This is what my new hometown sounds like.

1. Terrible Love – The National.

2. Knotty Pine – Dirty Projectors & David Byrne.

3. Cappo – No Age.

4. Take Care – Beach House.

5. In The Morning – Nick Drake.

6. All to All – Broken Social Scene.

7. The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake – Sufjan Stevens.

8. Jasper – Aidan Knight.

9. Anatomical Literacy – Jordan Klassen.

10. Intervention – The Arcade Fire.

11. Girlfriend – Pheonix.

12. B.O.B. – Outkast.

13. Swim (To Reach The End) – Surfer Blood.

14. Rotten Hell – Menomena.

15. Redford (for Yia-Yia and Pappou) – Sufjan Stevens.

16. In A Future Age – Wilco.

17. Ooh La La – The Faces.

18. Oliver James – Fleet Foxes.

1. “Used To Be,” from Beach House’s Teen Dream.

2. “Sugarcube,” from Yo La Tengo’s I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One.

3. “Sing, Sing, Sing,” written by Louis Prima.

4. “You Don’t Love Me,” from The Abramson Singers’ self-titled album The Abramson Singers.

5. “Ghost,” from Neutral Milk Hotel’s “the Aeroplane Over The Sea.”

6. “Bless This Mess,” from David Bazan’s Curse Your Branches.

7. “Up On Cripple Creek,” from The Band’s self-titled album, The Band.

8. “Jackson,” from Johnny Cash’s Carryin’ On with Johnny Cash and June Carter.

9. “Mine’s Not A High Horse,” from the Shins’ Chutes Too Narrow.

10. “Inspiration Information,” by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, from Dark Was The Night: A Red Hot Compilation.

11. “Unsatisfied,” from The Replacements’ Let It Be.

12. “Newark Wilder,” from Pavement’s Crooked Rain Crooked Rain.

13. “Trashcan,” from Delta Spirit’s Ode To Sunshine.

14. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out,” from Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run.

15. “I Know There’s An Answer,” from the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.

16. “I’m Into Something Good,” from the Langley School Music Project’s Innocence and Despair.

17. “Come Monday Night,” from God Help the Girl’s God Help the Girl.

Despite what you may have heard in the Closing Ceremonies a couple Sundays ago, this is what Canada sounds like.

1. “Helicopters” by The Stills

2. “Penpals” by Sloan

3. “Detroit ‘67″ by Sam Roberts

4. “These Eyes” by The Guess Who

5. “One Man Guy” by Rufus Wainwright

6. “Dirty Water” by k-os

7. “No Satisfaction” by Black Mountain

8. “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” by The Arcade Fire

9. “Keep It Real” by Plants & Animals

10. “Past In Present” by Feist

11. “Call It Off” by Tegan and Sara

12. “Country Girl: Whiskey Boot Hill/Down, Down, Down/Country Girl (I Think You’re Pretty)” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

13. “Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)” by Broken Social Scene

14. “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye” by Leonard Cohen

15. “Next Train” by Miracle Fortress

16. “Acadian Driftwood” by The Band

17. “Flowers Grow Out Of My Grave” by Dead Man’s Bones

The Olympics are here, but you can barely notice here. There are a few more people in town, but nothing that justifies the shops staying open 24 hours, which some have done anyway because that’s what they planned for. Vancouver, on the other hand, is exploding. Nick and I went down there on Saturday the 13th for the free Wilco show, and the crowds were of impressive size. Not quite the post-fireworks rush, but close. Nick put it this way: “You know that atmosphere before a hockey game, where every one is every one’s friend and people just randomly cheer in the streets and make noise and it just feels great to be in the city? It’s like that, but all the time for two weeks straight.”

We showed up at David Lam Park at about 2:00. We had called Alissa, our cousin, an hour or so beforehand to find out what the situation was down there. She works for Toursim BC and was stationed inside the Live City location at David Lam. She said the line up was about an hour long already, so we didn’t do much before heading in that direction. I didn’t expect anything to be going on there yet, just some people getting the stage ready and others sitting on grass, waiting. Instead, we got through security to see giant corporate tents with waiting lines to get inside. In order to get inside the Coke tent, we had to get in line for a ticket that would have the time we could come back at to get inside. It was around 2:30. The next available time to get inside was 7:30.

