This Love's a Prison

So, guys, about a month ago I posted a review of my buddy Dave Vertesi's debut album, Cardiography, which, at that point, didn't have a release date.

NOW IT DOES.

I am very excited about this, for many reasons: 1) I get to see Dave soon! Tour! 2) I can buy a copy and fondle the cover art, which rumour has it has some extreme sexiness on it (that is, if he went with the design he was looking at back in the spring.) 3) YOU can buy his album, too! Support your Canadian artists! Especially the nice ones! and, my last big reason: 4) I like seeing awesome people succeed, and signing with File Under: Music is a killer step for him.

So, what you need to know is this:

On October 26th, David's album will be officially released- OFFICIALLY. Which means that on October 26th I fully expect at least 3 of you to buy it.

Also: Check out his "Website" which has some of his songs on it. Or follow him on the TwitterMagic, which he'll update with gems like this:

Songs for the Lovelorn

I should start by admitting my overwhelming bias in this matter – I am a bit in love with David Vertesi. Not so much in the “I want to have his babies” or “I sit outside his window and watch him sleep”  kind of way, but more in the “head-over-heels with his voice and heart and talent” kind of way.

I first met David in 2007 (I think) when his band Hey Ocean! performed a free show at a local bar. Since then, I’ve been to see him more than 20 times- ranging from his role as bassist for HeyO! and TopLess Gay Love Tekno Party, as well as two solo performances opening up for Hannah Georgas. Suffice to say, when Dave told me he was getting ready to record his album earlier this year, I was stoked. And as the months have passed, my anticipation (and, let’s be honest, desperation) to hear his first solo project has exploded. So, when he sent me a digital copy of the yet-to-be-released album a month ago, I lost my mind a bit.

Let’s just say that I’ve been amazed by this kid’s voice since I first heard him sing his as-yet-still-a-demo song “It Always Goes.” There is nothing like a sweet set of bass vox to make me go all wibbly.

What I’m getting at is that I’m far from unbiased. At the same time, I’m going to try to differentiate between Dave the Dude and Dave the Musician. Here I go.

Vertesi’s debut solo album takes a leap away from the party tunes of TopLess Gay Love and the carefree pop of Hey Ocean!; Focused on more emotional ground, Cardiography (2010) details (and I’m guessing on the timeline here) a year of Vertesi’s life- namely, falling in and out of love.

Navigating the listener through the eyes of a hopeful romantic to those of a lovelorn man, Cardiography is, in some ways, a typical debut album. Raw and passionate, Vertesi’s creation may lack the subject matter diversity of the average sophomore release, however he more than makes up for it with a raw honesty that confirms his dedication to his work.

Although not likely to resonate with everyone, Cardiography most certainly has an audience. Reflecting on love and heartbreak, he leaves the album with a surprisingly positive outlook – an “it’s better to have loved and lost, even though the loss feels like your heart’s been carved out with a dull, rusty spoon” feeling.  Lovelorn and hopeful, the album highlights Vertesi’s talent – as a writer, vocalist, and versatile musician - having performed all but the horns and strings himself.

All-in-all, Cardiography does exactly what any good debut release should- showcases the raw talent of an artist while providing a foundation upon which to grow and develop as a musician. Whether it’s your cup of tea or not, Cardiography is evidence that David Vertesi is a man to be watched; great things are surely to come.

Album: Cardiography
Artist: David Vertesi
Release Date: Not Soon Enough (TBA)
Overall Rating: Top 25 Most Played
Track Listing: (1) Mountainside; (2) Gentlemen Say; (3) All Night, All Night, All Night; (4) Learn to Run; (5) Cardiography; (6) Broadcasting; (7) Caroline! A Ghost!; (8) Rossland; (9) Soft Skin; (10) Hearts Don’t Break, People Do; (11) Epilogue
Personal Fave: Soft Skin
Top Lyrics: And if I am a ship lost at sea, then you are a beacon; burning a hole in the night, a path to safety.

Love Uncontrollably

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done for love?

I tend to do a lot of ridiculous things, especially when love gets involved. 

Countless mix tapes/cds, dozens of handwritten letters, and at least a few extravagant packages later, I still think that the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever done for Love, for someone I Loved and continue to Love was to fly across the country to see him. 

Okay, so, let’s set this up with a bit of backstory: My cousin plays for the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (KWS) and a couple years ago a buddy of mine was going to school out in Kitchener-Waterloo (he will henceforth be referred to as Kay-dub). 

And, while the trip was, in large part, to see my cousin and spend some time in what is easily one of my favourite Canadian cities, the added benefit was that, with some perfected timing, I was going to get to drive out from T.O with my cousin and see Kaydub for an evening, see a show, and have an awesome hangout. 

Since he moved away, we’d started emailing more, talking on ye olde interwebs, and occasionally even indulging each other in a phone call. Because, regardless of how far apart we were, we were buds, and it made sense to keep in touch. Hell, we kept in touch better that year than we have any year since. 

Anyway, and I mean this with no disrespect or slight intended towards my cousin, because she is easily one of the most amazing people in my life and I love her to bits and wish I could see her infinitely more often than I do- a big part of the trip was about seeing Kaydub. After all, he was doing his MA, which was a huge deal, and was living away from home. I’d been there. No matter how awesome it is, it’s still kind of rough. And I missed him, and wanted to see him. Plus, I got to bring him to one of my cousins performances, and show off how proud of her I am. That was hella cool. 

But, at the end of the day, I largely arranged a trip around the prospect of getting in a car or hopping on a greyhound bus and going out to see him. 

Lo and behold I happened to get there on what probably still ranks as one of the worst weekends of the kid’s life, but, hey, shit happens. 

Where Do You Go?

So, obviously I didn't get to posting yesterday, but for anyone that was out with me at Ye Olde Pub you can understand why. I think it's safe to say that being that inebriated at 10pm on a Tuesday night is a personal best (or a personal worst, depending on your perspective) and I'll be going at the next couple weeks (months) pretty tamely.

That being said, let's get going on this SoulPancakey life, as I sit here eating leftover waffles and french toast. (Gotta round off that breakfast tripod, no?)

Life's Big Questions:Sunday, March 8th: Where Do You Go To FindInspiration?

I have to start with the usual- like so many people out there, I tend to spend a lot of time walking outside, sitting in parks, and, when I'm able, dipping my feet into the ocean in order to find something inspiring, or, at the very least, to feel inspired. The thing is, though, my happy place, that one situation I can be in at any time and get completely blown away by it all, changes on a daily basis. Different venues, different nights, but in the end it's always the same- live music totally gets my inspiration going.
There's just something about being at a crowded venue or one that is entirely empty, and just being swept away by the band on stage. Now, take note- there are a lot of bad bands out there. And past that, there are even more decently passable bands that are just not my preferred musical flavouring. But at the end of the day, if you can find a band that moves you, a band that kills it on stage, a band that is obviously having so much fucking fun up there that you just can't help but have funwatching them have that much fun, then you've got something miraculous on your hands.

Now, if you can manage to find a good recording artist who also performs amazingly on stage? Then you've got a magical combination.