daniel_v

SPOLIERS AHEAD From what I've read online audiences have generally been divided. Personally, while there were some parts I didn't like (especially the Poe/Rose storyline and Fisher's Marry Poppin's space adventure, lol), what actually sold the movie for me, despite all the controversy, was the Mark Hamil/Luke story line. For my part, I appreciate movies that have characters who are realistic and while I understand a lot of people's anger towards Luke's development, I think those people had/have a fantasized version of who he was based on nostalgia and selective memory. Making him a flawed character was not, imo, out of line with his original character in the trilogy because he was never perfect to begin with. Yes, he achieved an amazing feat by turning Darth back towards the light, but even during his training on Dagobah Yoda discussed how he thought Luke was too undisciplined and unfit to become a jedi. Yes, he was full of optimism and brightness, but really, who isn't idealistic and hopeful when that young? It's not at all unrealistic for people to become jaded and disillusioned as a result of accidents and failures that occur in their lives as they grow older (especially given what Luke accidentally helped give rise to while trying to train Kylo and his other apprentices). By portraying this for a character as iconic as Luke, Johnson managed to make him more human/3 dimensional which made his redemption at the end that much more powerful, not to mention while focusing on a great theme that talks about how failure is the best teacher anyone can ever have. Lastly, that fight scene at the end between Luke and Kylo with the twist....one of the coolest things I have ever seen, lol. The way they had him move and not make a single offensive swing (intentionally, of course to make the twist that much better) was just great. Over all the fact that Hamil had disagreements with his character and yet still managed to do such an amazing acting job made it all the better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbHUJEH-ERI I also appreciated the Rey and Kylo story line. Despite Snoke's death being a little unsurprising as it got closer to the moment, the chemistry between them and the acting they did in their scenes together was great (not to mention Driver was fantastic in pretty much the entire movie).

Well, yeah the first half might have made me think they were going to release it eventually, but then the second half made me think he meant they're thinking of getting rid of it (especially given the point Adam_777 made about storage space costing money). Then again though, they own the entire building so it's not like getting rid of any of it would save them money unless they planned to rent/lease the space to another business... One way or another though I would assume the longer it sits though I would imagine the more the quality will degrade so either way the more they're pushed to release sooner the better in my opinion. Well that's an idea at the very least. Nothing wrong with a model that's already been tried. Thanks for sharing that Girl :) How exactly does one undertake the process of digitizing from VHS anyways and what costs would be associated? I think the crowd funding idea is the most logical and straightforward way provided you could actually get a hold of someone at Bell to liaison with on the issue.

Shit.... Ed the Sock sent this message back to me. Sounds kind of ominous.

I really enjoyed it and need to get myself a physical copy. There's honestly not a single song I dislike on there (though I suppose that's not hard to pull off when there are only 4 songs, lol). Drop Me in the Water is definitely a fav. It's not a reinvention of themselves, but it's just straight up raw and soulful (sort of like Curve, but almost better). Also happy to hear how good Jason sounds on the drums. While no one obviously would have wanted Jeremy to leave, I'm glad that if anyone was going to replace him it ended up being Jason. He's got a unique sound I can't quite describe but it's very unconventional and I like that. Actually reminds me of Jeremy a bit. Oh, and the outro on it was a wicked closer. It has sort of a "Mars Volta/RATM/OLP" feel to it. The double lead, the drums and the bass are all nice and dirty. Hiding Place for Hearts was a pretty different kind of song for them and I liked that they tried something different. Great lyrics/vocals and great instrumentation choices that gave the song a really intimate, important and intense vibe to it. And, like you, I really liked Nice to Meet You. Catchy, simple, loved the falsetto, and has a some great vocal delivery by Raine during the verses. Can listen to that one on repeat for quite some time. Lastly, while I don't think it's bad song by any means, Falling into Place is probably my least favorite, though it has definitely grown on me.

