A Black Cadillac in Montreal

Cleveland Rocks - I finally saw the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame

2011-09-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I haven't written here. Lack of motivation, lack of inspiration... and Twitter has become my reflex.

Anyway, I guess I was waiting for the right subject, and now I have one that I have a lot to say about. See, I put a major check on my bucket list... On Labour Day week-end, I went to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. I had always dreamed of going there (well since 1986), and my friends and I decided to drive from Montreal to Cleveland and spend a few days there.

Now, I have to be honest and say that my friends fell in love with the city, but were a bit disappointed by the HOF. It takes a long time to see all of it, so you probably won't get to see everything in one visit. And that is apart from the fact that the HOF has collected so much stuff there has to be a rotation. This means there might not be things that belonged to your favourite band, and even if there is you might miss it. (I didn't see anything of Queen's and was hoping to, and my friend missed the Black Sabbath wall)

Another comment one of my friends made was that there wasn't much to learn. I think he is right in the sense that he expected something more didactic, but got a museum instead. However, for a rock nerd like myself who already knows the roots and has a good general knowledge of Rock, this is perfect, and an 'introduction to the world of Rock' type thing would have been quite redundant. My friend enjoyed his experience anyway though (I did the narrating and commenting). Just get your expectations straight: it's a showcase of Rock memorabilia. But it's a great one.

Personally, I loved my experience there. That may well be because I knew what to expect, and got what I expected. (Plus I was damn excited to just BE there. If I lived closer to Cleveland (it's a 10-hour drive from Montreal) I would definitely have a yearly membership to the HOF (it costs 50$ for a year and 22$ for one visit...) and I would go there every time they change the exhibits or change the memorabilia. I wish I'd had more time: in 4 hours I saw about a third of the HOF.

What I loved:
- The Rolling Stones room
- The Beatles room
- Jimi Hendix's couch
- The part of the HOF that is classified by city and important period or genre (for example, San Francisco is all about the 60's and LSD inspired rock, and Seattle is all about Grunge)
- The huge Pink Floyd Wall
- Doris, the tipping-scale sculpture from the And Justice for All tour
- All the costumes : Bowie, Iggy Pop, Bjork and Annie Lennox to name a few

What I didn't like : the temporary exhibit, Women who Rock, was quite small and in my opinion some of the choices were questionable. Lady Gaga (though I love her and WAS glad to see the meat dress), Taylor Swift, the Underwood girl from American Idol and Christina Aguilera getting as much exposure as Patti Smith, Joan Jett, Heart and Meg White is just not quite right for the setting. This brings me to my only other negative comment.

In my opinion, way too much of the (already limited) HOF space is dedicated to artists and bands that are related to rock only remotely, and sometimes not at all. Blues, Jazz, RnB in the roots section on the first floor, sure, absolutely. Including some country, folk and pop-rock, ok. But a huge picture of Madonna right at the entrance? I know she is an icon, but she is not a rock icon. The same goes for Michael Jackson, however important a performer he was. Not to mention ABBA and Britney Spears (though to be fair she is not an inductee). I guess you can't not mention Madonna and Jackson, but there shouldn't be so much importance put on them in the temple of rock music. I understand the idea is to be inclusive, but I think the HOF is getting a little too far away from it's mission and ends up spreading itself too thin. I am a bit of a purist, sure, but my friend who is mostly into pop culture said the same thing, without being prompted. And anyway, who goes to the HOF expecting something other than a Rock n' Roll overload?

So, should you go to the HOF? Absolutely. Is it worth the price of the ticket? If you have the right expectations and enough time, absolutely. Was it worth a 10-hour road trip? For a rock nerd who likes memorabilia, most definitely.

I'll finish with some praise for Cleveland. It should really be on your list of places to visit.

There is a whole lot to see and do in Cleveland, even though most people asked 'what the hell is in Cleveland' when they heard I was going there on a road trip. This City lacks exposure and has to compete with Chicago and New York, that's the real issue. Beautiful architecture, clean wide streets, beautiful parks with astonishing statues and fountains, two awesome stadiums (I got to see a baseball game!!! Go Indians!!).

Let's not forget Lake Erie, and the great sandy beach in Edgewater park (8$ cab ride from downtown Cleveland). All sorts of landmarks tell the progressive, pro-working class, tolerant, open-minded, left-leaning story of Cleveland and its people. And did you know Cleveland has a big cluster of theaters, downtown, in what they call the Playhouse District? Yeah I didn't either!

Cleveland is filled with reasonably-priced restaurants that serve great food, from Guiness stuffed and fried mushrooms at Flannery's Iris Pub to deliciously authentic Cajun food and a 22$ bottle of Pinot Grigio at the House of Blues, and even a fantastic and huge tuna tataki for 15$ at Louie's. Add one of their wonderful dirty martinis with blue cheese stuffed olives and you'll never want to leave.

Hotels downtown are cheap, especially on the week-end and if you book through hotels.com (this is not a plug, we actually shopped around and they had the best prices). From the hotels downtown, you can walk to the tourist attractions (no traps!) and to a lot of bars and clubs, but since Cleveland spreads out for miles and miles, you might want to ask the locals to point you to smaller more unique places to go out. And they'll be happy to do it: everybody we met in Cleveland, whether they were working at the places we went to or just random people hanging out, were amazing. Every one we talked to was nice, open, proud of the city and its imminent comeback (population went from 1 million to 500 000, but things are picking up now). People in Cleveland glow when you say you love it there, they are very helpful and will gladly give you suggestions of cool places to go to.

All around, sincerely, Cleveland is a great place to visit, and it has tremendous untapped potential. I highly recommend it, and would go back in a heart beat. Put simply, it is true, I saw it with my own eyes: Cleveland Rocks.

Can't get over the Lazy Song

2011-08-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

Since it came out, I think I've listened to this song every day.

This is absolutely my summer 2011 song. What's yours?

