Moving Images

Episode 48 of This Is Toronto is now available!

This latest edition previews the 24th annual Images Festival.

www.thisistorontopodcast.blogspot.com

NEXT EPISODE: April 8, 2011

Indie Theatre Project

Episode 39 of This Is Toronto is now available!

This latest edition features THESP, an organization dedicated to the continuing development of Toronto's indie theatre scene.

www.thisistorontopodcast.blogspot.com

NEXT EPISODE: Dec. 3, 2010

CD Review: The Bicycles - Oh No, It's Love

Since it was announced recently that The Bicycles are on hiatus, it's only fair to take a look at their recent album. That way, we'll realize just how much we're going to miss this enjoyable indie group from Toronto.

Oh No, It's Love (2008) is the follow-up to 2006's The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly. There is a sense of pretension at first glance. The cover of Oh No, It's Love has an abstract contemporary art design, while the back features all four members posing with their indie inspired "B" t-shirts. Of course, one can't judge a CD by its cover. But there is the early assumption that the album will feature material that is too creative and snobbish. Fortunately, that is not the case.

Oh No, It's Love is a delightful collection of 19 energetic songs. Each track has a lively tempo and is bound to pick up your spirits, even if some of the lyrics are about heartbreak. The Bicycles are like The Ramones, but more musically educated. The majority of tracks are short and don't drag on. There are also no pauses between the tracks, which allows the positive energy to keep flowing. The overall presentation is fast-paced without any disruptions.

Oh No, It's Love also shows The Bicycles' versatility. The band incorporates an eclectic amount of instruments into their music. There is also a large contingent of musicians and artists who accompany The Bicycles on this album, including Laura Barrett and Peter Chapman (Peter Project). With so much backing from Toronto's indie community, perhaps The Bicycles are more of a collective than a band.

It's too bad the members of this band are taking a break to pursue other projects. But there is the possibility that they will reunite sometime in the future. However, if Oh No, It's Love turns out to be The Bicycles' final album, then we can all take solace in the fact that the band went out with a bang.


For more information on The Bicycles, please visit www.thebicycles.ca.

How Much Do You Have to Give Back Before It's Not Selling Out?

Canadians tend to have a bit of the tall poppy syndrome to begin with and it's much worse for musicians. The whole 'indie' thing says, essentially, that anyone who is even modestly successful is a sellout and therefore should no longer be taken seriously. Never mind the fact that no one could ever properly define indie (there is a whole movie devoted to the question and it doesn't provide answers.) Also never mind that pretty much every musician in the world is 'independent' now except for Madonna and Bono. The accusations keep coming.

After years of paying her dues in music and waiting tables to pay the rent things finally turned. In the last few years she won nearly every award available except NHL Rookie of the Year (she came in second in that one) appeared on Sesame Street and yes even did some commercials. Predictably the daggers-came-out.

It's a rough world, to retain your 'indie credibility' you're not allowed to let your music be used for ads, but when you release an album that is also supposed to be free. In my humble opinion there is no such thing as 'selling out' anymore. If you manage to make a living in music good for you, it's not easy.

Anyway all of this has been a long, long lead up to pointing out that while Feist could easily have just laughed at it all, cashed the cheques and ignored the 'indie kids.' Instead she cashed the cheques and gave all of the money from merchandise sales on tour or on her website back to the community:

"We've tallied the numbers, connected the dots, and are delighted to report that over $200,000 has been donated to various excellent organizations.

These organizations include MSF Canada, CARE Canada, War Child Canada and The Salvation Army (for Dr. Paul Thistle, Howard Hospital, Zimbabwe). All of these
agencies will continue to do immeasurably positive things, like: build
schools, dig wells, educate communities and—in general—do piles of good
well beyond the reach of rock and roll. We also undertook an incredible
food drive! Near $20,000 was donated to food banks across Canada, not
including the incredible 17,000 pounds of food that was delivered to
tables across Canada during the November tour. 


As much as we're tallying last year's efforts, this is only the
beginning. It's January, again. Please continue to think of the food
bank through these next cold months and beyond, and if you make a
donation, let us know below. Let the giving continueth and floweth and
giveth back. If you'd like to volunteer at a food bank near you, click here. Let's all enjoy 2009 on a full stomach."

If you ask me, Canada could use a few more 'sellouts' like that. Personally I'll looking forward to the next album.

A Golden Age for Independent Meda and Web 2.0?

