Fast Romantics’ “Julia” wins SOCAN Songwriting Prize

Awards, News

The 2016 SOCAN Songwriting Prize was awarded today to the Toronto-via-Calgary band Fast Romantics for their song “Julia,” beating out the likes of Polaris Music Prize nominees The Strumbellas, Dilly Dally and Andy Shauf. Each year, SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) hands out the Prize to honour the music created by emerging Canadian songwriters.

“Julia,” released as a single in the spring of 2015, is a catchy rock tune with a few curious experimental rhymes. It was produced by Gus Van Go and Werner F, who have previously worked with Hollerado, Said the Whale and Rah Rah. Fast Romantics has not released a full album since their 2013 sophomore release Afterlife Blues, but they made a new song, “Animal,” available in January. This isn’t the first accolade Fast Romantics have captured as they took home Pop Group of the Year at the 2014 SiriusXM Indies.

“Amazed to hear that our tune ‘Julia’ just won the SOCAN Songwriting Prize,” said Matthew Angus, singer and main songwriter of the band, on Facebook. “A massive thanks to all of you fans for voting, to the wonderful people on the Panel, to all nine of the other nominees who all wrote such deserving, amazing songs […] We’re feelin’ pretty buzzed today”.

The SOCAN Songwriting Prize was first handed out in 2006. To pick the nominees, two panels, one for English tracks and one for French, made up of experts from the Canadian music industry pick what they consider to be the most creative songs from the past year. After the nominations are tallied, the top 10 are announced as finalists. The public then vote to determine the winner. The award comes with $10,000 in cash as well as gear from Godin Guitars and Yamaha.

Winners from years past include The Weakerthans for “Night Windows,” Kathleen Edwards for “A Soft Place to Land,” and Karkwa – in the Francophone competition – for “Oublie Pas.”

Check out “Julia,” winner of the 2016 SOCAN Songwriting prize, and its video starring the sweet moves of Fred Astaire.

222 thoughts on “Fast Romantics’ “Julia” wins SOCAN Songwriting Prize”

  2. Funny, *Julia* is pretty well the last song that I’d always mute on R3, having quickly tired of that rhyme X R3’s frequent replays.

    And good morning.

    I won’t be here much this a.m., doing chores before it’s deadly hot here. Then, going to make my car Ontario-legal for another year. Using the bike, hah!

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  9. I prefer to think of us as building a new and great thing rather than being refugees, but it’s all how you phrase it, I guess.

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  10. Hellooo!
    If I thought I disagreed with the Polaris prize, is because I never remember this one, bahahahahaha.
    That being said, I think Fast Romantics are the ones I like the most among this year’s nominees. Still, this is far from being my favourite Fast Romantics song. Afterlife Blues was one of my favourite albums from 2013, and “Atoms” was easily my favourite song from that year.

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  11. @BfO: Does that just mean you’re biking down to the MTO to pick up your new plate stickers? I was initially picturing something much more interesting, like jury-rigging a fix with bike parts to pass your emissions test or something.

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  15. Good morning!
    I immediately thought of BfO when i read this, knowing how much he loves Julia 😉
    Atoms worked on my phone @reg

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  16. I also like Fast Romantics a lot thanks of how I first heard of them and the time I saw them live. Very nice guys.

    They were one of those small bands that follow a lot of people on Twitter, and they followed me and a friend. We liked them a lot. I started listening to R3 later and was happy to see they were played there.

    They were announced for NXNE 2014, and then dropped of the lineup (was it the 45 day policy?) so I messaged them about how sad I was, and they told me they would find a way to play, and they did! It was at a place called the Supermarket in Kensington Market, I think. They greeted me at the end and when I asked them if I could buy a CD from them, Matthew, the singer, just gave it to me for free because I had come from far away to see them. And they played a cover of Common People by Pulp, which I loooove.

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  19. @zammy you saw my HR! post, I’ll be there!
    If anybody else is near Peterborough, Hey Rosetta!’s playing. a FREE SHOW tomorrow 8pm by the river! I’m so exvited!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  20. I’m bringing my friend Nicole! SO AWESOME! Another band off my list!
    Last time I was at that fest I saw Elliot BROOD play, but that was several years ago.

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  23. HA! We got some spam!

    “Ahaa, its good dialogue on the topic of this piece of writing here at this web site, I have read all that, so now me
    also commenting here.”

    Couldn’t they have at least skimmed the headline or the name of the website?

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  25. Loozrboy, 7:29 Just the first, biking to get a car plate sticker. (There’s a smaller Service Ontario office I go to, and timing it between 9:30 and 10:30 is perfect. I was the fourth in line!) Next year I’m due for emissions testing; the car passed really handily last year.

