PIANIST CELEBRATES GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
On May 12, local resident and pianist Bill King celebrated 50 years in the music industry with a concert night at the Royal Cinema. Courtesy Kris King.
By Susan Oppenheim
On May 12, Bill King will graciously celebrate his 50 years as a professional musician with a performance evening at the Royal (608 College St.).
This original program of music, dance, and spoken word is based on the sounds and sensations of the old American South. Singing from his latest release “Gloryland: Tales of The Old South,” the night will cover material from rags and boogie, to blues, folk, and roots Americana.
King has made enormous contributions to the Toronto jazz scene and its musicians. He is a composer, accompanist, soloist, arranger, mentor, teacher, and active promoter of talent and jazz related events. He is outspoken on his values and beliefs, and is comfortable headlining charity or political fundraisers and social justice evenings. He has won several Junos and Canadian Jazz recognition awards, and is internationally known as the artistic director of the Beaches International Jazz Festival—since its inception in 1988.
We spoke recently about his upcoming event at The Royal.
People might think of the Royal as a cinema venue. Why would you pick The Royal to plan your event?
“This concert came about through Jay Douglas and Everton Paul of the band Jamaica to Toronto. We go back decades. They had put together a big tribute night for Jay several months back at the Royal and loved the space. They have a fine technical staff on hand. Also the intimacy factor. It allows me to keep it simple with a big concert Steinway grand piano, three singers, narrator and a dancer throughout the ninety minutes. I’ve scripted and composed the night as a step back in time—as a mini theatrical piece.”
Why is Toronto home? How did you get from your roots in Indiana to here?
“I was here in 1963 on a scholarship to study with Oscar Peterson. I was a dirt poor student who walked the streets like the lonesome guy. I really got a feel and found big love for the city back then. When the Vietnam War came front and centre in my life Toronto was the only place I wanted to be.”
Shortly after being drafted, he rejected military service, permanently leaving the United States, and came to Canada with his sweetheart Kris Sandals King. They have never looked back.
Why are you a resident of the Annex? We feel very connected to you and Kris here.
“It’s a big part of our lives. We moved into the area late 1979 on Bathurst right next to the subway platform and have never left the area. We’ve lived as far up as Helena Avenue, on London Street, Melita [Crescent], and now Christie. JJ Muggs was our first hang-out, then Dooney’s for a good fifteen years, the By-The Way Cafe, and even the first Il Fornello. Our son Jesse went to Kensington [Public School], Winona [Public School] and Oakwood Collegiate.
What can you tell the Gleaner about the program you have planned?
“The night is based on my new recording ‘Gloryland (Tales of the Old South)’—a solo piece project. Although it’s a 50-year celebration I chose not to have a stage crowded with singers—instead I chose to write something unique for the occasion. So, I put a narrative to the music. I’m so happy Jackie Richardson, Jay Douglas, and Stacey Bulmer will sing a few of my compositions and bring life to the night, and Randolph Academy’s Gillian Leask has prepared a dance piece to one of the songs. I asked Liza Paul who co-wrote ‘Pomme’ to narrate. I’ve known Liza since she was an idea and love the gorgeous timbre to her voice. The music and words wrote themselves.
“The Old South has mystery, beauty, cruelty, family, church, racism—a landscape like few others,” says King. “For those of us who waltzed through the region as kids there was serenity and lyrical mysticism to the place.”
Tags: Annex · Liberty · Arts · People · General
LOCAL PRODUCTION TEAM LAUNCH FIFTH SEASON OF THE FILM STUDENT
The fifth season of The Film Student was produced by Annex-based Massey Bros. Films and features film students. Courtesy Jag Gundu.
By Whitney French
Reality television meets film school as Massey Bros. Films and the Toronto Film School launch the fifth season of the Gemini-nominated series The Film Student.
Airing on Rogers TV, the show follows young filmmakers enrolled in the Toronto Film School as they learn about writing, pitching, production and post-production, to create a ten-minute movie. From draft dodgers, and childhood love, to suicide bombers and bike accidents, The Film Student offers a variety of films from aspiring Toronto filmmakers.
This season, a panel of judges has selected works from over 40 submissions, narrowing it down to 15 pitches, where students compete to be among the nine filmmakers featured on the show. The competition then narrows even further to an elite six.
“That was all Hart’s idea,” Yale Massey says sheepishly.
“It makes good television,” Hart Massey jumps in. The two Massey Brothers have been producing, films, television series, documentaries together for over ten years. The Massey Bros. Films Studio (149 Dupont St.), where The Film Student is produced, is located near Davenport and Dupont. “Yale still lives in the Annex,” Hart adds.
