close to paradise

Uber late on this whole Polaris thing. Read excellent re-caps here, here and most lovingly, my witty and affable date, the Helenic beauty / willing futon provider Meghan Harrison's take here.

Highlights:

• Patrick Watson's win seemed to be a bit of a coup, and certainly the reaction of the audience (largely made up of jury members) was uncomfortable shock for about 3.2 seconds, but in the minutes, hours and days since, there seems to be a general consensus that it was a safe bet, which could be agreed upon by Grand Jury in the allotted 2 hours. Which leads to a discussion of whether the best album of the year based on "artistic merit alone" should be a "safe bet." My thoughts: Watson's album is a bit of a sleeper, but he was one of the more interesting live performers.


• Last year's prize winner and generous boyfriend Owen Pallett's sleeveless, orange shirt was the second biggest shock of the evening. He accepted the nomination on behalf of the Arcade Fire, and also announced the winner.


• Julie Doiron with Eric's Trip. For a music-loving cub like myself, this was a pretty big deal. While there's been some conversation about this performance, including how it will translate to television, I was fairly awed. It was raw, and rough, and fun. Doiron was visibly excited to be there, backed by her former band. It made me almost wish I could trade in my Weeping Tile lifestyle for a little bit of Moncton. (There was some breakfast discussion comparing the Doiron/Trip esthetic with Sarah Harmer backed by the Hip. Attention Rick White and Rob Baker: your hair is gross.)


• Each shortlist nominee was introduced by a presenter from the Jury, providing an argument for their album. There were serious mic issues all night long, which sort of hampered things, but this quote from Carl Wilson's Junior Boys speech made it to the peon gallery (aka the balcony): "This is the land of the silver birch, but also Marshall McLuhan." Double-you teee eff, C-Dubs?


• A sweating, shining Jian Ghomeshi did a longwinded presentation for my favourites, the Besnard Lakes. A "casual back and forth" between the Q-list celeb and Jace Lasek took place. Something about Jace swearing on The Hour at SXSW a few years ago, and being reprimanded by his grandmother. Ghomeshi's argument for the album: "They play some eclectic fucked-up shit."


• Mid after-party, I went to the convenience store down the block from the Drake. Looked at Basia Bulat on the cover of Now magazine, returned to the rooftop of the Drake and there was Basia. There are some things that would rarely happen in the States, or really anywhere else in the world to a wide-eyed wannabe like myself. Ohhh Canada. You're tiny and you give jobs to pompous, talentless jerks, but we love you.
  
  
  

making waves

Photo property of the Queen's Journal. By Heather Mosher

This weekend was Tidal Mass, a 24-hour arts event, featuring sculpture, silent film and live music. Don Maynard's sculpture, from which the event took its name, was a visual stunner-2300 fluorescent light bulbs arranged into waves, and lit from below, making "pools and puddles" of light.
Almost 15 musicians (Greg Tilson, Nich Worby, Jason Erb, Jeff Barbeau, Jenni O'Neil, Benjamin Nelson, etc) had been practicing in the space for 6 weeks and had arranged five hours of music which cycled through seasonal themes, from winter to fall.


Photo property of the Queen's Journal. By Harrison Smith

The show drew a bigger crowd than I've seen at any kind of arts event in a long time (this town gets a bit lonely in the summer). I'm so happy something like this is happening in little ol' Kingston.

The lights and the sounds, they made me believe.

spinning and also spiraling

I'm still coming down from a weekend in the hills. The Shelter Valley Folk Festival was this end-of-summer weekend, and it was great. I probably saw less music this year than ever before, between volunteering and a mid-festival break for a friend's wedding, but anything that includes good food, tie-dyed everything, tent mornings, moonsongs, campfires and small children has got to be good. And on top of all that, sunshine!

Also, something that commands this kind of commitment is obviously made of love:

I'm a believer.

