alpha and omega

Updates on my art

2011-08-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

I figured it's been a while since I posted any of my art on here so I might as well do so now. I feel my style has really evolved in the three years I've been enrolled in university. I've learned a lot and I feel I've really started to develop as an artist/illustrator. It will be a process, not only one that will continue through my final year of university beginning in September, but a process that will continue for the rest of my life.

Here's some work that I've done in my third year (illustrations are from most recent to oldest) :

More can be found here. I'll be posting an entry about my first book too.

Concerts I've been to over the past few months (part 4): Maryland Deathfest IX

2011-07-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

May 2011

This show was a big one, so it requires its own entry....

Maryland Deathfest IX on May 27th, 28th, and 29th, 2011 at Sonar in Baltimore, Maryland

The trip up there wasn’t so good, having to wait an hour for the bus to start up and trying to sleep, but it was well worth it. At least the trip home was 20 times better…for some reason it’s easier to get through customs when returning back home to Canada.

I ended up traveling by myself and while it did suck to be myself sometimes (mainly on the bus rides), there is a plus to traveling independently: you don’t get dragged around by others haha, and you really gain a sense of independence and freedom. For that reason I loved traveling by myself…it was my first time traveling outside of the country on my own, that’s an accomplishment for me!

Anyways, now I’ll do my best to summarize the past 3 days. I met some great people as usual, and discovered some new music I will be looking into listening to more. Next year will be difficult to top, but it is the 10th anniversary so we’ll see what’s in store!

I didn’t spend much on merch, as I was on a budget. I think I ended up spending $30 on shirts, which is pretty impressive for me, hah. Surprised I managed to hold back because there was so much good stuff being sold there. In the end, I purchased Inquisition and Neurosis shirts, I’ll have pictures of them soon once I finish altering them so they actually fit me.

Here’s a recap of the shows I saw:

Day 1, May 27th:

Nails: I don’t listen to much hardcore at all, but they were really good. I was close to the stage at first, but had to move back to really hear what their music sounded like, as it sounded like a big muffled mess closer up.

Nocturnal: Female-fronted death metal. There are several bands with this name, so I’m having a difficult time finding anything about them. First time hearing them, but I was glad to have heard them.

Funebrarum: Watched their performance based on the recommendation of a friend at the fest. More death metal, they seemed like really nice guys.

Aura Noir: I had just listened to their album ‘Black Thrash Metal’ and was intrigued after hearing it. They sound better live, I really like a ‘blackened thrash’ sound.

Neurosis:The one band I had been waiting to see all day, and one of the main reasons I had decided to go to mdf this year. I managed to secure a spot in the second row…but just as I did, it was clear it was going to rain by the clouds looming overhead. Rain and thunderstorm it did! As a result, everyone in the crowd had to wait for the storm to pass- which it did, but an hour later. The rain didn’t damper anyone’s spirits though, as the energy was still quite high for when they finally did begin to play. Neurosis sounds much heavier live, and I’m so happy they decided to end their set with ‘Through Silver In Blood.’ I knew they were going to play that song when they brought out the extra drums! Neurosis’ performance was definitely one of my personal highlights.

Exhumed: I couldn’t see much of their set, but I liked what I heard. Some grindcore to end the night was a good way to go. When they ended their set, all I remember seeing was them raise up their guitars so the backs were revealed to say something having to do with blood and grindcore… I can’t remember. But I do remember seeing the lead vocalist’s bloody face and the dried blood on the stage leftover from their performances the next two days of the fest! I’m pretty sure the blood was fake though.

Day 2, May 28th:

Creative Waste: Grindcore from Saudi Arabia. Apparently their guitarist had cancelled out last minute, so they had a replacement guitarist, he did well. I never would have known he was a replacement until the vocalist had said so. I don’t listen to much grindcore because I’m pretty particular about it, but I thought they were good.

Mammoth Grinder: Hardcore/sludge from Texas. I think because of the added sludge elements I liked them better than most hardcore I have heard…also the vocals were to my liking.

Cretin: Grindcore/deathgrind band I ended up staying around for because I had no clue who to go see next, hah. I wasn’t familiar with their music or any of the other bands playing outside. I think their music was pretty intense sounding, and again I liked the vocals.

Cianide: I ended up watching them after someone I had met during the Cretin set suggested we go watch them. Cianide is a death metal band from the states, but with doom metal elements! They were really impressive, I liked the heavier sound. They’re one of those bands that I should have listened to a lot sooner.

Nunslaughter: Meh. I just couldn’t get into their music. At least the drummer was entertaining to watch…he had a really funny voice, he was doing commentary in between songs to introduce each one, hah.

In Solitude: Heavy metal from Sweden. I watched their performance as someone had recommended I go see them, saying they were great live. They weren’t kidding! I really don’t listen to much heavy metal, but In Solitude was amazing. Before going to the show I had listened to their self-titled album; listening to it at home just doesn’t do justice to their live performance. I’d say their music was a welcome change from all the death metal I had listened to over the past day and a half.

Hail of Bullets: Death metal from The Netherlands. Again, saw them based on a friend’s suggestion. So glad I did, they were awesome. The band has members from Asphyx, one of my favourite bands. The vocalist, Martin van Drunen, is one of my favourite vocalists as well.

Doom: Managed to catch the last 10 minutes of their set, so I don’t remember much. I just remember the place was packed for them. I’ll have to check out their music elsewhere.

Exhorder: I watched their performance from the other side of the fence, as opposed to on the grounds. More thrash metal I’ll have to look into.

Voivod: A friend of mine from Québec had said that Voivod were one of the really good live bands they had seen, and now I can add them to my list of great live performances too. I hadn’t heard their music at all, except for a cover of ‘Forgotten in Space’ done by Agoraphobic Nosebleed. The crowd loved them, and all I can say is fyeah Canada, haha.

Acid Witch: After Voivod I made my way to the indoors stage to secure a spot for Acid Witch’s set, and the final two sets of the night (which I will get to). I was really anticipating these last 3 performances. I was pretty excited to hear Acid Witch, as I had heard they played psychedelic death/doom metal. Really liked them, not disappointed at all. I usually don’t like keyboards or synths in bands, but it worked well with the music…well I guess that kind of thing would be integral to creating a psychedelic sound anyways.

Hooded Menace: Another reason I had come to mdf was to see these guys. They seemed like a very reserved band, not really interacting with the audience. All the members were wearing hoodies, how suiting. Their performance was killer, so heavy.

Inquisition: I was really excited to see them, since I knew they would be playing a set with mostly new material. They opened with ‘Astral Path to Supreme Majesties’, which is my favourite track from the new album. The guitarist didn’t play the crazy riff in it like I was expecting, guess it’s omitted from live performances. Still, I can’t complain as they were another highlight for me. I was so lucky to be front row, plenty of room to headbang hah. The vocals still sound very strange, he sounds like ET, but somehow it’s likable….I guess it works with the style of music. Their set got cut short by one song because of time limitations, but it was still a 10/10 set.

Day 3, May 29th and the final day:

Oak: Doom/death metal from Baltimore, excellent. No words really needed for them, I just wish they had played longer.

Nightbringer:Black metal band I ended up staying around to watch because there were no other bands playing outside, hah. Nothing mind-blowing about their music, but I didn’t mind it. They weren’t boring to watch/hear or anything. I liked the corpse paint designs on the vocalist’s and guitarist/vocalist’s faces, they were more intricate looking then other designs I’ve seen.

Bad Acid Trip: This band confused me a bit, as I didn’t know what to make of their music. I didn’t hate their performance, but I was trying to figure out what I would classify them as…probably something along the lines up experimental grindcore. I will say that they were really entertaining to watch though, the vocalist was quite charismatic, dancing about and making weird gestures and facial expressions haha. During their set, the mdf party brigade struck, with people in the pit throwing inflatable toys and glow sticks onto the stage, haha. The vocalist went along with it though, playing with the toys and glow sticks, so funny to watch.

Dead Congregation: Excellent death metal from Greece, I was so excited to see them. Another highlight for me! I was lucky to be in the front row for a bit, until it started to get really crazy and some big guy nearly crushed me to get my spot…damn my being skinny. Oh well, they were great, even better than I had hoped for. The vocals and instrumentation complement each other really well.

Nokturnel: Can’t remember much from their set at all, I think I was sitting down at that point and wasn’t really focusing on their music.

Repugnant: A friend at the fest had told me this band featured members from Ghost, so I figured hey, why not go see them. More death metal, not bad at all. I was a bit confused as to why they were wearing corpse paint though, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a death metal band use it.

Malignant Tumour: Another band I was sitting down for and wasn’t really focusing on anything. Yeah, at this point I was dead tired. Again, I’ll have to check out their music elsewhere.

Orange Goblin: After taking a short break, I managed to get a spot up front for Orange Goblin, a stoner metal band from the UK. Again, this was a contrast with much of the other music that was being played over the weekend, so I was content watching them. The crowd really liked them, and the vocalist was really interactive with the audience.

Coroner: After taking another break, I felt like I had enough energy to watch the legendary Coroner. I had never listened to them before (I know their name), but I knew I should go watch them because of the big deal that was being made over their appearance at the fest; I probably might not have had another chance to see them if I missed them at mdf. This was their first performance in the US in 15 years, so I could understand peoples’ excitement. I actually really enjoyed their set, really good thrash metal. They ended up playing two encore songs, which was awesome.

Last Days of Humanity: I don’t know how I managed to stay around for the last two bands of the night, but somehow I did. Last Days of Humanity is a grindcore band I had heard of because of the video ‘Ernie and Bert go brutal’…..haha. Probably a strange way to hear of a band, but whatever. During their set, I saw someone in the crowd with an Ernie puppet, making it thrash about, hahah. Guess they probably saw the video too. The mdf party brigade also made a visit, with people in the pit wearing costumes (one person was wearing a chicken costume- I should add I saw a chicken crowd surf for the first time this weekend), someone moving about with in inflatable unicorn that eventually tossed onto the stage, and more glow sticks tossed onto the stage. But back to the music! This band is one of the craziest bands I have heard live, I was surprised I didn’t mind hearing their music as I didn’t like the vocals at first- also, the drums are crazy!

Ghost: The final band of the night and the final band of this year’s round of mdf. I was really looking forward to seeing them too. This band took me a bit to get into, because like I stated before I am not too familiar with the genre of heavy metal. Ghost’s music has some psychedelic elements, so it gives it a bit of a twist. The band performed their whole album ‘Opus Eponymous’, and came out on stage decked out in costumes- the vocalist had his typical sparkly pope outfit and skull face, while the rest of the band wore cloaks with chains around their necks. I don’t know how they managed to perform under those hot lights with costumes, it reminded me a bit of Portal in that sense. Just like on their album, they ended with the instrumental track ‘Genesis’, which sounded so much better in person. I personally really liked their performance, it was a better ending to mdf compared to last year’s final band of the fest. For some reason I enjoy the vocals, but I know some people would think of them as annoying…and their music in general. But to each their own, right? :P

More photos can be found here, hereand here.

I’m so happy I made the trip, I saw some of the best performances I have seen yet! Also, I would say I saw a fair amount of bands this year :D There are some ridiculous looking photos of myself on this site....oh dear.

The lineup for next year is already starting to look very, very promising....so with that said, I'll be making the trek again.

Concerts I've been to over the past few months (part 3)

2011-07-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's been age since I updated this thing, so I figured I'd get to it now that I have a bit of free time. After this post, I'll be posting an update on my artwork and such.

Anyways, on with the shows......

May 2011

Mountains of Might on May 13th and 14th, 2011 at Casa Del Popolo in Montréal

Mountains of Might turned out to be a better set of concerts than I had expected. On the 13th, Ensorcelor, Thantifaxath, and The Body played their sets.

I had already seen Ensorcelor and Thantifxath a few times before, so I knew that I’d like their music. Ensorcelor is a sludge/doom metal band from Montreal, and they only have two songs to their name so far….but they’re around 20 minutes in length each. Personally I think the band might be better with a different lead vocalist, but the instrumentation is likeable.

Thantifaxath was enjoyable as usual, and it seemed like the audience thought so too. My friends from Montreal had never heard of them before, but said they were really good; one of them described their music as ‘crazy’….but a good crazy, haha.

