Friday, February 27, 2009

Ottawa Transit: Subways Ahead?



Some of you will already be aware of the troubles we've faced in Ottawa in the course of expanding OC Transpo's light rail component. We've had at least one proposal get right up to the point of putting shovels in the ground...and then we got a sort of whiplash thanks to the election of Larry O'Brien. That's a long story I will not go into here.

Last night, we started what may finally be a good next step.



There was an open house at City Hall. Detailed was the proposal for a subway/light rail corridor running from Tunney's Pasture through the downtown core, the University of Ottawa Campus, the local VIA Rail station and St. Laurent Mall out to Gloucester Centre Mall out on the edge of the Greenbelt in the eastern end.


It was certainly well-attended. Alex Cullen was there for City Council, as was Marianne Wilkinson. Enough people to fill the public galleries in the Council Chambers, and if they'd had room for more, I suspect there would have been more.

As to the project...well, it makes sense. They're trying to sort through several different options for different parts of the corridor. What combination would work the best? That was part of the point of the displays, the Power Point show, and so forth.

The corridor itself makes a certain amount of sense in general terms. I'm not entirely sure that it will defuse the current "bottleneck effect" we've been seeing for years in the central east-west corridor through Centretown on its own. The idea that a subway running under it will reduce the need for buses or anything else in a mass transit vein?


I just don't know.

At least there's lot of people from one end of town to the other paying attention.

Will CBC Axe Radio 3?

In a Canadian Press article yesterday a CBC "spokesman" mentioned Radio 3 as a possible source of funding cuts.
A CBC spokesman said such a plan could mean anything from unloading Radio 3 to putting a website up for sale.

Lacroix refused to delve into specifics, noting the drastic step was just one option as the corporation struggles with a financial crisis expected to plunge the CBC into the red next year.

In his speech, Lacroix said he has requested a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to ask for greater financial flexibility that would permit the Crown corporation to sell some assets. He's also seeking immediate access to the next fiscal year's funding for the CBC.
This may all be idle talk and speculation. A campaign to urge additional government funding for the CBC and an unscientific poll in the Globe and Mail yesterday showed overwhelming public support for additional Government funding.



According to a report by Nordicity group the CBC ranked 16th out of 18 countries in terms of per capita government funding for public broadcasting.
"The per-capita comparison demonstrates that, among 18 major Western countries, Canada had the third lowest level of public funding for its public broadcaster in 2004. At $33 per inhabitant (all amounts in Canadian dollars, unless indicated otherwise), Canada’s level of funding was only ahead of New Zealand, and the United States (U.S.) What’s more, Canada’s funding for public broadcasting was less than one-half of the $80 average across the 18 Western countries. And Canada’s level of funding was about one-fifth of the level of the leading country – Switzerland – among those included in the comparison."
Clearly there is a need for a substantial funding increase for the CBC, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage clearly stated as much last year.

However, if the Government continues to be irresponsible in terms of Canadian culture, heritage and Canadians right to information the last place the CBC should look for cuts is Radio 3.

I don't think it is much of an exaggeration to say that Radio 3 is the bridge to the CBC's future.

In terms of technology CBC Radio 3 understands the internet and social media better than any other service the CBC offers. They are constantly aware of improvements in technology and shifts in internet culture and strive to keep up.

In terms of the audience Radio 3 is one of the few offerings the CBC has for young people. Sadly, in the CBC's case, when I say 'young people' I mean people under 40-45. The CBC, with the cancellation of Zed and jPod have already told this audience that they are not very important. Killing Radio 3 would be making this statement yet again with an exclamation point and a 'don't let the door hit you on the way out' on top of it.

In terms of the CBC's mandate none of the CBC's other arts and cultural programming (in my opinion) even meets the mandate. Radio 3 not only meets but exceeds the mandate. That mandate says that the CBC should:

  • be predominantly and distinctively Canadian (Check! Radio 3 is exclusively Canadian)

  • reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions,(Check! Radio 3's music comes from every part of Canada - small town and big cities. They could do with more hosts and correspondents from other parts of the country, but that would require more money, not less)

  • actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression,(Check! Radio 3 has built a strong community among artists, fans and Radio 3 hosts across the country)


  • I'll stop there, but again - Radio 3 meets the CBC's mandate better than any other CBC service.

    So, along side the campaign to persuade Parliament to increase the CBC's funding a campaign is now underway to tell the CBC to leave Radio 3 alone. Killing radio 3 would take the wind out of the sails of the drive to increase CBC's funding and would be a clear, unequivocal declaration that the CBC is content to grow old and eventually pass away with the baby boomers.

    Thursday, February 26, 2009

    Phog Lounge Voted Best Live Venue in Canada

    Congrats to the Phog Lounge of Windsor! They were voted, by CBC Radio 3, listeners the Best Live Venue in Canada. I personally might argue that point, but I have never been to the Phog so I couldn't argue it very well.



    Coming Up in Toronto

    Thursday Feb. 26
    Reel Artists Film Festival
    Facebook Event Page

    Gravity Wave + Boys Who Say No + Great Bloomers
    Facebook Event Page

    BRADBURN BIRTHDAY FETE & ADOPT A MISSION FUND RAISER
    Facebook Event Page

    Megan Hamilton Tranzac Residency
    Facebook Event Page

    DanceLikeYouFuck THURSDAY @ STRANGELOVE FEB.26TH Ft. SECRET GUEST DJ!!
    Facebook Event Page

    Friday, Feb. 27
    JUSTIN MARTIN | DIRTYBIRD RECORDS @ WRONGBAR
    Facebook Event Page

    Best of the Fest Encore Show
    Facebook Event Page

    1st ACT to ACT to ACT Screenplay Challenge - Fri. Feb. 27th 7pm at the NFB
    Facebook Event Page

    VIRTUAL JFK
    Facebook Event Page

    IT'S NOT ME, I SWEAR! - exclusively at The Royal!
    Facebook Event Page

    Randomland w Rye Rye, Syntonics and Andy Ares and Baba Khan
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, February 28
    The Coast, The Diableros, Oh No Forest Fires! & Ryan Masters at The Shoe
    Facebook Event Page

    Golden Ghetto @ Cest What 9PM
    Facebook Event Page

    Best of SHORT FILMS Sat. Feb. 28th with Moderation by PETER HOWELL (Star)
    Facebook Event Page

    Jimmy Hogg's Comedy Onslaught
    Facebook Event Page

    TWM 35: Rival Boys, Noisedive & Bitter City
    Facebook Event Page

    THE RAPTURE'S | DJ DRUZZI @ WRONGBAR NASTYMIX SATURDAYS
    Facebook Event Page

    OUR HOUSE!
    Facebook Event Page

    Sunday, March 1
    Quatuor Bozzini plays as part of the SHIFT Festival
    Facebook Event Page

