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CI's Eye on Music Blog

 Brian Youngston starts his vacation tomorrow and with such I am preparing a bunch of jam tape material. I have uploaded a couple 90 minute cassette tapes into digital files for us to mix. The first is "Little Boy Blue and Bobby Brown" and the second is the below mentioned "High Level Meter". Both are circa 1997 I believe.

The tape features Brian on guitar, Jamie Janzen on drums, Cameron Olesik on bass, and Robin Keith Thompson on vocals.

The first release is the third track from "Little Boy..." and it is a regular track called "I'm stalling"

In retrieval of old recordings of Blisster, I came across this immense number, "Dare I look at anyone".

Brian had squeezed what he could find of it on a tape like the last bit of toothpaste in a tube and the 1:18 was sandwiched in between the end of a tape (hence the breakdown of the tape and abrupt ending). From "One Speaker Gold Blisster - and the Prince gathered in this gorge".

Gilbert Brule of the Edmonton Oilers recently picked up Bono of the mega-band U2. Read various articles on the internet of this incredible story, but also listen to the interview Brule gives on the Team 1040 radio station on 1 June 2011, which is his hilarious account.

CBC article: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/stanleycup/story/2011/06/02/sp-nhl-brule-bono.html

Last week's mid May 2011 jam with Brady Uhrich playing bass, (myself) Robin KeithThompson drumming, and Brian Youngston on guitar saw the impromptu jam produce this song I have entitled "Impaler". Posted 26 May 2011.

Download or listen to "Impaler"

EDIT* 27 May 2011 we added a track hastily named "Loose as a deuce" that is outright jam between Brian amd myself. Enjoy.

Download or listen to "Loose as a deuce"

Brian Youngston and I got together for a quick acoustic jam a year-and-a-half ago. We produced a couple numbers out of the blue, one of which is "Discuss and pursue you" (click on the title to download or listen).

 A ways through the track, you may notice my son Isaac's voice squeaking onto the airwaves...posted 23 May 2011.

Improving upon the recording technique discussed below, I drew a fat and lumbering jam out of a monotone retrieval from circa ~ 1997's "One Speaker Gold Blisster - and the Prince Gathered in this Gorge" cassette tape of Brian's.

I gave the track the moniker "Feed", but is completely unofficial. It features a unique and once-only played track that showcases the early-on talents of Brian Youngston on guitar, the late Rob Keith on bass, myself (Robin Thompson) just getting to know monotone lyrical structures, and Jamie Janzen's strong drum mitts. 21 May 2011.

Listen to the 2:48 track "Feed" ---> HERE

Setting up a make-shift studio after the kids went to bed, I retrieved a song from 1996 entitled "Crimson tied". It is from the Blisster days, prior to any professional recording. It features Jamie Janzen on drums and Brian Youngston on guitar as usual, with Cam Olesik on bass, and myself on vocals. It was originally recorded onto a 'ghettoblaster'.

This was back in the days when hockey was second to music. We jammed frequently and this is only the beginning of the scores of old cassette tapes squirreled away.

As you might tell from the picture, I used a Kenwood tape deck to play the cassette into the Fostex 450 mixing board, relaying that into an old 'Deluxe 85' Fender guitar amplifier. Then, using my newest and coolest acquisition, the Blue Yeti microphone on the 'cardioid' setting, I drew the sound out of the front of the amp speaker and into Audacity on my computer.

Quite the set-up..especially when I had to take it down immediately afterwards, as my boys will rise in about five hours time. I am sure there is a better way and in the future I look to improve upon it. Enjoy hockey and music enthusiasts.

Listen or download Blisster's track --> "Crimson tied"

11 May 2011 / Robin Keith Thompson

Armed with perhaps the best gift I have ever received, my dear friends Dan and Siri Ross from Neutral Planet Records sat down and made a couple quick recordings with my new microphone, the Blue Yeti.

Unplanned and complete jam, the results are a beautiful peek at future efforts to bring the listeners of Chiller Instinct interviews, potential podcasts, and such audio endeavours some signatory original musical dressings.

Listen to the 2:16 jam HERE

Special thanks to Dan and Siri. Posted 5 April 2011.

Britain's Belfast Giants shows their Christmas spirit..   Mariah Carey’s ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ will never be the same. Not that it...well, never mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzad9-Z0oTU

Kat Kealy introduced herself to Chiller Instinct during THIS INTERVIEWon 10 July 2010. She lists anything but country music as music that 'rocks her rink'. Kealy told us Green Day, Muse, and U2 as her music of choice. Kat writes a website called Press Box Perspective.

