The lion that was one of the inspirations for “Triumph the Lion”. (Photo by Terry O’Neill)

I have just completed my new novel “Triumph the Lion,” a story about a South African safari ranger who documents the activities of a lion with a peculiar trait. Blu, the Toronto-raised ranger who works at a luxury lodge in Kruger Park, publishes a blog that makes the lion world famous with accounts of the animal’s feats. Children from around the globe visit the blog for the latest happenings in the lion’s life, while tourists come to Africa wanting a glimpse of the lion named Selrahc. Some visitors, however, arrive with sinister plans that have nothing to do with photographing this particular king of the jungle.

I have been reading excerpts from the book on KP Wee’s show “Smitten with the Written” on CJSF Radio (90.1 FM) in Vancouver. In a recent show, KP and I talked about sports writing, seeing that we are in the midst of the NHL Playoffs, and why sports make such an intriguing topic for both fiction writers and journalists.

Listen now to Excerpt 7 from “Triumph the Lion”:

Click here for Excerpt 7, which concludes Chapter 2 of the novel, after KP and I wrap up our hour-long talk on sports writing, both in fiction and journalism (click here for the first half of that interview).

Click on the links below to hear Excerpts 5 and 6.

Click here for Excerpt 5, which is after a 10-minute interview about character development in fiction.
Click here for Excerpt 6, which is more from Chapter 2 of the novel.

Click on the links below to hear Excerpts 3 and 4.

Click here for Excerpt 3, continuation of Chapter 2 (following interview)
Click here for Excerpt 4, also a continuation of Chapter 2

Chapter 1 and the first half of Chapter 2 are available here:

Click here for Part 1, Chapter 1 (following interview).
Click here for Part 2, start of Chapter 2.

Tom Wilson gives it his all wherever he plays. (Photo collage by Julia Pelish)

[Had a chance last month to catch up with Tom Wilson, great musician, great guy, at a secret house party in Toronto. Here's the report from Vacay.ca.]

On March 21, Tom Wilson headlined at Massey Hall in front of 2,750 fans. Less than three weeks later, he is tuning his guitar in the living room of a home in a middle-class neighbourhood in midtown Toronto, about to play to 31 people, many of whom can’t believe their fortune. The performance that ensues gives new meaning to bringing down the house.

On “concert nights,” the home takes on the persona of a venue. It’s nicknamed “The Growler,” tickets are sold, amplifiers are brought in, the musicians have their own “backstage” space in an upstairs bedroom, CDs and other paraphernalia is for sale, and there are no encores until the audience delivers loud applause and calls for “more, more, more!”

Wilson doesn’t hold back anything, either. The singer/songwriter with a wide range of tunes plays for an hour, including a two-song encore that starts with a cover of “Ring of Fire.” His voice resonates with clear, dead-on pitch like what you might be treated to in a studio session. As always, his showmanship is as much a part of the entertainment as his music. His self-effacing comments and hilarious stories of rock ’n roll life never fail to win over a crowd.

During this set on Good Friday, Wilson reveals that Colin Linden nearly showed up, too. Linden, Wilson and Stephen Fearing form Juno Award-winning Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, who finally headlined a gig at Massey Hall after 15 years together. Although it would have been a great bonus to see Linden, the audience is more than satisfied with Wilson and his band members, who on this night include his son as well as long-time collaborator Ray Farrugia. The trio are paid with the money brought in from ticket sales.

It’s Wilson’s second time making the trip up from Hamilton, Ontario to play “The Growler,” and he says he’s open to more. “These people are great,” he adds. “Really, we come back for the food.”

One of the owners is from Mexico and apparently spoils the band with fabulous cuisine prior to the show. The homeowners, who will remain anonymous because operating a “concert venue” out of their house may not fly with some authority figures, also offer bed-and-breakfast stays to the musicians.

SECRET HOUSE CONCERT THRILLS TOM WILSON FANS

One of the owners says he learned house concerts such as this one were possible while living in British Columbia, where he saw an advertisement for an intimate Victoria show featuring John Mann of Spirit of the West. “I sent off my $25 for a ticket, not knowing if I’d ever see anything in return, but I got my ticket in the mail and drove my bike to Victoria, and it was amazing. It opened my eyes that this stuff really goes on.”

Throughout Canada, house concerts featuring bands that have some notoriety either in local or national scenes are a growing phenomenon. It’s a matter of economics in an environment where musicians have to look for as many outlets as they can for income. While finding musicians who want work may not be hard, snagging one with as much clout as Wilson is a real coup. It speaks to his cool as much as anything. Many musicians might agree to play a house gig, but may balk at going into a home that doesn’t belong to a record exec or friend of a friend or one that isn’t in a neighbourhood like Toronto’s Rosedale where you could probably count on at least one or two millionaires/potential patrons in the audience. In this case, the homeowner of “The Growler” says he simply asked Wilson after a club concert if he would do it. Wilson agreed, and he’s not the only one who has said yes.

