Sounds Like a Revolution is a documentary based on the newest generation of activist musicians. Erykah Badu narrates the film which features artists ranging from Anti-Flag to Michael Franti, with interviews from The Dixie Chicks, Steve Earle, Ani DiFranco and a bunch of other artists who have faced persecution for their views and political voice. One of the main issues addressed in the film is how the Corporate idealism of the music industry today has made it nearly impossible for main stream musicians to have any views and beliefs other than sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. Indie labels have become the only way for any artists to have real creative freedom, and with this, the political activism of these artists is finally spreading to today’s youth.

I watched the movie with my boyfriend, Mike, who isn’t quite as politically active as I am, but isn’t completely ignorant to what’s going on in our world either. We didn’t completely agree on all of the aspects touched upon throughout the movie so here’s what we both thought:

The Good Stuff:

I thought that the movie was well-made and did address the larger issues of today’s politics within North America, and mostly within the United States. Another aspect that I liked about it was that the film was based around more unknown artists and discussed, with complete frankness, the issue of corporate idealism and how it has effected all aspects of free speech within the music industry.

The Bad Stuff:

Well, Mike didn’t think that the artists were doing enough, and although I don’t think that violence is the answer (as we can see with Iraq, Afghanistan, etc, etc, etc) I did have to agree in this respect. I don’t think that playing a few songs can really make a difference, and although Fat Mike from NOFX made a point of saying that he and his band were solely responsible for convincing their apathetic punk fans to go out and vote during the last election, I have to disagree. I mean, sure, they probably convinced a good portion of their fan-base to go out and do so, but I attribute most of it to the PSAs put out by people like Leonardo DiCaprio, and other more well-known celebrities, as well as the fact that there was actually someone worth voting for this time around (The Obamanator).

Now, I don’t want to step on anyone’s politically-sensitive toes while writing this review, so I’m not going to express my personal views on anything, but I do recommend this movie for someone who actually cares about politics more than the average-Joe. No, it doesn’t touch on the Bob Dylans or the John Lennons of the past, so don’t go in expecting that; the movie is strictly about the modern-day musician-activists. I don’t think that the average person would really find this movie interesting or worth watching, and neither did Michael. I liked it, and even though I watched it at 1am on a week-night, it kept me up and interested the entire time.

Watch the trailer here: Sounds Like a Revolution

FOR MORE ON WHAT’S PLAYING AT NXNE, CLICK HERE.

Johnny Cash’s America takes us on a journey from his beginning as an American Country-Folk musician, to his death in 2003. The film touches upon the lesser-known aspects of his life, such as his fight for Native American rights in the mid-1960s, to his involvement with Billy Graham, and his strong Christian faith. Throughout the movie, we’re also given a close-up view on Johnny’s long-time speed addiction and the effect it had on his life, both emotionally and physically.

So I didn’t end up watching the movie with any people that were huge Johnny Cash fans, and I was probably the only one who had any knowledge of his awesomeness. I went into watching this with the more well-known Johnny Cash facts; his first marriage, his drug addiction, his eventual marriage to June Carter Cash, etc, but there were definitely some interesting tid-bits that I wasn’t aware of at the same time, such as his near-obsession with Native American culture. So I give you my likes and dis-likes on the documentary.

The Good

First and foremost, my two biggest pet peeves when it comes to documentaries on anyone is when they’re either too long or too short; Johnny Cash’s America was juuust right. It touched on all the most crucial aspects of his life, the ones that had the biggest impact on him as a man and the ones that had the most impact on his family, friends and fans. It started during his childhood with the loss of his older brother in a sawmill accident (which was touched upon in Walk the Line… I know, I know. It’s a glammed up Hollywood version of the man’s life, but it’s still an awesome movie full of the sex god that is Joaquin Pheonix. Mmm mm.) and ends up with his death in September of 2003, less then 5 months after his wife of 35 years, June, passed away due to complications following heart surgery. Some of the clips that they movie showed were never-before-seen (of course!) and totally awesome. I especially loved the clips of him with all of the U.S. presidents (up to Reagan) and how he basically gave Richard Nixon a big ‘eff you’ by refusing a song request when he played for him at the White House.