Ozzy on Justin Bieber

2010-12-13T06:07:00.000-08:00

Gotta love Ozzy

PANIC! At the Disco announce 3rd album: 'Vices & Virtues'.

2010-12-10T04:54:00.000-08:00

Find more photos like this on Friends Or Enemies

Exciting news! I just loved Pretty.Odd. I've said it many times, to me it is our generation's Sgt. Peppers. (And I don't make Beatles comparisons lightly!)

Can't wait to hear what Panic! did with a theme like Vice&Virtue. The songsters say that all the songs will relate to that theme, so I think we might have another good concept album coming along. Or at least I hope! The album is set to be released on March 8th 2011.

The first single is (for now at least) entitled Mona Lisa.

Listen to this interview given by Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith in Germany to find out more about the inspiration, the collaborators and what Panic! learned about the process.

Source: PANIC! AT THE DISCO - third album entitled 'Vices & Virtues'.

Useless fact: Alex Van Halen is good in bed

2010-12-09T10:09:00.001-08:00

Image

Famous groupie Connie Hamzy told Howard Stern on his December 8th show that Alex Van Halen was her best lover ever. Considering she's comparing him to Gene Simmons, Keith Moon, Peter Frampton and Willie Nelson (!) among others, it ain't half bad.

The idea is not to think to much about how they look now. Keith Moon is not even the one that looks the most like a mummy. (Ok that was in bad taste).

By the way, Connie is mentioned in « We're an American Band » by Grand Funk Railroad.

Enjoy!

Source: Contactmusic News

'Clash' of the titans : Sex Pistols vs Ramones

2010-12-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

My friend Sebastian Hell had a great 'musical question of the day' on Facebook today. So I stole it (ha!)... there's nothing like a good debate to make me start blogging again!

Here goes :
Musical question of the day: The Ramones or The Sex Pistols? (as usual, please note: ''both'' shows you are stupid, while ''neither'' denotes you are pretentious)

In this FB discussion, the Ramones win by a landslide. Here are a few comments:

Sébastian Hell: Me: Ramones. No question. They came first, made 14 records (to the Pistols' 1-or-3), toured every year and were a model of discipline and consistency, if not of originality.

D.A. : Ramones(Crass actually)

J-M R. : Ramones most definitely !!!!!

Marie-Eve Boucher : What irritates the most in equally seminal punk bands... prefabrication only topped by the monkees or idiotic feuding only topped by oasis... hmmm... Ramones then ;) (I am pretentious and proud however). Oh and I forgot, the awesome ridiculousness of Rock n' Roll High School also gets the Ramones my vote

So peeps, what side are you on in this epic battle?

To find out more about the awesomeness that is Sebastian Hell :

http://www.myspace.com/sebastianhell
http://sebastianhell.blogspot.com/
http://sebhell.dvdaf.com/
http://www.tapetrader.com/livebabylive
http://hellenfrancais.blogspot.com/
http://postmortemism.blogspot.com/

Prepare to Rock your Kitchen!

2010-04-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight on Food Network Canada at 11PM, the most rockin' cooking show ever is gonna make its big debut: Bitchin' Kitchen. I'm beyond excited, bro!

It all started with a website, bitchinkitchen.tv, created by the original bitchin' babe herself, miz Nadia G. Stock full of lifestyle articles, recipes and awesome stuff to discover, you MUST go to the site and become part of this community.

Now on there you will also see what the Food Network loved (and ultimately picked up): Nadia G's unique brand of cooking comedy... and occasional food porn videos.

Get ready to rock your kitchen casalinga style by watching the sizzler reel below

All together now: Root vegetaBLES!

Don't you dare miss it! I'll be tweeting live during the show if you wanna chat.

Beastfeeders lead singer hit during show in Vancouver

2010-02-26T08:35:00.000-08:00

During a show given in Vancouver during the Olympics, Luc Brien, lead singer and guitarist of Montreal band The Breastfeeders, was hit by a bottle thrown from the pit.

Wow. That was stupid and dangerous.

via ysael

Lily Allen calls Courtney Love a crazy old lady, haha

2010-02-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

I love Twitter. There's drama going on there that I could never have access to before, or in any other way.

Of course, Courtney Love is highly entertaining on Twitter (yesterday she attacked Edward Norton - her ex -, and said she wanted to sleep with John Mayer and punch him... isn't that just magical?)

Anyway this time Miss Love isn't responsible for the first blow, instead, she gets called out by Lily Allen.

Rumor had it that the two delicate flowers had tried to rip each other's petals out during the NME awards. According to Allen, it's not so: Love accused her of putting a lock on her clothes and Lily told her to shut up and stop spreading rumors. Because, she says,"i would never fight with her , as a rule i don't pick on crazy old ladies ."

You just can't make this stuff up ;)

By the way, Lily Allen also tweeted that she's postponing her retirement to play with Jay Z at Wireless in London.

Aldo Nova and my work week-end

2010-01-26T08:35:00.000-08:00

What to these things have in common? Not much actually, other than the fact that Aldo Nova and I both open doors with the pure powa of rock n' roll. HA! (see 1:05)

Sylvain Barrette is to blame for this. He sent it to me last week but because of the work related craziness, I only got to it this morning.

Patrik et les brutes at Club Soda on jan. 20

2010-01-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

Lovers of all things glam, punk and seductive, I'm talking to you! Tomorrow my new sweeties, Patrik et les brutes, will be performing at Club Soda before your stunned ears and eyes.

Plastik Patrik is a well known figure in the Montreal underground (he's played every venue in the Village and is a DJ at Club Saphire, among other things). He leads this glam-pop-punk-francophone band (who cares you don't need to understand the lyrics to love this) in performances both nutty and lively, reminiscent of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Semi Precious Weapons. Plastik Patrik can also count on solid musicians, and among them is the fabulous singer/keyboard player Vicky Martel (you might have seen her at the now closed Baloos).

