mcenroe's junk drawer

happy new year

2011-12-31T23:34:00.000-08:00

new years resolution is to blog more than never

i watch tv on my ipad and do dishes with my nifty new American Standard faucet and my fancy new Insinkerator garbage disposal. WHAT

baby is due any day. c'mon baby

lakers?

pretty soon all the P&C stuff will be on bandcamp. spread the word. peanutsandcorn.bandcamp.com

I am spending more time directing than making music, and more time working on shit TV commercials than directing, and more time renovating than working on shit TV commercials

i directed videos this year for Moka Only, D-Sisive, e.d.g.e., Greg MacPherson, Pip Skid, Yy, Taichichi, Ghettosocks/Jeff Spec/Timbuktu/Muneshine... and lots more is coming. So fun.

you know i'm a sellout though, right? But I don't have a clothing sponsor.

So music - The John Smith is done, just needs a cover. Once this house gets fixed up, I'm recording The Bad Sleep Well EP, and the mcenroe LP. And recording/producing/whatever the new e.d.g.e. LP. And more is happening. It just takes time, which I have so little of.

Hey, if you took me up on the P&C deal offer thing from the last blog post, thanks. I sold enough stuff in under 48 hours to cover the debt. Many many people stepped up and helped out and made that stressful situation go away quick. Thanks a ton. And thanks to all y'all who sent their regards, and said they would take me up on the deal if they didn't already own everything!

I'm gonna shut down the P&C store as it is now. And I'm not gonna take credit cards anymore. Its a losing proposition.

You should watch less television, I think. And play fewer video games.

Happy New Year. Hope it goes your way.

A shocking bill! - Getting out of Richmond and getting out of the hole

2011-07-20T13:05:00.001-07:00

Hey yo! Time for the once a year post, I guess.

Today in my inbox I got an email from my former distributor, Fontana North. Peanuts & Corn was distributed by Fontana North since about 2005, I think. Before that we were with Sonic Unyon.

I put out two records through Fontana North, the John Smith - Growing Pains and Birdapres - Get It Done LPs. Neither really did anything. At about that time I got into film and stopped worrying about releasing records in a timely manner, promo, all that stuff.

The move to Fontana North didn't do anything good for us in terms of promo or sales. In fact it just made it really really easy for stores that had our stuff to return it.

Early on I made a payment to FN to cover those losses. But over the years I have not heard much from them, rarely getting any account statements. I have definitely not had any personal contact from them for several years.

And today I get hit with a bill for $1807.63. I am waiting on details of what this balance is from, with breakdowns and all that. I also have to decide if I want the stock that they are sitting on to be returned, picked up, or destroyed.

Bottom line is this distribution deal did not go well. I am not blaming FN. When I put out records as rarely as I do, how could I be a priority? But a bill like this never comes at a good time.

And speaking of timing, I am moving next month to a new home in East Vancouver. I have started the process of moving and have discovered that I have a lot of stuff. Including a ton of product - probably more product that I ever will be able to sell in today's digital age, considering I have no distribution.

I would like to offer up this product to you people at a big discount, to raise the funds to be a standup guy and pay off Fontana North. Because I pay my debts.

So here we go. I am offering this deal until I raise the $2000 to pay this debt and get my product back from FN in Toronto.

Prices include shipping in the US and Canada. Payment made to roddy@mcenroe.net on PayPal.

$100 - Every CD ever (almost)

Only 20 pkgs available

** EDIT - ONLY 9 LEFT **

PC008 - mcenroe - the ethics ep

PC009 - farm fresh - played out

PC012 - park-like setting - school day 2

PC013 - moves feat Birdapres - Alleged Legends

PC014 - Pip Skid - friends4ever

PC015 - john smith - blunderbus

PC018 - gruf - druidry

PC020 - mcenroe - the convenience ep

PC021 - Peanuts & Corn - summer 2002 - **SOLDOUT**

PC022 - hip-hop wieners - all beef, no chicken

PC023 - mcenroe - billys vision

PC025 - mcenroe - disenfranchised

PC026 - Yy - Hold The Fort Down EP

PC027 - Peanuts & Corn - fall 2003

PC028 - Pip Skid - Funny Farm

PC029 - John Smith - Pinky's Laundromat

PC030 - Peanuts & Corn - Tape Hiss

PC031 - Break Bread EP

PC032 - mcenroe & Birdapres - Nothing Is Cool

PC033 - mcenroe - disenfranchised 2 / Pip Skid - Funny Farm 2

PC034 - Farm Fresh - Time Is Running Out

PC035 - Gruf - Hopeless

PC036 - Park-Like Setting - Craftsmen

PC037 - Birdapres - Get It Done

PC038 - John Smith - Growing Pains

PC039 - Roddy Bailey - Edge Of Town

PC040 - mcenroe - The Paper Champion

PC041 - Yy - Tape It Back Together

This is a really cool amount of music for a very small amount of money. Once I sell 20 of these packages, thats it.

