We’ve been taking our vitamins and getting our beauty sleep. We’ve stood in line for mani pedi’s and booked our blow outs. It’s that time of year again, people, time for the great tradition of the TIFF gauntlet. It’s the Cannonball Run of Toronto events. 10 days of celebs, dinner reservations, pretending to care about movies, and partaaaays.

If it’s your first TIFF, you’ll probably spen all your time up in Dorkville trying to catch a glimpse of Helen Mirrin or Clive Owen lunch at that vile One or coming out wine-drunk from risotto and low lighting at Sotto Sotto. If you’ve been around a few, then you know the real parties, and gossip and good times all happen post 2AM at a select few bars that get extended license. And here’s our guide to what’s good at TIFF 2010.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 09, 2010

BRANT HOUSE 522 King St. West

Kevin Dillon from Entourage is hosting. Bet he’ll be a hot mess. expect celebrity bartending and lots of shots shots shots shots shots.

WRONGBAR 1279 Queen St. West

FUBAR 2 GIVE’R AGAIN PARTY!
The Official Afterparty for the Toronto International Film Fest
Premier Screening of FUBAR 2!

http://www.fubar-themovie.com/

With Live Performances by Skullfist, Dentata and DJ Ian Blurton.

DJ sets by Legendary Times DJ’s The Gillespie Brothers.

Heavy Metal Karaoke hosted by Terry and Deaner!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

BOVINE SEX CLUB 542 Queen St. West

Early Bovine Presents: Teenage X, Voodoo Bunny, Mass Assembly. Late Wild Bunch Presents TIFF after party.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2010

WRONGBAR 1279 Queen St. West
Red Bull, Embrace and Nastymix present

THE ED BANGER HOCKEY SQUAD 2010 PARTY

$20 Advance Tickets available at Rotate This, Soundscapes and Play De Record and online at Ticketweb.ca For Reduced email: Jonathanc@embracepresents.com

THE SOCIAL 1100 Queen St. West

Mowgli + Neoteric + Lucy ‘Lo

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

CENTURY ROOM 580 King Street West

Street Level Tuesdays Presents: RIVA STAR

THE DRAKE HOTEL 1150 Queen St. West

Sasha Grey Late Night DJ Set + Betti Forde + Your Boy Brian

We have a HUGE Reduced List for this sucker, email: info@pinkmafia.ca Subject: “SASHA” to get on it.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

THE DRAKE HOTEL 1150 Queen St. West

Do Right Music Presents: Maylee Todd + The Right Look + Friends

$5 Before and $10 After 12AM

THE BOVINE SEX CLUB 542 Queen St. West

Sailor Jerry Presents; The Balconies, Biblical + DJ Sebastien Grainger

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

WRONGBAR 1279 Queen St. West

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR (DJ SET)

with The MAKEOVER & Filthy Gorgeous

http://www.myspace.com/herculesandloveaffair

http://www.myspace.com/themakeovermusic

TICKETS $15.00 Advance (plus service charge) • 19+ Event • Doors @ 10PM

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2010

THE SOCIAL 1100 Queen St. West

Bassanova: Jubilee (NYC) and Grahmzilla

If you make it through that with your liver in tack, call us, we have a trophy for your death bed.

69 Vintage is owned and operated by Kealan Sullivan. When it was first opened, it was the perfect compliment to bar/club, The Social, next door and Spin Gallery (now closed) above. Since opening, 69 Vintage has become a cornerstone in the Queen West community. Kealan has helped dress everyone from bands, VJs and to the ladies at PinkMafia for all our red carpet events. Recently, they have expanded into a second location that also has a by-the-pound section on Bloor Street.

Adria wears: Black lace sheer blouse – 25$

Kealan wears: Red scarf – 5$ Beige silk blazer – 40$

Adria wears: Floral dress – 45$ Braided leather belt – 8$ Sunglasses – 20$

69 Vintage: 1100 Queen St. West 416.516.0669 Open 12PM-7PM Every Day kealan@69vintage.com

69 Collective/Buy the Poud: 1207 Bloor St. West 416.516.1234 12PM-7Pm Every Day irene@69vintage.com

Photos By: Krist Papas

Wednesday Night:

Zeus, Jason Collett, and Bahamas at Lee’s Palace

Bahamas

Jason Collett has always a staple in my music library but for some reason, Wednesday night was my first experience with his backing band Zeus and Afie Jurvanen’s one-man-magical act, Bahamas. The three groups came together in what I would call one of the most incredible collaborations I’ve ever seen live. The stage was set like a cozy living room (equipped with vintage lampshades that kept getting in the way of Collett’s flounce of hair and during Mike O’Brian’s guitar raises) which made the performance feel even more like a family act who’ve been touring together since childhood. It’s going to be hard to listen to any of these three amazing bands alone now that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them work so well together.

Jason Collett

Zeus

Vivian Girls at Wrongbar

Vivian Girls

My night changed from chilled-out jam sessions to a frenzy of angst, whisky and lo-fi punkrock with Vivian Girls. After dodging a mouthful of Jameson spit out by lead guitarist Cassie Ramone and almost getting punched in the face by a superfan, I found a somewhat safe spot to snap photos and enjoy the raw sound of the Girls’ music. However, that very sound that I fell in love with listening to their CD started to fall short on me seeing them live. Besides girl-crushing on bassist “Kickball” Katy Goodman and her spunky stage presence I can’t call their show a highlight of the fest.”

