You know how when you leave school there are those certain people that you imagine will never change. Then two years later you run into them, they're totally different, and for the first time you actually want to spend time with them? There was this babe who would sit next to me in English every class. We were friends but I was never really sure how- because we were so opposite. She was really preppy, but not the good kind- just the shit kind.* Don't get me wrong, she was a swell gal but was probably going to end up as a stepford wife . As it turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
The other day she called me up and invite me to this thing called 'No Lights, No Lyrca.'
Basically its a group of people who get together - strangers really- to free style dance for an hour without drugs or alcohol. So its pretty much like going to a club but without the make up, the stupid shoes, the sugary drinks, the hair gel - oh sorry 'product'- and anything to stop you feeling self conscious.
Let me tell you , this is much harder than it seems. As soon as you walk into the room- everyone is ready to go. I made the mistake of taking the whole dancing thing pretty lightly so was just wearing jeans and a singlet- the rest of the room werent dressed like me. Instead most donned outfits that had that whole centre stage/dirty dancing/girls just wanna have fun ISH feel. But in a less wanky way. I'll describe this one chick and the description of her pretty much speaks for the rest of the room;
She had this mass of 80s hair all curly and short.
She wore a plain short t-shirt- with high cut - but not prostitute length- navy shorts on.
To finish this little snack off- she wore white ankle socks and black shiny blogues. It was an outfit so perfect in its form- I wanted to leave as soon I saw it. Already I was feeling self conscious- and the music hadn't even started.
There were others who went into MC hammer pants- but did it so subtely and with such grins you just knew instantly they weren't trying too hard. I think my angst lay in the fact - that the people there were lay back- and I clearly wasn't. I mean I was anixous over clothes!
Once the music started- everything changed again- pretty much people who were standing in groups just got into their groove. It was instantaneous. No one really stuck together while they danced- a couple of friends would form but then break- so everyone was really their own little islands.
For the first couple of minutes, my friend and I couldn't move- we were literally paralysed- I don't know whether it was because we were in a crowd we didnt know- or we were over thinking- but somehow in our minds- we felt too embarrssed to move. The funny thing was, that in being too nervous to move, we stood out from the crowd, and thereby made ourselves even more self conscious- everyone was moving except for us. So in a funny sort of way- you end up having to throw yourself into the deep end and begin to dance in order to escape standing out. -In your mind - its seems like a contradiction- you remain stagnant to blend in- but the theory itself is turned upside down and you have to do the thing - you dont want to do because you dont want to be obvious- to remain in the background.
I'm not sure if that made sense or not- rather just take my word for it.
In the end my friend and I danced along with the others- whether we really let ourselves go or not I'm not really sure. I guess it might take a little bit more experience of pushing yourself to that level of uncomfortable self consciousness to get there. In thinking about that- its sort of frightening how much control we place over ourselves into our lives. The amount of control we place is surely revealed in how difficult it is to let go of it. Yet at the same time, I'm too cynical to let myself read too deeply into something which occurs to songs like Britney's 'toxic' or some 70s disco beats, but I cant ignore those first terrifying moments when I looked around with a clenched body and felt a sort of helpness in my anxiety.
My friend and I walked home in an easy silence. It was a surprise to share such an experience with such an unexpected stranger. Immediately an intimacy was shared- we'd both felt the same in the room; and that, for the first time that night, was a comfortable feeling.
*The shit kind is the gossip girl kind. I'm sorry, but because of that show a million girls now experience the hallucination their life is like Blair Waldorf . It's like the sex and the city syndrom- where 30 something middle aged hags think the show is like "exactly like their life" and they have friends who are "exactly like samantha". Shut up please.
ps -give the present of rad music this festive season and give the gift that is cfcf.
SLICE READERS in TORONTO: We're giving away 2 tickets (+ Poster and T-shirt) for the Dave Matthews Band 3D Concert (also featuring Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 and Gogol Bordello) and you can win them by logging into Twitter and hitting us up with an @reply.
Tomorrow is the last day to catch the show at either AMC Yonge/Dundas or AMC in Concord.
The first 2 people to @reply us with their favourite Dave Matthews Band track VIA TWITTER win's the tickets. That simple.
So again, @reply us at Slicemag's twitter with your First and Last name, the name of your favourite DMB track and which theatre you'd like to pick up your tickets.
As we put the finishing touches on our Christmas tree, shop for the very last (or very first) present on our Christmas list and bee line our way through the grocery aisles, we can be sure that our favourite holiday tunes will be accompanying us during the festive season.
