top ten albums of 2009…

a while ago, in june, i made a post about the top ten albums half-way through the year…
so here is my updated list of favorites. these albums are the ones that blew my mind or i couldn’t stop listening to this year. it’s was pretty easy to pick for once, as most of my favorites didn’t release albums this year… and one album just blew everything else away. (maybe that’s a bad thing, letting some fine work slip from my radar?)
i think i’ve been doing one of these since my first journal in middle school, so i guess it’s kind of a tradition? yea. we’ll go with that. i might do a shorter one of these tomorrow for my favorites of the decade…

1. enter the haggis – gutter anthems
this album, released in march, is easily 2009’s best album, if not one of the best albums released the past decade. i can’t say enough in praise of gutter anthems. it’s a really mature album from a band i grew up listening to/following around, and a nice brainf*ck/eargasm. eth is a band that i first encountered as a cute little quirky/dorky canadian celtic punk band with an interesting instrumentation that was jamming their faces off. their instrumentation still *shouldn’t* work, but it does. this year, they totally grew up out of nowhere and did nothing but blow my mind constantly. (they’ve been doing that for years) i can’t decide if it was their rage against the machine cover (with bagpipes) or acoustic cameos. or how most of gutter anthems evolved on stage since craig downie’s brief stint with a saxophone at the 2008 celtic fling. while still having hints of their celtic punk/rock roots, they’ve grown into a really progressive and eccentric sound. and they have incredible showmanship and energy to back up their awesome work (as if their work needed any help? ^_^) there’s not one song on this album that i don’t like *something* about. it opens with an organ/pipes intro and closes with eth’s signature style of instrumental awesomeness in alternating 7/8 and 6/8 (broken line) with a bunch of fine songs that showcase their musical diversity and personalities in between. and brian buchanan’s instrumental credit list in the liner notes? yea. did i mention that these guys can double like woah? craig downie is the most quirky/unique wind doubler out there. the thing i must say that i love most is how this album just shouldn’t make sense, yet all of the songs just *fit* with each other.
i’ll just stop rambling now and tell you to go listen to this frigging album!

2. the decemberists -hazards of love
ok… the decemberists’ 2009 release is incredible. it’s an hour-long “rock” opera about a woman named margaret who has fallen in love with william, a shape-shifter and the crazy adventures that happen with other characters such as an evil rake and jealous forest queen. the instrumentation on this album is absurd. there’s slide guitar, banjo, accordion, pedal steel guitar, harpsichord, strings and a bunch of instruments that *shouldn’t* make any sense together… even better? the genref*cking that hazards does is a brilliant mix of folk, folk rock, rock, prog rock, metal and country, just to mention some, and they pull it off flawlessly. colin meloy and jenny conlee did something incredible with this album. seeing it performed live at philly folk fest was probably one of the best performances i’ve ever witnessed. so powerful. i think i’m still recovering, but we can also blame ETH for that one, as it’s their fault for blowing away the rest of my brain that day… the very little that colin meloy left. i get shivers listening to hazards of love 2 (wager all). other sections that also stand out (ok, the story as a whole does) are annan water, the rake’s song and the wanting comes in waves/repaid. i get shivers listening to repaid.. as the alto, shara worden, has a frigging powerful voice… and she can *belt* like woah. this is my favorite decemberists album, but i don’t think it’s the perfect album for a first-time listener.

3. the young dubliners - saints and sinners
released early in the year, february, saints and sinners is the young dubs’ finest. some damn good irish rock here. i want to dance my ass off every time a song from this album comes on my ipod. it’s really fun, slightly serious (eh, not really) and has some pretty catchy tunes on it. i can’t get backseat driver out of my head no matter how hard i try. the title track is pretty kickass as well. young dubs never fail to deliver fun and a good time. i was just pissed that i missed them at bam margera’s bar this year because i had an orchestra concert. hopefully they’ll be back there in 2010. i’ve seen them once and they know how to work a stage and be a fine show to party at. so yea. listen to saints and sinners.

4. mute math - armistice
this album, released in august, is some pretty awesome alt-rock. the rhythm section on this album is incredible and sets the tone for the album right away with the nerve. it pushes through the entire album. the vocals are tight. the instrumentals are just… mind-blowing. this album is just *tight*. the last track, burden, is an awesome last track. it’s got a really catchy melody and some fine instrumentals. and their lyrics? awesome. armistice is a well-written album lyrically and instrumentally. it’s comforting to know that fine alt and prog rock is still being written and mute math is an excellent example.

