V Fest Review Day 1:

I dont know what happened to v fest, but can someone please find it for day 2? Ill start off with the bad news and ease into the good? Sound ok? Alright, so... literally, it felt like i was just at ontario place with background music. Dont get me wrong the venue is different and all but I just wasnt feeling it for the usual activities. You could tell festival goers were a bit confused as well. The stages were extremely separated making it difficult to locate the bands they wanted, as well there were no forms of schedules to be found anywhere for audiences to see who was playing when and where. The main stage had seating, taking away the traditional lazying on the grass, or sitting down to enjoy the music. People on the 999 stage attempted to even sit on the concrete, cuz I mean music is meant to be enjoyed relaxed. As press the rules were very strict, and because I was a journalist I was not allowed backstage, in the photo pit, or even behind bars. I basically had the same rights as the audience, besides the fact that i was wearing a wristband that said press. Im assuming they want me to cover the event? Yes I can very well cover the event but I was hoping to get the interviews I wanted in at the same time! The audience attendance was also extremely lower than any other year ive been to v fest, in fact practically empty until late afternoon. There was also kids and their parents running around everywhere well because ...it is ontario place and its still open to the public after all. Ok ill stop my ranting on to the good...the weather was nice? NO im joking im joking. It wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. You could tell the Virgin employes were trying their hardest to keep everyone happy and try to make the best of the situation by working hard all day and keeping everything in order. The sound was great, and the bands that were selected did in fact give the crowds the adrenaline they needed. Id like to point out that that Thunderheist and Down With Webster got the crowds pumping their fists the most and banging their heads hard to the beat of the music. The day was great for giving viewers a sense of all the different kinds of music out there as well as whats in our own backyard (most of the bands being from Canada). So although this years turn out was a disappointment, crowd wise, and to some musician wise. But I have to say they made the most of what they had and tried to relive the past years. The performers gave it everything they had and it worked. Lets hope tomorrow is somewhat better and hopefully it will be...for the sake of V fest next year!

V BLOG 13- V FEST IS SOON!

V fest not to be on the island?

So this year V fest may not be on Toronto Island? Now here are your positives and negatives:

Positives:

1) WAYY bigger venue

2) Tickets are much cheaper

3) You get to camp out with all your friends!

4) Have a true festival experience and possibly feel like your living wakestock..kinda..sorta?

5) ROAD TRIP

6) Get to see bands from the comfort of your own tent

Now the Negatives:

1) If your not from the Orillia area, finding a ride if you dont have a license may be a problem

2) Gas costs

3) Tools, i.e what if you dont own a tent?

4) Are there any bands there that are worth camping out for?

5) If your younger will you be allowed to camp out by yourself?

SO its up to you to decide. I personally think that if theres a band there that your in love with listening to, why not camp out? I mean if you can find your way up there of course. It would be a great weekend to meet a bunch of people and listen to some fantastic music. V fest is changing it up this year, hopefully for the better?

V FEST PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY

Ok so I have to somehow mission it down today seeing how my car is in the shop at the moment, i know perfect timing for a week of complete madness. ANYWAY Vfest 2009 press conference is today at the Virgin Offices downtown. Im pretty sure their just going to confirm all the bands and such and make everything official for the public to know. I promise that as soon as I hear from them i'll tell you everything. I know a lot of you have been concerned as to why the list has not been sent out yet as well as the ticket price and location. Im almost positive that will be cleared up today so ill keep you all updated!

** UPDATE: yess like i said just a confirmation of bands which will be posted shortly, although im sure you all know whos playing. Now everything would be great and dandy except...

THE VENUE HAS CHANGED! ITS NOT AT THE TORONTO ISLAND ITS IN ORILLIA...CAMP OUT SAY WHAAAT?!

