127 Hours... What Would You Do?

Last night at the Garneau Theatre I saw what is definitely one of the best movies that I've seen this year. 127 Hours starring James Franco tells the true story of Aron Ralston, the mountain climber who was trapped for 127 hours while hiking in Utah. In the end Ralston had to cut off his arm in order to escape the boulder that was trapping him in the canyon. The move was extremely realistic (I noticed this after watching a few interviews with Aron Ralston himself) and quite terrifying at some parts.

Directed by Danny Boyle, the same guy who directed the multiple award winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours is bound to be a success. Also similar to Slumdog Millionaire, this film's score was composed by A.R. Rahman and was also pretty amazing.

What was so interesting about this movie was that the whole audience knew going into it that he would eventually cut off his arm. However, when the time for that came, the audience still let out an audible gasp. In an interview about the movie, Aron Ralston said that he didn't want the film to be a horror story and to give people nightmares, but for it to be more of an inspiring movie. Well I think 127 Hours did just that, with many thanks to the acting of James Franco.

Also similar to Slumdog Millionaire, this movie is currently only playing at the Garneau here in Edmonton (Slumdog also started out only at the Garneau). But I predict that, just like Danny Boyle's previous film, 127 Hours will become an enormous hit and will soon be playing at theatres around Edmonton! Though it was very nice to see this film at the beautiful Garneau Theatre...

This movie was definitely a 5 out of 5 for me, and probably one of the best movies that I've ever seen. However the thing that I kept thinking throughout the movie and even after it was over, was what would I do in that situation?

I'm Eating a Cookie!

Alberta Health Services President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Duckett made Alberta proud on Friday. After an important meeting to discuss the state of Alberta health care was asked questions by the media but repeatedly responded with "I'm eating a cookie!" You really have to watch the video to see how crazy it is...



Stephen Duckett was brought here to work with Alberta Health Services all the way from Australia and is being paid big bucks too! But for what... so that he can talk about his cookie? There is something seriously wrong with that picture...

Live Review: Dan Mangan at Myer Horowitz Theatre

Vancouver folk rocker Dan Mangan was in Edmonton on Tuesday night playing a sold-out show at the Myer Horowitz Theatre. He was performing on his “Peculiar Travel Suggestion Tour” during which he will be performing in the four western provinces. I was introduced to Dan Mangan’s music relatively recently, but I am already a huge fan and he definitely didn’t disappoint when I first saw him live!

Opening for Dan were two bands; The Crackling and The Burning Hell. The Crackling is a new project created by three people who also play in Dan Mangan’s band. The lead singer plays the drums in Mangan’s band so during The Crackling’s concert he switched it around and brought out Dan Mangan to play drums for him. And from my seat, he sounded pretty good!

The Burning Hell was quite different musically, and was in fact very comedic. During the show lead singer Mathias Kom said that they had once been compared to Moxy Fruvous. I would agree but would also say that they were similar to Geoff Berner but with a ukulele instead of an accordion.

Going into Dan Mangan’s performance my friend had said that she wanted to hear three songs of his; "Sold," "Basket" and "Robots". Well, Dan Mangan must have read our minds as he played all three of those songs and many more excellent tunes. He played an inspiring live show that included some great trumpet playing and an awesome acoustic performance of "So Much for Everyone" at the end of his show.


What I liked about this concert was that each of the three musical acts got everybody in the audience participating. Each one of them had the spectators singing along in at least one song, whether it was just a few words or a whole chorus. For me the best part was when Dan Mangan played his song "Robots" and had a whole bunch of people from the audience come up on stage to play, sing and dance with him. Then of course the whole audience also sang along to the chorus of “robots need love too.”

Another thing that I noticed was that each band talked about how welcoming Edmonton is for performers and musicians. Dan Mangan spoke fondly of his last time performing in Edmonton at the Haven Social Club while he was sick with the flu. However he said that even though he had the flu, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! I know that all bands probably feel obliged to compliment the city that they are performing in, but these three bands seemed like they really meant it!

What really struck me while watching Dan Mangan on stage was that he really does seem nice, nice, very nice. So I think that he is definitely very deserving of all the popularity that he is getting. Last time he performed in Edmonton he played at the Haven Social Club, this time he played a sold out show at the Myer Horowitz, so where will he be performing next? Well, I’ll tell you one thing, I couldn’t think of a nicer guy to be playing a full house at the Winspear.

That article was also posted on SEE Magazine's GigBytes blog. Here are some links to songs that I talked about in the article: Sold, Basket, Robots and So Much for Everyone.

Iceland's Emotional Landscapes

Just a short video with some photographs and video footage that I took on my trip to Iceland during the summer. Iceland was amazing, and snorkelling in between the continents at Silfra was probably the coolest thing that I've ever done!

Iceland's Emotional Landscapes from Isaac Wurmann on Vimeo.

