Butterfly…Schmetterling

Karlie Kloss by Patrick Demarchelier

 

Now That I’m Finally Free, I Shall Dress Up And Lie Around….

And I shall eat lots of these

Inside Out Film Festival: Shift Three and Four

Tonight's a time jump -- I came to the startling conclusion I neglected to post about the last couple shifts from May 29th with the Inside Out Film Festival.

*Shock and horror*

I cannot allow this to pass. And so, I invite readers to re-live this past Saturday and revel in a Wednesday weekend to boot.

***

Saturday, May 29, 2010

It was a rather posh affair as I relocated to various screening locations throughout Toronto. I made it a personal mission to volunteer at all the major host theatres for The Inside Out Film Festival and, lo -- it bottlenecked on one day. Nevertheless, it was a rush full of queer crowds and all-around cool kids.

The afternoon started off at the Royal Ontario Museum where I numbered among the front of house staff. I met a collective of fantastic volunteers and was whisked into the quiet conversation and cutting wit of all present. Ah -- at the major venues, volunteers are not invited into the film screenings. However, the lockout allowed me to mingle with the staff and talk with other folks dedicating their time to Canada's largest queer film festival. Quite a brilliant trade-off, if you ask me.

One girl was a self-published zine writer who went to the same university I did (we have some overlapping acquaintances as a result); our one representing guy just relocated to Toronto from Montreal and we almost had a major nerd meltdown after comparing notes on Doctor Who and our sharing out admiration for Russell T. Davies; and another girl was the founding member of a local knitting guild and focused her efforts on handcrafted items.

But, ooh -- no film festival is complete without a little panic. At 3 PM, the festival scheduled a multi-media lecture titled All The Young Dykes: Lesbians in Hollywood, 1990-2010. Film critic and Famous magazine deputy editor, Ingrid Randoja, was lined up to guide patrons through recent cinematic trends favouring portrayals of younger, queerer, and hotter on-screen women and how it has erased the presence of mature lesbians from film in general. It was designed as a fun-filled discussion, packed with images and clips, and it aimed to question the idea of a "youth movement" in modern representations of queer women -- alas, it also encountered severe technical difficulties. The lecture was meant to last an hour and the tech issues cut the presentation in half.

Yikes.

We were blessed with gorgeous weather and an animated ice cream truck driver nicknamed "Mister Softee," so the crowds flooding the ROM were in high spirits. You best believe we were the talk of the festival circuit what with the crisis we faced and I got to share stories from the front lines later on.

But oh, what an experience. I can't even consider it as "work," I had that much fun throughout the shift. With an adventurous high pulsing through me, I headed on over to Buddies in Bad Times to take in a film with one of the volunteer vouchers I've been stockpiling. There was a four hour gap between shifts, so I figured I'd wander over to the theatre to catch their 5 PM show. And girl, how glad I was to discover Saving Face (2004).

***

Saving Face (2004)

Winner of the Audience Award as the 2005 Inside Out Festival, Saving Face occupies a vital position in the collective consciousness of queer girls across North America. In terms of cinematic representations of lesbian lives, Saving Grace touches on the real issues of internalized homophobia and the pressure of familial expectations even as it allows its romantic leads to find love despite the odds.

It's classic rom com with a refreshing Sapphic note.

Wilhelmia 'Wil' Pan (Michelle Krusiec) is a taut thread stretched between two unmoving poles -- she is caught juggling a promising career as a surgeon and her responsibilities as a dutiful daughter even while she is expected to conceal her attraction to other women. She must endure the constant charades with her Ma (Joan Chen) and the endless stream of bachelors her Ma sets Wil up with.

Just as Wil settles into a monotonous and rhythmic existence, she meets Vivian Shing (Lynn Chen), a prima ballerina whose true desire to explore experimental dance threatens to overthrow the expectations placed on her by her own family. The women are pulled to one another through palpable desire, but Wil's internalized need to maintain appearances threatens to tear the couple apart.

Tensions between the old world's restrictive concepts of generational honour and North America's fluid and individualistic mentalities revolve around a real, beautiful tale of two women in love. It is breathtaking and gorgeous in its clarity and offers a change of pace from the typically tragic fare that marks queer cinema. If there is one film to define a genre of romantic comedies designed for queer women, this is it. It is universal in its appeal and it is delicate and humourous in its approach.

In a word, it is brilliant.

In four words, GO WATCH IT NOW.

***

That night, I headed over to The Isabel Bader Theatre to cover the last festival shift held at the venue. Hoo, talk about the crowds. The Isabel Bader functioned as the central headquarters for the entire film festival, hence, all the crowd favourites and big budget films rolled at this location.

How crowded was it, you ask?

We had at least five separate line-ups based on which ticket the patron held (a touch classist, I am aware) and, after the count I led, we came to about 450 viewers for the last film. Buddies in Bad Times pulled in a maximum of 80 viewers while the ROM tended to attract at least 100 audience members for the headliners.

Again, I was not privy to watch the films as I was needed for ticket processing and ballot counting. I met another energetic, boisterous group of volunteers and spent the evening in a haze of laughter and chat. I got the inside scoop on other Toronto-based film festivals and I might need to check out some of the other scenes in the near future. I will always feel most at home with Inside Out, but it could be fun to check out another event as well.

