Harbour City Ramblings

This weekend was an eventful one, starting with a Canucks win, followed by a small and energetic Gob show, capped off with a family dinner to write home about…  Which, would be pointless.

It’s Tough Being a Pedestrian…

Friday night after the game, we ventured out of James Bay and braved the mean streets of Victoria’s downtown core, with all it’s flagrant criminals up to no good, to catch Gob at Lucky Bar. The show was extremely impressive and the full review follows, but I first need to vent about this jaywalking crack-down debacle of recent headlines.

Twice in the last few weeks I have been harassed by drivers of vehicles who somehow felt compelled to make me believe I was in the wrong for having them stop for a pedestrian… at a crosswalk. Long after I had cleared it and reached the other side of the street, one driver even yelled out the standard and uninspired “Why don’t you look both ways before crossing?” Yes I looked, both ways, a few times over.  Just as I would if I may be crossing the street when it is clearly safe outside of the crosswalk confines.

In fact using my best judgment and crossing mid-block- while keeping a watchful eye out for side-street on-coming traffic, parked cars that may pull-out, cyclists and motorcyclists- often seems safer than the legal but much more limited alternative. Very limited, and did I mention time-consuming? I would have to add another 4-6 mins. onto my work commute to cross only where permitted, and subtract a possible few years off my life with the way some people drive.

From cell phones and iPhones, to life stresses on the mind, to being generally busy. Most people these days simply cannot be trusted to get behind the wheel with their thoughts riding shotgun. Likewise for some people on foot, possibly?  I hate to seem biased, so I’m open to hearing the point-of-view of a driver.

And yes, we jaywalked on the way to Gob…

For $15/ticket- a small and worth-while charge for a set of 3 bands- we were fortunate to catch the event live at Lucky Bar this past Friday, February 27th.

Due to the hockey game we showed up after the first band and made it for my clean-slate, first-time-listen to Vancouver’s Carpenter.  They played an impressive set pulling material from last springs Law of the Land.  The fast-paced and positive punk tunes got the energy flowing in the small venue.

Sometime after midnight Gob hit the stage, and the veterans of the evening did not disappoint.  They are well-seasoned, as evident by their flawless run through better-known hits and some newer material, throwing down a superb set-list of songs from the span of their 15 year career. They could easily fill the slot of opener to larger more popular punk acts in bigger arenas. A bold statement, maybe, but I stand by it.

On the way out the door I picked up a re-usable cloth Carpenter’s bag, while the guys from the band and Gob hung out greeting the crowd.

A great night over-all, I would recommend checking them out if you get the chance.