The video is set to the music of Icelandic musician Bjork, who is definitely the most well known Icelander that there is. She is a musician who I have really been liking these past few months!

Stars' Halloween Performance @ The Winspear

This year hundreds of people spent their Halloween at the Winspear, and for a very good reason! Indie rock band Stars from Montreal were in town last night and put on a very good show for all those who were willing to give up partying on All Hallows’ Eve. Opening for Stars was the also Montreal-based band Young Galaxy.

I had not previously heard of Young Galaxy, but I liked what I heard last night! Throughout the concert Stephen Ramsay (lead guitarist and vocals) constantly reminded the audience that “even though we’re in a nice theatre, this is still supposed to be a rock concert!”

And rock out they did! All members of the band seemed very into the music, including Edmonton-raised bassist Stephen Kamp and lead vocalist Catherine McCandless who actually broke her tambourine during the performance. Although they tried to come across as a more rock influenced band, my favourite song of their performance was their slower and more melodious song entitled “Firestruck”.

After the intermission came the act that everyone was waiting for. At the beginning of Young Galaxy’s performance the “shoebox” shaped Winspear was nowhere near full, but throughout the opening act more people started to come in and by the time intermission came around the Winspear was packed with people! It surprised me that there was such a large turnout on Halloween night, but I guess those Stars fans are dedicated!

Lead vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan burst onto the stage at the start of their performance. They immediately began throwing roses into the crowd and yelling at everyone to get onto their feet – now that’s an entrance.

Throughout the rest of the concert the crowd stayed on their feet and the band members kept throwing roses at the audience. It gave the concert a much more intimate feel, like we were on the same level as the band and we weren’t just sitting down passively listening. I think that it takes a great band to be able to achieve that feeling.

From my point of view in the audience I could tell that there were many people in the crowd with me who really know Stars’ music very well. Apparently Amy Millan could also tell this because near the beginning of the performance she remarked that “it feels like you’ve been with us for a very long time.” Because of this long relationship that so many people have had with the band the crowd was really involved. During songs like “Take Me To The Riot” and “Dead Hearts” the whole crowd was singing along.

Just as well though the crowd was able to be quiet and really enjoy the nice acoustic performances such as the song “Ageless Beauty” which feature Amy Millan on vocals and Evan Cranley on acoustic guitar.

Upon reflection it seems very fitting that Stars’ concert was on Halloween. Their newest album is called The Five Ghosts and numerous songs of theirs have somewhat Halloween-ish titles. For example “Dead Hearts” and “I Died So I Could Haunt You.” While my friends in Grade 9 and from my Junior High school were out trick or treating I can’t think of any other place that I would rather have been on October 31^st.

That article was also posted on SEE Magazine's Gig Bytes blog. Here are some links to some of the songs that I talked about in the article: Firestruck, Take Me to the Riot, Ageless Beauty (acoustic) and Dead Hearts.

Here We Go Again...

Earlier this week a large group of ducks landed in a Syncrude tailings pond in Northern Alberta. Does this story sound familiar? Well it should... the exact same thing happened in 2008. What's even worse is that this year's duck-landing happened just days after Syncrude was fined over 3 million dollars for the previous duck-landing. Syncrude has recently stated that 350 birds have now died after landing on the Mildred Lake tailings pond on Monday night.

What is even more astounding is that this event has happened less than a month after Prime Minister Stephen Harper criticized NDP MP Linda Duncan, saying that she was trying to shut down Alberta's economy by suggesting that we slow down development in the oil sands. Well maybe that seems like a better idea now, doesn't it Harper?
So if this keeps going on like it has been of late, how long will it take for people to realize that perhaps this is not the best idea? What more needs to happen to convince people that maybe searching for more environmentally friendly sources of energy are better for us in the long run? I guess for now though we'll just have to wait around until the next batch of ducks are killed in our quest for oil in the tar sands.
For more info check out http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/299493. Or you can just listen to the radio or watch the TV because hopefully we will soon be hearing about how Syncrude will be punished for their second round of duck killing.

First Snow!

It was the first day of snow here in Edmonton today. I was hoping that the weather might hold out until November and after Halloween, but I guess that just wasn't meant to be. It sure was fun to bike to school this morning though! I think I'll try and bike through the winter... but I guess we'll see how that goes. Biking home from school was pretty nice though, it wasn't too cold but everything was coated with a nice layer of white. Some of the leaves were even still on the trees!

According to Todd Babiak, the snow is good for you, really! http://tinyurl.com/289l3yd I guess it might feel good after you've spent a year in snowless north-western France!

Well I guess that's what you get for living in Edmonton... Welcome back winter!

Ecuador!!!

It's official! I will be going to Ecuador next summer to volunteer with Free the Children with my friend Zoë. During our 18 day trip we will be helping to build a school in the Chimborazo province. Before that though we will spend a few day exploring old Quito and taking a quick visit up to the Equator. At the end of our trip we will be spending a few days at a retreat in the Amazon rain forest.

