I first heard that the term "420" was coined because in California the police code for marijuana-related offences is numerically 420. This information appears to be false; that's what you get for taking the word of a high school stoner. Other unsubstantiated explanations include "April 20th is the day Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and/or Jimi Hendrix died," "April 20th is the best day to plant your crop," or "The Grateful Dead always stayed in room 420 while on tour."
The real origin comes from a group of San Rafael High School classmates in California who would meet up at 4:20 p.m. every day to blaze.
Growing out of that tale, the numbers 420 have now come to signify that 4:20 p.m. is the socially accepted time of day to partake in weed smoking; sparking up before that time would mean you are just an aimless stoner.
As almost every Canadian knows, April 20th is the day anyone can assemble on Parliament Hill to smoke without fear of persecution or arrest. There are also large demonstrations in the Canadian cities of London, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
In addition there are many pop culture and industry references to 420. The clocks in Pulp Fiction are all stuck on 4:20. New York's 420 Tours arranges travel to Jamaica and the Netherlands and Atlanta's Sweetwater Brewing Co. sells a 420 beer and opens its doors to the public at 4:20 p.m.
Sadly April 20th is also associated with some dark historic facts. Today also happens to be Hilter's birthday and the anniversary of the Columbine shootings.
Below you'll find some of the best songs that pay homage to an activity many will engage in today. I was going to include Because I Got High but I forgot for some reason.
This interview with TyLean originally appeared on Soundproofmagazine.com. Her latest album The Unforgivable, The Unforgettable is available now via her official site. Death Disco presents TyLean at Ottawa's Avant-Garde Bar April 15. She will then bring her operatic sounds to Peterborough April 16 and Toronto April 24.
Apologies for the spacing errors in the text.
Photo courtesy of TyLean.
Pianist TyLean's music comes with the disclaimer that it is ‘not for casual listeners.' Her latest offering, The Unforgivable, The Unforgettable, combines elements of the caustic and the celestial; a melding of genres that has amassed TyLean a following on both sides of the Atlantic.
Originally hailing from small town Pennsylvania, TyLean now resides in London. A self-taught pianist since the age of 14, she began experimenting with the cello at 24.
"I am not a cellist and have never called my self such. People assume because I'm classically trained" - a phrase she detests - "that I must be by default classically trained on the cello. I don't play cellos. I rape them. It's a phenomenal instrument for exploiting and creating horrific soundscapes."
The landscape of TyLean's childhood was a lonely one. Living in such an insular place with siblings too old to bother with her, she retreated into the fantasy world of film.
"Film was my first passion, because watching movies kept me company," she says. "That was what I wanted to do, but since there were no films being made in my part of Pennsylvania and I couldn't convince my family to move, I got into children's theatre as a matter of compromise. From there I got into musicals and eventually came to be very passionate about orchestral music and opera."
The influence of operatic music can be heard on her debut, the When All Else Fails EP. Although many called When All Else Fails ‘hauntingly beautiful,' TyLean describes the reaction to her debut as confused.
"It was my first release. I had no fans, no supporters and no one who understood who I was and what I was about. I don't even think I understood who I was and what I was about yet. The lyrics were either too dark for them to accept or too intelligent for them to understand. In addition, I was from small town Northeast Pennsylvania. I knew people who had tattoos of the local ‘80s cover band who they would support tooth and nail in a fight. Just the fact that I was recording and releasing original music was well beyond their ability to comprehend."
It was small-mindedness like this that inspired TyLean to seek refuge in another country. For as long as she can remember, she has wanted to flee the US.
"I don't like America," she says. "I was hell-bent on becoming an ex-patriot since I was 7 years old and was able to understand what countries were and just how far away the other side of the Atlantic was."
Her move across the pond has given TyLean an insight into the habits of the international music fan. She says American, English and Canadian music lovers all absorb music differently.
