Torontoist » “josh reichmann”

KAMP: Horrors at the Hands of Humans

Carly Maga — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:30:28 +0000

Three puppet masters portray a day in the life of Auschwitz through a detailed miniature construction of the grounds and thousands of tiny handmade puppets.

When telling the story of the Holocaust, one effective way to overcome our sheer inability to comprehend the scope and scale of such atrocities is to zoom in on one or two stories: share one particular experience, in all its brutal specificity, and we have at least a small way into the event—the small details illuminate the larger whole.

One theatre company from the Netherlands, Hotel Modern, takes a related approach in KAMP (CAMP). The production depicts a typical day at the Auschwitz concentration camp, but instead of zooming in into a closeup, it shrinks everything down, literally, into miniature. It’s the accumulation of thousands of small details that has the impact in this case.

Ontario Bike Summit Aims to Change the Conversation on Cycling

Chris Dart — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:30:00 +0000

Bike Summit organizers say that drivers and cyclists are often the same people.

Eleanor McMahon thinks it’s time to change the conversation around cycling in Ontario.

McMahon is the founder of the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, who will be hosting the fifth annual Ontario Bike Summit this week in Toronto. She says that we need to stop talking about things like bike lanes and other bicycle infrastructure as a zero sum game between cars and bikes.

“We do polling, and our polling tells us that 89 per cent of Ontarians are both drivers and cyclists,” she says. “The notion that it’s cars versus bikes is overblown, and it’s really not working anymore. Deciding to change the conversation means going out of our way to poke holes in that idea and say from the get go ‘We don’t buy into that philosophy, and just because you say it, doesn’t make it true.’ ”

Urban Planner: May 18, 2012

Steve Fisher — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:00:54 +0000

Happening tonight: A Great and Fabulous Display of Realness, the Toronto Underground Cinema turns two years old; and multiple late-night dance parties.

Nina Arsenault is one of the featured performers at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's "performance intervention" at the ROM's Friday Night Out series tonight. Detail of a photo by Alejandro Santiago.

QUEER PARTY: The Royal Ontario Museum’s ROM Friday Night Live series is just a few weeks old, but already phenomenally buzzed about, attracting a diverse crowd of people who want to see and be seen, and people who just like getting into the museum for cheap. Tonight’s crowd will be even more diverse than the ROM’s typical school and tour group crowd: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre hosts a group of queer performance artists who will interact with party goers as living exhibits, as part of The Great and Fabulous Display of Realness. (There will also be a few sneak peek screenings from the upcoming Inside Out Film Festival.) Royal Ontario Museum (100 Bloor Street West), 6 p.m.–9 p.m., $9.

BIRTHDAY PARTY: The Toronto Underground Cinema has just passed the two-year mark on their grand experiment of reopening the massive and long-shuttered Golden Classics Cinema for geek and fan favourite screenings. They’re celebrating by screening two cult classics: zany comedy classic Clue at 7 p.m., followed by the delightfully campy sci-fi action flick The Fifth Element at 9:15 p.m.. And did we mention there’ll be all sorts of prizes and giveaways, and everything is FREE? Happy birthday, guys. Toronto Underground Cinema (186 Spadina Avenue), 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., FREE.

DANCE PARTY: There are some great regular Friday night dance parties in Toronto—events like Girl and Boy: a ’90s Dance Party or Da Da Da: a Psychedelic Dance Party. But tonight, there’s a selection of events you can shake your tail feathers at that also incorporate some element of live performance. To wit:

Bluemouth Inc.‘s phenomenally successful Dance Marathon has traveled the world since it first debuted in Toronto, and it’s back for two nights only as part of Harbourfront Centre’s (appropriately titled) World Stage Series. Bring your most comfortable dancing shoes, because this inclusive theatrical experience enters audience members into an actual four-hour (with breaks) dance marathon. Harbourfront Centre Enwave Theatre (231 Queens Quay West), Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.–11 p.m., $15–$35.
Young Lion’s Music Club‘s popular local-musicians-try-DJing event Songs: A Dance Party becomes Songs: A Double Feature tonight, as Holy Fuck’s Brian Borcherdt spins groove-worthy tunes between live sets from Cousin, who are releasing their self-titled LP debut at the show, and Nicholas Doubleyou and the B-Squad. Sneaky Dee’s (431 College Street), 9 p.m., $5.
Tonight’s edition of Loving in the Name Of, a live and DJ-ed “celebration of the greatest hits of all time,” packs a whole heck of a lot of local rockers into their huge cover band line-up, including Andre Ethier, Sebastien Grainger, and Josh Reichmann. The Great Hall (1087 Queen Street West), 10:30 p.m., $10.

