Summer's Over?

It never fails - as soon as Labour Day hits, people start saying good bye to summer. For me summer isn't over for another 3 weeks. I plan on squeezing out all that's left of summer in those three weeks. To help me do it, I'll be pumping Guv resident DJs Manzone and Strong's Summer Sleaze Mix.



Today I'll be enjoying time with family and then a trip down to cherry beach for the last Promise event of the year. On the decks:

Hubert - rare groove
Blew Velvet - drums and house
Koen and Cee Cee Cox - sunshine house
Andy Roberts - deep house
Jelo – jumping thumpin techno
Kevin Thom - deep and dreamy techno

3-11pm for $5. Great deal. See you there!

 

There's Calm Inside The Storm

Kaskade is one of my all time favourite producers. Stars Align is from Kaskade's 2006 album, Love Mysterious, and it has never really died. Throughout his career, he has remixed and mashed it up to keep it relevant with the changing taste of the scene.

This song is one of my all time favourites in any genre. The lyrics have kept me going through a difficult year. I plan to get part of them tattooed on my left rib cage.

You know this better than I can explain 

I lived it 

Was lost and now I'm moving on 

You wake up 

Realize the dream 

I feel that our luck is now coming on 

See the stars align 

And you know it's all for you 

Down were you before 

Now you come alive for this 

There's calm inside the storm 

If you know just what you're trying for 

See what you could be 

And you know you shine for me 

Why not now 

Remember how we saw it to be 

I still see it 

Still time enough for me 

I see it shining 

Can almost touch it 

You can taste it in the air

The lyrics make me think of Lance Armstrong and the struggles he gas recently gone through. He never lost site of what is important to him - helping others fight cancer and livestrong. I recently wrote an article for www.charityinfo.ca that examines why his foundation has experienced a great increase in donations despite the doping charges. If you're interested, you can check it out here.

The VIP Takeover

As Electronic Dance Music continues to grow in popularity and gain new fans,  I am finding that it is becoming increasingly difficult to experience it as an average consumer. Clubs are packed, ticket prices are high and drinks of all kinds cost a ton of money.

Furthermore, there is not very much competition in the EDM night club scene. Only a handful of companies own the majority of the venues which bring big name artist's into the city. Plus, the drive to make huge amounts of profits leads these companies to focus on the VIP experience over all other options.

By VIP,  I mean the ability to drop thousands of dollars in their club in one night. If you scrape together enough  for you and your friends to have a booth once in a while,  you won't get the VIP experience. What you'll receive is the GA experience; but, you'll be guarding your booth and your bottles instead of your beer or $4.00 bottle of water.

This is bad news for consumers like me who work average 9-5 jobs and try to take in 12-24 shows a year. Cover charges are starting to get out of control as what I can only describe as an monopoly effect takes hold.

Fortunately, there is competition building in the city and they seem to realize that  90% of the people who attend their shows don't live a VIP life style.

Moving forward,  I will be very selective in choosing the shows I attend and mindful of who is producing and promoting them.

There's a few things I have noticed this year:

If you can take time off work/school you can see high ranking talent for less on a week night. The same goes if don't mind travelling out of the city to say, Waterloo.

You can pay a lot for a festival or a little for an after party which will probably have the main artists spinning anyways.

There are extremely talented local DJ's and Producers that are worth seeing. They often play affordable events that seem to be run by people who care about the EDM scene in Toronto and not just making enough money to live in Forest Hill and drive a fancy car. 

Every time you buy a ticket you are telling a promoter, venue and production company that they are treating you well.  Be selective about the shows you go to and don't be afraid to speak up when they are doing a bad (or good)  job.

We, as fans and consumers, are the scene.  Don't forget that.

Photo Credit: Freddie Brown

Man On The Moon

"That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,”

Neil Armstrong 1930-2012

Rest In Peace. 

Sounds Like An Open Roof

Above are pictures I took of the CN Tower in September 2009 while standing in GA for U2. 

The Roger's Centre is not the best concert venue in town. It wasn't designed for concerts so it's not surprising that sounds bounces and echos off the roof like a tennis ball of a cement wall. If you've ever sat in the 500s during a concert there you know what I'm talking about.

The retractable roof rarely opens for concerts even though it would enhance sound quality. Why? I can only assume 2 reasons:

1) It's either cold or raining.  

2) The surrounding condos and businesses probably complain. 

Only two artists have ever played the venue with an open roof - U2 and "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen, who is playing there tonight.  Be sure to enjoy that fresh air tonight Springsteen fans. It comes at a premium. 

Regent Park School Of Music Insturment Drive

In the summer of 2010 I took an opportunity that change my life. I completed a 10 week fundraising internship at the Regent Park School of Music.  During that short time I fell in love with the staff, the students and most of all the concept of community change through music education and music programming. 

At that time the school was making an important decision about their future. They owned a small town house on Queen Street East which held lesson studios and a bit of administrative space. It wasn't perfect, but it was their's and it did the trick. However, there was an opportunity for something more. Artscape had proposed that RPSM be a founding tenant in their new Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre. The decision was made and the school took and leaped into a new direction. 

Just over two years later the  Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre is now complete. Come September RPSM and six other tenants will move into their new space. 

And with new space comes new opportunities to positively impact more children. In order to better serve current students and open their doors to even more the school is holding a instrument drive with the help of Long & McQuade. If you have an old guitar, violin, cellos, drum, flute or any other instrument that you are no longer using you can drop it off at Long & McQuade (925 Bloor St. West) for appraisal, repair and pick up. 

If you would like a tax receipt for your donation just download and fill out the form and put it in the case of the instrument that you are donating.

This simple gesture could make a life changing personal impact on one of the thousand plus students the school will see this year. 

I can't think of an easier way to help a child discover the gift of music and develop their potential. 

PS: if you're like me, and don't have a spare instrument to give you could always make a monetary donation here. 

Deadmau5 Films Yonge Dundas Square

Recently, Deadmau5 took his camera down to Yonge-Dundas Square and filmed some random people and a dog enjoying their time in our City Centre. With Bleed playing in the background the video brings a calmness to what is one of the busiest and chaotic intersections in the city.

Thanks Mau5 for this unexpected peace of art! Every business there should thank you too!