Matt's Ramblings

Call Upon The Author v2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:11:00 +0000

all Upon the Author now has a brand new home!

to follow our continuing adventures, please bookmark www.callupontheauthor.com

Why not drop by now and leave a message to say hello!

I really have to thank the ever reliable Chris Kirkpatrick for all his help with this, as ever he has been both a source of knowledge, an unflagging supporter and most of all a great friend, thanks buddy!

Twitter.

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:12:00 +0000

So, I've started using Twitter. It looks to be quite a useful little accessory.

If you're on twitter too, add me at http://twitter.com/mattmerritt

Call Upon The Author

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:02:00 +0000

I've started a new blog to house my reviews, you can go have a look at http://callupontheauthor.blogspot.com.

Go have a look, and if you like it, stick around!

2008... it was a very good year

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 11:10:00 +0000

So, 2008 is all but over and I have to say, on the whole, it's been a good one.

The biggest event of the year for me is, of course, that Emma and I finally set a date to be married (11th September 2010), prompting calls of "about bloody time" from all and sundry, not least Emma herself.
I changed jobs this year too, leaving Tesco after 11 years (!) to start working for Scottish & Southern Energy and I have to say the change of scenery really re-energised me.
It's also been a year when a number of local musicians whose work I really respect and enjoy have moved from being people I enjoyed chatting to at gigs and become very valued friends, I'm speaking of course of Andy Foster (www.myspace.com/andrewfostermusic) and Lawrie Bridge (www.myspace.com/lozbridge), two of my favourite artists, not just in terms of local music, but two of the most played artists on my iPod this past year. I've also gained a good friend in the irrepressible Ash Wassell of Loose Tongue (www.myspace.com/loosetongue), a man with an infectious amount of enthusiasm for live music!
Staying on the subject of music, I've seen some cracking gigs in 2008, in larger venues I've been blown away by Nick Cave twice and impressed by Newton Faulkner at the Guildhall too. I've also been introduced to the likes of Yoav, Rosie and the Goldbug and Official Secrets Act by the ever brilliant Iain Martin at Stiff Promotions, a great promoter and another person I'm proud to call friend.
Of course when talking about live music we can't ignore the Portsmouth & Southsea Festival, I was very excited when Steve and Dan invited me to become involved with writing for the Festival and, like so many people, I was really upset when it was announced that the festival wouldn't be going ahead. I can only hope that next year they'll have another crack at it and the tickets will get snapped up.
This year I also started writing for www.subba-cultcha.com, and I'd like to thank Jeremy for the opportunities that have come my way through the site. I really have to thank Darren at Blues Matters too, I've driven him insane with my inability to send in a review on time this year and he's taken it all with consummate goodwill, so thank you mate!
Of course the more I immerse myself in music the more I move away from the theatre. I'm hoping to get back on stage for a show or two next year, which should be fun.
Lastly, I just have to thank all of you for reading my drivel, for sharing gigs both good and bad with me and most of all for being a friend.
Thanks for a great 2008 and here's to a superb 2009,
Matt

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Okay, so I'm sure some of these will sit on your lists, others will probably not. But the whole idea of a 'best of' list is to promote debate, so let me know what you think! Just to clarify, I only included albums I own, so if there's a future classic missing, I probably haven't got around to buying it just yet...

01) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus Dig!!! I'm not sure what I was expecting from this album, but Cave surpassed it. Following on from last years Grinderman antics, the music here is loose and more than a little scuzzy. Matched with Cave's usual biblical references and musings on sex and death it all adds up to a frankly brilliant album that maybe the best thing Cave has released in the last decade.

02) Eli 'Paperboy' Reed and The True Loves - Roll With You following on from the likes of Winehouse and Duffy, Reed harks back to the best elements of 60's rhythm and blues with songs that would make tis Redding prous and a voice fit to stand alongside him.

03) Oli Brown Band - Open Road an extremely impressive blues rock debut, all the more so as li himself is a well spoken English 18 year old!

04) Duffy - Rockferry yes, she's been played to death, but when the album was first released it really was a breath of fresh air. Lets just hope she can keep it up for her next release.

05) The Hold Steady - Stay Positive it's well known that I'm a fan of these guys, and this album didn't disappoint. Nothing particularly new here, but they take what they do best and show just how good their best is.

06) Stone Gods - Silver Spoons & Broken Bones take the Darkness, remove Justin and somehow you're left with a superb rock band, an exciting debut!

07) Melee - Devils & Angels I'm an unashamed fan of the likes of Matchbox 20 and these guys ticked all the buttons with this lightweight but bubbly pop album

08) Rosie & The Goldbug - Rosie & The Goldbug if cyndi Lauper fronted The Rapture they'd sound like this... huge fun!
09) Andrew Foster - Media Ghost a great album from a guy I'm proud to call my friend. If you've not heard Andy, you've missed out!
10) Larry Jon Wilson - Larry Jon Wilson the best country singer you've never heard of, there's more than a shade of his good friend Kris Kristofferson in Wilson's worls weary music

Honourable mentions:
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip In The Grain 2008 will be remembered as the year Ray showed his happy side.
The Dawn Chorus - The Big Adventure a superb debut album from one of Portsmouth's best acts.
The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely from out of nowhere, but certainly not a rush job, this was a great album
Sloan - Parallel Play power pop, pure unadulterated fun
Shinedown - The Sound Of Madness when I like to indulge in something a little heavier, this perfectly fits the bill
Teddy Thompson - A Piece Of What You Need everyone knows I'm a big fan, and this didn't disappoint

I am a rubbish blogger!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:50:00 +0000

Yeah, it's official, I am a really poor blogge.r Hopefully though, with my new laptop speeding up everything I do online I'll be able to squeeze in some more regular posts.

