Sweetheart XOXOX review - the Georgia Straight

XOXOX (Independent)
Sweetheart might not be the most prolific act around—this six-track release is the first we’ve heard from the band since its debut LP came out in 2007—but its songs display an attention to detail that suggests it hasn’t spent the past four years perfecting its hair.
It’s not that Sweetheart’s compositions are particularly complex, though. Quite the opposite is true, but economy is the group’s greatest strength. Witness “London Girl”: built on a rock-solid foundation of churning power chords, the song surges forward and explodes into its chorus with a burst of melody that will resonate with anyone who ever wondered why the Killers got huge and Stellastarr didn’t.
Which is another way of saying that if you like your power pop crisply played and tightly arranged, you could do a lot worse than numbers like the punkish opener “Perfect” or the synth-buzzed closing salvo “Less Conversation”. The latter finds frontman Marty Zylstra howling emotively on the chorus without ever losing sight of the hook, which is something he seems to have dead in his sights at all times.
(Jon Lucas - Georgia Straight)

Sweetheart "XOXOX" EP Review: reposted from Beatroute (November 2011 issue)

One of Vancouver's soaring power pop bands, Sweetheart, return to the grind with their latest EP, the unsurprisingly titled, six-track, XOXOX. Fans of Sweetheart will find no unexpected surprises on this 20-minute EP, though it is by no means a disappointment. It is clear that the trio have found their pocket and are quite comfortable in it, letting their own chops shine through with little regard to the "correct" way of doing things.
     The album opens with "Perfect" before quickly moving into the hilariously titled "David Bowie is Dead?", a Britpop track that should entice disillusioned twenty-somethings across Canada.  Over a strong, driving, backbeat, frontman Marty Zylstra sings, "Your boyfriend said/That your girlfriend said/David Bowie is dead." These are not the most complicated arrangements on the planet, but such is the emotional import behind the band that the simplicity works in their favour, letting their hearts burn brightly on their sleeves.
     Album standout, "London Girl," sounds cool and sophisticated, opening with a subdued line that gradually opens up into the chorus. Sweetheart cast direct lines to their influences across the ocean in England, such that you could easily mistake them for the bands that gained popularity in the early 2000s like Franz Ferdinand, the Strokes, or even America's take on it all, The Killers.
     "Dance all day until you feel alright," screams Zylstra on "London Girl," his head thrown back for added reach.  Take their advice: you'll feel awesome.
- Sebastian Buzzalino
From Beatroute Magazine, November 2011

Less Conversation

Earlier this month Sweetheart released a new EP.

I still remember the rehearsal jam that sparked the new songs on this recording.  At that time in my life in early 2008 I was probably in the worst place I'd ever been.  I'll spare you the details but how I felt the day we first worked on the spark that was going to become our new album was deep into a pit of self loathing.  I'm not going to make any excuses for my choices or the way it panned out in those days but as we got through the song that eventually became Less Conversation, I could feel the band channelling what I was feeling.  They all had been or were going through something similar.  Things weren't great in our lives.  We still managed to laugh and to support each other.  That's what I really appreciate over the years of life in Sweetheart.  The amount of support we give each other.

These are some of my favourite lyrics I've ever written.  I can't take full credit because the other 3 guys in the band really steered the lyrics to where they finally stay.  Here's a sample:
I'm desperate/And dangerous/One last kiss/We won't forget/This love we had/Why won't you take me/For me?
We'll make less conversation/put to death our good intentions/I wrote every book you ever read/I'm violence in your head/blood eyes cannot deceive me/why can't you make this easy/this conversation keeps repeating everything you ever said you ever said you ever said you ever
You never listened to my story/a warning/you never given me the glory/a warning/me for me

go check it out for yourself here

Although those times are over and the journey has led me here down this path, this song sticks with me.  It represents a picture of the memory of where I've been.  This song is not who I am.  But it is apart of me. Maybe who I once was. 

Deep thoughts.

love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

The Aftermath

This is what people are saying about the Vancouver Riots almost a week later.  I found some of these statements by regular people very very profound:

"Let's not forget the culpability of the city govn't of Mayor Gregor Robertson in all of this.

It takes minimal common sense to recognize that putting up multiple massive tv screens at free venues, and then inviting tens of thousands of people into the downtown core, with NO ATTENDANCE RESTRICTIONS and little control, is a recipe for disaster...especially for the last game of the Stanley Cup series. In Vancouver. And given our experience in 1994.

And then Chief Constable Chu says he was "surprised" at the riots, and that they "didn't expect" it to happen. WHAT?! If that's not an admission of incompetence, I don't know what is...

And, stop with this fiction of the small group of anarchists and criminals being responsible for the riot. Does Mayor Robertson and Chief Chu really think that the thousands of rioters in Canucks jerseys were "anarchists" in disguise? Clearly, ordinary Canucks fans, mainly kids from the suburbs, were the majority of rioters" - MacStephens from CBC.ca

"Thought experiment:

If someone went to the Kotylak home to break all of the windows, trash the place, steal everything of value and torch the family car... would the good surgeon and his son accept a "public apology" and let the entire matter slide?

I suspect not." - BC2011 from CBC.ca

"I chuckle at all the hand-wringers protesting that this riot doesn't represent the "real" Vancouver. Sure it does. The riot was the symptom, not the disease.

Let's face it, everyone in town knew a riot was likely to happen, win or lose. A general attitude of permissiveness - and our Mayor's refusal to anticipate reality - allowed this to happen. And it'll happen again.

But at least we have chicken coops in our backyards, and are willing to shut down half of a busy, downtown bridge to allow a few cyclists some elbow room. Progress!

There's some good analogies in there, somewhere." - BC2011 from CBC.ca

--

After reading multiple stories on CBC.ca today, I've realized that normal hardworking Canadian folks who live in BC want justice from these riots.  We are tired of the abuse of the political system by idealists and the far left in Vancouver we are tired of the focus on the trivial in this city and we are tired of treating our city that it is somehow a utopia, "different" from all other cities in the world.  These riots proved that Vancouver is not different.  Vancouver is worse.  In Boston the riot police was prepared and game 7 wasn't even held there. 

Love,

Marty

@martyzylstra  

Ask the Hard Questions

I am a hockey fan.  I am a hardcore fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and have been almost my whole life.  During the playoffs I played devil's advocate and poked jabs at all my friends here in Vancouver who cheer for the home team.   As the playoffs wore on in Vancouver a part of me was getting caught up in the energy of the city and how great the vibe was in the city.  People seemed happy.  People seemed to be glowing with excitement. 

And then....

It's over.

But.

The face of this playoff run will not be hockey.

It will be pictures of people (not hockey fans, not canucks fans, just people) in Canucks jerseys turning over cars and breaking windows.  Rioting.

These people are not fans of the sport.  They do not play hockey for fun.  They cannot name the starting line-up of the Canucks or the Bruins.  They do not know the jersey numbers of all of their favourite players from past and present.  They cannot tell the difference between offsides and icing.  

My friends and fellow hockey lovers were not involved in this riot. 

Terrible.

Hockey is a great game and this great series will be forever marred by foolish drunkards looking for a reason to spark chaos.

