one sentence...

Delivering pizza became a life-affirming occupation the day the half-naked couple in their seventies opened the door, releasing billowing clouds of pot smoke and Jefferson Airplane into the atmosphere.

electric city...

little email blast from my man odario from grand analog...

"Friends, Lovers and Strangers

Grand Analog will release album numero dos on May 26, 2009. It's
called Metropolis Is Burning

Here is the first single "Electric City" featuring my buddy Shad. It's
a funky free download. Check it out...
http://grandanalog.bandcamp.com/track/electric-city-featuring-shad

Hit me up, let me know you're alive!!!

OneLove,
Odario

GRAND ANALOG
http://www.myspace.com/grandanalog"

enjoy the track. it's dope. looking forward to seeing them live this spring/summer...

absu...

got an email a few days ago from my cousin paul, who i haven't seen in close to 15 years:

"Hey man what's going on ? How ya been doing ?

I actually lucked out and got a part in a pretty well established metal band called Absu as the new singer/bassist. Well I do most of the vocals the drummer does some. Anyways I feel pretty lucky and humbled.

But to get to the point were going to be up in Canada this summer and I would be totally stoked beyond belief if any of you and your friends want to pop in to the gigs. I can put as many people on the guest list as you want and I know their will be tons of free booze. Maybe you can tell your brothers to if they are around ? I understand if you guy's can't make it it's a long way off and I know how life is but just thought I would shoot the invite because it would be pretty cool . Bring the ear plugs !

Here's the dates and venues ...

Jun 12 2009 8:00P
The Underground Calgary, Alberta

Jun 13 2009 8:00P
The Exchange Regina, Saskatchewan

Jun 14 2009 8:00P
Royal Albert Arms Winnipeg, Manitoba

Jun 15 2009 8:00P
Wreck Room Toronto, Ontario

Jun 19 2009 8:00P
Petit Campus Montreal, Quebec

And I think the silver paint thing is hilarious. The drummer has been doing it for a while now and I had to do it up for the promo shots. I told him about how the only other time I have seen it done was my cousin hahah. Funny cooincidences.

Later man hope you have a good birthday, a kick ass year, and that shit is going well !

-Paul"

i'm going to go to the gig, despite my fears, it'll be good to see the cuz doing his thing. check the vid:

the numb3rs...

you ever see that show numb3rs? i've caught the odd episode. judd hirsch plays the father of two boys who - if i remember correctly - are investigators for some government agency (fbi or cia or something). and one of them happens to be a math genius. there's a quote from one of the shows, where the math guy is trying to explain something to everyone else, and is having a difficult time finding the words, and says something to the effect of "it's almost impossible to explain, because, in my head, it just is what it is, you know?"

well, sometimes i feel like that. i'm sure we all do.

anyway, lately i've been thinking about some numbers...

33: years old last week. (as my buddy paul says: "l'age du christ.")
21: days in a row of hot yoga.
8: pounds lost so far.
5: days without smoking (thank you allen carr).

i can't remember exactly, but if i had to pick an age, i'd say i started really smoking around 16 years old. sure, i'd had a few puffs here and there before that, experimenting with my friends in the playground with a found pack of cigarettes, but at 16, well, that's probably when i started buying them and smoking regularly. i moved out of the family home when i was 16, stayed at a friend's place for a while, and shortly after my 17th birthday, i moved into my first apartment.

what scared me, last year, when i turned 32, was thinking that, well, if i started smoking at 16, and was now 32, well, i'd been smoking exactly half my life.

freaked me right out.

nobody ever starts smoking and thinks they're going to be a lifelong smoker.

when you're a kid, it's a social thing, something you do with your friends on weekends, when you're sneaking beers out of your dad's fridge in the garage and hanging out at the firepit down by the river or at the house of whoever's parents are away that weekend. it makes you feel rebellious, or grown up, or like a character in a movie. it's a prop. part of the role. "hey, i'm a teenager..."

