All posts tagged with: 2011

In November 2010, hit American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West teamed up to begin recording their album titled, Watch the Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011. The album debuted at number one of the US Billboard 200 chart, selling an outstanding 436,000 copies in its first week.

The album incorporates both orchestral and progressive rock influences, along with over-the-top melodies. The album was certified platinum by the R.I.A.A., and sold 1,144,000 copies in the United States by December 2011.

Jay-Z and Kanye took their Watch the Throne album on tour across the United States and Canada from October to December 2011. It is now considered one of the top-ranked albums of 2011 by many critics and publications.

The Watch the Throne tour was held in Vancouver, BC on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18, 2011 at Rogers Arena. The aggressive, New York City, gangster-rap style concert was well attended. Concert goers were treated to over 2.5 hours of non-stop, action-packed lyrics by the duelling rappers.

The American produced show hit a sore spot with many of the concert attendees when a giant American flag was revealed towards the beginning of the show. Jay-Z also wore an American flag bandana from his back pocket for the entire concert.

It was no wonder these guys were sweating – it wasn’t from their non-stop performances or the head from the lights – each one was covered in gold bling; from rings and bracelets, to chains and watches.

The lighting effects, lasers, and pyrotechnics were all executed with precision and care. The sound system was well tuned and every word was crystal clear.

The theme of the visual effects was very aggressive – often featuring fangs of angry dogs, wolves, leopards and lions. Other symbols including police chases, animal killings and atom bombs were used to set the tone of the show.

The band was carefully tucked away towards the back of the stage so the entire focus would be on Jay-Z and Kanye.

Each artist has their own sets to feature their own music and their unique styles. There was the main stage where they performed together, and separate smaller stages on risers at each the front and centre of the arena floor – bringing the rappers closer to their fans.

Throughout the show the artists kept the well-behaved crowd entertained and with the feeling like two they were listening to their two homie brothers rapping old school style.

Enjoy the magic of the holidays! From now until January 2, 2012, the Vancouver Park Board and British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund welcome guests to come and experience the 14^th annual Bright Nights in Stanley Park.

The Plaza area of Stanley Park has been completely transformed with two million twinkling lights, animated displays, holiday theme characters, music and carolers.

There is hot chocolate, popcorn and roasted chestnuts. Admission to the Plaza is by donation to the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.

The miniature train in Stanley Park is also in full holiday operation. Tickets for the train are available in advance online or at the ticket booth in the train Plaza in Stanley Park.

All donations and proceeds from the miniature train ticket sales go to the Burn Fund, helping burn survivors and their families. To date, Bright Nights has raised over $1.5 million for the Burn Fund.

Hours:

• Sunday – Thursday, 3:00pm – 10:00pm
• Friday – Saturday, 3:00pm – 11:00pm
• (Closed Christmas Day)

Saskatchewan Roughriders fans are among the most diehard in the CFL, so what better way to get the parties started that to feature Regina-born Roughrider fan Colin James in concert during the Grey Cup festivities.

Friday night, Molson Canadian House was jam packed with football fans of all teams ready to kick the weekend off with a party.  The Vancouver Convention Centre was home to a number of CFL team booster clubs’ parties and sponsor activities.  Meanwhile downstairs, Molson Canadian had transformed 90,000 square feet of the convention hall into the ultimate tail gate party.

Thousands of fans descended upon the picnic table lined hall and surrounded the stage for the first of three nights of performances. Friday night was headlined by local rocker Colin James.  Although he presently calls Vancouver home, he was born a prairie boy and a Roughrider at heart.  He admitted to being a bit torn, supporting Riderville but also wanting the hometown team to pull through…at least his ‘Riders weren’t playing.

Taking the stage with a full band James tore into the set and revved up the crowd with a set filled with classics from throughout his 25 year career. The multi-coloured fans set aside their team rivalries for a night of good fun, good music and of course Molson Canadian.

The 99^th Grey Cup Championship is the oldest professional sports championship in the world, and when combined with the festival, is the largest sporting event in Canada. The uniquely Canadian sporting event has a long and proud history with the Canadian Football League and Canada’s professional sports leagues.