Review and photos by Courtney Yip

Parallels at The Roosevelt Room

Parallels

Well, I guess I should have known that this was the former drummer for Crystal Castles!  Because Parallels gave off a strong CC vibe as soon as they took to the stage.  I was not familiar with their music prior to checking them out and decided to go in completely fresh.  What did I decide?  Well, I think I like them (dare I say it) – better than Crystal Castles.  I think that lead vocalist Holly Dodson has more flare and charisma on stage.  Plus, Parallels seemed to have more to it than the chiptune / electro sound.  A little more depth and maturity in its sound.  Dare I say, it felt wrong to be rocking out and partying this late on a Wednesday eve but damn, it felt good.  Plus, I think that this performance from Parallels made me a fan.

TV Heart Attack at The Hideout

TV Heart Attack

This Vancouver based four-some took to the stage to a fairly packed Hideout at the beginning of Canadian Music Fest on Wednesday evening. With their catchy indie-pop, it wasn’t hard for them to win fans over.  However, what was unfortunate was the horrible feedback every couple of minutes.  Lead singer Jason Corbett didn’t seem all that impress either stating, “We came from across the country to play for you guys, is it possible to get the sound fixed?”.  Considering all sets for CMF, you get a strict 30-40 minutes to play with and no encore – I could understand the frustration.  However, it didn’t feed into the music as the guys gave a spirited performance.  If you like a generic indie-pop sound, then you’ll more than likely really like TV Heart Attack.  They aren’t doing anything different, but they certainly enjoy what they are doing. Kudos.

Review and photos by Amanda Scriver

Thursday Night:

Misstress Barbara and Beast at the Guvernment

This was the M for Montreal event, unfortunately hosted at the Guv. I had never been there before, but had heard it was a dive..it was. I walked into the venue and noticed the scarce amount of people in attendance, I was bummed. The misstress was on at this point, and I was actually excited to see her. I had heard about Barbara’s music a long time ago but never really took the time to listen. The juno nominee had the minimal crowd dancing as if the room was full, singing her lyrics like they actually knew them.

Misstress Barbara

Next was Beast. I had seen them before in Montreal last summer, which wasn’t impressive in the least, I was expecting the same at this show. I was wrong. They came on, the crowd grew, got lowder, they exploded. Their show was electric, her voice was loud and their presence was wonderful. Normally I wouldn’t be into this kind of music, but in the case, you can’t help but enjoy what you’re listening to when the performance is good. They should always perform at a smaller venue.

Beast

Review and photos by Dominique Dunphy

RJD2 & Breakscience at Mod Club

Opening for RJD2 was Breakscience, the best surprise of the Fest. Imagine the heavy dubstep sound of Rusko but experiencing the beat dropping with a live drummer hammering out the breaks. Percussionist Adam Deitch and Key-J Borahm Lee make an amazing team and seeing them live is something you want to talk about long after their set is over. Visit their myspace to learn more on how this awesome progression in modern drum & bass was formed and obviously rock out to some of their tunes while you’re there.

Breakscience

RJD2 rocked as always and he opened his set wearing a bedazzled version of a robot costume. Nuff said.

RJD2

Review and photos by Courtney Yip

Donnis at Wrongbar

Donnis

Arriving at Wrongbar to review another band, I found that Donnis was still on stage wilding out, which I was pleasantly surprised.  I’d taken a listen to his Myspace and had him on my list of “To See” but he didn’t make the final cut.  But getting the opportunity just by chance was awesome.  This dude has swagger and can rile up a crowd like nobodies business.  His flow reminded me of a mix between that of Kid Cudi, Drake and Lil’ Wayne – surprisingly all of those artists are somewhat affiliated with Young Money.  Donnis however is not, he’s on A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold label. With A-Trak’s backing and his sound going for him, I see bright things in Donnis’ future.  It seems that already has quite the following in Toronto.  These bros who were standing beside me knew all the words to the tracks (shockingly!) and kept shouting for Donnis to come back out to do an encore after he was done.  Take note Toronto, Donnis is going to be the next best thing.

Review and photos by Amanda Scriver

Keys N Krates at Wrongbar

Keys and Krates

I have seen Keys N Krates now three times and I’ve never been disappointed.  This performances was no different.  A full band set up playing all your favorite hip-hop and indie-rock songs while live remixing them is always a setup for a good time.  I think the thing that makes Keys N Krates so different and unique is the live energy and soul that goes into this group.  For example, drummer Adam Tune drum kit broke mid-set but still kept a beat while trying to fix his set.  The band never lost their flow & kept going.  I’m sorry, but that is skills.  Considering it was also a Thursday night, Wrongbar was seriously busting at the seams with people going nuts. So yea, Keys N Krates isn’t performing their own music.  But they are doing a damn good job of taking other people’s music and making it sound hella good.

Review by Amanda Sriver, photo by Kelly McElwain.

Timber Timbre at The Great Hall

Timber Timbre

Apparently this was THE show to get into on Thursday evening.  I was one of the lucky ones that got in.  Media badge / Performer badge / VIP badge / whatever – it did not matter – you weren’t getting in.  I know people who lined up at 8PM and did not get in.  Lucky me just strolled up to the venue at 10:45PM and happened to get in.  How, I do not know.  But I did.  Regardless, this Timbre Timbre performance was a few things: haunting, raw, emotional and understated.  With just a 3-piece band set up on stage and dim lighting – every note that was hit in his performances hit you in such a way and made you think, THIS is the way blues should be played. While I did find at some points it was a little (dare I say it) slow,  lead singer Taylor Kirk admitted, “We’re playing all our slow jams tonight”.  If he was kidding, I don’t know.  But at least he said it, not me.

Review by Amanda Scriver, photo by Kelly McElwain.