5. lacuna coil – shallow life
lacuna coil’s most recent attempt. another band i grew up listening to, one of the first bands i ever got into. italian symphonic/gothic metal band with cristina scabbia’s incredible mezzo voice at the lead and andrea ferro on background vox. cristina and andrea sound incredible. it’s not my favorite coil album, and it’s not the most mind-blowing thing i’ve heard…. but it’s different. i like their sound and new direction, but parts of this album feel too forced. i enjoy this album.

6. the von bondies – love, hate and then there’s you
an indie/alt rock band that i’ve gotten into the past few years. this is a pretty cool album, but it reminds me too much of their last one. it’s enjoyable, happy music. chancer and modern saints are my favorite tracks. their sound is interesting and fun. i think that’s what i like about it… and their drummer doesn’t suck. i really enjoy this album.

7. butterfly boucher – scary fragile
i just can’t stop listening to this album. it’s addicting folk/alt-rock. it’s really catchy and shows off butterfly’s versatility as a musician. she plays all of the instruments and sings all of the vocals on this album. she also shows a maturity from flutterby, her first album. i guess my biggest/only problem with it is that it is too short; a little bit over a half hour. but it’s not length that matters most, it’s the work… and she creates some pretty fine music. my favorite track is to feel love. it’s so angry, reminding me a bit of aimee mann or maybe tori amos. part of bitter song sounds a lot like the slow section of radiohead’s paranoid android, or at least the tune does. i’m not sure if it was intentional… but it’s brilliant. it’s the final track on the album and a really interesting way to end the album

8. steven pasquale -  somethin’ like love
ok… i generally don’t like jazz. but i *love* steve pasquale. dilemma!  so, in this album, we have a pretty-good-but-still-higher tenor pretending to be a baritone. this album is so low on my ‘top ten’ list because i can’t get over the fact that he can sing a lot better than he does on this album. it’s enjoyable background music… and his voice is still pretty freaking incredible… but i can’t put my finger around what i don’t love about this album count your blessings instead of sheep is cute… and his ode to his wife, tony winner laura benanti, is gorgeous… but it’s they all laughed that’s my favorite. it’s a cute little song about how society generally laughs at brilliance. but maybe it’s the jazz that gets to me… i just can’t get into jazz no matter what i do…or how much i love steve pasquale’s voice. it’s worth a listen.

9. metric – fantasies
i just love metric. and this album is some of my favorite indie rock. ohhh broken social scene, why the hell are y’all such an awesome super-group that keeps pouring out some awesome groups like metric? they’re one of the very few indie rock bands that i love with a chick singer. emily haines is a pretty awesome alto. this album is full of really catchy tunes with driving indie rock instrumentals. sick muse has been stuck in my head for a while. i can’t stop listening to this album. but thanks to ETH and the decemberists being so epic this year, fine albums like this one almost slipped off my radar. i’m sure that i’ll be listening to it more often in 2010.

10.dream theater - black clouds and silver lining
i’m sure you were wondering where dream theater was on this list.. (or not.) they’ve appeared on a lot of these lists… because they’re just epic. some really fine mind-blowing prog metal. mike portnoy and john petrucci are genius. this is one of their darkest albums. ok, i don’t really like some of their lyric choices this time at all… that seems to be the biggest criticism the album’s gotten from most listeners… but their instrumentals are mind-blowing, as they’ve always been, and this album’s best and most redeeming feature. they’re still pushing the limits of prog metal, even on their tenth album. but i can’t get past the lyrics and they’ve been bothering me since the release of this album. overall, one of my favorites this year. i can’t say it’s one of the best of the decade though. worth a few listens, yes… but good luck separating the lyrics from the rest of their work.

notable mentions

tori amos - abnormally attracted to sin
i frigging love this album. ok. enjoy. it’s still growing on me, seven months later. i’m not sure if i like the direction she’s been going in at all… i love the folkier sound of this album… and the prog rock influence… and the lyrics. not dying today is an awesome song. but i don’t like how her voice is becoming the primary focus. where’s the piano?? i’ve always loved her for doing some cool things with a piano. she’s sounding more like the october project meets pop… i think that’s what is still growing on me. she’s still evolving. so maybe this album will grow on me more. i don’t really dislike it…. but it’s memorable for this year. it’s good, but not incredible. some tracks stick out, but some are forgettable. it’s still worth a listen though.