PATRIK & LES BRUTES - Chez Candi (version intégrale) from Mathieu Grondin on Vimeo.

Why am I certain you can't miss the show tomorrow? I've seen them live at the SAT for their album launch and it was fantabulous.

Join Sam the glamazon and me tomorrow at 8:30 PM at Club Soda, you'll have a great time.

Get to know Patrik et les brutes :

Facebook
Twitter
Myspace

Ppppppokerface, the best covers

2010-01-12T07:12:00.000-08:00

Some of you have surely seen the video of Cartman singing Pokerface. I had seen it a while ago but forgot to share. Luckily, Jas mentioned it on facebook so I remembered.

Here are my favourite covers of Pokerface. Feel free to comment on my choices or mention your own favourites.

Eric Cartman

Christopher Walken

Jude Law

Mash-up!

And here is the... shall I say 'unusual'? Chris Daughtry version

A song for the first snowfall

2009-12-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Today while reading my friend Alex's blog, I had an "ooooh-I-wish-I'd-thought-of-that" moment.

So here it is, a song for the first real snowfall of the year. Zappa rules.

Pete Doherty manages to insult a whole country in a few words

2009-12-01T06:32:00.000-08:00

Good work man! He only needed a few sentences to piss off all of Germany and a few others.

During a music festival in Munich, our favourite winner sang the Nazi version of the German national anthem.

Go to the end of this video to get the full experience.

Of course, according to his spokespeople, he didn't do it on purpose, yadda yadda yadda. Man, if I had their job, I'd just carry a cassette around: "M. Doherty has a horrific case of verbal diarrhea brought on by the untimely erosion of his mental sphincters because of years of multiple drug abuse. Thank you."

So peeps, wanna start a pool and bet on when he's going to die? Ok that wasn't nice, I didn't sleep last night and I'm in a vicious mood. See, I don't even need a publicist.

The Muppets do Boheman Rhapsody

2009-11-25T07:04:00.000-08:00

I adoooooore Queen. When I see Freddy Mercury on TV, I cry. That's how bad I've got it.

The Muppets are also among the great loves of my life, especially Animal and the dude that goes mimimimimimi. Gonzo, my dad. Miss Piggy, my mom. I have an infinity of Muppets inside jokes.

Imagine the visual and auditive orgasm I had when I found this

Mama! Mama! Mama? Mama! ROFL!

Beyonce + Gaga, it ain't workin'

2009-11-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

The collaboration between Lady Gaga and Beyonce is finally available.

and it ain't good.

A song about a videophone? Really? How sad. I mean I like funny songs. Love em'. It doesn't have to be the next opus for a generation for me to like it. I lost my keys I lost my phone... just dance. Light but not... idiotic.

Anyway, Gaga looks like a nobody, the song is uninteresting to say the least. Maybe Gaga gets sucked dry, vampirized, when she duets?

Apart from the waterguns and Beyonce dressed up as Bettie Page, it's disappointing and a little sad.

The new Gaga video is in the Haus

2009-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

You know it, I'm a fan. Not so much of the music, but of her. HER.

This video, for her song Bad Romance, is sci-fi, madly creative, fashionable, bouncing and dancing, original, incomprehensible, glam, beautiful and scary all at once.

If you really can't stand the genre, watch the video without the sound on.

So there it is. Once again, all hail the motherfucking queen.

PS The end! The ending is nuts! Hahahah she's in-sa-ne. Love it and her.

Why I love Autotune

2009-11-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

Autotune was in my opinion, until recently, the incarnation of what was Wrong with music nowadays. Yes, Wrong with a capital W. A huge m**f**in' W.

I liked to repeat that in the "good old days", we didn't need autotune because sound people were allowed to say thing like "that was flat, you'll have to redo it". And if you couldn't do it, well you didn't get to make an album. That's it, that's all.

Well it seems that every cloud has a silver lining after all.

The Interweebs have been buzzing with little video opuses lately. These videos are made by putting talkies through Autotune to create totally hypnotic pieces.

Here's one of them, the Symphony of Science.

I find this highly shareable. You?

Pearl Jam + Devo = Halloween

2009-11-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

This week end, Pearl Jam went up on stage dressed up as Devo and actually sang Whip It (spreading instant joy and hilarity among the public)

What an idea! I couldn't have come up with a better one had I wanted to ;) So not compatible and so much fun at the same time, don't you think?

Semi Precious Weapons will open for Lady Gaga in Mtl!

2009-10-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

Glamazons rejoice! Today I found out that one of my favourite rock acts, Semi Precious Weapons, will be opening for Lady Gaga in Montreal, and I have tickets! Woooot!

I just can't handle myself. I almost wanted to send in more money for that ticket. And, my tweet about that was re-tweeted by SPW *insert girly squeal here*.

To discover Semi Precious Weapons

Visit their myspace
Their official website

You can also try to refrain from slobbering all over this video:

Weezer has a new album coming out...

2009-10-27T09:18:00.001-07:00

that must be why I have this playing in my head non stop

But what I really wanted to share is my total excitement (insert girl screams here) when I found out that to promote the release of Raditude on November 3rd, Weezer Snuggies were now on sale! Ha. (Don't even ask what my sister is getting for Christmas)

For those of you saddies who have not yet basked in the glory of Snuggie :

And for those of you who haven't found out it's just a robe worn backwards :

Eminem in Klingon

2009-10-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

The title says it all.

No need to call me a nerd, everyone knows that I am a humongous one.

hehe

Radiohead vs Dave Brubeck - Five Step

2009-10-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Often, a mash-up is a head thing. Intellectually, you appreciate the awesome find, but you don't really want to listen to it more than once. Too often, in other words, mashups don't talk to that little muscle between the ears and the heart.

Well here's proof that sometimes, 1+1=3. Overdub, the author of this mashup, makes me hope Radiohead would actually make this kind of music. AND, for the head part, it's damn cool that he found two 5/4 songs that mesh!

