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General Music

Yardwork, and Midlake

After a long week of work, and my first Windows virus infection (long story short, keep your anti-virus up-to-date and Windows patched), I spent the day doing yardwork and went to see a band tonight.

The weather in Portland today was gorgeous (a sunny 65 degrees), so Kelly and I got out and continued to tidy up our yard; pruning shrubs, pulling weeds, and generally getting a jump start in the hopes that the rest of the spring and summer will be less upkeep and more kicking back and enjoying. Things are starting to look pretty good.

Tonight I joined some friends to see Midlake at the Wonder Ballroom. Midlake is something of a 70’s-inspired indie-folk-rock band that are perfect for chilling in the yard with a beer, or driving along a foggy coastal road. They have some really great tunes with some brilliant lyrics (though they also have some so-so tracks). I like ’em when I’m in a chill-out, introspective mood. Anyway, the show was really good, both because the band was good and the audience (a 21+ show) were polite and relaxed. That could have been due to weed (smelled some outside the venue), but all in all a good evening, and a good way to end a nice day in the sun.

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Music

Metric at the Wonder Ballroom

Kelly and I saw Metric perform at the Wonder Ballroom, along with our friends Ty & Aymie and Miranda, meeting up beforehand for dinner in the Wonder Cafe (the restaurant in the basement of the venue). This was something of a repeat of events from the last time we saw Metric perform, back in 2006.

The show was really good, and the band (specifically the lead singer Emily Haines) were full of energy and kept the crowd buzzing. Obviously they played nearly all the tracks from the latest album Fantasies, and the single Help, I’m Alive generated a massive response from the crowd. Other tracks from the new album that were fantastic live: Satellite Mind, Gold Guns Girls, and Stadium Love.

One downside to the night was that both Kelly and I were feeling pretty tired even before the show started (the massive dinner we had probably didn’t help). By the end, we welcomed the quiet drive home. We’re like, old and stuff.

A couple more photos here and here.