sonata arctica – the days of grace
love this album. it’s really catchy. it’s nice symphonic metal. not my favorite sonata album… but it’s a good attempt. it’s… fluffly. sonata arctica is one of the first bands that i got into and they’re still creating some good music.

badly drawn boy – is there nothing we could do?
just released two weeks ago… i haven’t had enough time to listen to it enough to get a good feeling for it… but it’s probably better than dream theater’s album overall… and i am a huge dream theater fan. black clouds just didn’t do it for me lyrically… and badly drawn boy is a fantastic lyricist. so, we’ll see.

filter – the very best things
i love this greatest hits album… it’s a good intro to filter for new listeners and a nice retrospective of fine music for long-time listeners.

upcoming
some albums i’m looking forward to in 2010?
oh gawd, i’m gonna be broke really fast.

-barenaked ladies – all in good time. their second album as a quartet (the first was 1994’s born on a pirate ship) scheduled for release in march. after hearing some of the new work on youtube, i’m happy that my favorite band of ever can hold their own sans one of my heroes. i am beyond excited for this album.
-steven page : two albums… his ‘first’ solo album post-BNL (does vanity project count??) and the release of his art of time ensemble performance. also a re-release of the vanity project under his own name… it’s steven page… that’s the only reason i *need* to be excited about.
-dropkick murphys – hell yes. new album. whee!!
-lostprophets – the betrayed. recently got into them. should be a decent album.
-cold war kids – behave yourself. technically, it’s been released a few days ago… but not? i don’t get it, but i’ll probably give it a listen.
-patrick wolf – the conqueror. an artist that i’m just starting to get into.  i’m enjoying his songwriting style for how unique it is.
-vampire weekend – contra. another band i’m just starting to get into. i saw them at some festival or something like… two years ago and they’re pretty nifty.
-serj tankian- elect the dead symphony. i just love soad… so it has to be pretty good. and there’s a greek dude that’s credited with arranging it. and! there’s a song called beethoven’s cunt. win.
- rhapsody of fire – the frozen tears of angels. ok… i just love metal. specifically symphonic metal. *sticks tongue out*
-owen pallett – heartland. in his attempt to not get sued (after going as final fantasy for a good part of his solo career), he is releasing a new album under his own name. cool! he’s pretty awesome and this album will be sweet.
-massive attack – heligoland. i just frigging love massive attack.
-anathema – horizons. an album that didn’t get released this year that will surely be awesome.
-angels and airwaves – love. to be released on valentine’s day… cute. i’m just getting into them.
-tarja turunen – what lies beneath. tarja’s second solo album since getting kicked out of nightwish.
-tobias sammet’s avantasia – the wicked symphony/angel of babylon. i love tobias sammet. and a double album? yay!

Tags: 2009, albums, bands, music, pile of awesome, why music = life

can’t you see how i miss you so?

i have  an american elegy stuck in my head, and it’s not going away any time soon.
we (allentown marine band) played it tonight for a pretty decent-sized tuesday evening audience at west park. such a beautiful piece… and one i’ve wanted to play since the first time i heard it. i just didn’t think i’d be playing it on bassoon the first time i’d get the chance. (and messing it up that badly after my mouth turned to mush in the beginning of it…)

the first time i heard it was sometime in late 2001 or early 2002 when
i was still very much in shock and mourning over the tragic and very sudden loss of a friend… and this piece is one that i associate with him. i guess because of columbine’s influence on its composition and the gun violence it memorializes through a beautiful work. my facebook hubbie played me an mp3 of it that he’d found on napster (hahaaaa napster)… in his usual, overly-dramatic fashion, he had told me that it was the ‘most beautiful thing you’ll EVER hear’… and i vaguely remember him saying that it would get my mind off of the recent horror. it did and it didn’t…

other music that reminds me of him includes girlyman’s say goodbye (of which the title of this entry comes from) and just about anything that shostakovich composed… (because he had introduced me to shostakovich just before he was murdered.)
music is always with me, and with EVERYONE, so again… i shall take this moment to express how i think that administrators that want to get rid of something so perfect from schools for budget reasons should be given a good blow to the head to knock them out of their fantasy worlds where music is not necessary for life.
i am generally not a violent person and hate violence… but cutting music from schools is VIOLENCE. /end aside

some of you may know… on the evening of november 15 2001, a day that i will NEVER forget, i lost a friend to gun violence and homophobia in allentown.
i was out with some friends, most of us being quite underage, celebrating the barely 18 year old boy’s recent acceptance into college… our group split off into two to head home, and i never saw his beautiful smile again…
the horrible waste of life that gunned him down simply did so because they assumed that he was gay because he’d just walked out of an lgbt establishment. i won’t go into the horrifying details here, because i am honestly trying to block them out (and have been successful for a while)… but that night changed my life and perhaps stole my childhood away.