And for those of you who are not down with physical product anymore, I offer a digital version of the above for direct, sketchy download.

$60 - Every Release Ever after 1998.

All of the above releases plus:

PC010 - fermented reptile - lets just call you quits

PC011 - fermented reptile / park-like setting split 12"

PC017 - Peanuts & Corn - Factory Seconds

PC019 - Pip Skid - Money Matters 7"

PC024 - John Smith - High Arctics 7"

and

Roddy B - All Types Of Hype Demos

mcenroe - Keeping The Faith Remix EP

Thanks for reading and supporting. Any questions, hit me. Onwards and upwards.

Roddy

August 2010 already...

2010-08-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

I havent done an update to this thing in a while. Its like I need some big news to pull the trigger on an update. Well maybe its time to rethink that. Here is whats up.

I went in with a buddy and got a Canon T2i camera. So a lot of my energy has gone into shooting some music videos. Last month Nestor Wynrush was out in Van and we shot a video for High Park Sunrise. Then I went to Winnipeg and shot 4 videos, two for Yy and two for John Smith. One of them includes the entire Break Bread crew (except Gruf and me, I stayed behind the camera). Finally I shot a video for a new mcenroe track called Keeping The Faith, and am planning on shooting another for a song called Gearing Up For Getting Down. So I have 6 videos waiting to be edited right now.

My EP is called The paper Champion. It will be released Sept 21, 2010. I am working on a bonus disc with instrumentals, dub versions and a bonus cut or two. The EP has five songs and four interludes for nine tracks in all. The only guest is Yy.

Yy's LP is in the final mastering stages and will out late october or early november. It is called "tape it back together"

John Smith's LP is recorded and now I gotta finish the beats. It will be out ib early 2011.

My son is amazing. So fun and so funny.

Been watching Breaking Bad, I am a fan. Entourage has passed its best before date. Other than that I dont watch much TV.

I'm on Twitter: I only tweet a couple of days a week. @bigmcenroe

my youtube site: youtube.com/bigmcenroe

so long, stay tuned

Couple of mcenroe remixes

2008-04-28T09:41:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of remixes I did of my own shit.

The first is a little house-y sounding beats I had kicking around that I used to flip "Mastermind". Its pretty bouncy.

mcenroe - Mastermind Remix

The second is a re-do I did of "Too Real" for licensing on a TV show (that was never used). I wanted to get rid of the samples so if you compare it to the original, it sounds pretty chunky and off. But on its own its all right, I especially like the guitar that comes in for the choruses, I think thats an improvement.

mcenroe - Too Real

Gruf - Fillossaphee Africa Remix

2008-04-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

Another Remix from my half finished P&C Dynamite series, this is a mixture of Fillossaphee and Elbow Grease from "Hopeless"
Gruf - Fillossaphee Africa Remix

Blog reborn

2008-03-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

This blog is reborn. It is now strictly for dropping tracks. Comments appreciated.

Here is a remix of "Growing Pains" by John Smith. I recently dumped 223 beats from my old Akai S01 sampler into Live. And when I put this together, I just heard the Growing Pains lyrics on it, so here it is, just for fun.

Growing Pains - S01 Remix

And now a shout out to my sponsor...

2006-12-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

My man Kobe had 52 points last night against the Utah Jazz. After the game, in several different interviews, he said it was easy, he was in a groove, it was like he was playing playstation.

From the LA Times:
Maybe he'd done it, "in video games, man," he said, smiling. "PlayStation was the last time. In the NBA it's so tough to do that. Guys are on top of you and you get your arms hit once in a while. I can't remember the last time I did that.

He is the cover boy for Sony's NBA franchise, NBA07. What a good boy.

Latest Video I Directed

2006-10-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Happy 25th, SBG

2006-09-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

Here's to 25 more years of large size refreshment.

"In the 1980s, 7-Eleven was the first retailer to introduce self-serve fountain drinks. And just last year, 7-Eleven stores sold nearly 33 million gallons of fountain drinks – enough to fill 75 Olympic-size swimming pools."

Any phrase that starts with "In the 1980s" is good in my book.

Don't SLEEP

2006-09-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

Check out my man Birdapres

Bird's MySpace

And I'm slowly updating Peanuts & Corn Records for the 21st Century.

Good Stuff

2006-08-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

I have an arch-nemesis. I can't go into any more detail.

