By Lindzrox & Jrox

Greetings Avoxers. To celebrate this fangtastic holiday we have put our best claw forward to bring you a ghoulish mix that will not only leave you satisfied, but zombified. We kick it off with the theme song from True Blood that I know our fellow fang-bangers will appreciate and take you through some classic spooky sounds and kitschy favourites that will leave rockin’ in your tomb and rollin’ in your grave. Happy Halloween!

1. Bad Things - Jace Everett
2. Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) – Concrete Blond
3. Spellbound – Siouxie & the Banshees
4. Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo
5. Thriller (Discotech Mix) – Michael Jackson
6. Dracula’s Wedding – Outkast
7. Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.
8. I’m your boogieman – Rob Zombie
9. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon
10. Skull- Misfits
11. Halloween- Misfits
12. Race with the Devil – Girlschool
13. Number of the Beast – Iron Maiden

To listen to the mix click here:

http://www.jhodgsonmusic.com/music-42.html

By Lindzrox

©iStockphoto/tagcausemarketing

There’s a misconception among my readers and friends that I spend my entire day cooking and creating elaborate dishes. Unbeknownst to many, I have several day gigs and if you follow me on twitter, you will soon realize that my routine diet consists of a yogurt on the go, dry breakfast cereal, edamame, and coffee. The glamorous life.

After a long day, cooking is often the last thing on my mind. So what’s a girl to do when I yearn to stay in and unwind with love ones instead of going out or eating more breakfast cereal and edamame?
Charcuterie Night to the Rescue!

Simply lay out a spread of meats, cheeses, condiments, and nibbles, and save your time for socializing. Share the tasks. Have one person wash the fruit, one set the table, while another cuts the bread etc. It is also a great way to clear out the fridge.

There are NO rules but here are some quick ideas to help get you started.

ART TORONTO

Metro Toronto Convention Centre

255 Front Street West, Toronto

North building exhibit Hall A & B

October 23-26

UPART CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR

The Gladstone Hotel

1214 Queen St. W.

2nd Floor

October 23-25

The thing that interests me the most about  TIAF this year is that they are reaching out to the kinetic Toronto art scene and including exciting local art events and new vibrant  up and coming artists in the show, giving attendees a more comprehensive Canadian art experience.

This is the Toronto International Arts Fair’s 10th year and to celebrate Art Toronto have an amazing lineup of arts events, it’s the place to immerse yourself in contemporary and modern visual art. There are hundreds of art pieces for sale that use an extraordinary amount of different styles approaches and sensibilities.

If you’re a student this is a great place to immediately see what’s happening with art from around the world. Cruising through the exhibitor booths I saw some really exciting pieces brought in by galleries from Japan, England, Spain and right here in Canada.

Artist Peter Smith/Birch Libralato Gallery, Toronto

If you are interested in art but feel a little intimidated by modern art you could attend

Art Access: Saturday

and Sunday from 11:30 am.  A series of talks by art professionals who will help you to understand the world of contemporary art.

For Arts professionals there are the Power talks 2009 and Power forum programs that bring in international Arts professionals to explain Critiquing and Curating and discuss their current projects.

In the “Next Lounge” you can see the latest emerging artwork and see local and international art stars. There will be satellite exhibitions from

• The Leona Drive Project, http://www.leonadrive.ca/
• Gladstone UpArt    http://www.gladstonehotel.com/events/gladstone-events/upart-contemporary-art-fair
• No9 Dean Baldwin Project Fattening Frogs For Snakes http://www.no9.ca/exhibitions/Baldwin/baldwin.html

.

Don’t know how to get from the “Toronto International Art Fair” to the “UpArt Contemporary Art fair” at the Gladstone?

No worries, just look for “Superdirectional Man”. More commonly known as Performance Artist Ulysses Castellanos and take “The Ride Of Your Life”.

He will chauffeur you on board the “Performance Bus” Provided by the Art Gallery ofYork University, http://theagyuisoutthere.org/everywhere/
From the Metro Convention Centre to the Gladstone.