Hopefully in the next month or so you should see something else new from me. I'm looking to start my own reviews/opinions website. It'll be centred around music but open to anything to do with entertainment, media and the arts. It will probably start purely as a blog, but hopefully in time I'll be able to flesh it out into a fully fledged site.

So, if you've got any ideas for such a site, fancy adding your own opinions or simply have some suggestions for how to put together an attractive site, I'd love to hear what you've got to say.

Rosie & The Goldbug interview

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:45:00 +0000

They're one of my bands of the year, a group who wowed me live and whose album has been played so regularly I'm glad it's not vinyl or I'd have worn it out already! For those who've seen them live you'll already understand why Rosie & The Goldbug are special. For everyone else, see them the first chance you get!

Here's an interview I did with their bass player Lee 'Pixie' matthews, a fine gent indeed!

OKAY, FIRST THINGS FIRST, WHY THE NAMES?
Well Rosie is her own name so there is no hidden message there, Plums rhymes with drums and Pixie relates to my pointy ears and small stature.
YOU'VE GOT A PRETTY UNIQUE SOUND, WHAT WERE YOUR INFLUENCES, INDIVIDUALLY AND TOGETHER, WHEN YOU STARTED TO WRITE SONGS?
There is such a mix of influences that it is actually really hard to pin point, I think that a lot of this comes from the era that Rosie and I grew up in, with my influence from the grunge/punk scene and listening to The Cure, with Rosie listening to Cyndi Lauper, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Kate Bush and Patti Smith.
Then there is Plums who listened to a lot of the pop music and Fleetwood Mac.
YOU ALL HAVE A REALLY STRONG LOOK, WAS THAT IMPORTANT OR SOMETHING THAT CAME NATURALLY?
When we played at the local venues around Cornwall they always seemed to be quite bland so we felt that to brighten things up we would have to dress up and put on a unique show that looks slightly out of place.
In some way we were the front drop instead of using a back drop!!
Rosie has always been interested in fashion and helped Plums and I create a style of our own to complement her crazy beautiful style.
WATCHING YOU GUYS PLAY LIVE, YOU'VE ALL GOT REALLY STRONG PERSONALITIES, BUT YOU SEEM TO MESH SO WELL AS A GROUP TOO. WAS THAT SOMETHING IMMEDIATE, OR DID IT TAKE TIME TO BOND AS A TRIO?
Luckily we bonded the minute that we played a song together, it kind of felt like we were all off on our little journeys through music and that we were always meant to be a trio it just had to happen at the correct time. Without being to weird, it feels like we are a tripod conductor that is fueled by the magic that floats around in the cosmos.
Plums has such a unique style with crazy arms, Rosie is hauntingly sexy and I like to bop around.
YOU PLAYED SOME FESTIVAL DATES THIS YEAR, ANY SPECIAL MEMORIES YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE?
Bestival was easily the wettest we have ever been in our life and ended up being a great gig with a sea of mud flowing before the stage, with lots of people sliding around having a good time. Rosie felt sorry for them and decided that she would jump off the stage and roll around in the mud with them. Amazing!
THE ALBUM IS OUT NOW AND BEING REALLY WELL RECEIVED, HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED FOR THE BAND?
We have become very busy gigging all over the country, which is a dream come true for us, also we have been lucky enough to have been chosen to support Cyndi Lauper on her European tour in October by Cyndi herself after she got a copy of the album. Woo woo woo!
WHICH TRACKS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF, AND WHY?
All of the tracks on the album sit in a special place in our hearts, so it’s kind of hard to choose individual tracks. Live the song which seems to stand out is Lover with its great hook and energy, but I guess it’s the album as a whole that we are all very proud of.
YOU'RE ABOUT TO VENTURE OUT ON TOUR IN EUROPE WITH CYNDI LAUPER, THAT MUST BE PRETTY EXCITING?
It will be a dream come true for all of us, especially Rosie who has been a massive fan for years, also this feels like a big step up for the band, so we are looking forward to playing at amazing venues and playing to crazy European crowds.
SO, GIRLS (AND BOY) HAVING FUN ASIDE, WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR ROSIE AND THE GOLDBUG?
We have a single coming out on the 24th November called You’ve Changed so I guess that’s the nearest future happening, not just a cheeky plug of course!!!
As a band we will keep on touring until we make everyone in the world into a bug, so beware, you will be a bug soon.