I don't know about you, but I tend to be a Christmas music purist. I love the classic Christmas tunes that are played in the car on your local easy rock station. The various covers and interpretations of the same old songs that never ever get dusty no matter how many times you've heard it. In every household there is that favourite holiday vinyl, tape (in my house) or CD that is incredibly worn out and most likely scratched but it's the only copy you want and you refuse to replace it.
In my house you'll hear Nat King Cole's, The Christmas Album (my dad's), Christmas at Home --this tape has no official name in our house, we just call it the "Disco Christmas tape"-- and Boney M's Christmas Album (both my mothers contributions), Christina Aguilera's, My Kind of Christmas (my sisters) and this year, a new and original addition to our Christmas line up (my little touch), "Mrs. Christmas", courtesy of folk/alt/blues/jazz musician Jessie Baylin.
Jessie Baylin's new Christmas track is nothing short of fantastic. We found out about the newly wed's Christmas tune through her twitter, and I skeptically thought I'd check it out -- as I mentioned before I'm rarely a fan of new Christmas music, but this song tugs at all of the right musical chords.
It's a bluesy and nostalgic sounding track that, if we didn't know better, we wouldn't have thought was written and recorded a few months ago. When I think about it further the song reminds me bit of Mad Men. I can picture Don Draper driving through the snow-laden backstreets of suburban Westchester, New York, one of his mistresses in tow, dropping her off, then Baylin's song comes on the radio in his car as he drives home to his "Mrs. Christmas". (I should be a writer on Mad Men).
My point being that Mad Men is a fantastic series that is set in the 60's but filmed in present day, but pays close attention to the fine details to assure accuracy and consistency, much like Jessie's new song. I'm pretty sure they could get away with slipping this track into a scene, without having their historicalaccuracywatchdog audience bat an eye.
In my opinion, this song works so well as an original Christmas tune because it sounds as though it was recorded in era's passed. Plus it's a blues tune.... which can do no wrong in my book (I become an old soul during the holidays).
Anyway, check out the song below and download a copy from your iTunes store to add to your Christmas collection. (I just forced my sister to download it as she's a newly wed also).
Can anything be better/worse than being a newlywed at Christmas?
We tweet all the freaking time. We tweet in the Morning. We tweet in the Afternoon. We tweet on the toilet, on the train, in class and between the covers.
We tweet about your mom. We tweet about your dad. We tweet about that guy you propositioned last night but turned you down. We tweet about Toronto, Glee and uncles we don't like.
Everyone and their mother has heard New York's new state anthem, Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind". Let's face it, it's an incredibly empowering song. Don't deny it, you know that when you listen to it you wish you could sing it and claim it as your own (whether or not you're from New York).
Well to all of our Toronto peeps (or Toronto appreciators), hometown rapper Ron Dias has reworked the already infamous song to show some love to our favourite city.
It's essentially the same song with references to various experience in Toronto. He mentions Vince Carter (that ass, we'd sooner forget) and Chris Bosh, Drake, the Skydome, Lakeshore, Caribana, the CNE etc. It's definitely a track to listen to on replay when you're missing your city pretty hard (Not speaking personally or anything).
This months "The Neighbourhood" feature are the infamous Toronto Islands. Why? Because this summer, after the wretched Toronto City workers strike was over, I jumped on the first ferry to the islands with my good friend Nicole and had an incredible time touring the island by bicycle.
If you are not from, or have never been to Toronto, let me share with you the greatness that lies just beyond our shores:
There are a collection of small islands just off the shores of Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto. One island houses an amusement park, another island a nudist beach, one a small airport, another small cottage homes and yacht clubs. Toronto's city islands are secluded but accessible. For those lucky enough to own homes on the tranquil (at times) island community they know all about the uniqueness of their little enclave.
On the islands you'll find bike trails, picnic parks, baseball diamonds, beaches, tennis and volleyball courts, Toronto Island Natural Science School, Yacht Club, Historic Gibraltar Point Light House, Restaurants, Pools, Centre Island's amusement park, even a Golf Course.
The facilitates on the islands are never ending.
For a relaxing day with the family, we definitely advise heading down to Harbourfront and hopping on the first ferry out to one of the islands. Arrive early, because in the afternoons the lines get VERY long.
Don't forget that the islands are foot and bike islands only.
La Tourtière is a meat pie with it's origins deeply routed in the province of Quebec.
It is traditionaly served with tomato Ketchup, but depending on the region and ones taste, it can really be served however you like it.
Traditionally it is a pie that is eaten over the Christmas holidays by families across Canada (usually with French Canadian ancestry) and the North Eastern areas of the States (Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, New York etc).
