The first example of flash mobbing was this: The Hooded Jedi. Large groups of people (a.k.a. nerds) would conglomerate at public places dressed in hoods, preaching the word of Jedi-ism, accompanied by a local band (who just needed the cash). They have since disappeared from the public, but these are the same people who helped create our current Comic-Cons, so obviously the force is still with them.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Hour: a tribute to Levon Helm
The music world lost one of the greats on Thursday with the passing of Levon Helm at the age of 71. The Turkey Scratch, Arkansas native was the drummer for the revered Canadian musical group The Band and provided vocals on some of their most famous and enduring songs, including “The Weight” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
His stellar solo career culminated most recently in the release of three consecutive albums that all won Grammy Awards — this while battling back from the throat cancer that eventually took his life. The dude was untouchable. His voice was one for the ages. His backbeat was as simple, solid and stoic as he was. This Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Hour is dedicated to him.
Helm came up north of the border to play in the band The Hawks, put together to back up singer Ronnie Hawkins — a fellow Arkansas native. Check him out backing up Hawkins below in a 1959 video said to include the first “moonwalk,” decades before Michael Jackson.
The Hawks evolved to eventually include Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson, a group that would grow beyond the confines of Hawkins’ rockabilly music, parting ways in 1963 and touring under the name Levon and the Hawks for a short spell.
Check out some of Levon and the Hawks’ early work — what a voice!
Then came the group’s legendary encounter with Bob Dylan. The folk icon was interested in plugging in the amp and rocking out for a spell, and recruited the boys to back him up. Dylan’s fans were none too amused, and let them know it. Still, in retrospect, the music is pretty great.
Despite creating some fine music with one of the greats, Helm was bummed out by the whole thing and headed home to Arkansas for a couple years. But the group stayed together with a new drummer, touring and playing a ton with Dylan in the band’s new home in Woodstock, New York, as evidenced by the spectacular The Basement Tapes. Thankfully, Helm shook off his funk and got back together with the rest of the guys — who were simply called The Band at that point — and worked on a couple more Dylan albums, Planet Waves and Before the Flood, as well as their own album Music from Big Pink, released in 1968, which included two instant classics sung by Helm: “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Weight.”
Here they are performing “Up On Cripple Creek” from 1970:
The Band, of course, established itself as one of the finest groups of that era, creating a roots music sound that revolutionized the genre and continues to inspire and influence musicians to this day. The original lineup produced a number of studio albums and took part in some of the most important events in modern music, including Woodstock and the Festival Express train tour.
Here they are from the Festival Express stop in Toronto in 1970, with Levon singing their classic tune “The Weight.”
But bands aren’t always easy things to maintain, and in 1976 Robertson quit the group and that was it. The Band’s legendary final concert, dubbed The Last Waltz, was held on Thanksgiving Day in 1976 and was made into a documentary by Martin Scorcese, which is considered one of the finest concert films ever made. Of course, Helm expressed bitter resentment over the entire Last Waltz project and continued his feud with Robertson for years. Still, the project was awesome for fans.
It doesn’t get much better than the encore, when the band played a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Baby Don’t You Do It.” So good.
Helm didn’t slow down much after Robertson left the band. He turned out a couple of solo records before The Band reformed, without Robertson, releasing a number of additional albums. But the project ended in tragedy when Manuel committed suicide while out on tour in 1986.
Helm also toured with Ringo Starr and his All-Star Band, but his finest work was yet to come and revolved around his new home base and studio in Woodstock, New York, while recovering from his first bout with throat cancer in 1998. He hosted concerts at home that he dubbed Midnight Rambles and, eventually, Helm started to sing again. In 2007, he released the album Dirt Farmer, his first studio record since 1982, which won him a Grammy Award. It is incredible. Check out the charming video for the title track:
But he didn’t stop there and turned out two more memorable, Grammy Award-winning albums over the last few years: Electric Dirt and Ramble at the Ryman. He will be missed.
RIP Levon Helm, 1940-2012.
Blues icon Colin James returns to Massey Hall
Canadian bluesman Colin James is playing Massey Hall this evening. We caught up with veteran musician, who has played for the Queen and opened for The Rolling Stones, to talk about his new album, the thrill of Massey Hall and why the Horseshoe Tavern will always have a place in his heart.
We hear you’ve got a new album on the way.
Yes, it’s going to be released in June. I seem to put out an album every two years — this’ll be my 15th.
What kind of sound are can we expect on your new album?
It’s got a bit of a Memphis-y soul. With the rock songs we’ve tried to tie a bit of R&B and Memphis into all of that, so if it’s rock it’s like Sticky Fingers / Rolling Stones rock and then there’s some nice gospel-soul songs.
Have you collaborated with anyone on the record?
