Hercules and Love Affair - Photo: Josh O'Kane

If Summer is the season in which lust and love are allowed to run rampant, Hercules and Love Affair is the perfect accent to Summer’s seduction. I went to see them play at Mod Club Monday night, and was thoroughly entranced. I had a vague idea of what to expect: I had watched them on YouTube and listened to them on Hype Machine, but had no idea they would rock out so hard.

To describe their music, and why the show was so incredible, I must first describe the band. Some could (and did) define Hecules and Love Affair as homosensual (that’s sensual, not sexual). There were a lot of rumors that Antony Hegarty would make an appearance, which, like most rumors, turned out to be total crap. But it seemed to work out in our favour. Instead, Kim Ann Foxman, who declares herself “like a faggy, lesbian messenger boy that delivers legends and messages for the Gods” carried the lead vocals. Her back up singers were two ‘divas’ with rich voices who bumped and grinded all night long. DJ Andy Butler mixed beats behind the vocals to create a truly energetic and unique sound. The whole crowd was dancing, jumping and throwing down along side Hercules. I think it’s fair to say we all developed a new love affair that night.

If youre new to their music, here are some tracks to get you started. When they come back to Toronto, dont pass up this show. If its not one of the most amazing concerts youve ever been to, youre a damn liar!

Hercules and Love Affair – Blind

Hercules and Love Affair – Im Telling You (live)

Rich Hope (right click, save as)

Who is your favourite Toronto DJ?

If you are planning on hitting ‘Nawlins’, keep the following in mind:

1. It is hot as sin in New Orleans – 35 degrees plus humidity! Make sure you get a hotel with a rooftop pool. We stayed at the Omni Royal, in the French quarter. The rooms were small, quaint and well priced and the roof top bar and pool area was amazing.

2. Practice asking for a ‘To Go Cup’. In New Orleans you can drink any time, any place, on any street, as long as you aren’t drinking from a glass cup or bottle. If you are moving bars, ask for your drink in a to go cup and take it with you!

3. Eat up, its good for you. All the food we ate in New Orleans was amazing. We tried Mr. B’s Bistro for a real Southern meal of deep fried soft shell crab, bbq shrimp, and jambalaya. At the rehearsal dinner at renowned Chef John Besh’s masterpiece dishes, including seared scallops in an oxtail jus risotto (seriously to die for). My favourite restaurant  was a small local joint called the Green Goddess. The menu was unique and fused food together in a August restaurant, we filled up on world delicate perfection. We tested as much as our stomachs would allow. Some of the real show stoppers were the BBQ peaches with bacon and blue cheese and the pulled pork marinaded and wrapped in a banana leaf. Quite possibly the best pulled pork I have ever tasted. We also sampled their cheese selection which was diverse and delicious. The owner chatted with us all night, explaining the different thinking behind each dish. This restaurant is a MUST.

4. Drink the bourbon. The old expression ‘when in Rome’ definitely applies here. The bourbon in the south is readily available at any bar you saunter into. I prefer it on the rocks and tasted quite a few different brands. My favourite picks were Sam Houston’s and Makers Mark.

5. Dress in as little clothing as possible – like I said, it is HOT. But make sure you always bring a small sweater or jacket with you cuz they pump the A/C like there is no BP oil spill.

6. Prepare to party. This is my last tip to you. There is no room for party-poopers or sour faces in New Orleans. Prepare to go out and have a great time, no matter what you do!

Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough

Michael Jackson – You Rock My World

Michael Jackson – Thriller

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This year, I will be celebrating Saint Valentine from the comforts and confines of my living room. For those of you looking to go out and be social, but want to avoid the lame and over priced prefix restaurant dinners, here are some events I have come across this week:

1. BoylesqueTO: Me Mein Valentine! A Weimar inspired male burlesque show, huh? Hilarious! This event promises to be “a showcase of sexual outlaws, with ladies of ill repute, and men of gender ambiguity!”. If nothing else, you’ll get a good laugh and likely have a little fun while you’re at it.

Where: The Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen St. West)

When: Saturday February 14th and Sunday February 15th @ 9pm

Cost: Advanced tix $25.00, door tix $30.00

Who: YOU!

2. RENDEVOUS: Toronto’s singles soiree with a cause! While you’re busy dancing the night away, having your make-up done, sipping on delicious martinis and receiving free give aways from a number of sponsors, you will also be supporting the “Because I’m a Girl” campaign, which goes to provide clean water, food, security, health care and education to women and girls around the world.