Matt Merritt

Yoav/Loz Bridge and The Box Social @ The Cellars, 16th July 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:04:00 +0000

I'd seen Yoav before, he was here at The Cellars earlier in the year, but watching his sound check I was still mesmerised by his attention to detail, checking every pedal again and again, separately with guitar and vocals. Here, clearly, was a man who took his craft very, very seriously. So it was that later on I broke the cardinal rule of masculinity and engaged him in conversation while we were at the urinals. Thankfully he remembered me from his previous visit and told me he'd not long been back in the UK after touring the US and Canada, where he is really beginning to build a profile, but he said he was looking forward to performing in this intimate little venue because of the great reception he'd had before. Soon enough it was time for the gig to begin, and so Loz Bridge and The Box Social took to the stage, Loz is a fantastic young songwriter who is rapidly carving out a niche along the south coast for his mix of the epic and the intimate, Tonight he's backed by The Box Social his crack backing band comprising guitarist/vocalist Andy Foster (a fast rising performer in his own right) giant hairy drummer Matt E, possessed of an amazingly delicate touch for such a man-mountain, and Andy Booth, double bass player extraordinaire. Throughout their set songs erupt forth that would sit comfortably in the canon of Tom Waits or Nick Cave, especially 'Witches' with it's wonderful imagery immediately familiar to anyone who shares their office space with a group of gossipy women. Bridge is a blur throughout, singing and playing (guitar and keyboard) with such conviction that he holds audience attention through sheer force of will, the crowd mesmerised even through silence. This young man is certainly a talent to keep watching! Soon enough Yoav himself takes the stage, a slight figure after the support, standing alone and barefoot. Watching him build a song is almost hypnotic, his feet twitching over pedals as he records loops of beats banged out on the body of the guitar, then strums strings to add rhythms, singing into the guitar mike to add bass heavy backing vocals before letting it all flow and singing away over the top. Of course this is realised most beautifully on 'Club Thing' a smash hit in waiting, but elsewhere he builds sounds that Faithless would struggle to replicate and there are hundreds of them! He's quiet between songs, saying little and speaking softly when he does, but the audience are in awe, stunned by a man brave enough to base his entire live set around recorded loops that he creates live on stage, one person stood close to me keeps wondering aloud what will happen if he messes up a recording, but Yoav looks unfazed. Balls of Steel, as they say!

Relief

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:48:00 +0000

The interview I had scheduled for this afternoon has been postponed, which is good as I really want to record it if at all possible!

Interviews

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:03:00 +0000

I've done a few interviews now, with some vaguely well known names, Marc Ford (formerly of The Black Crowes) and Mattafix for instance, but these have always been via email.

Today I'm doing my first telephone interview, which is a little scary, not least because I only found out this morning so I don;t have a phone recorder! At around 5.30 I have to phone Billy Lunn, lead singer of The Subways (http://www.thesubways.net). Suffice it to say that I'm now a little nervous and cannot think of anything to ask, typically!

I'm sure I'll cobble something together, but right now, I'm a little stressed...

Yoav - Club Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:56:00 +0000

Yoav is an artist whose career I've become very interested in. He came and played at The Cellars in April and is back in a couple of weeks. Here's a video of him playing Jools Holland's TV show, hopefully you'll see why I'm fascinated.

I'm slacking again!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:46:00 +0000

Well, yet again it's been far too long since I last wrote on here. Once again I can only apologise.

By way of explanation, I seem to spend almost all my time online writing reviews these days, mainly because I'm terrible at planning ahead.

Anyway, some good news, as anyone who knows me can attest, I've been very down for a long time due to my job. To be more accurate, the inability to do my job due to my employers being extremely poor man managers who are far too concerned with the bottom line. Well, thankfully I've now secured new employment and on the 4th August I start with Scottish and Southern Energy as a Customer Service advisor, which loosely translates as an extra £2000 a year in basic wages, preferential rates for gas and electricity, numerous bonuses and an excellent shares and pension scheme. Needless to say, I'm quite a happy bunny right now.

As I've been slacking with keeping this blog updated look for a splurge of updates in the near future, including a few reviews of various CDs/live shows.

Here's a couple of EP reviews for you.

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 18:29:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I attended a Drowning Out The Sound Of Seagulls meeting and met a fair few people involved in the local music scene who had previously been fairly unknown to me, among them were representatives of two bands who handed me CDs, I promised I'd review them and here those reviews are, albeit a little later than planned. Hope you like them,
Matt

EVERY OCEAN’S TIDE - The 408 EP
These lads have an ear for a tune and a few tasty riffs in their pockets already and vocalist Will Powell has an interesting voice, a warm baritone that’s immediately at odds with the shrill tenor that most bands use for vocals at the moment. The rest of the band are no slackers either, drummer Chris Haill particularly catching the ear with some assured skin pounding and a few great rolls, particularly on Via Valiente, that left me grinning the first time I heard them and still stand out after repeated listening. The song writing here is strong and there is certainly a lot of potential in the band, closing track November with it’s looped keyboard lines and some uplifting lyrics make for a\ potential anthem. Definitely a band to look out for, though the production here, the EP sounding very much like a bedroom recording, is the one area the band could do with improving next time. Still, that’s nothing that an experienced sound engineer couldn’t solve easily and doesn’t detract from the otherwise impressive work from a band who’ve only been together a few short months.
Check out Every Ocean’s Tide here: http://www.myspace.com/everyoceanstide

