Archive for February 24, 2011

| February 24, 2011
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Is the Danforth Still the Home of Toronto’s Best Affordable Bikes?

For two decades, Cyclemania has been the go-to shop for the $300 urban bike. Can the market support two recent organizations that make similar products?

Cyclemania

Cyclemania has been located on the Danforth for 17 years and follows an uncommon business model: owner Lubo Hoferica designs many of his low-end bikes himself. It’s common for boutique shops to help riders pick all the parts for their bikes, but their customers are willing to spend thousands of dollars.

Hoferica instead imports frames from Europe or Taiwan and then builds up Cyclemania-brand bikes with parts he has selected. These bikes mainly fall within the $300-500 range.  But Cyclemania is no longer alone in designing affordable bikes for Toronto’s specific cycling environment of snow, salt, and streetcar tracks.

Beater Bikes

One potential rival, Beater Bikes, started in late 2009. Owner David Chant also runs an art gallery and commercial production company located at College and Spadina.

In Beater’s first production run, which has now sold out, the company offered only one model. The $300 bikes, inspired by the 50-year-old roadsters Chant sees still being ridden around Toronto, were manufactured in China and assembled in Bulgaria.

Hoferica has fixed a couple of Beaters. The bike is “well built even if it doesn’t cost a lot of money, ” he says.

Bike Sauce

The nonprofit co-op Bike Sauce, which opened in April 2010 at Queen East and Broadview, also sells refurbished, volunteer-built bikes in the under-$300 range.

At Bike Sauce, however, no two bikes are the same. Their prices start at $40. “And I don’t think we’ve ever sold anything over $300,” says co-founder Anibal Davila.

Bike Sauce also sells project bikes from $20, where volunteers provide customers with parts, tools and instruction.

Indeed, although Bike Sauce sells every bike they put together, “selling refurbished bikes is not our mission. It’s how we sustain  it,” says Davila. “Our mission is to provide DIY space.”

Canadian Tire and Walmart

Canadian Tire and Walmart sell what Chant calls “fashion bikes,” which are priced similarly to Cyclemania and Beater bikes but are equipped with flashy components to make them look more expensive. Prioritizing flash leaves less money for simple, high-quality parts where they are needed.

“If [chain stores] directed their energies into the same price point but making their bikes practical, they’d be unstoppable,” Chant says. “Are we stealing customers from Walmart? I hope so.”

“I think there’s tons of room until we can drive Canadian Tire out of business,” Davila affirms.

The Bike Market

There’s room in the market for Cyclemania, Beater, and Bike Sauce, all the founders say.

Beater is a “competitor in that [one] model, but it’s only one bike,” Hoferica says.

“Local bike stores are just that, local,” Chant says. “The competition is good and there’s room for more.”

Ultimately, the city can support all three organizations because they focus on different markets. Cyclemania is a full-service bike store that sells many different models with their own brand, Bike Sauce is a co-op that sells used bikes, and Beater is a manufacturer.

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| February 24, 2011
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Danforth Schools Coming Up Short

For years, high schools in the Danforth area have been suffering from a reputation for inadequacy.

“Our teachers used to joke with us,” says Kate Doyle, a former student from the Beaches, “Don’t be stupid or you’ll get sent to Danforth Tech. Or Monarch Park, that one was bad too.”

Statements like this are common, and while it seems unfair to discount a school on the basis of hearsay, one has to wonder if there is any truth to the jokes and gossip. As it turns out, it depends who you ask.

Report Card Blues

Each year the Fraser Institute publishes its Ontario Secondary Schools Report Card. An assessment of Ontario high schools, the Report Card uses the average scores from the grade nine province-wide math examination and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) to rank schools across the province out of ten. For the past five years, the Report Card has shown Danforth schools coming up short.

Eastern Commerce fared the worst of the schools near the Danforth with an overall score of 0.6 out of 10. This score is alarming, but can be better understood when you consider the situation of many students who attend Eastern Commerce.

“[It’s] a school that kids come to from far and wide because they want to or they have to,” says Eastern Commerce principal Sam Miceli, “It’s probably the third, fourth, fifth school for some kids because they are no longer welcome in their home schools. We get a lot of students with gaps in their learning.” Despite these obstacles, Eastern Commerce is determined to find success for its students.