I had to kick myself later when I realized Saturday night marked a full evening of lesbian-based programming across the street at the ROM. I admit, I was calculated with the shifts I took -- I aimed to volunteer for lesbian films so I could connect with other queer girls in Toronto. When I signed up for the evening shift, I was at work and did not have the festival program with me. Regardless, the night was a glitzy one and I glided home with the buzz of volunteerism still fresh in the blood.

***

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Good gracious -- it was a sweet time to rest and compose myself. I'd been plotting to hit up Anime North this past weekend, but the heaviness throughout me would not dissipate. Based on the marathon volunteer session from the previous weekend, I thought I should ease up and relax a touch. I sat out on the deck with some white tea and chatted with the rents about various odds and ends and then hit up a local comic book store to check out their merchandise. Ha, alas, most of it had relocated to Anime North for the weekend. Confound. I plan to return soon to check out their titles then.

Meanwhile, The Advocate contacted me and invited me over for a long overdue Ladies Sunday Afternoon. Ship Sharp was already in attendance, however, a certain Moffatt girl was missing from the mix.

The ladies are lovely and we traded gossip from the past three weeks (I know, it was quite a lot to catch up on. I munched on popcorn and drank it all in). And, the ladies surprised me with some flawless birthday gifts for your truly. I realize once again I am a total nerd -- and I also realize I have awesome friends who encourage this behaviour. There was a Kate Beaton t-shirt, a collection of love poems to help me woo the ladies, manga editions of Shugo Chara and Ouran High School Host Club, and a book to help me make LISTS. Sweet honey marvel, I am in heaven.

We even rounded out the evening with a sushi dinner and later with a spot of pink champagne out in Ship Sharp's backyard.

I recommend that last bit for all those seeking a premium weekend experience.

***

So, there you have it -- the weekend on a Wednesday. I best sign off as I have been sitting for for at least an hour and a half now. I am that intense, I know.

The Fearsome Five with Adrienne Pierce: An Interview

That's right, kids -- Adrienne Pierce is making a guest appearance here at Cute, Queer, Canadian tonight. Even while gearing up for the June 2010 release of her third full-length studio album, Oh Deer, our new hero found a precious bit of time to answer a few question this blogette had about her career, her approach to music, and her recommendations for a sultry summer soundtrack.

And so, I present to you:

The Fearsome Five with Adrienne Pierce

(Now with highlights in Technicolor)

Miz Moffatt (MM): First off, a sentence starter for the goal-oriented:

In 2010, I am aiming to....

Adrienne Pierce (AP): .... see my family more and travel and tour as much as possible. I would really like to go to Africa and Asia.

*

MM: With almost a decade between your first release, Small Fires (2002), and your latest album, Oh Deer (2010), how has your approach to song-writing and your sound changed in that time?

AP: I am a little harder on myself now. I am interested in writing more complex melodies and I like to challenge myself to write about new subjects. As far as the sound goes I think I was more playful and experimental with this album.

*

MM: Which comes first: the lyrics or the music?

AP: A lot of the time the melody and lyrics come together as a package deal and I work on it in my head until I can get to a guitar and then it all comes together. When I am co-writing it happens in all different ways. Sometimes one of us will bring in a song or part of a song we've been working and other times it is all created on the spot. However it works I do write all the lyrics if I will be the one who will sing the song. I am obsessive about lyrics.

*

MM: Which musician(s) would you love to collaborate with and what sort of music would that tag team produce?

AP: I just watched the documentary "Running Down A Dream", about Tom Petty, and it reminded me that Jeff Lynne is a genius. In a fantasy world he would produce my next album.

In another fantasy I would write with Patty Griffin and record a folky album with T-Bone Burnett. OK - one more...I saw Santigold on Later With Jools Holland a couple of years ago and she kind of hypnotized me. I would love to write with her or have her produce a song for me.

*

MM: Oh Deer is slated for a summer release and I am thinking listeners will turn to these tunes for midsummer parties or a road trip or two. What tracks are on your personal soundtrack for the summer?

AP:

1. Jesca Hoop and her song "Summertime" is a pretty great summer song.
2. I have been aware of Rae Spoon for a long time but only recently heard his new album and I love the song "Come On Forest Fire Burn The Disco Down". It is really smart song and catchy too.
3. Laura Veirs - July Flame.
4. The Essential Sun Records 2 CD set. I bought the CD's while on tour last summer at a gas station near Clearwater, BC. I highly recommend it. (the CD's and the gas station).

And, a later addendum to the soundtrack selection: "I just realized I first listened to Sleigh Bells on your site and then that was followed up by some NPR exposure and now I am obsessed."

***

*Buffs nails on her t-shirt* Oh, glad I could be of service. I do love referring music to close friends and acquaintances, but to inspire another musician is a new notch on that music snob belt of mine. And readers, please note -- I have the inkling sensation Ms. Pierce's summer soundtrack selections will appear on future editions of Tunes for Tuesdays, so keep alert to those artists.

