Toronto - Wall of Sound

Band: Firewind
Venue: The Mod Club
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: Feb 9, 2012

I first heard of Greek heavy metal band Firewind because they featured Apocalyptia on a song on their most recent album.  I actually wasn't overly keen on the song, but it turns out that it didn't really represent all of their music (at least not to my ears) so it was interesting to see them live.


(note: Apocalyptica isn't actually visually in the video, much to the complaints of Apo-fans!)

Firewind is the 'side project' of Gus G, best known as the guitar player for Ozzy Osborne.  Firewind started as a demo project to showcase Gus's talent and earn him a recording deal, but has since evolved to a stand-alone project.  For the tour, Firewind also had Kelly Sundown Carpenter standing in on vocals, after loosing their original singer Apollo Papathanasio (who reportedly couldn't keep up with the band's touring schedule.).  I didn't actually know this when I saw the show, but even then sort of felt as though the singer was somewhat detached from the rest of the band, not unlike when Apocalyptica has a guest singer come along when they tour. It looks like Kelly has subsequently joined the band, though Firewind has not reported plans for their next studio album with the new singer according to Wikipedia.  A live album is set for release in 2013 according to their website.

Gus G and Bob Katsionis

 The band played 8 songs, including:

1. Wall of Sound
2. Head Up High
3. Destination Forever
4. Few Against Many
5. World on Fire
6. The Fire & the Fury
7. Mercenary Man
8. Falling

Gus G. - founder and lead guitar for Firewind

I enjoyed Firewind, and have listened to them a bit since the show but I was glad that Turisas was the headliner, as I enjoyed them considerably more.  Still, the audience was filled with more than a few people who were there for Firewind, and considered Turisas to be a 'nice addition' to who they were really there to see. I'd definitely say that Gus G (along with keyboard player and rhythm guitar player Bob Katsionis) was an amazing showman.  Although he sometimes seemed absorbed in his own world, he really knew how to perform, and it was hard to stop watching either musician.

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Toronto - To Holmgard And Beyond

Band: Turisas
Venue: The Mod Club
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: Feb 9, 2012

Right after booking a trip to Hawaii, I found out that one of my 'top-6' favourite bands was coming to Canada... at the same time I'd be in Hawaii.  Normally I'd head out to much closer Vancouver for a show, but that wasn't going to work because I'd be 5,000 kilometers southwest when the band was in Vancouver.

I considered other cities - perhaps Denver, were Emilia lives - the woman who had first introduced me to the band - but that date too was a no-go because of my pre-existing Hawaii trip.

Instead, I looked east, and figured that if I flew out on Friday and flew back to Calgary on Sunday... I could catch the Toronto show before flying off to Hawaii on Monday.

... I didn't anticipate a crazy snowstorm hitting Toronto the day before I left...


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So... where do I go?

After taking a cab to the venue (much easier than trying to take transit in the crazy snow) I wasn't entirely sure where to go... this is the problem with unknown venues (which will always be the case when traveling for shows) and little/no/late signage, I'm never terribly sure where to go.  I was going to ask one guy standing around, until I realized he was waiting for a van to unload - he was one of the members of the opening act bands!  The line up was short when I got there, but I chatted with some folks, and through random conversations, those of us with the pre-shop meet & greet passes all got together, and eventually got in before the show to meet up with the band members.

Turisas' Guitar player Jussi Wickström

The meet & greet was filled with chatting, laughter, photos, autographs, and more than a little teasing and joking, before we headed back downstairs to wait for the official doors opening.  We got the chance to check our coats before everyone, and got in for front-row-center spots for the show.

Fanatical fans

The show was awesome, of course.. (I wouldn't bother writing about it if it weren't) and I was surprised to see the number of fans in black and red 'warpaint' or dressed up in the same style as the band.  I didn't anticipate that!

Turisas also had the chance to meet up with Sharon Ehman from Toxic Vision. Although I didn't see/recognize her, based on the photos she published a few days later, we were standing almost right beside one another - I remember her camera from the show! (I rarely see big DLSRs at the front row of a metal show!)

Vocalist (the Warlord) Mathias Nygård

I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have printed set lists for me to photograph/snag as a souvenir and to share with you, but instead I'm posting some of my photos!

On violin, Olli Vänskä

While In: Toronto - Bata Shoe Museum

When I headed to Toronto in February 2013, I had no idea that a major winter storm would hit the city. Even as I got on the plane to fly there, I didn't realize what the news reports really meant.  Here in Calgary when we get a lot of snow, its generally fairly compact, and the measurements given relate to how much precipitation has fallen, not how much snow is on the ground.  When the news reports said that Toronto had "two feet" of snow, I anticipated this to mean there would be about 10cm of snow on the ground. In fact.. there was two feet of snow on the ground, more in places where people had shovelled it into high piles.