Urban Planner is Torontoist‘s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to events@torontoist.com.

NXNE Picks: Weekend Edition

Carly Maga — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:15:00 +0000

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

Chad VanGaalen in 2009. Photo by Corbin Smith/Torontoist.

The lineup of events over the weekend is much more extensive because people tend to do more things when they don’t have work the next day. Or even if they do. Whatever. It’s the last few days of NXNE. Go out anyway, and then grab a coffee in the morning. That’s what it’s for.
There’s still lots of movies, comedy, picnics and parties going on for those who’ve hit their musical saturation points. For the rest of you, there’s more! Oh boy is there more.

Saturday, June 18

Live in Bellwoods
Trinity Bellwoods Park (D5/D6), 2–5 p.m.
Many of the acts we’ve recommended in previews and already enjoyed at late night showcases, like Allie Hughes, Sweet Thing, and Lake Forest, are playing free afternoon sets in the sun dappled centre of Trinity Bellwoods Park; check out the Facebook event for the full schedule. (SF)

The Elwins
Bread and Circus (299 Augusta Avenue), 8 p.m.
Several of the bands in our upcoming profiles have named this likable pop trio as the band they hope breaks out at NXNE. Their video for Southern Souls is one of the most watched videos the popular “impromptu performance” website has produced, and they’re a band that engenders a lot of love from other Toronto-based musicians. (SF)

CATL
Comfort Zone Side Stage (486 Spadina Avenue), 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
First: It’s CATL and they’re awesome and the guitarist/singer is so comfortable with how cool he is that he sits down the whole time. Second: They’re playing, like, all night. (JS)

Devo
Yonge-Dundas Square (10 Dundas Street East), 9:30 p.m.
Number of things funnier than seeing Devo play Yonge and Dundas Square: 0. (JS)

Josh Reichmann
The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West), 10 p.m.
The former Tangiers frontman and Jewish Legend cypher is always one to watch. His new album, After Live, was recently released by the Hand Drawn Dracula label, and he’s playing relatively early on in one of the most eclectic and interesting bills of the festival. (SF)

Neon Windbreaker
Comfort Zone (486 Spadina Avenue), 11 p.m.
Originally dismissed as a joke band who gave away album downloads on pieces of fruit, these TO boys returned from playing 100 shows at SXSW with chops to match all the stunts. (JS)

Wild Nothing, Twin Shadow
Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor Street West), 11 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Because NXNE often instills too much positive stimulation and good vibrations, head to Lee’s for a double-dose of the down-and-out nostalgia and slow pop-synth shoegazing of Wild Nothing and Twin Shadow that have critics raving with excitement. Schadenfreude at its best. (CM)

Candy Coated Killahz
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom (1214 Queen Street West), 11:30 p.m.
Back in 2009, this electro-pop duo played in the highly anticipated Sunday night lineup at Yonge Dundas Square that featured Wu-Tang Clan founding member GZA. Needless to say, there was a lot of excited energy for Toronto pair to feed off of that night. Now Tasha and Icon the Anomali will have the chance to work up their own crowd in the closer confines of the Gladstone Ballroom with tracks off their sophomore album Neon Black, due out in July. (CC)

Chad VanGaalen
The Great Hall (1087 Queen West), 12 a.m.
A lot of people thought VanGaalen’s Diaper Island was snubbed by the Polaris Prize Long List this year (and we agree). Still won’t stop this show from filling up fast. What can we say? People like Canadian indie music, toilet humour, and epecially toilet humour in their Canadian indie music. (CM)

One Hundred Dollars
Horseshoe Tavern (370 Queen Street West), 1 a.m.
If you like your folk-rock with a slice of sincerity pie, look no further. (One time I got shushed at one of their shows because I was too drunk and wouldn’t stop loudly discussing characterizations of Moriarty in various Sherlock Holmes adaptations with my friend. That was a justifiable shush, for sure.) (JS)

