My Writings. My Thoughts.
Styrofoam Ones x Canadian Music Week
// March 9th, 2010 // No Comments » // Events, Music
Our favourite Toronto pop punk noir trio hits the stage tomorrow night to kick off Toronto’s Canadian Music Week. This will be the dawn of a big year for Josh McGuirk and Alexander The, the two founding members of the group. Rumour has it that Daniel Lee of Hooded Fang will be holding down the set on drums and guest performances by Sarah Shafey and Tanika Charles will make this a must see of the entire festival. Don’t miss out. 9pm tomorrow at The Roosevelt Room.
This is best live dance party on the market today. You hear that Woodhands! I said it. You guys are good too though.
Stalley – MadStalley: The Autobiography Mixtape
// March 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized
Meet Stalley, an aspiring young football hopeful turned conscious word-player, who is creating quite the buzz in the hip hop scene. Having already gotten stamps of approval from hip hop notables such as Mos Def and Black Thought from The Roots, Stalley is anxiously awaiting to bum rush the scene and make his mark. He is affiliated with Mickey Factz and the GFC Network, which can only mean great things for this young lyricist. For his second mixtape, MadStalley: The Autobiography, he gives you his life story over re-imagined Madlib productions. Dope.
Gorillaz x Tomorrow Comes Today
// March 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized
With all the hype over the new Gorillaz video release of Stylo, I can’t help but want to share one of the videos that got me huge on this band from the start. Gorillaz; best animated super group, period. My apologies to The Archies
Gorillaz – Tomorrow Comes Today
Uploaded by woodsteur. – Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.
Amazing Social Experiment Involving Chairs
// February 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // Art
Thanks to miss Paige for pointing this out. Paige is a master of style, design and all things internet. You should read her blog to stay gorgeous, in season, and undeniably cool. In this shared video, the Blu Dot group conducted an adorable social experiment to see what will happen if they left designer chairs unattended on the streets of NY.
You Say Party! We Say Die! x There is XXXX (Within My Heart)
// February 22nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
From Aux.tv
Broken Bells = Danger Mouse x James Mercer
// February 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
A new project from these two is well worth a share, this sound is hype.
TONIGHT x HORSESHOE TAVERN x STYROFOAM ONES
// February 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // Events, Music
Be here tonight. Or you probably don’t like music or kittens. Don’t be caught getting called a kitten hater and we will see you on the dance floor.
Simon says get the fuck up.
That Perfect Valentine’s Gift
// February 11th, 2010 // No Comments » // Art, Events, Issue, Music
Toronto’s The REMIX Project has put together an awesome Valentine’s Day fundraising campaign that you should jump on for that last minute gift idea. Drake’s DJ, Future The Prince and Styrofoam Ones’ Josh McGuirk (aka J Charles) have donated exclusive mixtapes and paired up with photographer Yasmine James to offer donors an awesome package to tell someone you care. For a $20 donation to REMIX you can have a mixtape and photo card of your choice delivered by email to your sweetheart Sunday morning. Visit the site, be a digital hero/romantic & jump on this very cool project for a very cool cause.
Hooded Fang x Southern Souls
// February 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
By now, everyone has seen France’s Blogotheque. Well you gotta love when easily duplicated inspirations are applied to the talent in your own backyard. Southern Souls is taking inspiration from France’s on the fly musical content farm and creating some very enjoyable film from southern ontario artists.
Putting it out there; Daniel Lee of Hooded Fang has one of the best male voices in Canada. Have a look at this video for Sleep Song and keep following Southern Souls, I double dare you. If you are having trouble watching the video make sure the HD button is turned off in the video player
HOODED FANG – Sleep Song from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.
What are you doing Valentine’s Day?
// February 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // Events
Introducing Mae to Jun and their Valentine’s event.
Pitchfork Diss Track by Woodhands
// February 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
Check out this hilarious diss track to Pitchfork from the lovely Woodhands
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Five & Dime presents photographs by Hermann & Audrey
// January 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // Art, Clothing, Music
World’s keep colliding as the massively popular Five & Dime booking show will feature work by Hermann and Audrey next weekend. Be sure to check out the Five & Dime site to learn more about the program including a show at Sound Academy from some original WU; GZA will be in the house!
The New Royales x Bite The Bullet x Hermann & Audrey
// January 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // Art, Music
Its a pretty cool thing when world’s collide and this video is a good representation of our newest friends working together. We are fortunate to be working a bunch with directors Hermann and Audrey in 2010 on projects like Life Cycles and the CONTACT photography festival and while on a recent run out to Vancouver with Toronto’s Styrofoam Ones we were able to catch Vancity’s The New Royales at GE Plaza at Robson Square and get to know one of the mastermind’s behind the group, Chin Injeti. Very talented cat with great visions. Putting him and Alexander The in a room together has explosive properties.
So a video that pairs up two of our favourite camps is obviously something we should share with you. Cheers to Chin and the New Royales crew and aesthetic love goes out to Steve, Jalani, Javier and the whole team at Hermann and Audrey that worked to put Bite The Bullet together. Dope track folks.
Tetralogy x StyleByDrew
// December 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music
‘TETRALOGY’ – StyleByDrew from style.by.drew on Vimeo.
Tribal Bungee
// December 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Sport
YSP! WSD! x Laura Palmer’s Prom x Q TV
// December 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music
Sure are a lot of single letters in that title. I find lead singer of You Say Party We Say Die, Becky Ninkovic, to be absolutely sultry sweet. Like a dark chocolate almond, she could sing me the phonebook ya know?
