National Post - The Ampersand

Get ready for District 9

Brad Frenette — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:39:00 GMT

Perhaps, in your wanderings about your urban centre over the last couple of months, the site of these posters has left you puzzled:

Well, puzzle no more. The posters are a campaign for the forthcoming film District 9, the debut feature by 29-year old South African-born, Vancouver-dwelling director Neill Blomkamp.

The film, which is produced by Peter Jackson, was shot in Johannesburg, and employs Blomkamp's method of choice - cinema verité. District 9 tells the story of an alien population - refugees from a planet who've come to Earth to escape a life of oppression. On arrival 28 years prior to the film's start, the aliens have been living in a secured district in Jo'burg called District 9. Since arriving, the idea of hosting an alien population has caused some manner of concern and distrust, and the job of patrolling the district has been contracted out to a private company called Multi-National United (keep this in mind for future viral campaigns).

When a member of the MNU is infected with an alien virus, he must hide among the aliens.

And then – well, here's the newest trailer for the film, released today:

If you've already heard of Blomkamp, it's because of his very cool short films. And indeed, District 9 is based on the directors short film called Alive in Joburg. You can see how his background in animation pays off with the stellar effects. And again, the same doc-style cinematography was honed here. Additionally, the plot is very similar, but here the aliens are refugees in an apartheid-area South Africa.

Watch the 6 minute short below, which Blomkamp crafted in 2006 for Toronto's Spy Films:

For further viewing, you can also watch Blomkamp's short film Yellow here.

The Tear Jerk: Up, Up and Dismay!

Steven Murray — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:00:00 GMT

[Carl Fredricksen looks, um, up. ©Disney/Pixar]

Hey! Listen to me! You really should take your kids to see Up! It's fantastic family fare filled with humour and action and lessons and stuff ! I'm totally serious! If you don't have kids, though, come on over to my house and we'll have some beers and play some Xbox (bring the Xbox).

Here's the thing: Up is great. It's an expertly crafted movie with some stunning visuals. But I think my problem is that, while I'm a soft touch for tear-jerkers, I'm a, uh, tough ... touch ... for comedy and action. The comedy beats in animation are still rooted in that classic Looney Tunes style that animator Chuck Jones made famous, a kind of slapstick that is, by now, a teensy bit predictable and boring. To me, at least. And honestly, the past few years of CGI-enhanced action movies have killed any sense of excitement when I see Shia LaBeouf running for his life from a green screen or a CGI senior citizen narrowly dodging some CGI dogs. And while people can get lost in the magic of a Pixar movie, I find myself too busy noticing how the animators are crafting the scenes, how they art-direct various settings, how they animate different emotions. It's possible that Pixar movies are just too good and I need to downgrade my animated movie-watching to Dreamworks productions. Nobody ever gets sidetracked marvelling at how they pull off those dull, hideous ogres and "antz" with their creepy textures.

But this isn't "Animation Jerk," it's "Tear Jerk" and, yes, surprise, surprise, I was bawling in the first 10 minutes of Up. Happy now? Are you? ARE YOU?

If you're the type who doesn't like spoilers, then let me just tell you that Bruce Willis is a ghost and also that you should stop reading now. The first 10 minutes features a marvellous montage spanning the years of marriage enjoyed by the main character, Carl, and his wife, Ellie. It has no dialogue, just a musical score and the characters experiencing the happy and sad moments of a life together. And then, you know, she dies. And now this man, whose whole life was this woman and their mutual dream of travelling together, is alone.

I should point out at this point that the entire movie is quite predictable. There's no reveal that you can't figure out, no surprising changes of heart. I know that at the end of that montage, like the end of a life, lies sweet Sister Death. But, as predictable as this movie is, it doesn't hold a candle to the predictability of my crying reflex. I think my girlfriend had a tissue in my hands before the first tear hit my cheek. Two minutes later it was practically useless, more salt than tissue.

I don't remember much about the scenes directly after. Firstly, because my vision was blurry, and secondly, because I kept thinking, "Why? Why is it that the idea of losing a partner affects me so profoundly?" A few weeks ago I talked about The Notebook and how the climactic scene of the characters as senior citizens gutted me, as one of them loses their memory and with it the impressions of a life together. Like Up, it was about the loss of someone so integral to who you are, a person that grew to help define you. A movie where a deep love is cruelly split in half.