I went and saw a Seattle Mariners game. I ate the garlic fries. I also bought 1 pair of shoes. I should have bought three pairs.

I think if you take the time to make a sign or print a menu, you should check the grammar first. But not so much if you design album covers.

Good songs:
Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie
Be Easy - T.I.

Guilty Pleasure songs:
SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
That black eyed peas song that uses the pulp fiction shit. yiii

2nd Assistant Director Haiku

2006-08-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

Tired and Weary
Waiting for a Light Meter
Ah The Product Shot

A man without a country

2006-07-27T00:37:00.000-07:00

So I watched the world cup. And I liked it. Never paid this much attention before and it turned out to be a good game. Plus there are no commercials during the broadcast except at halftime, so thats pretty cool. And the annoucers say funny things like "What a caucophony here in the stadium" and they use the word "Brilliant" to describe every single goal. I love it.

So why have I been more compelled than ever to buy one of those adidas country/flag track tops? I have been out lately and all of the styles are half price. This goes against my number one rule - don't wear gear with countries or flags on it. I've followed that one ever since the Mondetta fad back in high school, where small town hicks would wear these white sweatshirts to the high school dance with some country's flag that they didn't even know the capital of.

But they are half price! And so colorful! So lets look at some of the options...

BRAZIL - well I just got back from Brazil. So at least it is from a place where I have actually been. But its bright yellow, not really my thing. And wearing a Brazil top is like wearing Yankees or Lakers gear... thats some front-runner shit. Even though I wear Yankees and Lakers gear.

ENGLAND (as above) - Well I have never been to England, but I hear my ancestors are from there. Or some of them are. But I can't really use that as an excuse - its not like my grandma even knows who David Beckham is. Plus the style was described to me as being too "Where's Waldo"

JAPAN - Well its blue, and I have been there. But it makes no sense. I don't look like I am from Japan. I'd be a poser.

PORTUGAL - The burgandy is great. But all their players dive too much. No.

FRANCE - It's a bright blue, which is OK. It has a chicken on it though. Again, I've never been there, although I hear I may have ancestors from there and I sort of speak the language. But it has a chicken on it. Or a rooster or something.

USA - No one roots for the USA in soccer. Not even the USA. Plus its wrong on so many levels. And I haven't seen any for sale anywhere either.

CANADA - I can't wear a Canada jacket while in Canada. Never, ever. I would consider it when I was travelling outside of Canada, maybe. But that happens for like 3 weeks a year. And Red isn't my color. And white isn't either because I will definitely spill on this jacket.

TRON - OK they also have these TRON track tops. What better way to declare 100% geekdom than to wear an adidas TRON top with the lightcycles embroidered on the back? I am considering this but it is not half price yet. And I could get the matching lightcycle shoes with velcro straps instead of laces. Stylin'. If they get a Fletch track top I am sold.

Brazil

2006-07-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

So I went to Brazil with Marcie. It was nothing like the movie. We were mostly in Sao Paulo, with a little bit of Ilhabella for good measure. It was cool to see Sao Paulo, especially during the world cup. But if I went back, I would spend more time on the island, sipping diet soda by the pool at off season rates, knawmean?

Also Marcie and I have been together for 10 years and married for 3 years. Hooray for that!

Now I am working in commercials and finishing projects. A couple of videos to be finished and a couple of albums to get out there. Once all that is done I start making beats and writing songs and the cycle continues.

I might start a sports blog because I think I would update it more and I got things to say. I have opinions. Dave Nonis needs my help.

June is the new May

2006-06-05T02:10:00.000-07:00

OK, you didn't really expect it to come in May, did you? I mean, its me. I always set myself up to fail like this. To let you nice people down.

But here is the deal. Its done. I just have to mix it so it doesn't sound like crap (right now it sounds like crap). I will start taking orders on the website on June 16, and will ship June 26.

There will be two editions: The basic edition which is the CD. The deluxe edition has a deluxe bonus instrumental CD and a deluxe fold out insert with all of the deluxe lyrics. So you can rap along with me. Shirts will also be available with the logo, seperately or as a big bonus pack. This wont be widely available in stores - strictly websites and indie stores. Deluxe edition on peanutsandcorn.com ONLY.

I really had a good time with this. Its pretty fun. I'm not calling it a mixtape because its not that disposable - there are some really good songs here. A few are serious - Alpha Flight is about the Canadian identity. Save the Kiddies is about our disillusioned youth and the lack of any real youth movement. But mostly its pretty light - Cereal For Dinner (about how I ate like shit in university), Birthday Check from Jesus, So Scared (my verse is about Hot Dogs, J-Mart raps about Denny's). There is a Nirvana cover. Bird is on it. Cadence Weapon is on it. Josh Martinez too.