i’ve been a devout pacifist (does pacifism count as a religion?), anti-ALL forms of violence, and a huge supporter of teaching tolerance in schools since then… as well as terrified of the sight of guns, the sound of guns and everything about guns… and hamilton st. for many years, i refused to drive or BE anywhere near the spot. if i had to be in allentown for anything, or went to the stonewall or croc rock (which is on hamilton) with friends… i would add quite a bit of distance and time to avoid being on the street. i would go in circles just so i wouldn’t have to feel… and it drove me insane.

it was not until after a marine band rehearsal earlier this summer that i finally sucked it up and drove home using hamilton all the way to bethlehem. it was really hard to do, but it was the last thing that reminded me of him and i’m glad that i broke that pattern finally. i even ended up going to the spot on bike/foot a few times, just to see if i could mentally handle it… while it was quite a challenge… i did it… and it ended my long fight with myself over physically being unable to be anywhere near where it happened.
while i don’t think i’ll ever get over his death… i’ve been able to accept it as something that’s made me who i am. i moved on a few years ago. i stopped constantly thinking about him… he stopped haunting my thoughts and nightmares.
can’t change any of it… but it sometimes baffles me just how powerful music can be in making me just know that everything will turn out pretty OK…

ticheli wrote this piece as an expression of hope, after all.

the hardest part of playing that piece tonight was the memory of eric creeping its way into my mind for the first time in months.
22.october.1983 – 15.november.2001
rest in peace…

and may gun violence cease to exist.

Tags: music, why music = life

randomsity…

- listening to enter the haggis’ real life/alibis in the ghetto is probably a bad idea.
i’m serious.
i was on my way to west park tonight when the song came on my ipod. i got stuck at a light in a shady part of allentown when the ‘alibis’ half was playing, and a hispanic gent screamed at me ‘yea man! we do gots our alibis. and they be bullshit!’ and started rambling about how the ‘po-po don’t believe shit’.
i thought i was going to die. at least it would’ve been to a great song?

-  damn, did i have a better-than-decent playing day so far, despite all the instrument!phail i’ve been having the past few days! first, i could’ve sworn a pad was leaking on my piccolo (turns out i was attempting to grip my right hand like i would my fiddle bow again haha)… the whisper key on my bassoon was going haywire yesterday (humidity is GROSS!)… i have like..four leaky pads on my clarinet… two strings snapped on my guitar when i was re-stringing a few days ago… my violin’s A string popped when i was changing the string, and i thought my soundpost was going to collapse because i thought i heard it rattling (it didn’t, thankfully!)… my keyboard’s sustain pedal almost electrocuted me… and i *think* that’s all of the instrument!phail!! i’ve had this week…
despite that, today’s been a surprisingly pretty OK playing day… my stars&stripes with muni band was the most comfortable it’s been all summer… and i went in after not having touched a piccolo in two days. it took me at least two pieces to get into my piccolo embouchure though… bassoon is not very forgiving on it some days. i like comfortable.
and my bassoon playing was not that bad either… i was pretty on top of my low register. best it’s been in a while. i did crack quite a bit doubling jean’s line in god of our fathers though… *kicks self* that half-hole on an a-flat gets me every time if i don’t pay attention to it. such a pretty tune though… actually, i just enjoyed playing that concert. it was dedicated to fred, who recently passed away. i barely knew the gent, but he was definitely a great person and a fine musician.
i may be a ‘devout’ atheist, but music is music no matter the institution it may represent… and some religious music is pretty darn gorgeous.
- my body hates me for doing stupid things to it.
i need to not get intoxicated as much as i do or something. i think i can hear my liver crying right now. here’s to many good nights. let’s raise a glass to amazing people and good music!
i should probably get some sleep at some point too… but what’s the fun in that?

-  greece needs to stop being on fire all the time.
i hate hearing about it… and even better, everyone seems to hate the hellenic government, so they use natural disasters to complain about how they all hate it. i know they’re a bunch of sexists, morons, orthodox religious nuts and generally a bunch of f-ups, but come on! look who the US had to deal with for eight years! (greeks are amazing at complaining about everything, btw.)