In case you haven't noticed there is a recession on. A pretty good one too. Some economists are even starting to use the D word (the one that ends in epression and that drugs don't help.) As a result, when companies started cutting costs one of the first things to go was advertising. So traditional media companies are cutting jobs all over the place, even the blog Torontoist is set to close it's doors on January 1.

Now before anyone gets the impression that I'm happy about this, I'm not. I have alot of friends in traditional media and am worried for them. This is more of an observation of things likely to come based on the present reality:

Back to where I was going; Media that is dependent on large amounts of revenue and advertising is in for a rough ride and as media goes the internet is rapidly becoming the most essential and the last one that people will give up. It is, after all, in it's current state capable of being a library, newspaper, television, movie theatre, radio, telephone etc., all in one. Even without our current economic problems traditional media has been catering to smaller and smaller niches, newspapers are already in trouble, large movie studios and music labels have been trying to figure out how to survive in the internet era.

Having laid all of that out, it's also undeniable that the biggest media growth in the last several years has been online - blogging, podcasting, social media etc., have exploded and unlike traditional media no revenue is the norm. A decline in ad revenue has almost zero impact and, unlike other media business actually appears poised to spend more money on social media in 2009.

The other growth has been in the independent and it's been going on for awhile, in film the Sundance festival took on Hollywood blockbusters with intelligent film with substance. In Music independent music has exploded. Despite the decline of the major labels the number of CDs produced is up more than 1000% (not kidding) in the last 10 years and that doesn't even count the stuff that is being released digitally and distributed online.

So these trends, the rise of the amateur and the indie and the decline of the big and corporate are already underway. Now we're going into a period where the big and corporate are going to have to learn to work on the same budgets of the small and indie.

The great depression brought a boom in media as people sought fun and escapism. Jazz, already rising in the 20s burst into the mainstream and Hollywood, already on the rise enjoyed it's first golden age.

It is very likely that the current economic downturn will see a similar surge in media,. People will need their escape. Because of rising unemployment more people will have more time on their hands but their entertainment will have to be inexpensive. Where or when this surge happens remains to be seen but from the perspective of the small, the indie, the amateur, the sincere but underfunded there appears to be a perfect storm brewing (in a good way.) A reversal of the trends of the last decade, giving current economic conditions, appears unlikely.

Support Independent Women's Radio in Orillia

A friend of a friend is pushing for a (radio) broadcast license for Orillia, Ontario. The station is an attempt at diversity, not only from large corporate owned radio chains but also in terms of gender. The station would be owned by four women, which is rare for radio - though I'm assured it wouldn't be a 'women's' station. The petition to the CRTC reads, in part:

"A focus on providing unique music, support for Canadian artists, a meaningful representation of new and emerging talent and a commitment to local news is exactly what is needed in many markets in Canada. I support this service for the very reason that we need to speak out to ensure that the broadcast system is not controlled by a few large organizations. That this is a station owned completely by women - a rarity in Canada today - guarantees a unique perspective and makes a step forward in improving the diversity.

Canadians deserve choice. Women deserve an opportunity to contribute at all levels and Canadian artists need real support. I urge the Commission to approve this application."

You can, if you are so inclined, sign an online petition in support of the license at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/OrilliasOwn-Diversity/.

The Paranormal Show is coming to the Campbell House Museum (starting November 13th)

The Paranormal Show has just completed a successful two month run at the Diesel Playhouse, performing six amazing shows a week! NOW you can witness The Paranormal Show in an intimate setting that puts you in the middle of all the action! Opening November 13th 2008, The Paranormal Show can be seen at Toronto's oldest remaining home, The Campbell House!

Your journey into the Paranormal will begin on the top floor in the Campbell House Ballroom. The Victorian candle lit corridors, shadows dancing on the walls and the ambient cello music playing will set the mood as the evening progresses. After seeing some spectacular feats the mind bending journey will end when the audience makes their way down to the cellar to experience a full blown Seance!

The star of the show is Vladimir Eisengrimm, the harbinger of lost secrets and the host of this Supernatural Extravaganza! During the first half of the show Vladimir will astound the audience with performances of hypnotism, mind-reading, Psychokenesis and will use Retrocognition to attempt to solve the crimes of Jack the Ripper! Plus see Vladimir play a game of Russian Roulette with a 9 inch spike!

Vladimir Eisengrimm will perform feats of 'Mind Over Matter' such as, pounding a 6 inch nail into his skull, swallowing razor-blades and drinking boiling water! Using his Shamanic skills and a true understanding of the East Indian Fakirs, Vladimir will shove a shark-hook through his unpierced tongue and attempt to lift 45lbs of rocks without registering ANY pain!