AudioBlood Showcase: Leif Vollebekk, Make Your Exit, Sandman Viper Command at El Mocambo

Leif

Happening at the same time/around the corner from RJD2 was AudioBlood’s Showcase at the El Mocambo. AudioBlood has coveted so much young talent in the indie rock scene, it makes me sick… in a happy amazing way. They manage rising rock group The Balconies (who played an electric show at the Horseshoe Saturday night) and Sandman Viper Command who finished off the showcase Thursday night. Sari Delmar, founder of AudioBlood Media, certainly has en eye for rising talent in the current music scene so be sure to keep your ears perked and eyes peeled for these up-and-coming bands. It also helps that Delmar is an awesome chick who is always down to hang out, drink beers and see great live music, naturally.
Be sure to check out their myspaces and AudioBloodMedia.com to learn more about the acts.

Make Your Exit

Sandman Viper Command

STAR EYES + THE CAPTAIN (TROUBLE & BASS) AT THE SOCIAL – PHOTOS BY AL D

CLICK HEREto see the rest of the photoset

Friday Night:

Vitamins for You at Wrongbar

Vitamins For You

I’ve had the opportunity of seeing Vitamins for You before and really enjoyed them.  They’ve always been on point and really tight.  Whilst they were setting up, it seemed as if they were going to be providing quite the show.  Creepy mask with lights for eyes and makeup. Hooded capes.  Smoke machine.  All of this was on point to providing what seemed to be a very interesting show.  But something seemed to be lacking here.  First and foremost, the set times at Wrongbar were running a bit behind.  Which was fine. But it seriously seemed like they played the same song / same note for a good duration of their set.  Maybe I’m wrong?  I mean, I did enjoy them. But it did seem repetitive.  Stage presence: amazing.  Actual set: not so amazing.  To say the least, I was a little disappointed.  I can’t say that these guys didn’t give it their all.  They looked like a bunch of sweaty drag queens by the end of their set as the makeup sweated off them.  I don’t know what didn’t work.  But something was just off.

Review by Amanda Scriver, photos by Kelly McElwain.

The Acorn, Plants and Animals at Lee’s Palace

the Acorn

CMW, or CMF as it is officially now, really pissed some people off this year. We saw evidence this whilst waiting in line for the Chromwaves Showcase Friday for The Acorn and Plants & Animals. Although equipped with Media and Performer passes we still waited in the bone-chilling rain for just about an hour. If you had wristbands, forget it, you weren’t getting in. During the hour we saw a ton of people getting denied, most of them throwing their frustration and “fuck’s!” at the bouncers who shook it off with indifference while they munched away on burritos. Either way it was well worth the wait. Not only were the Acorn and Plants & Animals ridiculously good, the Molson Canadian girls were giving out a free beer upon arrival. Amazing.

Plants and Animals

Review and photos by Courtney Yip

Saturday Night:

Yukon Blonde, The Balconies, The Beauties, The Wooden Sky, Two Hours Traffic, The Junction at The Horseshoe Tavern

Just looking at this lineup I should have known I was in for one of the best concerts of my year so far, let alone just the festival. Guiness in hand, friends all around and a grin from ear to ear, I was so completely blown away of all the performers, especially the first four.

Yukon Blonde
These West Coast rock’n rollers take the cake for my favourite new band of the fest and overall. And I mean not just any cake, I’m talking chocolatey layers of harmonious classic rock iced with early Kings of Leon and topped with a million birthday sparklers all lit at once.

Yukon Blonde

The Balconies
Throw a quirky brother, his electric older sister and her drumming boyfriend into a firecracker and set it off during the middle of the night and watch the confetti of stars and glitter explode in the sky. Ridiculous way to explain a show, right? Well I’ve seen the Balconies play tons of times in the past year, but something about Saturday night was simply too amazing to put into conventional words.

the Balconies

The Beauties
Usually the Sunday night band for the Dakota Tavern, this bluegrass folk rock group thankfully took their famous set to the Horseshoe. This was the peak for me during the night – something about five older men harmonizing to songs about the simple life and love just gets me going. NOW magazine named them the best roots/country band in Toronto last year, and it’s clear to see why.

the Beauties

The Wooden Sky
These alt-country rockers started off their set with a couple of easy-going and gorgeous songs which soon turned into a sweaty mess of sing-a-longs and hair tossing. They pretty much used a form of foreplay on the crowd and we were willingly (and happily) taken advantage of in the end.

the Wooden Sky

Two Hours Traffic and The Junction brought the night closer to a perfect end but paled in comparison to the previous four groups. Both very talented and enjoyable to say the least, I still caught myself thinking about how amazing the last acts were.

Two Hours Traffic

the Junction

Review and photos by Courtney Yip

Electric Six at Lee’s Palace

Electric Six

Dear Electric Six – thank you for coming back to Canada after such a long hiatus.  You have been missed.  It seems though that you have missed Canada too.  Every single time that Electric Six comes to Toronto, Dick Valentine (lead singer) waxes poetic for his love of Canada.  I mean, when you live in Detroit and live so close to the border and your drummer is apparently from Sarnia, ON – it’s no wonder you love Canada so much.  Regardless, I was shocked at how many salacious Electric Six fans there were in the building and it made me proud.  I thought I was the only one and apparently, I’m not.  Thank god.  Unfortunately (like last time) – their synth player Tait Nucleus? could not make the show as he is suffering from Lymes Disease.  So much of their hits (Synthesizer, Gay Bar, Dance Commander, etc.) were played sans synth.  It didn’t really matter because the boys were ready to freaking rock and that they did.  Covering hits from all of their albums and then finishing out the night with some reggae, with some playful banter.  This was the Electric Six show that was three year in the making.  Dick Valentine also let the crowd in on a secret that he’s starting another Toronto based band called Swashbuckler and debuted one of the tracks that night.  Shall we be hearing more of them to come?  Who knows.  What I do know is I’m super stoked I didn’t miss this show.