Makeout Videotape
The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West), 2 a.m.
Mac Demarco’s fuzzy party favourite outfit closes out the scheduled bill at the Garrison, though there’s a good chance the frivolity will continue until the 4 a.m. last call. (SF)

Sunday June 19

Closing Night Showcase
Yonge-Dundas Square (10 Dundas Street East), 5–9 p.m.
And on the seventh night, we rested. That is, if you don’t mind missing Reema Major (5 p.m.), D-Sisive (7 p.m.), Digable Planets (8 p.m.) and The Pharcyde (9 p.m.). Which, we don’t think you do, so be sure to drop by. (CM)

Recommendations by Carly Conway, Steve Fisher, Carly Maga, and John Semley.

Urban Planner: June 15, 2011

Laura Hewitt — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Josh Reichmann debuts his new album tonight at Hunter and Cook‘s issue 09 launch. Photo by Adam Levett.

Today in Toronto: Hunter and Cook launch issue 09, pastry film–watching followed by pastry eating, awkward talents on display, and Luminato’s already half over, but there’s still lots to see.

MUSIC: It’s not an official part of NXNE, but today Hunter and Cook, a visual art magazine that promotes Canadian artists internationally, launches issue 09, and a bunch of great musicians are helping them do it. The event features a stellar lineup of artists, including Josh Reichmann (debuting his album After Live),Jake Fairley, Brian Borcherdt, and Chains of Love. The ticket price to today’s event includes issue 09, Reichmann’s After Live CD, and snacks. Ruins (960 Queen Street West), 5:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m., $10.
FILM & FOOD: Finding a show about desserts isn’t very hard these days, with endless cake- and cupcake-based marathons on the Food Network. What’s different about tonight’s event at the Revue on Roncesvalles—part of the cinema’s The Epicure’s Revue series—is that you’ll get to build up your appetite watching critically acclaimed documentary Kings of Pastry and then sample signature desserts created by local restaurants after the film. The documentary is about the intense Meilleurs Ouvriers de France competition, where pastry chefs duke it out for the prestigious distinction. Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Avenue), 6:45 p.m., $10–$12.
EVENT: Tired of being awkward at home with your family and wish you could share your awkwardness with others? Well, now you can! The Awkward “Talent” Contest takes place tonight, giving you the opportunity to show off your most cringe-worthy skills on stage, so start brainstorming. Clinton’s Tavern (693 Bloor Street West), 8:30 p.m., FREE.
LUMINATO: The annual multi-disciplinary festival that “brings Toronto’s light to the world, and the world’s light to Toronto” runs from June 10–19 this year. Check out our preview of Luminato 2011, which includes Torontoist‘s top picks from this year’s festival.

Sound Tracks: “Bankok Hilton” by Bad Tits

Nicole Villeneuve — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:45:00 +0000

Believe it or not, music videos still exist. Sound Tracks trolls the internet to find the best and the worst of local artists’ new singles and the good, bad, or otherwise noteworthy visuals that accompany them.

Welcome to the inaugural installment of The More You Know Something You Definitely Probably Already Know, But That Doesn’t Make You Smarter Than Us, featuring Sebastien Grainger and Josh Reichmann. The lesson is: don’t Google their new project, Bad Tits, while at work.
The two, of course, are both graduates of seminal local acts (Grainger played in Death From Above 1979, and Reichmann, Tangiers) and have since become some of the best in the solo-transition ranks. It is reported that they joined forces during the great garbage summer of 2009, though it isn’t clear what role the garbage might have played other than it sort of being everywhere (oh, and that the upcoming EP which features the “Bankok Hilton” single is called Garbage Night. And that all of their press photos so far feature them lurking amidst garbage.). What is clear is that this creepy party jam is not, in fact, garbage, but instead a simmering amalgamation of Grainger’s soulful, hook-hugging vox and Reichmann’s experimental pop freakouts.
“Bankok Hilton” has good payoff both musically and visually; if the uncomfortable prog-synth riffs don’t keep you hooked long enough to get to the shiny post-garage rave-up, perhaps the giant dancing ducks will. Directed by Alex Jones—not he of the shouting and conspiracies, but of CFCF’s “Crystal Mines” video—it’s a weird, funny, surreal treasure chest of B-movie footage that looks like Howard the Duck crashing some after-hours I Dream of Jeannie dance party. The only thing that could have been better is footage of ducks playing in garbage.