P.S. Find of the weekend? James Hill. He plays the ukulele! (And was the most gracious vegetarian in the face of a near-meat experience.)

taking turns

after a year spent developing a love of illustration and poster-art, i got to take a turn.
my friend benjamin nelson is a poster artist of the highest calibre, and for this project he asked for a little help from his friends. we met at the sleepless goat, he passed out the pens and paper, and we all got our creative on. i'm clearly not the next seripop (my contribution is the car & delivery truck on the bottom left. how embarassing), but for a moment, i was there.

edit (jan/08): this poster is now hanging in all it's full-size glory in the hall in my apartment. come over and use my washroom (though there's no door, only a curtain--you've been warned) and look at it. it's great.

run to catch up.

The past few weeks have been a blur of rapid typing and making up questions on the spot, but they've also been full of sweet summer times and some really good tunes to sip ice water to.

Immaculate Machine, Gus' Pub, Halifax, NS (pronounced enn-ess).

This show was heaps of fun. Heaps.

It was opened by two of Halifax's finest: Laura Peek of Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts and Journalists, Wolf (formerly known as Stephen Cooke and the Respected Halifax Journalists, Wolf - please someone correct me if I'm wrong). Laura did her cute-girl-singer-with-a-keyboard thing, and it was about as adorable as expected. Journalists, Wolf did their crazy-9-piece-drunken-shirtless-screamy-rock-out- with-2-harmonica-players -and-a-guitar-played-with-broom-handle thing and that was about as hilarious as expected. Any show that includes the words "That last song was about Oprah Winfrey and this song is for Keanu Reeves," is where it's at.


Laura Peek being adorable.

Immaculate Machine have been getting press since keyboard/vocalist Kathryn Calder joined her Uncle Carl's little project, but they have been working hard & making good music for five years. Their music is like the funnest road trip you've ever been on, like Rainbow Brite, like standing on big rocks in a yellow dress. They were alive and connected on stage, and they really love playing their music.

Immaculate Machine - Dear Confessor
In the middle of two 20 hour drives, this song was perfect: "maps won't show us where we're going, all they are is just the boring facts..."

Immaculate Machine - Northeastern Wind
This one's sort of the song that's not like the others on the Fables album, which makes it extra-special beautiful.

get folked up, stay folked up.

kyle, me, katesheff, miss bess, SVFF 2006 - "it rained at woodstock!"

Here's the thing about the Shelter Valley Folk Festival: it's the perfect end to every summer.

On the ideal Labour Day weekend, the sun is shining, but there is a nice breeze. At night, the sky turns purple and the view from the hill is of the lake and the sun and some of Canada's best. Last year, every single rained-out, wet socks, water-pooling-in-the-tent, "where are our all our towels?", hurricaned moment of last year's was great.

Three reasons to go to the Festival:

1. Artistic director Aengus Finnan has this gift for picking artists who are always on the edge of something. If you see a performer at SVFF, chances are they'll win an award from the Canadian Folk Music Association in December or show up on the cover of Penguin Eggs.

2. Even if you don't think folk music is your thing, there will be something at the festival that is your thing, whether it's a singer-songwriter or the wellness tents or the children's parade or the really good Carribbean food.

3. Performers really really love SVFF. If they love it, you'll love it.

Three reasons to volunteer at the Festival:

1. The food. Among musicians I've talked to, Shelter Valley is known for having the best hospitality area among summer festivals in Canada. Who woulda thought that putting out some corn chowder on a cold Sunday morning would get such rave reviews?

2. Camping on the top of the hill. See above for why this is good.

3. The late-night bonfires. This is sort of a see-for-yourself kinda thing.


Also, I'm pretty sure Shelter Valley has the cutest kids in the world.

Get on it.
2007's line-up
Volunteer application

dave eggers is uncalled for

First of all:

I am tired.
I am true of heart!

And also:

You are tired.
You are true of heart!

*Stolen with very little shame from Dave Eggers. This is my grace before meals and my prayer before bed.