto Jazz Festival, Again

It has been confirmed that I will be playing as part of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival.

Two years ago I played on the Danforth with Thompson at Lolita's Lust.

Last year I played on Roncesvalles with Starry Nights at Gate 403.

This year it happens again, but I'll fill you in next week.

Sonar 8 Producer

A couple of weeks ago I attended an all day session with Roland Canada. One of the coolest things I learned was that Cakewalk was still around. Back when I was in high school, Cakewalk was a MIDI sequencing program much like Cubase or Logic. It is now called Sonar and after I was telling one of the folks at Roland how I used Cakewalk in the early 90s, and was blown away by how far this technology has come, he hooked me up with my very own copy.

I will be installing it next week and I'm sure I will be addressing all the cool things I will be trying out on it, but until then, I'd like to thank Roland Canada for getting me a copy.

Listen to This

A couple months ago I mentioned that I did some soundtrack recordings that were for a movie called "Listen to This." It is about Thompson and his foundation, the "Thompson T. Egbo-Egbo Arts Foundation." Go to this link, click on "our story" and watch the video, it's pretty cool.

The movie was based on this 9 minute clip.

Unfortunately I can't go see it so I hope to get my hands on a copy so I can see it.

Hockey Playoffs, Round Two

Happy May everyone!! I'm loving the hockey playoffs and the tight race with my good friend A. Rambles. The score is currently tied at four heading into round two.

So now let's take a look at round two, shall we:

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Aaron says Pittsburgh
I say Montreal

Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Aaron says Boston
I say Philadelphia

San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings
Aaron says Detroit
I say San Jose

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks
Aaron says Chicago
I agree

So we are different on three of the four series. This is going to be good.