Thursday, March 8

We spend most of the day rehearsing at NAL Sound in North Vancouver, right around the corner from the fabled Seylynn hall, where, in the past, we have all individually spent some good times attending all-ages matinees, the nostalgia heavy with the sweat and grit from growing up in those halls with those old punk-rock bands we used to love and would lose our voices singing along to. Well, let’s face it, we still do. I choose to believe that I will always be 18 in some way, the age where I developed all of my bad habits, saw my favorite bands and made all of my friends. The young at heart know what I mean.

The rehearsal goes surprisingly well and the songs sound solid. There is minimal arguing and childish name-calling, in which I expected the whole session to be. With Dan and I being married, sometimes we have disagreements that make people feel awkward. It happens. For example, on the subject of musicianship, I tell Dan, “you need to relax and play softer on certain songs” and he shoots right back at me with “you just don’t understand the bass, man. It’s like my hair. I can’t tame it. Once it starts, it doesn’t stop.” I call my usual bullshit and he tells me that it’s “my problem.” I tell him “I’m only doing this because I love you” and this goes back and forth until Cody Beer and Kiana interject and say “We should play some more songs!” Anthony chimes in from his twitter feed, half asleep on the couch in the corner, “Yeah guys, be more efficient.” We are a fine mess, but it’s our mess, and we really shouldn’t bother other people with it. Until death do us part, and all that.

That night, after several hours of sitting in silence on our laptops and a game of “sonic the Hedgehog” on Sega in Cody’s apartment, not communicating at all, just kind of being piles and staring out into the middle distance at our screens like it was a magic eye, trying to make out a picture of some sense to our online addiction to social media. It is a sad sight, but we manage to gather enough energy to go out to the Biltmore to see “Sidney York,” who are quite excellent. The set is full of our Victoria pal Colin McTaggart, high doses of positivity, wonderful instrumental arrangements, and they have written, in my opinion, one of the catchiest and infectious indie-pop songs I’ve heard this year so far. I was actually frustrated after hearing it because I ended up whistling off key for 2 weeks straight, annoying the piss out of everyone around me. I still love how good songs have the ability to do that. My old boss back in Victoria actually told me at one point, “Learn to whistle or shut up.” We also witnessed “Violent Kin,” who are touring Canada with Sidney York at the moment, and will also be joining us at Canadian Music Week at the end of this month in Toronto.

See you tomorrow at the CBC Toque Sessions!