KONGOS @ Velvet Underground

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Last night I went to the Velvet Underground to see KONGOS. It was my first time at this venue, and it was a pretty good setup. The only thing needed for the venue considering it holds up to 500, was A/C. The club gets pretty warm, so keep this in mind for dress attire.

Ascot Royals opened for the band, and they had a good set. They were able to get the crowd ready and have a style classified as “dance rock.” Their style kind of reminds me of the Boys Like Girls, Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional genre. Good sounds to dance and be ridiculous to.

KONGOS went on after 10pm. They opened up with “Hey I Don’t Know” off of Lunatic which is one of my favourite songs! It was a good start to the show to get everyone headbanging. They continued with a few more tracks off of Lunatic, then started incorporating new music from their newest album Egomaniac.

Egomaniac has allowed the band to explore new sounds, which I’m glad they are doing. There are too many bands that once they have a successful single, they become narrowed in on that sound. It’s clear Egomaniac drifts away from “Come With Me Now.” The whole album is supposed to be a commentary of their success anyway! The strongest track from Egomaniac is their single “Take It From Me” which reflects on the band making leeway into the music scene, followed by “I Don’t Mind.”

“Autocorrect” is a social commentary on the future of society, and adds a bit of humour to the world of the digital. Whereas, “Underground” is just a good groove-to song. The album is definitely better live, so I would recommend catching a show with them!

Ending conclusions: I loved the take on “Come Together” with Moezart, he is a super talented rapper. And the encore from KONGOS was great, loved that they played tracks from their father, John Kongos.

Long-live small venues. It gives a more personal and intimate setting where you can actually see the band and feel the vibes! Great night, great music.

Mumford & Sons Johannesburg EP

Johannesburg EP came out June 17th, and it does not disappoint! There are five tracks that are all gold in their own ways. Johannesburg is a mini-album which collaborates with Baaba Maal, The Very Best, & Beatenberg. It was created in two days, and encapsulates Mumford & Sons’ time spent in South Africa.

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One reason I’m so drawn to Mumford & Sons is that they aren’t afraid to explore new sounds. (plus they are so humble to their fame, but— I’ll save for another time). Clearly, Johannesburg allows them to experiment with new “world sounds,” that us Westerners aren’t all too familiar with.

“There Will Be Time” was the first sneak peak to the album, followed by “Wona” which was released a few weeks before the album release date. “Wona” only has one awkward transition where Marcus Mumford takes over from Beatenberg near the beginning, but I’ll let it slide. All in all, both are great singles, and have great dancing beats.

“Fool You’ve Landed” has more layering of drums which I enjoy, while “Ngamila” experiments with layering of vocals. There is also a mixture of different tempos, which somehow works for both songs.

“Si Tu Veux” is the last track which gives me all the feels, because, it’s just so impactful? Hard to explain. Maybe because it translates to “If You Want,” who knows.

Now see all their cuteness in a live performance of “There Will Be Time.”

Cheers.

Want more Mumford & Sons news? Here’s my review of their 2015 concert on Niagara-on-the-Lake and review of Wilder Mind. Bonus analysis of “Snake Eyes.”

Wednesday Listens E28

Music is the one thing keeping me sane. It’s a very important aspect in my life, and apparently I have crafted a Wes Anderson style theme this week. Can he direct my life?

Father John Misty and “Real Love Baby” feels so good to listen to. There’s a nice relaxing tone to the piece, and the lyrics are also nice to sing along to. In a way, it is like “Here Comes the Sun,” somewhat up that alley? I think it’s because of the layering of guitar and vocal feedback.

Kaleo is just a good rock band to jam out to. They are in fact visiting Toronto the end of July, any takers for this concert? “No Good” is by far my fave track off of A/B. There’s a great guitar riff and the drumming is on point.

Came by this track off of Spotify, and I am so happy I did! Guitar is calming in this track along with the lyrics. His voice is oh so relaxing.

 

See what I’m listening to on Spotify.

Jojo Moyes “Me Before You”

Since my last few books have been rather – intense – I decided a chick lit read would be a good idea. Well. This book just broke my heart, so I don’t think that’s good.

Besides the heartbreaking feel, what a lovely read that messed with my feelings and thoughts. We should be living boldly, trying new things. Thank you Will Traynor for pushing us as readers to realize this.

Quotes I am quite fond of:

“The Thing about being catapulted into a whole new life – or at least, shoved up so hard against someone else’s life that you might as well have your face pressed against their window – is that it forces you to rethink your idea of who you are. Or how you might seem to other people.”

 

“But to live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle.”