The Body was the loudest set of the weekend, and the loudest band I’ve seen live so far. The drummer had the strangest drum kit I’ve seen, and he seemed to be quite the charismatic person, smiling the whole time he was playing. I don’t really like the vocals, but I can overlook them because I like the overall sound of their music. However, the band did have some sound difficulties when the guitar kept cutting out. The drummer tried to keep the momentum going, but his drumming isn’t too complex….hence one person in the audience shouting out ‘This is the worst drum solo ever!’, and someone else proceeding to contribute guitar sounds. Anyways, after turning down the amp a bit (which didn’t make much of a difference sound wise, it was still very loud), the band continued to play on. Kudos to them for getting through the set.

On the 14th, Velnias, Gates, and Monarch! would play shows.

I was really looking forward to seeing Velnias, and they were as good as I hoped they would be. I knew they were going to be playing first when I saw the candles, deer leg, and deer bones on stage. I don’t remember what songs they played but I’d love to see them again.

Gates was probably my least favourite act, but they were better than the last time I saw them in Toronto. They just played around 40 minutes of drone.

Monarch! was the final act of the mini-fest, and I was also looking forward to them because I had never heard their music before. I had heard really good things about the though, so my expectations were pretty high. Monarch! really impressed me, the vocalist is a beast, haha. The drummer was quite expressive, he was literally jumping out of his seat and with each movement it almost looked like he was in pain, just because of the force he was hitting the drums with. Monarch! was also really loud, so I’m glad I had a pair of earplugs. It really helped to distinguish the different sounds- without the earplugs, it might have sounded like a muffled mess.

10/10, it really was an all-around awesome set of shows. The only downside was the length it took for everyone to set up, but shows always run later than expected at Casa Del Popolo.

Merzbow on May 23rd, 2011 at The Horseshoe Tavern

I missed the opening act for the show. I can't even remember who it was.
This was a pure noise show, there was something very relaxing about it. You were basically surrounded by pure noise. Merzbow played around with a bunch of switches and dials, and used some interesting 'instruments'. His set was pretty long for a noise show, (from my past experience, a noise show is very short- one I saw before was 5 minutes in length). He ended up playing for maybe 40 mins to an hour? I can't remember the exact length. I'm glad I had my earplugs for this show, it was loud.

More photos can be seen here.

More postings about shows to follow......

Concerts I've been to over the past few months (part 2)

2011-04-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

I've completed my third (out of four!) year of university, so I'll be posting monthly again.

I've been very fortunate to have had an amazing year so far, managing to travel and go to concerts and all. I've also been lucky that my 3rd year of university ended on a good note. Hopefully this continues on into final year!

Anyways, now I'll fill you in on the concerts I have been to:

February 2011

Ensorcelor w/Boneblack and Thantifaxath on February 19th, 2011 at Sneaky Dee's

This was a relatively short show, around 2 1/2 hours in length (including set-up times).

Thantifaxath was up first, they're a local band I've seen a few times by now. I always enjoying seeing them live, I'm hoping they write some new material soon.

Boneblack was afterwards, a band from Montréal. I don't remember much about their set, but they sounded punk-ish.

Ensorcelor was the final act, playing only one song that was approximately 25 minutes in length. Another band from Montréal, their music is heavy and crushing. The vocalist has this weird tree stump thing that he wraps the microphone cord around. Quite the sight to see, really.

No photos from this show.

Weedeater w/Palace of the End and On The Verge on February 27th, 2011 at The Annex Wreckroom

I've already seen Weedeater live before, so I knew from the start I was going to enjoy this show.

I really enjoyed the first opening band, Palace of the End. They're a local band that plays a form of psychedelic rock. The band members came out wearing suits, which kind of reminded me a bit of when I saw Secret Chiefs 3. I enjoyed the vocalist's sense of humour, he was making references to things like Star Wars, haha. II wouldn't mind seeing them again at all.

I can't say the same for the next opening band- On The Verge. They're another local group, which I didn't know until I found their myspace page. Their music was heavier than the previous opening band, but I couldn't get into it because of the over-synthesized vocals. I liked the riffs, but the vocals killed it for me.

Finally, Weedeater took the stage. They're always a lot of fun to watch, with the vocalist's exaggerated movements and weird vocals. At one point they even stopped playing for a few minutes to take a break for some whiskey...the first time I've ever seen anything like that happen at a show, hah. The show seemed to get progressively heavier, as Weedeater's music was the heaviest of the night. Good set overall, the bass was really loud..but that was to be expected.

More photos can be found from the show at my flickr.

March 2011

Agalloch w/ Musk Ox and Worm Ouroboros on March 25th at The Music Hall in London, ON

This was certainly an unforgettable show, I was finding it difficult to believe that I was finally going to see Agalloch! I don’t think I’ve ever anticipated a show this much (well, other than the Alcest, Portal, and Gorguts shows- I was really psyched about those too). I had this feeling of butterflies in my stomach before the show for some reason- I knew that in a few hours after my class at school, I would be making the trip to see an unforgettable show.

When I finally arrived at the venue (The Music Hall), I made my way over to the merch table. I was disappointed that they had sold out of the posters, but I happily purchased a Marrow of the Spirit shirt. I then walked over to the stage and saw that I hadn’t missed the first act entirely. Musk Ox was on stage! He is a one-man act from Ottawa, ON, a solo classical folk guitarist. Because he was playing a classical guitar, it was much more difficult to hear his music from afar, especially over the buzz of the crowd. Needless to say, I worked my way to the front row. His music was absolutely beautiful, the kind of music that you can fall asleep to. He had quite the personality as well, making jokes about how he once wrote a review for Agalloch’s The Mantle after a breakup, and he described it as a really horrible review (he had said that he described their riffs as ‘raining down on him’) haha. He also played a song with Don Anderson, which was great. I managed to hear around 3-4 songs from Musk Ox, so I was content.

Afterwards, I managed to get an even better spot in the crowd, where I remained for the rest of the show. The lovely ladies of Worm Ouroboros played next. It is a 2 woman group, but they Aesop Dekker of Agalloch play the drums. Like Musk Ox, I had never heard their music before but I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. Their music is hard to describe, but I felt it was like melancholic doom metal with ethereal vocals. Their music would be slow and calm, with haunting vocals, but then build up and intensify into something heavier. I found their music really easy to get into, and I’ll be looking into more of their music.

Finally, Agalloch was set to take the stage! By this point I was feeling particularly psyched, as I knew I was going to witness something special. The last time Agalloch was in Canada had been 5 years ago…so I’m glad I managed to make it out to this show. To set up the stage, they had banners with stags on them, and little clay pots with candles and incense burning in them. They had these items, along with horns placed on two little tree stumps that framed the sides of the stage (which was somewhat low to the ground). While this setup was taking place (in darkness), the opening instrumental tune for Marrow of the Spirit was playing. This then erupted into the band playing Into the Painted Grey, and everyone pretty much went crazy at this point haha. They played a well-rounded set, with songs from their newest album and older material too. The setlist was:

1. Into the Painted Grey
2. Falling Snow
3. The Watcher’s Monolith
4. Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor
5. Limbs
6. Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires
7. Our Fortress is Burning… II: Bloodbirds

Encore:
1. Dead Winter Days
2. In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion

I was really happy that they played Dead Winter Days and In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion, and I loved their choice of songs from the newest album too. I don’t know how to describe their set, other than that they blew me away. They sound so much better live than I had expected. They played really passionately, especially Don Anderson- he really seemed into the music. Kudos to Aesop Dekker too, who John Haughm had said ‘had drank all the RedBull’. He certainly did have a lot of energy. Heck, kudos to the whole band for putting on this show. They were also really interactive with the audience, which was great to see.

At the end of their set, they went around shaking hands with people and allowing members of the audience to touch the guitars. I was impressed with the crowd too, which had a generally positive feel to it. Everyone was into the music, chanting and singing along, plenty of headbanging too. I couldn’t help but sing along too, haha. There was only one moment when I was ticked with the crowd, and that was when people started to mosh (which, I might add, John described as ‘funny stuff that he didn’t want to see, as we’re all here to have a good time, so I don’t want anybody getting hurt.”) I don’t mosh; I’m more of a headbanging, observant kind of concert-goer. Anyways, he and the band seemed to appreciate the energy of the crowd. At one point he asked who had made the trip from Toronto to see the show, which several people, myself included, responded to. He then said ‘well, that explains it, the crowd in Toronto was crazy last time we played there”, haha. The ending song was the perfect way to end the show.

After it was all over, there seemed to be a general sense of shock in the audience that the show was done. I heard several people say ‘I can’t believe it’s over!’, which is exactly how I felt. Members of the band continued to interact with the audience, signing autographs, talking, shaking hands, and taking pictures. I wish I had got a picture with one of the band members, but oh well…the show was memorable enough as it is. I managed to get plenty of pictures during the show, so I’m happy.

After the show I had the worst bangover I've had since ever, but it was well worth it. It's been months since the show happened, but I'm still i shock I saw Agalloch....a time machine would be nice to go see them again hah. I won’t be forgetting this show, it was so beautiful. Lengthy review I know, but I had a lot to say about it; it’s not easy to sum up.

More photos from the show can be found at my flickr.

April 2011

Menace Ruine w/ Ensorcelor on April 7th at Casa Del Popolo in Montréal, QC

I make a lot of trips to Montréal. Not just for the music, but because I love the city. When I made the trip for this show, I knew i was going to be super-tired, as I had to be back in Toronto the next day for school. Basically, I had to pull an all-nighter. The trip was definitely well worth it though!

I arrived in Montréal pretty late, and the show didn’t start until around 10pm, so I didn’t have to wait too long before the show started. The show was at Casa del Popolo, a restaurant/venue (kind of like Sneaky Dee’s, but this place was much nicer). I found the venue easily enough, but apparently there was a shortcut I could have taken (which I found out on the way back from the show). >.>

When I arrived at the venue, I kind of regretted having going because I felt out of place (thank you social anxiety)…but that changed after a bit, I met a friend of mine there and ended up meeting some other people who ended up talking to me because I was wearing a Deathspell Omega shirt, haha.

The venue was small, and there were a lot of people there. I think the venue was a great choice for the show, I’d probably return there.

Anyways, Ensorcelor was the opening act for the show. I had already seen them a month or so back (they had played one 20 minute song and that was their set), and I had really enjoyed their music- heavy, doom-y, and sludge-y. Can’t go wrong with that, right? This time around, they played a set around 40 minutes long, so I was happy with that. The lead vocalist has this awesome microphone stand that’s a huge tree branch with a microphone wrapped around it.

Menace Ruine was up next, and I was really looking forward to their set! The band consists of only two members, but that doesn’t mean their music isn’t as good as a band with the traditional 4-5 member form. Their music has always struck me as something very strange, but likeable- experimental/drone/noise/psychedelic. They use various equipment to create an eerily strange sound that is somewhat hypnotizing. I found myself zoning out and getting lost in their music; listening to Menace Ruine is almost like being in a trance. This was further enhanced by the synergy I felt coming from the two members; they seemed to be connected. Geneviève’s movements were exaggerated, but it worked with the music. The vocals from both members are creepy but add to the overall atmosphere. Maybe it was just the venue, but their music sounded 10 times creepier at this show.

I wish they had played longer….oh well, at least I get to see them again in June! :D

No pictures from this show, but there will definitely be some in June.

Celestia w/ Forteresse and Wendess on April 22nd at Théatre Plaza in Montréal, QC

Another show in Montréal that I was super excited for. This show was big because it had two French black metal bands playing- Celestia from France, and Forteresse from Québec. This was Forteresse's first time ever having a tour, so it must have a pretty big deal for them.

Wendess was the first act of the night, and I missed them. They're a black (folk) metal band from Qu&eacte;bec City that I was really looking forward to seeing...but I missed them due to being late for the show. The doors for the show were supposed to open at around 8:00pm, and apparently they played around 10 minutes after that. I didn't arrived at the show until maybe a 1/2 hour later, when I walked in with a friend to see Forteresse setting up. Dammit. Oh well, guess I'll just have to listen to their music on my own time.

Forteresse was my favourite act of the night. I loved their set, which included a good mix from their discography. It didn't really seem like the crowd was all that into it though.

Celestia was the final act and I must say, I was a bit disappointed. I had high hopes for this show and I wasn't blown away by them. I felt the performance was kind of half-assed...just like their corpse paint. Still, I enjoyed their choice of songs. They plated one of favourite songs of theirs, called Death of the Lizard Queen.

