The Top 60 Perfect Pop Songs?

we found this list of songs on the internet recently.  now its posted if we ever need to find a new song to cover.

The Top 60 Perfect Pop Songs

1. I’m a Believer by The Monkees/ Neil Diamond
2. Love Will Keep Us Together by Captain & Tennille/ Neil Sedaka
3. Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys
4. I Feel Fine by The Beatles
5. Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
6. We Can Work It Out by The Beatles
7. God Only Knows by The Beach Boys
8. Dancing Queen by ABBA
9. Sugar, Sugar by The Archies/ Neil Diamond
10. Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart by Elton John & Kiki Dee
11. I Love You by The Climax Blues Band
12. If I Can’t Have You by Yvonne Elliman/ The Bee Gees
13. Cuddly Toy by The Monkees/ Harry Nilsson
14. Heart of Glass by Blondie
15. Lola by The Kinks
16. Our Lips Are Sealed – The Go-Gos
17. If You Leave Me Now by Chicago
18. The Things We Do Love by 10cc
19. Call Me by Petula Clarke/Nancy Wilson
20. Uptown Girl by Billy Joel
21. Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears
22. Rich Girl by Hall and Oates
23. Never My Love by The Association
24. Take a Chance on Me by ABBA
25. Day After Day by Badfinger
26. Day Tripper by The Beatles
27. Reminiscing by The Little River Band
28. Sail On by The Commodores
29. It Don’t Matter to Me by Bread
30. (Don’t You) Forget About Me by Simple Minds
31. Shambala by Three Dog Night
32. Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
33. Head Over Heels by The Go Gos
34. Call Me by Blondie
35. Hello Goodbye by The Beatles
36. Thunder Island by Jay Ferguson
37. Downtown by Petula Clark
38. Happy Together by The Turtles
39. I Melt With You by Modern English
40. To Sir, With Love by Lulu
41. Pleasant Valley Sunday by The Monkees
42. I Love You More Today Than Yesterday by Spiral Staircase
43. My Sharona by the Knack
44. Do You Believe in Magic- The Lovin’ Spoonful
45. Hang on Sloopy by the McCoys
46. Nothin’ from Nothin’ – Billy Preston
47. Will It Go Round in Circles – Billy Preston
48. Superstition – Stevie Wonder
49. Hooked on a Feeling – Blue Swede
50. More Than A Feeling – Boston
51. I Feel The Earth Move – Carole King
52. Close to You – Carpenters
53. Fame – David Bowie
54. American Pie – Don McLean
55. Peg – Steely Dan
56. Is That Love – Squeeze
57. Shannon by Henry Gross
58. There She Goes by The Las
59. Crash by The Primitives
60. Son of Sam by Elliot Smith

sound man fees

came across this the other day.  i dunno where its from but we luv it!

that’s a wrap April!

another month has flown by!

struggling with a flu bug for the later half of the month has made things more challenging but nonetheless, forward ho!

today we were sadden by the news that Molly’s Chamber, the cover act we left 7 weeks ago has now officially gone on hiatus. we thought it would be easy for them to find a replacement bassist as the material and the other players were quite solid. still unknown what exactly has transpired but its still sad news nonetheless. here’s to hoping they all land on their feet!

the dj nights at the Schomberg pub every Saturday have been a treat. the regulars and the casual atmosphere make for a great time out each and every time! its also been great to pick up on what’s new and happening in the music scene and to gauge what ppl want to hear. been havin’ a ball no matter who shows up!

also this past month, we’ve been jamming with a few guys we’ve known almost since day 1 on the bass. we have been lucky enuff to finally find a singer/guitarist that fits. so far its been a helluva lot of fun playing what we all like to play and hear in a no pressure/casual/just4kicks atmosphere. finally a group that wants to do a few Clash songs!

after Skipapalooza (pic=new sticks&bag this month!), the members of Rosalita asked us to become the permanent percussionist for the band. an offer in which we quickly/gladly accepted! its been a great way to keep our feet wet on the kit and also to learn/develop musically. the forecast calls for good times ahead & 2nite is our first official jam since the party. there’s lots of new material & a new bassist on the horizon as well!

