Jordandchan

David Jones - 9am - 3 days before Christmas

this year we finally got into the city to watch uncle geoff sing in the david jones staff choir and it was amazing!

there was so many people there - most of them talking about this being a yearly tradition of coming to see the window displays and then watching the choir perform. The moment he recognised us in the crowd was so very special for me and in true form, i cried a little.

we then went to hang out in ‘mens intimates’ until he started work so we could say hi.

what a brilliant start to the day!

After my bass lesson last night i realised that i can actually play it. i am a bass player.

Whilst by no stretch of the imagination am i “awesome” at it - i can hold my own with a set of sheet music… BUT  last night, i sucessfully played a song by RHCP. Lets face it, the band has arguably one of the best bassists in the UNIVERSE.

i also realised that its not so much about making myself play like anyone else but what feels right and normal to me.

my fingertips are sore - but i cant wait to get home and practice some more.

OK - i have always believed that next to the Bible, song lyrics hold the answers to most of lifes questions. How should we handle work and professional relationships… i think Kenny Rogers sang it best in the Gambler…

You’ve got to know
When to hold ‘em,
Know when to fold ‘em
Know when to walk away,
Know when to run.
You never count your money
When you’re sittin’ at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin’
When the dealin’s done.

Liam Finn is the sun of Crowded House singer songwriter Neil Finn, and first came to my attention as a member of betchadupa, who we saw support Pearl Jam a few years back. He has since gone solo, and late last year we had the pleasure of seeing him perform live in a little bar here in Christchurch.

I’ve posted a video of him performing on David Letterman over at jordesign​.com (because it was easier to post the video there) and you should really go watch it. He does a one man style routine with a bunch of pedals that loop what he has played as he plays guitar riffs, basslines and even jumps on the drumkit towards the end. And there’s some fantastic backing vocals by EJ Barnes, daughter of you know who (yes, THAT Barnes). Itis cool, so check it out.

Its funny, I’m usually not one for memories and nostalgia. But i was thinking today of certain songs (as they come on at work) and what they remind me off. Thought i would jot a few things down. [update: this post was started a while back, but thought i might throw it out there today].

Greivance - Pearl Jam (from Binaural)
I bought Binaural from Soundgarden in hurstville (anyone remember them?). Our house was getting renovated at the time, so we were living at Mama and Papa’s house (my grandparents) while they were living down the coast in Austinmer. I had a pet crow called Claude. It was cool. The album itself was a bit of a dissapointment, but this track was one of the good ones.
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Last night I experienced what would have been one of the best live music performance I have ever seen and the worst display of manners I have ever witnessed. We were at Als bar to watch Liam Finn who is touring to promote his new solo album which – if last night is any indication – will be awesome!  He was accompanied on stage by Jimmy Barnes’ daughter However – the rudeness of the people around us was incredible – the couple next to me talked in every song that was played – im not kidding EVERY ONE!! It was a joke but much to Jords surprise I didn’t have a go at them or lose my temper – I just sat with one hand firmly pressed up against my ear for a while – at one point I thought they had gotten the hint – but I was wrong. But it wasn’t only them – there were pockets of people all over the venue doing the same thing. It was a shame though – the bar was awesome and really lovely. I think it was the first time ever that we didn’t buy a shirt – which was a bit sad but maybe next time. 

All in all a good night with the rain not dampening our spirits. He is very talented and definitely a ‘must buy’

The countdown to new silverchair material is almost over. On friday the unofficial-official website chairpage relaunches with a new design, and previews of the first single, Straight Lines, streaming (both video and audio). I have heard the song a couple of times live, and its an exciting turn for the lads from newcastle (plus the cover art has a nice Mondrian feel). They seem to be embracing a little more of a rock feel, but Daniel Johns seems to have turned his ear to have an incredible sense of pop. All of the new material (Straight Lines included) seems to flow from these crazy-catchy little snippets into crazy riff-driven sections that are much harder to grab a hold of and digest. Either way I am loving it and looking forward to the release of New Modern. The album is set to be released on March 31, the day before we fly out to NZ. I really hope we can get our hands on it before we leave… Keep reading…

As always happens at this time of year, voting is on for triplej’s hottest 100. And on Australia day we will be counting them down while we continue to pack.Voting was a bit of a tough one this year. There weren’t heaps of songs i wanted to vote for, but there were about 20 which i really, really wanted to vote for. Oh well, here are my 10 votes:

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