The Bad

Really though, I loved the movie. I didn’t think there were any bad aspects, but you have to be a Johnny Cash fan to appreciate the doc. It was well-made and to the point, without beating around the bush with filler information like so many other documentaries have in the past.

I love Johnny Cash. The man was a sheer genius and produced some of music’s biggest classics. I give the movie 5/5 stars if you can appreciate the man and enjoy a good musical documentary, if not, check out some of the other movies playing at NXNE this year!

Trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XNQyxtrZuE

FOR MORE ON WHAT’S PLAYING AT NXNE, CLICK HERE.

For years now, electronic music lovers from far and wide would travel every May to Detroit for one of the city’s biggest music festival of the year: Detroit Electronic Music Festival. This year marks DEMF’s 10^th anniversary and was promised to be one of the best ones yet showcasing electro big name DJs alongside up and coming artists that are hot right now. Detroit was most definitely the place to be for any globe-electro-trotter this past memorial weekend.

The two day music festival was held at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit. The music traveled across the river and was so loud, you were able to hear everything back in Windsor.Taveling to DEMF I couldn’t help but to notice how colourful everyone was. Almost made me want to turn back around to Canada and change my outfit. I must admit I had more fun meeting people than bouncing from one stage to another (when A-Trak dropped Duck Sauce stuff I went nuts). Here’s a look of some of the fun people I met and what they chose to wear at DEMF 2010 (note is that a pleather jacket?):

Totally thought there were various face painting stations scattered when I saw every other girl with face paint and over the top eye makeup. I can’t do this DIY kind of stuff, it’s tricky.

What’s worse? This man’s belly and his cholesterol or bringing a baby to DEMF?

I asked her if I could borrow that outfit. She laughed and said “You’re cute.” …I wasn’t joking.

These kids were sweet but I got that feel their parents didn’t let them go out of the house looking like this. Like her Aeropostale outfit her parents saw her in that morning is inside her Unicorn raver knapsack or something.

Another baby at DEMF.

Bot Marley? Seriously?!? BOT MARLEY? You know these guy know they’re cool. I wanted to take them home with me but I wouldn’t know how well it would go at Customs.

Oh yeah, dude hold on and don’t let her go. She is ten miles out of your league.

Face Thong Mask Man

These two were wack. I tried to have a convo with them but couldn’t make out what they were trying to say. I don’t even think they saw me either, no eye contact. Probably thought I was just another asian cartoon hallucination.

Adam Lambert making an appearance at DEMF. He’s gorgeous.

Now here’s a character I wanted to bring back to the office. Look at him, he’s got PinkMafia written all over him. Love it.

They were rappers, they were DJs, they were remixers, and now they have a full album to keep you footloose and fancy free, Holy Ghost! have risen from making drainpipe- sporting hipsters dance in New York to all over the continent and then some Check the myspace for the duos mad remixes of Phoenix, MGMT, Friendly Fires, and their own boomdiggy shit. In the mean  time Holy Ghost!’s (and they damn well earned that exclamation point) Nicholas Millhiser and Alexander Frankel took some time off to answer PinkMafia’s 20 Q.

1. What is your
dream of happiness?
Alex: Big studio, in corsica
Nick: Yeah, DFA Corsica HQ on the rocks

2. Blonde or Brunette?
Alex: Brunette
Nick: Brunette for sure

3. What is the quality you like most in a man?
Alex: Not being a dick
Nick: Being worse looking and less charming than me

4. What do you fear most?
Alex: Fear itself
Nick: Embarassing my friends

5. 808s or 909s?
Alex: 707′s, also like the latin percussion model, 727!
Nick: Simmons!

6. What’s your biggest regret?
Alex: There are a lot
Nick: Yeah, there are a couple but they are not exactly for a light hearted interview. It would just bum you out.

