"Benny and the Jets" - Elton John
"Rock me Gently" - Andy Kim
"Cracklin' Rosie" - Neil Diamond
"L.A. Woman" - The Doors
"My Michelle" - Guns n' Roses
"Think" - Aretha Franklin
"Feel Like Makin' Love" - Bad Company
"So Lonely" - The Police
"Sexual Healing" - Marvin Gaye
"Nothing Else Matters" - Metallica

Yeah, I love Karaoke. Just figured I'd list these for something to put up here. I was trying to do some cleaning up and accidently deleted a whole bunch of recent comments from y'all. Oops! If you remember what you wrote, post it again! I believe there were some recipes and music recommendations.

I'm still in the process of conceptualizing WAUB.CA v. 2.0. From there, Chunker should have a stellar rendition of what came out of my brain for y'all to dig in the next month or so. So please stay tuned. It's like getting a new guitar or pair of pants. With a fresh new tool and outlook, playing and sitting seems so much better!

If anybody even reads this thing anymore, the inactivity here is due to the extensive activity out in "real" life. It's been an insanely busy summer at work, but to counter that I've managed to have quite a bit of fun and excitement in my extracirricular activities. There have been a few good shows in 'Peg Rock City this summer, and I've managed to make it out of the city for a couple trips on weekends. Basically, I've just been enjoying what the Manitoba summer has to offer. So I apologize, loyal reader.

That said, a new era of waub.ca is about to begin. With new life breathed into this here space, a new creativity shall spark within that'll be devoted to posting more stories and pics about my moderately exciting life. I'm working with the mighty Chunk on getting a new format on the go, so stay tuned for that...

...after my summer holidays. Heheh. I'm heading back to Ontario for a couple weeks this weekend, and I couldnt' be more excited. I love it here, but I do miss my friends and family back home quite a bit - especially in the summer. So I hope you've been have a fantastic season. I sure have, and I hope to hear from you soon. As a little parting gift, here is one of my fave pics I've taken recently: the White Stripes on the Provencher Bridge in Winnipeg.

And of course, the next seasonal worry sets in. We escaped with just minor flooding in the spring - now the question is: will it rain enough this summer to keep the fields alive? It's like an endless conundrum. How forgiving will mother nature be to the Prairie people? The past winter was one of the harshest I've ever seen. About a month straight of -30C temperatures. Fall seems to be the only forgiving time of year, but only if there's a good crop.

These are stories that replay year after year. But stories I have had the fortune of telling since I've been out here. Almost 200 so far - covering an expanse of subject matter even I didn't think I was capable of. From how a brutal war in the Middle East had people here on the edge of their seats for weeks; to how a convicted pedophile struck fear in a nation for days last summer; to an alleged drug dealer turning a sawed-off shotgun on three Winnipeg cops; to how the people here cope with yearly challenges like floods, droughts, and intense cold.

These stories have taught me how complex this part of the country is. How there are stories here that are unrivalled anywhere else in the world, for their intensity, authenticity, and emotion. They've also taught me a great deal about myself and my craft, and how much more there is to learn and grow. And because of that, I'm looking forward to telling at least 200 more.

Bjork - "Joga"

When I first heard this song on CD, it gave me shivers. Then I heard her sing it on the island across from Toronto one summer a few years ago. The power in her voice - coupled with the visual of fire pillars exploding behind her - pretty much brought me to my knees.

Queens of the Stone Age - "Song for the Dead"

I've probably seen them play this about five or six times over the years, and I could see it a thousand more. This one song is worth the ticket price alone. Fast, driving power rock that gets the fist pumping and makes you want to go get another overpriced beer.

Rage Against the Machine - "Freedom"

The proverbial show closer, but it's the one song that embodies everything that this band was. It's always sad whenever a concert's over, but whenever this epic came to a close, it was somehow satisfying when the lights came up and you made your way to the door.

Tool - "Lateralus"

Pretty much any song these guys play live is a both a sonic assault and visual spectacle. But the emotional ride this one can take you on is pretty much unrivalled in their catalogue. The first time I saw them play it was at Molson Park in Barrie many years ago, and it almost brought me to tears.