I’ve worked with a few different writers. I write a lot with Tom Wilson from Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, and me and Tom have tended to be partners a lot over the years, but on this one Ron Sexmith and I have co-written two songs together, and I co-wrote two with Gordie Johnson from Big Sugar. So it’s got a few collaborations like that.
Will you try out any of these songs at your Massey Hall show?
I’m hoping to. Gordie Johnson said he is going to show up and play a couple of songs with me. I put the invite out to the Blackie guys but they’re all on the road, so won’t be able to make it.
Does the thrill of playing such a storied venue like Massey Hall ever wear off?
It’s such a neat place. I always think about who was wandering the back rooms back in the ’50s. And it’s so intimate there, the crowd’s so close — I’m always afraid of deafening people.
Where were your first Toronto gigs?
At the Horseshoe Tavern. They booked me for an entire week way back when, and I remember looking out at the lineup on the street and thinking, “This is for me? These people are here for my show? On a Wednesday night?”
I know that this past summer you hosted a radio show. What was it like to be on the other side of things?
I really enjoyed it. I love spinning all the different tunes that I love. Sometimes people think that if you are a blues musician or a rock musician then that’s what you are and that’s all you listen to.
Anything on your iPod that might surprise your fans?
Well, my daughter makes me listen to Bruno Mars … but I’ll say, maybe Tchaikovsky?
Colin James, Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., 416-872-4255. April 20.
In celebration of International Record Store Day, we give props to some of Toronto’s best vinyl shops
Torontonians may carry their iPods anywhere and everywhere, but the most tactile experience we have with music is at record stores. When flipping through stacks of vinyl, music becomes what we’re doing (instead of what we’re listening to while doing something else). Just in time for International Record Store Day (April 21), we’re sharing our favourite spots for scoring vinyl in the city.
Rotate This
No list of best record shops would be complete without this quintessential Queen West staple. This indie shop is the hipster of record shops, having been established long before record collecting became cool. Housing an eclectic and diverse collection, you could come here with your parents, teenage cousin and best friend and still find something for everyone — though the typical clientele is the bleary-eyed, post-brunch Queen West crowd, along with those in search of indie concert tickets.
Rotate This, 801 Queen St. W., 416-504-8447
Around Again
If we had to start our record collection from scratch, this is where we’d go. The nondescript spot on Baldwin Street is the epitome of authenticity. Housing high quality used vinyl, reconditioned vintage stereo equipment and lots of classics, we could spend hours browsing stacks of records and not get bored. The homey feel doesn’t hurt either — think chipped blue paint on creaky hardwood, classic jazz notes filling the air and co-owners who are always willing to help (last time, they recommended Bob Dylan and Marvin Gaye).
Around Again, 18 Baldwin St., 416-979-2822
Sonic Boom
Sonic Boom has one location in the ever-peculiar Honest Ed’s, and one — with a kitschy arcade aesthetic — in Kensington Market. With two locations, there’s a wide variety to choose from — everything from soul and funk to metal, punk and indie. When we’re searching for CDs and cassettes, we head to the Annex location, as the Augusta spot is for vinyl purists.
Sonic Boom, 782 Bathurst St., 416-532-0334; 201 Augusta Ave., 416-901-8854
She Said Boom!
For those of us who are nostalgic for the true art of music and writing, there’s She Said Boom!, College Street’s answer to the iPod and e-reader takeover. Here, you can pick up a crumpled copy of Jane Austen or Ernest Hemingway while making your latest record purchase.
She Said Boom!, 372 College St., 416-944-3224
Of a Kind
There’s something about vintage clothing and vinyl that just goes together. Of a Kind manages to capture that partnership with its nostalgic shop feel, where music and clothing from different eras come together and take us back. When we want a ’70s-style crochet vest with a side of Janis Joplin, or a ’50s vintage dress to wear while rocking out to Elvis, this is where we end up. They have a really cute dog, too.
1037 College St., 647-344-1091
Reel Rascals at TIFF Lightbox is meant for kids, but hey, grownups like cartoons too
Let’s face it, life was sweet when you could legitimately spend your Saturdays watching cartoons. Which is why we’re more excited than we probably should be about a bunch of short animated flicks for kids screening this weekend at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
The Reel Rascals series, part of TIFF Kids International Film Festival, is an international compilation of animated shorts aimed at TIFF’s youngest fans.
Tomorrow (April 21) is the Moovin’ and Groovin’ collection, which offers 13 shorts that are aimed at the three-to-six-year-old crowd (but, y’know, there’s no shame in adults watching cartoons, too). From a sleep-deprived South African firefly to a peace-seeking French tadpole, a world of characters are featured in this set of short films. The collection will tackle such thought-provoking issues as what a ballet of unhatched chicks might look like, the precise nature of disco-dancing Australian beets and what would happen if you left a mouse in charge of a bunch of hens.
