Whether you’re young or old, fan or not, every one has heard of Potted Potter — the show that promises to condense all seven Harry Potter books into 70 hilarious minutes. I’ll admit, I was very apprehensive about how I would like the show. After watching it I can say that as a die-hard Potter fan, I was shocked. As a person with a sense of humour, I was slipping out of my seat, wiping away tears of laughter.
Poets take the stage at a Toronto Poetry Slam event last year; photos by Emily Muir
Dinner and a movie are standard in the dating game. It can get old quickly, not to mention it doesn’t come cheap. That’s why each week, we offer creative date ideas on a budget, so you can keep it fresh and save a few dollars along the way. Read more
How far back can you trace a band’s unique sound? For Donlands + Mortimer, keyboardist Johnny Spence locates them in a cassette tape he recorded with his fifth grade piano teacher: “There’s one song where I’m smashing the synth, playing whatever, and he’s beatboxing, and I’m burping the alphabet. And there’s another song where I’m just going ‘Halloween! Halloween!’ and there’s like freaky synths in the background.”
“It’s pretty much the prequel to Donlands + Mortimer,” surmises trombonist Ewan Kay.
While it would definitely be a stretch to locate any of these precise elements in Donlands + Mortimer’s music, there is an eclecticism that comes from this recognition of the sonic possibilities that can exist within a song, beyond its chords and melody. Kay, Spence, guitarist and vocalist Carmen Elle, drummer and vocalist Steven Foster, bassist Ben Harney, and saxophonist Edwin Sheard play ambitious, well-crafted tunes in which their melodies hint at folk-rock; however, the rhythmic sophistication underlying their songs and the horn arrangements which deepen them point further out to jazz and post-rock.
This expansive sound had a smaller origin: the band was started by Foster and Spence while still in high school, with the name being taken from the location of Foster’s home, where their first demos were recorded. “Our first big band fight was over who gets to be Donlands and who gets to be Mortimer,” Spence recalls.
With the band’s lineup soon widening in late 2006, more voices and influences were added to the band’s sonic palette — five of the six band members have contributed songs. “The thing is, with us, every single idea pretty much gets entertained,” explains Elle, “so it takes a while to reach the conclusion of the song even when it’s an easy arrangement.”
This commitment to a democratic writing and arranging process shows on their new single “What You Offer” — the band’s first since their EP Scylla in 2009, released digitally on January 24 and set for a limited-edition 7” release soon. On the track, Elle’s clear voice carries the melody before giving way to nervy, scratchy guitar and frantic drums, punctuated by staccato breaks. The B-side, “One Eye,” features shared vocals from Foster and Elle, and a beautiful harmonic horn arrangement.
The single precedes the band’s debut LP, New Mythology, which is due out this spring. Recording sessions took place over three consecutive weeks last June at the aptly-named Barn Window Studio in West Lincoln. “We just lived there, and we slept there, and basically recorded every day for about six hours,” Foster recalls.
The band’s sequestering was a unique experience, and testifies to how serious they take their careers as musicians. “Even bigger bands — obviously they record for longer than a three-week period, but not all at once,” Spence says. “So you got a bit of cabin fever, and I think that comes across a bit on the album.”
The musical tension that came out of this session did not translate into tension within the band, however — in fact, very much the opposite is true. “[One] way that our music has kind of become more cohesive in the past couple years is because we all started becoming more serious friends with each other,” explains Harney, “which is not necessarily the same in most bands.”
“That was part of the reasoning behind waiting so long before doing our first full-length,” confirms Spence. “We were aware of the fact that we were growing as people, and growing as a band, and getting more cohesive… And it’s been great to be in a band [where] none of us were really in a rush to get really famous, you know? The music really kind of came first. So it wasn’t like, ‘We’ve got to make our first full-length now, because we’ve got to ride that wave.’ It was more like, ‘Let’s wait,’ and now it feels like the right time.”
Follow Donlands + Mortimer on Twitter (@D_and_M) and Facebook for show dates and other information. The “What You Offer” single is available as a free digital download at donlandsandmortimer.bandcamp.com.
It’s St. Patrick’s Day and what better way to celebrate than indulging in some of the greatest films of all time? Here is our list of top 20 Irish films. No matter what your preference, there’s a film here for you!
#20 Patrick (TV 2004) 
Narrated by the fabulous Liam Neeson and Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt, Patrick is one of the best documentaries about St. Patrick — today’s namesake.