The beats are pretty light. Banging. I sample pretty heavily, some of it has been used. Stuff I wouldn't use on an album. But I'm not just jacking 12" instrumentals here, these are all fully produced with original drum tracks and my own arrangements. You'll find them to be a bit funkier and far less dense.

So it isn't the new mcenroe album - that project will be far more ambitious. I'm not breaking any ground here, I'm having a good time. Its like a lite album, the diet coke of albums, with no aftertaste. I hope you like it.

Birt's

2006-05-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

I will be back in Winnipeg for June 19. Before that I gotta go to Brazil to check it out. Well I don't have to go but I'm going. I'm going to take a zillion pictures and hope not to get mugged. I also hope I remember to turn off that stupid DATE STAMP. Boy I hate that thing

So I have signed a new distribution deal in Canada for my label. We are now distributed by Rec Room / Fontana North / Universal. There are like 100 middlemen! Its good because our records should be easier to find and they should be marketed better. Because I did a bad job at both. Now my job is to make records, sign artists, and do videos. And no more marketing! Hooray!

So I might go get a job, full time. Make some money, get out of the house, see the world. I want to be a chef, I really like to cook and I am good at it. Or maybe get back into the engineering thing for a while. Or the film thing, which I have been working part time. Such decisions...

Anyone else staying up 3 or 4 AM reading Wikipedia? Reminds me of when I first found the Internet back in school, 95 or something. Too good.

Now that TV is over and most sports are getting close to over, what do I watch first, Six Feet Under or Battlestar Galactica?

Last few records I have picked up: Minutemen - Post-Merch, Vol 2, T.I. - King, Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues, INXS - Best of INXS, Scientist - Wins The World Cup. The new Mobb Deep is AWFUL. Luckily I got hooked up with a play copy that I won't ever play.

new new new

2006-03-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

I am recording Smitty's album right now. Hot shit. I am thinking about my album too and I can't imagine two albums from the same producer being more different, being made only months apart.

still a tv junkie: 24! Sopranos! Lost! is that a bad thing?

I bought a bike and am riding up to an hour and a half a day. Haven't ridden since I graduated from university so I am trying to get my legs again, but I love it! Haven't boiught a tank of gas in like three weeks!

My mixCD is called Mastermind, I am going to release it in May. I will do a regular edition and a deluxe edition with instrumentals and lyrics or something. What do you think, whats some good bonus shit?

so whats up?

2006-02-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

Me?

I'm writing synth pop right now. I can't sing. I need a singer. Someone with my range only with good tone and character. Also if anyone needs a keyboard player for a dub reggae band, holla.

The Canucks are going nowhere. So sell me your tickets for half price.

I will soon be 32. Life begins at 64, halfway there.

Arrested Development is over. I watch each episode 3 times and finally get it. On an unrelated note, BitTorrent is off the chain!

Lakers are going NOWHERE. I can't watch. Go Raptors!

I think I'm going to get a job and get out of the house. Holla.

I accidentally watched figure skating today. By mistake.

So I entered a beat battle...

2006-01-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

But didn't place.

So for fun, here is my entry.

mcenroe Beat

If you are interested in voting on the finalists:

http://futilityrecords.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=951

Overrated Remix

2006-01-18T01:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a little remix I did for the Park-Like, just for fun. Hunnicutt plays me all these reggae remixes so I made my own...

Check it out and lemme know what you think!

Overrated Remix

5000 Watts Video

2006-01-11T01:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.mcenroe.net/

Lemme know what you think.

Am I insensitive or...

2006-01-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

Is this insensitivity thing getting out of hand?

Are these organizations just attacking people for these tiddly little things just for publicity?

I don't think either of these things are so bad...

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=ap-pennst-paterno-now&prov=ap&type=lgns

http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20060107/en_movies_eo/18098

Great game by Simms

2006-01-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

But we came up short... I hope he starts next year though.

USA! USA!

2006-01-03T23:30:00.000-08:00

I have been watching the world junior hockey championships and enjoying it. I have noticed that the crowd here in Vancouver roots pretty hard against the American team. Hardly a surprise, but it got me thinking: If I were American, I would be pissed. I mean politics aside, the US is like Canada's big brother in a lot of ways, and our similarities outnumber our differences.

Personally, I have never received an order from the Czech Republic or Russia, but plenty of Americans support me and what I do. Sometimes its easy to get caught up in the anti-american sentiment, again because of the politics. Sometimes I think we Canucks should show just a little more respect...

Another Vid

2005-12-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

Up at http://www.mcenroe.net

This one took a little more time, I hand wrote all of the lyrics and then had to sequence them on the screen as Gruf said them. Some of the lip sync was shot at off speeds so you can see traffic moving very fast and that sort of thing.