HELLCYON - Lady Luck
What we have here is a band steeped in the classics, bluesy lead guitar riffs, a lead singer who sounds like he gargles Jack Daniels and brushes his teeth with cigarettes and a song that has been on near constant repeat since I first heard it a few weeks back! Simple enough to sneak into your subconscious and tough enough to stop any attempts to remove it! This is the kind of simple, down & dirty rock that Guns & Roses used to specialise in and Buckcherry churn out now to millions of adoring fans, no reason why they wouldn’t be Hellcyon fans if they just heard the band!
Check Hellcyon out here: http://www.myspace.com/hellcyon

Artrocker

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:01:00 +0000

Those fine gents at www.artrocker.com have taken me on as a contributing writer, basically meaning that reviews and the like that I send in to them will be featured on their websites. It's a very exciting move for me and one that advances my chances of becoming a paid writer quite a bit!

The review itself can be read here: http://www.artrocker.com/node/1332

While I'm here I'll apologise once more for my tardy posting habits.

Please feel free to leave messages,

Matt

Stuff Wot I Writez...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Firstly, I'm sorry... I promised regular updates and then went silent again... I'm rubbish!

Anyway, back on topic, as a lot of you who read this will know, I write press releases for Stiff Promotions (http://www.stiffpromotions.co.uk/), as well as doing reviews and such like for the local music scene here in Portsmouth. As I've gone on with the press releases I feel I've developed a little skill at it, not much but a tiny bit. So, as such, I thought I'd share my latest one with you:

Take four young men from London and Leeds, mix liberally. Add witty lyrics, infectious beats and a fast growing fan base and let the mixture come to a boil. Garnish with praise from some of the UK’s most respected music critics (Steve Lamacq called the band 'The most lyrically erudite band I've heard in a long while...'), live sessions on Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, regular airplay on Radio 1 and shoes covered in wine that Beth Ditto from the Gossip spilt while standing with the band at Leeds Festival as drummer Alex was DJ-ing. Serve in a frenzy of industry interest.

Congratulations, you’ve just created your own Official Secrets Act!

To say this band are hotly tipped is something of an understatement. NME say "They have the pop-tential to become a seriously classic mainstream band" While Artrocker are fascinated by the bands "magical knack for Perfect Hooks". In short this band are a recipe for success, tipped by some of the most influential voices in the music world to be sitting at the top of the pile come the close of 2008.

But first they’ll be coming to The Cellars At Eastney to play their uniquely British take on pop driven New Wave, echoing the best of XTC and Television and crafting it into something wholly their own.

With support from The Model Village, The Sinniks and The Cartel, The 18th of March promises to be a day of pure indie bliss not to be missed!

•Official Secrets Act are at The Cellars at Eastney on Tuesday 18th March 2008.

•Tickets, £6 advance, £7 door, are available from The Cellars, Cromwell Road, Portsmouth, Box Office 023-9282-6249 (2pm-6pm) and online at www.stiffpromotions.co.uk and www.ticketweb.co.uk.

Not great, I know... but I think I'm getting somewhere with this. If you happen to be in a band, or indeed anyone who might need some writing done, drop me a line as I'm dirt cheap!

Cheers for reading, feel free to leave comments,

Matt

Apologies

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:12:00 +0000

It has (before today) been well over a month since I blogged anything, but I'm back to business as norml now, pretty much anyway, so expect to see regular posts once or twice a week from here on in.

Thanks.

PART FIVE: Wonders of nature, blunders of man.

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:22:00 +0000

Saturday, our last full day in Toronto, and it started as I believe every day would start were I to live there, with a coffee and a cruller at Tim Horton's. Post-coffee Emma and I burned time with a little more shopping, gathering yet more Cd's and DVDs and heading back to the hotel for 11. From there we departed on a subway train, heading west to meet up with Chris and Leah who were very kindly taking us to Niagara.

The trip out was a little hard for me to comprehend, every piece of the journey surrounded by urban sprawl, the only break being rows of vineyards, green and brown against the grey of buildings, but the work of people rather than nature nonetheless. While this was, for the most part, merely surprising (like most people I foolishly expected there to be swathes of countryside between Toronto and Niagara), but when Hamilton Harbor came into view the worst excesses of industry were visualised. The steel mills, black against the white sky, belching smoke and flames into the air, polluting our nostrils. The sight was at the same time both hideous and compelling, I couldn't look away, following the lines of smoke with my eyes as we passed.

The Pelham winery (http://www.henryofpelham.com/) on the other hand, was a lovely rustic vision, quiet due to the time of year. The staff, possibly the most smiley and happy (and very genuine, this wasn't false hospitality for the sake of the customer) I've ever come across, gave us samples of a number of their wines, each of which was excellent. Before we left Emma and I grabbed a few bottles for our own use. A passable Rose, some absolutely delicious Riesling (the best I've yet tasted) and a small bottle of Ice Wine, which is really worth trying if you haven't before (we bought more Canadian wine from the airport on the way home we were so taken with it).