Mann has played at “The Growler” and so has Harlan Pepper, an impressive Toronto rock-and-folk quartet that includes Wilson’s bassist son, Thompson.

“We’re working on getting a couple of others in here before too long,” says the homeowner.

The neighbours don’t mind. In fact, several of them are in the audience. And even though the equipment is powerful enough to impress members of Spinal Tap, the home surprisingly absorbs much of the sound. Although you can hear the band from outside, it’s not any louder than most backyard parties and the show wraps up by 10 pm.

“This is incredible,” one neighbour said. “They’ve hosted a few of these and you can’t believe musicians of this calibre could be here, in a living room.”

MORE ABOUT THE GROWLER CONCERT SERIES
Tickets: To order tickets, you need to get on the mailing list or contact the homeowners. If you’d like more information, email me at adrian@vacay.ca and I will check with the homeowners if they would like to pass on more information to you.

Dr. Greg Evans takes care of champion Grated Coconut and other animals on the Calgary Stampede Ranch. (Julia Pelish photo)

[First published on Vacay.ca]

HANNA, ALBERTA — Dr. Greg Evans pats Grated Coconut on the neck and nods. “This is the Wayne Gretzky of rodeo,” says the veterinarian who works at the Calgary Stampede Ranch, a 22,000-acre property that sprawls across the golden fields of southern Alberta and is home to 500 of the finest horses on the continent. Evans is in charge of taking care of Grated Coconut, a six-time world champion bucking stallion, and the other animals on the ranch, which sends the bulls, bucking broncos, chuckwagon-race thoroughbreds and other animals to the rodeo each year.

As Evans pets Grated Coconut, he marvels at the horse’s disposition. “You can’t go up to most bucking horses like this, especially ones that compete at the level that Grated Coconut did. But this one is special.”

Grated Coconut was retired in 2010 at a special ceremony. At 15, he will spend the rest of his life roaming the pasture near Drumheller in Alberta’s Badlands, breeding with several mares on the ranch and being spoiled with some of the best animal healthcare around. It’s star treatment that is well deserved for the thrills the horse brought to rodeo fans.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say the animals here get better care than many people’s children,” says Evans.

Whether it’s top-of-the-line medicine or even therapeutic massages, the horses and bulls receive it if the vets think they need it. Some even find a home away from the ranch. Champion bull rider Scott Schiffner now keeps two of the animals that he once rode to big paydays on his property. They’re so docile in retirement, he says, that his four-year-old daughter feeds them.

Despite such examples of adoration, the Stampede attracts heavy scrutiny each year from animal-rights groups. Last year, two horses died despite rules changes implemented to reduce risk of catastrophic injuries. In 2010, six horses were put down and more than 50 have perished since 1986, mostly in the chuckwagon races, which feature teams of horses leading conestoga-style wagons around the track at Stampede Park in a mayhem of hoofs, reins, and “yahs.” Tie-down roping, also known as calf roping, has fallen under even greater criticism because of what opponents say is the torment imposed on the animals.

“In the case of calf roping, you have a three-month-old animal goaded out of a shoot, chased in an arena, roped by a cowboy, and thrown to the ground. It’s obvious in our view that that animal is being subjected to fear and purely for entertainment purposes,” says Peter Fricker, the Vancouver Humane Society’s communications officer. “Fear is as much a problem as pain to those animals. Science has shown that prey animals feel fear acutely.”

ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND THE CALGARY STAMPEDE

As the Stampede gears up for its 100th year, the criticism is more fierce than usual and has started early, with the first salvo coming from Bob Barker. The former “Price Is Right” host shot out harsh comments in February about what he says is animal cruelty practiced at the rodeo. In return, rodeo participants said Barker and other critics don’t understand the sport or the nature of the events.

“I see injuries happen all the time that have nothing to do with rodeo. These animals are athletes. They will run fast, it’s in their nature, and sometimes they will fall,” Evans says. “Those injuries can occur in an arena or they can happen out on the open range with no one around.”

Evans grew up wanting to be a vet and now spends many days on the stunning ranch nearly three hours outside of Calgary. His concern for the animals and reverence for them is clear in the manner in which he interacts with Grated Coconut and others. Schiffner, too, insists the animals he works with enjoy participating and the competition.

“I think if the people who are critics would visit the ranch and spend time with the animals and see the care they receive then they would understand more about the sport,” says the former Professional Bull Riders Canadian champion who has suffered two broken legs in competition and other injuries he calls minor.

Fricker, who hasn’t visited a rodeo ranch, says he is confident the animals do receive substantial care and are well treated in retirement. The concern of animal-rights groups is the action that takes place inside a stadium.

“Our issue is with the performance itself. Of course, they’ll often say they will treat the animals like they do family. Not to be facetious, but unless I see a cowboy chase his grandmother across an arena and rope her I don’t think it’s the same as family,” Fricker says. “You just wouldn’t do that to something or someone you cared about in terms of their welfare.”