    WL452 w/Hopeful Monster, Pete Samples, Evening Hymns
    Facebook Event Page

    Monday, March 2
    Monday Meetings @ The Social: MEDLEY (Dance Like You Fuck & Remix This)
    Facebook Event Page

    Tuesday, March 3
    Letters to my Grandma
    Two-time Dora Award Winner, Anusree Roy, is back with a new work: Letters to my Grandma
    Facebook Event Page

    Paul Banwatt + Gravity Wave
    Facebook Event Page

    Wednesday, March 4
    The Disorderly Show #3
    Facebook Event Page

    All you Can Eat at a hockey game?? $29!!
    Facebook Event Page

    PWYC Weds w/ Brothers, Cutthroat Brtiva & The Quarry
    Facebook Event Page

    Thursday, March 5
    International Women's Day Celebration
    Facebook Event Page

    CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS SHOWCASE
    Facebook Event Page

    Boat Load
    Facebook Event Page

    One Hit Wonders Night w/ 10 mazing acts covering awesome/hilarious songs!
    Facebook Event Page

    A Rust Belt Requiem?
    Facebook Event Page

    CD Preview Party – Kollage/The Rhythm Section with Michael Danso
    Facebook Event Page

    Friday, March 6
    The Dirty-Penny-Spookey-Ruben Video(s) Release Party!
    Facebook Event Page

    Rock for Sick Kids by Facebook Pals
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, March 7
    ZYGIELLA VII
    "back with a quaint show of amazing artists"
    Facebook Event Page

    irq/r4g3-dirty-30
    <> FREE
    Facebook Event Page

    Sunlit Ambush @The Steamwhistle Indieclub
    presented by 102.1 The Edge
    Facebook Event Page

    TWM 36:Brent Randall and his Pinecones,B.A. Johnston, the Stables+ Dany Laj
    Facebook Event Page

    Sunday, March 8
    Here or There?
    Facebook Event Page

    WL453 w/Radius and Helena, Times Neue Roman, Swiss Dice
    Facebook Event Page

    Wednesday, March 11
    Indie Night In Canada
    Facebook Event Page

    The Happiness Project by Charles Spearin: Live at the Music Gallery
    Do Make Say Think & Broken Social Scene member makes music out of his neighbourhood .... with guests Laura Barrett (Night One) & Muskox (Night Two)
    Facebook Event Page

    OLAROKS THE HORSESHOE TAVERN
    Facebook Event Page

    RALLY FOR RESPECT
    Facebook Event Page

    TWM's Officially Unofficial CMW Kickoff Party -- check this lineup!
    Facebook Event Page

    Thursday, March 12
    The Caraways,The Details,Megan Hamilton & the VC, 6 Day Riot, We See Lighs
    Facebook Event Page

    Friday, March 13
    Mint Does CMW - with Vancougar and Hot Panda!!
    Facebook Event Page

    POP in Toronto Round I w/ Little Scream, The D'Urbervilles, Darling Damaes
    and more. this is a certified CMW event
    Facebook Event Page

    CMW/TWM Day 2 w/ Amos the Transparent,Black Hat Brigade (tagline for rest)
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, March 14
    POP in Toronto Round II w/ CFCF, Automelodi, Dog Day, Parlovr et Géraldine
    Facebook Event Page

    KATHERINE MANSFIELD
    Facebook Event Page

    CMW/TWM Day3 w/ Mercy The Sexton,Modernboys Moderngirls (tagline for more!)
    Plus Les Handclaps, Whale Tooth & Peachcake!!
    Facebook Event Page

    Necro - Riviera Regime - So Sick Social Club - CMW Showcase!
    Facebook Event Page

    Sunday, March 15
    AUDIO BLOOD's ROCK N ROLL Tea Party! feat. New Jersey's HOLLER, WILD ROSE!
    w/ Our History of Cowboys, The Paint Movement, Great Lenin's Ghost AND Facebook Event Page

    WL454 w/Japandroids, We Take Lovers, Full Speed Velocipede
    Facebook Event Page

    Tuesday, March 17
    IN 09
    Facebook Event Page

    Colours of Comedy
    Facebook Event Page

    Thursday, March 19
    Ronley Teper's Lipliners CD RELEASE
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, March 21
    Pillow Fight Toronto 2009
    Facebook Event Page

    Junkhead Blows The Roof Off Of The Smiling Buddha
    Facebook Event Page

    Marilyn Nonken: Solo Piano (Concert & Artist's Talk)
    Facebook Event Page

    TWM & REMG Present: Rock Plaza Central, Key Witness & Bahamas & the Shoe!
    Facebook Event Page

    PERSIST at the smiling budda
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, March 21
    TWM & REMG Present: Rock Plaza Central, Key Witness & Bahamas & the Shoe!
    Rock Plaza's last show before their CD Release & Key Witness releasing their CD in one night!
    Facebook Event Page

    Sunday, March 22
    WL455 w/Pony Show, Steve McKay, Richard Laviolette
    Facebook Event Page

    Tuesday, March 24
    Toronto Greenhouse Launch Event
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, March 28
    Earth Hour 2009
    Facebook Event Page

    The Attar Project featuring Parmela Attariwala + Shawn Mativesky
    Facebook Event Page

    Sunday, March 29
    WL456 w/Adam and the Amethysts, Kidstreet, Rich Girl
    Facebook Event Page

    Monday, March 30
    Awkward Show & Tell: WEIRD WORK/SCHOOL STUFF (free)
    Facebook Event Page

    Tuesday, March 31
    Toronto Greenhouse Launch Event
    Facebook Event Page

    Wednesday, April 1
    Sideshow Classes at Sunnyside tattoos (until June 1)
    Facebook Event Page

    Thursday, April 2
    1950's GHOST SHOW- "CHASM OF SPASMS"
    Facebook Event Page

    Friday, April 3
    Throbbin Hoods at Duffys
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, April 4
    Persist live at the Hard Rock Cafe
    Facebook Event Page

    Wednesday, April 8
    Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers Ensemble
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, April 18
    Better Day Gala Fundraiser 2009
    Facebook Event Page

    Sunday, May 3
    Paula Poundstone in Toronto
    Facebook Event Page

    Wednesday, February 25, 2009

    Barenaked Ladies and Stephen Page Part Ways



    The Barenaked Ladies have announced by a statement on their website that after 20 years frontman Stephen Page is leaving the band:
    "By mutual agreement, Steven Page will be parting company with the remaining members of Barenaked Ladies. Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart will continue recording and touring together as Barenaked Ladies. Steven Page will pursue solo projects including theatrical opportunities while the band enters the studio in April 2009, and hits the road in the fall."
    While the rest of the band is going to stay together, tour, and record another album I cannot think of a single instance where the front man of a band has left and things have gone uphill afterward - at least not an established band.