Dean Koontz “Saint Odd”

My favourite series is complete, and I don’t know where I go from here. I absolutely love Odd Thomas as a character. He has wit, humour, emotion, and just a sense of realness.

Alas, it is time for me to say goodbye to Odd Thomas as his adventures are complete. The final book in the series is brilliant, and brings us back to the first book, finally sealing the horrors that we as readers witnessed in Odd Thomas.

There really is nothing else to say about this series, except that it is fantastic. I think this is Dean Koontz best series and his best character. Aside from maybe a few other novels (The Husband, Intensity and Velocity) Odd Thomas beats the rest.

The writing flows, is real, and is a page-turner. Just look at how long it took me to read Tick, Tock compared to Saint Odd, and you can see that you should pick this series up!

Follow my love of reading over at goodreads.

A Trip to the North: Yukon Bound

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I should not have gone to The Yukon, because now nothing will compare to the amazing surroundings I had for a week.

Initially, I was pretty ignorant in my perception of The Yukon; I thought it was going to be purely small independent stores, expensive to purchase anything, and just “alright we’re up North away from anything!” Oh how I was wrong.

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Whitehorse is so much different, I am thankful to have visited The Yukon for it has given me another perspective on life. In sum, the Whitehorse is just like any other city and includes many of the same amenities you will find in Toronto:

  1. There are franchises if you want to grab a quick Tim’s or Starbucks. However be sure to check out their cafes, as they are adorable!
  2. Prices were on par with Ontario prices (gas was even $104.9 when I arrived)
  3. There’s a nightlife if you want to hit the town
  4. Lots of amazing Museums and centres to check out, there are so many things to do that a week was not enough
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Miles Canyon, YT
Miles Canyon, YT
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Museums
20160502_122400Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre

Yukon Bergingia Interpretive Centre looks at the mass of land that covered between Russia and Yukon during prehistoric times. This land mass was used as a way for migration during the inter-glacial periods, and is speculated that prehistoric humans also used it as a route. The centre looks at these prehistoric times and explains in a hands-on fashion the migration patterns that would have occurred.

Oh, and woolly mammoths. Tons of woolly mammoths to see.

 

Yukon Transportation Centre

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Near the Beringia Centre is the Yukon Transportation Centre, which has an innovative layout full of vehicles that were used to transport people, items, and goods during the Gold Rush up to roughly WWII. I really liked the license plate display, as this is something unique to the Yukon. Earlier plates had a small dot of gold paint painted inside the miner’s dish (Alicia made sure I was informed the moment I landed in Whitehorse)!

MacBride Museum of Yukon History

One of my favourite museums, as their graphics and displays were well done. Whoever their graphic designer is, is definitely a keeper. As the name suggests, MacBride Museum looks at the History of Yukon documenting from the Gold Rush up to present times. There is a mixture of exhibits both inside and out which I find makes it unique! It was nice to see Sam McGee’s cabin, the different animals which can be found up North, artwork, as well as a set-up of artifacts from the gold rush to roughly WWII. This layout is pretty creative, as they have actually created realistic ‘rooms’ in which the items would have been found in.

Additionally, we were lucky enough to be visiting during the Jim Robb special exhibit, which included a mixture of his artwork as well as items he collected (predominately from Dawson City). This was my favourite exhibit as the display was put-together in such a creative and fun way.

Yukon Wildlife Preserve

20160506_161630Why not see animals in a way you know they are being treated fairly in! Some of the animals were unfortunately shy and did not come out (ahem, those moooooooose), while others were a-plenty (dem mountain goat were showing off their balancing skills).

Be sure to dress for a 5km walk/hike (I did not.)

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Yukon Brewing

20160508_025733Yukon Brewing is the main beer to be found in the Yukon, but there are still other beers that can be found both on tap and in bottles. I really enjoyed Yukon Brewing, they have some neat tasting beers, and I hope they find a way to start distributing in Ontario!

For those interested in the beer industry, they also offer daily tours inside their brewery. The tour was both informative and fun, as well as gave an insight to how their brewery strives to remain local and environmentally friendly.

At the end of the tour, you have the opportunity to sample a number of their beers (of course working your way from their lighter brews to the darker brews so that you can appreciate each one thoroughly) as well as sample their new vodka. My favourite still remains with Yukon Gold!

Related to Yukon Beer are of course the Bars… My ranking for the ones I got to visit are as follows:

The Dirty Northern Bastard (classier) // The Miner’s Daughter (connected to TDNB) // 202 (Pool tables available, somewhat of a dance floor ) // Lizards (larger space, dancing available) // 98 (Fiddling on Thursday)

Mini Roadtrippin’ Around Yukon

Haines Junction

Haines Junction is a village roughly 1h 40min from Whitehorse. It has a spectacle view of the mountains. This is really the only reason to drive out: for the sights.