After a brief stop for food (Wendy's for me and Leah, the brilliantly named Pizza Pizza for Emma and Chris) we headed on to Niagara itself.

The first encounter with the falls is something that can't quite be put into words. The sheer majesty and power of it is overwhelming, a true display of the power and grace of nature and an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The town of Niagara on the other hand, is a classic tourist trap, a street of hideous neon signs and fibre-glass fronted buildings housing wax works and other facilities for separating a holiday maker from their cash. We stopped off for a coffee to warm ourselves, the temperature around the falls being much lower than in Toronto just a few miles to the north.

Night had fallen when we emerged on to the streets and headed back toward the falls, lit up by huge beacons shining their light across from the town. The falls, throwing up their clouds of mist which was turned to snow by the cold air, looked even more potent in the darkness.

We got back to the car and drove around for a while chatting away, Emma and I marvelling at what we had seen while Chris and Leah seemed genuinely bemused by our awe of what was on their doorstep (I'm much the same when people who are on holiday in the UK are in awe of our history).

Soon enough we headed back to Toronto, once more passing Hamilton, which looked like some neo-Victorian hell against the night sky.

We had dinner at a real Irish pub (as opposed to an Irish themed bar) called The Galway Arms, Chris had spoken highly of the steak and I was pleased to find his praise fully justified. Whilst there I watched my first hockey game on TV and developed, in the space of half an hour and without being able to hear a word the man said, a strange fascination with Don Cherry.

Before taking us home, Chris and Leah gave us a little tour of the Distillery and Entertainment districts, pointing out all manner of interesting sights, Chris showing me many of the early haunts of The Hip.

All too soon we were back at the hotel, removing our wine from the boot of Chris' car and replacing it with a box full of Galaxy Chocolate I'd brought over for Leah (and Chris of course).

Sunday found me in a melancholy mood, I'd had a fantastic holiday with some memories that will always stay with me, but it was counterbalanced by the fact that, for the first time, I'd found a place other than Portsmouth that I would happily call home. Toronto is a place it is very easy to feel comfortable in, it's small communities giving it the feel of a huddled mass of small villages. But not only was I leaving a wonderful city, whilst in Canada I had reinforced friendships with some great people. Mark and Steve, both very friendly guys who I'd have liked to get to know better, Matt who had bought Wintersleep tickets just to hang out with us, Dave who I could quite happily sit down with a beer and talk music with until the early hours, Trevor whose boundless enthusiasm and almost childlike excitement about things mirrors my own and not least Chris, who was so giving of his time in helping us plan the holiday and who, along with his lovely wife Leah, was a fantastic host.

All of these people I wish could be a regular part of my life.

One last Tim Horton's in the airport (and a doggy bag of their excellent cinnamon and raisin bagels for breakfast in the UK) and we were on the plane heading home.

PART FOUR: Old houses, new music

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 07:58:00 +0000

Friday dawned in Toronto and I greeted it with a yawn, whereas Emma was still sound asleep. When she eventually arose and we could take to the streets we headed to Tim Horton's once again for breakfast and then took a stroll through the cutting cold of morning through downtown, arriving at Campbell House. We decided to take a look inside and were given a guided tour by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable young man in period dress.

The house itself was pretty unremarkable, having been moved from it's original location and as such redecorated, but representing as it does a notable point of history in such a young city it serves an admirable purpose.

Lunch was less memorable, we finally submitted to the inevitable and had a McDonald's. Typically it tasted far nicer than the cardboard burgers we get at home. The afternoon was spent shopping (no surprises there) and relaxing in preparation for the evenings festivities.

Matt and Trevor came and picked us up at our hotel and we sped off down College Street to meet up with Chris, Leah and Dave for a delicious dinner (I had some exquisite swordfish) and a great beer (they had Pilsner Urquell, I was so happy I could've cried). Part way through our dining experience we were joined by the delightful Mr Stephen Stroud, another Hip fan, and his brother, whose name I am ashamed to say I've forgotten.

The food and beer digested we headed off up the road to the Mod Club (http://www.themodclub.com/) where we met up with Mark, another Euro-hipper and taper extraordinaire.

The gig was, to put it mildly, superb. The company excellent, the support, from the Wooden Stars (http://www.myspace.com/thewoodenstars) was tight, if unspectacular and Wintersleep (http://www.wintersleep.com), well they were everything I'd hoped for and more.

The fact that the bands played early and most of the desperately trendy types turned up just in time for what they thought would be the headliners and managed to hear only the encore... well that just made the night all the more hilarious!

PART THREE: Crazy Castles, Demon Barbers and Divine Donuts!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:46:00 +0000

Wednesday morning came around too quickly for our bleary eyes, we hauled ourselves up and out (after I'd scanned through the Globe and Mail, a great newspaper). We set out for breakfast and decided to venture to somewhere different for breakfast. We went into a branch of Tim Horton's (http://www.timhortons.com) and it must be said that I was hooked from the off. Not only was the coffee strong and simple (no fancy options here, but good old fashioned coffee at a great price) but their donuts, and especially their honey krullers were simply divine.