7. What’s your fav bar or club in the world?
Alex: Subclub! Glasgow!
Nick: Ditto

8. What’s the one thing you can’t live without?
Alex: Coffee.
Nick: Beer

9. What are the 3 musicians dead or alive you’d like to see perform?
Alex: Talking Heads at their Rome concerts, Larry Levan any night, MJ.
Nick: Double ditto

10. What is your favorite decade in music?
Alex: 1977-84
Nick: Alex is killing it with his answers. Triple ditto!

11. If you had to choose, would you rather go blind or deaf and why?
Blind, I could still work.
Nick: I’ll say deaf so alex and I could engage in mad-cap antics ala Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in “See No Evil/Hear No Evil.”

12. How old is too old?
Alex: Its never too late
Nick: I’m feeling it now. The kids…are coming up…from behind…

13. Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
Alex: Not far from where I am
Nick: Literally. I’d be happy in this very apartment, though hopefully (1) I will own it (2) I will have renovated the kitchen and (3) not be painfully alone.

14. Who’s your hero?

Alex: Make that super hero: Jerry Fuchs.

Nick: From the first time I saw saw him I thought he was the best drummer I’d ever seen but ever since he passed away I’ve spent a lot of time studying his playing and he was actually even better than I thought. I really, really miss him.

15. What’s your favourite colour?
Alex: Red
Nick: Dude! We’re so in touch with each other! Mine is totally red too!

16. What song could you live without ever hearing again?
Alex: your so gay by Katy Perry.
Nick: That fucking reggaeton song the bodega below my apartment has been blasting for the past 4 years.

17. Metallica or Madonna?
Nick: Madonna
Nick: Metallica

18. What’s your most hated vice?
Alex: Cigarettes and taxis
Nick: Good Humor Oreo ice cream bars. I love cigarettes, that’s the problem.

19. Who is the most tragic figure in history?
Alex/Nick: We’re all tragic

20. What are the top three live shows you’ve seen in your life?
Alex: I leave this to Nick
Nick: Jay-Z’s Fade To Black concert at the The Garden. That’s it.

Holy Ghost! Are playing in Toronto at the  Koolhaus May 25th with LCD Soundsystem CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

The Sadies have been one of the few modern bands able to create an ache of nostalgia for music past. If we were to include all their collaborations since 1998 Darker Circles would be their thirteenth studio album, Darker Circles is far more pensive than its predecessor Country Club (feat. John Doe), it pains me to use such a cliché but it really does sound like the soundtrack to an unwritten movie. Guitarist brothers Dallas and Travis Good, drummer Mike Belitsky and bassist Sean Dean have paired with Jayhawk and  producer Gary Louris to make an album that MUST be listened to from start to finish, that means no searching for singles.

Just the right combination of surf, grunge, rock, country, and psychedelic with a big hit of blues, Darker Circles opens with ‘Another Year Again’ which has a wicked body shaken fuzz drenched guitar solo near the end that totally turns the song around somehow reminds me of 13^th Floor Elevators (If you’ve seen High Fidelity you’ll know it, thank you Dallas Wheeler for introducing me). While ‘Cut Corners’  slowly comes to a boil with blues so effing heavy it hurts.

The Sadies have long been the most recognized rock-country band from Toronto in the pat ten years, if not Canada. They seem to have a knack for sounding like the blues influenced boys of the 60’s and 70’s, Zeppelin, The Eagles and the like while still holding their own.  My only complaint, not a fan of the banjo on track 9 ‘ Choosing To Fly’, it reminds of square-dancing in grade 3, which says a lot about my emotional development at age 8, the song is totally somber and bitter, as was I towards square-dancing. None the less a bomb album that my Dad stole from me within days.

The Sadies are playing at Lee’s Palace on May 22

(An exclusive still from the guys’ new video for ‘Stop Being Ourselves’)

The first time I saw the Sea Inside live was in October of last year. I hopped on the bandwagon a little late, as the boys formed the group approximately four and half years ago, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t love them more than anyone else (duh!). Their astounding raw talent never ceases to blow my mind during their live sets, and their lyrics are absolutely phenomenal.

Music aside, they are some completely amazing guys. They just wrapped up the filming of their first music video last weekend and incorporated some of their fans, myself included, within the shoot. I can honestly say that I don’t know of many bands that would be that wonderful to the people who support them, nor do I know many bands who genuinely make the effort to be actual friends with their fans like these guys do. …Oh, and ps. All four of them are totally bang-able. - Love ya! ;)

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

The Sea Inside is:

- Geoff Callaghan (Vocals & Guitar)
- Piero Graci (Guitar)
- Danny Gaudio (Bass)
- Jeff Eden (Drums)

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

Lydia: How did you guys meet?

