Tour di Via Italia

Tour di Via Italia - #295/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

Our family visit to Windsor coincided with the annual Tour di Via Italia cycling races on Windsor's Erie Street in Lit'l Italy. Although many pro photographers took up their position just a little past the apex of the corner I found that the most dramatic shots were from a low angle right on the corner. It was a rather dangerous position with no barriers and bikes passing by within inches at about 30mph so I fired a lot of continuous bursts as the pack raced by. I was using my Zeikos battery grip and had a second (Zeikos) battery loaded as I'd read somewhere that it can speed up the frame rate. I also only shot in jpeg to get the best buffer rate.

But, this was apparently too much for my D80 and after about 5 lengthy bursts, I got the dreaded "Err" message displayed on the top LCD and the camera stopped functioning. I tried a number of different remedies, but nothing fixed the problem (to be continued).

Windsor morning ceiling

Windsor morning ceiling - #294/265, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

I was the first one up at my parents home. I thought a blurred shot of the ceiling fan would be interesting but on its own it was kind of dull. So I zoomed out and brought the curves and lines from the front window into the shot to provide some context and contrast.

Classy Windsor ride-by

Classy Windsor ride-by = #293/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

My sister-in-law with her coordinated outfit for her retro bike was too perfect to pass up. I used a slow flash sync to give her some highlights which also automatically set a relatively slow 1/60 sec so when I panned I got a nice blurred background and wheels.

Betty Davis Eyes

My wife and I went to see Brandon Flowers (of The Killers) play a solo gig last week and one of the tracks he played was the classic Kim Carnes' hit Betty Davis Eyes.  I hadn't herd that great song in a very long time, and then I heard it again on the car radio this morning.  I just went out to run another errand and heard the same original version being played at St. Louis Wings on their outdoor patio speakers.  I ran my errand, and as I'm returning back to my car, the same restaurant is now paying The Killers' big it Sombody Told me.

Jacks building

Jacks building - #292/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

I liked the unusual decorative jacks on this new glass tower and the fluffy clouds broke up the blue sky nicely. Rather than a completely symmetrical composition I chose to include the angular side which seems create a better sense of space.

Heat wave windows

Heat wave windows - #291/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

It's been a hot summer in Toronto and this last week of August saw another heat wave. These apartments are close to my house and thought the open windows summed it up nicely. A took a while to find a decent angle that captured a lot of windows in the frame and opted to go with a smaller aperture to keep them in focus.

Keeping memories alive

Keeping memories alive - #290/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

Just as much as my wife enjoys photo scrapbooking, she loves spending time looking at old photos and scrapbooks. That is the big reason most people take photographs, but so many of us file the photos and memorabilia away and never spend the time enjoying them again. One of the factors is the sheer number of photos we now take with the ease-of-use of digital photography. I'm probably guilty of this and although I save a vast majority of photos I take, I only publish the very best. For me, photos like this one, helps me tell a story.

Kids' driveway tennis photo break

Kids' driveway tennis photo break - #288/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

Although my kids partake a lots of organized sports, simple make-do games around the house can keep them entertained for hours. Who needs centre court at Wimbledon when you have a small, sloped driveway in the front of your house, some chalk and two enthusiastic kids. I lay down on my back and had the kids stand over me for a more unusual point-of-view.

High stepping at Wasaga Beach

High stepping at Wasaga Beach - #289/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

I love running into the water, trying not to fall down too quickly and end with a refreshing shallow dive and splash ! I'm happy to say my kids are in agreement - simple games in the water are lots of fun, not to mention it's a great workout.

Kim Churchill, Buskerfest

Kim Churchill, Buskerfest - #287/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

It was the first year I made the time to go to Buskerfest on Front Street. Although the crowds and heat were tiring, I had a great time with my family and was really impressed by the quality of the entertainment. Kim is from Australia and had rigged his guitar with extra pickups and learnt to get drum sounds out of the guitar body...mix in some down home lyrics and you've gone one fantastic one man band.