RODEO EVENTS AT THE CALGARY STAMPEDE

The Stampede features six primary rodeo events — tie-down/calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, and ladies barrel racing — as well as novice events. (The chuckwagon races are part of the nightly grandstand attraction at Stampede Park.) With $2 million in prize money at stake, it’s one of the richest rodeos in the world.

“The analogy I’d make is that a race car driver wouldn’t put his expensive race car at risk if he truly loved the car, but of course they do and they do it because it’s worthwhile, it’s money. They put these animals at risk because it is lucrative business,” Fricker says.

With a showcase of rodeo attractions and mainstream entertainment that quite possibly will make it the hottest draw in North America this summer, the 100th Calgary Stampede is expected to draw more than 1.2 million visitors. The rodeo will go on despite the criticism and it will be introduced to new spectators. Some will be turned off. Others may simply shrug at the sight of animals under stress.

Whether some aspects of the rodeo are barbaric or brutal will continue to be debated until the event starts on July 6 and afterwards, too. It’s to the credit of the organizers and the city that the Stampede has managed to flourish despite negative press. Long ago, the Stampede turned into a spectacle that was much more than just a rodeo. From headline entertainment to fun fashion and a party atmosphere that has become legendary, the Stampede can be enjoyed without ever watching a chuckwagon circle a track.

However, the stars of the show, as everyone agrees, have been the animals. The Stampede has reached the century mark in part because it has made it a mandate to protect the four-legged performers involved and arguably does more for animal care than any other rodeo.

“The last thing anyone wants to see is an animal get injured or worse,” Evans says. “We do everything in our power to make sure that doesn’t happen. When people come to the ranch, I think they realize that these are athletes. They’re animals that want to compete.”

Mike Manville's infectious songs for The Manvils match his fun personality. (Julia Pelish/Vacay.ca)

Diners at Mildred’s Temple Kitchen in Liberty Village may not realize the likeable guy who greets them is also one heck of a rock ’n roll front man. No exaggeration. Mikey Manville is 6-feet-2 of combustible energy and charm. Playing Saturday night at a secret show for Canadian Music Fest, Manville bounded and danced and charged into the crowd, wailing his guitar, and then rushed back to the microphone in a frenetic display of showmanship that you’d expect to see on stage at the El Mocambo and not the basement of a duplex in the Queen West neighbourhood.

Manville relocated from Vancouver about six months ago and when he’s not working as a host at one of Toronto’s best restaurants, he’s building an impressive catalogue of alternative rock tunes, some of which he and his band, The Manvils, showcased at that impromptu after party celebrating the 30^th anniversary of Canada’s largest music festival.

In a room that proved it can hold as many as 50 people (uncomfortably — “Uh, where’s the fire exit?”), Manville jammed with drummer Jay Koenderman, who made the move with him from out west, and new bassist Jason Skiendziel, who learned the band’s catalogue in a matter of a few hours in the days before Saturday’s 30-minute performance. Songs “Turpentine” and “Hot Volcano Like” have great rock hooks while the newly written “Heart of the Hide,” about the theft of Manville’s baseball glove in Vancouver, shows his diverse songwriting abilities.

“Mike’s a great front man,” Koenderman says. “He really gets the crowd going. It’s fun to watch from back there while I’m drumming.”

A few years ago, The Manvils were one of Vancouver’s hottest new bands, with a song featured on a beer commercial that aired during the Beijing Olympics and a breakthrough album on the Sandbag Records label. The move east to Canada’s biggest city gets them in front of larger audiences with more influential industry types.

It also gives Manville more opportunities to explore his songwriting.

Mike Manville of The Manvils rips into a tune during a basement after party following Saturday's Canadian Music Fest shows. (Julia Pelish/Vacay.ca)

“We have three EPs from our three favourite cities,” says Manville, whose 2007 solo album featured Bob Egan of Blue Rodeo. “Vancouver, Chicago and Toronto. Each place is distinct and the records will be unique on their own because of that, I think.”

The Manvils’ “Black Tornado” was recorded in Vancouver and released in October. The next two EPs will follow in the coming months while the band members continue to build a base in their new city.

The band’s lanky guitar player and leader, whose real name is Muxacb (or Michael) Iwanyshyn, took on the Mikey Manville moniker while working as a member of a film crew for a documentary called “Great Canadian Parks” more than 13 years ago.

“A producer kept calling me Mikey Manville, because we were in Mannville, Alberta, doing a shoot and when I got back to Vancouver I had my first music gig and when they asked me what my name was, I said Mikey Manville, and it stuck. I did spell it wrong, though,” Manville points out, noting the city has a double-n in its name.

Manville, who is of Ukrainian descent, is excited to be in the Big Smoke, shouting happily at the end of Saturday’s set: “The Manvils are from Toronto now and we’re here to stay!”

Joining the Manvils at the house party were Calgary rock ’n blues outfit Zoo Lion, Edmonton-based rockers Tupelo Honey, and the marvellously talented and entertaining Sherman Downey & the Silver Lining of St. John’s. At one point near 2:30 am and during Tupelo Honey’s set, the room was so packed, the staircase leading up to the main floor was filled with two people per rung.

