Bands that at one time you hated.. but now you LOVE them!

The Weakerthans live in Concert! - festival d'été (Quebec City, Quebec) - July 4, 2008, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

I'm sure *some* of us have had this experience, at one time younger in life when you absolutely HATED a musician for some reason, whether that you thought the lead singer looked like a douche bag, they were too mainstream/hipster/loud/boring for your taste, but then one day you start to actually enjoy the same band you... hated. Has it happened to you?

I know it has happened to me before, the largest case of this was the Winnipeg band The Weakerthans. If you know me, I'm VERY much for supporting the local music scene, I believe the music scene starts at home. However, one band I absolutely *HATED* was The Weakerthans. I think it was because one of their songs contained the lyrics "The Guess Who sucked, and the Jets were lousy anyway." That's probably it, being a huge fan of the Guess Who (huge is probably an understatement), I just had to hate the band. When I read the lyrics of One Great City for the first time around 2003 or so, I thought they were a no-name punk band or something. Nope, around the same time I discovered on the old e-zine of CBC Radio 3 (oh how I miss thee), they were the usual slowish alt rock band.

I refused to listen to their music for the longest time, I never went to any of their concerts, but then.. I realized.. wtf?! This band was from Winnipeg, the song One Great City was moreso an observation (and in some cases.. but not really at all.. a satire) of Winnipeg. When their album Reunion Tour came out, I finally stopped being all snobbish against the Weakerthans and gave them a listen.. fiiiinally!

Well, I fell in love with Reunion Tour, it is ONE of my favourite albums of all time (after The Guess Who's Artificial Paradise and a few others). I love the songs like Virtute the Cat Explains her Departure and Tournament of Hearts.

So I went from a guy who HATED the band alot, to someone who proudly wears his "Weakerthans curling jacket" around town here in Brandon, Manitoba! Ha, imagine that! Sometimes you need to let go of your personal ideals, open your mind and try something new!

Chances are..

Humulus Ludicrous & Burly Wine beers from Half Pints Brewing Company, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

You like shitty beer. Like it or not, you like beer that's aweful, swill that's mass produced by the multinational bajillion dollar corporations.

People need to STOP doing this. Learn to like different beer! The thing is that if it's a brand name beer that's advertised during a hockey game, or during their favourite TV show, it MUST be a good beer, problem is.. most mass marketed beer in North America is putrid.

For example, Bud Light Lime.. the douchebag who came up with this beer MUST be raking in the money now for the simple fact that it was a HUGE success. Take a bottle of crappy light beer that tastes like asshole, and take lime-like chemical, mix the two together and make a beer! Nothings more silly than seeing a plaid wearing douchebag jock drinking a Bud Light Lime.

The problem is society as a whole, especially in most of Canada/North America outside of Quebec. In Quebec.. they take pride in variety, they take pride in FLAVOUR.. but here.. we like the stuff thats the most watered down, least flavour etc etc.. but seriously.. why would you drink something for having "no flavour?". Okay.. go back to drinking vodka and orange juice from now on.

People need to discover new beers, have an open mind, take gentle sips, try stuff like Blanche de Chambly.. NOT Rickards White, have a local microbrew beer (minus Fort Garry/Great Western) and not expect a beer to taste like a pilsener prairie beer.

Please, just stop drinking swill.

If you could see your favourite band...

Stand Tall, Bannatyne, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

If you could see your favourite band lineup and got to set the setlist, what would be the setlist?

The band I would choose would is The Guess Who, back with the lineup circa 2000 to 2003, not the BULLSHIT Guess Who klones with Canadian Idol wannabes with Sass Jordan's husband on vocals. That lineup TARNISHES the name THE GUESS WHO that Bachman and Cummings worked hard on for many years.

Anywho..  Here's my setlist:

1. Shakin All Over - Always a GREAT song to start off a Guess Who concert to.
2. Runnin Back to Saskatoon
3. Bye Bye Babe - While it doesn't have Burton Cummings on vocals, it is one of the GREATEST Guess Who songs of all time!
4. So Long, Bannatyne - This song only got played in concert a few times over the last 35 years since it was released, AMAZING tune
5. Glamour Boy
6. Takin Care of Business
7. Prairie Town - Saw Bachman perform this with Burton Cummings a few years back... really great song live!
8. My Own Way to Rock - I think that the Guess Who concerts need a mixture of Guess Who/Burton/Bachman either way
9. No Sugar Tonight
10. Road Food
11. Stand Tall/Sour Suite/Scared medley with just Burton solo on keys
12. American Woman
13. You Ain't Seen Nothin Yet
14. Roll With the Punches
15. Kurt's Song
16. Hand Me Down World
17. No Time
18. Share the Land
19. Break it to them Gently
20. Star Baby