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  26. @BfO: Seems like you should be able to just go to a web site and have them mail your stickers to you. But I suppose biking out to get them is good excercise on a lovely summer day, so whatever 🙂

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  27. I’m late getting an E test for our van, it will almost certainly fail but we have to take it into civilization where up to date stickers matter do I have to suck it up.
    @ zammy YAY!!! I’ll look for you! Woo! This will be my 1st HR! show too! Squee for free!:)

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  35. Except that right now, the mails aren’t recommended. Besides, I had to get the validation for July 22, latest. But you’re right, it’s mostly to get on the bike and pedal that I do a lot of things offline, in real life. You also get *real intelligent service* when you’re right there, rather than being on the phone, stuck with easy listening tunes, and… GODDAMN DIAL TONE, I’VE GOT TO CALL AGAIN, kind of thing.

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  42. Every time I skip a track on the new stR3am, it pops up a little tooltip telling me I can skip tracks. I know, numb nuts, that’s why I did it!

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  44. @Nick Jean: Whaat? That’s amazing news. Make sure you remind me again every time I post a comment though.

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  48. I also note that the new blogless R3 site doesn’t offer a “Comments” possibility either. So what was all the previous blabla about us having to register (via Book?) to comment on CBC, in future? Seems like so much talk.

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  57. Apparently I can’t “like” the Donald and Hobbes thing without having a WP account. But I like it.

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  63. lee, it doesn’t seem so, reading the wiki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Astaire (I read the French, much shorter.)

    He started dancing with his sister really young (in 1905); I think a lot of his ‘flouncing’ actually has to do with his incredible dancing perfectionism, moving fast and stopping gradually (but still fast); old-fashioned movement (as in waltzing), but also necessary, to dance like he did. (May I remind you of Gene Kelly who, if you look at him that way, may also appear light in the loafers in some of those movies — but again, it’s I think all for the dancing…)

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  66. If I had been asked about the best song by an “Emerging act” from last year, it would have been “Zzyzx” by Library Voices. No second thoughts or anything, It was just the best.
    But I’m no industry member *Dramatically places back of the hand on the forehead*

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  67. I’m babysitting a feiend’s daughter, one of The Littlest’s besties & they’re cool with sharing the water with fish, a giant crayfish & very large dnapping turtle. I grew up in pools & to this day am wary of lake monsters. Such a minkey.
    Ook?

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  71. @Lucky Completely ok. Although I’m a city girl who is not fond of squishy things.
    I was at the beach in Cozumel last year, and it’s so nice there there were tiny fish hanging out very close to the sand.
    It was very nice seeing them. From a decent distance. Ewww

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  72. …”is a catchy rock tune with a few curious experimental rhymes. ”

    I find it interesting that in the media release that is all they say about the music.

    I quite like the song, but it is not epic by any stretch.

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  75. I was listening to the great Sound Opinions podcast (from WBEZ Chicago. Maybe you listen to it–if you don’t I recommend it) the other day and the two guys who host it got into a discussion that I thought was interesting–about people singing along at live shows.

    One guy really hated it because he thought it detracted from what he came to see and hear (ie. THE BAND and only THE BAND) but the other guy and their intern thought it added to the whole communal experience if people knew all the songs. I just thought that was interesting and wondered how other people felt.

    I’m in the ‘singalong’ camp, but that could be because I used to live in musical theatre land.

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  76. @reginula don’t go! own your opinions and be proud you have such good taste. i am sure LV agrees;)

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  77. ummm i just heard a song that camp councillors are playing that i totally know from R3, maybe Foxtrott or Weaves, “nobody can drag me down” & it’s by One Direction?!
    My question, who covered whom?!

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  78. @morgana – actually I think Regina is off her rocker, but I do appreciate her sentiments. Songs about old Television albums and sex in cars don’t usually fair well when it comes to awards. Actually nothing LV doesn’t fairs well with awards. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

    Liked by 1 person

  80. @library voices ourbasement is not exclusive to non award winners but we definitely lean towards those that are off their rockers!

    You keep rockin’ your way! I for one will keep following.

    Liked by 1 person

  81. @LV I know I’m pretty insane but I’m pretty sure that choice is within the most reasonable part of my brain 😀
    Besides, it’s more often that not that awards go to the most awesome things around, so yaaay to staying on that path, I guess?

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  82. loweeda, 10:22: Singin’ along is alright if you’re at a festival (loudish, massive type), but if in a quiet room (say the Black Sheep), no. With the exception of well-known, singalong choruses, generally, in a quiet room, the person on stage is the one people want to hear.

