ZED SOUNDS

Well, some sad news to report. Beirut Palace (the falafel place with the hookahs)  is closed. This was my go-to patio in the summertime. Looks like I'll be checking out some other patios in the neighborhood. So what else is there, you ask? Here's a list of patios in and around Bloordale:

• Pour Boy (666 Manning) - Pub
• Hurricanes (963 Bloor) - Bar
• Madras Masala (796 Bloor) - Restaurant
• Mexi Taco (828 Bloor) - Restaurant
• Ristorante Roma (1090 Bloor) - Restaurant
• 3 Speed (1163 Bloor) - Bar
• The Roxton (379 Harbourd Street) - Bar/Restaurant
• The Abbey Pub (989 College) Pub

So just to get back into the swing of things here's some interesting tidbits for you:

Broken Social Scene Curate Festival
with Pavement, and Band of Horses for a Toronto Island Concert

I Added A New Playlist
So far no complaints, check it out...

Another free outdoor concert to tell you about. This one is in Mirvish Villiage June 08, 2008 - Noon till 7:00 p.m. with performances by:

• Nilan Perera   (12:00 - 12:30)
• Ayal Senior   (12:45 - 1:15)
• Eiyn Sof   (1:30 - 2:00)
• Allison Cameron Band   (2:15 - 2:45)
• Don Scott Quartet   (3:00 - 3:30)
• Kingdom Shore   (3:45 - 4:15)
• Sandro Perri   (4:30 - 5:00)
• Grant Hart (Husker Du)   (5:15 - 6:00)
• Basement Arms   (6:15 - 7:00)

This event is a part of soundXis 08 a festival of new music which runs from May 21 to June 15, 2008. Check the website for more info.

Its getting warmer, and the only thing better than an outdoor concert is a FREE outdoor concert. You might want to check out FREE World Routes Concert Series at the Harboufront Centre.

Lee “Scratch” Perry
Monday, June 30, 9pm

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80
Wednesday, July 2, 9pm

Orchestra Baobab
Thursday, July 3, 9pm


Link: FREE World Routes Concert Series

The zombie walk was huge this year - with over 1000 zombies. A lot of the zombies turned out for the The Toronto After Dark film premiere of AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION. That was a lot of fun because they would cheer every time someone was eaten. Funny stuff.

Check back here in the next day or two for reviews of that and many other After Dark films, as well as a review of Control a film by Anton Corjbin. I think I just might be getting movied out - who knew viewing movies would be so tiring.

Links:
Toronto After Dark Film Festival schedule

A couple of interesting contests to tell you about from Eye Weekly:

EYE WEEKLY short story contest (1000 words or less)
Enter by November 30, 2007 for your chance to win. The winning author will receive $500, publication in EYE WEEKLY, a prize package and will appear at a This Is Not A Readings Series event. Send an email with your name, story title and full contact information to contest@eyeweekly.com. Visit eyeweekly.com/contests/shortstory/index.php for more info.

Passes to see CONTROL, a film by Anton Corbijn
Enter by October 22, 2007 for your chance to win. Click here to enter.

Huge fan of John Bergin's work. So it was a pleasant surprise to find out from twitchfilm.net that a short version of his film, From Inside, will be shown at Toronto After Dark. It is being screened under the Cutting Edge Shorts program - I just checked their website and no word yet on when it will be shown.

John Bergin is a graphic novelist and musician (click here to check out his work.) He is currently in the process of turning his graphic novel into a movie. If you are at all interested in animation or motion design check out http://www.johnbergin.blogspot.com/ where you can find out what techniques he is using to turn his 2D drawings into a full length movie. I really don't know too many people that have the talent to create graphic novels and single handedly create their own films using computer animation. Highlights of his blog include being influenced by Lars Von Trier's movie Element of Crime and early shorts he created.