    As for Page he has a new blog and a twitter and says
    " I am no longer a Barenaked Lady. After twenty years (plus a few months), I'm heading out on my own. I'm really excited about all the opportunities coming my way:"

    Thanks to CanCult for the heads up.

    Barenaked Ladies - Brian Wilson

    Comics and Canada: the Gene Day Award

    Some among you already know about the Joe Shuster Awards, our own counterparts to the like of the Harveys and Eisners south of the border.

    They've added a new category: the Gene Day Award for Canadian Self-Publishing.

    I refer you to the Shuster Awards' own page on the subject in the second link above.

    What do I think?

    I think this is another good step in building a home-grown comics sector in Canada's entertainment industry. I want to see us get to the point where everyone with talent and ambition to do so can make a decent living in the field. It can only help the country for that to happen.

    Tuesday, February 24, 2009

    More Journalists Need Media Literacy

    CBC Radio 3 points to a study by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine and picked up by the Canadian Press that says that there is an association between lyrics with degrading sex and early sexual experience.

    First of all there are so many flaws with this study that I hardly know where to start. They don't really know what the kids in the study were listening to, they just asked some 9th graders in Pittsburg some questions - so the kids were self reporting. It's a small sample and they apparently didn't ask them about other factors.

    Beyond that it is flawed in it's basic logic. If you ask people what artists they like and discover that homosexuals are more likely to like artists who are gay that does not mean that the music made them gay. This is a broader cultural issue. People from cultures where promiscuous sex and violence are a common part of the culture will like music that reflects the culture, often the artists themselves came out of the culture. It's the ultimate chicken and the egg question, it's a loop. Art imitates life which imitates life, which imitates art.

    Remember that popular music in the early 20th century had little to no violent or sexual content but those years produced two world wars.

    Ultimately studies like this one are attention seeking behavior on the part of organizations. It sounds good, it will grab headlines, it will please parents who don't want to blame themselves and it will please politicians who will find it far easier to blame musicians than to actually seek solutions to social problems. The Canadian Press story also contains the following piece of blather:
    "...we can teach what we call media literacy, which is to help kids be more critical media users, or more intelligent media users, so that they know it's not in their best interest to be modelling sexually degrading images."
    This quote is from "Jane Brown, a professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill," It seems to me though that it is not kids, or musicians or parents who need an education in "media literacy" it is journalists and editors who have a responsibility to the public, to filter information, to be critical and ask questions and not just try to grab headlines. These stories, based on faulty science and logic, are all too common in social, cultural, psychological and medical studies and the media (for the most part) just seem to gobble it up and send it out (with a catchy headline) as truth.

    There Are No Shortcuts Kids

    I remember when Rock Star INXS was on people were all giddy because the winner, J.D. Fortune, was from Mississauga. There was a story this past weekend in the Toronto Star and it turns out that the tour is over, Fortune is out of the band and was (at the time of the story) unemployed and homeless. Now no one wishes that on anyone but it goes to show that there are no shortcuts. No one, not a record label, not a tv show, is going to swoop in and hand you fame and fortune.
    The reality of the situation, unfortunately, is that reality-TV shows aren't a guarantor of a performer's success once the vested viewer interest of voting a favourite singer on or off the series dies away.

    Canadian Idol hasn't exactly proven a hit factory, either, offering little but fast fadeouts for the likes of Ryan Malcolm and Melissa O'Neil. Most people can't even recall last season's winner, Theo Tams.

    The real proof of whether J.D. Fortune can hang on to his rock-star status or will revert back to being the anonymous Jason Dean Bennison will come when his solo album, rather cleverly titled The Death of a Motivational Speaker, is finally released. Somewhere.

    "The only thing that can actually save someone from that disaster is actually having talent," says Rossi. "If you don't have talent, you get 12 months on tour and some airtime. But that doesn't mean sh--."
    So forget Canadian Idol, American Idol, or Rock Star Whatever. Practice, play when you can and build your audience 'one fan at a time'. If you're good and what you do resonates you'll be ok, but there are no shortcuts.

    Most Serene Republic Wants to Play (PS3) With You

    Nick, Sean, Ryan and Simon from The Most Serene Republic have posted their user names on their Myspace blog so that they can hook up with you (and vice versa) on the Playstation 3 - they have invited friends and fans to comment and leave their usernames as well.
    Nick: themostnickever

    Sean: footlong09

    Ryan: AwesomeKing

    Simon: SemyonPetlyura


    The Most Serene Republic: Content Always Was My Favourite Colour

    If You Only See One Live Graphic Novel Bike Opera This Year

    Exclaim has called Le Cyc "An interactive coupling of indie-rock and graphic art, Le Cyc, is an earnest, theatrical production, exploring social imbalances from a unique perspective" .

    The story of Le Cyc is told in 350 projected illustrations by Dave Willekes accompanied by an 8-piece orchestra made up of Guelph musicians from a variety of Burnt Oak Records projects and bands and lead by vocalist/composer Eihab Boraie. It tells the story of "a surreal bike-powered world where sweeping themes of power imbalances and popular revolution collide with carnival-esque images of dictators whose smart-talking parrots perch on impossibly long mustaches. The hour and 20 minute program combines dark humour and political satire in a compelling story that raises questions about how power is peddled in our society."

    You can catch Le Cyk on February 26th at the Starlight in Waterloo, March 6 at the Tranzac, or March 14 at the Brantford Arts Block in Brantford.

    Find more info about the production and when and where you might get to see it at lecyc.ca. You can also find some clips from the show on YouTube.

    Le Cyc: Factory

    If You Only Read One Book This Year

    Ok, if you only read one book this year you need to turn off the television seriously, WTF is wrong with you.

    Personally I only make it through 2-3 dozen books (of the fictional variety) annually, so I don't have alot of room to talk, and I can't say that if you only read one book this should be the one. I honestly don't know how you'd live with just one, can't imagine it.

    But I am currently finishing The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews and highly recommend it. I just posted it to the Boost: Canadian Literature group and thought I should mention it here as well.

    The official summary reads:
    "Days after being dumped by her boyfriend Marc in Paris – "he was heading off to an ashram and said we could communicate telepathically" – Hattie hears her sister Min has been checked into a psychiatric hospital, and finds herself flying back to Winnipeg to take care of Thebes and Logan, her niece and nephew. Not knowing what else to do, she loads the kids, a cooler, and a pile of CDs into their van and they set out on a road trip in search of the children’s long-lost father, Cherkis.