I'ma divorce. Not a mid-life, sleeping-with-my-secretary divorce, but rather a married-too-young divorce. Not really a big thing, the kind of situation that people refer to as a "starter marriage," but still an important period of my life. While that time changed the way I view relationships and marriage, I never really thought it affected me on a subconscious level, especially all these years later. Now, however, I'm starting to realize that my overblown reactions to these types of movies are probably inextricably linked to the feelings I had in those last days of my marriage. A failed relationship is like a death, and the bigger the relationship -- the ones where you've envisioned a future together -- the more it becomes the kind of heartbreak where your vision of tomorrow comes unravelled and the fear of loneliness overtakes you.

What I'm about to say here may seem strange and made up, but I assure you it's real. The day my wife announced that she was leaving, I roamed the streets of Toronto in the rain, crying to the point where my eyes were swollen and black, as though someone had punched me. I needed to get out of the rain, so I caught the first matinee I could find and sat in the darkened theatre sobbing as the first Shrek played for my "amusement." This ... this may also be why I have such a hard time with animated films. I won't deny that.

So I now have a full-blown category of tear-jerker that affects me greatly: the dying spouse movie! I'm going to lay off these for a little bit and try and figure out what else triggers my ducts, and possibly yours. Remember, together we can defeat crying. Up Three tears

Email your tear-jerking movie suggestions to Mr. Crabby. He will pop all your house-lifting balloons.

'Once' was not enough: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova announce 'Strict Joy', their Swell Season follow up

Brad Frenette — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:55:00 GMT

Sometimes, a press release makes a sunny day a bit sunnier.

That happened today, with a press release (from one of my very favourite record labels) ANTI–, announcing the news of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's (Swell Season) follow-up to the Once soundtrack, Strict Joy.

Not only is album title a reference to a poem by the Irish poet James Stephens (who given a bit more nudging would have helped Joyce write Finnegans Wake), but Hansard has enlisted several of his Frames bandmates to help on this album.

Strict Joy will be available on September 29 and Swell Season will be announcing a series of North American tour dates for this autumn in the coming days.

Here's the track listing for Strict Joy:
1. Low Rising
2. Feeling the Pull
3. In These Arms
4. The Rain
5. Fantasy Man
6. Paper Cup
7. High Horses
8. The Verb
9. I Have Loved You Wrong
10. Love That Conquers
11. Two Tongues
12. Back Broke

[Photo by Zoran Orlic]

Extremely Bad Advice: Bridal Wave

Steven Murray — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:45:00 GMT

Dear Steve: Today my female boss came up to me and told me that last night she had a dream about me. She said it was about a wedding and I was the groom. When I reluctantly asked her who the bride was she claimed she didn't see her face. I feel a little disturbed, as I'm not interested in her. Should I be worried?

STEP ONE
If a woman was trying to slyly make her intentions towards a man clear, she'd probably go with something along the lines of, "I had a dream about you last night where we were doing it. A lot." But a wedding dream? That's like the anti-flirt! She may as well tell you she had a dream where you guys were old and fat and eating dinner in front of the TV! More than likely, this dream is not a sign of interest, unless she noticed that you get bridal magazines delivered to work in brown paper packages. Hot, hot bridal magazines.

STEP TWO
A faceless bride could just signify that your co-worker is worried you won't find anyone to settle down with. Or, she's just omitting the fact that the dream-face was actually hideous because she doesn't think you can do much better. Either way, someone cares about you who isn't a newspaper advice columnist. That's nice! You should thank her with a quick, friendly shoulder massage while she works. Those feel good!

STEP THREE
If she responds to your platonic shoulder rub with inappropriate levels of moaning, then maybe she actually is into you and I'm wrong (unlikely). If this is the case, start describing your dreams to her. Like the one where she's dressed as a bride but is on fire and has been attacked by ninjas and is in desperate need of medical treatment but you left the church with her best friend who is totally hot and the two of you ended up in the parking lot doing it. A lot. These vivid dreams and your manic retelling of them with hand gestures will possibly dissuade her from any further dreams of a life together with you.

STEP FOUR
"Be prepared." It was the motto I created as a Boy Scout when I used my sash to strangle my "enemies," and it's the motto I recreated just now to give to you for future dealings with this woman. Purchase some sort of really pretty "wedding memories" scrapbook and leave it out on your desk. If she opens it she'll receive a rather rude surprise, since you've been using it to document her flagrant sexual harassment. If she tries to steal the book, she'll be in for rude surprise No. 2 since you Krazy-Glued it to your desk. If maintenance workers are called in to remove the book from the desk, they'll receive a rude surprise as well in the form of a sudden sash attack from behind. No matter the outcome, you will not have to worry about people wanting to date you. Perfect!