Pearl Jam - "Release"

When I was 13 I would sit in my room and listen to Ten non-stop. I would wait patiently for this song, the last on the disc. As the song slowly built I would imagine how awesome it would be to see it in concert. Back then I never thought I'd ever have a chance to see Pearl Jam live. Either they'd break up or Eddie would die or something. By the fourth time I saw them in the summer of 2003 I finally realized that adolescent dream, as they opened with this epic tune at the Molson Amphitheatre in TO. I was there with the Peltomaki brothers, and Matt commented how he'd never seen me smile so wide.

David Bowie - "Space Oddity"

I'm not as big a Bowie fan as others, but I respect him and his music. He opened his set at the Go Bang festival in Luebeck, Germany in 1997 with this song. It was just him, his acoustic guitar, one spotlight, and 50,000 people at his mercy. That's power.

The Black Crowes - "No Speak No Slave"

Not my favourite song of the Robinson bros, but it's the first ever rock song I heard played live. April 14, 1993 at Varsity Arena in Toronto.

Neil Young - "Powderfinger"

Will always hold a special place in my heart because I saw it live at the Air Canada Centre with one of the best people I've ever known in my life - Dan Kearnes. Rest in peace.

Ween - "Buenos Tardes Amigo"

Anyone who knows me knows this song because of my obsessive fandom with this band. So imagine how crazy I went when I saw it live for the first time.

Metallica - "One"

Sure, this band is a mere shadow of its former self, and that decline began with their Lollapalooza stint in 1996. But this is one of the best heavy metal songs of all time, and even they can't mess it up in their lame old age.

I'll probably add to this list as I dust off more of the ol' memory files. Post some of your favourites!

I wouldn't be making this post if it wasn't for bad boys like these. It's been one of the harshest winters in recent memory in Peg Rock City. I couldn't have had a better companion to guide me through my inaugural Prairie cold months. My brain is gradually thawing (hence the lack of posts), but my legs have been nice and toasty.

Frank's Orginal Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Maybe it was so cold that I decided this was the perfect condiment for everything. Because I seriously do put it on everything these days. Omelettes, tuna sandwiches, mashed potatoes, rice, wings, corn flakes. It's the best hot sauce out there and adds that perfect little kick in the grill.

Robert Downey, Jr.

I think this is dude's 5th or 6th comeback, and who knows if he's actually even cleaned up, but I just saw him in a kickass flick over the weekend and he totally slayed. He plays the San Francisco Chronicle crime reporter Paul Avery in Zodiac. It's about the Zodiac Killer who tormented the Bay Area of California in the 1970s - directed by the brilliant David Fincher. Downey's portrayal of Avery's own obsession with the killer and how itleads to his own gradual demise is one of the best performances I've seen in a while.

The San Jose Sharks

I first took notice of this time a few years ago when that kid from Moose Factory started turning heads. Then the mighty Joe Thornton came on board late last year and they really started lighting it up. Now they've added Bill Guerin and Craig Rivet. They will be a powerhouse come playoff time.

Ice Cube's The Predator

You wouldn't know it from this dude's current movie resume, but he used to kick ass. I recently rediscovered this album from my early angry teenage years and it brought me to back to a time that was both simpler and more complex. It captured something that was much bigger - struggles and issues in one of the most volatile periods of modern race relations.

And last but not least...extended iPod warranties. Yep, mine finally bit the dust. Glad I shelled out that extra $$.

Flew in from Eureka tonight. A tail wind got us down here in just over two hours. It was dark the whole flight - which was pretty unfortunate.

There is so much power in the air and the land up here. You are at Earth's mercy in every direction. It's both humbling and empowering. Just feeling that strength from the wind and the lifeless land reinforces the brevity of the body and the mind.

I stood on a mountain on a clear day on Ellesmere Island. I could see for miles. But for the first time in my life, I couldn't see a trace of life anywhere. No trees; no tracks. A wave of comfortable loneliness swept over me. It was impossible to ignore the wind: echoing in my ears ghosts of a thousand years; and pushing me over with gusts of a million more.

From there, I could finally physically see and feel the solitary realm that I had experienced only in my mind since childbirth. And I was at peace.