Where: The Fifth (225 Richmond St. West)

When: Sunday February 14th @ 10pm

Cost: $20.00

Who: Girls +23, Boys +25

3. Jezebel Burlesque‘s G’Lamour: For those of you who have not yet been to Jezebel, its definitely worth experiencing at least once. It’s a small space, lined with velvet covered booths and grand chandeliers. It will no doubt provide a high end, debaucherous Valentines experience. Check out their Facebook invite here

Where: 227 Ossington Avenue

When: Sunday February 14th  @ 10pm

Who: YOU!

Have you heard of any other V-Day parties? Got anything big planned?

For anyone thinking about taking a trip to Chicago below is my itinerary, hopefully it inspires you:

Friday:

Friday night we went to a Mexican resto-bar called Mercadito to start our trip with some seriously potent margaritas. This is the only bar I have ever been to where there were full bottles of tequila on the tables and shots as big as my head. Ummm, Awesome! Needless to say, a great way to start off any night!

Post margaritas, mojitos and tequila shots, we made our way to a club called Crescendo. Crescendo reminded me of Embassy (the old System Soundbar). Had we been in Toronto, I would probably have scoffed at the half naked girls dancing on platforms, the mirrors that lined every wall and the wanna-be, wished-it-was “house music”. I find I am far less picky as an out-of-towner and danced to the poorly mixed beats nonetheless. We had fun, but unless you really like the cheesy club scene, it wouldn’t be top on my list.

Saturday:

On Saturday afternoon we went to the Park Hyatt’s NOmI Restaurant in search of some over priced, high-end burgers (aka The Twenty Dolla’ Burger). Unfortunately, this particularly delectable item was no longer on the menu, forcing us to select other over-the-top munchies instead. We ‘settled’ for ‘The Park’ (which is basically a chicken avocado club), an order of Kobi Beef sliders and mini pulled pork sandwiches, served with salads and fried plantain chips. Nothing warms up your stomachs or your wallets quite like a swanky hotel lunch.

Chicago has no shortage of shopping. Whether you’re in search of a Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s or a smaller boutique, you’ll find something to suit your tastes and budget. I picked up some awesome boots from Bloomy’s and a great pair of pants from a boutique called Intermix (highly recommend checking this one out!).

Saturday night we decided to treat ourselves to a steak dinner at Epic, a trendy new restaurant spanning three floors. The top two were lined with booths and large round tables full of diners and daters, while the first floor, reserved for dancers, pumped out classic dance hits from the ’90s. The food was great, but definitely very rich. We ordered a spread of appetizers, most notably the sausage gnocchi and brazed scallops. We were also treated to light appetizers and deserts, compliments of the chef – I love when restaurants shower me with love in the form of free snacks!

After dinner we hit the clubs, and hit them hard. Since bars and clubs in Chicago are either open until 2 or 3 on Fridays and 4 or 5 on Saturdays (depending on their license), we had enough time to hit 3 post dinner spots. The first two, Lumen and Y Bar, were pretty loungy and reminded me of King Street West. The third club, Spy Bar, had much more of an after hours vibe, with DJs JJ Flores and Alex Peace cranking out well mixed house music. I wish I could remember more of the finer details, but all I can tell you is that I danced until I could literally not feel or move my feet any longer. And then it was time to tap out!

Sunday:

Sunday morning we dusted off our 48 hour hangovers, threw on our leggings (have i mentioned lately how much i love leggings?) and sat our danced-out asses down at Kitsch’n, a typical mid-western greasy spoon, comparable to Mel’s or Boom. Our meals were pretty basic but nonetheless delicious. Id suggest hitting this place up if you’re looking for a cheap and cheerful brunch spot.

Before catching our 6:30pm flight, we toured Millenium Park and ogled the beauty that is the Nugget. We even made it to the famous Art Institute of Chicago for a little culture. No matter how hungover and tired you are, this is a MUST! Plus, they have the coolest museum shop Ive ever been in – so many neat and interesting gadgets and doohickeys.

It has taken me 8+ days to get over the partying and sight seeing that was Chicago – truly a great city to visit!

Since Yahoo! Canada is a client of the marketing firm where I work,  my colleagues and I joined the party to see what all the fuss was about. I had never been to One before, and have to say that my first impression was, “Wow, this place is huge”. I had assumed that it would be one large open space with maybe a couple of rooms, but was proven very wrong. There were 4 main rooms all occupied with different stations.

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I’m a big fan of stations at parties because they keep them interesting and entertaining. Yahoo’s stations included a photo shoot with lots of fun and crazy props (wigs, swords, helmets, big glasses and boas), a lip balm bar where you customized your own balm, a bar station where you ordered your own drinks (what? it counts), and a make your own taco station. This last one wasn’t really for me, by the time i got there it looked like a thousand small children had been there first, sticking their fingers into the cheese and various sauces. In short, it was kind of a mess and turned me off a little. Good idea in theory, poor in execution.