Jeff: Piero came into Studio 8 for a session. I was blown away by his guitar playing and asked him if he wanted to work on writing some stuff. He did. He knew Danny, and brought him in. After we had some music in the works we started auditioning singers. We went to London, ON to hear one of them sing. We never even got to that guy. Cali played before him, and just simply blew us away. He came to Toronto for a recording session, and the rest is history. Those first sessions actually made it onto ‘A Beautiful Mess’. It just worked from day one.

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

Lydia: Why did you decide to call the band the Sea Inside?

Cali: I was spending a great deal of time in Spain when the movie came out. The sentiment in our music is similar. We are all swimming around in ourselves trying not to drown. At first listen, I think our music can sound desolate, but once a listener spends some time with it, I think they will find hope.

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

Lydia: Who do you consider to be your greatest influences?

Jeff: Larry Mullen Jr, John Bonham, and Stuart Copeland
Piero: Jimmy Page and John Frusciante
Danny: Flea and Larry Graham
Cali: Morrissey, Jeff Buckley, and Radiohead

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

Lydia: What is your favourite song to play live?

Jeff:
From the first disc-’World She Couldn’t Find’
From DoS-’Fodder’
Piero:
From the first disc-’Sentimental Smile’
From DoS-’The Faithful Art’
Danny:
From the first disc-’We’re All Lost’
From DoS-’Stop Being Ourselves’
Cali:
From the first disc-’Sentimental Smile’
From DoS-’The Light at the End of You’

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

Lydia: What are your feelings on the state of music today and what do you think sets you guys apart from all of the other rock groups out there?

Cali: Lydia! That’s a tough and potentially implicating question. The business seems to have grown incredibly complicated. There are so many bands out there that we are told by the new media are the next coming of The Beatles that it is hard to listen to everything. It is the classic Socratic problem: the more you know, the more you don’t know. What sets us apart is that we have had reliable professional advice from very early on in the life of the band. We know that we are building permanence due to the fact that we make the recordings that we want to make. We never compromise, ever. We keep going till we get it right by our own definition. There is never a quick fix for us. We know that gives us a certain type of fan, but it is worth it. Our listeners have to be willing to immerse themselves in our recordings. If they aren’t, then they should go right to the shinier tracks like ‘All This Time’ or ‘Trite But True’. If they want a rock music experience, I think they will be rewarded after a couple of listens through the disc, but of course, I am biased.

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

Lydia: How did it feel to shoot your first ever music video? And what made you decide on your song, Stop Being Ourselves, as your first single?

Jeff: It was more fun than I thought it would be. The fun factor was heightened for me by the fact that we got some great results. The narrative was shot somewhat theatrically which I initially thought was a risk. I didn’t think we could pull the lighting off. We had some great people work with us. Dave Thies and Ryan Van Ausdall lent their expertise and the results are visually stunning.

Cali: It felt awesome, although it was a great deal less glamorous than I expected. Just like recording music, I learned not to invite my friends. They won’t be impressed, unless they get to be in the video. ‘Stop Being Ourselves’ was the clear choice. We wanted the world to know right off the bat that we are unapologetically a rock band.

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

Lydia: How does it feel to have your latest CD, DoS, go international?

Cali: It feels incredible. It is gratifying to know that after 5 years of very hard work that the world is really taking notice. I am glad it is happening naturally, and that we didn’t have to pull some ridiculous stunt, online or otherwise. Well, let’s just say that we haven’t let any of our ridiculous stunts be filmed.

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

Lydia: Where do you see yourselves in 5-10 years?

Cali: In September of 2015 we will be finishing 2 nights at Molson Ampitheatre and getting ready to head into the studio to work on our 6th disc. We would have played the ACC, but wanted to be outdoors for obvious reasons.

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

Lydia: Finally, is there anything you want to tell your fans?

