EACH AND EVERY WEEK STARTING RIGHT NOW....THIS HERE NEWS SECTION WILL BE TRANSFORMED INTO THE HOTTUB COMMENTARY, OPINION AND NEWS AREA. A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GET REGULAR SPEWINGS ON EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON IN THE HAMILTON MUSIC SCENE! I HOPE YOU ENJOY AND STAY TUNED...IT'S JUST NOT NEWS ANYMORE THAT'S MAKING THE HEADLINES!
August 5/01
Some weekly musings on some of the things that amuse, confuse and even amaze a fellow in the wonderful world of local and not-so-local music.
X Marks The Spot...
I took in the Joel Plaskett Emergency show a couple of Sundays ago over @ the less-than-packed-but-full-of-good-vibes Casbah.
I think that was my second Smokeless Sunday and I must say I really love the concept! First of all, it's non-smoking - so that means the All-Ages crowd can bask in some kick-ass rock and some of us veterans can breathe easy knowing our lungs are getting a much needed rest from the full-on smoke assault that we're usually used to!! Definitely a change of scenery and also a timewarp reminder of Sundays long and gone...
Some of you might remember that the long defunct X-Club had a little thing called All-Ages Sundays. I am going back about 5 years here - but when I started to attend local indie rock shows, I had no idea what I was getting into to...as I was still very green to the scene and wondering what took me so long to find this Mecca of Music!?
My first X-Club All Ages show featured a mixed bag of local and national talent. There's was Hamilton's sonic-noise-mongers - Astro, Winnipeg's Banned From Atlantis, Halifax's Rebecca West and an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from Toronto...you might have heard of him...Hayden. I think Hayden's first record just came out and the place was packed with people sitting on the floor looking up with anticipation knowing that something special was about to happen! Something did happen that night...well other than some dude spilling beer on me as he tried to get back to his spot on the floor...I witnessed an amazing show that started me off on an indie rock journey that has yet to stop! I can still recall the chills that Mr. Hayden Desser sent up my spine that evening...acoustic guitar, truthful lyrics and a haunting voice can do that to you sometimes.
I think I saw about 50 shows over at the good ol' X-Club...not the nicest place in the world...but I think the packaging was secondary to the contents of the box. The place was a black hole with sheet metal on the walls, crummy bathrooms, broken furniture and for some odd reason not only did we go back every weekend...but so did the bands! Some of other bands and artists I saw there included: Rusty, Groovy Religion, Pure, Eric's Trip, The Inbreds, Elevator to Hell, Broken Girl, Snailhouse, Smoother, Chixdiggit, Len, Superfriendz, Garbagedrink, Subdominant, Grace and so many others that my Sunday morning brain just can't seem to remember...
Just to Confirm Any Rumours Floating Around...
There are rumblings of a new club starting up in Hamilton...and it just might make things X-tremely interesting in this two-horse race of a live-music town!? View Magazine's
Ric Taylor briefly mentioned the new club in this week's Music Notes column and I believe he'll have more to report on this HOME-coming in next week's VIEW...
A Message from the Moon...
I got this email from Dylan Hudecki of By Divine Right and moonkarma...
"emailing you from jersey city after the spacehog show....
heavy awesomeness! things are getting crazy, the storming is looming
in the horizon..........i better invest in rain gear.
hope to see you soon. aug10th my friend?"
Friday August 10th - By Divine Right and special super-power guests
Flux A.D promise to rock and/or roll the Raven! Check it out and remember to give Dylan and Graham a big hug...it'll be good to see those guys together in the same room!
Congrats Are in Order...
Congratulations to the Reynolds 3 A.K.A The Lassue Yous on their chart climbing release, Come By To Say Hello! It recently reached # 2 over at CFBU over in St. Catherines...here's the results:
ARTIST ALBUM LABEL
1 Joel Plaskett Emergency* Down at the Khyber Brobdingnagian
2 The Lassue Yous* Come by to Say Hello Hottub
3 Foetus Flow Thirsty Ear
4 Jerk with a Bomb* The Old Noise Scratch
5 The New Town Animals* Is your radio active? Mint
6 Bionaut Lubricate your Living Room Matador
7 Ez Pour Spout Don't Shave the Feeling Love Slave
8 Fuzzbug* Sans Cover Independent
9 Weights & Measures* Tonight the lower abdominals Matlock
10 Kaito You've seen us..you must have seen us Devil in the Woods
Pick it up over @ HMV.com
Blowing Smoke in Every Direction...
What really gets me sometimes is the lack of reality or history that some people possess in this music scene. I keep hearing about this so-called revival or new-found turnaround in Hamilton's Music Community....and how great things are now and how amazing this version of the scene is!?
Well I want to say something to these folks who all of sudden appreciate what's happening around here...a scene never disappears or goes away or falls off a map...people will always make music and there will always be people who go out to listen to it! I think it's super-funny that there are people on message boards who like to determine when a scene is "HOT" or when it's "HAPPENING"....the truth it never goes away...sometimes it's just a little more quiet and you have to go and look for it! I don't believe for one second that the Hamilton Music Scene was dead from 1997-2000 and all of sudden it came to life again and made it's triumphant return to save the day! Myself and many others were slugging it out during those "lean" years and putting on shows at the Transit Union Hall and making CDs and also putting up posters and making zines so folks knew what was going on! (Begin Sarcasm) Wowee...I guess the scene really was dead...not one good thing was going on and it was just a musical wasteland in this town!!! (End Sarcasm)
Drowned in the Harbour...indeed.