From there it was off to Casa Loma, a castle/mansion/folly, built for Henry Pellatt, a rich businessman who wanted a home so ostentatious that it helped to bankrupt him. It was certainly impressive though, and is fairly well known having been used as a location for films such as X-Men, Chicago and The Pacifier.

After soaking up the sights there we headed to the entertainment district and secured tickets for the matinee of Sweeney Todd, then went for a walk around King and Queen streets.

Sweeney was superb, the cast were perfect to a man, the singing and music (all performed onstage by the actors) atmospheric and the staging innovative and spectacular in its simplicity.

From there we popped back to the hotel to freshen up and woke up the next morning!

Thursday saw us back at Tim Horton's again (if this chain existed in the UK I would have breakfast there every single day), before we took a really nice walk around Kensington Market and Chinatown, strolling past a location of Mike Myers' new film at one point. Toronto has a very homely feel, the differing communities giving it the ambiance of lots of separate villages pushed together. I could live here quite happily.

Lunch at Hard Rock Cafe preceded some retail therapy and a trip back to the hotel to freshen up before heading out to dinner.

I'd read about Southern Accent (http://www.southernaccent.com) in a guide book, and as a fan of Cajun food I was looking forward to eating there. It didn't disappoint, the food was excellent and the cocktails simply divine, especially the incomparable Bourbon Sour. Emma visited the in-house medium between courses while I eavesdropped on the conversations of other diners, always entertaining. Then it was back to the hotel, warmed by the spices in our stomachs. We wandered past Honest Ed's, a Toronto landmark and took the tube (excellently run, very clean, pity it hardly goes anywhere) back to the hotel.

PART TWO: Great Views, Fun Times and Bubble Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 20:55:00 +0000

Tuesday morning saw the sun burn through the clouds and make Toronto gleam in the morning light. This has to be one of the cleanest cities I've seen. After returning to Starbucks for breakfast we set off to the CN Tower. It's worth explaining at this point that I am rubbish with heights, so I was understandably cautious about the idea of going up the tower, but as Emma was so excited about the prospect I braved it out.

We arrived at the tower a little early so had to wait after buying our tickets before we could enter, which did nothing for my nerves. Soon enough we were told to go in and after a security check (from a great machine that made me jump as it blasted me with jets of air), we entered the lift, the view of Toronto's islands unfolding before us on the astonishingly quick ride to the viewing level. The views out over the city were nothing short of beautiful, even my fears were kept at bay by the spectacle before me. We decided to head down a level and walk around the outside loop of the viewing area, the morning breezes refreshingly cool. Then, it was time to brave the glass floor, strangely I found it easy to walk across it whereas Emma was very scared at the prospect. I was fine, until I looked down, then I became a trifle wary. Soon enough the fear abated again though and I marked the occasion by tap dancing (very badly) across the glass.

Having absorbed the views and the experiences of the tower we took a meandering trip back to the hotel (by way of HMV, I had to grab some CDs for my good friend Ben) before strolling around Yonge St and down to the Hard Rock cafe for lunch. By pure chance we were seated at a table underneath a jacket donated by Gord Downie, The Tragically Hip's lead singer, which made me grin like a child.

When we were done eating it was back to the Eaton Centre, which absorbed another afternoon for us, we discovered the joy of Freshly Squeezed (http://www.freshlysqueezed.ca/home.htm). By five we were back in the hotel, time enough for a quick nap and a shower before heading down to meet up with some friends.

Matt was the first to arrive, we chatted away about Toronto and about Eurohip, among other things we found out Matt works for the company that makes the CN Tower's awesome security machine, then Chris appeared in the reception, so we headed outside and said hi to Trevor who was sat in his car. He headed off to park and we decided to go eat at Spring Rolls (http://www.springrolls.ca/) where we had good food and great fun, chatting and laughing the night away. I also had Bubble Tea, proper stuff, not the weak equivalent I'd sampled in the UK, it was delicious, the feel of the tapioca and the flavour of honeydew melon really going well together. All too soon the staff were closing up the restaurant for the night and we left, waiting outside for Chris' wife Leah to come meet us, then we headed back to the hotel.

PART ONE: A tale of Sights and Sounds, Rain and Shine, Coffee and Doughnuts

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:19:00 +0000

Well, I'm home from Toronto, relaxed back into the flat and tomorrow I go back to work.

The holiday was superb, the flight over went quickly (even despite my dodgy screen meaning I couldn't really watch any movies) and BA even served up meals that resembled real food! When we arrived we got a taxi to the hotel and although from the outside it looked like a hideous concrete high rise (it is...), the interior was gorgeously decorated. I can imagine it's a little OTT for some tastes, but I liked it. Once we'd settled into the room we headed downstairs for a quick walk around the block, to stretch our legs and get a little fresh air. The city was surprisingly quiet for a Sunday night. We went to the hotel restaurant for a great meal and I tried some honey beer which tasted great, I think it was called Sleemans Honey Brown (http://www.sleeman.com/en/html/beer/sl_brands/honey/index.htm). After that, we dragged ourselves, exhausted and over full, to bed.