Sleep Deprived Students

Research has shown that students need more sleep during adolescence than at any other point, yet few are actually getting it due to the irregular secretion of melatonin (a sleep-regulating hormone) in the bodies of teenagers. While melatonin is usually released early in the evening in the average adult body, during adolescence it is secreted around 11 p.m.

This means that teens are incapable of falling asleep until late at night and, because they must rise early for school, they are forced to wake up before their bodies have rested.

Principal Miceli recognizes the effect this can have on a student’s academic success. “If you’re staying up late, you’re groggy. You’re dealing with traffic, [then] you’re late and you know you might get hassled [for it]. Why not just cut class? Or if they come to class, their heads are on the table. They’re dormant,” he says.

Start Late, Get Ahead

In an effort to combat sleep deprivation, Eastern Commerce introduced a late start program—whereby school starts an hour later so that students arrive rested and ready to learn. A year after the program was initiated, Miceli saw dramatic results. “We purposely kept grade 11 college math in the first period,” he says. “The year before the late start the pass rate was 17 per cent. The first year after the pilot—the same teacher, the same resources, same method— it rose to 55 per cent.” It is still a low percentage, but it’s an impressive jump to be seen over the course of just one year.

Eastern Commerce may still have a long way to come, but it is showing progress, and perhaps more importantly, a vested interest in the success of its students—a characteristic that the Report fails to include, but which is undoubtedly an indicator of a good school.

Stay tuned next week for part two of Making the Grade, in which Christina Pugliese takes a closer look at Danforth Collegiate.

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| February 24, 2011
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5 Tips For Your First Cruise

Laura Foster PhotographyIf you’re going on your first cruise, here are some helpful tips to make your vacation smooth sailing.

1) Do your research.

With the idea of what type of vacation experience you want in mind, look on different cruise line websites to find the cruise line that’s right for you. Look at the different services each particular cruise ship offers to get a better of idea of what will be available to you while you’re at sea.

Knowing whether or not your cruise ship has a self-serve Laundromat, for example, will help you begin to plan for your vacation properly. Youtube is also another helpful resource if you want to get a better idea of what a particular cruise ship looks like.

Don’t forget to look up the customs of each country your cruise will visit. In some cases you may have to get your passport stamped in order to enter certain countries once your ship arrives. For other countries where this is not necessary, be sure to take a photocopy of your passport as ID, leaving your original passport in your stateroom safe.

2) Plan ahead.

Most cruise lines offer passengers the ability to book spa appointments and shore excursions in advance (often up to 120 days prior to the vacation sail date). By booking in advance, you have a better chance at getting the shore excursions you want (swimming with the dolphins often sells out fast!), plus you make it easier for you to get an idea of what to pack (if you need particular clothing items in order to participate in a shore excursion).

Some passengers are unaware that when booking a cruise you can request a reserved dinner table, rather than being placed at a table with strangers. This can also be booked ahead of time, and it will give you a better chance of getting a reserved dinner table to yourself.

3) Pack light.

Cruises are great in the fact that you get to travel to different islands and countries while still having the same room, and thus you don’t have to live out of a suit case. However, staterooms are smaller than most hotel rooms, and therefore have less storage space. Packing clothes that you mix and match throughout your trip will help cut down on the amount of clothes you have to store in your room.

The rule of thumb for the amount of formal nights on a cruise often depends on the number of nights at sea (minus the last night before disembarkment). Make sure to check with your travel agent or the cruise line to verify how many nights there are on your vacation, and what the dress code is like.

Also, if you’re flying to the port of embarkment, your best bet is to leave toiletries at home. While cruise ships have these essentials for sale in their shops, they are often slightly more expensive. If you can purchase them on shore before boarding the ship, try to get travel-size versions.

4) Avoid Seasickness.

While today’s ships are more stabilized than they were a few decades ago, it is still important to keep in mind that you are walking on water. The best way to keep from falling over when the ship is moving is to tread the ship like a giant surf board.

When moving around the ship, keep your feet a foot or two away from each other, and bend with your knees. And if you feel the need to use the handrails provided throughout the ship, do so!

Since there is constant motion while you’re at sea, some passengers tend to be prone to sea sickness more than others. Before you leave on vacation, stop by your local drug store to grab a pair of seasick bracelets. They have tiny plastic balls that put slight pressure on the inside of your wrist.