So I figured I'd take the time to highlight some of my current faves. I've done it before, but it was mostly shout-outs to my buds (most of whom have long since abandoned their little digital soapboxes). As for this particular blog, I'd say it's a little past its "Appetite" prime and well into the "G n' R Lies" phase, meaning there are a few morsels to hold you over before I launch into the epic underappreciated brilliance of the "Illusions" era. If you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about here...hmm, well?

First off is Medication. It's the best music blog out there; the brainchild of the good ol' Buddyhead dudes. These guys were just a couple of music fans who got fed up with the state of popular music in the late 1990s and started their own electronic cultural revolution of sorts. Uncompromising and both juvenile and intelligent all the way, Buddyead broke new music industry ground and became a pop culture lightning rod. The thing that's different about the Medication blog is that you can download samples of their favourite tunes right off it. Cha-ching!

May favourite blog of the moment - given the time of year - is Kissing Suzy Kolber. It hasn't been around for too long, but this is the kind of outlook on NFL football that I want: strictly from a fan. I'm sick of seeing and reading former pros blab on endlessly about their glory days and how that's somehow relevant to whatever game I'm watching. And the soulless talking heads who have to supervise these morons aren't any more enjoyable. KSK is fresh and pretty freakin' hilarious.

(By the way, speaking of the Super Bowl, when you're right, you're right - just click on the September 2006 archive on the left. Not that I'm gloating or anything. Heheh)

Many of us have friends working abroad in all kinds of capacities. Out of convenience or just sheer laziness they direct us to their "travel blog" while gallavanting across the globe. Which, like most other narcissistic e-shitpiles, revert back to useless details about how much cheaper beer is in X country or how crazy it is that it's summer there, when it's winter back home. But for people who actually put effort into their road blogs, the results can be really enjoyable and may even spark a bit of jealousy, given the enthralling experiences explained within (especially if you're stuck in midst of the Manitoba winter, but I digress). The perfect example is my good buddy Erik's current adventures in Laos. Amazing pictures and accompanying narratives.

But sometimes you don't feel like reading and just wanna check out some gnarly pics (but you can read the captions too, which often take the image just that one extra step further). As for photoblogs, there are just as many (because taking pictures is easier than writing har har har!), but the same rules apply. It's hard to find the good ones. One of the greats belongs to a guy named Sam Javanrouh. The main reason I dig is because the unseen corners of Toronto are his primary subject matter. You'll never honestly look at Toronto the same way after seeing some of his shots. But he captures many other beautiful moments around the world which he shares as well. And to give a shout out - check out my good friend Jess' work. She makes a good deal of her bread shooting weddings, but she shoots and blogs her adventures as well, which make for visually spectacular stories. Plus, you'll notice a new pic of yours truly on the "about" page, courtesy of her.

So that's it for now. Maybe I'll add to this post later once more come to mind. Hope you enjoy some of the ones I've listed. Please recommend more in the "comments" section if you get a chance.

GO COLTS!

EDITED TO ADD:

Wow...I was looking into some other blogs after I wrote this, and followed a link to the 2007 Weblog Awards site. Talk about a gold mine. Dozens of primo blogs in all kinds of categories. Especially hilarious is Overheard in New York.

I will learn "Eruption" on the accordion. Then Weird Al will hire me for some studio sessions.

As the 15-year cycle is complete, the "grunge" look will finally make a comeback. Time to bust out the flannel shirt and start ripping holes in the knees of your jeans.

By June, I will be able to bench press a Toyota Prius.

Mattel and Birdhouse will collaborate to finally release the hoverboard. Michael J. Fox will be pissed.

I will get 3 new tattoos: a hot dog in a cage match with a dancing milk carton; a purple dolphin; and the Chinese symbol for "futility".

In Spring, the Harper minority government will fall. A young, brash, hairy political stalwart from central Ontario named "Logan" will emerge and capture the hearts of Canadians from coast to coast. He will sweep the House of Commons as leader of the No Pants Party.

Through revolutionary investigative journalism tactics, I will expose holes in Prime Minister Logan's campaign promises (namely the definition of "pants"). Lewd photos of him and Sasquatch emerge, forcing him to resign in shame and call a December election.