This shot was a little tricky as it was such a bright day and he was in the shade under a tent. I used center weighted metering and added .3 EV to bring up the exposure.

Supergroups, Reunions and Solo Projects

Imported from My Life Is Like A Song (you can view post comments here)

I started this post months ago. When I first heard that Guy Berryman of Coldplay and Tim Rice-Oxley of Keane were joining separate supergroups.

Apparatjik is a group that consists of bassist Guy Berryman from Coldplay, guitarist/keyboardist Magne Furuholmen from a-ha and singer/guitarist Jonas Bjerre of Mew.

Mt. Desolation is a alt country group formed by Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin from Keane that consists of

Andrew Lowe - Bass

Fimbo - Drums

John Roderick - BVs, Guitar (from Long Winters)

Pete Roe - Keys, BVs

Tom Fiddle Hobden - Fiddle (from Noah and the Whale)
Jessica Staveley-Taylor - BVs
John-William Scott - Bass, Guitar
Phil Renna - Fiddle, Keys

and also feat:
Ronnie Vannucci - Perc, good vibes (from The Killers)
Country Winston Marshall - Banjo (from Mumford & Sons)
Charity Quin - BVs
Jayne Rice-Oxley - BVs
Francois Deville - Pedal Steel

I was quite excited that some musicians that I love would be coming out with more music (without breaking up their original bands), but my enthusiasm waned when I heard the first few songs they released. Just because I love Keane and Coldplay, it turns out that I don't necessarily love the music of Mt. Desolation and Apparatjik.

At that point, I let this post go...but I kept hearing of new collaborations or new solo projects. It frustrates me sometimes that I hear about an album release months before it's actually released. Sometimes, I forget about it when it actually does gets released.

So to help me remember about these new releases, I decided to finish this post.

Tired Pony is a group that features Gary Lightbody (of Snow Patrol), Richard Colburn (of Belle & Sebastian), Iain Archer, Jacknife Lee, Peter Buck (of REM), Scott McCaughey and Troy Stewart. It turns out that this is also a country inspired group. I remember reading that country music was becoming popular in Great Britain. I am NOT a country music fan, so this does not excite me...but I will give it a chance.

Before hearing Mt. Desolation, I did say that if anyone could get me to like country music, it would be Keane. I haven't loved the first few songs I have heard, but will keep giving it a try.

The best "supergroup" of the year has to be Broken Bells composed of artist-producer Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) and James Mercer from The Shins. High Road is one of the best songs of 2010 in my opinion.

Freebass consists of Peter Hook (New Order and Joy Division), Gary (Mani) Mounfield (The Stone Roses and currently in Primal Scream) and singer Gary Briggs (Haven). Andy Rourke (The Smiths) was originally involved, but may not involved with them at the moment. Years after first announcing the project, they have released an album and toured a few dates. In Canada, an EP Two Worlds Collide was just released a couple of weeks ago.

Beady Eye isn't really a supergroup...but I didn't know where else to include them. They consist of Oasis members minus Noel and are set to release a single in the fall followed by an album in early 2011.

Noel Gallagher is said to have been in the studio recording drums for an unnamed musician last week. Is this the beginning of another supergroup? Or will he go solo to continue the gigs he has been playing this year? Time will tell.

If some groups are mixing it up, other groups are having reunions.

Gavin Rossdale is rejoining Bush and releasing a new album in October.
Robbie Williams and Take That are getting back together.
Soundgarden have reunited and performed together.
Roxy Music will be touring next year.

And finally some singers are going on their own.

Brandon Flowers of The Killers will be releasing a solo album in September and playing concerts....but uggg, I should have completed this blog earlier. I just found out that he's performing at the Mod Club in Toronto on Wednesday. There was a contest to win tickets, but it's closed now. Oh well, if he comes back, I'll hopefully buy tickets. I can't complain. I saw The Killers from quite close last year and I won tickets to see Coldplay's buzz gig in 2005. I can't win them all. I quite like his first single so am looking forward to the album.

