The following is a comment I posted on The Boxmasters' MySpace. I don't expect they'll post it so I'm posting it here myself. I invite any member of the band to offer a shred of evidence that they would be credible contributers to professional music without BBT behind the mic.

Not only have The Boxmasters written nothing new, or groundbreaking, during your gift of a career, your music actually has no substance whatsoever. If it weren't for the sniveling prima donna movie star fronting the band, you would be no further along than playing to the cat and dog in your garage. Without his career outside of music, you would have never been interviewed, for any reason, by anyone on either side of the border. I could actually name hundreds, if not thousands, of unheard of bands that are decades younger, infinitely more attractive, and much more talented than you spoiled hacks. You are indeed an awful band; you are very likely terrible people as well. I hope you never pollute Canadian air with the garbage you say and play ever again. BBT can't sing, rock, or write his way out of a paper bag, and you others should be ashamed of yourselves for pretending you're somehow credible rock musicians. Dues are something you've never paid, and the only reason anyone has ever heard of you is because of your lead singer’s day job. If Regis Philbin were your singer instead, you would be cooler, and have more street cred than you do now. Please don't ever visit Canada again. The Boxmasters eat arse and so does your “modbilly” shite. Your greatest achievement is easily your ability to embarrass so many otherwise great genres of music at once. If I ever have the misfortune of seeing you live, I promise you will drag your sorry asses off stage mid-set dripping with egg yolk and miscellaneous veg.

You Say Party! We Say Die!
with Winter Gloves & Beast
Club Vinyl, Guelph, ON
Friday, October 17 2008


Story coming soon…























































all photographs ©Trevor Weeks 2008


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The Wooden Sky
live at The Casbah
Hamilton, ON, Canada
Wednesday, October 15 2008

It’s Monday morning.  I see the fire pit outside through my window.  The fire died days ago, but lying still in the ashes are the scorched corpses of Creemore cans and whatever wine followed Kate’s band down from Sudbury.  Although the name Tony Dekker is not yet synonymous with Canadian culture in the same way as Gordon Lightfoot or Red Green, his abandoned camping chair amongst the debris in the yard suggests that young Tony is at the very least, leaving a trail of Canadiana in his wake.

For the last week I’ve been surrounded by some of the who’s who in Canadian music.  They’ve played throughout Hamilton and Guelph and all chose to spend their time with me at Shelter From The Storm.  Most of the paths didn’t cross although flutest Rozalind MacPhail was a real trooper and was able to keep her stamina up for the duration.  I put on my Basil Fawlty hat and played host to The Wooden Sky on Wednesday, Great Lake Swimmers and Kate Maki on Thursday, and Vancouver’s You Say Party! We Say Die! with Winter Gloves from Montreal on Friday. 

If you don’t know about The Wooden Sky, have a look at this music video.  The song is “When Lost at Sea” and is the title track from their current album.





I’ve had many brushes with The Wooden Sky.  There were many failed attempts at catching a performance, but until recently it had just never been in the cards.  After hearing so many good things about them through the CBC Radio 3 grapevine, I made it a point to check them out.  Unfortunately, I was always just a step behind and would end up saying hello after the gig in the ally while the band loaded their gear back into the van.

Finally, during a tour with Two Hours Traffic, the necessary planets lined up and I was able to see, and most importantly hear, The Wooden Sky live.  It was probably back in the spring when I saw them perform at E-Bar in Guelph and again the next night in Brantford at The Ford Plant, and once again the next night at The Horseshoe in Toronto.  I was hooked. 

Take Blue Rodeo, throw in a wee hit of Counting Crows, mix it up with the angst and frustration of Replacements, shrink the whole band down to a respectable four piece, add younger more handsome members and inject the whole outfit with the strong, young soul of a Canadian twenty something at the starting end of a Friday night on the town. The Wooden Sky speak honestly from the heart, and are the sounds and words that can only be composed from sharing a single room with a good buddy and nothing to separate them (or the sounds and smells they make) except for a curtain drawn across when a lady visits.  For some reason, the bands songs give me that feeling I get when I know I’ll be sleeping on a friends couch, and I might not see my own bed for a while.  It’s a homesick feeling, but with the comfort of a close, understanding friend nearby.