Cali: The first thing that I would like to give our fans is our sincere thanks. Selling out our last show was an incredible feeling. It is very cool that we get to interact with our fans through social media tools. Everything we do online is genuine. We don’t inflate any of our numbers. We let it grow naturally, and many of our fans have truly become our friends. Please just tell them, ‘Thanks’.

(Photo courtesy of Lance Citriniti Photography)

The boys have possible shows in Toronto, Hamilton, London, Guelph, Barrie coming up soon. The dates will be up on their website and facebook page asap!

Their latest album DoS goes on sale everywhere tomorrow.

Check it, bitches!!!

Plot Synopsis:
A biography based on the untold story of John Lennon. The film begins with a 16 year old John, and ends right before The Beatles (in their earliest incarnation) went to Hamburg. To clarify, this is not a Beatles bio, it’s a John Lennon bio.

Genre:
Biography

Starring:
Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey, Sam Bell

Director:
Sam Taylor-Wood

Review:
To be honest, I’m not usually a fan of biographical films. For the most part, they are poorly made and researched, and never grasp what the person they are based on went through or experienced (see: Factory Girl or Norma Jean & Marilyn). That said, I still give it a chance when the film is about someone I’m thoroughly interested in, because I tend to hang onto the hope that one day, maybe, someone will make something good.

Nowhere Boy hit the mark, for the most part. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either. I didn’t hate it, but I felt that it was a bit of a fantastical version of John’s early life and a lot of crucial points were cut out, for example, his first wife Cynthia. At the same time, a lot of important parts were included, like the death of John’s Uncle George, at the beginning of the film. George had a huge influence on John’s early childhood and was one of the few people that ever showed him love and tenderness while growing up with his rigid Aunt Mimi.

The relationship between John and his mother made me a bit uncomfortable at the beginning. I think it was just the interaction between Aaron Johnson and Anne-Marie Duff, but she seemed to be looking at him a bit more like a 15 year old school girl than a mother, if you catch my incestuous-vibed drift. Eventually it evened out, though, and the film became very good.

In essence, see this film if you want to be entertained and gain a brief summary of John Lennon‘s early life, before Beatlemania, bed-ins for peace and most definetly before Yoko.

Watch the trailer here.

Plot Synopsis:
An in-depth documentary on The Doors featuring never-before-scene footage of the band and it’s members. The film begins with the meeting of Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek at UCLA’s film school and ends with Morrison‘s untimely death at the age of 27.

Genre:
Documentary

Narrated by:
Johnny Depp

Director:
Tom DiCillo

Review:
I hate to admit it, but I’m sort of a film elitist lately. I’m beginning to turn into one of those people who thinks that the only real type of cinema is documentary film. What’s the point of telling a story unless there’s something to really tell? And at the same time, what better way to tell that story than by showing it in real life. That being said, I don’t like when films falsely advertise their content, which ended up being the case with When You’re Strange.

Turns out, it’s just another Jim Morrison movie, and not a Doors bio, as I had expected it to be. Although it wasn’t as bad as other films I’ve seen (ie. Oliver Stone‘s The Doors), it still centrally concentrated on Morrison, his antics and how he inevitably destroyed one of the greatest rock bands of all time with drugs and booze. There were highlights about the rest of the band, of course, such as how John Densmore once quit the band after a turbulent day in the studio thanks to Jim’s drunken behaviour, or how Robby Krieger

Photo by: Ysa Perez

Drop the Lime, (born Luca Venezia) is an electronic producer and DJ who also runs Brooklyn based dance label and badass crew, Trouble & Bass. His sound was described by label mate Vivian Host (Star Eyes) in XLR8R Magazine as, “chopped-up breaks making hairpin turns, breakdowns coming out of nowhere, a foundation of wobbling goblin bass often cut in with tropical, clacking snares”. We describe him more simply as, “bass heavy babe” He will be performing at the SCION show at Mod Club this Thursday, February 11th. Alongside DTL are label mate, AC Slater as well as Jokers Of The Scene, and Nacho Lovers.

Oh yeah, and check this premier of his latest single, Devil’s Eyes (Michael Meds Remix)

Drop the Lime – Devils Eyes (Michael Meds Remix) by

DTL was nice enough to take our 20 Qs from the road somewhere in Europe.