Sunday October 25th Departs from UpArt/Gladstone Hotel at 12:30pm. Departs Art Toronto/Metro Convention Centre at 3pm

After you have immersed yourself in the groovy installation projects devised by local, National and International artists at the Gladstone,  visit the Drake hotel down the street  and pick up your limited edition, “Free”!!, ART  SMART Collector pin, created by Micah Lexier.

I’ll see you there!

www.tiafair.com

By Alison Brown

Links to Galleries in this post:

http://www.woolffgallery.co.uk/

http://www.patrickmikhailgallery.com/

http://www.agat.co.jp/english/index.html

http://birchlibralato.com/

http://www.ulyssesdadabase.com/performancemenu.htm

By Maria Calleja

You don’t have to be a hippie in Birkenstocks to fight for environmental change. That’s what the Regenesis Project proved with their latest fundraising event at the Arta Gallery in the distillery district on September 24th. Politicians, artists, students and business people mingled, Tea Martinis in hand, looking at pieces of local art, listening to great music and snacking on local organic food.

The fundraiser showcased pieces by 30 Toronto artists including Mahmood Popal and Lauren Pirie, that were auctioned off to partygoers. Adding even more sophistication to the event was the evening’s Ecofashion show hosted by Laura Lanktree, the host of CITYTV’s Ford model search and editor of Teen Flare. The fashion show showed off the work of six different designers and used clothes from various vintage retailers. The outfits proved that vintage can be glamorous and that ecologically sound clothes can be chic and cutting edge.

by Allison Hall

October is one of my favorite months.  Although I dread cold weather, I do like that in October, at least in Toronto, you can usually wear a jacket, or just a shirt, or a cardie over a tank top and still be comfortable; it’s nice to be able to mix it up. But the real reason that I dig October is because of what comes at the end of the month…Halloween.  I have always loved Halloween, it’s without a doubt my favorite holiday and it’s not even a real holiday! 

By Pablo Vivanco

All photos by Errol Young

It’s fairly obvious that there is concerted effort to make Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ that he represents the hemispheric pariah. Mainstream news sources constantly lay a barrage of accusations that Chavez is an autocrat that is desperately shutting down venues for thinking and critiquing his government in a quest for centralized power. This reality led 15 activists from Canada to participate in the first delegation of the Norman Bethune Front – a people to people solidarity project with popular movements in Venezuela. The folks from Canada went to see what this ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ was all about during their month long exposure to Venezuela’s neighbourhoods, people and the organizations that they have been building. I went as their translator/ organizer.

By Lindzrox & Jrox

The Bait Shop, an innovative and creative space that promotes local art, houses a recreational hub for skateboarding and extreme sports and also features a screen-printing facility will be holding a show on October 17 presented by The Lovely Gentlemen (TLG) and featuring the art of Patricio Ulloa. Come check out one of the coolest spaces in the city and soak up the art!

For more info:
http://www.thebaitshop.ca
http://patricioulloaart.blogspot.com/
http://www.tlgclub.blogspot.com/

By Ola Roks

I can recall when I was three, living in Munich Germany, not speaking a word of English yet, watching live footage of Michael Jackson onstage. Hysterical crying fans with flailing hands and that rush of the crowd when the songs would peak – I did not understand why it made me tingle from the inside out, and I could only conclude that at those exact moments in time, everyone that was there or watching the concert felt that same burst of energy.

It moved me like nothing else.

By Elissa Frittaion

“Oooooh, spooky.”
Fairuza Balk in The Craft

They say that this year, black is the new black, again. One pass through the stores will tell you that history is influencing this falls fashions heavily again – the 20s, the 30s, the Victorians. Well, history plus black equals goth, if you ask me. But goth for grownups … stylized and dramatic and sophisticated. Think Galliano and McQueen, not Hot Topic.

These clothes need a face that can keep up. Polished, and refined. MAC’s fall campaign is called Style Black, and showcases dark, intense colors and soft pale skin. This nicely captures the essence of the gothic subculture … severity and romanticism all rolled into one.