    In part because no one has any good idea where Cherkis is, the traveling maters more than the destination. On their wayward, eventful journey down to North Dakota and beyond, the Troutmans stay at scary motels, meet helpful hippies, and try to ignore the threatening noises coming from under the hood of their van. Eleven-year-old Thebes spends her time making huge novelty cheques with arts and crafts supplies in the back, and won’t wash, no matter how wild and matted her purple hair gets; she forgot to pack any clothes. Four years older, Logan carves phrases like "Fear Yourself" into the dashboard, and repeatedly disappears in the middle of the night to play basketball; he’s in love, he says, with New York Times columnist Deborah Solomon. Meanwhile, Min can’t be reached at the hospital, and, more than once, Hattie calls Marc in tears.

    But though it might seem like an escape from crisis into chaos, this journey is also desperately necessary, a chance for an accidental family to accept, understand or at least find their way through overwhelming times. From interwoven memories and scenes from the past, we learn much more about them: how Min got so sick, why Cherkis left home, why Hattie went to Paris, and what made Thebes and Logan who they are today."
    It is more an exploration of the characters and their lives than a (geographical) travelogue and the characters are deep, rich and complex. Their lives, thoughts and reactions ring true and show an understanding of modern life that I find is missing in many novels. (I suspect with some that the author comes from a prior generation and isn't really aware of all the seismic shifts that society has undergone in the last few decades.

    A brief excerpt from the book is here. If you only read one book this year, I can't help you but if you're looking for a good read that won't tax your brain too much but that will introduce you to wonderful, memorable characters you should grab this one.

    Jenn Grant and Final Fantasy on Canada Live

    CBC Radio 2's Canada Live podcast this week features east-coast singer songwriter Jenn Grant and Toronto's favorite violin rocker Final Fantasy both of whom are touring new albums. You can find an interview with Jenn about her new album Echoes over at Herohill. Owen "Final Fantasy" Pallett has two EPs released late last year Spectrum, 14th Century and Plays to Please. You can check out the new Final Fantasy video "Horsetail Feathers" below.

    Download the Canada Live podcast at http://podcast.cbc.ca/radio2/canada_live/CBCR2CanadaLive_2009-02-24.mp3!


    Final Fantasy - Horsetail Feathers

    Monday, February 23, 2009

    The CBC's Funding Must Be Increased

    There is a piece in the Toronto Sun today expressing shock and outrage that the CBC is seeking more money from the federal government during the recession. That the Toronto Sun doesn't like it should be enough to convince you that it's a good idea. There are blogs in this city that have more credibility than the Sun. You can read the whole spew here but it reads in part:
    "The public broadcaster already covers its costs in large part by siphoning just over $1 billion a year from the public purse.

    But apparently that won't be nearly enough to pay the bills in the coming year.

    Even before the economic crash last fall, government figures show the CBC had already rung up another $59 million in red ink for the year ending Aug. 31, 2008 -- on top of its usual handout that was 8% higher last year than 2007.

    Now the CBC is suffering a precipitous drop in ad revenues as traditional advertisers are themselves slammed by the widening economic crisis."
    The CBC was thoughtful enough to post a response to the Sun, pointing out all of the very, very many things that the Sun got wrong (it could have been deliberate misinformation but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt). The CBC Response is here and reads in part:
    "The public broadcaster will not be in the red this fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2009. CBC/Radio-Canada will break even, in spite of the economic downturn, because of cost-cutting measures put in place by management starting last August. In fact, we have not been in a year-end deficit position in 10 years.

    Contrary to Mr. Weston’s statement, our parliamentary appropriation was not increased by 8% this year over last year. Our appropriation was exactly the same as the previous year, save for a 1.5% salary increase that Treasury Board allotted to all Crown Corporations and a carry over of some funding originally projected for the previous year. In fact, our base operating appropriation has not been increased in constant dollars for 35 years."
    Now what neither the CBC nor the Sun mentioned is that the CBC is federally mandated to provide certain services to the Canadian public. Sure Mr. Weston, all media in this country are hurting but in this economic crisis none of them share the mandated requirements of the CBC. Meeting those requirements costs money and, due to inflation, those costs go up every year. As the CBC press release mentioned the CBC hasn't seen an increase in funding (in constant dollars) for 35 years. That's why last year Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage recommended dramatic increases in funding for the CBC. They also recommended that the CBC reduce its dependence on advertising. Now the economic crisis has taken care of the advertising part, but without the funding increase. Last year Mr. Harper who is staunchly opposed to arts and culture generally refused to accept the recommendations of the Heritage Committee. But perhaps, now that the economic tide has turned and Mr. Harper has discovered the joys of spending it's time to reconsider.

    Stephen Harper should listen to his own Heritage Committee and fund the CBC so that it can provide the services mandated by the Canadian government and ignore the petty voice of a publication that exists to serve its own political purposes, that doesn't even take the time to do research before publishing its bile, and who's greatest public service to the city of Toronto and the Canadian public is the Sunshine Girl.

    Sunday, February 22, 2009

    Even Outlaws Need to Protect their Brand

    The Hell's Angels are going to court in an effort to protect their brand. They may be outlaws, murderers, coke dealers and they may generally reject the laws of society, but not the ones dealing with trademark protection. Those they are completely serious about. The Hell's Angels would like rings, pins, t-shirts and other items bearing their logo that have been seized in police raids to be returned to the organization. From the Toronto Star:
    "Lawyers representing the Hells Angels have already notified the court that all items bearing the Hells Angels' winged-skull logo are the property of the club's headquarters in Oakland, Calif., and not individual bikers."
    The Star article also has commentary from University of Western Ontario Professor Ken Hardy of the Ivey School of Business:
    "This is basic marketing: you define yourself," said Hardy, who teaches business students the importance of brand identification – or "branding" – in mainstream marketing.
    If they lose the power of their trademarked logos, Hardy says, "they're diminishing their stock as a badass." That stock helps them recruit members, conduct business and feel special, the professor says."
    What's next? Does Al-Queda want a trademark on the word 'terrorism'? Should there be a TM after suicide bomber? Perhaps someone should get royalties when there is an aggravated assault?

    New Poll on Publicbroadcasting.ca content

    I've created sections on publicbroadcasting.ca that aggregate information on a dozen topics and 23 cities. In case you don't know, each of these takes information from blogs, podcasts and news sources, pools them all together and updates regularly so that the most recent information shows up. All of them can be subscribed to for free via email or feed reader.

    While the publicbroadcasting.ca blog does a fair amount of traffic, most of these do very little traffic and have few subscribers. Since it takes some time and effort to keep these going I'm wondering why people are not using them (so I know whether I should go to the trouble of keeping them up.)

    New Kara Keith Album March 4

    Montreal via Calgary's Kara Keith is set to release her first full length CD "Vision's Fugitive's" is set to hit the world on March 4. The album was recorded at TheeMightyHotel2Tango in Montreal by Howard Bilerman. Billerman has previously recorded over 250 albums including titles by Arcade Fire, the Dears, Basia Bulat and Bell Orchestre.