We went to the stage instead. The Hot Moonbeams (Nick and Tim Ubels (with their dad), Dan Edwards and Dave Kandal) were right behind us. After wandering around the other tents for awhile, and losing Dan and Dave, we left the park to find some food. Yaletown was full of people, just like the rest of the city. We looked at a few places, the Raw Canvas included, but they all seemed too yuppish and expensive. We ended up at Earls, ate there, and headed back, only to find an enormous line up curving around the block. We found the end of it and began shuffling behind everyone else. It moved pretty quickly, though. We were inside about a half hour later or so.

The concert began with Default. Who knew they were still doing their thing, eh? Brang me back to grade eight. A pretty comical experience, watching them play. Black t-shirts and muscley, tattooed arms. Spikey hair. Funny. They showed the games between acts, or people winning their medals. Between Default and Califone, they showed the Women’s hockey team destroying the Slovakian team, 16, 17, 18-0.

Califone played great. I enjoyed them, but I’m not sure how many people around me did as well. At that point, the Default fans hadn’t quite exited the park, and there were a lot of “what the hey is this?” looks on people’s faces. One guy decided to voice this opinion by mock-loving them. Some things he said were funny, but mostly it was just rude. It semi-ruined the moment.

Then, after about a half-hour delay, Wilco came on… to the “Price Is Right” theme. They killed it. I had seen them before a couple years ago in Stanley Park, and they were good then, but for some reason there was an extra special something to them this night. They were excited to play. Jeff Tweedy, the lead singer, had this great, humble attitude about being chosen to play for the Olympics. They considered it a privelege, and played accordingly. Nels Cline the Guitarist amazed even the people in the crowd who had no idea who these guys were. His solo during “Side With The Seeds” was just above and beyond. I can’t even describe it to you.

….           …..          …..             …..                …..          …..           …….      …….

It’s been a little over a week since I started writing this. I’ve been back to the city for another concert, Hal Wilner’s Neil Young Project, which was mostly a disappointment but for a few great surprises (eg. Elvis Costello showing up and stealing the show/giving it back to Neil). We’ve gone to Whistler as a group a couple times. It’s great being part of crowds of people having a good time. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how peaceful this whole Olympics thing has been. Amidst a lot of competition and patriotism, I have seen almost no animosity between people. People are simply allowing each other to celebrate. It’s great to see. Even after the hockey game on Sunday, when Canada lost against the U.S., people let the Americans get excited. No one got angry or lashed out. Made losing a little easier, seeing my countrymates take it so well.

………..         ……..           ………..           ………..          ……….         ………..

It’s been two weeks now since the game above. We’ve won our gold, and almost everyone has gone home. I was weary at first about the Olympics coming here. There was a lot of talk about the poor not being treated well here and it being wrong for our government to spend all this money for games when they had more important things to do. I didn’t know where I stood. But now that it’s all over, I liked it. Seeing the world enjoy something together is a great thing to be part of. It also let Canadians finally feel like a collective. Being loud and friendly together, we finally felt a part of something other than ourselves or our past. We got to show the world what Canadian patriotism looks like, and I think they liked it.

Laura, may your trip be illuminating.

With every song there is a story. Here is the list and the story.

1. Grizzly Bear’s “Foreground.” I had heard a few songs off “Veckatamist” before Nick bought the CD. Songs like “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait For The Others.” It’s taken me a bit to gain a relationship with this album, partly because it got a lot of hype on the internet, so it was difficult not to go in expecting grandeur. “Foreground” is the last song on the album, but for some reason, it just worked better as the first one here. It’s pretty great.

2. Gold Panda’s “Quitters Raga” I found on Pitchfork.com’s “Forkast,” the part of the website where they have new songs to listen to. The first time I heard it, my mind exploded. It starts off with this great tune, and then just goes bizurk. Insane. By the middle, it almost becomes too much. It’s a blessing it’s only 2:00. I don’t think you could take much more. Still, pretty awesome.

3. Animal Collective is a great band. They put out their album “Merriweather Post Pavillion” last year, and “My Girls” was the first song I heard from it. I’m actually surprised it didn’t end up on a whistlehum episode before this. Just a great song all around. Great tune, great lyrics, even if it is a bit repetative. I would encourage looking into them more.

4. The first time I heard about Dead Man’s Bones, I knew I would like them. One of my favorite actors, Ryan Gosling, makes a band with a former girlfriend’s brother (or something like that) based on their love spookiness, and Langley Schools Music Project, of all things. My mom bought the Langley Schools Music Project CD on a whim many years ago. I didn’t think much of it until I went on a road trip in 2008 and found it in a record store in Seattle with a quote from David Bowie on the cover. It’s a children’s choir from our hometown singing pop songs from the 60’s and the 70’s, and it’s awesome.