The music, spun by DJ Starting from Scratch, was selected by party goers who could make requests when sending their RSVP. This was a good way to make people feel involved and to ensure everyone heard at least one song they could dance to. It would have been even better if you could also tweet your requests (since social media is a big part of the new Yahoo! Canada site).

Canapes were flowing from the time I arrived until the time I headed home. They started with sliders, butter brazed lobster, sesame coated tuna sashimi, and boxes of poutine, followed by sweet key lime and pecan filled deserts. Hats off to Food Network’s Chef, Mark McEwan for providing delicious treats all night long.

Given that the theme of Yahoo’s new website, It’s Y!ou,  is all about customization, this party was on point with their message.  I had a pretty good time and would definitely attend another party at One Restaurant. Yahoo!

Did you attend? What did you think?

1. Cost: A single streetcar, which has capacity of about 70 people, is about $1000.00 for 4 hours. A double streetcar, which can hold upwards of 110-120, is about $1600.00 for 4 hours. Additional TTC info can be found here.

2. Bars: My friends contact different bars (along streetcar routes) ahead of time to make sure they are bar hop friendly. Any bar owner with even the slightest iota of business sense will jump at the chance to have 100 drunken patrons brought their bar.  Make sure you choose bars that don’t get too crowded as it can be difficult to round everyone up to head to the next stop. Some good bars include: Raq n Waq, The Rex, Midtown, Prohibition, and Bovine Sex Club.

3. Bar Treats: Most of the bars will offer complimentary shooters and/or food. Don’t be scared to ask for some extras, including easy entry and no cover.

4. Timing: We usually start early. If you only have 4 hours of streetcar,  5 bars to hit, and the last bar closes at 2am (making your latest arrival time 1am).. carry the 3.. and that gives about 1 hour at each bar when you factor in travel time. This year’s meet time was 6:30. Of course we didn’t actually leave the first bar until just after 7:30.  We arrived at the last bar around 12:30. Make sure to time everything out.

5. Theme: For Halloween, no other theme is necessary. If you are going to plan a streetcar party on a normal night a theme is a good idea.   Its way more hilarious for everyone to dress up, not to mention far more interesting for everyone on the streets and in the normal streetcars to see a TTC vehicle come to a stop and unload 100 dressed up, rowdy partiers.

6. Make it charitable: The cost per person is usually around 40.00. After all the expenses (ie. streetcar, wrist bands, on-street-car jello shots) are taken care of, you will definitely have some extra cash left over. We always donate the proceeds to a local charity.

The Streetcar barhop is a great time and an experience most people have yet to come across. Let me know if you want any more info or details on how we organized things this year.

The Get-Up

Its a great feeling when the light bulb above your head flicks on and the perfect get-up pops into your head. Now to find all the necessary pieces!  This year, I am going as Street Fighter’s Chun-Li, first female player in a fighting game and performer of the deadly ‘Lightening Kick‘. I prefer to make my own costumes. I’m not really a fan of the pre-packaged, store bought outfits (sorry, but if you cant be creative on Halloween, when CAN you be creative?). If you’re still searching for your costume try the following spots:

1. Value Village: Not only do they have the best selection of vintage wear, they have full section devoted to Halloween get-ups. I found the main part of my costume within two minutes of walking through the doors.

2. Goodwill: Also a good selection of vintage clothes with strong costume potential.

3. Kensington Market: In a previous post ‘Kensington Avenue‘ I mentioned a number of shops that have everything from tutus to wigs to army gear. You name it, they’ve probably got it. Most of these shops are also very ‘Halloweened up’ right now.

4. Yonge Street: I usually go to Yonge street for accessories (like Chun-Li’s wrist guards). There are lots of cheap dollar stores along Yonge and also some shops with some pretty crazy clothes – depending how adventurous you are!

5. Malabar: OK, so if you have decided to go with a pre-packaged, pre-made costume, Malabar is a pretty good choice. Its got a huge selection and lots of variety, but it’ll cost you a pretty penny and you do run the risk of running into someone with the exact same costume (embarrassing!).

The Get-Out

If you’re still searching for some good places to hit in Toronto Church Street is pedestrian only and ALWAYS a good time. Not surprisingly, the LGBT population doesn’t hold back. Almost all of the bars along Church Street throw big  parties, including contests for best and worst dressed.

For the last couple of years I have attended an annual Halloween Streetcar Barhop. Friends of mine have been running this amazing booze-filled debauchery for years. We paint the town red on our very own chartered streetcar, hitting about 5 or 6 bars throughout the night. This year sold out pretty quickly – I will post info and photos post party.

BlogTO also has a massive list of parties around Toronto. There is absolutely no shortage of things to do, and no excuse for not getting out there and letting loose!

What is your get up this year? Where did you get it? Where are you getting out to?