One of My Artwork that I have been working on.
Hannya Mask - Idea of Hori Mouja
Media - Pencil,Marker and Oil Pastel on Drawing Paper
Hannya Mask - Idea of Hori Mouja
Media - Pencil,Marker and Oil Pastel on Drawing Paper
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Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
2 Koi
Hello all....
Its been awhile since I have updated anything in here... Been busy with life ( Even though it sucks most of the time ) and new projects. Well, anyway, did this piece a day ago. Enjoy !
Its been awhile since I have updated anything in here... Been busy with life ( Even though it sucks most of the time ) and new projects. Well, anyway, did this piece a day ago. Enjoy !
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
names have been changed to protect the *guilty*
i started this blog this morning, fully intending to share just one story. six hours later, new developments have unfolded and the story gets twice as good.
story #1:
(background: i have a history of attracting the attention of the dudes who front as upstanding mormons but are closet drunks. in most cases, i jump ship when the pieces come together. this time included. i seriously jumped ship.)
a couple weeks ago i was sitting in a meeting with a lady who lives along one of the roads we're widening. she arrived at our office with a file full of project information. on top of the file was a sticky note. it had our office's address and phone number written on it, along with the date and time of the meeting. old people, you know, are frugal... it looked like she had re-used the same sticky note from another occassion, because also on that note was the name and phone number of a dude i know who fits the criteria in parenthases above.
my eyes got big, i immediately became distracted with thoughts like, "why in the world would this little old lady have his phone number?!" what a random connection between my personal life and my work life.
i sent mr. man a text message asking if he knew this old lady. no response. no response. no response.
until sunday night. weeks have passed, by the way. what's the point of replying at this point? and how does anyone even remember to reply to a text that old? ... anyway...
our convo:
mr. man: no i don't know hilda.
aubry: whoa, delayed response. well, there's a old lady out there with your number.
mr. man: weird! what are you doing?
aubry: right now? driving home from st george
mr. man: fun what were you doing there?
aubry: family stuff.
mr. man: when will you be home?
aubry: i just left. three or four hours... why?
mr. man: wondering what you wetegonna do. (yes, it really was that convoluted)
aubry: what i'm going to do or what we're going to do?
mr. man: either.
aubry: uhh... since when did we hang out? i'm unpacking and going to bed.
mr. man: since now.
aubry: convenient timing. i can't
mr. man: you can't?
(2 second delay... but i had already starts to replyto this text...)
mr. man: bf?
aubry: right, i can't.
although i didn't intend to lie to him about whether or not i had a boyfriend, i think that's the message i sent.
who cares, right?
story #1.5
i call my mom on monday night to share this story with her, like all good daughters should.
our convo:
rebecca: wow... that guy's persistent. kind of nice though...
aubry: nice?! what are you talking about?
rebecca: well, it's always nice to get attention from a boy.
aubry: are you kidding me>!(*&^%$$#$%^ mom, he was DRUNK!!!!! if i'm going to get attention from a boy, the least i can ask is that he remembers it in the morning! there's nothing nice about attention from a drunk. he's useless. i don't have time to deal with a mess like that. if i want a boy, i want him in a practically perfect state, like me...
rebecca: dr. laura would be so proud right now.
aubry: write her a letter.
story #2
(in an e-mail to my mother...)
i just went to donate blood and had one of those "positive-attention-from-boys" moments that puts the drunk dudeto shame:
dan - the guy who took my blood, looks like kelly ripa's husband, mark consuelos or something... - was working between two people. i was directed to sit in the far chair, with my right arm exposed for blood sucking. the kid next to me looked like he was about 22 years old and DORKY. looked like a classic video game nerd. greasy hair, kind of gangely, and wore one of those flammable rayon shirts with dragons on it. oh, and white socks. dan started the pressure cuff on mr. dork-face's left arm and said, "oh shoot, it doesn't look like you have a very good vein here... i'm going to have to use your other arm." dork-face gets all scared and nervous. dan does a very diplomatic job at explaining his options. dork-face freaks out, stands up and says, "uhhh... just deal with her. get back to me. i have to think about this." after more of the same, dork-face leaves.... it's just too much to deal with. weird.
dan comes back to me. "sorry about that, that was weird," he says.
"yeah, i thought he was going to tell you that he relies pretty heavily on his right hand for his world of warcraft battles," i said.