    Kara has previously enough to put some live tracks and songs from her self titled EP in the podsafe downloads, so if you don't know what she sounds like you might want to start here. The new album will be available via iTunes initially and hopefully on Zunior and other fine retailers (real and virtually) shortly after that.

    You can sneak a listen to some stuff from the new CD at radio3.cbc.ca/bands/Kara-Keith/ and you can still grab the EP here.

    New Feeds Added

    A whole ton of new feeds added today:

    Band Blogs


    CanBlogs


    Calgary


    CanCasts


    Music Blogs


    Ottawa


    Performing Arts


    Saskatoon


    Sudbury


    Toronto


    Vancouver


    Visual Art and Design


    Video


    Windsor

    Saturday, February 21, 2009

    Canadian Musicians Love to Count!



    If you liked Feist's 1 2 3 4 you might also like the new K-Os tune 4 3 2 1! The new video is out this week:



    Proving that K-Os can do everything Feist can, even backward! So how about it Sesame Street? After all, those kids might need to do a countdown for NASA someday!



    P.S. if you're still in the mood for counting songs don't forget the Diskettes 12345!

    Toronto Comic Arts Festival

    Toronto, I've noticed, has become increasingly blessed with comic book-related events in the last decade. This is to the good of many, I think. But being a cartoonist part of the time, I have an admitted bias on this point.

    One of the events coming up this year is the Toronto Comic Arts Festival on the May 9-10 weekend.

    Among the guests this time around: Seth, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Tara MacPherson, Paul Pope, Adrian Tomine...

    For more details and updates as they come in, check the TCAF site regularly.

    No idea if I'll be there at all, never mind what sort of capacity...but I hope you go and that you have fun.

    Save Our Net Now



    I've mentioned this several times before but the deadline is fast approaching for you to make your voice heard on Net Neutrality. Today I got the note below from Antonia Zerbisias and decided to pass it along just in case there is anyone left out there who doesn't know yet.




    Below you'll find a note from the energetic media activists at Save Our Net who are fighting to prevent Internet service providers from deciding whose content gets priority and bandwidth on the Internet.

    But before I get to that, I want to explain why this is important, and why you must take a moment to click on a link below and fire off a letter to the CRTC. The deadline is Monday and it is VERY IMPORTANT that as many citizens as possible do this or one day, when you're trying to watch a YouTube say, and find your Internet service has ground to a snail's pace, you'll finally get what New Neutrality is all about and why it was so important that you fought to ensure it.

    Here's a very simplistic analogy to help you understand:

    Imagine a highway, many lanes, everybody can go on any one of them. Now imagine that certain huge corporations decide that, since they control the on/off ramps, they'll decide who gets to go in the passing lane, who gets the slow lane, who gets the lane that's always under construction, who gets the lane with the potholes and speed bumps.

    Those that can afford to pay for the passing lanes, take the passing lanes. All of them. With big heavy 18-wheelers souped up with jet engines.

    Smaller companies, and individuals, including bloggers, web innovators, independent filmmakers, you name it, get pushed off to the slower, more crowded and crumbling lanes, where they stop and start as dictated by the corporations which own the on and off-ramps.

    Get the picture???

    Here's more info: http://saveournet.ca/content/faq
    =============================================
    Now here's the note from the Save Our Net activists:

    President Obama just signed an economic stimulus bill dedicating $7.2 billion to get fast, affordable, neutral Internet to the nearly half of American homes that don't have it! This is a huge opportunity for us to press for similar actions in Canada, but it also highlights that Canada is moving in the wrong direction.

    The longer we allow ISPs to throttle Internet traffic, the more we risk becoming the backwater of online innovation and free speech as web entrepreneurs increasingly migrate to the
    U.S.

    In the space of just over 10 days, nearly 3,500 of you have written the CRTC demanding they put a stop to discriminatory Internet throttling by big ISPs. This is an impressive number, but we need to get 1,000 more if we are to sway the CRTC. We can do it!

    We have just a few days left until the CRTC's submission DEADLINE on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd. We are asking that you please take a moment to reach out to friends and family before it's too late. We have a great informative video for you to use: http://saveournet.ca/why

    Action Items:

    1. Send your comment if you haven't already:
    http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/crtc_submission

    2. Watch and share this informative video:
    http://saveournet.ca/why

    3. Take a second to email 3 of your friends with our easy to
    use form:
    http://www.unionvoice.org/your_media/join-forward.tcl?domain=your_media&r=_pqAbqFqfy_3

    4. Spread the word online using Facebook and our online promo
    materials: http://saveournet.ca/content/share
    =================================================

    Please take a moment to write to the CRTC. Please share it with all your friends.

    Do you really want to hand control of the Internet over to Rogers, Shaw, Bell and Videotron?

    Antonia

    My Platform: Sovereignty

    Sovereignty has always been a hot button issue in Canada. Confederation happened largely as a response to threatened US aggression and it has frequently been said that the only thing Canadians can tell you about what being Canadian means is 'not American'. One of Stephen Harper's big issues has been Arctic sovereignty and fears have emerged among many about what pacts like Nafta and the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) will mean for Canadian Sovereignty.

    These are all large and complex issues and none of them will be solved quickly or easily. The arctic, for example, is under claim by a number of issues and still others are calling it 'international water'. No one is going to get everything they want on this. It is going to take more than military shows and the planting of flags. The issue will not be settled with weapons. It will take a United Nations settlement and we can only hope that whatever happens that the indigenous people of the North are treated fairly and that irreparable environmental harm isn't done in the rush for resources. Whatever is decided about the division of the Arctic it will never be 'home' to anyone but those who have called it that for a thousand years or more.

    On issues such as NAFTA and the SPP it is not that anything terrible or threatening to sovereignty has happened to date. It is more the possibilities left open by some of the language that is scary. Equally scary are some of the opponents of globalization, NAFTA and the SPP. I had conversations with some of them during the last election that made the most right wing of Harper's conservatives seem calm and reasonable. Many of them were quick to judgement, name calling and threats at the merest hint that you weren't 100% behind their platform which relies heavily on a complex web of conspiracy theories involving hundreds of people in dozens of countries.

