Going through my old blog posts to see how it looks with the new theme. It all seems to be working well, but I came across a lot of posts that are a month in review. I had set up a goal for how much media I’d consume in that year and tracked it. I liked that. I’m going to start doing that for the rest of the year. So here are my goals from July 9-December 31… Books I’ll read (5): Films I’ll see (20): Albums I’ll buy (20): Concerts I’ll attend (15): Plays I’ll attend (3):
I shot a lot of video during Toronto Urban Roots Festival… here you go, internets.
The Sadies One could write a thousand words about The Sadies, and none would come close to describing what this video shows. Was that good for you, too? The Sadies, as you can see are a country band, with a lot of surf and punk in their hearts. Dallas Good, Travis Good, Mike Belitsky, and Sean Dean always put on an incredible show. Dallas and Travis Good have this schtick where they get close to one another and swap fretboards. Kurt Vile, who joined The Sadies on stage for a song, was watching from the side of the stage, at this point, he pointed at the two Good brothers and… Read More »TURF Day 4
Larry And His Flask It’s a good thing Larry was playing at Fort York, and Fort York was licensed for this event, if he was playing in Trinity-Bellwoods, he’d sure to be arrested. Larry And His Flask are all out, rocking country! They seem to be America’s answer to the Sadies. A bit messier, and bit more rock and roll than The Sadies, who are very polished in their mayhem. Their bass player was incredible. Dragging his upright bass across the stage as he danced around like a shirtless maniac. Hannah Georgas Never really knew her music. I’ve known of her for a long time. Singer/songwriter from Vancouver. She has a really… Read More »TURF Day 3
JD McPherson McPherson surprised me. When I entered the Fort York grounds I was greeted to some groovy rock and roll. A fabulous throw back to the 1950s. This was the perfect way to start the day. The songs were lively and no one seemed to mind the rain. Justin Townes Earle FUCK. I remember someone writing about him for Being There. I think it was Zayne or Russell, one of those awesome folks really liked Justin Townes Earle. I remember listening and really digging it, but never really searching, and I’m kicking myself for that now. His songs are great. His stage banter is hilarious. He really puts on… Read More »TURF Day 2
The Barr Brothers: Your name confuses me. Remember The Barmitzvah Brothers? I do! I thought you were them. You are not. You were okay though. I enjoyed your set. It was a nice lazy set to open the festival with. You were enjoyable… bravo. Camera Obscura: You want to be Belle & Sebastian. All these years later, you still want to be Belle & Sebastian. You’re not Belle & Sebastian… BUT BELLE & SEBASTIAN WILL BE AT TURF LATER IN THE WEEK! OMG! OMG! OMG! You’re pleasant. You write nice songs. They’re not great, but they’re fun. Your bass player has a TARDIS sticker on his bass. I approve of… Read More »TURF Day 1
I was surprised by a friend when she handed me two North By Northeast wristbands. I promptly started scouring the NXNE schedule, these are the stories. Gabriel Minnikin 14 JUNE 2013, 12AM Tranzac Gabriel Minnikin doesn’t seem to play in Toronto too often. I’ve been a fan of his former band The Guthries for quite some time and his sister Ruth’s for just as long. I think that his living in the UK and not performing in Toronto was what led me to never check out his solo records. I bought two records of his a couple years back at the Zunior Boxing Day sale. While I liked the record,… Read More »NXNE Part 7: Gabriel Minnikin
I was surprised by a friend when she handed me two North By Northeast wristbands. I promptly started scouring the NXNE schedule, these are the stories. Cœur de pirate 13 JUNE 2013, 11PM The Great Hall Apparently Béatrice Martin, aka Cœur de pirate, was recovering from a illness, but the audience was none the wiser until she pointed it out before her last song. He voice is beautiful and he songs are pretty. I generally don’t understand what she’s singing about, but it was a nice and strange sight to see a room full of Torontonians singing along to songs in French. Maybe Canada’s French/English divide isn’t as strong as many believe.
I was surprised by a friend when she handed me two North By Northeast wristbands. I promptly started scouring the NXNE schedule, these are the stories. Michael Rault 13 JUNE 2013, 10PM The Great Hall I got to The Great Hall early as there was much buzz about Cœur de pirate’s show at 11. With only a wristband, I didn’t want to be closed out on the rainy Toronto streets. He played his bluesy songs solo, with the occasional help from his Rockabilly-styled guitarist.
I was surprised by a friend when she handed me two North By Northeast wristbands. I promptly started scouring the NXNE schedule, these are the stories. Arizona Lily 13 JUNE 2013, 8PM Rancho Relaxo I don’t really have much to say, since bass player Jessica is my friend. Jessica looks like a smurf in this lighting. Oh Rancho, you do so many things terribly, lighting is amongst them.