Toronto

I went home for the summer (May through September) and spent virtually every other weekend in Toronto. If you are into music or television and you're in Canada, this is where you will end up. I heard somewhere that Toronto is the most multicultural city per capita in the world. That might be total crap but it sounds right. When I go back to Canada next year I imagine there's a good chance I'll be living there.

This list thing seems to be working. Here we go. Let's talk about:

The Annex, Kensington Market and other favourite neighbourhoods

Sneaky Dees,  The Horseshoe, Rancho Relaxo, Lee's Palace and other favourite rock bars

Canadian Music Week & NXNE

Red Room, All you can eat sushi,  & other favourite food places.

Pages & other book stores

Rotate This & other record shops

The Edge radio station

Public Transit

Photo: Kara Watts

Rancho Relaxo upstairs, Toronto, March 2007

Montreal

My first trip all by myself away from home was a visit to my aunt in Montreal when I was 13. I got my period on that trip, much to my aunt's dismay. 

Perhaps that is why I haven't spent as much time there as I'd like, residual trauma?  I visited briefly when I was at home, and have been several times on tour or to visit friends. Every time I go I tell myself to spend more time there.

Montreal is also special for a few reasons, aside from feminine rites of passage. When my mother first moved to Canada from London, this is where she lived. Mom put herself through school and worked at the Jewish General Hospital. I think this might be why I grew up familiar with as as much yiddish as silly English phrases like "knee-high to a grasshopper" or "silly buggers." This could also explain my soft spot for Jewish men and why I deeply envied my best friend in middle school while she prepared for her bat-mitzvah. 

My Dad is an Anglophone (speaker of English--when he's not trying to act like Deniro or Pacino) from Montreal. He met my mother in a health club and they danced and made spaghetti; and then me. And then my little brother. 

My favourite band from Montreal at the moment is a band called Parlovr. Their drummer used to be in another band called Shamus, whom I would visit as spontaneously as our first meeting in Toronto during Canadian Music Week. 

One time in particular, I had finagled my way onto a Cross-Canada tour to promote my magazine called FreezePeach with some bands. I bought a 30-day greyhound bus ticket, couch-surfed and backpacked my way West and back. After a particularly arduous experience, I had one day left and decided to visit Shamus in Montreal before it expired. 

One of the guys invited me over to their jam space where they were rehearsing. Immediately when I arrived, their reception was a breath of fresh air I desperately needed. They decided for me that I would stay for their show the following evening.  

Without hesitation, they put me up for the night, and paid for my ticket home; one of them even came back with me. I'll never forget that, unless I lose my mind, which, judging by the women in my family, is entirely possible. I will warn you never to play Monopoly with them though. They're bloody bastards when it comes to that game.

More recently, I rediscovered Jeremy playing for this band called Parlovr back at Canadian Music Week in  Toronto. Just as Shamus won my heart in about 5 seconds flat, Parlovr scooped me up immediately as though they'd fitted me with those magic dance shoes you've seen in the movies. 

They have a style that I feel stands out as being distinctly Montreal; gritty jangly guitar and synthesizer power-pop with loud yelps, gang vocals and very hard, loud, exciting drums.  Check them out at www.myspace.com/parlourmontreal

Photos: Ming Wu

Dancing to Parlovr 's set with Jacquie at Cafe Dekcuf, Ottawa 

I don't have any photos of Parlovr or Montreal; This is the closest we'll get for now.

The Maritimes

Perhaps responsible for our reputation as being kind people, The Maritime provinces of Canada are home of hospitality. Halifax, Nova Scotia is their biggest city. When I was on the road with a band called For the Mathematics, they ended up having a relatively significant fan base here. Enough to convince us to make the 20+ hour trip out there more than some places closer to home. Favourite stops included:

Halifax

Cape Breton

PEI

Moncton

Photos taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia 

and Charlottetown, Price Edward Island,

July 2005

Ottawa

Now, onto my hometown. Ottawa is Canada's capital city. When I went home this past summer I had mixed feelings.

I've always loved Ottawa more than ever when I come home from traveling around, but before I had moved overseas I had never been away for more than a month or so. The beautiful parliament buildings and the Ottawa river, the canal, the trees, the cleanliness, the parks, the sense of security. What a relief to come back to.

This time, however, after being away for a year and a half, I'll admit it doesn't feel like quite the right fit. There are a lot of wonderful things happening in Ottawa, but often it takes a bit of time to get into. It's downtown core is pretty easy to navigate, but to truly know the city takes effort. 

There are a few main areas worth noting:

The Byward Market & Sandy Hill

Centretown & Chinatown

The Glebe & Old Ottawa South

Little Italy, Wellington Village & Westboro

Some favourite bits I'll talk about:

punkottawa.com, Xpress's Best of list and the underground community

Aunt Olives, Victoire, Orange, Ragtime, Venus Envy, Workshop and other great shops

Ladyfest, Aunti Loos and DIY culture

Babylon, Zaphods, Black Sheep Inn, Cafe Dekcuf, and other bars

La Petit Mort and independent art galleries

More on the ups and downs of growing up in Ottawa to come...

Photo: Kara Watts

Clayton's basement, December 2006

 Remind me to to talk about basement shows in Ottawa later.

Photo: Cait Powers

Dancing with Dario at Babylon during Chromeo's set

July 2007

Bustin' out moves with Pauline "Poppy" Garcia at Barrymores in Ottawa. Winter 2006. 

I think this photo was by Paul Galipeau, thought it could have been Cait. Anyone?

For the Mathematics

You'll likely see a number of references to a band called For the Mathematics. This is a band I became friends with from around Ottawa and started volunteering my time with on the road. I got to share thousands of hours of monotony, adventure, tedium and excitement with who turned out to be some of my closest friends. 

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Ottawa, July 2005

Charlottetown, PEI, July 2005

Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 2005

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Vancouver

I have been to Vancouver 3 or 4 times and absolutely loved that part of the country. I have some great memories and even better friends out there but for now I'm just going to leave this post as a reminded to come back and fill in the details later.