1. What is your dream of happiness?

Floating on a midnight cloud with a princess and Manhattan on the rocks in arms while the most beautiful song in the world plays in our ears.

2. Blonde or Brunette?

Black.

3. What Is the quality you like most in a man?

Honesty and loyalty.

4. What do you fear most?

Sleep.

5. 808s or 909s?

808′s.

6. What’s your biggest regret?

Not having any.

7. What’s your fav bar or club in the world?

Il Lupo Brutto in Rome. Best cocktails and bar tenders in the world.

8. What’s the one thing you can’t you live with out?

Music.

9. What are the 3 musicians dead or alive you’d like to see perform?

Tom Waits, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley.

10. What is your favorite decade in music?

50′s.

11. If you had to choose, would you rather go blind of deaf and why?

Blind. Music would become even more amazing.

12. How old is too old?

Dead is too old.

13. Where did you see yourself in 15 years?

Going to mars in a flying car.

14. Who’s your hero?

Brian Eno.

15. What’s your favourite colour?

Black.

16. What song could you live without ever hearing again?

Celine Dion’s Titanic theme song.

17. Metallica or Madonna?

Madonna.

18. What’s your most hated vice?

Candy.

19. Who is the most tragic figure in history?

George W. Bush.

20. What are the top three live shows you’ve seen in your life?

Radiohead during OK Computer tour.

Fever Ray at Melt! Festival.

Fugazi at Roxy NYC in the 90′s.

For those who are musically savvy, you’ve heard of RJD2 and been on his jock for some time now.  But for those not in the know, RJD2 has been in the hip hop game for ten years now.  For most, his game is just on the DL.  He started in Ohio with his own (now defunct) indie record label and making his own beats.  From there, he traveled the world performing and worked with some notable notables such as Massive Attack, Mos Def and Polyphonic Sphree.  Sure, things have changed for RJD2 (bigger studio, bigger gigs – like his one coming up in Toronto – March 11, 2010 @ Mod Club), but his says his goal remains the same: ‘make music that is going to hopefully rearrange your brain, or at least provide some relief from real life for a moment or two’.

Check out his answers to our 20 Questions.  This dude is charming, hilarious & just a wee bit nerdy.  The best combination!

Photo Credit: Dan McMahon

1. What is your dream of happiness?

Lots and lots of sleep. and blowjobs. then more sleep.

2. Blonde or Brunette?

Redhead.

3. What Is the quality you like most in a man?

I love it when a man’s checks clear.

4. What do you fear most?

Vegetarian diet.

5. 808s or 909s?

808′s.

6. What’s your biggest regret?

Too private!

7. What’s your fav bar or club in the world?

Probly 9:30 in DC.

8. What’s the one thing you can’t you live with out?

Brain stimuli.

9. What are the 3 musicians dead or alive you’d like to see perform?

Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, Joe Zawinul

10. What is your favorite decade in music?

The roaring 20′s.

11. If you had to choose, would you rather go blind of deaf and why?

Ugh. no answer.

12. How old is too old?

Never too old!

13. Where did you see yourself in 15 years?

In a space bubble watching earth in flames.

14. Who’s your hero?

Jim Henson.

15. What’s your favourite colour?

Green.

16. What song could you live without ever hearing again?

That one BEP song. Oh, wait I’m told they have more than one. All those BEP songs.

17. Metallica or Madonna?

Duh. METAL UP YOUR ASS

18. What’s your most hated vice?

My lady hates my neti pot.

19. Who is the most tragic figure in history?

The smelly kid in the wire who ends up a junkie.

20. What are the top three live shows you’ve seen in your life?

Dead Sea, Dead Sea, Dead Sea.

Plot Synopsis:
Pirate Radio is an ode to the pirate radio stations of 1960s England which came about as a result of government run radio stations refusing to play the popular music of the time. More specifically, the film follows Carl and his experiences on his Godfather’s pirate radio boat in the North Sea.