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  86. I LOVE to sing along but since I know people don’t want to hear me, I just do lip sync? A very intense one, as some of you have witnessed.

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  88. are you saying you don’t want to partake in such things, lee, or that you don’t want others to?

    I guess I’d be annoyed if only a few people were singing along with every song, but if I were, say, at a PUP concert and everyone was shout-singing the lyrics along with the band, I’d think that was awesome and cathartic. It depends on the situation, I guess, as Benoit points out.

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  91. @Donna Speaking of PUP, did you see they are playing Winnipeg on November 27 at the Good Will?

    You’ll be able to read about the tour on OurBasement when I have a break at werk!

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  94. regi, 10:10.. i agree with this choice heartily! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

    Lucky, napping turtles a r e t h e b e s t t u r t l e s
    @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

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  96. are those supposed to be sleeping turtles, hotpatch? There are a lot of them.

    reginula: ya, I saw a double bill of PUP and Hollerado sometime last winter. It was my first time seeing both of them and it was the last show on their tour. At the end of the night they all got up and did Beastie Boys covers together. it was nuts and super-fun.

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  97. Beastie Boys are/were 😦
    AWESOMEEEE
    Nice turtles @ hotpatch!
    I have not yet seen LV. This must be remedied asap.
    The girls have been in the water for hours minus some engorced shade time. Oh youth.

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  100. I was lucky to see LV at the Office (London) several years ago. it was the middle of July, drummer (and or base payer?) yes, I had had a few pints) was so sweaty and greasy (thick, like hockey sweat that actually has some viscosity to it) slinging his long hair and slimmed just about everyone on and around the vicinity of the stage before it was over. You Will Be Slimmed!…..good times

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  102. @hotpatch – That sounds like Eoin the former bass player. He isn’t in the band now. He was fun to watch for sure!

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  103. @LV – I was voting for our local boy Andy Shauf as well. He is having a pretty fantastic year and I am proud of him.

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  104. I also read that LV is playing at Gateway to replace The Garrys. I have gone to Gateway Fest for the last few years but I might not make it this year. 😦

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  107. Darbar, in that case many of us enjoyed a taste of Eoin that night, and now i remember that is was the drummer that got the brunt of the spray as he couldn’t move to get out of the way!

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  110. @Darbs The Gateway lineup is great! I’d say “Let’s go together / Take me with you / *checks prices on the Air Canada site” BUT John K. Samson is playing Brandon on the same weekend and I can’t split myself. D:

    (How long is a Brandon to Bengough drive, tho? five hours?)

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  114. I have a wedding to go to with the dude that weekend and only so much time and money available for all I will be doing this summer.

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  119. audience interaction – when the band is like “hey, you half of the crowd sing this part of the song now and then you half of the crowd sing the next part” or “how you all doing tonight Cleveland? I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!”
    I find that stuff annoying.

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  120. @Lee You don’t like when the band greets the audience?! I even feel it’s rude when they don’t. Like “ugh, whatever, why are we even playing here?”

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  122. @lee/reginula – Greeting is one thing but that “I can’t hear you!” thing is another. I like to interact and respond enthusiastically when I feel it not when it is demanded of me.

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  124. greeting the audience and banter is fine. I just don’t like it when they’re like “make some noise”. Or “Sing the song for us”.

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  125. when the Cure played “Friday I’m In Love” in ATL 2 weeks ago, it was Friday night, i think ALL 10,000 OF US SANG ALONG. i need to look for that on the utube thingy

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  126. @Lee You’d hate it in here, we love those things. In more than one interview I’ve read bands find Mexico City audience is the loudest and most engaging. We “make some noise” even when it’s not required. Ask Erlend Oye.

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  128. NQ Arbuckle show was great! I would have liked his vocals turned up or the band turned down but they hadn’t had time for a sound check. Solid band and good tunes and good banter.

    The opening act was an alt country band with Marshall, Joel and Jeff of Rah Rah and a couple other guys (one played with Zachary Lucky I know). I only caught a couple of their songs but they sounded pretty good to this non alt-country loving person. NQ Arbuckle sounded impressed with them. After the show I caught Marshall to tell him Regina says hi and we talked about what a great fan she is. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  133. In one song of *Ben Folds Live*, the man says (something like) “we got enough people here to make a bitchin horn section.” He then proceeds to split the audience of rabid fans into trumpets and trombones, and everyone does a beautiful job of it.

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  134. That really is depressing when the R3 stream just has the “You are listening to CBC Music” thing. There really is nothing left of R3. Sigh…onwards we go.