"uhh, i'll be honest - i thought the same thing. but, did you see his shirt? it was cool. there were dragons all over it! i haven't seen that since the mid-nineties," dan says.
yada yada yada... where did you go to school? oh, really... my sisters went there... i looked in your chart, it looks like we're kind of the same age, yada yada yada.... did you see the vampire movie? isn't it a chick flick? i should start telling girls i'm deeply attracted to their blood, but love them enough to control myself... yada yada yada.
then another donor comes and sits in the other chair. dan has to deal with the both of us. he's getting her all prepped right as finish up. i quit squeezing the ball in my hand... i've done this before... i know when it's okay to stop. all the while, dan's prepping her - ya know, doing the iodine thing, etc. - but talking to me. among other things, he says, "you can stop squeezing now."
i said, "yeah, i stopped when i heard the beeping."
"oh, really... looks like you know what you're doing... like you've been here before. i guess you already know how this goes. i'll just do my job," he says, all sassy-pants like.
and then. AND THEN...
dan says, "do you ever have a song stuck in your head that is ironic for all the right reasons?"
"sometimes. not right now... but i'm guessing you do..." i say.
"yeah, i do! it's 'i want you" by marvin gaye....weird huh?" he says.
"yeah, kind of ironic."
so.... "when will you be home? i want to hang out... i'm a mad drunk" is nothing like smooth dawg dan.
that's the kind of boy attention girls appreciate. even if it doesn't materialize.
tell dr. laura that.
story #1:
(background: i have a history of attracting the attention of the dudes who front as upstanding mormons but are closet drunks. in most cases, i jump ship when the pieces come together. this time included. i seriously jumped ship.)
a couple weeks ago i was sitting in a meeting with a lady who lives along one of the roads we're widening. she arrived at our office with a file full of project information. on top of the file was a sticky note. it had our office's address and phone number written on it, along with the date and time of the meeting. old people, you know, are frugal... it looked like she had re-used the same sticky note from another occassion, because also on that note was the name and phone number of a dude i know who fits the criteria in parenthases above.
my eyes got big, i immediately became distracted with thoughts like, "why in the world would this little old lady have his phone number?!" what a random connection between my personal life and my work life.
i sent mr. man a text message asking if he knew this old lady. no response. no response. no response.
until sunday night. weeks have passed, by the way. what's the point of replying at this point? and how does anyone even remember to reply to a text that old? ... anyway...
our convo:
mr. man: no i don't know hilda.
aubry: whoa, delayed response. well, there's a old lady out there with your number.
mr. man: weird! what are you doing?
aubry: right now? driving home from st george
mr. man: fun what were you doing there?
aubry: family stuff.
mr. man: when will you be home?
aubry: i just left. three or four hours... why?
mr. man: wondering what you wetegonna do. (yes, it really was that convoluted)
aubry: what i'm going to do or what we're going to do?
mr. man: either.
aubry: uhh... since when did we hang out? i'm unpacking and going to bed.
mr. man: since now.
aubry: convenient timing. i can't
mr. man: you can't?
(2 second delay... but i had already starts to replyto this text...)
mr. man: bf?
aubry: right, i can't.
although i didn't intend to lie to him about whether or not i had a boyfriend, i think that's the message i sent.
who cares, right?
story #1.5
i call my mom on monday night to share this story with her, like all good daughters should.
our convo:
rebecca: wow... that guy's persistent. kind of nice though...
aubry: nice?! what are you talking about?
rebecca: well, it's always nice to get attention from a boy.
aubry: are you kidding me>!(*&^%$$#$%^ mom, he was DRUNK!!!!! if i'm going to get attention from a boy, the least i can ask is that he remembers it in the morning! there's nothing nice about attention from a drunk. he's useless. i don't have time to deal with a mess like that. if i want a boy, i want him in a practically perfect state, like me...
rebecca: dr. laura would be so proud right now.
aubry: write her a letter.
story #2
(in an e-mail to my mother...)