Here are some facts about the 2011 Grey Cup Championship and Festival:

• 54,500 people are expected to attend the 99^th Annual Grey Cup Championship at BC Place.
• The Grey Cup is watched by more people annually on television than any other Canadian single television program. 6.04 million people across Canada are expected to watch the Grey Cup on TSN.
• 125,000 people attended the Grey Cup Parade in downtown Vancouver.
• Over 650 volunteers are needed to host the Grey Cup Championship and Festival.
• Vancouver is expecting an $80-100 million in direct economic impact.

[slideshow]

The Grand Marshal of the 2011 Grey Cup Parade in Vancouver was actor / director, Cory Monteith, best known as Finn Hudson on the hit television series, Glee. The parade was held on Saturday, November 26, 2011, and despite the pouring rain, Cory proudly wore a BC Lions jersey as he rode in the back of a pick-up truck along the parade route through downtown Vancouver. Thousands of CFL and Glee fans lined the streets hoping to get a glimpse of the now famous BC actor.

Before the parade route got underway, Cory signed a number of autographs and had hit photo taken with dozens of fans who happened upon him in the parade staging area. The parade even paused for a brief moment for Cory to have his photo taken with the national sport treasure, the Grey Cup.

Born on May 11, 1982 in Calgary, Alberta, Cory grew up in Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. Cory’s parents divorced when he was just seven years old. He and his older brother grew up with his mother.

The now successful actor does have a shady past. Throughout his teen years Cory dropped out of high school, abused drugs and had a drinking problem. He eventually went to counselling and in 2011 received his high school diploma through a Victoria-based alternative school.

In 2010, Cory co-hosted the Teen Choice Awards and hosted the Gemini Awards in Toronto, Ontario.

Cory has also appeared in numerous Canadian-made television series including  Smallville, Supernatural, Flash Gordon, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1, and played minor acting roles in the movies Final Destination 3, Whisper and Deck the Halls.

Despite the pouring rain, thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Vancouver on Saturday, November 26, 2011 for the Grey Cup Parade.  The parade travelled down Smithe Street at Hornby Street, turned right at Burrard Street and made its way towards the Jack Poole Plaza. Part of the parade procession headed west on West Cordova, while the rest traveled down Canada Place Way to the Grey Cup Festival Zone.

The parade had over 3,000 participants including a community floats, 14 marching bands, 100 “Raise the Roof” dancers, the Department of National Defense, local police, fire and rescue members, and CFL dance teams.

The Grand Marshal of the parade was British Columbian, Cory Monteith, one of the lead characters from the hit television series, Glee. Joining Cory as Honorary Grand Marshal was British Columbia hero, Rick Hansen.

[slideshow]

On Friday, November 25, 2011, under clear, blue sunny skies, the Olympic cauldron in Jack Poole Plaza in downtown Vancouver, was once again lit,this time for the celebrations of the 2011 99th Annual Grey Cup and the Grey Cup Festival.

The cauldron lighting was attended by:

• Moray Keith, Chairman of the 2011 Grey Cup Festival Committee
• Former BC Lions legend and Canadian Football Hall of Famer, Lui Passaglia
• Notre Dame Jugglers – High School Football team
• Scott Ackles, General Manager, 2011 Grey Cup Festival
• Members of the 2011 Grey Cup Festival Committee

The cauldron remained lit throughout the day and was extinguished by nightfall.

For November 25-27, Vancouver will come alive with dozens of family and adult friendly events, award ceremonies and concerts in celebration of the 99^th Annual Grey Cup Championship.