Sound Advice: Crazy Power by Josh Reichmann Oracle Band

Nicole Villeneuve — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Every Tuesday, Torontoist scours record store shelves in search of the city’s most notable new releases and brings you the best—or sometimes just the biggest—of what we’ve heard in Sound Advice.

It’s a good day for weirdo pop music in Toronto. Following 2008′s Life is Legal EP, Josh Reichmann returns with Crazy Power, out today on Paper Bag Records. It’s a spastic, genre-bending collection, layered thick with instruments, ideas, and endless, relentless hooks.
Getting a little help from his Oracle Band—which, on record, includes Sebastian Grainger on drums and both fellow-ex-Tangier and ex-Thrush Hermit/current T.O. indie-rock-everyman Ian McGettigan on bass—Reichmann has created an album of studio experimentation complementary to his songcraft. The mostly self-recorded, self-produced opus fuses bits of soul, jazz, funk, and just the right amount of post-punk energy (and fuzztones) to keep the cool kids interested; Crazy Power can’t help but catch the ear of even the most jaded listener.
Trying to process everything going on in each song can either be really exhausting or really fun. Some examples of how much attention Crazy Power demands from your wee ears: just when all of the squawking keyboards are at risk of becoming a little too cartoony (“Fractal Web”), the track moves smoothly into a calm chorus, leaving your click-wheel happy thumb in the cold; “Sea at Night” closes its funk-pop romp with a scratchy guitar line so catchy, simple, and joyful, it’d probably even make U2 jealous; and you’d be forgiven for mistaking album opener “Spirits Don’t Leave” for TV on the Radio—opening with authoritative bass and drums, Reichmann slithers in almost unnoticed until the layered falsetto soars through the chorus, the accompanying keys and horns still not doing anything to convince you it isn’t the Brooklyn band. This isn’t a bad thing.
Josh Reichmann Oracle Band brings its different beast of a six-piece live band (complete with a former National Ballet dancer! Just for dancing!) to the Gladstone Hotel on Friday, March 13, as part of Canadian Music Week. Bring your very best smiles.

Urban Planner: March 7, 2009

Robin Hatch — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Photo from last year’s Sumo Robot Challenge by ocad123.

ROBOTS: The annual OCAD SUMO Robot Challenge returns today for its seventeenth year. The highly anticipated event features homemade robots going head to head in a fight to the death (death being falling off the platform where the robots fight). There are six levels of difficulty within the challenge in order to give both novice and elite robot builders a fair chance. Funds raised go towards scholarships for OCAD students. Preliminary rounds kick off at 10:30 a.m., but you don’t need to show up until 1 p.m. for the main event. More rules and info are available on the challenge’s official site. OCAD Auditorium (100 McCaul Street), 9:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m., FREE.
MUSIC: Quite the lineup tonight at Rancho Relaxo. Former Haligonians Brent Randall and his Pinecones will perform, along with the highly entertaining B.A. Johnston, Dany Laj, and the Stables. The showcase is part of promoter Dan Wolovick’s Two Way Monologues music series. Rancho Relaxo (300 College Street), 9 p.m., $7.
ART: Visual artists Katya Jacobs and Cynthia Chapman are opening a joint exhibition today at Moore Gallery. Cynthia Chapman’s series, “paintbook,” explores the growing influence of technology on visual art. Katya Jacobs paints with wax on wood panels and it looks really cool (…her press release was just a quote by Octavio Paz). Until March 28. Moore Gallery (80 Spadina Avenue, on the fourth floor), 2–4 p.m., FREE.
BENEFIT: Ward 21 Councillor Joe Mihevc is holding a community trivia night this evening at the Artscape Wychwood Barns. The real-life social networking event will raise funds for Wychwood Open Door, a drop-in centre helping homeless and socially isolated people find support and a hot meal. CBC Radio One personality Kevin Sylvester will serve as trivia master. Artscape Wychwood Barns (601 Christie Street, in the covered street), 6:30 p.m., $20.