MARGARET ATWOOD - November 22, 2011

Margaret Atwood Hamilton Central Library 55 York Boulevard

It’s not every day you get to be in the presence of a literary icon. As an English major graduate and having a lifelong love of literature in general, I was beyond thrilled to get the opportunity to attend Margaret Atwood’s appearance at Central Library. The visit to Hamilton came about as a retaliation of sorts, with our mayor Bob Bratina extending an open invitation to Atwood after controversies in Toronto surrounding public libraries singled out the legendary Canadian author in particular. After emails and a little game of Twitter-tag, Atwood accepted the offer and the visit was a go.

During her day spent in the City, Atwood was taken to Hamilton landmarks such as Dundurn Castle and Cootes Paradise, with the event at Central Library rounding out the tour. During her talk at the library, Atwood mentioned these stops and said she regretted not seeing the inside of a steel mill, which was also on her to-do list, adding that she will perhaps get to that on her next visit. Here at the I Heart Hamilton Tour, we were even contacted by a reporter from the Hamilton division of OpenFile (which, sadly, has now recently been discontinued) to get our take on where we would recommend Atwood visit. We always have lots of ideas - let us know when you visit our beloved city again, Margaret!

With about 300 people in attendance, the event was up on the fourth floor of the library. There was a small stage set up and monitors were positioned along the sides of the audience which helped everybody to see. Bratina said a few words, welcoming Atwood, and joked that if he did nothing else as mayor, he would be pleased to be remembered as the one to bring her to Hamilton. Chief Librarian Ken Roberts also spoke before Atwood stepped up to the podium to speak to the audience and read excerpts from her latest book, In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination. She then sat down with Roberts for an interview and they also opened up the floor for a few audience questions. Although the interview was fairly short in order to allow enough time for the book signing, they managed to cover a variety of topics, from the Occupy Movement, to the role of humour in Atwood’s work, to the publishing industry and the state of Canadian literature. It was fascinating to hear Atwood’s thoughts; I wished we could have talked with her longer!

A shot of one of the monitors - Margaret Atwood being interviewed by Chief Librarian Ken Roberts

Atwood was also presented with an Honourary Lifetime Membership to The Hamilton Arts Council, which, unbeknownst to me at the time, is the second largest arts council in Ontario and also one of the oldest. And what would be a visit to our fair city without a taste of one of our scrumptious bakeries? Atwood was given cupcakes for the road that Sweetness Bakery had creatively decorated as different Hamilton landmarks. Upon hearing of her impending visit, locals had tweeted Atwood raving about Hamilton’s many bakeries.

I feel so lucky to have been able to attend this event; it meant a lot to me and I love that I was able to share it here.

- Kristin

BANJO-PALOOZA - November 21, 2011

Boxcar Sound Recording Studio 468 Cumberland Avenue

I’m back with another Boxcar adventure! Read our previous installments: Parts 1 2 3 4

The banjo is a tricky instrument; that’s the lesson of the day. I learned this through yet another visit to Boxcar Sound Recording Studio for Part Five of our chronicle of the new Ghosts of Memphis album. As always, producer Matt Montour was hard at work with musicians Trevor Howard and Gerry Finn. The task for the day was to record Gerry’s banjo parts for “J’Entend Ton Coeur”. There were three, count ‘em, three, banjos that passed through the studio during the six hours I spent there, but when Gerry tried out the winner, we knew it was the one.

Seeing and hearing that much banjo, I officially declared this session, “Banjo-palooza”. I realize I’ve used the –palooza suffix already (ie. Gourd-palooza) but as Carly and I have noted, you add that baby to anything, and it’s a party. All of that banjo also inspired the band’s new motto: “‘Joes before hoes”. I dig it.

While they got off to a slow start due to banjo troubles, there was no stopping Gerry once he found a banjo that worked – he nailed every take and made the instrument look so easy to play. Matt even looked up other banjo-laden tracks to listen to for inspiration. It was another fun session where I got to hang out and watch the boys at work.