Review and photo by Amanda Scriver

Hot Panda at Lee’s Palace

Hot Panda

Edmonton’s own Hot Panda have a great sound to them that reminds me a lot of the old Detroit indie scene.  So it’s no surprise that they were opening up for Electric Six, from Detroit, this evening.  This four-piece playing everything from catchy trumpet riffs, bouncy synths, an occasional cowbell or kazoo – it was hard not to get on board with what Hot Panda was selling. Lead singer Chris Connelly is a showman among showman and definitely had the crowd on its feet.  He also let everyone know how proud the band was to be playing on the infamous Lee’s Palace stage.  They definitely made good use of their time and made those in the audience Hot Panda fans.

Review and photo by Amanda Scriver

Sweet Thing at Lee’s Palace

Sweet Thing

I’ve been following this group since they started.  I guess it helps when a friend of yours is in the band.  But regardless, I had yet to see them live.  So when I heard they had been opening up for Electric Six on their Canadian dates, I knew big things were ahead for them.  Fast forward to the show at Lee’s – Sweet Thing is on stage and without bias, all I can say is they have such an infectious stage presence and each member of the group genuinely looks as if they are (dare I say it) enjoying themselves.  Lead singer Owen Carrier engages every member of the audience to join the group with hand claps and sing alongs and by the end of the performance, if you aren’t leaving a Sweet Thing fan – then I don’t know why not.  The music itself is wonderfully upbeat, infectious brand of indie rock. The duelling guitars, soulful harmonies and all those handclaps have got everyone on their feet & ready to dance.  Yes Sweet Thing, you’ve won this battle.

Review and photo by Amanda Scriver

Sunday Night:

Born Ruffians at the Phoenix

Being a huge fan of the Ruffians’ older material, I was extremely excited to see this band perform. Walking in, the crowd was quite large, larger than I had expected. I notice the first bar only served juice, water, and carbonated beverages, weird, so I make my way to the beer, naturally. I had no idea who the band before was, apparently Parlovr, but their sound was completely generic sounding it didn’t stand out at all. Five minutes before the Ruffians’ set Courtney and I make our way to the front, walking by I notice the crowd getting younger and younger, then I realized, ugh. The 13 year olds were going crazy as the band started to appear on stage,  jumping, fist pumping and pushing everyone around. Born Ruffians were good, they played a lot of their newer tunes, along with a mix of their older material. I’ve never seen a crowd try to mosh and crowd surf to a band with a sound like this,  but I guess they knew how to get the fans going. Their stage presence reminded me of the energy Vampire weekend possessed, and overall I was impressed.

Born Ruffians

Born Ruffians

Review by Dominique Dunphy, photos by Courtney Yip

PHOTOS: MATT VARDY

SLASH SIGNING

THE INDIES

For more Matt Vardy, CLICK HERE

Being one of the two femme fatales (Jinder holding down the fort as the other femme) on hot Brooklyn bass crew Trouble & Bass, Star Eyes is proving to those all around that she’s ready for to turn her swag on and have people take note.

Her long standing career as DJ dates back to when she was just 15 years old – she’s been knocking down the door of the boy’s club and hasn’t looked back.  Her career brought her notoriety and some shine: being recognized in the press as one of the first female Drum & Bass DJs in the USA.  But also through these recognitions, she became the resident of San Francisco’s long-running Eklektic night and developed one-half of  the Syrup Grls: two lethal yet deadly girls spinning some of the hottest nights in NYC.

She has approached every day like it was a hustle, but has been able to have fun due to the family & crew that she’s maintained, “Trouble and Bass is the best crew I’ve ever been a part of. We’re the best looking and the coolest people,” she tells me with a laugh.  “But really, when we go on the road – it’s just a really exciting time and it’s great because we’re always thinking of new ideas, new parties and new music together.  We have a lot of ethusiam as a crew and it’s so exciting to be a part of.”

Being a female in the male dominated DJ scene can be tough, she tells me, “It’s like being female anywhere.  People either pay attention to you more, or just ignore you.  But I don’t have any complaints. Being a DJ – you always have to hustle and be competitive.  No matter if your male or female.  I’ve seen many female DJs who were resting on the laurels of being female and that’s just lame.” For an artist like Star Eyes who has been working in the studio so intensely (plus she let me in on a couple secrets on the upcoming T&B Miami Winter Music Conference events to happen), girlfriend is busy doing a lot more than resting on her laurels.  She’s busy travelling the world and spreading the gospel that is Trouble & Bass! As she tells me, “Most hurtful thing that people have said (to me is) ‘She’s only successful because she’s a girl.” But in all honesty, no one can say that about her.  Star Eyes can definitely earned her success.

With upcoming gigs at SXSW & WMC and TONIGHT for Canadian Music Fest with label mate, The Captian @ The Social, Star Eyes sent me a list of things where she’ll be drawing some inspiration from for her upcoming gigs.  If this list doesn’t inspire you, then I don’t know what will.

The Muppet Wiki
Cult of Santa Muerte
X-Mal Deutschland
Andrew Jeffrey Wright’s art jokes
Creepers
Snow White
My new juicer/making my own juice
Turning my swag on
Old Hyper-On Experience tunes
Forests
Reverb
Reverb that sounds like being in forests
Stefan Sagmeister
Chakra incense
Joan of Arc
Rapping (mostly when drunk)
Yemanya
Vibe props
Grime vids
Capes

So, if you aren’t into much of the live stuff that CMF is holding, we’re going to show you exactly what you need to go to club wise.

Wednesday March 10:

Check out CFCF at the Eyeweekly showcase down at the Roosevelt Room, along with Parallels and Styrofoam Ones.

