|
|||
| It's 1:25pm EDT. The rain is pouring down. There's thunder and lightning crashing. We are hidden away in Malcolm Burn's studio in upstate NY, about to set sail on mixing this record. The first sounds are exciting. | |||
|
|||
 | We're getting very, very close to being done. So excited for you all to hear what we've been doing. I'm really glad that we've taken our time with this recording. There's so many different layers to each of these songs. I can't wait to get back on the road... | ||
|
|||
 | Our rehearsal spot isn't very well ventilated. i sometmes wonder why I start feeling really strange when we get into hour 3 of our marathon writing sessions, and then I remember that we're underground and it's the lack of oxygen that's making me feel odd. "the shack" as we like to call it, could also double as a really effective bomb shelter. The sessions have been going really well. We all seem to be on the same creative plain at the moment, so things are moving right along. i do miss touring though. hopefully on the next album cycle we'll be able to hit some of the "not so major" markets in the U.S., and not just fly from coast to coast. I'm looking forward to seeing middle america one day. | ||
|
|||
 | First off...sorry for not saying much lately. Secondly, I want to thank all those that braved the elements to check out our set at V-Fest in Vancouver (thunderbird stadium). It was a cold dark evening, the rain and wind was near freezing, and many a youngster had blue lips, but still, young and old a like hung in there to check out our set. Thanks for that. I also very much enjoyed meeting and playing for an all ages crowd. It has been a long time since we have played to an all ages crowd in vancouver, and it really made our day to see and meet a young audience. (sound old don't I...I guess I'm getting that way) So we are back from a tour that saw us really live up to our name. 11 flights later we landed in Victoria on thursday night. Dublin with the Frames was amazing - what a way to play Ireland again, with such a legendary Irish band. Thanks to all those that said hi after the show. London, New York and L.A. all had there moments of amazingness. We are going to decompress for a while - let our ears stop popping and get used to sea level again. Then we are going to start making new music....stay tuned. | ||
|
|||
 | Hockey Night in London. Well we stayed up all night to watch the Stanley Cup last night only see Ottawa lose...bollocks...as the English commentators said, not that Anaheim don't deserve it. So between that and the jet lag we're feeling pretty useless today. Tomorrow we're back into airports to fly to New York. Here's a shot of a pub that the wolf and I discovered in Dublin...apparently it's Ireland's oldest pub...from 1198..whether it is or not, that's incredibly old by our standards...oh yeah and the guiness was good! | ||
|
|||
 | Finally got knee surgery last week on my right knee. Been waiting for a year, nothing major, but still annoying - a damaged miniscus which locked on me more and more frequently. The healing process from the 10 minute surgery is a little disproportionate. Several months will have to pass before I can start jogging, or playing squash again...boo hoo. I am going to have to come up with new creative ways to keep my chesticles from expanding - don't want to have to wear a bro. Any suggestions journal? | ||
|
|||
| phew...a bit of a whirlwind weekend at the Junos. Saskatoon met us with open arms but we're back home now where spring has sprung. We're heading over to Vancouver this weekend to appear in a tv show called Whistler and then coincidentally, later in the week we're bound for the real Whistler for the Ski and Snowboard Festival to play with the great Sam Roberts. Anytime you can absorb the beauty of snow covered mountains and sunshine at the same time is a great time of year. | |||
|
|||
| ah so trying to pack for the next jets mission that departs tomorrow with a lucious destination of austin, tx for sxsw. suddenly realised that it's going to be warm down there. heck it might even be damn hot in texas so shit what am i going to do about these hairy legs of mine. it's an issue i tell ya. i wish i didn't care, but oh when i catch a glimpse of them...i do, i really do. it just looks wrong. time to pour myself a stiff drink and wax off these mofos. see yas. | |||
|
|||
 | 8:11 am logic crawls between the double yellow line while empty cars march by to make work on time and there's a hum from the lost highway where gravediggers play on the blank face of the commuter's day already waiting for a cigarette break because life only pays minimum wage | ||
|
|||
 | 8:39 pm myth is made in universal shade where cracked streets housing cracked dreams block the glare of a neighbour's stare now there's a knock on the front door but i'm busy with chores copping innocent crimes to help pass time so i won't know fear in the morning mirror | ||