I really need some coffee and also I apologize if I've pissed anyone off this week! I have had a very bad week and I need to sort some things out in my personal life...but I felt I needed to say some things that have been bothering me as of late. Positive energy in the future....I promise!
That's it until whenever....listen and you shall receive...
-HTD
July 10/01
Some weekly musings on some of the things that amuse, confuse and even amaze a fellow in the wonderful world of local and not-so-local music.
The Canadian Wilderness Awaits You...
With the Summer season in full swing, it seems that some of Hamilton's local talent are ready to represent the Steel City with many a trip along the Trans-Canada.
Two of the city's most eccentric and talented solo-guys and also two artists featured on HOTTUB's The Amalgamation Compilation - Mayor McCa and Waxmannequin just returned from a trip out west. From all accounts the tour went well and the guys had a fun time travelling along some of the best scenery this country has to offer. I think they stopped in Thunder Bay, Regina, Saskatoon and Calgary...let's all hope our Western friends remember to bring those shiny, new Jimmy Cards with them next time Waxy's in town...
Out on tour right now - A Northern Chorus said farewell to Hamilton with an awe-inspiring-jaw-dropping-wall of beautiful sound-sweaty to the last drop CD release show back on June 30. That being my first ANC show...let's just say I was sad to see them go! The show was great and the their new CD, Before We All Go To Pieces is on regular rotation around here and I'm sure it's stuck in quite a few CD players around the country! I believe the band is somewhere in the Rockies with upcoming stops in B.C, Seattle and Portland. Good Luck and may the road be kind to you and your Maxima....and from what Erin keeps telling us via email reports from the road - it seems the middle seat's the best...just to let you know!
Rob Lamothe and Lisa Winn are also on tour and doing Hamilton proud. Two of the city's most respected musicians at home and just about anywhere they play - the month of July sees the two out West on two seperate occasions. Rob has just released an amazing live record entitled Steering With My Knee and is also ready to unleash Wishing Well Motel - a new studio album available later this month. Check out Rob and Lisa's fab websites for all their tour info: RobLamothe.com and LisaWinn.com
Just to Confirm Any Rumours Floating Around...
....I'm really John Merrall and
Hypnotech 3 is just my little brother and his friends dialing the phone, smashing it to pieces and letting the snooze button go just a little too long in the morning....just kidding John :) But all this talk of Electronica is just making me wish Rock really was dead so that it could come back from the dead and go all 90210 on your digital ass....
Even Famous Can-Rockers Need Time Away From Touring...
So me and my bro are doing the whole Canada's Wonderland thing yesterday and we're standing in line for the MineBuster and guess who just happens to be in front of us in line? You're all gonna kick my ass for even mentioning this...but it was none other than Moist frontman and current solo-star, David Usher! Well first I had to prove to my doubting brother that the short guy in the shades and hat was indeed the man from Moist. After tapping him on the shoulder and looking like a fanboy, (which I'm not...but I do respect their success) I introduced myself and confirmed to my brother that I was indeed a follower of the beast known as Can-Rock. Yikes....did I just say that? OK, I'll admit that I own their first CD...it was a Christmas gift and at the time I was really into it...
From the sounds of it, this was the band's first trip to Wonderland and the creaks and cracks of the aging rollercoaster was making them second-guess their decision to ride one of the park's original rides. David Usher was a cool guy and I even mentioned to him that I saw him earlier in the day and from a distance I thought he looked like current By Divine Right bass player, the dude from moonkarma and your friend and mine...Dylan Hudecki! Hey Dill...David Usher's copping your style dude! :)
The Best Way to Watch a Show @ Raven
...with a cold drink in one hand and that monsterous/industrial fan chilling your back! I loved the fact that when Mean Red Spiders played earlier this month...that not only did it sound like a rock show...it looked like one too with all that cool air blowing Greg and Lisa's hair around and those fabulous lights just hitting them right! If the fan didn't send a chill up your spine...the band sure did!
Some Things Spinning Around in the HOTTUB...
SOUNDOUT! 2001 Hamilton Music Festival and Conference will indeed be taking place this year! Still working out some details...but look for a slight format change from last year's mainly club-show oriented festival. As soon as I know more details and confirmed dates...you'll hear about it!
I hope you've checked around the site! I've slowly been updating here and there and some of those damn archived sections will be up very soon....I'm working on them as you read this and I must say it's very cool to look back at some of the things HOTTUB and our friends have done and been a part of over the years! It's almost sad to know that many of the folks I've rocked with in this scene have moved on and away from this city's music scene and also from music entirely. I guess that's the way it works out sometimes....it's just the nature of the beast!
It seems a certain local brotherly act (minus the tallest and recently married sibling) are looking to stay sharp while their newlywed brother is away and play some gigs around town. If you haven't guessed who I'm babbling about....it's none other than those fine chaps and the rhythm section of The Lassue Yous! Maybe some of you singer-songwriters out there are looking for a good back-up band for the occasional show over the Summer? If you're interested in helping Ben and Adam with some musical friendship please email them at thelassueyous@hotmail.com and remember to tell them how much you love their brand new CD - Come By To Say Hello...
Get ready to be Outnumbered! More details about HOTTUB's next musical project in next week's column....
Speaking of music....if you haven't got it yet...The Amalgamation Compilation is full of some of the juiciest Hamilton music around and it's still available via mailorder, ...Sonic Unyon Distribution and also from the fine folks over at Dr. Disc and Cheapies here in Hamilton!
That's it until next week....listen and you shall receive...
-HTD