Click here for a CFCF mix of Fabio Lendrum’s “Trouble”.

Nadastrom will be at Cobra this night too, and of course with an extended 4am license.

Thursday March 11:

RJD2 will be performing at Mod Club, which is going to be a definite good time. He’ll be on stage at 11pm. We did an interview with him, remember? Well if you don’t, check it out then see him live. Click here for interview.

At the Social there’s going to be a wicked event with Trouble & Bass DJs: The Captain and Star Eyes, alongside locals and some secret guest no one knows about.
Check out our interview with Trouble & Bass’ Star Eyes that will be up March 11th.

The Drake will also be hosting a late night event with Samiyam, of course with a 4am license. Check it out here.

Friday March 12:

There is going to be a crazy party at Mod Club, featuring Simian Mobile Disco on the Friday. Click here for facebook event.

Down on Queen West, Wrongbar is hosting an extended 4am license party- with performances by Vitaminsforyou, Ultragamma, Nasty Nav and more. You know that’s going to be a crazy night. Check out the facebook event here.

We asked Ultragamma the same stuff we asked the bands:

Of all the festivals you’ve played, which one was your favourite and why?
I think based solely on the experience I enjoyed playing last years
Jazz Fest the most. It was myself and Bombaman playing a b2b set to
headline at the Social. The vibe was excellent, the diversity in the
programming was great, and Mike and I were in pure terrorism modes,
which made for some… interesting times!

2.Who are you looking forward to seeing at this year’s Canadian Music Fest the most?
SAMIYAM for sure. Completely mind-blowing tunes every time, total
paradigm-shifting steez.

Saturday March 13:

Sound Academy will be having the Redbull 3style event, featuring A-Trak , Klever, Scratch Bastid, and of course the nation wide champs to face off for Canadian deck dominance. Doors at 9pm.

Note* Pink Mafia has a very limited guest list for this event. Click here for guestlist.

Tommie Sunshine, Arthur Baker, Barletta and more will all the at Cobra this night. This event definitely has a 4am license.

Check out this great remix of Barletta’s “Whisper” by Tommie Sunshine, click here.

At Wrongbar, Classixx, Azari and III will all be performing. Another event with a 4am license.

Saturday’s gonna be a hard one to get through. So much good stuff all over the city!

The Social. Home-of-the-hipster is now the haunt of 14 year olds with fake I’d's,some cool kids who went to northern and are back from uni, and a couple of us oldies who just want a place to get drunk and see our friends on a Monday.

The goal:to test out the dopest,most unique arm-or on the market courtesy of chains of love.

The dj was good. The drinks were flowing. And the kids were taking their time being “crazy partiers” by the bathroom.

One rad chick commented on the chain garter I was wearing, citing it as “cool”, and wondering where I got it.

I got my little russian friend to sport the gold,and she got 10000 comments on it ranging from,”OMG I LOVE THAT” to “I like your arm chain,can I touch it”(the last from one sweaty,sketchy dude named James).

My rating: chains of love gets 10 stars. Because  of originality and straight up creativity the armour we were rockin was definitely dangerous.

Get it  HERE

words:Mica Le J, photos: Alla Dudin

Here’s a new mix from Tapedeck Bros to put in your face.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Upcoming Gigs: Tonight for Monday Meetings @ The Social, December 23 Finally Xmas @ The Social, December 31 Masquerage @ St. Stephen’s Church

The Gossip blew my mind last night at The Opera House.

I mean, Beth Ditto can sing. And I don’t mean in the way that singers can sing. I mean in the way that Aretha can bring you to your knees with one note sing. She can can reach inside you and squeeze your guts out. She could make you do things that woman. Anything she wants, anytime she’s ready. And I’m pretty sure she knows it.

She was up on stage belting it out with no inner ears (and you just know the sound is junk up there) so old school, it was like seeing someone from my parents era. And not like seeing Mick Jagger or Iggy Pop haul their aching bones around a stage these days, when you have to squint to see what they were once like. You get the gist of their former greatness, but it’s not the real thing. Well she is. The band too.

I wasn’t even a huge Gossip fan before last night. They have songs I like of course, who doesn’t like their breakout hit, “Standing In the Way Of Control” or “Heavy Cross” off their latest album, Music For Men? After last night, I’m totally and irrevocably converted. From the “Dimestore Diamond” intro with its pulsating drum and bass pounce that revved up an all-too-eager-to-dance crowd all the way into “What’s Love Got To Do With It”, the Tina Turner cover they did as an encore. The Gossip took us to church alright.

But all I kept thinking was, “why the hell are they playing the Opera House?” The show sold out, but for real, why not Kool Haus or 2 nights at the Phoenix like Tegan and Sara? Beth Ditto ain’t no La Roux or Flo + the Machine or Fever Ray, who are great musicians, but she’s fucking Mick Jagger meets Tina Turner wrapped in a Bowie Sandwich. She had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand. Could I gush anymore?

Yes, actually, I can. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an artist so charming on stage that they made me literally swoon. She makes this tight little fist when she hits the high notes, and by the end i wanted to BE that fist. Then she’ll turn around and giggle the sweetest little girl giggle and yell, “Hellooooo Toronto” and you’re just sold.

We did the after party with JD Samson from tour support act, MEN on decks at the Social and Beth came out. Shit bitch, she announced it from the stage. She came, she danced and at one point she deliberately put her cigarette out on one of our staff’s hand. To which she replied, ever so fittingly, “ow!…I love you”.

Live Photos By Natalie Lisa Johnson, After Party Shots By Al D

For More After Party Photos Click Here

Here’s our Guide to 4AM license in Toronto for International Film Festival

(Click here for a downloadable guide!)

