Quantcast
Channel: blogTO
Viewing all 47899 articles
Browse latest View live

This Week in Food: Cupcakes, Brioche Doree, Sips and Nibbles, Family Day Winter Picnic, Belated Valentine's

0
0

toronto food eventsThis Week in Food rounds up the week's food news, restaurants openings and closings, chef movements and upcoming food events in Toronto. Find us here every Friday morning.

OPENINGS & CLOSINGS

  • Vancouver-based chain, Cupcakes (of W Network's reality series The Cupcake Girls fame) has opened its premiere Toronto location at 85 Laird Drive in Leaside.
  • Brioche Dorée is now open at 648 King Street West. This is the first Toronto location for this European chain of Parisian bakery cafes, well known for its croissants, baguette sandwiches, crêpes and quiches.

UPCOMING EVENTS

  • Toronto Underground Market's Sips and Nibbles takes place this Saturday, February 16th at the Steam Whistle Brewery (255 Bremner Boulevard). Tickets for this all-you-can-eat event are $75 for unlimited access to 10 of TUM's top vendors including favourites like ESÉ, Rock Lobster Food Co., and La Carnita.
  • The Toronto Chapter of Canadian Organic Growers and The Big Carrot presents a one-day conference, Organic: The Way Forward on Saturday, February 16 at the UofT Conference Centre (89 Chestnut Street). Tickets are $85 and includes an organic lunch.
  • The Rusholme Park Supper Club and Arthur Hill celebrate Québécois cuisine when they present Vive le Dépbac Libre! on Sunday, February 17th.
  • The Evergreen Brick Works (550 Bayview Avenue) hosts a Family Day Winter Picnic from 11am to 3pm on Monday, February 18th. Pack your own picnic, contribute a vegetable to the My Little Dumplings' stone soup, or enjoy snacks from Pimenton and pizza in the wood-fired oven by Local Kitchen & Wine Bar.
  • The Group of Seven Chefs and Soma present a Belated Valentine's Dinner on Monday, February 18th starting with an hors-d'oeuvres and cocktails reception, followed by a 5-course, chocolate-inspired tasting dinner. This event takes place at the Soma Roasting Shop (35 Golden Avenue), and tickets are $75.
  • DishCrawl heads to North York at 7pm on Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 to taste the specialties of 4 North York eateries. Tickets are on sale now for $60.

OTHER NEWS

  • Today (Friday, February 15th) is the last day to order Momofuku's Family Day special, Bo Ssäm To Go. The $250 take-away meal (available for pick-up on Monday, February 18th) serves up to 8 people and includes a whole slow cooked pork butt, plus rice, lettuce and all the fixings (kimchi, ssäm and ginger scallion sauce) and crab salad.
  • Hopgood's Foodliner (325 Roncesvalles Avenue) has opened a back room oyster shack to accomodate diners Thursday and Friday nights while they wait for tables. The new space will also be available for private seafood-fueled parties.
  • The Drake Hotel celebrates it's 9th anniversary with free birthday cupcakes when you join them for breakfast, lunch or dinner on Thursday, February 21st.

Photo from our review of Hopgood's Foodliner


The Tragically Hip still put on one hell of a show

0
0

Tragically HipLast night at the Air Canada Centre, pink and red lights highlighted the spirit of Valentine's Day as fans, both single and taken, showed love for their mutual Valentines, The Tragically Hip. Promoting their 13th studio album Now for Plan A, The Hip played a set list that mixed with equal parts of classic and new, which made for a happy audience all-around.

Tragically HipThere's nothing like the energy that comes from a crowd of 16,000 screaming fans. I can't even imagine how it would feel to be the cause of that energy, but I'm sure The Hip must be used to it by now. Having been in the music business for 20 years and with a repertoire of 54 hit singles, a sold-out show at the ACC must be just another night for the band, right?

If so, Gord Downie didn't let it show. He sang each song with a theatricality that brought the story-like lyrics to life and he strained his vocal chords with an ease and perseverance found only in a true professional. Downie's sometimes silly stage persona shined through as he played coy with the audience, taunting those in the front row with a sweaty handkerchief he nearly threw into the pit on multiple occasions.

Playing classic hits like "Ahead By a Century," "Grace, Too," and my personal favourite "Gift Shop," the band showed the same enthusiasm they must have felt when they first released each single. Whereas some great bands who've been around forever can sound stale and burnt out, The Hip's setlist sounded fresh and passionate.

Tragically HipAn impromptu appearance by fellow Canadian artist Sarah Harmer midway through the (abundant) encore was a little slow and didn't quite fit in with the up tempo of the rest of the show, but I'm always happy to witness the coming together of Canuck talent.

I thought there would be ample dialogue between songs -- perhaps due to the fact that many of The Hip's lyrics are so anecdotal. But talking was kept to a minimum and the songs took centre stage with little to no breaks between each.

Tragically HipWith nine of their 12 albums reaching the #1 spot in Canada, The Tragically Hip have become a symbol of the Great White North. They've been performing outstanding rock shows since 1983 and because of this, they have some of the most die-hard, devoted fans. Those select 16,000 who were lucky enough to attend last night's Valentine's Day concert left with extra warmth for The Hip in their hearts.

Additional Photos

Tragically HipTragically HipTragically HipPhotos by Brian Morton

Family Day events & activities in Toronto 2013

0
0

Family Day Toronto 2013Family Day is once again upon us in Toronto, and should you want to do something more than merely catch up on sleep (my plan), there's lots to do in the city — particularly when compared to your typical Monday in the dead of winter. While most of these events skew towards the kid-friendly (what a surprise), that's not to say that those without progeny can't have a good time as well.

Here's an overview of what's going on in Toronto on Family Day 2013.

The Auto Show
So the auto industry has lost some of its pomp over the last half-decade or so, that doesn't mean that you can't geek out on the latest concept cars and other vehicular gadgetry on display.

Winter Picnic at the Evergreen Brick Works
A winter picnic sounds a bit like torture to me, but so long as one dresses appropriately it might be survivable — or even enjoyable, if only for the fact that the warm-up process will be all the more special give how close to frostbite you've come. There will be a campfire, skating, a caldron of soup, and lots of people with blankets. Oh, and there are indoor areas too!

TIFF Lightbox Family Day
The Lightbox has been running free Family Day programming for a few years now, and has thus become a hub of activity on the third monday in February. Naturally the films on offer tend to be kid-friendly, but that doesn't mean there isn't entertainment to be had for all. The best part? It's free, free, free.

Patti Smith at the AGO
Along with a whole lot of kids-first programming, Patti Smith's Camera Solo is running at the AGO, which is open on Monday for the holiday. Have a gander at the punk legend's artistic repertoire, which, among other things, consists of photos of other famous people's beds. Bonus: there are not likely to be that many kids in this section of the gallery.

Radiohead Jazz Project
OK, here's something that the kids won't get. The third installment of the Radiohead Jazz Project sees the band's tunes performed by a 17-piece big band before turning it over to Idioteque, a cover band that offers eerily similar renditions of Radiohead's hits and rarities.

Rockstar Live at the Ossington
Karaoke is dead — love live Rockstar Live! The concept is simple. Instead of singing karaoke to songs played on some shitty sound system, participants get to front a real live band. As the organizers say, "This is not karaoke — it's a rock n' roll show starring YOU!"

Etsy and Uniiverse's Craft-a-Thon
If that sounds like too much fun, you could always brush up on your crafts. Just kidding! Crafting is fun too — especially when you're good at it. On the schedule for Monday, knitting and headband-making! You can wear the latter when you perform at Rockstar Live later that day.

Early Monthly Segments: Andy Warhol's kitchen
Show off your intellectual side with this screening of one of Andy Warhol's more bizarre films, Kitchen. Here the artist does what he did so often in throwing the most putatively benign and sanitized spaces under the critical spotlight. Sure it drags a bit, but you'll never look at your own kitchen the same way — and there's booze. So no excuses!

OTHER EVENTS OF NOTE

NOT TO FORGET

Got a Family Day event to share? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by Joe Howell

Toronto Fashion Week brings rogue events into the fold

0
0

Toronto Fashion Week 2013This morning, IMG Fashion announced a preliminary calendar for Toronto's World MasterCard Fashion Week. The bi-annual event - happening from March 18 to 22 at David Pecaut Square - will showcase fall/winter 2013 collections by both established and emerging Canadian designers.

Though this'll only be the second season IMG will manage Toronto's fashion week after taking the reins from Robin Kay, their knowledge and expertise is intended to ultimately (a.k.a. hopefully) propel the Canadian fashion industry to the same level as New York, Milan, and the like.

