The Senator
This Week in Theatre: Falsettos, A Few Brittle Leaves, Night of the Living Dead Live
This 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.
Falsettos / Daniels Spectrum / 8:00pm/2:00pm / $39-$55
Acting Up Stage Company has a track record of bringing the best in contemporary musicals to Toronto audiences (Caroline, or Change, Ride the Cyclone, Light in the Piazza). The newest, Falsettos, looks to continue the trend. Winner of both a Tony and Drama Desk award, the musical profiles a father who leaves his wife and son to be with another man. It is directed by Robert McQueen and features Darrin Baker, Sarah Gibbons, Sara-Jeanne Hosie, Michael Levinson, Eric Morin, Stephen Patterson, and Glynis Ranney.
A Few Brittle Leaves / Buddies in Bad Times Theatre / 8:00pm/2:30pm / $20-$30
Sky Gilbert makes his return to Buddies with a new dramatic-comedy, A Few Brittle Leaves. Featuring Edward Roy and Gavin Crawford as two spinster sisters, the play ruminates on the question of how one ages gracefully. Gilbert has recently focused new projects (Dancing Queen, To Myself At 28) on aging in the queer community, an often under-discussed topic. It'll be fun to see Roy and Crawford dive head first into the roles of the sisters.
Night of the Living Dead Live / Theatre Passe Muraille / 7:30pm/11:00pm / $29-$79
George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead revolutionized the American horror film in 1968, carrying along with it a biting critique of Western society. Christopher Bond, the brains behind the Toronto hit Evil Dead, The Musical, is the writer and director of a new stage version of the landmark film and it's telling that Romero himself is on board as Executive Producer. True to the original, the play is presented entirely in black and white.
Brussels/Toronto Project / Winchester Street Theatre / 8:00pm/2:00pm / $20-$26
The ongoing continental collaboration at Toronto Dance Theatre welcomes artists from one of the most vibrant dance cities in the world, Brussels. Choreographers Thomas Hauert and Etienne Guilloteau have been tasked with creating new and exciting work for Toronto audiences and the talented performers at TDT. This is the third and most anticipated in the series of groundbreaking jams with artists from Europe.
Sterling Theatre One Act Festival / Sterling Studio Theatre / 8:00pm/2:00pm / $10-$20
Junction Triangle's newest theatre, Sterling Studio, presents a one act play festival featuring work from established playwrights, as well as the winners of its 2013 playwriting competition. Among the names you'll recognize are plays from Anton Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, and Diana Flacks. New plays from Adam Hunter Collier and Carolyn Bennett, the best of all those submitted, also receive a full production at the Studio.
Rain and the City
Radar: A Fierce Green Fire, Canadian Electronic Ensemble, Kat Von D, White Lung at Hard Luck Bar
Toronto events on April 22nd, 2013
FILM | Earth Day Screening: A Fierce Green Fire
The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema presents a two-night run of A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle For A Living Planet. This documentary, an "official Selection" of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, is a thorough account of the environmental movement as it exists today, featuring narrators Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, and Ashley Judd. Details of various issues, "battles," and organizations, such as The Sierra Club, and Greenpeace, make up the film's content, which caters to both those unfamiliar with these issues, as well as more 'radical' viewers. A perfect Earth Day event if there ever was one!
Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West) 6PM $11
MUSIC | New Music 101 (Program 3): Canadian Electronic Ensemble and New Music Concerts
As part of the Toronto Reference Library's "New Music 101" series of concert/lectures, a joint performance and presentation, featuring The Canadian Electronic Ensemble and Toronto's "New Music" concert series in the library's Elizabeth Beeton Auditorium. The Canadian Electronic Ensemble ensemble celebrates their 40th anniversary this year, and will discuss the different approaches required by the recording studio and live performance. They will also touch on their "collective composition" techniques and strategies. In the second half, cellist David Hetherington, in conjunction with New Music Concerts, will both perform and discuss some of Gilles Tremblay and Luciano Berio's work.
Toronto Reference Library, Elizabeth Beeton Auditorium (789 Yonge Street) 7PM FREE
MUSIC | White Lung with Teenager and TV Freaks
White Lung hits the Hard Luck Bar tonight! These guys hail from the West Coast, and have been at it since 2006. Exclaim gave their first album, It's The Evil the 2010 "punk album of the year" nod, and their second album, Sorry got plenty of kudos from all the right Industry places. Also on the bill tonight are TO's own Teenanger, who call thier sound "garage punk," and TV Freaks: some Hamilton punk rock with a very old school, raw sound. Although Hunters from Brooklyn, PA was originally on this bill, this seems to have changed. Either way, if you're looking for some loud sounds to get your "ya yas" out to, the Hard Luck Bar is your place tonight!
Hard Luck Bar (772A Dundas Street West) 9PM $13
BOOKS & LIT | Kat Von D Book Signing
Television personality and tattoo artist, Kat Von D, has released a new book, Go Big or Go Home: Taking Risks in Life, Love, and Tattooing, and will be appearing at the John & Richmond Street Chapters for a book signing tonight. Kat Von D is well known from her reality TV series, LA Ink, which ran for four seasons, chronicling her life as a tattoo artist in Los Angeles, a profession she fell into at the early age of 16! Go Big or Go Home is a follow-up of sorts to her two previous bestsellers, High Voltage Tattoos and The Tattoo Chronicles, and is her personal story of taking risks and achieving goals, complete with essays, sketches, drawings, and more.
Chapters John and Richmond (142 John Street) 7PM
ALSO OF NOTE
MORE EVENTS THIS WEEK
For more Toronto event suggestions, check out these posts:
- Toronto Food Events
- This week in fashion
- This week in film
- This week in theatre
- This week in comedy
- This week in music
- April concert listings
Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.
Film still from A Fierce Green Fire
Morning Brew: Ford offers to explain politics to women, aunt of alleged Boston bombers speaks out, close call at Yorkdale station, and video of the TTC ukulele takeover
Hey women - Rob Ford wants to give you a lesson in running for office. Speaking on his weekly radio show, Ford said there was a lack of women in politics and urged those interested to "call me at home -- 233-6934, 416-233-6934 -- and we'll go for a coffee, and explain how politics works." Ford regularly urges people he meets to call him at home, but did this offer come out wrong?