Fran Healy of Travis also has been touring on his own. After touring with Travis last year (which I saw at Sound Academy), he and Andy Dunlop toured for a while as a twosome (which I missed when they played The Mod Club) and now, Fran didn't want to stop. I saw him last month at Molson Amphitheatre in a mini festival. He's so great live and he followed the festival tour with a headlining tour including dates in Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. He has a solo album coming out this fall and from the sounds of it at the concert, it will be great!

Not necessarily a band member going solo, but I read that Hugh Laurie recorded a blues album. If you're interested, you can do the research on this one ;-)

I read that Peter Hook will be taking Joy Division's classic album 'Unknown Pleasures' on a tour of the US. I'm not an expert on Joy Division but from my understanding he may have already been doing that in the UK. Again, if you're interested, check it out.

I am so relieved to finally finish this post. I'm sure that there are many other supergroups, reunions or solo projects so don't be surprised to see a part 2...but for now, I am happy to finally get all this written down and out of my head!

It's about time...

We were talking last night and said we should use this blog to simply keep our friends informed on concert listings they may have missed or tips on bands that may be new to many people, but who we think you'll like.  We agreed for this blog, content is king and prose can wait for another day.  So we'll try and keep the content coming, especially as we head into cooler weather and perhaps a rush of end of year releases.


Concerts

• Gorillaz at Air Canada Centre, Oct 14th.  Really looking forward to this one - I'm going with my son and have lower bowl seats.  I have a DVD of their Demon Days concert and the performance is wonderful.  With all the guest musicians and singers and orchestral elements I have no idea what this Toronto show is going to be like, but it's a must-see for me.
• The Boxer Rebellion at Horseshoe, Sept 27th.  Getting some well deserved attention because of their inclusion on the Going the Distance soundtrack.  Pop melodies that could be compared to Coldplay.  We have tickets to this one.
• Katie Mulua at The Mod Club, Sept 8th.  I've always liked her soft tunes and songwriting.  Not for everyone, a little Kate Bush mixed with Carole King perhaps.  She hasn't played hear ever/for a long time and has a new album coming out.  Perfect venue choice.
• K'Naan and Shad at Koolhaus, Oct 1st.  By now, I hope you know you K'Naan is or at least have heard his massive hit Wavin' Flag.  We saw both K'Naan and Shad this year and they are now performing on the same bill in a few cities across Canada over the next few months. Highly recommended if you're into some local hip hop, strong songwriting and storytelling by some fantastic entertainers.  Unfortunately I'm out of town for this one.
• The Charlatans at Lee's Palace, Sept 17th.  Old time Manchest'or survivors have a new album coming out.  Should be a lot of fun at one the hottest (literally) small venues in town.

A quick mention to some others with upcoming concerts in Toronto that caught my eye - lots of great tracks from everyone: Hot Hot Heat, MIA, OK GO, City and Colour with Tegan and Sara, Kele (of Bloc Party), Vampire Weekend, Tom Tom Club, Simian Mobile Disco, The XX, The Scissor Sisters and The Foals.


I'm still a little disappointed I missed Buckwheat Zydeco last week.  It made one NOW Magazine's shows of the week, but it coincided with my Wed night ultimate game.  Priorities got a little tangled.  If Buckwheat is coming to your town, make sure you see him !

Toronto Concert Venues

While I've been adding some interesting concert dates, I thought I'd also take this (early Saturday morning) opportunity to rank the most popular venues in Toronto as the venue often dictates whether I'm willing to pay good money for a concert or not.