As the audience falls deeper under the spell of the Bizarre and Supernatural the audience will journey down into the cellar, Vladimir will delve into the Spirit World and attempt to commune with the spirits and unveil 'Edison's Machine to Talk to the Dead'. Will he make contact? Rest assured it will be a white knuckled roller coaster ride as the SEANCE comes crashing down to its Grande Finale!

The Paranormal Show has been showcased on The Discovery Channel, TLC, and Much Music. This is the only show of its kind in Canada! Loaded with audience participation and laughs galore, this will be an evening you will NEVER forget! Critics agree, THIS SHOW IS A MUST SEE!!!

Never on any stage has such a vast assortment of Metaphysical Feats been attempted!

An amazing mixture of Sideshow Feats and experiments in the world of the Paranormal!

www.theparanormalshow.net

SHOW INFORMATION:
Location Campbell House Museum, 160 Queen St. W, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3H3
Box Office 416 597 0227
Dates November 13th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 28th and 29th
Showtime 9pm
Price $40.00

I'd like my order of iTunes with fries, please!!!

This is all Moby’s fault. I have the feeling that it was sometime in the mid-90’s that it became completely acceptable, even the norm, for respectable musicians to turn themselves into cheap whores, turning tricks on TV to sell their tainted goods.

Sadly, I knew Feist’s hit single ’1, 2, 3, 4’ from an iTunes commercial long before I had the chance to hear her album. It’s quite catchy and somewhat endearing, perfect for advertising! I really do think she's an amazing performer but it's a shame, really, as I would have liked her record a lot more if I didn’t automatically think about Apple products everytime I hear her freakin’ voice. And although ipods are Great for music lovers who have to waste endless long hours riding the bus, & they’re incredibly Great for the not-quite-the-richest-man-in-the-world, Bill Gates, they’re really Not All That Great for musicians. Who’s actually buying the albums now that we have fast-food, digital facsimiles to sate our every need? It seems just a trifle traitorous to me that musicians are helping to sell a product that is actually killing their livelihood. Too many people would prefer to just buy the single off itunes for 99 cents instead of even giving the actual album a chance, let alone a listen. (As I clutch my vinyl tightly to my chest & murmer comforting endearments to it. "s’ok, baby, s’ok. You’ll be fine." We oughta all thank god & DJ’s for the resurgence of vinyl & a big Yay for 7"s!! Seriously. Where the f**k did I put that little thingie for my 45’s anyway?)

Again, I fear, I lay most of the blame at Moby’s feet for making this trend so terribly acceptable. Who could accuse the spartan-living, unassuming little Vegan of a crime so heinous as Blatant Commercialism with a side dish of Greed? But oh, oh how he exploited! My first experience with his song ’Porcelain’ came while watching a Transworld video, well before it was popping up in every advertisement known to man. And here’s how that cracked-out animal, the Human Psyche, works; I’ve never associated that song with any product whatsoever, in my mind it’s forever linked to fearless skaters and thier concrete triumphs & tragedies. Ahhh, the beauty of first impressions!
There’s an awesomely wonderful song by Yacht entitled ’See a penny, pick it up’ & god, it’s just really a killer tune but everytime I hear it there’s a niggling suspicion that I originally heard it on TV. (This is even more strange because, in fact, I don’t even have cable so my exposure to TV is limited to taped shows that my friends bring over!) It’s really making me so frustrated & sad! I just wanna forget about it already and just enjoy the song but there’s this feeling that keeps coming back to me (paranoia? nah!) that’s afraid of being subliminally influenced by another creepy corporation. Arrgghh!!! More sleep, must get more sleep....

Anyways, please don’t assume that I think all musicians and artists need to be starving and naively idealistic. So not true. Eating is good! In fact, if you’re hungry there’s some ginger chicken in the fridge, I could just.... ah well, maybe another time then... It’s just that I was taught that there is a fairly clear distinction between Art and Commercial art. Note the capitalization. Oh shit, ok, I admit that more times than can be counted, literature, painting and music have all been used as tools by government and movements in order to promote a certain favourable way of thinking and that’s just as disgusting in some ways as selling a can of pop, right? Yes. Fine. I’ll concede that point but as an artist myself, I know the difference between making art for myself (aka silly scribblishness & weird, swooshy paintings) and the work that I quite willingly do for other people. I don’t accept payments for portraits because, for me, drawing them is a rather personal experience. I don’t want to have to consider whether my subject will be pleased with the end result while I’m attempting to capture that elusive something that is their essence, or je ne sais quoi, on paper. You will never find me in Stanley Park drawing portraits of your snot-runnin’, ice-cream eatin’ kids for $5 a pop, of that you can be sure! But yah, I’ve taken on illustration projects and created band posters where I’m more than happy to let someone else dictate what they’re looking for as the end result. It really makes me happy to have my art help out other people but it’s not the same as the stuff I make for myself. It still becomes a product, albeit a loving one.

