What do Cystic fibrosis,Heritage Moments, and Rock and roll all have in common? The Motorleauge.

Moncton’s greatest export The Motorleauge just so happened to make there first appearance in Saint John in over a year this March and a lot has changed sense they we last here. The band has had a drummer change bringing in long time fan Francis Landry who at the time of the show had been with the band about 3 weeks . But I guarantee you would swear he had been with the band sense day one. According to Nathan Jones guitar player for the band on the first day jamming with Landry they actually had to relearn some of there back catalogue because he knew it better then they did.

The other big change for the band is a new CD single Good Men which not only received a Independent Music Award nomination for punk song of the year. Its also marks the bands first real venture in to the world of philanthropy by raising money for Cystic fibrosis Canada. After meeting a fan in Newfoundland with Cystic Fibrosis Don Levandier The bands Front man says “She changed his view of what it was to be in a band”. Saying that all the other bands in reflection “had really never accomplished for the world” and he wants to be able to look back at this band and at least be able to say they accomplished something. Having at the time this article is written raised almost 3000 dollars for the cause no one can say they did not accomplish something. One of the ways the band promoted there fundraiser was through might I say one of the most brilliant marketing campaigns. Through Youtube the band has been putting out some rather interesting musical versions of The Canadian Heritage Moments often cleverly parodying some memorable 90’s tracks. Like for there video covering Marion Orr the first female flying instructor in Canada they parodied Deadeye Dick’s rather fitting track “New Age Girl”. My personal favourite has to be there parody of the Muppet’s “Mahna Mahna” using “Kanada-kha” covering the naming of our nation heritage moment.

As far as whats coming up for the band the band several show cases at the upcoming 2012 ECMA’s and a brand spanking new album . “Acknowledge, Acknowledge” being released mid April will be the bands first full length release in almost three years. The albums tittle “Acknowledge, Acknowledge” is another throw back to the Canadian heritage moments said Levandier. I managed to get a sneak peak at the new album and i have to say it was worth the wait. Most tracks maintained the bands fast paced hard rock sound the album over all had a very mid nineties Canadian alt rock feel. I wont spoil it for you any more than that you will be able to pick up a copy of the album directly from there website www.themotorleague.ca.

Now for the fun part. The two part interview/discussion with the guys that gives you a lot of insight into the band and the people behind it. Its explicit but its fun we talk about books, movies, what there doing now, guilty pleasures and most importantly great food across Canada.

enjoy dok

part 1

part 2

What is this roller derby i keep hearing about? A brief history.

Roller Derby is the fastest growing hippest sport in the world right now. But i bet you are asking your self right now what is this little thing called derby you speak of? Well in short it is a full contact sport played by two opposing teams on an elliptical track. We will get to the long form in a bit. Now don’t go skipping ahead we have a little history cram in your head first. Roller Derby was derived from the early depression era transatlantic derby’s. In the transatlantic derby’s competitors would essentially race the equivalent distance of New York to London doing laps on a circular track. If that sounded boring to you it was. But it was the depression what else was there to do. It took a while but people actually got board of that form go figure .

By the late 1930’s three key elements were introduced to help drive up interest and consequentially shaped the derby we know today . The first was shortening the game because people’s attention spans just couldn’t handle the days or weeks some of the derby’s could last. So instead they shortened them to just a couple of hours. Not unlike the two thirty minute periods we have today. Two the introduction of player on player contact, much like the crashes in NASCAR this helped draw people in  that initially didn’t really understand the game and who doesn’t enjoy a good lil bit of the ultra violence. The Third and most importantly making the sport coed, yes without that little fact we wouldn’t have the fishnet wearing, tutu sporting, tattooed gals we have come to know and love in the latest incarnation of derby. As derby carried on it became scripted much like wrestling entertainment. As the sixties came to an end so did the popularity of derby. Although never completely disappearing it never attained the same kind of interest from the public . That was until the turn of the new millennium.