Those Handsome Hooligans have been picking up speed for a rather hectic summer. expect more posts on that in the days ahead. expecting a tee shirt run in the near future. crazy! check out our posters while u sanitize!

lastly, we’ve been pickin’ at the ol’ geetar of late. been thinkin’ aboot an open mic nite in the near future. we’ll see. ah, so many songs, so little time… the fire that fuels us. new shoes this past month too! feels so good!

hey buddy can u spare 10 minutes?

it’s almost 2 weeks into 2012 & already our resolutions for more music related fun are being put to the test. where does the time go everyday? we’ve got new strings on the bass that makes it a heap of fun to play right now (more on that in a future post) so our motivation is at a peak. but by the time we get to putting our head down everyday we realize we haven’t played as nearly as much as we would have liked. sound familiar? shades of 2011 redux. ugh.

well at least we can take comfort in the fact that it’s not how long you play everyday but that fact that you play everyday. truer words from our bass coach could not have been said back when we started bass playing. often have we come back to that quote for solace in these times when we are pressed for time.

sure we haven’t had as much time as we would have liked to play and learn so far in 2012 but we haven’t missed a day. 10 minutes minimum is all that is needed and we can always find 10 minutes in a day for the 4 string. the 10 minute a day mantra = words to live by for any instrument.

whoa! 200 songs for a mere $30! steal of the week!

jason priestly strings story

tom lees on granville

so we guess the time is getting just about right to finally blog about our experience at Tom Lee’s Music store in Vancouver this past summer. the reason being that the GHS brite flats strings we bought that day are now in use.

we stopped at Tom Lee’s on Granville to check out the much ballyhoo’d store and perhaps buy a pedal (that ended up being the EHX bassballs that we dearly love). so as we are trying out the pedal in a soundproof room we spied none other than 90210(amongst many other roles) star, Jason Priestly(JP) shopping in the guitar section with his rather large body guard/personal assistant in tow. being much interested in the pedals we were trying out we didn’t give it much of a 2nd thought until we were ready to pay for our pedal at the one and only cash. there in the lineup right behind us was JP.

we had discussed with the store help that we needed strings as well as the pedal yet as we were ringing up the total the strings we had decided on were nowhere to be found. so a search for the strings ensued followed by a struggle to find out actually how much the strings actually cost. now the lineup had gone to 1 to about 6 ppl in this time. how much time had gone by was beyond us since we were in no hurry. no one was really bothering JP but the more and more a crowd developed around the cash, the more and more JP and his large ass. man were getting nervous. it was obvious they were in a hurry and wanted no part of an impromptu autogoof session.

the situation was out of our control. there were 2 sets of flat strings we wanted to purchase cuz according to the staff they were on sale. but what the actual sale price was proving difficult to locate. the tension in the lineup was building and building. the expression on JP and his ass. man were priceless.

finally the staff relented the cash to JP and the others so they could be served while we waited for the price. a few evil eyes were given by the large ass. man but really the situation was the result of the staff and not us. in our mind, we’re thinking yer not quite the big deal u still think u are. none of the tweens in the lineup had recognized him and in real physical life JP was actually super small. we doubt he reaches 5 ft. on a good hair day.

after they departed, the tension eased and we discovered our strings only cost $10 a set. worth making JP wait any day! what a bargain! we left the store and there was no sight of JP anywhere. a trail of dust was all he left.

now its a been a few months since we bought those strings and they’ve been on our gibson bass for about 2 months. the review is that we don’t like them and will likely not use the 2nd set. the tone and feel is just not suited to us. no matter how we tweak things we just can’t seem to get a sound we like out of them. the best way we can describe it in words is that it sounds as if the tone is being choked. we’ve been using the bass/strings set up for jams just so they get some use b4 we replace them. but nonetheless, we’ll never forget the day we made a hollywood star wait so we could get bargain strings for 10 bux!