Way To Go Einstein Interview: Cristina

If you aren't rocking Way To Go, Einstein on your ipod there is defiently somethig wrong with you! This band is talented, funny,  and unbelievably epic! After listening to this infectious group on their myspace I just had to get in contact with them. This is what member Kevin Jack had to say about the band:
 
 
QUESTIONS:

Acid City: State a little about yourselves

- we are way to go, einstein. we play music. there are five of us. we like loud guitars, piano, synths, a personal vocal, and we use them to describe a specific feeling. we don't always take the easy road to resolve said feeling, but in the end, we get there. it isn't always a happy ending, but it is always honest. we have a light, and a map, and we hope you trust us enough to follow us to the end of the road. we'll get you there. safety first. also, we are shit hot dancers.

Acid City: Describe your sound

- we used to describe it as mom-rock. our first record, hide and seek champion, was very mother friendly. but with this new record, pseudonym, while we haven't neglected our core mom base, we delved a lot deeper into sounds and textures that are a little more, beautifully uncomfortable? like a howler monkey giving birth? we're all competent and confident enough to kick a little dirt over the line of what is commercially viable and what could take some getting used to. i think the most interesting music has that dichotomy of standard and strange. 

Acid City: How did you come up with the name?

- it orginally stemmed from an idea i had of forming a black metal band with my wife and i, using only pots and pans. but since that didn't.....wait for it....pan out, the name was wide open for use. and when i met up with andrew, vocalist and main song writer, and we started piecing together this difficult puzzle of a band, i threw the name out there, thinking full well he would hate it. and he did. but then he started to like it. and i think that is a sign of a good moniker. band names are pretty silly when you really start to dissect them, but once and if you sort of establish your footing in front of people, they get used to it, eventually like it, and completely bypass the silliness of it all. 

Acid City: What message are you trying to send with your music?

- as musicians, and as a collective, we are dead serious. we take pride in what we do and/or what we are trying to do. but really, it is supposed to be fun, and if you want to stick to the stringent rules of the art fuck play book and take yourself so fucking seriously and think what you do surpasses the work of everyone else and forget that your ass smells just like everyone elses, then have at it. but we can sing a song about the impending apocalypse, all while having stuffed animal unicorns draped all over the stage. fuck you. that's punk rock.

Acid City: Describe the best gig you have every played

- as this incarnation of five strikingly handsome, yet overwhelmingly modest gentlemen, we have only played a handful of shows. recently we just celebrated our cd release with a rawkus show, in which i, myself, peed.....umm..myself. for real. thank god for low guitar straps. we played quite well and i think we finally figured each other out and can all absorb each other's energy properly and distribute it accordingly, to the audience....except no one wanted to come near me, what with all the pee.....and we played a tears for fears song, which put a huge smile on my johnson, because i love them.

Acid City: Where do you see yourselves in 10 years?

- if i were to be a realist, i would say, overweight, underpaid, and having a day job that i wish i could abandon for a full time career playing music. maybe a crippling addiction to very very crude and borderline illegal pornography. but i think i can speak for everyone when i say if we are all still playing music, we will be fine. we are all in this for the right reasons i think. we all just love music and want to play it and contribute as best we can. we aren't above getting paid for it or playing an arena or two, because you would have to be a fucking liar to say you don't have any interest in that. but if that doesn't happen, we will all still hoist a beer to each other, slap our fat asses, and get out on that dive bar stage and play to our friends. playing music is just a fun thing to do.


THINK QUICK:

1) Blondes or brunettes?
- neither. gingers. with freckles. and so pale it could be mistaken for a positively savage case of jaundice. we keeps it sickly.

2) Night or Day?
- dusk is a lot more fun to say. we'll go with dusk.

3) Coke or Pepsi?
- oh, soda pop is terrible for you. i don't really enjoy drinking either. having said that, i really love ice cream and cigarettes. not together though....well, maybe. i haven't tried that yet....

4) Vampires or Zombies?
- i'm going to say vampires, only to be a monster dick, because i swear i don't quite understand this fascination of zombies people my age have, these days. 