Put the pork and onion into a large pot; season; cover with water and let simmer over medium heat for 90 minutes or until the water has completely, or almost completely, evaporated;
break up the meat with a fork; correct the seasoning;
lay the bottom pie crust in a lightly buttered pie plate, letting the dough hang over the edges slightly; prick all over with a fork; place the filling into the crust, spreading it evenly with a spatula;
cover with the top crust; lightly moisten the edges to seal the top and bottom crusts together and pinch them with your fingers;
roll a small piece of aluminum foil around your finger and stick it two-thirds of the way into the middle of the pie to form a little steam vent;
brush with an egg beaten with a little milk; bake at 200° C (400° F) for 10 minutes;
reduce the temperature to 180° C (350° F) and continue baking for about 20 minutes until the crust is golden.
Spring is ending in Australia and Summer is coming. . .
With the season of heat approaching, all will experience this thought at one point during the season.
"Do I smell?"
The thought brings a particular feeling. It’s the feeling that a truly concentrated pungent smell is exiting from your pores. No not exiting, evaporating from your body into the vapors surrounding you. This is the type of feeling where you cannot move your arms with liberal movements, because if you do, that juice extricating from your pits will fill the nostrils and stroke the taste buds of the tongues surrounding you.
There is a girl who lives on the end of my corridor. She is notorious for her scent. Its pungent. Males have sworn of her beauty but believe its wasted on such a smelly creature. The funny thing is, even when the day is not particularly balmy, she smells.
The smell is so strong in that it is not limited to just her body, no her room smells too. Every time you walk past it - even when the door is closed- your nostrils are filled. The experience is similar to being thrashed about in the ocean, the waves fill every orifice of your body. You can smell, taste, see, even hear salty water. Replace 'salty water' with 'odour', actually 'strong odour' and its pretty much a similar experience.
Okay, I recently became a raging fan of Friday Night Lights. I watched it when it first started a few years back and loved it. Then I moved to London and stopped watching it, and would hear my sister drown ON AND ON AND ON about how amazing the show was. So over the summer I began to play catchup to find out what I had missed.
So Season 4 started a few weeks ago and it is SO exciting! (If you don't watch it... just close this page down right now and go finish jerking off somewhere else!)
Anyway, the point of this post is to talk about the hotness that is Taylor Kitsch. He's the piece that plays Tim Riggins on the show.
He hails from beautiful Kelowna, BC. Attended University of Lethbrige in Alberta (Not gonna lie, I didn't even know that place existed 'till writing this post). Played hockey in the BCHL until a knee injury forced him to retire. Moved to NY. Started modeling. Began acting. Landed the roll of Tim Riggins on FNL. Has been acting in fantastically non-commercial films ever since (except for that tiny film... oh what's it called again.. oh X-MEN!). Oh ya, and he's HILARIOUS!
It was my birthday last weekend, yes I am born the day after the "Day of the Dead". My celebrations almost always involve creepy costumes, figures of questionable morals and many sheets of black crepe paper. The upcoming birthday was one I particularly didn’t want to celebrate. Although keeping with tradition of me never really enjoying my birthday, the transition from 19 years to 20 years was more distasteful than the rest. The ripeness of the age made my tongue recoil, like remembering the jokes of an old boyfriend.
I wasn’t sure why this celebration of birth came with particular annoyance.
Conclusion 1: I hadn’t done anything, I was the same person I was last year. Consideration, no this didn’t fall into place, if I compared things, they were very different . I was very different, I hadn’t wasted anytime. Perhaps not.
Conclusion 2: It was the whole change from ‘teen’ to adult. Consideration, this didn’t feel right either. Initially I thought the answer was here, but I was wrong. In fact I was ready to move on from the last phase of life. I thought I had completed it, really worn it down into the ground, and now needed something new.
Conclusion 3: The weather was the key. It was a stormy night. The air was thick with sweat, incense and the smell of supermarket cologne. I sat there with my legs on my desk, reading while I drank orange juice from the carton. The back of my knees were itchy. The cool shower I had taken minutes earlier was stuffed in the corner with my towel. The hot rain drooled down my window. Either side of my forehead, a beat began, my eyes ached from the afternoons harsh daylight sun. Enough with the description, I dressed and met the sweaty night.
Currently I am writing an essay on American Psycho. It is 3:26am and passages telling of women, mutilation, Talking Heads, J&B on the rocks, male face cream, violence and silk ties all point to one thing. It's time for a break, and with that let us welcome the wonderful creature of procrastination . . .