Every club chomps at the celebrity bit during Film Fest but after years and years of parties, both official and un, we have become seasoned vets at this TIFF party biz. It’s not about who’s gonna be there (chances are you won’t even get so much as a glance at Megan Fox at her party) it’s more about who’s in attendance on the dace floor.

Whatever boring corporate bullshit you attend in Yorkville, or maybe you actually go to some of the movies (yawn) after, you’ll want to dance. And you won’t be the only one. The best stars (ehem, Benicio Del Toro and Viggo Mortensen all head out after their premiere’s to the 4AM last call jams that are packed with talent (of the music kind) and the heart and the babes. No ropes or cameras or VIPs here. Just you in your gorgeous dress, flinging yourself into the night with wild and total abandon. Below are our Best Bets over the next ten days

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 10

After you’re done shimmying and shaking at The In Crowd @ Tattoo $5
With Live performance by: The Superstitions

CLICK HERE FOR THE Facebook event.

Head over to The Drake Underground
1150 Queen St. West $10
For Brandon Sek, Meech and AC Slater (Trouble & Bass)

CLICK HERE FOR THE Facebook event.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11

First, hit up Arcade Fridays @ The Mod Club 722 College St $10
and get your picture taken by New York party blog: www.lastnightsparty.com and get down to Parallels

CLICK HERE FOR THE Facebook event.

Then head to Wrongbar 1279 Queen St. West $10
for Fuck Faces vs. Shit La Merde
After a 6 month hiatus 2 of the most prolific down and dirty parties in Toronto join forces to co-opt the 2nd Friday of each month at Wrongbar DJs: Dave La Merde (Shit La Merde), Dougie Boom (DMoney), Andrew Ross (Nacho Lovers), Syntonics Live (INTELLEGENIX), Romo Roto Live and more.

CLICK HERE FOR THE Facebook event.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12

Wrongbar has The Twelves- just go here and stay all night. 1279 Queen St. West
Tickets are $15 in advance at: Want Tickets, Rotate This Sound Scapes, Play De Record

Here’s a sexy video of Wrongbar Saturdays, also known as “Most Fun You Can Have With Your Pants On”

CLICK HERE FOR THE Facebook Group.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13

DMoney hosts The Drake Underground for GASLAMP KILLER, MY MAN HENRI, ULTRAGAMMA – 4am
Sunday September 13 @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W – $10

“This is hands down the best shit of the fall right here” –Darcy Scott, DMoney

CLICK HERE FOR THE Facebook event.

Century Room 580 King St. West
DSquared Party with DJ Tito (Miami/NYC) and jojoflores (Montreal) the Fashion set will be in full force for this one.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 14

Little Boots @ Wrongbar 1279 Queen St. West
$18.50 Advance

Victoria Hesketh (born 1984), known professionally as Little Boots, is a British electronica musician. She sings, plays synthesizers, Japanese electronic instrument the Tenori-on and the stylophone. She is the former lead singer/synth player in Dead Disco.

She was on Pop Idol, but who cares, now she’s a real idol. Her track, Stuck on Repeat was produced by Joe Goddard from Hot Chip and was released on limited 12” white-label vinyl in March 2008. Hot off the hugely popular success of Stuck on Repeat, Little Boots released Meddle, her second single, and has since won the BBC Sound of 2009 award.

Get tickets at: www.ticketweb.ca, soundscapes, rotate this & play de record

After the party, there’s the after party.
Vicious Mondays @ The Social 1150 Queen St West $10 is hosting the after jam for the above with DJs Crunch & Nasty Nav (who also owns Wrongbar)

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15
Feel like Mixing it up?
Street Level Tuesdays @ Century Room 580 King St West is doing their TIFF Industry event Hosted by Jie (you need to be FROM Toronto to appreciate that). Music by: Jedi $10

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16

If you have arrived at this date and hit everything above than you deserve to have a seat a recharge your soul.
Check out Art’d @ Marben 488 Wellington (FREE) it’s a monthly vernissage that we do. Doors are at 8PM and the theme is Nature vs. Culture. The patio is licensed and gorgeous for dranks and chats. $4 Steam Whistles and 1/2 Price delicious aps until 10PM–Marben also has a 4AM license so you should pop in late night if you’re in the area as well.

Once you’re powered up, you need to check out the Snow Patrol/Belle & Sebastian after Jam at Wrongbar 1279 Queen St West $10 that JUST got announced. We have a free list for this, so email: info@pinkmafia.ca Subject “Bell Snow” to get on that.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 17

You know what, go to the damn Bovine Sex Club 542 Queen West. They have a 4AM license and it’s one of the best bars in town. Who’ve we seen chillin’ at the Bovine? Every member of Motley Cue (but never on the same night together), Mickey Rourke, Asia Argento, Queens Of The Stone Age, Anna Von’s personal fav, Eagles of Death Metal, Interpol and Kings of Leon. And the best part is they don’t do VIPs, the parties are down and dirty and there isn’t a hair of evidence that surfaces on the internerd the next day.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18

Explicit Fantastic is doing an 80s Glam Porno Night @ The Metro Theatre (now defunct porn theatre in Koreatown) and we are starting the party off here FOR SURE 677 Bloor St. West $15
Artist showcase: MC’s Sweatshop Shop, Live Photo shoot by Alex vs Alex, Live Performances by: Henri Faberge and the Adorables, Kids On TV, Mellefresh. DJs: Vaneska, Spydabrown

CLICK HERE FOR THE Facebook event.