How do you get four top-notch bands to play in your basement while wall-to-wall humanity fills it?

The party’s host, whose name isn’t being used for obvious reasons, shrugged and contritely said, “I don’t know. I guess I just have a reputation for throwing good parties.”

His rep’s only going to grow after this one — if you know who he is.

Jonathan Gushue's efforts to keep Langdon Hall's menu have also put a spotlight on the quality of ingredients in southern Ontario. (Julia Pelish photo)

[This article was previously published in Kalev.com and AOL/Huffington Post.]

CAMBRIDGE, ONTARIO — In a lot of ways, sustainability starts with the food we eat. The more we can consume foods that are in our own backyards, the less food needs to be shipped in from disparate parts of the world.

At Langdon Hall, a Relais & Chateaux country manor close to Toronto, executive chef Jonathan Gushue has succeeded in turning the property on which he cooks into the source for a large percentage of his ingredients. Gushue is one of North America’s finest chefs, having attained 5-Diamond Award status from CAA/AAA judges for six straight years at Langdon Hall as well as a World’s Top 100 Restaurants ranking and acclaim throughout Canada.

“People talk about a 100-mile menu. This is a quarter-mile menu here,” says Gushue, who was the chef at the Four Seasons in Toronto before coming aboard at Langdon Hall in 2005. “It really took us about four years, the time to understand our harvesting. We’ve learned to use wild herbs, what our gardeners had been ripping up as weeds. These are the things that are indigenous to the area, what people were eating 100 years ago.”

INSPIRATION AND HISTORY

Gushue says the soil at Langdon Hall is exceptional for growing beets, so those root vegetables are almost always on the menu. Although he will fly in products from elsewhere in Canada, including snow crab from the east coast, Gushue sticks to sourcing his meat and fish close to home. The fish & chips served in Langdon Hall’s comfortable bar are made with pickerel — and they’re as tasty as any you’ll find with cod or halibut.

“We use everything here for our inspiration. Don’t expect the typical lobster, steak, salmon dishes,” he says of his menu.

Langdon Hall, which was built in 1898 for the grand-daughter of John Jacob Astor, opened in 1989 as a hotel after being a private residence for nearly a century. It sits on 200 acres that includes expansive lawns, a long driveway that leads up to the view of the grand mansion on the hill, and plenty of mushrooms, vegetables and even wild grapes that Gushue uses in his cuisine.

“What Jonathan does is focus on what’s in the area, whether it’s buying local pork or veal, or making sure he sources products in a 100-mile radius,” says Bill Bennett, Langdon Hall’s owner. “We can get produce on the grounds here about eight months of the year and we can do it year-round too with what you can get from the greenhouse, so I think using those ingredients from here gives Jonathan a leg up.”

Not all chefs are able to accomplish what Gushue has, however. As he points out, major international hotels such as the Four Seasons want their guests to have “the same experience, whether they’re in Singapore or Toronto.” That means shipping in items that are exotic, but also costly and not environmentally sound. The locavore movement, where consumers shop for foods that are harvested or produced close to home, has improved sustainability efforts within the food industry in recent years. Gushue happens to be at the forefront of the local movement because of his notoriety as well as the support he has at Langdon Hall.

“Relais & Chateaux wants guests to have a different experience wherever they go. That comes from the personality of the property and the sense of place,” he says while standing in the property’s atrium that features long, tall windows glistening with sunlight. “Really this property dictates how we react to our cuisine and what we put in our food.”

Blackie and The Rodeo Kings play Massey Hall during Canadian Music Week in Toronto. (Julia Pelish photo)

TORONTO — Canadian Music Week keeps reaching higher and for its 30^th year it will ascend as high as it can get. The kick-off celebration to Canada’s largest music event will take place at the CN Tower — 1,815 feet up.

East coast rockers the Joel Plaskett Emergency are the headliner for the March 21 opening show, which will jump start a five-day celebration of music, art, film and, for the first time, comedy.

“Music promoters seem to be promoting comedy more and more. A goal of the festival is that we always want to stay current and we wanted to add Canada’s premier comedy festival to our list,” festival coordinator Zach Gordensky told me.

The event features industry seminars, a digital workshop, the Indie music awards, and musicians from 40 countries. Although there are usually some big names, including Slash this year, the festival isn’t known for attracting major acts. It’s a showcase of new music and that’s one of the reasons why it doesn’t get nearly as much media attention as it deserves. I’ve been attending the festival for the past three years, since returning to Toronto, and it’s one of the most underrated big events in the country. With a $75 wristband, you can get into see dozens of fantastic performances from emerging artists throughout the week. You’ll also get to experience some of Toronto’s best and most intimate music venues, including the Dakota Tavern and the Piston.

With close to 1,000 bands, 800 media members, 500 industry attendees, and between 125,000 and 150,000 fans, Canadian Music Week and its festival lineup have an immense economic impact on Toronto each year.

