We had a lot of fun over the last two weekends. It is very rare we can get that much cottage time all at once. Obviously, it had to be captured on video!
In this video you will see:
Hope you enjoy! All set to the music of Blotto.
RECORD STORE TALES #1069: A Tale of Three Seizures
It happens every few months. Clusters of seizures, wreaking havoc on our mental health and chaos in the house.
We had a great weekend, but a weekend without seizures of some kind is very rare for us. We made it all the way to Sunday morning without an event. Although I didn’t witness them all, I counted three seizures on Sunday morning.
I figure there was one before 2:00 AM. I woke up around then, and I found my Lego trumpet player smashed. Jen had no memory of doing it, but she did manage to pick up most of the pieces and put them all aside somehow. The final missing piece was found in the morning. They only way we know a seizure happened was because the Lego was smashed, returned, and she had no memory of it. It’s a bit like piecing a mystery together from the evidence left behind.
The second seizure happened before 5:00 AM. I am certain that Jen could not get into the bed, because I was sprawled over the whole mattress. I went looking for Jen. Not on the couch. Not on the spare bed. Not on the parents’ bed. I lit up all the lights in the house and called for her. Not in the bathroom. That’s all the rooms. I went back into the spare room and she was on the floor. I assumed she went to bed in the spare room due to lack of options, had a seizure and fell off the bed. It was very difficult to wake her up and get her into a proper bed. She was uninjured.
Third seizure was the one I witnessed. I was outside working on the porch. In between songs, I heard unpleasant noises coming from the bedroom window. I looked in and Jen was convulsing. It took her approximately three hours to come back to reality after that seizure. And a lot of cleanup that I won’t get into. Suffice to say it was a tiring and difficult morning for me.
For Jen it was a day of sleeping. She spent most of it in bed. I spent the morning watching two of the greatest sequels (with two of the greatest sequel soundtracks) of all time: The Empire Strikes Back, and The Wrath of Khan. I wasn’t in the mood to be outdoors. I wanted to be in where I could better monitor Jen’s recovery.
Incidentally, we have a pretty good idea of what caused the seizures this time. She missed her meds the previous day. That’ll do it.
We try not to let these things ruin our weekends. We had a great five days at the lake, regardless of Sunday being a writeoff for Jen. We made the best of it. We had a tomahawk steak for dinner, but I was just wiped out afterwards and called it an early night.
Nobody said it was easy. But we don’t quit either. We don’t give up on each other. We’ve been through enough this year already. This wasn’t even a roadblock or an obstacle in our lives. Once it’s over and done with, all that’s left is to write the Record Store Tale.
Happy fourth of July to my American friends and acquaintances! While your party is beginning, we are recovering from ours!
Jen and I have returned from an amazing five day weekend at the lake. It’s amazing how I can “rest” for five days and come home completely exhausted! I’m not getting any younger. My right arm and hand are in bad shape with arthritis and even though I slept 12 hours, I could use 12 more.
Summer’s officially here. Lots of projects on the go! Grab A Stack of Rock will be back later, as I work on these projects:
And that’s not including the projects I am cooking up with Harrison and Jex!
Although it might be hard, I need to take this July slow and steady.
Happy summer and happy Fourth of July,
Mike
LEGO Ideas Jazz Quartet 21334 Toy Building Kit (2022)
$130 Canadian (18+)
It took me two leisurely days to assemble this kit. I must be getting better at this, or this kit isn’t as hard as some of the Speed Champions car kits (9+). It consists of four classic era jazz musicians, assembled in four stages from smallest to largest.
Each musician is built in conjunction with his or her base. The bases were fun in their own right, recalling classic childhood Lego building experiences of the 70’s. The trumpet player was first, a splindly and fragile figure that you’ll want to pose correctly and leave alone. His red tie, slightly askew between his suspenders, is really cool. Each of the three male musicians has a unique tie.
The upright bassist is second. His deep brown instrument has a real Lego string piece for added effect. The bass itself looks really cool, while the player is skinny and delicate. His bowtie is made from a Lego video game controller.
The drum kit was one of the most fun steps. The bass drum building technique features studs on five sides. There are no stickers, only printed graphics on the sides. The snare drum, two toms, and floor tom are all slightly unique from each other. Likewise the crash, hi-hat and ride cymbals. They come in a shimmery golden colour, but if you like gold, you’ll love the pianist! Meanwhile, the drummer has a beard and hat, and an undone bowtie. His stool is actually built upside down. Very cool design.
Check out the drum kit below, as it is assembled.
The piano player has a lovely orange dress that was fun to build. Her gold earrings are old-fashioned chromed design, the same as the One Ring from the recent Rivendell set. Her piano was one of the most complex sections. It is very curvy, with shapes that would have been impossible without these newer rounded Lego plates. For authenticity, inside there are 31 little pieces assembled in a row that resemble that piano’s hammers. The keys themselves are very nice prints. There are pedals, and the top can be opened up for you to admire the details inside.
