a new amazing place

I'm a big fan of urban spaces. I don't think they always get the credit they deserve. I mean, we all know that if we're at the top of a mountain or on a gorgeous deserted beach, we're going to remember them and talk to people about them. But we don't always talk about the urban spaces that for some of us who have always lived in cities, are just as memorable.

I've always been a city person. I think that may be because I grew up toddling around south London and then North Vancouver (which, admittedly, had its fair share of greenery and mountains) and then moved to Toronto, took a detour back to London and Mumbai and returned to the downtown Toronto mecca.

I was coordinating some media interviews for Amanda Martinez last week (plug: her new disc comes out October 20 in Canada and she's got shows in London, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal this month as well) and I'd decided to have it at the new Koerner Hall venue on Bloor Street.

Now, I'm a huge fan of buildings that bridge the gap between old and new. Koerner Hall is Toronto's newest (and possibly most gorgeously appointed) concert hall, part of the brick heritage building that houses the Royal Conservatory of Music. The hall is a warm wood designed room, with a to-die-for acoustics and what looks like taffy-pulled wooden adornment that decorates the ceiling and the back of the stage set-up. Although seating is for 1000+ audience members, it retains its intimate feel and I can tell the concerts there are going to be as pleasing for the artists as the audience since the space presents such an admirable first impression.

So, i had set up a schedule of interviews in the lobby of this building to get the media knowing where it was and to see how great it was that Amanda's new disc was launching here. Makes sense, right?

I thought I'd probably have an experience in the space because I was already overwhelmed by it but it wasn't that space that I'm going to point out as a corner of the world that is full of magic...

As I was bringing the camera crew from CBC The Scene down the elevator to the main floor, we walked through this row of music practice rooms. They look a bit like doors on a ship - with little round windows where you can peek to see musicians at work. And the magic was that the music was bleeding, ever so quietly, into the hallway we were walking through. It was like that Alice in Wonderland tunnel that the Cheshire Cat likes to open every once in a while... we all were flabbergasted and speechless. It's these kind of unexpected corners of paradise in urban centres that I try and enjoy as much as possible. I've now added it to my list of new amazing places in the city of Toronto. Worth the surprise. Made my week.

like watching Celine Dion say fuck

Every once in a while, when you work in the music industry, you have to take the time to remind yourself why you work in the music industry. And lately, for me, all of those "reminder" moments have been occuring while attending concerts at The Masonic Temple in downtown Toronto.

Now, because I'm a west coaster, I'm not one of the ones who can gloat about remembering epic good times in this space. My first initiation to the room was in fact as a wee audience assistant on season two of Open Mic with Mike Bullard. Ah, those were the days when the unpaid interns were treated to the glory of seeing Mike wander the upstairs area in his white flannel bathrobe trying to make us laugh at his chuckle humour as we toiled away making callbacks to upcoming potential audience members. It wasn't the most glamourous of gigs, and we weren't getting paid - it was simply a way for us to reach to the first rung on the ladder within the media industry.

Anyway, years later and I find myself thinking about the last sixty days of joy the room has brought me. The Polaris Prize had all ten nominees play songs this year. The Spectacle taping brought me an evening hosted by Elvis Costello and the Imposters and jamming with Bono and The Edge. And tonight it was the migration of the west coast to the middle. Michael Buble took centre stage for a self-hosted turn on Live at The Concert Hall.

I have a special place in my heart for Michael Buble. I worked with him years ago when I did my Venue Management stints at the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition). Those were the days when he'd be a regular on the main concert stage and it almost looked like he'd be a fixture as much as the Del Richards Orchestra who, I swear, played every year for about 50 years. I remember seeing his name in smudgy ink listings for Babaluu, the late night Jazz hot spot in downtown Vancouver. And I even once placed my then-unfull resume in the hands of his agent and said to her, no really, I live in Toronto during the year, I'm a Ryerson student and I would love to work with Mr Buble, I think he's really talented. She didn't call me back. And his career skyrocketed soon after.

So, when the opportunity came up from a producer at Bravo! to attend a taping of the show, I wanted to check in and see him in a locale as small as the PNE stage again.

As the evening began, it was full-on Buble, coming at the audience with no abandon. He doesn't hold back with his charm nor his edge and for some it's offensive. Though at first charmed by his clean cut persona, once the raucous energy that Buble was putting out there got too 'dirty', my sister's friend Joan, who I'd invited as my guest to the taping, leaned in and whispered, "it's like watching Celine Dion say fuck!"

Appropriately put, I thought. But I didn't really have a problem with it. You see, I kinda feel that the most successful people these days are the ones who are the most aware of themselves. And if you happen to be a no underwear-wearing Contemporary Jazz singer who admits he knew at 12 that he wanted to get laid and therefore wanted to get famous that it wasn't always about "the love of the music" then so be it. And what's wrong with that?

The point is that Celine Dion likely does say fuck. I'd probably be more offended by her accent when she says it than the actual act itself. But people always have these opinions about artists and they usually prefer a certain version. I guess that's why people invented 'media training' but even though I spend my days pitching and coordinating interviews for artists (today alone I handled requests for Echo & The Bunnymen, Silversun Pickups, Jason Bajada, Sea Wolf, Flying Lotus, Shad, Amanda Martinez and Beast) I'm never really sure if the media training is simply to train you to be more generic or to actually help you be comfortable being yourself in front of thousands of strangers. Most of the time I suspect it's to learn how to answer the questions in a certain way. And since I'm always a fan of standing up for you and approaching everything by having the most fun allowable while showing off the inner awesome you, not everyone agrees with my direction.

A producer friend of mine was watching the taping to finalize the line of questioning he'd be doing for Canada AM on CTV the following morning. He asked me what I should ask Buble. I said that perhaps someone should ask him if anyone had ever called him Bubble. He looked at me, shocked. I retorted that it would likely be a good first question as he'd probably have a good character story and it would be more personal than something pseudo-epic like "what song do you want played at your funeral?" or "if there was one person you'd like to meet or perform with, who would it be?" Sometimes I feel like it's best to regard artists as people, too. Can you imagine being asked the same host of questions every day on every album cycle? Cue Celine Dion.

Lalaland beach update

Update from our beach day in Los Angeles... beautiful warm sands... we walked from Venice Beach to Santa Monica. Word to the wise - always choose Jewish holidays to visit LA and you will not compete for space on the road or the beaches. :)