In the early 2000’s an all girl revival of the sport started in Texas and It spreed faster than a cold in a kindergarten. By 2006 about 135 leagues had sprouted up across North America as of today there are at least ten times that many globally with new leagues starting every day. Even men’s leagues and Jr leagues are starting up although not with the same inertia the ladies seem to have built up. Locally Saint John actually has become the maritime mecca of roller derby with one of the best developed woman’s leagues The Fog City Rollers and the Maritimes only men’s team The Wheel Men. Now i told you we were going to go into the long form of how the game is played but i figure the best way was to show you via the internet so log onto tinyurl.com/rollerderbyhowto it will give you all the basics. So if you are interested in not being left behind in the sports revolution and really why would you . You can find out more information on how you can join up, help out or just find out when you can get out and see a game by checking out The Fog City Rollers website fogcityrollers.com . You can also get a hold of The Wheel Men who are actively recruiting by finding them on face book or emailing them at saintjohnmensrollerderby@gmail.com .  As well here are a few links to places that you can actually watch the games.

http://www.canuckderbytv.com/

http://www.justin.tv/derbynewsnetwork/videos

So  don’t get left behind in the pack and get out there and enjoy derby. We will be talking a lot more about this in the future.

Dok

so this is what happened to me this weekend

Not often do i talk about myself.

So not often I talk about myself on here but i thought id share this video with you. you might get a kick out of it like i do. So in this video you wil see me break my tib and fib i am told if you turn it up real loud you will hear the bones crack.  So Enjoy my derby injury. oh and if you want to hear an interview i did about mens derby just before this happened hop on over to a friend of mines blog http://ohtheblogoflife.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/the-wheel-men-are-the-real-men/ im sure you will dig it.

A mens derby game

Due to some madness issues . The interview with the motorleauge has been delayed I am working on getting it online as we speak. To say I am sorry please enjoy something compleatly diffrent. A mens derby game.

Unsensored interview with Greber

I Recently had the pleasure to do sound for two of the greatest guys in the Canadian music scene the band in question is Greber and the guys are Marc Bourgon (also of Fuck the facts and previously of Tugnut.) and Steve Vargas (he’s in other bands too like The Great Sabatini and he was in Tugnut too. neat eh?). I also did an interview with them which i posted at the end of this completely unedited and explicit so you may want to listen to it after your mom goes to bed. As far as the band goes they have to be the loudest 2 piece base drum combo i have ever heard Marc fills out one hell of a wall of sound with just his bass well and a rather impressive wall of amps to match. Steve’s raw booming sound kicks you in the chest with sludgy rhythm at an assaulting volume as he abuses his drum kit. Short and sweet i love this band . Greber really do deserve your attention there are not many bands out there doing this as well as these too . Don’t take my word for it listen to them your self on there band camp page here and make sure you check out there interview below so long as you promise not to be offended.

I am going to warn you again this interview is rude, foul, even fun as they turn the interview around on me and start questioning me. Eventually it just broke down into two guys talking about movies . All things aside the interview is down right informative and shows a unique insight into the dynamic duo that is Greber. If you are easily offended do not listen to it as you will most likely be offended within the first 30 seconds. This is explicit no question about it. consider your self warned and have fun

Dok

March Break Madness

So i have been taking a march break from the worlds of madness and weathering it from my recliner. I have born witness to what you call daytime television and can tell you if this is what you are watching you have no right to call me mad. For starters what happened to the reanimated remains of Bob Barker ? Did they put him away wrong and he swell and loose his humor (my assistant tells me they have replaced him with a less funny and less social celebrity to try and reach out to the kids). also what the hell happened to Saturday morning cartoons or children’s science shows i mean Beakmans world and Bill Nye made me the mad man before you today (for some reason i feel the need to point out i mean that figuritavly). on the topic of kids shows wheres reading raimbow or some other place on tv that tells kids reading is cool. I expected so much from this time i spent reaquainting myself with my loung chair and my stolen cable (i wont tell if you don’t). i can’t even find music on music television just further mind rotting “reality telivision” there is no reality i am aware of that is not squed by observation so if a camera is pointed at something it is no longer reality. So short and sweet if you are enjoying this you are more mad than me . Stop the brain rot fead your brain to quote LeVar Burton “Take a look its in a book”.

dok.

p.s I have a few interviews and band reviews to put up soon.

p.p.s Rember if there is anything you want to see more of or have opinions of comment or shoot me a mesage.

p.p.p.s Oh ya almost forgot derby gear review comming up soon.