I read this post from a blogger on cbc.ca and I thought I would repost it because it's exactly how I feel about Vancouverites:

The cause of this particular riot goes much deeper than the simple loss of a hockey game. As the most expensive place in North America in which to live, there is by implication, a large group of dispossessed people in Vancouver. Those who have little or nothing in a city of great wealth and prosperity are inclined for the most part, to simmer in quiet hostility. However, given the chance, these people will lash out against a society they feel has ignored and forgotten them. The gathering of many thousands of people in the downtown area gave these people the platform they needed to bring attention to their feelings of alienation and discontent. Unfortunately, some fans, in a state of anger at the Canucks loss, were drawn into the fracas and ended up acting out as badly as those who had instigated the riot.

I think the results of this latest riot will serve to eradicate any feelings of complacency our city officials may have had regarding the safety of the city. How could the Mayor and his staff, or for that matter, the police, not know that allowing thousands of people to mass together into a relatively small area of the city would be a recipe for disaster?

The vast majority of Canucks fans are law-abiding people who would never think of participating in such an abhorrent display of law-breaking. The same can be said of nearly every hard-working person in this city and for that matter, in the province of British Columbia.

Vancouver's image has been forever tarnished by a relatively small group of miscreants. It is up to the Mayor and his council to ensure that this type of situation will never happen again.
--
Thanks for reading!
love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Growing Old

You know those email "forwards" you get from people?  Well I got one in my inbox today and I thought I'd share it.  It's apparently written by a 90 year old with 45 small pieces of advice to growing old.  At first I usually just delete but when I started skimming this one, I started to really read and take heed of the advice.  I think of my own grandfather who is 95 years old and what an accomplishment it is to grow old and have a legacy such as he does (survived 2 world wars, 7 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, humble beginnings etc etc) and what advice he would give.  I'm sure his sentiments would be very similar to these:
--
(Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio)

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
--
I hope you're able to take something from this life advice.  I sure did.

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Ten Important Tips to being a professional musician/human being

I haven't written an "original" blog post in a while and in that tradition I'm going to re-post a blog that spoke to me today.  I receive daily DIY tips from my friend Brian at Thorny Bleeder (you should subscribe because he's awesome and got his ears down on the ground) and this link was in my inbox today. 

Over the past few years I've gotten a taste of what it would be like to be a full time musician and have witnessed and/or been guilty of "what not to do" if you're a musician.  I thought I'd share these 10 "tips" for being a pro-musician.  I hope you can gain some important knowledge from them.  Most of these are either common-sense or very obvious, but you'd be suprised as to how true the "stereotyping of musicians" is.

--
TEN IMPORTANT TIPS For Aspiring Professional Musicians! by Gregg Wright

I’ve had the blessing of a 30 year career making a living doing what I love most . . . creating and playing music. It’s carried me to every corner of the earth. I’ve worked with some of the most fascinating and amazingly talented people on this planet, too numerous to name. This is not by chance. I work very hard at being the very best “professional” musician I can be. If you want a career playing music, here are ten “must know” tips to help you achieve and maintain that goal:
1. Practice Makes Perfect: There is no substitute for hard work and getting to know your instrument inside out. Hit the “woodshed.” You want to be able to play easily and smoothly, whatever an artist or producer asks of you.

2. Always Be On Time: This is one of the most important marks of a true professional. Music is a business and runs like any other business or profession. Time is money! Too many musicians think because they’re talented, they can show up whenever they want. Big mistake!!! I remember when I worked with Michael Jackson. He was a real stickler for being on time. If you showed up late, you simply disappeared and your services were no longer required. What a shame if you lost a great gig like that because you couldn’t be on time!

3. Be Well Prepared: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen excellent players show up to a session or rehearsal completely unprepared for the day’s work. If someone gives me a tape or CD of material to learn, by God when you see me again, I will know that material better than you, inside out!

4. Have Good Gear: Invest in yourself! Have the very best gear, whether its guitars, amps, effects, etc. Be sure it’s always in reliable working order. A good musician can make crap gear sound great. Imagine what that same musician can do with “great” gear. Good gear can be an expensive, but worthwhile investment. Nothing can replace a great sound!

5. Be Nice: Why do so many people have the misguided notion that being difficult or unpleasant makes you a better artist? Being a jerk doesn’t make you “edgy” . . . it just makes you a jerk! Trust me; nobody wants to work with a jerk!

6. Communications: There was a time when musicians waited for gigs by the phone. This is clearly no longer the case. I’m talking especially to you older players! Today’s working musician needs to have his or her communications universe in complete working order. A laptop, business cards, cell phone, web presence, social media, etc. If you don’t have these tools at your disposal, many of which are free you are completely out of the loop. You literally don’t exist!

7. Have Reliable Wheels: Very hard to be successful if you cannot get from point A to point B on time, with all your gear, ready to rock.

8. Get A Passport: Kind of hard to do those international festivals without a passport. Proper documentation for everything is paramount. Get it done!

9. Show up Sober: Save the party favors for after the gig or session. Nobody wants to pay their hard earned money to watch you stagger around the stage and miss notes because you have double vision and can’t see your instrument clearly!

10. Be Realistic: In many ways, this is the hardest, because there are so many falsehoods and false notions in show business. My personal philosophy for keeping it real is simple; the world was perfectly fine before I was here and will be perfectly fine after I’m here. It doesn’t need me, you or anyone else. It’s up to each of us to contribute something positive and uplifting while we are here. The world owes us nothing! The true mission of the musician is to uplift, heal and bring people together. Humble yourself! Serve the music and your audience faithfully, and wonderful things will happen.

Andrewpalooza: June 11th, 2011

Reposted from:
http://whatsforlunchbc.com/
Sweetheart is playing this awesome event and we're really glad to be a part of helping someone's life and hopefully making a small difference in the world.  My new friend Scott wrote this empassioned blog about why you should come to "Andrewpalooza" and what this event is all about:
--
Why should you come to Andrew Palooza?



Most of you don’t know Andrew Kristoff (most of you don’t actually know me!) so I would like to tell you about him. Andrew is 32 years old and lives in Maillardville in Coquitlam with his wife Theresa and their twin boys, Alex and Aaron. Andrew went to BCIT and became an electrician but hasn’t been able to work for some time now, I first met Andrew in 2001 and we have been friends ever since even though for the longest time he called me Steve (haha sorry Andy!) As time passed Andrew began to notice that he wasn’t able to do things as well as he used to and was soon diagnosed with MS. The disease progressed fairly quickly and for the most part Andrew is now forced to use a wheelchair to get around. One of my fondest memories, not just of Andrew but but from my entire life, was on a cruise for a friends wedding in 2007. Andrew wanted to go down the water slide so a few friends and I carried him up the stairs and fired him down the slide, his smile was totally worth it.

Andrew and his dad pulled me aside at Alex and Aaron’s first birthday party and asked me if I could help them raise money for Andrew to get Liberation Treatment in Seattle. Having just raised over $4000 for Variety for Hayley’s first birthday I was honored that they would ask me to help. Recent studies have shown that MS in not a disease, it is a malformation of the veins that allow blood to drain away from the brain and back to the heart. The veins are too small so the blood doesn’t drain as quickly an the heart pumps it in and this causes iron deposits to form on the brain which turn into lesions which cause MS. Liberation treatment is a procedure which enlarges those veins allowing the blood to drain and lessening and in some cases reversing the effects of MS.

Andrew Palooza is what we’ve come up with to get him this treatment. Dale from Red Room Ultrabar, who knows Andrew and his family has been very generous by letting us have this event and keep all of the ticket proceeds. The Red Room holds 500 people at $20 a ticket that’s $10000 enough for the treatment plus a little extra to allow Theresa to take a couple weeks off to look after Andrew and the twins.

