A beer and a band

The Stormalongs rehearse with Mike on bass 

I took care of a few things around the house, only a few days left till my party and I have a lot to do.

Me, Chad and Paul

In the evening I met Paul and his old coworker for a beer at Wide Open, a bar that makes most condos look spacious. Afterward we caught the end of the stormalongs jam. The have a show in February and were rehearsing with a guy named Mike on bass. It sounded good and I can't wait to see it with a crowd.

Nick,  Colin and me.

Welcome 2014, next year, hoverboards!

"YOLO MOTHA FUCKA, IT'S MY MOTTO, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE BRA!"

-Drunken Reveller, out a taxicab window, New Years Eve 2013 

I was gone but now I'm back. Let's call 2014 the year I take blogging seriously. The past year saw some big changes, along with some big same. I can get into all that shit later. I'm really excited about the possibilities 2014 brings.

Here's one excuse for not blogging: My computer died in October. It was a workhorse that lasted me a good 6 years. When I brought it to the apple store they told me they could not do anything for antiques. It was an antique, but not one that was worth anything, one of those worthless antiques that nobody wants. It has been tough without a computer, as a blind person I use it constantly as a visual aid.

Thankfully, I was due for a new computer through the assistive devices program. I'm typing this from a brand new macbook pro. It's so quiet, my old mac sounded like a jet taking off. This is a really powerful machine so I hope I can learn how to maximize its potential, I guess that just means "be productive".

The Stormalongs rock once more, December 30th 2013

Apparently Santa Claus got my letter, and reunited my friends The Stormalongs for the holidays. With Matt Thompson visiting from his new home in BC, it was an opportune moment for Captain Colin J. Gibson to steer the good ship Stomalong into port for a rare original lineup jam session. Even Mo-Mo More-el-o showed to rock. It was great to see the band back together. But it was much better to hear them back together. It was amazing how quickly everyone jumped in again as if they had filed all the Stormalongs rock knowledge in some part of the brain that was impervious to the passage of time. These are my friends and they don't rock like this anymore but they are rocking in this moment and that just feels right.

Matt gets fireworks in the face

I downloaded imovie from the apple app store for $15. It's a pretty simple video editing program and it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. I have been putting videos up on Youtube since 2007. I am lucky enough to be around for some cool stuff, unfortunately I havent always had an hd camera and I'm not happy with the look of all of my content. It's high time I figured how to edit simple video, add some titles and general production quality to my videos. I think I should take a Final Cut course next year.

I'm going to take a lot of amazing video in Japan and I want to be able to to something with it.

This is a video I took of my friends lighting Canada Day fireworks in Christy Pitts. Matt had a close call trying to light one of the pyrotechnics. I added titles, an instant replay,and cut out the borring parts, then added music from Matt's band The Stormalongs.

Stormalongs Occupy Jamspace

I haven't been to a stormalongs jam session in months, but I find myself at one now. I missed watching the boys rock out.

A joke is made about drummer Nick never having learned how to count bars. One should never jest about such a great drummer.

Right now they are going through "waiting for the d train"(Plastic Ono Band) for a third time. Matt has vocal duties, a welcome trend for tracks that require more of a strange sound. Matt is working hard to develop his long neglected rock pipes.

They close out the jam with Iron Trees (check it out in itunes).

Great to be back in the dank rock sweat dungeon.

Wise Man says "Dont Fret the Bass"

I got off the bus at 6:15am, back in sweet Toronto, I went home and then slept all day.

Now I'm hanging with my friends The Stormalongs in the jam space, and they sound fucking great.

Here is what they worked on tonight:

The Stormalongs Jam List, Notice no "Freebird"

"That's Called Chin Music"

Eric Nagler hands you a brick in a sock and you ask "What kind of music does this make?"

I'm at the jam space watching the guys run through the set, just heard them play a great Clowns. Colin was getting shocked by his amp being plugged into an ungrounded outlet. They worked out the beginning of Days Alight, different since Momo is gone.

The Stormalongs played in Sudbury this past weekend. The show went well I'm told, although the car battery died on them as they tried to leave. I really want to go with the guys next time they go out of town. I'm missing all the rock n' roll adventure.

I had a Johnny Cash dvd I was going to sell at a CD store, but since they would probably only give me 2$, I figured I might as well just give it to Colin. 

 

Adam "momo" Morello is alive and well (not dead I assure you)

Momo rocking

The Stormalongs have announced that Adam Morello has decided not to continue as the bands rhythm guitarist. He is however still alive. The band's recent posts may have led fans to believe that Morello had joined the ethereal plane, posting a video called "A Tribute To Adam", and otherwise eulogizing their guitarist on facebook (Guys, Youtube, please! I can't embed facebook video).

Momo will be missed. His musical talent is matched only by his rugged good-looks. I have been fortunate enough to see my friends Colin, Matt, and Mo jam together in different incarnations for more than 10 years now. I consider myself lucky to have watched the captured lightning for so long.