The Toronto-based aunt of the Boston bombing suspects says the brothers are "angels" and believes the manhunt that resulted in 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev dying in a gun battle with police was "staged." She says if Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the brother arrested on Friday, did place a bomb he should "explain himself." So far Boston police have been unable to question the suspect because of his injuries.
A subway rider had a lucky escape this weekend after he fell onto live subway tracks and hit his head. Two bystanders - a father and daughter - jumped on to the tracks and lifted the man to safety. It's thought a medical emergency caused him to fall at Yorkdale station. He's recovering in hospital, police say. If you're ever in a similar situation, read this.
Starting June 29, GO trains will run every 30 minutes from Oshawa to Aldershot, practically eliminating the need for a schedule on the Lakeshore line. The increased service has been in the works for years and Metrolinx, the provincial corporation that owns GO, has gradually been increasing track capacity on the line. More details, like the the times of the first and last trains, will be available in May. Is this a positive step for GTA transit?
The New York Yankees need protection when they're on the road, so much so the team brings its own security detail. Several fans were ejected from the Rogers Centre during the weekend's game for heckling the Yankee's bullpen (and possibly throwing peanuts) by the special outside staff, which one fan called "disturbing." Should visiting teams be allowed to eject fans?
The Maple Leafs are a playoff team once more after Saturday's 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. It's the first time the franchise has been part of the NHL's post season since 2004. Is this the start of the road to Stanley Cup #14?
Finally, earlier this week we brought you news of the ukulele "gangster" takeover of the TTC, a flashmob-style conquering of the subway complete with tiny guitars. The event was organized by a group associated with the Toronto Awesome Foundation, and the video of the song "Have An Awesome Day" is now online for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
FROM THE WEEKEND:
- This Week in Comedy
- This Week in Theatre
- 5 sweat-inducing restaurants on Bayview Avenue
- A brief history of the first coffee house in Toronto
- Party Style: 27 looks from the Sharp Book for Men party
IN BRIEF:
- Toronto bank robbery leaves one employee and one customer shot [Globe and Mail]
- Boston on minds of many runners at Yonge Street 10K [CBC]
- Spring Rolls apologizes for treatment of hearing-impaired man with service dog [Toronto Star]
- Brett Lawrie, Arencibia help Blue Jays rally past Yankees [CBC]
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: Neil Ta/blogTO Flickr pool.
This Week in Music: Maestro Fresh Wes announces new LP, Luminato Festival unveils lineup, Trent Reznor returns to Toronto
This Week in Music rounds up the latest news, releases and concerts coming to Toronto.
IN THE NEWS
Maestro Fresh Wes set to drop new album
It's been 13 years since his last LP and almost 25 years since he first told you to "Let Your Backbone Slide," and now, Toronto's Maestro Fresh Wes is getting ready to drop his seventh album, Orchestrated Noise. We reviewed his last effort, but this is a more, um, orchestrated affair. Wes describes the album as a "conceptual extension" to his 1989 album Symphony in Effect, and it will incorporate elements of hip-hop and orchestral instrumentation. It'll also be chock full of special guests, including Chuck D, k-os, Kardinal Offishall, Sam Roberts, the Trews, Kool G Rap, Lights, Classified, and more. The album drops on June 25.
Toronto's Luminato Festival lineup unveiled
The annual Luminato Festival, a ten-day celebration of the arts, is one of the summer's most anticipated events for art lovers. Last week, the event's organizers released the 2013 event's program, and music fans should find a lot to look forward to. Daily free concerts will take place at the festival's hub, which is located at David Pecaut Square. Performers will include k-os, Patrick Watson, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Laurie Anderson, Roseanne Cash, Amadou & Mariam, and Danny Michel. The festival will also host a two-night tribute to Joni Mitchell at Massey Hall, featuring Rufus Wainwright, Glen Hansard, and more. Full details can be found at the festival's official site.
THIS WEEK'S HOT TICKETS
WEDNESDAY APRIL 24 / KILLING JOKE / LEE'S PALACE / 529 BLOOR W / $29.50 / 19+
One of the most influential bands of their generation, Killing Joke will take the stage at Lee's Palace on Wednesday night. The quintet from Notting Hill got their start in 1978, and in the years since, their style has evolved to incorporate elements of alt rock, gothic rock, electronic, and industrial. While I can't attest to being a fan, I can at least respect the fact that these guys paved the way for quite a few of my favourite bands.
THURSDAY APRIL 25 / HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS / SOUND ACADEMY / 11 POLSON / $51.75 / ALL AGES
This is arguably one of the most anticipated shows of 2013. It's been almost four years since Trent Reznor last performed in Toronto, and when he did, it was as Nine Inch Nails. With that band on hiatus (but due to return later this year), he's been spending his time with How to Destroy Angels, alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and longtime collaborator Atticus Ross. While the band's sound is similar to NIN, this is a different beast entirely, so don't go into it expecting to hear any NIN tracks.
RECENTLY ANNOUNCED CONCERTS
- MICHAEL RAULT / THE SILVER DOLLAR / MAY 17 / 9PM
- JAPANDROIDS / ADELAIDE MUSIC HALL / JUNE 17 / 9PM
- ROGUE WAVE / THE MOD CLUB / JUNE 25 / 7PM
- PAT BENATAR / MASSEY HALL / AUGUST 9 / 8PM
WHAT WE GOT UP TO LAST WEEK
- U-Piter bring Russian rock fans out to the Mod Club
- Dwayne Gretzky shows the love for Fleetwood Mac
- New in Toronto Music: Hooded Fang, Clarinet Panic Deluxx, Odonis Odonis, Sonreal and Richkidd
- 5 ways to celebrate Record Store Day in Toronto
Photo of How to Destroy Angels courtesy of Al Pavangkanan on Flickr.