- Email your concerns to Sexxxy Bride editor-in-chief. He does not fear commitment.

Concert Review: Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and American Idols Live, GM Place, Vancouver

NP Editor — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:19:00 GMT

American Idols Live! Tour 2009
GM Place, Vancouver
07/08/2009

By Graeme McRanor, Canwest News Service

Here's a tip: Exclamation marks should always be used sparingly, and should not be used to describe a concert tour.

Oh, sure, you could place one informally, say, at the end of "That sucked!" or "A marvelous evening of music!" as you leave the venue.

But in the name itself? Never.

Especially when said tour is called American Idols Live! and features a veritable who's who of the televised version's top 10 from Season 8.

Seriously, who are these people?

Okay, there's Kris Allen, the winner.

And Adam Lambert, who conspiracy theorists claim should have won. (He's gay, in case you didn't hear!)

Then, like the original theme from Gilligan's Island, there's the rest: Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai, Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre, arguably the most famous blind man in North America and unwitting recipient of Ryan Seacrest's ill-advised and unannounced high-five, probably the most awkward skin slip in television history.

Of course, as Lambert told me earlier in the day, the tour is more musical showcase than concert. Still, it's kind of like watching Stars on Ice, minus the stars.

Harsh? Well, as Simon (Cowell) says, it's a tough business.

Touring on television ratings is like signing a book deal because you're Joe the Plummer: Opportunistic.

While there's talent (and various record deals) in this bunch, there's little original material in the vaults so it's unrealistic to fill GM Place after a gazillion people watched them all perform covers ad nauseam on television.

Right? Well, kind of.

At 3 p.m., four hours before the concert's slated start time, at least a hundred female tweens armed with signs and flanked by moms percolated behind barriers outside of GM Place, hoping for a glimpse of an Idol or, better yet, an autograph.

And while I still firmly believe that placing on a popular talent show doesn't necessarily give you credentials to tour North America, clearly, on this day in Vancouver, I was in the minority.

This fact became magnified inside the stadium, where this late-30-something reporter was seated on the floor (row 10, to be precise) amidst a sea of enthusiastic tweens and teens. (Sing it with me: "One of these things is not like the other/one of these things just doesn't belong.")

As the lights dimmed, the countdown began and the band launched into a live rendition of American Idol's theme song (branding people!), the upperbowl of GM Place remained empty (though to be fair to the Idols, Oasis couldn't populate that either).

Former oil roughneck Michael Sarver got things going with a couple of soulful covers before a cute-but-disturbingly-uncoordinated Megan Joy took the reins (no So You Think You Can Dance for her).

Then it was MacIntyre's turn.

Playing the piano, he actually turned in a solid Keane cover before making a joke about Seacrest's flagrant, five-fingered foul.

"The high-five heard around the world," he said. "That kind of stuff''s been happening my whole life."

By the time Lil Rounds came on (and if you haven't figured it out yet, they're performing in order of elimination), one got the sense that the somewhat muted audience was just politely waiting for Allen and Lambert (mostly Lambert) to take the stage.

Predictable? Yes!

Anoop Desai came next, performing a decent rendition of Always on Your Mind, a song originally recorded by Brenda Lee but made famous by Elvis.

He also performed Bobby Brown's My Prerogative, which really shouldn't be covered by any artist, ever again.

Matt Giraud's got a good voice, but by this time I couldn't help but think that, record deal or not, time will forget most of these performers, and they'll take their place in obscurity, just above cynical music writers.

After a spirited and wind machine-aided performance by the young Allison Iraheta — including an impressive cover of Heart's Barracuda — it was time for the top three.

With Danny Gokey came an increase in female decibels, even though his rendition of Santana's Maria, Maria kind of made him look like a substitute teacher doing karaoke (although he would totally win the prize money in the film, Duets).

Lambert alert! If anyone's a rock star in the making, it's this guy.

Sure, his rendition of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love sounded a bit showy (think Sebastian Bach rather than Robert Plant), but this kid's got a serious set of pipes. (Although, for some reason, I kept thinking I was the evildoer in a Andrew Lloyd Weber goth musical.)

