Elvis Perkins on Letterman

Congratulations to my friend Elvis Perkins on his appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman last night!

Enjoy the performance here at YouTube. Thanks to my friend Zed for putting it up there for all of us to see.

The performance was "goosebump-good" said a friend of mine in Montreal. "Elvis is dreamy and his music is haunting," said another in Ohio. "I've had his CD in my car stereo for months," lamented another in L.A.

You be the judge....

Enjoy,

Ez

P.S. More about Elvis's music here at this Ez Sez post.

Save The Bens Building Demonstration

The demonstration to save the Bens Building and have it designated a heritage building is today, Thursday, June 14th at noon.

Socalled will rap, Dave Sanders will sing, Ez will sez.

Come on down. More info on this building and demonstration, as posted on Ez Sez, can be found here.

Be there or be smoked wheat.

Ez

UPDATES:
Here are photos from the event, taken by Colin P. Rose.
Read about the Bens Building demonstration covered in the Montreal Gazette, June 15th, 2007.
Bens demo previewed in the Montreal Mirror. Click here.

Ez Sez: Post-It!

I made this for my cubicle wall one afternoon while working at CBC on Au Courant two years ago. Found it today and thought I'd share it here with you.

Ez

New SoCalled CD out today!

It gives me great nachess and pleasure to let you in on a little secret... my buddy Josh 'Socalled' Dolgin's new CD was released today across Canada and the USA. The CD has been on the charts in France and was playing all over the radio when I was there in December.

It is sure to make waves here too.

The CD is wild and crazy and tons of fun. Much like Josh himself if you've ever had the chance to see him live on stage or if you've ever met him face to face.

Lots more about Josh and his burgeoning career at this recent Ez Sez post.

Best to all from Montreal!

Ez

Buy the CD at Amazon here.
Buy the CD on iTunes
Big interview with Josh at MP3.com today

Read about the new documentary being made by Gary Beitel and Barry Lazar about josh HERE.

P.S. Josh was featured in a big Montreal Gazette feature story this past Saturday. Check your recycling bins! Or click here.

On grand descents...

Recycling Plant

(click pic for juicy, glossy, glassy image)

(From the series "Special Verre", 12/2006, France)

I took these pix at a wonderful glass recycling facility in the southeast of France in a town called Codognon.

Please remember to recycle. (Not just for recycling's sake but so I can keep having cool places to traipse around in while on vacation.)

Ez

From my future-namesake-self...

100th Ez Sez Post... Help Save the Bens Building

Today marks the 100th Ez Sez post, the topic of which is the possible demolition of the historic Bens Restaurant building in downtown Montreal.

(Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, left, with unidentified guitarist and Ezra. In front of Bens Restaurant c. 1990)

Bens Restaurant closed its doors on December, 15th, 2006 after a strike by workers and the Kravitz family's decision to close the famous downtown smoked meatery. They had owned Bens for close to 100 years.

Now, filmmaker and friend Vanya Rose has taken up the cause - along with Art Deco Montreal, the Pop Montreal festival and other artists and concerned Montrealers - to urge the City of Montreal to designate Bens' Streamlined Modern building a Heritage Building before it's too late...

...For on June 19th, the building is to be officially signed over to new owners who could demolish it to put up a new building.

(Photo by Colin P. Rose, used with permission)

Are you a fan of Bens? Of endangered Montreal landmarks? Of Jewish urban heritage? Did you once have a great smoker there?

If so, consider attending the demonstration that will take place outside Bens on Thursday, June 14th, at noon. (990 De Maisonneuve W., corner of Metcalfe. Metro Peel)

Musicians Socalled and David Sanders will be playing there and filmmaker Tim Rideout who recently launched a short film about Bens will be showing it at the demonstration too. Other artists, speakers and former Bens employees are expected to be present as well.

(Photo by Colin P. Rose, used with permission)

Read the full "Save The Bens Restaurant Building" press release for more details on the event and the Bens restaurant building by Montreal architect Charles Davis Goodman (1894-1962). It is worth noting that the building is currently featured in a Montreal Museum of Fine Arts exhibit on Streamlined Modern design.

Off to eat a veggie burger in bewilderment of such ironies, I remain,

Ez

Further reading:
More articles on Bens here.
More photos of Bens by Colin P. Rose here.
Bens Wikipedia entry
Stay tuned for coverage of this event at your local media outlet, eager to fress deli-style on the latest news.

(Cartoon by Socalled, 2007)

UPDATES:
Here are photos from the event, taken by Colin P. Rose.
Read about the Bens Building demonstration covered in the Montreal Gazette, June 15th, 2007.
Bens demo previewed in the Montreal Mirror. Click here.

Those roads...

(4/00, NYC)

THOSE ROADS
(5/13/07, by Ezra S.)

Those roads that shake us to the bone
Drag us from our homes
Knock us off our thrones
Those are the roads to the best of places
Those roads are the roads I drive
To a deeper place inside
Those roads, they make us thrive

Bliss is here...