420 brings the weed-loving masses to Yonge & Dundas
OK, let's not make any weed jokes. If there was pizza delivered to Yonge-Dundas Square during 420 celebrations, I didn't see it. That's probably because I'm the type of smoker who'd have a full-on panic attack if packed shoulder-to-shoulder in a public space while media types snapped away. Chalk it up to my lingering political ambitions. That could still happen, by the way — I'm actually quite cunning and charismatic — messy archive of my former life as it may be. And besides, our current mayor has proven that it's possible to use such things to one's advantage anyway.
So how was 420 in Toronto for the less paranoia-riddled? Well, in terms of numbers, the event was on par with previous years. Alas, the smoke-quotient was decidedly less potent. There was no open-air hotbox on offer, despite the promises I made to my photographer. Oh well, I suppose a few people got high. Let's chalk up the lack of plume to the wind.
This is what it all looked like.
PHOTOS
Photos by Irina No
15 photos of spring in Toronto on Instagram
It seems as though mother nature has been suffering from a severe case of split personality disorder. I'm hesitant to even suggest that spring has finally sprung, for fear it might incite a freak snowstorm or hail-mess. That said, April really is the cruellest month — all these blooms and Instagram pics of flowers are mixed with rain and snow. So, here we go around the prickly pear. Mix and match your poems and seasons (as long as they're by T.S.)! There's no time for winter whimpers — and, no, this ain't the way the world ends. It's just so uncomplicatedly pretty.
Earlier this week we reached out to our Instagram followers for snaps of spring in Toronto. Here are some of our favourites tagged wth #springTO.
Photo by soteeoh
Photo by travellingbelle
Photo by mondegro
Photo by tramista
Photo by blogTO
Photo by thegoldiek
Photo by travellingbelle
Photo by bookishbird
Photo by soteeoh
Photo by super6mario
Photo by brockpapers
Photo by thegoldiek
Photo by super6mario
Photo by travellingbelle
How's the veal sandwich at this Toronto institution?
This Italian takeout joint has been kicking it in Toronto for 60 some odd years. Reputed for its veal and meatball sandwiches, the question is whether or not its old school fare holds up against new competitors. I stopped by to find out.
Read my review of San Francesco Foods in the restaurants section.
Why I plan to take Rob Ford's political advice
The venerable Rob Ford has done it again. He has generously offered the brainless females of Toronto free advice on how to break into politics!
On his weekly NewsTalk 1010 radio spot yesterday, he volunteered to "explain how politics works" to women in the city who might be curious. I, for one, cannot imagine a more useful and respectable mentor. Can you imagine all that this politician has to teach? I want to learn how to implement a vision for public transit that eases congestion citywide, how to run a scandal-free office and how to manage the media in general. It could be positively awesome!
There is crucial information, ladies. And now, you can get the inside scoop from the master himself, next time you take a break from your ridiculous fashion mags and getting your hair did, or whatever it is you waste all of your silly lady-time doing. Here's the offer, as transcribed by the Star:
"I encourage people, I encourage people, I've always encouraged people — especially females. We need more females in politics. And it seems everyone says, 'Oh, it's male-dominated.' Well, call me. Call me at home — 233-6934, 416-233-6934 — and [I'll or we'll] go for a coffee, and explain how politics works. You have to be over the age of 18, a Canadian citizen, and live in Toronto. And the rest is up to you, how hard you want to work."
I mean, it's not as if the offer isn't well intended. Politics are very confusing, and as a woman, I have little idea how to behave or how to exercise logic, so I need all the help I can get. I've always wanted to be a politician, but I've also always known that such a career choice will require that I seek out a successful male mentor who can show me the ropes. This is my chance!
You can expect a call from me this week, Mayor Ford, and I will be a captive audience as you outline all your winning strategies.
Ladies, if you share my ambitions, I suggest you call Ford yourselves — remember, it's 416-233-6934 — and ask him to explain just how politics works. Because Ford is right about one thing: we clearly need more women in politics.
Photo by Jani Autio in the blogTO Flickr pool
10 films getting the biggest advance-buzz at Hot Docs
The 2013 Hot Docs Festival kicks off this week, so it's about that time for Toronto doc-lovers to whittle down those must-see lists and settle on some priorities. With a slate of docs capturing everything from heroic human rights activists to searing family portraits to James Franco's latest stunt, this year's festival is heavy on emotions and peculiarities.
This year there are a whopping 205 movies to choose from (up from 189 last year), so building a schedule can feel downright Sisyphean - finally find a way to fit in film x, only to create conflicts with films y and z. Part of the anxiety in festival planning is the sense that you're forgetting to see something major, a film that everyone is going to be talking about...except you. This first preview post will help you to identify those buzz titles, films you should think long and hard about before passing on them.
When it comes to hot-button topics in American politics, there may not be a more passionate ongoing debate than that over abortion rights. Having made a splash in Sundance, After Tiller tracks the aftermath of the 2009 assassination of Dr. George Tiller, a controversial physician lambasted for practicing third-trimester abortions. Post-Tiller, four doctors continue the practice despite the shadow of his murder and constant death threats looming over their careers, driven by their compassion for the desperate women who seek them out. This may be the most provocative film in the festival this year, and is destined to spark passionate debates after its screenings.
Winner of both the US Documentary Grand Prize and the Audience Award at Sundance this year, there's probably no safer bet for Hot Docs patrons. In the spirit of Lucy Walker's Hot Docs hit Waste Land, this is a film that documents good people doing good things for an underprivileged community in another continent. Here, first-time filmmaker tracks his friend Rocky Braat's first trip to India and the developing journey of self-discovery while he visited a care centre for women and children living with HIV and AIDS. Heart strings will be tugged on.
A new Alan Zweig film is like Toronto's doc community's version of a new Woody Allen film, only they come less frequently, and tend to be even more self-loathing - except for this one. Continuing in the selfless tradition he explored in his last Hot Docs success, A Hard Name, Zweig turns his camera from his own problems onto the inspiring, life-affirming experiences of other. Motivated by a list he came across of the supposed fifteen best reasons to live one's life to the fullest, this film finds a subject to correspond to each point on the list. Again, heart strings, etc.