Still, maybe the legions of Lambert fans have it right: By the time Idol winner Allen took the stage, it kind of felt like the digestif.

Solid singer, but none of Lambert's chrisma, presence or guy-liner.

Bottom line: As talented as every one of these performers is, this "showcase" felt too much like an extension of the televised version.

Like a talent show, without the train wrecks we've come to know and love.

Without the exclamation marks.

[Kris Allen. Credit: Steve Bosch/Canwest News Service]

Hope Davis and Dennis Quaid to play the Clintons

Brad Frenette — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:44:00 GMT

Hope Davis will play Hillary Clinton and Dennis Quaid will portray former US President Bill Clinton in The Special Relationship. Frequent Tony Blair evoker Michael Sheen will play the former UK Prime Minister for the third time.

Paul McCartney discusses Beatles rights and MJ on his site

Brad Frenette — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:20:00 GMT

Paul McCartney took to his website this week to dispel the rumours about Michael Jackson giving back the rights to the Beatles catalogue and to say a few words about Jackson.

Here is his post:

Some time ago, the media came up with the idea that Michael Jackson was going to leave his share in the Beatles songs to me in his will which was completely made up and something I didn’t believe for a second.

Now the report is that I am devastated to find that he didn’t leave the songs to me. This is completely untrue. I had not thought for one minute that the original report was true and therefore, the report that I’m devastated is also totally false, so don’t believe everything you read folks!

In fact, though Michael and I drifted apart over the years, we never really fell out, and I have fond memories of our time together.

At times like this, the press do tend to make things up, so occasionally, I feel the need to put the record straight.

Well said, Sir Paul, well said.

McCartney will be playing in Halifax on July 11. He's also posted a Message to Halifax on his site - a video in which the band plays a bit of Band on the Run to help the city of Halifax get ready to rock.

[Paul McCartney waves to the crowd during a concert on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, July 20, 2008.Credit: Mathieu Belanger/Reuters]

Morning Roundup: Bateman, Franco, Sheilds, Furlong, Ono, Cyrus and Reeves

Lia Grainger — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:33:00 GMT

A video recently posted to Funny or Die provides a tongue-in-cheek explanation of why James Franco didn't get to give that UCLA commencement speech he was scheduled to do back in June. In actuality, Franco, who graduated from UCLA in 2008, is believed to have pulled out of the engagement after students at the university banded together to protest his speech, saying that he was their peer, not a role model. The replacement? The guitarist from Linkin Park. I bet those bitter-betty UCLA students are just kicking themselves. They could have had a couple of laughs with Franco, instead they got a guy who's best known for providing the soundtrack to Michael Bay movies. Whoever is choosing these speakers may want to consider expanding their list of potential candidates. In other news...

Jason Bateman is funny in this interview with Details magazine.

The city of Los Angeles is asking for donations to help pay for Michael Jackson's memorial.

Brook Shields is reportedly joining the cast of Furry Vengeance.

Actor Eddie Furlong and his wife are getting divorced.

Here's what happens when people don't listen to the wise instructions of Yoko Ono.

Miley Cyrus looks sexy in the pages Elle.

Sacha Baron Cohen made a rare appearance as himself last night on Letterman.

Michael Moore's new documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story, will hit theatres this October 2.

Keanu Reeves is asking a judge to dismiss a paternity case against him from a woman who claims he fathered her three grown children.

Cameron Diaz has been offered the lead opposite Seth Rogen in the upcoming Green Hornet.

Roger Ebert responds to those who disagreed with his negative review of Transformers 2.

[Seth Rogen and James Franco at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES)]

Halifax musician takes United to task, on YouTube

Jeremy Barker — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:02:00 GMT

By Blair Crawford, Canwest News Service

OTTAWA — When Halifax musician Dave Carroll had his $3,500 Taylor guitar smashed during a flight by United Airlines, he didn't get mad - OK, he did get mad, but he also got even.

Carroll's YouTube video "United Breaks Guitars," has wracked up hundreds of thousands of views since it was posted on Monday. The song documents Carroll's woes and frustration with the airline's refusal to compensate him for his loss.

Carroll, who performs the song with his Halifax-based band Sons of Maxwell, wrote in the notes on YouTube that after nine months' frustration: "I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation ... that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world."

In the 3-minute, 46-second video, Carroll strums his broken Taylor 710 guitar while baggage handlers dressed in safety vests, hard hats and ear protectors toss baggage back and forth and batter it with hammers.

