Videotape (Toronto/Ottawa) w/ Sick Friend (Montreal) & Efan

Videotape is a band that has a bizarre place in my brain.

Listening to CBC Radio 3, I kept hearing an AMAZING track, day after day, week after week. Every time I heard it, I thought, "Who in the hell is this!?"And each time I would see this band name in the playlist, "VIDEOTAPE". The song was "Night Lights". The opening starts slow, building, adding guitar, kick drum, and then, "It's ok, it's ok, it's ok, it's ok, it's ok......" and then we're full on. It's one of those songs I can listen to at max volume. The voice comes through clear as a bell.

"It's ok, it's ok, it's ok, it's ok, it's ok......"

I was wondering why no one was talking about this band, at least not on/in the channels I was consuming.
This band is one of those sets of musicians that I'm never really convinced that we'll get into Phog. It's just one of those feelings, "This band smokes...I bet they cost a fortune."

And then, in my Phog Phest planning stupor, I get this e-mail out of nowhere asking for a Wednesday night before the July 11th madness.

I jumped at it. I could not believe our luck.
This band is coming Wednesday night, and they are going to be AMAZING.
I just wish there was room on the Phog Phest bill (and time in their schedule) to add them to it.
They have one of the more appealing sounds I've heard. It will be loud, it will be fast, and it will smoke.
And they're bringing Sick Friend from Montreal to join the parade. I hope you click their link too, to see what they have in store to make this night a stunner before the HUGE night on Saturday.
And Efan (Stefan C.) is opening for them...solo...which is always one of my favourite local things to hear, especially since he was gone recording FOREVER this Spring.

With this magnanamous event approaching fast, the nerves are alive, and this night will be sure to bring me back to earth...to ground me in what is done best in our little building. Big sounds, big bands, in a little building, for a little crowd, the way this music is most feverishly applauded.

I need this show before Phog Phest. To remind me of what we do well.
To remind me of why we do this.

"It's ok, it's ok, it's ok, it's ok, it's ok......"

THE SCHEDULE - WITH NEW CHANGES!!!

ADJUSTMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE!!

Ron Leary & Kelly Hoppe | 1:00pm - main stage
Square Root of Margret | 1:30pm - main stage
(WH)Y.M.E.(??) | 2:00pm - phog stage
Eric Welton Band | 2:30pm - phog stage
Tara Watts Band | 3:00pm - phog stage
ASK | 3:30pm - phog stage
James O-L & the Villains | 4:00pm - phog stage
The Locusts Have No King | 4:30pm - phog stage
Yellow Wood | 5:00pm - main stage
Green Go | 5:40 - main stage
Arkells | 6:30pm - main stage
Holy Fuck | 7:30pm - main stage
Michou | 8:30pm - phog stage
Pat Robitaille | 9:00pm - main stage
Megan Hamilton and The Volunteer Canola | 9:30pm - phog stage
Field Assembly | 10:00pm - main stage
Peace Leeches | 10:30 - phog stage
The Kramdens | 11:00pm - main stage
Orphan Choir | 11:30pm - phog stage
Fjord Rowboat | 12:00am - main stage
The Pack AD | 12:30am - main stage
Citywide Vacuum | 1:00am - phog stage
What Seas, What Shores | 1:30am - phog stage
END 2:00am

Canada Day - Said The Whale - and Phog!

I don't even know how to express this event that occurred today.

I woke at 1:10pm.
I stumbled into the living room where my wife was watching something I was not in the mood to watch. You see, I don't watch TV during the week. I click on the radio, drink tea, and answer e-mail.

As I changed the channel, I saw a brief image of a large-scale crowd, and quickly realized it was Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa.
There was music playing.

I said out loud, "I know this band, who is this?"
Two seconds later, I was looking at this -


Yeah, it's Ben from Said The Whale! The Vancouver band that stole our hearts SEVERAL shows ago when they mesmerised everyone in the bar. They've continued to over-achieve on tour, making their stops at Phog my favourite nights of the year.

And now this!

