impromptu

Easy/Lucky/Free . . .

2006-06-21T14:54:00.000-04:00

BRIGHT EYES PICTURES!
Okay, I managed to get a few okay ones from the London show, but with the exception of, like, ONE from Massey Hall, my Toronto pictures are shite. Sorry, guys! Shitty pictures from a shitty show, I guess . . . oops, did I just type that?! Okay, it wasn't THAT bad, but I felt ripped off by the fact that the set-list was EXACTLY the same as the London show, with the exception of one song. Ridiculous.

Anyway, here are the London pictures:

Okay, and now for the Toronto pictures:

Okay, that's all for those.

Go to that on Friday night!

Oooohhhh, I'm going to NYC from June 30th - July 3rd. Oh man, it's going to be such an insane amount of fun, and I will obviously take millions and billions and pictures. Which I will post here. That you will peruse.

Okay, bye for now.

Oh! Check out this band, 'cos I totally have a crush on the keyboardist, tee hee!

We hope that you choke.

2006-06-09T16:05:00.000-04:00

Okay, I have about a million billion pictures to post, and since I didn't have time to make little thumbnails for them, you're just going to have to deal with links, okay?

But before that, I'd like to let everyone know that Tabloid is officially kaput. Which is - I hate to say - a bit of a relief. The last few were a bit of a let-down. It's just hard to get people to go that west in the middle of the week, I guess. But don't fear, my DJ-ing career isn't done! I'm working on something new, so keep your eyes and ears open.

Okay, first of all are some pictures from the Wolfmother show from about 4892 years ago:

One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Eleven.
Twelve.

And here are some from backstage:
Andrew chillin'.
Some ass-hat that wouldn't leave, even after the tour-manager and the band asked him to.

Now, here are some pictures from the amazing Fever/T(I)NC show that I saw last week.

First, the Fever:
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.

And here are some pictures of the always mind-blowing (International) Noise Conspiracy:
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.

And now . . . Radiohead.
I didn't think I'd be going to this show until the day before. My friend Vinita had asked me on Monday if I wanted to go to the show . . . for FREE! I obviously wanted to, but was scheduled to work 5:30-10:30 the night of the show (Wednesday). Luckily, I managed to get someone to cover my shift, and I got to enjoy one of the best concerts I've ever seen. (Thanks, Vinita!) Sooo life-altering, haha.

Our seats were pretty good, but still a little far back (row O in the left center orchestra), so the pictures are a little shite, but they're not completely terrible.

Enjoy:
I.
want
to
marry
Jonny
Greenwood.
He.
is
a
total
hottie.

Ooh! It's NXNE in Toronto, so get your ass out there and go see some shows! My picks?
+The Mark Inside at the Rivoli tonight at midnight.
+The Outfit tomorrow night at Rancho Relaxo at nine PM (unfortunately I won't be able to see them 'cos I work. Boooo.)
+The Shapes at Rancho Relaxo tomorrow night at eleven PM.
+White Cowbell Oklahoma at the Horseshoe tonight at midnight ('cos Mark says so, haha).

Plus about a million more that I won't get to see, 'cos I didn't buy a wristband, and I have to work tonight and tomorrow night 'til 10:30. Cry for me, okay?

Anyway.
BRIGHT EYES TWICE NEXT WEEK. I can hardly breathe when I think about it, really. hahaha

Are you down?

2006-05-24T14:21:00.000-04:00

BE THERE!

Once again, sorry for the lack of updates . . . my excuses are plentiful, but let's just forget that next Wednesday and dance our cares away!

Cities to vaporize.

2006-05-09T22:31:00.000-04:00

Oh maaaaan. Yeah, I know it's been ages. I'm so sorry! However, I've had exams, thought I had mono, went to Rochester for a day, worked a lot, etc. Anyway.

So yeah, about that Rochester trip. I went to go see the Matches, and also because my friend Caroline from Australia is in the States for a little while longer, and seeing as she's from another hemisphere, I hadn't seen her in almost three years. Here are some pictures from the trip:

And then, on Saturday (the 6th), my FAVOURITE BAND OF ALL TIME (The Strokes) came to Toronto. Fabrizio and Nikolai went to the Edge that afternoon, and because I'm a big loser, I went to see if I could get guest-list for the London show that's tomorrow night (I did . . . apparently).
I only took one picture there, 'cos I felt like a big enough dork as it was.
Here ya go:

Then . . . the show. Holy crap, it was so great. They played both "Ize Of The World" and "Vision of Division", my two favourite songs from First Impressions of Earth. I was SO impressed that they managed to pull off "Vision of Division" live. I mean, have you HEARD those guitar solos?! ¡Jesuchristo! Anyway.

Here are some pictures of the pretty awesome opening band, the Most Serene Republic (I apologize for the shitty pictures):

And now, THE STROOOOKES! (Again, I apologize for the shittiness of some of the pictures.)

After the show, Erica and I went to Pizza Pizza, and then Dance Cave, 'cos we were too poor/cheap to go anywhere with a cover. Dance Cave was a good choice, though, 'cos we ended up making new friends with extremely attractive boys. Good times. One of those extremely attractive boys took this picture of Erica and I feeling up Kelly Clarkson. Then I went to bed around noon. The end!