The Stormalongs will continue as a three piece, but are actively searching for a guitarist to fill Momo's large shoes. This would be a perfect opportunity for ME to join the Stormalongs, but my inability to play guitar would prove rather embarrassing during the audition process.

The Stormalongs personalize rock

The Stormalongs played The Garrison last night for some close friends. The small crowed that was assembled before the show disappeared during the first song, driven away no doubt by the horrible feedback courtesy of a missing sound tech. The band delivered despite never having faced such a poor crowd to band-member ratio. 

Happy Birthday Nick Stormalong!

I'm blogging from the floor of Stomalongs jam space, deep beneath my brother's office, from which I'm ganking internets. I carry earplugs in my bag for just such an occasion, it is very LOUD.

The pre-jam ritual of beer and Pixies was on. Then, just before the rock began, Colin presented Nick with a gift of 12 year old Scotch on behalf of the band to wish him a happy birthday. Colin made note of the auspicious nature of their meeting, and that without Nick, the rock would cease to exist and The Stormalongs never would have been.

The Stormalongs will be playing a show at the Garrison this Thursday, November 18th. It's on Dundas just west of Ossington (1197 Dundas W). If you're in Toronto then please come out.

Happy Birthday Nick, from a huge fan of you and your band!

The Stormalongs Riot Stance, Out...Soon

Momo rocks the background while Matt's bass rumbles in the foreground 

The Stormalongs recorded a free digital ep to be released later this week. The political set was recorded last night as Rob Ford was declared victorious in Toronto's vote for Mayor. Although Stormalong Momo Momolo stands to benefit from the repeal of the vehicle registration tax, no one in the band seemed happy about the election results. However the band did seem quite happy with the results of the recording, nabbing several good off-the-floor takes of some politically charged covers and a new tune.

The ep will be released as soon as the band decides on which takes to use. Possibly tomorrow.

Stormalongs to rock the socks off the ballot box

The Stormalongs have been feeling the political machine grinding at their rock gears and are pushing back this election night. Tonight the Storma-lads will be recording a free digital ep. The ep will be titled Riot Stance and will feature new music as well as covers of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Malvina Reynolds. Colin Stormalong posted the following quote on his facebook:

‎"when your country and your leaders ignore your protestations and place their evil hands on the throats of the innocent, what other choice do the people have but to adopt a riotous stance?"-Cedrick Karstensen

The Stormalongs new EP Riot Stance

I'm going to see Back to the Future at the AMC tonight, so I will miss the bulk of the session, but I'm hoping to make it out in time to hear the last bit.

Blue Jays and Stormalongs

I went to see the Blue Jays kick Baltimore's ass tonight al by myself. I was going to go with Paul, but at the last minute he decided not to come. I have never been to a game by myself before, but it was a lot of fun. It was 80's Night! I should have gotten my baseball fill at the Giants game last week, but it just wasn't the same. Ok Blue Jays lets play ball! The Jays hit some decent homers. It was 80's night and the jays were in retro uniforms(click here and buy me one!) The also had an arcade set up on the 100 level so i went down in the ninth(game was a lock by then). I played some free Pac Man and the Jays won 9-5.

I caught the second half of the Stormalongs jam session. They have introduced a few covers that will surely grab some attention at the next show. Ian and Paul were there and we watched the rock together.

Blogging for better health & mental wellness

I can still turn 2010 around as a shitty year for my blog. I have a backlog of posts to finish, recent events in my life have stalled my creativity. I hate lazy days, I want to be productive. I really think the blog helps with my mental state, they are connected. If I'm not blogging, something is wrong so ask questions. I swear I'm going to work harder, so please check back often and I think you will be surprised.

Going to see the Stormalongs tonight for the first time in a while. Nim sent me this video he did, which is awesome, but wont be around long since some of the guys have government jobs.

Marky Mark has funky acting chops

I went to  the Bloor Cinema this afternoon to see The Lovely Bones, the Peter Jackson film I missed last month. It was pretty cool, Mark Wahlberg did some real acting (he can be so cool sometimes, like in I heart Huckabees or Three Kings). I'm glad Peter Jackson can do smaller movies like this in-between epics.

I called up Mo-Mo since I was in the area, he was about to go to the rehearsal space. I caught a ride with him. The Stormalongs worked on the new songs. It's getting down to the wire, the guys are going into the studio at the end of the month. I can't wait to go out to the Island, the songs sound great. It's going to be a lot of fun.

I added these links so you can buy stuff:

Stormalongs rock Drake

Colin looks like a devil in this shot, Diablo loco.

My best friend band The Stormalongs played a show at The Drake Hotel tonight.

People of Canada was the first opener, he is just one dude with a uke, but his songs are clever and funny. Check out his myspace for a song called Garbage Day Eve.

A poorly named band called Whaletooth opened for The Stormalongs, and we caught their soundcheck. They had a girl named Elise LeGrow for lead singer. This chick has a crazy awesome voice and the songs were pretty good. They had a wicked set and this girl was really fantastic, I would be surprised if she didn't become famous, at least here in Canada.