in a totally unrelated note, here’s a pic we took of a streetfight later that same day. the suit actually kept talking on the cell as he tried to break up the fight. the fight started when the 2 guys on the ground bumped each other and then it just escalated from there. some nasty punches were thrown and then it got broken up by onlookers and every1 went their separate ways. stay classy vancouver!

even wks after the canucks playoff loss there was still fighting in the streets!

bassmorgasborg II

before we get to the bass, as we’ve stated previously we are keeping up with are drumming on a every other day basis.  we think its a good to keep tabs on the ol’ kit and tricks just in case and to help keep that sense of what its like going.  anyways, the other day we responded to an online request for a drummer to come out to a casual jam and play along to some songs by the Clash.  well, being that the Clash are our fave band of all time, this was a no brainer for us and we wholeheartly took up the challenge.  we blasted thru 15 or so songs in 2.5 hrs and at least 60% of those would have been stage ready IMHO.  it was crazy good and met all our expectations!  plans are to have another go at some songs in sept.  can’t wait!

peggy's buddy!

we scored a bass cab the other day.  15″ that can handle 300w easily.  its pretty darn big and weighs about 60 lbs but the price was right and its not like we’ll be using it at every gig.  the plans are to use it mainly for outdoor shows.  we took the grill off as it was rattling and then took the Fender logo off that since the look of logo wasn’t that retro.  the rattle was the grill hitting the edges of the speaker so we added some weather stripping to the points where the 2 were touching and put the grill back on.  it bows out a bit but sounds great now and thats what matters.  we plan on taking the direct out of peggy the amp and feeding that into a PA amp(thats all we have for a head right now… ah, the search for a bass head is ON!) and enhancing the low end signal that way.  we plan to debut it next weekend at one of our outdoor gigs.

peggy's buddy with the grill on!

finally an update on our pedal situation.  we were not using our EHX bass big muff as much as we woulda liked and our BBE sonic stomp was always in use but we never quite 100% happy with what it was doing to our sound.  so we’ve been casually searching for a replacement for both and we think we found it with a Catlinbread SFT.   it not only add some variable grit to our sound but also is quite nice at allowing us to tweak our tones.  we took it out to our gig last weekend.  we had only really spent about 30 mins with the pedal to make sure it worked and sounded ok.  it took about a set to get used to her sensitivity(it responds to how hard or soft u play!) and once we locked in a setting that was right for the sweet reggae vibe it was perfect the entire night!  any pedal that inspires you and makes u anxious to get back to playing again just so you can hear it HAS TO BE GOOD! its also likely that her sensitive side will make us a better bassist in the future.  here’s a pic of the august pboard set up.  looking at the pic makes us think that less is more. the sft is a good step fwd in usefullness and quality so we can’t wait to enjoy it more!

august pedalboard!

advice 4 the band

we found this online at a forum and felt the need to share.  enjoy!

