Topshop is possibly the most famous and indisputably the most fashionable British store to ever open it's doors on the other side of the great Atlantic. Europeans and Asians everywhere have reveled in their stylish musings for ages while us North Americans have been glued to our computer screens and forced to shop and order online. This neglect and selfishness (despite us Canadians so generously sharing Aldo and La Senza with you Brits) will finally see its last days.
We all know that Holt Renfrew has been carrying some of Topshop's range (mostly Kate Moss' shite) for some time now, but apparently Topshop is opening a store in Canada. (*Please let it be in Toronto... Please let it be in Toronto... OH GAWD PLLEEEAASSSE LET IT BE IN TORONTO!!!!*)
Reportedly (Toronto Star), Sir Phillip Green, owner of the Topshop enterprise, has said that a store should be opening up in Canada in 6 - 9 months (which really means a year+).
We are giddy with excitement.
For those of you that can't wait till then, take advantage of the Greyhound Buses NeOn service between T.O. and N.Y. and head south for the grand opening of Topshop's flagship American store on April 2 (this date keeps being push back so don't quote us on it).
Rae is a Toronto based Makeup artist who is always looking to expand her portfolio. She does events, fashion, theatre and film makeup and operates by appointment. Check out her blog or hit her up with an email (cheeries@msn.com) if you're looking for some maquillage tips!
"Fashion! Turn to the left Fashion! Turn to the right”
Now that I have filled my David Bowie “quote quota” for the day, I want to introduce the blogosphere to an impressive not-for-profit organization that I’ve recently encountered.
The Canadian Fashion Association is a Federal, not-for-profit Incorporation committed to fostering growth to those inspired by the fine art of fashion in Canada.
The CFA concentrates on creating opportunities for the contemporary Canadian fashion scene. They have a bi-annual publication and a blog, all focused on fostering and developing excellence, achievement, and recognition for fashion in Canada.
My fellow fashionistas, Canadian Fashion Week is quickly approaching. While at Slice, we do cover a lot of fashion, CFA’s blog, The Daily Thread, is a thorough look at fashion in Canada and the world. The Daily Thread is written by various members of the Canadian Fashion Association, featuring writers from across Canada that share updates on what is happening in their area. Whether you’re in Toronto or Fort McMurray, you can still be up on all the Canadian Fashion Week trends by following The Daily Thread. Their coverage of NY fashion week included links to the various collections that were shown, so we can expect to see a LOT of coverage of LG Fashion Week.
Learn more about the Canadian Fashion Association here.
Since this blog focuses on Canadian content and culture, one really important event I want everyone to know about is Canadian Music Week. I am literally counting down the days until CMW starts. I have never attended CMW before, but just from a quick browsing of the website, it looks like a great festival and conference that has something for every music enthusiast. In the next few weeks SLICE will be profiling some of the acts that will be at CMW.
After briefly looking over the performance schedule, I am feeling some major information overload, but that’s a good thing! It seems like there are hundreds of bands performing all over the city and festival goers will need to pick and chose the performances they attend. I want to give a quick shout out to Sloan, a legit Canadian band, who has picked some homegrown talent to open for them on Wednesday, March 11th. One of their opening acts is Will Curry and the Country French, a band bred from university music students, and I actually graduated high school with the drummer, and trust me, he’s good.
As Canada’s largest and most influential media and music conference, CMW brings together the world’s top industry professionals to participate in a three-day program of activities. Designed to stimulate the exchange of market intelligence, increase dialogue and provide networking opportunities, Canadian Music Week continues to present the ideal platform for more than 2,000 national and international delegates. With everything that CMW is offering, it is extremely worthwhile to peruse the website and check out the events taking place.
Now in its 26th year, Rogers Wireless CMW is the single longest running and premiere music and media event focusing on the business of MUSIC, bringing together more than 360 of the world's top industry professionals for one spectacular week of events - combining informative, intensive conferences, award shows & Canada’s biggest New Music Festival. The Festival spans 4 nights of performances, with over 500 showcasing bands at over 40 live music venues in downtown Toronto. So friends, CMW sounds fun, right? Ready for the dates? Clear your schedule from March 11 to the 14th. SLICE will be there jamming with some great Canucks…so you probably should too.
Here is a video of my friend Eon’s band performing at CMW in 2007. You may be familiar with them…Bedouin Soundclash.
Right, so if you're a lover of all forms of music and you haven't heard of the Black Cab Sessions, well today is your lucky day.
"The Black Cab Sessions were conceived by Jono Stevens and produced as a partnership between Hidden Fruit (Gen Stevens and Chris Pattinson) and Just So Films (Jonny Madderson and Will Evans)." - thanks Wikipedia.
