Archive for March, 2011

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March 16, 2011

5 best Irish pubs nowhere near Ireland

Just about the only things you can rely on when travelling these days is the security line will be a pain, the airfare will be higher than you expect and somewhere on your journey you will happen into an Irish pub sure to make you feel at home. As St. Patrick’s Day approaches on March 17, here is a list of the favourite Irish pubs I visited during the past year that are nowhere near Ireland:

1. Rattle N Hum, New York – Sharing the name with a U2 album, this bar on 33rd Street and 5th Avenue is an elevation for the Irish pub. The beer list includes 40 draughts, most of which are craft brews from the States, and more than 100 bottles. It’s got great ambience, too, and rotates its beer list so often it’s set up an iPhone app so you can check out what’s on tap. Website: http://www.rattlenhumbarnyc.com

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March 15, 2011

2011 March Madness Sleepers, Predictions and Final Four Picks

Southeast: If you believe success in the NCAA Tournament is dependent on guard play, coaching and the poise of upperclassmen, then “St. John’s” is a name you write into those blank lines on your bracket. Throw in a favorable draw and some intangibles like a chip on the shoulder and you may have the Red Storm going as deep as the Elite Eight, maybe even the Final Four. Temper that enthusiasm with sobering facts such as a loss to Fordham, an injury to the team’s third-leading scorer and lack of tournament experience, and you have a lot to mull over about the Red Storm.

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March 14, 2011

Bogota’s new beat


[From “Bogota rolling with optimism”, published in the Toronto Star on February 12, 2011]

BOGOTA — Luis Grisales thinks of December 2, 1993 and remembers the rain. It fell on his hometown, Medellin. It fell as if the world had been flipped, the ocean trading places with the sky.

“It was like a flood. It was like the city was being cleansed,” says Grisales, a health-care professional and actor who now lives in Vancouver, a long way from a time and place when he couldn’t leave his home after dark or travel outside of Medellin for fear of kidnapping or death.

He discussed his life in Colombia while helping me prepare for a visit to his homeland, which I discovered has moved ahead too.

The great change for Colombia began to unfold on that late autumn night saturated with rain and the blood of a villain. Pablo Escobar was killed in a hail of bullets and when it was done much of Colombia, it seemed, was able to see a day when it might finally breathe with ease. It took seven more years of being ruled by drug cartels ruthless like Escobar before the 11th-largest nation in the world would truly begin to redefine itself.

In Bogota, its capital, the transformation is tangible.

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March 13, 2011

Names of 20 Canadians in 2011 March Madness NCAA Tournament

More Canadians than ever made the rosters of NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams and 20 of them will be playing in the 2011 March Madness tournament. If nationality is all that matters, Canadians will be cheering for Long Island University, the Northeast Conference champion that features three players from Ontario and one from Quebec. But the Blackbirds are a 15 seed and will struggle to upset No. 2 North Carolina. If talent comes first, then Texas forward Tristan Thompson is the guy to keep in mind when you fill out your March Madness bracket. The freshman from Nevada’s Findlay Prep High School hails from Brampton and, at 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, is considered a potential first-round NBA pick.

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March 13, 2011

2011 Canadian Music Fest: Aussies rule at the Horseshoe Tavern

The Australian music industry came to the Canadian Music Fest loaded with more than a dozen bands and left Toronto with an army of new fans. The Horseshoe Tavern hosted an Aussie BBQ on Saturday featuring nine acts, headlined by the sensational Blue King Brown, a funky eight-piece outfit fronted by the energetic Natalie Pa’apa’a (above). If you like Michael Franti & Spearhead, you’ll probably dig Blue King Brown. Their up-tempo rhythm and feel-good vibe had the Horseshoe moving from start to finish of their half-hour set.

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March 12, 2011

2011 Canadian Music Fest: The Jezabels win over Lee’s Palace

Some bands you can listen to all night. The Jezabels are one.

This group of four Sydneysiders all in their twenties were mesmerizingly good at Lee’s Palace on Friday night, playing 45 minutes of their unique indie-pop that never gets too loud or too soft and never stops you moving. Singer Hayley Mary has one of those ethereal voices that just plain makes you want to hear more of it.

With their Canadian Music Fest appearance done, Mary and her bandmates are already on to the States. Hopefully they’ll make it back to Toronto soon for another set. The Jezabels have toured with Canadians Tegan and Sara in Australia and are creating quite a bit of buzz Down Under for their upcoming tour.