Video Daze

2005-12-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished some videos. First is the Butcher's Bill video:

Visit http://www.mcenroe.net

5000 Watts pics

2005-11-24T02:36:00.000-08:00

Video coming soon!

Best show in a while

2005-11-22T23:35:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I went and saw Damian Marley here in Vancouver. Damn. I enjoyed that show like crazy. Easily the best show I have seen in a long time. If you get the chance to check it out, do it. I have been listening to a lot of reggae and dub lately, so this was the right show at the right time. I will go as far as saying it is in my top 5 shows of all time.

So what are my top five? In no particular order...

Fugazi, Winnipeg, 1991ish
Ice Cube, Minneapolis, 1991ish
Medeski Martin & Wood, Winnipeg, 1995ish?
Damian Marley, Vancouver, 2005

OK so its a top four then. Other honorable mentions:

Jawbox, Winnipeg, 1993ish?
Beastie Boys, Minneapolis, 1993ish?
Super DJ Dimitri, Whistler, BC, 1992
Rheostatics, Toronto, 1995
All, Winnipeg, early 1990's
Mercury Rev, Minneapolis, early 1990's
Rage Aginst The Machine, Minneapolis, early 1990's
Lush, Minneapolis, early 1990's
The Roots, San Francisco, 2000

Good rap shows in a small club:
Third Sight, San Francisco
Atmosphere, Vancouver

Good but not that good:
Tribe Called Quest
Run DMC
Dinosaur Jr

Tyler will probably correct me on alot of this, including shows I liked that I have forgotten about. Word.

So how was tour?

2005-11-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

Tour was good. Pretty straightforward. I like being on the road but I really like being home. What can I tell you? Maybe its all the responsibility of road managing a tour that I booked myself and taking care of everybody. I dunno, but it is a relief to be home.

I started by leaving monday morning for a show in Regina on tuesday night. I made it as far as Medicine Hat that night. It rained the WHOLE time, from Vancouver to Medicine Hat. That was a bummer because the day before, my 5000 Watts video shoot was cancelled because of rain. Eff the rain.

We played Regina, Jasper, Victoria, Kelowna, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer and Saskatoon.

- Regina was fun. Good vibe. No one was stabbed. Def3 opened, he is dope.
- Jasper was pretty good, wierd vibe in the room though. Hunnicutt took out suckers at Big Buck Hunter.
- Victoria was really good. Several old friends from Brandon were there, including Jason Bell, who (to my knowledge) coined the term "Peanuts & Corn"
- Kelowna was probably the best stop on the tour. Such a hype crowd. Sound was a little suspect but the vibe was great and the promoter took real good care of us.
- Vancouver was Vancouver.
- Calgary was good although a little under attended. Sound in the club is good and the vibe is always good in Calgary.
- Edmonton was chaotic, again. The day of the show we get a call that the venue is closed for renovations, and that we are playing in a pool hall. This is the second time I have played Edmonton and the venue had changed on the day of the show. Very frustrating. Thanks to those who kris-krossed town to see us. In the end we played to a handful of people but kept it loose and probably were the most entertaining...
- Red Deer was going great. Although it is a small venue (cafe) we had a vibe going. The promoter (Felipe) had his neice out (she is maybe 10 or so?) , and she knows all the words to "Nothing Is Cool", so Pip gave her his mic and she backed me up. The place went nuts and things were going really well. The very next song, a fight breaks out in the back of the venue and three quarters of the people spill out into the street. What a mess.
- Saskatoon could have been great but the sound was very frustrating. I had a run-in with the soundman, trying to fix things, but to no avail. When he slipped away to go to the bathroom, I hopped up to try to improve the situation.

My car smells like fart. No more new car smell!

Now I'm back and switching gears. I worked on Josh Martinez's video yesterday, and am directing the 5000 Watts this weekend. I am working on several other video treatments too. Its pretty fun to be working on that aspect of things, it has really recharged my creative side and helped me focus.

What else?
- Arrested Development is the best. New shows aren't making me laugh as much though, but maybe when I watch them again? But I broke my no-DVD policy for seasons 1 and 2.
- Lakers 3-1? Kobe looking good but they are average at best...
- As a Buccaneers fan I was excited about their start but it looks like they have crashed back down to earth. Where is the Cadillac Willams of the first three games?
- I got Grand Theft Auto for my PSP. What a fun game. I would love to visit Liberty City for real somtime, feels like I have lived there.
- I got the new star wars DVD. Why? cause im a sucker. I figured since I have the other 5, it was wrong not to.
- I hate the amazing race this year. Who cares about seeing the US? Not me.
- I haven't seen any new movies in a while, whats good? Going to see the 50 cent movie?