The Wooden Sky MySpace page says 'party and bullshit and party and bullshit' and I have a feeling these guys have seen their share of both.  It’s perhaps a much less wordy and more accurate version of what they’re all about.  Having spent the better part of 24 hours with them, I would say there is plenty more “party” than “bullshit” in this outfit.

On Wednesday, October 15th, The Wooden Sky performed at Casbah in Hamilton while on tour with Said The Whale, and Mother Mother, both bands out of British Columbia, and both bands who are worth checking out if you haven’t already.       

I’ve had as many close encounters with catching a Said The Whale show as I had previously with The Wooden Sky.  Wednesday night was no different.  They were the first band on and were on the second to last song of the night when Rozalind and I arrived.  They closed with “This City’s A Mess,” and it was a thrill to even catch the one song at the end of their set.  Next time.

Said The Whale was followed immediately by a bunch of kids who had not yet begun to shave. I’ve no idea who they were, but they were new and not yet visibly jaded with the shattered hopes and dreams so ubiquitous in this industry.  They were full of beans and ear-to-ear grins.  Good luck brave young ones.

Unless something spectacular or absolutely out of this world happens like a drummer spontaneously exploding on stage in a dramatic Spinal Tap moment, I’m not the sort to write too much about a single performance.  All artists have their hits and their misses, good nights and bad.  I want no part in telling would be fans and concert goers what is a good show to see and what is not.  Art is a subjective field; what I dig you may not, and vice versa.  I only encourage you to learn about bands you’ve never heard before, and come up with your own conclusion.  One thing you can take to the bank though is that throughout this blog and web site, you will find way more hits than misses, and Wooden Sky, in my opinion, is definitely among the hits.

I’m left remembering a moment I had years ago when my wife and I saw Blue Rodeo from the front row of Massey Hall.  In drinkless venues like that, I find myself eavesdropping on the conversations going on in the seats around me before the show or during intermission.  Surrounded by Blue Rodeo fans twenty years my senior, I recall the boasting and comparing of who saw the band in what year, in what small, intimate venue, and for what price.  I believe The Wooden Sky are a strong enough quartet to demand the same conversations whispered amongst fans in the plush red seats of Massey Hall before show time 10 years from now.  If you want to have the best “I saw them in a wee venue” story, than you’d better catch them soon.



The Wooden Sky left to right:  Andrew Wyatt, Gavin Gardiner, Simon Walker, Andrew Kekwich
































Mother Mother, unfortunately, were not able to join us after the show.  They were booked on CTV’s Canada AM for an 8:50am time slot and had to be en route to Toronto by 4:30am which at that point in the night, was only a few hours away.  In this industry, 8:50am is not widely regarded as “a good time” for anything, except perhaps bed.  From my experiences, any musician awake at that time isn’t up early, but rather has not yet turned in from the night before.  Good for Mother Mother for taking the television spot seriously enough to ditch the others and do what needed to be done.

The Wooden Sky were slaves to the clock that night as well.  Gavin was scheduled to play a promotional “gig” in the Fanshaw cafeteria at 11am the next morning.  It’s better than an 8:50 show, but the glory of television cameras would be replaced with the glorious smell of deep fryers, poutine, and coffee.

The early morning start looming before them had very little effect on how the night was to unfold.  I keep a modest variety of moonshine collected from all over the world.  Whenever I, or a friend of mine travels abroad I insist on a drinkable souvenire.  I’m always on the lookout for whatever the locals are drinking.  If it can fuel a fire or car, and has no English on the label, it’s probably in the collection, has been, or will be.  Wyatt went to battle for the rest of his crew and surely did them proud.  Among those who fell at his thirsty hands were the Mekong Whiskey from Thailand (special thanks to Sophie for that one), The Pirate Rum from Tonga, and all sorts of other standard locals like beer and Rye.  He even cracked a bottle of something from Taiwan, but it smelled like Tequila and was left unmolested.  If the mood should strike you to order up a collection of shots for the band, and they’d love it if it did, try to remember Wyatt doesn’t dig tequila.

