The flicks in this lively compilation range in duration from two to about 11 minutes. Taken together, the program runs 61 minutes. Whenever possible, screenings include an opportunity for the audience to engage in discussions with filmmakers and special guests to further explore the film’s ideas, themes and storytelling techniques.
TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., 416-599-8433. April 21, 12:15 p.m.
Chloé Comme Parris, cheap!
Chloé Comme Parris, one of the hottest Toronto-based labels at the moment, is holding a studio sale this weekend.
Chloé and Parris Gordon, the sisters behind the label, will be holding the sale in the brand’s new studio digs just off Queen West — and they’ll be doing plenty of price slashing, marking down past collections by as much as 80 per cent.
Chloé Comme Parris was one of the most eagerly attended shows of Toronto Fashion Week, so we have a feeling that the best pieces won’t stay on the rails for long. Keep your eyes peeled for a hand-bleached dress from their spring/summer 2011 collection and a black floor-skimming number with hip cut-outs from fall/winter 2011.
Just be sure to arrive early, but stop off at a bank machine on your way — they’re accepting only cash or cheques.
Chloé Comme Parris, 24 Ryerson Ave., Unit 210. April 21–22, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tony Aspler’s Weekly Wine Pick: Chile’s Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2010
No question, this is the best value Pinot Noir at the LCBO. The wine is ruby-coloured, offering cherry and red berry notes on the nose with a thread of minerality. It’s fresh and easy drinking, light to medium-bodied on the palate with just enough spice and fruit to make it a great bargain wine. Food match: mushroom tart, roasted chicken.
$10.95. LCBO #341602
Post City Magazines’ wine columnist, Tony Aspler, has written 14 books on wine and food. Tony also created the Ontario Wine Awards. He can be heard on 680News.
Morning Throwback: before Fight Club, there was Pillow Fight Club
1st rule: you do not talk about Pillow Fight Club.
2nd rule: you DO NOT talk about Pillow Fight Club.
3rd rule: if someone says “stop” or starts choking on a feather, the fight is over.
4th rule: only two guys to a fight.
5th rule: one fight at a time.
6th rule: no pants; just shorts. And fancy leather boots.
7th rule: fights will go on as long as they have to.
8th rule: if this is your first night at Pillow Fight Club, you HAVE to fight.
Band of the Week: Plants and Animals
It was an angry neighbour in France who pushed Plants and Animals to finish their new album. And we salute him. The End of That represents what the trio does best — an unbeatable combo of jam-band and folk rock. Clearly, with this third album, the guys were going through some heavy stuff. But drummer Matthew “Woody” Woodley says they tried not to take it too seriously.
They’ve come a long way from their roots as an instrumental group. From the sometimes breezy and often danceable jams, their sold-out Lee’s Palace show this weekend guarantees a good time for indie rock purists. Plus, a few surprises, Woody adds.
Tell me a bit about the new album. Did you approach it differently than Parc Avenue and La La Land?
Yeah, a little bit. It’s just that we demoed the songs quite a bit more before actually going into the studio and converting them to tape, and with the first two records we sort of flew by the seat of our pants in the studio, and kind of wrote as we went. And sometimes we shaped the songs at the latter stages you know? Sometimes the lyrics weren’t written even though we had the song half done. So this time we thought it would be better to sort that out before we went in to do it, I guess that’s how most bands do it.
I heard that an angry neighbour gave you guys the final push when recording. What happened there?
Yeah we recorded in a house, outside of Paris, in a residential neighbourhood. And we were maybe 10 days into the process, maybe two weeks. It was France’s equivalent of Labour Day, and this guy had his whole family over in the backyard, probably eating some bread and cheese and drinking champagne and stuff, and he didn’t want to hear loud music that day, so, yeah he added a bit of pressure. It was a blessing in disguise, and we decided to start having a bit of fun.
The lyrics seem to be a bit more dark and heavy compared to your previous stuff. What were you guys going through at the time?
Life. It’s pretty direct, just listening to it, you can hear what was going on and what we were going through. There’s a heaviness to it, but there’s also a lightness to it too. There’s kind of a wink in there.
Seems to me there were a lot of different sounds in this album that fall into the Plants and Animals vibe. “Before” is breezy, and “Lightshow” is more dancey. So how would you describe your sound for someone who hasn’t heard of you before?
It’s dynamic, and the live shows are like that too. We’ve always tried to have lots of different flavours and different colours in one album. I think this is the most cohesive thing we’ve ever done, but still there is that difference. I can’t ever see us playing any other way though.
Any plans to add a bassist to the live shows?
