Dream Police - Seattle Gay News

Best of 2007½ :
Ten albums and
singles you should
download now
by Albert Rodriguez
SGN A&E Writer
2007 is halfway through and here’s a
sampling of the year’s best albums and
singles. Expect these recordings to wind
up somewhere on our year-end best-of lists,
and be sure to download them to your MP3
player for summer listening or buy a CD
copy for at-home play.
Ankle Injuries by Fujiya &
Miyagi (Single)
Proving that dance music doesn’t have to
be loud and obnoxious, Fujiya and Miyagi
are the proud owners of this year’s niftiest
club hit.
courtesy of Mischa Richter
Not since Tony Basil’s “Mickey” have
gay boys had such a grand opportunity to
reach for the pompoms. All grown up and
such a tease, Avril Lavigne is smoking hot.
Going to a Town by Rufus
Wainwright (Single)
Rufus Wainwright is no stranger to
writing bold, gorgeous ballads with
dramatic arrangements. And this powerful,
emotional track from Release the Stars is
perhaps his most captivating.
Hissing Fauna, Are You
the Destroyer?
by Of Montreal (Album)
“Suffer for Fashion” was either made
for a summer pool party or a convention
of 80s nerds. Either or, Of Montreal has
created one of 2007’s quirkiest and most
entertaining albums.
Icky Thump by The White
Stripes (Single)
Jack White is a rock genius, and this
kick ass title cut from the multi Grammywinning
duo’s new offering is proof. A
wild, inventive piece of music.
Canadian rockers The
Reason don’t object
to playing at a Gay
wedding and love a little
Nelly Furtado on the side
by Albert Rodriguez
SGN A&E writer
A month ago at the Virgin Festival in
Vancouver BC, Canadian rock band The
Reason invited me backstage to hang out.
I sat with guitarist Jeremy Widerman and
drummer Cam Bordignon inside a tent,
with a stash of chips in front of us and a
tub of iced beer behind us. Sneaking a tape
purchased for your MP3 player?
Bordignon: Aretha Live at Fillmore
West
Widerman: Comeback Kid, on iTunes.
Rodriguez: What US city do you most
want to play in?
Widerman: California, because of all the
hype. Whether it’s good or bad.
Bordignon: LA or New York.
Rodriguez: What’s your favorite guilty
courtesy of Kevin Westenberg
Amy Winehouse
Back to Black by Amy
Winehouse (Album)
Beehive hairdos, trash talking and
partying the night away are all on Amy
Winehouse’s resume. So is this year’s
excellent, Motown-throwback debut.
Children Running Through by
Patty Griffin (Album)
Veteran folk artist Patty Griffin did the
impossible, one-upping herself again. Her
latest recording, featuring the stunning
“Heavenly Day”, is undoubtedly her finest
work to date.
Fort Nightly by White Rabbits
(Album)
If you want to be different, be different.
Just sound amazing. And that’s exactly
what Brooklyn-based White Rabbits do on
their rather eclectic debut. Take a listen to
“While We Go Dancing” and start swinging
those hips.
Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne
(Single)
Let’s Call It Off by Peter,
Bjorn and John (Single)
Finger snapping never came in handier
than using it for Peter, Bjorn and John’s
jingly-retro pop number that reminisces the
days of Psychedelic Furs.
Arcade Fire
Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
(Album)
Religious fanaticism gets a deserving,
brilliant, sarcastic bitch-slap from highly
acclaimed ensemble Arcade Fire. With
memorable tracks, like “Keep the Car
Running” and “Antichrist Television
Blues”, this is a sure contender for Album
of the Year.
VolunTeers
needed!
Sign Up Now!
The Pride March and Queerfest: 2007 Pride Festival
on Capitol Hill in Volunteer Park, Saturday June 23
Organized by the Seattle LGBT Community Center
Help with outreach, set-up, tear-down, march logistics and security.
A great way to support our Community Center and celebrate Pride 2007!
volunteerpride@seattlelgbt.org
courtesy of Kevin Westenberg
recorder through Canadian customs and
festival security was too risky, so I grabbed
a notepad and pen, asked Widerman and
Bordignon to give me one-sentence replies,
and this is the product of that conversation.
The Reason is currently shopping for a US
recording contract, so it could be months
before they appear on American radio
stations or concert stages. In the meantime,
listen to “All I Ever Wanted” and “This is
Just the Beginning” at www.myspace.com/
thereasonrock.
At the Virgin Festival, this is what
Jeremy Widerman and Cam Bordignon of
Hamilton, Ontario-based group The Reason
goofed off about in “The Music Lounge”.
The Reason
Albert Rodriguez: Now that Gay
marriage is legal in Canada, how much
would you guys charge to play at a same
sex wedding?
Jeremy Widerman: If they’re friends of
ours, I’d do it for free. I’m just glad we
live in a country that deals with it (Gay
marriage).
Rodriguez: Does Hamilton have a Gay
Pride parade?
Widerman: No, but Toronto does. A real
big one.
Rodriguez: Which band member do you
think gets hit on most by guys?
Widerman: I’ve been hit on by guys a
few times, even without knowing it. But I
would have to say Adam (White) because
lead singers get the most ass.
Cam Bordignon: It doesn’t matter to me
– being hit on by men or women. But the
lead singer gets all the attention, and the
drummer.
Rodriguez: How often do you guys do
laundry when you’re on the road?
Bordignon: Whenever I’m home. I
seriously wear the same jeans for a week.
Rodriguez: What comes to mind when
you hear Seattle?
Widerman: Grunge, of course.
Bordignon: Nirvana. They were huge
for me.
Rodriguez: What’s the last item you
pleasure song?
Widerman: “Maneater” by Nelly
Furtado. She’s a fellow Canadian who is
rather successful.
Rodriguez: Do you have an opinion
about American chicks?
Bordignon: They seem a little more
forward.
Widerman: I like them. I love their little
accents.
Rodriguez: What piece of clothing or
accessory do you often leave behind on
tour?
Widerman: Sunglasses.
Bordignon: Show shorts. (Bordignon is
a longboarder, and usually wears shorts on
stage)
Rodriguez: Does The Reason have any
music videos out?
Widerman: Yeah, on Much Music
(Canada’s equivalent to MTV). We just
shot a new video in Toronto with Sean
Michael Turell, who directed a video for
Michael Buble.
Rodriguez: What’s the most luxurious
item on your concert rider (tour contract)?
Widerman: V-8.
Bordignon: Jack Daniels, fruit, veggies,
pita bread and hummus.
Rodriguez: One of my favorite Canadian
acts, who has interviewed with Seattle Gay
News twice, is Tegan and Sara.
Widerman: Sara sang on our album, on
the song “We’re So Behind This”. Adam
(White) was friends with Tegan and Sara
since they were a folk two-piece.
Rodriguez: What are you guys going
to do with all the money you made at the
Virgin Festival?
Widerman: It’ll pay for the new van (he
points to a shiny white van parked close to
the tent). Our old one kept breaking down.
But if we ever make a lot of money, I’ll buy
a guitar.
Bordignon: Yeah, maybe some new
drums.
6 Seattle Gay News PRIDE ‘07 Music
June 15, 2007