"In the UK, people are more passive about their music than in the States, where people define themselves by the music they listen to. In the States, people tend to be more dedicated to a genre than their own ability to think whether they like a piece of music or not. The UK is also slightly like this, though not nearly to such a degree. Canada, however, is completely the opposite. Music fans are open minded and accepting of anything they happen to like, despite what genre it falls into."
Once of a member of prolific darkwave band Attrition, TyLean and founding member Martin Bowes had a falling out over his veganism.
"We parted ways over an incredibly silly difference of diet. Martin Bowes is a vegan. I think we should eat endangered animals before there are no more left to taste; humans too. I'm at odds with the accepted belief that humans are special and important. We are shit-throwing monkeys who if we hadn't evolved to say derogatory things about one another, we would still be flinging poop. One day the usual banter turned into an actual disagreement and that was that for Attrition. We were both probably being too headstrong for our own good."
However TyLean says she loved the experience of performing with the band, which has been active for three decades, and looks forward to connecting with Bowes again in the future.
After the upcoming Death Disco dates TyLean is heading back to England to appear at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. Look for a new EP, tentatively titled Formaldehyde, to appear this summer.
As what once was frozen begins to melt and winter slides into spring, many are affected by damp spirits and soaked shoes. Music therapy is a surefire cure for seasonal sorrow. So if you're saddened by the elusiveness of sunny springtime weather; snuggle up with these sanguine songs.
You'll Find A Way by Santigold
Santi White and John Hill originally recorded under the pseudonym Santogold but swapped an "O" for the "I" after the threat of a lawsuit from the makers of the 1985 movie Santo Gold's Blood Circus. Their eponymous debut album is awash with feel good anthems. Also see Lights Out, Unstoppable and Say Aha.
Lasso by Phoenix
This French outfit first assembled as cover band playing in bars and cafes. After adopting their current moniker, the band, led by Thomas Mars who is married to Sofia Coppola, got a gig as Air's backing band. Their album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix beat out the likes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Depeche Mode to claim the 2010 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. I would say the album is more electronic than alternative; yet the optimistic offerings Phoenix delivers remain winners regardless of genre. Also see Girlfriend and 1901.
No Nostalgia byAgesandAges
This seven member band from Portland, Oregon released their debut album, Alright, You Restless, last month. Their jam band sound and sing-a-long style makes for songs that are as secure and warm as a group bear hug. While they maintain they are not a cult, they are hoping their rapidly increasing fan base will organize as one. I imagine they would be devotees of hand claps and harmonies.
Summertime Clothesby Animal Collective
The collaborative and experimental group known as Animal Collective has been kicking around for a decade. Yet it was their most recent album, The Merriweather Post Pavilion, that proved to be the roar heard around the world. The band's four members, Avey Tare (David Porter), Deakin (Josh Dibb), Geologist (Brian Weitz) and Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), are fluid with their contributions. All have side and/or solo projects but Animal Collective remains the most successful of all of their musical outfits.
Don't Give Up by Noisettes
Don't Give Up is a feel good track which can also act as motivational music. Noisettes fuse funk, punk, rock and soul into a truly original sound. Their 2007 debut What's the Time Mr. Wolf?made in on to my best of '07 list. Their follow up Wild Young Hearts while more soulful than rock is still strong enough to merit a listen.
Golden Phone by Micachu & the Shapes
Highly unorthodox Mica Levi has captivated audiences in her native UK by utilizing extraordinary instruments such as a vacuum cleaner and broken bottles. Superstar fans of hers include Bjork and Animal Collective. While Mica says she's "not totally behind" her debut album Jewellery, English music fans lapped up the album like kindergartners slurping spilled cola. When Jewellery wasn't nominated for the Mercury Prize an outpouring of criticism slammed the nomination process. Regardless of the controversy, no one can deny that Golden Phone is a song that will warm up the dampest of spirits.
Multiply & Divideby the Soviettes
The band's name came from a "tip" a customer gave singer/guitarist Annie Holoien as she waited tables in St. Paul, Minnesota. In lieu of payment he offered the name The Soviettes for her band. That was a decade ago and after three well received LPs, the band went on semi-permanent hiatus in 2006.