We have a bassist — he’s sitting beside me in this travelling caravan! He’s been playing live with us this whole tour, and we also did a few shows with him in the fall.
What can we expect from the Lee’s show Saturday night?
I heard it sold out, right?
Yeah, it did.
That’s exciting! We’re going to have a couple guests. So there will be more people on stage with us. We’ve got some friends. The show sounds like the album in a lot of ways. Whereas in the past, we couldn’t do that with Parc Avenue. The live show is the most direct representation of anything we’ve recorded.
Grab of the Week: a bold, beautiful red dress by Diepo
Oh, to be the lady in red. Every woman wants to be the one who turns all the heads, but even attempting to try on a head-to-toe red evening gown can be intimidating. The colour demands confidence. With wedding season on the horizon, we say it’s time to take baby steps towards introducing this power colour into your wardrobe.
This flirty silk wrap dress by local design duo Diepo is perfect for just that. Its tinge is fiery, not sultry, but will grab just as much attention.
$270. Available at Robber Boutique, 863 Queen St. W., 647-351-0724
Grace Carroll is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in ELLE UK, ELLEcanada.com, Plaid magazine and FILLER magazine. Keep up with her daily blog at www.graciecarroll.com.
Theatre Review: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Last night’s opening of the Toronto Youth Theatre’s presentation of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was a delightful affair, staged in a sweet little rented space of about 120 seats in the Lower Ossington Theatre.
Those who enjoy sharing movies with their adolescent children should consider tracking down theatre presented by other youth — it’s an enriching experience and provides a chance to discover future Canadian stars. Youth theatre is also a lot less expensive than the professional stuff, where ticket prices enter fiscally prohibitive territory for good seats. At the Youth Theatre, adults get in for $30, youths for $20.
I am ashamed to say that I have not previously followed the Toronto Youth Theatre, but you will thank me for bringing this play to your attention.
I lack the space here to go into the history of this often uproarious, quite satirical show, which was first a monster hit (and Tony Award-winner) back in 1961 and made a star of the then-young Robert Morse (who now plays the oldest major character on the glorious Mad Men, which like this play is about the sexist, corporate world of big business).
The music and lyrics were created by the brilliant Frank Loesser, whose Guys and Dolls inarguably deserves to be included in any list of the top five greatest musical comedies ever written.
Being put on by mostly teenage students, the Toronto Youth Theatre’s version is not a professional production. And at times, it shows: the costumes are sometimes ill-fitting, some of the voices are too weak and — of course — it’s a struggle to accept these youthful faces and bodies as belonging to men and women in their 30s and 40s.
But the two major romantic roles, played by Elan Schwartz (with a lovely voice and a face reminiscent of a young Keira Knightley) and Braeden Soltys (a fine, strong voice, with the looks of a comic Ryan Gosling), are both satisfying and even thrilling to watch and experience.
This is hilarious musical theatre, surprisingly well choreographed, and a delight. Several of the songs are classics, and how good it is to see future stars of Canadian theatre as they learn their craft. I plan to catch as many productions of the Toronto Youth Theatre as I can in the future, and I'm angry with myself for having missed their first two dozen shows.
Bravo, kids.
Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave., 416-915-6747. To April 28.
First Draught: Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Dunkel
If there’s one piece of German beer trivia that just about everyone knows, it’s the 500ish-year-old German Beer Purity Law that once limited the ingredients brewmasters in that country could use. The law is no longer legally in effect — ingredients other than the original barley, water and hops are fair game — but it still holds a lot of marketing sway. This is why you won’t see a cherry beer from a German brewery.
Still, drinkers of German beer in Ontario can now enjoy some variation in the form of a Munich dunkel (dark) lager from the very popular Hacker-Pschorr brewery.
Hacker-Pschorr’s brewmaster Martin Zuber keeps three beers in his house at all times: the pilsner, the weiss (his wife’s favorite) and this dark lager because of how well it goes with food. He shared this tidbit with guests at a recent Hacker-Pschorr dinner at The Monk’s Table near Yonge and St. Clair.
The beer pours a dark brown in the glass and tends to red-brown around the edges. It starts slightly sweet and shows some of the banana notes one expects from a dunkel. Munich malt gives it a distinct roasted flavour that just hints at coffee and chocolate.
Beer in general is an under-appreciated food partner, but these toasted flavours make it ideal for matching with those savory meat dishes that work so well on cool spring nights, when the cover comes off the barbecue for the first time.
Hacker-Pschorr's Münchner Dunkel is available on tap at the The Monk’s Table and will gradually be coming to other pubs and bars that pour Hacker.
When David isn't busy drinking beer for his articles here, he writes about food and drink for Toronto's online publications including his own site, Food With Legs. For more of his thoughts on beer and life in general follow him on Twitter.