James Franco and gay porn, together at last. Kind of. For this film, which is more "based on an idea by" than "a film by/starring" Franco, filmmaker Travis Mathews sets out to recreate the 40 censored minutes of gay cruising that were excised from William Friedkin's 1980 flick, Cruising (how the film still managed to make any sense after this I have yet to discover).
What we get in this film, running just over an hour, is actually less 40 solid minutes of good old-fashioned guy-on-guy action, and more a look at sheltered actor Val Lauren (playing the Al Pacino role) having a panic attack while trying to get over the fact that homosexual sex is a thing that exists, with Franco holding his hand guiding him along his journey to enlightenment. But, hey, James Franco and some moments of unsimulated gay sex are in fact present in this film (albeit separately), so it's still about what you'd expect (and for many, purchase a ticket for).
This was initially just going to be a solid, hardly buzzed, recommendation, what with Les Blank's films being some of the most enthralling and sui generis documentaries that exist. But now, sadly, this set of three retrospective programs has gained more attention for a most unfortunate reason. Blank's death at the age of 77 earlier this month couldn't have come at a worse time, in the midst of this well-deserved celebration of his life's work. But then, there will likely be much more attention paid to these selections now - each containing three of his short and medium length films - so at least he'll get closer to the exposure he deserved.
Well, for one, it's the Opening Night film, which no matter what it is will always be much-talked about and difficult to get a ticket to. Yet nothing much else about this doc, at the moment, would seem to indicate buzz-worthiness. Give it a week. We'll have another Hot Docs preview post in a few days on our favourite films in the festival that we've had a chance to take a peek at, which will expound on this, but The Manor is going to be one of the best word-of-mouth successes of the festival this year, without question. It's set in and around Guelph, the title refers to a strip club, and there are some very unlikeable and pathologically unkempt individuals on display. More later on why this all adds up to one of the most emotional films of the year.
I mean, it's a documentary about The National, one of the greatest rock bands in the world, with inside looks at there most recent tour. There's bound to be a ton of live performance footage in here, so along with their reputation as one of the best live gigs, this is sure to be a treat, and should even go far in converting those who are for whatever reason oblivious to their greatness. The band has a new album coming out in less than a month, so their fan base is currently binging on all things The National in preparation for what will almost surely be another acclaimed album.
"As Richard Nixon prepares to take the oath of office, three of his closest associates fire up their cameras," and this is the footage. I probably don't need to say much more than that, really. One of the most fascinating and complex public figures of the twentieth century, Penny Lane's organization of the rare, insider footage has been wowing festival audiences with its revelations and intimate insights all year. Now is finally Toronto's turn to see what she's uncovered.
One of the most incendiary human rights struggles of the past year gets the retrospective summary treatment. Whether or not you've been tracking the case closely - in which three members of the Russian performance art punk band was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison after their guerrilla concert in the altar of St. Christ Church in Moscow - this film give an inside, more human look at the experience that the girls have gone through. Not to mention, any question about how fucked up Russia's justice system is will be laid to rest after you see the scenes of the trial that lead to the sentencing; it borders on horror.
Maybe I live in a bubble where a new, three-hour film by the Ross brothers is an automatic buzz title, but I'm just going to roll with that perhaps delusional interpretation of the world and proclaim this film the most anticipated doc of this year's festival. The Ross' previous two features, 45365 and Tchoupitoulas, were both among the best films of Hot Docs in their respective years, and I therefore have no reason to assume that this epic new, Huck Finn-looking thing (edited into a feature from a popular web series) isn't going to be one of this year's best as well. There's only one screening, so cast aside your plans for the evening of May 1 accordingly.
Lead still from The Manor.
Projection Booth Cinema mired in internal conflict
News out of the Projection Booth / Big Picture Cinema on Gerrard Street East doesn't sound good. A legal notice on the theatre's website claims one of the original three operators, Jonathan Hlibka, has staged a coup, taking over operations against the wishes of the other owners.
"Somewhere along the way, Mr. Hlibka apparently decided that he was the sole proprietor and it became clear that he had been taking company funds into his personal bank account," the notice alleges. The letter continues to say Hlibka changed the name of the business and held "hostage" company assets, including Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Both companies, Projection Booth and Hlibka's new Big Picture Cinemas, lay claim to the theatre on Gerrard Street East and the Metro Theatre near Bloor and Christie.
"Nothing is happening to the [Gerrard] theatre, it's business as usual with a bunch if new things in the works," Hlibka said when reached by email. "I've just got my 300+ square foot stage arriving and I have to install it over the next couple of days."
The doors were locked when I visited this morning (most likely due to the early hour) and the writers of the legal notice couldn't be reached by telephone or email. An auto-response programmed to Hlibka's old email account claims he is no longer with the company and the contact number provided in the message connects to a full mailbox.
The east end Projection Booth opened in 2011 in the space vacated by the Gerrard Cinema, a East Asian speciality theatre. Under the Studio Film Group, screens show a mixture of rep, art, and indie house fare, even the occasional sneak peek screening.
It's not clear how the war of words will affect day-to-day operations but it looks unlikely the theatre can continue to operate while two apparently separate companies battle over ownership. Watch this space for developments.
UPDATE: 23/04/2013
In an emailed statement, Jonathan Hlibka claims the Projection Booth website, email, and social media has been "taken over" and used to "spread false and defamatory information."
"Hlibka Entertainment Inc's lawyers, Fogler, Rubinoff LLP are pursuing legal action against this person and we are confident that matters will be resolved in our favour," it continues.
"The name change to Big Picture Cinema we feel better reflects the vision for the cinema, its programming and philosophy."