Their music is usually short and speedy and at the height of their popularity the foursome managed to perform in all fifty states in a span of three months. Their myspace page hints that they may reassemble for shows; as they did in 2010.
After the Soviettes' hiatus Holoien and Danny Henry formed Awesome Snakes. Holoien recently joined The God Dam Doo Wop Band and Maren "Sturgeon" Macosko plays in The Gateway District. Suzy Sharp is now the bass player for That's Incredible.
This Twist by Roxy Epoxy & the Rebound
Roxy Epoxy's Bandaids on Bullet Holes is made up of unusual, upbeat, new wave-inspired tracks guaranteed to put the listener in a good mood. For more about former Epoxies member Roxy Epoxy see my post on anti-social songs. Also check out Roxy's Ego Hour, her radio show on KPSU, Portland's college radio station.
Hardcore Girls by The Count & Sinden featuring Rye Rye
Perhaps best known as MIA's protege, the remarkably refreshing Rye Rye's career got a jump start when she left rap on DJ Blaqstarr's voicemail. Dubstep and grime producers The Count and Sinden tapped her for this single and also co-produced her forthcoming debut Go! Pop! Bang! along with Diplo, Blaqstarr and MIA.
I Feel Alive by 33Hz
The members of NYC's 33Hz love disco (and cheesy video effects, see below.) Their electro-heavy sound may have played better decades ago, yet this strobe-lit song still has the power to perk up sagging spirits.
Ba Ba BaBa Ba Ba Well Anywayby Oh No Ono
This Danish band's style is deviant and daring. Malthe Fischer's vocals definitely diverge from what would be considered the norm for North American music listening audiences. His frightening falsetto might turn some people off, but if you prefer uncommonly hyper arrangements, Oh No Ono's 2006 album Yes may be what you've been seeking. Their most recent album, Egg, was released last year.
My Rainbow Valley by Dolly Mixture
Formed in 1978 in Cambridge, Dolly Mixture was first conceived as a joke. Three teenage schoolmates,Debsy Wykes, Hester Smith and Rachel Bor, loved the dreamy sounds of the '60s and as a response to the popularity of post-punk decided to tell people they were in whimsical pop band. When they began receiving requests for live performances, the girls picked up instruments and began practicing in earnest. They found some success backing Captain Sensible yet they released just one full length album, 1983's Demonstration Tapes. My Rainbow Valley is typical of Dolly Mixture's gleeful sound. If you can overcome the cooing backing vocals the track will subtly slap you with a sweet smile.
With their latest album Shapeshifting, Montréal based trio Young Galaxy have made a conscious decision to move in another direction. Shapeshifting combines upbeat drum arrangements and electronic-based melodies- which may seem like a strange choice as their last album, 2009's indie rock-based Invisible Republic, was long listed for the Polaris Music Prize. However this time around Stephen Ramsay says the band, which also features Catherine McCandless and Stephen Kamp, resolved to challenge their own musicality; which is why the sublime sounds on Shapeshifting are noticeably divergent from the music found on Invisible Republic.
"We saw ourselves making similar choices every time we would make music. For this record we wanted to move away from the easy choices," Ramsay recalls. "So the evolution in some ways was a sort of very calculated choice. To move away from the way we made music in the past. So everything changed from the process of how we approached the writing to how we recorded it. The whole process of how we make music has been inverted in a way. So what you see is almost a negative impression of what we used to do and how we used to make music."
Ramsay and McCandless founded Young Galaxy in 2005 while residing in their native Vancouver. Their debut EP Swing Your Heartache was released in 2006 and Ramsay says Young Galaxy's inception was marred by hesitation and fickleness. Ramsay and McCandless began as friends, eventually becoming an item, and Ramsay encouraged McCandless to rock the mic.