Carroll says the guitar was damaged when the band was flying to Omaha, Nebraska from Halifax, via Chicago's O'Hare airport.

"When we landed in Nebraska, I confirmed what I suspected
My Taylor'd been the victim of a vicious act of malice at O'Hare," he sings.
"So began a year-long saga of ‘pass the buck, don't ask me,'
and ‘I'm sorry sir, your claim can go nowhere'."

The chorus goes:

"United, United, you broke my Taylor guitar
United, United, some big help you are
You broke it, you should fix it
You're liable, just admit it
I should have flown with someone else or gone by car
‘Cause United breaks guitars'."

The song got United Airlines' attention too. An airline spokesman told the Chicago Sun Times newspaper it is talking to Carroll "make what happened right."

"While we mutually agree this should have been fixed much sooner, Dave's excellent video provides us with something we can use for training purposes to ensure that all customers receive better service for us," spokeswoman Robin Urbanski told the paper.

Ottawa Citizen

Zach Condon: Beirut's musical chameleon

Scott Deveau — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:22:00 GMT

Zach Condon, the cherub-faced frontman of the indie band Beirut, is certainly a musical shape shifter.

Every album he produces brings with it a new incarnation, from Beirut’s Balkan folk and gypsy roots to French chanson to his last effort, a double EP that marries two distinctly different sounding albums. One is inspired by Mexican funeral music, entitled March of the Zapotec, and the other is comprised in part of electronic music produced by Condon, 23, in his bedroom when he was a teenager.

For any other band, it might seem like an odd pairing. But for those who have become accustomed to Beirut’s style, they’ve learned to expect the unexpected and eclectic.

Condon sat down with the Ampersand’s Scott Deveau to discuss the new record, how an introverted kid from New Mexico ended up where he is, and what he thinks is the most important instrument of all.

Q: The new record is a hybrid of your previous electronic recordings and some new stuff recorded in Oaxaca, Mexico. The sounds are quite disparate, so why did you decide to release them together?

A: Well, I guess it was kind of a way to cleanse the palate. There was sort of a lot of noise going on in my head at the time, a lot conflicting ideas about where I wanted to go next; what I wanted to sound like; what I wanted to be presented as. So, I kind of cut everything off. It was a sort of super isolationist recording on both halves.

Even the Oaxaca stuff was off the map. I didn’t tell anyone I was going. I didn’t tell the label I was going. I financed it myself and I was trying to be real quiet about it and just went down there to find something. It’s sort of an epic idea to be out there recording this 19-piece traditional native band and at the same time I’m thinking to myself, “Wow, I’ve come a really long way from where I started.”

When I was down there, I also found myself listening to a bunch of these records I had dug up at my parent’s house. My own recordings from when I was younger.

I was trying to tie them together and trying to figure out where I started and where I am now and it started to be a big headache to put anything philosophical to it. So, I ended up just putting the whole thing out there because I realized I liked both.

Q:What was the build up to you deciding you needed a break?

A:Well part of it was that I was starting to feel like more a career horse than an actual musician because of all the touring. I just said yes to everything. I was young and totally blown away by the entire situation. I felt like I had been making up for years of being a teenage hermit of sorts. I don’t know what it was, but I was super aggressive about taking on all of these experiences and at some point it hurts your head and it leaves you feeling like a shell, and I realized I’d found my limit and my boundaries.

Q:Did you go down to Mexico then for a break, or did you intend the make a record?

A:I went there with solely the purpose of recording the EP. When I got down there it was amazing how comfortable it was.

Q:What is the March of the Zapotec?

A:Zapotec is a sort of native Indian there. The town we were in, Teotitlan del Valle, was Zapotec. The March of the Zapotec is this funny march tune that we woke up to every single day we were down there because the school would blast it to call all the kids back from lunch with their families everyday at 12 o’clock on this really hilariously busted speaker and it was incredibly loud.

Q:You’re certainly a musical chameleon of sorts. When you take on these different genres of music and then take them back to the areas you were inspired from, what is the reaction?

A:Usually excitement. I’m sure there are a few that are bah-humbug about this baby-faced American kid meddling in their affairs. I hope they realize I’m just trying to filter my music through a different lens.

Q:You play a number of instruments. What sort of formal training did you have?

A:Only on trumpet. I picked up that in elementary school. That’s the only instrument. My grandmother died and I was given her accordion. So instruments started to collect in the house and I started to figure them out. Even the voice. It sounds ridiculous, but I literally just figured it out one day.

