Crazy Brah Scheme 2010
March 15, 2010

I'm not going to say it's our only crazy scheme for 2010, simply the most recent.



Bloody Powers here, and I have an interesting story for you (I hope you agree). Once upon a time I was outed for being a golf enthusiast. That's right, not only can I occasionally be caught watching it on tv, I also love to play the game, and I'm pretty good at it. When it came out one summer day in Kentucky in the presence of Jagjaguwar's head honcho, who had brought his clubs in the hopes of playing a round, I may or may not have challenged him to a game (I did). I had my reasons, he vaguely accepted, and almost 2 years later we're coming up on an event that reminded us here at Brah of this challenge. But I'll get to that.



(I should probably be more embarrassed to admit this but) I grew up playing golf. I ducked out of junior high on Wednesday mornings to meet my gram at the course down the street. I met up to play with my dad's league of middle aged, blue collar dudes Tuesday evenings... until they asked me to stop coming for the sake of their egos. It can't be much fun to get beat by a 13 year old skirt who isn't wearing shoes (like the great Sam Snead) so I still don't hold it against them. I played on the boys' team in high school because there wasn't a girls' team (freshman and a girl? first few practices were the opposite a picnic.) I got up at 6am in the summer to play in a junior league with my cousins and brother (bro remains a ringer). I worked weekends and summers at golf courses near where my parents live for years after I moved to the city primarily for the free greens fees (and seasonal employment, best!). Inevitably a few weekend warrior/suckers would arrive (I can spot them at 20 paces, not unlike how I can also spot likely serial killers at the same distance, but that's another post) and I would join their two- or threesomes and unapologetically shark them out of money to fund my sordid art projects. Then years went by and I didn't really play at all... until I joined Dirty Faces. Wouldn't you know... there's not only another woman in the band but she plays golf, she's great at it, and she's pictured above. Playing golf, for me, is like riding a bike (except that I learned to ride a bike when I was 29 instead of earlier like normal children). I only need a few swings to get back in the swing (sorry, so lame, I'm writing about my love of golf for god's sake.)



To get back to my original story, and the point of this post, I sort of challenged the Jagjag C.E.O. to a golf duel in the name of Dirty Faces...and Dirty Faces' next record Underground Economy is aaaaalmost finished... and KM and I thought it might be fun to drum up (so lame, deal with it) any of our musician-brahs out there who may also be fans of the sport to listen to our crazy scheme and let us convince you to participate in it. Seriously, email me, don't be afraid, we'll give you code names or something if necessary. I know you're out there and I'll keep repeating this, sort of like how I keep reminding you about Sightings' City of Straw out next month, I promise I won't it drop so you might as well save me the trouble. Cheers!

xo

Brahject 5: Noveller + UPDATES
March 12, 2010



So many Brahjects!! In fact I'm using my own numbering system because I can't keep up. Today's featured artist, Noveller, is a Brooklyn sound artist who recently stopped by the Ocropolis to make some noise. All photos taken by man-of-many-talents Zach Lehroff. She's on tour now, check the link for dates near you!





I interrupt these sweet Noveller photos to bring you some breaking news. PEOPLE OF THE NORTH are releasing an album in April. If you were lucky you saw them with The Sadies last month at the Mercury Lounge (I didn't). If you were even luckier you saw them a few years ago in Pgh at the infamous super-dive Gooski's and your mind was irreparably blown (I did/it was). This news pleases me greatly and it should you as well. Details will follow, I promise.



Oh that's not all, dear friends. The hard-working men of Oneida cannot be contained, and this weekend our fearless blog-leader Kid Millions debuts his solo project, Man Forever. The record will be out in the next few months on St. Ives and as I've stated before, being a Brah! VIP has MANY perks but I think my favorite is getting advance notice on the jams. I've heard it, I dig it, and you should go to the Ocropolis Saturday to support it. I'd be standing next to you if geography weren't an issue... weren't we supposed to have hoverboards by now? Teleportation? wtf, science? It's 2010.



(Ssshhh, I'll let you in on a secret... Man Forever recorded an album with my band in Pgh a few years ago. We understand he's a busy guy but if he doesn't come back and finish it at least 2 of us with the initials JC and JP are going to be MAD. No pressure though, Brah.)



And as previously stated, the time for the new Sightings record, City of Straw, draws ever closer. April 13th to be exact. That is exactly one month from tomorrow. Did I mention that I'm still kind of hungover and struggling to be clever (or as clever as I am, ever. wow, sick rhyme!)

People everywhere are doing all kinds of amazing things: buy their music, see their films, attend their functions, think about what they're saying... it is possible that you'll learn something! I certainly have. Most of it is useful.

xo

The Brah Degree in Engineering - Professor Lee
March 8, 2010



Please refrain from throwing chalk at the doctor.

