Monday 6 April 2015

55 From 55 - 2004

55 songs in 55 days - one for every year of my life...so far. 

Though it might initially appear an extravagance, a trip to see my cousin and her family in New York worked out to be far more affordable than a holiday in the UK. I was in the fortunate position of being able to pick and choose travel dates to ensure the cheapest combination of flights and when I arrived in Manhattan, I ate with the family and slept in their spare room - free bed and board!

On a one-man mission to eat all the snacks in my Cousin's apartment. 2004.

My main indulgence while in the Big Apple was, not surprisingly, music. There are always so many gigs going on - and all in such close proximity. Also, at that time there were still a lot of great record stores in town, all of which had cheapie bins to lose hours rummaging through. My general rule of thumb was to not spend more than $1.99 on a CD. Though I'm sad to note that it has since closed down, Bleeker Bob's was never one of my favourite stores, the staff were legendarily surly. That being said, while wading through a pile of dusty cardboard boxes in a darkened corner of Bob's during my 2004 trip, I did unearth a promo copy of 'The CBC Sessions' by The Hidden Cameras for the princely sum of 89c!. My kinda price.



7 comments:

Walter said...

I know this privilege to have family and friends in foreign countries where you can spent your days off. That's the main reason I went to Japan for a couple of weeks and next I will visit my brother in law in Florida in November this year.

Anonymous said...

They say travel broadens the mind, which must be a good thing; if you can do it cheaply, that has to be a bonus. The Hidden Cameras sound pretty good.

John Medd said...

I loved Bleeker Bob's. Jack Black, I' m sure, based his High Fidelity character on the coves in there.

Anonymous said...

Very underrated band The Hidden Cameras. Wish I had relatives in Toronto actually as it seems to be such a great music city at the moment.

Jamie

Scott said...

What a great band The Hidden Cameras are. always thought Arcade Fire based their sound a bit on them. At the moment Toronto is one of the most interesting cities in the world for music. Also has one of the best Indie record stores I have ever been in called Soundscapes...

Brian said...

There were better record stores than Bleeker Bob's, but a trip to NYC never seemed complete without poking your head in there. Legendary.

The Swede said...

Walter. Japan? Wow, I'm envious. I look forward to hearing all about Florida. Enjoy!

Singing Bear. I'm not very well traveled really. I've just been to the same place quite a few times! I'm feeling no inclination to step back on a plane at the moment though.

John Medd. You could well be right.

Jamie. You're dead right. Thanks for dropping by.

Scott. Your point about Arcade Fire is one I hadn't considered - and it's a good one. If I ever get to Toronto I'll be sure to check out Soundscapes.

Brian. My feelings exactly.

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