The sound of the banjo is definitely now burned into my brain - I gained a new appreciation for the instrument and the day truly was a Banjo-palooza.

- Kristin

FALL CRAWL - November 11, 2011

James Street North Art Crawl

Note: The Grey Room is now located at 195 James St. N. Suite 211

We haven’t been to an Art Crawl yet in the colder weather, so I was curious to find out what it would be like. This was also a solo mission for me and I rather enjoyed moseying around on my own in search of some new places.

First up, I beelined for The Grey Room Studio. I’ve been in touch with Melissa Mostacci, one of the owners, over Twitter since the beginning of our Tour and I was happy to finally visit the studio to make it an official stop. Melissa runs The Grey Room along with fellow artists Jesse Parenteau and Lizzie Gosse. They work out of the space, display their art there, and feature other artists as well. Fairly new to James North, Melissa and Jesse, who met at Mohawk, first joined in the Art Crawl back in February, with Lizzie joining in this month. The goal at Grey Room is to make art and galleries more accessible to everyone; they will also give other upcoming artists a chance to display their work.

The Grey Room is a welcoming space, and, true to its name, the walls are a cool grey colour that compliment any artwork. It’s a refreshing shade, rather than the stark white walls of many other galleries. For this November installment of Art Crawl, they accented the space with a hint of Christmas - there was a little tree with sparkly silver and blue ornaments and some soothing white candles. While it was only a week or so after Halloween, there was also plenty of candy to go around!

This month’s Art Crawl displayed some of Melissa’s intricately detailed ink artwork as well as Lizzie’s installation entitled “It’s Your City”. The abstract art project was put together during local events in various cities such as Culture Days and Open Streets Hamilton. Blank canvases were set up and participants took part by throwing paint upon them. Lizzie then drew over top of the results and put the canvases together as one landscape. For this exhibit, she took them apart and framed them separately. The display was an explosion of colour to behold and also tactile - those who viewed the art were encouraged to touch it. The interactive nature of the art, from the way it was created to how you view it, all contributed to making you feel a part of the art.

The other display in Grey Room was the photography of John Steinberg. Also a local artist, John’s work features mainly Hamilton cityscapes, with some nature shots included as well. He effectively captures the gritty nature of Hamilton’s industrial landscapes and also highlights some classic City landmarks. John has a unique perspective of the City, having lived in abroad in China to teach and later returning to Hamilton. Samples of his work can be found on his official website.

Melissa Mostacci’s work at The Grey Room Studio

Lizzie Gosse’s “It’s Your City” at The Grey Room Studio

Plunging back into the crisp evening wind, I took a stroll with another location in mind that I’ve wanted to check out. Hawk & Sparrow is a new boutique to the street which has been open for about two months. The shop, which sells a variety of vintage, used, and new clothing and accessories, was another Twitter find for me and I was excited to see it. Everything I laid my eyes on was super cute and reasonably priced. I got to meet and chat with the owner, Sarah Moyal, who recognized James North as an up-and-coming area in the City and a suitable place for her to set up shop. Sarah describes Hawk & Sparrow as carrying a mixture of high and low-end pieces. There was a great assortment of items and the shop was bustling with people coming in and out. I definitely want to go back to get my shop on!

From there I popped into Mulberry Street Coffeehouse to warm up and to view the art they had on display. This month’s Art Crawl featured work by Hamilton-based photographer Luca Salvatore. Luca’s exhibit, entitled “Ghost Town,” is described as “a photographic essay” and depicts cityscapes and architecture in the City and represents, as he puts it, “how Hamilton appears through my recollection”. The photographs are extremely vivid with their rich colours and they draw attention to the many impressive structures in Hamilton. You can view the photos from the exhibit, along with more of Luca’s eclectic portfolio, on his official website.

