What on Earth is Going On?

I just finished talking to someone at the West End Cultural Center on the phone about the Final Fantasy show happening next month and she informed that the show was in fact sold out. I can't believe this! It's a well known fact that shows tend not to sell in advance in the peg. Case in point: Art Brut, a British band who has easily out sold Final Fantasy, and will likely never make it back to our city, played two Fridays ago at the Albert, which is a much smaller venue than the WECC. I arrived at the show around 11:20 and was able to buy a ticket right then and there. Built to Spill, one of the biggest bands in indie-rock over the past 20 years, is playing the Garrick next Wednesday and has yet to sell out either. But for some reason Owen Pallett sells out his show over a month and a half in advance!! I don't get it.

Now don't get me wrong, I've been a huge fan of Pallett's work ever since I first heard Les Mouches You're Worth More to Me that 1000 Christians back in 2004 (see my article on him for www.stylusmagazine.com here.), and find his stuff on the Arcade Fire album and the Jim Guthrie albums enjoyable. I even find his rendition of Grizzly Bear's 'Don't Ask' to be a more captivating version than the original. Not to mention that He Poos Clouds is one of my favorite albums of the last few years. How can I not love an artist that names Morrissey, Xiu Xiu and Destroyer as three of his main influences? Yet I find it hard to figure out how it got to this point. When did artists who constantly sing about such controversial themes as Pallett does (ie. always referring to his Les Mouche album as a 'hand job' or the ever so easily accepted line 'I picture myself giving head' from "Carloads of Whatever') become so widely accepted. Personally, I blame the loop pedal.

Anyways, enough of my complaining. It couldn't be happening to a better artist really, and I hope the show goes well.

Just so you know, while I'm not complaining about the Final Fantasy show, I've been arranging an interview with Himalayan Bear for !Earshot, that should be on my show sometime in the next two weeks.

Until next time ...