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Images: Chris Bateman
Railside sculpture
Radar: FAT 2013, Harry's Underground Lounge, Shakespeare Slam, India Hicks at the Design Exchange
Toronto events on Tuesday, April 23, 2013
FASHION | | FAT | Arts & Fashion Week
Taking place in the heart of the Bloor and Lansdowne neighbourhood, | FAT | returns for a 5-day event that explores contemporary art and design on the runway. Artists and designers of all backgrounds will screen films, display art pieces, photography and installations and perform at 213 Sterling Road as part of Fashion Art Toronto's Arts & Fashion Week. Each evening, from 7PM until midnight, there will be runway, art and music shows that incorporate this year's theme of fashion therapy. The 8th annual festival runs until April 27 with tickets available on the | FAT | website.
213 Sterling Road 7PM $30
MUSIC | Harry's Underground Lounge featuring Yukon Blonde
Kelowna indie rock band Yukon Blonde performs in a rarely used venue tonight--Harry's Underground Lounge. Located beneath the Yorkville Harry Rosen store, the band behind Tiger Talk, the 2012 critically acclaimed and Juno nominated pop rock album, play for a different kind of crowd. The event is free and can be RSVPed to by e-mailing undergroundlounge@harryrosen.com.
Harry Rosen (82 Bloor Street West) 7:30PM Free
CULTURE | Shakespeare Slam
Pop cultural debates and Grammy Award-nominated musicians performing at Koerner Hall--this isn't your grandmother's Shakespeare. The Stratford Festival celebrates the English playwright's birthday by welcoming guests Rufus Wainwright, Adam Gopnik and Torquil Campbell to the stage. The night will begin with a debate between writer Gopnik and STARS lead singer Campbell on whether pop or classical culture has a lasting impact on the world. Wainwright will follow by performing his own music set to Shakespeare's writing. Other performances will take place throughout the night. Tickets are available through the Stratford Festival and Koerner Hall box offices
Koerner Hall (237 Bloor Street West) 8PM $20-$45
DESIGN | D/X Talk: India Hicks
Designer and former model India Hicks visits the Design Exchange for a talk this evening in preparation for the launch of her new bedding line and jewelry collection. The daughter of decorator David Hicks, India will discuss his influence on her method and career trajectory while describing how design plays a role in her every day life. This event is free for D/X members and is open to the public for just $15. Register at dx.org.
Design Exchange Museum (234 Bay Street) 6:30PM $15
ALSO OF NOTE:
MORE EVENTS THIS WEEK
For more Toronto event suggestions, check out these posts:
- Toronto Food Events
- This week in fashion
- This week in film
- This week in theatre
- This week in comedy
- This week in music
- April concert listings
Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.
Photo from FAT's Facebook page
Morning Brew: First transit tax vote due today, RCMP busts alleged terrorist plot, city throws away $500K in sanitizer, saving the Bluffs, and a Rob Ford cartoon
Rob Ford's executive committee will consider a report calling for several new transit taxes later today, but it's expected the mayor and several of his closest allies will reject the idea. If the report fails to pass the executive level it could be shelved indefinitely. Is it the group's duty to kick the discussion up to city council?
The RCMP has foiled a plot to blow up a GTA-bound Via Rail train and arrested two people, one who was living in Toronto. Mounties say a specific route - possibly between New York City and Toronto - had been targeted by terrorists but not a specific train. The Toronto suspect, Raed Jaser, is originally from the United Arab Emirates and living in Canada legally, according to The Canadian Press. He's expected to appear in court later today.
The city spent $53,750 washing its hands of $500,000 worth of expired sanitizer this year. The product was meant to be used with other emergency medical supplies in the event of a viral outbreak, but it expired in 2012. Other cities used up their stockpiles to prevent wasting money. What could the city have done with the expiring antibacterial product?
The city is busily propping up a large stretch of the Scarborough Bluffs in an attempt to prevent the geological wonder from crumbling in to Lake Ontario. The city paid $6.5-million for the beach at the foot of the bluffs and promised to build erosion defenses to help the homes above. Access could be several years away, though. An two-year environmental assessment needs to be completed first.
Toronto's job scene is in rude health, according to the city's latest Economic Dashboard report. The jobless rate is at its lowest level since 1990, and that's without casinos. Hooray for jobs.
Also in good economic news, the city's film industry is posting record numbers. That's right, Toronto is so good at pretending to be cities in the United States it's now a billion-dollar industry. Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim was the biggest film to be partially filmed here in 2012, topping Total Recall from the year before.
Finally, Rob Ford is now a metaphor for poor career moves. Job listing site Workopolis is running a cartoon of Toronto's gaffe-prone mayor piling face-first into a CityTV camera on its latest set of newspaper adverts. Ouch.
IN BRIEF:
- Mayor Rob Ford's executive will consider 'Israeli Apartheid' group again [Toronto Star]
- $100,000 reward in hunt for violent Toronto bank robbers [CBC]
- The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs made the playoffs... [CBC]
- Munenori Kawasaki's 9th-inning error sinks Jays in Baltimore [CBC]
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: Dominic Bugatto/blogTO Flickr pool.
This Week in Home Video: Gangster Squad, Broken City, Mr. Selfridge, The Central Park Five and Astron-6
This Week in Home Video previews all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and on-demand titles hitting the street this week, plus lost gems, crazed Cancon, outrageous cult titles and the best places to rent or buy movies in Toronto.
Gangster Squad(Warner Bros.)
The first true guilty pleasure of 2013 arrives in the form of Gangster Squad, a morally dubious but slick period piece which mimics The Untouchables for the GI Joe generation while soaking it like the spray from a Thompson M1928. An A-list cast with heavy hitters like Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte (so grizzled you could fry a steak on his forehead) and Robert Patrick (aka the T-1000) round out the package, with enough cringe inducing dialogue and goofy accents - Gosling seems to have been hitting the nitrus - to make this a future classic for bad movie night. Never mind the bonkers turn from Sean Penn, who seems to have wandered in wearing a Dick Tracy villain's deflated latex mask from about two decades ago. By the time the Wile E Coyote-esq cartoon finale climaxes, you'd be forgiven in thinking this was a comedy in a thrifty Boardwalk Empire disguise.