Radiohead wants fans to decide how much they pay for a digital download of their new album In Rainbows. The album, which will be released on October 10, will have no copy protection which means fans can transfer the files onto as many devices as they wish. Judging by the hits they've been getting on their website this could become a viable alternative. Check out http://www.inrainbows.com/Store/Quickindex.html to preorder.

Awesome dance night featuring these DJs Friday, October 5, at Revival (783 College Street ):

• Blueprint (Garage 416)
• Moreno (Garage 416 / Hot Stepper)
• Felix & Gani (milk.)
• Jason Palma (Footprints)
• General Eclectic (Footprints)
• Stuart (Footprints)
• Paul E Lopes (Bump N' Hustle)
• Mike Tull (Bump N' Hustle)

Upcoming Concerts for October:

• Oct 2 Pere Ubu @ Lee's Palace
• Oct 6 Patrick Wolf @ Lee's Palace
• Oct 8 The National @ Phoenix
• Oct 11 weewerk Showcase @ Sneaky Dee's
• Oct 17 Sandro Perri @ Tranzac
• Oct 20 M.I.A. @ Kool Haus
• Oct 20 Do Make Say Think @ Phoenix
• Oct 21 The New Pornographers @ Phoenix

Had a great time at Nuit Blanche this year. I only wish I could have been more places at once. That shot was taken inside the tent beside the alien crash at U of T.

Cinematheque Ontario (AGO’s Jackman Hall) is showing the silent film serial Les Vampires by Louis Feuillade during Nuit Blanche. At 400 minutes total you might not want to watch the whole thing - because there will be so much to see at Nuit Blanche - but you might want to stop in and have a look at this on the big screen.

Hollywood often mines the literary world for its stories. Here are some books you might want to read before they hit the big screen:

Into the Wild
by Jon Krakauer
This one looks really good. Krakauer is a good story teller so it will be interesting to see what Sean Penn does with this. See www.intothewild.com/ for more info. Stars: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, Hal Holbrook and is directed by Sean Penn.

Love in the Time of Cholera
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A lush epic love story set in early 20th century South America. Another must read by this Nobel Prize winning author. For movie info click here.

The Jane Austen Book Club: A Novel
by Karen Joy Fowler
Five women and one man meet periodically to discuss the work of Jane Austen and realize their lives mirror the stories they read. Stars: Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Jimmy Smits.


I am Legend
by Richard Matheson
Awesome book which I hear the film veers away from. No surprises there, so I am not expecting this adaptation to be good. Stars: Will Smith.

Silk
by Alessandro Baricco
A steamy historical romance starring Keira Knightley, Alfred Molina, Michael Pitt and Koji Yakusho.

The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
An unconventional love story between a man who has a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel and his artist wife who must deal with this. The book is a must read, by the way. The film will be directed by Robert Schwentke and stars Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams.

Other good books being turned into movies include:

• The Republic of Love by Carol Shields
• the Coen brothers direct No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - about an Afghan boy and his friendship with a servant's son
• Iron Man - the highly-anticipated comic book adaptation, starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, and Samuel L. Jackson. Not out till May 08 - watch the trailer
• The epic anglo-saxon poem, Beowulf, movie screenplay by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary (out Nov 16)- watch the trailer

Went to see Grizzly Bear play last night at the Mod Club. The band was OK, but unfortunately it was an early show and they had to clear out of there so no encore. Thanks a lot Mod Club. The show was short but the crowd loved every minute of it. Personally felt like it would have been nice to see them let loose a little more, but perhaps they felt rushed.

They have such a lush, orchestrated sound now that is quite different than the soft intimate tone on Horn of Plenty. Very much looking forward to hearing more from this band. They seem like they would feel equally at home in being lost in the woods or at a cheesy burlesque lounge with aging dancers.

Sorry for the blurry cell phone photo. Someone at the Mod Club takes their lighting seriously, and it would have been a good chance for some great photos but my camera is busted so that all I could muster.

