This will not be an entirely biased review of Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers. I did not grow up listening to every Buddy Wasisname album since Makin’ for the Harbour which came out not three years after my birth. I do not know all the words to Sarah, The Hillside in September or Shinny On The Ice, to name a few. I never go to any shows within a 200km radius. I did not meet Mr. Blackmore when I was a kid in Marble Mountain’s old chalet during one of their shows. I would not giggle like a little girl if I were to meet them again.

OK, Ok. I’ll admit it, they’re my heroes. All of them, not just Kevin a.k.a Buddy, but Rocky and Chaulky too. From the jigs-n-reels to comedic breaks, all brought together nicely with the timeless Newfoundland odes and songs… I’m a fan of it all.

And nothing says “Newfoundlandia” quite like a performance by Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers on George Street, opened by none other then Rex Goudie himself. If memory serves they opened with Make ‘n’ Break Hornpipe and the not oft performed Mr. McGuire Sit Down. Personally, I was absolutely thrilled to hear Mr. McGuire Sit Down as it’s my all-time favorite Buddy Wasisname song and haven’t seen it live in years. They played straight for almost an hour and a half, mixing upbeat jigs with songs that’ll bring a tear to the eye. As well, they did Chainsaw Earl which they wrote sometime in 1991. And almost 20 years on it still had everyone in stitches.

You want more? Click here to see even more snaps of Rex Goudie and Buddy Wasisname

The journey home from a night downtown isn’t always easy.

There are streets littered with belligerent drunks, a serious lack of available cabs and an increasingly nagging need for nourishment all to contend with as you try to make your way.

But these two seemed to have it figured out.

Pizza already in hand, they wisely chose the less worn path of Duckworth Street circa 2:30am this morning to open their taxi hailing frequencies.

Do you have a preferred method for making your way home after a night on the town? Assuming you’re not too hung over to type today, let us know in the comments!

Seems a stand is finally being taken against the littering that smokers have been doing since nigh on the invention of the cigarette filter, dropping their used butts to the pavement as if the city were their own personal ashtray.

The campaign, called Go Bare Butt, is the result of a collaboration between the City of St. John’s, St. John’s Clean and Beautiful, Downtown St. John’s and the George Street Association.

In certain places where outdoor ashtrays are available, cheeky messages have been painted on the sidewalk adjacent to them.

I use the word cheeky as something of a pun, since some of the messages have confused many an onlooker into thinking they’re to do with taking a seat rather than responsibly disposing of their finished cigarette.

Do I take a seat, or put out my smoke? Why not both? Click to enlarge.

I assume you mean this chair I'm sitting in. Or did I just make an ass out of u and me? Click to enlarge.

I had no idea this ashtray even existed. Apparently neither did most of the smokers in this city. Click to enlarge.

While the campaign may have caused some initial confusion, it’s certainly getting people talking, and that’s half the battle. The talk spreads far enough, eventually the confusion subsides and what you’re left with is the hallmark of any great campaign: a very well exposed message.

So far the campaign is exclusive to downtown, with sidewalk stencilling at 32 locations between Water Street, Duckworth Street and George Street. If the campaign proves to be successful, expect to see it reach other parts of the city in the future.

I spotted this rather ingenious setup on George Street yesterday evening as I was making my way into the Yellowbelly for some delicious jazz and blues.

Click to enlarge.

Assuming whoever put this here intends to sleep in it overnight, I wonder how they plan on keeping the George Street drunks from trying to crawl in with them post-last call.

Then again, maybe that’s the idea.

I’m making a conscious effort this summer to participate in the slew of festivals, parties and cultural events happening in and around St. John’s.

This week: the Sound Symposium’s St. John’s Harbour Symphony.

Vessels moored in the harbour are collaborating like an orchestra or choir to sound-out original scores written by Ed Squires, originally from St. John’s. Music is written for a variety of ships and is co-ordinated over a Canadian Coast Guard radio frequency. The event is held every two years in St. John’s and tomorrow, July 10th at noon, is the last scheduled performance.