The next morning we rose early and headed a block east to Starbucks for breakfast, it served it's purpose and we strolled off up Yonge St (pronounced young), heading west along Bloor St,. home of Toronto's designer shopping. Our eventual aim was the stunning Royal Ontario Museum, and it's 'crystal' extension. As it wasn't open we carried on to the Bata Shoe museum. The exhibits inseide were actually pretty interesting, moreso than I'd been expecting. We then headed back to the ROM and made our way round there.The museum was well laid out and had exhibits that were both thorough and diverse, at leat it did as far as we could see. At least half of the building was closed as the Crystal is still not complete internally. When we visited the gift shop I became the focus of attention for it's extremely camp manager, who followed me about explaining the significance of everything I picked up (the focus of many camp men on me became a theme throughout the holiday actually).

At this point we fancied a bite to eat and a sit down, so we thought we'd take a look at the Eaton Centre, a kind of large shopping centre with a Sears department store as part of it (It was originally an Eaton store, buit their chain went bust and was bought out by Sears, who declined to change the name of the whole complex). Here we ate, window shopped, and I picked up a pair of CDs for my good friend Ben. Late in the afternoon we returned to the hotel, tired and fancying a short nap before dinner. Our heads hit the pillow and we were out like a light, not waking until around 9pm, at which time we realised it was far too late to consider going out for food so we just rolled straight over and went to sleep for the night.

Nearly time

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:33:00 +0000

Not long now and I'll be in Canada. It is, in fact, four days until Emma and I fly out. To say I'm excited now is somewhat of an understatement, especially as I not only get a holiday but a chance to meet up again with some good friends too. As they live in Canada it's not exactly easy to meet up with the likes of Chris, Trevor, Dave, Matt, Mark and the gang whenever I see fit, a pity as they are, to a man, great people and treasured friends. As such getting to hang out for a couple of evenings with them, and going to a gig with them all too (Wintersleep) will be pretty damn cool. The only pity is that Adrian can't join us, living as he does on the other side of the country practically.

While I'm on the subject, Matt has a blog out now too, it's well worth taking a look as he charts more of the fun the guys had on the Eurohip tour. You can find it here: http://www.amann.ca

Anything you'd like to see me write about? Leave a message and let me know.

Local music, for local people.

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:46:00 +0000

It has, since I first started following a local band a school friend had formed called Thirst (http://www.ziprecords.com/artists/thirst/index.shtml), been a fascination of mine that so many talented bands and artists can exist in towns and cities the world over without getting any real exposure outside their local area. Sure Thirst themselves went on to sign with Zip records and do some tours in the US and yes I readily acknowledge that there are a number of artists from Portsmouth alone who regularly play nights in London and more recently in Liverpool (though the latter is largely due to a Portsmouth promoter moving there), but they are still 'Portsmouth bands' in both perception and mindset.

The point I'm making though is that here, where I call home, there are some fantastic and diverse musicians creating superb music and playing exciting gigs on a regular basis. First and foremost among them, in my mind, is Andrew Foster (http://www.andrewfostermusic.co.uk), a great musician, songwriter and producer, Andy also has a superb work ethic and when not performing himself is a great supporter of other bands and artists. His music is firmly in the singer/songwriter mould and, although easily accessible and appealing to diverse audiences I would place it closer in spirit to the passion of Scott Matthews than the common denominator mass production of James Blunt. Andy is definitely someone it's worth checking out.

Another band who are head and shoulders above most of the rest are Suburbian (http://www.myspace.com/suburbian) a band who I have previously described as 'like Coldplay with balls', and rightly so I think.

At this point it seems only right to mention the work of Iain Martin, and Stiff Promotions (http://www.stiffpromotions.co.uk/), as a local promoter Iain has no competition in my opinion and his unswerving support of and help for local musicians and music lovers is nothing short of exemplary. It says something that I know of not a single local musician of note who has a bad word to say about either the man or the business. I'm very lucky to have been involved with reviewing a number of gigs Iain has put on and they number highly among my favourites.

Before I shut up it's only fair to mention my favourite group of precociously talented teenagers, Hardly Heroes (http://www.myspace.com/hardlyheroes06 ), these pop punk playing teens have a great set of songs but most of all they really enjoy what they're doing and it's very contagious!

Please, please take time to check all these people out and let me (and them) know what you think!

To all those bands and singers I haven't mentioned, please don't take it as a snub, I'll be writing this for a while yet so there's every chance I'll give you guys a shout out.

It's nearly holiday time

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:40:00 +0000

Well, in a little over two weeks Emma and I will be jetting off for a week of fun, sightseeing and best of all meeting up with some great friends who I've already mentioned here.

Originally we planned to go to New York, as we'd had such an awesome time there in 2005, but when we were priced out of that option and started lookign at alternatives Toronto leapt out at us. The subsequent opportunities to meet up with friends just made it an even better idea.

As it stands we're not really sure what we're going to be getting up to for the most part, though a night out with Chris, Trevor and their partners is on the cards and on the Friday we're going to a gig with them and also Dave and Mark, kind of a mini Eurohip reunion. We're seeing Wintersleep (http://www.wintersleep.com) a great band who Dave introduced me to by way of a conversation about his shirt!

I'm guessing that we'll head out to Niagara at some point, I'd certainly like to... and the CN Tower is pretty much an obvious choice, b ut for once I'm going into a holiday with a pretty small checklist of things to do, it's really quite refreshing.