The schedule found on the World MasterCard Fashion Week website is already loaded with shows and presentations by veteran designers including Pink Tartan, VAWK, and Bustle. Even the much anticipated full runway show of last season's Mercedes-Benz Start Up winner DUY is slated for the second evening of the week. But, IMG will also introduce jazzy new concepts to bring more of the city's fashion-related happenings (including some of what were previously "rogue" events that took place prior to or during the official fashion week) to the tents at David Pecaut Square.

The Collections (a collective of designers Chloé Comme Parris, Laura Siegel, Sid Neigum, Klaxon Howl, Matthew Gallagher, and Thomas Bálint), previously held off-site a the Burroughes Building (see photos here), will take over the studio and runway along with the others. Plus, not one, but two Press and Buyer's Lunches held by Toronto Fashion Incubator will serve as opportunities for bigwigs to meet and collaborate with designers in an intimate new setting.

Though this calendar is still subject to more and more slots being filled in the coming weeks, it already looks like IMG is making all the right moves to call international attention to Canadian designers. The rest of us just have to keep our fingers crossed for Toronto fashion's globally relevant future.

Wavelength 13 Night One: This Mess, Fresh Snow, Ell V Gore, Lullabye Arkestra

0
0

Wavelength 13 TorontoHow do you like to spend your Valentine's Day? The last few years have proven to me that a cold beer and a good punk show are all I need, with or sans the special someone. There's nothing like losing yourself in a sweaty, loud, rockfest. And though the bands at Wavelength Music Festival THIRTEEN's first night on Thursday weren't all punk bands, there was enough loud representation that I feel justified chalking this night up to the punk Valentine's Day count.

DJ JesseStiegls were running high at The Shop under Parts and Labour, and the "handsome and humble" (self-described) bartender was peddling a heady red wine punch that seemed just sketchy enough to avoid, while DJ Jesse Lock opened the night.

Slow PitchSlow-Pitch turned tables with some deep house and electro sounds, while special guest Colin Fisher layed down organic saxophone tones overtop, creating a unique performance - one of many to occur that night.

Next came This Mess, a band with more or less oldschool punk inspirations and a garage-rock sound, who released their album States just that day and had tapes (tapes!) on sale at the back. The feel of the crowd was decidedly less punk, or even active, than the band, however, with the whole front row filled with four or five photographers instead of a mosh pit... or at the very least anyone remotely dancing.

This Mess bandThe audience was incredibly polite, and I spotted less than five heads nodding at any given time during the whole night. This is not to say that the audience didn't enjoy show, as one of the event organizers and MC of the night, Duncan MacDonnell, remarked: "There's nothing like a room full of people paying attention to make music sound sweet" - a statement which did not sound at all sarcastic at the time.

Fresh SnowPlaying a short but highly visual set of about fifteen minutes was Fresh Snow ("The kind you can eat!" - MacDonnell), who added a more cerebral sound to the night, hearkening to My Bloody Valentine and other mostly wordless, synth-based bands. The Samsung TV they used during the show, cradled between two keyboards, used a "visual feedback" loop to create the trippy sights on its display, and by the end of the show, the band was happy to give it away - though I am not sure if they succeeded. MacDonnell declared them an "incubator band" by the end of the night.

Ell V GoreThe penultimate band of the night - Ell V Gore - brought with them striding guitar riffs and commanding bass lines as their loud, fast-paced, Joy-Division-esque sound managed to smash through even my high fidelity earplugs and leave my ears ringing at the end of the night.

Lullabye ArkestraFinally, Lullabye Arkestra came on, playing their first show in a year and looking good for a couple who only recently had a baby. Despite being the most "romantic" set of the evening (their blaring, scuzzy rock sound notwithstanding), they likened Valentine's to St. Patty's: " Valentine's Day is to lovers what St. Patrick's Day is to drinkers, though if you love, you will love every day of the year." Appropriately, they took the love and the crowd into their own hands, and counted down to a massive audience hug, then played out the night.

Thursday was a solid start to the Wavelength festival. Keep an eye out for more awesome local talent in the next few days!

Writing by Lori Steaurt / Photos by Angelina Coccimiglio

Will new condo transform Yonge-Dundas Square?

0
0

toronto yonge dundas condoYonge-Dundas Square could be about to get its first mixed-use residential towers if Toronto and East York Community Council gives the go-ahead later this month. The 39-storey cluster of towers will sit between Victoria Street and O'Keefe Lane and provide one of the clearest views of Toronto's most famous intersection.

The project involves renovating two designated heritage properties on the south side of the square and demolishing a third between Victoria Street and O'Keefe Lane. The new towers would rise behind the remaining structures, known as the Hermant Buildings, and provide a mix of retail and office space at grade and residential units nearer the top.

toronto dundas squareThe Hermant Buildings, two art-deco inspired former factories, were built in 1913 and 1929 and will house office space. The smaller of the pair, located roughly midway between Victoria and Yonge streets, was briefly the tallest in Toronto though it stands at just nine floors.

Both were owned by Percy Hermant, founder of the Imperial Optical Company which was once the largest glasses and eyewear manufacturer in Canada. The business operated out of the buildings and carried the company's logo on its Dundas Street side for many years.

The pair are cited for the detailed exterior and decorative metalwork that will be restored under the construction conditions outlined by the city. The Section 37 agreements on the table would also provide public artwork and cash for new green spaces in the neighbourhood.toronto yonge dundasThe new structure will comprise several towers of different height towers, the tallest of which will feature a penthouse apartment with panoramic views of the city. Smaller 38- and 40-storey buildings will be built on the same site with entrances on Victoria Street.

"It has a huge profile, obviously it'll be visible from the square, so it has quite a cachet in that regard." says David Dow, principal of Diamond Schmitt Architects. "We've really tried to create a building that has a bit of a different look than many of the all-glass buildings out there. The pre-cast vertical panels on it will create a different look."

The design is a joint venture by Diamond and Schmitt and Page + Steele IBI Group on behalf the owner of the heritage buildings. "It's a project that's been in the works for quite a while so we're pretty enthused by it now," adds Dow. "We've got the working drawings complete and once the approvals are in place we're hoping to see things move quickly."

Here are some quick stats:

Height: 39 floors, 122.5 metres
Residential units: 362
Parking spaces: 70
Total gross floor area: 30,980 square metres
Total residential space: 21,800 sq. m.
Total office space: 8,150 sq. m.
Total retail space: 230 sq. m.

The rental units will be the latest to arrive in the area between Queen and Dundas since the giant Massey Condos were announced this time last year. Do you think more residential units on this section of Yonge will improve the neighbourhood? What do you think of the plans to keep the heritage buildings?

The site plan will go before Toronto and East York Community Council later this month with recommendations from the city planning division that the project be given the green light. If it's approved, the developers will be able to start construction immediately.toronto yonge dundas condoChris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Images: Diamond and Schmitt Architects and PAGE + STEELE IBI Group, Derek Flack/blogTO, City of Toronto and City of Toronto Archives

Family Day weekend events in Toronto 2013

0
0

toronto weekend events family dayFamily day weekend events in Toronto 2013 is our guide to events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this February 15-17, 2013.

For events on the upcoming holiday Monday, please see our post on Family Day events & activities in Toronto.

FASHION

TVCITY Street Style #50 Premiere Screening
Inspired by the street style photography of Scott "The Sartorialist" Schuman and Bill Cunningham, TVCITY premieres a series of videos tonight at double double land that highlights Toronto street fashion. Each video highlights individual street style and aspects of city life in an experimental fashion. The screening starts at 7:15PM along with a viewing of the 1960 cinema verite documentary Chronique D'un Ete to put the works in perspective.
double double land (209 Augusta Avenue), February 17, 2013, 7:15PM PWYC

Chinedesign | Fashion Preview and Masquerade
Toronto clothing label Chinedesign celebrates the launch of its second exhibition this Friday night with a multimedia fashion presentation at the Daniels Spectrum. Part of TD Then & Now's Black History Month programming, the presentation will be followed by a masquerade ball, where participants are asked to conceal their faces until midnight. Tickets are available through Chinedesign.
Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas Street East), February 15, 2013, 9PM $20-$60

For more fashion listings, check out our This Week in Fashion post.