P.S. I'm going to see the Strokes again tomorrow in London, if SOMEONE calls me to tell me what the hell is up!

TABLOID WEDNESDAYS RULE!

2006-04-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, come out this Wednesday (April 26th) to the Social at 1100 Queen West to see me DJ. It's always an awesome time, and drinks are cheap, so you can't really go wrong.

Die young and save yourself.

2006-04-12T22:15:00.000-04:00

So my birthday was last Thursday (the 6th), and I took it upon myself to celebrate the entire week. Why not? The festivities began on Monday night after work when I went with the lovely Alicia and Lisa to this lame industry party for this new Rev beverage, which has caffeine and guarana and crap in it to make you go insane. Alicia had this VIP pass so we got to chug this crazy stuff all night. Woo, free booze! They had people dressed up in space suits, and they had ice sculptures, which I defaced, 'cos . . . yeah. That was just how I was rollin' that night, haha. Did I mention it was a giant yuppie/gino fest, and creepy old men thought they were doing me a favour by hitting on me? Anywho.

The next night, even though I was completely exhausted from the night before, I couldn't say no to an offer to go to the Blue Jays home opener with the room-mate and her man. We got cheapie seats from a scalper, and drank really over-priced beer, while we laughed at the insane people around us, like this chap, who got mad at people for cheering for the Jays (umm). Eventually he was picked up off the floor of the men's room by the cops for being a drunken lout. Speaking of drunken louts . . . what a night! And the Jays won!

More pictures from the Jays game:

Oh yeah. We went out to eat with Oscar-nominated actor Paul Giamatti after the game. Long story. It's not really that exciting. I got $15 fried rice!

Anyway, on Thursday I met up with my BFF 4 LYFE, Lindsay, and I used up the H&M gift card she kindly gave me. Then we went to What-A-Bagel, where they gave me ONE DOZEN BAGELS 'cos it was my birthday! SWEET. While we were walking there we saw a building start to fall apart, and Zanta. If you don't know who Zanta is, Google, my friend. Google.

Then I went out to eat with my dear Becky and her boyfriend (and my new roommate, come July!), Adam. We ate at one of my favourite restaurants, Fressen on Queen St. If you haven't gone, I HIGHLY recommend that you go. It's a little pricey, but the food of out-of-control good. Plus it's vegan, and usually organic, and the presentation is ridiculous. So go. Yup.

Thursday night was the Mark Inside/Chet/Run Chico Run show at the Boat that the lovely Geordie from TMI put me on the list for, seeing as it was my birthday. I went with Erica and Alana. Pictures from before the show . . .

As for the show . . . holy crap. Once again, the Mark Inside made my mind melt. There was this insane half hour jam session near the end, and anyone that wasn't dancing was probably a paraplegic (which is no laughing matter, but is an appropriate example to demonstrate the insanity of this moment in music). Erica, Alana and I were basically on the "stage" for most of the show. Gooood times. Gah, I love that band.

Pictures? Yeah.

Oh! And one and two and three!

Okay, I think that's it. Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been working a lot/celebrating my birthday with my family/working on Portuguese and Spanish presentations/etc. Anyway.

A sad day in new music history.

2006-04-05T17:09:00.000-04:00

R.I.P.

12 years later, and it still breaks my heart.

Also, R.I.P. to Layne Staley who is believed to have died on this day in 2002.

Lookin' for fun, and feelin' groo-vay.

2006-03-31T22:57:00.000-05:00

On Monday I went to a Matches/Motion City Soundtrack show. Yeah, I know, WEIRD! My friend from Montréal was going, and she had to pick up a ticket from someone at the venue around 2, so I went with her. We ended up seeing Shawn, lead singer of the Matches, who is friends with my friend Caroline, and although I had never really heard his band before, he put me on the list and gave me an all-access pass, which was super-nice of him.

Anyway, Béa and I went to eat at Mr. Greenjeans 'cos we had time to kill, and we got these huge drinks that reminded me of that scene in Wayne's World when they go out for drinks with Benjamin, and Garth spits something into this cocktail glass the size of my bathroom. Yup. The glasses were monstrous.

After that we went to the venue and waited for the longest half hour of my life. Look at how much I wanted to kill myself. I felt like I was baby-sitting every single "scene" kid aged 13-16 from the GTA. Oh well, that's the price I have to pay to see a concert I hadn't planned on even going to . . . wait, that doesn't make sense! (It got better, though . . . keep reading!)

So they finally let us in around 6 (haha, so early!), and the Matches played shortly after that. They were . . . well . . . gah. They were actually REALLY good. It pains me to say that about a band that can be classified as "pop-punk" (I say this as I'm listening to the Used . . . such a hypocrite), but I definitely enjoyed their set quite a bit.

Shawn came down shortly after, and I went with him backstage, and he then took my pass down to Béa so she could come back, too. Lots of fun was had, and their guitar tech guy, Ben, is one of my new favourite people. All in all, great night.