advice 4 the bands out there

1) Negotiate meals into your pay. The $10 burger platter actually only costs the bar (or whatever) very little.
2) Negotiate rooms too. If half the rooms in the place are empty anyway, it’s easy for the establishment, especially if you’re respecfull and low impact.
3) Stay clean, physically, in hygiene, sexually…
4) Stay clean, no drugs, booze,…
5) Stay clean…go to the laundromat
6) Get contracts as often as possible. Pay in advance is good too but not often likely.
7) Communicate with family and friends so they don’t worry about you.
8 ) Be on time.
9) Soundchecks are essential.
10) Keep the band vehicle(s) in good working order.
11) Bank as much of your earnings as possible.
12) Get enough sleep. Not at the wheel.
13) Share the grunt work and pull your own weight.
14) Don’t sponge of bandmates.
15) Don’t sleep with band members or their significant others.
16) Don’t let your gear out of your sight. If it is, secure it. Lock your vehicles, park them against walls, outside your motel door.
17) Insurance. Yours, your parents, doesn’t matter, insure your gear.
18) Previous items notwithstanding, see the sights, meet the people. I’ve spoken with lots of touring musicians who never absorb the local culture. From time to time we’ve billeted musicians, it’s a great experience for both parties.
19) Have lots of product with you. It’s pretty lame to talk about your CD when you have none with you. Some additional swag like t-shirts, stickers, etc can be good promotion or trade fodder for meals and a bed.
20) Set your ego aside and don’t identify your vehicles with the band logo. It’s like a welcome mat for crooks.

Hooligans Au Go Go!

no time for bloggin much as we’ve been hard at work with both bands trying out new material.  we are about to embark on what looks like will be a summer filled with shows all over the map!  the posts will come fast and furious once that starts so check back often.

u always remember your first night together and while Those Handsome Hooligans have been road tested at an open mic and 2 sets at Skipapalooza, this Friday in Mississauga will be the first night on our own!  no sideshows or just being a bit player…  this night is all hooligans, all night!  come down and enjoy a pint with us on this memorable occassion!  3 sets of fun rockin tunes that are sure to impress!  9:30 – close

ps: This Friday’s Those Handsome Hooligans Night at Fionn MacCools! is now even more epic with game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals included free of charge!!

Strummer Nights 2011

Forget summer nights in Hamilton, Strummer nights are way better!

We were lucky enough to experience 2 straight nights of Joe Strummer songs at This Ain’t Hollywood this past weekend.  Great crowds (the first night was capacity packed, second one almost) and a way better experience than having to live thru an evening of Gorillaz or Big Audio Dynamite to get your 2011 Clash fix.  It was so good we already can’t wait for the next version on Good Friday and Easter Saturday of 2012.  There wasn’t a bad act amongst the lineup with a heap of supergroups, one-offs, reunions and special guests appearing.  Folk, Punk, Celtic, Rock, Reggae, Rockabilly, Thrash genres and everything in-between were all covered.  Personal highlight had to be seeing the Letdowns (ex-Wetspots) play.  Ah, so many good shows they’ve had and all the memories just came flooding back the moment they hit the stage!  Our fave song, Straight to Hell got a sweet treatment and hearing Burning Lights from the soundtrack of I Hired a Contract Killer was fantastic!  Top marks for The Saints Are Coming for bringing a great Celtic twist to some songs that we wish the video we took did more justice.

and speaking of video, this event got us thinking about investing in a better camera to take videos of live music with since our current setup is hit and miss. its just an everyday digital camera and not meant for live music.  ahhhh, there’s always a reason for more gear!

Here’s some pics and some of the best of the video evidence.  Visit our youtube site for all the vizness. More videos still being added as we post this.  Thanks for the memories Strummer Night #9, we’ll see u again for 10!

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Thinking about joining on online gym!

TGIF & ready 2 party!

Last nights show at On Cue Billiards was a great hoot!  the crowd was appreciative and we played a huge amount of Reggae!  we took and played  ppl’s requests which was a great feeling and the atmosphere was top-notch.  tankhouse was on tap though it was empty.  can’t wait to play there again soon!

on a personal note, we forgot one of our essential gear bags at home.  we didn’t realize this until we got to the venue.  luckily enough TooNice had spare patch cords so we could still play (though our movement was somewhat restricted) but the bigger issue was we didn’t have our cheat notes for some of the lesser known material.  ack!  what a stresser that was but alas we endured because we had to.  a few missed notes but a good time all around and forgetting the bag could have been a blessin in disguise.  could this be the end of cheat notes as we know it?  only time will tell.  there’s another show tonight!  time to rest up and join that online gym!