“There’s been a lot of hard work and people dedicated to building this thing up. It’s pretty impressive for me to work with something with such a long legacy,” says Gordensky, who’s been aboard for a couple of years.

He says he’s excited to see Bear Hands, a Brooklyn band, and Etobicoke’s Cold Specks (aka Al Spx), who was recently on Jools Holland’s show in the UK.

As for the show at the CN Tower, Gordensky says the plans fell into place easily. “The CN Tower is excited to be on board, we’re excited to be doing it,” he says. “It’s the first time we’re putting bands up there. It’s the highest point in Toronto, the highest point in Canada, so we expect it’ll be a really great show.”

In recognition of the 30^th anniversary of Canadian Music Week, here’s the list of Vacay.ca’s Top 30 Must-See CMW Performances, broken down between Canadian and International acts. For a full schedule, visit the festival’s website.

Top 15 Canadian Acts at 2012 Canadian Music Fest

1. Johnny Reid (Mod Club, March 21, 9 pm) — Juno Award-winning country star is on the rise in the States and will be a headliner at the centennial celebration of the Calgary Stampede in July.
2. Blackie & the Rodeo Kings (Massey Hall, March 21, 8 pm) — Tom Wilson, Colin Linden and Stephen Fearing form this wickedly entertaining and accomplished group whose latest album, “Kings & Queens,” features outstanding female vocalists such as Roseanne Cash, Emmylou Harris and Patti Scialfa. Joining them for this performance will be Holly Cole and Serena Ryder, among others.
3. Joel Plaskett Emergency (CN Tower, March 21, 4 pm) — The festival kicks off with these outstanding rockers from Nova Scotia. Plaskett and his gang have been bringing fans to their feet for more than a decade and this show on top of the tower figures to be high octane.
4. Treble Charger (Phoenix, March 21, 11 pm and Indies, March 24, 7 pm) — “Red” remains one of the great songs to come out of Canada in the 1990s and these guys have been making fantastic music for years — not to mention helping to form Broken Social Scene.
5. Cold Specks (Music Gallery, March 22, 8:30 pm) — She’s just 23, but Al Spx has already gained the sort of attention musicians work long careers to attain. Her recent spotlight in the UK portends big things for this soulful Etobicoke singer.
6. Zeus (Horseshoe Tavern, March 23, 1 am) — Heavily influenced by the Beatles, these four Torontonians have a world of talent and a number of fine songs for you to enjoy.
7. Jenn Grant (Mod Club, March 23, 9 pm) — She emerged as one of Canada’s bright, young female singer/songwriters a few years ago and continues to deliver clever, heartfelt lyrics and tunes that are simply lovely.
8. Brett Caswell & the Marquee Rose (Horseshoe Tavern, March 22, 8:30 pm) —  Toronto area musicians who really give it their all each time out. “If You Need a Friend” is a terrific track that comes to life when heard live.
9. Martha Wainwright (El Mocambo, March 22, midnight) — The sister of Rufus, the daughter of Loudon the III, Martha is set to make a name in her own right with a string of elegant songs.
10. The Dears (El Mocambo, March 22, 1 am) — They’ve been around the Montreal music scene since before the words “Montreal music scene” were ever spoken. They’ll put on a killer show.
11. Dustin Bentall Outfit (Supermarket, March 22, midnight) — Barney’s kid has cut his teeth for a few years now with gigs around Toronto and he has really come into his own over the past year. He’s got a bright future in this country — don’t miss your chance to see him in this tiny venue.
12. Cadence Weapon (Great Hall, March 23, 10 pm) — Rapper from Edmonton is sure to get the shrewd festival-goers who come out to this neat little place off their feet.
13. Amos the Transparent (The Garrison, March 21, 11:15 pm) — Lots of buzz in Ottawa around these young indie kids. They’ve got a following in the nation’s capital and are worth checking out here.
14. Dragonette (The Hoxton, March 23, 9 pm) — This trio opened up for Duran Duran in the US and have raised eyebrows with their mix of electronic pop and sexual lyrics.
15. Shad (The Garrison, March 21, 9 pm) — The Vancouver-based rapper will be hosting a showcase and playing DJ as he introduces a series of artists, including the soulful Slakadeliqs.