    My politics may not be status quo, I may be independent minded by I am neither a radical nor a revolutionary. It should also be noted that Canada is not a country of radicals or revolutionaries. This, I think, is what the Canadian Action Party and at times the NDP fail to understand. Most Canadians, on a day to day basis, don't pay much attention to politics. Even most of those who vote do not delve deeply into issues. In general I would say that most are good people, who believe in slow progress and swift action only in an obvious crisis. They are not, by any means, on the verge of taking up arms to overthrow (as Phillyist puts it) "the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, the Masons, or the Loyal Order of the Water Buffalo,"

    Having vented adequately on that, what I would do on the issue of international agreements is this:

    1) Pass a law that essentially says that Canadian law trumps international agreements. So if Canada signs, for example, the international treaty on land mines and simultaneously bans land mines - excellent! But if an international court says that Canada must change it's environmental laws because of a subsection of a trade agreement the Canadian government of the day should refuse and possibly, if necessary, withdraw from that agreement.

    2) Pass a law that says that foreign soldiers or police may not pass onto Canadian land under arms. That means that if police or soldiers cross Canada's borders they must do so without weapons. If an American ship refuels in Halifax that's fine, but it's soldiers cannot disembark with weapons.

    I think having these things in place would ease most reasonable people's fears about the international agreements that Canada takes part in. I said this was a complicated topic and I'll touch on it again when I post on gun control, the First Nations and Quebec.



    Previous:
    My Platform: Introduction
    My Platform: Arts and Culture
    My Platform: Poverty
    My Platform: Business and Industry
    My Platform: Crime
    My Platform: Carbon Tax
    My Platform: Labour and Workplace Reform
    My Platform: Electoral and Ethics Reform
    My Platform: Education

    Truth: Is There More to Being Canadian Than Geography?

    There is probably no more famous commercial in Canadian history than the Molson, "I Am Canadian" ad. As a patriotic symbol it is up there with "O Canada". But, in 2005 Molson merged with Coors. Merging with an American company makes Molson somewhat less Canadian but that is not the end of the story. You have to be careful with your brand and what it represents, especially when stepping into the realm of politics and Coors, it would seem, is little more than a money gathering operation for U.S. extreme right wing politics.

    The Coors family has funded, amoung other things, the Adolph Coors Foundation and in turn, either separately or through the Castle Rock Foundation, the Independent Women's Fourum, the Young America's Foundation, and the Free Congress Foundation among others.

    These groups have obviously strongly supported right wing Candidates in the US but have also gotten involved in a number of issues from funding the Nicaraguan "Contras" in the 1980s to opposing a woman's right to choose, opposing labour rights and equal rights for gays. The full list would make this post far too long but if you're interested I would urge you to read:

    Just to get you started. I don't know about any of you, but I used to not buy Molson because I didn't like it very much. If you're buying it though out of some kind of patriotism you might want to think again. Buying Molson or Coors is now a political act. It makes a statement about what you believe in and puts money into the pocket of some of the most extreme right wing groups in North America. Just a little something to think about the next time you see an ad for Molson.





    This is part of the ongoing Truth campaign in response to Advertising Standards Canada who say:
    ""Fact is, truth is an essential part of any successful ad campaign. Smart advertisers have known this for years. That's why the advertising industry created the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. For more than 40 years, the Code has set the standards for acceptable advertising in Canada. It helps ensure that the ads you see and hear are truthful, fair and accurate. Check it out for yourself. Becausethe more you know about advertising, the more you get out of it."
    and who..it appears paid a visit to the site recently (from Washington, D.C. no less)!

    Ontario Makes Film & TV Tax Credit Permanent

    According to the CBC the province of Ontario has made a tax credit boost which provided an extra $165 million in 2008 permanent. The move was made following a vote in California on Thursday to boost their own tax credit.
    "Ontario's film industry has been taking a beating from the rise of the Canadian dollar, in addition to tough economic times. In Toronto, the amount of U.S. movie and TV production dropped to $100 million last year from $300 million in 2007.
    American states, including New York and Michigan, have been luring U.S. film productions to their locales with tax breaks, also.
    At stake in 2009 is about 16 TV pilots scouting North America for locations with the best tax incentives."

    Indie TV Canada is Coming

    There has been a link for them up on the site for awhile now, but I don't remember if I've ever actually written anything about them, so you should know indieTV.ca is online and indieTV should be coming to your cable dial soon.
    "The CRTC has granted the company a licence to broadcast a National Digital Television Channel playing 100% Canadian music by acts and artists who are not funded by, signed to or physically distributed by the four major multinational music labels (EMI, SONY/BMG, Warner, Universal) or their subsidiaries.

    The station will be one part of the Ultimate Indie Meshwork which will include the TV channel, internet website and mobile platform."
    For more info on the coming TV channel and a sample programing grid visit the about section of their website. Since MTV and Much music have pretty much abandoned music - except for the occasional commercial schlock a network that just played indie music video all the time would dramatically improve the odds of there being something on television.

    The website already contains hundreds of videos and a social media like platform that allows you to 'friend' the bands you like. Go and have a look about and sign up while the good user names are still available!

    Friday, February 20, 2009

    Two Hours Traffic Heads Into the Studio

    Not much more to report than that, except that Joel Plaskett is producing. From their Myspace Blog:
    "hey gang

    on sunday we head to halifax nova scotia to begin recording our new album. despite what you may have read it has no title as of yet. we're very lucky to be working alongside joel plaskett again. we've been busy recording demos with him for the past month or so trying to make sure everything will be as good as we can make it. the record will be mixed by our new pal howard redekopp, who has worked on some of our favorite albums. how can we go wrong...?
    we'll try and post an update or two from the studio depending on how well we can maintain our sanity.

    full speed ahead!

    andy"
    Good news for a chilly day though, Two Hours Traffic actually manage to sound like patio season.

    Two Hours Traffic - Stuck For the Summer

    New Media vs. Old or We're Not Making Cake Today

    It can be intensely frustrating trying to talk to old media people about new media. You can talk away and feel like it's sinking in and you are making progress and suddenly it all vanishes in a puff of smoke.

    Let's say you were teaching a cooking class and were telling people how to make calzones, so you give everyone an overview, make sure they have all of their ingredients and get ready to start mixing dough. Just as you're about to start someone from the back of the room shouts out, so we're making cake? You step back, start again, and once you are convinced that everyone is on the same page you get ready to start again. 'So why don't we have any frosting? Are we going to make that later?' You sigh, take a deep breath and go back over your overview (repeat ad nauseam).

    This is the way it starts to feel after awhile when people keep bringing up things like Cancon requirements, broadcast licenses and the CRTC. All of these things are in their dying days. In ten years anyone with an internet connection will be able to broadcast, the days of having a 'broadcast license' will be over. Broadcast towers will, for the most part, be torn down or used for satellite relay. Cancon requirements will be unenforceable. The CRTC will only exist to enforce net neutrality and privacy laws (or it will not exist at all.)

    The good news is that the CBC will still be required to make Canadian shows, and people who want to tap into the Canadian Television Fund will have to as well. In fact everyone will have to produce their own content because there will be no more incentive for show producers in the U.S. (or anyone else) to sell or license their shows. They will be able to deliver them around the world without the need for someone else to re-broadcast them. (The towers are pretty much gone remember).