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Dawson City

Dawson City is a must for The Yukon as it is the original capital. This is also where gold was first struck causing the Klondike Gold Rush. It’s hard to believe that at one time it was a booming city with a population of 40,000! Big difference to the current population of roughly 1400. Visiting Dawson City is surreal as it’s essentially what the wild-west would feel like in the 1890s (boardwalks and dirt included).

It was a neat experience to visit old buildings, stay in the “Aurora Inn” (if you plan on staying a night I highly recommend this inn!) and enjoy a relaxing walk around the town.

If you decide on visiting Dawson City, you must complete the “Sourtoe Cocktail” at the Downtown Hotel. The famous drink costs $5 for the toe, and roughly another $5 for you liquor (depending on your taste). I chose a classic shot of Yukon Jack for this.

“You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch the toe.”

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Yukon was by far the best decision I have made. I am glad I had the opportunity to visit this amazing place in Canada, as it has provided me with a new perspective: Strive for adventure. Experience everything. Take moments in. Be courageous.

Take a risk.

Orphan Black “Transgressive Border Crossing” Recap

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Fourth season of Orphan Black is still going strong with the second episode entitled “Transgressive Border Crossing.” After Mika warned Sarah that the neolutionists knew where Sarah was hiding, Sarah packs up the fam jam and heads home.

From there, the episode mainly focuses on Sarah continuing Beth’s investigation on the neolutionists, and exactly what they are doing with a) the clones b) those creepy bugs in people’s cheeks *by far the cringiest thing this episode.*

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We still get to see our favourite other clones and what they are up to. Alison very much wants to move on from the clone business, Cosima is taking treatment but looks far too ill, and Helena gets an ultrasound discovering that she will be having not one baby BUT identical twins. On top of our clones, we see our favourite apron-wearing, painting Felix who updates Sarah that he is looking for his biological family. This of course offends Sarah, as is symbolizes Felix is moving on from his foster family. Felix even makes the comment that they aren’t his family, it’s Sarah’s family.

On a personal note, fourth season of Orphan Black takes me back to fourth year and to my Risk Communications seminar. I had the luck of having my seminar on the subject of cloning, so naturally I used it as a way to bring Canadian Content to my peers. While Orphan Black is an extreme case of clones, cloning is still happening in our society today with projects in the development. For instance, scientists have the genome sequence for Neanderthals and are flirting with the idea of bringing a Neanderthal into existence. They also have DNA for the Woolly Mammoth. Just. Think. About. That.

Okay, enough nerd content for one day.

 

Dean Koontz “Tick Tock”

20160420_133439I have read a fair amount of Dean Koontz by now; he’s one of my favourite authors. Tick Tock is a short novel following a crazy night of events for Tommy Phan. Tommy Phan returns to his home one night, after turning down his mother’s invitation to eat a traditional Vietnamese dinner. Upon returning to his house, he finds a rag doll with black stitches for eyes and mouth, and an X over the heart; he brings the doll inside.

Tommy’s night from that point on changes as a terrifying entity emerges from the doll, determined to kill Tommy. Tommy has until dawn to survive. If he reaches dawn, the entity will disappear.

Unfortunately, the book was not my favourite Dean Koontz book. (Maybe I’m just too engrossed by Odd Thomas’ life to move on to other characters?) The ending was a tad anti-climatic, and to be honest, left me unsatisfied. Sure, it made sense, but I thought and was expecting more from Dean Koontz.

“Reality is perception. Perceptions change. Reality is fluid.” pg. 126

“Whatever you expect is what will be, so simply change your expectations.” pg. 176

“Because reality is what we carry in our hearts, and my heart is full of beauty just for you.” pg. 335

Follow my reading reviews over at goodreads.

Orphan Black “The Collapse of Nature” Recap

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Okay. Orphan Black season four premiered last night, and what a wild ride that episode was! It was a strong opening and I’m excited to see where it goes.

I enjoyed the opening because it takes the show back to the beginning of things, by providing us with Beth Childs’ perspective. Because the show way back when initially began with her suicide, we didn’t really know who as a person she was. Along these lines, it was the episode of characters past, as many who have been killed off, returned to provide us the back story of what led up to Beth Childs’ suicide.