5) Batman or Spiderman?
- i dressed up as the joker for halloween when jack nicholson played him. ever since i have a sick joker fetish. nothing sexual, but there is something about the psyche of that character i am mentally attracted to. that of course, was re-ignited after heath ledger took that character to somewhere i could have only dreamed of it going. so i am going to say, neither. the joker. heroes get boring.

6) Whose the hottest member of the band and why? 
- check this out. i'm going to score some huge points here. we are all either married and or in relationships, so, the band wives and girlfriends are the hottest members......

7) Any comments or advice to listener and stuff.
- the obligatory sales pitch. both records, hide and seek champion, and our new record, pseudonym are available both digitally and in hard copy. if you hit itunes and type in way to go, einstein, you should have smooth sailings ahead, and if you are like me and still buy, what we used to call, compact discs, head over towww.cdbaby.com, punch in way to go, einstein, and you too can be a winner. we may also be heading to your town later on in the year, so catch us at myspace.com/waytogoeinstein, orfacebook.com/waytogoeinstein for details, or if you just want to talk about how a baby is born, because i really have no idea. enjoy your meal.

love, kevin william jack, of way to go, einstein

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Stereos Interview: Jessica

For some of you, "Stereos" is that musical, power pop group you saw on Much Music's edgy show "disband".  For others, the catchy sing along melody of "Summer Girl" has invaded your speakers throughout the last couple of weeks, and you can't seem to that tune out of your head! For a lot of people, the bands rise to stardom came out of no where. One minute they were on Much, and the next well...they were invited back to the ever so popular MOD. With a few powerful shows coming up in the future, including performing with Katy Perry on July 26th, this band has everything it takes to not only be the the hit of the summer, but yet another Canadian band pumping out some light hearted, party going music. I got the chance to interview the lead singer Pat K, here is what he had to say:

Acid City:  How long ago did you guys start playing together? Was it the same band members as now?

The band started out 3 years ago with Dan, Robb and me figuring out exactly what we wanted to do in terms of musical direction and then it was just writing songs for about a year until we got members. We've had quite a few members under different band names til Miles joined about a year and a half ago and we had a pretty steady lineup with some fill-in drummers.

Acid City:How did you choose the name Stereos?

Stereos basically came up as an idea during our 3 day drive from Edmonton to Toronto. We were brainstorming names and listening to tons of music. We wanted a name that was simple but still showed how diverse our sound was and the word stereo was used in a lot of Rancid songs and one of the first groups Ice Cube was in was called Stereo Crew so it ended up being a good fit.

Acid City:What was your first thought/ reaction when you found out you made it to made disband?

We were so excited, probably one of our most exciting moments. As a band that had been working so hard to get noticed we realized that the opportunity to get ourselves on TV was huge.

Acid City:How has your musical careers changed since the airing of that show?

It's pretty much a complete 180. We're now able to focus on our band 100% without going to our old day jobs that we hated. We're getting so many extremely supportive fans and it feels amazing.

Acid City: What emotion do you guys wish most to evoke from your fans when they hear your music?

We really just want people to have a good time. Our music is what we would want to hear ourselves, and the stuff we listen to is generally all about good times.

Acid City: Has the success of Summer Girl come as a shock?

Yes and no. It's surreal to see something I created in my basement on a laptop get so much appreciation and I still can't believe it's happening. On the other hand I always believed in our music and thought it deserved to be heard by as many people as possible.

Acid City:What can everyone expect from you guys in the near future?

We want to continue working as hard as possible on this band. Whether it's playing shows, or writing and recording our album (all of which we'll be doing) we want to be doing as much of it as possible.


Think Quick:

1) Favourite artist/band at the moment: The-Dream
2) Favourite hang out spot: Our front porch
3) Best venue to play a show: So far, the Sound Academy in Toronto
4) Best venue to watch a show: The Rev in Edmonton
5) Most inspiring/successful show so far: Kelowna show on our first tour in 07. It was the first time kids loved us and it felt amazing.
6) Biggest fear: Spiders
7) 3 most important things right now are: Each other, Fans, Music
8) Stereos are: Takin' over!

Luminato Disco Night Movie Clips: Jessica