"little hand says it's time to rock and roll."

At a very young age, I had already made a serious decision in life. I knew what I wanted, what I liked and what I needed out of life. In a time when the film Scarface was at its peak, I didn’t go looking for wisdom through the words of Tony Montana. I didn’t find it in the courage of Rocky Balboa taking the beating of his life. My future didn’t lay behind enemy lines like in Full Metal Jacket. Not even in the humor and wit dressed in those Cosby sweaters - Nah, growing up in the 80’s there was only two things that I knew I needed. It was in that wisdom, Tony Montana said, “you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.” Well I wanted to skip all that and get to part three, the women, and I knew just the cats to take me there. The late wizard Michael Jackson and the now dearly departed Patrick Swayze. You see my ideal was, first you get the moves then you get the girl. And there was no better dirty dancer and moonwalker on the planet, than those two gents.













So needless to say, these past few months have been really hard on me. To this day Swayze remains one of the greatest actors of our time. Starring in many of my personal favorite films including: Point Break, Roadhouse, Youngblood and yes, Dirty Dancing. Swayze had the moves and the girls, and in the case of Roadhouse, he had the power too. Swayze taught me a lot about life and love, dancing and rebelling, thievery and ass kicking. He’s been nominated for three golden globes over his career and has even broke into billboard’s top ten singles in 1987 with “She’s like the Wind,” from the film Dirty Dancing.













Other notable films include: Ghost, Donnie Darko, Red Dawn, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Next of Kin, Steel Dawn, and that book you all wasted your time reading school when you could have just seen Swayze shred it in the film version of The Outsiders.

So now, I'll leave you with some advise about life that Swayze once gave me, "All you have to do is follow three simple rules. One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary. And three, be nice."

Cheers brother.

Nothing 2 Step 2.

Earlier this year A.A. and myself got the pleasure of opening up for, in my opinion, one of the best acts in the country; both in the musical-lyrical sense as well as a live performance. They're one of the top duos I've seen in a while - that's including big coliseum shows. In earlier blogs, I haled these two as some of the savors of Canadian music and grassroots hip hop in this country. You may know them for such fame as: "Jerk It", "Little Booty Girl" and "Nothing 2 Step 2".

Anyways, the place was a small and intimate venue (no longer in existence) called Pepper Jack's in downtown Hamilton. I had seen them a year prior on the same stage and was blown away - despite the handful of folks that were there, and the fact that many people hadn't even heard of the duo, they through down without hesitation. So naturally, when they came back into town, I had to get on the bill - that bill was the Exclaim! Magazine Anniversary Tour.



The night started out in mayhem with my partner, A.A. no where to be found and Thunderheist hitting the stage for sound check, naturally I started hitting the sauce cause, well, what else is there to do. The singer, Isis, starts into a rendition of Run DMC ... she had me at "and it goes a little something like this."













The show starts in pandemonium, I mean, Jim Ross himself couldn't commentate the anarchy that was put forth when Isis, along with beat-master and DJ Grahamzilla slammed down on stage - pouring Cuervo into the mouths of any party person who was willing (and not yet drunk enough) to take it.

Keep in mind before this tour Thunderheist relied heavy and well, mainly actually, on internet junkets - myspace, pitchfork, etc. - to get their music to the people. Buzz, word of mouth and Djs were how they got their market. So this time round, they came equipped with dancers and their first full length studio record entitled simply Thunderheist!. Despite problems with Graham's mixer (and him and I devise a way for us both to play using mine) they played in full force tossing out all the assets they had - even remixes and freestyles. They even went as far as to come out a shoot some additional tracks as an encore, which is rare these days for lesser known bands in small venues.

Even after the show they continued to entertain, battling A.A. and I in some piggyback wars, singing, dancing, mingling and doing shots of tequila with us until someone literally hit the floor. I could go on for a long while about these cats and their hyjinks but I think their videos and the photos speak for themselves.

Be sure to check them out at ROKBAR with me and my boy, A.A., opening up for them again on SEPTEMBER 23rd here in Hamilton. Shameless plug? Maybe ... but once you see the show you'll understand why.

check out | www.thunderheist.com

and see more photos at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100405&id=562184621&l=7e635c7a9b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100407&id=562184621&l=e2aed0277f

Can't Tell Me Nothin'.

Back in 2004 when I heard the first single “Through the Wire” from Kanye West’s debut record The College Dropout, I have to amid, I was impressed. Here was a producer turned front man who was literally spitting lyrics through the wire that was clamping his jaw shut. The surgery and the track itself came from a car accident he had endured earlier that year. I was surprised, in a time of gangster rap really coming on strong, it was a steady change that hip hop needed to get back into the good books of mainstream popularity and parents a like. It brought back the fresh, painless lyrics and beats that were reminiscent to that of De La Soul or the Black Eyed Peas pre-Fergie days. The album, which would go on to win best rap album at the 2005 Grammy’s, is still in my good books as one of the best and most diverse hip hop records of my lifetime.

I told everyone about this record and about Kanye, I knew that this was going to blow up and be the next new trend in music … but if I only knew what kind of ego-dickhead would resurrect from this, I would have never said a word.

Since pushing his way into the spotlight in 2004, Kanye has managed to say and do some of the most despicable incidents in music history. It took him less than two years to not only alienate himself but actually take hip hop a step backwards in the eyes of respectable musical outlets and fans. This rant could on forever about what a douche Kanye is but I’ll try and limit myself – here some of the highlights of what an overpaid asshole is capable of ... starting with last night.

2009 | During Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Awards for Best Video of the Year, Kanye brusts on stage, swipes the mic and says: “Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and I'm gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!" I don't get it, now he's decided to complain when other people don't win. Apparently, he's really running out of things to bitch about ... for now, anyways.