The Wooden Sky don’t wake up early.  They were hoping to be up and around at 8:30, leave an hour to sort themselves out, and then make the drive to London.  I’m not the sort of fella who likes to be pounding on doors for wake-up calls.  I don’t want to be that guy.  I prefer the more civilized approached of brewing coffee, baking muffins, and music gently playing throughout the house and finding it’s way to sleeping ears.  I went with some of my morning dub.  Something from King Tubby.  Still there were no sounds of movement from upstairs.  Plan B usually works though.  I click on all the speakers throughout the ground floor of the house, and play Time from Dark Side of the Moon as loud as I can without blowing the speakers.  I could hardly believe that there was still no sign of any activity developing upstairs.  Plan C definitely works every time.  Best Day Ever is a track from the Spongebob Squarepants Movie.  It’s the happiest song in the world, and could probably convince anyone to step away from the ledge…or run screaming off of it.  Within thirty seconds of this track at an annoying volume the rhythm section had emerged and began summoning the others from their liquid slumber.

Time was short and breakfast was a very scaled down event.  The band spent some time waking up, slurping back as much coffee as they could, then hit the road West for London. 

















I can’t preach the good word of The Wooden Sky enough.  Their performance, like their album, is drawn from the heart and can leave you with a tear in your eye.  Any one of their songs seem to get stuck on repeat in my head.  The album has been in my heavy rotation for the last week.  My only complaint is that When Lost At Sea is the only one they have and I’m left wanting so much more.

Go to the show when it passes through your town.  Buy them drinks.  Give them a place to stay.  Buy When Lost At Sea for yourself and buy another copy to make someone happy this Hanukah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas. 

all photographs ©Trevor Weeks 2008


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Great Lake Swimmers
with Kate Maki
Live at Pepper Jack Café
Hamilton, ON, Canada
October 16 2008


Great Lake Swimmers – Your Rocky Spine







I first met Great Lake Swimmers in studio 211, at CBC HQ at Front and John Street in Toronto.  It was  August 16, 2004, and it was my first In Session assignment for Radio 3.  I’d never heard the band before, and it is because of that gig that I now always research my assignments well in advance.

When I’m working around musicians during a recording, I must be extremely considerate of the recording going on around me.  I’m there to document only, and hearing me on the recording would be poorly received.

Until that session, I honestly thought my camera was fairly quiet.  It was the Nikon D100, and although it was a great little digital workhorse for a journalist at that time, it made a not so discreet “kerchunk” sound in an otherwise quiet room.

Great Lake Swimmers is the most serene session I have ever done in Studio 211.  For a six piece in the studio, it’s amazing how clearly you would still hear a pin drop, or SLR camera.

I realized pretty quickly I would be doing some improvising.  I put on a long lens, mounted a tripod as far from the mics as possible, removed a sweater and bundled up my camera to muffle the click.  That sweater is still amongst my regular gear and I bring it to every session in case there is a quiet track.

CBC seem to enjoy working with GLS so much they invited front man Tony Dekker back to join an all star line-up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Last Waltz.  I recall how happy some members of the CBC staff were that Tony was able to take part.  He sang the most beautiful version of Joni Mitchel’s Case Of You that you could ever imagine, and again joined the entire ensemble, including Garth Hudson, Jason Collett, Paul Reddick, Kathleen Edwards, B&RK, Oh Susanna, Dione Taylor and so many more, for a round of I Shall Be Released.  It was broadcast on CBC Radio 2 and will forever be in my heart as one of the best assignments ever.

Two years later I finally get to see GLS again, this time in Hamilton at Pepper Jack on King William St.  Tony had decided to stay at Shelter From The Storm and phoned me a day before the gig to ask about bringing another band out with him who they were touring with.