Grizzly Bears play the awesome LOLA Festival next and you can check out myspace.com/grizzlybear for more info on upcoming shows.

(click on the image to view vid of bears)

Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers are on tour and will be playing Toronto on Sept 29. They are offering a free download of an their EP, Great Lake Swimmers: Live From the Church of the Redeemer - you gotta love that. Click here to download EP.

Grizzly Bears
The Grizzly Bears - a band I am very much into right now - play an early show at the Mod Club tomorrow. Should be good. I like this discription by Matt Murphy of Pitchfork: "The gentlemen of Grizzly Bear paw around in wholly distinct regions of gentle, nocturnal psych-folk, conjuring visions of an imagined bedroom collaboration between the Doug Yule-era Velvet Underground, Nick Drake, and a pajama-clad Pooh with his head jammed in a honey jar."

Sex Pistols Reunite?
Yes it's true. A one time deal to mark the 30th anniversary of their only album, "Never Mind the Bollocks" at London's Brixton Academy on Nov 8. Read the full story here.

Who's playing at Nuit Blanche?
This is from stillepost: 7pm to Sunrise - Beginning with a dj set by John Caffery and projections by Roxanne Luchak at 7pm and followed by a full show by KIDS ON TV. The night also features HOLY FUCK, WYRD VISIONS, POLMO POLPO, & NADJA. @ 1116 King St W. Solid Waste Management Warehouse. Read it on stillepost.

Just wanted to let you all know about the Brunswick Theatre which is located at 296 Brunswick Avenue (2nd Floor). They are screening some hot topic documentaries and a lot of the films even include guest speakers. Here are some of the titles they have for September:

THE GOD DELUSION, Jesus Camp, Black Gold: A Look at Fair Trade Coffee, Scientology vs. BBC, End of Suburbia, Shake Hands with the Devil, Escape from Suburbia, OCCUPATION 101, 9/11 Mysteries, Uganda Rising, Mad Cowboy, Manufacturing Dissent, Trading Women.

Being socially minded, some of the films are free but as it says on their website:

Admission to our programming is by donation, of which we suggest $10 towards our overhead costs. Nobody will be refused for lack of funds. We want people to see these films, reflect on them, and take action within their own lives. All points of view are welcomed and encouraged. After each film we host a facilitated discussion where our patrons can carry out a dialogue on the subject of the film, and respond to the thoughts and ideas of others.

Their goal is to provide free films through membership support. If you're interested in supporting them memberships cost $25 for a single month, or $20 per month for long-term support (6 months or more). Memberships give you a free pass to screenings and reserved seating for events that are likely to sell out.

Check www.brunswicktheatre.ca for schedules and more info.

Earlier this month I went to Ray Robertson's book launch for his new book What Happened Later. It was part of TINAR (This Is Not A Reading) Series and they have a pretty good line up for the rest of the month - notably William Gibson on Friday:

JONATHAN GARFINKEL—Ambivalence: Crossing The Israel/Palestine Divide
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St. W., Toronto

Tues, Sept 18; 7:30 pm (doors 7pm), free

JEFF WARREN—Head Trip: Adventures In Human Consciousness 
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St. W., Toronto
Thurs, Sept 20; 9pm (doors 8pm), free

WILLIAM GIBSON—Spook Country
Bloor St. United Church, 300 Bloor St. W., Toronto
Fri, Sept 21; 7:30PM (doors 7pm) - Tickets $5

JESSICA WESTHEAD—Pulpy and Midge
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St. W., Toronto
Tues, Sept 25; 7:30PM (Doors 7pm), free

Link: TINAR

Some really great photos of Bjork, Interpol, M.I.A, and Princess Superstar:

formertransformer.com

I've been looking for photos of v-fest since I did not attend and most of the ones I found were far away blurry shots. These really capture the stage presence of the performers. I'm always impressed by good photography so thanks to David Waldman for putting these up.