PARTIES

Sodom Vampire Love Ball 4
The latest in Club 120's popular Sodom series, this vampire-meets-Valentine's-themed party night with feature DJs Sumation and Relentless, vampire-themed dancers, and the crowning of a new Queen of Sodom for 2013. Goth and TV-inspired outfits are welcome (think True Blood and Underworld). For more on Sodom, check out today's post on the series.
Club 120 (120 Church St.) February 16, 2013 10PM $7 before 11PM, $10 after

MARKET

101 Markets
101 Markets returns to 3030 Dundas West for a mid-winter pick-me-up this Sunday morning. Pick through antiques, jewelry, knitwear, vinyl and more, as vendors sell handmade and used goods in this Junction bar (which will be open for brunch!) throughout the day. The market is free and runs until 5PM but the early bird gets the worm because the good stuff goes fast.
3030 Dundas West (3030 Dundas Street West), February 17, 2013, 10:30AM Free

FOOD

Sips & Nibbles
Toronto Underground Market goes semi-formal with Sips & Nibbles, a Valentine's inspired food event this Saturday night at Steam Whistle Brewery. Unlimited amounts of oysters, lobster, chocolate, truffles, bone marrow, foie gras, game meat, and sweet breads are included in the ticket price along with a welcome cocktail. Taste food from ten vendors and dance to music in cocktail attire or tour the brewery with a drink in hand at this 19+ event. Date not required.
Steam Whistle Brewery (255 Bremner Boulevard), February 16, 2013, 7PM $75

For more food listings, check out our This Week in Food post.

THEATRE

Claire, From the Bus
Kjartan Hewitt's original play Claire, From the Bus asks that question that many men will hear in their lifetime, "Seriously. How old is she?" A play about sex politics and morality starring Ennis Esmer, Mayko Nguyen, David Reale and Bryn McAuley, Claire, From the Bus follows Ralph on his 31st birthday when he meets a girl on public transit who aggressively pursues him, before forcing Ralph to question her age and the motive behind her tactics. The show opens Friday night and runs until the 28th at The Storefront Theatre.
The Storefront Theatre (955 Bloor Street West), February 15, 2013, 8PM $19-$24

For more theatre listings, check out our This Week in Theatre post.

toronto family day weekend eventsMUSIC

Passion Pit
Massachusetts indie synthpop band Passion Pit plays the Kool Haus this Saturday night on their current tour promoting their second studio album Gossamer. The five-piece, whose name derives from a slang term for the "romantic" spot of drive-in theatres, have achieved success with their first single "Take A Walk" off the current album and will play a full set this weekend for Toronto audiences. Indie couple Matt & Kim will play an opening set for the band. Tickets available through Ticketmaster.
Kool Haus (132 Queen Street East), February 16, 2013, 8PM $41.75

The Weather Station Duets Launch
Tamara Lindeman, who performs under the moniker The Weather Station, launches her duets series of two song singles along with her songwriter friends this weekend at the Dakota. Named the next big Toronto indie act, The Weather Station will perform with her personal favourites Baby Eagle, Marine Dreams, Ryan Driver, Matt Cully, Misha Bower, Felicity Williams, Carleigh Aikins, Simone Schmidt, and Tex Message this Friday night in an early set. To set the mood, photographs by filmmaker Colin Medley will accompany the music along with text written by Lindeman herself.
The Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington Avenue), February 15, 2013, 7PM $10

Andy Griffiths at Winterfolk XI
Local folk artist Andy Griffiths may have joined the music industry later than most but his sincere talent has led him to be a favourite amongst Toronto audiences. Participating in this weekend's 11th annual Winterfolk, a blues and roots festival taking place at Delta Chelsea Hotel, Griffiths will be joined onstage by Chris Bennett, Russ Boswell and Norm Lucien this Friday for one of the weekend's most anticipated shows. Special events will take place throughout the festival, including a special show honouring local legend Brent Titcomb, and over 50 performances by blues, roots and folk musicians. The festival closes on the 17th.
Monarch's Pub at the Delta Chelsea Hotel (33 Gerrard Street West), February 15, 2013, 7PM Free ($10 suggested donation)

For more music listings, check out our This Week in Music and February Concerts posts. And find out who's playing at Wavelength 13 with our festival preview post.

FILM

Friday and Next Friday Double Bill
The 1995 Ice Cube comedy Friday and its sequel Next Friday share a screen at Projection Booth's Friday evening double bill. The 420-friendly screenings will feature a comedic warm-up with stand-up sets by Sandro Veri, Paul Thompson and Rob Mailloux, all of which are included in the entrance price. Comedy and cannabis go well together, so enjoy the Friday films as they were intended.
Projection Booth (1035 Gerrard Street East), February 15, 2013, 7:30PM $10

For more film listings, check out our This Week in Film post.

COMEDY

The Damned Funny CFI Comedy Show
The Centre for Inquiry presents an evening of comedy at O'Grady's Pub on College this Friday night hosted by the always-vile David Heti. The night will feature stand-up sets by three local comedians, including Hunter Collins of "Video on Trial," Kathleen Phillips from "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" and "Dan For Mayor" and Eric Andrews of "Prank Science." The show is free but donations will be accepted to help feed starving comedians.
O'Grady's Pub (171 College Street), February 15, 2013, 8PM Free ($10 suggested donation)

For more comedy listings, check out our This Week in Comedy post.

FESTIVAL

Yes, In My Backyard Festival
Dump the NIMBY attitude and welcome the neighbourhood in at the Yes, In My Backyard Festival. Locals will gather at the Reference Library this Saturday morning to promote neighbourhood groups as a force for positive change in the community, where development ideas and strategies will be discussed. Everyone is encouraged to engage in the pop-up dialogues that will be happening throughout the day and to catch a screening at the Made IN Toronto (MINT) Film Festival. Children are welcome.
Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street), February 16, 2013, 11AM Free

Great Canadian Chill
The Great Canadian Chill breezes through Dundas Square this Sunday and Monday for a nationwide fundraiser to support pediatric oncology. Activities for all ages and a nighttime chill party will take place before a series of Polar Bear-style cold water dips will take place in a pool in the heart of the square. Live performances and food tastings will take place throughout the day. Funds raised will go toward Sears Canada Charitable Foundation.
Yonge-Dundas Square (1 Dundas Street East), February 17, 2013, 12PM Free

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Lead photo by Ryan Kelpin in the blogTO Flickr pool, second photo courtesy of The Weather Station

Sunnyside sunset


Get to know a Toronto startup: Rebels Refinery

0
0

toronto startup rebels refineryWhen you meet the guys from Toronto's own Rebels Refinery, your first thought might be that these are the people your parents told you not to hang out with as a kid. Judging by their promo videos, your parents would have been right. But they've grown up (kind of). While you're likely to find them still out at last call at any local watering hole, they try to take care of themselves the next day.

The Rebels realized they couldn't buy the products they wanted without paying a fortune. Skincare in particular is an area where they found products to be overpriced and loaded with synthetic ingredients. To solve that problem, they created a solution for men made from natural ingredients that do not include phthalates or other harmful synthetics found in many other skin care products. Their products are currently available exclusively at Jacob & Sebastian, and online at the Rebels Refinery website.

I came across one of their promo videos and it made me curious about skincare. However, I'm a 28 year old male and my usual skin care routine is using my safeguard bar of soap in the shower to wash my face and also rinsing my face with water before bed. I sat down with the Rebels to find out why I might be making a mistake and to learn more about their products.

What's the difference between Rebel's Refinery and what I can pick up at my local drug store?

We want people to know what they are buying. One of our goals is to get people to start reading the ingredients in every product they buy. You probably won't, but be careful because the skin care industry is still largely unregulated. A lot of the chemicals in use could actually be harmful for your face. Rebel Refinery is focused on our customer and the communities we live in.

Here's how we differentiate ourselves from the crap pack:

1. Rebel's Refinery skin care is loaded with a ton of fantastic certified organic ingredients.
2. They actually work (crazy, I know).
3. Everything is made in North America, and we are based out of Toronto.
4. You're not embarrassed to have our packaging seen by friends and family members who creepily scan every corner of your bathroom.
5. We give a percentage of all profits to Prostate Cancer Canada.
6. We do all of our testing on real humans.

What is a refined Rebel?

It's not a philosophy but a way of life. Do whatever you want at night, stay up as late as you'd like, but get your act together in the morning and look the part. A lot of men who work in an office and come into work hung over, always wear their best suit that day to deflect from the fact that they are hurting and useless. We recommend pairing that suit with our "Rehab Roller." It's an undereye roller/serum that helps with bags and dark circles. It's loaded with caffeine which is one of the only ingredients that helps break up the blood cells under your eyes; your dark circles are actually clustered blood cells. Science.

Why should men be using skincare products?

Men don't have to use skincare products but we'd like them to stop pretending they aren't as vain as women. We'd also like them to stop lying to their significant others when caught in the act of borrowing those others' products. To look and feel your best, we recommend using skincare as part of a normal, healthy routine. We at Rebel Refinery personally started using skincare because mirrors started making us look old. We started to moisturize to protect our skin. Moisturizing is key because dry skin will lead to wrinkle development. You heard it, the dreaded "w" word. Also, we're not blessed with the looks of Sean Connery circa '62, so we need all the help we can get.

If a guy has never used skin care products before, where do they start? How do they actually use your products?