Special features include a commentary from director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), a "Rogue Gallery" and deleted scenes, which bizarrely do not include the exorcized scene in which a gangster shoots up patrons in a movie theatre. You might recall this scene played in the trailers that ran around the time of the Aurora Batman gun massacre, and after a quick snip it's been banished to the black hole of PC Hollywood Neverland, along with also that Spider-Man trailer featuring the Twin Towers, and Song of the South.
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
Pawn (Anchor Bay)
A petty robbery spirals into a tense hostage situation after three gunmen hold up a diner that's a front for the mob. Nice little gritty crime film which evokes the low budget strait-to-video potboilers of the 1990s, with Michael Chiklis, Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta and Common .
Mr. Selfridge (PBS)
American entrepreneur extraordinaire Harry Selfridge leads the department store charge in 1900s London, laying down the essentials while recklessly pursuing new shopping trends. A 'Masterpiece' between-seasons-of-Downton Abby seat warmer that's just as lush and charming, with Jeremy Piven recovering from Ari Gold-itus while occasionally channeling him as the bigger than life retail champion Mr. Selfridge.
The Impossible (eOne)
Based on events which unfolded in Thailand during the December 2004 Tsunami , The Impossible follows a family literally and figuratively torn apart by its fury. Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts play the devastated parents whose family are the focal point of a much larger natural disaster.
The Central Park Five (PBS)
PBS documentary from Ken Burns chronicling the race relations powder keg that existed in New York in the late 1980s. After the horrific rape of a Central Park jogger, 5 young teens are dragged through the courts as the city bays for blood and the media fine tunes their exploitative narrative. This is a powerful indictment of many too many societal ills that collided at the same time, and sadly paints a picture of a justice system which remains broken, while New York City circa 1989 resembles an alien planet.
Broken City (eOne)
Sticking with hellish visions of New York, Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta Jones headline this political thriller about the Mayor of Gotham steeped in sleaze and corruption. Crowe delivers yet another performance of burning intensity, matched by the icy princess Jones and vigilante cop Wahlberg, recalling his sterling turn in The Departed.
Cold Prey II (Shout Factory)
Norwegian horror so ice cold it'll have you breaking out a winter coat in the opening scene. A demented Mountain man who terrorized heroine Jannicke in Cold Prey is brought to the local hospital where she is being treated, prolonging her nightmare. Clever slasher evokes the 1980s/90s cycles but still manages to raise new, ahem, chills. Followed by a Cold Prey III, natch.
WIN THE IMPOSSIBLE & BROKEN CITY ON BLU-RAY!
The kind folks at eOne have given us two copies of both The Impossible and Broken City to give away.
To enter, simply add a comment to this post with a reason why you would like to see either film (feel free to be creative, as we're not looking for one answer). Please leave a valid email address in the comments field so that we can contact the winners.
Fine print: You must be a Toronto-area resident to win. Only one comment and answer per person. If you include multiple answers or post multiple comments you will be disqualified.
ASTRON-6 x 10 INTERVIEW
ASTRON-6 describe themselves as "Five filmmakers who assemble like Voltron to create such epic feature films as FATHER'S DAY and MANBORG, and epic short films as COOL GUYS, and HEART OF KARL."
To mark the exciting DVD release of MANBORG (out now) I asked Director Steven Kostanski a few pressing questions:
What are your favourite theatres or video stores in Toronto?
I enjoy going to the Carleton Theatre to catch movies since it's down the street from my place and is cheap and usually not packed. I also like to scour BMV and Suspect Video on a regular basis.
MANBORG plays like a valentine to the VHS culture of 80s and 90s, where many titles by-passed theatrical release and went straight to video. What was some of the stuff you gravitated towards in that era, and what effect did it have on you?
When I was a kid I loved iconic stuff like Terminator and Robocop, so I'd gravitate towards anything remotely similar. I'd rent all the low-budget knockoffs, stuff like Eliminators, Nemesis, Cyborg, etc. So, pretty much anything by The Cannon Group, or Empire Pictures. They'd always have the most enticing covers.
People really remember the lurid VHS art which used to adorn less-than-great titles. Often the cover art was the best part of the movie, and many people have vivid memories of even being afraid of certain titles because of the cover. Did you have any experiences like that?
I think Eliminators is the best example from my childhood of a movie that didn't live up to its cover. The poster features all the main characters posing in front of an explosion, dramatically firing their weapons. The main character is a wicked looking cyborg with tank treads instead of legs. How could any kid say no to that?
Both FATHER'S DAY and MANBORG have been lumped in with Tarantino and his ilk's "Grindhouse redux" genre, but it strikes me that Astron-6 is more VHS/Beta than 16mm. Do you make a distinction? Were your formative years more influenced by movie theatres or video rental stores?
All the members of Astron-6 are influenced by the video store days more than anything. None of us were really around for the grindhouse cinema days. Our tastes are very much rooted in bargain bin VHS flicks from the 80s and 90s.
Trash VHS culture seems to be really popular these days, with docs like REWIND THIS!, and a renewed fascination with vintage video labels like Wizard, Cannon and Vestron. Why do you think that is?
I think that with movies becoming so easily accessible nowadays a lot of the charm has been taken away from the experience. Before internet and downloading and all that, you had to go out on epic quests to track down obscure genre titles.
I remember it took me forever to get my hands on the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Blockbuster had the box, but whoever rented it never brought it back. I'd go in week after week hoping it would come back, but it never did. I eventually tracked it down, and when I had my hands on the beat up cardboard case it was like I'd struck gold. That whole part of the experience has been taken away. Now you just click a button and there's the movie you're looking for. With VHS, you get a cool cover, a fun write-up and beat up tape, which for all you know, might not even work. That's half the magic of movies.
Any big budget studio pictures you are excited about for 2013?
I'm excited for Man of Steel, Iron Man 3 and Star Trek. But the one I'm most excited about is Pacific Rim. I love giant monsters fighting robots, so that looks right up my alley.
The Astron-6 INSTAGRAM feed is one of the best out there. How do you find such incredible and unique imagery on a regular basis?
That's all Jeremy Gillespie's doing. He runs the Astron Instagram and I think he spends a good chunk of his day digging up weird pictures to post on there.