The Film Student has come a long way since its inception. Yale Massey’s brainchild was conjured up when he instructed a nightly film class at George Brown College for mature students. In previous series, participants were creating specific pieces for the show but since The Film Student graduated to the established Toronto Film School at RCC Institute of Technology, the participants are full-time students. The new approach is to capture the young filmmakers in their element.
Ho Anderson, featured in the first episode of the season agrees. “The [participation] in a television program is secondary.”
Students are focused on their academic obligations. “It’s good to have the show in mind because it meant [we knew] what the next steps could be,” says Daniel McIndoe, another young filmmaker in the show. “It was good practice for the real world.”
The transition to the Toronto Film School also means an improvement on film equipment. “And the antics on set are better because there are more screw ups happening,” Hart laughs. Increased production value means more coverage on behind-the-scenes content. “It’s really about educating people about filmmaking and how to pull off certain shots. We want people to really recognize the arts in that,” Yale adds.
The Film Student takes people beyond just watching and judging movies and encourages audiences to think about real filmmaking.
Armen Bunag, a student on the show, directed a film about a little boy who likes a girl and asks a friend for advice. “I write subjects I would want to see myself,” she says. The film lives beyond the show and Armen continues, “I will leave this school with something.”
It’s clear that The Film Student offers filmmakers much needed exposure. As independent artists, the students express the challenges they face and how film school has helped their careers. “A lot of the teachers that are in the industry see how students stand out and offer them opportunity to work with them,” Daniel explains. “The Film Student is only one [of many other] offerings at the school,” Hart says, who in addition to being co-founder of Massey Bros. Films is also an acting instructor at the Toronto Film School.
“There’s a vast network of people to work with here,” Ho says about film school. “It’s true what they say. It’s who you know.”
The Film Student Season Five airs on Rogers TV Mondays and Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. on Rogers TV channel 10 or 63.
Tags: Annex · Arts · People · General
May 21st, 2012 · Comments Off on Permit fees to use city sports fields waived … for now
CITY WAS SLATED TO COLLECT $1.5 MILLION IN FEES
By Rasheed Clarke
Many parents won’t have to worry about paying higher fees for their kids to participate in sports leagues this summer, but they would be wise to set aside a little more cash for 2013.
A city directive passed in January targeted baseball diamonds, soccer pitches, and other sports fields—that had previously been used for free—as potential sources of revenue for the city. The new fees were intended, in part, to cover the facilities’ maintenance costs: electricity for floodlights, water for irrigation, and grass that needs to be cut.
The parks, forestry and recreation department was slated to collect $1.5 million in fees from little league programs in 2012.
Those little leagues would likely have been forced to pass on the cost of field usage to the players and their parents, according to Councillor Sarah Doucette (Ward 13, Parkdale-High Park).
“Most of these leagues are run by volunteers, which means that they would have had to go back to each of their players to collect more money,” said Doucette.
At the city’s monthly council meeting on Apr. 10, Councillor Paula Fletcher (Ward 30, Toronto-Danforth) submitted a petition from the Toronto Sports Council signed by 70 organizations and nearly 2,000 people, asking that the city withhold collecting sports field fees to give organizations time to incorporate new fees into their registration charges.
City council voted unanimously, 41 to 0, to waive fees for sports fields for children and youth for this year. Citywide savings on salaries will be used to offset the $1.5 million loss.
Mayor Rob Ford requested city staff to liaise with representatives of sports leagues to find out how fees for field use would impact leagues and teams. A report on the matter is due back in July, at which point the city will begin planning how to work any new fees into the budget in 2013.
Councillor Doucette welcomed the decision, and hopes that the consultation process between leagues and the city will be done in a timely manner.
“We want to have the answer to the groups in September,” said Doucette, “so when they’re working on their budget and their registration fees, they know what they have to do.”
Toronto Baseball Association president David Black echoed that sentiment.
“We do a lot of our planning in the fall for the spring, so we kind of need to know in September,” said Black.
“It’s not a given where the fees will land for next year, but if any changes are made to fees, they have to be done in a timeframe that allows volunteer organizations to be able to plan,” he added.
The issue of field fees did bring to light a concern that leagues were overbooking field usage.
“Some teams, because the fields were free, were maybe permitting more time than they actually needed. So we need to give the teams a chance to work out how many hours they actually need,” said Doucette.
Black noted that booking field times can be challenging, since those reservations are made early in the year, and some games end up being postponed due to bad weather, forcing leagues to juggle their schedules.
Nevertheless, Black said, “there is an intention to see surplus capacity freed up, while at the same time providing a good working model for the volunteers.”
Municipalities surrounding Toronto charge fees for sporting fields, and for a time Etobicoke council had also imposed fees before amalgamation with Toronto.
While this season may be business as usual for many sports leagues around the city, parents of aspiring athletes should be forewarned that the 2013 season might come with higher registration fees.