Basically, an artist (or group of artists) jumps into the back of a black cab (a.k.a. "hackney carriage"- those big black taxicabs they have in UK) and performs a song of their choosing while the cab roams around the streets of London (or whatever city they are filming in). The reason why the sessions are worth watching is because it quickly becomes apparent which artists are in their element and are able to adapt and play off of their surroundings effectively. Case in point, Lykke Li.
The Black Cab Sessions (BCS) have seen a number of incredible performers including The New Pornographers, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, Spoon, The Walkmen, Bon Iver, Futureheads, Amanda Palmer, The Kooks, Martha Wainwright, Coldwar kids... you name it, the list goes on... if they are any good they've performed in the back of a London cabby.
The BCS have since gone international, crossing over the pond to cover this years SXSW festival (I'm looking forward to seeing who they managed to rope into performing). They have garnered a cult like following on youtube and on their website and show no signs of slowing down.
So, it's recently come to our attention that Steven Page (lead Singer of BNL) has quit the band. This is a sad day for Canadian music and once we've figured out exactly what the story behind this is, we'll update you further.
According to their website: "By mutual agreement, Steven Page will be parting company with the remaining members of Barenaked Ladies". Apparently this in order to pursue a solo music and a theatrical career.
We give Green Go our green light of approval (not that they need it or anything, 'cause this band is effing FANTASTIC)!
Hmm, how exactly do you describe this band? They are a mix and match of all things worth enjoying in life. Dancing. Drinking. Partying. Youth. Music... and of course the almighty REMIX!
They are a 5 piece band hailing from Guelph, ON and are vibrantly mashing-up the term Quint-Essential. They are probably best known for their incredible live remixes using synths, bass, drums and guitar to bring a unique and authentic electro-house sound to party lovers everywhere (no smoke and mirrors or computers here people, they are the real deal). You can check out the Green Go Remix Project Vol. 1 on their myspace page, which includes remixes of Born Ruffians, "This Sentence" and The D'Urbervilles', "Dragnet".
Green Go got their start performing at jam packed sweaty house parties in Southwestern Ontario and they have no intention of straying to far from the path that put them on the map. They have headlined Steamwhistle's Indie Unsigned Showcase, performed at NXNE music fest and have been stomping the stages with many up and coming bands from one end of Ontario to the other. Their début album, Borders, will be hitting speakers this coming April.
Catch them live: February 28th (this Saturday) at Starlight Social Club in Waterloo, along with Bocce and DJ Global Warming - $8, or $5 with a non-perishable food donation. Ages 19+ March 13th at The Supermarket in Toronto as part of the Canadian Music Week showcase.
I was on the bus tonight traveling home and enjoying my newly updated ipod playlist, when halfway through my journey a guy gets on the bus blaring music on his cell phone. (I can feel everyone reading this post cringe right now... but don't be too hasty. This occasion was different.) ...
The guy was sitting on the bus blasting his music, and out of curiosity I turned off my ipod to hear what he was listening to. Low and behold, to my disbelief, he was publicly jamming to Monica - Don't take it personal (Just one of dem days).
I couldn't believe it. I was honestly shocked. I hadn't heard that song in YEARS. Since 1995 to be exact. And with that song, the memories came flooding back in waves. That fight with Val that nearly ended our friendship. That hot councilor, Tyson, and his new tattoo. Cutting Brian Wong's hair in the girls bathroom. TLC. SWV. Boys II Men and All-4-1. The butterfly dance. Fries and Gravy for lunch from the Cock and Bull at York University. Stealing Ice from Wendy's and not realizing that it was free. Pogs. CLACKERS! I even remember listening to this song at camp while we were putting on a fake fashion show, and the oldest and most popular girl at the camp (I think her name was Laura) was walking down the aisle with Jason (the oldest and most popular boy at the camp naturally) in an oversized wedding dress she borrowed from her mom.
Anyway, it's safe to say that aside from the nostalgia, I broke out into a huge goofy smile and started nodding along to the track appreciatively, despite the fact that everyone on the bus was clearly annoyed.
So today, because of the man with the trapper hat, gray sweat pants, fingerless gloves and Sony Ericsson cell phone, I will never again roll my eyes at another person enjoying their cell phone music on public transportation, because you never know whose day they just might be making a little bit brighter.