Start with a facial cleanser (face wash) in the shower, at your sink or above a bucket if you live in the 1800's. This will help remove dead skin cells, oil, dirt and pollutants from the skin. This will also unclog pores and help prevent acne. We recommend the Rebels Advanced Clear Skin Facial Cleanser. Then exfoliate your face by using a facial scrub. Like a cleanser but more hardcore, exfoliating removes dead skin cells, unclogs pores, keeps skin clean, and helps reduce acne breakouts. Exfoliating is especially important for men, as it helps prevent in grown hairs/bumps caused by shaving.

Exfoliate every other day to once a week depending on how your skin reacts. We recommend our Advanced Clear Skin Facial Scrub; it's pretty awesome. Follow this up with the Rebels Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer. Moisturizers prevent and treat dry skin, protect sensitive skin, improve skin tone and texture, and mask imperfections. Think of it as armour. Our moisturizer is packed with peptides which are one of the main ingredients in anti-aging creams. Lastly, apply our under eye Rehab Roller depending on how many times you have to talk to your boss that day.

What's next for Rebels Refinery?

The perfect shaving cream and the perfect cologne. The creative team also helped Prostate Cancer Canada with a couple of commercials which will be coming out soon. They're pretty cool. Lastly, the first 3 people to show up to Jacob & Sebastian on Queen West and give the secret word ("REBEL") to the store owner will receive a free Rehab Roller.

Writing by Jared March

This Week In Comedy: Laughable at Unlovable, Rap Battlez, Quinnochio, Globehead

0
0

toronto comedy eventsIn this edition, we take a look at a few talents that are on the cusp of making it big and it serves as a reminder that there's more to Toronto comedy than Yuk Yuk's and Absolute.

MON FEB 18 / LAUGHABLE AT UNLOVABLE / UNLOVABLE / 1415-B DUNDAS W / 9PM / PWYC

Nick Flanagan and Steph Tolev wrestle the title away from ALTdot for "Best Ensemble Cast" this week with a killer line-up of comics. Chris Locke, Bryan O'Gorman, Tim Golden, Tim Gilbert....the list goes on. Over the past few weeks, I've mentioned that I believe Guy Montgomery is one of the best new comedians on the Toronto scene.  His material is great, and the act as a whole is made even greater by his ability to make decisions on the fly. For example, I saw him take the stage an hour and a half into Rush Zilla's Laughter Luau.

He went into his first joke and, as usual, proceeded to get laughs. But, for some reason, he wasn't getting the response he wanted. So, instead of continuing with the bit, he deftly switched directions into something he thought would be more engaging, and it worked like a charm.  I laughed so hard that I turned to a complete stranger and said, "That guy's the truth." Now, he doesn't have any videos of his stand-up online, but I do have a clip of an outtake video he did when he was applying for a gig at MTV.

FRI FEB 22 / RAP BATTLEZ / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 1030PM / $10

I know, I know...you're a Meek fan, but let's be real: Cassidy would destroy him. How soon we forget Freeway, on his knees, begging for someone to, "...turn the beat on." For the casual rap enthusiast who has no idea what I'm talking about, Rap Battlez is a show which features comedians, well, rap battling. To be honest, when I first heard about the show, I was skeptical about the quality of freestyles that comics could come up with on short notice, but I was dead wrong. Case in point, Joel Buxton (featured) is not only strong, but he's also got it going on. Click play, relax, and take notes.

SAT FEB 23 / QUINNOCHIO / MAPLE LEAF GARDENS / 60 CARLTON / 8PM / $15 ADVANCE $20 DOOR

Sold-out shows at the Hard Rock Cafe, commercials, and a movie appearance opposite the metallic Constable Brown (you'll have to wait till summer to see what I mean) have made Quinn C. Martin quite the attraction. 2013 is going to be even busier, with a tour with Scratch from the Roots and a potential Just For Laughs spot on the horizon. So what does he do next? Switch from doing shows at the comfy, wirelessly mic'd Hard Rock Cafe to the historic Maple Leaf Gardens. If Puff Daddy was behind him, he'd be original harlem shaking, "Can't stop, won't stop, eh eh, eh eh."

The secret to his success is simple: while most artists shun (or suck) at the business side of the game, Quinn's embraced it. And as in business, so it is in comedy: the talented entrepeneur beats the talented employee every time (disclaimer: Quinn's a good friend of mine).

SAT FEB 23 / GLOBEHEAD 2013 SKETCH TOURNAMENT / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 8PM / $12

Theatresports turns 30 (30 years old, kick, stretch, and kick!) and comes to a head this week, with the winner of the prestigious Globehead being awarded Saturday night. Our battles will be appropriately hosted by Nug Nahrgang and Dan Boyer, both masters of the improv in their own right.

About the Author: This is Michael Jagdeo, and I refuse to write about myself in the third-person. My blog, Diary of a Stand-up Comedian, walks you through the up's and down's (they're mostly down's, really) in my quest to become a killer comic in Toronto.

How to be a movie and TV extra in Toronto

0
0

extra torontoToronto is one of the best places to find a gig as an extra in a movie or TV show. From customers or staff in a restaurant, pedestrians on a street, onlookers at a crime scene, or even zombies in an apocalypse, Toronto offers plenty of opportunity for those not seeing a starring role. Background actors help add authenticity to a scene. While they never get the fame nor get to speak - beyond miming fake dialogue like "rhubarb, cauliflower, and cabbage" - those that do the work love it, because of its unpredictable nature and the opportunity to learn from industry pros and to network.

"If you want a job that has structure, this is not for you. You rarely get two days that are the same. It's not like going to the same nine-to-five job," says Cheryl St. James, who began background acting in 1998. Her portfolio includes TV's Bomb Girls, Murdoch Mysteries and The Rick Mercer Report - and the Oscar-winning film Chicago, in which she played a pedestrian - all shot in Toronto.

Being close to the pros is a plus, says St. James. "One of the best things about doing background work is that it gives you an insight into how actors do their work." One of her favourite experiences was working on the 2000 Timothy Dalton film, Possessed. For a scene shot in Casa Loma, she was unexpectedly upgraded to an actor role at Dalton's request. As Raggedy Ann, she got a single line: "Hello."

Networking is also a perk, says St. James, who owns an antique store in Hamilton called Weird Stuff. "I love period pieces, because it allows me to marry what I do in the real world with what I do for fun. Last year, the director of (TV show) Copper bought an antique medical machine from us."

Blaine McKenzie got into background acting through his work as a musician. An agent contacted him after seeing his picture online. "They were looking for someone who's rough around the edges and who's been around. Facial hair, long hair."

He's played a prisoner, Hells Angels member and bar patron in TV's Nikita, Outlaw Bikers, and Rookie Blue respectively - and a fan holding a sign in Score: A Hockey Musical, which opened TIFF in 2010.

While it's fun work, McKenzie says not to expect glitz and glamour. "You don't get a trailer," he says with a laugh. "Extras gather in a holding room, which could be a basement, a restaurant reception room or a gymnasium and you're there until they need people in a shot. So bring a book or something to amuse yourself. It could be hours before you get called out - and you may not even make it on screen."

But the opportunity to meet fascinating people makes the tedium worthwhile, says McKenzie. When he played "the guy running to a hotdog stand" in a scene filmed at the Ex for the 2012 Sigourney Weaver film Red Lights, he got instruction from its director (An extra usually works with the assistant directors). When he played a mob boss in a student production, he became friends with its director, who has since moved onto bigger productions like Life of Pi and the upcoming Superman film, Man of Steel.

Toronto churns out the third highest number of film and TV productions in North America - behind Hollywood and New York. For those looking to fill the demand for background actors, the first step is to find an agent.

St. James and McKenzie both suggest checking the website for ACTRA Toronto, a union that represents over 15,000 acting, stunt, and background professionals. It provides a list of agencies that have joined an entertainment industry coalition and signed an ethical code of conduct as well as a list of "no cheque" agencies.

Movie Extra TorontoRamin Emad, who heads Toronto Film Extras, has a roster of 3,500 actors, ranging from newborns and pregnant women to those in their 90s. Last year, he provided extras for over 80 productions. Recent film clients include Total Recall, Robocop, and the upcoming Carrie and Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim.

Agencies charge an annual fee of $100 to $200 plus a commission, says Emad, and adds that one should avoid agents who continually ask you to fork out hundreds of dollars for professional photos and acting classes. Those with special skills - such as playing an instrument or martial arts - could earn a special skills rate. There's also no exclusivity, meaning background actors can sign with several agents.

Professionalism is key to sustaining a career, says Emad. This means showing up on time even if the call time is as early as 4am or an overnight shoot. Being adaptable is also important, in situations like shooting an outdoor summer scene in the dead of winter. Good behaviour is crucial: "background actors are supposed to be quiet. People that cannot shut up are kicked off the set."

