Toronto - Every year, around this time, Toronto is home to the great Hot Docs Festival. It is North America’s largest documentary festival. There are all kinds of documentaries about all things that will probably depress you (as most documentaries do), but every year there are some quality documentaries that come out. Lets face it, documentaries are good information pieces and then when you go out afterwards to the bar or meet a girl at a party, you can recite some info you learn from these documentaries and impress them with your knowledge of the problems that some random kids in some non important third world country has. You can be like ‘Yea? Darfur? Have you heard of the issues they have in kazmikistan? Yea, its FAR WORSE then Darfur .. the kids there eat glass for desert’. It’ll get you props. Specially if you can shed a tear.

Anyways, here is some documentaries that interest me:

Emoticons (w/ Kids with Money)
Its about six girls obsessed with the internet. “these girls are lost souls in search of contact, consolation, help, friendship and love. “. I say, let them be obsessed with the internet, I work for an internet company, these people pay my bills probably.

Kids With Money
Its like a documentary version of the Hills, I gather. Some statement about consumerism is probably made.

7:15 @ Rom,

Carny (9:45 pm Saturday at Royal, other times available)
I imagine its about Carnies, so thats interesting enough by itself. It can also be about Carnivores, like Lions and Pumas. That’d be cool too. Either way, it should be good. Theres also a British Sea Power song called Canvey Island. I started that sentence thinking it was Carney Island, but I was wrong.

Montery Pop (11:55 pm Saturday, Bloor)
This movie is about the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, during the Summer of Love. You know, 1967, that year was nicely recapped in Forrest Gump. Expect a lot of Janis Joplin, and other hippies in this documentary. Also, Rick James saying ‘Coke .. its a hell of a drug’. Haha if only. I should make documentaries.

The Last Continent (12:45 @ Bloor, Sunday)
Its about Anarctica, its made by French-Canadians. Supposed to have some gorgeous pictures, being the Earthy guy that I am, that stuff appeals to me.

Junior (sunday, 7 pm at Alliance)
A documentary about Arnold’s 1993 movie about a man who gets preg– No, its actually a french canadian documentary about the lives of junior players. If you are a hockey fan, this will appeal to you.

Ps. Yes I know I don’t really have much information on these documentaries, but you can always click on the link to read the actual synopsis. I mean, those guys probably paid some publicist who probably spent a few hours typing up those descriptions.

Heres a song for all your troubles

 

 Eurosport - Your Brother is My Only Hope: Play Now

The Swedes gave us Ikea, the Germans gave us Volkswagen, and now the Swiss give us bags. Introducing FREITAG.

Made in Zurich, FREITAG products are made from used truck tarps, used car seat belts, used air bags and used bicycle inner tubes. Because each bag is made from an original piece of tarp, every FREITAG bag is different and colourful, and a tad expensive. The bag I recently got for my birthday is the Dexter ($200). It is a smaller messenger style bag that is good for two school binders, or one pair of sneakers and socks or about $15 worth of groceries. I have had mine for a week, and it is all thumbs up so far.

If you are thinking of ordering one on-line, I would suggest you stop by one of these retailers first to get acquainted with the sizes first as there are subtle differences between each one that are not apparent on the website.

Vancouver - Eugene Choo, 3683 Main Street
Calgary – Shed, 1022 17th Avenue
Toronto – InAbstracto, 1160 Queen West & Curbside Cycle 412 Bloor West
Montreal – Commissaire, 5226 boul St-laurent

How does this relate to music you might ask? Well, they make a pretty kick ass DJ-bag called the Nightclub that will hold up to forty 12inch records.

Here is an appropriate Peaches song too. Seriously, I couldn’t find a good Swiss band to post. Everything Swiss is hard and metal. Am I missing something?
» Read the rest of the entry..

 

 Peaches - Bag It (2003): Play Now

Toronto - Hot Chip live is awesome. Awesome awesome awesome. Theres really no other way to review this concert. The opening act - sucked. I don’t know who they were, but they seemed to think that rhyming in front of some electro beats can get it done. NOPE. They also ended one of the songs with one of those really large distortions of sound or something that was absolute rubbish and made me want to go cry for mama. Thank god they were done rather quickly.