"When the project began it was really just me working out my own initial interest in writing songs," Ramsay said. "Catherine was quite a shy singer and I always tried to get her involved. I knew she could sing but she wouldn't sing in front of people. We didn't really have any ambition. We just wanted to make music and write together. It was a good exercise for us as friends and as a couple. What you hear a lot in our early attempts at songs is me singing, but now Catherine sings mostly. At that time she was very shy and not as involved in the whole process. It was a gradual thawing out of our creativity until we were equals and that is where we are now."
When Ramsay was invited to play with Montréal super group Stars, the duo made the move to La Belle Province. In addition to the opportunity with Stars, Ramsay chose Montréal for the opportunities the city offers.
"We were trying to think of somewhere exciting to move to within Canada. Montréal is kind of the anti-thesis to Vancouver," Ramsay laughs. "The community and the city are ones we love and I think we will stay here for a long time."
Ramsay credits Stars with kick starting Young Galaxy's career and in 2007 they released their self-titled full length debut on Arts & Crafts. Yet after their self-titled release, they were told they were a losing endeavor economically and went independent with Invisible Republic, which would eventually find distribution through Fontana North. When Invisible Republic was long listed for the Polaris Music Prize, no one was more surprised than Ramsay.
"It didn't matter in a way," Ramsay said of their Polaris nomination. "We didn't need validation but in a way it was validating. It wasn't a question of whether the record was any good. It was more just the fact that not many people had heard it. So when that came along it came a long time after the record came out and we had no expectations."
Fan's expectations for Shapeshifting are high as Dan Lissvik, of the band Studio, produced the album over nine months in Sweden.
"We knew he would be able to hone it into something that was ready for listeners," Ramsay said.
Witness a supernova on the stage, featuring a pregnant McCandless, when Young Galaxy comes to a city near you in March. Their tour includes stops in Ottawa, Toronto and American dates.
Micucci (left) and Lindhome. Photo courtesy of the artist.
If you are confused by the moniker Garfunkel and Oates, you wouldn't be the first. Comedy duo Riki "Garfunkel" Lindhome and Kate "Oates" Micucci took their stage name from two of music's most prominent second bananas. Once Tom Arnold booked them; thinking they were actually Art Garfunkel and John Oates. Now that their self-released album, All Over Your Face, has debuted at #1 on iTunes Comedy and HBO has tapped the team for a pilot, it is unlikely that mistake will be made again.
Micucci and Lindhome met at the Los Angeles chapter of the Upright Citizen's Brigade in 2007 and quickly began working together on the musical film Imaginary Larry. When the excerpts of that collaboration amassed legions of fans on youtube, the two decided to pursue further musical ambitions.
"That was really exciting for us," Micucci wrote from L.A about All Over Your Face's iTunes ranking. "We made this album all on our own without a record label."
They did create a fictitious label, "No One Buys Records," to release the album on and it's this type of irreverent humour that landed Garfunkel and Oates on Jay Leno's Tonight Show on four separate occasions. Their lyrics frequently tackle social taboos like unconfident sex ("Handjob, Blandjob, I Don't Understandjob") drugs ("Weed Card") and pregnant envy ("Pregnant Women Are Smug.")
"It usually starts with the subject of the song," Micucci, who is originally from Pennsylvania, wrote about the Garfunkel and Oates writing process. "We just start spitting out ideas. Some songs come out really quickly but most take a lot of time and thought. 'Handjob Blandjob, I Don't Unerstandjob' took months to finish. We began writing that song on an airplane. We were discussing in great detail our confusion about hand jobs and the poor lady sitting next to us seemed really uncomfortable."
The pair recently wrapped shooting a video for Weed Card, a song that was written in sex columnist Dan Savage's basement. However Garfunkel and Oates' celebrity ties don't end there. Micucci and Lindhome were invited by the Oates of their namesake to perform as his opening act.
"John Oates is just so cool. And one of the nicest guys, too," Micucci wrote. "We both grew up listening to Hall and Oates and they still are one of our favorite bands, so we were flipping out when John reached out to us to see if we wanted to play music with him. We opened for him when he played in Southern California and then last September he invited us to play at his Songwriter Festival in Aspen."
