The Robin LeBlanc

My new article us up at AWMusic.ca

For those that don’t read my blog (and why would you?) I was in Memphis last week filming the 2009 Folk Alliance Conference. A week-long folk music party at the Marriot Hotel. Music 24/7. It was an incredibly unforgettable experience. There were young and old folks jamming in the lobby, concerts held in hotel rooms and most importantly, beer was being passed around freely. Nothing would please me more than to present you with songs by artists that I felt were the highlight of the conference…but I’m afraid that in the ride back my disc drive broke down and whenever I put a disc in it now it laughs in this obnoxious french accent and spits my discs back out.

So I thought, hell, there’s PLENTY of music that I listened to on the road heading down to Memphis (And back where I had to make a stop in Cleveland). I’ll post about that instead until my drive gets fixed. So you folks get a mix from me and I continue to feel like you want to hear them. Win-win.

Detroit
DVDA – America, Fuck Yeah!
There was a problem crossing the border. It seems that my travel companion and I looked a bit TOO suspicious for simple Canadians going to see some folk music. We were told to stop and under the instruction of a massive power hungry piss-midget of a border patrol guard, got out of our car leaving all our possessions and watched a group of six people go through all our belongings. I’m happy to say though, that this was the ONLY sign of that good ‘ol American paranoia that I only hear about on Fox News. Still, you’d think these guys were in an action film. Thus the following song:

Cincinnati
Steve Carlisle – WKRP Theme
I never really went in to Cincinnati. We just drove past it and went across the bridge. but still…seeing those buildings and the signs I couldn’t help but sing the tune to one of my favorite sitcoms ever. “Baby…if you’ve ever wondered…wondered, whatever became of me…”. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

Louisville
Johnny Cash – One Piece At A Time
Good place. Had some damn fine chili there and met some really nice people when we were lost and looking for directions to Bowling Green. I’d have to say that Kentucky folk are the nicest folk I’ve come across. While driving through, A Johnny Cash tune got stuck in my head. It’s here where we can see that my tastes started turning towards some good ‘ol country music.

Bowling Green
Charlie Daniels – Uneasy Rider
Zoomed on past this place. tapped our feet and hands to this song while driving by.

Nashville
Lovin’ Spoonful – Nashville Cats
David Allan Coe – You Never Even Called Me By My Name
A nice city, but a bit on the tacky side. Oddly enough, not as big on country music as you’d think. Apparently the city officials hate all the country artists coming in to the city and have done their best to get rid of them (such examples include interfering in the building of the new Grand Ole Opry and the regulation of the “Country District” to about two streets). Still, these songs came on and I figured it very suitable, since both mock the country music business in their own special way.

Memphis (And Graceland)
Evils Presley – American Trilogy
King Curly – The Bumblebee Has No Home
As stated above, I had a LOT of fun in this city. The people were nice, the music was banging and they were never short of kitchy crap. And nowhere is this more evident than in the land of the King himself, Graceland. Pictures of Elvis were everywhere and some of his worst songs were wailing on thirty year-old speakers while overweight tourists from Texas gathered around all excited at a chance to experience a glimmer of the life that Elvis had. If they had marketed his name anymore there would be fried peanut butter and banana sandwich vendors and staff members selling pill vials containing elvis-brand mints. But I suppose that’s in poor taste. no… let’s stick with the leopard skin walls.

I managed to get a hold of one of my favorite songs from the week from one of the groups to come out of the conference. King Curly hails from Australia and has an interesting sound. They have all the fixings of an eccentric jug band (well, sans jug) but have the time to write some damn fine lyrics and create songs with inspirations ranging from zombies to Tiny Tim.

Cleveland
Presidents of the United States of America – Cleveland Rocks
My entire ass it rocks. I wasn’t in Cleveland for very long, only to get some sleep and check out the infamous Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and then back to Toronto. But from what I did see of the city, I wasn’t impressed. I will concede, however that it is not within the realm of fantasy that people would think this city “rocks” but in all honesty, I prefer Toronto. Points must be awarded, however, to the hotel we were in who gave us room 1313 that had a wailing breeze coming through the hallway in to our room. Apparently Marilyn Manson stayed there.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was…very underwhelming. The movies and information was at least 15 years out of date and was severely lacking in a lot of artists that would normally have been a given for them to have been there. Van Morrison, Peter Frampton, AC/DC, The Byrds, KISS…all missing. Still, some of the memorabilia was cool to see and I got a nice t-shirt out of it.