Behind Sapphire, Bodhi Jones, Nadia Von Hahn and Sweetheart are all playing this show for free, Carmen Cruz is emceeing for free and we have some talented comedians, Ruven, Ryan Mutama, Al Hassam, Goldie Hoffman and Chris Gaskin to lighten the mood a little. We have received awesome graphic design for our logo and show poster from Rohit Tandon and lots of social media love trying to spread the word.

So now the only thing left is to sell tickets. Please come and join us, meet Andrew in person and help change his life. Andrew can be a beacon for those suffering with MS that  a better life is just over the horizon. Let’s show the Canadian medical system that this is a better solution than pumping patients full of medication. If you’re on Twitter use the hashtag #DoItForAndy or #AndrewPalooza for all Andrew Palooza related tweets. You can follow the event @AndrewPalooza. Please buy a ticket, invite your friends to do the same and come have a great night with amazing local music and good people.

Click Here to buy tickets to this event!

Love,

Marty

@martyzylstra

the BEST Electric Guitar Strings EVER!

I'll never forget the day I got my first "real" guitar.  It was a cherry red Korean Samick cheap-o that had terrible electronics. The moment I got it home until the time I was good enough to start a band I did not put it down.

One of my favourite ways to learn new songs was to buy guitar magazines such as Guitar World or Guitar for the Practising Musician and in one of these magazines was an advert for guitar strings.  One such advert featured a picture of Kim Thayil from Soundgarden who was my idol at the time.  It was for Ernie Ball's "super slinky" strings.  I thought it sounded so cool at the time so I started buying this brand and only this brand.  10 gauge, regular slinky.  Here's a link to these strings.

It's funny how people do not change.

Every time I restring my guitar I always think about how I would never use anything but Ernie Ball "10's".  I've tried a few other brands and gauges over the years but 10's are the best for my style of playing.  I'm not a real fast "lead player" but I do like to throw the occasional guitar hook in and I'm not really just a rhythm player but I do like to have strings that I can hit hard and stay relatively jangly.  These are the perfect strings for me.

Later in my guitar playing career my grandmother bought me a Mexican Fender Strat Special for re roofing a house.  It was a terrible weekend of grueling Ontario heat in the summer.   What a bad idea.  Re-roofing a house in early August in Ontario's hottest summer in years.  It paid off.  I went to Sam's music downtown Toronto and picked out this really cool black on black mexicastor.  I loved that thing.  To this day I pick it up and it feels perfect.  I've had it for years and I will always have it.  I'll never forget the first time I strung it up with new Ernie Ball 10's and hit into some Soundgarden.  Probably a badly played version of "Spoonman" or "Black Hole Sun".  I'll always remember that summer as being one of my best.  Maybe that's why I still play this lime green package of strings.  To remember my youth and the feeling of hitting that "G" chord on your favourite guitar with brand new strings with the amp turned up full blast.

Check out Ernie Ball's website here for more of their awesome products

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

the Challenge

One of my closest friends right now is Dominique Fricot.

He is great because he and I have a lot of things in common and he's not afraid to spout opinions that I agree or disagree with.  We are both musicians, we both are fairly outspoken/opinionated, we both have similar tastes in music, and we both have similar belief systems.

I may have said this in my blog before but one of the things I love about Dom is that he isn't afraid to challenge me.  A few months ago he made a suggestion that impacted me so deeply that I took a step back from booze for just over 2 month.  I stayed sober 60 days.  He also challenged me to continue to write this blog and always know the difference between "then" and "than" (which I'm still working on btw). 

So last week Dom & I were hanging out and he asked me to play a solo show with him.  I was given this advice from another friend about shows:  always say yes and THEN figure out how you'll do it.  So I agreed that I should play my songs live.  Get the project off the ground.  Let the songs organically grow into something new.  Live energy can inject something into music.  Every time I've ever played a song live for a while whether on a tour or locally in various projects, something always happens to the song.  It matures.  My feelings towards a particular song change.  Usually for the better but it also tends to weed out the bad stuff from the good stuff.  The good material gets better and the weak songs either get honed or fall off the radar and no longer stay as part of the set.

So here we are.  This event (details tba) is a small benefit show.  Dom seems to like to play these types of events fairly often because he's so philantropic or something but I'm glad to get a chance to play some of my songs and maybe I'll even have a few suprise guests/songs for the crowd that night.  All in all, I'm completely scared out of my wits.

Dom's quote to me was, "everyone should do something that scares them once a day.  After about a year, you would be invincible".  And when I asked to borrow his guitar he said, "No nirvana shit". 

I might cover in bloom just for him.

Check out Dominique's music/blog/web here

Check out my favourite song I wrote here

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Family - Part 2

My sister's wedding was on Saturday last weekend. 

It was in the Victoria, BC area and was probably the most beautiful day of the year to date.  I was delighted when she asked me to play acoustic guitar while the guests were arriving and exiting during the ceremony and to be the MC & DJ during the reception.  It was a fabulous day and her & her new husband/my new brother in law looked perfect together. 

Now I don't want to get into specifics of the weekend but I'll break it down for you.  There was an incident during this wedding day where I felt all the responsibility and weight of our family on my shoulders.  I felt like in a few years, as the eldeset in the family, it will become my responsibility to shoulder the burdens of life as time passes.  I will be looked to during hard times to be the person that for kind advice for problem solving or for diffusing family arguments/conflicts.  I'm lucky to say that I won't be doing it alone.  My closest friend is my younger brother and he is a born leader.  We will be the people to carry our family when times get tough.

This realization was a culmination of a few events last weekend but what really hit me wasn't just the above.  What really hit me is how lucky my parents are to have each other.  Through the triumphs, through the failures, through the hardships, through the successes of life & raising a family, they have been there for each other.  At my sister's wedding I looked at my new brother in law and knew that that's what he will be for my sister and that's what she will be for him.  I looked at my brother who was the preacher at the ceremony and I hoped he would find someone to help carry him.  I thought of my life and how badly I need that person with me.  Not just during the hard times, but also the good times. When memories are made.  Through everything.

I hope you find this person in your life.

I wrote a song a few years ago in Mexico.

That's what these feelings are about.

Have a listen here

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

the Vancouver Sun Run

One of my favourite pastimes is running.

I got into it in about 2003 when I first decided to quit smoking.  My theory was that if I quit one addiction I would have to replace it with another addiction. 

Up until now, it's held true.

Most people who love to run long distances (5k or greater) will tell you about the natural high you get once you hit the "zone".  For me this "zone" is when you are breathing perfectly, your stride is right, and it almost feels like you've left your body.  In the past, this only happens to me after 8 kilmeters or greater and only when I'm street/trail running.  It's glorious.

Yesterday was the Vancouver Sun Run. 

It's a 10k race designed for former/novice/casual runners to get back into shape and to join in the spirit of activity.  The Sun Run organizers do an excellent job of making it a fun experience for the 50,000 + people who come out and join in. 

I'd run it before twice and the last time I was involved I decided I wasn't interested in running it again because of the congestion and swarms of people.  I was too focused on "time". 

I changed my mind when I was offered a free entry from my office team and got involved in the community spirit that goes along with this amazing 10 k race.

Yesterday as I was jogging in the crowd I attained a bit of zen.  It felt good to experience the race with all of these people.  I just kept a steady pace and didn't worry about weaving in and out of the crowd.  It was exhilarating. 