and then, shit, you're hooked.

and then, even bigger shit, you wake up one day and it's your 32nd birthday and you've been smoking half your life and your promise yourself you will quit for good this year, because, god forbid you turn 33 and you're still smoking, because at that point it will be for MORE THAN HALF OF YOUR LIFE and then your goose is really cooked. it's like you've given up. and you're a slave.

so here i was, at the start of 2009, smoking, drinking regularly, eating shit food, 20 pounds heavier than i should be, and deciding it was TIME.

so, i joined a yoga studio. signed up for a 30-day challenge right off the bat. didn't think i'd have a snowball's chance in hell of actually completing the thing.

but here i am, 21 days in, and i KNOW i'm going to finish it. planning everything else in my life around it. matter of fact, everything else has pretty much disappeared in the last 20 days.

i also told myself that at some point during the 30-day challenge i would have to quit smoking. for real this time. i had gotten myself down to 3-4 sticks a day, but i needed to make that final leap of faith across the chasm of withdrawal. so i started reading allen carr (again). brilliant man. i think i actually GET IT this time. (lord, i hope so!)

and then, last wednesday, it was my birthday. 33. ("l'age du christ.") i woke up, and it was TIME. "i don't smoke anymore," i said to myself, and i haven't since.

something about it, this time, at this age, i just feel like it's the biggest battle of my life, and that i've crossed a certain line that, i just CAN'T do it anymore. it feels bigger than me.

anyway, that's my story, for now.

i remember when i quit two years ago (why oh why did i ever start again!), and somebody asked me how difficult it was and i said: "it was the hardest thing i've ever done in my life, but it wasn't nearly as hard as i thought it was going to be."

so now, back to some numbers...

33: you know, i feel pretty good at 33, at this point, i'm just happy to be here.
21: days in, and i am FEELING the benefits. i can feel/see a different in my body, and my mind is calmer, and, well, i am just more aware of my body and breath. i'm taller too. no joke. about a half inch. yoga really stretches out your spine.
8: this is the start. my goal was to get down at least 20. maybe 25. or even 30. basically, start with 20, and see how i feel from there. i'm stoked about this.
5: shit, that was yesterday, i'm on day 6 now. almost a week. and i feel GREAT. seriously, i recommend reading the easy way if you want to quit. instead of "oh god how will i survive without smoking?" this dude changes your mindspace into "oh god i feel FREE, how the fuck did i ever smoke?" and it's almost instant, the change. he just gets inside your head and moves everything around until you see it for what it really is. wish me luck, and i'll do the same for you...

just say nope...

the nope. i first met psy and moka (dave and dan, respectively) somewhere around the same time. oh, ten years or so ago. (has it really been that long?) living in toronto, writing the rap column for vice magazine, my path crossed with both of theirs, back in the day when dudes were hustling tapes. i love tapes. ape nuts. awkward why. durable mammals, both of these cats. good guys too.

a decade later, we've all gone on to experience our share of the rap life's ups and downs. from selling cassettes out of the backpack, to sipping champagne in the vip section, to pushing mp3's on myspace, and taking it back to the people at the underground clubs. the rap game done changed, but the strong remained the same. stayed gold. or got gold again. and that's when it starts to get gooder.

from his early days riding trains up and down the west coast, to winning juno awards with swollen members, to making the best beats of his career, moka only is a canadian legend. he was already a legend in his own mind before the rest of us caught on. this is a good thing. psy, for his part, has been putting it down forever as part of the oddities crew, tightening his flow with multiple releases, writing the kind of lyrics that make rappers wanna hate on him. don't hate. coagulate.

the nope. well, the nope, i guess it's like the opposite of the yup. or the yep. yes. that's exactly what it is. what it isn't. and it isn't what you might think it's gonna be. it's not what you see on tv. it's not trying to be something it isn't, which is exactly what it shouldn't be, which it isn't, which is, again, a good thing.

good things happen to people who are good. good people, good at what they do, being good. more than the sum of it's parts, this is what makes it great. and greatness, well, greatness is what happens to goodness when it ages. ripens. matures. loses itself to find itself again and realizes that it already was what it always wanted to be.

psy and moke.

just say nope.