Also, keep apples on hand in your stateroom. Pectin in apples is known to help aid stomach upsets. Make sure to get fresh air (if you have a balcony, keep it slightly ajar), and if your seasickness gets worse, ask your stateroom attendant for seasick pills. The ones the cruise lines carry are often stronger than the drug store versions you can buy at home (even the crew get seasick from time to time).

5) Plan a budget.

Your bill can add up quickly. To avoid a surprise at the end of your vacation (and to avoid the long lineups at the front desk on your last day) make sure to check your bill a couple of days prior to your last night on the ship incase there are any discrepancies.

Set aside enough cash for spending on shore excursions, at the ship’s stores, and at the casino. Don’t forget to leave enough money for gratuities. The cruise line you go with may add gratuities to your bill per day for your stateroom attendant and the servers at the main dining room, so be sure to check if this has been done so you don’t end up with less than what you originally planned to spend by tipping twice.

There are several travel agencies on the Danforth, and by speaking to a travel agent you will get information directly from an expert that can give you advice on planning the perfect vacation. Happy sailing!

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| February 24, 2011
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How To Make It As A Musician In Toronto

Not every performer will have international fame, a large fortune, and screaming fans, but becoming a musician can be a viable career if you truly love music.

Being passionate about performing helps Andrew Fetterley and Lori Nuic overcome the difficulties abounding the music industry.  With digital file sharing and online piracy, even Toronto’s live music scene shows a decrease in audience-interest.

Getting enough gigs to pay the bills can be difficult, but nothing will stop these two local musicians from keeping music at the centre of their lives… That is why Andrew and Lori became “The Late Show”.

A Duo is Born

The Toronto music scene is a fairly close-knit group and many performers occasionally work together, sharing their talents and expertise. Andrew and Lori met during a writing session with indie singer Daphne Darling, and the pair decided to team up in order to make extra money by playing cover songs in bars and cafes while furthering their individual musical careers.

Andrew’s Aspirations

Turning his passion into the perfect profession, Andrew not only performs as The Late Show, but also plays his original work at Toronto events like the Taste of the Danforth and Waterfront Blues Festival.

Best of all, Andrew started 7 South Productions, a company that provides private music lessons for aspiring musicians and a small studio in which established artists can record their music.

Lately, Andrew is interested in creating music for television and film soundtracks; a path he believes is filled with opportunities.

The Lowdown on Lori

Lori’s musical inclination is not quite as business-oriented as Andrew’s; she chose to focus solely on being a performer.

Like most up-and-coming musicians, Lori started performing at open mic nights and live music venues which allowed her to gain experience and make contacts.

It wasn’t long before Lori was winning The Honey Jam music showcase and Rhythm of the Future Talent Search, making her name known among those in the music industry.

It was at such an event that Lori met one of Toronto’s own artist/producers, Saukrates, who helped co-write a few songs for Lori’s debut CD Red Book Chronicles. Lori also sings with a five-piece funk band and a big-band jazz artist, all while recording her next album.

 

Get ‘em to the Danforth

The Late Show often performs around Toronto at venues like Honey’s Beestro or Cam’s Place, but the duo rarely takes the stage on the Danforth. Instead of asking Andrew and Lori why they never perform here, ask your favourite hangout to give them a shot or hire them for your next party!

How To Be A Rockstar

Andrew and Lori perform worldwide and here’s what they say you can do to get started in the music bizz.

1. Listen – Not just to your favourite genre, but to all types of music as every style has something you can learn from and appreciate.

2. Learn – Take a class to learn how to play the instrument of your choice or vocals to improve your singing ability.

3. Watch – Attend places hosting live music nights, and pay attention to how the performer plays the crowd.

4. Perform – Go to open mic nights as it’s one of the best ways to get experience and get your name out there.

5. Network – Live music nights and open mic nights are a great opportunity to make connections. Also, having an agent will help tremendously.

 

Photography thanks to Caroline Verbridge.

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| February 20, 2011
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Get Me to the Greek Bakery – Review of Athens Pastries Pies

If you’re looking for an authentic taste of Greek pastries in Toronto, then look no further: Athens Pastries Pies, set in the heart of Greektown, supplies traditional Greek dishes to residents and visitors of the Danforth and surrounding neighbourhoods. As long-time staff member Nina Koumarianos says, “Come enjoy food from Greek culture.”

