Saturday, May 20, 2006

from the "organic" dept.

I'm midway through a long weekend, and enjoying having 3 full days off. Add to that the change that comes with housesitting for my pal Lisa in her South Granville condo.

For those of you who care about such things, I used to live in South Granville. I was over at 12th and Fir and lived there from 1999 through 2001 or so. It was a nice joint (and used to be Brent's) and I miss much about the neighbourhood.

The 'hood has changed a lot in the past few years. Lots more money, and much of the Granville strip caters to those with far more dough (or credit) than I. And some of the things that made South Granville a neat place to be are gone. No more Normandy Restaurant. No more Tanglewood (used) Books.

But Oscars Art Books remains, despite being across the street from a sterile Chapters book store. And Caffe Barney still stands. It's like a neighbourhood pub -- in fact, it is a neighbourhood pub. Good food. Little pretention (if that's a word!). And a fine tap. Even Strongbow.

So it is that whenever I house sit for Lisa, I'm drawn to Barney's. I haven't lived nearby for years, but they still know my name. And it's always a good time.

Today I went there with Lorne and Katrina for a late afternoon brunch. The food was outstanding, and the people great.

It's very organic.

And that leads me to another train of thought.

My buddy and business partner Randy Walden (who is touring bunkers and missle silos in the SW USA -- BASTARD!) produced a documentary on the history of Canadian popular music from the late 50s through 1973 when CanCon regulations came into force.

I'd seen rough cuts, final cuts, and two television broadcasts. Tonight it aired on CBC again. And I watched like it was the first time. It's called Shakin' All Over and it is beyond excellent. If you haven't seen it -- SEE IT! You'll be proud. Really!

So that got me thinking -- why do I like the music in Shakin' so much? And why do I listen to the 70s channel on XM?

I hate oldies, I hate classic rock and yet, I am drawn to this older stuff. Not that I dislike new music... the more the better. But there is something about the music of the 60s and 70s and until tonight I couldn't put my finger on it.

But now I can: it's because that music is organic. There isn't lots of fancy processing. It's pretty much the real deal. And the songwriting was so strong and original.

And I'm not anti-processing. I like electronica, drum & bass, ambient, etc. I own several DJ Food discs.

But that old stuff... well, it rocks!

And with that... time to pull the pin. Looks like a one day trip to La Conner, WA to take pictures of tulips. And another day off Monday. And -- hoo boy! -- do I pay for 3 days off: I have 10 in a row.

All the more reason to throw caution to the wind and go to Cuba with Lorne, Katrina, Debbie and John in late June.

Can you say country #46?

Cheers!

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