Que National Anthem
So there you have it. All in all it was a great trip, but I’m glad I’m back in the land of free health care, gay marriage, liberal views on marijuana, playoff beards, good beer, Tim Horton’s and any other common Canadian thing that is in a damn beer commercial.

I know, I know, this pic wasn’t taken in Canada but I don’t have any “Canadian shots” and I was looking for a reason to post a dinosaur on here.

So I’m back in Canada.  I’m not up to too much at the moment.  Once I got home we celebrated with a pizza, I alerted a couple of people to my presence and assured them I would be getting sanitized the next day (too much America on me).  Then I went to sleep and didn’t wake up until about 12.30pm the next day.  I’m still sorting myself out but I should be good for work tomorrow.  I’ve got quite a bit on my plate, including a music blog entry.

So for today I’m down for the count.  I’m just too exhausted to go in to great detail about my time in Cleveland.  I will say that I tried Big Boy and it’s what McDonald’s really should have been although their mascot, when seen in a specific type of light, looks like a really creepy rapist.  That is all for now.

I’m also going to be doing a fair amount of dieting now that I’m back.  You yanquis have damn good food but it’s really really greasy.  Anything I tried to have that sounded healthy was destroyed.  Sweet potato fries?  HA.  Deep fry them in batter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them. A salad?  Include it with a piece of meat the size of my FIST.

In all seriousness though, I now love America.  Whether it’s Obama fever or not, I have never been treated so kindly in another country than I have there.  People were saying hello as I passed them on the street, gave more than their fair share of helpfulness when asked for directions and just damn good hospitable nature (well, except for the Baptist that glared at me for being scruffy on a Sunday, but whatever)

Anyways, here’s a song that I was listening to on the ride home that I really liked.

Uneasy Rider by The Charlie Daniels Band

AND I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY OF THESE PEOPLE!  NOR have I been offered a Buzz Beer.  Does it exist?  i dunno.  I’m too tired to find out.

So I arrived in Cleveland at about 3am feeling tired, disoriented and in the mood for murder and high powered mood altering drugs.  Alas, I got neither.  One creepy sweaty man asked if I could give him a Cleveland Steamer and I had to tell himt hat I was neither from Cleveland nor rich enough to own any kind of steam powered vehicle.

Should I stop those jokes?  I’ve got like, 20 and I have to use them all up while I’m in Cleveland.

So I’m in a nice hotel but I can’t help but feel that I’m in a bizarre setting of a horror movie.  I’m in the 13th room on the 13th floor and there’s a creepy breeze going through the hall that sounds like something screaming.  The sound is so loud it penetrates to my room.  This pretty much guarantees that I’m going to be getting nightmares tonight.  Oh joy.

Oh!  I haven’t had a chance to hear the Oscar results from tonight (I didn’t even know it was on tonight!) But I DID here about Heath Ledger’s and Sean Penn’s win and I am thrilled.

More tomorrow, maybe.  As for right now, the camera is dead along with the phone camera.  I feellost without them.

And this wraps up my very first visit to the Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis.  It still has another day to go but I will be driving to Cleveland that day to go to the Rock And Roll Museum.  This was such a brilliant trip and I’m really glad I went.  That being said, I’m also glad that it’s over.  I’m not sure if I should celebrate by getting drunk or dancing naked while throwing James Burton CDs into the fire (Just kidding James dear, we all love you).  I just…wow.  What a trip.  it truly has been an unforgettable experience.

I don’t even know where to start on what an impact this trip had on me.  I’ve suddenly become more organized and prepared for things, I’ve become more of a social butterfly and I am now able to do business on demand without backing down due to shyness.  I’ve also realized that I am a much sought-after commodity particularly in convention situations which proved to be a big ego boost.  And most importatly, I’ve become so much better at getting quality shots for live performances without having shaky moments.  Since most of the people I’ve met here who offered me business mainly want their sets so they can put it up on youtube, I did my best to adapt to that knowing that the only editing I’d be doing is slight colour correction.  I’m really glad to have that skill added in.