The Atmosphere

Although narrow in dimension like almost every other bakery, certain aspects of Athens Pastries Pies set it apart. For instance, it provides both indoor and outdoor seating, and its open counter space allows customers to watch as staff members prepare their pastries right before their eyes.

The distinguishing Mediterranean décor that graces the walls and ceiling suits the establishment perfectly in its simple but elegant designs of vibrant blues, greens, browns, oranges, and reds; it all flows together, creating a very soothing environment. Lively Mediterranean music plays softly in the background, discernable but not overwhelming, which allows for easy conversation if you’re dining with friends or a peaceful respite if dining alone.

While Athens Pastries Pies has a mostly Greek clientele, it nonetheless seems like a popular place for couples, families, and students of all kinds to come and unwind for a while. Staff members always provide fast, friendly, and informative service, making the customer feel welcome for however long they want to stay.

The Menu

While the menu at Athens Pastries Pies is limited to only a few items, it encompasses some of the most popular and traditional Greek foods.

Their Entrées include their well-known spinach, cheese, and meat pies decently priced at $3.20 each and a cheese pocket – precisely what it sounds like – for $2.65. The pies are the perfect combination of warm, flakey pastry and moist, flavourful filling.

For dessert, you can try the custard pie at $3.20 a slice or their most popular item, honey dough balls, which sell at $3.00 a dozen. Dipped in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon, these spongy doughnut-like pastries are simply scrumptious – not to mention a popular choice at Taste of the Danforth. The bakery’s signature phyllo pastry dough is available for customers to buy, and Nina proudly maintains that “our products are made every hour, so they’re always guaranteed fresh.”

Athens Pastries Pies also offers a variety of different coffees, making it a distinctive combination of bakery and café. If you’re not into coffee, then the menu also includes soft drinks, hot chocolate, beer, and wine.

The Details

Athens Pastries Pies is located at 509 Danforth Avenue, where TTC commuters have easy access to nearby subway stations at both Chester and Pape Avenues while drivers can simply park out front. Customers are welcome to dine in or get their Greek to go, but payment is cash only. Doors open from 9 am to 11 pm Sunday through Thursday and from 9 am to midnight Friday through Saturday.

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| February 17, 2011
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Behind The Scenes: Cover Shoot For OTD’s Summer Issue

Here is another sneak peek behind the scenes of On The Danforth Magazine. We channeled the surf spirit and brought a little summer into our cover photoshoot.

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| February 17, 2011
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Make the Most of Family Day With These 5 Activities

Family Swim

Family Day is celebrating its fourth anniversary this year, and although we all enjoy a long weekend, there are still many of us who haven’t quite figured out how to celebrate the occasion.

This year, why not approach the day in the spirit it was intended by spending that free time bonding with the people that matter most in your life?

We’ve given you a head start by providing a few unique ideas for how to have fun with your family this February 21st – or any other day of the year, for that matter!

Spend Time with Grandparents

Family day isn’t just about the immediate family. How about a trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s place? Find ways to get the kids excited about the visit by planning an activity so that they don’t end up snoozing while the adults chat. Suggest they bring their favourite book and have them read it with their grandparents. Or, get the entire family involved in an arts & crafts project – try making a modern day quilt, no sewing required! Have each person draw on their own square piece of paper, then tape them all together once everyone’s done to create a fun and memorable addition to your fridge.

Make a Splash

The weather is slowly getting warmer, but you still won’t be wearing shorts anytime soon. That doesn’t mean you can’t go for a swim though! The East York Community Centre is opening up their indoor pool facilities from 2-5PM on February 21 for a special Family Day Leisure Swim. Pack your towels and swimsuits and head down to 1081 ½ Pape Avenue.

Help Another Family

This Family Day, consider donating to a family in need. Though there are limited volunteer options for young children, FamilyCares is an organization with great ideas for teaching kids about giving to the less fortunate. Try making a Charity Chest by following their easy steps below, and visit the FamilyCares website for more fun projects that will help the needy and involve the whole family.

(1) Find a box that will fit in the corner of your kitchen

(2) With your kids, decorate the box however you wish. The more creative, the better!

(3) Whenever a family member feels inspired to contribute something they can place it in the box. Canned food, used clothing that is in good condition, toys, and books are all great ideas.

(4) Hold monthly meetings to decide where your family wants to contribute the items.

