Polar Bear Club

Polar Bear Club is my favorite band from Rochester! Dan and I saw them a few months ago in Portland and totally surprised our friend Chris, the guitarist, who didn't even know we live here. Their sound is awesome sing along punk/hardcore. I just found this video of them playing The Get Up Kids' song "Ten Minutes" and another video of them doing their own song that I love, "To The Engravers."


Polar Bear Club - "Ten Minutes" (Get Up Kids cover) from Brandon Finnegan on Vimeo.


Polar Bear Club - "To The Engravers" from Brandon Finnegan on Vimeo.

Christmas song: Vermont "Santa Claws"

http://www.joanfrc.com/albums/santaclaws.mp3

Vermont - a side project of The Promise Ring, before Davey started Maritime - recorded this Christmas song, that I just found scouring Joan of Arc's website.

There are a lot of other mp3s on this site - you just have to go through the discography section.

THE END OF 2008.

I wanted to come up with some all-encompassing top ten list, covering the year in music and the year in everything else, but I don't think I can truly do 2008 justice. This was the year where I found out anything could happen at any moment.

There's only one song that sums this up and this is it: THE ESCAPIST by The Streets.



All these walls were never really there, nor the ceiling or the chair.
I am eking weeks of peace on a beach.
I see the breezes weave the trees,
these walls you find - they’re yours and mine
confined not by them I
I am in times that lie behind my eyelids,
the sunsets steal the rising silence,

I’ll not feel no fear, cause I’m not really here
I’m nowhere near here

Theres no rain on roof that grates and beats me
my favorite tree breaking lights to pieces
sprinkling, sharded light on me
throw a stone as high as you can and hearing with hand not hear it land
nothing taxing, dusting sand
my window and world spins and twirls,
the walls then fall, i recall the sore
white clouds white wash faded spotless
the weighty shadows, ranges of rocks
the cold is all illusion thought up
the stroll on the shore, snooze and explore
all possibilities in each new morning,
until satisfied reaching out, yawning
fish in a big dish, some rice and spice,
Salt over shoulder, never salt in soaked eye
the truth I’ve told was silence sometimes
but who soul does not hide any crimes
wrapped in walls, encircled by work
the walls fall - this story occurs
no barrier, no boundary, all hours I please
the freedom to stay all stray
be fiend or friend, cause no harm but charm - the peaceful end

I’ll not feel no fear, cause I’m not really here
I’m nowhere near here

Pale ancient woods, strewn white sandy bays
this ugly room pales away today
I am swimming, in the ocean
I sink slow motion, fingers, toes floating
every year til yesterday
seeing the eternal setting sea
I compare all this to me,
little fleeting momentary me
I blink my eyes, this is reminding me
life lies in the blink of an eye
the old die for reasons, new tide, four seasons
new life born is like changing
all these walls were really never there
nor the ceiling or the chair
I am eking weeks of peace on a beach
I see the breezes weave the trees
I am not here at all,
you dearly fooled,
I see busheling trees, the shush at the sea
the mischievous
fluttering seagulls
No!
I’m not trapped in a box, I’m glancing at rocks
I am dancing off docks
since this dance began - that's where i am

I’m not feel no fear, cause I’m not really here
I’m nowhere near