I've been training on a treadmill and to feel the wind in your face and the sun in your eyes on a beautiful spring day in Vancouver made me feel alive.  It made me feel more alive then I've felt in a long long time.

I'm really glad I joined in and I'm really glad daily excercise is part of my life instead of smoking a pack of cigarettes.

I hope you find the joy of running. 

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Celebrate

I like to look back on old songs and think about what headspace I was in while writing the lyrics.
These lyrics is pretty heavy because it came at a time when my family went through very severe loss and also at a time when there was a lot to celebrate (hence the chorus lyric).  It's a very sorrowful song to me and brings back heart ache and pain that I never want to think about.  That's the hardest part, right?  healing.  I hope this song will speak to you too.

Celebrate (Sweetheart)
In the board room I was feeling bored so soon
I wanna save your soul tonight
In the office as I put on my make up
you make me sick I want to wake up
you live a lie
you can't decide
if you're wrong or right

celebrate let's celebrate
forget your pain let's celebrate
for just one day
let's celebrate

In the office I was getting off on us
I can't be taking off I want to fake it
out tonight
In the board I was getting bored so soon I want to wake up
from this nightmare
out tonight
i can't decide
if you're on my side

celebrate let's celebrate
forget your pain let's celebrate
for just one day
let's celebrate
celebrate

--
here's a link to the album

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra
Sweetheart
@sweetheartband

Paul Filek

In 2007 I met Paul Filek.

We were both auditioning for a really big singing competition known as Canadian Idol (yes, I auditioned for Canadian Idol).  Why? I thought that this audition would help me grow as a singer and maybe I would learn from the experience.  I wrote a blog about it here

Anyway, as I was walking through Metrotown through the waves of people waiting for their chance to audition and I saw this interesting looking guy playing an acoustic guitar and practising.  He was a really great singer so I sat down and during a song, I pulled my guitar out and started playing along.   We got to talking and had an instant connection.

We shared a similar sense of humour and musical journey and began a friendship that has lasted over 4 years.  At the time I was really interested in his career because he seemed to have a drive to suceed more than anyone else I've met in the music industry up until that point.  Back then he told me that he was thinking about moving to Vancouver from Kamloops to further his music career and asked if I knew some bars he could bartend in.  I offered my suggestions and even sent an email or two to a few people but about a month later around the time he was moving he decided not to work a day job.  As we talked about it he said he had some paying gigs and didn't really need the money because he'd kept his costs low by living with family and selling CDs and playing weddings and other engagements for decent cash.

We kept in touch quite a bit over the next couple of years and tried to get together whenever possible and every time we talked he was still not working a day job. He was really busy getting more and more gigs for better and better money.  I was shocked.  He had sold over 2000 CDs and was still not working a day job.

This guy's drive is phenominal. 

He is a great singer and a strong songwriter.  He writes about love and partying and things that everyone can relate to.  He's not breaking new ground musically but what he is doing is connecting to people all over Western Canada.  He now has 3 independant recordings and I've still never seen anyone work as hard as him.  This is all without the Vancouver music industry's help. 

I love it.

His new song called, "Falling for you", was recently recorded with an awesome producer and friend of mine Jeff Dawson (Daniel Powder, the Dudes, State of Shock) and I think it's his best sounding recording yet.

Download Falling for You on iTunes here

Find out more about Paul here on his website

He has some upcoming shows you should check out if you're in the area:
April 21st: Edmonton at the Rouge Lounge
April 23rd: Calgary at the Uptown Theatre

Love,
Marty Zylstra
@martyzylstra

Sweetheart: Local Vancouver Press in the Georgia Straight

So I got a text from my friend Lindsay at Secret Study at lunch today while I was working out. 
(I thought I'd throw that in there to show that I keep fit)

She told me to check out page 56 in the Georgia Straight.  The "Straight" as they call it here in Vancouver is a free local weekly arts & entertainment magazine.  It's a great source for Vancouverites to find out what is going on that week in the city.  I literally read it all the time. 

Anyway, so I turn to page 56 and this is what I read:
Sweetheart's "Love Disaster" - "In need of a melancholic yet upbeat-breakup song?  Look no further than Sweetheart, a group that makes pop music so perfect that we're yearning for a gold-digging girlfriend just so we can dump her with this one playing in the background"
that was a nice review right?

Well the best part is that I didn't send the song in.  I didn't phone or email the magazine.  In fact, "Love Disaster" isn't even released in any format to the public yet.  It will be on our upcoming EP, XOXOX but that isn't out yet.   We just got the masters last week. 

This tiny little post makes me feel really optimistic about things to come for Sweetheart.

Email us: sweetheartband@gmail.com and I'll send you a pre-release MP3 of Love Disaster.

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Nirvana

On April 5th, 1994 Kurt died. 

I will never forget the day I first heard Nirvana.  We were just kids on a school trip and someone had a cassette tape of Nevermind.  It went into the bus stereo and even at a young age you could taste the excitment in that record from the opening guitars of Smells Like Teen Spirit to the closing of Something's in the Way.  A few years later I got my first guitar and learned to play starting with mostly Nirvana songs.  It changed my life.

I remember wishing Kurt hadn't died and thinking as a teenager that if I'd only had a chance to meet him that I could save his life and convince him not to give up.

That's the hardest part about this world.  It's easier to give up on yourself then it is to continue and follow your dreams.  At your lowest moment only you can save yourself.  And as you sometimes catch yourself staring into people's eyes on the streets, you don't really know their path.  You don't really know what is in their hearts or what kinds of pain they are carrying. 

As I grew up and found new music and grew as an artist the feelings from hearing those first chords of Teen Spirit stay with me.  I may not have become a songwriter had it not been for that album and that band.  The days of Kurt have long since passed but I remember the year before he died from about April '92 to April '93 as being some of the best memories I've ever had.  I was young and anything in the world seemed possible. The world was slightly less bright without the music that Nirvana made.  I'm sure on December 8th, 1980 many people felt the same way. 

But here we are. 

There is hope so don't be afraid. And don't give up.

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Show Review: Jets Overhead & the Racoons at Venue, April 2nd, 2011

I've known Jets Overhead for almost 16 years. 
I was in high school bands in Victoria (area) on Vancouver Island and grew up musically with these wonderful people.  I was extremely lucky to play shows and share the stage with the former incarnation of JOH and even played in a band with their star drummer, Luke Renshaw.

My weekend was hectic and I'd been looking forward to the show from the moment I heard about it but as usual I was considering flaking and staying home.  I'm glad I didn't.  I ran into my friend Rob from Boompa/Secret Study on my way downtown and he generously offered his "plus 1" guest list. I accepted and we had a good chat on the way to the show.

the Racoons:
I was looking forward to the Racoons set almost as much as I was to see JOH and I can say that they are intriguing.  They are a trio with 2 guitars/keyboards and a drummer.  The vocals are reminicent of current indie but also a late 80's/early 90's vibe similar to Joy Division but with a hint of later Isaac Brock's Modest Mouse.  They use dynamics within the songs flawlessly and their use of drums to build the songs was creative and keeps the listener interested.  They also used some drum samples and I really liked the sounds that were flowing from the stage.  It was different from the usual 4 piece, 2 guitars/bass/drums. I liked the use of backing tracks and drum loops but I felt that there was some authenticity lost within the live show.  I would suggest adding a bass player because a great bassist can add to the live sound and may make the band stand out even more.  My only other critique would be to improve on stage banter.  When there was banter it felt forced and I wasn't sure if they had a CD available or any merch to purchase.  Overall they closed the set extremely strong with 2 upbeat dancier numbers that suggested Arcade fire influences and Interpol bleakness.  I'd also like to hear the recordings and will review these later on in this blog.