Empire - a.k.a. The Legendary Fifth Letter Fam - is a Toronto based hip hop group made up of Adam Bomb, Scandalis, The Rhyme Animal, Talksick, Mezziah and Tek Man. They are a team of talented "lyrical gangstas" that have opened for many distinguished hip hop artists including Raekwon the Chef, Kardinal Offishall and Mobb Deep.
SA.R.S. (Sick Artist Runnin Shit) mixtape series, was created by Empire to bring exposure to local up and coming artists. The name S.A.R.S, being an obvious play on words outlining one of the worst tragidies to hit the city, was decided on in order to bring a positive movement that would represent the cities enduring pride.
Just... with a social conscious and a wild side. ________________ Model: Lauren Phoenix Hometown: Toronto, ON Studied at: University of Western Ontario Career: Porn actress/director Date of ad: 2005 ________________
This witty article in the Torontoist explains. "In the hipster hegemony, so uselessly defined by anti-establishmentarianism, an empire falls merely by becoming one." - Sarah Nicole Prickett
Obama visits the capital today in his first foreign trip since taking office. Obama will be meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa and talks will likely include jobs, the economy, as well as energy and the environment.
Since taking office Obama has approved an increase in the number of troops fighting in Afghanistan. While Canada has been incredibly active in the war in Afghanistan sending more than 25,000 troops to the country since 2002, (despite the majority of Canadians disapproving of our involvement) the government intends to withdraw by 2011. The war has cost Canadian taxpayers 7.7-10.5 billion dollars to date, while Canada continues to struggle with a slumping economy which has seen a record job loss of 129,000 in January.
The trade issue, which was one of Obama's central campaigning points, is likely to be at the top of the Obama-Harper discussion today. During his campaign, he had threatened to pull out of NAFTA unless Canada and Mexico improved our labour and environmental protections. Obama's "Buy American" phrase is definitely an issue that has had us shifting in our seats. However, in an interview with Peter Mansbridge on February 17th with CBC, Obama stated that Canada “shouldn’t be too concerned... there are a lot of sensitivities right now because of the huge decline in world trade ... it's not in anybody’s interest to see that trade diminish.”
Hopefully Obama will be able to repair Canada-U.S. relations which have been a point of contention with the Canadian public while Bush was in Office.
Tricia Todd and Eric Matthies' documentary on country blues musician Andre Williams, Agile Mobile Hostile, is currently being featured on Pitchfork Media's "One Week Only" and you MUST CHECK IT OUT. This is an incredible documentary on the rebirth of fallen star Andre Williams.
The film follows Williams as he retraces his steps through his past and discusses his highest moments, which included, topping the charts in the 50's and 60's with hits like "Bacon Fat" and "Jail Bait", recording on Motown's Miracle record label, and working with Stevie Wonder and Ike Turner. To his lowest moments and eventual fall from grace which landed him on a bridge in the 90's, homeless and with his hand out in order to fuel his crippling drug addiction.
In the Late 90's, Andre Williams picked himself up and released Mr. Rhythm, an album which included new renditions of his older hits. Williams has since recorded with Toronto based band The Sadies. His most recent album Can you Deal with it? was released in 2008.
Williams continues to deal with addiction as well as failing health.
The film is a fantastic and revealing documentary on one of the most original punk, blues and soul artist ever to record and comes highly recommended by the staff team at SLICE.
"Take it from Andre, leave the F*cking Drugs Alone". - Andre Williams
Endless Arcadia are an up and coming band single-handedly putting classic rock back on the map. You all need to check them out, and with good reason, because these guys are amazing. Formed in June 2008 in NYC, they are already making waves in New York's music scene, playing gigs around the city and slowly building a cult-like following. The band is fronted by Joel Zamble on lead guitar and vocals, Dane McIntosh on bass and Rob Galbraith on drums.
These guys are part of the psychedelic rock revival movement, and have one of the purest acid/blues rock sounds on the scene at the moment. The band's sound can be compared to jam band greats like Grateful Dead and is heavily influenced by acts such as The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Doors.
If you're a fan of classic/psychedelic rock and are an appreciator of great musicianship you will absolutely love these guys. Joel is a self-taught guitarist and has only been playing the guitar for 4 years, but within that time he has become a YouTubeguitar sensation, being hailed as the next Hendrix, while maintaining a style of his own. He has also supported acclaimed Israeli artists Idan Raichel at the Fillmore Irving Plaza in NYC in 2007. Dane also picked up the bass guitar about 4 years ago while working as a music producer. He hooked up with Joel and thus Endless Arcadia was born. Rob was a New York based DJ who came on board as the bands drummer just over a month ago. Since their formation, Endless Arcadia's sound continues to grow and strengthen. This band is a music festival goers wet dream and we at SLICE have no doubt that they will be burning up the circuit in no time.
