All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Photo Gallery: The Cult with Bush and Stone Temple Pilots at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage
If you’re in the Toronto area, see Mars at its best and brightest at the Ontario Science Centre
Turn your eyes to the skies! On July 27, the Ontario Science Centre hosts MarsFest, a free event to celebrate the red planet being at its biggest and brightest in the night sky since 2003. Star partygoers can glimpse the planet up close using a telescope, hear from a planetary scientist specializing in the surface geology of Mars, participate in Mars-themed activities and check out Martian costumes from the science fiction television series The Expanse.
Discover the meaning of “opposition” — when Mars and the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth — and what makes this occurrence unique. Observe Mars up close using a telescope, engage in hands-on, Mars-themed activities and find out about the latest in Martian science from a self-described “professional Martian.”
You won’t want to miss this — the next closest opposition will be in September 2035.
Telescopes will be available starting at 8 p.m., and Mars-gazing begins at 11 p.m. and runs until 1 a.m.
Guest Speaker: Tanya Harrison, PhD, Director of NewSpace Initiative, University of Arizona | 9:30 p.m.
Cloudy With a Chance of Dust Storms
Mars is currently experiencing the largest dust storm we’ve ever seen on the Red Planet! How do these storms happen, and how do they affect the missions we have at Mars?
Dr. Tanya Harrison is a “Professional Martian,” working on rocks and robots on the Red Planet for a living. She is a science team collaborator on NASA’s Opportunity rover and the Director of Research for Arizona State University’s Space Technology and Science Initiative. Tanya holds a Ph.D. in Geology with a Specialization in Planetary Science and Exploration from the University of Western Ontario.
MarsFest is presented in collaboration with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Toronto Centre.
8 p.m. – 1 a.m.
TELUSCAPE
Free | Parking $10 (Member discount applies)
In the event of poor weather, Star Party activities will be held indoors. Telescope observing isweather dependent.
How a Holocaust Survivor Became ‘Death Metal Grandma’
Many of us hope to remain active as we age — and in Inge Ginsberg we’ve found a new role model. A 96-year-old poet, songwriter and Holocaust survivor, Ginsberg started singing death metal late in life, a story told in this week’s New York Times Op-Doc, Leah Galant’s “Death Metal Grandma.”
Ginsberg’s performances are a striking sight (it’s not every day you see an elderly woman, backed by guitar-wielding skeletons, screaming into a mike) but she also wants us to think about how to appreciate life in the face of aging and death. “Beyond the spectacle,” Galant writes, “Ms. Ginsberg’s story is really that of a woman who is finding new ways to be heard.”
That time Keith Richards threw a TV off his hotel balcony
Why? Because he’s Keith Richards, that’s why.
The 15 Greatest Drum Breaks of All Time (Hard Rock Edition)
So, yeah, there’s Slayer, Avenged Sevenfold, so this list tends to learn towards the harder edge of rock, but you can’t go wrong with #1 or #2.
From bhangra to reggae, beat boxer RupLoops IS ‘The Human Radio’
When it comes to entertaining audiences of all ages, Canadian musician RupLoops has the job on lock.
The brainchild of Vancouver-based Rup Sidhu, RupLoops is known for delivering highly engaging, interactive experiences using vocal percussion, rhythmic, looping rhymes and an arsenal of eclectic instruments from around the world.
His newest release — The Human Radio — is no exception to his long-standing, critically-acclaimed and highly sought after skills.
The result is as unique as the day is new.
Through a mix of hip-hop, blues, and bhangra, The Human Radio welcomes themes of all things identity: home, culture, justice, dignity, and celebration, to name a few. Between “Yaar (Friend)”, a bhangra banger performed in both Punjabi and English, “Compass”, a bouncy, inviting reggae rouser, all the way to “Moon Dreams”, his ‘nap time’ inspired closer, the 14-song release is a globally-inspired must-hear track after track.
Welcomed on stage around the world as an interdisciplinary artist, musician, producer, and composer, Rup is credited for delving deeper into the opportunity of educating as he entertains through his passion for blending and amplifying intercultural sounds. “(He) delights, entertains, and draws his audience in,” says Katherine Carol, Artistic Director of the Vancouver International Children’s Festival. “(It’s) outstanding! His shows are fabulous!”