Hawk & Sparrow

My last stop of the night was to the Vasco de Gama club, with its newly restored statue of the Roman Lady of Justice as a striking feature on the outside of the building. I wandered up to the exhibits taking place on the upper levels before heading down to the basement to watch my first ever Battle of the Brushes. The concept is simple - artists stand in a circle with blank canvases set up in front of each. They have 30 minutes to create a painting, while the spectators walk around them to watch the process. When the time is up, the viewers vote for which painting they like the best. A winner is crowned, and then all of the paintings are put up for sale through a silent auction. It was really interesting to see the paintings take shape - every time you made a circle around the room, so much had been added, altering the painting significantly from when you saw it just minutes before. All of the artists maintained their composure and focus while painting - I don’t know if I would be able to work under that kind of time crunch while people were watching. You could feel the energy in the room as the painters steadily worked away with concentration. It was difficult to choose a favourite - all of the finished products were so different that it just came down to a matter of personal taste.

And there you have it - another James Street North Art Crawl for the books. Even as the chillier weather creeps in, that shouldn’t stop anyone from getting out there to explore!

- Kristin


Battle of the Brushes

TEA TIME - November 11, 2011

The Vintage Garden Tea Room 35 Pine Street
Locke Street Shops

Since the four of us have been scattered to different locations in recent months, we look forward to the times when we can get together to catch up and, of course, to continue our discovery of the City. Jenny, Carly, and I decided to return to the lovely Locke Street to try out a new lunch spot. I suggested The Vintage Garden Tea Room since, as you know, we love our tea and scones, and it’s a place Avishka and I had our eyes on during our Locke Street day this summer.

Jenny outside The Vintage Garden Tea Room

We eagerly perused the menu while we waited for our table, and it turned out we needed that extra time. Vintage Garden fully lives up to its name as a Tea Room - one page of the menu (front and back) was dedicated to the myriad varieties of teas that they offer, neatly organized into categories such as Green Tea, Black Tea, and Rooibos, among others. Each tea comes with a delicious-sounding description, which made it difficult for each of us to settle on a flavour. After changing our minds several times, I went with the Cherry Rose Rooibos, Jenny chose the Angel’s Dream, and Carly went with the White Swiss Truffle Rooibos. To start off our lunch, we complemented our teas with some fresh, fluffy scones and jam.

For our main meals, I chose the Cheddar and Apple sandwich and Carly and Jenny both opted for the Soup of the Day, which was beef and barley, with a half sandwich. Carly joined me on the tasty Cheddar and Apple and Jenny went with the Smoked Turkey. We were fans of the fluffy breads that the sandwiches were made of and the grated cheese was a nice touch, which made us muse over why grated cheese tastes so much better than when it’s sliced. We reckon it’s something to do with the air, the fluffiness of it. Regardless, it was a hilarious conversation and the perfect lunch on this chilly fall day. Evidently, our descriptor of choice for our lunch was “fluffy”.


The atmosphere of the Tea Room itself was delightful – quite small and quaint, it is accented with elegant chandeliers and paintings while still having a very homey and cozy feel. Loose leaf teas are made available for purchase as well, and with that much variety, we’ll have to return. Another reason to go back is that they offer “Tea Leaf Readings with Sandee” on Tuesdays and Fridays, which we observed some of the patrons that day partaking in.

After our lunch, we bundled up and headed back out to Locke Street. Another reason I’ve wanted to revisit Locke is the street’s newest addition – a concrete poem (literally!) that has been cemented into the sidewalks. I first heard about this art piece from an article in The Spec and became very curious to see it in person. The poet, Simon Frank, also cast the plaques himself. Although we did not get to walk through the entire length of the poem, we explored a section of it, stopping to ponder over each word and phrase we saw. It’s an incredibly creative idea that adds something special to this already distinct street in the City.

Part of Simon Frank’s “Concrete Poetry” (not in order)

We also couldn’t resist stopping into the gorgeous Pure Home Couture, one of our favourite shops on Locke to get lost in. Right when we stepped inside, “La Vie En Rose” was gently crooning throughout the space. Impeccable timing. We strolled through the shop, sampling some perfumes and admiring the exquisite jewellery. Pure is simply stunning and definitely deserves a visit any time we’re in the area - there’s nothing else like it.