Some background actors choose to join ACTRA and their pay starts at $24 an hour compared to $11.50 for non-union actors. Some actors choose to not join a union. St. James says she has met non union actors who say that there's more work for them. It's a multi-faceted decision and those who want to learn how to join ACTRA can visit their website.

Actors like St. James and McKenzie and agents like Emad agree that background actors should keep their day job. "I would never say that anything in the film industry is permanent," says Emad. "For anyone that wants to do this, my advice is to get a job and do this on the side. But for a lot of people who do this - who get the acting bug - they find the work very satisfying, meaningful, and fulfilling."

Photos by janesb and ArtPlanet in the blogTO Flickr pool.

That time when drains were a Toronto cyclist's nemesis

0
0

toronto drainsOn a sticky and overcast June 30, 1983, University of Toronto student Margaret Lawson was cycling north on Yonge to her summer job at the Ministry of Revenue. She remembers approaching a parking meter, then nothing. When Lawson regained consciousness a few minutes later she recalls a pain in her chest and no feeling in her legs. As the Globe and Mail reported, "she knew she was paralyzed."

Lawson was never sure whether she was sideswiped by a car or if her tires fell through one of Metro Toronto's notorious sewer grates, but after just three months in Sunnybrook Medical Centre, the irrepressible physiology major was back at St. Hilda's College with the help of a wheelchair. The city, however, wasn't about to accept blame for its dangerous drains.

toronto drain coverThen, as now, cycling in Toronto had its unnecessary dangers. In a letter to the Toronto Star in 1980, a reader cited the drain covers, uneven curbs, parked cars, and swerving drivers unaccustomed to passing slow, narrow vehicles among the top biking hazards.

The drains in question had long, thin holes parallel to the curb that were ideally sized and spaced to snag narrow bicycle tires. In the early 1980s there were more than 22,000 of the grates in Toronto, more than 1,500 of them on major cycling routes like Yonge.

The obvious solution was to simply rotate the problem drains or install replacement metalwork with the herringbone pattern used on the current gratings, and by 1984 more than 9,500 bike-friendly replacements had been dropped in place. From there, the city proceeded at snail's pace, installing roughly 50 new covers each year. If it hadn't sped up, it would have taken more than a decade to finish.

toronto bikeIn the meantime, cyclists demanded the city mark its remaining tire-hungry drain covers with a special decals, something that would have cost around $13,000 in 1984 - about $25,600 in today's money, but the city balked.

Labeling drain covers that were a danger to cyclists would, they said, be an admission that the streets were hazardous to users and could have exposed it to lawsuits in the event of a crash.

An editorial in the Toronto Star pointed out that a single spinal injury would likely cost the province considerably more than the $13,000 the city was trying to save in road paint.toronto drain coversThen in 1984, just over year after Margaret Lawson's accident, 11-year-old Dean Pace was killed when he fell off his five-speed bicycle on Sorauren Ave., fatally fracturing his skull. From damage to Pace's wheel rims and scratches on an old-style grate, police believed the boy had been flipped after his tired had fallen down a gap.

Though an inquest would later cast doubt on that scenario, the tragedy spooked the city enough to cough up the money to mark the remaining covers with yellow warning stripes.

"It is a sorry situation when city council seems only willing to act when tragedy strikes," said councillor Jack Layton, then head of the cycling committee. Fellow councillor and cyclist Richard Gilbert floated the idea of (groan) licensing cyclists to cover the steep cost of the upgrades - $8 million in 1984, $15.8 million today.

toronto drainsIn 1986, in a report published in its Watchdog magazine, Toronto Public Health found many inexperienced riders rode as close as possible to the curb to avoid brushes with passing cars. Of the 504 people who fell off their bike in Ottawa in 1983, only half were involved a collision with another other vehicle.

Toronto's catch basins were eventually rectified and now the majority of storm drains use the safer angled slot pattern. Streetcar tracks, especially at busy intersections, are now the biggest concern for narrow-tired cyclists. Should the city do more to ensure roads are safe in the absence of dedicated bike lanes?

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Images: City of Toronto Archives, "Drain. Fork. Fish." by PJMixer/blogTO Flickr pool.

The Toronto Auto Show 2013 has cars from the future

0
0

toronto auto showThe fortieth Canadian International Auto Show kicked off Thursday with a media day that, like so many before it, offered glimpses of a technologically stunning automotive future that always seems just around the corner. The major auto makers spent fortunes showcasing a present that almost always falls well short of last year's promises and, ironically, lives in the shadow of a past where cars had an elegance or a simple, brute fun that's mostly missing today.

The stars, as ever, are the concept cars, those lavish marriages of R&D innovation, the marketing department at play and the designers taking a long, hopeful view of where the car will go. Most of the major manufacturers had a concept car or two on show, ranging from humble peeks at next year's models to pie-in-the-sky fantasies.

Nissan Resonance conceptNissan kicked off media day by bringing out some Argos to pose with the Grey Cup and their new Versa, then pulling the cover off the Resonance, their new crossover concept. It looked snazzy, with a backlit grille badge, knifelike side mirrors and long, swooping headlamps that will never see production.

VW Cross CoupeCrossover SUVs are one of the few palpable growth markets in the auto industry right now, and several auto makers had concepts on display, from VW's Cross Coupe with its low, Camaro-like roofline to Honda's swoopy Urban SUV concept, sporting those liquid-metal Terminator 2 lines. For the moment, the crossover SUV is to today what the wood-paneled station wagon was to the early '60s, and no suburban driveway or condo parking garage seems to come without one.

Honda Urban SUV concept

Mercedes Benz concept coupeThe most plausible concept at the auto show was Mercedes-Benz's concept coupe, a glorified whiteboard note for its next generation of model refreshes that looked ready for production now in almost every detail except the grille that looks studded with ball bearings. They also put their Smart Forstars on display, an EV concept that bulks up the cramped love-seat-on-wheels dimensions of the original Smart car and even adds some style in addition to the possibility of actual cargo space.

Smart Forstars concept

Acura NSX conceptAcura rolled out yet another concept version of its NSX. It looked amazing, but so did last year's NSX concept, and you'd like to hope that one day soon they'll actually decide to put the thing into production, but when they finally do, it could be one of the longest product roll-outs in auto industry history.

Lexus LF-CC conceptLexus presented a pair of concepts that showcased its new hourglass grille design - probably one of the nicest fronts on any production line today. The LF-LC and LF-CC both looked lovely, and it's to be hoped that one of them will return some day as a replacement for the brand's halo car, the spectacular LFA whose complex manufacturing lost parent company Toyota money on every vehicle sold. Favorite detail - the winged headlamps on the LF-CC.

Hyundai Genesis conceptHyundai made a lot of room for the launch of its HCD-14 Genesis, a concept that they admitted will never see production as is, but is meant to serve as a lightning rod for the future shape of its line and their luxury cars in particular. It looked as beefy as a Chrysler 300, with a big, blunt nose and a grille that put me in mind of an electric razor. I especially liked the low ovals of LEDs on the bottom lip of the front and rear bumpers, but can't imagine for a minute that they'll ever appear on a production car.

Chevy Tru conceptWhile kneeling faithfully to the crossover and truck markets that make up their bread and butter, GM also presented a pair of concepts meant to make some future advance on the small city car market aimed at "millenials" - that much-maligned and wholly misunderstood generation in the far stretch of their twenties, who've proved slow to move into car ownership.

Named the Tru and the Code, these two "sports car-inspired" Chevy concepts were parked nose to nose in the GM display with instructions on how to vote for your favorite - the assumption being that GM will actually be listening to the opinion of its potential buyers. You couldn't help but wonder if the results were being cooked a bit; the more conventionally-shaped Code was given an unassuming gray paint job, while the audacious Tru was covered in a rich egg yolk finish close to the shade wryly referred to by gearheads as Lamborghini's "pussy magnet" yellow.

BMW i8 conceptMoving up the improbability ladder, BMW came to town with not one but two futuristic concept cars. Last year's Connected Drive Vision stole the show, and the new i8 coupe and i3 hatchback were its offspring, with sci-fi inspired interiors and wholly improbable glass doors that nonetheless made you long to see cars like this on the street. The nice man from BMW assured me that design details from these cars will start showing up on production vehicles as early as next year, but I'm not holding my breath.

Toyota Fun Vii conceptThe wildest concept at this years auto show was brought by Toyota, a company not known for audacity or abundant style. The Fun Vii looks about as far from a Camry as you can imagine - an agressive wedge with side panels made from LCD screens in moulded high impact plastic. Those screens can change colour and pattern, but also display graphics, maps and photos to suit your location and destination with cues from social media and handheld devices.