They are currently working on their debut EP which is due to be released in the very near future. (No date has been revealed as yet.)
UPCOMING GIG: Catch Endless Arcadia in New York at Don Hills on the 13th of March at 9:30pm.
N-Dubz (formerly NW1) have finally released their much anticipated and incredibly hyped debut abum, Uncle B.
The album dropped in November and it has been steadily climbing to the top of the charts ever since. N-Dubz swept the underground music scene back in 2006 with their monster single "You Better not Waste my Time", (which appears on their debut album). Although the album is doing exceedingly well in the U.K. (peaking at #11 in the charts), don't expect to here these guys playing across the pond anytime soon.
N-Dubz are well rooted in London's grime and dub community, which has yet to fully gain momentum in North America (aside from select underground scenes in TO, MTL, NY and LA).
Their latest song "Strong Again" was recently released and is the 3rd single to be dropped from their album.
Slice is not in the habit of poking fun at Canadian exports, but we are interested in an interviewers ability to keep a stone cold face throughout an interview like this...
London Fashion Week kicks off on Friday and 4 of Canada's fastest rising talents will be showcasing their designs on one of the hottest runways in Europe.
If you think you're in the wrong place... You're not. Slice blog was down for the majority of the day yesterday so that we could bring you this fly looking page that is FAR sexier than our old one.
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The notorious and publicly recognizable face of Canadian music always appears be the same artists. A quick review of the 2009 Juno nominees shows an inadequate portrayal of the musical talent we have in this country. Canadian music is so much more than Nickelback, Celine Dion, Simple Plan, Bryan Adams, and Hedley. I can’t believe how many Twitter posts I have seen stating that, “Canadian music sucks”, and “CRTC regulation is bullsh*t”. There is so much more to Canadian bands than the Nickelback songs that play over and over on every Canadian radio station.
The indie music scene in Canada is thriving with innovative artists who are admired nationally and internationally within the music community. Specifically, the Canadian electronica scene is overflowing with talent and if we keep talking and blogging about these remarkable bands, maybe someday their accolades will surge in. Listen to this playlist...what have I missed? Let me know!
P.S. The only artist on this playlist that is nominated for a 2009 Juno is Crystal Castles...let's all cheer them on!
Love love,
sullywood
Tomorrow is Valentine's day and as I subscribe to the belief that it is a commercial holiday, I will not be doing anything romantic at all. If you are choosing to bypass the love train as well, do what I do and avoid sappy music if at all possible.
Toronto is a great city because there are so many alternative events taking place every weekend. If you're in the habit of finding out about concerts and later forgetting to buy tickets, bookmark this blog because I will be reminding you as soon as I find out.
The first band I want to focus on is Passion Pit. If you haven't heard of Passion Pit yet, check out their song Sleepyhead. The band began as a one-man project of singer and songwriter Michael Angelakos. The Chunk of Change EP was originally put together as a Valentine's gift from Angelakos to his then girlfriend. Surprise! I managed to find an example of Valentine's Day making a difference in my life. The positive response Angelakos received from his girlfriend prompted him to give it out to his friends and fellow students at Emerson College .
Angelakos wrote and recorded the entire record by himself and it seems to be a preview of the quality work this perfectionist can offer. The production of the recording - brief, random, and unpredictably explosive - worked towards the development of Angelakos’ signature euphoric, laid-back sound.
Hey Rosetta are a 6 piece band hailing from St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador. Their latest album, Into Your Lungs, was released in June 2008 and was produced by Hawksley Workman. Here's "Red Heart" off of their new album.
Acclaimed and award-winning director Charles Officer's first feature film was released in theatres last Friday (Feb 6th) to coincide with Black History Month.
The film follows the fates of it's three central characters "the soul of a mother, the heart of a fighter and the faith of a child". The mother is a nurse, the fighter is a boxer and the boy is the nurses son. The three characters lives become entwined after a boxing match that leaves the fighter in the care of the nurse. The son plays a roll in this happenstance by practicing magic in the hopes of bringing the three of their lives together.
The film is an urban love story which uncovers the hidden parts of Toronto that Officer hoped to showcase.
Should you find yourself in Saskatchewan over the next month it would be well worth your while to check out the "Resolute Bay" exhibit at the Dunlop Art Gallery in Regina.
