Joshua Van Tassel

(on facebook? you’re missing half the fun, go to www.joshuavt.com for the full post)

The Tranzac club in Toronto is one of my favorite places on this big blue earth.

When I first decided to move from a small Nova Scotian town to the dirty city I had visions of dark, mysterious looking streets filled with small doorways that all lead into jam packed smoky clubs that housed music of all kinds, with people of all shapes and colors and hair lengths. Places that would disregard the notion of housing one specific style of music and focus more on the quality and integrity of the artist. Run by people who really really care, the Tranzac ended up being all these things ( minus the smoking and alleyway entrance) and a whole lot more. With it’s 3 different rooms it’s completely normal to stand n the hallway and simultaneously hear solo piano, crazy avant jazz, and straight up blue grass at the same time. It’s unbelievably inspiring and exciting to know that any night of the week there’s a place I can go where I’m guaranteed to see  not necessarily a show I’ll love, but definitely something I’ll find interesting, motivating, or exciting.

Like most really special arts related things in Toronto, the Tranzac relies heavily on public support. If you feel so inclined, visit their website and make a donation, become a member, or even just write down their address and go by for a visit. You may hear something like this, the bet version of Oh Canada I’ve heard in years as played by a very drunk church organist I ended up befriending at 2 am Thursday night.

(if youre on facebook,go to www.joshuavt.com for the full post)

3 things I never really thought I’d do -

1. Actually have someone ask for cowbell
2. Actually have someone want me to play a giant china cymbal every four bars
3. Cover a Rush tune
All these things have happened to me today on Selinas sessions. This is fun and loud. I love it. This is her currently working out an arrangement for “spirit of radio”. Awesome. What have I gotten into to.

The amount of times I’ve spilled my water or whatever because I’m a clumsy ape and set it down by my feet while playing are many. This solves that problem, thank you John Dinsmore for putting these in your studio. It’s probably less for me and more for your carpet, but that’s ok, I know you care deep down about my fluid intake.

Things are heading into a busy time but now but got work on the weekend on stuff that Kate is going to do with me in December hopefully. It’ll be more interesting then it sounds once she’s on there, just you wait.

In the studio with Selina Martin all this weekend and she’s awesome. Rocks super hard and is funny as shit. Check her out..

Had the good fortune due to a good roommate of going to a fairly swanky whiskey tasting event last night. Now I’m the first to tell you I don’t know much about whiskey except that when someone brings a drink of it to me in a bar I always assume I’ve done something to anger them and I’m being punished. To my delight however, last night taught me a few things -
1. I like whiskey ( I discovered this early on in the night which is good)
2. Expensive whiskeys are expensive because they taste really really good.
3. Whiskey drinkers take that shit realllllll serious.
4. By keeping your mouth open while sniffing the whiskey you get less of the alcohol smell and more of the whiskey itself.
5. Burning peat is what I want all my possessions to smell like.
6. A cheers from a Scotsman and this tale about kilts

He was awesome and his whiskey is too.

Overall a super fun night. They even had a pipe band who sounded awesome in a giant room like that the one we were in. Nice big bass drum played by a very small old man, my favorite.

……..is the name of a a band I caught last night. First time I’ve seen bagpipes in a free jazz large ensemble, and it sounded fitting surprisingly. My H4 was in my other coat which sounds like a lame excuse but it’s true, so I tried the little iphone for recording purposes, and it’s actually alright –


Also, have a listen.

Hmmmmmmmm interesting John. Not too sure what I think of this yet…ballsy for sure, but he may get slammed by the anti-drug groups. I guess any press is press when you’re putting a record out, but we’ll see…….

This is a real super group friends. Lest we forget.

Went to the new Mitzi’s on College/Dovercourt yesterday and had a serious club sandwich, old old cheese and homemade pesto yum. They put cranberries in your water, and I’m sure because of that it was very busy and sounded/looked like this.

Then because it was so sunny I went to Ella’s Uncle and had a really really good coffee. A friend’s friend owns it and it’s great. And I’m not just saying that because I don’t want to hurt his feelings for giving me a shitty coffee reccomendation. I actually really do like it and I don’t even have to lie about it. It looks like a little homey kitchen that always smells like banana bread, and it has a nice window for people watching. The eye and ear view from the window -

Having a coffee and starting a new book this morning, and I was struck by how uncommonly quiet and nice my apartment was. Our radiator makes a nice little knocking sound that for some some reason doesn’t annoy me, kind of makes me sleepy instead. This is what I can see and hear riiiiiiiiight now -

The boys from forward music were in town this week, and saw them play a couple shows. They have touring down to a science. They travel with 5 people, and depending on the venue and the type of night, they become one of three bands each with a different sound and set of music. It’s pretty incredible. Andrew and Kyle came over and did an interview with me for a video blog they’re putting up soon that’ll be a sort of footnote to a music distribution program they’re setting ( more on that later). I’d never been interviewed for a) that long b) on camera c) had questions that were that interesting/exposing.  The question I kept asking myself throughout was ” do I sound like a pretentious dick?” Maybe I should ask that more often, maybe a couple times a day…especially after a few drinks. Anyway, really interesting stuff, and I’m excited to see the whole slew of them with all sorts of different song writers.

The point of this rant is that talking about music making with those guys and the things I love about it really made me aware of how little I’ve been out there getting sounds. I’ve been lazy, my little H4 is cold and lonely and afraid. I need to fix this, there’s a lot of people saying strange things and animals making weird masticating type noises that need to be at least posted here, or hopefully end up in a piece. So from now on I’ll be a good little blogger and bring you something more interesting then me questioning my own pretentiousness. Ok? Come back soon, like tomorrow.

I started writing again! I’m going to use my roommates electric guitar because I’m not afraid of it anymore ( he kindly pointed out there’s a volume knob)!

Exclamation mark???

Question!
While I work on getting my own whatevers up here, here’s what I’ve been listening to the past couple. It’s good motivating stuff.

D. Myles turned me on to this record driving through Belgium, and I’ve been hunting it ever since. Had to resort to itunes, but finally have it in metaphysicaldigital form. It’s a great album that’s equal parts roots soul and blues without too much of any of them.

I know everyone in the indie world is done freaking over this record, but I don’t give a shit. It’s great, the tunes are beautiful and creepy, and the production is fantastic.  I like listening to it. A lot.

My good friend and general multi talented freak Kyle was in town with one of his bands Share this weekend and they sounded great He brought me some vinyl of one of his other great projects, the Olympic Symphonium and it’s super nice. Good country tinged music to think lonely thoughts with someone else beside you so it never gets too sad.

what are you listening to? I actually honestly want to know…..