No, this is not the new Jack White project (but man does it sound like it sometimes). Baby Darling Doll Face Honey is the debut album from the hyped English group Band of Skulls. The proceeds kick off with “Light of the Morning,” a grungy, bluesy track with a few twists away from the expected. It sets the tone for the second track, “Death By Diamonds and Pearls,” though perhaps a little too well, as the two songs are similar to a fault. Which raises the question: What does the rest of the disc hold?
Author Archive
Concert review: Coldplay at Osheaga Festival 2009
If nothing else, I take away from my weekend at Montreal’s Osheaga Music Festival one undeniable fact: Colplay frontman Chris Martin can speak French better than I can. This year — the fourth in the festival’s history — Coldplay and Yeah Yeah Yeahs served as headliners, though the cancelled performance by the Beastie Boys (due to Adam Yauch’s cancer diagnosis) was sorely missed. Other big-name acts included The Roots, Artic Monkeys (who were surprisingly dull on stage), Rufus Wainwright, The Decemberists, Jason Mraz, and Girl Talk.
The DRIVEN Calendar, “Soon”:
Vanity Fair Portraits
Photographs 1913-2008
September 26, 2009-January 3, 2010, Toronto – Starting this fall, The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is hosting an exhibition of portraits from venerable high society rag Vanity Fair. The magazine — whose history reaches back over 95 years – has amassed a broad and eclectic repertoire of portraits throughout the years.
Idol Chatter: Bruce Lee
Legendary martial arts master and film icon Bruce Lee died 36 years ago today (Monday July 20, 2009). Lee’s short life is overshadowed by a legacy that far exceeded his film star status. Though best known for his martial arts – especially his pioneering of the Jeet Kune Do fighting style — he was also a philosopher (after majoring in philosophy in university), writer, and director whose role in films was sometimes offscreen, as well.
Toronto Just For Laughs Festival Launch
The Toronto Just For Laughs Festival officially kicked off this past Wednesday with a ceremony featuring The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources and The Honourable Monique Smith, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism and the musical — though as he (ironically) insisted, “not funny” — Gregory Charles. The performance consisted of Charles singing, playing piano, and taking audience suggestions (a crowd member would yell out a number, and Charles and his bandmate would play a hit song from a year ending in that number. This included a range of tunes from “Hound Dog” to “Hotel California” to the 2005 dance hit “Hung Up” by Madonna. The show ended strong with a slightly cliche and definitely rambunctious performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, for which Charles received a standing ovation.
Superhero Quiz (with prizes!):
I Just Wanna Fly
The above picture is a detail from a cover of Normalman, a 1980s parody comic series about the lone un-powered human on a planet where everyone else has powers. Normalman’s best friend was Captain Everything (pictured): an aptly named, incredibly dim crusader whose superpower is the ability to literally conjure up whatever ability the plot required at the time. Other heroes aren’t so lucky: We all know about Superman’s incredbile strength, the Flash’s speed, and Dr. Manhattan’s super blue nudity, but which power would you choose?
To promote next week’s Blu-Ray and DVD release of the box-office hit Watchmen, Warner Home Entertainment have created an amusing survey and contest asking what sort of superpower you would like to have. Contestants are entered into a draw for a Sony Blu-Ray player and a collection of Warner superhero movies.
Idol Chatter: Billy the Kid
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 marks the 128th anniversary of Billy the Kid’s death at 21. Billy (as he shall be known in this article for the simplicity’s sake) was born Henry McCarty, though he also went by the names William H. Bonney and Henry Atrim. Predictably, the details of his life are as elusive and disputed as his identity.
Idol Chatter: Nikola Tesla
Today marks the 153rd birthday of Nikola Tesla – a Serbian inventor, electrical engineer, and probably the world’s most famous “mad scientist.” Among his numerous inventions, Tesla is credited with pioneering the radio, the somewhat-terrifying Tesla coil (shown after the jump), early robots, and the popularization of alternating current (AC) power. He also had a feud with his former employer Thomas Edison, who allegedly refused to make good on a $50,000 bet that Tesla couldn’t develop an AC power source — his reason for not paying being that Tesla didn’t understand American humour. Tesla promptly quit and went to work for Edison’s competitor, where he continued to harnass AC power.
No trouble with Tracy
Yesterday (Thursday, June 9), racing fans lined up in front of the Izod section of The Bay at Queen and Yonge in downtown Toronto for an autograph signing with Torontonian Indycar Series driver Paul Tracy and former driver Al Unser, Jr. The event preceded today’s kickoff of the Honda Indy Toronto. Though the IndyCar Series Race will not take place until Sunday, the festivities — including the Vintager GT race, Firestone Indy Lights Race, and live concert series — will run all weekend long.
Audi Downtown Toronto unveils elegant new showroom
Audi Downtown Toronto recently launched its new lifestyle showroom. The facility, located at 328 Bayview Avenue, now boasts 96,000 square feet that include two showrooms, 18 service bays and the Audi Quattro Cafe. The launch party featured a fashion show flaunting an exclusive clothing line by Canadian sportswear label Bustle, followed by an auction of said limited edition duds, with the proceeds going to Sick Kids Hospital.