Hemp Bliss hempmilk is so delicious I had cereal for supper tonight.

Twice.

I tried the vanilla flavour today for the first time with my super-duper cereal mix. I became an instant fan.

As I suspected at this post on my blog pre-launch, Hemp Bliss which hit store shelves across Montreal last week, is definitely going to give cows a run for their money...

Ez Sez: Plants putting cows out to pasture where they belong.

Off to bed now. Totally can't wait for breakfast...


Ez

Top spot on YouTube

(Cartoon by Josh "Socalled" Dolgin, 2007)

Good news...

A video I shot and directed featuring Montreal klezmer hip-hop star Socalled was selected as the #1 "Featured Video" on YouTube this morning. It has since moved down the list but has already been seen more than 25,000 times! (75,000 as of 8/3/07).

Here's a screenshot of the original #1 spot:


I'm totally honoured that it was selected for this spot and was very pleasantly caught off guard by the news when it came in by email late last night. Thought I'd share the news with you.

(Click video to watch it.)

The video, called "Socalled Promo", was expertly crafted by editor Mika Goodfriend, features an intro by actor Joe Cobden, sweet background vocals by Katie Moore and "crazy-arm" clips by Ben Steiger-Levine. Watching it might just be the perfect way for you to get hip to Socalled's groundbreaking hop.

The Village Voice sez: "Socalled is one of the most deliciously demented minds in beat science."

Socalled is Montreal rapper, accordionist, cartoonist, magician, filmmaker Josh Dolgin. (But keep it under your hat... As you'll see in the video, Josh is very shy and low key.)

Josh made the music for my Cosmo's doc Man Of Grease and recently starred in and made the music for my new doc, Posthumous Pickle Party, about Simcha's Grocery. His new CD Ghettoblaster hits store shelves in Canada and the U.S. on June 12th and has already made it onto the charts in France where he's been touring extensively. I've heard the CD already and adore it.

For all you brand new or die-hard Socalled fans, you can now listen to the single from the CD, "(These Are) The Good Old Days" featuring James Brown's trombone player Fred Wesley, right here. You may just platz when you hear this track. A new classic if I've ever heard one.

Big congratulations to my good friend Josh and his whole music team on this cool YouTube accolade.

Socalled on Myspace
Official Socalled site
Ghettoblaster CD pre-sales (only $8.99 for a limited time!)

Wishing everyone a prelated 'Stay great in 2008' from the forward-thinkers here at Ez Sez.

Ez

UPDATE: A great new feature cover story on Josh just came out in NightLife Magazine here.

UPDATE #2: Big Socalled article just came out in the Montreal Mirror (May 31st, 2007).

Times Like That

("6th Avenue Motel", NYC, 2006)

TIMES LIKE THAT
(5/4/07, MTL, Ezra)

Homey memories from a holy kinda place
Here's to times like that for one...
And times like that for all

It is out there
That which we all need
Truth and love and justice
And a healthy music dose

Move with it
Laugh with it
Play with it
Dance with it:
Life and life itself
To times like that and health

Homey memories from a holy kinda place
Here's to times like that for one...
And times like that for all

Here's to times like that for one...
And times like that for all

On the pursuit of clarity...

The new Ez Sez logo is here...

It's here: the brand new, spiffed-up, official Ez Sez logo!

New logo (unveiled 5/13/07)

The logo above is based on my drawing which you'll see below.

Extra special thanks go out to my uncle Gerry Goodfriend for his fantastic graphic design skills which helped transform the hand-drawn image into the zippy logo that now proudly represents the Ez Sez site.

Original hand drawn logo (Unveiled 3/07)

Here's to your own logos, friends and strangers. I hope you have as much fun creating a logo as I did!

Ez

It's Mothers Day

(Click pic for juicy view)
(Mothers Day Flowers and Parking Ticket, London/Morin Heights/Montreal, 2006/2005/2003)

A very happy Mothers Day to my mom, every mom and all those future momma's out there.

Thanks for inspiring.

Ez

Short...

and sweet.

Ez

Weird wheels...

Click pic for hard knocks...


Strange things roll by in life. Be open to them even if they make you scratch your head and wonder.

And wander.

Enjoy it all,

Ez

It's not International Tree Day but I felt like giving props to my budding buddies regardless

("Shadows of Coincidence", 12/06, Barcelona, self-portrait by Ez)

Stand your ground. Then a plant a tree on it and move on.

Ez


More about trees. Hug a tree yesterday and tomorrow, for today we must spend our time understanding - and maybe even taking penance for - why they actually ever needed hugs in the first place.

1+1 Fun

1+1 equals _________...

(This is an experiment in collaborative experimental blogging, folks. Please leave your answer in the Comments section. Read other answers there too.)

Welcome back...