Taste it here

get it here

Monty Python & Jimmy Fallon

2009-10-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging lately, I know, I've been caught up at work and with friend's birthdays. Mea culpa.

So, feast your eyes on this and try to forget I've neglected sharing my crazy hullabaloos: Monty Python (well the living ones) go nuts during an interview with Jimmy Fallon.

All the single babies!

2009-09-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've got a total and utter cuteness moment for you today. A baby dancing to a Beyoncé song. I'm normally not a very gagagoogoo gal, but that kid's got talent!

That could be a reality show hit : Dancing with the diapers or Babies' got talent. Wait. I shouldn't have said that, someone might do it!

Question: Why watch the Emmys?

2009-09-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

Answer: THIS GUY! :D

RIP Mary Travers

2009-09-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Mary Travers was a member of legendary folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. She died last night from leukemia. She was 72.

Peter, Paul and Mary is my mother's favourite band. Their music, especially the iconic Album 1700, marked my childhood and I never stopped listening to it since.

I sing too, and Mary Travers is probably the person who has had the most influence on me musically (along with Grace Slick, Ann Wilson and Cass Elliot -ok and Janis also-). She also contributed to my belief that covers are allowed in life. Hehe.

Mary, thank you. Your beautiful low voice, your immense talent, the emotional and the funny Peter, Paul and Mary songs will stay with me for ever.

And here is to remembering her

All hail the motherfucking queen

2009-09-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've been saying it over and over, and I'll say it again.

Lady Gaga is the queen. By far the most interesting thing to see and here in Pop. In a long time too.

Here's the version of Paparazzi that she did at the VMAs This week-end. When a better quality video is available I'll post it.

Techno Viking + Henry Rollins

2009-08-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Life is good.

btw I'll be on vacation next week so no blogging for me!

only beach, bourbon, beer and fried clams.

Did I tell you life is good?

The best MJ tribute in the world

2009-07-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

Well I'm a proud montrealer, of course I was going to say that!

I even cried a teeny bit. And you?

Madonna scares the shit out of me

2009-07-27T07:11:00.001-07:00

Menopause hormones and 'roïds don't mix

argh :(

There's too much indie music in indie movies

2009-07-17T07:44:00.001-07:00

Alicia Silverstone et Alanis Morissette in an indie-flick. I'd totally go see that! Hehe.

My Mother's Red Hat w/Alicia Silverstone & Alanis Morissette from Alicia Silverstone

The Jonas brothers actually do a good song

2009-07-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Too bad they don't do it very well...

Jonas1, aka cute-Jonas (no, I don't know their names and no, I won't research them) well he's a little bit flat. Jonas2 is really hoarse and Jonas3, aka 'the one who ain't as cute as the others' only sings when the two others are going nuts.

But hey! For once they're doing a good song! (read: not one of theirs)

Here's Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond as done by the Jonas Brothers

(BTW, Neil Diamond is on Twitter)

Hey Sugar Tits, you can't sing!

2009-07-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

Mel Gibson'S midlife crisis fluke, Oksana Grigorieva, lauches the title track for her upcoming album "Beautiful Heartache". The video was directed by Mel Gibson.

Cringe worthy lyrics? Check!
Music that will put you to sleep? Check!
Asthmatic voice? Check!
Masturbatory video that only its director will like? Check!
Fugly ass costumes and accessories? Check!
Scray Octo-mom-style plastic surgeries? Check, check and check some more!

Friends, we've got a success on our hands.

Web Site Story, an Internet musical

2009-07-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

As you know, I'm nutso for musicals. Here, direct from the fine peeps at College Humor, is the Internet musical. Guffaw!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

MJ memorial Live

2009-07-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

CNN and Facebook got together to present the Michael Jackson memorial live, and the Facebook conversation Live also. A musical and Internet event that might never be surpassed.

It is said that MJ'S body will be on site. Creepy.
Now let's hope the networks hold.

Click here to join millions of watchers/discussers

http://www.cnn.com/video/fb/facebook.html?stream=stream1

update : I'll be tweeting live for those who can't see the vid http://twitter.com/marieeveboucher

Guess who's in the pic

2009-07-07T07:41:00.001-07:00

It's a celebrity before she became a celebrity...

Proof that Blur is booooring

2009-07-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

Or really really good. I'm not sure.

Video of MJ's last rehersal

2009-07-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

CNN has a video of MJ rehearsing for his new show 2 days before he died. Pretty rockin' stuff!

Amy Winehouse greeting cards

2009-06-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I heard they were coming out with Amy Winehouse greeting cards...

I do hope they make one that says "Get well soon"

Ha!

RIP Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

Farrah who?

Michael Jackson dies at 50

2009-06-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

According to infamous celebrity gossip site TMZ, Michael Jackson has died of a heart attack this afternoon. This story is developing, so, more to come.

Champion is back!

2009-06-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Internationally acclaimed Montreal DJ Champion is back! And it's good too. It sounds like the stuff we love him for, no doubt about that. It's got that Champion hook, and it's going to be awesome live. What's coming up and when? Who knows, for now all I found floating around is this:

You may also downolad Alive Again.

RIP Ed McMahon

2009-06-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

Ed McMahon has passed away. I'll share a childhood memory with you guys in his honor: I loved Star Search as a kid, so here's the opening sequence of the 1986 finals. Mr McMahon, you shall be missed.

Friday ROFL

2009-06-19T08:12:00.001-07:00

Oh Jon... jon jon jon.

If, like me, you are or were a fan of Bloodhound Gang, you'll like this. And you'll laugh. Jon Lajoie is always funny, this song isn't an exception.

CHK CHK POW!

U2 + Spiderman = heresy and other arachnid news

2009-06-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Really, I'm giving more and more insight into my troubled mind in this blog: I'm a total Spiderman nut. A bit OCD actually. In this quite funny video, you'll find out about the spider's past and future, on Brodway for example. Guffaw!