i just went to donate blood and had one of those "positive-attention-from-boys" moments that puts the drunk dudeto shame:
dan - the guy who took my blood, looks like kelly ripa's husband, mark consuelos or something... - was working between two people. i was directed to sit in the far chair, with my right arm exposed for blood sucking. the kid next to me looked like he was about 22 years old and DORKY. looked like a classic video game nerd. greasy hair, kind of gangely, and wore one of those flammable rayon shirts with dragons on it. oh, and white socks. dan started the pressure cuff on mr. dork-face's left arm and said, "oh shoot, it doesn't look like you have a very good vein here... i'm going to have to use your other arm." dork-face gets all scared and nervous. dan does a very diplomatic job at explaining his options. dork-face freaks out, stands up and says, "uhhh... just deal with her. get back to me. i have to think about this." after more of the same, dork-face leaves.... it's just too much to deal with. weird.
dan comes back to me. "sorry about that, that was weird," he says.
"yeah, i thought he was going to tell you that he relies pretty heavily on his right hand for his world of warcraft battles," i said.
"uhh, i'll be honest - i thought the same thing. but, did you see his shirt? it was cool. there were dragons all over it! i haven't seen that since the mid-nineties," dan says.
yada yada yada... where did you go to school? oh, really... my sisters went there... i looked in your chart, it looks like we're kind of the same age, yada yada yada.... did you see the vampire movie? isn't it a chick flick? i should start telling girls i'm deeply attracted to their blood, but love them enough to control myself... yada yada yada.
then another donor comes and sits in the other chair. dan has to deal with the both of us. he's getting her all prepped right as finish up. i quit squeezing the ball in my hand... i've done this before... i know when it's okay to stop. all the while, dan's prepping her - ya know, doing the iodine thing, etc. - but talking to me. among other things, he says, "you can stop squeezing now."
i said, "yeah, i stopped when i heard the beeping."
"oh, really... looks like you know what you're doing... like you've been here before. i guess you already know how this goes. i'll just do my job," he says, all sassy-pants like.
and then. AND THEN...
dan says, "do you ever have a song stuck in your head that is ironic for all the right reasons?"
"sometimes. not right now... but i'm guessing you do..." i say.
"yeah, i do! it's 'i want you" by marvin gaye....weird huh?" he says.
"yeah, kind of ironic."
so.... "when will you be home? i want to hang out... i'm a mad drunk" is nothing like smooth dawg dan.
that's the kind of boy attention girls appreciate. even if it doesn't materialize.
tell dr. laura that.
family home evening. with real families.
chris + linsey, dave + lauren (and wes!), and i have started a little monday night family home evening tradition as of late.
i'm inviting them over more often.
last night was my turn to host. dave + lauren had never been to my house before (never seen the pink bathroom!) so this was an extra special treat.
after dinner, we settled to watch the jazz game. wes got to wandering... and before i knew it he was asking for a paper towel. and then... began dusting my entertainment center.
i'm inviting them over more often.
(mexican) family time.
last weekend was spent in st george with my mom's family. two sets of grandparents, three aunts and uncles, TONS of cousins... and lots of new babies!
i, of course, was charged with the responsibility of organizing the family photos... here are some highlights.
the lone representatives of the bennion family.
cousins. 
brothers and sisters. 
the whole gang.
i, of course, was charged with the responsibility of organizing the family photos... here are some highlights.
the lone representatives of the bennion family.
cousins. robin, seth, aubry, danielle, melissa, ben, ryan.
isaac, carrie, erin, robin, sterling.
(with many missing...)
brothers and sisters. greg, rebecca, christina, and larry.
the whole gang. Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Gourmet Food And Wine Expo
One of the most fun events of the year - and god help us, they have a free media area - the Gourmet Food And Wine Expo is back at the Metro Convention Centre.
As the gallery of my new drinking buddies above attests, this show is an unparalleled opportunity to sample over 1200 fine wines, beers and spirits from around the globe. The Gourmet Food And Wine Expo is for everyone, from the novice to collector, who wishes to experience wines from nearly every wine-making region worldwide.
I personally managed to sample France, California, Spain, Niagara (on multiple occassions), Italy, Chile, and Australia (ahhh ... Australia :)
Offerings range from the top sellers of wines, beers and spirits at the LCBO to the hidden gems that are only available through Canada’s top wine agents by consignment or private order.
As with the annual Beer Festival in the summer, take the TTC to the Convention Centre because you just know, with all the wonderful beverages on hand, you'll be trying out more than a few samples. Let the TTC handle the driving and you are free to make the most of the day.