Q:It is a very distinct sounding voice, and perhaps the only constant on all your albums.

A:Yeah. I would say it probably is the most import part at this time. It’s the most personal. Music can be sort of twisted in that it is sort of pulling emotions out of people. But the voice can do it the most because it is what everyone can relate to and that’s where the most emotion in music comes out of, just these subtle little vocal twists on melody and that’s the thing you become fascinated with and can’t explain why. That’s why I consider it the most important instrument.

Q: It sounds like before Beirut you were primarily producing electronic music.

A: Yes, it was a real simple, innocent start. I had a keyboard, a drum machine and a Fostex 4-track, and that’s how I learned to write songs with these little three-minute pop explorations, Just write a hook and fall in love with it and listen to it all night and do the same thing the next day and the same thing over and over again until I had thousands of songs. Until I started to develop a sound and that’s when I changed my name and started the Beirut thing. But it was interesting to go back and reexamine all this stuff.

Q: Before Beirut, you called yourself Realpeople?

A:Yeah, that’s where Realpeople name came from. It was just bedroom recordings. I had a bunch of names. Beirut itself comes from a whole list of city names I was using. I was quite serious when I said I was recording a song a night. It was like couldn’t go to sleep unless I had a new hook to listen to before I went to sleep and be proud of having accomplished something. So, I was writing so many songs that it got to the point where naming them would be ridiculous and I was literally pointing at a map and saying, “This week my name is Bilbao, and the next album is going to be called Hamburg,and the first song is going to be called Venice,”

Q:And why was it city names?

A: I think this was sort of the childhood fantasy of being a world traveler. I grew up in a small town in New Mexico and ever kid looks up to these sort of Tintin or Indiana Jones characters hopping around the world. So it was more of me sort of trying to invent the persona for myself via city names I’ve never been to.

Q: So, when you were 17, you finally had a chance to stretch your legs and you went to Paris. What happened there?

A: Not a whole lot. It wasn’t a huge epiphany or anything like that. I mean, mostly it was just a drunken trip to Paris. But there were a few things that stuck in my mind and that was a lot of the instruments I found myself around and the sounds I heard there.

Q: Like what?

A:Well, gypsy music, for example. It was the first time I’d come across it face to face. I’d seen it in movies and stuff like that. So, I guess when I came back I had shed a lot of the electronic equipment and was really starting to gain some ground with all acoustic instruments and making it sound big. I think the point beyond writings some catchy hooks was to make it sound kind of big and kind of epic and make it sound like it was 30 people instead of just me. I don’t know how the trip to Paris did it, but for some reason I came back more capable of doing that. I think I found out there was more interesting ways to use the instruments I’d grown up with.

Like trumpet, for example. I had been just playing jazz standards, and things any brass player would know. And then I go there, and they’re playing this really whiny, vibrato-laden, really emotional trumpet stuff that is all over the range of the instrument, and I came back with that.

Q:Are you working on a new album, or is this just a touring period for you?

A:It’s a touring period. But when this is over, I will definitely be working on a new album. I’m actually incredibly eager to start it. I already have a plan for where I’m going to go and everything. I’m going to hole up with all of my instruments at a cabin in upstate New York or something and try to sit out the winter by writing an album.

Beirut will perform at the Phoenix in Toronto on July 9, followed the Metropolis in Montreal on July 11.

Polaris Panel: Analyzing the Polaris shortlist

Brad Frenette — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:00:00 GMT

The Ampersand's Brad Frenette, Ben Kaplan and Mark Medley each were members on the voting committee for the Polaris Music Prize, which announced its shortlist yesterday.

Once again we convene to compare notes.

The shortlist:

• Elliott Brood, Mountain Meadows
• F••ked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life
• The Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels
• Hey Rosetta!, Into Your Lungs
• K'Naan, Troubadour
• Malajube, Labyrinthes
• Metric, Fantasies
• Joel Plaskett, Three
• Chad VanGaalen, Soft Airplane
• Patrick Watson, Wooden Arms

Brad: We've had enough time to digest the Polaris shortlist. For me, 4 out of 5 picks made the list, so I can't complain. What about you guys? As jurors, what are your reactions?

Ben: I'm psyched actually. Especially after seeing K'naan on Sunday at Rock the Bells. This guy is crazy talented and could be a real front-runner for this award.