The song “Pa Pa Power” makes me want to write music.

5. “Valentine” just seemed like an appropriate name for a song in February. Plus it sounds great. Justice knows how to lay the beat.

6. “Long Distance Call” by Phoenix. Get it? Because you’re away from home, you’ll be making a lot of “long distance calls?” Plus I assumed you had heard new Phoenix and I wanted to show some great older stuff from them. Great band.

7. Peter Bjorn & John’s “Paris 2004″ was named after a place far away. New Zealand is also far away. That’s about it for that one.

8. Bon Iver was my music in 2009. I love that guy. This song is the last one on the album, “For Emma, Forever Ago.” Amazing. Go buy it.  “Re: Stacks” is such a devastating song. The guy was so in love. You just want to give him a big hug and say, “Everything is going to be okay.”

9. Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” No explanation necessary.

10. I thought you would like “Cheap Like Sebastien,” by Apostle of Hustle because it is a great song. The rythmn really worked with the other songs, too. I really like the part with the girl singing, “La, la, la, la.”

11. I just bought Spoon’s new album “Transference,” along with the Dead Man’s Bones album, on Saturday. I like it a lot, and this song fits with everything the best, I thought. The echo on the guitar is sweet.

12. The Brunettes are actually from New Zealand. I saw them on that road trip I spoke of a few songs back, when they opened for the band Beirut. They sounded great, so I bought their CD, “Structure and Cosmetics.” This song is from it and it’s called “Hairagami Set.” They have a new album that just came out. I haven’t heard it yet.

13. “Sweet Song” is by Blur, the band who sings the “Woohoo,” song you’ve heard at hockey games and on beer commercials. I’m actually not a huge fan, but this is a nice song.

14. Belle & Sebastian are one of Nick’s and my favorite bands. This song, “We Are The Sleepyheads,” is off their album, “The Life Pursuit.” Great song, great album, yeah.

15. Ray LaMontagne is an example of manhood to me. He has owns a farm, he writes great music, including glorious songs like “Jolene;” one of the more powerful songs you will ever hear. Ray is one of those people that just knows how to put things. You could listen to this song over and over again, if you’d like. We here in Squamish put it on repeat every now and then.

16. “Gold,” by Interference, is from the movie “Once,” which I know you’ve seen. It’s the only song that isn’t from one of the main characters specifically, although I’m pretty sure that’s Glenn Hansard on back-up vocals. If I think of the landscape New Zealand is known for, this song goes along with that pretty well. Epic and grandiose.

Anyway, enjoy Capernray. Come home safe.

1. Tightrope>Yeasayer

2. Backed Out On The…>Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew

3. Mirror Kissers>The Cribs

4. Thirteen>Big Star

5. Goin’ To Acapulco>Jim James & Calexico cover Bob Dylan

6. So Long, Marianne>Leonard Cohen

7. Apple Scruffs>George Harrison

8. Blindsided>Bon Iver

9. Second to None>Pheonix

10. The Rip>Portishead

11. Children>Delta Spirit

12. Two Weeks>Grizzly Bear

13. St. Augustine>Band of Horses

14. Abel>The National

15. Cold Day from the Birdhouse>The Twilight Sad

16. When It’s Sleepy Time Down South>Louis Armstrong

LOOK! A NEW EPISODE! Excuse the all-caps. This has taken three months. I introduce two roommates here (kind of). They are Jill Marie Stokes and Matt Davies. Together, with Nick, our other roommate Katrina, and a whole slew of others, we are on the road to opening a cafe called “The Ledge” in Squamish, B.C. All we need is a couple days of no rain to start some roofing.

But enough about that. More about the music! This will be the last of the “Music Action Words” series. I think it’s great one to leave off on.

The list is:

1. Peter, Bjorn and John: Writer’s Block.

2. Peter, Bjorn and John (again): Objects of My Affection.

3. Menomena: Muscle’n Flo.

4. Sufjan Stevens: To Be Alone With You

5. Damien Rice: Cold Water.

6. Danielson: When it Comes to You I’m Lazy

7. The Welcome Wagon: Sold! To the Nice, Rich Man.

8. Jill Marie and Matt make fun of me.

8. The Tragically Hip: Ahead by a Century

9. The Hold Steady: Citrus.

10. Neutral Milk Hotel: King of Carrot Flowers Part 2 & 3.

11. The Microphones: My Roots Are Strong and Deep.

12. Plants and Animals: New Kind of Love.

13. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Gospel Song.

