“Novelty music for the humiliated… laughing gas for music geeks.” — The Nerve

2009-02: Planks catchup

Posted: February 13th, 2009 | Author: Blackbox Squeezebeard | Filed under: Audio, Show announcements and recaps, Video | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

On Friday February 6th, Free Geek Vancouver (one of our now three “house band” arrangements, though admittedly they don’t have incredibly frequent occasions on which to call on us) invited us to do a brief set opening for a speech on copyright and freedom by renowned hacker Richard Stallman at the Maritime Labour Centre.  We rolled out a couple of technological standards (Korobeiniki aka “the Tetris song”, Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love”) as well as a new piece for the occasion (Flanders and Swann’s “the GNU song” — enjoy this rendition by the Muppets!)  Most harrowingly, however, the organizers hoped for us to join the evening’s main speaker for a stirring rendition of his Free Software Song, in the unorthodox time signature of 7/4.  Due to complications, we were unable to secure either a sound check or a moment’s rehearsal with the main attraction, so what follows is a raw document (c/o Alan Zisman, who recorded our whole set — perhaps to be exposed here once it’s recovered) of us bucking up and boldly plunging once more unto the breach.

(The Feb 19th, 2009 episode of Each For All at Co-op Radio used a recording of our Korobeinki rendition to open the episode before discussing Free Software and rebroadcasting Stallman’s lecture.)

Also, cheers to Julie Peters who threw our new, “kid-friendly” rendition of Closer (straight from our CJSF apperance, from one campus station to the next) on the Feb 11th episode of her radio show Audio Text (on CiTR, 101.9 fm) alongside passionate appearances from RC Weslowski, Magpie Ulysses, and Duncan Shields.  If you like, you can download a podcast recording of the episode here — though we only turn up with the one song.  The rest of the crew do their bit to make it a charged, erotic recording that meets its holiday occasion head-on.

Unrelatedly, If anyone out there (I’m looking at you, Portland) has ended up with any early Creaking Planks demo material, would it be possible for you to send us a digital photo of the design and packaging (such as it is)?  We’re perversely interested in putting up a gallery here of merchandise that is essentially unobtainable.  See what you missed?

2008-05-30: Velofusion party at the ANZA Club!

Posted: May 22nd, 2008 | Author: Blackbox Squeezebeard | Filed under: Show announcements and recaps | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

In the run-up to Bike Month, aka “June” to the uninitiated, the month of May in these parts always features a pirate-themed Critical Mass (”Critical Mast”) group bicycle ride (– they’re not blocking traffic, they ARRRR traffic!) … And who better to play its monthly “Velofusion” afterparty than Vancouver’s pre-eminent pirate band?

Further contributing to our “good fit” for this long-considered show, proceeds raised through tonight’s celebrations will go to benefit Free Geek Vancouver, the Portland-emmigrated free software e-waste solution who we’re considered the “house band” of (experts, after all, in the field of salvaging further use from old trash.) Though the particulars are still technically up in the air, if this month’s installment is anything like its predecessors, there is likely a $10 admission ($5 for Critical Mass participants) and the bill is very likely to contain some DJ-fueled dancing madness (oho, Timothy Wisdom!) spilling out on to the ANZA Club floor… so get ready to strap on your pegs and patches and prepare to shiver timbers and discover booty as we make you walk the Plank!

Planks at Velofusion poster mark 1

(As a special bonus, click on the thumbnail for the general Critical Mass poster. It’s really quite charmingly whimsical!  Also on tap now: FreeGeek’s own poster for the event!  A bit more explicit and inclusive than ours — but they knew more than we did 8)

Critical Mass poster FreeGeek Velofusion poster

Also a special greeting and thanks to our friends in Portland for a thrilling moustache party weekend! Cheers also to the folks at Bex’s crashed BBQ — two kegs of homebrew and a Balkan band make up for any license taken with the +1s.