 The Memory of Kate Smith lives on with the video screen clip of her rendition of
"God Bless America" in Wachovia Center, in place of the usual anthem for the United States in Philly. Lauren Hart (pictured left) has been filling the airwaves right alongside Smith at times and has been the Flyers' singer before games since 1998. Game #6 will have an incredible stage set before it once again.

 8 June 2010

Snoop Dogg continues to show his respect for hockey (aside from the love shown on his hit TV show "Snoop Dogg's Fatherhood") with his inclusion at the 2010 NHL Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada on 23 June, 2010. 'The Dogfather' joins acts byCirque de Soleil, Shinedown, and Jersey Boys. George Stroumboulopoulos (pictured left) and Mark Wahlberg are the special guests of note. 

Source: NHL.com article

8 June 2010

The Madhouse on Madison was rockin' both before and after Game #4 of the Western Conference Final. As preparations were being made to sing the anthem and the players were skating onto the ice, a rocking ensemble of songs including Marilyn 'Dave' Manson's "The Beautiful People" befit the energy of the team.  "Chelsea Dagger" has shown its place after goals as well, as The Fratellis' song has carved a unique place in hockey lore.

While the visitors put up another fine effort, the Chicago Blackhawkswere again victorous, dispatching the San Jose Sharks in a fourth straight contest to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1992.

23 May 2010

Neil Young was in attendance for the first night of the 2010 NHL Playoffs, seated in the stands at one of last nights games.

14 April 2010

Neil Peart of RUSH recorded a new version of 'The Hockey Theme' song. 

Link HERE. Posted 17 Dec 2009

John Buccigross of ESPN.com entertains us all with his Hakan Loob version of the Adam Sandler-type play of 'The Chanukah Song'.  Follow the link here for lyrics and the posting.

9 December 2009

In a recent show at the Aragon Ballroom, Weezer set to the stage to play an encore dressed in Blackhawks' jerseys featuring #2 KEITH, #81 HOSSA, #10 SHARP, #19 TOEWS, and #88 KANE.  I have provided a link here to the video.

5 December 2009

Brian Youngstonand I composed a couple original songs in a recent jam, just sitting around on Remembrance Day 2010 watching some hockey.  Click on the links below and you'll begin to download a quicktime version of the short songs, enjoy.  It will take a short time.

Also, Tiffany Blakemore managed to catch us performing in a short video, the White Stripes' "Same boy you've always known".  Good time, although our lack of practice shows...

ORIGINAL SONGS:

Discuss and pursue - acoustic guitar and vocals

Relentless - acoustic guitar and vocals

Robin Keith Thompson / 22 November 2009

"Grandma was a champion jigger.  She always carried a piece of plywood in the trunk of her car so she would have a hard surface to dance on.  My Grandpa played the fiddle, and his kids played guitars and she would jig.  An unbelievable jigger." - from page 6, of Theron Fleury's recent book "Playing with Fire".

23 October 2009

Revolution Mother lead vocalist and skateboarder Mike Vallely lays out his thoughts on a blog on the Ducks' website.  You can read it HERE. 

Interesting, the final entry is an account of a charity game in which he laces 'em up with the boys.

 28 September 2009 

"Forget the iPhone", he says in his calm, soft-spoken Canadian accent, "we're now experiencing the 'birth of digital music 2.0'. And its midwife is not Apple but BlackBerry. I love Led Zeppelin, I listen to Zeppelin all the time, I'm a big U2 fan, Pink Floyd, ACDC. Am I showing my age?" he asks, at which point the increasingly agitated young press officer jumps to his rescue. "The Killers are pretty cool", she says. Mr Balsillie takes the hint and continues. "I love the Cure, the Psychedelic Furs, all the new wave stuff, the Killers, grunge, Nirvana. I love the Chilli Peppers. Is that okay? I'm a rocker. A rocker's rocker."

- Co-CEO of Research In Motion Jim Balsillie in a UK Telegraph article 27 January 2009

10 August 2009 - The Carolina Hurricanes file a lawsuit over Tyrone Banks over a song he produced in 2007 (which the 'Canes used in promotional ads and video).   Carolina claims that he misused the ditty recently, promoting it in a way damaging to the club's identity.  Oh, and the fans say the song damages their identities.  

Henrik 'King' Lundqvistplayed acoustic guitar at New York's Warren 77, a sports bar.  Ken Daneyko, Rod Gilbert, and Brendan Shanahan were in attendance...."Sleeping and Drinking".  View the 5HOLE.COM vid here, or search for the video on the NHL Network.

2009 Penguin draftee Ben Hanowksi, known for his record setting point totals as a Little Falls Flyer (Minnesota High School) states his favourite music, NHL player, food, etc. here.

 In the article, Ben put "Heart of Champion" by Nelly as his 'pump up' song.

Brady Uhrich on bass, Brian Youngston on guitar, and