Global will cancel its hit Manitoba-based drama Falcon Beach in favour of new, innovative programming: Rice Beach, a weekend-long telethon of the exploits of a handful of merry chaps and lasses on a Georgian Bay Beach.

The poker craze will finally fade to pave way for the World Parcheesi Tour.

Sometime this year I will use the word "the" in a story.

I will once again make posts of real substance.

GAME ON!

2006 left us with quite the souvenir. At least a foot of snow piled up over the weekend, making getting around NYE pretty difficult. But it didn't impede the good times! As we continue to dig out of this mess, I wish you and yours a happy and healthy 2007.

Peace and Love,
Waub

Mastodon - Blood Mountain

On paper, it's almost laughable: a prog rock/metal concept album about
climbing a mountain. Sounds like it could be Rush. But unlike Rush,
listening to these guys won't make you want to pour Drano in your ears.
Heavy and fast, but strung along with mind-blowing guitar melodies and
mystic lyrical tales. A conceptually perfect album from probably the only
band that can pull that kind of thing off.

Tool - 10,000 Days

Tool's great cuz, like, they can make you think with your brain AND your
ears! And if you're lucky enough, they're a treat on the eyes too. I flew
back to the shores of Lake Ontario from the Prairies just to see their
show. This new one definitely isn't their best material, and it's probably
the first Tool album that could classify as "same old Tool", but it's
still light years beyond most other music out there.

Eagles of Death Metal - Death by Sexy

Party tunes that get back to the basics of what rock n' roll should be. I
find whenever these guys come on at a party or something, things get a
little livelier. Good times all around. Stripped down and raw, kinda like
an ideal Saturday night!

The Bronx - The Bronx

Proof again that there are still valiant efforts at laying down solid rock
n' roll this day in age. A killer set of tunes from start to finish with
little tastes of metal and hardcore scattered throughout. This album is
just plain kickass. If it doesn't make you want to challenge the mighty
Bison to an armwrestle, you're a lost cause.

The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics

I didn't like this album at first because I thought it was "too trippy"
and "not poppy enough". Then I realized saying that made me old, so I wept
in my pillow that night, mourning a youth long gone. To reconcile that,
the next day I "burned some incense" and gave it another spin. It was GREAT
SUCCESS.

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale

This one came highly recommended and I hadn't listened to a
"Wu-tang"-related album in many years. A little on the dark side both
musically and lyrically. When most popular hip-hop albums these days are
just attempts at singles squeezed together, it's nice to hear something
that has a real consistent flow throughout.

Slayer - Christ Illusion

It's Slayer. Check out "Jihad" if you don't believe.

Joanna Newsom - Ys

I don't know whose stash this chick got into. Pretty bizarre epic ballads
about talking animals and medieval times and mythical lands, played on
medieval instruments like harps and lutes and shit like that. But it's
beautiful music, and each song tells a really cool story that's so well
articulated you can really visualize it. Nothing like I've ever heard
before - it has me constantly scratching my head, but I totally dig it.

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam

From here on out I think these guys are gonna stick to the formula, but
that's cool with me. I quite enjoy their brand of rock music, and they're
one of the only bands from my youth that's still around. Nostalgia aside,
they're still legitimately awesome and consistently put on one of the best
live shows you can see.

The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers

Anyone who's ever been into The White Stripes has always wondered what
they'd sound like as a full band. This album is kinda the answer to that,
but to put it that simply would be doing it a disservice. Yes, it is Jack
White lighting it up with a great band (and more importantly, a drummer
with actual talent), but he's just one element of many that make all these
songs great. Brendan Benson does most of the singing - better than JW in a
lot of cases.

Honourable mentions this year go to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gnarls Barkley, Sonic Youth,
Wolfmother, and The Roots.

Happy Holidays and all the best in 2007.

W.

An addendum to her note touched on my love for music. Other than family, music has been pretty much the only crutch in my life that has never given out. Something to always rely on and confide in. So that got me thinking about some of my favourite love songs. In no particular order, here are the ones that come immediately to mind:

Ween - Stay Forever
The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
Jimi Hendrix - May This Be Love
Mother Love Bone - Crown of Thorns
The White Stripes - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Blur - Tender
The Constantines - Soon Enough
Phish - Waste
Massive Attack - Teardrop
The Smashing Pumpkins - Drown
Pink Floyd - Pigs on the Wing

Wow. I better go listen to some Slayer or something now.

