More than just Supersonic Shocks

Hey Hipster Music Snobs! Get over your-

selves!

I like spending my Gs at Sonic Boom. It's that huge new/used CD/vinyl store on Bloor, just east of Bathurst. It always has elaborate window displays recreating new album covers with amazing prop work, apparently maintained by an artistic employee. All you hear when you walk in, besides your headphones, is the click click click of people shuffling through rows of used CDs. Organized by the day they were brought in, you can really score some great and cheap music, and downstairs they have lots of used records too!

I'm often torn. While I love new music and want to support independent artists, I also love saving money, so I wait until albums appear in the used section so I can spend a fraction of the price. But then the artist doesn't benefit financially from my support. But I suppose I can then tell people about them and increase their fan base. So in the end they should be sending me free music for all the work I do for them.

Anyways, I got some good stuff there last Thursday, all from the used bins:

The Bicycles - The Good the Bad and the Cuddly - $6.95

The Toronto band's 2006 album is happy, adorable, and up beat. Rumour has it they live in the Annex too. Most songs are under 2.5 minutes, and make you want to squish someone's cheeks while running through a sprinkler eating superkid ice cream.

Akron/Family - Meek Warrior - $4.95

I wasn't sure what to expect with this album. I really like their more recently released song River, which is tribal, lyrical, and catchy all at once. This album is older and it starts off a little intense and thumpy, the first track being 9 1/2 min of noise. But then the rest of the album calms down and you can actually listen to the unique instrumentation.

Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People - $4.95

The quintessential darling Toronto Indie band; if you like BSS, you have to have this album. It's rich, well written, well played, and sometimes makes you sad. But in a way that feels like it's good for you.

Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy - $4.95

Who am I to review Led Zeppelin? The lyrics for D'yer Mak'er are printed in the album book in case you wanted to know how many times Plant says "oh" each line. It's 6. He says oh 6 times. It may sound like 5, but when you think he's stretching it out on the 5th time, he's actually saying it twice more.

The Beatles - Abbey Road - $4.95

They are selling them new at Soundscapes for $16.99. I paid $4.95!! Now I can gaze at the iconic cover whenever I want. And listen to the music, I guess. They're a good band, those Beatles. You should check them out. Tell your friends.

e

Wine Tasting in Prince Edward County

Wine Tasting in Prince Edward County





Last Sunday, this cute couple that I know picked me up and drove me two hours to Prince Edward County to do some serious wine tasting. I had never been to this part of Ontario (near the Sandbanks). It is apparently up and coming in terms of viticulture, so we decided to go there instead of the Niagara region.
It was so much fun. Driving on the Loyalist Parkway along Lake Ontario was so pretty. We had lunch in Picton, Ontario at a very wholesome restaurant and tasted wine from four different vineyards including The Grange, Norman Hardie, The Sandbanks Estate, and the Rosenthal winery. The guy who was working at the Norman Hardie winery was super nice- he let us pick tomatoes, fresh basil and hot peppers from the farm! Normany Hardie's vines are from France and their soil boasts limestone. The Sandbanks' Estate impressed us with its customer-service friendly nature. Their wine tasting bar was outdoors and they were really knowledgeable about their wines. They also invite people out to events on the weekends where community members can pick grapes, eat a big lunch and listen to live music. Perfect day trips for autumn.

I learned how to aerate the wine, which enhances the flavours (wine gets really strong when you do this) and was able to discern woody flavours from citrus on my newly enhanced palate. I also finally learned the difference between oaked and unoaked wines, and I have decided that oaked wines taste much better.
We didn't get drunk which we expected, but it's because we spaced out our trips, and used the spit bowl too. So, next time you need to get out of the city to do something fun, drive eastwards my friends and pay the $1-2 for sipping delicious pinot noirs and cabernets sauvignons.


S.