Hot Chip came on some time after that, the break between the opening act and them was not very long, and that was great. From that point on, for about an hour and 20 minutes maybe, it was pure mayhem. Consisting of maybe five people or something, the band came on stage, said hi to everyone and proceeded to just rock it. I think they started out with ‘Shake a Fist’. I can’t recall. Either way, they went to ‘Hold On’ right afterwards and the concert shifted from a wow to a WHAAAAAAAAAAT. Their album material is nothing compared to their live show. The energy, the beats, the seamless transition from one song to the next - they had most people in the Phoenix moving (it is Toronto, town of the non mover mans).

By the time the faint beats of ‘Over and Over’ started churning thru the system halfway thru the set, they pretty had reach the point where you are like ‘THIS IS AWESOME’ to random strangers around you, and yes, that song sounds better live (I know, its possible) then it does on album.

Anyway, I could go on, but I am thinking you get the idea already. Hot Chip is spectacular live, you can not miss them if they are visiting your village. I think I danced so much I lost half the weight I gained while dining on fabulously great food in Asia. So that’s another bonus.

5 / 5

You can tell a concert is great when you are still pumped about it the next day. Now that’s a good time.

Here’s an interview with Moz conducted by Russell Brand, the latest hot shot UK actor/radio personality/comedian to take over Hollywood with his greasy hair and his self-indulgent movie roles (take that Colin Farrell!). Interesting enough if you’re a fan of Morrissey as he does make a few revelations.

 

 Russell Brand interviews Morrrissey - 04-15-08: Play Now

Toronto - James is a funny band, they have always been around (22 years since they first released their album) , they have had a few smash hits (Sit Down, Laid, Sound, Tommorrow) and yet they have never been at the forefront or heavily mentioned. I guess they are always that reliable and consistent band, always in the background, always putting out stellar music. The Ron Francis of britpop, I guess.

Speaking of Ron Francis, when I was a kid and obsessed with the Penguins (an obsession that has yet to cease), I wrote a fan letter to Ron Francis, and he (or his assistant) freakin wrote back and gave me an autographed card. No drug has ever gotten me as high as I felt that day. I actually wrote to him cos I was a massive Penguin fan and I figure that Mario gets about two billion emails a day, Jaromir probably couldn’t read English so I was like well, Francis is kinda quiet guy, maybe he’d like a letter. Anyways, he’s one of my favorite all time hockey players.

Back to James. It has been a long 7 years since they have released an album. The last one ‘Pleased to Meet You’ was rather good (my friend Dwayne swears that the title track is the best James song ever, or something). Since then, Tim Booth has released a crappy album and that’s about it. So I guess it was a bit of a surprise that 2008 rolled around and there they are, fresh with their 10th album.

So how is it? It’s pretty decent. At first listen, I couldn’t really pick out anything overly catchy. However, once I gave it a good listen - all the similar things I liked about James was there - soaring choruses, a hint of optimism, grade 6 lyrics. Tim Booth’s voice is still as solid as ever and there are definiately some strong single songs on there, including Hey Ma and Waterfalls. Its been so long since I heard a new Britpop album that it took me awhile to recognize what I was listening to. Once I did, I was rewarded with a decent album from a band whose music quality has not declined through the ages.

3.5/5

 

 James - Waterfall: Play Now

(Toronto) This past Saturday night, the well established Fredericton band, Grand Theft Bus, made an appearance here in Toronto for a CD release party at the El Mocambo for their latest, Made Upwards. As soon as I walk into the bar with my entourage of transplanted Frederictonians, I was greeted by fellow Frederictonian #84873, Chantelle Moobear, and her crew of transplanted Frederictonians. We gave each other the secret handshake and bought ourselves several rounds of Keiths. The night was off to a good start.

The last time I saw Grand Theft Bus live, some time in 2001, I remember them having a jammy, musical improvisation feel to them. Seeing them at the El Mocambo on Saturday night, I didn’t get this feel so much. They were tight, loud, a bit poppy, but still had the funk feel that I remembered. They were so funky that I found myself shuffling amongst my fellow Maritimers on the always sticky El Mocambo floor. The stand out performance of the night came from their shirtless drummer, Bob Deveau, who I was informed by several members of my entorage that he is one wicked drummer. Grand Theft Bus have some mad drums. Enough said.

If you ever find yourself on a bar stool somewhere between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia looking to make some conversation with the locals, throw out the name Grand Theft Bus and see who you hook.

Have a look for Grand Theft Bus in Halifax this Friday, April 18th, at the Seahorse.

Thanks to Kyle at Forward Music Group (more on them later)

 

 Grand Theft Bus - Private Wars (2008): Play Now