Adri Music & Blog, Canadian Female Indie Electronica.

Friday Talking Cats

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:39:41 -0700

My friend Kierston just sent me this great video. I knew I had to share it immediately, as it is Friday, customary day of catblogging.

Sometimes, if I am lucky, my cats do something like this...

How to Get Even More Disposable!

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:05:00 -0700

Ever wonder how you can take your consumerism to a new level? Ever wonder what else you can dispose of?

I've just witnessed a TV commercial for a single use panty. Just what I needed! Underwear to throw away! Gone with pesky laundry -- just throw away your clothes!

In the advertisement they suggest it's useful so that you don't ruin your good panties having your monthly feminine inconvenience. I suppose that's a concern, but why not stock up on lovely new black undies from American Apparel? Much harder to stain black fabric. Oh but no, that would be too practical.

I suppose, I can think of one case where they'd really be justifiable. I could keep a spare in case a girlfriend needed one. Borrowing used undies in case of emergency is unappealing at best, but one could keep a 'spare' disposable.

Smell Memory

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:54:00 -0700

It's amazing how powerful smells are for recollecting memories. I once bought a hair wax (I know, what will they think of next?) that smelled exactly like a cheap waxy pink Holly Hobby little girl's makeup kit I had when I was really little. It was my first ever makeup, given to me as a gift - I doubt this went over well with my parents. I used shyly play wih it in the corner and pretend that I was a very stylish lady.

Every time I open that hair wax container now I am transported immediately to the land of five year olds, to the land of pink ribbons, perfect skin and a tiny perspective on the world. I am transported back to a time when I didn't know feminism, terrorism, sarcasm, cubism, agism or any other ism for that matter. It's a smell that reminds me of innocence.

Really, I could just sit here with my nose in that hair wax for hours. Who knew hairstyling could send you so far back in time?

A Curse Upon You Spammers!

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 01:44:51 -0700

I place a curse upon you evil spammers! You are the scourge of the internet!

If you thought receiving spam was annoying, try having a spammer pretend that his or her spam is originating from your very own personal email address. Yes folks, it does happen, and it appears that it's happening to to me as we speak.

FOR THE RECORD, I DO NOT SEND SPAM, I AM NOT A SPAMMER, NOR WILL I TOLERATE SPAMMERS FORGING SPAM LISTING MY EMAIL AS THE SENDER!

I am feeling pretty irate -- as I do not want to be blacklisted, or forced to abandon my favourite email address.

Gah! That is my evening rant for tonight.

Going Out on a Limb

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:09:10 -0700

This Thursday June 7th at The Annex I'll be performing at a show presented by the Music Waste festival! The show starts at 9PM and The Annex is located at 307 West Cordova. I'll be performing a set of my original electronica vocal and instrumental compositions from my upcoming album. I am scheduled to go around 9:50ish. I am really looking forward to it!

The lineup also includes Eryn Holbrook and The Creaking Planks. Eryn will be doing "melodic frenetic electropop" and The Creaking Planks will be doing "modern cover songs on Old Timey instruments." Should be a really fun show...

I look forward to seeing you there!

Soulstice 2007

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:46:27 -0700

This Saturday June 2nd at 8PM the choir I belong to is having a big concert at the Chan Centre in Vancouver. We are fun and funky group -- a multi-belief choir singing sacred music from the many faiths around the world. Our fearless director Brian Tate is a super talented guy, full of passion and entertaining gesticulation. We have a great set list, with lots of fabulous soloists and great arrangements you are unlikely to hear anywhere else. The evening promises to be an inspiring and groovy ride!

Tickets are available through ticketmaster, and also most likely at the door.

IdealSounds From my Speakers

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Wed, 16 May 2007 11:05:51 -0700

Lately I've taken to listening to the stations at IdealSound.ca - particularly their VinylSlot stream... in iTunes it's described as "A Slutty Blend of House, Electro, Breaks, Progressive and More." I'm a bit particular about how I like my house flavoured, and this stream meets my critearia for awesomeness. It's also got a huge amount of variety, it can be radically different from hour to hour, yet consistently good. What's not to like about that?

I think my cats like it too, as they keep congregating around the speakers when I listen to it.

Nerd Cake

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Tue, 15 May 2007 22:53:44 -0700

I just ran across the most romantic nerd cake I've ever seen.

If you don't get this cake, then you are not geeky enough yet!

Musically Satisfying Saturday

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:37:57 -0700

Saturday was really musically satisfying. Sometimes you just have a day that is so musically satisfying that you might as well been having great sex all day. Maybe you are touched by the fire of inspiration, or perhaps you witnessed musical greatness. These days are hard to forget.

In the daytime I did a vocal workshop with the wonderful and magical Brian Tate, giver of help and guardian angel of person suffering from musical blockages. He has been teaching me and others how to improvise, how to free our voices and get out of our own darn way. In my musical history I was at one time so paralyzed with fear and anxiety that I could hardly utter a sound when singing. I've definitely made progress in this area, to the point that I'm almost loathe to talk about it in case I jinx myself... But then aren't we all just a work in progress?

