Hey guys,

So... yesterday after band practise, and completely against our better judgement, Greg and I, decided to show John Law (that new tall guy with glasses that now plays keys in the band) a DVD of our first ever show as a band filmed more then two years ago by Mr. and Mrs. Jackson in Toronto.

All I can say is: yikes.

While, I admit it was kind of amusing, to see 18 year old Ben and Greg, with 16 year old Sean and Dave playing really bad, really fast songs we forgot ever existed, it also reminded me why I repressed the memories of those songs in the first place.

Yes for almost two hours, and with no other bands on the bill, The Stenographers (that's what we used to call ourselves back then) rocked the hell out of a packed Degrassi House crowd (completely made up of underwhelmed family members and friends). It was a dark time for everyone involved...

Anyway, in the spirit of the show reviews that we've been getting in such abundance lately, I have decided to write a concert review of my very own - as well as some background history for context - for our very first show.

and here it is:

While the band Burn Planetarium is a relatively new venture, the four long time members of the band: Sean, Ben, and the brothers Greg and Dave, have actually been playing together for years. Starting off as a mere hobby, the band "The Stenographers" quickly turned into a serious musical venture in May of 2006 after about a week of playing together. After coming up with 3 original songs, the band won Bradford's prestigious battle of the bands competition and immediatelyu decided they were destined for bigger and better things. This resulted in them booking a "real" show in a little known Toronto bar called The Degrassi House.

The following are some highlights of that first show:

1. The band feels compelled to cover both "Little Thoughts" by Bloc Party and - for some reason -  "Down On Me" by B4-4 in the same set. "Down on Me" ends up sounding like an ironic queens of the Stonage track... only worse.

2. Like so many cover bands before them, the band also attempts to cover "High and Dry" by Radiohead. Shockingly, their version is not as good asthe original.

3. The band has to take of their own sound and has no idea what they're doing. This results in countless waves of horrible feedback coming through the speakers all night

4. After intense pressure from the crowd both Greg and Dave take off their shirts mid-set. We have both photo and video eveidence of this.

5. Their is no stage banter

6. Greg, being the showman that he is, decides to solo's behind his head for the crowd.

7. Unlike Greg (and because it's still 2006), Ben still hasn't learned to play guitar properly. This is visually evident every time he tries to anything that isn't a 'power chord'.

8. The show is PWYC. As it turns out, the answer is "not much".

9. More friends show up at the end of the night and we repeat 3 songs.

10. Show ends. Crowd is relieved. Everyone goes home with a headache, and new perspective on B4-4. All in all I'd say the show is a success.

Be glad you never knew us back then. Seriously...

-Ben