Yeah, the 96 performance would be incredible to see given how early in their career they were (not to mention they play an unreleased song from LOTGA), and apparently, according to the clip from the above interview, they also did a performance in 98 there too just after Underdogs was released. It would be pretty cool to get to see OLP do one of their first live televised performances too. And thanks for taking the time to send off the e-mail, btw. If you get anything back other than the automated reply definitely let me know. I just got this as an automated response: "Thanks for contacting Much. If you have a general question, please check out our FAQ page here: http://www.much.ca/aboutus To find out when your favourite show is airing, click here: http://www.much.com/schedule/ We always appreciate your comments, suggestions and concerns. We’ll try our best to respond, but aren’t able to get back to everyone. Please be assured that your feedback will be shared with our team. Follow Much on Twitter: @Much https://twitter.com/much" I also made some calls to the 299 Queen St West building (formally the Chum Hum Much Music Music Headquarters) and even a Bell Media building in Vancouver to try and get some other contact numbers when there was no answer at the 299 building. Unfortunately the alternate contact numbers I got were both out of service. Would anyone who is going to the VIP parts of the tour maybe be willing to ask Matt or Raine if they know of anyone who might be good to talk to from there? I've already contacted Ed the Sock on Facebook too. No idea if he'll get back to me but we have talked in the past after I donated to his channel last year.

Just recently saw this interview of Matt and Raine where they got to tour the archives of the old Much Music headquarters and watch some of their old performances. Then I got jealous and got thinking about how those greedy bastards (Bell Media, not Matt and Raine, obviously) have been hoarding those things for decades. I've contacted them in the past but I believe that was before Youtube even existed (or at least before it really took off). As such I took the liberty of sending questions again about them on Twitter( https://twitter.com/Much) and through e-mail at "[email protected]" I have no idea who owns the rights to those performances (probably Bell though since they bought Much Music to my understanding) or what hoops would have to be jumped through to get the videos released, but I figured it can't hurt to have extra people looking into it so I thought I'd make this thread up in case anyone wanted to help out. So yeah, if you do make any inquires and get any answers back, please feel free to share them here. Thanks, folks.

Lol, fair enough. Each to their own. My go to radio friendly album from them has always been Gravity. So many guilty pleasures on that one, haha. Anyways, I saw u made an OLP thread in the other music board here so, in the interest of not getting too off topic on the MG board, I'll go write some more stuff there. This is probably the best one I've heard from them. I like how they talked about all the similarities they have and that Brandi actually asked about their feud back in the early 2000s (even more so that Matt actually answered it and was mature enough to take ownership of it by saying that that was on him). All the other interviews I've heard the hosts have shied away from touching on that subject.

Everybody has different opinions and interpretations of bands and their music, so my advice to you is to just check out everything since SM and make up your own mind. Just because some people here have a negative opinion doesn't make them accurate. It's just their opinion- no more and no less. Personally, for me, they've been hit and miss since SM. Some of their stuff is fantastic and some of it definitely is not. Gravity was certainly more radio friendly and simple (though even within that there were a couple beautiful songs- Not Enough being a good example of one), whereas HIPT was a mix of both corporate and artistic songs (like somebody else mentioned, Al Genina and Where Are You are wicked songs). Then came Burn Burn which was, imo, (save for Monkey Brains and the drumming Jeremy did throughout the album) the most mediocre, bland, corporate sounding release they've ever done. They sounded like over a hundred different indistinguishable bands you could hear any day on the radio save for Raine's voice. Then they eventually followed that up with Curve which was a nice return to their roots in the sense that even though it didn't sound like their pre-Gravity days (and nor should they ever since bands have to grow and evolve) it did have a raw and intense drive to it, both lyrically and instrumentally (in fact, I'd say it was some of the best lyrical work I've ever seen from anyone). Then they released Won't Turn Back (again, more radio friendly) and now they've followed it up with "Somethingness" which, thankfully, sounds like a more artistic release again. Basically they seem to go back and forth so for better and worse it makes for a good surprise when you do get stuff like "Somethingness" because it makes it that much more interesting. Raine's work with his wife in "Moon VS Sun" seems to be making some headway into the band which is not a bad thing by any means. I also should note that for whatever it's worth I strongly disagree with Riley Lewis that Raine's voice has been in decline. Like most vocalists (even including Matt) he has his good and bad days live, but he still sounds fantastic most of the time (and the studio work he does is always flawless in my opinion). If you want a good example of Raine still being at the top of his game I suggest checking this out.