Not only is it amazing that Said The Whale was playing for the Prime Minister, and Governor General, but for thousands of people on Canada day and on NATIONAL TELEVISION!

And for those of you with eyes, you will have already noticed that Ben is wearing The new "Best Live Music Venue in Canada - Phog Lounge" t-shirt!!
My eyes almost bugged out of my head.
I was still 75% asleep when this happened, and I was fully awake and frantically trying to figure out who to call when I saw this.

My wife said, "That's my design on TV!"
I just high-fived her and laughed with glee, at the happiness from seeing our friends on such a huge, prominent stage, and to see Phog being represented by one of the best bands in Canada.
When I hopped onto Twitter to let everyone know what I was seeing, I saw this on the top of my messages, from Said The Whale, "@phogtom ben will be rockin a Phog Lounge tshirt on stage for the parliament hill Canada day noon show!"

I simply forwarded this message to everyone as fast as I could, in the hopes that someone would see this.
And of course, people responded by saying that they saw it and were blown away!
These images, in fact, were shot by John Doherty, and posted to Facebook, because he was watching when he saw the t-shirt blaring off of the screen into his living room.

Thanks John for the shots, and thanks Jhoan for waking me to see this, and especially thanks to Said The Whale, and Ben, for showing such support for us on that massive spectacle-broadcast.

July Listings for Phog

July
2 - Magnolius (Toronto) w/ Leo37 (Toronto) & Sunclef (Toronto)
3 - The Speaking Tongues (Toronto) w/ Catl (Toronto)
4 - Jay Clark and The Jones (Toronto) w/ The Daniel Sky Band, & Lee Gaul (Toronto/Windsor)
5 - Patrick Ballantyne (Toronto) w/ Aaron Garner (Toronto)
8 - Videotape (Toronto/Ottawa) w/ Sick Friend (Montreal), & Efan
9 - Travis Reitsma w/ Eric Welton
11 -Phog Phest
Plans are to begin by 1pm and run through the evening until 1am. The CBC Radio 3 broadcast will air online and on Sirius Satellite Radio from 5pm until 8pm. This leaves us with five hours to listen to touring and local bands, including:
Holy Fuck (Toronto)
Arkells (Hamilton)
Green Go (Guelph)
The Pack A.D. (Vancouver)
The Kramdens (Guelph) - Note:
This is CBC Radio 3 host Craig Norris' band!!
The Locusts Have No King (Windsor)
Yellow Wood (Windsor)
Michou (Windsor)
Orphan Choir (Windsor)
Field Assembly (Windsor)
Ron Leary & Kelly Hoppe (Windsor)
The Eric Welton Band (Windsor)
Peace Leeches (Chatham)
Pat Robitaille (Windsor)
What Seas, What Shores (Windsor)
(WH)Y.M.E.(??) (Windsor)
Fjord Rowboat (Toronto/Windsor)
Citywide Vacuum (Windsor)
James O-L and The Villains (Windsor)
Square Root of Margaret (Chatham)
Tara Watts (full band) (Windsor)
Another Saturday Knight (Windsor)
Megan Hamilton and The Volunteer Canola (Toronto)
15 - Ian Foster (St. John's, NFLD)
17 - Two For The Cascade CD Release Party
18 - Jon Travis (Toronto) w/ Noah Zacharin (Toronto)
21 - What Seas, What Shores w/ TBA
22 - Julie Doiron (Sackville, NB) w/ The Baird Brothers
23 - John Charles Benn CD Release
24 - Derek Boyle - Blues Band
25 - Lonesome Lefty & The Cryin' Shames
26 - The Wooden Sky - TWO SHOWS - 5pm (ALL AGES) and 9:30pm (19+)
29 - Screening of the movie DIG
31 - Black Diamond Bay (Montreal)

Black Kettle Bistro and more about Phog Phest...

For those of you who don't know some of the particulars of this show, here are some fun details.

You need to know about Black Kettle Bistro. Why? Because you can buy tickets there! DURING THE DAY. Also, tickets can be bought at Dr. Disc, and Riverside Music. And of course, Phog. Back to BKB.

