hadd

Hi everybody!



How's your summer going? Mine has been pretty eventful so far.

Back in June I took a week off during NXNE and saw a couple of local bands (Die Mannequin and the Rabid Whole) as well as the triumphant return of Limblifter. I never had the chance to see them in the 90s so it was great to finally get the opportunity. The El Mo was super packed so I guess I wasn't the only one eager for more LL. It sounds like the Age of Electric are working on new material as well so I may be able to cross them off my list of classic bands to catch yet too.



Speaking of long awaited returns I can finally say I've seen Refused live and in person! Last month I caught them not once but twice at the Sound Academy and it was definitely worth the 14 year wait. The first night I had a VIP ticket and while I'm no fan of the Sound Academy their balcony set up is actually pretty sweet. The band killed it both nights and made a lot of fans happy - even if this reunion tour is a one off.



I actually ran into Renna and Nymph at the first show which is kinda funny considering I'd just seen them the night before at Gala. There wasn't a huge turnout for this year's party but it was still great to see everyone that made it out for the night. I won a door prize as well so that was a nice little bonus. At the end of the evening RadioFrank and AandP announced their retirement from running Gala which was sad to hear but certainly understandable. Organizing an event like that is no small feat and six years is a pretty respectable run. My thanks to both of them for all their hard work. Big ups!

Besides hitting all the usual events this summer like Gala and Pride I also checked out the World Naked Bike Ride for the first time. They definitely got people's attention but I think a lot of passers-by may have been too stunned to catch the message. The looks on some people's faces were pretty amusing though. I was pleasantly surprised to see that not all of the riders were old dudes too . Less gas more ass!



This past weekend I also caught a couple of flicks including an advanced screening of ParaNorman. Some of the jokes were aimed at the younger crowd but the story and animation were both well done. I was entertained anyway. A few weeks back I won passes to see Safety Not Guaranteed as well. It had some good laughs and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys oddball/indie/sci-fi/rom-coms .



Summer might be starting to wind down but Fan Expo is fast approaching so I'm getting excited for that. The guest line up this year is looking pretty solid. Hopefully there won't be too many more cancellations. TIFF 2012 is not that far off either and based on the films they've announced so far it looks like both Rob Zombie and Joss Whedon will be coming to town. I've got the week booked off from work and I can't wait!

I don't think I ever uploaded my photos from last year's TIFF so I'll end off with some of my celebrity sightings. 2011 was a banner year so I doubt I'll be able to top it but we shall see .

Woody Harrelson (Cheers, Natural Born Killers, Zombieland)

Megan Fox (Transformers, Jennifer's Body)

James Franco (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Spider-Man, Freaks and Geeks)