Tags: Annex · Liberty · News · Sports
BRANTFORD RED SOX 21, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 7
By Jonah Birenbaum
The combination of an untimely injury to their cleanup hitter, some abysmal pitching, and an unrelenting Red Sox offense proved insurmountable for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday as they fell to Brantford 21–7 at Dominico Field.
Brantford, the 2011 Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) champion, pounded out a staggering 26 hits in the victory, including three home runs. They remain undefeated with a record of 4–0, and take a 2–0 lead in the season series with Toronto.
“Guys just went up there with good approaches,” Red Sox manager Adam Clarke said of this team’s effort. “They made [the Maple Leafs] throw, [were] seeing lots of pitches. They were able to find holes today, too.”
The Red Sox, who ousted Toronto from the playoffs in 2011, wasted no time starting the offensive onslaught. After left fielder Josh McCurdy doubled on the first pitch of the game and shortstop Lee Delfino drew a two-out walk, designated hitter Terrell Alliman drove them both in with a sharp single to stake Brantford to an early 2–0 lead.
Centre fielder Joe Colamero then extended the lead to 4–0 on what proved to be an inside-the-park homerun when Toronto right fielder Dan Gibbons failed to get the ball to the infield after crashing into the outfield fence chasing down Colamero’s drive. Colamero would add another round-tripper in the eighth, finishing the day 3-for-6 with four RBI.
Gibbons, Toronto’s cleanup hitter, had to be helped off the field and was consequently replaced by Jesse Bartle, who performed admirably in his stead, going 1-for-5 with an RBI. Losing Gibbons—who batted .393 in 2011—for an extended period of time would be a serious blow to Toronto, whose .231 team batting average ranked dead last in the IBL entering Sunday’s contest.
“I’m a little concerned about Danny [Gibbons],” said Toronto manager Tim Harkness. “He might be done.”
After a rough first inning, Toronto starter Brett Lawson fared no better in the second, surrendering another three runs on five hits. The towering right-hander was pulled after giving up seven runs over just two frames, and has now taken the loss in consecutive starts.
“They got Lawson’s number there pretty good,” said Harkness, who added that today’s loss “verifies [his] concern” about Toronto’s lack of depth in the pitching rotation.
While the Maple Leafs entertained the prospect of a comeback after a four-run explosion in the bottom of the second keyed by a bases-loaded, three-run double by shortstop Tyler Fata, these notions were quickly dispelled after Brantford responded with another run in the fourth and four more in the fifth.
The Red Sox scattered another nine runs over the game’s final four frames, decimating Toronto’s relief corps in the process. By day’s end, the Maple Leafs bullpen surrendered 14 runs on 18 hits and three walks over seven innings of work.
And while it was uninspired pitching that drew the ire of Maple Leafs fans on Sunday, Harkness still mentioned that Toronto’s offense needs to improve, particularly with runners in scoring position.
“We never come through with guys on base,” he said. “That’s the biggest concern I have about our hitting.”
However, beyond performance, Harkness said his team needs to be sharper mentally in order to have consistent success. At 2–4, Toronto currently sits just one win ahead of the last place Burlington Twins in the IBL standings.
“We play stupid baseball,” he said. “You’re playing a team like [Brantford], you can’t make any mental mistakes.”
Tags: Annex · Sports · Maple Leafs Baseball · General
May 14th, 2012 · Comments Off on Fuel for thought
NEW OWNERS TURN TO NEW METHODS TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS
New restaurant Fuel House on Clinton has an eclectic menu and even more eccentric approaches to marketing their food. Mike Shulman/Gleaner News
By Mike Shulman/ Gleaner News
Mackenzie Chiu and Mike Dolegowski are the new owners of the Fuel House (53 Clinton St.), a restaurant and takeout joint with an eclectic menu, and an unpretentious atmosphere tucked away behind Café Diplomatico.
Chiu and Dolegowski represent a new generation of restaurateurs who have blended multiculturalism and social media into a very trendy space.
“We definitely get influence from anything like food magazines, any sort of new media—you see it, you try it, you test it out,” says Chiu. “It’s just stuff we love to eat. Everything that we’ve had along the way getting here and our travels have had a huge influence on the menu.”
The Fuel House owners have used travel as a muse. On a trip to China six years ago, Chiu and Dolegowski were at a dinner that left a lasting impression on them. The dinner featured a lamb roast where they “brought the whole lamb out, fully cooked, showed it to us, and then brought it back chopped it up and brought it back out on a huge platter with a ton of spices and a pair of gloves,” says Chiu.
Chiu and Dolegowski decided to bring this experience to the Fuel House, but with their own personal twist. They’re offering pig roasts that feed eight to ten people at $45 a person with three days advance notice.