Then, we think you should head over to The Social 1100 Queen St West for Night Trackin’ With: The Juan McLean (DJ Set), CFCF, Mikey Apples-$10

And before you’re totally tuckered out, hit Footwork for the Black Party JELO 7 hour Extended Set $10 on list (which we have so feel free to email: info@pinkmafia.ca if you want a piece)

Jelo @ Volume

CLICK HERE FOR THE Facebook event.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19

We think you should try something entirely different this night.
Head over to Goodhandy’s 120 Church St. $10 for Sodom: Goddess Celebration with DJs Daniel Paquette (fab Magazine columnist) and Shane Percy (Grapefruit) Drag Queen Daytona Bitch is gonna do 40 Madonna songs in 4 Minutes. Now THAT is something worth seeing!

CLICK HERE FO THE Facebook event.

Then hit the Rosewater which is the official after hours for Toronto International Film Festival
19 Toronto Street info@kleenmedia.ca
We have no idea who the DJs are or what’s going on there but this was the first spot to get 4AM way back before the west end even existed, and it’s always good for a laugh and a dance.

CLICK HERE FOR THE Facebook event.

If you make it through this in one piece, you’ll win a high five from us and a liver transplant from your nearest hospital.
Let the TIFF-ing begin!

Here’s what’s good in the city this weekend, Toronto people!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4:

It’s the official launch of Arcade Fridays at the Mod Club tonight – and this is going to be a rager! Plus, Barletta is going to preview tracks from the soon to be released EP Whisper.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5:

Local indie musician Owen Pallett plays a show at a secret location with Gowns, Huckleberry Friends, Wyrd Visions and Carl Didur. You will have to travel about 70 minutes from downtown on the TTC to get to the location – tickets can be bought at Rotate This! and Soundscapes.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6:

From 9pm to 9am, The Guvernment will be host to one of the most intense dance party that’s happening this labor day weekend. Tickets are between $40 and $60. If you go, we recommend The Tent room:

TIGA
THE WHIP
D.I.M.
AUTOEROTIQUE
PAPARAZZI
NASTY NAV
BOMBAMAN

If you’re broke but still want to go dance your ass off, you can go to The Social. We have the only reduced guestlist, $5 until midnight.

All weekend events:

The Hot + Spicy festival is going on all weekend down at the Harbourfront, which even features the international firefighter calendar preview. That’s hot.

Another fun free thing to do on a weekend while it’s nice out is to take a trip to Toronto island on a ferry.

After talking with the lovely ladies at Pink Mafia I have decided to begin writing about the “Who’s Who” in the current fashion industry. For the past few years I have expressed a strong desire to work within the industry but like many, found it difficult to learn about the many positions that exist in the fashion world. In my upcoming articles I hope to cover stylists, designers, fashion directors and any other influential players in fashion to keep you all informed on the many different positions out there.

For my very first article I decided to interview well-known shopkeeper Kealan Sullivan, proprietor of the popular 69 Vintage. And new kid on the Bloor block Buy the Pound. 69 Vintage, located at 1100 Queen Street West, is what I like to call a one stop shop for all your vintage needs. From 20s beaded flapper dresses to 90s neon windbreakers, one is bound to find a unique piece of clothing they will covet for life. And side note to those who can’t stand the smell of their local Value Village, Kealan takes pride in the fact that each item of clothing is washed ensuring you don’t go home smelling like Grandma’s closet. Also before the items hit the racks, the team takes time to fix broken zippers, sew on missing buttons and patch up any holes. Regardless of the extra mending and tailoring, the prices remain reasonable ensuring you won’t be dipping into your weekly booze budget.

Even easier on the pockets is the not even year old Buy the Pound, located at 1234 Bloor Street West. The basement store is a goldmine of vintage duds which are fairly priced at fifteen dollars per pound of clothing. Unlike the old Goodwill By the Pound, clothing hunters don’t need to be equipped with latex gloves and doctor’s masks to find what they are looking for. Actually very little digging is involved as the majority of the clothing is organized into categories on racks. This store is reserved for the more laidback vintage shopper who could care less about a hole in their 60s minidress.

Late Monday afternoon I met the bright-eyed, fiery Kealan Sullivan dressed in a Canadian fur trapper topper, army button up, ripped jeans and combat-style boots.

We met in her cozy store 69 Vintage to discuss everything from the recession to Mark-Kate and Ashley Olsen to being referred to as the godmother of the Toronto vintage clothing scene. So without further ado…

B: When did you open the store? Because I was here five or six years ago and it was totally different.

K: We opened the store in 2004. It was very sparse, very cold, twice the size. It was myself and two guys who now own The Social who opened together. I had a vision for the store and they had a vision for the store. They wanted 80s chic and sparse and I wanted to build a store that was going to bring everyone in and have something for everyone, which I have successfully done. I still do get the edgy cool kids come in but I also have their parents come in. At the time we met I was trying to open a store in Kensington. They had a successful online business, they were selling mainly t-shirts and they were wholesaling. One of the guys started dating my roommate and the rest is history. I started working with them doing eBay which lasted 48 hours before I was like, “This is so not me”. I knew I wanted a store and they wanted a store but they didn’t run one. They didn’t want to be Retail Guys. So it was actually perfect and then I bought them out because they were so immersed in The Social.

B: How long were you collecting this stuff for?

K: With the focus of having a business and reselling it, about three years. But I was also collecting certain things forever. Except jewelry, I sold through my whole collection of jewelry which took me about four years to build it and it took me about 6 months to sell it, which I regret. I had suitcases and suitcases full.

At this point a customer comes in to return a dress she borrowed for a staff party at the Drake. They chit chat while I peruse the store for hidden gems. Just before Kealan returns she says to the girl in a jokingly manner “Thanks for bringing back the dress”!

B: So you rent out the clothes?

K: I do it mostly for artists. It’s different, if they want the dress for an event, I don’t generally rent like that. I rent for photo shoots.