Visitors can also sample gourmet food products and signature dishes from Toronto's best restaurants.
Nov. 20 - Nov. 23 Metro Convention Centre, S. Building , 22 Bremner Blvd. Admission: VIP Preview night (Nov. 20) $35, General Admission $15
curly girl.
i think the mail man hates me. i check my mail once a week, if that, and my box is always stuffed SO full, it takes me a couple loads to the car to get it all.
the problem is - aside from the occassional magazine, it's never anything that great. mortgage statements, a gas bill, shopko ads. i mean, what's the motivation?
this morning, however, i found this little gem in my mailbox... all the way from ithaca, ny. thanks, robin.
you see, we ran into these sweet things in jackson, wy this summer. i bought one for robin, she bought one for me... and we planned to send them to each other. to my surprise... this was my lucky day.
they're all so charming. can i have one of each?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
last birthday post... i promise!
so, you know how your favorite stores send you coupons for your birthday? not even your favorite stores, but anybody you've ever given your e mail address to (coldstone, sephora, rubios, buca di beppo, loehmann's, gap, and dsw to name a few)...
this year, by far, my favorite has been anthropologie's birthday treat.
this year, by far, my favorite has been anthropologie's birthday treat.
it came in a cute little brown envelope. hand addressed, i might add. it didn't spit out of a machine along with the other 45,000 november birthday anthro-ites.
the front says, "so..." right up my alley. dot dot dot. how did they know?
and inside... BUTTONS!... and COLOR!... and THREAD! oh, my!
ka-yoot!
(the back side of this card says: "this little gift is for you and only you, and cannot be turned into chocolate, flowers or cash." sassy)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
a super sweet thing.
itunes genius.
brilliant!
i entered "be be your love" by rachael yamagata and got this sweet playlist:
where i stood - missy higgins
breakable - ingrid michaelson
gravity - sarah bareilles
come home - onerepublic
all i need - mat kearney
9 crimes - damien rice
sky - joshua radin
unlike me - kate havnevik
knife going in - tegan and sara
you and i both - jason mraz
the special two - missy higgins
madly - tristan prettyman
wonderwall - ryan adams
landed - ben folds
she doesn't get it - the format
she says - howie day
on the radio - regina spektor
sideways - citizen cope
the way i am - ingrid michaelson
to be alone with you - sufjan stevens
bottle it up - sarah bareilles
brighter than sunshine - aqualung
almost lover - a fine frenzy
kindly unspoken - kate voegele
of course, it only works if you have a good selection to choose from!
it's perfect for a mellow, sit-at-your-desk-and-think-about-your-crazy-life day like today.
27. part iii.
oh, oh, o-oh.
i don't know where to begin. nkotb. donnie, danny (no one ever really liked him, did they?), joey, jon, and jordan. heart throbs.
saturday night was completely dedicated to my childhood. nostalgic. not to mention - the essence of boy band mania. and, true to my word, i made t-shirts for jen, lara, and myself.
aubry: donnie, i'm hangin' tough for you
lara: jordan, you've got the right stuff, baby
jen (sassy pants): joey, i'm old enough to make out with you now
there's a slight chance that i lost my voice screaming. slight chance. another slight chance that i felt 13 years old all over again.
choreographed dance moves. and still so good after 18 years.
my main man, donnie. so bling-y.
ever wondered what 30,000 30 year old women look like?
so glad to have had lara there with me... she brought the old school tapes.
donnie wore a shirt that said "i love mormon girls". made me swoon. also - a direct quote: "everybody knows that if you're looking for a good woman, you've got to go to utah." word.
that joey really is so cute. too bad he belongs to miss jen.
this is not a posed picture. this really is how i found jen while joey was doing his solo performance. if you look hard enough, you'll find tears.
my donnie performed cover girl. so perfect.
donnie's going on the fridge.
very boyz ii men...
boston, baby.
i don't know where to begin. nkotb. donnie, danny (no one ever really liked him, did they?), joey, jon, and jordan. heart throbs.
saturday night was completely dedicated to my childhood. nostalgic. not to mention - the essence of boy band mania. and, true to my word, i made t-shirts for jen, lara, and myself.
aubry: donnie, i'm hangin' tough for you
lara: jordan, you've got the right stuff, baby
jen (sassy pants): joey, i'm old enough to make out with you now
there's a slight chance that i lost my voice screaming. slight chance. another slight chance that i felt 13 years old all over again.