|
|||
 | There is something that I've noticed in the past year of touring with Adam that you all should know: He clears his throat A LOT. Like a lot more than the average person... In his defence, he is a singer and maybe its just an old force of habit... Maybe thats why his voice is so beautiful...keeping the old chords clean... Or maybe he eats too much dairy, and it makes him extra phlegmy. I know he does have a soft spot for dairy queen.... Perhaps I'll never know... to be continued... | ||
|
|||
 | Halloween: Anybody notice that halloween is now a four to six day event? I swear every year the parties become more frequent and spread out over multiple days requiring one of two things - a costume that gets very nasty by the fourth consecutive h party attended, or multiple costumes that require more money than I spend on presents at Christmas - which I learned recently is why halloween is a multi-billion dollar holiday in Canada (that's not actually a holiday). We're really into halloween - big time - and I think canadians may be the most ghoul crazy of all. Maybe we should all agree to dress up on a more regular basis - whenever - instead of waiting for this one consumer mad week when we all go crazy for fake beards and get spirit gum stuck in our ears. Don't get me wrong I like dressing up for halloween but by the third or fourth day of sticking black goop on my teeth and swallowing it later in a drunken orgy, my shits are looking black and I'm fed up. Dress up parties should be more common. A costume party in February sounds like a good one to me...poor February, nothing happens in February. Oh, wait Valentine's day....I guess that's for another rant...anyway, let's leave halloween to being halloween - Oct. 31st only. Well, I better go and shave my legs - I have a party to go to. | ||
|
|||
 | I remember fishing most. Fishing in Coles bay with my friend Mike. He was from New York City. That was enough. He had an accent. We met on the beach. He had a dingy full of toys, it even had an outboard prop engine. We took to the seas immediately, rods in hand, but not out past the point where his aunt couldn't see us anymore - at least not that year. He came back every summer and that's what we did - we went fishing. Now I'm 28 and I don't fish anymore. I play guitar and try to earn a living singing with a guitar. My friends call me Ramtard. My girlfiend says "there's too much frew-frew out here" a lot. I am still not so sure I know what it means. Well, I know what it means superficially; it means there is too much clutter, but I don't know that I know what it means that she says it to me. Does she expect me to clean up the frew-frew? Probably.... | ||
|
|||
 | Tuesday night in the former East Berlin we stumbled upon a tiny restaurant at 11pm with a mysterious air that was one part bohemian and one part communist idealism. With no menu in sight and a hostess who didn't speak english, a gentleman seated at the bar ventured forth to explain the system. The restaurant was part of a new breed opening in Berlin, where you pay only one Euro upon entry, and then after the meal is complete you pay "whatever you feel the meal was worth"...by donation in a pot. A three course meal including wine was the standard fare. Intrigued, we sat down and began soaking in the culture, when the helpful gentleman joined us at our table. His named was Karl, and he waxed philosophical for the next two hours on everthing from German politics to education, as our courses began to arrive. The Beatles found the Maharishi in India. Jets Overhead found Karl in East Berlin. Doesn't every rock band need a guru? | ||
|
|||
| Syd Barrett died today. I hope wherever he is now, he has some peace of mind. Rest In Peace Brother. | |||
|
|||
 | faced with the last show of the fantabulous OLP tour, adam executed an act in the name of all that is innocent and pure in the world. sporting nothing more than a haphazardly placed cluster of leaves from the fake plant in our dressing room, he took to the stage at the scotia bank place in ottawa and blessed OLP's finale with his graceful, prancing nudity and his superb tambourine playing. so pure. | ||
|
|||
 | Driving home from Canadian OLP tour May 2006..... Somewhere between Ignace and Kenora I started noticing fellow citizens of planet earth floating overhead in a mass of metal. They were headed west for where the sun drowns in the sea and so were we. It reminded me of Antonia's fear of flying - she sat beside me piloting a considerably smaller mass of metal and i thought; funny she should hate flying so much (and I quote -- "I'd rather die than fly") and be in a band called Jets Overhead. I guess that is b/c that's exactly where she wants to keep them. | ||
|
|||