- if you play a bunch of instruments pretty decently, don’t let the word get out if you’re not much of a ‘people’ person.
i’m off to play at least three more for a few hours. lucky you, i don’t mind people that much. (just the stupid ones) i’m just really exhausted right now… but i know i’ll have fun once i’m playing.

good night!

Tags: concerts, music, summer, useless drivel

a short fazed hovel.

i am convinced that yesterday did not happen.

i can’t even begin to convince myself otherwise. it was too perfect and epic a day to have been real. more…

Tags: enter the haggis, music, philly folk, rambling, the decemberists, why music = life

nothing important to say…

i’m just super-excited for folk fest on saturday.
enter the haggis and the decemberists at the same festival on the same day… the world might just explode the moment brian buchanan meets colin meloy! (omg… the thought of that is nearly as epic, if not more epic!, as the recent 2/5ths of eth + STEVEN PAGE!! photo..)

today was really chill. i made music all day… my fiddling’s really gotten better the past few months… funny how having the time to play and have fun has made me a more comfy player… i’ve been playing violin for over ten years now… about time my bowing stopped sucking and i had fun with it again.
i saw a stork. no lie. by burnside plantation at ink pond. that place they keep the new police horses. i didn’t know we even had storks (or some giant-necked birds) in bethlehem.
then i played a concert at the rose garden while thouroughly drunk and phelpsed out. it was my best playing of the summer. i had fun!

oh! and new layout!! still working out the kinks on it… but yea! shiny!!

also… i hate drama. keep me out of it for my sanity, please?
i’ve not caused any for a while, so don’t drag me in by association… please? pretty please??

good night… (maybe)

Tags: folk fest, music, rambling

short blog post.

song of the moment being: radiohead – optimistic
probably my favorite radiohead song. it haunts me.

so it’s been a drone of a couple of weeks. i’ve pretty much been going to work, then rehearsal/concert , then either bar/club or straight to bed. yea. i’m starting to not like this fling at all… except for maybe the nice paychecks and awesome people of it. (gawwwd i love the htown pool guard staff!)
my life HURTS because having a moment to make music has just not been there. sometimes, like this morning, i got a solid hour to play something… might not be much, but i’d probably go insane if i didn’t have that moment. so i picked out songs on piano. i’m getting kind of decent with using my hands on that instrument. the only real challenge is not being able to feel my way around with my lips and mouth, i guess. i’m trying to pick out the left hand of enter the haggis’s barfly, but i suck at picking out more than one hand at a time hahahaaa more…

Tags: lehigh canal, life, music, rambling

music = life.

i was going to post a ‘part two’ to the last entry, but i’m not right now.
yet, this entry is still about music… (surprise?)

i could never imagine doing ANYTHING but music for life.  and sometimes, i get chances to meet people who i probably would’ve never met if it weren’t for music. i think it’s moments like that where i lose any momentary doubt i may have had about anything.
for this reasoning, last night ended up being pretty cool. i’d had a long day lifeguarding, and felt kind of bad about leaving the rest of the staff with one less guard to go across the street to the park to play… so i was just hoping to play and get outta there ASAP. damn, was i wrong!

one of the community bands i’m in, the bethlehem municipal band, shared the stage (errr… roof of a bomb shelter) with the [salem moravian band] (check out their site/tour blog), a community/church band from south africa. these folks traveled a pretty long way, but a shared love of music brought us all together. i am obviously a huge advocate for community music, and this band really made me see the importance of it even more. they come from a part of the world where instruments are pretty hard to come by, as their economic situation is less-than-ideal… but seeing how music has made their lives better? truly a wonderful thing. i’m sure that they bring a lot of happiness to their community… how could they not? more…

Tags: bands, concerts, music, summer, why music = life

top ten albums of 2009, so far.

cratics gave me a good idea…
here are my ‘top ten’ favorite albums of 2009 so far… i will update this list when i feel like it.
i think my current music ‘taste’ screams ‘indie’ and ’symphonic metal’… although it’s never really swayed much from my lifelong love of indie, ‘progressive’-sounding stuff and strong female vocals…
i’ve decided not to include cast recordings/theatre on this list… as less than 5 stick out, despite that so frigging many new shows opened this year.