you know they're good shirts when strangers ask to take pictures of you.
choreographed dance moves. and still so good after 18 years.
my main man, donnie. so bling-y. 
ever wondered what 30,000 30 year old women look like?(you should hear what they sound like...)
so glad to have had lara there with me... she brought the old school tapes.
donnie wore a shirt that said "i love mormon girls". made me swoon. also - a direct quote: "everybody knows that if you're looking for a good woman, you've got to go to utah." word.that joey really is so cute. too bad he belongs to miss jen.
this is not a posed picture. this really is how i found jen while joey was doing his solo performance. if you look hard enough, you'll find tears.
my donnie performed cover girl. so perfect. 
donnie's going on the fridge.
very boyz ii men...
boston, baby. also noteworthy... natasha bedingfield and lady gaga. great openers. we had the back up dancers' moves down. we were practically profesh.
and... not to be overlooked... david archuleta was in attendance. such a patron of the arts. miss jen's eagle eye caught him and his posse walking across the floor to exit the building. girls swooned.
27. part ii.
friday night's white trash poser party was pretty much perfection. white trash. layton + chuck-e-cheese = white (and brown) trash. good thing i didn't really dress up as a mexican...
the crew. you've got a snowboarder, a sports fanatic, a republican, a granola environmentalist, and all types of plain ol' white trash!
we even had to play white trash birthday games. what would i do if i didn't have lara by my side?
she was a republican... just for me.
he really did startle me.
i have a big bubble, alright?...
the crew. you've got a snowboarder, a sports fanatic, a republican, a granola environmentalist, and all types of plain ol' white trash!
we even had to play white trash birthday games. what would i do if i didn't have lara by my side?
she was a republican... just for me. 
he really did startle me. 
i have a big bubble, alright?...thank you, thank you, thank you miss jen, for putting together a fab party. so trashy. and thanks to jen and ed for the hello kitty coin purse and the light up microphone that you won for me with all your tickets.
oh, and thanks to ryan for the killer Sandy City Public Works baseball hat. i have a growing collection of safety orange.
27. part i.
amalia arranged birthday lunch for mo and i on friday. we had a big crowd, so we hit up red robin... they always fit us in. i happened to be free lunch friday, so no one paid.
the crowd started to dwindle, but mo and i still had a birthday cake to eat. no plates, no knives... just two forks and two birthday girls.
the crowd started to dwindle, but mo and i still had a birthday cake to eat. no plates, no knives... just two forks and two birthday girls.
i know better not be friends with boys with girlfriends.
last wednesday brought me to the hotel cafe tour - girl edition (or something like that). unfortunately, my camera battery was dying, but i managed to snap a few.
thanks to brooke, for the concert tix - what a birthday treat.
we stood up front, not five feet from the microphones. we were thisclose. here's proof.
another treat? seeing kate havnevik (all the way from norway) perform live. her songs play during all the crucial moments of grey's anatomy. denny's death, the time meredith holds the bomb... crucial, crucial moments. and it's perfection every time.
meiko's broken string.
emily wells, meiko, and thao nguyen
kelly, brooke, and meeeee.
thanks to brooke, for the concert tix - what a birthday treat.
we stood up front, not five feet from the microphones. we were thisclose. here's proof.
another treat? seeing kate havnevik (all the way from norway) perform live. her songs play during all the crucial moments of grey's anatomy. denny's death, the time meredith holds the bomb... crucial, crucial moments. and it's perfection every time.
unlike me
kate havnevik i could go on and on about how great everyone else was... sassy meiko, bubbly lenka, soulful rachael, rockin' thao, and ka-razy hip hop emily. what a night.
meiko's broken string.
emily wells, meiko, and thao nguyen
kelly, brooke, and meeeee.i DID feel slightly out of place - the performers were all sporting their mini's, crazy colored tights, and fantastic boots. where was the memo?
it was a great night. great music. great company.
Toronto Dance Theatre @ The Fleck
Choreographer Christopher House is back with his new production, Dis/(sol/ver) - what is with dance companies and playing with the cap locks/keyboard symbols? - running at the Fleck Dance Theatre, formerly Premiere Dance Theatre, from Nov. 18 until Sat. Nov. 22
It's a georgeous production to look at with warm overhead lighting and earth tone textured banners hanging floor to ceiling in the background.