I Gotta Find Peace of Mind x Lauren Hill
// December 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // History, Music
A talented friend posted this to her facebook today. It brought me back to appreciate what I think was one of the defining events for what crafted my particular love of music. Couldn’t help but want to share it with you today.
Oh it’s definitely the holiday season with this track…
// December 8th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // History, Music
In the future Michael Smith will be on the Nickel
// December 7th, 2009 // No Comments » // Comedy
This we believe.
“The Legion Sessions” by Great Lake Swimmers
// December 7th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Music
Great Lake Swimmers – Palmistry (Legion Sessions) from nettwerkmusic on Vimeo.
The Great Lake Swimmers have most recently released nine live-performance videos to accompany their digital-only Legion Sessions recording that was released in September. Visit their website and attempt to uncover all nine secret videos and your hard earned snooping will earn you a free download of an unreleased track.
Javier Lovera x Red Assassin
// December 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Art
Some of the most talented people we are fortunate to be working with are the folks at Hermann & Audrey. A agency of artists features some of the most talented photographers, directors and stylists our fair city has to offer. Check out this piece called RED ASSASSIN from H&A family member Javier Lovera.
Phoenix x 1901 x A Takeaway Show
// December 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Music
“When he was singing, I thought to myself, he must be a great artist”.
Ortved’s Publicists x Episode 1 x “Simpsons Book”
// November 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Books
The author of “THE SIMPSONS: AN UNCENSORED, UNAUTHORIZED HISTORY” meets the publicists recommended to him by his publisher. This is the first of eight shorts with Ortved’s publicists.
How did such a curious artifact become “the most powerful, lasting, and resonant entertainment force television has ever seen”? That is the task taken up by Ortved’s “uncensored, unauthorized” history, which is as tasty as a pink-glazed donut with sprinkles, as refreshing as a Duff beer and as piquant as a curry slushy from Kwik-E Mart. And doubly delightful because, for once, the heroes are writers.
-Louis Bayard, The Washington Post
The Art of Fresh x Campfire Music
// November 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music
Video brought to our attention from big Will.
Jimmy Fallon x Fresh Prince of Bellair
// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // Comedy
This is from a long while back, but a friend posted it to Facebook today and couldn’t help but wanting to share it further.
Little Dragon x Blinking Pigs Video
// November 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Events, Music
I am in love with her; who needs a budget when you have cutie fans. Wednesday night at Wrongbar Toronto, close your eyes to the track live and picture this video! Maylee Todd playing with Little Dragon at Wrongbar Wednesday. Yep!
To be fair, here is an actual video for Little Dragon’s Twice.
Maylee Todd x Supermarket x Tonight
// November 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music
As cute as they come, as best they can sound.
Left Coast Noise: No Age
// November 11th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Music
Another primer on a pivotal left coast noise-pop band: Los Angeles’ No Age.
One response to the simultaneous collapse of both the financial and record industries would be to retreat inward: foster a local scene, maybe even a single venue [The Smell], carve out your niche, make iconic [tshirts], keep a primitive [blog], play all ages shows, depend on dedicated fans. Focus.
In other words, work strategically.
Another avenue might seem the very opposite: do whatever you can. Vote early and vote often. Play a vegan grocery store or a library, do a [video] from the POV of a mouse, design shoes for Emerica [pic], play a Spike Jonze retrospective at the MoMA [video], remix Fucked Up’s ‘No Epiphany’ [mp3], go on a bitchin tour with Dan Deacon and Deerhunter (No Deachunter tour, naturally, with a poster [pic] by CSS’s Lovefoxxx), release a split 7″ with Times New Viking and Los Campesinos. And always give away mp3s. Like the elegiac You’re a Target [mp3], with a guitar drone that whines and bends like a more immediate Kevin Shields. Or Brain Burner [stream], as epic an album closer as there is in this young century.
Hell, if you’re gonna go for it, go for broke: perform a live score of The Bear [videothing]. Fuck, that’s awesome. In this scatter shot approach, throw everything you have at the wall of your garage and see what sticks.
In other words, just WORK.
photo courtesy of the get up kid
Couple months back here in Vancouver, No Age demonstrated just how well they combine these two approaches. Ostensibly the band was here for Emerica’s Wild in the Streets/Go Skateboarding Day after party, but that was on Saturday, and they were playing a minimally publicized show on Friday. A cheap beer and testosterone soaked Biltmore packed with skaters (and ex-faux-skaters, such as myself) greeted the somewhat taken aback LA lads. There was a certain energy in the room. It was almost as if a few thousand punks were planning to storm downtown Vancouver on planks with wheels… go to 1:30 for the insanity [youtube]. Oh, and Andrew Reynolds front side flipped this legen–wait for it–dary double set called Black Ice [youtube]. I digress: No Age countered that simmering energy with their own: fine-tuned but faulty fingering, noise but pop, tight but loose. A shotgun and a laser.
Their moniker might suggest a concern for time over space, No Age’s hazy LA scrawl merely an ephemeral loop of feedback that is as fleeting as it is forceful. But in volatile times such as these, anchors cease to exist, and spatial concerns dominate. The expansive texture of Randy’s pedal loops and a brute sound that travels across basements or fields alike, the constant creative activity taking them from art gallery to flickr photo gallery.
In transcendental space, No Age can hear you scream.
Wall of Light: Interactive Graffiti with Tagtool
// November 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Events
Came across this amazing video showcasing Tagtool, a performance art instrument that projects live illustration and animation onto walls with a laptop, drawing tablet, and gamepad.
The Wall of Light was a ten day event in York, UK, showcasing Tagtool performances by a number of various artists and free-for-all sessions.