The only stipulation for the girls using his name is that John Oates requires free beer at all of their shows. While Art Garfunkel has yet to contact the duo, Micucci adds that they wouldn't turn down an opportunity to work with him.
The opportunity to ink the deal for their pilot at HBO came from a partnership with Richard Keen. Keen has previously worked on the web sensationTom Cruise is a Cock Block and Comedy Central's Important Things With Dimitri Martin. If Garfunkel and Oates' series is picked up, a portion of the series will be web-based.
Both women have established ties with HBO. Micucci has a reoccurring role on Bored to Death as Zach Galifianakis' elfin love interest and Lindhome will appear in the upcoming Laura Dern-starring comedy Enlightened. Micucci has also appeared on the sitcoms Raising Hope, Scrubs and Weeds and you may remember Lindhome as the murderous maven Sadie in the recent remake of Last House on the Left, or from guest spots on sitcoms such as Single Dads and $H*! My Dad Says.
In addition to upcoming shows in LA, Garfunkel and Oates will be appearing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival this spring and hope to release another full length album by the end of the year.
Whether you are alone by choice this V-day or you're alone because it turns out your valentine gave you VD; here are thirteen break up songs to help nurse your broken heart.
Cupid Spinerette
"Cupid don't you know that, that it's over?"
You & I Cut Off Your Hands
"You were not there for me. I just moved on. I've been moving on for so long."
Do Me a Favour Arctic Monkeys
"Do me a favour and stop flattering yourself. How to tear apart the ties that bind? Perhaps fuck off, might be too kind."
Capri Pants Bikini Kill
"I like you but baby it's all wrong."
Knives Out Radiohead
"Look into my eyes. I'm not coming back."
Breakaway Detroit Cobras
"I'll make that vow to myself. You and I are through. Nothing can change my mind. I'm sorry just won't do."
Like a Drug Queens of the Stone Age
"What can I say? I guess it wasn't meant to be. Now you're gone."
Divorce Song Liz Phair
"And the licence said you had to stick around 'til I was dead. But if you're tired of looking at my face, I guess I already am."
Gone Daddy Gone Violent Femmes
"The love is gone."
Not In Love Crystal Castles featuring Robert Smith
"And we were lovers. Now we can't be friends. Fascination ends."
Night Watch Tegan & Sara
"I've got grounds for divorce. It's in my blood this divorce. I seperate everybody. I need distance from your body."
Freebird Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Bye bye, it's been a sweet love. Though this feeling I can't change."
Don't Dream It's Over Crowded House
"They come, they come. To build a wall between us."
There were a few surprises when the Academy Award nominations were announced late last month. Aussie Jacki Weaver usurped a fictional Jackie's nomination in the Best Supporting Actress race and Canada-Italy co-production Barney's Versionquizzically snagged a nod for Best Make Up. While the majority of the noms were as predicted, the nominations in this post were mostly unforeseen in true dramatic fashion.
Denis Villeneuve's Incendies, nominated for Best Foreign Language Film
Quebecois director Villeneuve's work has been submitted as Canada's entry for the Foreign Language Oscar twice before. In 1998 for August 32nd on Earth and for his brilliant, multiple award-winning tale of an edifying fish and wrongful death,2000'sMaelström. The story of twins who venture to the Middle East after their mother's death, Incendies marks Villeneuve's first Academy Award nomination after his two unsuccessful attempts. According to critic's picks complied by goldderby.com, the film is in a tight race to bring home the gold. Out of the twenty-two critics polled, Incendies and In A Better World from Denmark are tied with eight votes each. The six remaining critics chose Spain's Buitiful as the likely winner. Canada has won in this category once; for Denys Arcand's Les Invasions Barbares.