Rumour has it that BTO will be making a reunion next year as "Bachman Turner United" featuring Randy Bachman backed by his supporting band and with Fred Turner, apparently they're working on an album and the tracks include cameos by Neil Young and the late great Jeff Healey, if THAT doesn't win a Juno, then I think the music industry is crooked ;)

But I think it would be even awesomer if it was "Bachman Turner Cummings", the best of all three worlds, Randy Bachman's guitar work, Fred Turner's gruff vocals, and Burton Cummings mustache!

Bands I NEED to see (again)!

Library Voices at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards, originally uploaded by Cody la bière (shadygrady).

We've all been to concerts where we are so wowed by the musician that we just have to see them again (and again, and again and again!) Or we have times we have desired to see a certain musician, but never gotten to the opportunity to do so. What are some musicians you just NEED to see (again)?

For me, I'll start off with bands I need to see AGAIN!:

• Library Voices - they put on an amazing rocking show here in Brandon, I heard them slightly when I was indoors doing merch one day, missing the whole show, it sounded like people were having fun, but I had to miss them until they played again a few days later.
• The Wheat Pool and Dan Mangan - I saw these acts back to back this weekend, and I was amazed by both shows. The crowds appeared to be having a kick ass time too, they know how to entertain their audience!
• We Are Wolves - I like nice electronicish music sometimes, I knew many of their songs, but never realized how kick ass they were live until I saw them perform a free show in Quebec City.
•  Les Trois Accords - Definitely one of the best party indie rock bands to come from Quebec, great time to dance and get drunk to!
• Volcanoless in Canada - I never really ever heard of them until they played a show in Brandon back in the summer.. all I can describe them as "acoustic rock", more emphasis on the rock than the acoustic, they're that good!
• Burton Cummings/Bachman Cummings Band/The REAL Guess Who - Nuff said

Now for musicians I NEED to finally see, but haven't been able to:

• Mojave - A great acoustic group from Vancouver, I got in touch with them thanks to one of the band members posting on a Flickr page of mine, and sure enough not long after they had a concert in Brandon. I was looking forward to checking dudes out (er I should say dude/dudette), but sometimes life sucks.. the night they were playing Brandon (at one of the creepiest venues in town after City Centre), my girlfriend's parents truck broke down 10 minutes outside town.. just my luck huh? That weekend in general was not great in any way. I hope they come back to Manitoba sooner or later
• Joel Plaskett - While he may be insanely overrated in my opinion, he's still a great musician, I've wanted to see him live for quite a while now
• Matt Mays - I've loved this dude's music since I first heard Cocaine Cowgirl on the radio like what.. 3-4 years ago? I STILL haven't seen him live! I suggested to Sam Roberts a few years back that they need to collaborate on a whole album together someday.. he wasn't against the idea it seemed! That'd be killer!
• Mother Mother - another great Indie act that I hear delivers an amazing show!
• Jean Leloup - one of the biggest musicians in Quebec, he's an amazing song writer and musician. He doesn't usually ever tour west of Quebec.
• Damien Robitaille - My favourite Franco-Ontarien musician, ALL of his songs are catchy, upbeat and make me stop whatever I'm doing each and every time I hear his catchy songs! He's another musician who needs to come west!

Now what about for you?

WCMA weekend was a BLAST!

Dan Mangan and some "roudy guys!", originally uploaded by Cody la bière (shadygrady).

This past weekend the Western Canadian Music Awards took place in my hometown of Brandon, Manitoba. It was an amazing time. Not only did musicians from all over western Canada come to town for the weekend, but industry folk and tourists from elsewhere all came to town JUST for the awards! It was an amazing time. I met one person who was from Germany who came in town for the awards.

One of my highlights of the weekend was seeing Dan Mangan performing his hit "Robots", then calls up a group of guys he referred to as "roudy farmers", but what I didn't realize that these "roudy farmers" were actually the great Edmonton band "The Wheat Pool". You can see a picture of the performance above.

I have never seen a musical weekend like this weekend in Brandon, so many amazing musicians, in such a small period of time. I hope this brings more musicians to town in the future, instead of them just stopping for a pit stop and thats it.