The Constantines Win the Olympics - Round 2
March 5, 2010

The Duge is back with Part II of his observational tale of Olympic outrageousness. How's that for some alliteration? Oh, and the Sightings cds and vinyl have arrived, and they look AMAZING!! I mean, I haven't actually seen them, but my sources are trustworthy, I promise. Yeah, I am def not in top blog form right now, I kind of like red wine but it is sort of unkind to me at times soooo I am going to step aside and let The Duge take it away!! (And as with Round 1: photos by Dallas Wehrle)

Monday, February 22


We get up at 8:00 am to catch a Greyhound Bus to Whistler. We have an afternoon set with openers Hey Rosetta and the Wasabi Collective. Anyone performing anything in Whistler that day is on that bus. We find ourselves surrounded by jugglers, unicyclists, and the guys from Hey Rosetta, a good band group of brahs from Newfoundland. We arrive to our green room in the hotel behind the town square and chill out to watch Kevin Martin take on USA. All is well until the Wasabi Collective loudly arrive and start blowing up dozens of beachballs on which they had markered their myspace address and website URL. Beachballs and URLs do not mix. It's too early for this shit. It's also too early to hear them give hired dancers instructions like "Wait until after my bongo solo at the end of the reggae medley". Not too early to early to see them perform a Can-Con medley consisting of Men Without Hat's "Safety Dance", Snow's "Informer", Barenaked Ladies' "Brian Wilson", with a touch of Rush's "Spirit Of Radio". Epic.

While this mix is going on, Bry and Chris make a mix of their own backstage: the "Fuck You Old Man". How to make a Fuck You Old Man:
1 part white wine
1 part ginger ale
1 mashed pear
1 wedge of lemon
Sprinkle with hot chocolate powder mix.
[Editor's Note: I would drink this.]


Meanwhile, Dallas took to a relaxing gondola ride up the Rocky Mountains of Whistler.

The coffee-shop and ski-shop owners surrounding the square are not liking the volume of our set, but Paul Manley is having none of it. It was a smaller but no less appreciative crowd. Lots of curious onlookers with strollers towards the back of the crowd. After our set, we jet off to the Jamaica House to try to meet the Jamaican Bob-sled team of "Cool Runnings" fame. No dice. Meanwhile, Bry gives an interview live on-air for Muchmusic from a hot-tub, and Chris Slorach scams us six tickets to go see Devo before a crowd of 6,000 after some skiing medals are handed out.

Dallas and I visit the Russia house beforehand. Revelation one: while the Team Russia Merchandise is made in Canada, the Team Canada merchandise is lamely made in Vietnam. Revelation two: while it was no secret that Russian men love techno, the fact that they also dig Ugg's was illluminating.



Devo crushes it and are perfect for the occasion. Thousands of navy-blue power domes are handed out, but only Paul manages to get one. We are annoyed at the people hoarding three or four to themselves, especially when they leave immediately after "Whip It" about five songs in. They end the set with an appearance by Booji Boy, and we jet back to catch our Greyhound back to Vancouver.



Tuesday, February 23
Last day of my Olympic experience. Vancouver weather finally catches up with us, and it is cold, grey, and raining. We have downtown to Van City Live, a massive stage which shows hockey games when not showing rock music. We meet up with our good friends Wintersleep who are headlining the show. The production team lets us use their trailer so we can watch the Canadian men take on Germany in the quarter-final of the hockey tournament. The Canadian men defeat them 8-2, that sees Eric Staal paired with Jarome Iginla and Sid the Kid for the first time. The line works.



We take the stage after the mayor of Vancouver jams with the forgettable opening act convinced all is right in the world. An excessively noisy crowd (again buoyed by a victory) meets our excessive need for more smoke-machines and I take full advantage of the gong VANOC has provided us (the only time anyone took our stage input list seriously). Wintersleep kills it, and thousands sing along to their hit Weighty Ghost", before we gun it to Gastown and meet up with them in a bar there for our last night in town. Thanks, brahs. And thanks Brah!



Despite the statement that accompanied these photos, ("they seemed fitting for team usa after the gold medal game"), I dig the scarf and wanted to give Vancouver arts collective Norma a shoutout. Nice work! Also deserving of a shoutout, my wicked photoshop skills, only took me about an hour to put those 2 photos together. Big thanks again to The Duge for taking Brah with him to the Olympics!!!

xo

The Constantines Win the Olympics - Round 1
March 3, 2010

Brah! Records is everywhere. Whether you are touring around South America, hanging at a train station in Prague, digging in the bins for the new Sightings record City of Straw (you're not finding it cause it's not out til April 13th!), or lying on your couch in your city on your continent, we will find you (if we feel like it). Our resources run deep and our army is many, so it should be no surprise that we had some of our own reporting from the 2010 Winter Games. Big thanks to The Duge and his A+ reporting skillz, take it away, Brah! (Photos by Dallas Wehrle)



First of all, I would like to thank all the Brah's and Sah's from Brah Records for allowing me to be their Official Olympic Correspondent at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Who says record royalties are a thing of the past? And who says they can't be spent on excess in these days of iTunes frugality? Never let it be said that Rated O can't get you some wicked champagne. It was a hell of a trip.