 | Well it wasn't the Rolling Stones at Altamont in '69, but the show last night in Strathroy, ON was closely patrolled by the local authorities. I wish I could say that our rowdy set drove them into a booze-fueled frenzy, but I think we could have been playing Brazilian flute music and the beer consumption would have been the same regardless. These locals were there to party. We were there to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl. | ||
|
|||
 | Salut tout le monde... here we find ourselves in Quebec City tonight for a show at the Theatre Capitol. It's beautiful here! This is our second time playing here this tour and we are looking forward to a another great time tonight. As much as we are excited about heading back to our hometown we're starting to feel a bit sad as this is our second to last show with OLP and NWL. We've had a lot of fun with everybody involved including all the people we met along the way who came out to the shows - thanks for treating us so well! Here's a pic of Adam and I jamming with Joel from OLP at the Seahorse in Halifax...what a gong show! | ||
|
|||
| I wish I didn't have to wash my hair....greasy looks better and on tour you're less likely to find a decent shower to use. But, the scalp gets itchy and the flies come round, so I douse and wash and wait for the frizzy to get greasy once again. It's a vicious cycle. And my shampoo is for itchy scalp- it's from Lush and lasts forever, but it makes my hair smell like camp fire which is debatable on the good smell/ bad smell front; I personally like the smell of my clothes and hair after a night at the beach by the fire singing songs but others i know (Antonia included) dis the rugged scent......whatever.
| |||
|
|||
 | Evan (our faithful roadie) developed his unique rapport with Adam well before this tour started...through the legendary Madonna aerobics dance party that took place at an undisclosed location in Victoria during December 2005. | ||
|
|||
 | I narrowly escaped having to drive from Saskatoon to Toronto during the past few days, but unfortunately my bandmates did not share the same fate. We are reunited here in London, ON and they look a little worse for ware, but still breathing. This is a big country of ours. The highlight for me so far on this current tour was playing Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton last week (now called Rexall Place unfortunately), the night after the Oilers won their first round playoff series. Looking out from the stage during our set I could see all the Oilers' Stanley Cup penants hanging from the rafters, and it was a pretty humbling moment to consider the greatness that has been housed by that building...I think I might have missed a couple chords as a result. Jocelyn even got a tour of the Oilers' dressing room which I unfortunately missed, and had to observe some very special protocol and superstition in terms of where she was allowed to walk. Personally I was a Canadiens fan growing up (born in Montreal, used to walk with my dad to the Forum for games during LaFleur's heyday) but it was still amazing to be in the presence of the ghosts of Oilers teams of past. Speaking of which, we head to Montreal on Tuesday... Oh yea, and this picture has nothing to do with anything. But yes, it is me sneaking on the set of the Price is Right in Hollywood. | ||
|
|||
| I am now sitting in the doldrums of Rexall place in Edmonton, our sixth tour stop. Apart from some hectic soundchecks, and some sound issues, things have been going well. The other 3 bands (Our Lady Peace, Neverending White Lights, and Pedestrian) are really really, nice accomodating people, and amazing musicians. We are really lucky to have this kind of talent surrounding us on a daily basis. Bear, my roommate and our tour manager, has been snoring pretty consistently. i still love him though. We met a couple of the guys from Death cab for Cutie at one of our vancouver shows. they were also really really nice guys. Jeremy Taggart from OLP is also the funniest guy I've ever met. I actually had to leave the area we were standing in last night because i was laughing too hard. Things are well.... And I'll see you all in 3 weeks. | |||
|
|||