According to Chiu, “Toronto has a love affair with pigs right now. There are pigs in every restaurant. Pork belly is huge. Any kind of pork is big in Toronto right now. So we decided to do some pig roasts – should be fun.”
Fuel House has stayed trendy while applying their own touch. Everything except the bread, which is purchased from a local bakery, is made in-house. Their staple is the Pork Belly Banh Mi which, according to Chiu, is “not pulled pork like everyone else is doing,” because it is cured for 24 hours, then made into a confit for another five hours.
The Calamari Po’Boy originates from a southern recipe for Shrimp Po’Boy that the duo discovered on a trip to New Orleans. They decided to swap the shrimp for the crispy fried calamari.
Chiu admits that it has been difficult to attract the traditional customer off the street. “It’s a huge food neighbourhood. People come to this neighbourhood to eat. Being off of College is definitely a bit of a challenge. Getting people to walk that extra ten feet has proven to be tough.”
[pullquote]“That’s just about getting that initial buzz to make a push to get a pull right away. The other restaurants have the big name chefs to back it up. It’s tough when you’re a small independent and you’re not on the main drag.”[/pullquote]
To offset their relatively hidden location, Fuel House is highly visible in social media, with the intention to attract young food lovers. The Fuel House is available on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Blackberry Messenger.
“That’s just about getting that initial buzz to make a push to get a pull right away. The other restaurants have the big name chefs to back it up. It’s tough when you’re a small independent and you’re not on the main drag.”
For Chiu, social media also offers him the freedom to add even greater creativity to the menu. “I like adding stuff and taking away stuff and doing frequent specials. I think in the end as much as we don’t want to be gimmicky—you just got to do it.”
Some of their social media specials include: a Foursquare special which allows you to get a free order of fries the first time you check into The Fuel House on Foursquare; a Blackberry Messenger line dedicated for takeout orders; and weekly specials and other updates on Twitter and Facebook.
The Fuel House is looking forward to attracting new customers with the opening of their patio, weekly barbeque specials, seafood buckets and brunch—starting at 10 a.m. in May.
Chiu is hopeful that their creative pub style menu, assortment of signature drinks and cozy atmosphere will keep the clientele happy. “We just do everything with love. Hopefully they come in and have a great experience and that’s all I can ask for.”
Photo: Mike Shulman/ Gleaner News
Tags: Food
BARRIE BAYCATS 7, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 2
By Mike Radoslav
The top of the order for the Barrie Baycats were too much for the Toronto Maple Leaf ball club on Sunday, as Toronto was handed their second loss of the weekend at Dominico Field.
Barrie’s lead-off hitter, Robert Recuenco, opened the scoring for Barrie with a two-run home run in the third inning, and Jeff Cowan, hitting second in the lineup, capped it off with a two-run blast of his own in the ninth inning to seal the 7–2 win.
The Baycats opened the scoring in the third, but Toronto was quick to respond. Following a triple by centre fielder Glen Jackson in the bottom of the third, he scored on a sacrifice fly. Jackson also drove in Jesse Bartle in the fifth inning to even the game up at 2 runs apiece.
“I’ve been working really hard on the basics of my stance and my swing and it’s all coming together,” Jackson said. “I’ve been putting good wood on the ball and putting the ball in play, which is I think what we need.”
“It’s still early, I think the rest of the lineup will all get going in different spurts, that’s how baseball is,” he added.
The game unravelled for Toronto side in the eighth inning. While Maple Leaf starter Marek Deska lasted seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits, four strikeouts and three walks, Toronto’s bullpen ran into difficulty closing out the game.
Toronto’s Adam Garner was charged with three runs off of four hits in his inning. The Baycats added two more runs in the ninth off of Matt Tasoni to seal the 7–2 final.
Maple Leaf manager Tim Harkness said the starting pitching has been solid so far, but there is little support from the bullpen. “Our pitching was good most of the game, of course our bullpen is extremely shallow, I’ve got a lot of concerns about that,” he said.
Harkness added that run support is starting to become an issue already in this young season. “I think our key hitters are not doing the job, outside of Glenn Jackson. We’re not getting the hits with guys in scoring position.”
“Hitting wise, I think we’re as good as anyone else in the league we’re just not getting it at the moment,” Harkness said.
For Barrie, pitcher Greg Byron allowed two runs on five hits while recording two strikeouts and no walks over his seven innings of work. Relievers Shaun Slemko and Scott Kelly closed out the game for the Baycats.
This was not as friendly a weekend as Toronto would have hoped for, as they were shutout 5–0 to four time defending league champions Brantford Red Sox on Saturday in Brantford.
Johnson remained optimistic at such an early point in the young season. “I really find in this league the first six-to-seven games is like a spring training, and once June, July, August hits that’s when the real season begins.”