As far as the dance itself, I had a chance to see in it's entirety last night.
Really interesting performance as couples come together repeatedly during the piece only to have one partner disolve in the arms of the other by melting slowly to the floor.
Over and over the elusive embrace fails while dancers come together to link up in a weaving line that spins off more disolving couples.
It's really quite beautiful, reflected in the intensity with which the audience was watching. Absolute silence.
It's as if you are seeing people's romantic history replayed in fast motion. False starts, tentative or awkward moments, relationships that last for a brief time and then disolve, as the dancers cross the stage in random patterns intersecting, coupling, moving on.
I'm not nearly qualified to critique, other than to say that as an average enthusiast I found it very interesting.
As far as the dance itself, I had a chance to see in it's entirety last night.
Really interesting performance as couples come together repeatedly during the piece only to have one partner disolve in the arms of the other by melting slowly to the floor.
Over and over the elusive embrace fails while dancers come together to link up in a weaving line that spins off more disolving couples.
It's really quite beautiful, reflected in the intensity with which the audience was watching. Absolute silence.
It's as if you are seeing people's romantic history replayed in fast motion. False starts, tentative or awkward moments, relationships that last for a brief time and then disolve, as the dancers cross the stage in random patterns intersecting, coupling, moving on.
I'm not nearly qualified to critique, other than to say that as an average enthusiast I found it very interesting.
Of course, at the photo shoot, I was watching it through a viewfinder, where your major pre-occupation is making compositional sense within a defined rectangular area while maintaining a focusing point on the subject. But even with all the distractions, it looked good.
And shooting dance is always entertaining.
For this one they did two run-throughs of a two minute segment of the show.
Hoping for greatness here is like expecting a front page sports shot from just two sequences of downs at an Argos football game.
Hoping for greatness here is like expecting a front page sports shot from just two sequences of downs at an Argos football game.
Same amount of chaos, same 'where the heck is this going next' seat of the pants thrill ride.
Of course dance company's are as media savvy as any other arts organization, it's just the high cost of having the theatre for rehearsal means they have to be brief with the photo ops, as they have other business to get through in preparation for opening night.
I did the shoot two ways.
First time through - where I'm half shooting it, half watching to see what the overall form of the piece is going to be - I was right up at the lip of the stage, at floor level, an angle I really like for group shots, especially if they come really close to the camera.
The second run-through I was back more and standing. I was going to switch to the 50-200mm and follow just one dancer through the piece, but decided to play it safe and stick with the 12-60mm.
Toronto Dance Theatre is one of the best dance companies in the city, Dis/(sol/ver) is a new, unseen work, and the cost of admission is as low as $20 per ticket.
As a date night contender it's a production that will stimulate your senses, spur discussion afterwards, and within the newly renovated Fleck Dance theatre you'll be treated to a classy evening all round.
The second run-through I was back more and standing. I was going to switch to the 50-200mm and follow just one dancer through the piece, but decided to play it safe and stick with the 12-60mm.
Toronto Dance Theatre is one of the best dance companies in the city, Dis/(sol/ver) is a new, unseen work, and the cost of admission is as low as $20 per ticket.
As a date night contender it's a production that will stimulate your senses, spur discussion afterwards, and within the newly renovated Fleck Dance theatre you'll be treated to a classy evening all round.
All photos shot with the Olympus E3 @ 1600 ISO and copyright Torontowide.com
Coco Montoya at The Diesel Playhouse
The Diesel Playhouse has been a through a few changes over the years. It's a room that somehow has never managed to find it's niche.
The most recent incarnation sees the venue shrugging off it's theatre leanings of the last couple years to concentrate on live concerts. This is tough territory to make your mark in, as Toronto has a surplus of intimate concert venues - Glenn Gould Studio, Enwave Theatre, Mod Club, Panasonic Theatre, etc.
Part of the Diesel's upcoming concert lineup is the Toronto Downtown Jazz Series running from Nov. to mid-Dec.
Sunday's concert with blues great Coco Montoya is a comfortable fit for the room. Table service for food and beverages, wide aisles, steeply raked seating so there is hardly a bad seat in the house. Somehow it all felt very Miami, and makes for a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
And relaxed and comfortable is a good description of the artist as his charming low key personality mixed with fiery, soulful guitar work, won people over during the evening.