1. The Mod Club - perfect size, high stage, great sound, always a great atmosphere.  Lots of pre and post options in the Lil' Italy neighbourhood.
2. The Horseshoe Tavern.  Old, dirty, low ceilings, hot and often too loud.  But you can't beat the energy of the old place and they let me in with my DSLR camera.
3. Koolhaus - large, unseated, warehouse-like venue.   Large enough for some big name acts and decent light shows.
4. Lee's Palace - fun old joint, good size, good viewing angles and decent sound.  Seems to attract a lot of once great bands coming back for an encore.
5. Phoenix Concert Theatre - gets pretty jammed, pretty quickly, but hosts some great artists.  Sound is usually good, but security is very strict and lineups are often a problem.
6. Molson Amphitheatre - large outdoor venue.  Sound is pretty poor from the lawn, but can be very good in the closer seats and in the general admission area.
7. Air Canada Centre - large arena, ok sound if you're in the lower bowl or up front.
8. Sound Academy - this place gets a lot of good artists, but the layout is all just wrong and the sound is suspect.  Above all, difficult to get to if you're not driving and if you are driving, a nightmare parking lot.

2 minutes for tree tripping

2 minutes for tree tripping - #286/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

I was taking a variety of angles of these trees in my back yard while the evening lighting was just right. I took a shot of an old hockey stick close to the tree and thought it would spin the shot into something with some humour as the tree trunks looked like legs when I spun the camera around. I tried a few different compositions as the light was fading and grabbed this one and just had to invert the image to create this unusual back yard shot.

Walk home towers

Walk home towers - #285/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

A quick shot of a few office towers walking home from the subway station. As with many architectural shots, it's often important to make sure vertical or horizontal lines are aligned nicely, so I was pretty happy here that I got it spot one without any post-editing. As summer winds down, I'm trying to take advantage of those "golden hours" after work.

Brandon Flowers @ the Mod Club

Brandon Flowers @ the Mod Club - #284/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

My wife wons tickets to Brandon Flowers' buzz gig at the Mod Club and she got us nice a close to see the Killers' lead sing his new solo material. As usual, DSLRs were not allowed so I had to take my chances with the Fuji point-and-shoot. This shot turned out quite nicely with the brighter spot light and Brandon show much he was enjoying his own gig in a small venue.

Heading home in white

Heading home in white - #283/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

I took quite a lot of shots today, but they were straight up shots capturing events of the day, without a lot of artistry. My wife and I went out for a late bite to eat and grabbed this shot on the way home. Luckily she was wearing a white top that worked perfectly on the dark street. I used my "nifty fifty" and a very high 1600 ISO setting.

Fire escape contrast

Fire escape contrast - #282/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

Out and about at lunch close to my office, Massey Hall is a regular stop. I really like Massey Hall's black fire escapes, but the lines and details get lost against the dark brick hall. So this time, I got close to the hall and underneath one of the fire escapes and shot upwards to get some contrast against the building across the street and found some organic contrast and composition additive too with the street side tree.

Don Yeomans' "Where Cultures Meet" with iPod

Don Yeomans' "Where Cultures Meet" with iPod - #281/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

My wife is a big fan of the Group of Seven and she got us a family membership to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg this year. I visited the gallery and had a wonderful afternoon soaking in Group of Seven art along with an exhibition of Dorothy Knowles and landscape photography from Jim and Sue Waddington that match work from the Group of Seven.

Although photography in the gallery is restricted, there are some interesting pieces on the grounds and in the entrance hall. This piece from Don Yeomans I found interesting as it intersected traditional totem art with a modern materialism.

Italian flag ingredients

Italian flag ingredients - #280/365, originally uploaded by PJMixer.

I cook Italian food quite often at home. The family enjoys pasta dishes and enjoy cooking with simple fresh ingredients. I set the shot up using Nikon's built multi-flash Commander mode. I hand held my Speedlight flash above and to the left of the subject and I lowered the power of the pop-up flash.

After choosing my favourite shot which was this tighter composition I noticed the distinct colours and was pleased that the composition coincidently matched the colours of the Italian flag.