Busting rhymes and sipping tea on a steam powered flying machine

Yes Folks today were Talking about chap hop . Its the musical gerna that answers the age old question what would hip hop sound like if it was pioneered by late Victorian upper class gentleman types and old skool futurist. The loops are the catchiest and the lyrics are safe enough for your mother heck she will even enjoy there sensible slacks. The man at the for front of this movement is none other than Professor Elemental who in his own words “is a steampunk mad professor who’s hobbies include adventure, invention, and a lovely cuppa.”. If that doesn’t make you want to listen to him just check out his mad rhymes in this video the beats will stick in your head like the brain parasites i picked up on vacation, that are supposedly the reason i am insane and cant keep on track . I still don’t trust the doctor that diagnosed me the dammed quack has never even once attempted to assemble a Homunculi and was unwilling to replace my internal organs with clockwork ones. When i asked him about his ….. wait…. right the video so sorry please forgive my madness. Without further interruptions here’s Professor Elemental Fighting Trousers it goes well with tea.

Was that not fantastic and its a well worded dis song against the only other chap hop artist of note and i use that term artist loosely when i refer to arch enemy of  Professor Elemental, Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer. Mr. B is in all actuality a parodist of true chap hop and mainstream rap, writing very few original songs himself. If it seems like I am biased on this one you are right. Not only do we madmen have to stick together but does the world really need another parody artist. For a little more incite into the dynamics of the two check out this video of there verbal combat where the white gloves of honour were thrown down. Also for a sense of balance and fairness The Mr B video Straight out of Surrey will be below.

The big thing to take away other than the pure enjoyment of a new musical style is that if you want to be a chap-hop super star and live large, do it now because just existing as one at this point will put you in the top 10 by default.

Dok

PS. If you happen to be a chap hop artest drop me a line a let me know more i will be glad to check you out.

The Salty awards showing Saint John in a social spotlight.

The ale house was host to the second annual Salty awards Thursday night. It was a fun way for the online social networking community to get together and pat themselves on the back . Well that and meet some people in public that they only know from the internet.

Nathan & Matt from Sea Dogs tv fresh off their win for hottest youtube

The category’s were few but the competition was fierce . Three of the category’s were taken by Sea Dogs related nominees with Sea Dogs forward Jonathan Huberdeau taking twitter person of the year, Station nation taking coolest blog (although i was rooting for barbbarbbarb.com) and Sea Dogs tv taking hottest youtube.

Sherry and her husband from Piece O' Cake the winner of this years best facebook page

 

I was rooting for Piece O’Cake for best Facebook page even before they brought trays of cupcakes to the awards show. To be one hundred percent honest i am a huge fan of cake and pastries and they make some of the best in Saint John. According to the people who voted on the Saltys they felt Piece O’Cake made one hell of a Facebook Too . They took home best Facebook page .  The most deserved winner of the night was the Save The Paramount for best use of social media in a campaign. It’s a cause near and dear to my heart. If you havent heard of this campaign yet I will be questioning what rock you have been living under. For the rock dwellers the short and sweet is Save The Paramount is the quest of socially minded individuals and Uptown Saint John to save the Paramount theater off king square. Not only is it one of the last Art Deco theaters in the world it is considered one of the best examples of the style. check out there video for more information or at bare minimn a glimpse into one good-looking theater that has been abandon to long.

 

 

 

So all in all awards were won , cup cakes ate and faceless internet personas were given life in person.

 

Dok

Top notch Hooch

Top notch hooch

OK so I enjoy ethanol in its finer forms and I enjoy telling people why they should enjoy it as well. Today we will be looking at one of the finest whiskeys i have ever had the pleasure to be in the same room as. The booze in question is I.C Shore whiskey from the Prince Edward Island Distillery. The distillery is better known for its award winning vodka then its limited run of barrel aged non filtered whiskey. Well lets dig in shale we.

nice bottle

How does it look ? Very nice bottle the attention to detail in packaging is fantastic a wooden topped cork old school looking bottle. Hand numbered as Bottle number thirteen of what i am told is eighty bottle batches per cask. Each bottle is labelled with its alcohol content at bottling and varies slightly. This bottle was 41% at time of bottling. The colour of the whisky is a lovely light amber gold almost blond like Jayne Mansfield’s hair in her early days. Lighter in colour then i normal enjoy in a whisky but lets not let that spoil the tasting.

Lovely shade of amber. sorry for the amount in the bottle I'm an over zelous taster .

What is its taste, toungue and smell ? It has a very subtle oaky aroma. The tongue of it is a lightly viscous fluid almost reminiscent of its colour The taste is above par in the quality department it is by far one of the finest whiskys i have tasted both warm and cold. It is smooth and delivers the oakyness of the smell with an even more subtle woody after taste with mild pungency .

If i were to witness the world ending this would be my beverage of choice to sip while bearing witness……. so long as i was not busy causing it.

Dok Rogers