Before we left for the day, we ducked into Ten Thousand Villages, which made me think of Avishka and how on our last visit we sampled some Tanzanian coffee before she left for Africa. They had some unique Christmas decorations on display, such as Nativity scenes and trees. As we slowly transition into the holiday season, unique shops such as these are perfect for gift ideas and home decor.

We had been long overdue for a little tea time and we are pleased with our latest discovery. It doesn’t take a psychic tea leaf reading to predict that we’ll be back!

- Kristin

A LOVE LETTER TO HAMILTON - November 10, 2011

Light of Day Fundraiser
This Ain’t Hollywood 345 James Street North

 I moved away a couple of months ago. Leaving this City, where I have lived for 23 beautiful years, I am now living in Kingston. And, Kingston, well, it’s a different kind of beat. It’s been a nice change, and a new experience. I was home this past weekend, though, and have reaffirmed one thing - there is nothing that will ever make me feel the way that you do, Hamilton.

 Initially, I had planned to come home when I found out that Sam Roberts and Rural Alberta Advantage would be in town. A few weeks after buying tickets, I found out about the Light of Day fundraiser that This Ain’t Hollywood was hosting on November 10th. This show is part of a concert series raising money for research and support for patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. And it is this concert that reminded me of everything that I miss about Hamilton; of everything about Hamilton that I bring with me everywhere I go; and of everything that any other place will fail to live up to.

 The special thing about This Ain’t Hollywood is that it’s a microcosm of Hamilton. The people that go there vary in age and style, and everyone comes together to enjoy whatever music is playing. From the Joe Strummer tribute that I went to earlier this year to the first time Kristin and I saw Hollerado and their confetti cannons a couple of years back, This Ain’t Hollywood is the venue where everyone is welcome. I cannot get over how happy I was to be there this weekend. It has become inextricable to my idea of Hamilton.

 Walking into This Ain’t Hollywood, Honourary Tour Mate Bre and I claimed our territory close to the stage and got set to watch the show. Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan began and, once they took that stage, they sounded like true Springsteen brethren. They pounded out their set, and it was a pure joy to listen to their music and watch them play. Willie Nile joined the band and, as a legendary American songwriter that I have hitherto been unaware of, it was a great introduction. “Cell Phones Ringing in the Pockets of the Dead” has been in my head for the past week. Ending with a rendition of the Stones’ “Satisfaction,” it was a rockin’ set full of sweat and energy. Again, This Ain’t Hollywood gave me an impressive introduction to new-to-me artists.

 After a short break, however, the first of the bands that I had come there to see took the stage. The Peter Elkas Band, with a number of impressive keyboard solos and saxophone interludes, played “Anticipation” and “Cruel Thing to Do” with heart. Encouraged to “yah” and “woo,” you could tell that the crowd loved the climate and the band. Oh, and I must say, that if my future husband is not similar to Peter Elkas in every way, I will be incredibly disappointed.

 Once the Band left the stage, Joel Plaskett joined Elkas to play an impassioned set. Starting with “A Million Dollars,” the duo didn’t lose steam for over an hour. Having been at CBC earlier in the day, Plaskett played a “Fashionable People” version that he taped for a kids’ show that morning. Playing the track over his iPod and mimicking the dress-up bits as the song played, well, suffice it to say, I will be waking up at 7am on January 2^nd 2012 to watch Plaskett in action on the CBC. It was definitely a highlight, but the rest of the show was just as amazing. I had seen Plaskett earlier this year with the Emergency at The Studio in Hamilton Place. Although that was also a great show, this night in this venue was complete perfection.