-fritz tha cat, aug. 2007

dollars to donuts...

read it here.

1 on one...

just ran into jason ebanks last night. he told me to check out the new shawn hewitt video they made. so i did. fire!

so much other stuff to tell you good people, but i'm going keep my cards close to my chest for the next little while. the internet has been acting funny lately.

"i gotta fall,
i gotta fail,
i gotta feel,
i can't save us all.

i won't cry foul,
i've been a fool,
i'm gonna find
myself out now."

(c) ryan somers. don't matter just don't bite it.

happy heineken...

i don't recall ever being much a new-years-resolution type of person. i maybe had the odd idea of something i wanted to do, but i doubt i ever wrote it down. for some reason, with this year closing in on its end, i've been making a little mental list for the last week or two. what do i want to achieve? who do i want to be? what have i been doing wrong? so, i decided to write it out. a few things i'd like to take care of in 2009. on my way, from misery to happiness. uh huh, uh huh...

1. become a vegetarian. maybe. not sure about this one. i'm considering it. we'll see.
2. yoga. every day. seriously. namaste.
3. write more. make more art. fuck, this is my resolution on a weekly basis. seriously ryan, pick up that fucking pen you fuck. (and act. this things scares me the most. therefore, i gotta do it.)
4. drink less. or just switch from beer to red wine. and avoid whisky. at all costs. unless it's in front of you. but seriously, can i maybe go a month and see how i feel?
5. give something to the world. volunteer. help an old lady carry her groceries. care about something more than my own little whims and yens. be like wu-tang, for the children.
6. chip away at my debt. there's an unpaid student loan out there somewhere with my name on it. ready. aim. fire. fuck.
7. learn. read books. maybe take some classes. french? archery? history? literature? just get that brain working out. magazine articles don't count.
8. quit smoking. for real this time. i cry myself to sleep at least once a week over this addiction. allen carr, if you're up there, help me out man! (third time's the charm, right?)
9. quit coffee. again. green tea, here we come! anti-oxidants! yay!
10. travel more. in the last year and a half i've gone to germany, czech republic, france, and switzerland. this year, i've got my sights set on the uk, dubai, and vietnam and cambodia.

okay, that's what i got so far. we'll see how i do. what have you got going on?

beautiful band remix...

so a while back i'm talking to tim (recordface) and i'm all wasted and saying stupid shit like "dude, i think people slept on "beautiful," it's like the forgotten song on our album and shit, we should do a remix, blah blah blah..." and then a few weeks later he sends me this. the band man!

hip-hop holiday songs...

my man dj hullewud sent me this link for a little collection of hip-hop holiday songs he threw together. throw this on after christmas dinner while you sip your bailey's by the fire. enjoy.

tracks:

Audio Two - A Christmas Rhyme
Cold Chillin' Juice Crew - Cold Chillin' Christmas
Surf M.C.'s - A Surf M.C. New Year
Derek B - Chillin' With Santa
Run-DMC - Christmas In Hollis
King Sun-D Moet - Christmas In The City
Run-DMC - Christmas Is
Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin'
Dana Dane - Dana Dane Is Coming To Town
Spyder-D - Ghetto Santa
Disco 4 - He's Santa Claus
Sweet Tee - Let The Jingle Bells Rock
Eazy-E - Merry Muthafuckin' Xmas
Run-DMC,Mase,Puff Daddy, Snoop, Salt'N Pepa, Onyx, Keith Murray - Santa Baby
Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Daz - Santa Claus Goest Straight To The Ghetto
Treacherous Three - Santa's Rap
Showboys - That's What I Want For Christmas

don't stop the movement...