A U2 Musical: The Latest Attempt to Make Spider-Man Suck -- powered by Cracked.com

When Manson meets Gaga

2009-06-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Marilyn Manson and Lady Gaga reworked Love Game by the Lady. Even if it reeks of commercial opportunism, I applaud the initiative. What a match, as they say. The song is meh at times, but there are some great bits. What I hope for is another collaboration between the two, and maybe something more... original. The sound quality sucks, but that's because it's a recording of a recording. I'll post a better version when I find one.

PS Is it just me or do they look a little alike too?

Poker... morning

2009-06-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my roomie Claude and I had a friend of hers over for dinner. Two bottles of wine and a few scotches later, we decided to play a little Texas Holdem. Result? I didn't loose my shirt but I'm in no way capable of writing a better post than this this morning!

So here's Kenny Rogers and his gambler during what seems to be the last leg of a recent geriatric tour. Oh, and in other news, too much surgery will eff you up.

rancid... Rancid...RANCID.... RAAAAAANCIIIIIID!!

2009-06-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

image: lintcoat

Ok, I think the teenager in me just had a seizure! I've just found out that my favourite band when I was in high school, Rancid, had an album come out this week!

I'm gonna go buy it this week-end and tell you guys all about it. In the meantime, here's a review from the reliable peeps at Punktastic. The album is called Let the Dominoes Fall.

And here's the "playlist" from Youtube.

RAAAAAANCIIIIIIIIID!

Peaches in Wound magazine: WOW

2009-06-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Electro pop diva Peaches will be in the next issue of Wound magazine.

Wow, wow, and more wow!

Found on Style Canteen.

About Barton Fink at Club Lambi

2009-06-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Friday I went to see Barton Fink at Club Lambi.

(Big thanks to Frédéric Laurendeau who let me use his photos)

When I wrote my pre show post, I had only heard recordings. What a revelation seeing them live was! As you know, I have a little (ok big) preference for Rock. Oh joy and happiness, they majorly rock out on stage.

During the show, the electro accents of the record were a bit more subdued, and their Punk Rock side much more obvious. Of course, let's not forget their funky side, also very present, thanks to which we dansed, jumped, tapped our feet...

So the quality of the songs and of the recording makes Gear a good album and a good buy... but go see them live. The chemistry between the band members and with the public is so good it makes you wish you were on stage with them. Proof? I usually am much too cynical to clap during a song, and in this case my hands were red from my efforts to participate!

A few snippets I picked up during the show:

Mui: « Man this guy can SING! »

The girl who loves cherries: « Gimme some more is such a sexy song... »

Flo: « Ça déchiiiiiiiiire! » (Translation: this rips, as in awesome... I had to leave the French version, this guy being from France.)

A random guy: « Hey, is that Jungle Boogie!??!? » (yes, they did play that as an intro to one of their songs)

Let me end with a shout out to the opening act, Kamikaze, with its great percussion and its Thom Yorkeish vocals ... too bad I can't seem to find a link. Help anyone?

Kamikaze and the Club Lambi staff are great people to drink waaaaaaay too many shooters with (right helo?), but that's another story...

A voice worthy of Led Zeppelin covers

2009-06-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

Remember I told you, in the American Idol frenzy, about Dilana Robichaux who had been on Rock Star Supernova.

In this vid, Dilana sings Led Zeppelin classic Whole Lotta Love at the Hollywood Improv. It was on on May 30, 2009, and she played with Phil Varone, former drummer of Skid Row, and the house band.

It's not as high energy as I would have liked it to be, but the voice is sooooo there. Quite a performance!

So, do you miss my link lists?

2009-06-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Maybe a few of you have noticed I haven't been making daily news posts recently. Well, Twitter's to blame for that!

Ever since I've started using Twitter, I've been sending everything 'short and sweet' through there so... yeap, that's it, look at the box on the right to see what I've been Twittering about, and feel free to follow me if you use Twitter too.

The Sunday Sinners on Spin

2009-06-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Spin magazine (maybe I'll work for them someday, I can dream can't I?) recenlty did a piece about a Montréal band I love: The Sunday Sinners. (ok actually I'm a total groupie because the drummer is a friend of mine).

So here's the mini documentary for your viewing pleasure, filmed at L'Esco in Montréal last month! Sonia, Blue and I were there and you weren't, naninanibooboo... hehe.

See full report...

Like the full report says, drums will be your favourite instrument once you watch this!

Wednesday ROFL

2009-06-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

A descriptive, or literal, version of a video doesn't seem that funny when you think of it. Well, that depends on the video.

Thanks Vio for the find!

Why follow Courney Love on Twitter

2009-06-01T08:06:00.001-07:00

For the sheer entertainment value, of course...

What the heck is she talking about?

Barton Fink contest : tonite at club Lambi

2009-05-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Barton Fink contest is over, I've found my dates for tonight ;). Join us, and thanks to all the people who sent in answers, the right one like the nutty ones!

Update: I forgot to give the answer! Barton Fink, in the movie, has to write a screenplay about wrestling.

Ma Plaza en Fête program

2009-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Montreal's Plaza Saint-Hubert this summer, many free events are going to happen between July 8th and July 12th.

• Closed streets from Bellechasse to Jean-Talon;
• Urban street market;
• Caricatures and street artists;
• Activities for children;
• Tennis Montréal on the Renaud-Bray parking.

Of course if I'm telling you guys all of this, it's because of the shows!

On Friday 10th and Saturday 11th

Friday:
• 18 h: Amylie (pop-soul)
• 19 h: Damien Robitaille (folk-blues)
• 20 h: Stefie Shock (rock)

Saturday:
• 16 h: Zuruba (afro-brésilien)
• 17 h: Huit ça suffit (hommage explosif, années 50, 60 et 70)
• 18 h: Papagroove (afro-beat/funk)

I'll at least go hear Stefie Shock who's album entitled Le Décor I just loved. Can't wait to hear his new stuff! Also, I highly recommend Papagroove: I've seen them many times and they have a LOT of musicians on stage, they're funk, they're delicious.