Black Kettle Bistro will be cooking and selling a variety of food, including desserts, INSIDE the licensed area of Phog Phest.

From speaking with Rino Bortolin, co-owner, he insists that he will have people walking around both the licensed and unlicensed areas selling some of the AMAZING food from Black Kettle Bistro.

Some might be wondering why the Black Kettle Bistro (BKB) logo is on the posters...well...Rino is providing a wrap for each volunteer, and each band member playing the event! This guy has been beyond helpful and eager to celebrate the CBC Radio 3 Searchlight Contest win, that his excitement has been making me even more intense about this amazing opportunity.

If you haven't eaten there, BKB is located at 357 Ouellette Avenue, next to The Treehouse, and even has it's own blog!
For a WindsorEats.com write up...click here.

Now onto some more details about the show that people have been asking about...

Yes, there will be two stages. One outside, located on the Victoria Avenue end of University Avenue (west end). It wil be facing east, where the bands will be playing their music down the road, with Phog and The Capitol Theatre on the right hand side.
The second stage will be within Phog, where the usual stage is located.

The schedule (released shortly) will start with bands outside on the main stage, until 2pm. Bands will then play indoors while CBC Radio 3 sound-checks the four bands playing during the broadcast (Yellow Wood, Green Go, Arkells, and Holy F#@k). The live Sirius Satellite Radio and CBC Radio 3 broadcast will begin at 5pm and run until 8pm. After 8pm, bands will be playing 30-minute sets, back and forth, from the inside stage to the outside stage.

Yes, when bands play inside, the crowd outside will hear them playing outside, as if they were on the outdoor stage. And vice versa.

This way, the music never stops...until 1am, when the live music moves inside until the end of the night.

The Phog Phest Poster

Awesome.

Tickets...SELLING!

The development of a ticket.

The image you see is ALMOST what we ended up printing as a ticket to the July 11th event...since named Phog Phest.

We put the word out that tickets were on sale at Phog, and they WENT.
A quick description of what's going on that day.

There is a licensed area for less than 600 people.
For regulars of Phog, you may think this sounds big.
It isn't.
The show begins at 1pm, with two sets outdoors...then CBC Radio 3 sound checks for the 4 bands on the broadcast (being held from 5pm - 8pm), during which bands will play inside of Phog. At 5pm, the broadcast begins outside, for three hours, which will be followed by sets switching from indoors to outdoors from 8pm until 1am.

With over 20 bands scheduled...there are NOT A LOT OF TICKETS TO GO AROUND for such an epic event.
SO please, if you are a regular, and you want to be in the licensed area...come and get these tickets before they're gone. The advertising and promotion begins full force next week...and the tickets will be gone before you know it.

Come to Phog, ask for Phog Phest tickets...pass over $15 per ticket, and prepare for an incredible time!

Again, if you want to come for free, in the UN-licensed area...there will be room for you too.
See you there!

A detailed listing of bands and schedules will be released within the week...

Rah Rah (Saskatoon) w/ Sleepless Nights (Halifax & Pat LePoidevin (Sackville, NB) at 9pm TUESDAY!!

www.myspace.com/rahrahband
www.myspace.com/thesleeplessnights
www.myspace.com/patlepoidevin

Okay...
Rah Rah jumped out of nowhere and started getting buzz in the indie music sector...and out of the blue, I get a request for a show.

I jumped at it!

Rah Rah, from Saskatoon, has a band member we haven't seen since the early days of Phog when a band called Despistado came here. Joel Passmore is now booked to be back with his pop/rock outfit, and we couldn't be more excited.
With him comes Sleepless Nights, veterans performers at Phog, and Pat LePoidevin from Sackville, New Brunswick.

Pat was booked by the fine folks at George's Fabulous Roadhouse...which was ALSO nominated in the Top 10 for CBC Radio 3's Best Live Music Venue.
If you know what's good for you, you'll make time for this show, which will begin by 9pm.