“We’re just feeling each other out, we’ve got a good positive vibe and great leadership in the clubhouse,” said Johnson. “We’ve got the right guys to lead us along the way.”
Harkness said the team is playing flat, and that it may simply take a few more games for the play to come around. “We’re just gonna come out of it all of a sudden I’m sure. But until then I think we must be patient, and everybody else has gotta be patient with us.”
With the win, Barrie improves to 3–0 and sits atop the IBL standings so far this season—Toronto falls to 1–2.
The next two games will be on the road for the Maple Leaf ball club, visiting the Kitchener Panthers May 17, and the Burlington Twins May 19 before returning home for a rematch with the Brantford Red Sox on Sunday, May 20 at 2 p.m. at Dominico Field.
Tags: Annex · Sports · Maple Leafs Baseball · General
May 13th, 2012 · Comments Off on From the pen of Brett Lamb — April 2012
Our resident cartoonist, Brett Lamb, has been providing our print editions with his work for many years. For the first time, we will also be posting his political cartoons here. Check out his entry to the April editions of our Gleaner newspapers.
Disclaimer: the opinions expressed by Brett Lamb does not necessarily reflect the views of Gleaner Community Press.
Tags: Annex · Editorial
May 13th, 2012 · Comments Off on Robocall roundup
VAUGHAN CALLS FOR NEW ROBOCALL ELECTION RULES, EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON WHAT’S NEXT
By Alexa Huffman
At city hall in April, councillors weighed in on human trafficking in Toronto, and sport fishing on the city’s lakeshore. But, a motion for new robocall rules for future elections especially stood out.
Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) wants robocalls to change in municipal campaigns. He is working toward allowing only Canadian-based companies to provide campaign telephone support. He also wants to make it a legal offence to mislead electors about how they vote.
He’s not the only one with this viewpoint.
“With any election, there should be established rules where parties attribute their call,” said Rob Leone, Progressive Conservative MPP for Cambridge-North Dumfries. Leone says residents in his community also feel such practice is not right, no matter what level of government.
“We are currently looking at calls placed in our riding citing a hostile infrastructure project,” he said, citing hospital expansion plans in the riding as an upcoming budget nears. “The content of the calls was misleading.”
Leone has gone to both the Premier and the deputy premier of Ontario with this issue. However, the major robocall issue may not play out smoothly in federal politics. Chris Cochrane, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said there are two sides to the issue.
“We need to look at laws and what the parties are able to do,” he said. “However, this has also been pitched as a partisan issue.”
While Cochrane says no one will defend what happened, it will take a while to sort out who is at fault for the alleged calls that intended to direct voters to incorrect polling stations in Guelph.
“It will break on party lines,” said Cochrane. “On the more Conservative side, it may be seen as just a rogue overzealous campaigner. On the left, it is seen as a systematic maneuver where Conservative wins need to be questioned.”
Conservative MPs are saying voter lists from Election Canada have mistakes, which means volunteers may have had wrong addresses.
The opposition claims there is a pattern of voter suppression.
As it stands right now, an Elections Canada investigation seems to only be limited to Guelph so far, but there have been other complaints in 200 ridings including at a more local level, Don Valley East in Ontario.
[pullquote]“In all instances, no party should be using chief communication lines to spread misinformation”—Rob Leone, (MPP, Cambridge North Dumfries)[/pullquote]
Torontonians are expressing their displeasure, including in the Trinity-Spadina riding where Olivia Chow is the member of parliament.
“I went to a rally where there were many people including from my riding,” said Chow. “The people in Trinity-Spadina do care about democracy and agree there should be nothing interfering with their right to vote.”
The NDP is addressing the issue by asking for a public inquiry and asking the Conservatives to hand over their emails and database records. The issue has been debated many times in the House of Commons, with Liberal Party interim leader Bob Rae even calling for a Royal Commission.
“We would also ideally like to have Elections Canada have more power to investigate and more money as well,” said Chow.
As for farther into the future, Chow does have high hopes for future elections despite the apparent drawbacks. “The riding results are being challenged,” said Chow. “There’s also the in-and-out scandal. I think people are starting to see through Conservative illogical practices.”
She still urges people not to give up on democracy.
“There are people who are trying to prevent us from participating,” said Chow. “But we can fight by being aware of what’s going on and participating even more,”
Even though Leone is on the other side of party politics, he also agrees with the importance of truth during elections.
“In all instances, no party should be using chief communication lines to spread misinformation,” said Leone.
Tags: Annex · News · General
May 13th, 2012 · Comments Off on Playing for dear friends
LOCAL PIANIST TO PLAY ALL OF BETHOVEN’S SONATAS CONSECUTIVELY AT THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY
Stewart Goodyear is set to perform all of Beethoven's masterpieces in a marathon-style concert beginning June 9. Courtesy Gary Beechey.