Top 15 International Acts at 2012 Canadian Music Fest

1. Slash (Phoenix, March 23, 11 pm) — Guns n’ Roses guitar god is the fest’s headliner. Expect a blow-out performance.
2. Joseph Arthur (Horseshoe Tavern, March 22, 9:30 pm) — This singer/songwriter from Brooklyn, New York offers up polished songs with sharp lyrics and a touch of class.
3. Nneka (Mod Club, March 23, 8:30 pm) — A Nigerian-born German who sings soul and hip-hop songs in English is five years removed from her debut album and is hitting her prime. Hers is an eclectic sound made for this generation defined by diversity and global consciousness.
4. Shanren (Lula Lounge, March 22, 9 pm) — Do you like your traditional Chinese music with some reggae and ska? That’s what you’ll get from this inventive outfit that’s going to be a hot ticket at CMW.
5. Fred (Neutral Lounge, March 21, 8 pm and Rivoli, March 24, 11 pm) — A cheery soft rock band from Ireland, these guys mix in humour with their melodious songs. They’re playing in support of their solid new album “Leaving the Empire.”
6. The Wedding Present (Horseshoe Tavern, March 25, 10:10 pm) — They have scored 18 top 40 singles in the UK since their debut in 1985. Worth a look for sure.
7. Sizhukong Ensemble (Lula Lounge, March 21, 9 pm and Tranzac Lounge, March 24, 9 pm) — A jazz band from Taiwan? That’s right and they’ve earned quite a bit of critical acclaim for creating a new kind of Chinese music.
8. Cat Empire (Phoenix, March 24, 10 pm) — Rockers from Melbourne, Australia have gained a well-deserved international following and their gig at the Phoenix is one of the most anticipated of the festival.
9. Pond (Phoenix, March 25, 7:30 pm) — Also from Australia, but with a much different sound, Pond will remind you of early Red Hot Chili Peppers. They’re funky, grungy and a lot of fun.
10. Nicholas Jaar (Revival, March 23, 8 pm) — Based in New York, but born in Chile, Jaar brings a unique electro-pop sound to CMW.
11. Devin Therriault (Dakota Tavern, March 23, 11 pm and Silver Dollar, March 24, 10 pm) — New Yorker comes to the festival with a debut album and praise for his guitar-oriented songs.
12. Traveller and Fortune (Rancho Relaxo, March 21, 11 pm, Library Bar, March 22, 11:30 pm and El Mocambo, March 25, 1:25 pm) — Folksy indie band from Adelaide, Australia make the most of their visit with three shows. You should aim to catch them at the intimate Library Bar in the Royal York Hotel.
13. Sea + Air (Painted Lady, March 21, 10 pm and Free Times Café, March 24, 10 pm) — A duo from Stuttgart, Germany with a clean, crisp pop sound, Sea + Air showcase superb voices along with some U2-ish melodies.
14. Johnny Dowd (Comfort Zone, March 23, midnight) — Psychedelic rocker who’s been around since the ’70s will no doubt have a few surprises for those who show up at this venue known for its after-hours scene.
15. Bear Hands (Sneaky Dee’s, March 23, midnight) — Brooklynites have opened for MGMT and Vampire Weekend, which should tell you a little about their genre.

Adrian Niman, who had hockey dreams, has a winner with Bloke & 4th on King Street. (Julia Pelish photo)

[First published on Vacay.ca]

Adrian Niman stands in the middle of his swanky new restaurant, thick with sexy red drapes and sexier women in tight black dresses, and talks about his dream of the country. Bloke & 4^thfits right in with Toronto’s vibrant nightclub scene in the Entertainment District; its chef, though, is more about wine pairings than bottle service. Despite the fact that he’s just 27 and, on the surface, a superb fit for this glam supper club, Niman is all about the cuisine, not the scene.

“I’d love to have a little place in the country, with my girlfriend and focus on all local ingredients,” Niman says during the opening of Bloke & 4^th earlier this month. The club had a soft launch in December and has packed in the late-night crowd, doing thousands and thousands of dollars in booze sales alone on weekends, Niman says.

His passion, however, is food and to his credit he doesn’t waver from it, even though he could go off-course in a posh spot like Bloke & 4th. Places like Ultra and barchef on Queen Street draw in the city’s high rollers and their arm candy who come to mix and mingle; indulgences other than food on their mind. With Niman’s cuisine, Bloke & 4^th distinguishes itself from that pack.

“We’re going to try different things in here,” the chef says as he calls out for pick-up orders in the kitchen. “Some of it’s going to work, some of it isn’t, but we’re going to be creative.”

Its current choices include a number of good dishes and one killer one: a Bangkok Cole Slaw ($26) that includes yellow fin tuna, crispy calamari, and a mix of vegetables and sauces that combine for a sensational blend of flavours you can’t find anywhere else in the city. That dish was inspired by Niman’s time in Thailand, and other items are influenced from his days working in Spain and his early career at North 44, Mark McEwan’s esteemed restaurant.

“I may be young, but I’ve got a lot of years under my belt,” says Niman, who was 15 when he started in the kitchen at North 44. He had his mind focused on a career as an NHL defenceman but when concussions sidelined his hockey dreams he made the switch to the competitive world of restaurants.

His catering business, The Food Dudes, has won wide acclaim in Toronto, and Bloke & 4^th will no doubt follow. The name is gimmicky. It’s an attempt to emphasize the New York vibe of the club that’s located at King & Spadina. “Bloke” is for the bar area and “4^th” is the restaurant space, named so because the menu was initially going to be reinvented four times a year — although Niman has already changed it six times and plans another overhaul next month.

“I’m passionate about food. That’s why I do this. Everyone who works in our kitchen is under 30 and we’ve got a lot of energy,” he says. “I want to make sure we’re always keeping things interesting.”