I am working on getting new Park-Like Setting shirts. Check them out.

Park-Like done!

2005-10-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

Whew, it was a lot of work but I finally finished it up. It's really intense. I am loving it.

What you want to hear some early? http://breadwinnermusic.com

Wish I could pull off a fitted like this...

2005-09-18T01:52:00.000-07:00

Park-Like Setting LP going to press in under 2 weeks!

Talking Heads

2005-09-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

All you kids, check them out, they are dope...

more shit coming soon, i directed 3 videos that will be on the web soon... Gruf, Break Bread and Farm Fresh...

spine and grind

2005-07-22T00:52:00.000-07:00

That's me, back in the day, at the Spine and Grind in Brandon. Shout out to Jason Chumola for the pic. Shout out to the whole Brandon crew, especially Jordan at Senate and Pete!

more to come soon, big things brewing, but for now just chill

Big Shot Rob

2005-06-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Its big shot Rob, not Big Shot Bob.

I've got my Lakers Horry jersey, now I need a Spurs Horry jersey too? Nah...

Lurk On

2005-06-14T02:43:00.000-07:00

So many of y'all have mentioned my Japan photos in emails and stuff, but no one leaves comments. It's cool, I can take it, I lurk too.

OK So I'm doing this mixtape right? So is every one else, thats cool, its really fun because I can sample anything and break my own rules. Like I'm sampling Aretha Franklin, David Axelrod, Barry White, Talking Heads, shit that I would never do for a commercial release. How liberating! Anyway its gonna have lots of guests, such as Bird, Josh Martinez, Evil, Cadence Weapon, Stace Prints, Factor (Vancouver Factor), Smitty, Yy, Pip, Gruf. If you see your name on this list and I haven't asked you yet, wanna be on my mixtape?

Shout out to my friends at Shaw Cable. I called to cancel my Internet and things got HEATED. Like yelling at each other at the top of our lungs type shit. Fun!

Interview steez

2005-06-14T02:41:00.000-07:00

A little interview I did with my man Marmalade (whats up Adam), a real solid dude who hooked us up with a show in Waterloo.

http://www.earwaks.com/read/64/

My fave shit right now

2005-06-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is the heat right here, Gordski's beats are so crazy good.

Pip Skid - Shinola

From Pip Skid's I'm Mean mixtape...

Photo gallery finally up

2005-05-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

Almost 100 photos from my Japan trip now up, be sure to read those snappy captions at the bottom...

Rod's Japan Trip

bad blogger right here

2005-05-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

All right I went in to this with the best of intentions, daily updates, unbelievable wit, all that. So far I am coming up short. Its all good, thanks for coming by.

Japan was a trip. Amazing. Big shout outs to St. Louis!

I'm just getting into NBA, go Suns, go Nash. I don't see them beating the Spurs but thats what I will be rooting for.

I got a new cell phone...

I got a PSP too, I got it to play games but I ended up watching tons of TV and movies on it. If you travel even a bit, its great. Cop it!

I'm working on some music videos for two mcenroe songs, a farm fresh song, and more. Can anyone hook me up with an old school pricing gun?

tour daze

2005-04-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Tour is over. It was really good. Bird and Hunnicutt are my road dogs. We had some great crowds and had consistently more people almost everywhere.

I hope to do a full tour report sometime but right now I am packing for Japan. I got some yen in pocket so its on.

Nash for MVP!

Brave New Waves

2005-03-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned, I was on Brave New Waves last week, here is an mp3 for anybody interested.

http://www.breakbread.ca/blog/bravenewwaves.mp3

Going to Japan!

2005-03-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

So my wife emailed me saying "you should really go to Japan to see your friend St Louis"

She offered me her air canada points, and my mom offered me her delta points...

long story short im off to Japan, end of April. After the mcenroe and Birdapres tour is over, I have about 5 days to chill before I head to Japan. Hope to get a show together in Tokyo or something.

I had a one hour interview on Brave New Waves tonight, it was cool. For me thats a milestone, because I grew up on Brave New Waves and was put on to so many bands through it. I listened to that show every night for at least 3-4 years straight.

But the question is, do young'ns listen to BNW now?

Tracks for datass

2005-02-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

Sending tracks on blogs is the way to go I guess. I'm gonna get with it. Here are tracks that some of my friends and colleagues have released recently.

Shout out to Razorblade Runner, a great blog with tracks several times a week to check shit out.

Cadence Weapon - Julie Will Jump the Broom

I heard CW's whole mixtape and really like his style and voice. This song jumped out at me big time, though. A real original sounding beat and a nice flow. He will be playing with us in Edmonton, looking forward to the live set.