Thursday, February 18


Dallas Wehrle, Chris Slorach, and I land at Vancouver Airport and are met by a proud lady holding an "Infinite Sound Design". Sweet our ride is here: straight to Vancouver's new Sky Train. Hmmmm, not the excess I was expecting, Brah Records. After two stops we get off and get into our ride to our hotel in North Vancouver: A Hummer Limo. This is more like it, Brah. We kick back in our glorified Motel 6 with pizza, trees blossoming outdoors, and watch the Canadian men's hockey team scrounge out a 3-2 win over the Swiss in a shoot-out. Not bad, but not impressive.



We head to the main strip, Granville Street, to hit up Commodore Bowling. Last time I was in Vancouver (May), Granville was ripped up to be repaved for the Olympics. Now it is closed off for pedestrians only. Fat, drunk, goateed guys in Team Canada jerseys have never stumbled on smoother asphalt.

Friday, February 19

We are arrive at the Ontario Pavillion as the Canadian Women's Curling Team (lead by Cheryl Bernard) takes on the Cute-As-Fuck kilted Danish Women's Team. The game is on giant screens all over the pavillion. The opening act a few hours before we got there was some guy named Wayne Gretzky talking about Ontario wines. Boring!

Already each pavillion is garnering a specific reputation. The Quebec house for its extravagantly priced $10 beers, the Russia house for blasting techno, the Saskatchewan house for hiring guitar shredders, the Irish house for rampant drunkeness and fighting (no lie!), and the German house for rampant drunkeness and Maxim girls.

In the Ontario pavillion, a group called Interaxon has set-up a live shot of the CN tower behind the stage. Then, users sit in a chair wearing a head-set. The head-set converts brainwaves into digitial signals which are then beamed to the CN tower and affect the light display on the CN tower. Pretty cool!



Rock bands and stage-hands are less technically adept. We still have technical difficulties. Already irate at having to take the stage before seeing the end of the women's game, I relax when I see there is no power to the front of the stage. I relax behind my kit and watch Cheryl Bernard land a perfect draw to defeat the Danish 5-4 in the 11th end while stage-hands desperately try to restore power. A victorious roar erupts from the crowd just as power is restored and I count the four to start the set. The crowd is loud and enthusiastic, no doubt bouyed by Bernard's extra-end victory.

Our set is projected on a 50-foot outdoor screen as a sort of pay-per-view for thos who could not get in. Pretty cool. Pretty excessive.

Saturday, February 20


Day off. Loaf around.
Get a ride back to the Ontario Pavillion with Broken Social Scene and watch Kevin Martin defeat Great Britain 7-6 in a thrilling curling match. Broken Social Scene plays a tight and fun set. Old friend Julie Doiron plays a song with them, and they cover one of hers. While I question ending the set with a spontaneous accapella version of "I Still Haven't Found What I am Looking For", the crowd seems to love it. I round up Julie and we are off to the 30th birthday celebrations of our good brah, Ladyhawk's Darcy Hancock. Surrounded by good friends from Ladyhawk, Black Mountain, cake, and home-brew, all is right with the world.

Sunday, February 21

Today starts hurting (see previous entry) and ends hurting.

My good friend Adrian picks myself, Chris, Steve Lambke, and ruling American soundman Paul Manley. We head to the Pemberton Pub, on a reservation in North Vancouver. My good buddy Adrian plays on the Senior A Men's Lacrosse team, and I am thrilled at the prospect of watching the USA-Canada men's hockey game with my friend Adrian, and naively thrilled at the Authenticity of watching the game on a reservation with Native American Lacrosse players. I am not prepared for what happens next.


[Editor's Note: I can't believe this is real]

During Second intermission, with Canada down one, the TV flips to Ice Dancing, just as the Russian couple hits the ice in Australian Aboriginal garb so garish and cartoon-like that Disney would not even dare. There is a moment of tense silence, but when my new Native American friends Karl and Lisa erupt with table-slapping howls of laughter, the mirth is more infectious than H1N1.

Canada outshoots USA by an almost 2-1 margin, but Miller shines in net and Brodeur, the greatest goalie of his generation, has an unbelievably shaky game. USA gets a bye into the second round. Trying to find the silver-lining in this fiasco, I comment that this will just give Canada another game to fine-tune their lines and get their chemistry right. (update: it worked!)

Stay tuned for Round 2 tomorrow!!