At the time of writing this I have two hotel room concerts that I want to go to and for once I won’t be bringing a camera (well…maybe my photo camera) and going there as a civillian just enjoying the music.  I want to go to the last show by King Curly (pictured above), who have become one of my favorite bands at this conference.  I shot their gig earlier today and watching them live is just a wonderful experience.  I don’t know.  Something about the quirk, I guess.   Another concert of note was the Alana Levandoski ones.  Both the 3.00 and 9.30 show were wonderful.  I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get tired of her new song Lions And Werewolves (which I believe is going to be the name of her next album).  Not to mention we had a pretty fun time driving to Graceland and getting to know one another better, but I’ll leave that for another post.

Alright.  I’m off to listen to some more music and ask some favors.  If I don’t post anything later on it will be because the hotel in Cleveland is stupid and does not have free internet.  Or I’ve died.

Okay…Saturday night…my last night here in Memphis and supposedly the wildest night for the Folk Alliance.  I’m taking a little break from the action to get my senses back.  Physically I feel like crap.  I have a cold sore, my hair has decided that this week was the time to frizz up and look horrible and I think I might have gained 10lbs due to the wonderful but fattening food here.  When I get back home I’m going to get my fat ass on the treadmill after my 1000 hour epic nap. And then I’m getting a haircut and buying a straightener.  So in short, I’m really run down.

Anyways, music. Today the three sisters from Sweden known as Baskery rocked the day so far, getting about thirty people in their hotel suite concert and just fucking rocking out.  They’re playing again tonight at around 2am.  I’ll see if I go to that or not.  I might want to crash at around midnight since I’ll be leaving for Cleveland at the crack of 9am.  Tonight I will be filming the concerts of Alana Levandoski and the previously mentioned King Curly.  Their gigs are both on at the same time, so I’m going to have to use all the knowledge of sitcoms where the main character is on a date with two people at the same time to make this work.  I’m pretty sure I can do it.

Oh!  I went to Graceland today!  Well, kind of.  Long story on that.  But I went up with the singer/songwriter Alana Levandoski to help her out with a Volkswagon promotion she needed done.  The only three words that came to mind upon looking at the place was “tacky, tacky and tacky”.  Just…wow.  Really?  Leopard skin chairs?  Huge pink caddilacs?  Snowglobes for $10? Madness.  I didn’t get a good look at the place, but if they wanted to really market the hell out of Elvis (and I think they do) they would have a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich stand and have shady-looking guys selling mints in pill vials.  Just saying.

Anyways, I’m off.  Have to go have dinner at a place called Gus’ and then I’m back to filming.  I might just get drunk tonight.  I’m not sure though.

I’ve been sort of neglecting things right now…things have either been work or crash and I haven’t had any time to post update today.  Even now I find that I’m too bloody tired to post about anything of true worth.

I’ve been networking like a fucking ant lately and I’m happy to say that it’s paying off.  I’ve got a couple of jobs lined up tonight and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some incredibly talented musicians and the people who work with them who are some of the most brilliant minds the folk industry has to offer.  Still…I can’t help but shake the feeling that there’s a certain weirdness to this place.  There has been next to no hostility, which is a different thing for me.  I don’t think this good-natured vibe is in any way natural, but more of based around the understanding that if things get bad, they will get ugly.  Still, it would be pretty wild to see a brawl started between the old timey folk singers and the new wave hippy folk singers.  It would be a moment I’d remember if I had heard someone scream “Believe in magic, my ASS!” to a timid John Sebastian before all hell broke loose.  Ironically if such a brawl were to happen it would make for one HELL of a good folk song.

I went down to the famous Beale Street today.  Lots of kitschy stuff like Elvis license plates and rhinestone toilet seats.  But I found a funky little place where I got a hold of an R. Crumb tin poster thing (pictured right).  I’ve always loved Mr. Natural.   As I was walking, a homeless man called after me.

“What is one thing that you own, that people use more than you?”

I couldn’t think of anything.  The man had caught me so off guard that I found that most of my attentions were going towards his teeth, which looked like they hadn’t even heard of the word toothpaste.  He complimented me a couple of times, remarking on my “pretty voice” and hair.  He then asked for a dollar or he wouldn’t give me the answer.  I shrugged and gave him a bill.  he thanked me and we introduced eachother, now on a more personal level when I gave him the dollar and even more when I refused to give him another one.  It was then that he revealed to me that he already gave me the answer.  I thought hard. “My name?” I asked.  He smiled and nodded. “That’s right, Robin.  People use your name more than you ever will.  Think about that.  As I left I didn’t feel like I had been scammed.  I actually liked that I learned a new riddle.