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  137. Darbar, recent: Just as well, as the stings with Grant and Lana (“perhaps the best radio station” in the known universe) had become painful. Painfully untrue.

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  138. Very true Benoit. I know you had mentioned the CBC Music thing before but it really just hit me this time. Oh well, dead horse and all that.

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  140. I love that Ben Folds track. I really need to see that man perform.

    Reginula: did I see some hint that you might visit Brandon for the folk festival? Is this for realz?

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  141. they might as well rename the R3 stream on the cbc music app to “popular new canadian indie” as that’s what it is.

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  142. Greetings, y’all.

    Haven’t had a chance to catch up on everything since NXNE. But this blog is fantastic! Well done Nick and Reginula and whoever else is helping.

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  143. … there’s no radio aspect to it. Although they have some OK streams on the app but I don’t love the user unfriendliness of it. I just find the layout a little weird.

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  144. … then again, I find the layout of Google Play app a little weird too since it took over Songza, but I still use it all the time.
    6 of one, half dozen of the other I guess. As long as I can find various music streams I’m all good.

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  146. lee: yeah, there’s no attractiveness to it. It’s like that older Windows layout of “tiles”, but more boring. And a shotgun approach, no focus, nothing really “neat”.

    Which may be good in the medium term. Maybe it’ll underscore how much more could be done.

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  151. @Donna Sadly, it’s not for realz 😦 It would be if flights to the prairies were affordable. I did consider it for a long, long time tho. Sorry. I’d do anything to see JKS.

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  152. JustinGrady and tiffyleeson have done work; garfield also; zamm and reg, tiffy too, have written pieces.

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  153. Wesley, this here thing is a bridge, a stopgap thing; a more permanent site is being designed.

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  154. Wesley Reimer, (any relation to James?) – I’m not sure honestly, I don’t use Spotify. I quite like Google Play though, I find it’s pretty good and there are a million free streams. That’s all I use it for, I don’t download any of the songs or anything.

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  155. @hotpatch at 12:07pm – FYI, whoever “Lee” is, this isn’t me. I’ll keep my mcfflyer name.

    Nice day here today in Sacramento. A real pleasant 83F here right now.

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  157. Wow, Justin et al working on a new site? I kind of like the design of this one. Nice font, in particular. Although I hate WordPress from a development point of view.

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  161. Thanks. I’ve always been open about my real name, but I’ve never signed myself by “Lee”. Whoever the new “Lee” is, welcome to our group!

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  162. HI WES! Welcome back to the new basement.

    Aw, too bad, reginula. I was already trying to figure out how to fit you into my house. I may have guests that weekend, but you would have been welcome, too–and you still are, if you can figure it out. Not really related: how many days until Hamilton?

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  169. A last Ben Folds, but from early in the B. F. Five days. *Underground* done live, but off *Naked Baby Pictures*.

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  173. @Donna Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. Hope I can visit you sometime tho (And you can always visit me here 😀 Day of the Dead is just after Halloween). If you do see JKS, let me know how it was, please.

    167 days ’til Javilton! (Not really counting down, I had to google a countdown timer)

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  175. I am back from walking the dog and taking two boxes of clothes to the consignment store. feels good:)
    now for some good music …. hmm, suggestions appreciated …

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  180. @Donna Oh, I must have gotten my numbers wrong. I’m going on the 27th. I wonder if flying out on the 25th is cheaper and easier than the 26th.

    (The big Christmas family deal is on the 24th here, so I’m good)

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  182. Steve, northern California is really quite nice right now. Just back from 10 days camping in the northeastern part of the state – also the least populated, and things were green with lots of water in the reservoirs. It really looked good. And after a blast of super hot 100F+ temperatures in late June, things dropped down into the 80s, which is very doable!

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  183. One thing while we were camping is that we like to play games at night, a benefit that’s easy in the famed Shaggin’ Wagon with my LED interior lights. We’ve taken to playing Yatzee! because it fast moving, and the dice really clatter on the dinette table. Well, as we were playing, I played Grant’s last live show on my iPhone for my friend. All I have to do is hear Grant’s show opening, and I give out a sigh, remembering what we had, and how important it was to us all every day. Thanks for listening.

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  184. Sounds nice. It’s been a scorcher up here. No real rain for weeks and none in sight.

    Until Saturday, when the Kramdens start playing. That always brings the rain.

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  188. reginula: I’m sure you know what day you’re going! I just found that date by asking Google “what is 167 days from now?” and that’s what it told me. Probably flying on the 25th would be cheaper. I wish I could join you!