Maybe it was the venue and the crowd, but I felt this show wasn't as good as it could have been.

No photos from this show.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor on April 24th, 2011 at Lee's Palace

I'm so lucky I managed to get my hands on a ticket for this show, as I managed to buy one from someone else. This show was entirely sold out, as were their other two shows in Toronto.

It was an early show, beginning at 2 pm. It was absolutely amazing. I arrived late, but I walked into a show that I knew I wouldn't be forgetting. The place was packed, and I thought I wasn't going to be able to see the stage...but luckily I managed to find a good spot and have a decent view. They played for around 2 hours (I really wished they had played longer, but hey, I'm lucky I even got to see them in the first place). Their setlist was as follows:

1. Hope Drone
2. JLH Outro
3. Moya
4. Albanian
5. Monheim
6. Chart #3
7. World Police and Friendly Fire
8. The Cowboy
9. Gathering Storm
10. The Sad Mafioso

I'm so happy they played Moya...that was amazing. Being at a post-rock show is a much different experience than going to a metal show. i find that at post-rock shows, you really don't need to watch what is happening on stage- you can just close your eyes and listen. It's music like GY!BE's that helps put me in a calm state of mind. Still, I did like to watch the band members on stage play their instruments. There was also a really interesting set of images on some screens behind them, which complemented their music well. I walked out of the show with a tour poster by David D'Andrea, which I'm also really happy about. I can safely say listening to their albums at home will never be the same again.

More photos from the show can be found at my flickr.

Celestia w/ Forteresse, Sylvus, and Thantifaxath on April 24th, 2011 at The Hard Luck Bar

In the same day that I saw GY!BE, I also saw Celestia and Forteresse play a show again, but this time back home in Toronto with two local bands.

Thantifaxath was up first, and again I really enjoy hearing their music live- it sounds like a blend of Deathspell and Portal; the riffs are somewhat hypnotizing and create a haunting atmosphere. The band always comes out on stage wearing cloaks to conceal their identities. Soon they'll be coming out with a demo on cassette, which I'm really looking forward to.

Sylvus, another Torontonian band was up next. I've seen them before as well, but like Thantifaxath, they're a pleasure to see live. Over the years, their sound has evolved from something inspired by folk metal, into something inspired more by black metal. While their previous music was good, I enjoy their newer sound a lot more. There's something hypnotizing about the riffs to their music as well. Sylvus has also released a demo, and they have it up for download. Give it a listen!

Forteresse was afterwards, and I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed, having seen them 2 days before, hah. They opened their set with a track from Metal Noir Québécois called La Moisson de La Liberté, which begins with a little folk jig that's ridiculously catchy. At this point, everyone started to dance a bit, hah. Metal Noir Québécois is my favourite Forteresse album, so I'm glad they chose to open the set with a track from that album. Plus, I love that this album incorporates small bits of Québécois folk music. Watching this band, I felt they were all connected and really enjoy playing music. I was especially impressed with their set, because like I stated before, this was their first time going on tour. Pretty darned impressive if you ask me. I was attracted to Forteresse's music because of the atmosphere it evokes, and again, because of the riffs which I feel have a unique sound to them. Like many Québécois bands, their lyrics have themes of nationalism and patriotism (i.e.. referring to the issue of French identity and separatism in Canada). While their lyrics are obviously in French, and most of us at the show were mainly English speakers, that didn't matter. I think everyone there genuinely enjoyed the music. I'd love to see this band again! I got a great shirt that has a chasse-galerie on it, which relates to French-Canadian folklore (and is also the name of another black metal band from the same province, check them out).

Celestia was the final act, and I think they were better here in Toronto. I don't know what it was, maybe it had to do something with the crowd, maybe the venue (which was much smaller than the one in Montréal). I don't enjoy their music as much as Forteresse's, but their performance was enjoyable. Oh, and no corpse paint this time. I felt like I enjoyed this show a lot more as a whole.

More photos from the show can be found at my flickr.

I still have a lot of concerts to look forward to, so for this is what's in store for the summer:

May

Mountains of Might (in Montréal)
Merzbow
Maryland Deathfest (in Baltimore, Maryland)

June

Menace Ruine

July

YOB (in New York; a maybe)

Again, it looks like there's going to be some travel involved, I'm not complaining! :D

Concerts I've been to over the past few months

2011-01-31T12:01:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

I have not been updating this blog every month like I usually do. School has begun for the semester again, and the amount of work received has been more than previous semesters. I suppose they are trying to prepare us for thesis/final year. With that being said, this blog will be going on a mini-hiatus until the beginning of April, when I will begin updating everything again. I might leave the occasional post every now and then, but it won't be as detailed as my usual posts.

For now, I'll just leave some reviews of concerts I've been to over the past few months, including photos.

Watain w/ Goatwhore, Black Anvil, Empyrean Plague and Panzerfaust on December 4th, 2010 at The Opera House

I have a tendency to always be late for shows, probably because I really dislike standing around awkwardly for bands to set up. I typically go to shows by myself….but I’ve become accustomed to standing around awkwardly, haha. I usualy end up running into people at shows, so I’m not by myself the whole time.

Anyways, I walked into The Opera House halfway through Empyrean Plague’s set. I had seen them back in April with Krallice and Ludicra. They’re from Ontario, and their music is a mix of folk and black metal. They had improved since the last time I saw them, so I enjoyed what I heard from their set.

Panzerfaust was next. As much as I would like to show support for a local band, I cannot stand this band. Their music is just so boring to me, I can’t understand why some people at the show seemed to be enjoying it. I had seen Panzerfaust with Korpiklaani a while ago, and the vocalist did this really cliched thing where he held a cross upside down and said ‘We stole this from a church!’ He did the EXACT same thing at this show. He was standing on top of this ‘pedestal’, which kept making me feel like he was going to fall off. I had the hardest time keeping a straight face, really. Sorry if any of you guys like this band, but I can’t get into them.

Next up was Black Anvil. I had seen them back last November with Nachtmystium. They had also improved- their music is a mix of black and thrash metal. I liked them a lot better this time around. The drummer was wearing a Corrupted shirt and was making the most ridiculous expressions.

Goatwhore was disappointing. I was hoping for something good, but I was really bored by them. I saw a few people walking around with their shirt that says ‘Who needs God when you’ve got Satan’, so I know there were a bunch of fans there. It was ok at first, but after a while the music just seemed to go on and on and on. By then I was really starting to grow more impatient for Watain’s set.

Finally Goatwhore finishes, and people begin setting up the stage for Watain. I was intrigued by what was to come, but also somewhat… nervous? haha. I had heard a bunch of stuff about Watain’s shows- the blood on the audience, the dead animal parts, the smell.

The stage set-up was nothing like I’ve ever seen before, it looked so planned out, like there was some kind of artistic vision behind it. There were lots of candles, chains, some sort of altar, flags with art reminiscent of woodcuts, and posts….with what I thought had some dead animal hindquarters on them, I can’t be 100% sure though. This whole set up took some time, but it was worth it to create the atmosphere necessary for the show.

Watain finally takes the stage, and they walk out in these costumes that make them look like they are decaying and rotting away. They looked dirty, haha. The blood smeared on them, the messy corpse paint, and the dusty-looking hair-it all worked with their act.I think it was pretty artistic, especially with Erik, who really looked like a corpse, with his exaggerated movements that made him look somewhat psychotic. I swear he could be an actor. I read in an interview lately that he wants the sets to be create from a more artistic point of view, which I can see- it’s also pretty cool that he’s the artist behind Trident Arts.

They played songs mostly from their newest album, Lawless Darkness. Their setlist was as follows:

Malfeitor

Devil’s Blood

Satan’s Hunger

Reaping Death

Sworn to the Dark

Total Funeral

I am the Earth

Wolves Curse

Stellarvore

On Horns Impaled

I was pleased that they played Reaping Death, and Devil’s Blood! The last song was especially great. Easy to headbang to, haha. I was near the front for their set, so I managed to get some decent photos…mind you, it was difficult at times, with the smoke machine and everything.

They ended the set with one of the members (probably Erik), wearing a long dark robe and extinguishing the candles.What a show, one of the most intense I’ve been to so far. Eerie in a way, but enjoyable.

I think they toned down the show a bit for Toronto, hence the lack of animal blood and what seemed to be less animal parts. Still, the smell was certainly there, it was really strange. It kept drifting back and forth from the smell of incense, to the smell of weed, to this smell that I can’t really describe. I should add that the smell was obvious as soon as I walked in the venue, even hours before Watain’s set. I guess after a while you get used to it though. I came home from the show sneezing out soot, and with that smell still lingering on me. It was a show that definitely leaves a mark on you, I won’t be forgetting this one easily.

View more photos from the show at my flickr.

December 2010

Monarque w/ Chasse Galerie and Scum Sentinel on December 10th, 2010 at Les Katacombes in Montréal

I went to see Monarque play with two bands from Québec called Chasse-Galerie and Scum Sentinel. Another band called Black Goat Order was going to play as well, but they dropped off the bill. The show was at a venue called Les Katacombes, which I had a difficult time finding at first. The building is black, and there’s a red banner with the name on it, but I missed it first. Nobody else seemed to know about the venue when I asked for directions, oops.

When I finally did arrive at the venue, I thought that I was late for sure, but the first band hadn’t even set up yet. I saw that inside the design looked like…well, catacombs. There were skulls on pillars and on the walls as well. There was some art on the walls too.

The first band, Scum Sentinel, was just average. Not horrible, but nothing special. I wasn’t completely bored by them, but I wasn’t engaged by their set either. They did a cover of Darkthrone’s Transilvanian Hunger near the end of their set.

Chasse-Galerie was great. Like Scum Sentinel, this was my first time hearing their music. However, I found Chasse-Galerie’s music to be a lot more engaging and easier to get into. Their music had a more aggressive style in comparison to Scum Sentinel. Their music set the stage for Monarque, who was the best act of the night by far.

I had already seen Monarque back in April with Alcest, and I enjoyed their set back then, but this time it was even better. Monarque’s music has an aggressive style as well, with melancholic tones. I feel that the music has a lot of emotion in it. They always have candles and the goat skull on stage for their sets. I was a bit apprehensive about what he would do during the set, having been told that for the shows in Montréal, he had thrown corpse bits and a cow’s heart into the audience. No things like this happened, but there was a bible burning. I liked how Monarque engaged with the audience, when people were singing along with him and he got closer to the audience. The set was fantastic, I wish they had played longer, but there was no encore.

I should add that all the bands addressed the audience in French, so it was difficult for me to understand most of what they were saying. My French is basic; I really do need to take some classes because I would love to become fluent in the language. That being said, I was lucky enough to have someone translate for me what they were saying ^^

At the end of the show I didn’t buy any merchandise, but I did manage to pick up a Walknut cd, which I was really happy about. They had a bunch of cds being sold at the show; this is the 2nd time I have seen anything like that at a show, with different music being sold that is unrelated to the bands playing.

I think I can say that most black metal from Québec is good, better than most black metal in Ontario (however there are a few good bands from my province, ie. Thantifaxath). Also, I found that the atmosphere at shows in Montréal is different; the crowd seems to be a bit more reserved.

I can’t wait to go to another show there!

View more photos from the show at my flickr.

January 2011

Kylesa w/ Rosetta and Fight Amp on January 22nd, 2011 at The Annex Wreckroom

I haven’t had that much fun at a show in a while. I mean don’t get me wrong, I always enjoy going to shows but I don’t know if most of them would qualify as ‘fun’, just because of the atmosphere created by the music and the energy of the crowd. This was a really high energy show, the bands and crowd were great.

I was surprised I arrived at the show on time, since it was snowing really heavily outside. Plus, I have a tendency to be late for almost anything. Anyways, the show was at The Annex Wreckroom, which was a suitable choice for the show. The venue’s relatively small and the stage is lower to the ground, so it creates a more intimate setting.

First up was Fight Amp. I had never heard their music before, but I was pleasantly surprised by their music. I remember the bass was really intense, but maybe that was just because I was standing right by the bass player, haha. I’ll definitely have to listen to more of their music.