By Paris Herbert-Taylor
Toronto native Stewart Goodyear is no stranger to big challenges.
Although his love of music began when living in the Annex, his music has taken him all over the world. Goodyear originally started composing music from the age of eight, and went on to win a well-earned place at The Royal Conservatory of Music (273 Bloor St. W.), followed by studies at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, and the Julliard School in New York.
On June 9, Goodyear will bring his enormous musical talent back to Toronto, to undertake an astonishing musical task. In a co-production with the conservatory and Luminato—Toronto’s festival of arts, Goodyear will be playing all 23 Beethoven piano sonatas in one day.
[pullquote]“I was adamant about presenting all of Beethoven’s sonatas together, they are a set”—Stewart Goodyear[/pullquote]
The musical marathon will last ten hours. When asked about his decision to participate in the daunting musical feat he mused, “I was adamant about presenting all of Beethoven’s sonatas together, they are a set.”
According to Goodyear, by playing all of the sonatas in one sitting the audience will be able to see the work as a retrospective.
He has a long and extensive relationship with classical music, and with Beethoven in particular. Beethoven’s work was the first classical music he heard as a child, and he credits this early memory as the inspiration that drove him to become a musician.
He says that because of his long-standing love and respect for Beethoven, Goodyear feels as though he “is playing from a very personal part” of himself.
Goodyear also draws motivation from Beethoven when composing his own work. “His [Beethoven’s] sonatas are unique and distinctive … the passion in his music inspires me,” he said Goodyear, who says that each time he performs, the experience is different.
He is excited to be back in Toronto for the Beethoven marathon. He has played in a vast number of cities of the years and has said that he could not choose a favorite, although he does look forward to collaborating with his alma mater.
In the fall of 2011, Goodyear performed a recital at Koerner Hall in collaboration with The Royal Conservatory and described the experience as “playing for dear friends.”
Each time he performs a piece of music; the audience dictates much of the energy in the concert hall. “Every experience is new, different … every experience is organic, you take energy from the audience. It makes the performances feel alive,” he said.
For his June 9 performance, Goodyear is teaming up with internationally-acclaimed Indonesian performance artist Melati Suryodarmo, who will create an onstage piece that will extend the full length of Goodyear’s marathon. It is the first time Goodyear and Surydarmo have worked together, and the piece is meant to provide a subtle, almost motionless visual enrichment to heighten the listening experience.
Goodyear “jumped at the opportunity” to work with Surydarmo. “Music can be expressed in so many ways. You can use many sorts of media to move people,” he explained.
Tickets are available for Stewart Goodyear’s Beethoven Marathon on June 9 from
the Royal Conservatory Box Office and from Ticketmaster.com.
Tags: Annex · Arts · General
LOCAL PRODUCTION EXCELS AT MINIMALIST, EXPRESSIVE STYLE
SMOTHER, an hour-long dark comedy show, was held at Unit 102 (376 Dufferin St.) in late March. Courtesy Michael Orlando.
By Mickal Aranha
For three consecutive days in March, Unit 102 (376 Dufferin St.), a tiny theatre space in Parkdale, shook from the Theatre Lab’s experiment in storytelling.
SMOTHER, an hour-long dark comedy, written and directed by Omar Hady, was slowly developed by a small group of artists who explored aspects of Commedia Dell’Arte, Italian improv comedy; Bouffon, a form of satire; and the Laban Efforts, a study of human movement, to bring a short story to life. What resulted is a funny, dark, and inventive piece that although simple in its narrative, is wonderfully rich.
SMOTHER takes place long ago, somewhere in Eastern Europe, and tells the story of a man named Mitri (played by Rory de Brouer) who spends his days singing and selling vegetables in the market.
His elderly mother, Mama Beata (Alexandra Baczynsky), takes advantage of her sweet-natured son, and although she loves him dearly, constantly reminds him that she suffered a great deal in raising him alone—having had her husband drop dead while she gave birth (this is actually a scene in the play), and having to reconcile her husband’s debts.
Burdened by guilt, Mitri does not pursue his dream of having a family of his own, and instead puts all of his energy towards caring for his mother. Then one day, he falls in love.
True to the tradition of Commedia Dell’Arte, the staging for SMOTHER is minimalistic. In the opening scene, we see Mitri walking in place, singing with all of his heart and describing the imaginary lush landscape around him and the sounds of birds chirping. It is enough to transport the audience to his village life.
The costumes are also simple, and with the use of a few small props, characters are believable. The audience sees Baczynsky’s character transform from a happy, carefree, vibrant young lady, to an increasingly resentful, pregnant one, to a bitter old woman weighed down by the slings and arrows of life. This occurs within a few minutes with only the help of a few scarves.