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  189. @loweeda it would be SOOOO nice if you could come with me. You have a very nice spot on the line of succession to the ticket and lots of things can happen in six months. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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  190. reginula: there’s a line of succession on the ticket? Well, let it be known that a) I really really want you to get there and be able to see it but b) if for some unknown and terrible reason that doesn’t work out, I would absolutely buy it from you. I am definitely going again, no matter what, as soon as I can.

    (but I really really want you to go)

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  191. @Loweeda There is! If something happened to me, it would give me a lot of peace if you got the ticket. I mean, I really really want to go and I’d rather avoid anything that would keep me from it.

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  192. Braids, I settled on some Brains to calm my frazzled self.
    two days ago I injured myself at work and yesterday I had a customer verbally assault me and today I am burnt like toast.

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  195. Man, I would be terrible at customer “service” — i.e. putting up with abuse.

    I would tell them so fast that they are NOT entitled to yell at me, and to take their business elsewhere in future, unless they can remain civil.

    Which would get me fired.

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  196. Ioweeda Zombie about covers how I am feeling, not much sleep lately. I am getting better at typing minus the right thumb so thanks for noticing 😉

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  198. hey kids!
    got the week off. heading to Ness tomorrow.
    weather looks good, although it’ll probably be soggy because it’s been raining for two days straight here

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  199. I hate people who yell at people working on services! (Is that the term?). So entitled. Nothing gives you the ride to be rude. UGH. Who do I have to beat up?

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  200. @b from o it is an unpleasant part of working the front lines that is for sure. this was just a particularly nasty one. we deal with a lot of patrons with mental illness but that is whole other chapter. this guy just went for the jugular, yelling and swearing. someone i have always had excellent rapport with so it took me totally off guard. he is supposed to be getting a call from someone at my place of employ to get his side and let him know that his behaviour was not acceptable.

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  201. @Krib There you are! I was saying how Zzyzx was the best song of last year and I was told I’m off my rocks but I know you agree with me.

    ◕ ◡ ◕

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  202. @reginula you called it! people feel so entitled so when you are in a job where you have to tell them they can’t have what they want they throw a big hairy, threatening, abusive, horrible two year old’s tantrum!

    Liked by 1 person

  203. @krib hey, have a great holiday soaking up the tunes and good times! looking forward to the full report on your return.

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  205. Hi again! Anyone going to Hey Rosetta in Picton tonight? Give me a reason to make the 1 hour trip!

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  206. @Centro They are great!! Is it a free show? Lucky and Zammy are seeing them tomorrow in Peterborough.

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  209. @Centro Yikes. Then I guess it depends on how much you want to see them. I think they are amazing. Is it just them?

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  210. @centro – They do put on a pretty incredible live show but $45 and an hour drive would make me think too.

    The first time I saw them was on a little stage in a bar for free and then on a bigger stage at a larger venue. They haven’t come back here on this tour.

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  211. ouch $45 and a five minute walk would make me think twice … and then regret not going if that is the choice i made. very rarely have i regretted making the choice to go to a show even if it means cutting back on other expenditures to make it happen.

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  213. @Morgana Sorry if this has brought up, but have you discussed Grant’s statement about “Nelson hippies make Lund hippies look like Bay Street” or something along those lines?

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  215. Flash flood alert for the town of Arborfield, SK just came in on my new SaskAlert App. They are evacuating the town apparently.

    Have fun at Ness krib!

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  216. If Hey Rosetta was playing an hour away from where I am, for $45, I’d be already there. But that’s because I’m here.

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  217. @morgana – There are so many shows I regretted not going to but I can’t think of any I regretted spending the money on.

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  218. @reginula – It definitely increases the chance that I am willing to spend money on a show if it is someone I won’t get the chance to see often. If I have seen them or there is a good chance I will get to see them again, it’s a harder decision for me.

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  219. I’ve seen them twice in the last year and loved both shows. Maybe if some other R3’ite was going (where’s Frankus?), it might be worth it to actually meet someone!

    Liked by 1 person

  220. Yes everyone, the site is a work in progress. More features and fun to come. … passing through, my day has been filled with work, errands, appointments. Along the line, my dog Duke went to the vet today, clean bill of health!

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  221. reginula well i missed that diss totally. he did tell me baker street (main drag) was seedier than he remembered. i commented back asking if he thought the no dogs on baker street bylaw being lifted made a negative change because a lot of the hangers out downtown have their dogs.

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  222. hate to dash but i have a few more errands before some house guests arrive. well, they stay in their VW but are parked here. do you remember the, “it’s not a slow car it’s a fast house” people who visited us last fall … they are back. if you google them you can see what they have been up to in their home on wheels

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