 Inviting The Band and Joe D’Urso back up to the stage, they hammered out an amazing “Bobby Jean” cover (thankfully someone taped it, so check it out here). Joined by Willie Nile, Vincent Pastore encouraged everyone to play along to Van Morrison’s “Gloria.” And, throughout this last song, I couldn’t help but watch Plaskett. With a jam-packed stage and everyone shouting out G-L-O-R-I-A, he nonchalantly leaned on the wall to the right and strummed his guitar.

 Having to leave before local favourites The Dinner Belles took the stage, I’m sure that they played a great show and hope to see them the next time that I’m in town.

 Suffice it to say, I had little voice for the entire weekend that I was home. I enjoyed the folk that I was around, dug the tunes, and sang my little heart out. Plaskett has been a musical godsend while I’ve been in Kingston. His music has pushed me forward in my graduate work, and reminded me of what I’ve come here to do. He’s motivated me when I’ve felt lonely, and encouraged me to enjoy my independence. “On the Rail” has become my theme song, and listening to Plaskett explain how it was written made it all the more prevalent to where I am in my own life. It’s about leaving loved ones, about new things, about change, and about getting ready to accomplish something huge.

 That, right there, is where I am at. Music is probably the only thing that can really do that for me, and remind me of who I am and where I want to be. And, being in Hamilton at This Ain’t Hollywood watching Plaskett, well, it just brought everything together. It made everything more possible, more tangible, and more real.

 Active Tour member or not, it is this Hamilton, the one that I take with me and the one that pushes me forward, that remains in my heart.

Xoxo Carly.

P.S. Be awesome and click here to donate to Light of Day.

GHOSTS OF MEMPHIS: PART FOUR - November 7, 2011

Boxcar Sound Recording Studio 468 Cumberland Avenue

Have you been following our Boxcar sessions? Get caught up on our chronicle of the new Ghosts of Memphis album – Part One - Part Two - Part Three.

It had been a couple of months since I last dropped by Boxcar Sound Recording Studio to check in on the progress of the new album by Trevor Howard and Gerry Finn (Ghosts of Memphis), produced by Matt Montour. I came prepared to document the day’s events, as always, with my camera and notebook in tow. There is always such a laid back vibe in the studio, so much so, that I completely slacked on the picture and note-taking and instead just sat back and took everything in. It was a quiet day of recording; just Trevor and Matt were in studio working, with brief appearances from Max Wray and producer Sean Pearson. The day was spent mainly by re-recording the guitar parts for the track “Save Me”. Trevor was aiming for the sound to be closer to what it sounds like during a live performance of the song.

Taking a break to get some air, we strolled down the street to a nearby convenience store. It was unexpectedly mild outside for November, but we certainly weren’t complaining. The route of our walk took us directly across from Gage Park, which looked beautiful as we passed, with the warm colours of the fall foliage. We laughed, noting the irony of the fact that we were taking a walk beside the park, rather than through it. This is where I should have documented the day by taking a photo of the scenery – but alas, my memory of it will have to suffice. Sometimes you just have to stop and take in the moment. We passed by Connaught Fish & Chips, a well-known spot in the City for the popular dish – potential tour stop? Noted!

Back at the studio, now with Pop-Tarts, I also got some sneak previews of a few other songs – “J’Entend Ton Coeur” has come a long way since the first day Avishka and I visited Boxcar, when Trevor and Gerry were demoing the song for the first time. More instrumentation has been added, giving the song a much fuller sound, compared to how I heard it last. Matt and Trevor also played for me the newest version of “Water” – piano and cello have been added and it sounds simply gorgeous. Trevor also shared with me a brand new song he wrote specifically for the new album called “Hold On,” which will suitably be the album’s closing track. It’s a beautiful song that also includes piano and cello. I love the new direction these songs have taken since my last studio visit. Trevor and Gerry are nearing the end of their recording sessions, and I can’t wait to hear everything once Matt does his thing and puts it all together.

I’ll be checking in again - stay tuned for more from Boxcar!

- Kristin

Read Part Five of Ghosts of Memphis at Boxcar.