Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Readers of this blog can now post comments. We'll see how many people actually read this damn thing!

Happy New Year, everyone. 2003 was quite eventful for Hinterland. We released our first full-length CD, Under the Waterline, and we ventured outside of the Vancouver area for the first time to play a show in Victoria. I think we will see a few more firsts in 2004. Stay tuned...

Speaking of firsts, our first show of the new year will take place at the Pic on January 24. That's a Saturday night, so you have no excuse not to come, stay late, and get stinking drunk. I don't usually endorse the latter, but we have learned, to our chagrin, that bars only like to book bands with alcoholic fans. And our fans have proven to be teetotallers. My project: blue will also be on the bill. We will have CDs for sale, of course, and we're hoping to have more stickers and postcards available (at our CD-release show in November, we gave away all we had).

Saturday, December 27, 2003

Looking for a good read? Whenever I am, I just check out what Henry Raddick is reading.

Friday, December 26, 2003

Is there anything more sublime than Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black inventing rockabilly on "That's All Right"? Well, maybe "Mystery Train" is slightly more sublime, but "That's All Right" was on my stereo when I typed the previous sentence.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. Why not cruise by the Anniedale Records site and see what some illustrious indie-music scenesters (including a couple of members of Hinterland) have to say about the music that rocked their worlds in 2003?

Friday, December 19, 2003

Our song "Portrait of My Invention" will be aired on CBC Radio 3 this Saturday (early Sunday). Looks like it'll be on just before 3:00 a.m. Somebody over there seems to think that is just the right time for our stuff, seeing as how this is the third time one of our songs has been broadcast that late. Maybe someday someone will convince them to play one of our songs at a time when more than six people are still listening.

In other news, we are setting up Vancouver shows for January and February. Watch the main site for details.

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Pitchfork just posted its list of the year's 50 best singles. Some of the choices are horrid (how did that crapacious Beyonce song get in there?), but their pick for number one is pretty good.

Oh, and Rolling Stone has released its list of the 50 best albums of the year. Are these people on crack? I suspect so, but decide for yourself.

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

How come nobody else in the band ever posts anything here? Your guess is as good as mine.

Monday, December 15, 2003

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW:
Darkness Into Light by Anonymous 4 and the Chilingirian Quartet.
The repertoire is a combination of medieval chants and recent works by contemporary composer John Tavener. The recording is amazing, and the harmonies are gorgeous. Great meditative music for this season. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the sometimes-hectic nature of the holidays, put this CD on for some instant serenity. And stay away from the mall.

P.S. We didn't get played on CBC on the weekend, but our song is still featured on the site.

Friday, December 12, 2003

I just noticed that our song "Portrait of My Invention" is featured on the CBC Radio 3 site this week. Click on the downward-pointing arrows next to the word "QUADRA" for the full list of this week's songs. Does this mean that "Portrait" will be played on the radio show this Saturday? I'll let you know as soon as I find out.

The Georgia Straight has posted its critics' picks of the best albums of the year. See if you agree or not.

Review copies of Under the Waterline are slowly making their way out there. We can't keep track of everything, so if you happen to spot a review of the album anywhere, please let us know via our contact page.

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

I uploaded some additional songs to our page at New Music Canada back in November, but they still haven't shown up online. I was wondering what was up with that, so I e-mailed NMC. They said it should take 5-10 days for new tracks to show up. We're closing in on three weeks now. Sigh... I'll keep everyone updated on this situation.

Wanna see me make a fool of myself? Come and watch me play geetar with Windows '78 at the Pic in Vancouver this Thursday (December 11). I might even sing a little, although I chickened out last time. Well, my cough-ravaged throat was to blame, but I must confess to feeling a sense of great relief about that.

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

We received a nice e-mail from a fan in Japan. Here's what it said: "i feel your songs penetrate into the air."

I like that.

FIVE BEAUTIFUL SONGS:
Cocteau Twins: "Summerhead"
Holopaw: "Hoover"
The American Analog Set: "Come Home Baby Julie, Come Home"
M83: "On a White Lake, Near a Green Mountain"
My Bloody Valentine: "Don't Ask Why"

Apropos of nothing, just thought I'd share.