Jets Overhead:
It's been a long journey for Jets Overhead to this night to Vancouver.  I felt the band catch hold last year when it seemed you couldn't turn the radio on to any local station without hearing a Jets Overhad song from their last LP "No Nations".  I was extremely happen for them and loved to see this well deserving band finally grab hold of long deserved success.  Venue is a about a 500 person capacity and to fill this room you really need a strong fan base as Vancouverites are known world wide as not being very supportive to live music.  That being said, Vancouver truly delivered on Saturday and the crowd was in a great mood and you could sense the electric energy to hear JOH.
Adam & Antonia are the live focal point of Jets Overhead.  They are at the centre of the stage with Piers and Jocelyn flanking them stage right and left.  The way their voices fit together feels magical and I noticed right away the timbre in Antonia's voice matches Adam's and compliments perfectly.  You can feel the love between them (they are married) and I think the feelings for each other come out strongly in the lyrics and vibe in the band.  It's a lovefest. I've been listening to this band's music since day 1 and on this night their set included most of my favourite songs.  I won't get into specifics but their live show is still blowing me away.  It feels organic and the minimal use of guitars keeps the listeners attention on the lyrics and melodies within the vocals.  The drums do not overshadow any of the songs and the songs are usually built with a strong bass line which sometimes is just a single note.  It was a beautiful experience to see these old friends again.  I hope you will find out more about them and their music will speak to you as much as it has to me in my heart.

I suggest you find out more about Jets Overhead here

Purchase a few songs from the iTunes store here

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Old Posters

I was looking through some old emails and came across some old Sweetheart posters.  Take a look!

Glass Master

Yesterday I had a visitor late in the evening.

His name is Toby Hulse and he is my friend and also a sound engineer/genius.

He'd been working on mastering the new Sweetheart EP and came over to drop off the final "Glass Master" before he left on holiday.

It was extremely exciting to get to this point with this particular recording.  We had a number of trials and tribulations in recording and finishing this album but now that it's done it feels wonderful.

I'm lucky to have been at this stage before.  I remember when we did our LP "Map of the human heart", and we sat around my stereo as a band listening to the final master and how the excitement and anticipation built surrounding the new recording.

For a band, a new recording is a chance to say "here's what we've been doing".  People who are interested in the band become more interested, people who haven't yet heard about the band become new fans, and new opportunities arise such as tours, radio play, and general hype.

I've recorded many CDs.  I think I'm most proud of this one because we did it our way.

I hope you get to hear it.

Check out Sweetheart's previous album here

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Charity

Recently I performed at a charity event with a band I threw together with some friends.  We played a handful of covers that we all were familiar with and had a blast!  I love playing shows with Adam Fink.  He's amazing.  Cole is amazing too!  you should check out both of their bands here's their twitter:
@tvheartattack
@clockmakersband

The event was at Republic Night Club on Granville and we ended up helping raise over $12,000 for the Children's Variety Network!

I thought I'd post the photos because they're pretty cool!
Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

We are all connected

In 2004 I was sitting at home jamming alone and I came up with an extremely simple lyric idea that was a little too cute "Extra Extra I tried to Text ya"

I then got really into it and as the lyrics developed I really liked the idea.  I took it to the band (Sweetheart - Click here for more info) and as we jammed out the ideas, it turned into a really cool vibe and eventually a pretty fun song.  I still remember jamming it out for the first time and some other band dudes who shared the rehearsal space were standing outside the door and came in the room to tell us that they really liked the idea.  Obviously taken as a grain of salt but when we finally recorded the song in 2006 and I heard the first mix, I was blown away at how huge the song sounded. 

As a songwriter, it's been amazing to see the journey of a song and to think about where it started and where it ended up.  It's almost like a child in a way.  From an initial guitar hook to a full band song, to a recording, to an album, to radio, to TV shows, to people's hands (CD, iPod) and then to the stage.

Because this was one of the first songs we ever wrote as a band, I will always think of it fondly.  Like a first born child. 

Today I decided to post the lyrics on our "bandcamp" site.  Re-reading these lyrics for the 100th time I realized how proud I still am of this song.

take a look:

We are all connected - Sweetheart

Extra Extra
I tried to text ya
But your phone was off
And I couldn’t getchya
We are disconnected
Now

Doctor Doctor
Can you stop the talking
Voices in my head
And shadows that are knocking
On my doorstep
Now

We are all Connected

Extra Extra
I tried to play catch up
With this modern life
Don’t let it get the best of me
Get out
Now

Brother’s Sister’s
Can you feel the future
The end is out to get you
Stay young while you can
Beauty is perfection
Now

We are all connected

I can’t
Stop this
She’s a
Rocket
You’re all
I know
I’ll go
Solo

We are all connected

listen here:

My controversial blog about Translink (Vancouver Public Transit)

Scenario #1:
It was Xmas eve.

I was heading to Vancouver Island for the holiday.  I did a quick google maps for directions using public transit to get to BC Ferries in North Vancouver.   I was pleasently suprised at the easy trip.  A short walk to the skytrain and 1 bus to the ferries.  All for $5.  Cheap right?

So I caught the skytrain, and when I got to the bus stop there was a growing line-up but I was confident that I would get on the bus. 

I was wrong.

When the bus showed up about 15 minutes later, there was a line-up about 100 people deep and I was about 25th in line.

Here's the problem: the bus was completely full and there wasn't another bus heading to the ferry for another hour (which means I would've missed the ferry)

Scenario #2:
It was 2008. 

I was excited to attend Radiohead's show in support of "In Rainbows" at Thunderbird stadium.  I was with some great friends and we decided to catch public transit there and back from this awesome show. 

Simple, right?

Getting to the concert was easy as pie.  One bus. 

When the concert ended however, about 8 thousand people all were looking for a bus. 

There was 1 bus every half hour and unfortunately the capacity wasn't 8000.

Scenario #3:
I was catching a bus home this weekend.  The B-Line #99.  It's a great bus service and gets me right to Commercial Drive near where I currently live.

Well this past Saturday it was the opening game for the Vancouver Whitecaps (GO CAPS!) at the stadium out in East Vancouver and every B-Line was completely, utterly packed. 

I took another bus because I knew that it was a waste of time to try to catch the B-Line that day.

Scenario #4
New Years Eve 2008
It was late (or early depending) and I was finally heading home after a night on the town with some friends.  It was far too late to catch a skytrain home because Translink only runs an extra hour on NYE.  With all of the focus on anti-drinking and driving, one would think the city would run more trains on the busiest drinking night of the year. I ended up walking half way home (5 kilometers) and then finally getting a cab the rest of the way.

--
Here is my observations based on the above true life stories.

Generally the bus system in Vancouver is very good.  It's integrated well with the Skytrain and costs very little to get all over the lower mainland.

Translink does not use common sense and does not pay attention to what is going on in the city.  I'm sure some of you have similar stories about Translink.  But I feel that Translink is another part of the problem when it comes to the stigma in the city as being "No Fun-Couver".  If you build it they will come, right?  Well this is true with the skytrain stations.  Local business is thriving around each train station.  Sure crime is up slightly and some properties are devalued but the skytrain service has taken alot of cars off the road and make commuting mostly better during the rush hour.