Each to their own opinions and interpretations, but I'd couldn't disagree more in the sense that I'd argue there is a difference between "style choices" and "production choices". I'll admit there were definitely points in that record where I wish Blake had been able to do more (the climax of I Miss New Wave for example), but as far as the production of the drums go I have never heard more crisp and clear sounding drums on any MG/MGB record. Likewise, even though I thought IMNW was lacking during the climax, I don't think there are any songs I would say actually fall into the category of sounding like a drum machine. In fact, throughout the album Blake adds in lots of extra snare and makes some really interesting, subtle, and beautiful choices (the rim usage during the verses of IMNW for example). Another example would be Born to Kill. It was a song that took a me a few listens to appreciate what he did, but if you listen to the last section there (which starts at 3:09), even though it's subtle, you can notice he is very busy quietly building the drums with light symbol tapping which eventually turn into more and more symbol crashes and snare hits, which eventually turn into a climax at 4:20 for 2 short rounds. He's using the symbols to encompass everything else that's going on (and I love his snare fill at 4:29). So even though I wish the ending was heavier and longer doesn't mean there isn't some really interesting stuff going on there. Basically, to sum up my rambling, I agree there are certain parts of the record that could have been done better (and that it would be nice if Blake got to sound on the records the way he does live) but I don't agree the album as a whole sounds like they could have just used a drum machine to substitute for Blake at all.

I always find it interesting reading reactions to songs that other MG fans don't like as much since I'm usually a fan of the ones most MG fans aren't big fans of (No Liars, the 2017 version of Suburbia, Anti-pop, Rico etc). Anyways, I remember buying the CD when it first came out and Superdrop was always my favorite track on it (even before I found out MG was a co-writer). It's got a great bass line that is complimented by some intense and fantastic guitar/drum back up, and while a lot of people seem to dislike the lyrics, I really appreciate them. They're self reflective, urgent, somewhat veiled, and compliment the overall mood of the instrumental track. I'd be interested to know if Matt helped with the lyrics, the instrumentals, or both. The way Kerns describes it as "playing around" it seems like it would be the instrumental stuff Matt worked on with him, though that's just speculation on my part.

Could you provide a link to the spreadsheet? I saw it earlier but forgot where it was.

I like what Alan and Matt said at the 19:50 mark about how listeners and artists learn more about themselves by consuming/creating the music that they do. Very true. Probably the biggest reason I've been a fan of Matts' for so long is that, like any good story teller, his music helps me consider things about myself and the world that I never would have otherwise thought about. His music is also the reason I started writing music too. If the contagiousness of the thought/creativity of one person's music isn't the mark of a brilliant musician I really don't know what is. I sometimes think back to 2006 and how Matt almost died and think to myself how grateful I am that so many of us still get to listen to and learn from the music he makes. The honesty and urgency he's always been able to convey through it has always been one of the greatest gifts I've ever been privileged enough to receive in my life.

I was hoping for that too. Great song. Hopefully they'll play it on the tour in the new year. Really enjoyed getting to see the concert though. Made for a good little something to look forwards to this evening. The fact that Matt and his PR team went through the effort to stream it for everyone- for free no less- who couldn't be there was really appreciated. Hearing the new songs live was an interesting experience. Really liked the energy from Days Come Down (especially Blakes drumming) and appreciated it a lot more than the fade out studio version which I'm kind of "meh" about (the ending for this one was much more fitting, imo). I've heard new songs for the first time live before, but that was when I was actually there in person. Hearing them on speakers in my study- but live instead of a studio version- was kind of cool. Stu, as usual, sounds fucking great on the guitar (almost a like he was channeling The Edge a little, lol) and everyone else was on point too. Matt and Peter sounded great and Blake's energy was as always a great addition. And not that it matters but Matt is looking good too, haha. The hair cut works for him. Does anyone know what song they played after the feed cut out?

Normally I would agree. I'm not a fan of covers that reproduce songs down to every last note either. However, if I've heard a song before I do like there to be "some" semblance to the original and I think what threw me off when I first listened to it was- because BWO is such an intensely driven song from an instrumental perspective- I wasn't expecting the main emphasis to be placed on the vocal melody to carry the song in such a relaxed and calming way. All that said, Machalivin was right. The song does grow on u. I've listened to it many times on repeat now and even used it as a way to fall asleep. It really is a beautiful cover given the way Matt and the band structured eveything. I just had to abandon any expectations I had for the song before I could enjoy it.