For more info, see the event's website.

Those of you who live close or feel like it, follow the Plaza's Twitter.

Sesame Street turns 40!

2009-05-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

I love Sesame Street. I always have. I still dream I might be on the creative team for that show someday! In celebration of this birthday, here's one of my favourite Sesame Street animations. The singers are the Pointer Sisters. Nuf said.

Redneck automated drums

2009-05-20T08:26:00.001-07:00

I have Alex to thank for this find.

Deliverance meets Ben Bernie...

Actually, it's one jazzy idea!

An idea I dedicate to Chuck

2009-05-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know Chuck Hughes, he's one of the owners of the restaurant called le Garde-manger and the host of Chuck's Day Off on Food Network. He's also a Rock n' Roll lover. So his passions are food and Rock n' Roll. Like me. And yes, he's my future husband. I've got, amongst others, a giant martini tattoo that would go so well with his food tattoos... ok dream on Mui, dream on! Haha!

Oh yeah, and I happily give him my Mui quote about martinis so he can use it for his crab Bloody Ceasar recipe: "It's a drink, it's a snack, it's a beautiful thing!".

For you bilingual folks, here he is on French Quebec show Tout le monde en parle.

Chuck Hughes à Tout le monde en parle
envoyé par malavoie77 - Regardez des web séries et des films.

And here's a trailer for his show

I'm sure you wanna become a fan of his on Facebook...

So anyoysterslurping, my addiction to Food Network, my love for music and... Chuck gave me an idea for a new concept.

I'm thinking of making cooking videos about favourite foods or meals of musicians. Metallica oysters because of James Hetfield who loves those slippery goodies. Or Elvis banana bread.

Two questions then: do you think it's a fun idea, and what musicians do you think I should get my inspiration from?

Barton Fink Band contest

2009-05-15T08:43:00.001-07:00

How do you know you've made it (!) as a blogger? When a band offers you tickets and a CD to give out on your blog! Hehe!

Barton Fink is a Montreal band you might have heard of because they opened for BEAST recently. BEAST being as hot as they are right now, their opening act got quite a bit of buzz on the Web.

Wanting to strike while the iron is hot, Barton Fink will hold a launch show at Montreal's Club Lambi, and of course they hope you show up.

The band defines itself as Electro, Funk, and Rock. I also hear a touch of Industrial and a snippet of New Wave. That's a lot of tags, but then again you'll no doubt agree that they're not contradictory in the least. Of course, you can make up your own mind by visiting their myspace: http://myspace.com/bartonfinkband

My favourites (all available on myspace) :
The funky and somewhat gipsy Nothing for Free (downloadable here, kewl!)

Armed to the Teeth, with its very catchy intro. Without speaking of a direct NIN influence, I do think Trent Reznor would approve.

As far as vocals go, my favourite is Paranormal Mechanism.

And thumbs up to the piano in Fever.

It's fun to listen to and makes me want to dance, all in all a highly promising show!

Now, you know I love trivia, so of course you'll have to answer a question to get the pair of tickets and the CD... Nothing for Free, as the song goes!

It'll be easy, since it's the first time we do a contest in my Cadillac...

In the Cohen brother's movie that has that name for a title, Barton Fink has to write a screenplay. What is the screenplay supposed to be about?

The first person to send me an email at marieeveboucher[AT]hotmail.com with the right answer (plus full name) will win the 2 tickets and the album entitled GEAR. (Be sure you're available on May 29th...)

If you don't feel like using your brain, you can use your wallet and buy the album.

See you there? Good luck!

Thank you Lenny

2009-05-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

Lenny Kravitz posted a shower pic of himself on his Twitpic account.

What can I say other than... thank you?
Yum...

Now that's a fucking mash up!

2009-05-07T09:20:00.001-07:00

All of Quentin Tarantino's movies in a mash up, over a remix of the soundtracks.

Crazy ass awesomeness!

You'll want to see this more than once for sure

The Tarantino Mixtape from Eclectic Method on Vimeo.

Sing Gael sing!

2009-05-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

He's cute, he's Mexican, all the girls go nuts over him, and now he sings too! Well... in character in his new movie, but still...

So here's Gael Garcia Bernal doing a cover of I Want You To Want Me by Cheap Trick on the soundtrack of the new movie Rudo y Cursi.

The video... eeeessssh! haha.

A choir covers Blink 182

2009-05-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

The British telly (!) show All the Small Things (which is supposed to be a drama!?!?) recently featured a choir singing What's my age again by Blink 182. The result is quite hilarious!

What Paul Simon and Robin Hood have to do with my week-end

2009-04-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

I had a bad week-end. The worst part is it could have been easily avoided. You always kinda hate yourself when that happens, but hey, its a well known fact that I suck at matters of the heart ;)

Anysnottykleenex, my sad monday post sucky week-end did remind me of two songs.

This one sums up the problem pretty well (though I don't need 50, one that works would be enough). I chose this version because of Paul's oh so sexy mustache.

This one I dragged out of an old toy box somewhere because it makes me smile and has made me smile since I was a wee little Mui... and because I found a karaoke version!

Two things I love put together make... A WROOOONG!

2009-04-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

I like Smashing Pumpkins. I like Billy Corgan. I loved his soundtrack for the movie Spun.

Since I was 4, I have been a westling fan. My mom's really proud. Yeah.

BUT.

Billy Corgan opening TNA Lockdown by rapping Bullet with Butterfly Wings, that... that's an epic fail.

Has he lost all dignity? His mind?

Warner Norway shows total ignorance

2009-04-22T14:49:00.001-07:00

On Twitter today, a young man from Norway expressed his discontent at the fact that he couldn't download the new Dave Matthews Band album saying something like: “I’m pissed! iTunes is only allowing downloads of the new Dave Matthews Band album if you live in the US! And they complain about pirating”.