Draft Drodgers present Evil - Too Many Trees (w/ Birdapres)

Just saw these guys live too. I think Evil is smooth as it gets, and live it really works. He doesn't put too much into each bar, never overpowers you, which worked really well live. On the production tip, they pull off a mix of sampling and synth, with a very current sound. Not all of you will dig this but I do...

Sound Barriers - Withdrawl

Gruf hadn't been doing much for the last couple of years, so he hooked up with DJ Brace (CDN DMC champ) who was making some beats and came up with this album. I'm feeling it, but I like Gruf over my beats better. But how can I be objective?

Stace Prints - Soulivar

I first met Stace at Sushi King when I was hanging with Bird. Stace has been around a while, doing his thing, dropping guest verses and whatnot. Finally he has a new EP and it is really growing on me. The five tracks are really diverse. The strings from this one get in my head all the time.

Turn The Gun - Moods Are Seasonal (w/ John Smith)
Turn The Gun is the new name for what used to be Milch & Allegra, I guess. Anyway, its Yy and Gumshoe Strut. I threw three beats at them for their album, this is one of them. I love this track, can you believe they were gonna leave it off the album? And yes, we will have the CD in the P&C store in a week or so... the Foultone Records crew is on tour as we speak.

31 years young

2005-02-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

today I'm 31, who thinks I am getting to old for this rap shit?

Back in University, I was a thug! Well, actually, I was listening to too much House of Pain.

mcenroe and Birdapres tour info coming soon!

Gruf = Done

2005-02-01T17:32:00.000-08:00

I finally got the Gruf album completed this weekend, and away to the press. Here is a glimpse of the cover:

Its a dope record, 13 cuts. Much more abstract than Druidry (I didn't think that was possible). Lots of wordplay and flow with hidden meaning. The writing is different than Druidry in that the self expression is toned down quite a bit (no Owl type song). But there are Bangers. Pip is on 4 songs.

This is also one of the few P&C releases I do not appear on. I was supposed to be on the posse cut, but its already nearly 6 minutes long so I decided to chill. With all the records I have dropping, people are probably sick of me anyway.

NHL in the 05

2005-01-26T01:35:00.000-08:00

The sports networks in Canada should offer to pay the rest of the players salaries. Because if they keep showing what they are showing now, they will go out of business. Breaking news:

The Calgary flames players got together and went bowling

Some other player has been installing plastic truck bed liners

Theo fleury is playing in the middle of nowhere, for nothing, and he scores two goals.

Plus they keep showing that pic of Gary Bettman sitting beside Bob Goodenow at that game, and Bettman is acting like a real nancy boy. And that footage of Bettman eating a hot dog. You would think the tape would be worn out by now.

ebay and duran duran

2005-01-15T01:06:00.000-08:00

two posts in one night? shiiiit

I have been clearing out my CD collection lately on eBay. I am addicted to selling on eBay, I don't know why. I may sell my entire collection because selling these CDs is more fun than listening to them for some reason. Here are my auctions:

http://search.ebay.ca/_W0QQgotopageZ1QQsassZmcenroe2000QQsorecordsperpageZ50QQsosortpropertyZ1

I am moving CDs for now but I will be putting up a large amount of vinyl this weekend and next week.

I heard Duran Duran is coming to Vancouver and I am tempted to check that out. I am seriously sick - I passed on De La soul a bunch of times, Pete Rock, LLoyd Banks, Beatnuts (I had free tickets to Banks and Beatnuts and still didn't go). But I may spend 60 bucks or more to see Duran Duran? I also want to see R.E.M. and the Pixies. Hall and Oates would be good too!

random thoughts jan 14

2005-01-14T23:46:00.000-08:00

Just got back from The Aviator. Good flick. Its the first Scorsese flick I have seen in a long time - and I call myself a fan. I think my wife and I were the youngest people in there.

I made the mistake of heading into Tom Lee (music store) the other day to see whats up. I almost got talked into buying a new preamp with nifty digital outs and a new mic. I am happy with my current preamp (although I wish it had digital outs) but I definitely need a new mic - I bought my current mic used off of Moves a few years back and its OK but I can hear its deficiencies now. Anyway, I have a sickness, seriously thinking about spending another $2000 on gear when my setup is just fine and I don't have that much left to record in the next few months.

The Farm Fresh is finally done and at the press. It's called Time Is Running Out. In my opinion, its hot as hell. Upbeat, fun, funny, catchy. When Pip writes alone he gets very personal and so do I, but together we can keep it lighter (although there is some subject matter on here). Tyler (Hunnicutt) did the cover, check it out:

We recorded the Park-Like Setting and Gruf albums over the holiday too. Now I am back in Vancouver and will be working with Bird on his new record. It never ends! Still havent started San Andreas, too much work to do. Hoping to start it before the end of the month...