1. enter the haggis – gutter anthems
such a brilliant (and mature) album… not one song i can say that i don’t like *something* about, because seeing these songs grow on stage in the short time the album’s been out is a beautiful thing. a really fine album with really awesome lyrics/instrumental arrangements from a band i’ve loved for so many years and can’t wait to see at celtic fling next weekend. cameos is one of the best songs written in the past five years… and real life/alibis is kind of reminiscent of a ‘rougher’ earlier sound, but not really.

2. the decemberists – hazards of love
colin meloy is purely made of WIN. and this album is pretty damn fine. i love how there’s a story connecting all of the songs on the album. cool idea. i hope the philly folk fest rumours are true.

3. steven pasquale – somethin’ like love
not usually a jazz kinda person, but i’ve adored mr pasquale’s theatre work since i saw him in the off-broadway production of a man of no importance… and this album is pretty awesome. laura is soooo frigging cute!

4. lacuna coil – shallow life
i can’t help it… i just love symphonic metal. this album is this italian band’s best album to date. a bit of a different sound for them, but cristina scabbia’s voice really keeps the album together… lacuna coil was one of the first bands i ever got into, and they continue to impress me.

5. butterfly boucher – scary fragile
i was introduced to butterfly thanks to my love of barenaked ladies (gawd that sounded dirty)… and her latest/second album shows such a maturity from her… she’s pretty damn awesome.

6. the von bondies – love, hate and then there’s you
interesting sound. i’m in love with this album… it’s pretty cool. i got into the von bondies after getting into rescue me, as they perform the opening theme song. they’re kind of alt… indie rock and kind of punk-ish, but not really.

7. the arrogant worms – torpid
a live album that i guess it’s *technically* a 2008 release… but i didn’t get my copy until early 2009… it’s frigging hillarious, because nothing beats live worms. track 14, punk rocker, makes my life. can’t wait to see them at ‘fest again this year.

yeeea… that’s it for now!
i’m about to leave for philly for the night/tomorrow. my former roomie is having her graduation party and tomorrow is philly pride. it shall be a frikking awesome night.

Move over, Chuck Norris. Brian Buchanan’s taking over now.

So if Chuck Norris is a superhero… then what does that make Brian Buchanan?
Who needs Chuck Norris when you’ve got the world’s best multi-tasker?

Here are ten facts. 

1. Brian Buchanan can sing, play the fiddle, piano and guitar… while jumping 10 feet in the air, chatting on eth-tv AND enjoying a cold beer. All at the same time. Questioning how he does this will make the world explode.
2. Brian Buchanan does not “style” his hair. It lays perfectly on his head due to the wind generated by his fiddling, especially during Arcturus.
3. The Internet is really a collection of Brian Buchanan’s dreams and sometimes his nightmares. But it’s ok: the social notworking sites have already eaten your brain out, so you only get to see the good parts of the interwebz.
4. Brian Buchanan can in fact ‘raise the roof’. And he can do it with his bow, while playing the left-hand line on his  keyboard at the same time.
5. The Stanley Cup was single-handedly won by Brian Buchanan for the past 27 years.
6. Brian Buchanan’s wings don’t melt when he flies into the sun. The sun gives him a comfy vacation spot, complete with copious amounts of really good beer.
7. Brian Buchanan runs Windows Vista on his Etch-a-Sketch. He is the only person that can make Vista work.
8. Donald, the Mexican Scotsman and Craig Downie’s monster are in fact dead. Brian Buchanan exiled them and forced them to listen to Disney pop stars until they killed eachother after he caught them trying to sabotage his wah-wah pedals.
9. Brian Buchanan creates miracles, but he could care less than he does. It’s obvious you’re just cynical.
10. In the bible, Jesus turned water into wine. Brian Buchanan turned that wine into beer and and drank it while quietly shaking his head and laughing at the people who actually believed this.

[Note: This was only meant as a joke/satire and a parody of the Chuck Norris Facts in relation to how awesome Brian Buchanan is. Drew and I were just f'ing around with no intent of being total morons...
For real, Brian Buchanan is one fine musician who we both adore.... and this sad list is how we're paying tribute to a gent we've been stalking who's music we've been listening to and enjoying for almost five years. So you should all go buy Enter the Haggis stuff right now, or go see them perform because they are pretty frigging awesome...  And feel free to add more facts to this pathetic list!]

Tags: brian buchanan, chuck norris, enter the haggis, satire, why brian buchanan will one day rule the world