After the death of Michael Jackson in June, Kanye decides that he will be the new King of Pop, citing that he has the moves, the look and the greatness to fill MJ’s dynasty.

2008 | During the Glow in the Dark Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music Festival stop, Kanye pushes his 8.00 pm time slot to 2.45 am, to make the glow in the dark shit more impressive. No one has ever performed that late in the festival’s year history. Pearl Jam ended up playing an extra 50 minutes to fill the gap. Then Kanye pushes it back to 3.30 am, the crowd, now getting rowdy, starts chanting ‘KANYE SUCKS’ and begin to disburse. Eventually, Kanye arrived on stage at 4.25 am. Kanye would later go onto his blog and cuss out all the fans for not waiting around and also for not only chanting "Kanye sucks," but also chanting “Jay-Z would have been on time.”

2006 | The MTV Europe Music Awards, Kanye’s “Touch the Sky” video loses out to Justice and Simian's “We Are Your Friends”. Another Kanye tantrum leaving him yet again, interrupting an acceptance speech stating, "it cost a million dollars and Pamela Anderson was in it." After the onstage appearance, he continues to bitch to reporters and anyone else who would listen stating:

"It's complete bullshit. I paid a million; It took a month to film; I stood on a mountain; I flew a helicopter over Vegas ... I did it to be the king of all videos."

2005 | Prior to the 2005 Grammy’s, Kanye stated that there “would be a real problem” if he went away empty handed. He went on to win three awards including: Best rap song and best rap album. During the same tirade, he also went on to cuss out the source and vibe magazines for not giving his Late Registration album “classic” status, then compared himself to Tom Cruise.

During a live NBC interview regarding the Hurricane Katrina benefit concert, Kanye’s states “George Bush doesn't care about black people.”

2004 | Kanye walks out of the American Music Awards stating he had been “robbed” when country singer Gretchen Wilson won best new artist. Calling her a “redneck woman” and that “I was the best artist of the year!” (of course).

.... and so on, and so on.

All and all, I find that Kanye’s attitude and douche bag mentality trumps the music for me. No longer could I bring myself to buy, listen or even embrace the music or the bullshit from this guy. This is the last time I can handle a diva to this magnitude. No one is good enough to produce this amount of drama and more importantly to be that cocky and that self righteous. Next time you listen to a Kanye’s track, listen closely because, despite he having the lyric “doesn’t anyone make real shit anymore?” (in the track "Stronger", a beat took from Daft Punk), the majority of top 40, billboard charting hits comes from other sources - mainly motown, blues or other top 40 jams. So in answer to the question, does anyone make real shit anymore? - no, especially you, dick.

Ready for the Remix.

In 2007, Calvin Harris managed to produce an extremely diverse, interesting, fun and (suprisingly) billboard charted house record to the masses - more importantly, the (North) American mainstream. For whatever reason, Canadians and Americans alike choose the most bullocks overseas trash (Amy Winehouse) to import into their hearts, rather than indulge in some talent that is well, good. Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Oasis, Blur - all that aside we don’t truly embrace or try to decipher the good from the bad. The perfect example is that the Kings of Leon were huge, filling venues all across Europe before anyone in America took them seriously … and it took the worst record of their career to gain that trust from their fellow countrymen.

Anyways, surprisingly enough, Calvin Harris managed to skip across the pond. After the 2007 release of ‘I Created Disco’, which spawned two top ten hits in the U.K., ‘Acceptable in the 80s’ and ‘Girls’, Harris is back at it with the release of ‘Ready for the Weekend’ – and I got to say, with the mentality towards European music, his stay here wont be too long.

The reasoning for this is that the album lacks the Calvin Harris signature sound. The type of sound you would here in tracks like ‘Merry Making at My Place’ heard on ‘I Created Disco’, or the notorious bass lines he produces on remixes such as Passion Pit’s ‘the Reeling’ or the Ting Ting’s ‘Great DJ’. Aside from the blatant Euro-club influence, it is lacking another key ingredient to any electro song -the hook. The record is missing the sweet combination of beats and gimmicky catch phrases that make you want to light up the club floor like a sidewalk under MJ’s heels. In a recent interview Harris sheds some light on to why this might be …

"Every song is a song and it’s not forced in any way. I tried to keep it interesting to listen to but it also retains features of dance music that we all know, so I’m just trying to update all my favorite parts of dance music for 2009. It’s basically the best that I could do and if you don’t like this then you don’t like me."

The album as a whole reprises that European house music scene with a modern twist. It is remonstrant of those slow, monotone rave tracks that have you on the edge of your seat waiting for a climax, or for something to happen at least, but it just never comes. The quality of singles lack enough to lose what little airplay this young DJ could possibly get in this clusterfuck of a Western market. The title track and featured single, ‘Ready for the Weekend’, lack the balls needed to keep the interest of not only radio listeners but, club goers and scenesters. The second single ‘I’m Not Alone’ is a good easy going track to hear but not necessarily one to provoke a party and/or dance floor. The tracks you want to look out for are ones called: ‘You Used to Hold Me’ and (maybe) the previously leaked song ‘Dance Wiv Me’ featuring U.K.’s newest hip hopper sensation Dizzee Rascal. Or just wait and check out the next single (to be released in the U.K. anyways) called, ‘Holiday’ and let me know what you think – but don’t get me wrong, I love Calvin Harris and I’m not mad … I’m just disappointed. It's got a lot of potential though, I think I'll just have wait for the dozens of remixes to surface instead.

http://www.calvinharris.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/calvinharristv