song of the day, sun. dec. 7. 2008...

this is the first in what may or may not become a daily thing for me.
but, i listen to a ton of music, and i always want to share. so, a "song of the day," why not? it makes sense. anyway, here's the first one...

the roots - here i come.

my man sean from rakehellrow put me on to this song. pure energy. when we were shooting sheepsh*t, it became the theme song for the cast and crew. whenever our energy started to lag, we'd throw on this song and get right back into the vibe. it's undeniable. listen to it three times in a row and you'll know exactly what i'm mean...

the only on king...

congrats to my friends jason and paul - their restaurant, the only on king, was listed in enroute magazine's top ten new restaurants of 2008. if you haven't already, check them out. if you don't live in london, it is well worth the drive.

The Only on King
172 King St.
London, 519-936-2064
theonlyonking.ca

Considering all of the foie gras and caviar, lobster and oysters that are consumed on this trip, you may be surprised to know that the single best dish of the year may well be the simple vegetable salad at this former dairy in London, Ontario. If the kitchen can do this much with a salad, imagine what it can do with vitello tonnato (the classic Italian preparation of braised veal in a tuna sauce) or braised beef cheek (which shows up alongside fingerling potatoes and Cheshire blue cheese in its superb rendition of poutine). Chefs Paul Harding and Jason Schubert, local lads and childhood friends, source out the best products – ranging from Far Ben Farms lamb to Mario Pingue’s antipasti and Field Gate Organics ham – to bring a sophisticated sensibility to their hometown.

the fifth element...

all i want for christmas is a devin the dude skate deck. check out soundclash skateboards. they got decks from awol one, acey, ab rude, living legends, more. my man submass in paris had the 2mex one when i was just over there. dope shit...

nneka...

nneka. wow.
watch this video.
myspace. serious...

[thanks dougal for sending me the link.]

the poppy family...

"In the late summer of 1969 the Canadian record buying public chose to endorse The Poppy Family by establishing `Which Way You Goin' Billy?' as the biggest Canadian hit ever. `Billy' successfully climbed to the No.1 spot on all radio stations across Canada. Having watched The Poppy Family from Vancouver, British Columbia, evolve as a recording group has been a satisfying and rewarding experience. The constant creative growth, both musically and lyrically, within the group is evident in the album `Which way you goin' Billy?'. The versatility of the group, from Terry Jacks' meaningfull writing, to his wife Susan's beautiful and emotion packed voice allow them to explore avenues of musical expression hitherto uncharted. All the while The Poppy Family retain their own sound so unique to themselves". (Fraser Jamieson, President London Records, Canada - Nov 17th 1969).

download.

like it was 1980...

supertoke 3...

d-ray presents supertoke 3.
download.

france in my pants...

in toulouse, france, right now. off to switzerland soon. germany too. life is good...

thu. oct. 16 - paris, france @ twenty one club (w/ thesis sahib & zoen)
fri. oct. 17 - amiens, france @ ring ding (w/ thesis sahib & zoen)
sat. oct. 18 - tours, france @ donald's pub (w/ thesis sahib & zoen)
sun. oct. 19 - paris, france @ twenty one club (w/ thesis sahib, zoen, 2mex & riddlore)
wed. oct. 22 - bordeaux, france @ el inca (w/ thesis sahib, zoen & heliodrome)
fri. oct. 24 - toulouse, france @ le mediatheque (w/ thesis sahib & zoen)
thu. oct. 30 - munich, germany @ zerwirk (w/ thesis sahib & zoen)
fri. oct. 31 - bern, switzerland @ raum (w/ thesis sahib & zoen)
sat. nov. 1 - fraunfeld, switzerland @ kaff (w/ thesis sahib & zoen)
sun. nov. 2 - winterthur, switzerland @ gisi (w/ thesis sahib & zoen)

supertoke 3...

my boys are having an album release party in london on nov. 1st. peep it...