Bring Back Family Game Night

We could all use a break from computers, game consoles, and television sets. Turn all those gadgets off, grab some chips or popcorn, and bring out the board games! You’ll be surprised how much fun you can have. Pictionary, Clue, Snakes & Ladders, Candy Land, The Game of Life, Jenga, and Twister are usually crowd pleasers for a variety of ages.

Cook Together

Involving kids in the making of a meal – from planning the menu to shopping and preparing the food – can be a great learning experience. It can also take some of the pressure off Mom and Dad for a change!

Doug DiPasquale, a nutritionist at the Big Carrot, recommends one-pot meals, which are easy to make with children of any age. They also allow you to take advantage of the few local produce options that can be found on the shelves this time of year, such as root vegetables. “Something like sweet potatoes are great in a stew,” says DiPasquale.

Try this recipe for Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew.

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| February 17, 2011
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4 Musical Acts You Can Find On The Danforth

David Celia

by Jordon Knoll and Maya Bajic

Wondering what the Danforth music scene can offer you? It turns out, plenty. From singer-songwriter, to smooth jazz and pop, there truly is something for everyone.

Jazz Response Unit

A frequent performer at Danforth’s The Only Café, Jazz Response Unit play a light-hearted and accessible form of smooth jazz.

This trio consists of a skilled pianist, bass player, and guitarist. Each player grooves and jives off the others well, creating an accessible yet nuanced sound, well within established genre norms.

The perfect complement to a relaxed night out, Jazz Response Unit will be performing February 16 and 23 at The Only Café.

Janet Whiteway

Drawing influence from the likes of Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and Rufus Wainwright, Janet Whiteway’s sonic palette is an eclectic mix of styles from folk to pop to jazz. Uplifting and optimistic in tone, Janet Whiteway’s music could perhaps be best described as hopeful.

Well known to the Danforth community for her frequent performances, Whiteway and her band recently released their debut album Pure Sunshine. Look for her at The Only Café February 22.

David Celia

“Well, I never really thought I’d write a country song/Sing it with an accent and a Southern drawl/I was born in the ‘burbs and started on Judas Priest.” So goes the first verse of David Celia’s “I’m Not Texan” from his latest album I Tried. Equal parts parody and pastiche, Celia’s sound recalls Neil Young and The Beatles while also putting a sardonic twist on the folk-comedy form made popular by The Flight of the Conchords.

His latest music video for “Evidently True” is a case in point:  featuring Celia playing an empty venue with a lone corpse serving as his backup band. Toronto born and based, David Celia can be seen at the Dora Keogh on the Danforth February 16 as well as at the Winterfolk Festival on February 18.

Kathleen Gorman

Pianist-Vocalist-Composer Kathleen Gorman treads the fine line between jazz-indulgence and pop-accessibility. Adeptly maneuvering from the cool sensibility of the light jam evidenced in “Rialto”, to the boldly expressive pop-piano ballad of “The River is Wide”, Gorman is a rising talent.

Coming off the 2009 release of the self-produced debut album “Brand New Day”, Kathleen Gorman is in the midst of recording the much-anticipated follow-up. But she can’t spend all of her time in the studio, look for her upcoming performance at the Ten Feet Tall Bistro on the Danforth on February 19 at 8:30.

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| February 17, 2011
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How Does The Big Carrot Keep Their Business Fresh?

Almost everyone in the Danforth area has been to, or at least knows about, The Big Carrot.  But did you know that the store began as a worker-owned co-operative with only nine members?  The store has continually grown over 27 years and still maintains their aim to teach customers how to lead a healthy lifestyle.

But with organic foods readily available in big-box grocery stores and a healthy lifestyle being preached from every outlet, what has The Big Carrot done to keep itself above the competition?

Community First

One of the most important factors in its success is the This Big Carrot’s dedication to the community.  As a general rule, co-ops abide by a set of principles created to ensure that the community benefits from its operation. One of the founding members of The Big Carrot, Daiva, emphasizes that “the people in our community build us to the successful business we are today, and we share a percentage of our profits back to the community.”

The Big Carrot allows everyone in the community to shop at their stores, so any shopper – first-time or long-term – can feel comfortable in the fact that some of the money they are spending is being fed to people and organizations in need.  To contrast, Karma Co-op, another co-op grocer near Bloor and Bathurst, only allows members to shop at the store.  They require membership fees on top of the price of products, which can turn some first-timers off of shopping there.