B: Do you get magazines and stylists calling you to pull samples for photo shoots?

K: Yeah, I’ve done really well with the stylists, that’s the coolest part of the business. Again I don’t charge as much as other places do and I am not as strict. If it is an artist starting out I am a lot more generous as they don’t have a budget. Also lots of musicians have come to me and been like “We’re doing this shoot and we don’t have anything” and I’m like “Just bring it back tomorrow”. I love this stuff and I want it to be worn. Just because someone isn’t buying something doesn’t mean they don’t love it. Not everyone can afford a beaded lace full length dress for only a day, so then I try to use my best judgment.

B: Why did you pick to have the store down here?

K: Actually to be honest I was terrified of having the store here but it was the only logical/affordable place to do it because east of the park was outrageous, and east of Bathurst was even more ridiculous and east of Spadina was obviously not to be even touched. So five years ago this area was still pretty rugged.

B: I came down here five years ago and I remember thinking I had never been to this area before.

K: I had never really been here either. I had never been past Ossington especially for shopping. I used to sit outside in the car and stare at this building and watch people in the neighbourhood and I would bawl. To make matters worse we took the lease over in December and the store opened in May. I kept thinking “This is the biggest mistake of our lives”. The Drake hadn’t opened yet, there was obviously no Starbucks. There was nothing. There was Friendly’s Burgers and art gallery after art gallery. Luckily we had done our research. We knew what was happening in the neighbourhood, we just had to make sure we could hold on that long for customers to catch up.

B: Once it opened, were people coming right away or did it take time?

K: At first it was a wave of curiosity. May and June were good, July was still promising, August was terrifying as summer sucks for retail. Then September and October got busy again so after that we had the confidence that everything was going to be fine. At first it was scary because we hadn’t built a nest egg, you don’t really have the client base, you don’t have a reputation, so really you are no one. The thing that was cool is that really this was the first store like this in city.

B: Do you kind of feel like you are the godmother of the Toronto vintage scene?

K: Well it wasn’t a new concept. I had been to lovely stores in other parts of the world.

B: But here in the city…

K: But here in the city it was a risk. The attitude five years ago was very different. Most people wouldn’t notice how differently girls dress now, but I do. When I first opened nobody wore plaid, nobody wore tights, and nobody wore tights with a shirt [referring to my ensemble]. A lot has changed in terms of the way people dress. It’s hilarious to see. Years ago I was interviewed by Much Music as a style icon and I predicted it’s going to be plaid plaid plaid and wearing an element of every decade. That’s what it’s really about right now. If you can do the 20s dress with the 80s stilettos and the 50s bomber fur and really take all the best elements and make them work, that’s cool.

B: So your new store Buy the Pound…what’s the deal?

K: So there I am selling the stuff that I could maybe sell in here but at 69 Vintage I don’t want to see things with flaws but these days girls don’t give a fuck if there is a hole or a run, they think that’s cool.

B: Quick rundown of Buy the Pound.

K: I fully saw the need in that. I was so tempted to buy things and sell them cheap in my store. I started with the ten dollar bin and then the ten dollar rack and then it was getting a little crowded. I thought that this could be a concept. Even though the items can be slightly damaged or they’re not in demand or they’re oddly sized, if I can negotiate reasonable prices for the items then I can sell them for cheap in the store. Fifteen bucks a pound is actually really good, if you weigh a dress it doesn’t even weigh a pound. Every month now I have been adding more sewing machines there. We just started a whole program teaching people how to sew, how to cut stuff and so on. You can go buy a dress and be like “Can you help me this shorten the dress and fix the waist line”. It’s gives people something to do there.

B: Wow, what a great idea.

K: For Buy the Pound I can buy much crazier styles and I can see what people are into. I’ve been surprised.

B: So you find the clientele is different here as it would be there?

K: There’s a lot of cross over, a lot more than I would have thought. But I don’t work there so I don’t really know. Irene who works there would know. When I hired her in September I explained to her that I opened this because it’s smart but I needed someone with a personality to take it on because I’m here [69 Vintage] all the time. I’ve been here for five years and if I am not here, people are like, “You’re not in your store”. What people don’t get sometimes is that I am working buying clothes while everyone else is working and shopping in the store. Buy the Pound is a year old in April and it’s needed that year of settling itself in. More and more people are calling me about it. I could have done two things. I could have put a lot of money into promoting that place or I could have just given it the whole year to establish itself. You never know how effective advertising can be anyways. This spring I am probably going to put a much bigger promotional push because every kind of company needs. You know, I didn’t anticipate the recession but that store is doing quite well because of it.

B: I think people are foregoing buying the expensive stuff and instead buying classic items that will last. Like we mentioned before style is becoming more and more recycled.

K: For sure. We have entered the era, and I am going to thank Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, where girls feel they can pile on whatever. That’s very independent. I say to girls, “Don’t worry, if you want to be a diva, be a fucking diva. If you want to dress like a slut, dress like a slut. If you want to look like your boyfriend, then so be it”. There are no rules anymore.

At this point my tape recorder craps out and I am left to ask Kealan the one question I have been waiting to ask her.

B: When you are out vintage hunting, how do you decide what to keep for yourself and what to sell at the stores?

K: When I am out shopping and I see something, it’s not a question of should I keep it for myself or should I sell it. It just either is or it isn’t.

Meeting with Kealan was a wicked experience. It’s evident from the non-stop phone calls and customers coming in during the interview that the girl has a million things on her plate. She manages to take them on with passion and little fear. She is truly in her element welcoming new and old customers into the store and giving style advice like it were food for thought. Now to those who haven’t yet ventured out to the west end to check out these two vintage gems, please take my advice and go, you never know what you’ll end up with.