Most sickening of all is when companies have the all-out flaming balls to just steal from artists. (May hellfires melt their plastic souls.) Gather round kids, while I tell you a lovely story involving karma kicking one of those bloody utility companies in the ass! Now as most of my friends, family and possibly even random acquaintances know, I have a tremendous respect for Owen Pallett, aka Final Fantasy. The record company he’s signed with, blocksblocksblocks, was originally formed by Steve Kado and is an artist collective project. This means that all the artists Signed to this label are also working For the record company to help produce all of the records. Artists helping each other out = fucking sweet utopian ideals. Awesome!! Ah, the story, yes, I was getting to that... really! So last fall the Vienna Utility Company apparently took Owen’s refusal to let them use his song rather badly and hired another musician to create an unapologetic rip-off of ’This is the dream of Win & Regine’ to use in their upcoming ad campaign. Now most artists, after finding this out, would have their speed-dialed lawyers suing faster than that sloppy scab musician could finish writing his last plagiarized notes, and who could blame them, but Owen & team came up with a much more creative compensation for the crime. Why seek a monetary revenge when instead you can have the satisfaction of forcing a bloated corrupt corporation to fund a series of shows where you get to play with your friends and bands you love?! Thus was born the Maximum Black Festival that played dates in several cities across Europe in late Feb/early March. Hah! Bloody brilliant. (And now are you asking yourself, "Are the Vienna Utility Company really a bloated, corrupt corp?" Well, I’m assuming they are because, I mean, it’s Vienna, right? And there’s all that sausage, not to mention the pastries, so I’m just gonna assume there’s a lot of pudgy bloating going on over there. No offence, viennese!) Way to stick it to the man, Owen!

So in retrospect, maybe Andy Warhol should have just sold the rights to his Campbell Soup paintings to Campbell’s Soup to put right on their cans. I’m sure with the money that could have earned him he would have surely accumulated a collection of black turtlenecks that would have gone unparalleled. Ah well, I haven’t given up hope yet, apparently there’s still room in the world for a few artists of integrity, but take heart, Mr. Gates! Surely your super-villainous plans for domination of an apathetic universe will not be diverted by a few ornery rebels.... Long live the pirates!!

Is There any Such Thing as Indie Anymore?

The tagline for publicbroadcasting.ca is "to strengthen and preserve the independent and emerging Canadian voice" which I think I'll stick to. It may be time though for "indie" as a label applied to music to come to an end. We all seem to know what we mean when we say "indie". I wouldn't, for example, want to see CBC Radio 3 start playing Nickleback and Avril Lavigne. But, what exactly is indie anymore?

Personally, I tend to think of it as relating to the integrity of the artist - whether or not they maintain creative independence. But is that really a genre of music? Are the Woodhands, Laura Barrett, the Dears, the Tom Fun Orchestra, Kate Maki, the Blood Lines, Black Mountain and Arcade Fire all part of the same musical genre?

Natalia Yanchek (keys for the Dears) actually brought this subject up on her blog recently.

Being part of a band that has been plunked into the “indie rock” category, I often struggle with the genre and what, exactly, it means. What is indie? I believe it is a dead identity: like how the title “alternative” was borne from grunge in the 90’s, and has since come to define bands like Nickelback. It’s outgrown its meaning: Death Cab is indie, but on a major label. So WTF?
The term “indie” essentially used to mean “not major label” and oftentimes “not on any label.” But now the new “indie” had been commodified and major label bands can be indie rock.

I'd add that it's difficult to even define what constitutes a major label these days. To me Warner Bros, BMG, etc., are the 'major labels.' They are the ones identified with continuous attacks on the internet, frivolous law suits, screwing artists and fans at every opportunity etc. But what if we set aside the battles of the last decade? Arts and Crafts have come to, almost, define 'indie' but can a label that represents Feist and Broken Social Scene still be considered a 'small label'?

There is an entire film on the subject of what indie is, appropriately titled What Is Indie?