The light mood of the Commedia comes from the slapstick humour, witty dialogue, dancing, and music.
The actors are multi-talented, bursting into song one minute, and in full acrobatics the next. The accordion, played by Canadian music icon Bob Wiseman, underscores the piece, helping to set the mood and add emphasis to the dialogue when necessary.
Influence of the Bouffon satire is evident in a couple of the actor’s bold, exaggerated contortions of the face and body to achieve a dark effect. Especially adept at this is Lea Russell, who plays Mitri’s love interest—and a few other small roles. She surrenders most wholeheartedly to this energy for what sometimes seems like endless moments.
This is perhaps the most interesting part of the play. The actors are able to escalate and sustain sounds of gibberish and grotesque bodily contortions in a way that conveys feelings of despair, pain, and anger in a way that I have never seen before.
What stands out are not the words being said, which are often indiscernible, but the depth of emotion behind them. The fact that the scenes in which Mama Beata reacts to Mitri’s mere mention of the thought of marriage, or his love interest’s encounter with Mama Beata at the dinner table, are still etched in my mind is proof of this method’s power.
The mood of the play, characters’ moods, and costume changes change strikingly throughout the play. This feat is successful not only because of the music, simple lighting techniques, and props, but also of the use of Laban Efforts. This thorough study in movement allows the actors to transition suddenly from one emotion to the next with authenticity, and gives each separate character an identifiable body language uniquely their own. Mama Beata’s hunched over stance and slow walk is one example.
SMOTHER has the captivating tension of the pushover son and the overbearing mother archetype versus the budding new love story that prompts the son’s coming of age. What makes this production stand out is the experimentation with acting methods, and the new and unexpected story arc.
The play leaves you feeling shaken up, in the best way possible.
Tags: Liberty · Arts · General
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 6, OTTAWA FAT CATS 4
By Jonah Birenbaum
Despite failing to register a hit through the first six innings, a five-run seventh proved all the offense the Toronto Maple Leafs would need as they downed the Ottawa Fat Cats 6–4 at Dominico Field on Sunday.
Keyed by a three-run homerun from shortstop Tyler Fata, the Maple Leafs—held at bay all afternoon by Ottawa starter Brandon Huffman—feasted in the seventh on a Fat Cats relief corps that surrendered four runs on three hits and four walks by day’s end.
Trailing 3–1 in the seventh, Maple Leafs catcher Damon Topolie spoiled Huffman’s no-no bid with a sharp leadoff single, chasing Huffman from the game. Fat Cats manager Tim Nelson called on left-handed reliever Eric Boisvert, who immediately surrendered a double to Toronto second-baseman Rob Gillis, bringing Fata to the plate with runners on second and third.
Fata, who appeared in just four games with the Maple Leafs last season, promptly deposited a Boisvert offering beyond the fence in left field to give the Maple Leafs a one-run lead. Needless to say, the shortstop wasted no time endearing himself to Toronto manager Tim Harkness and the throngs of Maple Leafs fan in attendance with his late-inning heroics.
“It’s a great feeling whenever I can make an immediate impact for the team,” said Fata, who also added a sacrifice bunt in the victory. “To be able to do that and help my team win a baseball game — there’s nothing more you can ask for on Opening Day.”
The Maple Leafs would tag on two more runs in the inning when Fat Cats second-baseman Chris Latimer’s throw eluded the first baseman while attempting to turn a double play on a ground ball from third-baseman Dan Gibbons.
Adam Garner, who worked the game’s final three innings, picked up the win for Toronto, striking out two and surrendering one run. Garner and Brett Lawson—who struck out three in three scoreless innings—did a fine job in relief of starter Marek Deska, who was pulled after surrendering three runs on five hits and two walks over just three frames.
Toronto’s refusal to quit despite the early deficit, their struggles against Huffman, and, of course, some Opening Day jitters is a testament to their character and experience, according to Topolie, who sparked the rally in the pivotal seventh.
“It just tells us that we have a veteran team and we didn’t panic,” said Topolie, of the victory. “Those guys were pretty young, and they had us—we just needed a little bit of opening in the door and we took advantage.”
For the Fat Cats, who joined the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) in 2010, the loss represents a missed opportunity to snag a victory on the road and open the 2012 season with consecutive victories. Nelson said the defeat will probably resonate a little more considering Huffman’s impressive efforts.
“It’s disappointing for him. He did throw very well,” Nelson said of Huffman, who surrendered just two runs—one earned—on one hit, and four walks over six-plus innings. “We just couldn’t get those timely hits from our offense and when we went to the bullpen, things didn’t work out well there.
But while the loss hurts, Nelson said it’s important to realize that there’s a lot of baseball left this summer.