Love the orchestration of strings and cello. Likewise, the unexpected punch of rhythm guitar and forceful drums throughout the song are fantastic. Really enjoyed those aspects. However, the end of the song and the fade that brings it in come waaaaaay too quick. The whole song feels like it's a build towards something incredible and then.....it just fades out before anything actually happens. Maybe that was point of the song in relation to the title, but I still feel let down by it overall. I'll be interested to see what Matt and the band do with the song live. Hopefully they'll add some piano throughout and an ending that is fitting to something that teases such intensity throughout.

Fair point. I'll concede that the bridge section with Stu's guitar work is a highlight too. Maybe I'll eventually develop the courage to throw it on again. It's possible my negative reaction was simply because I was expecting it to be closer to the original and, for the most part, it took on a very different vibe sonically and feeling wise. I know some of my favourite songs from Matt and different artists are the ones I initially didn't like as much to begin with so it's not impossible my opinion could change. I originally didn't like Ghosts by Big Wreck and now it's one of my favourite songs from them. That said, we'll see. Even as I was listening to it I remember thinking to myself that if it were a new MG song with different lyrics, and not a cover, I still would really dislike it. Either way though, I think you're right that it might not be a bad idea to give it a few more listens and see if my feelings change. Hopefully my opinion will go from "sacrilege" to "I don't hate it" to "not bad", lol. I'm glad other people seem to like it though. And Matt, not that I think my opinions are important, but if u read this, please don't let one person's negative reaction drag u down. I'm just an over opinionated mouth who can't keep his opinions to himself most of the time. I "love" both of the new songs from the album (and the other clips u posted on Instagram) and am really, really looking forwards to its release (more so than even Christmas, haha). Your music means a lot to my life and just because there are a few songs every once in a while that I'm not a fan of doesn't mean I'm not a huge fan of the majority of your work.

Thought I'd start a thread since save for a couple comments in the new album thread (and a couple when Matt introduced it live earlier this year) I haven't seen much discussion here about either the song or video (both of which are fantastic in my opinion). So yeah, just curious what everyone thinks of the final versions. For my own part, I was really happy to hear how the studio version turned out. I loved the intro and verses when I first heard it live, but wasn't entirely sold on the chorus. The way it came off on the videos was a little too heavy imo with the rythem guitar Matt was playing to the point where it sounded like a generic rock chorus. The studio version sounds like the chord progression Matt was doing live has almost entirely been muted out and replaced with the lead, bass, and the subtle background rythem u can hear during the verses which helped it sustain the 80s new wave feel to it. Plus, aside from having an intense feel to it thanks to the intro, it manages to pull off a really hopeful vibe in the chorus and outro (which is pretty cool considering the outro is the same as the intro, but just with a different bass line). As far as the video goes, I'd argue it's definitely one of the better one's of Matt's career. The cinematography is of course an obvious highlight, but I love the metaphor and symbolism of all the different landscapes the kid and older gentleman (who I assume are supposed to be the same person, but just at different ages) are stuck in: earth (forest), water (the sea, after what looks like their ship or boat was destroyed), winter (running through a dark, snowy blank night), desert, and ...suburbia(?). What that symbolism is I'm not entirely sure yet, lol, but I like that it gets you thinking. That's not to mention that the kid and adult actors both do pretty decent jobs in their parts.

To anyone who hasn't listened to it yet, be forewarned...it's extremely different from the original. It's very soft and light. Whether that's a good a bad thing is obviously up to the listener. I've always respected Matt for being willing to make bold choices when it comes to artistic vision and I will credit him for that here again. It's not at all what I think BW or MG fans would expect for a cover, and I will admit his vocals are beautiful. Other than that though, as both a fan of Big Wreck and Matt, to be honest this was definitely not my cup of tea.

They go back, especially considering they were both huge parts of the 90s Canadian rock revival scene (think they played at Edgefest a couple years in a row). I'm not sure if there's any written record of Matt praising Ian, but I heard last year (or maybe it was 2 years ago) that when they were playing the same bill Matt praised them onstage for being an incredible band. I'm fucking stoked Matt has covered this. It's one of my favorite songs of all time being covered by my favorite artist. Can't wait to listen to it when I get home.

Lol, I'm pretty sure this has been mentioned before but she had some pretty good words to say about him back in the day at the 2003 MMVA's. Fast forward to the 1:54 mark.

