It probably comes as no surprise that an audience for a discussion about women and music would be filled with, well, women. Such was the case in mid-June when Melissa Auf der Maur led a thoughtful conversation at Toronto’s NXNE festival titled “Women in Music: More Than Ever Before.” Auf der Maur was joined by […] More »

This year’s Canadian Music Week was memorable for its surprises and pleasures. Easily overwhelmed by packed schedules, I narrowed my festival picks down to acts I probably wouldn’t get a chance to see again. There was Iceland’s electronic Apparat Organ Quartet, a keyboard-heavy band whose surreal performance swung from fist-pumping metal to Daft Punk–driven electronica. […] More »

Earlier this week, the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother dedicated an episode to Canada, with appearances by famous Canuckers like Stephen Page, Geddy Lee, Alex Trebek and Jason Priestley. Going north of 44 is not exactly uncharted comedy territory — writing rooms from The Simpsons to The Colbert Report have mined Canada’s perceived […] More »

When was the last time you climbed on a swing? Not the publicly funded, safe helicopter-parental playground kind, but a backyard homemade one, constructed with palm-scratching ropes and a shaky wooden board that threatens to cause a splinter, or worse. I had forgotten the sensory thrill of the swing until Christmas, when I experienced Ann […] More »

If you spend time in any of the Maritime arts communities, chances are you’ll meet a back-to-the-lander. In the early 1970s, many artists, hippies and draft dodgers left the comforts of urban life to head east in search of fresh air and cheap land. I’ve heard amazing stories of long-haired painters trying to fit into […] More »

My grandmother was the oldest of 13 brothers and sisters. One of my great-uncles was a brain surgeon—a colleague of Dr. Penfield’s, my grandmother would tell us proudly, never understanding why this fact was so entertaining to my brothers and I. But for anyone who grew up with Canadian television, the answer to this question […] More »

Going through Toronto’s Nuit Blanche website is somewhat akin to the childhood experience of maniacally ripping through Sears’ Holiday Wish Book. After cutting out photos of every game, stuffed animal, and doll came the harsh realization that there was no way anyone, Santa or not, was going to indulge that kind of greed. So, I’d […] More »

Last Sunday I swung by Fire on the Water – named for a time when old boats were lit ablaze and set out to sea for entertainment – a day of art installations, music and dancing at Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion in west-end Toronto. Built in 1922 as changing facilities for the local beach and swimming […] More »

Last night’s packed-out reception for Lisa Myers and Autumn Chacon’s Toronto Now exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario took on the air of a kitchen party, thanks to the chef’s table in the middle of room, covered in utensils and bowls of produce. But once the two artists started cooking, the chatter turned quiet […] More »

The theme for this weekend’s SappyFest may be “everybody knows this is nowhere,” but in reality, the music festival has put a giant “you are here” arrow on Sackville, New Brunswick. Started in 2006 by local music label Sappy Records (musician Julie Doiron, artist Jon Claytor and label chief Paul Henderson), the fest is one […] More »

As a former Polaris Music Prize juror, I still get phantom pain whenever the award shortlist is announced and the inevitable backlash begins (for well thought-out criticism read Josiah Hughes and Mark Teo’s essay, “Canadian Music is Boring,” in FFWD.) But I’m guilty of award bashing, too. After reading the shortlist, I immediately grumbled about […] More »