Over the weekend I caught up with two ex boyfriends. It was as follows. . . . . . . perhaps I should detail the relationships first in order to put into context.
MR NM: Was the first boyfriend I ever held. Was the first male hand I held besides my fathers, or the sweaty capped beer washed adolescent male for the night. I was at the end of my final year at school, 17 years old or so, and he was 23 years. He gave me Ugg boots for my 18th birthday. He came from an Italian family. He was a laborer but had glasses that made him look like an architect.
MR SH: Was the man to help me move on from NM. I was 19 and he came 29. This fact came out a month into it- we spoke over 'intellectual topics' and careers in writing. He dyed his hair blonde. His stomach was hard and he had soft skin. His friends were trendy and made sure you were aware of this. He would look down on others constantly. Both our families had a sibling who suffered from a mental illness severely. Whenever he danced he looked like a fuckwit. Perhaps this was due to his moves of punching the air and bopping his head, or maybe just because he took himself seriously.
MR NM: Lunch at a Vietnamese cafe. It had been two years or so, since we broke up. However we'd catch up every month or so, always doing the same thing we'd do when we were together. These included getting coffee and cake at our favourite Italian cafe, eating his home made lasagna in bed or going for a drive as he'd play his favourite music to me.
MR SH: Attempts were made by him after I broke it off to remain friends. I rejected these attempts. Once we caught up. Despite telling him that we "both had enough friends and didn't need anymore" there were a few text messages, emails and missed calls. I once spoke to him on the phone, I enjoyed this. Perhaps it was the physical distance between us that allowed this .
OKAY... we were on twitter earlier today and one of the people we follow posted a link of a four-year-old cutie named Jonah playing the drum portion of Kings of Leon's "Notion".
We were impressed. The we found him rocking the shit out of Rush's "Tom Sawyer" and we just HAD to post it up for y'all.
Nuit Blanche returns to Toronto this Saturday with it's all-night contemporary art displays and installations around the city. The free event begins at 6:55pm and can be enjoyed until sunrise. Be sure to catch the Renegade parade down the streets and alleys of Yorkville, Toronto. This mobile rave begins at the ROM at 10:00 pm and carries on until 5am the following day. Dress warm because last year was freezing. There is so much to see, do and experience during this amazing night of art discovery. Be sure to plan ahead and pack in everything you can.
Nikki Farquharson is a 23 year old London based designer and graduate of the London College of Communication. She focuses on "communication, colour, pattern and typography" and has created some beautiful fashion portraits integrating photography and patterns. Her designs have been featured in many publications including Miss Behave Magazine
So TIFF has come and long gone, and we have finally got our list of this years must-see films that showed at the Toronto International Film Festival a few weeks ago. Check out the trailers below.
We know our regular Slice readers are no stranger to Sky Ferreira and have already checked out her remixed version of The Virgins track -"Teen Lovers". For those of you that don't know her... listen the fuck up!
Waffles and Falafels "youngest-in-charge", Miss Sky Ferreira, has recently landed a contract with EMI Music. Homegirl's been here, there and everywhere in between. Along with working on an independent film, Metal Gods, by Matt Porterfield in Baltimore, she has somehow found time to record a new single... a cover of Miike Snow's - "Animal".... GIRL CAN SIIIIIING!
Slice has got a sneak-peak listen for all you ungratefull mofo's out there. So listen to it and love it.
We Kill You is fronted by Justin Pape (Artists and Creator extraordinaire) who established We Kill You in 2003 with the main goal of making Torontonians laugh during their walk through the city. Get to know more about our Home Grown artist who is taking the world by storm from New York to Tokyo by clicking on the link below or keep your eyes open the next time you walk down Queen Street ;)
Visit We Kill You here. Shop We Kill You here. (I've got my eye on that "your face sucks" T-shirt)
The International Song Competition is back and entries are being accepted until October 7th. So if you think you've got the incredible talent to become a successful songwriter don't let this opportunity pass you by.
Judges include, King of Leon, Timbaland, Rob Thomas, Wynonna, Black Francis, Adele and many more.
"In addition to great prizes, ISC offers the unique opportunity to have your music heard by the most impressive group of judges from a variety of industry backgrounds in any songwriting competition. This makes ISC the songwriting competition to take note of." - The New York Times
Share and Enjoy! .
Currently I am in the middle of training for a marathon, it's in a couple of weeks.
Surprisingly the endurance training isn't the hardest bit. It's the quitting of the minty slashes.
I don't understand how it works- you are straining your body to the limits of physical exercise, and then somehow you enjoy making it harder for yourself by continuing a bad habit. Somehow the two routines manage to peacefully exist simultaneously. I thought one would cancel the other out.
