Catch the LIVE video-stream of my upcoming appearance on The Gaelic Hour, CHIN RADIO 97.9 FM June 16 for Bloomsday 2013!

Together with “Gary” and Austin, we’re talking about James Joyce & the course I create:

Sylvie created a non-credit course for the University of Ottawa’s Continuing Education — Personal Enrichment Activities Program, called Undressing James Joyce’s Ulysses: Unravelled & Simplified. The four-session interactive workshop course helped readers grasp Ulysses. The Winter 2013 just wrapped up! We had so much fun! SIGN UP for Fall 2013 here.

Follow James Joyce discussions on Facebook and Follow @JamesJoyce_OTT

Not on Twitter? See Tweets here.

Watch my video about a new artful book underway called The Works of Master Poldy!

Infectious as hell — Blockhouse Bay is brand-new music venture of seasoned musician Rhys Hughes. Produced by Blair Jollands (of Glowb Recordings).

LISTEN | Sensational Ennio Morricone stylings on the synths for “One of Us”

Blockhouse Bay EP

Graingerboy – Silent Universe EP

Standing at the edge of his world: Guest blogger and Canadian music writer, Sylvie Hill, reviews the new EP from Simon Grainger (Graingerboy).

PASSIONATE PASSAGE THROUGH GRAINGER UNIVERSE

Hailing from Leeds, UK, electronic-music veteran Simon Grainger (AKA Graingerboy) expands his musical territory beyond a 90’s Ibizan sunset heritage (and work with Ministry Of Sound’s Electric Boutique) with his latest creation, ‘Silent Universe’. The 5-track digital EP release finds this former backing vocalist and lead keyboardist for pivotal British electronic heroes, A Man Called Adam, bridging the worlds of the Balearic scene into an oftimes fuller sound, crossing subtly into almost indie-alt dance tracks.

‘Silent Universe’ follows up Graingerboy’s LP, ‘Shadowformerself’. Co-produced by Ian Catt (Saint Etienne), the debut album was revered as a coveted collection of carefully crafted electronic pop songs with substance, harmonies, and the occasional ambient wash. DMC (Disco Mix Club) Magazine hailed the set as “enigmatic.” The same can be said of ‘Silent Universe’.

QUIET GRANDEUR

The paradoxical titling of ‘Silent Universe’ can signal the dichotomy of quiet grandeur, which describes the EP perfectly. It may also reveal Grainger’s intent to establish peace amidst the big and incomprehensible. In his private life, quiet chaos describes both Grainger’s personal fight in surviving a near-death experience in the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake, and his ambitious but slow recovery from M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis). In his music world, sparse-electronic fullness characterizes his sound, one that could be compared to the likes of The Beloved or Hot Chip. Though techno beats underlay the grooves, Graingerboy takes care to flesh out the tunes by embracing a more singer/songwriter approach, like Ben Watt & Tracey Thorn’s Everything But the Girl’s ‘Missing’ (Todd Terry Mix), which soundtracks our after-hours dramas.

‘Silent Universe’ swaggers in with the opener, ‘Cheaper Than a Taxi Home’. Fat bass lines give way to muffled vocals layered in fuzz, laying down the gritty ground rules for a one-night stand: “don’t want to be the missing piece you see.” Synths slither in at bare and naked parts, vibing that electro-sparse sound, and give the tune an eerie-seductive bent. Accompanying female vox amp up even fuller with the danceable chorus, as Graingerboy chimes in: “when the morning comes you better not tell a soul; harder than it looks but cheaper than a taxi home.” Throughout, a nice touch of winding whiny guitars twist with the synth back into verses, the interplay bringing order to the sonic business and mixed up emotions of the story. Delicious.

Next, the album moves gracefully into Graingerboy’s brilliant interpretation of Stockholm, Sweden’s Stina Nordenstam’s ‘Trainsurfing’. It’s an unusual song choice for an electronic artist to cover, but Graingerboy has made no secret of his admiration for the singer/songwriter approach favoured by the likes of Depeche Mode and New Order, as well as Bjork and Kate Bush.

“They were completely doing their own thing,” Grainger says of these artists’ creative ingenuity. “I have a lot of respect for that kind of musical bravery.” Grainger’s own leap in covering singer/songwriter Nordenstam is a sensational win. Synths swirl artistically and paint perfect atmospherics for this track. Graingerboy’s angelic and harmonious voice sings Nordenstam’s cautionary words about hovering at the edge: “The laws of silent universe / we fight with high and fast / we fight with close and dangerous / with things that doesn’t last.” Enchanting.

‘Summersend’ follows, with an up-tempo, Balearic reinterpretation from British indie-dance icons, Saint Etienne. Swirling strings and melancholic Ibizan washes underpin a tale of a burgeoning love affair, and a realization of the importance of living life for the moment: “So calm, so gently, what a summer disappointing, ‘til you, came through, thank you.”

Flying Solo, a lament of a love affair lost, pulled apart by distance, triumphs in nonchalant sentiments: “I’m in trouble, you’re holding all the cards / I’ll fight this battle, but I won’t take things to heart / just feed me answers like where did you go / like why I’m flying solo this far from home.” It’s this soaring chorus of falling from being fallen in love that compares to Pet Shop Boys’ unforgettable ‘Domino Dancing’.

Here, Graingerboy marks his ground successfully, his storytelling and full sound at its most spectacular. Clap beats (reminiscent of Billy Idol’s ‘Eyes Without a Face’) and M83 ‘Midnight City’ synths (minus the apocalyptic dread) make this track unforgettable.