Free the Children is an organization that was started by Craig Kielburger in 1995, when Craig was only 12 years old. The aim of FTC is not only to provide education for children in developing countries but to also involve children in their efforts to do so. There are also trips for youth to Kenya, Arizona/Mexico, India and China.

Our trip leaves on August 10, 2011 from Montreal, and I can't wait! I'm not sure how I am going to get through this year knowing that during the summer I will finally be going on this trip that I have been wanting to go on for so many years?!
The trip is pretty pricy though, about $3500, so I have a lot of fundraising to do. Zoë and I will be hosting a few dinners throughout the year to raise money for the trip and I also have a couple of part time jobs that will pay for a fair amount of the trip. All the work will definitely be worth it though, it's gonna be the trip of a lifetime!

Blogging Around the World

Have you ever thought about leaving everything at home and travelling around the world for a year? Well some family friends of mine are doing just that. They started off their trip in Iceland before going to England and then exploring Europe before visiting India, Egypt, the Middle East, Turkey and the Baltic states.

To read more about their travels and to learn about life on the road please check out a blog written by Sam, who's my age: http://samaaway.blogspot.com/. Sam's blog provides a unique perspective that shows what it's like to travel the world as a teenager. He posts great stories from his trip and some great pictures!

Interview with New Orleanian John Boutte

I'm finally getting around to putting this amazing interview with John Boutte on my blog! It was probably the best interview that I've ever done and John Boutte also told me that I was the best interviewer that he's ever had. He was also a great interviewee which made for a great interview! Hopefully this with also be posted on SEE Magazine's Gig Bytes blog shortly.

New Orleans has long been known for its music and festivals and is often referred to as the “most unique” city in the United States. Unfortunately, this distinctive city has also experienced more than its fair share of disasters in the past few years. At the Edmonton FolkFest this year, New Orleans native John Boutté played for his first time at Edmonton’s festival, and I had the chance to talk with him about his music as well as his interesting birthplace.

“New Orleans is such a beautiful musical city, we’ve got jazz of course, but we also dance the bamboula, we have the French Opera House, we have Spanish influence, classical music, marching band music and gospel of course. So the whole amalgamation of these sounds is just kind of like a backdrop, it’s like the highway, you can always hear it passing,” Boutté spoke fondly of his hometown during an interview at the FolkFest.

In the past five years, New Orleans has been hit hard by many disasters. The 2005 hurricane season was particularly difficult for the city with Hurricane Katrina striking the city in August and Hurricane Rita postponing restoration of the city when it hit in September of the same year. More recently, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico affected the city when oil washed up on wildlife refuges and seafood grounds on the Louisiana coast.

However through all these disasters, the people of New Orleans still keep coming back home, “I think we have no other choice,” explains Boutté, “there’s no room for us anywhere else, where are we going to go? I don’t think that anybody from New Orleans wants to live in Kansas, I mean Kansas is okay, but New Orleans is the centre of the universe... for me.” After Katrina, John Boutté was one of the first musicians to come back. “The Katrina event, I’d like to call it... it just really made me appreciate what we had, because sometimes you have things but you don’t appreciate it until it’s almost gone.”

In the case of two of the worst disasters that New Orleans has experienced over the past five years, people have been blaming the government. “I think that we always like to point the finger at the government, but we are the government. We’re the ones who put them in office.” John Boutté also explained to me that he has a “large scepticism” towards larger organizations like the government or the church. “Katrina was a ‘SNAFU’, people out there know what that means, that’s a ‘situation normal all f***ed up.’”

Even though he says he is sceptical of large organizations such as religion, one event that effected Boutté’s music was singing in the church choir while he was in the military. “I was trying to improve my social status from ‘very poor’ to just ‘slightly poor.’ And it really opened up my repertoire to more gospel music.” he told me as his explanation for why he had joined the military. “It’s not for everyone though, especially not for people who just want to shoot somebody.”

John Boutté has been playing music since he was quite young, starting with the cornet when he was eight years old. When asked what made him want to become musical he replied laughingly, “It’s like asking me why am I black, I can’t help it! I was born with this feeling to make music ever since I was a kid.” One story he remembers was that when he was a kid, he would sing the same songs over and over and over again, just to annoy his siblings. “It would drive my sisters and brothers up the wall,” he explained to me, “and I realized, ‘Wow! There’s something to this, I’ve got power in this voice!’”

I too have been playing music since I was around his age, and after every interview at the FolkFest this summer I asked for some words of advice. I did the same with John Boutté because I definitely wanted to hear what he might have to say. John spent a day with Stevie Wonder when he was younger, and so he gave me some advice that Stevie had given him years earlier. “He said these two words that were very befuddling at first. He said ‘patience’ and ‘determination.’” And those are two words that I will remember in the years ahead as I explore the world of music and as I continue playing my own music.