Day of the big show

Months, a year in the making,
Tonight's set brought together a fantastic foursome of musical acts

Dream pop hot rockers Ida.maidstone and the hush puppies are returning to trade smooth music for warm hospitality and cultural exchange

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Dude, watch the movie snow cake

Everybody stop what you're doing

The whole thing takes place in Wawa.

Those in the know on tonight's big headliner, the sly and stoic Rae Spoon, had seen them pass through the Sault before 

Donna Hopper came to film a chat with Rae for Tuned outside the venue, and Michael Burtch and Rihkee Strapp bobbed heads to Rae's beats as nineties folk grunge, german electro and proper country drawl were channeled by the champ. Laundromat concert highlight by far, especially since tonight also featured HUSH PUP, Hearts Right In, and Rihkee Strapp singing their song-styles as well. Almost overwhelming!

Rae has rocked Lops, and Reggie's karaoke as well, and spent the evening tonight meeting and sharing music with a sampling of veteran laundromat artists and collaborators. I beleive they said " Gore Street is beautiful".

Rae today was welcomed into a circle drawn from St Catharines to Victoria, Manitoba and Toronto. Gore Street almost seemed like it was ours, traffic dulled by construction to a backwards drip, measured in memories of friends from Winnipeg and America, Parkdale and Quenn Street East. 

Is anybody camping in my backyard tonight?

Michelle's partner Doug and I finally tuned into the fact that we'd probably already met at Not My Dog about ten years ago. Paul Yendell rolled through to chat with Michael Burtch after the opening acts and wondered whether anybody else was going to show up.

Did they?

Where were you?

When....

Dizzy Gillespie played?

The Rolling Stones came to town?

The Clash?

The Cure?

De Courcey?

The pulse of indie Canadian music is literally flowing through the highways of this very town. Ground the lightning! Tap into the Power of Valued Customer, June 27th, Telephone and Address, June 29th, and other festival fun from now till then. Check out the sounds of the summer, buy a pass and tell your friends that Gore Street is fun.

I got a Hush Pup tape for my sister, and some locals were lured by Le Stack's Hearts Right In on Gore Street, stopping what foot traffic there was with their scrappy smarts and hopeful snarl. Check them out with Sonny Vibe$, Michael Burtch, Andrea Pinheiro, Teddy Syrette, via Skype, and films by Isabelle Michaud, Hayet Coughlan and Theresa Braun at tonight's Talk Show 7-10pm. Make a living making art. Catch your breath tomorrow and come back crying on Monday.