In the evening I was lucky enough to join some dear old friends to see an Air concert. I have had a long standing love-affair with Air's music for years. Ever since their killer tongue in cheek ambient album Moon Safari I can't get enough of their music. Last time I saw them was at the Commodore and they pulverized the minds of the whole crowd and played about five encores. It was one of the very best shows I've ever seen hands down. Surprisingly, this show was in a smaller venue, at Richards on Richards. It was a great show, full of exciting new material and favourite classics... and completely different from the last one. I had a really great time.

To my great delight, the fabulous Kate Havnevik was opening for Air. I really love her music. Her show was great. She was funny and charming onstage and that only made me like her more. After her set, she was selling her own merch and I picked up her new CD. She was very friendly and we had a brief chat where she mentioned that us electronic music girls have to stick together... I couldn't agree more.

For it's true, making electronic music as a girl, you are unlikely to run into many others -- especially not in these parts. Sometimes it gets a little lonely, and you start to wonder if anybody ever 'gets' you... But deep down I know I'm not alone.

Way Obsessed With Photography

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:25:03 -0700

Lately I've been way obsessed with photography. I keep going out on little photo expeditions to try to catch a shot. I should really try to keep my focus 100% on finishing my album, but it seems like creativity breeds more creativity. As long as I'm being creative I think I'm basically satisfied in life. It's like my default state making stuff, any kind of stuff. When I was little I used to spend hours cheating my bedtime by sewing little dolls and their tiny clothes. I don't know if my parents knew how late I stayed up...

But I digress. I think the reason I like photography so much lately is that it's the polar opposite of music. It's totally instant, especially with a digital camera. Snap. That's how long it takes to suddenly make something wonderful. No hours toiling in front of the piano, no retake after retake, no slow methodical editing of parts... It's just BOOM and you're done. You might do a few tweaks later, but the satisfaction is basically instant. Also, you take in the whole thing in an instant. A song is something that has an arc that develops over time, usually about 5 minutes, which makes it harder to assess. With a photo you get that immediate yes feeling.

Of course, some shots take longer - anything involving a tripod or night-time. For example:

Wouldn't it be nice if I could wave a wand and a song suddenly appeared?

Toast and Jam

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 00:09:08 -0800

It is generally accepted that eating at your computer is a really bad idea. Especially over the keyboard. Yet everybody does it! Who doesn't like a cup of tea on their desk? A little cookie with their news? A little breakfast in their nook?

Just now, I was eating a bit of late night toast and dropped the bread. Naturally, due to compounding factors in Murphy's law working against my computer and for the bread: it fell Jam Side Down. You can imagine my grief, to see my snazzy Mac laptop featuring sticky orange goo. You can also imagine my relief that it missed all essential bits and landed square on the one empty patch of case. Now it's like it never happened, but perhaps this serves as a warning?

My mom gave me a geeky little keyboard condom the other day... i think I will use it.

Patterns in my World

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:36:14 -0800

I often hear and see patterns. I guess that is maybe part of being a musician. Sometimes they look like this:

Gratitude for Soup

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:07:50 -0800

I am sitting here eating a gourmet fresh cream of mushroom school I bought up the block. I can taste that they have used pureed potatoes and leeks to give it a thick full flavour and texture. It smells fresh and nourishing. As I am thoroughly relishing this soop, I am taken over by a wave of gratitude. This soup may be a very small piece of my life today, and yet it is a terrific luxury. It is only because I was born in Canada the time I was, and not in a time / place undergoing famine that I get to eat this soup. I feel suddenly very lucky, and by this standard everything in my little world appears larger than life and extremely bountiful.

So I don't have a freestanding house, but I have everything I need. Amen to that!

Musicovery

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 19:13:45 -0800

Yay! Musicovery is back online... For a while it got so popular it went down. Now it's back! What a cool way to listen to tunes -- you pick the genre/mood and it gives you this funky graphic floral themed stream of music.

The only downside is a few of the genres are a little short on playlist content. Hopefully that will improve as the site ages...?

Valentine's Day Madness

nospam@example.com (Adri) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:21:19 -0800

Yesterday my sweetie was holding something exciting behind his back and says to me "Now, I know most girls wouldn't find this romantic, but since you're Adri -- I know you will!" I knew right then and there he was holding a piece of gear. It was a small and very light Manfrotto Modo tripod. Yay! I have needed a tripod for years... He had planned to take me out to a viewpoint but it was raining sheets outside. We shopped for shoes for him instead at the Fluevog store. Strangely enough John Fluevog was there, and I told him what a fan of his shoes I was. I wonder if he gets that a lot, now that his face is plastered all over town on billboards advertising Granville Street? Sadly, I was wearing a pair of cheap Aldos at the time, and not one of my 4 pairs of Vogs. For shame!

This morning I found out that a couple of my photos were chosen as finalist in a Flickr group Valentine's contest. I don't usually enter these things, but someone invited me so I could hardly refuse. This was one of them...