Genre:
Comedy

Cast:
Tom Sturridge, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Phillip Seymour-Hoffman, Nick Frost

Director:
Richard Curtis

Review:
Being a fan of British comedy, I was a little biased going into this movie. I knew that I would like it no matter what… and it truly did not disappoint. The film was well-made and well-acted, with Richard Curtis choosing some of England’s best up-and-coming, and currently amazing, actors for the roles of the DJs and young Carl (Tom Sturridge…. yum!).. something he also did in his last film, Love Actually, which is one of my favourite movies of all time.

For me, the best part of the entire film was definetly the soundtrack. It features some of the best music to come out of the 1960s, and was placed perfectly with each scene.

I highly recommend this film to anyone who loves British comedies or good music (I think I win everyone over on the latter). It was excellent and is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen.

Just as a side note.. the film was originally titled The Boat That Rocked, but was later changed to Pirate Radio for North American audiences.. I’m not a fan of the name change.. but that’s about the only bad thing I can say about the film… which isn’t much at all……….. Go see it!!!

Rating:
5/5

Now in its 26th year, Hillside Festival took place from July 24th to the 26th on the Guelph Lake Island. Despite the lame weather (it is supposed to be summer, right?), it was another successful year for the festival.

On Friday, my friends and I got to the festival area and set up camp in the VIP/volunteer camping area, and this deserves a mention – I’ve never been to a festival or concert before where media was treated so well. Media passes were “all access” which meant, free food and beverages! We all know that is THE most important thing.

Huge props to the festival as well for being so eco-friendly, with all the food and drinks being served on reusable plates and mugs, and having over 1000 volunteers washing those dishes and working so hard to make this festival run smoothly. There were also a wide variety of food choices, with many vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options, which is a nice change compared to the usual gross hot dogs and hamburgers served at outdoors festivals. From Meals That Heal offering a vegan African Peanut Stew to Guelph’s Carribbean Cuisine to Chocosol Traders serving up delicious drinking chocolate, there was definitely something for everyone.

It’s also so awesome to see so many little kids running about and older folks enjoying the live music and workshops just as much, this is a real hippie and family-friendly environment.

Enough about general festival observations, let’s talk about music, the main attraction of the festival. Friday started off with multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd delighting the crowd with his blues and roots music on the main stage – I then caught The Grates and Rock Plaza Central at the Lake Stage before finishing off the night by watching Loreena McKennitt. That’s right, I saw Loreena McKennitt and thoroughly enjoyed her celtic/new age music.

Saturday was the busiest day, which started off with my friend giving me a haircut on the grass while watching dancy-rock band Green Go on the Lake Stage and drinking coffee. Julie Doiron was next and charmed the crowd with her sweet tunes – she played a lot of tracks from her latest album I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day. After catching a few songs from fellow Montrealer David Martel (including a cover of Sufjan Stevens’ John Wayne Gacy Jr.), I run over to a packed Island Stage and watch Ohbijou for a few songs. After a quick lunch break, I went back to the stage to hear Timber Timbre‘s haunting folk tunes.

One band I was really excited to see was Attack In Black – whom I’ve seen so many times in the past year. Their 2009 release Years (By One Thousand Fingertips) is one of the best albums of the year and they always put on a good show. After their set I saw Hey Rosetta!, the legendary Buffy Sainte Marie and Tokyo Police Club before heading back to the Island Stage where Woodhands were playing and the biggest dance party of the festival was happening. There was a lineup to get into the tent, and it seems like everyone inside was dancing. Listen to “I Wasn’t Made For Fighting” and you’ll now why. They got the crowd so riled up that they performed an encore, even if they weren’t the last band of the night on that stage. The Arkells followed them, and while their rock music is a lot different than Woodhands, the crowd was just as excited to see them.

Sunday was a strange day as far as weather goes. It started off with a big rainstorm, then it got really hot and sunny for a couple hours. It rained again in the afternoon, and hillsiders became mudsliders. Watch this video for mudsliding action and also lightning striking the Island Stage.