Another great storyteller passes on. He was a hero and a genius and we were all fortunate to have heard his stories. He was one of the great ones who changed journalism, and now it'll never be the same without him. Now he's back on "the other side of the camera" with his good buddy Hunter S. Thompson, no doubt sharing a stiff drink and reminiscing about the old days. Thanks for everything you've taught me, sir!

In terms of comfort, it's a given. Nothing beats it. But there's no broader template for painting the picture that is you. It could be something you picked up at a show. Or a stinging political statement. Even as simple as the trademark of one of your favourite bars. Hell, it could be just a solid sexy black t-shirt. You can say a million things just by choosing which one you want to wear that day.

The first band t-shirt I ever owned was plastered with a cover shot of Def Leppard's Hysteria album. I was only about nine years old when my parents gave it to me, but I loved it so much I wore it right out. I am not ashamed at all admitting Def Leppard was my favourite band at the time. And whenever I wore that shirt, it was a little injection of rock n' roll into my relatively simple rez upbringing. It made me feel really cool.

But my next black t-shirt was a genuine trophy. It was from the first concert I ever went to. When I was in Grade 9, my aunt bought me and my cousin tickets to see The Black Crowes at Varsity Arena in Toronto. It was a night of firsts for me. First time hearing a live rock band. First time experiencing the concert vibe. First time learning what marijuana smelled like. So naturally, I had to by a tour shirt. Again, I wore that one out, and was made fun of for wearing it so much. But for me, it was a trophy. Something I sported proudly, chest puffed up and out, letting everyone know that I was at one of the shows listed on the back.

And shirts like that came and went over the years. As I got older, and more politically involved, some of the black t-shirts I picked up carried bold statements like "Indian Holocaust 1492-?". Slogans I continue believe to the core, but have since succumbed to the fallibility that is "100% cotton". Still, they said more than I could, and I didn't even have to open my mouth.

The last one I bought was from Slayer's summer tour through the Prairies. And it's been a long time since I bought a shirt at a show, and was able to proudly show it off as a quasi-accomplishment. But for now it'll take its place amongst the rest, waiting to be called upon to slide over my skin and show who I am, and what I'm into. And keep me looking somewhat "cool", depending on who you ask.

Toronto is one of them. Established as the mighty Fort York on the shores of windy Lake Ontario, it warded off the onslaught from the south, and carried on as the gathering point that it is today. Winnipeg is another - where a progressive, unified and diverse society was created at the forks of two rivers; borne out of a strong sense of defiance and rebellion.

But today, as both cities have firmly established themselves within the edict of Canadian identity and history, they couldn't be more different. Obviously, size is a huge factor - with the GTA weighing in at around 5 million, and Winnipeg a mere fraction of that at 700,000. There is an intense influx into both cities of newcomers from a variety of circumstances. They are both in a state of constant change. But there is one thing that sets the two apart, and that is identity.

These are the only two Canadian big cities that I've live in. And both have been huge eye-openers. Whereas Torontonians think they are setting the pace for what Canada is, Winnipeg experiences it to a more distinct degree. There is an identity here that Toronto has long lost. One of staying in touch with roots; knowing where the community came from and where it is going. A city that has historically made its mark standing up to what Canada is, and grudgingly becoming a part of it.

With becoming that "one" Canadian urban metropolis, Toronto has lost those original ideals it was based on. Not many people are friendly in the streets anymore. People have forgotten that Toronto means "meeting place", in some dying, distant language. Sure, these are broad, sweeping generalizations, but it's what sets that now-urban sprawl apart from this bastion of community on the Prairies. People here might not necessarily be proud of that, but it's an impenetrable sense of being that I have yet to experience in any other Canadian city.

The winters are cold and windy. Floods devastate the new hopes of the springtime months. And summer brings the unwelcome winged annoyances. But these waters move fast along the Assiniboine and Red rivers. They have no time to sit and bask in their supposed self-righteous might. They flow, and evolve with their ever-changing surroundings. Yet at the same time, a rush of these river waters always seems to cycle back.