However somehow they have managed to sustain themselves, gradually getting stronger. It's like the cold war. Perhaps. Probably not actually.
Ill try another political reference; The Israel/Palestine conflict... nearly there?
In other news a friend took me to a gig last night. The Vivian Girls at The Northcote Social Club. Somehow, this three piece band, managed to create a swell of sound, that kept building and building pulling the crowd into their current. It was magnificent, but perhaps only available through live performance. If you get the chance, go have a look.
It's an awesome blog. It's a quirky blog. It's a fashionable blog. I LOVE IT. So you should love it to. It doesn't feel like we're cheating on all our other lovers, but you know how we do here. We like to spread the love around.
Much Music is currently on the hunt for it's newest and coolest VJ and Slice Magazine is supporting our friend Akim Burke. So check out his video and be sure to rate it, and get voting here. Let's give him 5 out of 5 stars in all the departments. Voting is on from NOW to Sep 28th.
1. The best thing to do if you're tired and you have to write an essay is to make yourself cold. Open the windows and don't put on a sweater. You will stay alert. Trust me.
Also, in terms of snacking eat vegetables like carrots. The loud sound they make when you take a bite, makes you feel like you have company.
2. 21 year old's are better at sex.
A friend was telling me about this guy she'd been hanging around. He's one of those people that silences can be comfortable with -gosh that sounded disastrously O.C. of me - but if you're having a conversation with her, its easy for her to be bored. In fact she gets bored by most people. I was talking to her about it the other day and she told me that after a while she just stops listening and thinks about other things. She says she cringes a lot. Anyway,the point is it's hard to keep her interested... but if you're genuine then you're fine.
She was pretty much waiting to be impressed in conversation by this guy, Tom, who has a different strategy. He has focused on the silences and their ease and comfort has made her keen. Anyway back to the basic idea - this kid is pretty lame like in terms of physicality, but she was telling me in a matter of three days he has become one of the best. What we are talking about here is not so much the crude images, but the idea that you 'mature' with age is just wrong.
That's enough about that.
3. I overheard this at a bar on Friday night:
Blonde 18 year old male: I am worried that i'm just not pleasing her. I mean, it's possible for me one day to please a girl, isn't it? It must be possible, mustn't it? Red headed friend: Yeah man for sure. I guess things take time. Don't over-think it. Just let it flow. (Some other things were muttered here, but to me , they sounded more like the release of bodily gases rather than words) Blonde 18 year old male: Oh is that what you're suppose to do.
4. Natalie Portman has no earlobes.
5. It can be difficult to find the right friend to help you out in purchasing a pregnancy test. Here we've learnt the positives of having female friends. Perhaps one may need to rethink points raised in earlier rants.
6. The series 'Privileged' is shite. If another series emerges which is about those in 'high society', I swear to God I'll pull my fingernails up from my hands. No one gives a shite about these rich kids or their parents and if you do, you are probably one of those people that I'd avoid if I saw you walking down the street. If you like those series, you probably fit into the category of speaking really loudly on your mobile when you walk down the street and you're alone. It's such an obvious example of a douche.
7. Words to avoid for general usage: -celebs -funky -groovy -trippy -fail however the word tubular should be used more often.
8. I've learnt all about hip-hop due to an essay which is due in four hours (7% of it is done) I can tell you all about the characteristics of it, and what makes a good album, crew, MC etc. However generally if you want to listen to easy but "rad rap" get into A Tribe Called Quest, the beats are delicious (although I'm sure you all already know and love them).
Montreal's Grime scene is young, healthy and vibrant. It is possible to find Grime nights at quite a few places around the city; Forward music at the Passeport, Apocalyptica's Freedembass night and E.S.L. Crew's night at the Blizzarts spring to mind. A few individuals (Jas Na$ty etc) including myself (Intoccabile), have been pushing the sound as early as 2004 and continue to do so today.
Regarding our local actors, I believe it is important to establish a distinction between those who were/are influenced by the Grime aesthetic but are not strictly Grime artists or dj's (Omnikrom, Ghislain Poirier, Dj Inyourface, and internationally renowned performer Taxi Nouveau, among many others) and the Grime purists (Jas Na$ty, Ghost, Intoccabile, Kadryn, and many more).
Why oh why did it take so long for Grime to blow up in Montreal? Let's go back in time and consider how Grime was received in the urban and EDM (Electronic Dance Music) scenes.