Other people's blogs

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Merritt) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:52:00 +0000

I just wanted to say a big thank you to some friends of mine. A couple of people whose blogs you'll see listed over to the right there have very kindly linked to this blog from their own. You may even have joined me from there in which case this is irrelevent (sorry), but I just wanted to give you all a bit more information on these guys and a couple of others by way of a story.

In the early part of last year Emma and I were sat at my PC, absently downloading music, for some reason we decided to search for the term "New Orleans", possibly I was trying to get a copy of the Gary Bonds track, I really can't remember. Among the many options the computer threw back at us one stuck out, a song called "New Orleans Is Sinking by a band called The Tragically Hip. We'd never heard of them but, intrigued by the combination of great song title and genius band name Emma decided to download the track. We listened to it and I remarked that it was 'okay'. As time went on Emma started downloading other tracks by the band and rallying on me to listen to them, they weren't bad but nothing really hooked me.

I could see she was intrigued though, so when I noticed a tiny advert for a gig they were playing in London I bought a pair of tickets. Roll on to Emma's birthday and I presented her with the tickets and an album by the band (In Violet Light), she was ecstatic and to show willing I tried once again to see where she was coming from in her adoration of this band about whom she knew nothing. As I listened again and again to the few tracks we'd downloaded one of them suddenly took a hold on me. Called "Bobcaygeon" this endearing little number wormed into my brain and acted like the key in the lock, bringing me to really appreciate this band.

Soon it was July and we headed off to London, to Shepherds Bush to see the band. We ate dinner in a Wetherspoons in a shopping Centre near by and I noticed a few people wearing band shirts, I also noticed that they weren't English - what had we stumbled in to?!

After dinner we decided to head over to the venue a little early, expecting to be the first there. To our surprise there werw a group of guys there in matching shirts toting enough cameras and recording equipment to be easily mistaken for a film crew. One look at the blurbs on their tees told us that they had all travelled from Canada to see this band and to follow them on tour. As the queues formed for the show one of the guys started filming the prospective audience, asking questions and generally chatting. Then, suddenly, the venue changed the queue formation and we had to move to another queue as we were seated on the second balcony. One of the group was in front of us and we catted to him now and again as we waited, he seemed very friendly and courteously explained things about the band and what to expect to us and others around us. This man, I later discovered was Adrian Burden whose blog (http://www.onegeeksopinion.com/) is featured opposite, in getting to know Adrian I've been lucky to meet as caring and friendly a person as one could hope for, a true gentleman.

Eventually we got into the venue and, resplendant in freshly bought tour shirts with hideously expensive beer in hand we secured seats front and centre. What followed was easily the most exciting and visceral experience of my gig going career to date. Even now I struggle to put into words the gamut of emotion I went through that night. When the show was over and we went back outside I tried to find the group we'd seen before the show, to find out more about 'The Hip' as everyone was calling them, vbut all I could see was a guy selling knock off Tragically Nip shirts.

In my quest for more to know I turned to the internet and discovered the excellent http://www.hipbase.com, which provided me with insight into the band, I started to buy up their CDs via eBay and Amazon and stumbled across the Hiptracker, the work of a group of fervent fans who taped the band at almost every show and shared the recordings with anyone who showed an interest. One of them, Chris Kirkpatrick becam my go-to guy for anything I needed to know, his patience and friendly help making me even more sure that there was something special about this band and their following. Chris runs, with a few others, a fantasic site at http://www.hipfans.com and was the man behind the hip trakcer until it was rewcently destroyed by a selfish idiot.

Soon enough it was 2007 and early in the year the band announced their intention to tour in Europe again. I couldn;t help but get excited at the prospect of seeing them and taking part in what a group of us dubbed Eurohip '07. Getting to properly meet the guys from the previous year and some others who I had virtually befriended since, notably a Londoner by the name of Ben Grubb (http://bengrubb-illustration.blogspot.com/) who shared with me the strange sensation of being obsessed with a band who hardly anyone you knew had ever heard of.

This year seemed to fly by and before I knew it I was in London, it was September and I was en-route to Victoria station to meet up with some Canadians the day before a gig I had been waiting all year for. Chris and Adrian were both there and I met Trevor Cornell for the first time, like me Trevor was a few years younger than the majority of the group, unlike me however he is a fantastic photographer as was evidenced throughout the two days I spent with the group, his work can be seen at (http://www.trevorconnellphotography.blogspot.com/) and really is woth your time! There was another Trevor their too, also Dave, who has introduced me to another great band called Wintersleep (more on that soon) and another Matt, a kindred soul. Soon enough we met up with Ben as well and after I fetched Emma from Waterloo we all spent a very enjoyable evening chatting and laughing as if we were old friends.

The next day we met up again, joined by another Canadian Hip fan called Mark who had taken a later flight. The day that followed was one of the most enjoyable I've had in the longest time and before I knew it I was thinking of these guys, who I'd conversed with mostly via keyboards and websites as among my favourite friends.

So thank you guys, all of you, for allowing me into your lives and for enrriching mine, it's been an absolute pleasure!