Here are some live pictures, plus a few from backstage:

And now, about Tabloid . . . it was pretty packed, so that was lovely. Thanks to everyone who came and wished me a happy early birthday. Thanks to Shit La Merde for guest-DJing, too (but I doubt he's reading this, haha). Thanks to everyone who danced like madness to "House Of Jealous Lovers".

Pictures?

OH! I am finally employed! I am now a waitress at Toronto's most delicious Thai restaurant, Thai on St. Clair West. They give me free food. Cha. Ching.

DON'T FORGET!

2006-03-29T11:07:00.000-05:00

P.S. Expect a ha-uuuuuge update sometime within the next few days.

I NEED MORE SOUND!

2006-03-25T20:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, before I go on and rave about how last night was one of the sah-weetest nights of all time, here are the lame pictures from Oasis that I promised in the last entry:

Alright. So about last night. As I mentioned in the last entry, last night was the Stellastarr*/Editors show at the Phoenix. Aaaaamazing. This was my third time seeing Stellastarr* live over the past two years, and they honestly just keep getting better each time I see them. I remember when the Killers opened for them at the Mod Club (which is a whole other story), and I was kind of disappointed in how they pulled off the songs live. But then I saw them in the fall at the Horseshoe, and it was great, and this time was just outstanding. They were so incredibly tight, and the energy was out of control, especially for "Jenny" and "My Coco". In fact, Alana and I were enjoying ourselves so much during "My Coco" that it was decided that we were to jump onstage and dance our asses off. Alana went up first, and I was a little hesitant at first because I'm pretty sure that everyone that works at the Phoenix hates me, but then I was just like, "ahhh, fuck it!" and I got up there. Security kicked us off about 3/4 of the way through the song, but it was still awesome. The band thanked us afterwards, haha.

Anyway, once SS* got offstage my sister (Hannah), Alana, and myself found Arthur (my favourite Jewish drummer of all time), and he brought us backstage where I saw my awesome friend Erica (who I wasn't even sure was able to get into the show!) and we hung out until about . . . 10? 11? I don't know. Either way, good times were had, and then when everyone was kicked out (it was an early show 'cos they have this club thing on Friday nights at the Phoenix) about ten of us went on the tour-bus. It was basically the highlight of my life, haha. Michael (dreeeeamy guitarist, har har) played acoustic guitar, and Arthur and Darren, this guy that tours with the band, played the keyboard and we sang to such great hits as "Common People" and "Laid". Ahhhh, so Almost Famous.

Now, for the pictures! I apologize for the shittiness of most of the live pictures. I just don't know what was going on with the camera situation last night. It was a bad scene. Anyway . . .

Oh! I can't forget to give a shout-out to Eep, the strangest cat of all time that we encountered sometime around 2AM in some guy's apartment. CLICK for a picture of my lovely sister posing with this creature.

Okay, Stellastarr* pictures first:

And now for Editors (I had to half-hide behind a curtain at the back of the stage to take these, so yeah, be forgiving):

Other pictures:

Alright. Enjoy!

Please don't put your life in the hands of a rock and roll band

2006-03-22T17:58:00.000-05:00

Okay.
So I went to Oasis on Monday. I had no idea I would be going until about 3PM that day, but I was pretty excited to get a ticket. To be honest, I like Oasis, but I don't think they're geniuses, or anything along those lines. But I was all, "AHHH, ARCTIC MONKEYS! I HART ALEX TURNED 4 LYFE!" Haha.

Well, the Arctic Monkeys were good. I mean, it wasn't exactly as intimate as when I saw them in November, and sat on the stage for the show, but there was still a lot of energy. They're just so precious.

Oasis played and . . . ehhhh. I mean, it was great to hear "Champagne Supernova" and "Don't Look Back In Anger" live, but I realized that night just how much I hate arena shows. Maybe I've been spoiled by small gigs, but I just can't stand being in an arena unless I'm close enough to take pictures. I also don't understand why people feel the need to cheer at every fucking thing that comes out of a band-member's mouth at shows. "Thanks, you've been a great audience, have a safe trip home." "AHGAHHGAHHGJALTHRHWHJRTEWHJAHHHH OH MY GOODNESS, HE'S A GENIUS!" Unless it's Josh Homme telling someone in the audience to eat a bag of dicks, I just don't get the incessant screaming.

So after getting that little taste of Monday's Monkey Madness (haha, so cheesy) I REALLY wanted to go to their show at the Phoenix last night. Tiny problem: no guest-list spot, and the show sold out in about 5 minutes. Well, the gutsy Pascal and I got all dolled up and went to the Phoenix anyway, keeping in mind all the other times we've gotten into shows ticket-less before. Honestly, there is ALWAYS a way in . . .

. . . or so we thought. We tried everything short of offering blow-jobs. We talked to just about every security guard there. We threw rocks at backstage windows. We begged roadies. We contemplated just running through the front door. But no. It was not to be.

I have to say that I'm really pissed off at how rude people were to us. Listen, we're not fucking amateurs. "The show's sold out." OH RLY?! Thanks for the clarification! I thought that maybe they were only letting ass-hats in tonight, hence why you're in there, and we're outside!