Initially, Montreal's local urban scene did not "get" Grime. At all. To put it bluntly, it sounded too electronic --an insult, in the mouth of an urban music lover at the time -- too much like the kind of music the typical urban music fan did not want to hear! Fans of EDM on the other hand understood Grime almost immediately and certainly appreciated the novelty of it. A great portion however, were put off by the sheer aggressiveness, tone and dark lyrical content of the mc's (all things you could find in urban music). Grime was in an awkward position. It was too electronic and not "black" enough for one scene, but too "black", too shout and too lyrically dark for the other scene who did appreciate the raw, quirky and uncompromising aesthetic. The response by both scenes had consequences that lasted for years.
In terms of labels and releases, Fyutchaflex recordings, run by myself, is still - after all those years - the only local Grime label. There are quite a few Grime producers, but to be honest it will take some time for the quality of Montreal's output to be comparable to what is being done in other cities in North America – Toronto, New York and San Francisco, for example.
Grime MC's in Montreal come from very different horizons: hip-hop, soca, d'n'b, dancehall, R&B etc. Language wise, they often use the local slang, which is a combination of French, English, Jamaican patois and English creole.
The future looks bright for Montreal's Grime scene. Thanks to Clovys TV, SB.TV (Smokey bars TV), Grime videos and documentaries are being broadcast in HD on television. There seems to be more interest than ever for Grime and the second half of 2009 should be interesting in terms of events.
So i'm in London for the next year or so attempting to get on with my life, so we probably won't be updating the blog as "often" as we used to in the past. Also content may begin showcasing far more European talents than we used to. Hopefully we can get out website launched as soon as possible, but for the time being dig through our wonderful archives.
Be sure to follow my (Maria) tweets to find out whats going in the blogs/my life.
The other weekend I was on the tram coming back from this warehouse party. Three guys had my company. I was the only girl. *See last article for explanation.
It was nine in the morning, I had been out for eight hours straight, and was fantasizing over a cool shower. The conversation was drifting here and there, between witty remarks and the sort of remarks which are only possible due to the group’s combined state.
Anyway this guy Paul was bought up. He was nineteen years old and a virgin. The whole thing apparently seemed pretty funny to the other three guys. They were doing that thing where they make it deliberately obvious they are trying to keep a straight face when talking about something that they actually find really funny. Man I hate it when people do that. Its so annoyingly obvious, like sarcastic gags. I mean seriously, its such a lazy attempt at jokes; to point out the apparent by mentioning the opposite.
Lets be frank, if you cant think of something actually funny to say, its probably a sign that you should keep your gob shut at that 'golden moment' because "no" you don’t know what the perfect thing to say is.
My friend told me she'd come to dinner with me on account of it being raining and we thought something hot would be nice to fill our tummies. She sent me a message 30 minutes before, telling me she'd rather eat in at the lame college we live in. This is just the beginning, I'm trying to find this MC Solaar song and no it is not "Le Belle et le Bad Boy". My stomach hurts from chewing too much bubble gum today. I haven't drunk a coffee in three weeks, its part of my attempt to stop being dependent on coffee to wake me up during the day, so instead I'm drinking English breakfast tea, Jesus Christ I just read that and hated the sound of myself. Do you know what I ate for dinner tonight? A packet of crisps (chips for your North Americans), a chocolate bar and an ice cream. I don't want to hear about the children in Africa or Peru or Chile or anything like that, because tonight I wanted to eat Japanese food, soup or pasta. I didn't want to eat shit because my stomach is sensitive and hurts all the time, partly from being anxious all the time and partly because the food is high in something that hurts it.
Man I'm so angry at her for ditching me like that. You know she does it all the time. I always ask her to come out with my friends and I and she never does. Then one time she says yes and I am full of so much happiness -- its like I'm 12 again and mum says we can go through the drive through at McDonald's-- and you know what she does, we are there for 45 mins and she says to me, "Frankie, I'm leaving", and I turn to her and say "you know what, just stay for one more drink and then you can leave straight away, just have one more drink with me". And she says, "No I want to leave", and I say "Look I'll buy it. I'll buy the drinks for the rest of the night", and she says "No". This happens once more after that and she tells me she needs to go the toilet. 30 mins later she hasn't come back and then I get this message saying she's left because she just wanted to. Look Slice, do you mind if I call you by your first name? I am a girl in case that was unclear, and I have a lot of guy friends. In fact, most of my closest friends are male. I'm not sure why, but it just happened like that. I always go out with them and have the best time, but just once I would like not the be the only girl out. I would like one of my friends who is a girl to come out with me, just once, Jesus I'll pay for them the whole night...but the whole thing is impossible.
