After Friday's late start, I though we may as well cruise down to Mewata field as early as possible to scope out how many people would actually pull their bodies out of bed for Saturday's 12:00 pm start. That and Swedish singer Jose Gonzalez was playing, and I still had a major need to woo the girlfriend vicariously through music (Chixdiggit just didn't cut it, apparently...)

When we got to the field at about quarter to noon, we were surprised to find a large line, some more determined security, and a new 'strict, no re-entry policy.' Something about too many empty bottles and roaches left on the steps of the Telus World of Science to greet Saturday morning families, I'm guessing... Regardless, things went smoothly, and the policy was eventually shifted to a more reasonable 'no re-entry after 3:00pm.'

It was obvious Saturday's main stage schedule was packed solid (things started three hours earlier than Friday), when I realized that Gonzalez was only slotted to play for thirty minutes. He's gotten some love from Ami before, and the two albums he's released so far still get the occasional spin when I'm feeling extra mellow, or something...

When was the last time you downloaded a piece of music? Now another question; when was the last time you listened to a mixtape (or mix CD)? And no, muxtape does not count.

People have been swapping music illicitly for a long time, but with the rise of the internet the methods and scope of that sharing have changed completely. The most popular means of trading copyrighted material has been the emergent peer to peer technologies (all seemingly kneeling at the altar of bit torrent). Recent changes in copyright laws, combined with high-profile lawsuits (including last fall's shutdown of the world's most popular peer-to-peer network, Oink), have not only threatened the way fans consume their art, but have temporarily brought even more attention to and interest in downloading music illegally.

While this turnaround in music distribution has had an invariable effect on the artist, it's also profoundly changed the way us fanatics listen to our music (the death of real rock appreciation? the end of a true musical community?) With all this in mind, Cornershop Projects has brought together Ear to Ear at the Or Gallery, on display this weekend only: "a community-based, ad hoc archive of contemporary popular music and music ephemera." The show brings together visual, audio, and printed materials including 29 specially commissioned mix CDs which'll be given out over the weekend. There's also a conversation today at 5:00 (with lots of guests) and a closing night party on Sunday. More after the jump...

One of the city's most important journalists, Frances Bula, has resigned from the Vancouver Sun. I blame that 'cute German immigrant who switched to Molson' article I vented about on Wednesday. Or maybe it was this recent reader poll: what would you like to see demolished pre-Olympics? Anyway, excited for whatever comes next. From Bula, that is... lets try and keep "Olympic demolition" metaphorical, at least until the riots. Oh, but some good news - looks like the downtown homeless will avoid a pre-olympic sweep.

Harper has upped his lawsuit against the liberals by $1 Million for 'misappropriation of personality'. Ummmm... I guess now he's definitely too lame to take my vote for most mediocre Canadian. I really like this random but wonderful blog post I found while searching for 'Harper + idiot'. Oh, and he's gonna pay for this lawsuit himself, right?

Bob Russell has a good editorial up on why the carbon tax isn't really about the environment, how Campbell botched it big time, and why the opponents still need to shut up.

The Vancouver police crack down on biking without a helmet. Nobody in bike-mad Amsterdam wears one, but c'mon, we all know you drive safer stoned. Here in Vancouver, you may be blitzed behind the one-speed... but the self absorbed dude behind the SUV probably isn't. To be honest, I can't really understand not wearing one. Aside: anyone know what the fine looks like for riding completely naked? [NSFW]

Looks like we may be swapping one overpriced Swedish meatball (too cold?) for another, as Sundin could join the Canucks while Naslund leaves for New York...

While I was decidedly amped about Sled Island after seeing that wonderful Thursday night lineup, after two days of traveling, a sleepless night spent on the road, and a midnight Clips show to check out, I was more than ready to take my time getting to the music on Friday. I could only stay in bed for so long, however, as It was time to get the obligatory hometown visits outta' the way; the sun was shining, my air mattress was deflating, and Yo La Tengo were scheduled to play in the early evening...

Everyone have a good Canada Day? Beautiful weather, the possibility of public inebriation at noon under the guise of patriotism, spandexed biking and fireworks! Maybe a hot dog? You couldn't ask for a better setting to shrug off the new carbon tax. It was fun watching fuel costs progressively drop as we drove to Calgary last week, and the difference will just become that much more pronounced, as the price of gas has apparently shot up to $1.52 a liter in Metro Vancouver.

Tuesday wasn't just Canada day, it also marked the 150th anniversary of Darwin's theory of natural selection. And while I'm on the topic, this should always be in the back of everyone's mind: what will things look like around here if & when the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets melt? Facts always seem a little more convincing when done up in map form... thanks Richard. And relatedly, I'd highly recommend reading Alan Weisman's The World Without Us.

The Canucks offer Sundin a two-year $20 million dollar contract. 'ed best' on the comment roll pretty much sums it up:

Supposing he were to average 24 minutes every game for the entire season, that would be a tad under $5000 a minute. In other words, every 5 minutes Sundin plays, he will make more than Rocket Richard ever made for an entire season. How high can you raise the price of tiny seats (that make airlines seem generous), diluted beer and cheap hotdogs before the bubble bursts?

I dunno -- no matter what, this is still the third largest Canadian city (i.e. hockey will persist no matter what), but coming from Calgary, Vancouver's fanbase has always had a bit of a twisted relationship to their NHL team.

Our Sled Island experience began as we drove into Calgary Thursday afternoon with just enough time to move our legs and grab a quick bite before heading over to the Calgary Science Center (oh, so sorry, The Telus World of Science; I've been gone too long) for an early evening show. With the sheer number of scheduled acts and Calgary's limited selection of live stages, gigs were being held wherever sound and seating would suffice, with the Science Center possibly being the most unique of all the venues.

I'll be honest, I was almost as excited to see an indie rock show at my iconic home of elementary field trips and highschool summer jobs as I was to see three critically acclaimed Vancouver-based bands for the first time. The show definitely took me down memory lane, but how was the music?