Pascal and I have both done this before, numerous times. Anyone that thinks you can't get into a sold-out show without a ticket just doesn't know what they're doing. However, this show was ridiculous. There weren't even any scalpers!

So yeah, we missed the show. And it really sucked, because I've been a fan of this band before all the insane hype began, and I truly do love their music.

Oh well. Alex Turner, if you're reading this (hahaha, so doubtful), I have to say that I am a little perturbed. We could've even taken you to "Sneaky Pete's" like we were supposed to last time! (Now I'm just rambling, and no one knows what I'm talking about.)

Anyway.
The moral of the story is that the Phoenix sucks. And I'm going back there on Friday for Stellastarr* (guest-listed with possible passes) and there will be glaring at the security guards. Oh yes, there will be glaring.

(I should have a few shitty pictures from the Oasis show up soon. I'm lazy right now/have a huge Astronomy assignment.)

Happy Let's-Get-Drunk Day!

2006-03-17T10:47:00.000-05:00

First of all, I have purchased a floor seat for the Strokes show at the Ricoh Coliseum. So you can relax and stop worrying ('cos I know you were) . . . the situation is under control! How did I get this ticket, you ask? Well, I don't want to completely give away the secret, but I'll give you a hint: Strokes newsletter & concertmaps.

Secondly, I'm really sick . . . I think? I don't know. It's one of those things where you're not sure if you just slept weird, or something, or if you're on the verge of strep. Can someone buy me a new immune system?

Thirdly, you should go to this tonight:

It's going to be sah-weet.

Fourthly, has anyone heard of Tapes 'N Tapes? No? Well, you should listen to them. My Old Kentucky Blog has a bunch of Tapes 'N Tapes' MP3s up, so go check them out.

Fifthly, I NEED A JOB. If anyone has any hints, or knows of anywhere that's hiring then please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, help me out. I'm getting desperate, here!

Sixthly (is it just me, or do "fifthly" and "sixthly" not even look like real words?), you best be seein' Stellastarr* and the Editors next week at the Phoenix. It is going to be a goooood show. (And, um, I have a little crush on Michael from SS*, but I think I gross him out, or something, haha.)

Seventhly (okay, that's definitely not a word), I have to go attempt to read a 415-page book before I leave for class in an hour and a half! HA!

OH! EIGHTHLY! LOLLAPALOOZA THIS YEAR! I MUST GO! Ryan Adams. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. Raconteurs. The Shins. The Subways. Sonic Youth. Red Hot Chili Peppers (. . . eh). What the fuck? Are the Beatles going to be there, too?!

GAHHHH.

2006-03-15T10:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm officially ready to lose it. I wake up this morning to buy ONE Strokes ticket through the Edge pre-sale, after not sleeping well all night from having nightmares about not being able to get a ticket (seriously, isn't that pathetic?). I go to the Inside Edge page where the password was to be displayed, and for the first, like, 3 minutes the password wasn't even there. Then they finally have it, so I go to the Ticketmaster page. They won't even let you fill out the form to buy tickets 'til about 10:07. Finally it's displayed, after I pressed "reload" about 2892 times.
THEN IT TELLS ME THAT THERE ARE NO TICKETS LEFT?! WHAT THE FUCK?! I CAN'T BUY ONE TICKET?!
This is fucking ridiculous.
If any of you bandwagon-jumping Strokes "fans" managed to get a ticket while I didn't, I'm going to be very angry (even angrier than I already am). It's a sad, cruel day when someone like me can't get a Strokes ticket, even though they were there the second they went on sale.

I officially hate the world.

I'm going to go take a Tylenol now.

Good day.
You bastards.

Hey all you modern girls and old-fashioned men!

2006-03-14T17:07:00.000-05:00

Okay, here's the deal:
THE STROKES
May 6th: Toronto, ON - Ricoh Coliseum
May 9th: Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Civic Center
May 10th: London, ON - John Labatt Center
I want to go to all three shows, damnit! But I can't. Because I am poor. Sigh.
However, I will definitely be going to the Toronto and London shows.
I don't know about tickets for the other two, but the Toronto show goes on sale to the public on Saturday morning at 10AM, or tomorrow (Wednesday) morning for Inside Edge members. However, I'm going to try to win tickets in 10 minutes on the radio. Cross your fingers.

(Yeah, so this has become a Strokes blog these past few days . . . deal with it.)

OH! Hey! What do we have here?

Two weeks and one day. Mark it on your calendars! It's going to be my surrogate birthday party, so come and bring me kisses and love and karma and . . . gifts. haha

GAJKJWLKERJKgjKEWrq32

2006-03-12T12:21:00.000-05:00

AHHHHHHHH.
BOOKIE FROM THE EDGE IS GOING TO HAVE A STROKES CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW AROUND 5PM.
YOU MUST LISTEN.

(I've been waiting for this for . . . a really long time.)

Rock 'N Roll Queen

2006-03-11T21:26:00.000-05:00

Last night was Sport Pig at the ElMo. Yup. It was neat. There were free Jager shots, so I don't really have much else to say . . . hahaha.

