Post V Fest

Okay, so that's a really misleading title for this post. Sort of. Technically, it's true. It will be post V-fest Toronto about now. But I didn't attend V-fest this year even though I love half of the bands who are playing.

I decided I don't really like large music festivals. First off, being petite, I can't really see anything. While there is value to music festivals in which you can't see anything (ie. being with friends, gushing over your favourite bands, festival atmosphere etc.), I just prefer seeing bands in smaller settings. I like to push my way to the front, but in a music festival, I'd just end up watching it on a megatron. I might as well do that at home for free on tv.

This is what I saw when Death Cab For Cutie played at Olympic Island a couple of months back. And that was when I held my arm over my head with the camera.


Not much of a view. But then a very generous and giddy girl sitting on someone's shoulders behind me took this one for me. I could see via my camera lens! Note to self: please bring a camera to shows more often.Death Cab for Cutie - No Sunlight (mp3) (buy)

Anyhoo, I will leave you with a couple of tracks from the headliners at V-fest.

Foo Fighters - Come Back (mp3) (buy)
Oasis - Live Forever (mp3) (buy)

The Actor and the Stage

Things are getting more dramatic. In a literal sense.

My drama class is putting on a play for young audiences. I hold a personal grudge against this script. It's a lot less intellectually compelling than what we did last year, Office Hours by Norm Foster. Damn, that Norm knows how to write a script. He raised my expectations for this year. But anyway! The thing I'm upset about most is I actually agreed to be the narrator. I don't mind the number of lines, really. But I have to watch everyone else bitch at each other in a PG-13 manner as the script directs, while I stand to the side and act proper. My peer-student-director held a meeting with the actors to discuss how we develop our characters.
She goes: So, tell me how you see your character.
I go: Um. I see myself-
She goes: Tell me in first person.
I go: Um. IIII see MYYYSEELFFF as...
While I'm answering this I'm thinking to myself "I'M THE EFFING NARRATOR. I DON'T HAVE CHARACTER". And on top of that, our teacher's watching over us like a vulture. It's like he's in super PMS mode.

But there's some good news. The Improv Club has finally been approved by out student council and will be hosting it's first meeting this wednesday. Yay! What will we do? I dunno. We'll just improvise.

Haha, get it?

Of Montreal - The Actor's Opprobium (MP3)
Dandy Warhols - Cool Scene (MP3)

Last but certainly not least, I wish to end off this post with a more solemn note.




Davy Grolton was a great man. May he rest in peace.

Foo Fighters - Long Road to Ruin (MP3)

I've been hearing that some people think this is "Foo Fighter Filler". Am I the only one that actually realy likes this song?

Summer's End

Yeah, so I asked my sister to fill in for me for the last post. We got on the topic of what we would do if either of us had won a crap-load of money because I entered a contest to win a quarter of a million dollars while at The Canadian National Exhibition a couple weeks prior. Obviously, I didn't win. Nonetheless, I had a great day at the CNE. It's just one of those things that you have to go to every year if you live in the vicinity. You keep telling yourself that there's nothing new THIS year, and it's not ACTUALLY that much fun, but still wind up ambling through the front gate.

Looking back on it now, I had a very kick-ass last week of summer! Went to the CNE and the Chinese Lantern Festival. The morning after, I woke up early to set myself at the Edge 102,1 store front studio for a short performance and interview by Bedouin Soundclash. They played a two song set, starting with the single Walls Fall Down and ending with 12:59 Lullaby, which can be found by a quick YouTube search. I'm not sure why I'm so surprised... but those guys are nice. So nice. I had a short conversation with Pat and Eon, during which they promised to play some more all ages shows (I'm holding you to that, boys) and they used my cell phone. Bedouin Soundclash used my cell phone! That's my current greatest claim to fame.




I also saw the Joel Plaskett show down at Yonge and Dundas Square for Ryerson. That man is still as sharp as ever, I tell you. He and the Emergency (plus Peter Elkas) dished out a load of crowd teasers like Extraordinary and Nowhere with you. Ashtray Rock, the song, was a bit unexpected though. The audience enjoyed themselves so much, that all of the front row pushed the barricade forward for the second song of the encore. I don't think the band could have been more pleased.


I think that was a great way to follow up my first two posts. Funny, I didn't even know about these two shows when I was writing those entires. It must be fate. But that's all come and gone.

Evil Dead: The Musical is also ending tomorrow, as I was told. I saw it way back before the summer even began. That was a good show, indeed. It was based off the first two Evil Dead movies, long before Sam Raimi started directing web-slinging blockbuster hits. Deliciously cheesy like its ancestor, and 100% more ear-pleasing to a music lover. I was kind of upset that I didn't get splattered with fake blood as was promised in their advertisements, despite sitting in the first row. I guess it was a hit and miss sort of thing. Well, here's what I believe to be the greatest summary of the campy musical:

Original Off Broadway Cast of Evil Dead: The Musical - What the Fuck was that? (MP3)
(Go Buy the Soundtrack)

Cheers to a great run, cast and crew of the Toronto Evil Dead Production!

Anyway, school has started for me once again. I've got a terrible morning and a very La De Daa afternoon. Data Management, followed by Physics and Visual art. I take a break for lunch and then head off for Drama before the school day is finished.

The Flashing Lights - Highschool (MP3)
Foo Fighters - My Poor Brain (MP3)

For those of you who might not personally know me, I'm in my last year of high school and I've finally realized that it isn't as great as television and movies make it out to be. I feel pretty much the same as I did in grade 9, only with a larger sense of urgency. I don't like it!