• And now: language geeking with De Temps Antan lyrics!

    And now: language geeking with De Temps Antan lyrics!

    So, De Temps Antan, right? One of the cluster of fine Quebecois bands I’ve been a-swoon over this entire year, in no small part due to the excellent vocals and bouzouki of M. Éric Beaudry. These boys have a very handy PDF of lyrics posted on their site for their first album. There is not,…

  • Alan Doyle! May 22nd! The Tractor Tavern in Seattle! BE THERE!

    Alan Doyle! May 22nd! The Tractor Tavern in Seattle! BE THERE!

    And speaking of things that will involve so much awesome they will violate all laws of space and time, the most belovedest of my beloved B’ys, The Doyle Himself, is about to launch his solo tour for his forthcoming album. First stop? RIGHT HERE IN SEATTLE, BABY! At the Tractor Tavern! 😀 Be advised that…

  • Great Atlantic Canadian Adventure is GO!

    Great Atlantic Canadian Adventure is GO!

    Dara and I started serious work on booking this last night, and discovered to our chagrin that the fares for cross-country Canada trains are prohibitively expensive! So our Trainventure is going to have significantly fewer trains than expected. But that’s OKAY. Because this entire trip is going to brimming over with so much awesome that…

  • Session and general music geekery!

    Session and general music geekery!

    I have made some happy discoveries, and the first of them is this: I am not entirely hopeless learning things by ear. I kinda knew this already–I do, after all, I have a history of playing along with Great Big Sea, or Elvis, or now also Le Vent, and just picking out melody lines on…

  • Tri-lingual Hobbit re-read: Chapter 4 (post 2 of 2)

    Tri-lingual Hobbit re-read: Chapter 4 (post 2 of 2)

    And here is the rest of Chapter 4 of my Tri-lingual Hobbit Re-read! And ooh, now that I’m done with Chapter 4, Chapter 5 will bring Gollum! FUN!

  • 2012 Book Log #10: Hellbent, by Cherie Priest

    2012 Book Log #10: Hellbent, by Cherie Priest

    My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Cozily domestic” is not usually a phrase I would think to associate with the living situation of a vampire. It is a measure of Cherie Priest’s ability as an author to engage me so strongly that I not only was intrigued by her take on a vampire heroine, but…

  • 2011 Book Log #47: Deadline, by Mira Grant

    2011 Book Log #47: Deadline, by Mira Grant

    My rating: 5 of 5 stars Oh man, Deadline. This was hands down one of the best books I read in 2011, and I was beyond delighted to see that it was every bit as gripping as book 1 of the Newsflesh Trilogy, Feed. What can I say about this book that doesn’t involve massive,…

  • Great Atlantic Canadian Trainventure!

    Great Atlantic Canadian Trainventure!

    As I posted on the social networks earlier tonight, Dara and I will very soon be commencing the formal planning of the Great Atlantic Canadian Trainventure! We are looking at a rough range of dates from July 21st through August 7th, as that’s about as much time off as I can spare and still account…

  • Festival du Bois in Maillardville, BC, 3/3/2012

    Festival du Bois in Maillardville, BC, 3/3/2012

    Day 3 of my and Dara’s Grand Four-Day Weekend of Marriage and Music was Festival du Bois! I wanted to go to this pretty much as soon as I found out that there was an entire festival of French Canadian and Acadian music going on the very same weekend we were coming up for Le…

  • Anna and Dara get Canada-married, 3/2/2012

    Anna and Dara get Canada-married, 3/2/2012

    This being Part 2, and the biggest part by far, of my and ‘s Grand Four Day Weekend of Marriage and Music! Though that said, it was also actually one of the simplest days of the entire weekend. Here’s the thing, O Internets: if you’ve read Elfquest, you’ll know what I mean when I say…