By Jrox

Kevin with Jrox

“K. Wilson Scott was born in a crossfire hurricane. He is a singer/songwriter cut from a mold that has since been destroyed. The songs he crafts are a direct shotgun blast of folk that pierce through to the lonely soul that cries out for song.”

I first met Kevin many years ago when we were running around Ryerson with wind-up 16mm cameras in film production 101. Since then, he has written lots of good songs and has been performing all around town. Recently we sat down for a few pints and a chat.

By Lindzrox

Jumpin’ jack newsflash on the mysterious death of Brian Jones, guitarist and a founding member of the Rolling Stones. Forty years later, British police have decided to re-open the case after reportedly receiving new information from an investigative journalist.

by Mikhail Saavedra

It is no secret that the current Iranian struggle is close to the hearts of Avoxers, and this is one of those events that brings a new perspective on the current struggle in Iran from am very unique angle. It is for that reason that we think you should come out and experience it all and share with others.

From the organizers:

“We are mothers of Iran. We are mothers in mourning. Mothers of the thousands of boys and girls who are killed, imprisoned, tortured, and raped. We mourn for our children and we mourn for the mothers of our children.

We are women in black, and we will gather once a week to show our solidarity with all mothers in Iran.”

Event info:
Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: Outside the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum)
Street: Bloor Street and Queens Park (South-West Corner)
City/Town: Toronto, ON

For more info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118534612601&ref=mf#/event.php?eid=118534612601

Want us to consider your event for our “Alternavox Recommends” section? let me know! the more unique or important the event the more likely we will choose you! mikhail@alternavox.net

By Mikhail Saavedra

Because out of all the events I read about this weekend this one stood out I am recommending it to you all! Everyone needs a little burlesque in their playful life!

As described by the organizers:

Step back in time with Starlight Burlesque at the Bloor Cinema! We’re recreating the Golden Days of Burlesque, you’ll be treated to top laugh makers, variety acts and Burlesque teasers!

Starring:

DIRTY MARTINI! (NYC) Miss Exotic World 2004
and
COCO FRAMBOISE

Thrill to the exotic dances of:

Miss dd Starr
Emmanuelle La Gitane
Esther DeVille
and
Virginia D’Vine

Be charmed by hoop dancer - Sadie Spins!

Mesmerized by Mysterion the Mind Reader’s alter ego

and blowen away by the sultry songbird Patte Rosebank!

Your hosts for the evening are top laugh makers - Parker and Seville!

August 21st at the Bloor Cinema

Doors 9:30pm, Show 10pm Sharp

Tickets are $20 adv/$25 door (Ticket includes afterparty)

This event is licensed 19+

Private Afterparty with entertainment at midnight at the GREEN ROOM! ($5 without a ticket to the show)

BUY TICKETS NOW:
http://starlight.eventbrite.com/

OR

You can pick up your tickets at…
Sunnyside Tattoos
1658 Queen St West

Want us to consider your event for our “Alternavox Recommends” section? let me know! the more unique or important the event the more likely we will choose you! mikhail@alternavox.net

by Salim Lamrani

On August 2, 2009, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) issued a statement denouncing the closure of “thirty four broadcast media at the government’s behest” in Venezuela.The Paris-based organization “vigorously condemns the massive closure of broadcast media” and asks: “Is it still possible to publicly express any criticism at all of President Hugo Chavez’s ‘Bolivarian’ government? This massive closure of mainly opposition media is dangerous for the future of democratic debate in Venezuela and is motivated by the government’s desire to silence dissent.It will only exacerbate social divisions.” (1)

RWB makes reference to the decision taken by the Venezuelan National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) on August 1, 2009 to withdraw the broadcast licenses of thirty-four radio and television stations.According to RWB, this decision is motivated only by the fact that these media outlets criticized the government of Hugo Chavez.In short, it was a political act intended to silence the opposition press.The vast majority of the Western media has repeated this interpretation. (2)

However this is not the situation and RWB and the media multinationals have carefully concealed the truth in order to mislead public opinion and present the most democratic government in Latin America (Hugo Chavez has faced 15 electoral processes since coming to power in 1998 and has emerged victorious in fourteen of these elections, all praised by the international community for their transparency) as a regime which seriously violates freedom of expression.

By John McQuaid (For Yale Environment 360)

Laurel Branch Hollow was once a small West Virginia mountain valley, with steep, forested hillsides and a stream that, depending on the season and the rains, flowed or trickled down into the Mud River about 200 yards below. The stream teemed with microbes and insect life, and each spring it became a sumptuous buffet for the birds, fish, and amphibians in the valley.

But over the past decade, the Hobet 21 mountaintop removal coal mining operation has obliterated 25 square miles of surrounding highlands. From the air, the mine is a 10-mile-long, mottled gray blotch among the green, crisscrossed by trucks and earth movers, appended by black lakes of coal sludge.

By Mikhail Saavedra

Sheralie lives by a specific code. She is not terribly interested in telling you what you want to hear, she is more likely to speak her mind with uncommon bluntness and honesty while keeping a genuine sense of humor. It is this particular quality among others  that make her our choice for Beyond Fashion this month.

I sat down with Sheralie to get a sense of what moves and motivates her and to find out how she keeps a sense of self that runs deeper than the industry she belongs to.

By Jrox

August happens to be the month in which my birthday falls, so I decided that it would be fun to hijack the Alternavox mix tape this time around. I have chosen 16 tracks that bounce around from new favorites to old classics. I could go into detail about what I’ve selected, but that just isn’t my style. I hope that you find something new to enjoy, Cheers!

By Maria Calleja

I walked past Trinity Bellwoods park into the heart of hipster Queen West feeling a little out of place amongst the trendsetters. I was looking for the Angell Gallery which is holding the Summer Group Art Show with works from Alex Mcleod and Michael De Feo, until August 29th.

At first glance I wondered why Mcleod, a Toronto artist who uses 3D digital rendering, and Michael De Feo, a well known New York street artist, were in the same show. Gareth Brown-Jowett, Co director of the Angell Gallery made the connection for me. “They’re both young artists who are different, they’re pushing the boundaries in art, and they’re unconventional.”