TIFF, Chloe & the A-list

I've lived here for three years and haven't been to a TIFF film until this year. The reason why I've strayed from Toronto's most famous festival is because I find it difficult to navigate (tickets, screenings, pricing etc.). This year I got lucky when a friend of mine, who was offered two special tickets the world premiere of Atom Egoyan's Chloe and the after-party, asked me to be her date!

(Picture right courtesy of http://amanda-seyfried.us/photos/thumbnails.php?album=144)

I spent 24 hours in distress as to what to wear, paraded 4 different dresses for some very patient friends, and ended up literally last minute -on the day of- buying an entire new outfit. Not on purpose; I went looking for a nice dress shirt and came out with nice black linen pants too. My outfit worked; understated, chic and unique (I really do hate looking like everyone else- I could have bought those 80's inspired umpire waist sleeveless dresses...but I decided against it). Cocktail dresses- so not my thing.

(Atom Egoyan, Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Erin Cressida Wilson, Ivan Rietman, David Miller introducing the film)

The movie screened at Roy Thompson Hall, which was all aglow in its grandeur. The entrance to the movie quite a distance from the screaming fans and flashing lights of the "red carpet" so I'm afraid I missed it. But I flashed my ticket, by-passed the line, and headed up to the Mezzanine level which ended up being right next to where the director, producer and actors were sitting! How bizarre to come out of gazing intently at a haunting and often nude Amanda Seyfried to seeing her sitting a few seats away from you in the flesh, smiling in a pretty black sequined dress (see below!). The movie itself is moving, sexy, haunting and kept me at the edge of my seat. Julianne Moore and Seyfried's onscreen chemistry was very believable, and the heart ache experienced by Moore's character was palpable. I had a new-found respect for the young Seyfried as I'd only seen her lighter, comedic roles like Mean Girls and Mamma Mia. Atom Egoyan showcases Toronto landmarks from Cafe Diplomatico in Little Italy to one of Toronto's oldest parks, Allan Gardens. The scenes were unique in texture, colour and lighting. Toronto looked amazing; it's so exciting to see Toronto high-lighted in a movie and this appreciation was shared by both Mayor David Miller and producer Ivan Reitman , who happens to be a Toronto native.

The after-party took place on the roof of a four-story parking lot in Yorkville (see above). The entrance was pretty hard to find. An Entertainment Tonight staff member took us up to the roof in a golf cart, where we were greeted by a red carpet, Entertainment Tonight interviews with the cast and director, white tents and delicious drinks. The view of Toronto and Yorkville was fabulous and it all felt pretty glamorous. I kind of love it when this casual city gets dressed. I took some basic pictures, but couldn't bring myself to take pictures when we passed the rope to the VIP section and stood feet away from the cast after meeting the director. Might I say Julianne Moore is even more beautiful in real life. Amanda Seyfried embodied much the demeanor of a young star at her age- looking distracted, text messaging, and tended to by an entourage that ran 10 people deep. And she even left early! It was Sunday evening after all, and the party didn't last all night long, plus I'm sure she had more important places to be.

People were awesome- it was great to be able to discuss the film firsthand with strangers. Everyone was incredibly friendly and sociable, and very little pomp and circumstance presented itself. Yay TIFF! And might I add, the number of volunteers at TIFF is outstanding. It felt like the entire festival logistics when we were at Roy Thompson Hall were coordinated by volunteers....a great way to see the films and see the stars up close and personal...

Overall supah good movie, supah fun party.

S.

Carnies and rides and games, oh my

The CNE

We made it to the CNE on its closing weekend. I hadn't been since I was like 15. Between delicious German sausages and fries, and awesome, stomach-churning, tear-inducing rides, my party even won some prizes! A monkey in a stuffed banana? How can you resist spending the 3-5 bucks on darts, ball tosses or water-pistol games?

The CNE has serious charm. It's a great first date place, and it's one of those places which brings Torontonians from all walks of life together. Toronto bonds, and I love it when Toronto bonds. Here are some more pics, mostly courtesy of guest blogger and photo afficianado L (Thanks L!)




-S