PICTURES!

Slow Hands

2006-03-09T23:27:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to this party at the Berkeley Church for this new Canadian magazine called Strut. Morningwood and the Stills played, and Carlos D of Interpol fame Dj-ed as well. Basically, for most of the night, it was a giant industry wank-fest. Yaaaawn. However, I have to say that I enjoyed the following:
+open bar at the beginning of the night.
+the SWEET-ASS swag bags I managed to scam at the end of the night. (Triple 5 Soul winter jacket? Diesel hats? Hummel track jacket? FOR FREE?!)
+Morningwood and the Stills both put on tight performances.
+the presence of Mr. D is always appreciated.
+I saw that woman from CFMT who always has those kooky facts. (Pei? Is that how you spell it? Anyway, she's quite stunning in person.)

And now . . . the pictures. There are many, so brace yourself, and I also want to note that some of the Morningwood pictures may not, uh, be suitable for youngsters. Just lettin' ya know.

Anyway . . .

Phew.
I am SO looking forward to going to bed tonight, since, ya know, it didn't happen last night . . . and then I had to write a Spanish test at 10AM! The travesty! The horror! The injustice!

Plans . . .

2006-03-01T15:13:00.000-05:00

Unless you have anything better to do at 1AM tomorrow night, then I highly suggest that you check out my boyfriend's band, the Great Awake, headlining a CMW set at Rancho Relaxo on 300 College.
Okay?
Okay.

P.S.

2006-02-28T00:04:00.000-05:00

1000+ visitors!
Shazam!

Poor bastards.

2006-02-27T20:21:00.000-05:00

First of all, if anyone knows of any place that's hiring, please let me know. I am in desperate need of a job.

Now, the rest of the Tabloid pictures:

And next, the Mark Inside pictures:

Old Soul + Tabloid Part I

2006-02-25T16:52:00.000-05:00

Apparently there's this stupid cold going around that makes you feel all icky and screws up your glands/ears/jaw/that whole area, so that you can't really open your mouth all the way and makes eating subs next to impossible. *Cue lame blow-job jokes.* And apparently I've had this cold.
So anyway. I guess that's my excuse for the lack of updates?
But that doesn't matter because right here for you I have pictures from the Old Soul's set at the Truth Explosion party last week, and some pictures from Tabloid on Wednesday night where we celebrated Alana's 21st. Note that not all of the Tabloid pics are up yet, because some people felt it was appropriate to make use of my camera whilst I was DJ-ing, and they proceeded to take approximately 34892 pictures. So there will be more tomorrow, along with pictures of Chris Levoir from the Mark Inside . . . NAKED! Oh yeah, and the rest of the lovely lads in the band, as well, but they're clothed. No, no, it's not what you think . . .

Anyway, the PICTURES!

The Old Soul:

Tabloid:

Oh yeah, would anyone like to donate money to me for a new camera? Mine's been kinda making me sad lately. No one? Okay.

Instructions.

2006-02-19T12:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, so if I get time within the next few days I will post some photos from the Truth Explosion party, mkay?

In the meantime . . .
I am DJ-ing on Wednesday night at the Social.
The Social is located at 1100 Queen St. West in the fair city of Toronto.
Admission is $3.
It will be fun.
Good music will be spun.
You will attend.
All will be well.

Okay? Are we clear?
Good.

Turning Scarlett.

2006-02-08T19:00:00.000-05:00

It's official "Question-Your-Sexuality" Day! Brought on by THIS. Totally unrelated to Toronto, or music, or whatever. But wowza. Them's some pretty ladiez.

Anywho. Now I will return to the amazing homemade soup that I am making.

OH! I also forgot that Wendy from Terror Lake is officially my new hero, and there's a good chance that she's cooler than the majority of the people reading this blog right . . . NOW! Go see them whenever you get the chance, and then you can be all, "ho-lee-shit," like I was last night.

We could keep talking.

2006-02-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

A question for you to ponder:
How is that a street-car in the middle of the city can smell like a barn in the middle of the country?
The TTC intrigues.

Anyway!
Jill and I got ourselves a little juiced on Friday night and decided to make an appearance at the Dance Cave. Although we both had the times of our lives, the crowd there was . . . well, disappointing. "Hi, I'm from Fuck-Knows-Where, Ontario, and mommy and daddy are paying for my tuition and Abercrombie wardrobe, so I decided to use my handy student card and preppy attire that they've provided for me, and put it to good use at the Dance Cave. OMG, they're playing the Killers!" That's what we had to endure. Hence the low number of pictures. Oh well, it was still fun, and there were still some super-cool dudes and dudettes.

Proof?
Here:

P.S.

They want to put that monstrosity at the northeast corner of Yonge and Dundas in Dundas Square. Toronto, what have you become?! Thoughts, anyone?

Catching up . . .