Rosetta was up next. I was super excited to see this band, having listened to them for a while now. After listening to their album Wake/Lift, I knew this was a band I had to see live someday. Rosetta’s performance struck me as a really powerful and emotional performance. The vocalist just seemed really passionate, and he was really connected with the audience, encouraging people to sing along. Heck, he even gave my friend’s friend a hold of the mic. Their music is just beautiful live, I saw many people in the audience who were just standing there closing their eyes and taking it all in. I’m so glad that they opened with Red in Tooth and Claw. I really wish they had played longer, I’d love to see these guys again.

Kylesa was the final act, and I was also really looking forward to seeing how they were live. They didn’t disappoint. Their set was really high energy, they had a few people in the audience literally jumping around haha. Their set consisted mostly of songs from Spiral Shadow, but they did play a few older songs too. I was really impressed with how the band has 2 drummers, and in addition to that, they have 2 smaller drums for the bassist and one of the vocalists/guitarists. Needless to say with all that drumming, it got really loud! It was great how they ended their set (before the encore) with this epic drum solo. I mean come on, how cool is it that the band has 2 drummers? I can’t wait to see Kylesa at MDF in May, but I know it will be a much different experience with a larger crowd.

One of the better shows I’ve been to for sure. This was the first show I’ve been to in 2011, so it was a good way to start off a year of concerts!

View more photos from the show at my flickr.

I have a year of concerts to look forward to....this month, I'll be seeing:

A local band named Sylvus
Weedeater w/ Zoroaster
Yann Tiersen (maybe)

March
Agalloch w/ Worm Ouroboros and Musk Ox (in London, Ontario)

April
Menace Ruine w/ Ensorcelor (in Montréal)
Mogwai
Godpseed You! Black Emperor

May
Maryland Deathfest (in Baltimore, Maryland, USA)

It looks like there's going to be a fair amount of travel involved, so I'm happy about that! I'm super psyched for all of these shows....ok well maybe some a little bit more than others (Agalloch, Menace Ruine, GY!BE, Neurosis at MDF) :D

Post Forty-Nine

2010-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

It's now December, so I'll make my post for the month of November now. I finally turned 21 on the 24th of November. It feels strange, getting older each day. I didn't do much of anything for my birthday, since I had classes for most of the day. It doesn't matter though, I see birthdays as a time to reflect on what you did the past year, and what you can do in the next year ahead.

I'm also finally finished with school for the semester! Time's going by really fast, there is now officially one and a half years left until I can officially obtain my Bachelor of Design, and use it towards my ideal career- children's book illustration.

My media studio critique was great because my teacher told me that he loved one of my projects so much that he wouldn’t mind having a print of the piece, and that he could see it being hung up on a wall. In addition to that, he said that the grade he gave me for that project was probably the highest he’s ever given out. Crazy, especially when that class focused on working with computers to create art, which is a weakness of mine.

The critique for my painting class intimidated me the most, but it went so much better than expected. My teacher liked my final portrait because of its conceptual qualities, and said that she could see I was improving and that I put a lot of effort into my work. Painting is also a weakness of mine, but I think if I keep practicing, I can only get better.

My teacher for sequential narrative was pleased with my final project, and he said that he can see me having two styles: black and white, and one that is ‘lyrical’ and colourful. He also said that he could see me getting into book illustration, and that I should look into getting some work published, which made me feel amazing. I love that I get to take an extension of this class next semester, and that I’ll have the same teacher. For the class next semester, we’ll actually be working on creating a book, which is really exciting.

My critique for my illustration class went well, my teacher said that he could see I was developing a style, as I have been working with a technique and style involving gouache, flat colours, and lots of detail. He talked to me about thesis year, and what I can expect. In February, there will be sessions that 3rd year students will have to attend, so we can learn what to expect in 4th year. My teacher said for thesis year, we will have to work on a statement of intent over the summer, proposing 3 projects that we will work on for final year. Apparently the statement has to be 25 pages? That’s going to mean a lot of research, but I’m up for the challenge. The statement is then either accepted or rejected; if rejected, you have 2 weeks to re-write it. Very intimidating and intense, but I guess the school wants to know that you’re serious about what you do. In final year, there will be more one-on-one critiques, which I have always felt were much better then group critiques.

Is it too early to have ideas for thesis year? Maybe, maybe not. I’m thinking of working on pieces that will merge my love for nature, architecture, and travel. These are my ideas so far:

1. Create a series of illustrations called ‘I live in a suitcase’. These illustrations will show different suitcases, illustrated with interiors of homes. The interiors and exteriors of the ‘suitcase homes’ will reflect certain characteristics of different people who travel.

2. Create a large drawing on cardboard of a house, then place a sheet behind it with drawings of the interior. I’ll then create cutouts in the windows and doors of the house, so that you can open them and see the interior drawings.

3. Create a large hand painted map of the world. For each country, create a little icon of the kind of architecture that is found in each country.

4. Create an illustration reflective of the concept I have been exploring with homes growing out of plants- use as a comment on how architecture ‘grows’ and ‘develops’, and how nature overtakes everything.

5. Create a series of postcards for places around the world. Each postcard will have a form of architecture, a form of nature, and a symbol of that country’s culture.

Not too sure which ideas I'll choose, I might end up thinking of something entirely different from these ideas. I really feel like I'm evolving as an artist these days.

I've found that I've been feeling really inspired lately, one of these times was during my final Illustration and the Rise of Popular Culture lecture class, when my teacher invited the class to his design studio, called Reactor Art & Design Limited. The studio represents a variety of different illustrators and designers, some of who have been my teachers (Blair Drawson, Joel Castillo, Louis Fishauf) or will be my teachers in upcoming semester (Stephanie Power).

Blair Drawson

	Joel Castillo
Louis Fishauf	Stephanie Power

We had the chance to ask some questions in regards to the art and design industry- like how to get started in the job world after we finish school, how to get published, what clients are looking for, etc. I didn't listen to as much of those discussions as I should have, but I did get to look at a lot of art- illustrated books by a variety of artists and from a variety of time periods, some original posters, and some original art pieces (pieces by Maurice Vellekoop and Henrik Drescher). It was really interesting to see the originals, since you could see how differently each artist worked.

Henrik Drescher

Maurice Vellekoop

I was particularly excited to see originals by Henrik Drescher, since he's one of my favourite illustrators. His style is very strange and surreal, and he uses collage as a technique in combination with other methods and mediums. He's also had some children's books published.

We also had the chance to talk with an illustrator by the name of Tomio Nitto, who has had some books published (including children's books).

We could look through the different rooms, and see the spaces where the artists worked. I liked looking at the room with all the printing presses. I think after walking through that room and looking at a lot of art there, it really hit me that this is what I want to do with my life. I would like to make art that inspires people and has a message, I would like to work in a studio amongst other artists who can inspire me, and hopefully I can inspire them in some way as well.

At the end, we were able to take home some small promotional pamphlets that the artists had created for themselves- basically, they were mini booklets with samples of their art. Needless to say, I took a few home and will be hanging the pictures up on my wall by my desk! :D I have some booklets with art by: Tomio Nitto, Alena Skarina, Felix Wittholz, Jamie Bennett, Alexandra Iorgu, Blair Drawson, and Henrik Drescher.

Alëna Skarina	Felix Wittholz
Jamie Bennett	Alexandra Iorgu

I'm glad I decided to go to this final class, I think it really gave me that extra push to keep going with my studies, even if the road ahead won't be easy. it'll all be worth it in the end, I'm more determined then ever.

In November, I had the chance to see Kayo Dot in concert. I had seen Kayo Dot a year or so back with the Secret Chiefs 3, but I was particularly excited this time, since I knew that they would be playing new material, from their album called Coyote. This time around, they played at Sneaky Dee's, a relatively small venue located just about a restaurant.

Opening acts for Kayo Dot included a band from New Jersey called GATES, and a local band called Kosmograd.

GATES was up first. Their set was an entirely drone one. Afterwards, Kosmograd took the stage. I had seen a bit of their set a few months back when I saw local stoner metal band Sons of Otis, so I was curious as to how they would do this time around. Kosmograd was energetic, and captivating to watch and listen to. Their music is a mix of sludge and hardcore.

Finally, Kayo Dot was ready. It was really easy for me to get into their music, which could go from quiet and subtle, to something more chaotic and unexpected. Their style is avant-garde, combining different instruments such as guitars, violins, saxophones, trumpets, bass, drums, and other percussive instruments. Kayo Dot has taken a more jazz-oriented direction with their music lately, but I really enjoy it. Listening to their album does not do their music justice- you have to see them live to get the full effect. I really felt that the band was connected, like they supported each other. The band has recently released a new EP called Cathedral, which I have yet to listen to. I'm pretty sure that they played some tracks off of Coyote and Cathedral, which was great. They ended their set with a really loud percussive outro, where the band members were hitting random pieces of metal and other percussion instruments. Great show, I'm looking forward to seeing them again. To see more photos from the show, visit my flickr.

Food
The holidays are approaching- and while I'm not big on the holidays, I do enjoy some of the food that I get to eat at this time of year. My gramma always makes these cookies called 'hermits', and my uncle makes really delicious vegetarian dishes. I'm the only vegetarian at the table, so needless to say, I'm surrounded by meat. It doesn't bother me though, my family has accepted my choice more and more each year. It's good to see (some) family members, it's strange how food can bring people together to converse and spend time together. Anyways, I figure that peppermint chocolate cookies are a good recipe for this time of year.(Photo not mine, credit goes to the owner of the blog Fragrant Vanilla Cake.)

Books
The Scarlet Letter is a book by Nathaniel Hawthorne that was written in 1850, and is considered to be the author's best work. The Scarlet Letter has a psychological side to it, giving strong emphasis to emotions of the characters. The plot is situated in 17th c Massachusetts, a time when society was very religious. The storyline centers around a woman named Hester Prynne, who has been doomed to wear a Scarlet Letter' on her chest, as a symbol of the act of adultery she has committed. This act of adultery is that she had a child named Pearl with another man besides her husband, who Hester will not reveal the name of. This letter therefore acts as a way to shame Hester in public, and is a constant reminder to her of act of sinning. I have not finished reading the book yet, but it is only getting better and better.

Film

I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I with a friend. I'm a Harry Potter nerd, so I've seen all he movies so far, and have read all the books. Because the final book is around 700 pages long, the movie was split into two parts- the 2nd part is set to be released in July. This is the darkest of the series yet, focusing on the final battle between Harry and Voldemort. Dumbledore has died, so Harry no longer has his guidance. While hiding from Voldemort, Harry travels around with Hermione and Ron , searching for horcruxes. Harry must find all of the horcruxes to kill Voldemort, the dark lord. Horcruxes are essentially pieces of a soul, contained in random objects. Only basilisk blood can destroy the horcruxes. Up until now, Harry and the gang have only found 2 horcruxes: a diary and a locket. Meanwhile, Voldemort has his own quest: he is trying to obtain all the parts of the Deathly Hallows, which consists of 3 objects that make the wizard immortal if they possess all 3 objects. The items of the Deathly Hallows are: the invisibility cloak, the resurrection stone, and the elder wand. Voldemort must posses the elder wand in order to slay Harry; he cannot kill Harry with his own wand because it consists of the same core material (phoenix feather) as Harry's wand. I thought the movie was well done,it made me tear up a bit, haha. The ending certainly leaves you hanging. I loved the animated short in the movie too, it was beautifully done. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the final movie.

Music

Enmerkar.

Now that winter has arrived, it seems all I want to listen to now is atmospheric black metal. Enmerkar is perfect for the season- the songs remind me of a snowstorm. The band only has one EP, called Starlit Passage. Listen to my favourite track, called Pale Lord Pilgrimage of the Winter Born here.

Watain.

I had the opportunity to see this band live on December 4th, so expect a review for that show in the next blog entry. I am enjoying their album called Casus Luciferi, which has a very aggressive sound. My favourite song from the album is Devil's Blood, which you can listen to here.

Dopedrone.

Dopedrone is an ambient/electronica band under the label ParaLucid Netlabel. You can download a lot of free ambient and drone projects at this website, (it is because of this site that I also found another ambient project called Nyctalgia) including Dopedrone's album Apokalupsis Eschaton, which is what I have been listening to. Listen to a track called Signs from the album here.

Urfaust.

Urfaust will forever be one of my favourite atmospheric black metal bands. Recently, they have released a new album, called Der freiwillige Bettler. While I enjoy the album, Geist Ist Teufel will always be my favourite album of theirs. Listen to a track from the new album, called Ein leeres Zauberspiel here.

Artist of the Month

Moki Mioke.