More a smartphone than a car, it showcases features that you probably never imagined having on a car - and many of which you might never want. It might have four wheels, headlamps and indicators, but underneath the LCD screens it's unlikely that the Fun Vii has an engine, transmission, a steering wheel or seats, and for the purposes of Toyota's marketing department they'd probably be entirely beside the point.

Fiat 500LThere are, of course, plenty of cars you can actually buy on the floor at the auto show. Fiat brought their new 500L, a bulked-up, four-door model that pushes the stylish little subcompact city car into crossover territory, and begins the same process of brand expansion and feature bloat that we've seen in BMW's revival of the Mini.

Infiniti Q50Infiniti reprised their media launch from last year by bringing Cirque du Soleil performers onstage to help reveal their new Q50, a new sedan that also introduces a new initial into their model lineup. They also put a replica of their F1-winning Red Bull car on the show floor to attract viewers to a marque that, while hardly to be faulted for its quality, is almost whole lacking in brand mystique and definitely needs whatever reflected glory it can get from someone like Sebastian Vettel.

Shelby Mustang GT500Ford's display is massive, but they really don't have much gearhead excitement to show this year beyond a souped-up version of their Fiesta. While GM and Chrysler both brought new sportscars, Ford only had a quartet of Mustangs to show, plucked from very nearly the end of their retro-inspired fifth generation refresh of the best-selling sports coupe. Ford might bring a Mustang concept to next year's show to build buzz for their subsequent launch of the sixth-generation model, but right now they have to sit tight and let the other two members of the Big Three get all the glory.

Dodge ViperWhich they were more than happy to do. After launching a behemoth Ram 3500 truck onto the market, Chrysler Canada president Reid Bigland's excitement at unveiling the new Viper managed to creep through the ritual marketing buzzspeak that weighed down almost every executive presentation. The Viper drove onto the display stage in a head-clearing frenzy of revs and came to a halt looking very much like the too-much-car that it will once again prove to be for many of its owners, although Chrysler swears they've refined the latest version to a point where you can take it on the road without piling into a school bus.

C7 Corvette StingrayGM were just as thrilled to show their new C7 Corvette Stingray, which they inexplicably have been showing in an inappropriately low-key gray. It's a lovely car, to be sure - the everyman's supercar - and their genuine enthusiasm for it can't help but be compared to the by-now ritual talk about EVs and green tech, which sound a bit too much like a guy in a bar trying to convince you that he really doesn't mind the new Tegan and Sara album.

Ferraris at the Auto ShowIt was all business as usual on the main floors of the convention centre, but real car nuts will always wander away to the side rooms, like the luxury car dealers like Pfaff, Grand Touring Auto and others show their latest models and a few rare birds, like the little field of Ferraris in the Auto Exotica exhibit. Everyone likes to look at Ferraris, of course, but the car that caught my eye was off to the side - an Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Speciale with a magnificent thrusting grille and the sort of chrome treatment that nobody at Chevy or Ford would have tried at the time.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale

Drag racer flames at Hot Rod Showcase

Lincoln Continental Mk III interior

CudaOff in the Cruise National and Hot Rod Builders Showcase the same uneasy feeling got stronger. These are where enthusiasts show off their projects - beautiful period restorations like a Studebaker Dictator, a canary yellow Plymouth Cuda, and Bob Cram's Chevy 1300 pickup. The hot rods are even more extreme, chopped and lowered and refinished in colours that were never factory options, like the 1960 Meteor Montcalm re-dubbed the "Montbomb." Sometimes all that work probably isn't worth it...

Corvette with dragons

...but it's still a testament to the passion of the owners for their jalopies and the beautiful lines that came standard with all of these autos. The cars here aren't concepts; many of them were the Elantras and Tauruses of their day, but they pack more style into a few thousand feet of convention floor than a year of rush hours, and for some reason that makes me sad.

Coupe grille at Hot Rod Showcase

Montbomb

Studebaker Dictator

Hot Wheels CamaroFinally, the GM booth featured what was probably the best marketing stunt in the whole show - a Twitter-connected car-dispensing vending machine. Chevy's latest Camaro has always looked like a Hot Wheels car, and they've released a Hot Wheels edition of the muscle car icon in belated admission to this fact. Working with the toy maker, they've also put out an auto show edition of the Camaro, which is your prize if you tweet a plug for the car with the appropriate hashtag. Yes, I'm exactly that kind of geek, and no, I couldn't resist.

Hot WheelsThe Canadian International Auto Show is on now and runs through February 24th at the North Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Adult tickets are $19.80 if purchased online. More ticket prices and info here.

Wavelength 13 Night Two: Doldrums, Cadence Weapon, Blue Hawaii, Blonde Elvis & Thighs

0
0

Wavelength Music FestivalThe Wavelength Festival and series has always made a point of showcasing the best and most innovative upcoming artists that can be found, and the acts at last night's Festival showcase proved that still holds true. I headed to The Great Hall last night to check out the second night of Wavelength, now in its 13th year.

Opening the show were Toronto pre-supergroup Thighs. I know, dear reader &mdash: who are they? — but how could members of Odonis Odonis, Pants & Tie, and Danger Bay be anything less than a supergroup, with a gut-punch of noise and punk from their self-titled EP.

Blonde Elvis followed with sounds like an AM radio playing two stations at once in a garage; a skein of noise over some very agile retro pop kept this set interesting for me, but the massive amounts of fuzz on the guitar made the vocals tricky to discern at points.

Blue HawaiiBlue Hawaii were up next, and played a standout set of beautiful experimental pop. Vocalist Raphaelle Standell-Preston (who also sings in Braids) delivered seeming endlessly looped harmonies of vocals over drones, drums and sometimes jarring samples. Blue Hawaii just released a new record; Untogether is out on Arbutus Records, and is well worth picking up.

Montreal-by-way-of-Edmonton rapper Cadence Weapon came out with a furious rendition of his new single "Hype Man." He delivered by far the most polished performance of the night. Cadence Weapon's set drew from his three albums, tracks like "Black Hand" worn smooth from constant practice and performance.

Cadence Weapon"I played Wavelength probably the second time I played Toronto," he remarked. "There were upwards of 8eight people there..." Needless to say, that's a big change from the packed rooms I've seen him play over the last two or three years.

DoldrumsHeadliner Doldrums (Eric Woodhead) was celebrating the release of his record Lesser Evil and took the stage with three backing musicians, including his brother Daniel (who you may know from Moon King.) It was an inscrutably long soundcheck, including a break so that Daniel could go pee — seriously — but the audience really didn't seem to mind. The minute Doldrums took the stage the crowd amped right up, cranking around the floor like madmen (and -women.)

DoldrumsThe wailing hook of "Egypt" really showcased Woodhead's voice, and the super-tight vocal layering they were able to achieve with Daniel behind him was quite unique for a live performance. During the last song, Eric even began twirling the mic around his head in a Daltry-esque fashion. Check out the massive, almost-wordless chorus of "Anomaly" below.

The event was DJ'd by Silent Shout co-curator and gadabout ARP 2600, a fixture in Toronto's burgeoning (or has it burgeoned?) retro-electro scene. The Silent Shout collective co-presented the evening as well as the after party at Double Double Land.

Apart from a few scheduling difficulties — seriously, go pee before you go onstage — the second night of the 13th annual Wavelength Festival was a great evening of performances. But it's by no means the last; there's plenty of Wavelength Festival events taking place this weekend. Check out any of these below:

  • Saturday, there's a free (FREE!) in-store event featuring Andre Ethier and Laura Barrett being interviewed by Toronto rock critic Carl Wilson, 5pm at Soundscapes.
  • Saturday night at The Great Hall, it's Do Make Say Think and Evening Hymns - tix $18 at the door
  • Sunday there's another free instore event, this time 4pm at Grasshopper Records, with The Soupcans and Sam Sutherland.
  • Sunday night is the 'let's-go-out-with-a-bang' last show of this year's Wavelength Festival; at the Garrison, with Dusted, The Magic and Legato Vipers. Oh, and Cookie Duster— yep, Brendan Canning's pre/post-Broken-Social-Scene group is actually set to perform. There's at least one member of our staff who's so excited for that she can't even speak.
  • Tickets should be available at the door for all these shows; if you're on the twitter, then use the hashtag #wl13 to see what people have been saying up to this point. As well, you can check out our preview post as well as our coverage of the first night for even more Wavelength. Check out how night one went down with our previous roundup post.

Additional Photos

Wavelength Music FestivalWavelength Music FestivalWavelength Music FestivalWavelength Music Festival

Writing by Adam Brady / Photography by Brian Chambers

Snowy cyclist


This Week in Theatre: Clybourne Park, Hannah Moscovitch Double Bill, Loveloss, Spent, La Clemenza Di Tito

0
0

toronto theatre listingsThis week in theatre rounds up the most noteworthy live theatre playing right now in Toronto. It includes just-opened shows as well as productions that are about to close.