The EP closes out with New Order-ish ‘Be Foreve’r. The retro-80s feel lightens the heavier loads, marking a full circle around Simon’s universe, with the chants “you break, you break, you break you don’t break” and “keep your head up while you still can.” Through some dark patches, Silent Universe emerges to light, with depth.

SOARING GLORY

While tracks off ‘Shadowformerself’ all made the Top 30 influential DMC Zzub Chart, it’s not surprising Simon Grainger was listed in Out In The City Magazine’s “Top 30 Up and Coming UK Talents” alongside Rod Thomas (Bright Light, Bright Light), Oliver Simm (The xx), UK political writer Owen Jones and Radio Host Nick Grimshaw. Undeniably, Grainger’s talented output with ‘Silent Universe’ demonstrates how he became listed as a future star in UK music industry bible, Music Week. His legacy was secured in radio support from 6 Music, BBC Introducing, Kiss FM and Album of the Week on BFBS, to name a few. ‘Silent Universe’ compliments that success, with more achievements, like shining sonic gems plucked perfect from the edge of Grainger’s universe, sure to follow suit.

Cam Jones (Ottawa, Canada)

Photostat Machine (London, UK)

Lindy Vopnfjord (Toronto, Canada)
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JUNE 2013 | Blog

Moody Mystery: Film-noir, dark-disco synth stylings of Blockhouse Bay (London, UK). More…

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Yellow Jacket Avenger (Montreal, Canada) features vocals by Hydrothermal Vents’ Tessa, adding sensational flair. More…

MAY 2013 | The Sound of Confusion (on-line magazine, UK)

Hailing from Leeds, UK, electronic-music veteran Simon Grainger (AKA Graingerboy) expands his musical territory beyond a 90’s Ibizan sunset heritage (and work with Ministry Of Sound’s Electric Boutique) with his latest creation, ‘Silent Universe’. More…

APRIL 2013 | Blog

True to their namesake, Hydrothermal Vents (Montreal, Canada) explode a unique collection of peculiar aural treasures from a cultured depth and solid-rock base of combined musical force and ingenuity. More…

PAST REVIEWS here …

Visit me on Facebook! I call my page, “Speak n Beats” | Curating poetic musical bits & spoken-word rap-rants/hits and meaningful dirty-flick picks. No Facebook? Read some NEW WORKS here!

You’ll find stuff about my first book of spoken-word poems, Hoxton Square Circles: starfucking tales of sexless one-night stands.

THE DINING-ROOM TABLE

The dining-room table is such a special place, isn’t it? It’s where we greet each other in the morning over breakfast half awake. Over lunch with a friend we haven’t seen in a while. Or through long dinners with wonderful friends and family with wine and food and desserts! It’s where we spread out papers or puzzles, make important decisions; it can be where we make up, or break up.

For me, dining-room tables have taught me a little about big love, loss and life. “How the hell can furniture do that?” you’re asking! Ah, I have a special story to tell. It’s going to start soon…

Over the next while, Matthew Wallace of Ottawa’s NaCoille Studio is going to salvage and transform dead wood to build me my very own, and very first, real-wood dining-room table. We’re going to document the whole process! Do you know where your table comes from? I will! From reclaiming the wood from somewhere, through process and the build to settling it in my home, you can follow this journey. You’ll see: sometimes a table, isn’t JUST a table.

NaCoille Studio takes the time to select the best reclaimed & salvaged wood locally from all over the Ottawa Valley and its surrounding areas. You can find them at Twitter @naCoille_Studio .

I learned about NaCoille Studio through Ottawa’s Antique Skateboard Shop.

So, pull up a chair. Would you like to hear the story?

The journey starts now…

Not her Grandmother’s death from cancer, nor a shitty boyfriend were going to separate Oates from her will to achieve her goals. This fierce determination, energy and spunk make WYLYC a compelling and a candid recollection of a persevering teenager who in 2012, at 24 years-old, is now six-years cancer-free.

Follow Megan Oates on Twitter @Megan_Oates and @OfficialWYLYC

Check out the story in the Guardian UK.

It’s the first collection of quotes from the hero of James Joyce’s Ulysses, in a limited edition letterpress book designed & printed in Dublin, Ireland. Fund or purchase here.

LEARN MORE! Watch my video about the project!

*Bloomsday is an annual worldwide celebration on June 16, commemorating the date that James Joyce’s book, ULYSSES, takes place, which also marks Joyce’s first date with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle.

CHECK OUT THREE MORE SYLVIE-JOYCE VIDEOS HERE!

Read about …

The Fish Market blog …

Vineyards Wine Bar Bistro blog…

Coasters Gourmet Grill blog …

Bon appetit!

WHY IS THIS PLACE SO GREAT?

For starters, it’s hip, cool, comfortable and lacking the pretensions of many of the over-priced tourist traps popping up all over the downtown core.

Their heritage building is located in the very heart of the historical Byward Market and features three unique dining and bar facilities. In the loft upstairs is Coasters Seafood Grill, a casual dinning room offering up “Ottawa’s best” fish & chips, and all you can eat PEI mussle specials.

In the cellar is Vineyards Wine Bar Bistro, Ottawa’s original and very popular wine bar. Live local jazz Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings – no cover. The award-winning wine bar features over 300 wines, 80 by the glass, 200 imported beers, an extensive scotch selection and fantastic fresh bistro fare.

COMING UP!

Pull up a chair, follow The Ottawa Fish Market on Facebook and Twitter, and join me on a culinary adventure this Fall…