NXNE and Other Outrageous TO Adventures

Well the past weekend was the most fun I have had in 2005 as of yet!

Where do I even begin?

NXNE was fantastic. I heard so much amazing music and met a lot of wonderful people. There are too many experiences to write about here so I'm going to give you the highlights instead...Plus, I could get in a bit of trouble for sharing some of my outrageous experiences that I took part in! : )

Thursday June 9

Six Shooter Records Showcase: Elliott Brood @ The Horseshoe

Those guys put on a stellar show. It was a packed house and everyone was dancing. As I have learned, getting people in Toronto to dance is quite the amazing accomplishment. What made the night even more special was that it was Casey's 29th b-day. Fun times were had by all! Six Shooter Records has an awesome thing going on and I'm glad that the Brood boys are part of it...

Matthew Barber @ The El Mocambo

Everytime I see Matt perform, I have such a great time. Talk about one amazing voice and such charisma on stage. Peter Elkas played in the band for this gig which was a real treat. I'm looking forward to hearing Matt's new album which comes out sometime in the late summer. For those of you who don't know this, Matt also plays in another band called Live Country Music. They just released a CD...check it out!

Friday June 10

"G Spot" Remembered - Dinner with composer Scott Good, flutist Conor Nelson and french horn player Jenn Schofield:

Not what you think it is...Scott, Jenn, Conor and I all spent six glorious weeks performing at the Banff Centre for the Arts in the opera orchestra a few years back. We used to drink our beverages on the side of the mountain as we watched the stars after practice. We had a favourite chilling spot called the "g spot." Many fun times were shared there. I haven't seen Scott and Jenn in ages so it was a real nice treat to have dinner at their place, right in the heart of College Street's Littly Italy. Jenn made a fabulous veggie meal as we consumed many drinks in their backyard. Conor had brought a special loquat sake from his recent trip to Japan for us to enjoy. I have never tasted anything like it...it was delicious!

Paper Bag Records Showcase: Fembots, Magneta Lane and The Deadly Snakes @ the Gladstone

This was a super fun show and I'm so glad that I managed to get my friends Conor and Dave in to see it with me! It took some work. Thanks Casey for helping us out with that one! : )
Those are some awesome bands...another label that's got a good thing going on. I just didn't want the live music to ever end that night as it was all so good. I met lots of cool people in the audience, exchanged many friendly smiles with beautiful looking strangers as we all enjoyed dancing to those high energy tunes. Fun times.

Saturday June 11

Playing at the St. Lawrence Market with flutist Conor Nelson

Conor Nelson, the 24 year old classically-trained Canadian flutist who did his Carnegie Hall Debut at the age of 21! What a fantastic flutist. He's on his way to Norfolk after just returning from a competition in Japan. He just completed his Master's of Music in Performance at Yale on full scholarship! Conor is one of the most beautiful people I know...he's been my very best friend in the whole wide world for many years now and I always look forward to our visits together.

We used to busk at the St. Lawrence Market every Saturday morning when we both lived in Toronto over 6 years ago. We decided to get our hung over butts out of bed early on Saturday and busk again! It was so much fun and the goosebump factor was at an ultimate high. People really appreciated our music and we felt so lucky to share such a special moment playing together again. He's my favourite classical flutist to play with as we always end up in stitches from laughing so hard. This time was no exception...Thanks for the fun times Conor! : )

A Hot Saturday Afternoon at Graffiti's in Kensington Market...

The Soundtrack: Justin Rutledge and Elliott Brood just to name a few...

Wow, having nice cold ones all afternoon at Graffiti's in the hot heat was a serious highlight for me. I got to meet so many great people at that showcase, including the folks from Edmonton band AA Sound System. I'm listening to their CD as I write this blog and am loving every minute of it! I had great times hanging out and chatting with Ayla that afternoon out in front of the bar. He was talking all about Northern Alberta and Saskatchewan...I gotta get out there soon. It sounds like heaven. Oh man, did Justin Rutledge and band ever do a great set, just perfect for the hot lazy vibe of the afternoon andthe Brood boys wowed me again. The sweat was pouring off of all of our bodies as we listened to those tunes but we just didn't care as we were having such an amazing time.

Saturday Night...a baked potato and laughing the night away at Casey's with a bottle of whiskey...

From Graffiti's, Conor and I made our way to meet up with the In Support of Living boys in the Annex. They had just finished their barbecue of chicken and potatoes when we arrived. Having not eaten since the morning, Conor and I were soooo hungry and in great need of calories. There was one baked potato left and we claimed it! I have never thought a plain baked potato ever tasted so good! Got to hear a new tune that Brad wrote...flute's gonna sound awesome on it!

Then it was off to meet up with the Elliott Brood boys and friends to go partying at the Horseshoe for the Sadies show. Didn't end up making it out to the Sadies show...we all ended up partying into the wee hours at Casey's place instead. What a great time. I could not stop laughing the whole night. Whenever Casey's around, laughing seems to be the theme. I absolutely love that about him! Picture a room full of smiling people, listening to great tunes, sharing awesome stories while drinking whiskey out of a bottle and passing around scotch out of an old-fashioned flask! It was so much fun. We also got to try a special substance - absinthe from the Czeck Republic which was the most unique experience I've had in a long time. Can't wait to hang out with those folks again as it's always good times when they're around.

A special note to those friends I spent time with while in TO...

- Thanks for the thousands of special moments Conor... miss you already.
- Dave, you rock! Looking forward to more good times and thanks for letting me stay at your awesome place and being my protective "bro" at the Gladstone.
- Mark, Steve and Casey, what can I say, you are an absolute hoot and I can't wait to move back to TO to share more ridiculous fun times together...Casey, keep the laughs comin'!
- Ayla and AA Sound System crew - gotta do that again, maybe on your home turf this time around? and thanks for the final magical tunes of the trip...love the CDs, yours are coming in the mail.
- Colleen, you got some serious style going on! Glad we got to hang...
- Jenn & Scott, I'm so glad I got to see you, let's see each other again soon... : )
- Matt, looking forward to the 22nd at Barrymore's! Good to see you again...can't wait to hear the new CD!

Well there's lots more to share but I better leave it at that for now. Gotta get back to practicing those scales in this super hot heat!

Bye for now,

Love Rozalind