Clybourne Park / Panasonic Theatre / 8:00pm / 2:00pm / $20-$79
Yet another strong addition to the Off-Mirvish series is the 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Clybourne Park. Inspired by Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun, the play has garnered accolades for its look at race relations over the span of fifty years. The half century which separates the two acts provides a neat framing of the subjects in Bruce Norris's play.

Hannah Moscovitch Double Bill / Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 8:00pm / 2:30pm / $27-$53
She's still a young Canadian playwright, but already theatres are lining up to present and commission the work of Hannah Moscovitch. Tarragon Theatre, which has always seemed like Moscovitch's true home, presents of a collection of her work, all of which feature a unique bond between two characters: Other People's Children, about the bond between a child and her Nanny; Little One, about a strange sibling relationship; and In This World, about two girls navigating through high school.

Loveloss / Dancemakers Centre / 8:00pm / 4:00pm / $20-$25
Michael Trent considers the impact of two emotional and intertwined states in his newest work, Loveloss. Drawing from personal recollections, the choreographer considers what happens to the body in moments of heightened grief and overwhelming love. The stage design features copious amounts of sand that at times impede and at times envelop the dancers. The performance features Robert Abubo, Amanda Acorn, Ellen Furey, Simon Portigal, and Simon Renaud.

Spent / Young Centre / 8:00pm / $15-$30
If you haven't yet seen Spent, the 2010 Dora Award-winning play from Ravi Jain and Adam Paolozza, you now have an excellent chance to see the show as part of Winter at the Young. Jain and Paolozza put their clowning skills to work playing over 20 characters in a poetic commentary on the ways in which greed caused our recent financial woes. Theatre Smith-Gilmour, TheatreRUN and Why Not Theatre have collaborated to bring this play to Toronto audiences again.

La Clemenza Di Tito / COC - Four Seasons Centre / 7:30pm / 2:00pm / $45-$100+
Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito profiles Emperor Tito of Rome (year 79) who, when faced with betrayal from those close to him, chooses to forgive and forget. Director Christopher Alden has modernized the production and set it in a civic space with a towering marble wall, where political messages are painted for all to see. The opera features Michael Schade in the title role, Isabel Leonard in the trouser role of Sesto, and Keri Alkema.

Lead photo of Loveloss

Get to know a Toronto startup: ShelfLife

0
0

ShelflifeWith the website ShelfLife, CEO James Chillcott and CTO Nick Hoffman are aiming to create a comprehensive catalog of any and all things collectible - think the Transformers action figures from when you were a kid, the Kid Robot stuffed and vinyl toys, video games and consoles from the original Nintendo up to the current generation, replica Star Wars helmets, The Walking Dead comics - they want to have a permanent record of everything that you can collect.

It's kind of like eBay, but more organized and streamlined. It's also sort of like Wikipedia, but it's probably not a great resource for essays. There's also little bit of Etsy in there too - but fewer yarn puppets people make in their basement and more robots in disguise - still in their mint condition packages, of course.

I met up with Chillcott and Hoffman at their temporary offices in the MaRS Discovery District to understand how they plan on connecting passionate collectors across the world.

How did it all get started?

The site got its kick-off as one of six web startups that formed the first cohort of JOLT, a MaRS initiative that serves as a launch pad for startups, but the idea was conceived to address a big pain point that affects passionate collectors. Right now, collectors have to go to a bunch of different sites to find what they're looking for, from open-source message boards run by fan sites, the big video game sites and the smaller sports and action figure collectible sites. The purpose of ShelfLife is to put all those resources under one roof.

How does the site work?

Similar to Wikipedia's editors, all the product data on the site is contributed by voluntary curators, and since launching out of closed beta in the spring, the site has grown exponentially. Though the number of registered users is still in the low thousands, there are now more than 80,000 items cataloged on the site.

Unlike Wikipedia's editors though, curators must apply and are assigned their catalogs, with a deadline of about two weeks to complete it, depending on the amount of items in their assigned catalog.

What sets the site apart from other online market places?

If an item has already been curated, it's really easy to list what you want to sell. It's simply a matter of saying what you own and setting your price; unlike eBay, Craigslist and Kijiji, there's no need to create an entirely new entry for everything you're selling. And for buyers, there will soon be a system where you can put money into the system, set the price you're willing to pay for an item, and walk away.

The site will automatically match you with a buyer -- there's no need to search constantly. You can go to the cottage and come home to find that the system has automatically grabbed what you were looking for.

Having all the items broken down by each individual part gives the system the ability to link up users who are buying and selling the same products, down to a very granular level. For example, if a user wants to buy an Optimus Prime action figure and gun, but don't need any of the other parts, the system will automatically search for a user or users selling any of the individual parts they need and can link them up.

The next step is to implement "collector circles," where the site can analyze your purchases and collections, then make recommendations to connect you with other users who want and have the same types of products.

Why would users make all these catalogs?

Unlike Wikipedia's editors, there is a potential benefit for ShelfLife curators -- and unlike Wikipedia, the site has a functional business model, instead of begging hat-in-hand for donations. The more a user curates, the more they stand to gain: for each item sold out of their catalog, the curator gets 25 per cent of the commission, as well as points that go towards the Collector Wars contest, where users can win site credit or more collectibles.

And the more complete job they do filling out a catalog, the more it will increase that catalog's search engine optimization profile, driving more people (and potential buyers) to the catalog.

Memorabilia vendors can also lean on the site's wants and haves idea to gauge how they should stock their shelves: if a product is announced at the San Diego Comic Con, a curator can set up an entry months before it is released and users can show they want the product, giving vendors an idea of the demand for various collectibles.

What comes next?

Now that the JOLT program is over, it's all about taking the lessons learned in the program, and branching out. That means looking for venture capital money south of the border, while trying to raise awareness about the site through collector blogs, niche magazines and fan site sponsorships, as well as the usual suspects like Facebook and Pinterest.

The site is still in beta, and at about 70 per cent functionality. The next big undertaking will be creating a mobile app that allows collectors to automatically "sight" products -- informing collectors of nearby stores that have what they want. Currently, the whole process is done manually and through message boards, meaning collectors have to rely on the guy who saw the product to get home and post.

With the ShelfLife app, users will be able to scan a barcode and it will automatically inform users who want that product about where it is and how many are available.

Writing by Greg Burchell

OCADU architect Will Alsop in spotlight at Olga Korper

0
0

will alsop torontoYou may not have heard his name, but chances are you're very familiar with the work of Will Alsop. One of the United Kingdom's most celebrated architects, Alsop has also designed Toronto's striking West Side Lofts sales centre, taught at Ryerson University, and yes, was behind OCADU's infamous "tabletop on stilts" building. His avant-garde designs have often become tourist attractions, with even a regional government building in Marseilles suddenly granted landmark status after Alsop got a hold of it.

will alsopYet despite his success, and with even an Order of the British Empire and membership in the Royal Academy of Arts picked up along the way, Alsop remains a contentious figure both home and abroad. It takes a certain audacity of vision to still be labelled an "enfant terrible" at age 65, but Alsop has clearly earned the title.

will alsopThe response from Torontonians has been similarly divided, with his upcoming Yonge Street condo project reopening the debate about whether his whimsical buildings are compelling eye candy, or simply eyesores. But while its citizens may have mixed feelings towards his work, Alsop's affection for his adopted city is clear, saying in a recent lecture "If you like a place, you think about it. If you're an architect and you don't have any work, you can still do architecture...You can dream about a place, and I've chosen to dream about Toronto."

Alsop's dreams have never been limited to architecture exclusively, and his long-time love of painting has certainly informed his architectural practice. With their sense of whimsy and vibrant use of colour, Alsop buildings have always seemed to reside more in the world of painting than in the realm of traditional utilitarian architecture.

will alsopAnd thus, his second show at Olga Korper Gallery highlights his ongoing infatuation with bright, swirling colours, as well as the same propensity for abstraction that gave him the nickname of "architecture's Mr. Blobby" in the British press.

For Alsop, the relationship between the two mediums is clearly symbiotic: explicit references to his own architectural practice are present in "3 Rocks," which has the same distinctive black-on-white scribble that decorates the West Side Loft sales centre, once described by Torontoist as "ghastly" and the "worst condo sales centre in the world."

will alsop"Flower Market," meanwhile, features rudimentary cubes overlaid over the swirling painting, which seems to mock the traditional expectations of modernist architecture when compared against the natural world. Tellingly, Alsop's most abstract piece by far is titled "A School for Architecture."