“It’s early in the season, wasn’t our best effort, wasn’t our worst effort, so it’s good just to get a couple games under our belt and look forward to next weekend,” he said.
The Maple Leafs play their next home game May 12, against the Brantford Red Sox. For more information about the Leafs and the IBL, visit leafsbaseball.weebly.com.
Tags: Annex · Sports · Maple Leafs Baseball
May 2nd, 2012 · Comments Off on Dekel on deck
BAND LEADER OF NEON WINDBREAKER MEANDERED BETWEEN JOURNALISM, MUSIC
DJ Dekel at one of his Yes interactive dance parties. They are usually held at Oz Studios (134 Ossington Ave.). Courtesy Jonathan Dekel.
By Karen Bliss
Annex resident Jonathan Dekel’s first DJ gig was in 2003 at the age of 18 in London, England at an after-show party for on-the-rise Montreal band The Dears.
He had flown there from Amsterdam, where he was living at the time, for his first international article as a budding music journalist-for the defunct Chart Magazine.
“I was with a friend of mine who also works in the music business and The Dears’ manager at the time, Nadine Gelineu, said, ‘You guys DJ!’ So we said, ‘Yeah, of course,’” Dekel says. “So the first time I deejayed was in front of every major A&R scout in England.”
Today, the 27-year-old Dekel continues to DJ monthly and his interactive dance parties with Michael Joffe of GlassBOX Television are always a sell out. The thematic nights have ranged from Yes New York, for which he played music from 2001 Strokes-era NYC to Oui Paris, which was 2007 Daft Punk/Justice era.
The next one, Yes Toronto, is April 13 at Oz Studios (134 Ossington St.), inspired by the recent The Grid and newyorktimes.com praising Toronto’s latest music output.
Dekel has also become one of the most respected music scribes in Canada. His pieces have been published by Spin, National Post, AOL Music, Spinner, MSN, Eye Weekly, The Grid, Chartattack, Amsterdam Weekly and Gasoline Magazine.
In September 2011, however, Dekel left freelance music journalism to accept a full-time office job as online editor for dose.ca, mainly writing about television. The day of this interview, he had just spoken with Jersey Shore’s Pauly D.
“I used to do more serious writing and now it’s more pop culture,” says Dekel. “But it’s also for Postmedia wire so everything I write gets picked up by every newspaper. Once in a while, I’ll do the music [pieces] for the National Post, like that Sheepdogs piece that was on the cover.”
Dekel, who was born in Israel and moved to Canada with his family when he was barely four-years-old, has always carved out a unique and independent path. He likely inherited that trait from his parents who suddenly uprooted the family to Amsterdam when he was 18.
“They said we needed a different viewpoint,” Dekel explains. “They were from Israel; we were too North American. They took us out there for a year and I started the music magazine, Incendiary. They came back to Toronto and I stayed there and ran the magazine for another two years.”
When Dekel came home, he started writing for Gasoline,published by family friend Darryl Fine, also the owner of Toronto establishments, the Bovine Sex Club and Shanghai Cowboy (I was actually Dekel’s editor for a while and noted his promise). After Gasoline’s demise, Dekel kept freelancing and landed some candid interviews with such artists as Yoko Ono and Jack White.
Dekel is also a musician. He plays guitar, bass, piano, drums and sings. In 2011, he joined Neon Windbreaker as its guitarist and backing vocalist. “It started out as a joke,” says Dekel, explaining that singer Eric Warner, a local promoter, wanted to put together a band that had no music background and was comprised entirely of music industry people, just to see how far it could go.
At their first show, they just asked the audience how long each song should be. Bigger opening slots came and eventually Dekel started writing songs for the band and the line-up was solidified: Warner, Dekel, bassist Patrick McCormack, guitarist Matthew Wronski and drummer Benjamin Reinhartz.
“We tried to figure out a musical style that would be the hardest for people to like and we ended up with hardcore music,” says Dekel. “I don’t like hardcore music, but I was writing the songs so I wrote these pop songs that were hardcore-ized, so we got ‘pop-core.’”
Jonathan Dekel, pictured at centre advertising The Black Keys, with his bandmates in Neon Windbreaker. Courtesy Jonathan Dekel
Dekel did the publicity for the band and Neon Windbreaker ended up with a feature in Eye Weekly after performing numerous gigs at the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas.
“It was a big story called “The Jokes Over” about us starting to take this seriously,” he says. “It ran at the same time as The Juno Awards story and our story became way bigger.
“We created this band to expose the idea that talent has very little to do with band success in Canada. It’s all about who you know. We thought it would be fun to expose that and be completely obvious about that.”
No longer a joke, Neon Windbreaker got a government grant and will soon release its new album, Perks.
Tags: Annex · Arts · People · General