It is clear though that 'Indie' has become fairly useless as a definition. It is entirely subjective. To some the Arcade Fire and Feist are still indie, to others they are not and virtually every new band, no matter how well funded, considers itself 'indie'. I would even go so far as to say that all genres have lost their reason for being. As the world becomes smaller and the number of influences people are exposed to grows and becomes more multicultural the lines will blur still further. Unless you work in a record store and need to figure out where to put things - it may be time to simply divide things between what you like and what you don't. It would certainly make radio better and more interesting if there were no labels, no genres to decide what should and shouldn't be played and the playlist was simply made up of good music.

Fashionable People Doing Questionable Things

As a fan of Canadian independent music, the only thing better to me than the Bucky Awards is the Polaris prize. The WCMA's and ECMAs are great, but they're regional and the Juno's are, well they're nice too. And I'm not saying all of this just because they gave me one (honorary). So, I'd like to congradulate everyone who was even nominated. If you made the Top 5 in any of these categories it means that Canada loves you. But then the voting starts and someone has to win and this year those people were.

Catchiest Hook - Buck 65 "Indestructable Sam"
Best Sweatin' to the Indies Workout Song - Chromeo "Fancy Footwork"
Best Song Title - The Wet Secrets "Grow Your Own F*cking Moustache Asshole"
Best Falsetto - Joel Plaskett Emergency "Fashionable People"
Best Rap - Abdominal "Pedal Pusher"
Best Lyric - The Weakerthans "Civil Twilight"
Best Reason to Learn French - We Are Wolves "Magique"
Best Gang Vocals - Tokyo Police Club "Your English is Good"
Best New Band Name - Said the Whale
Best Song to Listen to in the Fetal Position - Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton "Doctor Blind"
Most Unpronounceable Name - Basia Bulat
Best Bass Line - Tokyo Police Club "Your English is Good"
Best Yacht Rock - Patrick Watson "Drifters"
Best Road-Trip Song - Two Hours Traffic "Backseat Sweetheart"
Song Most Likely to be a Future Classic - Feist "1234"

Plus Video Award Winners

Sexiest Canadian Musian: Peter Elkas
Most Likely to Have a Future Career in Television: Shane Nelken From the Awkward Stage
Best Video: Fashionable People - Joel Plasket Emergency

And the brand new "Old But Awesome" (lifetime achievement) award: Bob Wiseman


oh yeah and the Best Fan (or something like that) - Me =) for doing this.

The Radio 3 podcast version of the awards is here and the video awards can be downloaded here. By the way, they contain what is my favorite George Stroumboulopoulos  moment since he joined the CBC.

The Audience Indie Left Behind

Things happen as you get older, one of them is that you don't always know about everything as it happens, another is that you don't have as much time. Those two things are closely related. So, it was 2007 before I got around to reading uTOpia Volume II: The State of the Arts: Living With Culture In Toronto (Coach House Books, 2006). It was an excellent book on the whole but one of my favorite essays was 'The Family That Rocks Together Stays Together' by Liz Forsberg (online version not available).

Ms. Forsberg wrote about her time as an indie rocker and the transition to parenthood, how touring or even going to shows were more difficult if not impossible now. Her idea was to have more family friendly, bring the kids, daytime indie shows. Which, I think, is brilliant.

Once you have kids and a job and lose your youthful ability to get by on 4 hours sleep a night it all becomes much more difficult. It's not that you don't want to go see bands, or that you're not interested in new music it's that you can't do alot of 10 pm - 2 am shows at the Horseshoe anymore. Even if you do make it to some shows, you discover after a few years that it's not really your peer group anymore and more and more people stop going at all. It's not that these people have lost interest in indie culture, it's that indie culture has lost interest in them.

It's not just 'old' people either. As Natalia Yanchak pointed out recently: many university bars are closing because their patrons have lost interest in booze, they are hanging out in coffee shops and juice bars now and while I lament the decline in university drinking (I was completely in shock when I first read it.) It is probably better for them, at least physically.

So, all of you indie musicians out there and promoters and booking agents - I think you are missing a substantial portion of your potential audience and the portion you are missing has more money than the portion you are hitting. Whoever decided that indie culture starts at 10 pm was either still in school or lived in their parents basement. Remember the original 'indie kids' are in their 40s and 50s now. If you haven't read it already have a look at "Up With Grups" from New York magazine, while I don't think the author is dead on the money, it does back up what I'm saying.