The harbour symphony is comparable to the infamous chorus of vuvuzelas heard echoing throughout the World Cup this season. Like the vuvuzela, most people are likely to either love or hate the harbour symphony. Regardless, I think it sounds like fun.

A cacophony of vuvuzelas sounding out at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Courtesy of Crystian Cruz's flickr stream.

Events like the harbour symphony happen in port cities around the world, often with mixed reviews. If you haven’t experienced it yet, tomorrow is your last chance, so be sure to head on down and form your own opinion.

[Image via]

The Newman Wine Vaults are getting their Canada Day freak on by hosting a photo scavenger hunt tomorrow from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

To participate, simply head to the Vaults armed with a digital camera and pick up your list of items to be photographed throughout the downtown area. Get your completed list in by 4:00pm and you’re entered into the running for prizes from Hava Java, Living Planet, Brittannia Teas, Shakespeare by the Sea Festival, St. John’s Haunted Hike, Flanker Press, and more.

From 3:00pm to 5:00pm there will be free entertainment with award winning singer/songwriter Colleen Power, and all afternoon they’re serving up Canada Day cake.

Seems like a great way to burn off all the excessive bbq’ed grub we’ll be scarfing all afternoon while working up an appetite for more scarfing later that evening!

Click to enlarge.

Below is video of the scene just after 5pm this evening. Almost 12 hours in, the fire continued to burn as firefighters blasted the Roebothan McKay Marshall rubble pile with water:

I was just walking into J Korean Restaurant for dinner at the time. In case you’re unaware, this restaurant is amazing.

When I walked out a little over an hour later, the fire was out.

Click to enlarge.

I don’t think downtown can take much more of this.

For some reason, Korean food hasn’t ever seemed to get a foothold in Canada. In more major conurbations, you’ll obviously find a few places specializing in Korean cuisine, but it’s nowhere near as iconic or ubiquitous as its neighbours Japanese or Chinese.

Which is a shame, because Korean food is delicious, exotic, and very healthy.

A fresh addition to the growing number of international restaurants on east Duckworth Street, J Korean Restaurant opened its doors on May 21. I went to check it out for lunch today and was thrilled: The place has all the makings of a classic.

The dining room has been beautifully decorated with bold, dark colours and tasteful furniture, with a much-nicer-than-average bar (though as of press time they hadn’t gotten their liquor license).

I decided on a dumpling soup and tempura-style shrimp for a starter. The soup was delicious: it was light and flavorful, with delicious dumplings, glass noodles, seaweed, and other vegetables floating in a rich broth. My shrimp was a perfect combination of crispy and fluffy, served with a compelling dipping sauce.

Midway through my appetizers, the owner Julia (for whom, one assumes, the restaurant is named) came over to my table and thanked me for coming. She asked if I’d be interested in trying some kimchi, the spicy fermented cabbage Koreans use as a condiment for virtually everything. J’s version of kimchi was near perfect; it had the earthy, spicy flavour of quality kimchi and was rounded out with the addition of fresh cucumbers. I had to get several refills.

My main arrived beautifully presented in a compartmentalized tray. It consisted of rice, a vegetable salad, cold glass noodles, a delicious pickled something (a radish, maybe), and some truly sublime bulgogi. Bulgogi is barbequed marinated beef, a classic Korean dish, and J’s was fabulous. Combined with sticky rice and kimchi, it was the most satisfying lunch I’ve had in ages.

The prices are comparable with other Asian restos around town, and they also do takeout. J Korean Restaurant is a very welcome addition to the culinary scene in St. John’s, and it should do very well if the ever-more-adventurous public in town have anything to do with it.

Photos: Liam Kavanagh

I recently came across local photographer Robert Young’s blog, The St. John’s Character Collection, an eclectic mix of some of downtown St. John’s most memorable folks. The photos and accompanying stories are a fascinating peek into the people that we see every day. Lots of familiar faces in there, running the gamut from the happy and hardworking to the unfortunately notorious.

The latter includes characters like our fellow human being Marilyn (known to many as Trixie), of whom Robert offers us the gentle reminder: “Try to save a little spare change for her, and always save her some dignity. There but for the grace of God goes all of us or our family members.”