I’d seen Kate Maki perform before while passing through Guelph with Nathan Lawr. Nathan is originally from the Guelph area, but both now reside in Sudbury.  I’d worked with Nathan once before during a Radio 3 session.  Check out Nathan Lawr and the Minotaurs.  Nathan, former participent of King Cobb Steelie plays with Kate and vice versa.

I’d seen Kate perform twice before as a solo act in a café in Guelph, but until last week, never with the backing power of a full band.  She’s a fine songwriter, great performer, quick witted with amusing between-song banter, and she’s easy on the eyes to boot.  She’s an all round entertainer and even once allotted time in a set to pass around amusing photos of David Hasselhoff.

Welcoming the Great Lake Swimmers was certainly a joy, and priviledge.  Including Kate Maki and her band would be more than I could ever ask for.

My concert buddy for the week, Rozalind, and I arrived at Pepper Jack around 9:15, just after Kate took the stage but we caught most of the set.  I love seeing shows at Pepper Jack, but they’ve gotta’ paint those pipes black.  It’s nearly impossible to get a photo of someone without bright white pipes coming out of their head or torso.

Kate Maki






















Great Lake Swimmers





















































all photographs ©Trevor Weeks 2008


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It’s finally over, and I’m absolutely knackered! The 2008 Polaris Music Prize Gala event has come and gone at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, Ontario.

Narrowed down to the short list for best all round Canadian album of the year were Black Mountain, Basia Bulat, Caribou, Kathleen Edwards, Holy Fuck, Plants And Animals, Shad, Two Hours Traffic, The Weakerthans, and Stars.

It’s no secret now, that following in the footsteps of ’06 winner Final Fantasy, and ’07 winner Patrick Watson, is the 2008 Polaris Prize winner Caribou, from Copetown Ontario, for his album Andorra.



I was at the show pretty early and had a chance to talk to several industry tastemakers. I can tell you everyone was extremely surprised with the outcome of the evening, none more so than Dan Snaith of Caribou. That’s not to say that Caribou didn’t deserve the honour, but everyone had their hopes and everyone had their predictions, which in most cases, were two different names. The one constant however, was the prediction of who would win. Nearly everyone expected Holy Fuck to walk away with the novelty cheque based purely on current conditions in Canadian politics and the fear, or at least cynical expectation, that the jury would want to send a message to our dear old Prime Minister that it is indeed us, the citizens of Canada, who would like to decide what art we would like to consume, rather than have such choices made for us.

Despite the fact that Holy Fuck released an incredible work of art, I’m sure we are all thankful and relieved that the Polaris jury of 11 chose to take the high road and picked the album based on other more professional attributes than simply sticking it to the man who for so long has been sticking it to us.

For anyone reading this who is not familiar with the events I’m speaking of, here they are in a nutshell. Not long ago Canada had an election and voted in a Conservative minority government to follow the previous Liberal majority. Recently, one of these right wing watchdogs was deciding on areas where funding could be cut in one place and better spent in another. While pouring over recipients of various Canada Arts Council grants, they discovered some funding that had been awarded to a band called Holy Fuck. As you can imagine, the Conservatives reacted strongly to this discovery and began going through Canadian arts funding and its appropriation with a magnifying glass. I can’t remember the quote exactly, but it was something to the effect of Canadian arts funding being for art for all Canadians, and a band with a name like Holy Fuck could not possibly be speaking for all Canadians. Ironically, they are almost entirely instrumental and are actually not saying anything at all, and certainly nothing that could be considered offensive, unless of course you’re easily offended by the key of “G”.

However, back at the Phoenix, one thing everyone could agree on was that any one of the 10 finalists were, and are, worthy of the award and could easily take it home for different reasons. It’s a hard choice to make when it’s inclusive of all genres, signed or unsigned musical acts. In theory, you could have the Toronto Symphony Orchestra competing with Gordon Lightfoot, and Fucked Up all for the same award. Each talent speaks to a passionate audience, yet it would be up to 11 jurors to decide who pulled off the single best overall album. As someone who appreciates almost every genre of music, I’m thrilled to not be responsible for such a difficult decision.