The BIO-COP trailer really brings the house down. But do you think you could keep the momentum going for a feature, or does it work best as a faux trailer?
I think for a Bio-Cop movie it needs to go in a completely different direction. The trailer is it's own thing. It should be in the same vein as Big Trouble in Little China, where Bio-Cop is the bumbling Kurt Russell sidekick, and a more competent hero is the main focus. I also thing a feature should play it a lot straighter than the trailer. The short can get away with being very broad and goofy, but a full length version needs some kind of legitimacy to it.
If you could make a feature length BIO-COP, which city would it be set in? Better yet, which Canadian city deserves a BIO-COP?
I've always wanted to set a movie in a semi-futuristic Winnipeg, though I've developed a soft spot for Toronto's Chinatown since moving out here.
Please give us the titles of 5 movies, any year or genre, that you think are totally underappreciated which deserve more love. No explanation required.
Robot Jox
Guyver 2
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Arena
Saw 6
ASTRON-6, Thank You and Good Luck!
The art of concert posters is alive and well in Toronto
Last summer we interviewed the artist behind some of Toronto's most recognizable poster art: Tad Michalak of the popular Feast in the East series and DIY show promotion enterprise Burn Down the Capital. Michalak has designed posters for almost all of the shows he puts on in Toronto, and starting this weekend Toronto Laser Services will honour his work by displaying eight years of hand drawn and collaged posters.
Michalak names some of the myriad of influences for his weird and wonderful posters as comics, internet memes, movies, and Toronto screenprint artists Andrew Zukerman and Jesjit Gill. At Toronto Laser Services posters for Michalak's monthly Feast in the East events will be up, as well artwork from Burn Down the Capital's history of assorted, experimental leaning shows in the city including Stars Like Fleas, Nadja, Aids Wolf, Amen Dunes, Faust, Extra Life and Ty Segall. You'll be able to see a Torngat poster featuring Brian Taylor from Rotate This getting his beard cut, and work that for one reason or another never made it onto the street.
There's a story behind the Segall poster which is too good not to post verbatim. Michalak told us: "Probably one of the most memorable posters I have done was this Ty Segall poster of a dude vomiting, but the vomit is spraying not just out of his mouth, but his noise to. It's really disgusting.
Anyway, Ty got stuck at the border & they wouldn't believe that Sneaky Dee's was exempt, even though he had all the paperwork. After arguing with them on the phone for half an hour, they asked to see a copy of the poster. They wanted me to prove that I was presenting the show & not Sneaky Dee's. Anyway I faxed it to them, but it didn't go through, so I just kept faxing it until it went through. Apparently it had gone through the first time & the fax machine at the border just kept spitting out copies of this poster of this guy vomiting. Hahaha. They ended up getting across after that."
Sorry not sorry if you were eating while reading this.
For aspiring poster artists or bands who aren't sure if they should bother hitting the street since digital promotion now dominates, Michalak claims that the internet hasn't harmed Toronto's vibrant poster art scene, or the power of a physical 11 x 17 or 8.5 x 11 beacon for a gig. He advises keeping clear of walls and city fixtures due to recent laws and overcrowding, and stick to coffee shops, record stores, and laundromats - anywhere where people have time to take a look. He also divulged the repetition of his posters, all being in a handcrafted style, has helped them become recognizable to fans, and catch the eyes of the curious.
The exhibit will kick off with (what else) a music show, with NYC avant jazz trio of drummer Weasel Walter (Lydia Lunch, Flying Luttenbachers, Behold The Acrtopus), guitarist Mary Halvorson (Anthoy Braxton, Marc Ribot) and trumpeter Peter Evans. Michalak, who also shows his writing chops writing one of a kind press write ups for each band he books, told us this: "Most of the music at the opening will occupy the realm between avant jazz and noise rock. [The trio] will be preforming a set of new music from their latest record. The songs will be structured with improvisation, loosely jazz based, but including elements of noise rock, metal, free improvisation, etc."
Locals Colin Fisher, Brandon Valdivia and cellist Nick Storring's I Have Eaten the City will be playing too - Michalak told us the first poster he ever designed was for an Eaten the City show - and the night with start off Gideon Steinberg and Brandon Lim's new prog/noise project Toronto Homicide Squad.
Toronto Laser Services is, according to Michalak, the only small run laser cutter downtown outside of the academic institutions. "It's pretty crazy, the stuff they make there. Essentially [they] can cut a plethora of different materials, papers, plastics, metal, wood, etc. and does so based on digital designs."
Still curious, we asked Michalak if the opening would feature any like, lasers: "The laser cutter has a laser, but it will be dormant during the show. If people want to bring lasers, consider this a BYOL. But people shouldn't bring tasers, no one wants to get tased."
Leave your tasers at home, kids.
The opening night show featuring Weasel Walter / Mary Halvorson / Peter Evans
is Sunday, April 28th at 9pm, and the event is all ages. The exhibit will be up until May 4th. Toronto Laser Services (960 College St.) is open 11am - 7pm Mon - Sat.
Still Waters micro-distillery unveils its first whisky
Last year we introduced you to Barry Stein and Barry Bernstein, the co-founders of Still Waters Distillery, Ontario's first micro-distillery. Back then the Barrys were distilling an award-winning vodka while patiently waiting for the day that they could unveil their small-batch distilled whisky to the world.
On Saturday April 27th, that whisky will finally hit the crucial three-year mark which is required by Canadian law in order to sell whisky and Still Waters will release the first few casks of their single malt whisky for retail sales.
Being sold under the brand name Stalk & Barrel, single cask offerings will be sold in a very limited run in individually numbered bottles. The whisky is handmade at Still Waters' custom-built copper still in Concord, Ontario and is made from 100% Canadian two-row malted barley.
The Barrys are quite pleased with the results of their three-plus years of waiting. "We think it tastes fantastic!" Barry Bernstein told me. "We are very proud of the results. We had our fellow craft distillers in the province taste this and they all agree it is excellent." As for tasting notes, Barry tells me that their whisky has hints of cloves, honey and butter pecan on the nose and is very smooth with honey, brown sugar, creamy vanilla and butterscotch on the palate.