I started the day by attending a spoken word writing & performance workshop by Plug Poetry which proved to be really interesting. Then I headed off to watch Kate Reid play some “dyke-folk with a kick” before going to see two bands presented by Pop Montreal: The Witchies and Clues. Right before Clues took the stage, is when the lightning struck the tent and shut down the PA, therefore the band played the entire set without hearing themselves in their monitors. Impressive! Winter Gloves got people to dance, and then Gentleman Reg (who is from Guelph) had people singing and clapping along – one of the best sets of the day. He played a lot of songs from his latest album Jet Black including “To Some It Comes Easy“, and “Coastline” as well as the super catchy tune “The Boyfriend Song“.

I stuck to the main stage for the rest of the evening and watched Great Lake Swimmers and Patrick Watson and then – Final Fantasy. Owen Pallett, with his little violin and his huge stage presence easily had the best performance of the festival, and it was partly thanks to the weather. During a new song entitled “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt”, the rain started blowing sideways on the stage, lightning struck and thunder was booming all around. Stage techs were trying to get Owen off the stage, but he called out “let me finish this song!” – and he did. It was a beautiful, overwhelming moment: watch the video.

The night ended with Night Lullabies on the Lake Stage, featuring aforementioned Kate Reid, Sam Bradley and Kristin Sweetland.

Overall, Hillside 2009 was amazing despite the rain, and well worth the trip out to Guelph.

For more photos, click here.

Ladyhawke aka Pip Brown is a singer, not a band, not a film. She likes kittens, video games, and wears men’s clothing almost exclusively.

Hailing from New Zealand, she’s fairly new to the scene. Her self-titled debut album was released this past September, and she’s been touring since, opening up for the Ting Tings in the UK (more proof I need to re-locate to Europe). Even Perez Hilton himself called upon her presence at his SXSW concert extravaganza in Texas this year. And we all know he’s picky about his people.

Mellow tunes, 80′s synth-influenced melodies and delicate vocals are what you’ll find on this great album. Tracks like “My Delirium” are instantly catchy, and as if that weren’t enough, I’d say the adorable water-colour graphics on her website and album cover are enough to convince me of her rising awesome-status. Image is important, and I love everything about her representation. But don’t be fooled, she’s got edge.

With infinitely amazing lyrics a la “kids in the street, drinking wine on the sidewalk, saving the plans that we have ’till the night time” evoking feelings of blissful carelessness, you can’t help but pay attention. More likely than not, they will end up as your obscure Facebook status’.

I guarantee you’ll be setting this record on repeat this summer. It’s the perfect playlist for a garden/patio party to accompany fruity cocktails and a setting sunset.

Ladyhawke has 4 singles out, so check her YouTube channel for all the visual radness. I heart videos in which every screencap has the possibility of being a fashion shoot or work of art.

Oh, and she also DJs.

Ladyhawke rawks.

Words by Melania Fedyna

I fear I may be experiencing concert overload – I know, how can that even be possible? But after seeing Kings Of Leon last night and how bored I got at times during the show, I think that is the case.

To be honest, it might have to do with where the show was held: the Air Canada Centre is just too big for these southern rockers, in my opinion. They sounded fantastic, Caleb Followill’s voice resounded through the arena clearly and the audience was very enthusiastic but there was just something missing. This is the kind of band you’d want to see in an intimate venue. Maybe the fact that I was too far away to admire their prettiness had something to do with it too.

But let’s talk about the actual show, shall we? When I walked in, The Walkmen were already on – not that anyone cared these guys were playing, as most of the audience was busy getting drunk and they were just a background noise.

For all those fans who hate on their latest, super popular album Only By The Night, and who miss their long hair days when they weren’t known for a little song with the lyrics “head while I’m driving” – I’m sure they were quite pleased to hear so many oldies. After opening up the show with one new song “Crawl”, they immediately launched into a bunch of older tunes including “Molly’s Chambers” and “California Waiting” from their debut album Youth & Young Manhood as well “Taper Jean Girl” from Aha Shake Heartbreak and “My Party” from Because Of The Times.

Of course, when they played “Sex On Fire”, everyone was singing along. For me, one of the highlights was hearing “Milk” live as well as “Knocked Up” during the encore – one of their best songs in my opinion, there’s just something amazing about the way that song builds up. Overall, it was a good show, and it’s great to see that the band is still playing lots of old songs, even though a big part of the crowd would probably rather hear the new album in its entirety.