A good Easter weekend to one and all from us here at the D as we commemorate Christ's death for all of us. Whether you believe that or not, welcome in, welcome in.
Before anything of substance is mentioned, sweetdisaster Big Cheese Mike is involved with his first foray into fantasy-league baseball this season. Wish him luck!
Deathwish Inc. have continued their trend of picking up awesome artists, signing a band called Narrows, featuring ex-members of Botch and These Arms Are Snakes. Check out a sweet tune over here. Ah, the sweet, melodious vocals of Dave Verellen. [AP]
Brand New are keeping busy, starting a record label called Procrastinate! Music Traitors and signing Kevin Devine, who was dropped by a major label last year.
In what can only be described as a coup of galactic proportions, the owners of End Hits in downtown Ottawa have secured HiFi Handgrenades for an afterparty show in the basement of the store - following the band's opening slot for Foo Fighters at Scotiabank Place March 19th. The D will be there. HFHG don't sound much like the band most of them were in beforehand - that being the legendary Suicide Machines from Detroit - but this is quality, timeless punk rock...kinda reminds one of Gasoline Heart. Enjoy!
Congratulations to the Brock University Badgers of Ste. Catharines on winning the 2008 CIS Mens' basketball championship over the weekend(also out at Scotiabank Place, coincidentally); the D witnessed the fall of the Carleton Ravens, who were on a quest to six-peat as national champs - they fell in double-overtime to the Acadia Axeman from Nova Scotia. Basketball is awesome.
Once in a while you come across a song by a band you've loved for many years, and you've simply not heard it before - maybe that one album is the one you don't own, or maybe it's just slipped through the cracks to date. Whatever. For the Dutchman here at the D, that song tonight is 'Spokesman,' from Goldfinger's 2003 album Open Your Eyes(I don't own it - shut up!), up for streaming over here. New album coming soon!
Do forgive the week and a half between anything happening here at the D; we do have lives, you know.
It would appear that everyone's favourite Vancouver-via-Hannah, Alberta megarock star, Chad Kroeger, is in more legal trouble: a judge ruled against the Nickelback singer in a DUI case from last year, when he was pulled over in Surrey, B.C. with a blood-alcohol readout of 0.14 - almost twice the legal limit. Read allll about it, if you care.
Rumour has it that the annual Bluesfest here in Ottawa - past performers include The White Stripes, Kanye West, String and dozens more - has landed a huge fish for this summer's edition: Stevie Wonder has apparently signed on the dotted line. He will play 'Superstition,' and I will wig the frig out. Truth.
Prepare yourself, north America: Wii Fit is coming for your Christmas trees next holiday season. Lord knows we could stand to lose some weight off our fat western asses.
A killer tour coming our way in a couple of months: Killswitch Engage(do they ever stop touring?), alongside Poison the Well, The End and Throwdown are making their way through Ontario and Quebec:
May 10 - The Sound Academy - Toronto, ONT
May 11 - Elements Night Club - Kitchener, ONT
May 13 - Capitole du Quebec - Quebec City, QUE
May 14 - The Metropolis - Montreal, QUE
Hopefully someone will book the 12th here in Ottawa! [AP]
Fall Out Boy have released a studio version of a cover they've been doing for quite some time: Michael Jackson's 'Beat It,' replete with guitar solo provided by a friend of the band you may have heard of name of John Mayer. Go find it.