The list of organizations and programs that receive part of the store’s profit is long and includes initiatives like Foodshare, Woodgreen Community Services, and Meals on Wheels; but the list also includes organizations outside of the community like the Everdale Organic Farmers Internship Program. The percentage of profits given to the community has remained the same over 27 years. “From day one we have been able to donate back to the community, albeit in a limited way,” Daiva explains, “like donating a dozen bagels or a bushel of apples back then.”

Product Variety Expansion

Community involvement, though, may not always be first on shoppers’ minds when they decide to go to The Big Carrot.  Though the store began selling organic, healthy food, they have since expanded the amount and type of products that they offer.  Lynise Reedy, a customer, confesses she has often come out of the store with products she had not originally planned to buy.  “I’ve come home with breads, meats, and presents for my family – yoga stuff, Pilates videos, and beeswax products,” she said.

The store carries a multitude of products to help you live a healthy lifestyle, ranging from organic produce to health supplements and body-care products.   “I also went there specifically to buy chemical-free suntan lotion,” Lynise added, “when we thought my son Everett was maybe allergic to regular lotion.”

An extensive array of products is part of what keeps customers coming back to The Big Carrot, according to a fairly new customer, Laura Shaw.  “Offering such an array of organic and vegetarian options allows people to get everything they need in one spot.”

Shoppers at The Big Carrot can have faith that when they support The Big Carrot they are supporting their community, and the store also allows them to feel like they are a part of the Danforth neighbourhood as well as a collective of shoppers.  Lynise may have explained it best by saying, “I remember walking down to the Big Carrot with Everett when he was three weeks old.  I felt proud he was in a sling and I was all strollerless and living the ‘attached parenting’ lifestyle, which really reflects the earthy holistic feel of the Big Carrot.  I felt like I fit in.”

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| February 17, 2011
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Review: Kylesa Live at the Wreck Room

Laura Pleasants of Kylesa. Photo courtesy of alterna2 (flickr).

The Rodney Dangerfield of music, metal gets little respect from the mainstream and music enthusiasts alike. The 80s are mostly to blame; metal took a sharp turn into the absurd by combining the over-the-top theatrics of classic bands with the pummeling aggression of the then-burgeoning hardcore scene.

The result is now what the genre is notoriously known for: from the much-maligned guttural vocals of death metal to the lo-fi Satanism of Norway, metal is an easy target for mockery and, consequently, ironic kitsch. Given this cultural milieu, it is almost always surprising to see a band with metal roots break the mould and attract a following beyond the pits of the dedicated horde.

Savannah, Georgia-based Kylesa are one such rare act. Hipster tastemaker Pitchfork has called them “pretty irrefutable truth that metal’s still the best place to find rock that actually rocks”– high praise from a publication that routinely disses music with D-tuned guitars while lauding the latest Drake single.

The acclaim should come as no surprise considering the success of other Southern sludge bands Mastodon and Baroness in the last 5 years; it seems only right that Kylesa have come into their own. Their psych-metal with a southern crunch sound may not be wholly unique, but the infectious songwriting and organic sound translates well to the live environment.

Band leaders Philip Cope and Laura Pleasants share singing and guitar duties and each provides a counterpoint to the other. Pleasants’ graceful guitar technique coalesces with Cope’s down-picking assault in a way similar to how the scraggly bellowing of Cope complements Pleasants shallow, atonal croon.

The rhythmic emphasis of the band is buttressed by a dual drummer setup that syncopates with Cope and Pleasant’s inventive guitar lines. The net effect is a dreary atmospheric rock that commands the venue. From the headbang-friendly “Tired Climb” to the melodic alt-rock anthem of “Don’t Look Back”, Kylesa’s scope is accompanied by a second-to-none execution. Chaotic, without sacrificing accessibility or atmosphere, Kylesa’s live sound is as precise and punchy.

For a band of such breadth, it was disappointing to see the venue choice fail to meet expectations—the small corner stage of the Wreck Room is no place for bands with huge sounds. Despite this sub par setup, the atmosphere of the club was electric. Pyrotechnics may have been lacking, but the sound was nothing short of explosive.

Sample some tracks on their myspace, and then head to your favourite Danforth-area music store to pick up Kylesa’s latest albums Spiral Shadow and Static Tensions.

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