I’m not afraid to say though, that I was rooting for Two Hours Traffic. The East coasters certainly weren’t my only friends up for the award, but they were the only ones who offered me a place to crash after the show. As a photographer, I can only imagine the sort of images I’d get spending the night with four young out-of-towners with a giant novelty cheque. Andrew seemed to have his heart set on a working vintage cotton candy machine. If you have a heart, you’ll do your part to help them achieve this goal and buy yourself, and then a friend, a copy of Little Jabs.

The show went off with several hitches. Sometimes the mics weren’t turned on, guitar straps were breaking, and the most mysterious hissing sound nearly overcame Kathleen Edwards’ set. She’s a true professional and rocked right through it, smiling all the while. As it turns out a rotating stage light went berserk and created quite a ruckus in it’s final death throws.

Following the show was apparently a wild party at The Drake Hotel across town. Unfortunately, my work was not finished and I had to speed off in a cab with Chris Kelly and Pedro Mendez for some furious post production. An event like this is well into the realm of entertainment/Canadian culture “news”, and timing is everything. I hammered away at the Photoshop, in some cases drawing blood from a stone, while Chris screamed at Pedro’s computer in the room next door. He raced to upload the sound, while I raced to upload the Flickr photo set.

By 3:30am, the images had been uploaded and last call at the bar was long gone. I packed myself up, left Chris alone to play with Pedro’s robots in the R3 HQ (no Craig, that’s not a euphemism), and headed back to the hotel where Two Hours Traffic were mostly unconscious. A sleepy Liam greeted me at the room, I slipped inside, and curled up on the floor in a sleeping bag with a folded stack of towels that appeared to be left for me to use as a pillow. Without question it was easily the most uncomfortable sleep I’ve had in recent memory. I woke and rolled over each half hour and contemplated phoning my buddy Brad who lives in a beautiful condo down the road and is awake at all hours of the night.



I stuck it out, spied Alec slipping out for an early morning haircut, and eventually went for breakfast with Liam before the rhythm section woke. It wasn’t exactly the night I had planned, or hoped for. There was no vintage cotton candy machine. Images of ridiculous purchases with new wealth were quickly replaced with the harsh reality of four lads in various states of undress and morning faces giggling at Spongebob Squarepants and Trailer Park Boys in a room so small it could barely be navigated without climbing over furniture and each other.









Even the nine who didn’t walk away with $20 000, are winners in many ways. For all of the nominated bands, there will likely be all sorts of new fans and media attention, most certainly more record sales, and definitely more illegal downloads. For me, it was just another night as a fly on the wall in the world of Canadian rock n’ roll.

All photographs ©Trevor Weeks 2008

For those of you who may not have heard of a band called Creature, I’d like to start you off with a little video appetizer.

This is a song called Pop Culture from the 2008 release “No Sleep At All”


Earlier this year I was given another great assignment from CBC Radio 3. On Thursday, March 6th 2008 CBC Radio 3 and their beautiful French Canadian sister Bande A Part teamed up to bring to Toronto the finest rock Quebec has to offer as part of Canadian Music Week 2008. The outstanding line-up included Chocolat, Karkwa, Les Breastfeeders, The Besnard Lakes, and of course Creature. Of the entire roster I’d only heard of Les Breastfeeders and The Besnard Lakes. I worked with both at different events in 2007. The others I had to research, and I remember being taken in particular by Creature, a powerful pop band from Montreal.

One of the most exciting aspects of my job is the research I put into a subject in the days leading up to an assignment. This is true especially in cases of bands I’ve never heard of, and Creature at CMW 2008 was no exception. After visiting their MySpace, website, and checking out Radio 3’s coverage of them I was indeed excited to show up for work and hear this band loud, the way most music should be enjoyed. Come show time they didn’t disappoint. I was hooked immediately.