 | Pretty gnarly picture huh? I was in L.A. a couple of weeks ago, and decided to do some shopping on Melrose one day. My friend Blaine dropped me off at around 10:30 (being the eager beaver that I am). I had about a half hour to kill before the shops started opening, so I did some window shopping for a little while. So many amazing stores...Needless to say, it whipped me into a shopping frenzy! So by the time the stores opened... I was ravenous for clothing... like a young lion looking for gazelle in the african savannah. At one particular crosswalk, I wasn't watching my footing, and caught my right foot on a bit of the uneven hollywood sidewalk. the result was a flying mass of hair and denim about 5 feet off the ground. the landing though... let me tell you... was not pretty. I was so embarrassed, I lept up to my feet and took off up a side street to analyze what the hell had just happened. Luckily the stores were just opening, and there wasn't a lot of people out yet. I was still pretty embarrassed though. Upon examining my hand, I realized I had lost a lot of flesh off of my right hand.. and my left hip was killing me. There was blood everywhere. I immediately found an internet cafe where 2 nice fellows hooked me up with some peroxide, which I promptly went into the bathroom and doused my hand with. I tried to go in a few other stores, but I felt the employees eyes burning my hand further with their looks of discontent, not wanting me to soil their amazing and chic vintage clothing. I decided to cut my losses and walk back to where I was staying... just off of fairfax. I did however stop in at Canter's (best jewish deli ever) on the way back, and had the most amazing pastrami sandwich I've ever had, and got to eavesdrop on some pretty funny conversations these old jewish people were having. God I love that city. THE END | ||
|
|||
 | 6 pieces of salmon nigiri please. | ||
|
|||
 | Not sure when, where or why but here's me with my autographed picture of Steve Martin...it says "Best Fishes". Sadly it's not authentic but I'm reminded that it came in the jacket of one of my favorite pieces of vinyl, Comedy Is Not Pretty...I also highly recommend Woody Allen, Stand Up Comic (his only live recording) and Lenny Bruce at Carnegie Hall is a must. Heavy, edgy, funny, true, thirty years ahead of his time. So there you have it, my top three comedy albums and a quick shout to our friend Will Bancroft who hosts The Bottom Line on WTSR radio in New Jersey. Give it a listen if you're nearby. | ||
|
|||
 | So I think I've finally managed to quit smoking. I'm on day 6. Cold Turkey. So hard. I was also looking at my phone book the other day, and it left me wondering where all my friends are. Strange how that happens. Think I'm gonna pack my bags and head to the country for a few days. Luke P.S. The Dandy's show was awesome. They're a very nice group of people, and were a pleasure to play with. | ||
|
|||
 | So we're opening for the Dandy Warhols on tuesday. I'm quite nervous because they are one of my favourite bands off all time. I absolutely adore them. If any of you (like my bandmates who keep saying they will, but don't) haven't seen "Dig!", the documentary about the Dandies, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, You should go rent it. Like now. One of the best cinematic experiences I've had in my whole life. It's bloody cold outside. | ||
|
|||
 | i can't stop listening to "espace musique", the french music station for cbc radio. 88.9fm. very soothing. can't understand very much of what the hosts are saying...maybe that's the soothing part? though, it's kind of frustrating when they play some decadently obscure peice of afro-cuban downtempo electro-blues funk and then you have no idea what the hell it was cause they're telling you in french. i should be able to understand french so it's my fault i guess. | ||
|
|||
| Walking in London, listening to Desolation Row with headphones, from Highway 61...Dylan:
Now at midnight all the agents And the superhuman crew Come out and round up everyone That knows more than they do Then they bring them to the factory Where the heart-attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders And then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles By insurance men who go Check to see that nobody is escaping To Desolation Row Praise be to Nero's Neptune The Titanic sails at dawn And everybody's shouting "Which Side Are You On?" And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot Fighting in the captain's tower While calypso singers laugh at them And fishermen hold flowers Between the windows of the sea Where lovely mermaids flow And nobody has to think too much About Desolation Row | |||
|
|||
 | Read an article in the Globe today about food and its narcotic effect for overweight people. Actually, the article wasn't that pc; they just used the term "fat people". Essentially, puting food in your mouth can provide a similiar chemical reaction in the brain to that of putting meth in your lungs. No wonder I can't stop eating pumpkin pie! It's pumpkin pie for breakfast these days. The question I have is; are you considered an addict only when you are "fat" or am I already a raving food-aholic? | ||
|
|||
 | Yes Adam, that is a mustache! thanks for asking. That was at my friend Marty's wedding. My plan was to impersonate Steve Buscemi's character in "the wedding singer" as best as I could. I think I did a pretty good job. Attached is a picture of me after I caught the garter thingy, and put it around my head | ||