#19 Angela’s Ashes (1999) 
Based on the bestselling autobiography by Frank McCourt, and starring Emily Watson, this film provides an insightful look into life for Ireland’s working class in the 1930’s and 40’s.
#18 In the Name of the Father (1993) 
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite, this film tells the story of the Guildford Four and their wrongful imprisonment in the 1970’s.
#17 Leap Year (2010) 
Leap Year stars Amy Adams as an American who travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend because a man proposed to on a Leap Day must accept it.
#16 Dancing at Lughnasa (1998) 
Meryl Streep stars as one of five sisters trying to make the most out of their lives in rural Ireland in the 1930’s.
#15 The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) 
10-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents and discovers a secret family legend that they are descended from a selkie — a seal who can turn into a human.
#14 Leapin’ Leprechauns (1995) 
A young boy discovers his family’s land is home to a fairy mound, and they are not happy that his father wants to build a theme park on top of their home!
#13 Leprechaun (1993) 
Warwick Davis stars as a sociopath leprechaun who goes on a killing streak. If you’re into horror movies you’ve got the luck of the Irish as this film has five sequels!
#12 Waking Ned Divine (1998) 
Ned Divine wins the lottery and dies from the shock, and the locals rally to try and claim the money with a substitute Ned.
#11 Michael Collins (1996) 
Biopic of the Irish politician, this film stars Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn and Julia Roberts.
#10 Luck of the Irish (2001) 
Teenager Kyle Johnson is faced with the revelation that his mother’s family are secretly leprechauns!
#9 Boondocks Saints (1999) 
Two Irish vigilantes set out to rid Boston of crime while being pursued by the FBI. If you like this then you might also like the 2009 sequel The Boondocks Saints II: All Saint’s Day
#8 Cinderella Man (2005) 
This Academy Award winning film stars Russell Crowe as James Braddock — a washed up boxer in the 1930’s who makes a surprising comeback to become a boxing champion while inspire a nation. If Cinderella Man inspires you, you can also watch the 2005 documentary Cinderella Man: The Real Jim Braddock Story.
#7 Some Mother’s Son (1996) 
Starring Helen Mirren, this film follows several members of the 1981 hunger strike and the effect it had on the families of the prisoners. You can also check out the 2008 film Hunger, a biopic focussed not just on the hunger strike, but also on its leader Bobby Sands.
#6 Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959) 
Starring Albert Sharpe and a young Sean Connery, it follows Darby O’Gill and his relationship with the leprechauns and his ongoing match of wits with the king of the leprechauns. This film is an oldie, but a goodie perfect for the entire family
#5 P.S. I Love You (2007) (
Based on the best-selling novel by Cecelia Ahern, this film stars Hilary Swank as a widow who receives letters her husband wrote before his death to help her cope. Also stars Gerard Butler, James Marsters, Kathy Bates, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Harry Connick Jr. and Lisa Kudrow.
#4 Gangs of New York (2002) 
Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day-Lewis tell the story of an orphan child who grows up to seek revenge on his father’s killer.
#3 The Boys and Girl from County Clare (2003) 
Two brothers return home to challenge each other to win a local music competition and comedy ensues.
#2 The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) 
Cillian Murphy stars as a young man whose family and friends are torn apart as they each take different sides of the rebellion.
#1 The Secret of Kells (2009) 
This animated feature was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film follows a young boy and the creation of the infamous Book of Kells. Family oriented, this film is the #1 must see Irish film.
Don’t hav
e time for a full film? Check out an episode of Father Ted, a comedy about three priests and their housekeeper or the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Up the Long Ladder” where the crew of the Enterprise encounter a group of Irish immigrants in space!
February 14, 2009; Corvallis, Oregon; by David Robert Wright on Flickr
In the dead of winter, joining a class in the arts can be a great way to get out, meet new people, and take a stab at that lifelong dream you’ve always had. Whether you’ve always wanted to learn to salsa dance or you’re just looking for a new way to express yourself, art classes aren’t a tough find in the city.
Many of us have wanted to learn to play an instrument at some point in our lives. If you haven’t picked it up yet, it’s not too late. The Twelfth Fret guitar shop, located just east of Woodbine subway station, offers lessons in guitar, bass, mandolin, violin and banjo. Whether you’re looking to pick up a Willie Nelson twang, thrash out alongside Slash or even just brush up on music theory, these lessons can be a great start. Lessons start at $22.50 for each half hour session.
