A little bit of flair, a healthy dose of charity and a lot of sultry leg for good measure... yes, it's that time of the year again. Phassion is back, baby.
Calexico rock Cabaret to delight of booty shakers and scene makers
Some people dance, and some people shuffle. Whichever is your preference, most would agree that there is a healthy amount of redeeming value to moving your butt. The dudes (more appropriate than calling them guys, you'll see) of Calexico brought the sounds of samba and mariachi all mixed together with a scent of spaghetti western-themed songs and a flavour of indie rock to the Cabaret Music Hall last Thursday night in their quest to rock the dance floor.
DJ duo Röyksopp on chill-out, sex and "The Power of the Saxophone"
Having myths dispelled is always an interesting experience and, upon entering the backstage area of Club Soda to interview Röyksopp I was slightly disappointed by the sheer normalness of my surroundings. A simple bar fridge (with no beer!), leather couch (hmmmm...) and a well-used kitchenette that's not out of place in even the dreariest of office hells.
The 75th Academy Awards ceremony was laden with political messages Sunday night, as several influential film stars made their opinions on the US-led war against Iraq known to a global television audience. "To all of our men and women overseas, Godspeed and let's get you home soon," said Academy President Frank Pierceson.
Men With Brooms producer discusses Canadian film industry
Canadian film producer Robert Lantos was the main attraction of the Canadian Studies Association of Undergraduate Students' third annual McGill Film Festival, held March 12 to 14. Lantos, who founded Serendipity Point Films, addressed the audience last Friday night following the screening of Men With Brooms.
One of the latest trends to hit McGill is that of spoken word poetry, and it's not just for Beatniks. Heidi Rosbe and Kara Melmed created the McGill Poetry Club this year. It meets every other Tuesday in the new English lounge, Arts Basement B-20. After numerous meetings, in which students could share their poetry and participate in creative exercises, the Poetry Club began hosting poetry slams.
Tell me about... Record Collector Scum
The records sought by the fanatical record collector have become a genre unto themselves. This is beyond your regular Beatles fanatic or Elvis paraphernalia collector. These are purveyors of the much talked-about, but seldom-heard records of legendary proportions.
Former punk icon moves on to spoken word
"I am your anger manager," exclaimed 42-year-old punk rock legend Henry Rollins in front of a packed audience at the Olympia Theatre last Wednesday. Coming from a man who once fronted the infamous Black Flag, whose destructive live shows frequently ended in confrontations with the police, the combination might seem odd.
Improvisational Organ League puts the competition back in music
A number of sports and musical events could use minor improvements to make them more exciting; some have responded to this need. Drugs are a controversial, yet entertaining example. Sammy Sosa is partially responsible for the subtle upsurge in baseball's popularity.
Alt. country demystified
'Country', in the world of mainstream music thought, has always been something of a dirty word. For most people, it evokes images of Garth Brooks in red shirts, cowboy hat and jeans five sizes too small. Maybe Travis Tritt and his famous mullet? People get entirely caught up in the 'new' country and forget the vast rich history that country music has to offer.
Main Street's day on Mean Street
I am not mean! I'm just misunderstood. It's like that episode of Making the Band in which Ashley, Trevor and Eric formed a circle around Dan and chanted, "Dan is irresponsible, Dan is so mean," and then Dan turned to face the cameras and said, "I'm not fucking mean, okay?!" (Of course, ABC could not air that expletive during its primetime Friday-night timeslot, so Dan's remark came out more like, "I'm not (awkward silence) mean, okay?!") As if precocious TGIF viewers wouldn't understand what he was saying! Ah, O-Town... from Making the Band to Behind the Music in less than a year.
After a long night of studying, you are walking home from the library. It's cold. As you make your way towards the Roddick Gates, you cross not a soul. The fog enveloping you is so thick that you have trouble seeing any distinctive shapes beyond a couple of feet.