Anyways, off I go to more parties! Zooooooom!

I tried soul food for the first time today and apparently I got the ITIS. Someone suggested I try cheese grits so I figured that once I determine what the fuck those are I might give it a shot.

This song has been stuck in my head lately. Listen. And watch.

After arriving I managed to force myself into a state of wakefulness, dressed myself up and went to see what was going on at The Marriot here in Memphis.  And what was going on was everything you have heard about in those wild tales that musicians like telling in between songs.  Jam sessions in hallways, live concerts in hotel rooms, beers being passed around and young folk musicians hitting on anything that wriggles (see the young Tom Waits look-alike in the photo to the right).  All in all, an incredible essence about the place.

It was great to see some old friends.  Creaking Tree String Quartet are keeping very busy by playing as many shows as they are capable of.  It was damn near impossible to talk to John, the leader of the group because once he finished his hotel room gig he had to pack up and leave for another one.  Graphic Designer and George Lucas lookalike Michael Wrycraft was there being as big a presence as he always is, always having a posse of about four people around him and a positive/cynical attitude that always makes him great to be around.

I didn’t check out many of the hotel room concerts but the one that really got my attention was King Curly, a bizarre band from Australia that plays wonderful songs with a very wide range of inspirations (Tiny Tim, 1930s bluegrass, jug bands) and seeing them in a crappy little hotel room with a banner put together with pencil crayons made the experience watching them unforgettable.

Here’s the bio of King Curly snagged from their web site:

“King Curly” was born of the desire to right wrongs and to punish evil. In that respect, his spiritual forefathers are Robin Hood, Batman, Moses and all of the rest of that head-kicking crew. When I first conceived the character – in the songs “King Curly” and “Curly and Sue” – Evil was enjoying a stronger-than-usual stranglehold on the world and I was working in the public service. King Curly was a drab little man in a drab little job – circumstances curiously similar to my own. But unlike me, King Curly had a dangerous and wonderful secret: on his R.D.O’s he was raising an army of outsiders – lepers, failed artists, amputees, frustrated adult film producers and marginalised school bullies to set right the many wrongs of the world.”

They”ll be playing again later tonight and I’ll be sure to film some of it to show you all.  DEFINTITELY a band worth watching, er, listening rather.

Right.  Off to do a bit more filming and then I shall be viewing the wonders that Memphis has to offer.  I expect fat women dressed as Elvis, but I’m not sure if they’re in season right now…no matter.  For the right price I can get ANYONE to dress up as Elvis.  I have that kind of power.

After a hassle from the border patrol in Detroit and what seemed an eternity of billboards for fattening foods, I have finally arrived in Memphis for the Folk Alliance. I wish I had a better picture of my room here at the Marriott, but the batteries in my camera suddenly died and I had to use my phone.

I’ll let you guys know what I’m up to tomorrow. For now I’m just going to wander around and maybe crash in my room for a bit listening to Pandora Radio, something that I have dearly, dearly missed.

Today was a pretty busy day.  I went to go see the band Crush Luther recording their new album in the studio to film a teaser for said new album.  Luther and the guys were a bunch of sweeties and were more than willing to help me get the shots I needed to edit this thing.  I should have a finished video in a couple of weeks that you’ll all be able to see.  In the meantime they have a twitter set up that’s following their studio hijinks and posting some pictures to boot.  Check ‘em out!

Currently Reading: I feel bad for admitting this, but up until last week I had never read Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim.  The screaming from my friends finally caused me to cave and I picked up the first one.  I consumed it in one sitting and, like I was warned, I got hooked.  Today I dipped in to some money I shouldn’t even be spending so I could get my mitts on the second book.  One of the many fun things about the series is that it’s set in Toronto and it’s great to see all the places that I know and love in it.

Not to mention the interactivity of the books are great.  O’Malley includes such awesome things as a recipe for vegan sheppard’s pie and the notes to the songs found in the book.  One such song here (titled: Untitled Composition by Scott Pilgrim)

Currently Listening: Tyson and I have really been getting in to Bloody Sunrise written by Neil Gaiman and sung by Claudia Gonson.  It just sends us to wonderful places.

Right.  Now for a herbal bath.  or something.  Bah.