Shortly after, Terje Pedersen from Warner Music Norway replied something like: “Then I suggest you steal it and write about the process in your stupid brat blog. We don’t want you to get upset.”

Obviously, Warner understands social media admirably... Hum hum...

I'm sure consumers and Dave Matthew's Band will just LOVE this.

Read the article, and if you're interested, share it and Digg it thanks to the link at the bottom of the page.

I'm a nerd and I love Queen

2009-04-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

This video is well worth the watch, believe you me. Of course, the fact that I'm a nutso fan of Queen and that I liquefy every time Freddy Mercury appears on tv influences this judgment... but still, it's an instant classic for sure.

Bohemian rhapsody, the old school computer remix. Magnificent.

Pure genius found on The Listenerd a blog I HIGHLY recommend.

Nothing to worry about, Peter Bjorn and John

2009-04-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

The new Peter Bjorn and John video features a cultural movement that I find both weird and very interesting: Japanese Rockabilly.

Besides that ;) the song is excellent! One last comment: the singer really sounds like the Beatle era John Lennon on this recording.

Once again, thanks Jeff!

Happy 4/20!

2009-04-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

If you don't get it, the joke ain't meant for you ;)

Lady Gaga being her entertaining self

2009-04-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

I know I know, I've been a little Gaga obsessed lately (see, I refrained from saying gaga for Gaga... oops). But what's a girl to do, she keeps giving entertaining performances all over the place. Here she is with Poker Face, epileptic dancing and howling included. Kick ass.

David Lynch works with Moby

2009-04-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

And, well it sucks. Too bad. The song is far from car ad worthy, the animation isn't very well done and the whole thing is a little boring. You'll tell me I'm being hard on them, maybe, but it could have been the meeting of giants.

Without further ado...
Moby: Shot in the Back of the Head
Video by David Lynch

Thanks Jeff for the heads up.

The Internet Symphony

2009-04-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

Youtube asked all musicians that felt like it to film themselves playing a part of a symphony. The piece was written especially for the occasion by composer Tan Dun, and the mash up final video came out today. The result is, in my humble opinion, quite magical and moving.

Here you go

I hate tv singing contests

2009-04-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Except when there are things like this ;)

Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009
Uploaded by moovieblog

Franz Ferdinand does Britney

2009-04-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

One of the rare Britney Spears songs I really enjoy has been redone on the BBC by Franz Ferdinand... and it quite simply rocks! I've been listening to it on a loop since morning.

Download the mp3 thanks to ojama4.

Patience, I'll be back

2009-04-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

I know I know, I've all but abandoned my blog recently. I've got 2 excuses: I've just moved and I've been working ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME lately. So there. Do not fret, my pets, I will be back with a vengeance really soon.

And now a song that is only relevant to this post because of its title ;)

Lady Gaga shows how it's done

2009-04-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

How does one become a Pop Star? Not by winning some crap contest. By having a real je-ne-sais-quoi, and knowing how to show it off. That's what she demonstrated on American Idol last night.

Poker face reworked for the occasion

FrankMusik does Rehab

2009-03-24T15:22:00.001-07:00

And it's bad. Lord is it bad. Not that I absolutely hate FrankMusik,and as you know I like covers. It's just that this one has a faint smell of heresy... well, hear for yourselves.

Metallica is coming to Montreal

2009-03-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Metallica will be in Montréal on September 19th and in Québec city on October 31st. Tickets go on sale on April 4th. (Thanks for the heads up André!)

Blast from the past...

Coeur de Pirate is now also called Pearls... or something

2009-03-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I was sleeping when this happened, but I didn't know that Quebec singer Coeur de Pirate now also sung in English. Vio shared the info, and thanks girl. Like her, I prefer the English product to the French one. In fact, to be absolutely frank, her baby voice doesn't piss me off in English as much as in French. You?

A gift from Trent Reznor

2009-03-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

Reznor offers a free album for download. It's calledNIN|JA EP and contains exclusives from NIN, Jane's Addiction and Street Sweepers. Enjoy!

I'm a nerd and I love metal

2009-03-19T11:37:00.001-07:00

No no, I'm not writing a confession post... and after all, you already knew that. Trivia, games shows, I love. Really. Really really. Thanks to my friends at Metal Sucks (blog I highly recommend) I've found Dave Mustaine on Jeopardy and Lars Ulrich on Who wants to be a millionaire. Epic I tell you!

Mustaine 1

Mustaine 2

Ulrich 1

Ulrich 2

John Mayer's penis and Twitter

2009-03-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Oh what a joy it is to follow John Mayer on Twitter. He's so relevant. So, John, are you working on some new songs these days?

American Idol's Adam Lambert copies Dilana from Rock Star Supernova

2009-03-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

So now I have one more reason not to watch American Idol. Other than the fact that I find it boring with bad music and totally fixed, of course. Sometimes it's as fixed as wrestling.

Aaaanyway.

A few years back, I did watch one of these reality music contests: Rock Star Supernova. Long story short, they created a super group with Tommy Lee, Gilby Clark and Jason Newsted, and a really arrogant and horribly bad singer won the chance to be their front man. That being said the show was fun because the contestants were original and they played rock music.

One of my favourites, Dilana (I think she should've won), sang this version if Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash during the contest. (You don't have to like her version, that's not my point ;))

Today, all the interweebs are abuzzzzz about the version of Ring of Fire that was done yesterday on AI by Adam Lambert.

Ok. I don't really blame Lambert (even if I rarely heard something as screamingly unbearable as his rendition of Dilana's cover) because I think he's a victim of the production's obvious inbreeding. But what do people vote for on American Idol? A person's talent for making original and personal covers? Puh-lease.

Vanilla Ice is sorry, and I don't mean pathetic

2009-03-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

An ad campaign for Virgin Mobile really made me laugh today, so I thought I'd share it with you guys.

