Metric in an Imperial State

Last night Meredith and I saw Metric at the House of Blues in San Diego with our friend Hanna. It was nice being able to see a popular Canadian band down here in SoCal. The tickets were only $12 and they were very easy to get. While Metric's music doesn't particularly move me, I do enjoy a great rock and roll show and that's what they give you. Emily Haines is the band. Without her they would be a very regular rock band. She is an outstanding frontwoman in every way and those legs of hers...WOW! Jimmy Shaw is annoying! His guitar work is alright but he exudes this aura of douchebaggery that I find really difficult to ignore. Emily makes that quite a bit easier though so it's all good. Combine that with the solid yet energetic bass playing of Josh Winstead and the competent drum work of Joules Scott-Key, throw in a deliciously choreographed light show and you've got yourself a fun evening of rock and roll.

This was my second time seeing Metric in concert. The first being at the Hillside Festival in Guelph, Ontario. Both shows were excellent. If you haven't seen them live, please do. You will not be disappointed. Like I said earlier, their music doesn't really speak to me so I will probably never buy one of their CD's. I will, however, make a point of seeing them live again because when a great (and affordable) rock and roll show comes through town you have to go.

Backyard Sympathy Update

Backyard Sympathy will be in the studio from April 4 to April 10 for pre-production and the first recording sessions for our upcoming album. In the few weeks leading up to that we will continue to write more material. We will also be making our first public appearance on Monday, March 27 at Blind Melon's in Pacific Beach, California. It's an open mic night and we figure that it's a good place to start.

Please come back often for more updates on our shows and our album.

San Diego Musician Anticipates Joining Toronto Blue Jays

With the 2006 Major League Baseball season on our doorstep, players and fans alike are getting very excited about another summer of hot dogs, beer and pennant races. A local San Diego musician is particularly excited about the upcoming season. Andrew Mills, professional guitarist and self-proclaimed pitcher, feels that his time has come and that he will be joining the Toronto Blue Jays this season.

"That's the team I want. They have a strong rotation and I want to be a part of that," Mills said.

Mills anticipates being the third man in the rotation behind staff ace Roy Halladay and newly acquired power pitcher AJ Burnett. He expects to be followed by sophomore left-hander Gustavo Chacin and the ever improving Josh Towers.

When I asked Mills what he thought would happen to 30 year old left-hander Ted Lilly, he replied:

"Ted's a great pitcher. He's got good stuff. But when they see what I bring to the clubhouse the choice will be obvious. He'll have to settle for the bullpen or be traded."

General manager JP Ricciardi seems to be completely unaware of Mills' existence.

"Who?," said Ricciardi when asked about when he would be giving Mills the call.

Mills is not going to let that bother him.

"It doesn't worry me. I'm just going to stay the course and keep getting ready for opening day."

Mills has been working as a professional musician for the last few years now. He is a fine guitar player. Although, when I asked him about his decision to change careers and his total lack of professional baseball experience, he replied:

"It's just the next logical step in my career. If I can play Stairway to Heaven front to back, I can certainly throw a 98 mph cut fastball."

Audio Post Experiment - I hope you enjoy!

Moving Along

Everything is moving along quite nicely with my new project. We now have a name. Henceforth we shall be known as Backyard Sympathy. We think it sounds cool. Meredith came up with the Sympathy part so I guess she wins the mystery prize.

We will be going into the studio at the beginning of April to start work on what will eventually be our debut album. We have a killer drummer who will be working with us on that. Through him we have managed to find a very talented producer who will be flying out here from New York to work with us. We're writing and rehearsing like crazy people and I'm loving every minute of it. Everything is happening so fast with this that I can hardly believe it. I haven't felt this kind of passion for music since I first started playing guitar. I'm very excited to see where it will all lead to. For now, I'm just thrilled to be a part of a project that is satisfying in so many ways.

Band Name?

For the past month I have been writing songs with my new business partner. We are preparing to record soon. We have been trying to think of a good band name without success so far. This is an open call for great band name suggestions. Listen to this, delve into the most creative part of your mind and lay it on me. Give me whatever you can come up with. No idea is a bad idea! If we pick your suggestion you will get credit on all of our future albums plus an additional mystery prize.

I am certainly looking forward to reading what you all come up with.

Check Out My New Shirt

This past Christmas my wife's parents purchased me a new shirt. I think it is one of the finest pieces of clothing I have ever owned. However, the only people who have seen me in my new shirt are Meredith, her parents, her brother and a few people we have met since moving to San Diego.

What I am looking for is honest opinions from my friends and family in Canada. It will mean a lot to me to know what all of you think. Appearance and image is important for me because, as you all know, I am in the entertainment industry. Please, tell me honestly, what do you think of my new shirt?

My Blog Virginity

After realizing I have a lot of spare time, and after some coaxing from a couple of friends, I have decided to start a blog. Here it is! My first entry and the end of my blog virginity. The seed has been planted and I will soon give birth to thoughts and ideas that I hope you will all enjoy.

For now, I will tell you about what I'm doing with myself these days. I've started a new project with a fellow I met down here in San Diego. It's definitely the most creative and most exciting project I've ever been involved in. I met the guy on www.craigslist.com. He had been working with another guitar player, but I guess they had a bit of a bizarre relationship. He saw my ad and we got together. We've written quite a few good songs and they keep getting better. We're going to start recording soon. I will definitely keep all of you up to date on that.

Other than that, my lovely wife and I have been enjoying our time down here. I've forgotten what it feels like to be cold and it's still very surreal to look out the window and see palm trees. We miss all of our family and friends though. We're very much looking forward to having visitors. Please come and visit us!!!!

That's about all I have to say right now. I hope you enjoyed yourselves. I think that was a strong first post. It definately has it's moments anyway. I'll look forward to your comments.

Peace!