By Forest Lightbody
The 4th annual Toronto Queer West Fest is an international queer arts, politics and culture festival.
It’s about exploring the queer art experience. A place to encounter contemporary queer sensibility, a place to critically discuss and define queer aesthetics. At the Queer West Festival you will find visual art, dance, theater, a series of literature and poetry readings with artists discussing their work, film and video screenings, and a wide array of multi-disciplinary programs.
Here are a few of the events that are not to be missed:
Monday June 15, 2009
The Johnnys, Random Order and Heavy Filth
Sneaky Dee’s
431 College Street
minimum $5 PWYC.
The Johnnys (11 p.m. headliner) is a fast, furious and fun rock’n roll band rooted in the genre’s origins; music of manic, rebellious energy. Add a dash of classic punk sensibility and garage-rock ethics and you get the picture. Since relocating to Toronto from the Northwest Territories, in 2005, The JOHNNYS’ fiery brand of rock’n roll is earning them a place in the hearts of audiences wherever they play. Veronica Johnny – Vocals, Percussion, Guitar Dave Johnny – Drums, Backup Vocals Tim Bones – Lead Guitar, Backup Vocals Oriana Barbato – Bass, Backup Vocals. http://www.myspace.com/thejohnnysrock
* Looks for a feature on The Johnny’s in our Boombox section this month!
Random Order (10 p.m.) – Toronto Canada’s premiere reggae ska band who pack floors quickly with politics you can dance to! Vocalist/guitarist S. Lynn Phillips is the driving force behind Random Order whose vocal style traverses the musical spectrum ranging from playful rap, to soulful reggae, to blow-you-away punk/funk and rawk.
Heavy Filth (9 p.m.) – The shouts of Heavy Filth will start before the rock band hits the stage, and immediately after they finished their last song. Heavy metal frenzy is what HEAVY FILTH is all about. Animales Cortez’s (SHLONK, The Qweefs, Beatrix) crazy tight drumming, the intricate and cocksure guitar riffs of Maija Martin (the Gay, I Mudder Accordion) and Stu Marvel (Lindsay, the harmony mobilization project), and the dirty, distorted bass lines of Miss Kitty Galore (subterranean rumbles) are guaranteed to make your knees weak and your ears bleed.
Tuesday June 16, 2009
Queer Women Songfest Featuring eMKeh, Dinah Thorpe, Shawnee Lynne Talbot and Anna Gutmanis.
Mitzi’s Sister
1554 Queen Street West.
PWYC Doors 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Anna Gutmanis bad boys dvd download (headliner 11:30 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.) was born in London, Ontario, but now lives in Toronto. Anna’s tradition of social activism through her music. Together with “Let It Slide”, her new CD single showcases a maturing artist who still has something to say after more than a quarter-century of making music. http://www.myspace.com/annagutmanis
21-year-old Aboriginal Indie Artist Shawnee Lynne Talbot (10:45 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.) has come a long way from a small town, near Welland, Ontario, to a big downtown life in Toronto. Shawnee Lynne began to climb her musical “Everest” from an early age. Shawnee’s curiosity of musical instruments started to bloom as she began to show interest in both guitar and piano – often recording her musical creations alone in the basement for hours. This was a sign of things to come. http://www.myspace.com/shawneelynnetalbot
Indie Artist Dinah Thorpe (10 p.m. to 10.30 p.m.) Since graduating from the University of Toronto last year, at 25, she has been rediscovering a passion for music, latent since high school. The singer-songwriter, whose focus has been acoustic folk, finds dance music to be a growing preoccupation. She burst onto the Toronto music scene in May 2008 with the release of her self-titled debut EP. Since then, she has been drawing crowds at local venues and festivals. Her beats have induced fevers in dance clubs, while her silvery voice and sweet melodies have brought tears to folk clubs.
Indie Artist eMKeh (9:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.) Born and raised in Toronto, eMKeh is a new and emerging folk-indie artist, having played numerous Toronto venues since her solo debut in 2007. Deep, smoky vocals, reminiscent of a time when women were breaking through the rock scene, eMKeh brings the same raw and unique flare to her folk-indie songs.
Thursday June 18, 2009
Kink of Kensington Presents “Under the Covers” @ Augusta House
152 Augusta Ave (at Wales Ave.)
8 p.m. til late
The songs we love…covered. DJ De Sod, DJ 4est, DJ Peas and Carrots and DJ Snickers. The Legendary Donnarama performs. Donnarama was honored by NOW Magazine in 2006 as one of the “200 Reasons Toronto Rocks” as an accomplished drag queen and celebrity impersonator. Author Lorette C. Luzajic, thegirlcanwrite.net Launches her new book “Weird Monologues for a Rainy Life (Irreverent Ramblings) From the end of the World.” A fundraising raffle to Support Queer West Fest and a ton of door prizes to give away.
Saturday June 20, 2009 plunkett macleane movie download
The 2nd Annual Queer West Film Festival @ Fixt Point Studio
Fixt Point Theatre, 1550 Queen St W. beside Mitzi’s Sister and Good Catch General Store. (Parkdale)
PWYC Doors: 8 pm to 10:30 pm
The Film Festival on Saturday June 20 will have films by New York Filmmaker, photographer, artist and producer, Katrina del Mar; Iron DVDS.com; ASAAP plus a few surprises. The selection committee is now reviewing the videos. http://queerwest.org/queerwestfilmfest.php
Tuesday June 23, 2009
DJ 4est’s “Night with No Name” @ The Beaver
The Beaver
1192 Queen Street West
9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
DJ 4est (10 p.m.) loves Cunt Rock…mostly anything with a female singer. Especially if it’s crunchy guitars, dirty electro or screaming vocals.
www.queerwest.org/queerwestfest_official_events.php rock the divx