Just got back from Red Deer. Given that it was at the Memorial Centre I wasn't expecting it to be the greatest experience because it's a seated venue and the last few shows I've gone to there it's hard to stand when most other people aren't. But thankfully that's where a good crowd makes all the difference and the crowd tonight was fantastic. Stu got everyone up halfway through Hello Time Bomb and most people stayed up after that. There was lots of banter back and forth between them, Matt, and the entire band, actually. I think my favorite part of the night was the Rico joke. Someone started yelling for Rico half way through the concert (not sure if they were serious or if it was a joke), but then another audience member called them out on it reminding them it was the Beautiful Midnight tour, not the Underdogs tour, which then led to a conversation between the crowd and Matt about whether he'd ever be willing to play LOTGA, LOES, or a couple other songs live again. Then just before Matt was about to start into the next song someone else in the crowd went "soooo...Rico?!" Everyone, including Matt, burst out laughing. It was just good timing, lol. I really hope someone caught that on video or audio. Beyond that it was just a really relaxed atmosphere. Other random points that stood out to me: -Matt stopped the band halfway through Jenny's Song because someone was out of time with everyone else (something each band member seemed to blame on the other, to which Stu replied Youtube would be the judge, haha) and then just continued where they stopped after a quick, funny WTF was shared between the band. -Loved how everyone cheered the fact that Blake was 51. It's a distinguished age and most of the people I really respect are around the 45-60 agemark. Age is subjective and I loved how the crowd seemed to agree. -Despite Matt's general dislike of LOTGA, I have to agree with whoever called for that album to be played one day. To me, it's still one of the freshest albums I've ever heard, ever. It's so unique and every band member was able to add something distinct to each song with their instrumentation and yet not take away from the over all song either. I've, to this day, never heard anything like it from anyone, even Matt himself (which I'm sure is, unfortunately, intentional, lol). -Stu and Blake are really fantastic to watch and probably made the night for me. The talent and intensity they put into the songs live is a treat to watch. Whether it's the insane finger ripping Stu does at the end of AOPC or the all out assault Blake does on the entire drum set at the end of Born To Kill, it always makes a concert more enjoyable when it looks like the band members are truly being engrossed by the music they're playing. -Speaking of Born to Kill, even though I still wish they had something resembling the strings, even if it was just Matt singing some vocal melodies over the top of the outro, it was still fucking fantastic. Very intense and a great performance to listen to. Wish they had done the album version a little more like the live version. -I was planning in recording BTK in it's entirety but, because I'm stupid, forgot to clear my phone for storage before I left for the concert and as such was only able to get a couple clips of earlier songs that haven't had any videos yet. Sorry they're not full ones. -Going All the Way (clip) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr1pRaRwOc8 -A Boy and His Machine Gun (Clip) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppglwtgzWTY Any chance I can get these get embedded? Also, a couple goodies from the merch table. 1 very well designed Beautiful Midnight ink/pastel poster and 1 late 90s MGB lyric t-shirt

Long as you make sure you cough inside your shirt and wash your hands throughout the night getting other people sick shouldn't be an issue. As far as quick remedies for colds go I think your body just kind of has to go through it, unfortunately. Trying to force yourself to act/be alright sometimes just prolongs it as you're using more energy than you should. General rule of thumb though is just the basics: drink lots of water to flush your system out and get as much sleep/rest as you can so your body can regenerate.

Dammit... Listened to it a second time. I take what I said about the chorus back. I actually like it now, lol. It has a really optimistic feel to it which, given current events, is something I can appreciate. Funny how first and second impressions differ that way.

Fucking love the intro and verses for the song. Very intense with strong sense of urgency and the 80s vibe he's channeling is really fresh. Not a big fan of the chorus yet, though. Like Fought To Fight It the chorus seems to fall short of what preceded it. It feels like some chords were just thrown together for the sake of having a chorus without consideration of whether it matched the intensity and depth of intro and verse. That said, this is just a first impression and I realize this is just a live recording verses a studio version, and as such I'll reserve final judgement until I actually hear the studio version. Really do appreciate that Matt is willing to play a new song for us during this tour despite the fact he knew it would eventually make it's way to YouTube.

Running for Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11c4zJEeiEw Sounds beautiful. I think I may like this better than the original, actually. It's more haunting. Stu and Blake kind of channel a Daniel Lanois vibe with the guitar/drum work and it appears my concerns about Matt's voice on the album were just momentary. He sounds bloody amazing. Kind of wish they had redone the entire album after listening to this, haha. On a side, sound issues aside, that is an incredible looking venue.