Seven months, and several base players later, on September 23 2008 our paths would once again cross, but this time, like an excited little boy who finds a creature in the woods, I was determined to take them home with me in a glass jar with holes poked in the lid.

Creature were playing at Connexion, the campus bar where students of Sheridan Institute in Oakville like to get drunk and watch each other make fools of themselves both on and off the stage. Although a little clinical and sterile in it’s appearance, it’s a newly renovated establishment and an excellent place to see a live show. I was joined by two friends, Alana & Anna who are much cuter, and younger than I.


Kim Ho


CowBella


Sid-Z


Manon Chaput

A week or so before the gig I sent a message to the band informing them that Shelter From The Storm B&B was available, and conveniently located halfway between Oakville and their next night’s gig at Laurier University in Waterloo. I found Sid Z and CowBella in the parking lot, let them know I was there, and would talk with them after the gig.

Following the show, I introduced myself to Kim Ho, Manon Chaput, and met Dan the sound artist in the backstage area. I gave CowBella a business card for Shelter From The Storm and reminded them what I could offer. Unfortunately, their schedule had changed and they were to be at meetings in Toronto the following afternoon. Coming to SFTS would take them 40 min in the opposite direction and was starting to look like more of a hassle than a help. They debated briefly, and it seemed it was Dan who needed to be convinced. He’s 9ft tall and I’m sure has had some bad experiences crashing on couches at homes of fans and friends. When they saw what a hotel in Oakville would cost it appeared the deal was sealed. There was a quick game of parking lot Tetris as the van was loaded, Manon jumped into my SMART car and off we sped to Shelter From the Storm.

I enjoyed a very interesting conversation with Manon while she played DJ, and chose various songs from the Ska/Reggae Genre on my ipod. She told me about playing with DJ Champion, teaching reggae to base students, seeing Lee “Scratch” Perry live, and moving from Montreal to the surrounding countryside. She is truly a fascinating artist and it seems Creature is fortunate to have her talent with them on this tour. As we drove through Flamborough, a heavy fog hung in the air. A coyote darted out in front of the car and ran ahead of us for a few seconds. It was a special moment. I've only seen about four or five in the wild over my whole life.

Upon arrival around 3am we unloaded, and I showed them around the house. My parents, still hiding from hurricanes pounding the Atlantic, were asleep as was my wife in the West wing of the house. I showed the band to the rooms upstairs, put on a ska play list, and cracked a bottle of red wine to enjoy with them in the library on the other side of the house.

We drank wine, talked about dancing cats, and previous ska bands that both Sid and Dan Meier were in. Dan played saxophone in a band called The Kingpins, as well as being credited for horns on the Creature track “Brigitte Bardot.” Sid-Z was the drummer for Me Mom and Morgentaler several years ago. When asked if, and how, the controversial Dr Morgentaler, also from Montreal, responded to a band carrying his name, Sid told me there was a fan or two of ska in the family, and members of the band attended more than one back yard barbeque at the Morgentaler home.

The following morning I woke early and prepared my Organic Whole Wheat Lactose Free Waffles for the sleepy minstrels. I try not to be a jerk about recipe secrecy, after all, life is short and it’s very possible I will never have the opportunity to stuff these heavenly creations down your throat, so here’s how you can make them at home…

You Need:
2 cups Organic Whole Wheat Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
3 Organic Eggs from Happy Free Run Hens (separate yellows from whites. Relax, it’s not a racist thing)
1 1/2 cups Natur-a Vanilla Flavoured Enriched Soy Beverage
1/2 cup Margarine, Melted
Local Berries of Any Sort. Whatever tastes good and travels the least distance.
Light Maple Syrup from Ed Hunter’s Maple Bush, or if you don’t live across the road from Ed, and I know you don’t because Adam does, just buy something from a hard working maple farmer in your area.

