I took a bit of time this week to map out the rest of the month and there are so many bands, songs and memories that I could keep doing this right until February without repeating, but thinking I’ll just save some of them and do this again next year.
Day 11 – 54-40 – Crossing A Canyon
Every summer in high school my friends would get their family cottage for a weekend just for us with no parents around and they were always the best times. Fishing, barbecue, hot tub, sauna, drinks, good music and great friends… some amazing memories from those trips.
One summer a friend joined us for the first time and he brought his new girlfriend. Without meaning to and without any agenda on either of our parts, her and I just ended up hitting it off and chatted a bunch during the day. That night we were all into the idea that we should all go into the sauna, then run out to the cold lake and jump in and race back to the sauna where the cycle would repeat. Our friend was passed out but his girlfriend was into the idea and joined in.
In one of the trips to the lake, she and I were talking and decided to stay in the lake when everyone else went into the sauna because the sauna was cramped with all of us in it together, and that then put us on an opposite schedule from everyone else, as we headed to the sauna when they came back out to the lake. We must have done that for an hour, talking, learning about each other, laughing uncontrollably every time we had to steel ourselves up for running back out to the lake.
Nothing happened outside of this obvious flirtation, I would never do that to my friend, nor would she, I’d like to believe, but I remember this being such a magical night and an example of how timing can sometimes be everything when it comes to finding romance.
The next morning, the lake was quiet and as everyone roused themselves and came back to life, we poured caesars and put on some music. I remember sitting down at the dock and our friend and his girlfriend came down to say goodbye, they were heading home earlier than the rest of us who were going to make the most of the day, Sunday traffic be damned.
I remember her giving me a little squeeze as we hugged good bye, hopefully imperceptible to her boyfriend who had not rejoined the party at all after having passed out.
I honestly don’t know if I’m mixing up my memories or not, because I absolutely remember sitting on that dock, content, quiet, with this song playing and echoing across the water, I’m just not sure it was the morning after that amazing night.
I’m choosing to believe that it was.
“I’m no prophet, but I’ve seen things
When right and wrong become too close
In that moment of my greatness
I become afraid and watch it go.”
Day 12 – The Age Of Electric – Remote Control
No specific story or memory associated with this song, although an image of our kitchen in our shitty off-campus apartment after a massive party does come to mind. I can’t even see the sink or counters with how many empties and other party remnants are littered everywhere.
There was no escaping this song for a time and it definitely belongs on any 90s party playlist.
Day 13 – Treble Charger – Red
This song is in the top 10 in the 90s for me… chill and rocking at the same time, everyone knew every word and it was one of the first songs we all learned on guitar, those of us who played.
The soundtrack to those backyard barbecues with Sloan and so many of the other bands I’ve listed already would not be complete without “Red”.
Day 14 – The Watchmen – All Uncovered
The first guy I met in res in Frosh Week wasn’t my roommate but he was two doors down on the same floor. We shook hands heartily, me from Toronto and he was from Ruscom, Ontario. Population 52. He and his immediate family made up over 10 percent of the population.
One of the things I loved most about University was meeting people from everywhere that wasn’t Toronto. I loved hearing about Ruscom and small town life from my new friend.
The main act that night to kick Frosh Week off was The Watchmen and we were both stoked; him because he had never been to any concert before, ever, and me because The Watchmen were playing at my SCHOOL.
I remember so many things about that night, navigating the crowd on the hill, chatting up some girls from the all-girls res, only to be pushed out by some guys from their brother-residence, the loudness of the music, the coldness of the shitty traveler beers we were carrying with us.
This was the next major phase of our lives after high school and we cheersed to new friendships and new adventures.
And The Watchmen absolutely killed it.
This is my favourite Watchmen song.
Day 15 – Great Big Sea – Run Runaway
This is, strangely, a band I’ve never seen live, though I had many chances.
The closest I ever came was at the door to the bar in first year University. The bar typically did not ID everyone, but tonight they were, which made us nervous because one of our friends was just days away from turning 19.
They caught him out at the door and turned him away. The kicker? He was FROM Newfoundland and had even been to one of the weddings of one of the members of the band.
We pleaded our case but it was a firm no. Our friend told us to go on in without him, but in a show of brotherhood and solidarity (with a group who had only known each other a few weeks), we all left and went back to the res, determined to show him a good time.
This turned out to be the moment he had been prepared for because this was when he brought out his bottle of screech for the first time.
While not a proper screeching in, and no cod to kiss, we all became honourary Newfoundlanders that night and had one of the best party nights of the year without going out and it cemented friendships that last until this day.
Pro-tip:
Do not use a full size bowling ball along a carpeted hallway as the friction burns will absolutely destroy the carpet, as we learned that night.
Fast-forward to the end of the school year and the res office is doing floor audits to ensure there is no permanent damage. They see the friction burns from seven months previous and say let us know the whole floor is responsible for the $1500 it will cost to replace the carpet.
Playing right into a stereotype, one of the guys on the floor is Persian and his family owns a rug store. He gets down on his hands and knees to examine the carpet and lets the res office people know we can fix this and to come back in an hour.
He says we all need to get some forks… and we all have cutlery in our rooms lifted from the cafeteria, so we get out the forks and he shows us how we have to carefully use the forks to gently scrape the carpet in the opposite direction of the friction burn to lift the fibres back up.
Here we are, 12 or 13 of us, all on our hands and knees, trying to fix the carpet because it is the end of the school year and NONE of us have any money to pay for the damages, especially since half the floor would have refused to pay because it was our screeched in stupidness that caused this in the first place.
The res office people come back and while we think we’ve done an incredible job, we are all sweating while they examine the rug.
When they give us a thumbs up and let us off the hook, the entire floor cheers, one of the last amazing memories we will all have together as a floor before exams hit and people start leaving res.
Two amazing memories and friendship bonds that last until this day, all because we did NOT go and see Great Big Sea.