There's something about the blues.
The most recent incarnation sees the venue shrugging off it's theatre leanings of the last couple years to concentrate on live concerts. This is tough territory to make your mark in, as Toronto has a surplus of intimate concert venues - Glenn Gould Studio, Enwave Theatre, Mod Club, Panasonic Theatre, etc.
Part of the Diesel's upcoming concert lineup is the Toronto Downtown Jazz Series running from Nov. to mid-Dec.
Sunday's concert with blues great Coco Montoya is a comfortable fit for the room. Table service for food and beverages, wide aisles, steeply raked seating so there is hardly a bad seat in the house. Somehow it all felt very Miami, and makes for a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
And relaxed and comfortable is a good description of the artist as his charming low key personality mixed with fiery, soulful guitar work, won people over during the evening.
There's something about the blues.
Fast, slow. It's a musical form that seems like a juiced up circadian rythm. No matter how predictable the chord changes and melodies may be, the blues is one of those musical genres that reach into some basic part of ourselves.
Before you know it you're tapping your foot, swaying to the music, even whistling an improvised version of the last song all the way back to where your car is parked.
The jazz series continues with: Jane Bunnett - Friday Nov. 21, Kurt Elling - Thursday Dec. 4, Marc Jordan & Friends - Friday Dec. 12, Tuck & Patti - Friday Dec. 19
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Daniel Lanois at Massey Hall
Probably best know as U2’s producer, but an excellent musician/ composer in his own right, Daniel Lanois played Massey Hall Friday Nov. 14th.
The concert was recorded for future broadcast by CBC Two, and I can only assume that was the reason for the unwieldy apparatus in front of the artist as he was double miked with a large studio microphone – if memory serves me right it's an RE20 – which didn’t make shooting him any easier.
This setup was a real distraction in most of the photos.
At Massey Hall you are only allowed to shoot from the back of the room by the sound board. Since their sound man always seems to line the singers mic up with the centre aisle, there is always a problem with getting a clear shot of the artist you are photographing as the microphone is in the way for much of the performance.
But the setup Daniel Lanois was using was like some kind of funky bathroom fixture that was in the way a good part of the two songs we were allowed.
This setup was a real distraction in most of the photos.
At Massey Hall you are only allowed to shoot from the back of the room by the sound board. Since their sound man always seems to line the singers mic up with the centre aisle, there is always a problem with getting a clear shot of the artist you are photographing as the microphone is in the way for much of the performance.
But the setup Daniel Lanois was using was like some kind of funky bathroom fixture that was in the way a good part of the two songs we were allowed.
Speaking of sound boards.
I turned around to get a good look at the sound board they were using and couldn’t believe how small it was.
About the size of a school desktop.
I turned around to get a good look at the sound board they were using and couldn’t believe how small it was.
About the size of a school desktop.
Now a sound board is usually a massive thing about ten feet long. It actually consists of modules, each the same, that contains a fader for volume and various EQ, compression and effects buttons.
Stacking them side by side leads to the massiveness of most sound boards as, with the large number of tracks running simultaneously during a show, many of these modules are needed.
Stacking them side by side leads to the massiveness of most sound boards as, with the large number of tracks running simultaneously during a show, many of these modules are needed.
However, the sound man at last night’s show (and I forgot to ask his name, doh!) explained that they were using a state of the art digital board that stacks the rows of faders vertically on top of each other like pages in a book, about 8 inputs to a page.
To access an instrument’s track one just scrolls, almost like an iPod Touch, through the digital pages on a screen. All of the controls themselves are touch points on the screen.
This allows for a very compact board with all the functionality of the full size version, including memorized settings for each track on every song.
You could practically pack it away in the back seat of your car, something you’d never attempt with your average 48 track board.
To access an instrument’s track one just scrolls, almost like an iPod Touch, through the digital pages on a screen. All of the controls themselves are touch points on the screen.
This allows for a very compact board with all the functionality of the full size version, including memorized settings for each track on every song.
You could practically pack it away in the back seat of your car, something you’d never attempt with your average 48 track board.
It was very trick, and I would have done a photo of it for you, but only took the 50-200mm to the concert and would have been able to show you a button or two at best.
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