Another band that’s got a growing following in their homeland is A Friend in London, a Danish quartet who played to a tiny but enthusiastic late-night crowd at Mitzi’s Sister on Day 3 of CMF. A Friend in London have won competitions overseas, including the 2008 Bodog Battle of the Bands, and have enough talent that they should be playing venues more prestigious than the Irish pubs they’re setting up in during their run through Ontario this month. In their poppy rock songs you’ll hear hints of U2, the Smiths and Peter Gabriel. If you want to check them out before they head back to Europe, they’re at the Foggy Dew (803 King St. W.) on Sunday at 4 p.m.

I was hoping to catch the full Big Sugar show at the Sound Academy, but only arrived for a bit of it. That was enough to discover Gordie Johnson can still pluck the strings pretty damn great. Looks like they’ll be making big noise around town again and that’s good news.

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March 11, 2011

2011 Canadian Music Fest: Zeus is almighty and Billy the Kid could make herself famous

It’s happening again.

The groundswell of support that’s lifted Arts & Crafts’ artists like Stars and Broken Social Scene to wide recognition in Canada and elsewhere has surrounded Toronto band Zeus.

Nina Gandolfo waited at the front of the Horseshoe Tavern stage all night Thursday to see her favourite band, which didn’t begin its set until 12:20 a.m. “The best band ever” and “they’re like the Beatles” and “they care so much about the music, there’s such warmth in it” were among Nina’s words of worship. She’s clearly the leader of the Zeusbolts (every great band needs a name for its followers; other contenders: Zeusters, Zeusheads, Zeusies). They are mostly twenty-something artsy types with sharp enough ears to realize they must turn off the radio in order to find good music.

On Day 2 of this year’s Canadian Music Fest, the Z-bolts sang and danced joyously to every song, and added the kind of energy that’s needed for a terrific show. Zeus have won over a number of critics, both locally and abroad. Their sound is rich and their musicianship worthy of their fans’ effusive praise. A cover of “That’s All” by Genesis was one highlight from this quartet that includes drummer Rob Drake and a trio of frontmen: Carlin Nicholson, Mike O’Brien and Neil Quin.

Formed a couple of years ago, Zeus has members who’ve backed up Jason Collett on nationwide tours. The band plays in Toronto a lot, so there’s ample opportunity to see them in small venues, for now.

Elsewhere on Thursday night, Billy the Kid, aka Kristen Pettinger, from Vancouver wowed fans at the Dakota Tavern. Canada has turned out many excellent female singer/songwriters in the past 10 years or so and Billy the Kid seems poised to join the ranks of Kathleen Edwards, Julie Doiron and Sarah Harmer with her melodious tunes.

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March 10, 2011

2011 Canadian Music Fest: Birds of Tokyo show why they are on top Down Under

Birds of Tokyo proved why you should always get a wristband for Canadian Music Fest. On the first night of the 2011 edition, this polished Australian quartet rocked through a tight set of songs that has won them much acclaim Down Under.

In their home country they’re headliners. Silversun Pickups (one of my fave bands) opened for them during a recent tour that went from Perth to Sydney.

In Toronto this week, Birds of Tokyo are among 800 bands vying for attention from industry types and, perhaps more importantly, from you and me. One wristband costs $75 on the CMF website and will get you into a bunch of shows taking place at 55 venues through Sunday.

At the Phoenix on Wednesday night, lead singer Ian Kenny commanded the stage with a confident swagger that made it clear he and his band have done this many times before. Birds of Tokyo won the Best Rock Album award at the 2010 ARIAs (Australia’s Grammys) in November. The highlight of their set was “Plans”, one of their hits in Oz. They’re sure to play that again when they hit the El Mocambo on Thursday night (9:30 p.m.) for their last set at the CMF.

Other bands I aim to see in the next couple of days:

Billy the Kid – Vancouver acoustic act that’s worked with Raine Maida and Garth Hudson. (The Dakota, Thursday, 11 p.m.)

James Vincent McMorrow – Irish singer/songwriter and they tend to always be good. (Great Hall, Friday, 9:30 p.m.)

The Jezabels – Another Australian band, this one with a wonderful lead singer (Hayley Mary) whose voice will remind you of Kate Bush and Florence Welch. (Lee’s Palace,  Friday, 10 p.m.)

Big Sugar – Gordie Johnson and his reunited band that made some noise about 20 years ago around town. (Sound Academy, Friday, 11 p.m.)

A Friend in London – Quiet, pop rockers have made some big noise in their home country of Denmark. (Mitzi’s Sister, Friday, 1 a.m.)

Here’s the full 2011 schedule.

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