The season premiere also introduced viewers to a new clone, Mika. Like all of the clones, we see Tatiana Maslany in a whole new light. Mika is extremely anxious, introverted, and cautious. Also, talk about that mask, freaks me right out and provides so much symbolism. A sheep mask? Get it, ’cause of clones. Clever. (Background, first clone was Dolly – a sheep)

From the first episode, season four is going to be great. It’s nice we get to see more background to neolution, and maybe this season we will have full answers as to why Project Leda & Project Castor were created.

Bill C-51: A Construction of Fear by Conservatives

Bill C-51: A Construction of Fear by Conservatives
Written for “Risk Communication” course in 2015
(Conservative Party were in power at time)

Individuals navigate their lives through a world saturated by constant streams of news, often provided with narrow perspectives. Recently, Canadians have been surrounded with information of possible terrorist threats put forth by their government through official statements, political ads, and petitions sent to them online and through mail. As a result of the lack of information provided with these larger concepts, Canadians become fearful of the possible risk of an attack on their own nation. It is clear that the Conservative Party is constructing this state of fear within the nation in order to condition Canadians to align themselves with agreeing with the passing of Bill C-51. As such, this paper will discuss three strategies the Conservatives are employing to gain the trust of Canadians. The first aspect deals with the persuasive language used in speeches and advertisements, as well as the interchangeable use of the words “ISIS” and “Islam,” making the link that there is a risk regarding this religion. Next, it is difficult for civilians to find unbiased information regarding Bill C-51, and often any information provided by the government is incomplete leaving much to individual interpretation. Finally, Conservatives tie the use of language and lack of information with powerful imagery in their advertisements which is problematic for it creates certain connotations sparking specific intended outlooks. In order for this paper to provide a fair account of the legislation of Bill C-51, the viewpoints of the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP will be consulted to ensure the three main parties are represented. Nevertheless, it is ultimately clear that the Conservatives are utilizing persuasive language, incomplete information, and imagery to sway Canadians with the implementation of Bill C-51.

Foremost, it is important to acknowledge that this paper does not condone the actions of terrorist groups, but rather it is how the current Government of Canada is handling the situation. Mark Konty, Blythe Duell and Jeff Joireman explain how governments use times of war to pass legislation that serve more interests than public safety alone. In most cases, “the threat is overstated” so that civilians feel that there is an immediate and impending risk on their nation (Konty 95). Using this fear, governments are able to gain the trust of the civilians in passing certain legislation. This has been observed both before and after 9/11, as outlined by Noam Chomsky who writes that the creation of fear will pass the legislation but in turn only supports a business-dominated consensus, not public safety (Chomsky 7). It is clear that with Bill C-51, Conservatives are hoping to achieve more than the “public safety” it states it is addressing. Bill C-51 will introduce preventive detention which could indicate aggressive interrogation, “a new information-sharing regime” which changes how information is internally shared between governmental bodies, speech rights will also be affected – such as the use of “terrorism” in one’s personal conversation could place them under inspection – as well as the ability to censor the internet (Forcese 2015). In sum, Bill C-51 offers more power to law enforcement which could alter the landscape of protests in Canada.

The construction of fear is most notable through persuasive language employed by the Conservatives. Persuasive language scares individuals because it does not provide a complete picture when words such as “ISIS,” “Islam” and “niqab” are casually said in speeches. It is clear that the words are overused and are generally said interchangeably which is the main problem. This is first seen on the Conservatives website in a post written by Steven Blaney. The blogpost titled “Protecting Canadians from Terrorist Threats” is superimposed on an image of what appears to be terrorists holding AK47s into the air. Blaney’s article features many carefully chosen words creating the illusion that Canadians are under immediate suspected attack. For example, Blaney opens up his post with the phrase “the world is a dangerous place, and Canada is not immune to the global threat of terrorism” (Blaney 2015). This sets a certain tone for the remainder of the article, convincing the reader that Canada is under immediate danger and that everyone should be aware of this “potential risk.” It is what George Gerbner explains as the “mean world syndrome” (Dyson 2011). If talk of potential terrorist attacks are repeated endlessly, civilians will be convinced it is a great concern. Blaney continues to write: “Jihadist extremists are targeting Canada because of what we stand for. We are known around the world as a beacon of peace, democracy, and individual freedom. That stands in stark contrast to the totalitarian regime they seek to impose across the globe. We will never sacrifice those rights and freedoms that define us in our quest to improve public safety” (Blaney 2015). It is not accidental Blaney uses “targeting,” “beacon,” “stark contrast,” or “impose” in his write up. These words carry the connotation that terrorist groups are a risk to Canada because they do not agree with how Canada is run; it is something they wish to destroy. Blaney offers the solution of agreeing with the implementation of Bill C-51 and how this will only strengthen Canada’s chances against a terrorist attack. Continue reading →