Natures Source in Maple, Ontario were celebrating their 1-year anniversary. To join them were Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward Colby Armstrong. Fans lined up for autographs, cake and other fun times.

It was a night for greatness. Famous Players (Jeff Hayward and Adam Jackson) were celebrating their 5 years as a DJ duo. Having gone from pre-made mash-ups to true techniques (no pun intended for you hardcore DJs out there), Hayward and Jackson haven’t let up in years. From their first shows at the basement of 751 and the long-gone ugly confines of The Hooch where Hayward took a nasty fall down their steps and tore open his face, Famous Players have clearly made things work out for the best.

Yes — like an 80’s sitcom.

I think the thing to admire the most about Famous Players is even though they have played large rooms to large crowds, they have also played quiet nights to empty crowds and still made an impact on one or two stranded listeners (in a good way, dammit).

It’s fair to say that whenever I find out that Famous Players are DJing, I make it a point to venture out to the venue, go and sit by the DJ booth and listen, and maybe even bop my head a bit. I’ve had the luxury of enjoying those times. So, I suppose there will be more.

Half of the photos in this set are of Jeff Hayward, Adam Jackson and Jordan Smith. The remainder are of a random set I went about making called “Portrait of a Hayward.” He was enjoying his beer, and I wasn’t enjoying shooting at the stage setup. So, I had decided to capture Jeff in his leisure time.

The best shows are the ones where you can only find the entrance via signs and be lured with sandwiches & fruit. Complaints? No. Why? Because Neon Windbraker respect Can-Rock. 90’s Can-Rock! I tried making a mess during the band’s cover of Limblifter’s ‘Timfoil’ by moshing. I think the floor was too slippery. Instead, I had ended up pushing people back. Regardless, this band is fun. They will play 5-10 shows at SXSW.

I love Kidstreet! Such creative beats and vocals! I had the luxury of seeing them perform at an after-hours a few years ago. Despite sound problems mulling their performance, what I had seen and heard was amazing enough. The potential was there and looming. The same thing had shown itself at The Drake. Expect to see more of them. Bigger shows, bigger stages, bigger dance parties.

I’ve heard nothing but good talk about Halifax’s Rich Aucoin and his fantastic live shows (or parties, if you will). So, I go to to the Drake and I’m very, very tired. Despite the mediocre turn-out on a cold Wednesday night, Rich Aucoin managed to get the crowd off of its heals and into a dancing and chanting frenzy. I cannot remember a time when a performer had managed to do this since I saw Think About Life many years ago. The majority of his songs were comprised of samples from famous Internet videos and collective chants, allowing the audience to get involved. It’s clear that this is what Rich Aucoin loves to do; he loves to make the audience happy. When the rainbow tent came out, so did the Silly String. That’s a mess all on its own, but, if you don’t mind picking off the little bits that are annoyingly stuck to your clothes, then go see Rich Aucoin. He’s quite the dude.

It was the end of 5-and-a-half month hiatus from photography. I didn’t feel rusty, but I did notice how badly I need to invest in a new lens. The sharpness ‘n details aren’t what I’m wanting from my shots. Hopefully I will find a good piece of glass soon.

As for the event, The Parkdale Comedy Experiment is a young, but bustling comedy revue which features a lot of Toronto’s undiscovered talent. The hilarious and sharp Debra DiGiovianni had the crowd in stitches, Sexy Girl Party did an improv about a garden party, and Sex T-Rex made use of Morgan Freeman’s freckles.

NOTE: This performance happened last month. Forgive my tardiness.

Everyone who knows me will say that I am always up for seeing bands/performers from Montreal, especially if they are new and potentially exciting.

I’ve seen the Silly Kissers before and found them entertaining. Dance-worthy? This is true. Although there’s nothing remarkably mentionable about their live show, their music has a vibe which can be identified by saying words like “sexy” and “adorable”. No portmanteaus here; just sexy and adorable. Aside from that, their sound has matured and has the ability to be reached to many, many more listeners.

Braids. Just, yeah. BRAIDS. I’m usually a patient person who waits for new, exciting talent to come along (as mentioned at the top of this posting). Braids are a best-friend collective, originally from Calgary, who now hail from Montreal. To keep things short, their set was so awe-inspiring that their sound managed to somewhat hypnotize the crowd, myself included. Not one word was spoken, especially for the final 15 minutes. The only thing I had wished for was that they play more and more.

More ‘n more ‘n more ‘n more.

2nd wedding in as many days. Kevin Sasaki and Lauren Schreiber were wed on August 28th, 2010 at The Gladstone Hotel. ‘Twas a beautiful ceremony and the setting was wonderful.

A Photo Booth setup was made for people to participate in by sporting funny hats, moustaches and drawing hearts on speach bubbles and posing for the camera. Very fun and successful.

My wonderful friends, Jeff Hayward & Mandy Bond were married on August 27th in front of close friends and family.

I’ll tell everyone this: experiencing weddings involving your friends really makes it feel like you are much closer to them than you think. It’s a nice feeling.

I wish nothing but the best for Jeff & Mandy.

The Luyas truly are awesome. Expect a new record soon. See them before they get picked up by a huge record label and are splurged around record stores for everyone to grab a hold of.

The Meligrove Band have evolved from fast-times Mississauga rock band into the mature four-piece seen today (well, drummer Darcy might disagree about the maturing point. Always love his stage banter). The band tried out some new songs to the crowd, which seemed to go over alright. Although the lot of them were eagerly awaiting Moneen, and having to fight the constant rain which Toronto had encountered all weekend, they had seemed moderate in spirits.

Overall, I love the Meligroves when they rock out fast. They may have slowed down a bit, but they’re definitely not out (of it — yes, a lame, lame rhyme).