    At home people's televisions, internet, radio, cell phone etc., will all be connected and do the same things. That is how people will get shows and it won't matter where a show comes from. If you want to watch it, you can, regardless of whether it's a Canadian show, US show, British show or other. So, if CTV, City, etc., want people to watch, they will have to make their own shows. Many production companies will even bypass these altogether and go directly to the consumer. Alliance Atlantis, for example, would be able to take CSI directly to consumers without the need to sell or license the content. That means that in house production or (contract) work for hire will be essential to survival.

    Again - no broadcast license, no legal Can con requirements (though if they are Canadian they'll need some). This is not a possibility, it's what's happening, it's already begun and unless we run out of all energy supplies and western civilizaiton collapses it's pretty inevitable.

    While we're at it I'll make a few more, farther reaching predictions: By 2020-2025 ish, sophisticated animation and graphics programs will allow people with just a story to create photorealistic 'feature films' on their home computers. They will be able to select characters, dress them, shape them, choose their voices and cause them to 'act' with simple instructions. But, once everyone can do it, they will have to be really, really good stories to get any attention.

    Shortly after that 'virtual reality' will finally become a real reality and people will be able to plug themselves into story lines, as if they were the lead character and virtually 'live' the stories - living in photorealistic, three dimensional worlds of their own creation where they can do as they please. This is going to be nearly impossible to compete with as a content producer but don't worry. Shortly after this technology hits the market there will be a growing chorus of calls to ban it - when people can plug into a world of their choosing and lead any life they want 'without consequences' it will be hard to get them to stop. In fact even the market for narcotics and alcohol will plummet. An alarming number of people will stop going to work, cleaning the house, taking care of the kids etc.,

    After that something else will happen! At any rate, we're not making cake so put the frosting knife away and get over it.

    Thursday, February 19, 2009

    Small Press at Risk - Quill & Quire via Robert J. Sawyer

    Rob's one of our best-known SF writers, right up there with Gibson, Robinson, Hopkinson. He's got Hugos, Nebulas, Auroras(our homegrown version of the first two awards) to his name. One of his novels, FlashForward, is being converted into a long-term US-produced TV series as I type this.

    Anyway, he's spotted something in Quill & Quire, one of our main lit-magazines, that has him...concerned...about small press operations across the country. Here's his posting on the subject:

    http://sfwriter.com/2009/02/there-goes-canadian-small-press.html

    Go take a look.

    As for my POV?

    Looks like the attempts at fiscal containment(starvation?) of homegrown cultural industries are still in play. As if that were still in doubt.

    Now on Selling Out or Not

    Back on January 7 I wrote a post specifically about Feist but more generally about the outdated notion of "selling out". Selling out is still definitely possible, but it's about the integrity of your work - not about who signs the cheques. In an age when fewer and fewer people are buying music recording artists need to find other ways of paying the bills and advertisements generally do more for the artist than the do for the advertiser. The artist gets a big, fat paycheque and greater exposure for their music. This is important since neither MTV nor Much Music are really about music anymore.

    I'm happy to report that others are beginning to see the light as well. There is an excellent little piece by Benjamin Boles in Now today that you should give a read.
    "The mantra of the pro-filesharing scene has long been that musicians who are pissed off about not being able to sell albums should just refocus their attention on making their living off of tours. What they forget is that tours can be very expensive for larger bands especially, which is one of the reasons why we’ve seen this explosion of duos and one-man-bands in recent years.  Taking a 10 person band on tour is prohibitively expensive for all but the biggest acts, but you can stick a duo in a tiny sub-compact and hit the road with very little overhead. "
    Who you are doing ads for is also somewhat important - is it a product you use? is it a product you would let your kids use? Beyond that it's just a paycheque. Take the money and run.

    Grasping at Straws or Not the CRTC Has Lit a Fuse

    The CRTC and their hearings on the Internet, CanCon and New Media may turn out (whatever the outcome) to be less important than the conversation's they started. For one thing, it's now clear that nothing Rogers says should be taken seriously. They do not tell the 'truth' they say what is convenient and suits their momentary interest.

    Beyond that though have a look at Denis McGrath's post on the topic. The post itself may not be as significant as the conversation that followed in the comments section - about net neutrality, broadcast vs. internet, new paradigms and the importance of getting money into new, more creative and flexible, hands.

    If the CRTC's colossal overreach finally gets the conversation on where 'broadcast', Can Con, and content creation need to go to survive in this country it will be worth the hundred million - even if the money has little or nothing to do with online Can Con.

    Free Access to Museums and Galleries via the Toronto Public Library

    According to the National Post the Toronto Public Library will soon be providing free access to museums and galleries.
    There are a limited number of passes each week, but any holder of an adult library card can take part – although they may have to reserve.

    MAP, as the pass is called, will provide individuals and families with free admission to one of 10 Toronto cultural institutions.

    They are:

    -the Art Gallery of Ontario

    -the Royal Ontario Musuem

    -the Bata Shoe Museum

    -the Gardiner Museum or Ceramics

    -Black Creek Pioneer Village

    -the Textile Museum of Canada

    -the Toronto Historic Museums

    -the Museum of Inuit Art

    -the Ontario Science Centre

    -Casa Loma.

    The program comes at no cost to the city because it is sponsored by Sun Life Financial, which covers printing and promotional costs, and the museums and galleries involved.

    Megan Hamilton: New Album and Tranzac Residency

    Toronto's Megan Hamilton has a new album coming and a residency at the Tranzac starting Feb. 26.

    Her Album See Your Midnight Breath in the Shipyard will officially be turned loose on the world on April 7 - her own introduction to it is below.

    Between now and then though, she will be playing the last Thursday of every month at the Tranzac and has a couple of Canadian Music Week showcases coming up as well. For the first Tranzac show (next Thursday) she will be joined by Lisa Bozikovic. After that try
    Mar. 12th @ CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK SHOWCASE at Rancho Relaxo
    Mar. 14th @ CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK SHOWCASE at Delaware House
    Mar. 26th @ TRANZAC RESIDENCY w. Jimmy Rose
    April 20th @ TRANZAC RESIDENCY w. Eric Welton


    See Your Midnight Breath in the Shipyard - An Introduction



    Photo (top left) by Paul Watson

    Rock Plaza Central: New Album Correction and Update

    Yesterday I said that Rock Plaza Central's new album was going to be called "...at the Moment of our Most Needing or If Only They Could Turn Around, They Would Know They Weren't Alone". When I read this on their blog I took it as a very long title and read the OR in the middle as part of the title as in Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. I was wrong.