“This was more than just a performance,” agrees Sharon Hoffinger, a teacher in Surrey, British Columbia. “Rup integrates technology, culture, emotion, creativity, and even some music theory into an experience where all audience members were fully engaged!”
“Let’s investigate the brilliant design of our auditory and aural systems that allow us to create and listen to music,” Rup invites, regarding his new release. “Through body percussion and beatboxing, I demonstrate how the human form is indeed a musical instrument.
“For almost a century, we have been tuning into radios to be informed and entertained,” he explains. “The Human Radio takes you on a journey of sound exploring anatomy, geography, and culture.”
The Human Radio is available now.
RUPLOOPS Tour Dates
July 28 @ Calgary Folk Festival, Calgary AB
August 2 @ Burnaby Civic Square, Burnaby BC
August 8 @ Clearwater Children’s Festival, Clearwater BC
// ABOUT RUPLOOPS
Saint John’s Provincial Camps press play on sophomore release — Fuzz Pop available now
It’s not every day a new release is named after what it sounds like, but for Saint John indie rockers Provincial Camps — and their sophomore release Fuzz Pop — what you see is definitely what you get.
With features filtering in from comeherefloyd, Mystic Sons, We Love That / Sound, Mind Noise Network, wee world, buffaBLOG, and more, Provincial Camps’ frontman, guitarist, and primary singer/songwriter Sam Roach describes Fuzz Pop as “composed of simple yet incredibly fuzzy pop songs.
“Since I wanted to go in a different direction this time, most of the songs are written to sound like they’re ‘love songs’.”
The result is a simpler, more upbeat and pop-esque sound for Provincial Camps — which also includes Sheehan Flatt on bass and vocals, and Will Jordan on drums — compared to the trio’s debut release, 2015’s Exaggerator. “The ‘concept’ I had in mind for this album was that I’d write songs that sounded like love songs, but were about something else entirely.
“The album is sort of like a guessing game,” he continues. “We want listeners to try and decipher the lyrics and figure out what each song is actually about.”
While nearly all tracks on Fuzz Pop are original to Sam Roach and Provincial Camps, there is one intriguing cover tucked within — “Caroline, No” by The Beach Boys.
“I chose The Beach Boys to cover because I saw something new I could do with it,” Roach shares on Provincial Camps’ take on the 1966 classic. “I thought it would be interesting as a super fuzzy rock song, and it fit both aesthetically and thematically with what I was doing on the rest of the album.”
The Beach Boys may have influenced a cover, but it’s Roach’s emphatic admiration for earlier releases by Weezer, Pixies, The Thermals, and blink-182 (“They are NOT a guilty pleasure band,” he tables. “I will defend them until the day I die!”) that fed and filtered inspiration for Fuzz Pop on the whole.
What sparks Roach’s creativity doesn’t start and stop with songs. With Montreal as his current address, the 19-year old frontman also draws heavy inspiration from the band’s main hometown backyard of Saint John. “For our first album, I really wanted its sound to reflect the vibe of Saint John as much as possible,” Roach describes. “As a result, it had a very cold, harsh aesthetic that fit with the industrial structures and sort of run-down look.
“The songs on Exaggerator are all about loneliness in some way, whether it be romantic loneliness or fear of being misunderstood…”
Now the misunderstanding is deliberate and highly engaging, as listeners parse Fuzz Pop and figure out if the East Coast trio are rocking on about their love of humans, or… Have a spin to see for yourself!
Fuzz Pop is available now.
Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman Sing”Makin’ Whoopee” Together
Five years ago this week, Amanda Palmer surprised worthy Paste Magazine with a guest vocalist during her Paste Session at the Newport Folk Festival—her husband, author Neil Gaiman.
Name a more iconic couple. I’ll wait.
Will Arnett Explains Canadian Slang
In the latest episode of Vanity Fair’s “Slang School” series, Canadian/American comedic actor Will Arnett explains the meanings of some common Canadian slang words and phrases. Will stars in “Teen Titans GO! To the Movies” which debuts in theaters July 27th.
Photo Gallery: Godsmack with Shinedown and Like A Storm at Darien Lake
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