The full stage (including stylin’ looking front steps) measure almost three feet in width. It’s huge, but fits exactly the space of our old VCR in the entertainment stand. Fear not though — each musician’s stand / stage section is removable, and you can display them any way you like, even on separate shelves. They certainly look best all together in the order designed. My bassist’s head is slightly tilted towards the drums so he can hear them clearly. The pianist is gesturing to her band, conducting their jam session. The little posability you get is often limited to shoulders and elbows when you get any at all. All four musicians have ball-jointed necks.
This is a fragile set and not for play. Be careful dusting! But have fun building.
4.5/5 stars
Four guys, and one troll. Enjoy this episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions as I did.
Thanks Jex Rambo Russell for a terrific Canada Day celebration. Yes we celebrated early, but now you can watch what we did!
We wanted to list 11 Canadian bands that we thought you should know. I think we did a sweet job of it, with plenty of really cool “Show & Tell” on vinyl, cassette and CD. Loads of rarities and obscurities here to check out. We also played some video clips when we could to give you a taste of the music!
Below you’ll also see my photos of the lists, and a graph of the cities from which the bands originated. Hamilton won handily!
Thanks for watching! No show next week as I’m doing a super secret taping with Tim’s Vinyl Confessions!
HAPPY CANADA DAY!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and Professor Jexcalibur
Episode 27: Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Canadian Bands (Unknown Outside Canada)
It’s Canada Day Weekend, and let’s celebrate at a special time! The 3:00 timeslot has been a tremendous success for us here at Grab A Stack of Rock. Top Canadian Bands unknown outside Canada? A full Nigel Tufnel Top Ten? Don’t mind if we do!
This topic comes courtesy of the Jexciter. Back in the LeBrain Train days, we covered Canadian bands, but that was a long time ago and a fresh perspective is due. Expect the usual trademark “Grab A Stack Show & Tell” and lots of shenanigans. And remember: Even though it’s Friday at 3:00 PM, shirts are compulsory!
Friday June 30 at 3:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 4:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!
The show intro just got a refresh. Let me know what you think. This will air on tomorrow’s show.
GHOST – Phantomime (2023 Loma Vista)
As they often do, Ghost have followed last year’s excellent Impera album with an underwhelming covers EP. Fear not, there’s a deluxe version of Impera coming for those who needed more, but in the meantime, the five song EP Phantomime had better tide us over.
Ghost have diverse taste in covers, as past EPs have demonstrated. This time, they’re taking on 80’s New Wave, 80’s Metal, 70’s Rock, and 90’s Prog. Let’s see how it shapes up. The band are still sounding very much like an 80’s hard rock band on this EP, much as they did on Impera.
Television’s “See No Evil” strikes as an appropriate title to cover. Ghost do a fine job of it, turning it into a Ghost-like hard rock anthem. The opening bassline really jumps out, and strikes as something Duff McKagan may have been inspired by early in his career. Smokin’ guitar solo here. It’ll sound great blasting from the car this summer. But something about Ghost doing covers…why are they never as great as their originals? Papa Emeritus just sounds better singing about Satan, perhaps?
A sped-up “Jesus He Knows Me” is another great title to see on a Ghost record. There’s nothing of Genesis here, really! If you played this for anyone who didn’t know the original song, you’d assume it was a metal original. Lyrically perfect for Ghost, though!
The Strangler’s “Hanging Around” is centred on a big fat organ part that sounds great and beefy on this CD. Very different from the original, but like the previous songs, it’s Ghost-ified by Papa and the Nameless Ghouls. For better or for worse! It is not especially memorable as a cover.
The controversial “Phantom of the Opera” by Iron Maiden is fourth. Why controversial? Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno didn’t particular care for it. I disagree with Paul and think it’s the best thing here. If Maiden wrote the song today, with their current affectation towards keyboards, it might sound a little bit more polished like Ghost’s version. Ghost maintain the speed, the riffs, the solos, and all the essential ingredients. It’s just Maiden, but covered by Ghost, and as such it seems to work better than the other tunes.
Finally we have the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome theme song “We Don’t Need Another Hero” by the late great Tina Turner. An interesting and surprising choice even for Ghost. Jury’s still out on this one. Nerves might still be a little too raw after Tina’s unfortunate passing. The Ghost version was released just before, but now…let’s just say jury’s still out and leave it at that.
Casual fans, stick to Ghost’s original albums.
3/5 stars
An unusually playful and jovial Queensryche joke around with Dan Gallagher while waiting for chicken wings at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo! The band show a rare comradery here and are absolutely having a blast laughing it up with Dan. It’s quite refreshing. Unfortunately, the whole interview is tinted in blue, because the 90s.
Topics discussed:
mikeladano.com 