They managed to convince ($$$) Vanilla Ice, aka Robert Van Winkle, to say he is sorry... well for everything.

Come on, have a little heart, go to the website and tell him (or other accused) that you forgive him... or not!

Happy Saint-Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Corrigan Brothers - An Irishman invented Rock & Roll

Slainte!

New New Wave? Song for a Friday!

2009-03-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

I got new tv channels yesterday, and already I like them: I heard a fun song on Much Music LOUD!

New Wave 80's revival aficionados, grab your headphones. The lyrics are romantico-emo cute (chick song alert), the beat and the voice sound like Depeche Mode snogging Sisters of Mercy.

Good little week-end song!

White Lies - To lose my life

Stef, I'm sure you'll like the romantic lyrics. Jas... well duh! Hehe. VéMa you'll like this too because in your heart, the songs of the 80's still play loud and clear :).

Trent Reznor, Twitter & Chris Cornell

2009-03-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Twitter is also a school yard where musicians pick fights. Really, if you don't have a Twitter account, you're missing out on relentless entertainment.

This week on his Twitter account, Trent Reznor had a comment about Chris Cornell's latest effort.

You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly YOU feel uncomfortable? Heard Chris Cornell's record? Jesus.

Today, again on Twitter, Chris Cornell writes what I guess is his reply:

What do you think Jesus would twitter? "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" or "Has anyone seen Judas? He was here a minute ago"

Reznor 1 Cornell 0

South Park tears the Jonas Brothers a few new ones

2009-03-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

ROFL

Lady Gaga a bit out of character

2009-03-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here she is doing Fooled me again, a song off a mini-film but not on any album.

It's really, really far from anything else I heard from her, and it's really good. It's heartfelt, she bangs the crap out of that piano, her voice breaks with emotion and force... Well, it's far from Let's Dance (song I like actually), and it's awesome that it is.

Nostalgia break

2009-03-12T08:44:00.001-07:00

I always liked the acapella version

Tom's diner

I travel without leaving my chair

2009-03-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

I've started blogging on a music site, so of course I had to recommend it to you guys, hehe!

It's the young and fresh ziik.fr (in French only, sorry). It's all a music site should be : news, reviews, techno stuff, concerts, festivals, etc.

And now, they also have ME (talk about added value)! Of course the tone is more journalistic than the one I use here, but that's cool, I'll be able to keep on rockin' here. There, it's serious. Here, I'll still be up to my crazy antics!

Katy Perry, Twitter and Skittles

2009-03-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

Following bands/singers/musicians' Twitters sometimes gives you some fun inside info. Katy Perry is filming the video for her song Waking Up in Vegas, and in it she'll be in a martini glass filled with Skittles! We like.

Here's what she said exactly:

Filming Waking Up In Vegas at Palms. Will keep u updated through the night! About to be in a martini glass full of SKITTLES! Duh!

If you feel like it, follw Katy Perry on Twitter too.

An here's the song, without the video of course.

Downloading mp3 is like masturbating

2009-03-10T08:15:00.001-07:00

Many people in many contexts have talked about the use and download of copyrighted material (because of course it's only when content has been created to make money that intellectual property is to be respected, hum hum). Rip, a remix manifesto is a new movie that reflects upon remixes and mash-ups among other things.

Look at the trailer and tell me if you do it too ;) (The title of this post is taken from the trailer)

Is culture building material you can use, a product protected by exclusive rights, something else? Would you and do you let other people use the original content you put on the Web to create something new?

For bloggers, the netiquette of linkage makes all this... disappear: we're used to linking to the places where we find cool content and to giving props when they are due. But is saying you used this or that enough for it not to be plagiarism or copyright infringement?

Well, I think so. It's enough. I'm ready to give/share anything in exchange for a link. Why? Because the more people like and reuse it, the more MY cultural product has value. I don't think songs or movies have an intrinsic value. Cultural products are only worth something if people see them/hear them (in older times, they also paid to do so :p).

Nowadays, people 'simply' have the possibility to take and use the products they like. To me that's an added value. Let's say: hey there were 50000 mash-ups of my video on youtube. It's sexier than: my video was seen 50000 times on youtube. What? It didn't inspire ANYONE? Hehe.

Ok I'm exaggerating a little. But still. To me intellectual property is a question of ethics and not a question of law: use content as long as you say where you took it, artists benefit from their material getting around, and nobody has proven to me beyond reasonable doubt that they LOST anything from the sharing/reuse of material (and that seems essential for a lawsuit). And at any rate, people liking and sharing your stuff is a better indicator of success, talent than the money you made selling it. And anyway it's a fact, the machine, the system is old, obsolete even, and a new one needs to be created.

Now, the RIP trailer.

blip.fm is my new obsession and a little Gogol Bordello

2009-03-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

I am now a member of another (yes another) social thing. And I'm playing DJ there too!

Blip.fm is like Twitter, but for music, and on there you'll find... well almost anything! Registration is painless, join me there if you want to.

blip.fm/mui

(if you want to follow my blip, but also the rest of my shit (!), there's my twitter too)

Speaking of blip, mammara blipped that one, ans since purple is my favourite color, I couldn't resist!

Start wearing purple - Gogol Bordello

A song for a Friday

2009-03-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

It's Friday, and I'm still pressed for time. That being said I did stumble upon a good song with the word Friday in it!

I suck, Mark Ronson featuring Rivers Cuomo
The video is cool but it's not the official one

I found I suck downloadable and uncensored if you want it.

I can't seem to find the lyrics... help anyone?

Have a good week end, I know I need it!

Jason Mraz will make summer happen

2009-03-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

I've been neglecting my blog. I know. I'm moving, I've been working like crazy... Well, at least summer is near. Need proof?

I'm yours

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
Uploaded by jasonmrazworld

Fresh princess of San Francisco

2009-02-26T15:07:00.001-08:00

Ok. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air song. By a girl on guitar. Yes indeed.