I also have a slight insight into improving service. 

How does Translink monitor usage?

There are no turnstiles at skytrain stations.

Many people do not pay for tickets and during peak hours the skytrain police do not check 90% of the time.  The "good faith" system does not work.  Why not hire a few people during rush hour to check passes and tickets?  Even just at the high traffic stations?  This would employ a few people and would also possibly increase revenues enough to pay for more buses and trains and other services for translink.  I've heard rumblings about installing turnstiles in the future but why not get this initiative rolling sooner?  My other argument that is "pro" turnstiles or "internal control" is that from a marketing standpoint, wouldn't it be great to use a system that more accurately calculates who is travelling on the train?  On Sunday the skytrain service is decreased but I see empty trains driving by all the time.  Does Translink notice?  There is currently no real way to integrate a tracking procedue other then the people who stand at the stations in green coats.  

What do you think?

Would you like to see the Translink "product" improved in any way?

Feel free to discuss.

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

the Writer - Part 2

My good friend Mark created a challenge for himself.  For every person who commented on a recent Facebook status he said he would write a short story inspired by that person and post it to his website.

I've been reading his fantastic stories since he started and thought I would re-post my current favourite.  I really like all of them, but can relate to the brother story because I have a real connection with my own brother and can picture myself as the character.

Read the story below and then make sure you click here to check out all of Mark's work

--

Blood Brothers

By Mark Lidstone

For Jordan Lidstone

He pushed his way through the bodies scattered throughout the floor toward the giant, steel, security door – his pulse rifle hung from it’s holster at his hip. His boots clicked against the hard floor and the dog tags around his neck clinked against each other. Jordan, Burst to his squad, wiped the sweat from his eyes staring down at the alien symbols on the door’s keypad. He typed in the pattern leaving bloody fingerprints on the keys. Burst had gotten the code from the security guard screaming a few feet behind him. He’d promised to let the man live as his reward. Unfortunately, Burst was forced to break the poor man’s legs to convince him it was a good deal.
There were two red lights on the doors access panel. The first light switched to a bright green shortly after Burst had entered the key. The door didn’t open. To the right of the keypad was a small scanner with a flashing yellow light. A fingerprint scanner. He glanced over his shoulder at the guard on the floor and grinned to himself.
Upon realizing what was happening, the guard began to scream louder and tried to push himself away from his approaching attacker, dragging his lifeless legs behind him.
“No, please” he pleaded.
Burst grabbed him by the wrist and forced the man’s hand to the floor – pinning it down with his blood-caked boot. He passed out before Burst could even begin sawing at his finger with the hunting knife he’d kept in his belt.
“Just hope this thing doesn’t ask me for a retinal scan”, his said with a smirk.
Once the finger was scanned, the second red light flashed green and the heavy door hissed and slid open revealing a long, quiet, hallway. He stared toward the small door at the other end. His goal.
Three days earlier, Earth was winning the war. Our troops had severely crippled the enemy, eliminated nearly their entire army. It was a long, torturous, process but we had finally gained the upper hand. Then there was the surprise attack. Ships appeared out of nowhere, thousands of them through the clouds blocking out the sun. Their soldiers outnumbered ours ten to one. In the first day, the majority of Earth’s army was killed including the majority of Burst’s squad. Afterwards, he was told the enemies had taken prisoners. His brother was one of them.
Burst had spent the next few days tracking him down. He was a one-man army. Without breaking a sweat, Burst took out any prisoner ships he could find – releasing what was left of the human prisoners. The ships were all guarded by Earthlings. They were easily persuaded to give him the information he needed to find his brother. They may have switched sides but they were still only human.
Burst pulled a pair of glasses from a pouch on his belt and put them on. Once he had flipped the switch on the side of the lens, the empty hallway was quickly populated by large, glowing, figures. Their armour made them invisible to the naked eye but with the thermal goggles, the hallway lit up like his father’s house at Christmas. He counted eight alien soldiers total – seven equipped with rifles while one carried a large, axe-shaped, melee weapon.
Without hesitation, Burst emptied an entire clip into the hallway, spraying the bullets to force his enemies into cover. He ran through the doorway as his enemies returned fire and immediately took cover behind a conveniently placed, waist-high, wall. He pressed his back against it, reloaded his weapon, and waited for the opportune moment. Right on cue, the giant axe pierced the air inches from his face and wedged itself into the floor.
Instantly, Burst vaulted the wall, kicking the unarmed giant in the chest before it could advance. Once it was knocked back, he unloaded an entire clip into the monster’s right shoulder causing it to turn it’s back to him. In an instant, Burst reloaded his gun and put it to the head of his opponent, jabbing his free hand into the bullet wound to keep the beast weakened.
With his newly acquired shield, Burst rapidly killed the other seven with direct shots to the head. When he was finished, he dropped the one tonne mass of alien mulch and bullets to the ground and reloaded his gun with his only remaining clip.
The only remaining thing between him and his brother was the door. He walked to the end of the hallway and opened the door using the same finger and code given to him by the guard bleeding to death in the other room. Once the door hissed open, Burst nearly fell to his knees.
In front of him, strapped to a chair, was his brother. He appeared to have been too late. His brother was barely breathing and his head hung low. His shirt had been removed and his entire chest was skinned. Blood soaked his pants and pooled on the floor. What was once an unstoppable force of muscle and the embodiment of courage, was now a weakened mass doing what he could to force each breath into his lungs.
“Fal’, Burst whispered to his brother. He watched his eyes roll into the back of his head. He slapped him hard. “Fal” he screamed. Fal’s eyes suddenly pierced Burst’s. He opened his mouth to say something but it was muffled by a mouthful of blood which poured down his chin.
Burst pulled out his knife and started to cut at the ropes around his brother’s wrist but was interrupted with a blow to the head so powerful it sent him to the floor. His vision had blurred with a flash of white light while blood filled his left ear. He struggled to find his gun but the blow had knocked it from his hands and was nowhere in sight. He felt a force press down on his neck, holding him in place. Once the suit’s camouflage switched off, the glowing figure standing above him turned into a solid form. Burst had a good look at his attacker. Above him, with his foot on Burst’s neck and holding a gun towards him, stood eight feet of pure alien muscle.
Burst could do nothing, he couldn’t move – couldn’t speak. He knew it was over. He would either die by the gun or the monster above him would crush his neck. He could feel his bones creaking under the pressure. He stared the beast in the eye. His entire frame shook from the sound of the gun’s blast and his vision went red.
To Be Continued..

A song about Love part Fourteen

Show Review: Run the Red Light, March 4th, 2011, at the Media Club

I've seen Run the Red Light play live many times.

I'm very familier with their music and show and thought I knew what to expect.

This show was different.

There were a couple of reasons that it different for me last Friday (for me).
1) to me it seemed that the band felt whole again.  Mark (their talented bass player) had been away for a year in Holland experiencing Europe and seeing the world.  The band had let him go his own way with hopes he would return. They even visited him in Amsterdam and played a show locally in that city. 
I hadn't seen Run the Red Light since Mark got back and it was good to see him again and to see him back on the stage.  It felt like all the pieces were back in place.
2) Run the Red light has one of the premiere lighting rigs in the city.  Their light show is part of the live experience and the headliner last Friday requested that they leave it at home.  Typically a national act will ask an opener not to "show them up" so to speak by having better lights, stage dressings etc.  Friday they played without.  It seemed...more intimate.  I'll explain below.

