The French Open - Federer's Time to Shine

It's my favourite time of the year; the start of the tennis season! The only thing better than blue skies and sunny days to mark this occasion, is the 2008 French Open. Week One has almost come to an end and the Williams' sisters have already been eliminated! With the fashionistas out of play, the men are definitely the more interesting group to watch.

This is the only Grand Slam that Federer has yet to win. A self-made tennis prodigy, Federer has hired a coach to help him out this time around to make sure he beats Nadal. I'd love to see a Djokovic & Federer final with Federer coming out on top. As much as I love Djokovic, he is only 20 and has plenty of time to surpass Federer. He already beat him at last year's Rogers Cup, so why not let Federer win this Grand Slam and go down as one of the most remarkable athletes of our time? If this amazing feat were to be accomplished, let's hope that Federer stays in the game, unlike the recently retired, Justine Henin.

DJ Spotlight - The 84.85

Last night I was at The Social where you're always guaranteed to hear the latest in cutting edge electro beats and feel like you're part of an American Apparel ad. Local Toronto DJ's Johnny Hockin and VNDLSM were performing along with New York's Cobra Krames. The night was solid and the music offered a perfect soundtrack to a packed dancefloor.

The relationship between the DJ and the audience is symbiotic. The DJ thrives on the energy emanating from the dance floor and vice versa. When you have DJ's who actually engage with the audience, this relationship is heightened and sparks start to fly. This feeling can be experienced by falling in love, or seeing the 84.85 perform live.


Warning: Their dirty electro hip hop sound will make you feel really sweaty and really good.


Jay Bones & Cassius are the two "nice" guys who make up the 84.85. I say "nice" because when you're watching these two perform you'd have no idea that they are the sweetest guys. Their shows are driven with attitude that matches the edgier sound they've created with hyper driven beats and buzz saw synths.


Cassius writes the lyrics to the raps he performs while Jay produces the tracks. The pair are becoming a hot commodity and it's only a matter of time before they blow up. Be sure to check out their next show on June 21st at Club Z in Toronto located at 812 Dundas Street West.

Daily Haiku

girls in cutoff shorts

high waisted 80's style

guys in cheap mondays

Women in Chains!

It seems that the recent trend in tv these days is to see women locked up and violent.  Strange if you ask me, but it appears that no one cares what I think, as HBO is working on an adaptation  of the female British prison drama and FOX is moving forward on a Prison Break spinoff set in a women's jail.  

Following in this trend, networks were eager to catch a glimpse of a new tv pilot called Women in Chains!  (Yes, the exclamation mark is part of the title) which was released on Tuesday.

This female prison drama is set to star Rose McGowan, who I will always remember from the evil role she played in Jawbreaker, which makes prison seem like a suitable place for her. 

Others may remember her as the crazy girlfriend of freaky Marilyn Manson.  She's definitely doing much better for herself now and is reportedly engaged to Robert Rodriguez, of Sin City fame, who is set to direct Women in Chains! (seen with Rose in picture on left)

The premise is a throwback to the women-in-prison exploitation classics of the 70's.    Keep your eye out to see which network picks up the show first.  It will definitely make for a killer lineup.

Daily Haiku

red itchy tight skin

it was not even that hot

the killer sunburn

Daily Haiku

running to the net

yellow dot against blue sky

the overhead smash

Jazzy Parkdale

Parkdale, a once poor and dangerous west end neighbourhood in Toronto, has been experiencing a drastic wave of gentrification. Most famous for the current influx of trendy restaurants, bars, boutique hotels and condo's, Parkdale is also home to my new vintage chair and one of Toronto's most talented jazz pianist's Elizabeth Shepherd.

Shepherd's latest album is named after her current home, Parkdale. She moved to Parkdale after she graduated from school at McGill University in Montreal, a personal favourite. Her record release party was appropriately held at The Gladstone Hotel a few weeks ago. Check out this talented artist by clicking on the YouTube video link (top left corner) where she plays with 2 other dudes as part of The Elizabeth Shepherd Trio.

I was extremely fortunate to see the trio open for Bonobo in early March. Wow! What a show! Even though Bonobo only played a DJ set, it was still incredible and Revival, a former church, was the perfect setting for this transcendental experience.

Shepherd is part of the DO RIGHT! music label which also includes the talented Souljazz Orchestra and Basic Soul Unit. You might be familiar with DO RIGHT!'s funky soul parties that happen every Saturday at Supermarket in Kensington.

The Souljazz Orchestra offer more of a Fela Kuti inspired sound, similar to Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. They can be seen live at the upcoming Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival on June 28th.

Basic Soul Unit, a.k.a. Stuart Li, is a super sweet guy who specializes in nu-jazz

house music. He recently DJ'ed at a fundraiser art party that I co-chaired. Below is a picture of him from the event, which was held at Charlie Pachter's Moose Factory.

Daily Haiku

soft round and chewy

spotted with chocolate chips

the perfect cookie

Hockey Heroes

In honour of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about one of my favourite hockey players, Mr. Gary Roberts. It was Robert's birthday several days ago and I think the perfect present would be if the Penguin's won the cup. Although Detroit has a one game advantage, Roberts has plenty of experience with playoff hockey. He's a veteran of the NHL, having played in the league for 19 years. He helped Calgary win the Stanley Cup in '89, back when current teammate, Sydney Crosby, was still wearing diapers. Roberts is the oldest player in the NHL to have scored multiple goals in a playoff game and I'd love to see him beat some more records while he's still playing hockey.

I am also biased towards the Penguins' winning due to my love for Super Mario, aka. Mr Lemieux (top picture). Ever since I stumbled upon his hockey card in 1991, back when I was an avid collector, I was slightly obsessed with this extremely talented hockey player from Montreal. It was no surprise to me that he chose to marry a woman named Natalie. I was also not surprised when he was diagnosed with cancer but continued to play hockey. Like Mr. Roberts, Super Mario has suffered many injuries and health related issues but still continued to try his hardest. He has always lived up to his name, which means "the best" in French and is an incredible role model to all athletes.

Let's go Penguins!

Daily Haiku

lying on the grass

listening to andy frost

a sunny sunday

French Tunes

I had the opportunity to check out French DJ's Omnikrom & Numero the other night who played at my favourite dancing playground, The Social. Omnikrom & Numero hail from my 2nd favourite Canadian city, Montreal, where I spent 4 very fun years of my life.

Omnikrom & Numero are both on the Saboteur label and appear on the 4th installment of the hyped Kitsune Maison Compilation series. Numero's sound is catchy electro pop, similar in my opinion to Yelle, the young Parisian belle, who looks like she came out of a hipster version of a Cindy Lauper music video. The above picture on the right was taken of Yelle at her show at Toronto's legendary Opera House in April.

The picture on the left is from last Thursday's show at the Social. To learn more about la belle province, be sure to check out the Omnikrom track "Danse La Poutine".

Daily Haiku

the hot homeless dude

has been on the streets too long

good looks replaced by anger