Different is good

Unlike what you may think, I am not talking specifically about my personality (though I'm different enough). Last night I went to see Jason Collett at the Grad Club. Having seen Sarah Harmer in a church the night before it was a bit of a shift of gears. Moving from church pews which necessitate a certain separation of parishoners to the rather cozy confines of a standing room only crowd in a room not much bigger than my living room is a bit of a jump. They were both intimate in their own way though. One was the shared experience of a bedtime story, the other was the feeling of their sweat splashing you from their rocking-out in front of you. (The splashing sweat is more of a descriptor than a reality, I left without sweat stains, mine or otherwise). Either way, they were both great.

Jason is part of Broken Social Scene which is, for me, an eclectic collective of Canadian musicians making some critically acclaimed and interesting music. I was also duly impressed by his opening band Paso Mino. We caught the last third of their performance and they reminded me of yet another band that I'm terribly fond of, Peterborough's Silver Hearts. The earthy vocals tied the two together for me. I do hope the 'Hearts come back this way soon. Anyway, I also have to give credit to Paso Mino for putting on two shows. What we saw of their set was pretty quiet. They then proceeded to play with Jason Collett and took the opportunity to rock-out. Considering I've slept in bed's bigger than the stage they were on I was impressed. Especially as they closed the first set after Jason stepped off-stage for a minute.

While I don't plan to become a concert reviewer or promoter, these couple of shows reminded me how important it is to take part in all the amazing things going on in the community around me. Concerts are a fun part but of course there's plenty more. I don't know that anywhere can ever feel like home if you don't become a part of it yourself.

Today's FPP (flickr purgatory photo) is another from Arianne's wedding. Though you might not be able to tell that's Arianne and Dave holding hands during the ceremony.