I love this illustrator's style so much. Her art has a strong nature and surrealism influences, which I love. She works in oils, but also creates some lovely pieces on wood panels. Her wood panel pieces remind me a bit of Audrey Kawasaki's style. I love her style so much, I just had to post more than one piece :D

That concludes this entry. I'll be returning to Montréal again at the end of this month, which I'm looking forward to! Hope you all enjoy your holidays and the snow! :D

Kwaheri (goodbye in Kenyan).

Post Forty-Eight

2010-11-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

Here's the post for October. I'm almost finished my first semester of school, and it feels great. Before I was considering dropping out, but I'm so close! There's no way I'm dropping out now. I'm going to stick it out, because I know I'll feel amazing in the end, even if there will be a lot of obstacles along the way.

I've still been feeling depressed, this sums it all up:

I’m so tired of waiting for things that aren’t going to happen. I’m tired of hoping that certain people will talk to me again, when they probably never will, and about wondering what the hell I did wrong. I shouldn’t be hoping for things to go back to the way they were, because this is just wishful thinking- I mean there’s always the chance that things could go back to the way they were, but I shouldn’t be letting my hopes get too high- it’s more hurtful that way. It’s gotten to a point where I’ll be carrying on with my day, and all of a sudden these thoughts will start flooding my mind and I start to get all cynical and depressed. Some mornings I wake up and I just want to stay inside at home, sheltered from the world, some nights I go to sleep and I’m thinking about where I’ve gone wrong. I’m tired of letting these people consume my life and making it difficult to carry on. Lately I’ve been especially questioning of the people around me, I just don’t feel like making an effort in terms of connecting with anybody. There’s always this nagging voice in the back of my head that the same thing is going to happen all over again. I’m always bracing myself for the worst, expecting someone to end any connections with me.

I need to make a change. I need to stop thinking so negatively about people, and I need to surround myself with more positive people, who will make me feel good about who I am. I need to remove certain people from my past. Because in the end, the past doesn’t exist, it is only a memory. You can’t go back and change it so you might as well make the best of the present and prepare for the future.

That's pretty much my state of mind at the moment. It's difficult, but I'm trying my very best to work on it.

Anyways, let's move on, shall we?

Here's some art I've worked on for the semester:

Media Studio 2 class

[project 3: design icons project]

Illustrative Painting and Drawing 2

In class study of lemons in different lights, done in oils

At home warm/cool study of still life

Illustration 3

'Kafka on the Shore' book cover project

Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto # 1. CD cover project

PETA poster project

Sequential Narrative 1 class

[project 3: depression project]
Note: for this project we had to tell a story about something that impacted our life. I chose my struggle with depression, it wasn't easy to work on. I'm finding that depression influences more of my work now.

The images below are for my final project for the class, a mythology project.
I chose to illustrate the Norse myth of Yggdrasil, the world tree.
I'm very pleased with how it turned out, I love this class.

It isn't related to school or anything, but for Halloween, I dressed up as The Curator from death metal band Portal! I created my own costume, the clock-head, out of cardboard. Check it out here.

This year, I attended Nuit Blanche once again! For those of you who don’t know, it’s an all-night art event where you get to see all different kinds of art- visual art, performance art, installations, music, etc. Th art is spread out in 3 zones, all across downtown Toronto. I didn’t get to see much this year- but I did see some really cool things. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see this installation called Interactive Landscape Dune, that would be in a train station that hasn’t been used for years (the lineup went on for about 2 blocks, so apparently it would have been about an 1hr-2 hrs of a wait). Anyways, I ended up seeing the following things:

1. One at a Time

2. Iskootao

3. On The Good Red Road

4. El Anatsui

5. XXIX

6. Aurora

7. Crossings

My favourite thing at Nuit Blanche by far was Aurora. It was an absolutely stunning installation, really mesmerizing to look at. It’s one of those things that you have a hard time taking your eyes off!

Yeah, so I didn’t get to see that much. My friend had to go home early and I didn’t want to stay out late by myself. But I did end up getting home around 5 am and being dead tired.

See more photos from the night here.

In October, I went to three shows.

The first show was Swans w/ Baby Dee at Lee's Palace on October 2nd. It was the same night as Nuit Blanche, so I got to experience an amazing night of art and music!

Swans was playing with Baby Dee, a group consisting of a violinist, cello player, and harp player. The only way I can describe their music is ‘freak folk’. The harp player was pretty eccentric, quite the character haha. Nonetheless, they were pretty engaging to watch.

Swans was absolutely amazing, one of the loudest performances I’ve been to so far. They opened with about 20 minutes of pure noise before finally taking the stage and performing the songs. They were really high energy, so intense. It was just so LOUD and you could really feel the music. For their encore, they played an outro of pure noise. They ended up playing for around 2 hours! I think Swans has a very interesting style, and I’m really glad that I went to the show. See more photos from the show at my flickr.

On October 4th, I got to see Immolation w/ Vader at The Mod Club. There were 3 other opening bands (Abigail Williams, Pathology and Lecherous Nocturne), but I missed all of their sets. I walked into the venue as Vader was setting up.

I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan of Vader, seeing as I have only listened to one of their albums. However, I did enjoy their set at the show, and the crowd seemed to as well- hence the chanting and crowd surfing that commenced shortly into the beginning of their set. I remember their set starting with the Star Wars theme music, haha.

Immolation blew my mind. They played some of my favourites like 'Father You're Not A Father', and 'Close To A World Below.' There was something very mesmerizing about their set, just watching how they executed the riffs and solos. I didn't have much time to watch in between taking photos and headbanging, haha. I'd definitely like to see them again. See more photos from the show at my flickr.

Near the end of October, I went to see a local band named Thantifaxath at Duffy’s Tavern. I was a bit apprehensive about the venue…..it was in a sketchy area, and the venue was sketchy looking as well. Apparently it was worse in the past, which is saying a lot. I can’t even imagine what ‘worse’ is in terms of that venue, because it was pretty meh.It was a rainy night. so making the trek out was a bit of a pain….still, it was worth it. Had to wait an hour or so for the band to set up, but I’m glad I stuck around.I had already seen Thantifaxath with Alcest back in April, so I was looking forward to this show. I think this show may have even been better than their show with Alcest, really.

The 2nd band that played after wards was horrible in comparison, I really should have left after Thantifaxath’s set. i really didn’t see what people liked about the 2nd band’s music, there was no cohesion; it just sounded like a bunch of banging and smashing. Seriously the worst live act I’ve seen in a while. Apparently the 3rd band to play would have been worse than the 2nd too….I’m glad I didn’t stay around for that.

Thantifaxath’s music is a combination of black metal with some drone elements, which I really enjoy. The music builds up and intensifies, which makes for an awesome set. Their music reminds me of a mix of Deathspell Omega and Portal. It’s the riffs and atmosphere of the music that make me think of these two bands. There’s even one riff in a song that reminds me of the song ‘Shrine of Mad Laughter’ by Deathspell Omega.

Toronto does have some great bands, it’s really awesome to see that. Give Thantifaxath’s music a listen, they’ll be coming out with an EP soon.

See some more photos of the band here.

Food
I found a great blog on tumblr for vegan food, called Vegan Feast. It has lots of delicious recipes, and most seem easy to make! My birthday is coming up in November, so I love the recipe for Double White Chocolate Cherry Opera Cake with Apricot Mousse. (pictured- credit goes to the Vegan Feast blog, not my own photography).

Film

Home is a documentary film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand focusing on the way the world is going, how it has been deteriorating in quality. It is a real eye opener, focusing on how the weather patterns have changed, and how humans are destroying the earth. One point that is important to remember is that all organisms rely on each other to live, which is a point that the film makes at the beginning. The film combines statistics and beautiful imagery to make a powerful documentary.Watch it here.

Music
It might interest you to know that I currently contribute to two musical blogs, check them out:

http://christrapingblackmetal.blogspot.com/

http://soundsoftheforgotten.tumblr.com/

Now onto my recommendations! As of late, I've really been into ambient and drone music.

Sequences.

An amazing ambient/drone project I stumbled upon through tumblr. Listen to the track All Ash in Vain, the newest one. Like it says on their blog, try listening to it in the dark!

Vindensång.

Vindensång is an ambient/experimental band. They had a show with Sequences a while back, I wish I had known about it! Listen to the album
Terminus: Rebirth in Eight Parts. The track The Origin: The Point of Return is a track that's on constantly on replay for me.

Moëvöt.

Moëvöt is a dark ambient/black metal project associated with the Les Légions Noires, a group of underground French black metal bands that was formed in the early 1990s. Projects associated with this movement are hit or miss, but Moëvöt is one I definitely enjoy. The music is eerie, reminiscent of an old horror film. Listen to the album Ézléýfbdréhtr Vépréùb Zùérfl Màzàgvàtre Érbbédréà, it's an album I've been listening to a lot lately.

Artist of the Month

Dugald Stewart Walker.

He has a beautiful pen and ink style, but also does some work in colour. See more of his work here.

That concludes this entry. I'm going to be turning 21 in 6 days, here's to hoping that my birthday goes better than the past years. I shouldn't make such a big deal out of it, really. I'd just like to be happy for that day, that's what matters to me.

I can't wait for school to end, I get to go to Montréal for a few days!

I'm also trying to get some money together to go to the Agalloch show on the west coast, but I doubt that's happening. They're having an east coast tour starting March 2011, so I may as well wait for that! :D

Chao tam biet (goodbye in Vietnamese).

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everybody!
Hope you had fun whatever you decided to do.
Did you wear a costume? Share it with me- I'd love to see! :D

Here's my costume:

This year, I'm The Curator from Australian death metal band Portal.

The lead vocalist wears a clock on his head, which is where I got the inspiration for this costume! It was made with cardboard, mesh, and some marker for details. Surprisingly it didn't take that long to construct- guess my form and sculpture class paid off!

Also, I have compiled a Halloween mix to download. The file is quite large, as there are around 30 songs, and most are long in length. still, if you're into ambient music, black metal, doom metal, drone, and experimental music, download it here.

The track list is as follows:

To the Bottom of the Ice by Ancestortooth

Hate by Bèlkètre

Lest I Be by Bonedust

III by Blut Aus Nord

Rife With Nightmares by Cruento

Dark 1.2 by Darkspace

Obombration by Deathspell Omega

Reasonably Miserable by Ginnungagap

Bubonic Burial Rites by Gnaw Their Tongues

Lijkvocht by Gnaw Their Tongues

Abattoir by KTL

Minions by Lurker of Chalice

Process of Bestialization by Menace Ruine

Atavism by Menace Ruine

Yatr Vazbagraehbbe by Moëvöt

In Defeat by Münn

Corrasion by Nadja

Dedsuptul by Negură Bunget

Einkehr by Paysage D’Hiver

Moil by Portal

Abysmill by Portal

It Took the Night to Believe by Sunn O)))

Crown of Horns by Tenhornedbeast

Verräterischer, nichtswürdiger Geist by Urfaust

Bloodletting by Velvet Cacoon

Roaming the Abyss by Vrolok

Lemurian Dreams by Yoga

Post Forty-Five

2010-10-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

My posts are going to be delayed while I'm in school, so bear with me. On the other hand, I've been feeling a bit demotivated and depressed lately, so I haven't been posting here much. School has been taking up a lot of my time to boot.

Lately I've been feeling something that the Portuguese call saudade. It pretty much sums up my state of mind. I think it has to do with that there are some things about the past I wish could return again, but I know that's wishful thinking. The best thing to do is to just move on, instead of dwelling.

School's been stressing me out. A few times I've thought about dropping out, just because I'm so sick of the people who I work around. Some people are ok, but others just get on my nerves, for the fact that they seem to have some sort of superiority complex. I've also thought about dropping out because I was beginning to wonder if what I'm learning at school will really help me in my future career. There are several people who have been successful without going to a post-secondary school. Sometimes i feel like I'm making art that my teachers like, not necessarily art that will make me a better illustrator. However, I have a year and a half left, so I can't quit now. I'd hate to be known as a quitter, someone who gives up. I know I'm going to have to overcome various obstacles as an illustrator. I want to come out of school strong, feeling like I've overcome and accomplished something I never thought possible.

My classes for this semester are:

Illustration 4, Sequential Narrative 1, Illustration and the Rise of Popular Culture, Media Studio 2, and Illustrative Drawing and Painting 2. My painting and core illustration classes terrify me, but I am LOVING my Sequential Narrative class. It focuses on telling a story, through things like children's books and graphic novels. Because this class relates directly to my idea career, I thoroughly enjoy it.

Here is some work I have done so far:

Media Studio 2

[project one]

[project two]

Illustration 4

[project one]

[project two]

Sequential Narrative 1
[project one]
[project two]

Personal work

In September I had a chance to sell some art at the Junction Arts Festival. My uncle was generous enough to allow me and my sister to have a table in front of his bookstore, The Book Exchange. This was the best I did with selling my art, ever! I made a few sales...maybe not a ton, but it was an accomplishment for me. Seeing people enjoy my art was amazing, I love being able to make connections with people through my art. It's always rewarding to see people compliment you on something you've put some thought and work into. I can't wait until the festival next year! See some photos here.

I deleted all my covers on youtube because I wasn't happy with them. I have uploaded one cover, From sinking by Isis. Chances are I will re-upload a new cover of the song, considering the mistakes made. Still, I'm learning- and I really feel like I'm improving! Anyways, I enjoyed doing the cover for this song just because of the heavy, sludgy tone.

In September I went to see Katatonia play with Orphaned Land. I missed Swallow the Sun because of class, so I was a bit disappointed about that. Regardless, I was impressed with Orphaned Land.

Orphaned Land was the first band I saw, and I had never heard of their music before. I was told that they were from Israel, so their music would have some Hebrew influences. I was intrigued, and I was looking forward to hearing their set. They begin their set, and the lead singer walks out on stage looking like Jesus, wearing this long white flowing gown haha. At one point, he even said to the audience "I can assure you, I'm not Jesus!" Another funny thing was when the drummer was twirling his shirt around his head and pretended to belly dance haha. Orphaned Land didn't disappoint- I really enjoyed their set! I had no problem getting into their music; it was a lot of fun to listen to, actually. People were literally jumping up and down to their music, haha.

Finally Katatonia comes on stage and people are excited! They played mostly newer material, and stuff off of the last 4 albums, but I'm pretty sure they might have thrown an old one in there; I can't remember though. I do remember that they played one heavier song, as one of the guitarists said, something along the lines of 'extreme metal.' They played some of my favourites- Omerta, Teargas, Complicity, Saw You Drown...and probably a few others I can't remember. I just found the setlist online. I've been listening to them for a while, so I was singing along to some of the songs, haha. I didn't expect a mosh pit to begin, but it did. I don't have a problem with moshing, but there are always going to be idiots who aren't considerate of others- probably the reason I got bumped in the face twice. I'm used to this by now though, moshing starts even when you think it won't. Katatonia played a mix of heavy and more mellow songs, so it was a good set all around. I left the show feeling content, as I always do after a good show! :D

I really wish I could go to more shows, because I'm always in a good mood after them- I guess it has to do in part with the fact that I get so immersed in the music, it's like I'm in another place.

To see more photos from the show, visit my flickr.

Books
1984 by George Orwell.

I had read this book back in high school, but the meaning of the book never really sunk in.

After reading the book for the second time, I realized how terrifying the plot really is.

It’s basically about a prediction for the year 1984, where Orwell warns society that if we don’t smarten up, we may be headed for a totalitarian society, where all freedom is lost. The book predicts that our thoughts will be monitored, that we will always be under the watch of some leader that may or may not exist. The past will cease to exist, the use of language will diminish in order to diminish thoughts of any kind, society will be full of lies, and violence and torture will be a big part of getting people to give in to the leaders’ demands. Humans will no longer feel anything, they will become mindless creatures who do not even realize that society is horrible.

Film
I really want to watch this film called Zerkalo. The film is from 1975, by Russian directorAndrei Tarkovsky. The title translates into 'The Mirror', and is different from other films because it supposedly has no plot, instead showing a combination of scenes showing childhood memories, and footage from newsreels. It looks so beautiful, I would love to watch it.

Music

Katatonia.

Their music can be a bit depressive, but I enjoy it. Depressive doom metal. Any of their albums are worth a listen, but I personally like Brave Murder Day or

Lantlôs.

I can't stop listening to their newest album called neon. It is so beautiful, it just gets me in a good state of mind. Blackened shoegaze.

Vàli.

More beautiful music. Folk acoustic music that reminds me of traveling, or walking through a forest. Perfect for listening to before going to sleep, or just when you need to reflect and chill.

Gustaf Hildebrand.

This guy is a master of ambient music. His music really makes you feel like you're in another dimension, which is what I define as great ambient music. Listen to Primordial Resonance.

Tenhornedbeast.

Ambient/drone music, more music to space out to. Ten Horns, Ten Stars is a good album to start out with.

Artist of the Month
mako.

Beautifully detailed work with a mainly nature theme by a Japanese artist. The linework is incredible, and I love the surreal style (which is the case with many of my favourite artists).

Well, that's my entry for this month. I'm halfway through my first semester at school, here's to hoping the rest goes smoothly.
Saalyzhaklan. [Moldova]

Tarkovsky's Mirror Set to Arvo Pärt's Mirror in the Mirror

2010-10-02T01:22:00.001-07:00

Enjoy.

Introversion

2010-09-30T01:16:00.000-07:00

I've always been the type who's been quiet. You know, the one who doesn't speak much, the one who doesn't go out of their way to talk to people.

For a while, I had always thought that I was just 'shy' and that being shy was a problem. I can't tell you how many times I've had people ask me "Why are you so quiet?"
It's not that I don't want to talk to you, I just interact with people differently.
I think differently, I act differently.

I'm an introvert.

So many people in society have this idea in their head that life has to be all in your face, and that people have to be outgoing to have a good time. I disagree. I've gone to several shows by myself, and have gone out place by myself. It took me a bit to get used to it, but now I embrace being alone. Don't get me wrong, I love hanging around with my friends, but let's just say I'm not the type who wants to hang out all the time. I need space to think, I need space to be by myself.

When I read this article, called 'The Revenge of the Introvert', that's when it really hit home for me. This article just resonates with me in so many ways, I felt like I could relate to it in more ways than one.

People feel that you have to constantly talk to get a point across. So many people abuse their words. I think that people of few words, speak more meaningful words. Why? Because introverts, like the article says, think through in their heads what they are going to say. It's more likely that extroverts just blab out a stream of words in the spur of the moment.

When extroverts speak, it may be a bit overwhelming for introverts. Introverts need time to process thoughts, and people need to realize this. Like the article says, an introvert may say something, but then analyze it afterwards, wondering why they just said what they said, when they could have said it better. Or, they'll just simply become silent or nod their heads, since they need time to think before they speak. More people should try this, they'd be surprised.

The article says that introverts socialize in a different way. They talk to people, but they don't really feel the need to seek out a connection. Extroverts feel that they have to, because they thrive on connections and activities.

I may seem like I'm slamming extroverts, but I really wish that people would see that silence and being alone really isn't all that terrible. It helps you to get in touch with yourself, to really think things through.

What I'm trying to say is, if you know someone who's an introvert, don't immediately write them off as cold. They just live differently.

Post Forty-Two

2010-09-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

As expected, my post for the month of August is late. I've been extremely busy with school just starting and everything, so I apologize! I'm writing this while I actually have a free moment, haha.

School has been going well so far, even if only a week has gone by. My profs are all really cool, and for the most part I enjoy the work. I'm still terrified of painting, but I'm going to learn how to get better. I'm also afraid of my illustration class, but I won't learn anything if I don't tackle my fears. Fears aside, I absolutely love my sequential narrative class- it's right up my alley because it relates directly to children's illustration (if you know me well, you know that this is my ideal career).

August was an eventful month for me, a lot happened. I didn't get to do everything I wanted to, but there's always next summer. I didn't get to go traveling again, which was one of my major goals, but I think I was being a bit unrealistic- so now I'm starting to save up for a trip, meaning I have a year to save up.

The sale of my art is still going slowly, but as the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. I understand it takes a while for a business to get going, so it may take a while before I actually see any results with my business. I have learned things the hard way, but sometimes that's the better way. An important lesson I've learned is not to overproduce- meaning don't create too much work if you don't have money for it; wait for anything to sell before you create mass amounts of work. However, it is always good to be ready in advance, but like I said, don't make things when you don't have enough money to do so, you will go broke.

I had a chance to sell my work at the Parkdale Bazaar and at a fair at >OCAD,(which is now called OCADU btw) but both of those were flops; I did not sell anything. Interestingly enough, even though there were more people at the Parkdale Bazaar, I had more people walk by and ignore my work than at OCAD, where there were fewer people, but more people showed interest. I guess it's because OCAD is an art-oriented crowd. On the plus side, I will get another chance to sell my work at the Junction Arts Festival. That being said, art is a very hard thing to sell, but I'm willing to make the effort because it's what I love to do.

Here's some work I have produced:

Cards: [1]| [2]| [3]|[4]| [5]| [6]| [7]| [8]| [9]| [10]| [11]| [12]| [13]| [14]| [15]| [16]
(I made 4 other cards but I didn't take pictures of them; in addition, 1 was sold.)

Bookmarks: [1]| [2]

Paintings: I have been working to turn my pins into paintings!

Hand-painted shirts: I plan on starting to print these as opposed to hand-painting all of them, which is extremely time consuming.

I've been creating things for people upon requests now, it's awesome. If you'd like me to create something for you, please get in contact with me (see my email on the sidebar).

I'm starting to make some progress with my musical endeavors. My doom metal/sludge/drone project is slowly taking off! I've been experimenting a bit, but I still need some new equipment. A lovely lady I know has agreed to help me out, and we're going to start a project together-we're still looking for a drummer and bassist though. We're aiming to get a kind of YOB-ish sound, but we have a bunch of other influences as well- Corrupted, Earth, Boris, Tenhornedbeast, Neurosis...just to name a few.

This August, I went to the Buskerfest with one of my best friends! Basically, it's a festival devoted to street performers, who come from all over the world to show Toronto their tricks and performances, over a span of 3 days. Performances range from anything to magic acts, to acrobatic acts, to musical acts. There's a lot of variety, so it's hard to decide on which shows to watch! Me and my friend arrived at the festival for 3 p.m., and stayed until closing time at 10 p.m..

The acts that I watched were:

The Renfrews: They're an act that walks around! Dressed up as mounties, with cardboard horses, they have marching music play as they walk, and they salute people as they walk by. They make me laugh! My Grampa loved them, seeing The Renfrews reminded me of my Grampa.

Magic Brian: He also called himself the 'heavy metal magician'. I only saw half of his act, but he managed to get himself out of straight jacket, tied up and bounded in chains that were locked up.

That Man: He was my favourite act! He never spoke once, only using body language and facial expressions to communicate. He only spoke at the end, to say thank you. His act consisted of juggling, some intricate moves involving tricks with a glass ball, and a few other things I can't remember...but his act had variety.

Victor Rubilar: I didn't get to see much of his act, but he certainly had a sense of humour haha. He juggled a few soccer balls.

Calypso Tumblers: Their act was a combination of break dancing, and some crazy flips! For their finale, one of the members of the group jumped over a group of 10 people in a row(who were bending down). All I can say is, their act certainly required a ton of strength.

Bendy Em: She was amazing, but she kind of freaked me out...since she was a contortionist! I was freaked out wondering how the hell she was able to do all those insane poses! She's the only female to perform as a contortionist on the streets. For her final act, she bent her whole body to fit herself in a small plastic box....I was getting claustrophobic just watching her, haha. Still, that takes an incredible amount of determination (and flexibility)!

Quebec Russian Bar Trio: A trio of acrobats that uses a huge, springy bar that they perform all sorts of flips on. Two people in the trio hold the bar, while one flips on the bar.

Liqueur Flambé: A duo that consisted of a combination of violin music, and tricks with fire and an axe. The final act for the duo was when one of the duo stood on the shoulders of the other, and they both played violin with the bows on fire!

Suspended Animation Circus: Their act was a combination of theatre, and acrobatics. Suspended from a hot air balloon, they performed tricks on ropes and trapeze swings. I really enjoyed their act, they had a lot of charisma! They're from Toronto to boot :D

The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra: A band from Victoria, whose music has been described as gypsy-ska-folk-grass. Pretty eclectic! The band consisted of a drummer, guitarist, cello player, accordion player, and violinist. Their music was a lot of fun, they got some people dancing. I loved their music though...I even bought an EP of theirs.

I had a great time, I think that all the performers did an amazing job! What's even more amazing is that they do this job for a living, so they have to rely on donations from the audience to make some money. I would have donated, but I didn't have change on hand....maybe I'll write to them or something, say thanks. I really hope that they all made a lot of money, because their shows were well worth it.

in August, I went to 2 shows.

On August 9th, I went to see Boris with Russian Circles. I had already seen Russian Circles twice, and they were amazing both times. The same went for this show- they are probably the best instrumental act I've heard live; they are just so put together. Now as for Boris, I had been waiting to see them for quite some time- I had missed them both times they came to Toronto in the past, having been too young to go to a 19+ show. The wait was well worth it though. Boris put on one of the best shows I have seen, ever. I'm really glad I brought earplugs, because damn was it ever loud. When Boris played their set, they really seemed like they loved what they were doing, and the band members all seemed really connected, which was fantastic to see. They could go from soft to upbeat, to pure noise, and still sound amazing. The drummer, Atsuo, was wearing this sparkly sequined vest, and he looked so happy when he was playing. Takeshi's double neck guitar was quite the sight to see. Wata is an inspiration to me because she's a fantastic guitarist...heck, I said earlier that the whole band was an inspiration to me. They ended the show with this wave of pure drone, it was an epic way to end the show. I left the show feeling upbeat, I really hope I can go to another show like that soon! You may view more photos from the show at this album.

On August 31st, I went to see The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra with one of my best friends. Having just seen them at the Buskerfest, I knew we were in for a good time. I was right- people were dancing to their lively and upbeat music. Their music is a mix of latin, ska, and folk. Their music is really hard to define, but I really enjoy it. The band consists of an accordion player, cello player, drummer, violinist, and guitarist. They have some calmer and slower songs too, but for the most part, their songs are very upbeat and fast-paced. I left that show feeling amazing too! View more photos from the show at this album.

Food

No recipes that I've made myself for this month, but I'll share another link.
Being pescetarian, I have omitted gelatin from my diet. This means that I could no longer eat pop tarts. The more I think about it, I never really liked them because they were overly sweet. But that's beyond the point! I found a recipe for vegan pop-tarts, so they are gelatin free! Not egg free, but I'm sure an egg replacement could be used.

Here is a link to the recipe. (Photo credits go to owner of the blog where recipe was posted; it is not my photo)

Books

What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn is a book about a young girl named Kate Meaney who loves to solve detective cases. She creates her own cases by spying on people around her, meticulously taking notes. She befriends an older man named Adrian, and he shows an interest in her work. Kate wants nothing more than to find a real case to solve. One day, she goes missing, and Adrian is suspected as being behind her disappearance. Fast forward 10 years, and a security guard at a mall thinks that he has spotted the missing girl. Together with another woman who works at the mall, they try to solve the case of the missing Kate Meaney.

Apologize, Apologize! by Elizabeth Kelly is a book about a dysfunctional family named the Flanagans. Collie lives with his younger brother, Bingo, his mother, his father, and his Uncle Tom. They live surrounded by several dogs, whom the family lavishes their love upon more. Collie's mother favours Bingo, which means that Collie is always getting out down by his own mother. When tragedy strikes the family, Collie has to move out and live with his grandfather, a stern man that he has nicknamed 'The Falcon.' Collie then has to learn how to carve his own path in life.

Films

The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet) I was really glad I watched; it was recommended that I watch it. The film is from 1957, and it's by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. The Seventh Seal is set in the medieval ages, during the time of The Black Plague. A knight named Antonius Block has been fighting in The Crusades, and returns home to Sweden to see that people are dying of the plague. He meets Death, who challenges him to a game of chess. If Block wins, he lives, but if he loses, then he dies. Throughout the film, we see how people are suffering as a result of the plague, but we also see how people are struggling with their faith and religion.

Marnie is a film by Alfred Hitchcock from 1964, based on a book by author Winston Graham. The film is about a woman named Marnie who is a thief, and has fears of thunderstorms, men and the colour red. She eventually marries a man named Mark, who comes to see that she does not trust him. He also discovers her other fears, and he tries to help Marnie figure out the reasons behind her fears.

The Birds is another film from 1963 by Alfred Hitchcock, based on a book by Daphne du Maurier. In my opinion, it's not one of Hitchcock's better films. The film is essentially about a series of bird attacks on people. Swarms of birds attack,and kill a few victims. While the idea of birds attacking humans might seem a bit far-fetched, I don't think so because it's like nature is taking revenge on humans for destroying the earth.

Music

Neurosis.

Lately I've been listening to this band to get some inspiration for my music project in the works. A great album for this is Times of Grace, which is easily one of the most crushing albums I've listened to. The riffs are so heavy and sludge-y, so if you enjoy this kind of music, it'll be right up your alley. First, listen to a track or two. Then, decide if you like it or not, and et the album here.

Nasa Voyager Recordings.

I was amazed by this album because it is not an actual recording of music by people, but rather, the recordings of what it sounds like in space. The result is something that sounds like dark ambient music. It's truly amazing imo- who knew that some of the best music could come from the solar system? This music is great for listening to when you just need to chill out; it makes me feel like I'm in another dimension, which is the case with most ambient music. You may download the album
Symphonies of the Planets (I-V) here. Well worth the listen if you're looking for something unique.

The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra.

As I mentioned before, I love this band. They're from Victoria, BC. Their music is a mix of latin/ska/folk- but it is kind of hard to classify. Their music is a lot of fun to listen to! To listen to some of their music, visit the TMO'S myspace.

Artist of the Month
Arthur Rackham.

Arthur Rackham was an English illustrator who lived from 1867-1939. During his career, he illustrated books such as Mother Goose, The Tempest, Gulliver's Travels, and many more. His illustrations are inspirational to me since I plan on being a children's storybook illustrator in the future. Arthur Rackham's illustrations often use a watercolour and pen outline technique, and usually depict some form of nature along with fantastical creatures. The line work and colours are stunning, and capture a dream-like and surreal atmosphere.

That's all for this month. My entries always go on longer than planned, so I'm thinking that I'll have to split up my entries. Maybe I'll just end up posting something when something strikes my interest, when something interesting happens, etc. That way I won't have to consistently make these long entries, which takes up a lot of time.

I'm starting my second week of school now, and I'm going to be going to some shows in the near future. Stay tuned for that!

Da pabachénnia. (Bye in Belorussian)

Post Forty-One

2010-08-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Like I said in the previous entry, I expected my post for the month of July to be late. That was to be expected anyways though, I just returned from a trip to the east coast at the end of July, and I've been trying to relax a bit ever since.

The trip was not for leisure purposes, it was for my Grampa's funeral, who passed away last December due to cancer. It's sad that I was able to go to the east coast because of that, but I'm glad to have visited his hometown. My Grampa was born in Canso, Nova Scotia, a small town on the tip of the province. It's absolutely beautiful there, and he's now resting in peace in a beautiful graveyard beside his mother. It's haunting that he passed away around the time that his his mother did; she also died in December. The place where my Grampa is now buried overlooks the ocean on one side, and a forest on the other. It's a really serene place, so I'm glad that he's there now.

It wasn't all sad though, my family did manage to check out the small town of Canso, as well as Halifax, Nova Scotia, Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, and some places in the provinces of New Brunswick and Québec as well. We were lucky enough to see a few places because my aunts took turns driving. Sitting in a car for long periods of time with cranky family members was no fun, but getting to explore the different places and seeing how people live was great. I found that these provinces have a lot of beautiful nature. I took several pictures, some from the car- but they were hard to capture since it's difficult to capture things in motion. Some did turn out pretty decent though, so I'm pleased about that. I'll be writing a separate entry about this trip, since there's a lot of detail to go into.

In other news, I'm still hoping to travel to the opposite coast before summer ends. I've wanted to go to Vancouver for a few years now, so I'm hoping that this year that will finally happen. The first thing I would like to see when I arrive would have to be a totem pole, native art has always amazed me. I've been working hard creating some art to sell, so I'll be using whatever money I make from my art for the trip. With luck, hopefully some people will buy! I can safely say that this is my job for the rest of the summer, but I enjoy what I'm doing! I may have the opportunity to sell some art at the Parkdale Bazaar, so I'll be selling more than just my pins. I'll also be selling some cards, bags, t-shirts, paintings, drawings, bookmarks, and maybe some jewelry.

I'm selling my pins in another shop now! They are now being sold at a place called Café 260 in my city. The café is great because there's a ton of art in it, and there's an art gallery right next door called Gallery 260.

I think it's obvious by now that I've been working on my art pretty often, and recently I've really enjoyed creating some cards and postcards. I created some for my pen pals on tumblr, which you may see below:

(All of these pieces were created using coloured inks and/or black ink)

Still on the topic of art, I was feeling extremely inspired when I went to the Toronto Outdoor Art Festival. I meant to apply for a table for the festival, but the deadline escaped my mind completely....oh well, there's always next year! Anyways, the festival is awesome because it's basically a giant outdoor art gallery where you get to walk around and see different works, different styles, and different subjects (basically just a lot of diversity). There are different kinds of art too, ranging from illustration, painting, printing (etching, engraving, etc.), jewelry making, sculpture, etc. I ended up buying a print there by an artist named Jacob Rolfe. The print was of a peacock, and it was only 5 bucks! Walking around, I noticed that a lot of art was very pricey. I understand that people have to make a living, and it's certainly not easy making a living as an artist, but I'd just like to know how other artists determine what is a justifiable price for their work. I've been having difficulty pricing my work, so I'd like to know where these artists are coming from.

Some of my favourite artists at the show included: Mike Parsons, Amanda McCavour, Ilichna Morasky, LA Jones Jewelry, Dani Crosby, Mafalda Silva, Miyoshi Kondo, George Raab, Jesse Lown, Denise St. Marie,Erin Hogue, Pipe and Punty Glass art by Robert Tannahill and Miia Virtasalmi, Julia Hepburn, Daniel St. Amant, Agnieszka Foltyn, Debra Tate-Sears, Lizz Aston, Shaun Downey,Jean Pierre Schoss,Pat Dumas-Hudecki, Joan McNeil, Soyeon Kim, Nahúm Flores, Sylvia Naylor, Rickson Jewellery, Beverley Hawksley, Sam Mogelonsky, Yue Heng Duan, Peter Barelkowski, Dianne Davis, Jon Muldoon, Richard Metzger, and Lucilla Bonfanti (she doesn't have a website).

I probably picked up too many business cards, haha. I'm a shy person, but I was able to talk to some of the artists really easily. It's easier to talk to people when you can relate to them about something, especially something that you're passionate about.
I'll definitely be returning next year! To see a list of all the artists, visit the Toronto Outdoor Art Festival Site.

On the same day as the art festival, one of my friends was generous enough to invite me to go see a Just for Laughs comedy show at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre. From what I read at the wikipedia entry, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres are a set of stacked theatres. We watched the show in the Winter garden Theatre, which was absolutely beautiful. The stage had this really intricate flower border,branches twisted around the room onto the different seating levels, and leaves hung down from the ceiling. I would highly recommend watching a show in the theatre just to take a look! I'm losing my train of thought though, so back to the show!

The Just for Laughs Show was called 'The Relationship Show', and had stand-up comedians talking about being married, having kids, getting into relationships, etc. Comedians included Tom Papa, John Heffron, Maryellen Hooper, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Jim Breuer. Tom made me laugh the most, but the other comedians were hilarious as well. Jim Breuer's imitations of animals were dead-on, and at one point he even managed to break the microphone stand! Let's just say I was laughing for the whole show! That was my first time going to see a stand-up comedy show, and I plan on going to another one sometime!

This month has been very eventful for me, especially because of the fact that I finally met my half-brother after 15 years! It was honestly one of the better days of my life. Me and my sister ended up going to the Toronto Zoo with my half-brother and his family, and it was a lot of fun! I like going to the zoo, but I feel kind of bad visiting there knowing that the animals are living in captivity, and not in their natural habitats. On the other hand though, it's helping to preserve those animals that could soon become endangered, or are already endangered. I haven't been to the zoo since I was 12 or so, so it's been a long time. Strangely enough, I remembered most of what I saw there when I was younger. Thank you, photographic memory. I especially remembered the Dholes, the animals that look like a combination of a fox and a dog. I remember being afraid of them when I was younger, since the barriers between the animals and people at the zoo weren't very good, and they were looking pretty hungry. The zoo is divided up into different regions of the world, with animals from different regions in that area of the zoo. My favourites were the Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Jellyfish,Orangutans,Barbary Sheep/Aoudads, Otters, and Arctic Foxes. We didn't get to see the whole zoo (it's huge, and there's a lot of walking to do, especially with younger kids), but it was still a great day.

This month I went to one show, and that was for Bastard Noise w/The Endless Blockade, The Rita, Disciples of Christ, and Abyss. The show was on July 3rd at the Polish Combatants Hall. I had actually been to the Polish Combatants Hall the previous year for Nuit Blanche, where they had displayed some art. So being at the place for a show was different, but it was cool being there again. It's a small venue, but not that many people showed up, maybe around 100 or so. The show took some time to get on the road, so it ended late. At one point while we were all still waiting for the bands to set up, apparently a fire broke out outside somewhere, so people were going outside to see what had happened, haha. It helped to kill some time I suppose. Luckily, nobody was hurt in the fire.

But back to the show...All the opening bands' sets were really short, lasting for about anywhere from 10 minutes-1/2 hr. First up was Disciples of Christ, who played some grindcore. The guitarist kept playing with this really weird stance, you just have to see in the photos I took. I don't know how he managed to stay like that for the set.

Abyss was next, who played grindcore. I don't remember much, other than that the lead singer kept spitting into the audience.

The Rita's set was the shortest, lasting about 10 minutes. I remember sitting down waiting for him to set up, and then just hearing this wave of noise. His set was entirely noise, with one man playing around with various switches and pedals to create noise.

The Endless Blockade were up next, with a set that lasted about 20-25 minutes. This was their final show ever, but it was my first time ever seeing them. They put on a good set, a mixture of powerviolence and noise. They managed to get a pit going, and the lead singer even joined in. He was always walking around the room during the set. At one point he even screamed in my face, ahhahaa.

Finally, Bastard Noise played their set, which was about an hour. Their music is just what their name suggests; it's very experimental. I enjoyed their music thoroughly! The bassist was quite charismatic, he kept making these ridiculous faces while he was playing the bass. I wish I had got some more pictures of their set, but my camera batteries were dying by that point. The bassist ended up dedicating a song to my sister's boyfriend, who was also at the show, which was pretty cool! Watch this video to see the dedication:

Click the numbers below to watch more videos from the show:
[1]|[2]|[3]|[4]

I think you can see me in one of the videos near the front, the girl with the long wavy purplish-red hair, wearing a black jacket :P (I did not film any of these videos, credit goes to another person who was at the show)

It was a great show all in all! I'm glad I brought earplugs though, I could actually hear after the show. To see more photos from the show, visit my flickr.

Lately, I've been thinking of starting my own doom metal/drone/sludge project. I'm pretty sure it will be just an individual project, but I might see of some other people want to join me. This means that I'll have to start investing in some pedals to create different effects and sounds, learn how to write music, and do plenty of experimentation. Writing music is something very new to me, so I really don't know where to begin, other than to look to other bands for inspiration. Bands/projects that have inspired me to give creating my own music a shot have included bands like Nadja, Corrupted, Münn, Isis, Coffins, The Angelic Process, Tim Hecker, and many more.

Food

I've been practicing my food photography lately, and I'm beginning to see what makes a better photo. Sometimes photos have to be edited, but other times they can be left alone. When I edit my photos, I usually just tweak the lighting levels a bit, and work with cropping. On the left I have a photo of a Montr&eactute;al style bagel with almond butter, nutella, and sliced bananas on it- one of my favourite things to eat! Another sandwich I've been making a lot lately is an English muffin sandwich with vegan bologna, margarine, mustard, cheese and arugula. You could also try that combination with a croissant. I really enjoy sandwiches- they're easy to make, they taste good, and you can experiment with different combinations! I think lately I've been eating more sandwiches than usual, haha. Because I don't have any recipes to share, I'm going to post a link to a website where you can try out a bunch of different vegetarian sandwiches! Visit the following links:

vegetarian sandwiches on veg.ca
vegan yum yum 1
vegan yum yum 2
vegan yum yum 3
vegan yum yum 4
recipes on vegweb
recipes on vegan chef
recipes on veg cooking
recipes on vegetarian times

Film

Ed Wood is a film about Edward Davis Wood who was a director/screenwriter that has been ridiculed for his work. The director is known for films like Plan 9 from Outer Space. In the film, Johnny Depp plays the director, and shows how the director went on with his life in the film industry, and his life outside the film industry. Depp manages to capture Wood as a somewhat eccentric man, but also as a man who is dedicated to his work and is passionate about it.

Music

Bonedust.

Bonedust is a drone/doom/experimental project by two women from Providence, Rhode Island. Their music is probably some of the weirder stuff I've listened to, but it grew on me. The music is really creepy and eerie, but their self-titled album is well worth the listen.

Hooded Menace.

Hooded Menace are a doom metal/sludge group from Finland. Lately I've been listening to their album Fulfill the Curse a lot. 'Grasp of the Beastwoman' is a track that I could play over and over. They'll be at the Maryland Deathfest next year, so I definitely want to go!

Jónsi & Alex.

Jónsi & Alex is an ambient project between a couple, namely Jón Þór Birgisson from Sigur Rós, and his boyfriend named Alex Somers. Riceboy Sleeps is a beautiful album to listen to just before you go to sleep, or if you just want to chill out. The album really makes me feel like I'm in a dream state, it's beautiful. 'Happiness' and 'Atlas Song' are two songs I find myself falling asleep to often.

Artist of the Month

Irina Vinnik.

I was drawn to her work because of all the swirls! I think the linework in her art is absolutely stunning, it's extremely precise and just has a kind of flow to it. Usually she starts off with linework, and then tweaks it using digital software, changing the colouring and background. Her work often features nature, but with a more abstracted and psychedelic twist.

Well that concludes this entry! Summer's coming to a close, and I'm determined to make my goals for the month happen. I'll try not to have next month's entry late. Enjoy the rest of your summer! :)

Khoda hafaz. (Goodbye in Farsi)

Post Forty

2010-07-20T22:14:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

This post is supposed to be for the month of June. I realize my usual monthly post is late, but I've been super busy lately! Summer was a bit slow at first, but now I've been bus pretty much everyday, with a break here and there.

I've had no luck getting a job so far, so I decided to take initiative and do my own thing- designing and illustrating my own pins, and some other illustrated products. It makes me feel awesome, really!

I think I've been having a hard time finding a job because of two main reasons: a)Most places are looking to hire people for full-time work, and are not very appreciative of students who are looking for a summer job, and a summer job only. Most employers fail to realize that being in university is extremely demanding; it's like having a 40 hour work week. I am aware that some students do work while in university, but chances are, they're balancing a part time workload at school and then a job on the side (I'm going to school full-time). b)In order to get a job, you need experience, right? Well how are you supposed to get any experience if nobody is willing to hire you? Employers are either just lazy about training, or can't afford to do so.

Selling art is one of the hardest things to do, EVER. Near the end of June, I had the chance to have a table in front of a café in the city called Coffee and all that Jazz, where I sold some of my illustrated pins. The owner of the café was nice enough to give me the opportunity, and soon I’ll also have the chance to sell some of my work inside the café as well!

My mom came with me for company, and we were outside the café from around 1 p.m. -8 p.m. During that time span, I sold 6 pins. It sounds pathetic, I know- but I had several people walk by- 1/2 of them just completely ignored me, 1/4 of them showed some interest, but didn’t buy anything because they didn’t have change, and the rest of them bought a pin. There weren’t a lot of people in the area either- while the café was on a main street, the area wasn’t as populated as I thought it would be.

When I first set up my table, I was feeling really stupid for having agreed to do this in the first place. The few people that walked by would just completely ignore me. I think people in the city are a bit snobbish sometimes, especially when it comes to art- I don’t think very many people here are into it much.

But as the day went along, I started to get some people coming along and showing interest. It was well worth it in the end- I made some connections with people. For those who did like art, I think it’s really cool how easily people can connect over it. I was getting comments like ‘these are beautiful’, ‘good initiative’, ‘best of luck with your work’, and even some people who were suggesting I look into selling at other places to get more exposure. I really appreciated all the feedback, it just made me even more determined to continue pursuing my dream of becoming an illustrator.

The pins I managed to sell were as follows:

My first customer was a little boy, maybe around 4-5? with his mommy. I found it absolutely hilarious how when he was choosing a pin, the first one he gravitated towards was the corpse paint one, then he liked the skull. His mom said ‘he’s usually not so dark’ haha…she tried to get him to gravitate towards the pins I made with instruments on them, but in the end, he chose my Sunn O))) inspired pin. It made my day that my first customer was a little boy. :D Who knew he would gravitate towards the darker pins, haha.

A woman who was a collage artist from the States, ended up buying the skull pin, which you’ve already seen in the first picture. She was really cool to talk to, especially because she said she had been to art school too. She said she loved Canada too, which was nice to hear.

A young lady about my age ended up buying the toasters pin. I was inspired to create this design because of this video. Yeah, I’m weird, I know haha.

2 girls swung by my table and browsed my stuff, then said they’d be back in a bit. They did come back, and they ended up choosing my Russian architecture pin.

A woman bought the Kitty sees all pin. This was actually one of my least favourite designs, but she liked it, so I’m glad.

My final customer for the day was a young man about my age, who ended up getting my Dziga Vertov inspired-pin that says ‘Eye see you’. The pin is based on the Russian film Man With A Movie Camera, where the main image is an eye overlaid on a lens to personify the camera as ‘seeing all.’

My good friend Cherylann ended up buying a guitar pin for her father when I came home.

All in all, it was a good day! I’m pleased my plans for selling art are starting to take off, even if it is slowly. But hey, you have to start somewhere, right?

I'm also currently selling some pins in 3 stores, and have 3 more stores that I'll be selling them in as well, which are as follows: The Rage, Good Catch, and Rawlicious (which even asked me to make a design for them!) On top of that, I may have the chance to display them in a handmade crafts show at the Hotshot gallery, and I may have a table at the Parkdale Vintage and Handmade goods market in August! I'm really excited about this! :D

I'm also think of making some cards, hand-painted t-shirts, bags, and mugs, some illustrations on canvas, and some other items as well.

I've been working like crazy to promote my etsy shop, but it's not that easy. I don't know how others do it! I've made accounts on sites like cargo collective, myspace, RedBubble, webs, and a dawanda shop dedicated to my art. It's slow right now, but maybe I'll have more luck soon!

I've also made some banners, which you can see on the sidebar of my blog. If you reposted one somewhere, it would be greatly appreciated!

Recently, I've designed some pins dedicated to the oil spill (which is now over, but we will be feeling the effects of it for a while, no doubt about that), animal cruelty, and vegetarianism. These are issues that are very important to me, and I am to get word out about these issues, while raising money for organizations dedicated to these causes.

Pins are $2 a piece, plus $1.50 shipping. Just like the previous pins I have made, they are made on illustration board/thick card, with a metal pin backing. They are coated with a matte medium gel to protect them from water, and are about 3 cm x 3 cm square. 25% of the profits from each sale will go to the following organizations:
a)The 25% from each sale of an oil spill pin will go towards Greenpeace
b)The 25% from each sale of an animal cruelty pin will go towards the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA)
c)The 25% from each sale of a vegetarian pin will go towards the Toronto Vegetarian Association

You may see the pins below, click on the links below the images to purchase a pin! The point is to raise as much money as possible for these organizations, so please share this blog entry with others!

Oil spill pins for Greenpeace

Evil oil pin

alpha and omega

Updates on my art

Concerts I've been to over the past few months (part 4): Maryland Deathfest IX

Concerts I've been to over the past few months (part 3)

Concerts I've been to over the past few months (part 2)

Concerts I've been to over the past few months

Post Forty-Nine

Post Forty-Eight

Happy Halloween

Post Forty-Five

Tarkovsky's Mirror Set to Arvo Pärt's Mirror in the Mirror

Introversion

Post Forty-Two

Post Forty-One

Post Forty

Buy pins for a good cause (well, more than one cause)

Banners

More illustrated pins

My illustrated pins

Maryland Deathfest 2010

Post 35

Goodbye Isis

New banner?

Using music to combat moods

James Wainwright and Dan McCarthy

Post Thirty

Happy Birthday

Progress