The band seemed ramped to start the set.  The club was sold out and as an artist there is nothing better then performing live in a small club to a capacity crowd.  When the band kicked in they were heavy and loud.  Ben has an intense drumming style.  You could tell that he was really into it in the first 2 songs and was hitting hard and slamming the accents hard.  All of the sound selection for this band is crisp and clear and the guitars sounded like a wall of sound.  RTRL looked like they were just happy to be there with all smiles when the songs were finished.  Also, they got into a few extended jams at the end of the heavier numbers and you could tell they were having fun.
 
Back to the lighting.

I've told Toby this before but their lighting rig has a tendancy to lose the audience's focus on the songs and you can lose the connection with the band.  Friday felt more intimate.  The entire crowd was glued on the band and was interested in every movement they made.  Lighting would've been a distraction this particular night.

If you re-read my previous post here you will probably see that I am a huge fan of this band's music. 

I have had a good enough relationship with Toby over the past that we give each other support on what "not-to-do" and what to improve on artistically. 

A couple things I felt that would help their set going forward is the following:
-  Their cover of New Years Day by U2 was great but their version although spot on felt weaker then their own original songs.  My suggestion is to incorporate it into one/two of the original numbers with an interlude.  I felt like I lost interest during this cover song and could sense that some of the audience around me was feeling the same way. 
- Also another small tweak I would suggest is if the band could strip right down to just one guitar and vocals for 1/2 a song it would help the set dynamics immensely.  There was a couple moments in the set where the instrumentation was minimal and as a listener was drawn further in only to be blown away when the band kicked into full gear on the big choruses.  I felt that it could strip even further down and that as a listener would be taken on even more of a journey. 
- Lastly, for one song, Toby put down his guitar and stepped up to the mic as a jus a singer.  This was great and I would've liked to see him do it for more songs.

All in all, Run the Red Light is a brilliant band.  They are brilliant live.  They are some of the best players in not just Vancouver, but also Canada.  You should really go and download all of their music get into them.  I hope you get a chance to see them live soon!

They will be back at the Media Club on March 12th with Civil Twilight!
Details here!

Download their EP here

Check out Run the Red Light's website here

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Bitchfest

Do you ever just want to bitch and bitch and bitch?

My biggest problem right now is that I'm too nice in certain ways.  And it is lowering the quality of my life.

I'm not going to get too "poor me" about it but sometimes some people in my life cause me extreme amounts of grief by being completely ignorant. 

Responsibilities are being shirked and because of it I look like a fool.

Sorry to be vague and non-descript but there it is. 

Bitchfest 2011 will continue until the above is taken care of by the people that should know better.

Are some of your "friends" making your life harder?

Cut them out of your life.

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Netflix

Recently I started a Netflix account.

You're thinking, "honestly Marty, why are you blogging about this?"

I'll get to it in a minute.

Netflix is free for the 1st month and pretty cheap.  I like the mobility of the service and as the catalogue of tv shows and movies broadens it will only become better for me.  I don't love commercials and I don't love planning to watch the shows I like to watch only when they first air because I'm always extremely busy and never am home much.  Netflix solves this problem.

I'm not going to get into what my favourite shows are because you'll probably judge me and think less of me but I've definitely found some hidden gems in the Netflix catalogue and I would suggest to anyone who likes watching tv on their computer to at least try out the service for one month free.

(I'm not getting paid for this post FYI)

So here's my point.

I got an email from NF regarding a survey.  It said something along the lines of complete this short survey and you may be selected for a focus group where you'll receive a 6 month free subscription.

I never, ever, ever do this kind of thing but, I love free so I decided to complete the survey and thought nothing of it.  Later in the week I got an email from NF letting me know I was selected to be apart of this focus group. 

Here's the point.

Do you say yes enough to opportunites?  When you get a phone call from a friend to go out on a Tuesday night do you always politely decline?  or When your dad calls to invite you to a fairly uninteresting event (to you) do you go anyway just to experience something new?  I'm using my own examples that I said yes to recently but look at the past month.  Did you say no when you could've just said yes?

Well I'm trying to say "yes" more.  This focus group was an example of this.  The timing for it was perfect.  It killed some time when I was downtown waiting to meet some friends on a Friday evening.  I even got a chance to meet a great guy by the name of Gary who is a musician in Oakland in a Soul/Funk tribute band.  It was great and I'm really glad I did something I'd never done before.  Isn't it great when you can just get out there, meet new people, feel good about life, and maybe even lose a bit of the fear of the world?

That's what I took from this experience.   And that's why I now love Netflix even more.  I experienced something a little different and saw a window into a small group of peoples life for an hour of my time.  AND saved money for a service.

Not bad.

Maybe you should say yes more too.

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Show Review: Biffy Clyro, Februray 26th at Venue

I love discovering new bands before the mainstream catches on.  I've been lucky to have a couple of friends who have their ear to the ground when it comes to new music who know my taste in music and got me hooked on Biffy Clyro.  Last week I was lucky to be one of the few Vancouverites to experience Biffy's first major show in Vancouver at the Venue (Granville Street).

This band has been around for 15 years and has 5+ recordings and has steadily grown its audience in the UK over that time period.

I remember hearing stories of the first Vancouver show that Radiohead played.  I'm not sure of the exact date but it was at the Railway club in the early 90's and apparently there was only a handful of people there that night  Everyone you talk to in the local music industry talks about how they were there yet only 20 were in attendance (I'm guessing none of these music industry people were there, they just like to say they were a part of it).  This is typical for this kind of monumental show.  I remember hearing from a few friends about the Strokes first show at the Pic or the White Stripes show at the pic and how no one was there and how it was great to see these bands before they broke into the mainstream.

This is how I felt last week.

The Venue holds about 500 but they will stuff about 600 people into the room.  When we walked in the room was full and you couldn't move.  Although we were near the sound booth, the sound and energy was electric. 
I have to admit to you right now that based on "Only Revolutions" (the newest LP from Biffy) I was expecting smoke and mirrors (backing tracks synced to a lighting rig, a touring keyboard player, a touring guitarist) because this record sounds absolutely huge.  I was suprised when I saw this band was in fact just a trio.  They did not need any tricks to fill out their sound.  The guitars were huge.  The drums sounded massive.  The bass was booming.  They had a huge banner of the album artwork behind them but only the club lighting (which is terrific for a local venue). 
I am still a newcomer to the B.C. back catalogue.  This band is not afraid to play old songs.  Their set was all over the map, very progressive, and at times I felt like I was watching Rush.  Other times I felt like I was watching Nirvana and/or the Foo Fighters.  Other times I felt like the band was harnessing mid-90's Supergrass.   They were tight.  Fast stops. Fast starts.  Huge breaks that slammed back into the complex bridge.  They take risks in their music and they take even bigger risks on stage.  The bass player and drummer player even left the stage for two acoustic numbers in a row.  Their songs are diverse, ranging from 90's grunge to prog to melodic ballads with beautiful harmonies.
Most of the crowd that night was either British or Scottish or there with someone from the UK and all were singing along with every word.