Travel near or far, the results are the same. New perspectives on familiar things and new perspectives on new things.

Met many wonderful friends and strangers in NYC the past few days.

Thanks to you all for being here today. An honour to recommune at the ol' Ez Sez.

Go home early and relax,

Ez

P.S. If you're already home, just sit still, close your eyes and dream.

Ez Sez - Back in 5...

Folks,

Ez Sez is taking a break for a few days to see some world.

Stay tuned for more Ez Sezziness after the 3rd of May.

Til then, scroll down to feel up, as we like to say here. Lots to see below...

Ez

Backups Feel Great

(Click for juicy view of image)

("Digital Plague #3 - Plastic Frogs", 2006, by Ezra)

Dear Ez Sez Friends,

I wanted to share a great feeling with you all.

I have a 'to do list'. It's my infamous spiral notepad with lots of handwritten things 'to do' and lots of guide symbols I use to help me prioritize and navigate the business and busyness of life. Symbols like "." "-" "+" "*" and the all important "tick" symbol for use once something gets done.

Well, there'd been something on the list for several months that just hadn't gotten done...

-Back up computer files!

I'd heard way too many stories of friends losing all their files, all their photos, etc., and did not want this digital tsures to befall me.

I took about 30 minutes on Earth Day (4/22) to sit down and accomplish this file back up. I simply burnt a DVD (you can use CDs too) of all my files.

That's all it took. 30 minutes and a kick in the pants by the anti-procrastination muse. Plus I figured backing up my files was somehow a contribution to the greater sanity of the Earth (or at least my local planet).

I cannot describe how good it felt to know that if my hard drive crashed (or if any other chaos hit the ol' Apple or the ol' Ez homestead) my files would be safe.

Here are a few tips:

-Remember to backup everything important: documents, photos, bookmarks, emails, email addresses, settings (to restore your 'preferences' if you have to rebuild your computer), etc.
-Make a 2 copies of your backup CD or DVD. Store one in another room and another (in case a thief takes your computer and all the CDs on your desk) at a trusted person's house in case your home copy is stolen or destroyed. Use a safety deposit box if you're really diligent
-Put your name (at least your first name) on each copy along with a telephone number so if someone finds the CD they can return it
-Do a backup every _________ (insert reasonable amount of time here)
-Revel in the good feeling you get once this is done

Hope this helps, folks.

Have a great extended Earth Day. (In my books it'll be going on until we solve this mess.)

But don't despair...

Chin up (and backup),

Ez


This has been a friendly public service announcement from Ez Sez.

Oh, Sister!

I found this clip on YouTube and thought I'd share it...



It's the gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe burning up the early TV cameras with a blistering rendition of "Up Above My Head".

I defy you to find a more exhilarating guitar solo from someone wearing a flower dress.

Go Rosetta!!!

Ez

"There's a fine line...

...between nutso-busy and not so busy."
-Marc Ostrick and Ez
4/20/07

(Marc and Ezra, c.1997, Union Station, L.A., selves portrait)

If nothing else...

...crave love.

Ez

UPDATE: ...and when you find it, share it.

35... and a bit like life

("Love To All On A Wall", St-Adolphe/NY/MTL, 2005/2006)

I used to be kinda shy back in the day. No longer fully so.

If I see something I like, I say it.

Something I love, I let it be known.

Today: It's birthdays I love. Especially my own.

It's April 13th today.

Happy to share that birthday feeling with you all.

Feels a bit like life and a lot like goodness.

And a bit like the snow plow's rushing by outside, carrying some snow away and leaving some behind.

You know the feeling... a bit like life.

All my best and happy Ez's birthday to you from all at Ez Sez.


Ez

Elvis Perkins concert this Friday

(Elvis and band in Montreal, 2006, by Ezra S.)

A reminder to all those in Montreal that Elvis Perkins in Dearland will be playing at The Metropolis this Friday, April 13th at 9pm. Elvis and band will be opening for the band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

If you're a fan of unforgettable folk-rock jamborees and back-woords beards, come on down to support and enjoy this gifted friend and his rollicking Dearland buddies and their marching band drum, harmonium, big bass and bag of twangy tricks.

I'll be there. Drop me an email if you want to meet up at the show. Tickets are $19.75+ and are available online here.

I've only heard raves about his new CD "Ash Wednesday" from all who've taken my tip on it. Sample it on iTunes before the show. Enjoy!

Ez

P.S. It's my 35th birthday the night of the show, so this should be a memorable eve...

UPDATE: What a show this was. Thanks to all who joined me for a spectacular evening of what Elvis calls 'folk n' roll'. Entirely memorable, through and through. Ez

It's Easter. Not Esther. Not Ezra.

("Hands Up For A Certain Mr. J", London/Cuzco/NYC, 2004/2006)

It's Easter...
Had I been a gal, they'd-a named me Esther
It's the truth.

Life's like that.

Here's to happy Easters,

Ez