14. The Arcade Fire: My Body is a Cage.

15. Johnny Cash: Hurt.

16. Sufjan Stevens: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.

17. U2: The First Time.

It’s an awkward stage we’re in right now. We technically moved a week ago, but we haven’t actually lived in Squamish until Sunday. We were back on Wednesday for the show at The Reach. Nathan was the Magician, Conrad, Jason, Nick and I were The Gates of Love. It went better than one would expect from one practise beforehand. Went back to Squamish for Thursday, only to be in Langley again on Friday for a Sue/Evelyn joint Birthday baseball game and altogether good time. Happy Official Birthday Evelyn, by the way. Mom and Dad showed up a couple hours after us in Squamish on Saturday with our beds and last things.

We began our worship for The Rock on Sunday. Right now we are having “preview services” at the Adventure Centre just off Highway 99. It’s a small, temporary venue, but it worked out fine. Glenn spoke about Genesis 2 and a chunk of what that entails. Needless to say, the sermon was on the longer side. The story of how we began can bring up a thing or two.

Darrell and Adrienne came up for Sunday and Monday to support. After the service, we all headed to Whistler with Matt, our roomate and Glenn’s middle son. We walked around and laughed, and then met up with Naomi and Sean for dinner. Went to Dubh Linn’s, laughed some more. Apparently Sean and I had never had Guinness before because we wanted a pitcher of it. Afterward Sean and Naomi left and we went to eat chocolate and give each other hiccups. I cannot emphasize it enough. We laughed a lot.

On Monday Darrell, Adrienne, Matt, Nick and I explored our new town. We walked all around the downtown area, we drove up the hill to see Quest. Matt had to work in the evening, so we spent some time in our apartment before visiting him at Boston Pizza. Spent the whole time trying to convince Darrell that they should stay another night, but to no avail. Come on, man! Priorities! They ended up going home from Boston Pizza while Nick and I walked over the the movie theatre to see Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.” Actually a pretty great movie. I would have subtitled it “Jewish Revenge” or something like that. A pretty powerful ending, I would say.

Well that about wraps it up so far. Nick and I are off to rent a movie and grab a coffee at “Zephyr,” a decent cafe that our friend Jill-Marie from church works at. She’s moving in on September first. Should be good.

A PRAYER FOR MONTREAL

Montreal is like the shy girl in school who is suspicious of why you are smiling at her. But how could you not? Every time you look deeper, you find something about her that makes you love her more. She won’t show herself too quickly though. She knows about the rumors. She knows what they say about her. “She’s a tease, with a strip club on every corner. She’s just following the trends.” She’ll only let you in if you gain her trust, and that takes time.

She never let me in fully. but I’m not going home empty-handed. I learned to love her despite rejection. And despite her cold shoulder, I haven’t given up just yet. I still have something to tell her; that I love her, and her father does, too. They were separated at birth, it seems. And she rebelled against the thought of him as a teenager. But he’s found her, and he wants her back. “Come back to me,” he says. We both know why she’s so hesitant. But we also know he’s the best thing for her. If only she’ll trust and see.

Help her to trust, Lord. Help her to see.

HIPSTERS
A subculture report.
By Andrew Koole.

Hot spots?
Hipster hotspots include: New York City, Montreal, Vancouver (new), and Portland.
How did you find them?
I found them by walking through the Plateau Mont Royal and Mile-End, sitting in cafes and watching the streets at night.

How does one become a part of this sub-culture?
It doesn’t take much to become a hipster. You simply have to like certain things, such as: beatnik poetry and writing, vintage or American Apparel clothing, foreign or independent film, cheap or locally brewed, non-mainstream beer, modern art, indie music, expensive, European cigarettes, one-speed bicycles, etc. The problem with making a list such as this though, is that it will quickly change. As soon as something is defined as “hipster,” it is shunned. Hipsters, as they have never wanted to be called, will stop at nothing to avoid being pinned down. As soon as anything catches the ear of mainstream culture, it is avoided.

Key traits?
Well, I’ve mentioned a few already in the answer above, but I guess there’s more to it. One thing I’ve noticed about hipsters is their ability to enjoy life. I never met anyone resembling hipsterdom that was uptight or outwardly angry about things. Again, it’s difficult to list key traits of a group that prides itself on avoiding labels.