Nearly everyone nowadays has a camera phone, but a lesson in photography can go a long way. Henry’s offers several classes monthly at their various locations (the closest is at Church and Queen streets) in a variety of areas, from travel photography to studio photography to just figuring out how to use your point-and-shoot. Although prices run a bit steep at $75-175 each, a few tips in photography is a practical take-away.
In the winter, we don’t get out as much, so dance can be a great way to keep fit and learn some new moves. Joy of Dance, near Broadview station, offers a variety of dance styles (from Bollywood to ballet to burlesque) to a range of ages, not to mention several options of payment (single classes, class packages and registered classes). Single classes start at $18.
If you’re not afraid to get a little messy, you might want to try your hand at pottery. Clay Design Studio, near Spadina and Bloor, offers a 10-week course that runs you through the basics and teaches you how to make unique clay pieces. Classes are $375, but include the homemade home decor and gifts that you’ve made. They also offer pottery workshops for two. Ghost, anyone?
Just because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, doesn’t mean you have to be dreading the fact that you’re single. Instead, gather up your unattached gal pals for a movie night together. And even though love is in the air, you have to go for the rom-coms. Skip the mushy stuff and opt for one of these choices instead.
Celebrate BFF-love with this high-speed, gun-slinging duo as they run from the law after a terrible mishap. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon make up the rough-and-tumble pair and bring the movie to life with their perfect chemistry. A pre-fame Brad Pitt cameo doesn’t hurt either.
Although there is a romantic thread running through this film, it’s a very tangled one, because sometimes love can be tricky, and sometimes romance can be frivolous. Director Woody Allen swoops you into his quirkily charming narrative filled with beautiful Spanish guitar, and leaves you thankful you weren’t really weaved into the mess.
This three-time Academy Award nominee is the anti-love story. It’s a brutally honest answer to what happens after the rom-com ends and life takes hold. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as the perfectly-paired but imminently doomed couple. This is not one for the hopeless romantic.
If you’re planning a night with the girls you grew up with, then this is the pick for you. This all-star cast features the story of four women reflecting on the antics and lessons of the summer they realized they were growing up. The story features a 1970s soundtrack you won’t be able to stop yourself from singing along to.
This movie is the best alternative to a rom-com if you’re looking for some great laughs. Two best friends go to their high school reunion armed to impress with a stack of elaborate lies, when really they’re both still single party girls. The story takes a hilarious route to a lesson in how lucky you are to have your girls.
Visitors explore exhibits at last year’s Interior Design Show, January 24, 2010 by Shadow becomes White on Flickr
The Interior Design Show is back. The show’s 14th year kicks off on January 26 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and runs until January 29. Although the event is always a huge pull for the design industry, featuring a day dedicated entirely to trade companies, think twice before you cross it off your list. The four-day event is a great way to find creative ideas, even if you aren’t a design professional, whether you’re renovating the home or revamping a room. Here are three ways to find inspiration at the annual show:
On January 26, the show features Conversations in Design, a jam-packed all-day event with several sessions from design experts (though at a hefty price). However, for those of us who aren’t as involved in the design world (and don’t have thick wallets), the weekend is also filled with drop-by talks. Saturday primarily features discussions from retailers, designers and various other creative minds, while Sunday focuses on media with talks from House & Home Media, daytime talk-show host Marilyn Denis and HGTV’s Sarah’s House host and designer Tommy Smythe. Find out where ideas come from and what’s in store for the design world.
Less interactive but more in-depth, the event also shows new films on design and architecture on Friday and Saturday. Once you’ve seen it all, stop by for a break and catch a movie to find out a bit more about some of the past and present designers, architects, photographers and various others behind it all.
The OCAD exhibit at last year’s Interior Design Show, January 24, 2010 by Shadow becomes White on Flickr
By far, the best part of the show is the staged exhibits. Whether you’re a new homeowner or you just like to play house in kitchen and bathroom set-ups at hardware stores, the exhibits are a must-see. With over 300 exhibitors this year, designers and retailers come together to recreate thoughtful, interesting and unique set-ups of living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and more. There’s even a condo exhibit, perfect for those living in downtown high-rises. Pick up on colours, layouts, shapes, and styles to help fuel your artistic mind.