NFL PLayoffs

2005-01-09T23:29:00.000-08:00

Not a bad weekend of football!

Chargers / Jets
Poor chargers. That was a heartbreaker. I root for the Jets sometimes and I root for the Chargers sometimes so I was swinging back and forth throughout the game. In the end I was rooting for the Chargers, just because they had a great season, a good turnaround from last year and deserved to keep going.

Seahawks / Rams
Hate the Rams. Really felt for Hassleback on that last play. The look of frustration and agony as the ball slips out of Ingram's hands on the biggest play of the year. Would someone please get him some receivers that can hold on to a ball?

Colts / Broncos
I like the Patriots but I will definitely be rooting for the Colts next week. Indy is so fun to watch on offense. I really think they can find a way to pick apart the Patriots. Whatever happens, the game should be a classic.

Vikings / Packers
I didn't see this coming. Even when the Vikings jumped to a 17-0 lead, I still felt they would lose. They have collapsed so much, so often, that they were bound to finally hang on. Next week I give them a shot against the Eagles. If they can get it together and play a decent defensive game, they could upset the Eagles since the Eagles seem to be lacking in confidence right now.

december drought

2004-12-28T01:51:00.000-08:00

the blog aint dead, i just have not had time since being in Winnipeg for Christmas and recording. Expect lots of posts in January.

Word.

new releases from P&C

2004-12-07T01:26:00.000-08:00

I have finalized the release dates for our next three releases:

mcenroe - disenfranchised 2 / Pip Skid - Funny Farm 2 - Feb 1, 2005
Farm Fresh CD - Mar 1, 2005
Gruf CD - April 12, 2005

Which means likely releases after that as follows:
Park-Like Setting CD - June 2005
Birdapres CD - July 2005

After that? Who knows.

See Monday Night Football tonight? Seattle makes me sick. I'm off their bandwagon.
Here is my current NFL Bandwagon status:
Tampa Bay - On (until they lose 1 more)
Seattle - Off
Indianapolis - On (until they get their asses kicked in the playoffs)
San Diego - On (see Indianapolis)

Shaq got his 10,000th rebound tonight. Shouldn't he have more rebounds than this for someone so Dominant? The Most Dominant Ever? I'm gonna hate on Shaq all year.

post one

2004-12-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

here we go, my blog. If this lasts a month, it will be something...

Its Saturday, December 4. Just got back from a gig in Victoria with Birdapres. Big ups to Liam (Knowmatic) and his band for hooking up the gig. The crowd was great, the vibe was good. I love Victoria and playing there has always been good...

Been working on the Farm Fresh album. The album is almost done but we don't have a title yet. Its really been fun. Here are some song examples:

Frail Dale - About the small kid in school who everyone picked on
Downtown - About the decay of downtown Brandon (and other cities)
30 in the club - about us over the hill 30 somethings trying to hang with the college crowd in the clubs
My Ex Girl - The new Hunnicutt solo gem! Sure to be a new classic.

Should be going to press next week with the record, and will be releasing it at the end of February.

I have been finishing the beats for this record with a lite version of Live (www.ableton.com) and it has been great. The way you can twist loops to fit has made finishing my beats much more fun and less tedious. It would take weeks to finish a record before, and it was always the hardest part because of all the trial and error. I would spend a whole night trying loops and wind up with nothing. Now the combo of live and Logic 7 makes finishing a track way more fun and creative, not to mention easier. I am about to take the same approach with Gruf's solo album - I expect it to be really fun.

This is my last week in Vancouver for a while, I am going to be in Winnipeg for most of December. I plan to record Gruf's album, write and record the Park-Like Setting album, and maybe even make a mcenroe mixtape (its called "Mastermind"). It will be me remaking some classic beats and having fun writing. I also plan to play a lot of Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas. I have held off on getting that started until I got all of these records finished.

Plus I am watching as much football as possible. I have been into NFL for a while, but now I am getting into NCAA as well. My wife is thrilled... I am in an NFL pickem against by Dad, he is up 4 weekends to 3. I gotta stop picking Arizona.

Been listening to lots of commercial rap lately. Top of the rotation right now is the R Kelly and Jay-Z. Its nothing special but it works. I have never really heard R Kelly before, on this record he doesn't sound all that special as a singer. Jay is solid, beats are solid. Will probably pick up the Nas this week. I saw that it was packaged in a big double jewel case, old school style. ugh.

today's link: www.uglydolls.com