Preheat your waffle iron. I use a Swedish design VillaWare Uno (round) model 20120. Unfortunately it’s made in China, but everything is and I’m doing my damndest to avoid supporting the dodgy Chinese labour industry. It makes a great waffle. In a large bowl, mix your flour and baking powder; set it aside for later. In another bowl, combine egg yolks, soy ‘milk’, and margarine. In another bowl (I know, I’m sorry, I didn’t say there weren’t going to be any dishes to wash! If you’re lucky you’ll be making waffles for The Hot Springs who insist on doing the dishes after. Otherwise just deal with it.) beat the egg whites until they’re stiff. I hum ‘Beat It’ while I do this. You can hum something less obvious if you want. Add the soy/margarine/yolk mixture to the flour and mix it up. “Fold” in the egg whites. Folding is when you slowly pour the stiff whites while gently mixing the batter with a lift-and-fold-over motion. Cook in the hot waffle iron until golden brown. Serve with berries, shaved organic dark chocolate, and dust with confectioner sugar. If you’re making these for Creature when they visit your house, be sure to have fresh organic whipped cream in an attractive serving dish on the table. I did, and I distinctly heard CowBella squeal with delight from a room away. It gave me shivers.



Following breakfast, I walked to the waterfall with Kim and Manon. Sid eventually caught up with us and asked if the band could work out a deal to stay another night. In the afternoon everyone but Manon set off for a day trip to Toronto where they attended meetings with suits at Universal Canada and probably had a few drinks after. I had chores to do but each time I looked out the window I saw Manon laying on a different part of the lawn reading from a book. It was French, but had Joe Strummer in the title. It sounded interesting though so you’ll have to ask her for the title when you see her at a show. She floated from hammock to lawn furniture over the course of the day and I eventually collected her for a late lunch at The St. George Arms, a nearby pub in a little town called St.George.

I’ll never forget the way she said the town name. I say it like a harsh Anglo Canadian, “Saint George,” and it sounds like hard words backfiring from a muffler and smashing into a brick wall. It’s a little like a wet towel falling from a chair and collapsing into a wet clap on the floor when I spit it out. When Manon said it, it sounded more like “saanjoorje.” It was the sound made by the movement of a gentle stream tickling the pebbles below. My hair stood on end for a moment and my heart skipped a beat. It will never be “Saint George” again.

Thursday morning I delighted Dan with Omelet Fines Herb. It’s another vegetarian breakfast gem that I’m sure I will serve up to another band in the future. I’m giving myself a strict limit of one breakfast recipe per story. I will mention however, that it is a breakfast that arrives in the shape of a great big grinning face. If you have to entertain guests, serve your food in a fun shape. It’s a big hit with every group.

Shelter From The Storm is all about relaxing. Manon was back in the hammock with a book from my library, while Kim was doing his martial arts exercises in the apple orchard. If you think you can get out of hand at a Creature show because the security is loose…think again. Kim Ho is a 6th degree black belt, and teaches various forms of martial arts in Montreal. When he’s not rockin’ your ass from the stage, he’s kicking it in a gee. That’s how he keeps such a great physique and makes wearing a vest look so cool. When I saw him in the yard he was fighting chestnuts with a shovel like a ShaoLin Squirrel.









CowBella and I had some time to chat in the library about everything in the universe, in particular, everything in the universe. We are both fans of many of the same books and were each very pleased to learn the other had read A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It is after all, possibly one of the best books ever written. We shifted gears to alien visitation when it came to light that she had some experience with religious studies in her past. She pulled a dusty old bible from one of the shelves in the theology section and pointed out a wild passage that described what could easily be interpreted as one of the first documented claims of visitors from another world. If you have a Bible handy, check out The Book Of The Prophet Ezekiel, Chapter 1. It’s pretty far out, and pretty far into the Bible, which is why I’d probably never read it before. I have the attention span of a walnut and a book with such small type, and so few pictures is a pretty tall order for me. She is an absolutely amazing woman with some great stories, and when she listens, she listens like she actually gives a damn. There is indeed much more to CowBella than heels, bongos, and a cowbell. Having said that, nobody rocks heels, bongos, and a cowbell quite like she does.