YOU GUY'S DEGRASSI...THE MOVIE IS COMING OUT IN T- ONE WEEK! ahhhhh
Apparently it was already released in the US on the "N network" whatever that is, and it can finally be viewed in the motherland on August 30th on CTV.
The trailer looks pretty good. How much do you LOVE all the slow motion "turn-and-look-at-the-camera" shots? (witness from 1:10)
So the other day (Aug 20th) my sister and I decided to go for dinner in Woodbridge at Chili's restaurant. Once we finished our meal and headed outside we seemed to be in the mist of what appeared to be a hurricane. (I assumed that it was Hurricane Bill, traveling north to visit us friendly Canadians). It took us approximately 30 mins to get from Chili's home (a drive which usually takes 7 mins) and on our way home we noticed that the "hurricane winds" really began to pick up intensely as we passed Vaughn Mills mall. Eventually we got home and the electricity was out. Still unaware of the fact that our area was experiencing a tornado.
My father was convinced that there was a plane trying to land near our house because of the intense howling. He also mentioned that in all his years he had never heard thunder the way he had heard it that evening.
None-the-less after approximately 3 1/2 hours our power returned and we were informed that an F2 Tornado had touched down in Woodbridge and had left a considerable amount of damage in its wake.
Our well wishes go out to our neighbours whose houses were destroyed by the tornado.
We leave you now with two videos. One of the storm ripping it's way through Woodbridge on route to Maple. And the other of a panicked resident speaking to his grandparents (this video is hilarious). - Maria
We had an incredible time at Lollapalooza this year and will definitely be in attendance next year ($60 3-day passes go on sale in a few days). We're slowly uploading all of the performances that we caught on digicam. Below you can watch Lykke Li's rendition of Lil Wayne's A Millie and eventual "Breaking it Up" performance.
Also, we're posting Kings of Leon's performance of "Knocked Up". You can catch our uploaded videos as they come on youtube, right here. (Check out Kings of Leon Black Thumbnail video. Caleb goes mental)
We'll be adding our diary and other videos including The Virgins, Santogold and Sam Roberts
And we've got loads of pics and videos to post up for your viewing pleasure. First things first... Lolla. Was. AMAZING. We had such a great time. (even though we didn't get to see the Sunday evening shows...sigh). Chi-town is a cool city and I'll definitely be returning some time soon.
Anyway, keep your eyes locked here for pics from the shows. We've also got videos from the majority of the performances that we'll post to our Youtube page at some point (some time this week). Videos include, Kings of Leon, Lykke Li, Sam Roberts, Santigold, The Knux, The Virgins etc. (no Arctic Monkeys or Bat for Lashes unfortunately... although we caught both of their shows)
It's that time of the year. The time when we head South of the boarder for one of North America's largest music festivals.
It's LOLLAPALOOZA time!
I'm not going to lie, we've been really naughty with the blog of late. We haven't been posting (all though there are many to come, as well as many interviews to be posted) and we haven't been updating. BUT...have no fear, Lollapalooza is way too huge an event to not cover on this blog.
During the festival we'll attempt to put together some Lolla diaries for our faithful followers. I can't promise that it'll be posted that night, but i definitely will try. So bookmark this page and check back often to view our Lolla coverage.
Also, stay tuned for our Oshega festival review, interview with The Limousines and videos form NXNE.
We all know Modest Mouse is a stellar band... but their latest video (which is definitely original and artistically refreshing) disturbs the living daylights out of me. You see, I am deathly afraid of fish (whales... they're all the same to me) and the premise of this music video (which was directed by Heath Ledger and was the last project that he worked on prior to his untimely death) is very unsettling.
The song is entitled, "King Rat" and the video took The Masses (film/music company where he was a partner) approximately 1 year and a half to complete after Ledgers death. The video is meant to take a “stance against the illegal commercial whale hunts taking place of the coast of Australia.”
The song is fantastic though, and follows along in the same vein as most Modest Mouse's music. Check it out here.
The Sounds have been crisscrossing the North American continent as the opening act of no doubt one of the largest reunion tours of the summer.
Sullywood managed to ask Felix Rodriguez (1/2 of the childhood friend duo) a few questions about touring with No Doubt, their new album, Crossing the Rubicon, and why there are so many bloody amazing artist pouring out of Sweden (case and point: our all time favourite gal, Lykke Li).
Read the interview below:
Your music is sometimes compared to New Wave... What are some of your biggest influences as a band? I would say that it's the fans and people that we meet that inspire us the most. We all have very different musical tastes in the band, but of course, we share some bands in common. But to meet and hear peoples stories is the biggest influence I would say, at least for me.