|
|||
 | Luke; I was baked. Sweet suit dude, and is that a moustache? Here's a shot of me and my brother-in-law -- the Loaf -- out for his stag party....Team Loaf!.....don't ask. | ||
|
|||
 | Adam; That was beautiful on so many levels. So before we left for tour, I had made a prediction that our tour manager Joel would be a snorer (He's quite nasal you know) and I was right. I still really liked roooming with him. I have a tactic for snorers though.. either a loud clap, or a sharp "yip!". The person will wake up perplexed, and I pretend I'm sleeping. He/she doesn't know what the hell is going on, or who to blame. | ||
|
|||
| Feels like summer again....the uncertainty is a credit to my own current ambiguity. We are so like the seasons changing. | |||
|
|||
 | Feels like winter today. My feet are cold, hands look purple. Time for change. And a time change. | ||
|
|||
 | Nothing much to report but I'd like to present my new head shot. | ||
|
|||
 | An ode: To the cab driver who rooked us to take us to civilization - As much as I like to promote acts of kindness, hey who can blame you, when opportunity knocks... To the tow-truck driver - um I think there's some parts missing To the cows on Highway 5 - Adam didn't really mean what he said To the impatient crowd at SAIT - my immediate reaction to your pre-show heckles is not a good one...but thanks anyway, you spurred us on to rock harder than ever. To anyone remotely involved with the Ford Corporation - did we mention how much we love the Lincoln Navigator? To those of you we haven't met yet - we're doing our best to see you soon. | ||
|
|||
 | Further to the van breakdown story: What are the chances that six days after we left the broken down beast in Kamloops we should arrive at the ferry terminal in our rental vehicle only to see the van pull up beside us on the flat bed of a truck to catch the 7 pm ferry back to Victoria with us. Ironic no? | ||
|
|||
 | We're back from the crazy cliche tour. Losing money on tour is something we are good at. Particularily this past one. Why? The van broke down. Getting it towed back to Victoria from Kamloops cost a pretty penny. But we balled the jack hard from Kamloops to Calgary in a Lincoln Navigator at an average speed of 130 km/h and we made the second show in Calgary with OLP 45 minutes before show time. Luckily those guys are very cool and let us use their drums and bass rig so we didn't have to do too much setting up without a soundcheck. That's Rock 'n roll....cheers. | ||
|
|||
 | It's been almost a year since we performed live. That's not to say some of us haven't been performing live in other ways, but the fact remains, we are overdue for a Jets Overhead rock show baby! And their will be many to come; the new material + the old will make for a good long set of rockers and ballads (I hate the term ballad but I can't think of a better one right now). Although we may be rusty I promise the shows will deliver the goods once we get going. The new record will be available for sale at shows and through this site for now. Distribution elsewhere will happen eventually -- for now we will get the new music out there via rockin it out at shows. | ||
|
|||
 | I'm just sitting in the studio right now, and I'm super bored. I finished doing percussion a couple days ago, so I haven't really been doing anything. Bored in Vancouver... who knew? So I 've been into top 10 lists lately so I'm gonna give you my top 20 drummers of all time: 1. Ringo Starr 2. Keith Moon 3. John Bonham 4. Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix) 5. Gene Krupa (Benny Goodman etc) 6.Dave Grohl 7.Jimmy Chamberlain (Smashing Pumpkins etc.) 8.Kenny Jones (Small Faces, The Who) 9.Ginger Baker (Cream etc) 10.Peter Salisbury (The Verve) 11.Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) 12. Ken Coomer (Wilco etc.) 13. Andrew Scott (Sloan) 14.Larry Mullen jr. (U2) 15.Bill Ward (Black Sabbath) 16.Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones) 17. Pat Steward (Bryan Adams, The Odds etc) 18. Phil Rudd (AC/DC) 19.Bev Bevan (ELO) 20.Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam) | ||
|
|||
 | Hi there, Hope everyone is well. It's been a long time since any of us have written any entries. The cold winter weather has turned me into a recluse, Which probably means I should've posted more entries. But oh well. I've been lazy. So Lots is new with us. Working on the new album with Neil Osbourne(54-40) is a real treat. A class act, he is. Since I haven't really posted anything here since last year, I'm going to leave you with my top 5 albums of 2004: 1.Division of Laura Lee- Das not compute 2.The Secret Machines- Now Here is Nowhere 3.Zero 7- When it falls 4.The Shins- Chutes to Narrow 5.The Beta Band- From Heroes to Zeroes | ||