Mark: I'm mostly happy with it. Four of my five picks made the shortlist (oh, $100, how I mourn) and I like most of the finalists I didn't vote for them. A few people have accused it of being a safe list. I'm not sure.

Brad: Ben, your point about the live shows is important. That's how the grand jury will be picking the winner. I've seen only a few of the acts live - but Hey Rosetta! knocked me out. Elliott Brood, even playing on the cannons at Fort York in our Soundcheck video, proves mastery of the live set. I'd love to see K'Naan live. Any surprises on the list? Or - aside from $100 - anyone you thought was a lock and were left out?

Ben: Not really. You know, I'd like to have seen Classified get some love, and Howie Beck rules and rules, but these are all terrific records -- I know Metric's selection is driving some record store geeks crazy, but the music is just so freaking good, and they (the geeks) are crazy, anyways.

Mark: Actually, Brad, the grand jury doesn't get to see the bands perform -they're sequestered in a back room while the rest of us get drunk. Who got the shaft? I thought Bruce Peninsula had a shot, and D-Sisive had been making a lot of noise in recent weeks (though I didn't like the album as much as, say Classified or K'Naan) as did Timber Timbre. I'm surprised Great Lake Swimmers made it - and I'm glad they did.

Brad: Ah, right, sequestered. Too bad. It should almost be a requrement of judging the best album to see how it translates on stage. Although I suppose that might sway the vote - some bands are just better live than others. I digress. Ok fellas: Who wins, if you're picking. Of course, any of these bands could, and in most cases, should win this, but I think the best record is a toss-up between Hey Rosetta's Into Your Lungs and Mountain Meadows by Elliott Brood.

Ben: OK, hands down, my pick? Hey Rosetta! And I agree with you, if a band can't play live, they shouldn't get an award. Maybe an honorable mention and a set of steak knives.

Mark: Elliott Brood is my pick. And I'll take those steak knives.

[Image courtesy polarismusicprize.ca]

Radiohead's manager starts new profit sharing record company

Brad Frenette — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:39:00 GMT

Nettwerk Music has teamed up with Radiohead's manager Brian Message to launch Polyphonic, a new record label.

The twist? Polyphonic will front money to the artists they sign so the bands can start their own company, rather than signing to a big label. In turn, they split revenues with the signees, in a profit sharing model which would see the artists get at least 50% of all profits.

The artists will keep all copyright, and Polyphonic is pushing a digital-first philosophy. Nodding to the Radiohead connection, the company has also stated that In Rainbows style pay what you like models are not out of the question.

Just For Laughs announces free shows in Toronto featuring Russell Peters

Brad Frenette — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:04:00 GMT

Russell Peters will host a pair of free Just For Laughs showcase events in Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday, July 18. Also on the bill: Quebec-based singer/comedian Gregory Charles, Dan Finnerty & The Dan Band - best known from their appearances in films such as Old School, The Terminal and The Hangover, as well as Angelo Tsarouchas and Steve Byrne.

Here's the full lineup:

Friday July 17
8:30 pm - Dan Finnerty & The Dan Band
9:30 pm - Gregory Charles & his band

Saturday July 18
8:30 pm - Russell Peters, with friends Angelo Tsarouchas and Steve Byrne
9:30 pm - Gregory Charles & his band

Read our recent Q&A with Peters here.

For more info about these and other Just For Laughs events in Toronto and Montreal, visit the festival's site.

Optimus Prime on Letterman: Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Spoken By A Giant Robot

Brad Frenette — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:28:00 GMT

Earlier this week, Letterman brought in Michael Bay's retirement fund to read his Top Ten list. If you missed it, here it is:

Great Bloomers, Karkwa, Sunparlour Players and more as SummerWorks announces musical lineup for 2009 edition

Brad Frenette — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:14:00 GMT

Toronto's SummerWorks launches is 19th annual edition on August 6. What started as a theatre festival is now billed as a multi-discplinary event. And to boost that claim, organizers have included, for the second straight year, a great lineup of Canadian indie concerts to run as part of the festival.

The SummerWorks Music Series will include such as acts as Miracle Fortress, Karkwa, Think About Life, Still Life Still, The D’Ubervilles, Forest City Lovers, The Sunparlour Players and Great Bloomers.

For lineups and tickets – as well as the info on the 41 theatre performances taking place as part of SummerWorks, visit the festival site.

[Photo: Karkwa. Credit: Valérie Jodoin-Keaton