Might I add, Adrienne Pierce + Santigold = a musical dream team that simply must come to pass. I think we ought to start campaigning for it now. If Betty White hosted SNL after a Facebook petition, then I think we can all pull some strings to get this collaboration started, hmm?

It has been an absolute pleasure to mark June 1st as the Official Adrienne Pierce Day here at Cute, Queer, Canadian. It's a great honour to have a musician entrust you with their latest project and I hope I have done her music justice.

Oh, and if I needed additional reasons to dedicate the iTunes to her music, she informed me she performed at the LA Rockin' Comic Con this past weekend.

Where does the awesome end, people?

Tunes for Tuesdays: Adrienne Pierce

Her sound is a pure bubble of brightness gliding across the serrated edge of her wit and poetic observation.

She is the icon of the literate pop scene and coaxes listeners into vivid reflections on our kaleidoscopic modern life.

In a clear, sweet voice, she traces out a series of weighted confessions, jealousies, apologies, and silent accusations intimate to each of us -- the same network of emotion we levy against the ones we both love and distrust.

I invite listeners to revel in the wonder that is Adrienne Pierce, the go-to girl for a smart shot of catchy-meets-cutting tracks for thoughtful listeners.

***

It is the sincere pleasure of this blogette here to introduce readers to the complex, clever cutie also known as Adrienne Pierce.

Ms. Pierce hails from the gorgeous Canadian west coast and belongs first and foremost to the indie scene in Vancouver, BC. With a towering selection of recent tour dates and festival slots, it could be argued she is now a global citizen in the most literal sense as she takes to the road for adventure and new geographies to inform her songwriting. Rather than rendering these landscapes into mere replicas, Ms. Pierce transforms their elements into otherworldly expressions of our interior lives and the secrets that rest therein.

In a word, Adrienne Pierce is a storyteller. She augments those difficult, personal admissions with infectious pop melodies and an undercurrent of sly country influences. It takes a rare talent to turn heartbreak into a rousing, sing-to-the-stars track and Ms. Pierce accomplishes it with ease.

For readers unfamiliar with Adrienne Pierce's credits, prepare to bask in her current success and prepare for an even brighter future filled with stunning new projects. Her debut album, Small Fires (2002), was released to great critical acclaim on Canadian soil and, with her follow-up EP, Hors D'Oeuvres (2006), Ms. Pierce found her foothold with the international music scene. Her delicious track, "Lost & Found," won its rightful place on the soundtracks for Veronica Mars and Grey's Anatomy, thus opening her music to a cultured collective of young listeners and music afficionados. Since then, her music has featured prominently on television shows including The Hills, Army Wives, Greek, and the ever-infamous drama, The L Word, among others.

As a young musician, Adrienne Pierce was chosen to perform during the iconic Lilith Fair tour and was signed to Nettwerk Records where she produced her second full-length album, Faultline (2007). In the mere span of a decade, Ms. Pierce has conquered the concert halls of Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. with her addictive sound and she has performed at both SXSW and NXNE in addition to Canadian Music Week and Bergenfest in Norway. As for Canadian credits, fans know Adrienne Pierce lent her talents to a reinvented version of Neil Young's track, "Pocahontas," for Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute to Neil Young (2008) with other Canadian heavyweights ranging from Chantal Kreviazuk and Ron Sexsmith to City and Colour and Melissa McClelland.

In recent years, Adrienne Pierce released seasonal delights in the form of two EPs -- Winter received great acclaim over the holidays in 2008 and Spring rounded out her success in 2009.

And now, eager listeners can look forward to Oh Deer hitting the e-shelves THIS MONTH.

Since I am such a wondrous blogette, I thought I should treat readers to a sneak peek into the upcoming album. On this Tunes for Tuesdays segment, I would like to celebrate the new release with her all-too-cute video for the first single, "Museum." It is rumoured Ms. Pierce penned this track on the back of a map as she explored the Museum of Natural History in Paris. It has a magical, nostalgic quality to it and, yes, she even taps into the biological history of our dear Earth in order to resonate with her listeners. Darn impressive, if you ask me.

"Museum" - Adrienne Pierce
Adrienne Pierce

I first heard "Museum" on the first bright, Monday morning of May at 8:15 AM. I was driving in to the office, sailing past some kids out mowing the town's epic stretches of grass. And, with all the dandelions going to seed, the air was filled with soft, white plumes that looked like snow against the hot spring air. I ask you: what better conditions to experience this song than those?

Immediate favourites on Oh Deer include the quirk-filled, sun-drenched groove of "Black Sand," the quiet crush of New Year's Eve dejection in "Three Hours Ago" (in addition to a clever quote of Auld Lang Syne, FTW), and the injected sarcasm in "Winner Takes All." It might be the June 2010 release date speaking, but the summer heat sears through these tracks and promises a thought-provoking soundtrack for road trips to come.

And now, for the teaser -- readers are best advised to tune in this evening for an extra special treat here at Cute, Queer, Canadian. It is bound to blow some socks off (it did for me!) and I am thrilled to showcase it all here.

In the meantime, I suggest clicking over to Adrienne Pierce's MySpace account to get a fix of the new favourite here at Cute, Queer, Canadian.