Kim and CowBella slipped out to do an interview at The Beat 91.5 in Kitchener. I listened to it online with my mum while Sid and Dan mixed the next single on their laptops in the library. We had dinner once again at the pub in St.George, and I followed them to Wilf’s, the venue in Waterloo. Wilf’s wasn’t nearly as sexy as the Sheridan student bar in Oakville two nights earlier, but the performance and response from the audience seemed much more intimate and sincere.























Creature, unlike my cat Pekoe, is not a forever pet.  It’s important to remember that once you’ve had your fun and learned something new, you must eventually release the creature back into the wild.  Creature will continue on its journey delighting, and entertaining others with its vibrant colours and exciting sounds.    

Creature is wrapping up this leg of the tour and then it’s off to France where they will no doubt take Europe by storm. Once they return they will be paired up with fellow Universal recording artist Hedley and will pass by this way in late October. I can’t wait!
all photographs above ©Trevor Weeks 2008

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This is funny to me in a sad and tragic sort of way.


As it turns out, there isn't very much money in rock music photojournalism. I could win a trophy for story telling around any campfire. I've met, worked with, and/or partied with most of your CD collection. Even though my phone book reads like the Radio 3 playlist, I still don't have two nickels to rub together.


So I'm in full job search mode. I'm looking everywhere for anything and decided to start an account with Manpower, a job find resource.


They ask you to jump through all the usual hoops to create a profile that will help them find an appropriate job for the job seeker.





One of the pages to be filled out is called "Your Skills" where there is two related boxes to help narrow the list of skills the job seeker has.


The top box is the skill search. It's a small empty box and is where I type in my "skill(s)." The next box below is the "Skills" box where the various skills are listed based on what is typed in the "Skill Search" box.





When you first arrive at this page, there is nothing written in the "Skill Search" box, and all of the possible skills are listed below in the "Skills" box. These are the ones narrowed down based on whatever is typed in above.


I typed photography into the Skill Search, and of all of the skills listed, photography is apparently not a skill, nor is it associated with any. It didn't even trigger Adobe Photoshop which is listed if you scroll down to the P's.





At 33 years old I've graduated from a university, traveled over 30 countries, sat on the board of directors of a charitable organization, drove a motor cycle across India, convinced the UN in Darwin Australia to let me go to East Timor after the genocide, then actually had them arrange a 600km military escort for me and a partner using entirely fabricated documents, changed the tires on Mario Antretti's F1 race car, drove a city bus all in the name of photography, and that's only the things I can write about on the internet.


Sadly though, I have no skills to speak of.


Being unemployed and having no prospect of work is an extremely humbling experience. Despite all I think I've accomplished, I still find myself doing a double take when I see "Help Wanted" signs in the window of the Tim Horton's.


It isn't helping my cause at all that I'm an extremely stubborn 'green' geek who refuses to do any job that requires me to do work contrary to the environment or any of my social beliefs. By this I mean you will never see me buying or selling anything made in questionable countries or circumstances, I won't work with meat ruling out most kitchen jobs, and what I'm left with is an extremely small pool of options left to choose from.


Anyway, I just needed a break from the online job search to vent into my blog. If you have a hard-luck-job-find story you'd like to share, I'd really like to hear it.


One job search web site that I highly recommend is www.goodworkcanada.ca They feature jobs that are mostly environmentally responsible or in some way associated with greener living. Check it out…but not if you're an artist in the KW, Guelph, Hamilton area…there's nothing there for you!

Carbon Dating Service rolled through Toronto this summer for a visit to CBC Radio 3. We had a laugh and ended up in front of the green screen.

Now, for your amusement, have your way with Carbon Dating Service!





After Tariq grilled the band with questions, walking them through the darkest, most inaccessible corners of their minds, through laughter and tears, carving truths from them like a verbal surgeon extracting the core of their existence to be served to you on a Q&A platter, they had their way with him.


photo composite courtesy of Carbon Dating Service

This is great. I saw this on cbc.ca this morning.
Ten Things You Won't See As China Hosts The Summer Olympics