This first run will be available for sale only directly from the distillery; however, interestingly, they'll also start selling their wares to Ontario residents online — a unique marketing angle for which Still Waters has only recently received permission.
Sadly, thanks in part to the lengthy process required to obtain LCBO approval and our province's high tax rates for liquor, Still Waters has opted to designate a majority of their whisky for sale outside of Ontario. "Our preference would be to sell it all locally," Barry Bernstein tells me, "but there is great demand for Canadian made whisky in other markets and we can get product out a lot quicker and even make a little more [money] in some cases by selling outside the province."
As for future offerings, the idea is to continue aging some whisky, but they'll be making decisions on quantity based on the success of this initial sale. "We will release our whisky to meet demand, while at the same time trying to hold some back for further aging," Barry says. "Although first indications are that we will have a problem meeting the demand."
Sales of Stalk & Barrel will begin at 10am on Saturday April 27th from the distiller's retail store at Unit 26 of 150 Bradwick Drive in Concord (a location that you can actually get within 2km of by transit if you've got the time..). They'll be bottling two casks at cask strength, which means it'll be the potent, undiluted booze exactly as it comes out of the barrel — roughly 60%-65% ABV — and these bottles will cost $99.95. A third cask will be diluted to 46% ABV and those bottles will retail for $69.95.
If you're interested, it's probably a good idea to get there early given the limited run and the fact that it's first come, first served. Otherwise you'll need to stay tuned to Still Waters' website for the opening of their online ordering system, which should go live later this week.
Lead photo c/o Still Waters, barrel photo by Paul Aihoshi.
Ben Johnson also writes about beer and booze over on Ben's Beer Blog.
This week on DineSafe: Papaya Hut, B Trust Supermarket, Fukuoka Sushi, Tat Burger, Golden Star
Yet another dull week on Toronto's DineSafe database, with no closures due to grotty conditions. This week's big highlight was probably the unfortunately-named B Trust Supermarket, with a grand total of 12 infractions, four of which were crucial. And the aptly-named "Ka Ka Lucky Seafood BBQ Restaurant," is certainly ka ka in a sense, and not so lucky. They can't seem to keep hot food hot enough or cold food cold enough. And Papaya Hut is on there again for the second time in as many weeks, and for the same reason as last time: failure to ensure food is not contaminated.
Ka Ka Lucky Seafood BBQ Restaurant (349 Broadview)
Inspected on: April 18
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 6 (Minor: 2, Significant: 2, Crucial:2).
Crucial infractions include: Failure to maintain hazardous foods at 4 C (40 F) or colder, failure to maintain hazardous foods at 60 C (140 F) or hotter.
Papaya Hut (513 Yonge St.)
Inspected on: April 17
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 2, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1).
Crucial infractions include: Fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated.
B Trust Supermarket (1105 Wilson Ave.)
Inspected on: April 16
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 12 (Minor: 3, Significant: 5, Crucial: 4)
Crucial infractions include: Employee failure to wash hands when required, failure to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated, failure to provide approved meat, failure to maintain hazardous foods at 60 C (140 F) or hotter.
Golden Star (2133 Jane St.)
Inspected on: April 16
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 2, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Failure to maintain hazardous foods at 4 C (40 F) or colder.
Fukuoka Sushi (108 Corporate Dr.)
Inspected on: April 17
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 6 (Minor: 3, Significant: 3)
Crucial infractions include: N/A
Ciao Bakery (1970 Ellesmere Rd.)
Inspected on: April 18
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 2, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1).
Crucial infractions include: Fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated.
Tat Burger (1118 College St.)
Inspected on: April 16
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 4 (Significant: 3, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Failure to maintain hazardous foods at 60 C (140 F) or hotter.
Shanty's Caribbean Restaurant (1806 Eglinton Ave. W.)
Inspected on: April 16
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 5 (Significant: 5)
Crucial infractions include: N/A
House of the Week: 15 Gilead Place
Nestled between King Street East and Eastern Ave, 15 Gilead Place is hidden on one of those quintessential Toronto streets that instantly sparks the curiosity of those passing by. Though perhaps making your way through a secluded lane way in the dark of night is not your ideal walking-home-from-the-bar steeze, fear not, this alley is not a crack-magnet. The townhouse complex is surrounded by great neighbourhood spots such as Gilead Cafe, Morning Glory and Weezie's along with new arrivals such as Eco Stems and the second location of Body Blitz. For many, this is undoubtedly a beautiful example of modern living in Toronto. Environmentally sound, centrally located and furnished with a unique flare and style, there's not really much more you could ask for.
Though you might think that $1.3 million is perhaps an unreasonable price tag for a three bedroom townhouse (with roof-top terrace, beautiful hardwood floors, three storeys and a series of custom-crafted furnishings), I think it's about time we all accept that living in a beautiful, modern home in Toronto will yes, cost you a serious wad of cash.
SPECS
Address: 15 Gilead Place
Price: $1,295,000
Lot Size: 23.03x42.48 FT
Storeys: 3
Bedrooms: 3 + 1
Bathrooms: 3
Fireplace: Yes
NOTABLE FEATURES:
The aforementioned rooftop terrace is lovely
Unique wide-plank hardwood flooring
High (really, really high) ceilings
Third floor bar fridge for lazy evenings and maybe a raging party or two
Modern finishes that allow you to feel as though you live inside an Ikea.
You get to live in Corktown! One of Toronto's most underrated neighborhoods.
GOOD FOR:
A young, busy family with some money in the bank. People who live a fast-paced life and don't have time to think about redecorating a new home. And, really, this is a fit if space isn't your first and foremost priority — density is the way of sustainable urban living.
MOVE ON IF:
If you want a yard with grass. Or if you don't have $1.3 million to blow on a home. That's about it. If you don't got it, don't complain if other people do.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
What do you think — would you buy this home if you could?
Read other posts in this series via our House of the Week Pinterest board.