Some of our readers may remember Maja's brief presence in the supergroup "Cobra Starship" as the lead singer on the song "Bring it" from the movie Snakes On a Plane. How did that collaboration come about? I think it was someone that was in the other bands that heard The Sounds, and liked Maja's voice. So they asked us if she wanted to be part of it... So, she went into the studio and recorded her part, and I have to say it sounds amazing to hear her sing on that track. Great job Maja!
You played a sold out show in Toronto in May, any plans to return to the city again? We are coming back in the fall, and I CANT wait for that show. We had a great time there, and I know this time will be even better!!!
I first heard The Sounds through my Snowboarding friends. Why do you think you have such a huge following among "boarders" worldwide?
I would say it's probably because our music is very energetic. I have many friends saying that they are listening to us to get pumped up before riding their bikes or skateboard. I would probably do the same if I were into sports. I mean, it's a great way to prepare before a show or something you need energy for.
You have fans all over the world and some of them are big names: Tarantino, Grohl etc... Dave Grohl even wore a red Sounds t-shirt in the "Times Like These" video... what was everyone's reaction the first time you saw that? I was blown away. I mean I was a big Nirvana and Foo Fighters fan when I was younger (I still am, I have to say). I remember I went to the old record lable office in the states and the record lable people were like, "Hey, there's a rumour that Dave Grohl's gonna wear your t-shirt in their new video." And we were like, "COOL!!!" We thought it was going to be like 3-4 seconds or something like that... when I saw it, it was like... Damn, it's all over the video!! It was awesome... I didn't see that coming when I saw Dave Grohl banging the drums in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video.
You're currently touring the U.S. with No Doubt. Any interesting stories from the tour so far? Hmmm... I would say that it was pretty fun when they invited us up on stage to sing with them, that was great!! They are a great band and super friendly and down to earth. I love those guys...we have a lot of fun on tour with them.
What is the change like going from headlining your own shows to opening for a band like No Doubt in huge stadiums? As a support act you play for thousands of people that have never heard you before, which is great because you get the opportunity to gain your fan base. To play your own show is different because there, everyone knows your songs and music... and as a support act you play a shorter set as well. You don't want to see a support act that plays for 1 1/2 hours, that wouldn't be much fun.
Do you prefer smaller venues? I prefer both, it wouldn't be fun to just play small venues and vice versa. You need both!
The band's look certainly draws comparisons to No Doubt. Do you get to interact with them? Exchange style tips? Ha...! Exchange style tips? Not Really... oh well maybe. I did tell the drummer that he looked awesome in the ballerina skirt he played in. He said, "Yeah? You think it looks cool?" I said, "FUCK YES. That's the best look I've ever seen!" He still wears it now, so I don't know if that counts, I mean he had it before I mentioned it to him...but he still wears it! A lot of great indie artists have been coming out of Sweden for the past few years (The Knife, Teddybears, Shout Out Louds, Lykke Li etc). What is it about Sweden that breeds such great original music? Dunno...maybe the water? We do have a lot of practice places where you can rehearse when you are in school. I don't know if it is because of that though... I would say it's the water.
Your new album, "Crossing the Rubicon", was just released on June 2nd. The title track is very haunting and similar to The Knife. What influenced this title and song? It is? I heard from my friend that it sounds like Coldplay!? Well, neither of those bands were the influence when we did that song... they are both two great bands though. I remember we had something epic inside us when we did that song... it was late at night and we had it dark in the studio. Very "vibey", and chilled atmosphere. I love that song.
It's summertime... (sort of). Sure we may be having one of the shittiest summers on record and the sun may not have reared its bright orange head, but we've got hot and humid weather so we can't complain.
That being said, I thought I'd post a little Janis Joplin and do a little "Summertime" dance to the "Sun God's" in hopes that they take pitty on me and my poor pathetic jigg and shower us with rays from heaven.
GOD DAMN IT, I CAN'T TAKE THE RAIN ANYMORE! - SLICE
SLICE blog was created to display and promote primarily Canadian artists, as well as to encourage discourse among the arts and culture community. We hope to foster and spark interest in the Canadian arts scene and we would like to use this as a platform for Canadian artists to gain attention for their work and thrive within Canada and hopefully beyond our borders. Fashion/textile, visual/fine arts, musicians, writers/poets, video/photo, general arts and culture will all be discussed on SLICE.
Noteworthy International artists will also be featured on the website and blog. Anyone can submit their work to be featured on SLICE, so please feel free to email us.
.