2006-01-30T20:43:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so perhaps it's been awhile since I've updated. Alright, I'll admit it. But you have to understand that I've been a busy bunny! In the past week and a bit I've gone to see my boyfriend's AWESOME BAND, DJ-ed 'til almost 3AM, went to very few classes, bought new CDs, cooked some amazing roasted red pepper hummus, learned how to DJ on vinyl (finally!), went to a good party with some good people (I'm totally butchering that Almost Famous quote, but my sister will get it), and was introduced to the wonder that is SaiGon Palace on Spadina. So I have my reasons, okay?

Anyway, I do have pictures for you! Not many, but they'll have to do. They're from Tabloid the other night when I DJ-ed (apparently I don't suck!), so there aren't as many as usually, considering I was in the booth for most of the night. Anywho.

Until next time . . .

OH! P.S.! If you haven't yet bought First Impressions Of Earth by the Strokes, FOR GOD'S SAKES, BUY IT. Honestly, you won't regret it. I haven't heard one bad thing from anyone about this album yet, except comments about "Juice Box", the Strokes song with the worst name ever. Please don't judge it by "Juice Box"!

This night's not even begun, yes, yes, oh yay!

2006-01-19T22:50:00.000-05:00

A few pieces of important information:

1)So there's this boy that I like, and he's really cute, and -guys!- I think he likes me, too! And oh my gosh, he's in a BAND! And the band is playing on Saturday night in Toronto! The city I live in! So, like, I think I'm going to go, and, like, try to talk to him, and stuff, 'cos I just think he's so HOT. But they're playing at the Queenshead, and they serve alcohol there, and that's kind of yucky, but just don't tell my mom, okay? Oh! And you should go, too, and then you can see how cute he is! And his band's, like, SUPER talented, and stuff! So go! The Queenshead! Saturday night! The 21st!

2)

I'm DJ-ing at this month's Tabloid! Can you say, "holy shit"?! I'm pretty sure it will be the most ~~humiliatingbecauseIsuck~~fun night ever. So you should attend. I'm probably going to be on first, so get there early. Or don't. Whatevs. But just make sure you get there sometime.

3)THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: the Canadian federal election is on Monday, and if you don't vote you basically have no right to complain abou ANYTHING that happens in this country, so please vote. It takes approximately five minutes, and it really makes a difference. It's especially important to vote if you're under 25, 'cos our age bracket has a really shitty track record with voting.

(And, um, not to push my opinions, or anything, but VOTE FOR THE NDP, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. I don't want to hear that "voting for the Liberals, even though I don't like them, 'cos the Conservatives are evil, and the NDP - who I really want to win - doesn't have a chance,"-strategic voting crap, unless, of course, you like weakening democracy.)

Alright, enough rants for tonight.

Party like it's . . .

2006-01-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

Last night was Sport Pig, and it was insaaaane. I wasn't sure what to expect, since I figured they'd be playing mostly hip-hop, but there was definitely a wide assortment of great music played, not to mention the fact that there was a wide assortment of people there. Think hip-hop queens and "ironic" indie kids, all dancing to, like, Prince and Madonna. A cornucopia, if you will.

We cleared out around 1:30, then headed to the Queen West area, where we were stuck at the Fun Haus . . . note of caution: watch your bags and shit very closely there. What a sketchy, sketchy night.

Anywho, the pictures . . .

I still haven't recovered.

Hahaha . . .

2006-01-11T14:58:00.000-05:00

Apparently I'm DJ-ing at the Social tonight? It's located at 1100 Queen St. West, so you have to come and laugh at/support me.
(This will be my first time DJ-ing . . . what a way to learn!)

"But leavin' it ain't easy . . ."

2006-01-07T15:20:00.000-05:00

Last night at Dance Cave was amaaaaazing. It was packed (like it usually is), but it wasn't a room-sized oven (like it usually is). And we can't forget that the DJ played "New York City Cops" by the Strokes. HOLY SHIT. Thank you, DJ man.

Anyway, here're the pictures . . . there are tons of them, so pace yourself.

Phew. I need a nap.

P.S. Danny Michel is at the Drake tonight. I highly recommend that you go, 'cos he used to be a nice customer at Value Village when I worked there. Oh yeah, and his music's great and and his live show is ridiculous. So go.

"We've got a city to love . . ."

2006-01-05T19:43:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the lack of pictures, however I will definitely have some up after this weekend, so check back.

OOH! I might be going to Coachella. Um. Gjaskldjklfgjwekljrlkew. Yup. That about sums it up.

The new Strokes album came out on Tuesday, and I am too poor to buy it. Isn't that pathetic? I've travelled thousands of kilometers to see them live, I have almost every single they've ever put out (on CD AND vinyl), etcetera, and I can't afford to buy First Impressions of Earth the day it comes out. My little heart is breaking, let me tell ya whut. I am accepting donations until my student loan comes through. Click here to e-mail me and tell me your credit card number. No, don't actually do that. That's probably not wise. But you could e-mail me with a review of the album if you've picked it up already. I also want to hear what you guys think of Ryan Adams' 29, another album I have to torturously wait to purchase. (Is torturously a word?)

I have also set up a MySpace page for this blog. CLICK! Thanks to everyone who's signed up so far. 75+ friends in, like, two days! Sweeeet!