Too much snow to do much at all

In Calgary, when it snows, trucks are on the ground with shovels, salt, and chemicals even before the snow starts to accumulate.  Even in 'bad weather' it's still reasonably easy to get around if you are on main streets, and homeowners and landlords have to clear their walks within 24 hours.  (Of course this doesn't always happen, but it's a good idea.  Likewise, in Calgary, we can usually trust a chinook will come and melt the snow within a few days of it falling.

This was not the case in Toronto.

I arrived, and waited another hour in the plane after landing for the pilot to find us a gate - the airport had become a giant plane parking lot because of all the cancelled flights. Once out, I caught a shuttle, but since my hotel wasn't one of the big ones, the shuttle would only take me to within 10 blocks of the hotel. When I had planned the trip, this wasn't a big deal - I could easily walk the distance with my small rolling suitcase... this wasn't the case with all the snow on the streets and sidewalks, making one block take over 10 minutes of struggle.

Needless to say, although I had planned many things to do while in Toronto for my brief visit, very few of these things were possible.  Cabs were hard to find, and busses and trams weren't running on time.

Luckily, I got to my show (The Guards of Glory Tour featuring Phantom, Stolen Babies, Firewind and Turisas) with plenty of time and got back to my hotel room safe and sound, but a lot of my other plans went out the window...

The Bata Shoe Museum

However, despite all of the mislaid plans, I did get to one "tourist" sight - the Bata Shoe Museum. 
Hundreds of shoes (from a collection of over 10,000 shoes) are on exhibit in this four-storey building in Toronto. I started on the lower level by dropping off my coat and backpack, and then proceeded through the floors in the well-thought-out galleries. Over 4,500 years of history are represented in the museum, ranging from the tiny shoes worn by Chinese who practiced foot binding, and ancient Egyptian sandals to Renaissance-era Turkish bath house sandals called nalins and Renaisance-era chopines - pedestal-like footwear worn in Italy and Spain. Current footwear is also on display - see Blue Suede Shoes or ponder the enormous footwear by a famous basketball player.

Beaded soles on aboriginal footwear

There's also a gallery devoted to the footwear (and thus also clothing and culture) of Canada's aboriginal people, from the plains to the northern lands. This is the semi-permanent exhibition, Beauty, Identity, Pride: Native North American Footwear. While we were there, I was most interested in the feature gallery of Roger Vivier. It was set up like a mix between art gallery and couture salon, with extravagant examples of his work throughout his career. Blue lace heels from the 1961-62 Christian Dior collection collaboration were shown alongside the original chalk sketches.

Extravagant lace heels

While fancy footwear might not be every metalhead's idea of a good time, the Bata Shoe museum is a very unique tourist experience, especially if you're interested in footwear and fashion.

Visit: The Bata Shoe Museum website
327 Bloor St W Toronto, ON M5S 1W7, Canada

Even more about Toronto

Wondering what else I was able to do while in Toronto despite the snow? Check out my craft/costume blog, Dawn's Dress Diary, and the posts tagged with "Toronto" like my post about bead shopping in Toronto, which I was able to do on my last day before flying home.

Or, check out the Food Blog I write for - Happy Sushi Belly, for photos of the snow in a post about La Merceria.  You can also check out:

• Kuni Sushi Ya
• Gallery Sushi
• All posts from Ontario

Toronto - Mousefood

Band: Stolen Babies
Venue: The Mod Club
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: Feb 9, 2012

Stolen Babies are an American experimental rock band from California, and they were the first act of the Guards of Glory tour, after the local opening act, Phantom, who I mentioned in my previous post.

Stolen Babies in Toronto

Featuring vocalist/accordionist Dominique Lenore Persi, bassist/guitarist Rani Sharone, and drummer Gil Sharone, I listened to a few songs on YouTube before the show to get a feel for what to expect, and I wasn't sure how the band would relate to the two other bands for the tour, Firewind and the headliner, Battle Metal band Turisas. I found Stolen Babies to be more rock than metal, and their "experimental" element was very strong; they reminded me a lot of Emilie Autumn, just with a heavier vibe.

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Toronto - Keepers of the Flame

Band: Phantom
Venue: The Mod Club
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: Feb 9, 2012

For the Guards of Glory tour in Toronto (featuring Turisas, Firewind, and Stolen Babies) a local power-metal band, Phantom warmed up the crowd with a five-song set.

Phantom's guitar player in Toronto

An early start...

The show started at an incredibly early 6:10 p.m. (with four bands, they needed the evening!) and Phantom played:

• Powers that be
• Killing concubine
• Keepers of the flame
• Riker's beard
• Citizen Pain

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