I'm going to steal this quote from another show review: 
""Biffy who?" you're probably saying. It's a valid question. Too weird for CFOX, too noisy to fit into The Peak's 24-hour Mumford and Sons playlist; Biffy Clyro remain virtually unknown in this corner of the English-speaking world. Which is why they're reduced to playing Granville Street's 500-capacity Venue for the budget price of $14 a ticket. " (Robert Collins, ctvbc.ca)

This sentiment is the hard truth and it continues to be the truth about many bands that Vancouver is not exposed to.  In my opinion (which can be taken with a grain of salt) there is a niche of music locally that is not being promoted by the local industry.  Somewhere between CFOX & the Peak, great bands are getting ignored.  Some are local.  Some are from Canada.  Some are American.  Some are from Scotland.  Biffy Clyro is one of these bands. 

I am very glad to say I was part of the first wave of Biffy's breakthrough into North America.  I will definitely be the one who says "I was there."

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

British Invasion

When I was in my early teens I discovered the Beatles.

I think it was this random documentary that was on TV one day about how they broke into America in 1964.  I had heard a lot of their music growing up (how could you not, their music is ingrained into society) but there was something about them that I had never quite connected with until I saw this brief doc.  I remember hearing their cover of "Rock and Roll Music" and thinking wow, that's what a band is supposed to sound like.  I rabidly devoured everything Beatles and have done so like millions upon millions ever since.

This continued. With.  All.  British. Music.

When I get into something, I need to feed the addiction.  For example.  Just like a billion others, I got really heavy into Harry Potter a number of years ago.  I am a nerd.  (If you have read some of my blog you may have realized this by now) I loved the series so much that I started reading other books in the same genre (children's sci-fi fantasy) because I wanted more.  more and more and more.

This applies to music. 

I love the Beatles so I got into John's solo work.  And George's.  And Ringo's.  And Wings.  And Paul's.  Then I got into the Stones.  And the Who.  etc etc etc.

Then I went modern.  Radiohead.  Kula Shaker.  Oasis.  Blur.  Pulp. Supergrass.  The Stone Roses. (that was the 90's for me).

A while ago I met a group of Londoners travelling through Vancouver on their way to Whistler.  I got to talking with one guy in the group, Finn, who then gave me a few bands that were undiscovered in Canada but up my ally.  I told him I was really into Bloc Party/Franz Ferdinand/Arctic Monkeys/Boy Kill Boy/the Futureheads and was looking for some bands that were similar and new.  He introduced me to a couple amazing bands called the Pigeon Detectives and the Wombats and from there I got into Scouting for Girls, the Hoosiers, Two Door Cinema Club, Hard-Fi and more.   Needless to say Finn and I are close friends and I'm planning on seeing London in the summer and sleeping on his couch and singing Oasis songs over a pint (or 8) and talking about music until wee hours in the morning and also trying to desperately explain hockey.

Fast Forward to now.

About a month ago a friend of mine (who is from the UK) sent me a text saying, "do I want to go to the Venue to see Biffy Clyro play a show".  I said yes not having any clue who they were.  He said I'd like them and that it would be fun.  Fair enough.  I emailed another friend from the UK to email me an MP3 of her favourite Biffy song.   Born on a Horse was in my inbox the next day.  Mind blown.  I bought the entire newest record, "Only Revolutions" on iTunes and have been really getting hardcore about this band.  The more I delve into this band the more I realized that this UK based group has been together for years and even has a connection to Vancouver having recorded a previous record at the Warehouse with local legends GGGarth & Mike Fraser.

What you've learned from this post:
I want to hear new undiscovered music from over the pond.

I hope you can take some of my advice and maybe check out some of these awesome bands.

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Star Wars

I love Star Wars.
I usually watch the entire series about once a year.  Each time I watch A New Hope, Empire, & Return I find something new I really like and didn't see before. George Lucas is brilliant for creating what he did in Episode IV on such a small budget.  It's amazing.

Anyway, I was thinking about these movies and about how great they are and had this great idea for a house party/dinner party/family get together/team building excercise.   What you do is you get the script from either Star Wars Episode IV/V/VI and each person at your party draws out of a hat the characters that are in the movie and then you proceed to re-enact the scenes from the movie.  Maybe your group just recites the lines.  Maybe they dress up and get really into it and have some props. I think this is a fun idea. 

What do you think?

Let me know if you want to get together and do this.

It doesn't have to be Star Wars.  Maybe it's Star Trek: the Next Generation episodes.  Maybe it's Indiana Jones. 

If it's Star Wars, count me in!

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Show Review: Carpenter, Northcote, & Virginia Leaves, Feb 19th at the Fairview

The Fairview was not prepared.

On Saturday night when I walked into the venue, I could tell right away that this out of the way bar on West Broadway did not expect what was about to occur.  The room was packed, it was already sweaty, and the bar lineup was deep.

I was extremely geared up for Carpenter but got a chance to see the 2 openers. I really enjoyed Virginia Leaves who were just getting going when I arrived. 

The following act called Northcote (is singer/songwriter Matt Goud) captured the audience easily with just a guitar and his very powerful voice.  I'm not too familiar with his work but after seeing him, I wanted to get a CD and dive into his music.  Here is a video of "Energy" from his current CD.  He mentioned on stage that there will be a new record shortly and I'm looking forward to it.  When he busted into a version of "Your Love" by the Outfield, everyone in the audience was singing along to every word.  I had a feeling that would be common throughout the rest of the night. 

Carpenter has rabid fans. 

I fell in love with this band's music a few years ago and can sing along with most of their songs.  Saturday night there were about 275 people that were as in love with them as me in a club that comfortably holds 200.  When the band got going the venue was at complete capacity with a mix of people that share a common love of this great band that has written songs that speak directly to them about them and for them.  These songs connect deeply with the individual.  These songs are about a person who longs to be home and who has made mistakes and wants to prove himself in this world of failed dreams.  These songs deliver messages of those people who party hard, live hard, and fear nothing.  This band is more then a punk band.  They have songs with subtle hooks that linger days after you've heard them.   The band also has an electric energy on stage that shows passion and drive and Saturday night Every Single Person in the room was singing along to Every Single Word of Every Song. 

Explain to me again how you've never heard this band or been to one of their shows (or supported your local farmer).

While Northcote was finishing his set Carpenter's bass player, Dana (who is an old friend of mine), was telling me some stories of the road and the pranks that were pulled on Dan (the singer of Carpenter & like myself, an avid Leafs fan).  I love hearing war stories about the road.  Touring is my favourite thing in life and seeing the yellow lines of the Highway 1 in Canada can be frustrating but when you're out there on the road, no one will quite understand it unless you have been.  You sleep on couches in strange towns.  You pass the time in the van laughing with your best friends.  You drink way too much to numb your mind.  You long for a warm bed with that girl you love but also you look forward to getting back on stage every night playing your favourite songs.

Carpenter exemplifies the dreams of those who have been on the road.  Dan sings about a lifestyle that is  hard to maintain, a lifestyle that in your head you know you need to quit, you want to give up, you want to walk away, yet in your heart you cannot.  You have to sing these songs, you have to speak to the people, you have to keep connecting with those that are in love with every word you sing, everything you stand for, everything you believe in. 

I don't ever want Carpenter to give up.  They are the best band in Vancouver and they proved it on Saturday.  If you missed this show, you missed history in the making.  People will talk about this show for years.  People will talk about how they remember Carpenter from when they we playing small clubs in Vancouver and how they wished they'd seen them then.  

Download "Law of the Land" by Carpenter here

Download "Sea to Sky" by Carpenter here

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra