Half Moon Run pt.1

Begging for an autograph on the $5 demo she purchased a few seconds ago, the attractive concert attendee broke her revering gaze on the members of Half Moon Run for several precious seconds to ask me if I knew their names. I inquired which one, and in a sultry tone, she let me know that it didn’t matter… because they were all sexy.
But thirty minutes ago, she, along with the dozens of other converted groupies, had no idea Half Moon Run existed…

Ryan Gosling continues his rise to mega stardom in the L.A. gangster flick Drive

Hard to believe that a former star of the YTV show Breaker High is now one of the sexiest and most talented actors working in Hollywood, but it’s true. Ryan Gosling has already been in two of my favorite films from the past year (Blue Valentine and Crazy, Stupid Love) and he keeps the trend going with Drive. (I am also eagerly awaiting the soon to be released Ides of March, which I heard at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is Gosling’s best bet for some Oscar love). You better watch out Ryan Reynolds. Sure you may have been married to Scarlett Johansson…

Dexter Season 6 Preview: Leaked Episodes, Possible Spoilers

Dexter. Anyone who has ever watched it has loved it. And now it’s back! Firstly, get ready. As mentioned in the previews, Dexter is feeling like his “old self again” which can only mean one thing: awesomeness. Arguably the best season happened to be the very first where Dexter had little emotions, his life revolved around killing, and the last thing on his mind was his family. Now, with Rita dead, Lumen gone…

The War on Drugs is Going Strong

“Got the feeling that I can’t move without sliding. I’m a thousand miles behind, with a hundred more to climb so it’s you I hope survives without fighting” are the heavy words setting the tone for The War on Drugs recently released Slave Ambient. Juxtaposed with layered melodic guitars and Adam Granduciel’s calm, reassuring voice, the opening song Best Night actually leaves you feeling uplifted. It could be their uncanny ability of combining melancholy lyrics with Dylan-like ballads that established their albums as being some of the best road trip music out there. A large part could also be attributed to their method of song building…

Victory Over the Sun: From Harper to Horton to Ford, is Platonic Montreal the way out?

Have you considered the Tory Omnibus Crime Bill? It’s not exactly light bedtime reading, but it’s worth knowing about. It is above and beyond all else a testament to absurdity. It is absurd yet delivered in such a fashion so as to seem sensible. It is irrational, illogical and yet is designed to seem appropriate. It succeeds because the intended audience is often so incredibly uncritical, of their actions inasmuch as those of government, that they will believe known falsehoods simply because it takes less mental effort than to formulate even a basic critical response…

Osheaga Review: Day Three – Hot Fun in the Summertime

After missing the past few years of Osheaga, I happily accepted the offer to cover the festival’s closing day. Reportedly, the attendance for the weekend topped 80,000, an impressive feat given that the festival is only in its sixth year. It certainly has grown since 2006, adding an extra day and a Piknik Electronic stage to further the exciting, diverse roster of local and international talent. Photographer extraordinaire Chris Zacchia and I arrived just in time to catch the end of the Sheepdogs’ set. The hard working four-piece from Saskatoon deem themselves rock revivalists…

Corporate sponsored animal abuse for a good cause

“Rednecks are a dyin’ breed ya know,” a sweaty, fat man in a white cowboy hat called ‘Cousin’ explained to me, as he aggressively scrubbed the last of the ­bean sauce off of the bottom of a pot, “except here in Calgary, they flourish!” His entire body laughed. He knew I was a rookie.

Before the Stampede I hadn’t thought much about Calgary really. I knew what most native Montrealers know about the city. I knew it was where Steven Harper lived and that oil and gas money built the tallest buildings and greased the economy. I’d heard about the Stampede of course, people in South Africa have heard about the Stampede, but aside from casually tuning in to…

Internet on the radio, FTB on CKUT’s Friday Morning After

This morning I woke up a little earlier than usual, had my coffee and took a walk through the already sweltering heat, arriving at the CKUT studios in the heart of the McGill Ghetto around 8am. I was there to talk about FTB on the Friday Morning After. Not to be confused with our very own sex column of the same name, CKUT’s Morning After is a local arts, news and culture radio show running Monday to Friday from 7-9am. The hosts change depending on the day as does the language they speak on air. The Friday edition…

Rest In Peace, FTW. You are Now Far Too Mainstream and For The Loss

Dearest people of the internet, it has come to my attention that one of our most beloved expressions has unfortunately entered the realm of misuse. It has become too mainstream for its own good, and now, sadly, saying it has become vanilla. Just like expressions such as epic win, pwned and n00b before it, it is with great sadness and great regret that I must pronounce FTW dead via Facebook…

Beginners: It’s never too late to give love a chance

Every summer, a few films come along for those of us who want a little variety along with our special effects and explosion blockbusters. These films know they aren’t going to win you over with flash so they have to do it the old fashion way; good story. Last year The Kids are Alright was the best of these summer offerings, and this year the title belongs to the Ewan McGregor/Christopher Plummer dramedy, Beginners…

Cassie And Jess Go Yard Sale-ing!

The sun is shining, popsicles are melting, and the whole city is crammed onto terraces drinking! Oh yes, summer is unmistakably here and my little tam-tam heart is beating a carefree calypso rhythm. It’s a time of backyard barbeques, sun burns and short-shorts, outdoor concerts, and pitchers of sangria; it’s a time of yard sales…

A Devil’s Din: A Psychedelic Cheerfully Mellow Trip

Psychedelic Rock and Roll is what A Devil’s Din is all about. After performing with numerous local bands like the Mongrels, Test Pilot, and The Mother Funkers, ace keyboardist and longtime underground musician David Lines finally took the reins and formed his own project: A Devil’s Din. With this new project, Lines’s freedom to explore his eclectic, yet exotic, musings leaves him boundless…

London’s fabric: Pissing in the Wind

The Frenchmen’s final word provided little insight in response to my inquiries about his thoughts on Quebec. But oddly enough, his spanking desires…

I arrived slightly before midnight and skipped past the two block line to waltz through the guest list. I checked my coat and wandered into the infamous Room One. Inside, Boys Noize was playing the first of his two sets that night

Preview: Pirates of the Lachine Canal

What can you expect at a Lachine Canal Pirate Party? Maybe a few pirates prancing around with loot, eventually forming a conga line and dancing off the plank?

Ahoy Matey! These are not your father’s scurvy ridden, sea motion addled pirates. These pirates like to party-down!

Game Reviews – Call of Duty: Black Ops And FIFA Soccer 11

With the next installment in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series already announced for a fall release (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3), I figured I’d take this moment to review a game that I should have reviewed months ago in the form of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Better late than never, I guess. But I’m sure there are plenty of things that are best to never happen at all.
Black Ops is different from the Modern Warfare franchise as it tackles…

The Mecca of Nightclubs: London’s Fabric

Founded slightly over a decade ago in a (paradoxically) historic building, Fabric boasts more height than width. Three separate dancefloors on three separate stories create an atmosphere appealing to anyone who subscribes to the mantra of “variety is the spice of life”. Each floor hosts multiple DJs a night and hundreds, sometimes thousands of dancers…