Early on, there was difficulty getting diners in for the 6 pm seating for the restaurant, but it’s improved as word is spreading about the quality of the dishes coming out of the kitchen. The cocktails from barman Jeremy Browes are also inventive, including a mojito that features watermelon cubes fused with liquid nitrogen. Niman, who will be cooking for Prime Minister Stephen Harper on March 6, has succeeded in turning a struggling location into a standout.

The building at 401 King Street West has gone through a number of incarnations in recent years, being home to both a failed burger joint and a sports bar. Its new spot does manage to evoke Manhattan, with an aesthetic reminiscent of Lair and other clubby lounges in SoHo. Here’s guessing that Bloke & 4^th doesn’t disappear in a New York minute.

Denise Gratia of Muriel's sets the table for the ghost in New Orleans. (Julia Pelish photo)

[First published in AOL Travel/Huffington Post Canada]

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — Each night, Muriel’s restaurant sets a table for Antoine. It’s beneath an ornate chandelier at the foot of a staircase leading to the upstairs bar. The table cloth is white, there’s a candle and a setting for two, with plates, utensils, napkins and glasses for red wine. A waiter will place a basket of French bread in the centre as well as a bottle of wine, usually Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. This is the way Antoine likes it and there’s nothing unusual about the scene except Antoine has been dead for 198 years.

The ghost table at Muriel’s has become a draw for this city’s many paranormal tours. Groups stand outside an iron gate and peer through the window to catch a slight glimpse of the table, which Muriel’s put in place after Hurricane Katrina, in part to help calm the active spirit. With Mardi Gras approaching on Feb. 21, visitors will arrive by the thousands looking for fun, excitement and the bizarre happenings that have brought this city fame. Muriel’s is sure to attract more than a few party-goers looking to scare up a good time.

“This is the most haunted place in the city,” declares George Dubaz, a tour guide with Spirit Tours. Dubaz stands outside the restaurant on Chartres Street in the French Quarter and points to the large, two-storey building that has stood on the property in one form or another since the mid-1700s. “Some of the staff members will tell you they’ve seen glasses fly across the room.”

Dubaz says he wasn’t a believer in ghosts until he moved from Biloxi, Mississippi to New Orleans after the 2005 hurricane that devastated the Crescent City. Now, he says, “I’ve seen and heard of too many strange things for there not to be something to it.”

The Seance Room at Muriel's features a ouija board. (Julia Pelish photo)

At Muriel’s, that something is by many accounts a wine-loving gambler who loves his home so much he refuses to leave. Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan committed suicide shortly after losing the property at 801 Chartres Street in a poker game, but those who believe he still resides in New Orleans say he hasn’t left the Big Easy or his favourite, um, haunt. Muriel’s is in a mansion that Antoine, during his terrestrial days, restored after a 1788 fire.

“When stuff happens, we think it’s his way of communicating with us,” general manager Anthony Palomo says. “We think he’s a happy ghost and we think he’s happy that we’re taking care of his beloved mansion.”

Palomo informs that Cabernet Sauvignon is put out each night for a reason. “It seems to be the wine he prefers,” he says earnestly, with a straight face. “We tried other wines, but with Cabernet we notice that the level in the bottle does fluctuate.”

Denise Gratia, the marketing director at Muriel’s, says diners have asked to be seated at the table with Antoine, but there haven’t been any reports of commotion over dinner. Soon, Muriel’s may be offering “Dinner with the Ghost” as a regular feature, Gratia says.

Along with the unexplained glass throwing and the apparent evaporation of wine, other incidents include managers hearing footsteps in the early morning in the locked and otherwise vacant restaurant. Gratia recalls a fire alarm going off at 2 a.m. during Hurricane Katrina.

“There was no one in here. When the managers arrived, the alarm was blaring and we don’t know how it could have went off,” she recalls.

Not long ago, Dubaz says, there was a report of a woman stumbling away from a table during lunch. She claimed she had been pushed but no one was behind her. When someone checked the sturdiness of her chair, a wallet with $2,000 in it was found beneath the table. A previous guest had lost it and the story goes that Antoine helped to recover the cash.

George Dubaz gives ghost tours with New Orleans Spirit Tours. (Julia Pelish photo)

“He likes to find things. He’s a helpful spirit,” Dubaz says of Antoine. The tour guide also notes that more than one ghost may haunt Muriel’s. “Things like the throwing of the glass and other disturbances, those to me indicate that there might be one or two other spirits in there. It’s not characteristic of a ghost like Antoine.”

Paranormal investigators have suggested those ghosts are patrons who died during fights when the property was a tavern in the 1800s.

Muriel’s, a fine-dining establishment that opened in 2001, isn’t shy about the property’s history. Its website details the ghost stories related to it. Upstairs, it has a séance lounge that features faux pharaoh’s tombs, red velvet drapes and couches, and a ouija board that can be brought out on request.

