JUST ANNOUNCED
In case you missed it, at the end of last week we announced that the folks at Unique Lives & Experiences and The Toronto Star are bringing Penn & Teller to Massey Hall. Conversations with Penn & Teller. Celebrating “35 years of Magic and BS,” the pair promise an evening filled with their signature performance style plus an audience Q & A. Penn & Teller have been busy fellas – their Showtime television show has received 11 Emmy nominations and the 2004 WGA award for Outstanding Comedy/Variety Series, they’ve released an iPhone app (with which you can trick your friends into thinking you’re texting with Penn & Teller themselves), and they were recently featured in the Katy Perry music video “Waking Up in Vegas.”
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Broken Bells,Mad Men,Penn & Teller,Royal Mint,SAW 3D,Stars
You are probably wondering why Soundboard is posting about a horror movie like SAW 3D. Aside from the fact that I think its going to be awesome -- if you watch the Youtube trailer (below), you’ll see that Roy Thomson Hall has a cameo in the film! The movie was actually shot at Metro Square, just outside of the Hall this past March and the Hall is clearly visible the film! We make an appearance in the trailer… well not us but our fabulous building, which was used for wardrobe and artist dressing rooms. This is Roy Thomson Hall’s debut in a horror flick.
The preview looks super exciting and the fact that its in 3D also makes it a must see. It also appears as though they are taking the series to the next level. The synopsis on IMDB says ” As a deadly battle rages over Jigsaw’s brutal legacy, a group of Jigsaw survivors gathers to seek the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror.” Sounds scary -- even for this horror buff!
I for one can’t wait to see it! Care to join me for popcorn?
Lisa Bassett is Marketing and New Media Associate at Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall
Horror Film,Metro Square,SAW 3D
PERFORMANCES
Peter Frampton (Thursday): Frampton’s career properly took off in 1976 with his epic album Frampton Comes Alive! which features the songs we now know, love, and call classic – “Show Me the Way,” “Baby, I Love Your Way,” and “Do You Feel Like We Do” – and was the best selling album of all time (to that point). True Story: Peter Frampton began his musical journey with a Banjolele – a “banjo-shaped ukulele.” I wish I could say I made up this word but it’s totally legit – it’s pretty much the best word mash-up since liger. Also very cool: you can make your very own banjolele. While I would be surprised if Frampton cracks out ye olde banjolele on Thursday, I am certain that he will bring the awesome sounds that have made him the legend he is (legendary enough, in fact, to have appeared on both The Simpsons and Family Guy).
WEB WATCH
While it may seem like early days yet for the flurry of TIFF-related blog posts here on Soundboard, the delightful tidbits have started to drop from the TIFF office including this one: Score: A Hockey Musical will be the Opening Night Gala here at Roy Thomson Hall on September 9. You may recall us mentioning the film back in February when it was still in production. Cameos from musical artists include Hawksley Workman, John McDermott, and Nelly Furtado.
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Arcade Fire,Banjolele,Belle & Sebastian,Ben Folds,jimmy Cliff,Nick Hornby,NPR,Peter Frampton,Score: A Hockey Musical,The Sadies,TIFF
Peter Frampton got me in trouble when I was a kid. My older brother’s record player was in his bedroom underneath the window. I would spend a lot of time secretly listening to his records while he was out of the house and I mean really listening to records (as loud as possible) for all the nuances and instrumentation. A turning point in listening to music came along for me when I first heard Frampton Comes Alive!. I couldn’t understand why I liked it so much; after all, it was a live record and sounded nothing like those studio recordings I was accustomed to. And I’d ask myself, “What is that weird talking guitar thingy on ‘Do You Feel like We Do’?” (At 3:41 is the Talk Box.) Even the sun coming through the window liked it, so much so, that it softened the large disc into an unplayable shape. I was going to be in unplayable shape if I didn’t find the money to replace it before he got home. I replaced it but didn’t escape my brother’s strength.
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Frampton Comes Alive,Peter Frampton,Tom Petty
PERFORMANCES
Jimmy Cliff (Monday): is a very significant figure in the world of music: he is a Grammy award-winner, and is only the second Reggae artist (after Bob Marley) to have been inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s also a very significant player in the world of film: he starred in The Harder They Come as well as 1985’s Club Paradise. He also re-recorded Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Cleary Now” which was featured on the Cool Runnings soundtrack. All of this is to say, this is one important music legend and if you don’t have a ticket, you should.
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Bruce Cockburn,jimmy Cliff,Lady Gaga,Polaris Music Prize,Tegan & Sara
“Long Way to Go” Liam Finn featuring Eliza-Jane Barnes:
Growing up in a musical family is sure to have a profound effect on a child. Being the son of Crowded House’s Neil Finn meant getting a taste of life on the road at an early age. But good genes alone do not a successful career make. A famous last name is no guarantee of greatness in this business.
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Crowded House,Eliza-Jane Barnes,Liam Finn
Each year it creeps up on me. I don’t do too much advanced planning, yet I end up being entertained every night. Just for Laughs hits Toronto with what I expect will be a fairly decent amount of jokes about the G20 and the heat wave. Using some of the cities great entertainment venues JFL not only exposes great comedic talent it also showcases that Torontonians have the ability to laugh at ourselves.
Massey Hall welcomes back Emmy winner Louis CK. I was first introduced to him through the Opie and Anthony Show on XM Radio about 3 years ago. He was talking about being a parent and how selfish his daughter is. I was howling! Did you see his set last year? The Sarah Silverman hosted Gala had Louis CK closing out the show. The only bad part of his set was it seemed to be too short. The cool part of the program was Silverman was on fire. I’m sure having CK host the late Gala Saturday night will provide plenty of Louis HAHAs. You might want to warm up for his Gala with a few Louis CK videos that you can find on YouTube. Here’s the clip that went viral last year. Just be cautious going there, the videos might trap you indoors on your computer for hours.
Everything’s Amazing & Nobody’s Happy
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Just For Laughs,Louis CK,Russell Peters,Sarah Silverman,XM Radio
JUST ANNOUNCED
Yesterday we announced a performance at Glenn Gould Studio by Chilly Gonzales to take place on September 14. This is the very same day that his latest album Ivory Tower, drops as does the feature-length film of the same name (featuring Tiga and Peaches). It all makes you wish the “most wonderful time of year” Staples commercials were on and September was around the corner right? If you don’t know who Chilly Gonzales is, allow this performance to be your education. Prerequisite information required: Gonzales made waves in Paris last spring after earning the world record for the longest solo concert (no less than 27 hours, three minutes, and 44 seconds long). Also – check out Chess Cat vs The World over on the Chilly Gonzales website: possibly the most democratic board game you’ll ever play on a Canadian musician’s website.
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Back To The Future,Chilly Gonzales,Crowded House,Just For Laughs,Levon Helm,ZZ Top
Just after Canada Day, this week’s Listening Booth features a little something for our friends in the South. Even after his unfortunate passing this past Christmas, Vic Chesnutt is an American treasure. He has inspired hundreds of writers, musicians and artists with his sincere and passionate articulation of ordinary events, much like he does in this clip (with Guy Picciotto from Fugazi on guitar!) where he re-defines the term “Independence Day.”
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Fugazi,Independence Day,Vic Chesnutt