Incendies trailer (French with English subtitles)
Mike Leigh, nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Another Year
The screenplay categories are where you will occasionally find first-rate, independent films that deserved additional nominations (see The Squid and The Whale, Ghost World, Election) but were muscled out of other categories. Leigh, the British sentimentalist scribe who brought us tales of off the map obstetricians (Vera Drake) and untamed optimism (Happy-Go-Lucky,) has landed his seventh nomination for penning Another Year. It's unlikely he will finally win a statue this year (he's 0-6 so far), as he's up against favourite The King's Speech and other strong contenders The Kids Are All Right and Inception.Oscar voters first took notice of Leigh in 1997 when they showered Secrets and Lies with five nominations. Since then, Leigh has continually brought realistic English characters to life with writing that is consistently touching and transparent. Another Year doesn't stray far from Leigh's formula, chronicling a year in a happily aging couple's life as they deal with their downcast friends.
Another Year trailer
Michelle Williams, nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Blue Valentine
Although nominated for a Golden Globe and an Independent Spirit Award for her role in Blue Valentine, Michelle Williams is the dark horse of the Best Actress category. Hilary Swank took her spot in the Screen Actors Guild nominations, which many see as a reliable precursor to the Oscars. Although nominated once before for her supporting role in Brokeback Mountain, Williams was passed over by the Academy for her understated performance in 2008's Wendy and Lucy. Perhaps members had a tinge of voter's remorse this time around. After all, as Katherine Hepburn once said "the right actors win Oscars; for the wrong roles." William's role as Cindy, one half of a crestfallen couple, has been close to ten years in the making. Williams likens dealing with the heart-wrenching material over the course of a decade to running an emotional marathon.
"I’ve been working on Blue Valentine since I was 21. So it makes sense in my mind that promoting it should have the same kind of effort and endurance behind it that being committed to it and finally making it had,” she told thestar.com.
Williams went on to say that playing the role of Cindy may not have changed her outlook; however she now understands how to make a relationship work.
“My romanticism and my optimism have not been diminished, but I do think you have to be vigilant and willing to compromise. It’s something you have to stay ahead of."
Blue Valentine trailer
Darren Aronofosky, nominated for Best Achievement in Directing for Black Swan
Each of Aronofsky'smovies to date has dealt with misery and mania. Whether it be the quest for answers (Pi,) the need to boost one's ego (The Wrestler,) insatiable cravings (Requiem For a Dream) or chasing the illusion of perfection (Black Swan,) you could say that Aronofsky is obsessed with obsession. Straddling the boarder that separates drama and horror, Black Swan has become the director's highest grossing release. This tale of a ballerina who goes bonkers is poised to break the $100 million mark this month. The film landed five nods, however Natalie Portman's bid for Best Actress is the only nom likely to result in a golden statuette. Independent film fans have been fixated on Aronofsky's work for years and countless critics agree that his first nomination is long overdue.
Interview with Darren Aronofsky
Nina (Portman) dances the Black Swan
Exit Through the Gift Shop, nominated for Best Documentary
The heated debate over whether this doc is an elaborate hoax or a truthful tale of an artist's rise to fame is feverishly burning now that the film has been nominated. Exit Through the Gift Shop documents street art aficionado Thierry Guetta's journey from videographer to street artist to mainstream art star. Guetta goes from admiring and filming underground artists to emulating their craft under the pseudonym Mr. Brainwash. Guetta eventually turns a huge profit, which is where this doc's title comes into play. The film is not only a chronicle of the obstacles street artists face; it is also a comment on the commercialization of art. The film's director, Bansky, isthe anonymous mastermind behind the most creative and cheerlessSimpsons intro (below) ever to be inked. Bansky was one of Guetta's heroes/subjects/inspirations in the documentary within the documentary. It's obvious that Banksy's primary motivation for presenting Exit Through the Gift Shop is to expose Guetta for the fraud that he is; that is if the film is fact and not fiction as many people have speculated.
"Obviously the story is bizarre, that’s why I made a film about it, but I’m still shocked by the level of skepticism. I guess I have to accept that people think I’m full of shit. But I’m not clever enough to have invented Mr. Brainwash," Bansky wrote to slashfilm.com.
