History, Music and Supple Skin
I have to admit, I wasn't sure about presenting the guitar at a cosmetics store but that's what we did today. Kiehl's - the famous New York based cosmetic apothecary - is one of Luminato's sponsors and they wanted to hold a community event with the guitar at their store at 2518 Yonge St.
I've always liked their stuff because of their packaging and presentation aesthetic - kind of late 19th century retro. But, as I discovered, presenting the guitar there actually made sense - and that's because Kiehl's instills a sense of history in the staff who work there. It's not just about a particular style, it's about a sense of continuity from the original store in New York's East Village and the role it played in that community. Their inclusion of vintage motorbikes in the stores actually refers directly to the second generation owner many decades ago who collected them and displayed them in the store as a way to keep the husbands occupied while the wives shopped. All this to say that it created a very receptive situation for the presentation today and I think everyone there really appreciated Voyageur and its story. I certainly appreciated the invitation.
To bring it to life, they invited Joel Schwartz - the Orbit Room habitué who has picked up the torch from Kevin Breit every other Monday. Be sure to check him out.
Thanks again to Jessica Dargo Caplan from Luminato and to all the staff and visitors at Kiehl's Yonge St. store.
Posted at 6:26 PM
CBC Radio 3 Interview
R3 has posted my recent interview with host Grant Lawrence (pictured here at the 2008 Exclaim! Cup.
Posted at 10:14 AM
Six String Nation Book Launch
What an incredible night!
The Gladstone Ballroom completely packed out on Tuesday night for the launch of the Six String Nation book from Douglas & McIntyre. Pages Books' "This Is Not A Reading Series" and the Illuminations series of the Luminato Festival were also co-hosts.
I take great joy in sharing this project with people at festivals and other events across the country. The background noise to all that joy is the ongoing struggle to keep the project afloat and the basic grunt work of lugging gear from place to place. It was so nice to feel this kind of watershed moment here in my own home town where the only background noise to the evening was the hum of love in the room and the occasional clink of glasses at the bar.
Honestly, I can't think of a better way to celebrate this watershed moment in the life of this project: a room full of wonderful people including many friends and family, great performances from Donné Roberts, Ariana & David Gillis, Madagascar Slim, Zack Werner and Justin Rutledge; a beautiful interlude from photographer Doug Nicholson, very kind words from Mayor David Miller and a real sense that everyone in that room connected deeply with the stories built into the guitar.
There are many challenges remaining with this project but the feeling generated in the room on Tuesday night provides tremendous fuel for the journey ahead.
Special thanks to Marc Glassman, Chris Reed, Devyani Saltzman, Katie Virtue and Ryan Merkley.
Pictured: David & Ariana Gillis in performance. Photo by Patti McCabe
Posted at 10:06 AM