Anyway, keep checking back for more Toronto/music/fun/rock 'n roll related goodies, and you should also go to The Cobra Snake, 'cos there are TONS of new pictures up.

Cabin fever . . .

2005-12-28T15:12:00.000-05:00

Sigh.
So here's the deal: I'm more or less stranded in Cambridge until Friday night. That means that I can't make it to Tabloid tonight, which breaks my little heart. Sooo . . . you have to make sure that you go and have some extra fun, and send it to me through telepathy, okay? 'Cos Lord knows I'm going to be stuck at home watching Seinfeld re-runs (not that there's anything WRONG with that), and could use some psychic lovin'.

So go.
Have a good time.
Put on your red shoes, and all the rest.
And give Alana and Olga big hugs for being great DJs and for not hating me for my lameness.

In other news, there's this great Toronto band called The Great Awake, and they're playing the Silver Dollar on Friday night. (Yeah, I know it's a bit of a sketchy part of Spadina, but you can be brave for one night.) Since I will most likely be back in the city by then, I think I'm going to head to the show. They're QUITE good, so I recommend that you go as well.

Anyway. Back to the world of re-runs . . .

FESTIVUS!

2005-12-25T15:24:00.000-05:00

Have yourself a merrrrrrry lit-tle Christ-mas.
etc.

Sorry for the lack of posts, but -like I said!- Cambridge, where I've been holed up for the past week or so, is a bit of a wasteland, so I really haven't had anything to update. It's also the holidays, so give me a frickin' break!

Anyway, I hope you guys had wonderful holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the like), and that your next year is absolutely wonderful.

A whole lotta love,
*Rebecca

Come over here for just one little kiss . . .

2005-12-16T16:36:00.000-05:00

Oh man.
First of all, a big HA-HA to everyone that didn't go to the Mark Inside show last night. It was basically the best thing ever, of all time, in every category of everything. Now I know what fans must've felt like at early Who shows. The energy was just out of control. This band is going to get so incredibly enormous, so definitely go see them play small venues while you still have the chance. You can check out their web-site for tour dates.

Anywho, I took some pictures. Here they be:

That's all for now . . .

With all these wheels spinning inside my head . . .

2005-12-14T23:26:00.000-05:00

So I was going to take pictures at Dance Cave on Saturday night, but my camera was being mental, and . . . well, no one really caught my eye. Sorry guys.

However, I'm going to see the Mark Inside at Sneaky Dee's tomorrow night. I recommend you guys should go, too, 'cos their music is totally eargasmic. So if my camera decides to behave, perhaps there will be a lovely update sometime Friday.

In other news, EXAMS ARE FINISHED! I can let my mind wander to things such as Santy Claus, and that boy I miss, and Christmas dinner, and how I'm going to see my dog on Friday night. And do you know what it means when I see my dog? It means that I'm going to my parents' Cambridge, where there is virtually NO night-life. So there won't be many pictures again until about the 29th, the day after the next Tabloid (which I took the flier photos for, just thought I'd remind you).

Anywho, the moral of the story is that I'm going to rock out tomorrow night, and I recommend that you do so as well.

Same old plot . . .

2005-12-02T21:30:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's been years since I've updated. DEAL! It's not my fault that Bell Sympatico decided that two weeks after my internet stopped working would be a good time to finally restore my access.

Anyway, let's not hold grudges, okay? You forgive me for the lack of updates, and I'll forgive you for being cranky.

Now, the pictures . . .

Those lovely photos were taken last Wednesday at Tabloid at the Social. The next one's going to be on the 28th, and I have a feeling it's going to be the best one (mostly 'cos I took the photos for the fliers, har har). So yeah, go to that.

Brendan Benson's going to be at the 'Shoe tomorrow. I recommend that you go. His music's, like . . . good.

P.S. You know what sucks? 34% on an Astronomy assignment. Oh well, we trudge along.

Put on your red shoes and daaaance . . .

2005-11-22T12:59:00.000-05:00

I still hate the internet, buuuut . . .

You have to go.

I'll be there, taking pictures of all you pretty people. Sure, you could go to the CASBYs and hang out with Theory of a Deadman, or something . . . or you could be cool. It's your choice.

GAAAAAAAHHHHH.

2005-11-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

BELL SYMPATICO WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME.

Once they get their act together I'll be able to make real updates, not quick rants on a school computer.

Thank you, and good day.

Last ni-ite . . .

2005-11-15T22:41:00.000-05:00

Apparently I managed to operate a camera last night. This was shocking news to me when I discovered a plethora of action shots on my camera this afternoon. Anyway, here're the good ones:

As for the show, it was quite good. It's kind of hard to imagine those cherubic darlings writing songs like "I Bet That You Look Good On the Dancefloor," but it somehow works. They didn't have enough material for a full set, let alone an encore, but I had fun, and isn't that was shows should be about?

No One Knows . . . how tired I am.

2005-11-14T16:47:00.000-05:00

Alright, just a quick post, 'cos I'm a busy lady!