The Stormalongs sounded blown out in comparison. They were very loud, which is their trademark, but this time it seemed to be to their detriment. I feel like Huey Lewis in Back to the Future, but I'm afraid they're just too damn loud. Colin's vocals were unintelligible at parts. Still, not the bands fault and more the dude working the soundboard.

All around great night with my favourite band, The Stormalongs. I think this is the only shot I have of me with the whole group.

1 in 4 Stormalongs can't string a guitar

Drum Beatin'

Bass Slappin'

Song Singin'

String Breakin'

The Stormalongs hit the Marley Room for a rehearsal last night and Paul and I joined them. The gang ran through the "A" set, stopping only for Momar to replace a broken string. Oft jested for his love of Brio and Pitzels, MoMo is also one of the most-loved Stormalongs (we kid because we love).

Paul at home in the Marley Room

Getting down to business, the real purpose of this rehearsal was working on the new songs. The Stormies are going back to the Island early next year to record the second album, but before that can happen, they need to bring the new music up to snuff.

The guys only had enough time to work on Effortless and another song called Beggars. Both have that distinct Stormalongs sound, but are defiantly new and a great direction for the group. The band eased through Effortless, Beggars was a bit more complicated in it's format and wasn't played all the way through.

If you haven't already purchased Fell Like Bricks, you should do so now on iTunes (just click here).

Matt Returns Superman Returns

I felt like I needed to connect with some human beings, so I called some friends. No one answered. Sometimes when I call people and no one answers, I start to think I'm the only person in existence. Like all the actors who play roles in my life are not in that episode.
Matt called me back and invited me over to his new place. He and Anna have a nice little place near Clinton's, which could be cool for the next Stormalongs show there. We hung out and listened to tunes while Anna got groceries. He returned my copy of Superman Returns, which I wasn't in a hurry to get back but am glad I did. Anna came home and we all had some tasty souvlaki for dinner. It was nice to see them both again. Matt had to go to a Stormalongs strategy session. I missed a show on Thursday, I guess I'm not on the inside anymore. I got a great idea for a music video for the boys, I will run it by them at the next rehearsal which is on Monday (I think).

Turkey Lurkey

I absolutely have to get my ass to the gym tomorrow, for reals.

I had some drinks with the locals, the other people who live in my house. I have seen so many generations of folks come through here, I stopped learning peoples names a while ago. I waxed philosophical about Burning Man to some younger kids for a bit. Cracked a bottle of Wild Turkey I had from my last trip to California.

I gotta get the fuck out of here.

E-bow the Gibson

I saw my buddies The Stormolongs at the Rehearsal Factory (first time since I got back, next show is tomorrow at the Silver Dollar Room).

The Stormalongs Need You!

My good friends the Stormalongs happen to go great with Steamwhistle beer, so please vote for them to play the Steamwhistle Indie Club! Please Click Here and VOTE!

My favourite band and my favourite beer, sinful.

We are here, We are high, get used to it!

This is Kosmo Playing with his rope, I'm missing him already.

I walked right through my Chucks in San Francisco, so it was high priority to get a new pair(I own 1 pair of boots, gym shoes and dress shoes, so I can't fall back on them). I checked Queen West, which I should have known would be a waste of time. I'm not going to pay 70$ for Converse when I can custom build my own pair from the website.

I met up with my brother Paul, we blazed and caught up for a short period. Then I went to MoMo's for some pizza and beer(I have been missing Steamwhistle in California). Thompson showed and we headed to the jam space. The Stormalongs are going to be playing the launch party for Jerry Levitan's book: I Met the Walrus; How One Day with John Lennon Changed My Life Forever. So the guys have been rehearsing thier Lennon covers, and they sounded great. This is new teritory for the Stormalongs the band does not normally cover other artists, but everyone loves the Beatles, so it's really exciting.

Stormalongs Trivia:
Q: Colin played his first Horseshoe show solo, debuting Stormalongs songs and playing a cover of which Paul McCartney sung Beatles track?

A:(I've just seen a face)

I went to the Global Marijuana March. I have been going for many years, but this was the first time I took part in the actual march. This happens in cities all over the world, but the bigest event is here in Toronto. Usually we sit around Queens Park just getting blazed, but I was alone this time, and hearing the pleas of Marc Emery to join the march, I decided to take part. It was way more fun than just staying in the Park. Thousands of people parading across Bloor Street to Yonge, getting high as hell. I had my Travel pipe and packed numerous bowls on the route. Squares stare at us from Holt Renfrew, not knowing what to think. I start a chant, "We're Here! We're High! Get Used to It!". The police line the parade route, but just to keep us stoners out of traffic.I let this kid use my lighter and ended up hanging out with him till 4:20. He was giving drirections to his friend on the phone "Follow the music, I'm by a tree, and a stage".High Times took a picture from the stage at 4:20, but I was off to the side. This is not fog but smoke over everyones heads.

It felt good to excercise my freedoms, smoking pot in public. I wish I could have found Marc Emery, but I have met him a few times and I'm sure I will see him again(As long as he is not extradited to the USA).

I took some video I will cut together and post here.