Jakey Georges Lafargue of Montreal and Louis Couturier of Paris came together almost 20 years ago to form Attitude d'artistes. Their most recent effort is entitled "Resolute Bay". It is a collaborative documentary of Canada's second most northern community in Nunavut. The community (Resolute Bay) was uprooted and relocated from Northern Quebec to Nunavut by the Canadian government in the 1950s. Lafargue and Couturier worked with the community to create a documentary of the life and survival methods used by the isolated community (much like a modern day version of Nanook of the North). The documentary is titled "Voyage du jour dans la nuit", and was shown to the community at its completion.
The exhibit includes experimental photographs on plywood which depict Attitude d'artistes time spent at Resolute Bay with the community.
The film chronicles a one week period in which Ben (Jackson), learns he only has a week to live, and decides to use his time travelling from one end of Canada to the other, (well, Toronto to Tofino, BC) while searching for the meaning of life. The film is a tribute to Canada and it's vast lands and iconic landmarks. It is a romanticised Canadian road trip story that will hopefully encourage other Canadians to explore our beautiful country.
Juno award winning Nova Scotian indie guys, Wintersleep, have departed on an extensive European tour, which will be followed up by an American tour which includes a stop at the SXSW festival.
Winterseleep are an alternative rock band that formed in Halifax in 2001 but have since relocated to Toronto. Their members collaborate regularly with other (mostly Canadian) artists and bands, including Holy Fuck and Paul Hayden Desser (more about Hayden in another post).
Their latest album was released in 2007 and is entitled Welcome to the Night Sky. The album has been described as "head smashingly heavy and heart-achingly delicate", by FFWD Calgary.
If you haven't checked them out yet, you most definitely should.
I thought I'd post this video as I came across it today. I had never seen it before. But as you can see Thrill da Playa is sporting a Habs jersey. Perhaps he's a Canadiens fan. They have no Canadian affiliation whats so ever, but it's an awesome song, and a great team so.. HEY!!!
I promised myself that despite my personal feelings about this band I would never devote an entire blog to the Kings of Leon. Partially due to the fact that they are a well established band that are currently facing the age old transition from pocket band to mainstream band, as well as the long awaited “they've sold out” mud slinging from their fair-weathered fans. I lasted about a month.
Anyway, it has recently come to my attention that the Kings of Leon have announced another set of North American Tour dates. I don't know what their label has them on, but these guys just don't stop, they're either incredibly motivated, or hopped up on [insert pharmaceutical drug of choice here].
The new tour starts in Boston on the 19th of April and continues on to the beautiful city of Toronto on April 21st, which will be the only Canadian stop on the tour. While in Toronto they will be playing a massive gig at the Air Canada Centre.
Yes people, Kings of Leon... who played the Kool Haus no more than 3 months ago to a sold out 2,500 person crowd, have booked the almighty ACC for a 20,000 strong rock concert in April. This North American arena tour is probably their most ambitious to date. With stops at Spectrum Arena in Philadelphia and Agganis Arena in Boston.
Dixon has suggested we profile Shad K., a London, ON based alternative rapper who includes elements from all genres from jazz to funk on his tracks.
Shad K's socially conscious lyrics have garnered him a great deal of attention. He is quickly becoming one of Canada's most sought after exports landing a spot on this years Vans Warped Tour as well as a gig playing at the SXSW festival in Austin this March.
His debut Album When this is Over was released independently in 2005 to critical acclaim. He has since been signed to indie label Black Box Recordings, and has released his second album The Old Prince which was nominated for a Juno award for best rap recording of the year.
Shad K is currently working towards his Masters degree at Simon Fraser University in BC.
For all you Skins fans out there, Season 3 has FINALLY RETURNED, with its 2nd generation!
After a long hiatus and complete recast of central characters (with the exception of Effy and Pandora), Skins has returned to it's adoring audiences with much anticipation. This BAFTA-nominated series is now in its 3rd season, however due to its popularity it was picked up by Canada's Super Channel as well as BBC America. If you do not have access to either of these channels Seasons 1 & 2 can be viewed online at Watch Skins Online and season 3 can be found on Stream Skins.
The series follows a group of troubled teenagers from Bristol, while completing their A-levels at college (grades 11 & 12 in North America). The show has received a great deal of criticism due to its depiction of teenagers and its amoral stance on issues of controversy. (This is no Degrassi people. There are no lessons to be learned.) The characters regularly engage in promiscuity as well as drug and alcohol abuse while attempting to navigate the world as a youth in Britain.
This show is highly recommended and we at SLICE are massive fans.
The program and the following BBC America promo are for mature audiences.
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.
I'm hungry
's range (mostly Kate Moss' shite) for some time now, but apparently Topshop is opening a store in Canada.
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Share and Enjoy!
Share and Enjoy!