The Queens of the Stone Age renegade show was last night at HMV. Oh man. Ohhhhh man. I got there embarassingly early, and therefore got to sit TWO FEET in front of everyone's favourite giant, Mr. Josh Homme. It was glorious. The show, performance-wise, was probably the best I've ever seen them play, save for a few glitches (and I'm not complaining, 'cos Josh somehow made them funny). Basically this is where I go, "nyah nyah nyah, you missed Toronto music history, and I didn't!"

Anywho.

The Arctic Monkeys are playing at Lee's tonight. If you're not there, you should be at the C'mon show. If you're at neither, you better have a good excuse. I'll also be taking pics of all you lovely boys and girls tonight, so make sure you get your hair did.

One last thing, if you have the ability to heal people, pay me a visit. Lingering colds/strep suck.

PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE . . .

2005-11-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

IMPORTANT!
THIS JUST IN: Queens of the Stone Age will be doing a "renegade" show at the Queen St. HMV on Sunday the 13th at 7:30 PM. You don't need a wristband, or anything . . . you just have to show up. However, I swear to God that if you try to butt in front of me (I'm going to get there entirely too early, because homies, with things concerning this band, that's how I roll), well . . . just don't. It'll be a bad scene.

ALSO, LADIES: Stella McCartney's line is now at H&M! She's good at this sort of stuff, so check it out. I give her props 'cos "Stella" makes me smell real purty. Oh, and she doesn't like using animal carcasses as clothes, which is always swell.

Now, don't say I never do anything for you!

Does it feel good, bein' bad?

2005-11-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

Alright, let's get things started . . .

*Click on the squares for the full-size photo. These were taken in the past few days at Lee's Palace/Dance Cave and Sneaky Dee's.

THIS WEEK IN TORONTO:

Rating:
I - don't bother. Stay home.
II - ehhh, if you have nothing else to do.
III - sure, check it out. Could be a blast.
IIII - you definitely should go. Do it!
IIIII - WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Monday, November 7th:
+OKGo w/ Shaker at the Horseshoe. III.5 - OKGo puts on a surprisingly good live show . . . dood, they have a dance sequence, do I really need to say more? And Shaker are nice Toronto boys, so show them some love.
+The Shout Out Louds & Essex Green at the Mod Club. IIII - the Shout Out Louds are Swedish, so even if their music sucks (which it doesn't), they're obviously attractive, so you should go just to stare at them. I dunno, I think Swedes are hot. You know you do, too.
+The Booby Benefit (comedy show by the Grrlz show with proceeds going to Rethink Breast Cancer) at the Bad Dog Theatre. IIII - nobody likes breast cancer, and everyone likes funny girls, so it's a win-win situation! (Also playing on the 9th, too.)

Tuesday, November 8th:
+The High Dials, Shooter Jennings, and Silent Seymour at the Horseshoe. III - I dunno, let me know how this show goes. It's at the Horseshoe, so at least the drinks are cheap if the show ends up sucking.

Wednesday, November 9th:
+Coheed and Cambria, Blood Brothers, Dredge, and Mewithoutyou at the Docks. II - It's at the Docks, so that sucks. And you know the place is going to be infested with brooding tweens. Proceed with caution.
+The Dillinger Escape Plan at the Opera House. II - for the same reasons as the Co&Ca show.
+Hunter Valentine, J's Basement, Flipside Collective, Wren City Churches, and Forever Comes Crashing at the Reverb. III.5 - It's indie rock, so that's always good, and Now recommends that you go. They're usually right about this sort of thing.
+Kanye West and Fantasia at the ACC. III.5 - whatever, you know it's going to be good. Don't be hatin'.

Thursday, November 10th:
+Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age (ahhhhhh!!!), and Death From Above 1979 at the ACC. IIIII - Why wouldn't you go this show? WHY?! Tickets too expensive? Sell your liver. Think you're too cool? You're not. Hated QotSA's last album? A)Fuck you, and B)well, go see NIN and DFA, then. Really, I don't know what else you're going to do this Thursday if you're not at this show, but mope around.
+Hanson and the Pat McGee Band at the Kool Haus. III.5 - I swear they're better now! The days of "MMMBop" have passed.
+Joel Plaskett Emergency at the Phoenix. III.5 - awww, he's precious. And his music's really good. Definitely a good choice if you're going to be an ass and miss QotSA.

Friday, November 11th:
+Belle Orchestre at the Music Gallery. IIIII - PLEASE GO TO THIS SHOW. Trust me. It will make you love music again.

Saturday, November 12th:
+Matt Mays & El Torpedo and the Novaks at the Opera House. IIII - all you cocaine cowgirls and cowboys best be headin' t'wards this show. Y'all know who ya are.
+Butch Walker and Damone at the Mod Club. III - He's written songs for . . . Simple Plan. This could go either way.
+Ladytron at the Gypsy Co-Op. III - ehhh, I've heard mixed things about their new album. I'm sure, though, that at the very least you'll be able to get your groove on.

2005-11-03T02:11:00.000-05:00

Something big is about to begin.
Toronto is changing constantly.
Its scene never stands still.
There's an underground group of us, and we're taking over.
Watch as we chronicle the dynamism that is our city.