The Tour Starts Tonight!

So we're finally here!

Starting tonight, we start getting reminders of Canada's first Top 10 dancers!

I got a text message from Carra earlier this evening that read:

I love that nico is in the same city as me as we speak!

Tomorrow night, it's my city! Carra's driving up from Vancouver tomorrow morning so we can go together. We have killer seats and I can't wait!

Oh, and for you Izaak fans out there...I have it on good authority that some of Izaak's extended family will be attending the show in Kelowna and considering the dancers don't have to be in Edmonton until February 2nd, he might be hanging in Kelowna an extra day. Don't tell anyone I told you.

For those of you attending the tour in other cities, feel free to send along your reviews, pictures or video from the show and we'll post them here. Just drop us a line at popgoestheword at gmail dot com.

Today is a Good Day!

For how could any day featuring a new U2 single be a bad one!

It has remained unmentioned on this blog until now, but no longer. I am a massive U2 fan.

Sadly, I have only had the opportunity to see them in concert once - during their stop in Vancouver on the last tour - but I went all the way to Ireland in an attempt to see them a second time. And during that show in Vancouver, I cried like a little girl with a skinned knee the whole way through. It was nearly 20 years of waiting to see them live finally realized!

But back to the new single, 'Get on Your Boots'. I really really like it. It takes a couple of listens to really get the groove, but once you do, you won't be able to let it go. This bodes really well for the new album, No Line on the Horizon.

Check it out and let us know what you think!

Harry Potter vs. Edward Cullen - Part 2

Okay, I've done my part.

I have finished reading the first two Harry Potter books and watched the first movie.

What I will say is this - the Harry Potter books are infinitely better written than the Twilight series of books. The use of language, clear plot mapping, character development, etc. done by J.K. Rowling is leaps and bounds ahead of Stephanie Meyer.

However, as I have said from the first time I was told 'You should read the Harry Potter books!', they just aren't my thing. They were enjoyable enough for a light read, but I could never become obsessed with them.

You see, my brand of fantasy story is a type where the fantastical exists in real time, in the real world, with real people/beings that I can relate to. While Harry Potter is technically set in England, it's not really England. The England of my world doesn't have hidden train platforms and a virtual alternate dimension where a school for wizards hides and flying cars sneak past us regular folk. And I just can't relate to an 11 or 12 year old boy discovering magic.

I get absorbed in a story when I can see pieces of me in the characters. They react the way I would react to their circumstances. I just don't see any of me in Harry Potter or Ron Weasely or Hermione Granger and because of that I can't lose myself in their story.

The movie was somewhat more enjoyable for me, mostly because these kind of fantasy stories work better on film for me (like the Lord of the Rings series, I could never get through the books but quite enjoyed the movies).

So ultimately they were fine books. If I find myself short of something to read in the future, I may pick up the next in the series to fill the space. But, I'm not rushing out to get it, and if I never got the opportunity to continue the series I wouldn't be heartbroken.

Edward Cullen wins this round.

Cheers!

My Favourite Music Finds of 2008

So I figured I'd take a look back at the music I've picked up over the last year and post a few of my favourite finds here. It looks as though 2008 was a year for mellow music for me.

** Note: These weren't all 'new' in 2008, just new to me.

Ray LaMontagne
I don't know if you've heard this guy yet, but if you haven't, please check out his stuff. He's got a really cool sort of 70s folk vibe to his music which I totally dig. This is one of my favourites:



VAST
This band reminds me quite a bit of James (who are also excellent, btw). A little dark, broody...definitely my kind of stuff.



Dan Mangan
I'm fairly sure I listened to Dan Mangan's album 'Postcards and Daydreaming' on repeat for a solid month towards the beginning of 2008. He's a young Canadian (from Vancouver) performer who has great talent with both music and lyrics. I'm looking forward to much more from him.



Jason Mraz
Now, Jason isn't exactly new to me. I've been listening to his stuff since I saw him open for Chantal Kreviazuk some years back. However, his new album has a few tracks that just resonated with me. Of course there's the fantastic 'I'm Yours', but I think I most enjoy 'Details in the Fabric' featuring James Morrison (someone else you should definitely check out).



Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin just always seems to get a sigh of contentment from me.



Augustana
I may have been a little slow on the uptake with Augustana, but I'm certainly glad I came around. They remind me of some other band, but I just can't place who.



Band of Horses
This song was used in some car commercial a few months back, but I actually picked it up on a referral from Cajunboy's blog.



The Hermit
Another Vancouver find, I'm actually not sure if The Hermit is putting out music anymore, but I hope they do. They've got some really great stuff.



Tracy Chapman
Now Tracy Chapman certainly isn't a new find, however, there's this brilliant little gem on her new album that is definitely worth a mention. Makes me remember driving in the car with my mom, listening to her sing along to the radio.



I've got two more finds that are of the purely youtube variety. The first is Julia Nunes. I first discovered her when she was mentioned on another blog I read, and have since dialled through all her posted youtube vids. She's just a lot of fun. This cover is my favourite, but be sure to check out her original stuff too, it's great!



Secondly, Sungha Jung is one extremely talented kid. I think he's like 12 or something ridiculous like that and plays the guitar like nothing I've ever seen before.



So that's what I've got for now. I'm probably missing a bunch, but these were the ones that stood out from this past year. Be sure to check them all out.

And I'd love to hear any recommendations for music you may have. Post them in the comments or send us an email. I'm always on the hunt for great new music to fill up my ever present iPod.

Happy New Year kids!