    Vie email today from Chris Eaton:
    the title was never supposed to be that long. we were just still debating. definitely now going to be called

    ...at the moment of our most needing


    So on May 12 go and buy ...at the moment of our most needing the last Rock Plaza Central album Are We Not Horses has become a must have classic and even part of the curriculum in some schools. (p.s. check out their cover of Sexyback. I would have just put it in here, but "Embedding Disabled By Request" - by who's request it doesn't say.

    Coming Up In Toronto

    Thursday, February 19
    TWM: Atlantis Blueprint, Guitar, The Whole Entire Universe, Record Breaker
    Facebook Event Page

    Take A Bite Out Of It!
    Banning landmines and cluster bombs one Caplansky's sandwich at a time
    Facebook Event Page


    DanceLikeYouFuck THURSDAY @ STRANGELOVE FEB.19th Ft. BARLETTA (Mansion)!!
    Facebook Event Page


    THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE - Toronto theatrical premiere!
    Facebook Event Page


    Friday, February 20
    Seconde Nature: Marilyn Lerner & Diane Labrosse in Concert
    Free Improvisation for Piano & Electronics — Cross-Provincial Border Collaboration
    Facebook Event Page


    NACHO LOVERS & DIRTY DALE & COLIN BERGH @ WRONGBAR
    Facebook Event Page


    TWM: Pbrain + Atherton: The Leathers, Wordburglar, Homebased, Serb Superb
    Facebook Event Page


    Saturday, February 21
    Jill Barber Live In Toronto
    Facebook Event Page


    Imponderables 101
    Facebook Event Page


    Subway Dance Party
    Facebook Event Page


    Alela Diane In-store Performance.
    Facebook Event Page


    Motion Ensemble: New Music on Tour from New Brunswick
    Facebook Event Page


    TWM Presents: The Eatons, OKgiraffe & Ex~Po
    Facebook Event Page


    Radical Art History
    The Theatre of Action: Canadian Workers Theatre of the 1930's
    Facebook Event Page


    NASTY NAV & SHIT LA MERDE @ WRONGBAR
    Facebook Event Page


    Sunday, February 22
    Wavelength 451 - The Rural Alberta Advantage, Poppyseed and the Love Explos
    Facebook Event Page


    Laugh Sabbath presents... HOUR OF POWER!
    Facebook Event Page


    THUNDERPUSSY PRESENTS: THREE AMIGOS ON THREE DECKS
    Facebook Event Page


    Prive Sundays presents The Reading Week Affair at Atelier Noir
    Facebook Event Page


    Monday, February 23
    IMPRO A LA CARTE: the Ryan Agostinho comédia espontâneo português monday.
    Facebook Event Page


    Tuesday, February 24
    Gentleman Reg In-Store Performance
    Facebook Event Page


    Toronto Greenhouse Launch Event
    Facebook Event Page


    TorontoTheBetter Movie Screening: Live Nude Girls Unite
    Facebook Event Page


    Wednesday, February 25
    Mardis Gras Wednesday ( Mercredi Gras)
    Facebook Event Page


    Thursday Feb. 26
    Reel Artists Film Festival
    Facebook Event Page


    Sports (The Band) + Boys Who Say No + Great Bloomers
    Facebook Event Page


    BRADBURN BIRTHDAY FETE & ADOPT A MISSION FUND RAISER
    Facebook Event Page


    Friday, Feb. 27
    JUSTIN MARTIN | DIRTYBIRD RECORDS @ WRONGBAR
    Facebook Event Page


    Best of the Fest Encore Show
    Facebook Event Page


    Saturday, February 28
    The Coast, The Diableros, Oh No Forest Fires! & Ryan Masters at The Shoe
    Facebook Event Page


    Golden Ghetto @ Cest What 9PM
    Facebook Event Page


    Best of SHORT FILMS Sat. Feb. 28th with Moderation by PETER HOWELL (Star)
    Facebook Event Page


    Jimmy Hogg's Comedy Onslaught
    Facebook Event Page


    TWM 35: Rival Boys, Noisedive & Bitter City
    Facebook Event Page


    THE RAPTURE'S | DJ DRUZZI @ WRONGBAR NASTYMIX SATURDAYS
    Facebook Event Page


    Tuesday, March 3
    Letters to my Grandma
    Two-time Dora Award Winner, Anusree Roy, is back with a new work: Letters to my Grandma
    Facebook Event Page


    Paul Banwatt + Gravity Wave
    Facebook Event Page


    Wednesday, March 4
    The Disorderly Show #3
    Facebook Event Page


    Thursday, March 5
    CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS SHOWCASE
    Facebook Event Page


    One Hit Wonders Night w/ 10 mazing acts covering awesome/hilarious songs!
    Facebook Event Page


    A Rust Belt Requiem?
    Facebook Event Page


    Friday, March 6
    The Dirty-Penny-Spookey-Ruben Video(s) Release Party!
    Facebook Event Page


    Rock for Sick Kids by Facebook Pals
    Facebook Event Page


    Saturday, March 7
    irq/r4g3-dirty-30
    <> FREE
    Facebook Event Page


    Sunday, March 8
    Here or There?
    Facebook Event Page


    Wednesday, March 11
    Indie Night In Canada
    Facebook Event Page


    The Happiness Project by Charles Spearin: Live at the Music Gallery
    Do Make Say Think & Broken Social Scene member makes music out of his neighbourhood .... with guests Laura Barrett (Night One) & Muskox (Night Two)
    Facebook Event Page


    OLAROKS THE HORSESHOE TAVERN
    Facebook Event Page


    Tuesday, March 17
    IN 09
    Facebook Event Page


    Colours of Comedy
    Facebook Event Page


    Thursday, March 19
    Ronley Teper's Lipliners CD RELEASE
    Facebook Event Page


    Saturday, March 21
    Pillow Fight Toronto 2009
    Facebook Event Page


    Junkhead Blows The Roof Off Of The Smiling Buddha
    Facebook Event Page


    TWM & REMG Present: Rock Plaza Central, Key Witness & Bahamas & the Shoe!
    Facebook Event Page


    Tuesday, March 24
    Toronto Greenhouse Launch Event
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, March 28
    Earth Hour 2009
    Facebook Event Page


    Monday, March 30
    Awkward Show & Tell: WEIRD WORK/SCHOOL STUFF (free)
    Facebook Event Page

    Wednesday, April 1
    Sdieshow Classes at Sunnyside tattoos (until June 1)
    Facebook Event Page

    Friday, April 3
    Throbbin Hoods at Duffys
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, April 4
    Persist live at the Hard Rock Cafe
    Facebook Event Page

    Saturday, April 18
    Better Day Gala Fundraiser 2009
    Facebook Event Page

    Sunday, May 3
    Paula Poundstone in Toronto
    Facebook Event Page