It's clear that the healthy dose of irreverence that's found in his buildings is present in his visual art. It also might explain why his paintings have not received the same amount of critical attention as his architecture. As Alsop himself has said, "Some of my paintings result in buildings and some do not. I am interested in what happens when there is no intention. I make no distinction between art and architecture; to me they both begin in the same place." To analyze his paintings, or his architecture for that matter, is to analyze the total aesthetic of Alsop, and it is impossible to do one without the other.

will alsopWhether you like that aesthetic is something else entirely.

Photos by Jesse Milns

New in Toronto Music: Orchards, Os Tropies, Fort York, Thomas D'arcy, Chloe Charles

0
0

Fort York Toronto BandFind out what's new and hot with our our bi-weekly local music roundup.

ORCHARDS / ORCHARDS / JANUARY 3RD
This is THE stuff. I find that Orchards has a rare ability to always fully captivate my attention. Like if I'm listening to it at my computer I find myself suddenly gazing out the window or if I'm walking I hardly pay attention to any dogs on the street. It's very beautiful and it's richness and sincerity sneaks into your guts (the ones in your belly and in your way.)

So best listen to Orchards when you're in a situation where there's a benefit to being removed: like on the subway or in a traffic jam. Or when a loved one is being a turd.
Listen/download/whatever their debut self titled EP HERE.

FORT YORK / THE SHORT SEASON / JANUARY 18TH
Even though I had a good time listening to the EP, I'm going to save it till the spring. I've had a case of "spring-lust" since December and I have it real bad. This winter has been very cruel, with rapid temperature changes never giving our bodies a chance to properly adjust, which has left our nerves raw and belly's flipped. Oh cruel Lord Frost, plunge your cold blade into our hearts and be done with it!

So I'm finding it very important for my well being to avoid things that make my cold bones ache for the warmth of the summer sun. And Fort York is most positively is summer time music. But that's just me and I'm a baby. Listen to this record whenever you like HERE— at your own risk! (it might bring about SAD)

OS TROPIES / TROPICALIA! / FEB 6TH
Take a look at this excerpt from the Os Tropies bio on their offical website: "Os Tropies are a group of musicians and friends brought together by Brazilian popular music from the 60's and 70's, writing new original tunes inspired by Tropicalia greats." That certainly sounds exciting, does it not? I'm not familiar with Brazilian popular music from the 1960s or 1970s but it must be good based on the simple merit that it inspires people from Toronto in 2013. Make up your own mind by listening to their EP Tropicalia!

It also just so happens they are in the midst of a month long residency at the Piston, a venue near to my heart because of the simple fact that there's a DJ night where a saxaphonist plays along with records. If you want to learn more you can also check out my excellent review of their show last week.
BONUS FREAKY FACT: If you stare at any of the circles on the cover art, the other ones appear to rotate.

THOMAS D'ARCY / WHAT WE WANT / FEB 6TH
Here's a neat video for Thomas D'Arcy's single "Credit" from his new album What We Want. The song is as catchy as a bush fire with a cold, with The Cars/Robert Palmer vibe which is totally cool. The lyrics, however, are a spot grouchy which I guess is ok in this current positive music landscape. I just don't think it's helpful or even accurate to call today's youth entitled given that they were already born into a culture of supreme entitlement. What I'm trying to say is that we're allentitled, young people are the poor bastards who do not get their entitlement fulfilled. Luckily kids these days can get their kicks off the internet and, you know, video games are super good.

CHLOE CHARLES / BREAK THE BALANCE / FEB 13TH (NORTH AMERICAN RELEASE )
I truly think if you played a Chloe Charles track off her new album to someone in the 1980's it would blow their minds. It would sound like future music to them. They'd like it because it's still a pop song but the album's instrumentation, her cadence, and the...the...the... sloppy preciseness of it all would sound pretty far out. Sometimes I like to think about these sort of thing.

Then again, that can be said for a lot of music today. A real concern is whether or not Chloe Charles blows the mind of today's listener. I'm going to guess yes. Not everyone, to be sure — but some will suffer the head explosion. And isn't that enough? What do you want music to do for YOU?

Head over to her offical website to hear the whole damn thing.

HI THERE: If you have a hit new single, EP, LP, mixtape or video, I'd certainly like to hear it as I'm sure many others would as well. So send it/them to me, Eric Boshart, at (ericboshart [at] blogto [dotcom]. Just, for the love of Doug, make sure they are new because this column is a green grocer: only fresh.

Sunday Supplement: Toronto's urban coyotes, the first Skywalk, and the city's forgotten drinking fountains

0
0

toronto parking ticketAs city dwellers, it's easy to forget that Toronto is a bustling metropolis of wildlife too. On Wednesday, our coyote population was brought sharply back into focus with what many believe was the unnecessary shooting of a wild canine near Cabbagetown. This week's post profiles Toronto's coyotes and provides a little advice on how to prevent an encounter ending dangerously.

There's also the story of the first Skywalk (no, it's not down by Union Station) and a closer look at the drinking fountains Victorian Torontonians used to happily share with horses that are still on our streets more than a 100 years later.

COYOTE ENCOUNTERStoronto coyoteThis week's unfortunate shooting of a coyote in Wellesley Park once again reminded urban dwellers that nature isn't something that can be confined to parks and ravines. In fact, Toronto is home to a surprising number of animals undeterred by the presence of humans.

Coyotes have a diverse range that spans from Guatemala to northern Alaska. Sightings in southern Ontario tend to be of canis latrans thamnos (that's northeastern coyote to you and me) which are notable for their large size compared other sub-species. High Park, the Don Valley, and Leslie Street spits are common locations for sightings.

The animals are generally the retiring type and prolonged interactions with humans are relatively uncommon. As a result, they are often misidentified as stray dogs. Coyotes have erect ears, a bushy tail with a black tip, and appear bulky due to their thick coating of fur.

If you encounter a coyote that isn't scared away by your presence and acts aggressively, the trick is to be big, be mean, be loud, but never run, according Toronto Animal Services.

Maintaining eye contact with the coyote, raising your arms, stomping your feet, and shouting in a low voice is the best way of asserting dominance and appearing intimidating. Avoid the desire to run (easier said than done) as the canines are naturally inclined to chase moving objects.

This time of year is roughly midway through breeding season and the animals do not hibernate.

It's not clear how many coyotes live in Toronto, though they naturally tend to gather near sources of easy food like overflowing garbage containers or areas with mice or rats. You can learn more on the Animal Services site.

QUOTEDtoronto cyclist"We want to repeal the bylaw that says you can't ride two abreast. There's been a lot of support from my colleagues across the hall so I'm hoping we will be able to get this motion passed."

"What this is intended to do is to support cyclists that are out in the morning doing their morning rides as a group where there is no traffic and allow them to ride more safely."

Councillor Karen Stintz is feeling good about her motion to repeal a bylaw that could result in fines being issued to cyclists who ride side-by-side on city streets. Existing Ontario highway rules already prohibit cyclists blocking traffic, she says.

TORONTO'S FIRST SKYWALKtoronto skywalkNews this week that the arched roof of the Skywalk - the walkway connecting Union Station with the Rogers Centre - will not be demolished means the city will hang on to one of its most photogenic interior spaces for the foreseeable future (the arrival of the Union-Pearson Express platform might change the feel of the space somewhat.)

The raised walkway wasn't the first in the city to be dubbed a "Skywalk." That award goes to a pair of covered bridges in the high-rise Crescent Town neighbourhood. Finished in 1970, the largest of the two bridges spans Crescent Town Road and was planned, apparently, as a homage to the UK's original London Bridge, a space that was wide enough for stores on either side.

The second bridge, 240-foot long, crosses Victoria Park Ave. and connects with the subway station. It passes over the road 18 feet above grade. Access to both was made via a network of buried passageways designed to shield residents from the weather.

A Toronto Star report written when the neighbourhood was approaching completion called the pair "the most unusual bridges in Canada."

"WHAT'S THAT THING" - AN URBAN EXPOSITIONtoronto drinking fountainThis snow-covered iron device at the southeast corner of St. James Gardens has seen plenty of hearty quaffing in its long life. A combination drinking fountain and horse trough, these municipal refreshment stands were once a common feature of major intersections in Toronto. A font of a similar design - possibly even the same one - was in use on the northeast corner of College and Spadina in 1899.

Working horses drank out of the larger bowl nearest the street while thirsty pedestrians used a cup on a chain attached to the raised vessel at the back. Currently, the drinking fountain on King Street isn't hooked up to the water supply, but maybe that's for the best.

toronto drinking fountainWHAT WE LEARNED THIS WEEK:

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: "Ticket" by pəruse, "Coyote!" by Ducklover Bonnie, "Bike Lane..." by chewie2008~/blogTO Flickr pool, Toronto Star, and City of Toronto Archives.

Viewing all 47899 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images