Why are they here in Montreal?
Montreal is one of the Meccas of the hipster sub-culture. For the most part, this is because of its art and music “scene.” In order to understand why there are so many of them in Montreal, we really have to understand why artists come to Montreal. The city has become a symbol of everything Western. It is where North America and Europe collide. Hipsters come to Montreal because they can find everything they like here.

What is attractive about and what are some benefits of being a part of this group?
The fact that hipsters are associated with everything alternative means I like most things hipsters like. I’m not a fan of European cigarettes or cheap beer, but almost everything else listed above are things that I enjoy. So naturally, I find this subculture attractive. Their philosophy of not being pinned down, although frustrating at times, is a good one for a group of young people such as them. These people have seen punk, new wave, grunge and all the rest fall into the hands of marketers and advertisers. They have begun to understand how the game works. Unfortunately, the very fact that in the last few years they’ve been given this name, “hipster,” means that their sub-culture has neared its end.

What are some problems that arise because of being a part of this group?
Many hipsters suffer from a major dose of apathy. There are reasons behind many of the choices the hipster subculture has collectively made, but many followers don’t know or care about them. Every subculture like it has dealt with the same issue. With every fashion statement, you will inevitably have posers and trend-followers. Some of the things that are now considered “hipster” are simply trends.

Also, because hipsters tend to be defined based on what they buy, the movement rarely moves past its aesthetic. Many hipsters do move past this in conversation and thought, but it is not what makes them a hipster. What makes them a hipster is what they wear. It’s hard to understand if there’s more to it.

Have they experienced any discrimination because of being attached to this group?
In reality, most people don’t know that hipsters even exist. The only discrimination they receive is from within. There are endless forums and online conversations of hipsters bashing each other (example here). Whereas most groups wear their label with pride, hipsters use theirs to scoff at each other. The worst insult you can give to a hipster is to call him or her a hipster.

How do they view society?
I think the idea is that broader society is a necessary evil and something to be avoided. Hipsters live in major cities, and are generally very accepting of others, but when it comes to interests, fashion, entertainment, etc., it is important not to take part. They participate in normal society, but with “refined taste.”

How do they think society views them?
Hipsters know that broader society barely knows that they exist as a group, and that’s the way they like it. As soon as mass culture is aware of their presence, they are in danger of being marketed.

Main interests.
Liberal arts are very popular with hipsters. I realize that is a very broad term, but hipsters are purposefully broad so that they can quickly evolve when ever mainstream culture gets too close. Music is a big deal for most hipsters. They constantly compete over who knows the most obscure band. Because the music industry has moved to the internet, mainstream culture has edged closer and closer to this aspect of hipsterdom, but music is a very fluid thing, much like the hipster. Once your favorite new band is playing on all the Late Night shows, it’s easy to ditch them for some obscure blues group from the ‘40s that no one has heard of. All things analog and “original” are interesting for hipsters; photography, vinyl, Atari or original Nintendo, etc.

Are they religious or spiritual in their thinking?
No. Again, they are very accepting of other people’s views and beliefs. Some religions are more “hipster” than others. Evangelical Christianity is the most un-hipster thing in the world (which may cause it to be extremely “hipster” within the end of the year, we’ll see). Because of their love for the original, Catholicism and Russian or Greek Orthodoxy are more attractive for the hipster than more current denominations (this may also be because these newer denominations are what their parents are part of), this or the exact opposite, emergent churches, tend to attract Christian hipsters as well (they are trying to go back to the way the early church did things, so I guess it’s even more “original”). Eastern religions have their attraction as well, but for the most part, hipsters stay pretty clear from religion. I’d say the majority of them would probably be agnostic or atheist.

How were you received by this sub-culture? Share your impressions.
Throughout my time here in Montreal, I was generally well received by hipsters. But I knew going in that this would be an impossible group to write a report on. Because I knew about their aversion to being labeled, I felt very uncomfortable confronting them about their sub-culture. Julia and I were talking to Lysanne Picard about our reports, and when she heard what I was doing, she laughed. Her roommate, she said, if you asked her if she was a hipster, “would be able to laugh and say, ‘yes.’” She said she would ask if I could interview her for my report. Lysanne asked her, and she said no. Her response was for me to put an ad on craigslist to try and find somebody. That’s how impossible it is. I researched mostly through observation.