So who says you can't have a show during the day? What if instead of 10 pm to 2 am you had a show that went from noon to 4 on a saturday or sunday? What if people could bring their kids? The people who go to your nighttime shows could still come (provided they were up by noon) and the new faces would have more money - they wouldn't care as much about being on 'the list' the $5-10 cover isn't as big a deal. They would happily buy your CD, possibly your last 2 or 3 CDs, maybe even a Dears coffee mug. Their kids who danced with wild, completely unselfconscious abandon might even be interested not only a t-shirt but the Hidden Cameras action figures or the Bicycles lunch box.

Before anyone asks, yes I know there are festivals, Hillside etc., but even that all day, or two day commitment is more time than the people I'm talking about really have - again you are back to (for the most part anyway) the teens and twenty somethings who come to your evening shows.

Now I should point out that this is not a completely new concept. I was talking about the Liz Forsberg article with Lidia Vila from Toronto Indie and she pointed me toward ALL CAPS - which is a step in the right direction. They actually have a show today. It's a combination art/craft show and concert and the bands start at 7 - not quite what I'm talking about but certainly closer and more reasonable than the bands starting at 10.

I'm not saying that the night time shows should be done away with, far from it. I still love going when I can manage it. All I'm saying is that if indie musicians (and other performers) are having a hard time making ends meet that there is a large, relatively untapped audience out there. If all of your shows are on week nights and you take the stage at midnight there are a large number of potential fans, fans with larger incomes, that won't be able to make your shows - ever. If you add some day shows to your next tour you'll be surprised at the variety of people who show up (including some of the people who will be at your night show) at that audience that you now have to build 'one fan at a time' could grow exponentially.

What Is Indie: the Movie

For still more opinions on what Indie is check out Montreal director Dave Cool's documentary "What Is Indie" which you can now buy from bside.com for as little as 2.99. Preview is below.

What Is Indie II: More thoughts on what it means

To me "indie" has nothing to do with major labels, and nothing to do with money, although being "independent" often means less money. It is not about how you dress, who you work for, or where you like to hang out. It has nothing to do with being cool or hip, in fact being indie often means that you are far from cool or hip. Indie means just exactly what it says, it is about being independent, about being your own person and retaining your identity and integrity. You can be an 'indie' artist, or an 'indie' computer programmer, or an 'indie' accountant.

In the case of music it doesn't matter whether your label is big or small, what matters is the effect that label has on the artist. The Clash were a big label act, but I don't think Joe Strummer ever lost his independence. Henry Rollins does a television show, I don't think he's ever even been accused of selling out. If the music is still good, I'll keep listening. I don't care how much money they make. I don't care if the label is big or small.

There has been alot of talk lately that Polaris nominated artists Feist and the Arcade Fire aren't indie anymore. From what I can tell both have retained their integrity, they are still very much in control of their music, and doing their own thing their own way - so, still indie. Those that claim otherwise are simply not being realistic. Being successful and earning a living are not crimes. In the case of Leslie Feist, one of the creators of Arts & Crafts, having more money may well benefit Canadian independent music on the whole.

It is very 'cool' for young misguided, disengenuous would be hipsters to claim that anyone who makes enough money to quit their day job has 'sold out' but most of these are kids. Kids from middle class homes who will soon have (or already do have) jobs paying far more than most of the 'indie' artists who they insist should remain poor.

As I've said before, I like shows in small clubs, I like to buy the CD directly from the artists, but there will always be acts to fill the small clubs. There will always be new artists to find, and I do not begrudge a good artist their success, as long as the music is still good. I may not go to see their big stadium show, but that is a different question altogether.

Judge the artists you respect (in music, film, literature or anything else) on the quality, honesty, creativity and integrity of their work, not the size of their paycheque or who signs it.

What Is Indie?

There is an article by Guy Dixon in Saturday's Globe and Mail called Life on the Road: What indie looks like now. It's all about Canadian indie bands and who is or isn't indie.

Myself, personally, I don't like stadium concerts. I will never pay $100-200 to see ANY band from 100 yards away (or to simply watch them on the jumbotron screen.) I like small venues, I like small crowds, I like good beer - not watered down discount beer at import prices. I like to say hi to the band and buy the CD directly from them (assuming I liked them). That's just my taste though. I don't really care about labels, indie or otherwise. I find it sad that at the point in their career when a band actually starts to make enough money to quit their day job they are frequently accused of 'selling out' or 'not being indie anymore' and their original fan base abandons them - even if the music is just as good.

So what do you think? What is indie? Does it really mean anything and if so, where do you draw the line?