Much like The Black Keys’s Brothers was the soundtrack of my 11th grade year, I listened to Alt-J’s debut album, An Awesome Wave, on repeat throughout my first year of university. That album just resonated with me — I blogged about their KEXP performance and even recorded a drum cover of the song “Breezeblocks”. Needless to say, I was stoked to see they were coming to Vancouver and bought pre-sale tickets to see them several months in advance. My friend, Kett, and I scored second-row spots and the show was fantastic. Also, The Commodore Ballroom is gorgeous.
-N
This post is part of a series of posts I am writing about my first year at UBC, upon reflection. Check out the First Year Flashbacks category or look for the “FYF” image beside each post to read more.
Like I said, AMS knows how to put on a kick-ass outdoor concert. Maybe it was the fact that I came earlier and saw all the bands play, or the pouring rain, or the four cups of hard cider now that I’d turned 19, but I liked this end-of-the-school-year show even better than its beginning-of-the-year equivalent. Line-up included Mord Fustang, Dillon Francis, K’Naan, Good For Grapes and Anxiojam. After that, I’m excited to see what AMS has in store for Welcome Back BBQ 2013! (Minus MacInnes field, which unfortunately has been ousted to make room for the new Aquatic Centre.)
Looks like Dan has his hands full…
Anxiojam!
-N
This post is part of a series of posts I am writing about my first year at UBC, upon reflection. Check out the First Year Flashbacks category or look for the “FYF” image beside each post to read more.
My Mama was my valentine this year when she came up from Seattle to visit and see this show with me on February 14th. My friend saved us front-row seats in this intimate venue, so we were actually able to tell Idan Raichel “good job” (in Hebrew) and he answered us, “thanks”! Having my mom and friends at this show, which showcased fantastic musical talent, made it a total blast. Also, check the IRP out if you are into foreign music at all — Idan Raichel is an Israeli artist who collaborates with musicians from all over the world to create masterpieces in various languages.
My beautiful mother & me….just an arm’s length away from Idan Raichel!
-N <3
This post is part of a series of posts I am writing about my first year at UBC, upon reflection. Check out the First Year Flashbacks category or look for the “FYF” image beside each post to read more.
Timestretch was the first dubstep album I ever listened to. Since then, I’ve managed to find a place for the genre in my heart: blasting it during workouts and raging at the occasional concert/music festival. Going to this show made me realize that I am by no means a “raver” — the music was way too loud (yes, I am aware I sound like your grandma) and Bassnectar is not as upbeat as the Skrillex-esque dubstep I’ve been listening to lately. However, I still managed to have some fun, thanks to the friends I was with. Remember, kids — friends are important. Especially at a rave that you went to not knowing it was going to be a rave. Oops.
My Haida First Floor Piglets!
-N
This post is part of a series of posts I am writing about my first year at UBC, upon reflection. Check out the First Year Flashbacks category or look for the “FYF” image beside each post to read more.
I’ve always been an avid concert-goer, and my first year at UBC was no exception. A huge part of the reason I chose to attend UBC in the first place is because Vancouver is a beautiful city with so much going on — and if an artist is going on tour, it is likely they’ll play here.
AMS knows how to put on a sick outdoor concert. I definitely felt “welcome” after this show, featuring: Hey Ocean!, Morgan Page, Starfucker, Minxy Jones & DJ She. Partied it up with my new Jumpstart buddies. (:
Broken foot? What broken foot? I’m here to dance (safely, of course – don’t want to break the other one…).
-N
This post is part of a series of posts I am writing about my first year at UBC, upon reflection. Check out the First Year Flashbacks category or look for the “FYF” image beside each post to read more.
(Yes, I’ve caught the electronic music bug that since I arrived here have noticed is super popular in Vancouver.)
Oh my gosh. If you’re currently taking an English or philosophy class in high school or university, check out these websites before you buy your required reading books. They allow you to download e-books for free that you can read on your computer, iPhone, iPad or e-reader. This has made me so happy.
Psst… It’s worth checking out all the links, as some of the sites only have classic books while others include contemporary ones as well. Also, these are only the first few sites that came up when I google-searched “free e-books” – so feel free to google key words yourself and see what you can find! (Just make sure the websites are legit so you don’t get a virus. The ones above are.)
I’VE JUST discovered this wonderful Facebook page that someone at UBC recently created, through which people at our school anonymously post positive messages directed at an individual or group.
This page gave me such great reassurance that despite what I’ve heard/experienced about Vancouver being somewhat of a “cold” city (in regards to the way people interact with one-another – ie. waving goodbye rather than hugging/kissing on the cheek), UBC is filled with kind, loving and compassionate individuals.
Anyway, this page is something you’ll have to see for yourself. Even if you’re not affiliated with the school, the heart-warming posts are sure to brighten your day.
Edit: I mean, I don’t want to give you the wrong idea about Vancouver – the people here are overall very nice and polite. It’s just that the “warmth” that exists in some other cultures (ie. in Latin America) doesn’t exist as prominently here.
Edit x2: I should give credit where credit is due! As I found out after writing this, Queens University in Kingston, Ontario started the whole “university compliments page” trend. Thanks, Queens U!
The craziest thing is that not only do they give a mind-blowing live performance, but their music videos are creative, original and incredibly well-done! I highly recommend you check out their album, “An Awesome Wave“.
THIS SONG is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. The first part features Dan Auerbach’s simple guitar and soothing voice that practically drips with honey, alongside Pat Carney’s tambourine-and-bass-drum beat — both of whom combine their respective elements to form the perfect bluesy-ballad intro. After about a minute or two of that (depending on the version), Auerbach lashes out some classic-sounding guitar and Carney pounds a heavier pulse for the rest of the song. The juxtaposition of ‘soft & sweet’ and ‘explosion of passion’ components makes this one of my favorite tunes on the album.
Speaking of the album…The Black Keys released this album, El Camino, less than one month ago, and is has already been pretty solidly successful. Co-produced by Danger Mouse (who also composes ½ of Broken Bells and Gnarls Barkley), the record is, in my opinion, an excellent follow-up to Attack & Release and Brothers (The Black Keys’ last two albums, which I consider to be “perfect albums”, or albums that I love every song from).
Other favorite spins (songs) of mine off this album include: Oh, wait. Hold up. This is also a “perfect album”. It’s so hard to choose just a few songs to recommend! As;dflkna;gknarg I guess I’ll just post links to their two most popular songs off the album.
I say that The Black Keys is my Christmas music because for whatever reason, they make me in the mood for winter. Hot cocoa, debate season (in high school), snowboarding/sledding, bundling up in front of the fire, reading a good book and listening to The Black Keys… If retail stores are already beginning to play their Christmas music, why shouldn’t I play mine? 😉
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