Ghost or no ghost, Muriel’s is a place that knows how to have fun — like so many other venues and people in New Orleans. It’s no wonder someone might want to stay here for eternity.

Quebec City's Ice Hotel is a thing of beauty. (Julia Pelish photo)

[First published on Vacay.ca]

QUEBEC CITY — Even though Tori Woods and Crystal Chisholm are hopping around in skimpy bikinis, their boots are what catch the eye. The two good friends from Uxbridge, Ontario can bear the cold on every part of their bodies except, it seems, for the soles of their feet. Everyone has a limit, and a night in the Hotel de Glace will test it.

Woods arrived at the wonder of a hotel a day removed from a week-long trip to Jamaica. Going from one extreme to another only delights her. She and Chisholm both grin at the thought of doing something most people might only attempt on a dare or during a bout of insanity. The Hotel de Glace, or Ice Hotel, is a 15-minute drive from Quebec’s old city and a world away from normal. It’s made entirely of snow (15,000 tonnes of it) and ice (500 tonnes) and features a 6,000-pound chandelier that glows blue like something out of the Fortress of Solitude.

In its 12^th year, the Hotel de Glace is that most unusual of travel destinations. In a country where most of us can’t wait to get away from the cold, this temple to ice draws people fascinated to see how cool life below-zero can be. The beauty of the hotel is astonishing. It’s the kind of thing Tolkien would dream up. Columns of thick, clear ice decorated with First Nations carvings vault from the floor. Snow sculptures, some featuring figures in athletic poses, stick to the walls in a way that seems to defy gravity.

This year, it took six weeks to erect the hotel, which includes a chapel (24 weddings are scheduled) and an ice bar (the Nordique, a drink made of vodka and Blue Curacao, is the most popular). There are 36 rooms and suites, some of which feature fireplaces that are insulated so no heat escapes to threaten the structure of the building — or, sadly, to warm the guests. Those fireplaces are perhaps the cruelest decorations ever invented. Within walls where the temperature averages minus-5 Celsius degrees, any opportunity for heat is coveted after a while.

Even Woods and Chisholm, the two adventuresome women in bathing suits, eventually don toques, scarves and gloves, and soon enough they get out of the cold entirely. After posing for photos in their bikinis and snow boots for 15 minutes, they scoot off to the hot tub; overnight guests are advised to sink into hot water before going to bed.

“It warms up the body,” says Maryline Borgia, a guide who instructs visitors on how to get through the night in the frigid conditions. She says she has seen a 90-year-old woman sleep in the hotel, as well as an expectant mother who was eight months’ pregnant. “We get all kinds of people. The Ice Hotel is one of those things you have to do once in your lifetime.”

Once might be the operative word.

Staying in the Hotel de Glace is not comfortable. Even after you’re curled into a toasty, hotel-issued sleeping bag, your face remains bare to the cold. The night air nips at your cheeks and nose, a constant menace you can’t get rid of unless you bandage your entire face. When sleep does come for me, it’s broken more than once by the need to breathe through the scarf wrapped over my nose and eyes. I tear away the cloth, huff for a while and then cover my nose again so I can escape into a dream.

Your boots and winter outerwear are placed in the waterproof bag from which you remove your sleeping bag. All other belongings are to be left in a storage locker in the adjacent heated building called the Celsius pavilion. If left on a shelf in the bedroom, items such as watches and jewelry can freeze into place overnight. There’s no washroom in the hotel rooms. Anyone who must use the facilities, must go through the arduous routine of getting out of the sleeping bag, getting into their clothes and boots, and scurrying to the Celsius, where breakfast is served, and showers and toilets are available.

“If you have to go to the washroom, you have no choice,” says Borgia, while instructing visitors after demonstrating how to get into a sleeping bag. “You make sure you go before.”

Despite the extreme discomfort, the ice hotel has plenty of thrill-seeking visitors, and lots of fans from around the world. Jackie Cano arrives on a cold Friday night to fulfill an eight-year-long dream to trek from her home in Mexico City to stand within this sight. “I’ve seen it in travel magazines and on the Discovery Channel,” she says. “It looks so beautiful.”

Cano doesn’t stay the night, even though she wants to. The rooms, which cost $199 per night per person, are all booked. The hotel is only open this year from January 6 to March 25, and the rooms fill up quick. Once the hotel shuts down, the structure and all of the beautiful artwork created for it melts.

Chisholm bought Woods the night’s stay as a Christmas present because neither of them had done anything like it before and, as Woods says, it’s good to explore the travel opportunities your home nation has to offer.

“I’ve always wanted to see more of Canada. This is a unique experience you can’t get anywhere else and we travel all over the world and it’s kind of nice to see what Canada has to offer,” she says, while cozy in the Celsius’s lounge, a couple of hours before she ventures into her room and the ice bed that awaits.

In the morning, her sunny disposition hasn’t changed. “It was a blast,” she says.

As extreme as the Hotel de Glace may be, it isn’t so much of a challenge. A cheerful attitude and determined spirit will conquer it easy, Woods and Chisholm prove.