Here are some of the highlights over the next three days:

Friday, November 25

• Jack Poole Plaza Cauldron Lighting (11:00am) – CFL Alum Lui Passaglia and member of the Grey Cup Festival kick-off the weekend events at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
• Main Stain Concerts (3:00pm – onwards) – Located on Beatty Street.
  • Stone Pines – 3:00pm
  • Prisoners – 4:00pm
  • Ronocode – 5:00pm
  • Guilty about Girls – 6:00pm
  • Bend Sinister – 7:10pm
  • Kyprios – 8:20pm
  • The Dudes – 9:30pm
• Molson Canadian House – 90,000 sq ft – the biggest three day party of the weekend! Open to anyone over 19 years.
  • ThreeForTheShow – 12:30pm
  • Barney Bentall – 3:00pm
  • Revolver – 5:30pm
  • Fabulous Thunderbirds – 7:30pm
  • Colin James – 9:30pm
  • Skratch Bastid – 11:00pm
• Vanier Cup – 6:00pm – BC Place. A few tickets might be available at Canada Safeway.

Saturday, November 26

• Main Stage Concerts – Located on Beatty Street
  • TV Heart Attack – 3:00pm
  • The Boom Booms – 4:00pm
  • The Belle Game – 5:00pm
  • The Matinee – 6:00pm
  • The Zolas – 7:10pm
  • Hey Ocean – 8:20pm
  • Said the Whale – 9:30pm
• CN Field – Robson Street – Football BC will be giving free football safety tips. You might even see CFL alumni!
• FanFest – Get your hair temporarily coloured in your favorite teams colours!
• Molson Canadian House – Vancouver Convention Centre
  • TwoForTheShow – 12:30pm
  • Aaron Pritchett – 3:00pm
  • Tennessee 3 – 5:30pm
  • The Odds – 7:30pm
  • Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – 9:30pm
  • Skratch Bastid – 11:00pm

Grey Cup Parade (10:00am) – Cory Monteith from Glee is the Grand Marshal and Rick Hansen as Honourary Grand Marhal. Parade starts at Smithe, goes down Burrard and ends at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Sunday, November 27

• Main Stage – located on Beatty Street
  • Gentleman Prefer Blondes – 11:00am
  • Louder Than Love – 11:55am
  • Head of the Herd – 12:50pm
  • Stars of the Boulevard – 1:45pm
• CN Field – Robson Street – Football safety tips from Football BC and a chance to meet CFL Alumni.
• Football Experience – Vancouver Convention Centre – visit sport celebrities from the CFL, TSN and the Grey Cup trophy.
• Molson Canadian House – Vancouver Convention Centre
  • Grey Cup Festival Tailgate Brunch – 11:30am
  • Jim Byrnes and the Sojourners – 3:00pm

To celebrate the 99^th Annaul Grey Cup Championship game, this Saturday, November 26, the Grey Cup parade will take place on the streets in downtown Vancouver.

The 2011 Grey Cup parade route will start at 10:00am at Smithe and Hornby, turn right at Burrard Street, making it’s way towards Burrard Inlet. The parade will turn left and head west on Cordova.

“The Safeway Grey Cup Festival Parade is a family and fan favourite during Grey Cup Festival weekend,” said Phil Reimer, chairman of the Grey Cup Festival. “We are expecting more than 125,000 people to come out and watch, so get down here early and have some fun.”

The parade has over 3,000 participants including a range of community floats, 14 marching bands, 100 “Raise the Roof” dancers, the Department of National Defense, local police, fire and rescue members, and CFL dance teams.

The Grand Marshal for the parade is British Columbian, Cory Monteith, one of the lead characters from the hit television series, Glee. Joining Cory as Honorary Grand Marshal is British Columbia hero, Rick Hansen.

Fans and spectators are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item or donations for the Vancouver Food Bank. There will be collections along the parade route and at the Family Zone at the end of the parade route at Canada Place.

With more than two years of planning, just before noon today, the Grey Cup trophy arrived at HMCS Discovery aboard a Canadian Forces Cormorant Helicopter, in Vancouver, British Columbia, host city of the 99^th Annual Grey Cup Championship and Grey Cup Festival.

The Grey Cup was escorted by Football BC athletes and was welcomed to Vancouver by Vancouver’s Mayor, Gregor Robertson, Scott Ackles, General Manager, 2011 Grey Cup Festival, and Canadian Football League Commissioner, Mark Cohon.

“Grey Cup week promises to be one of the beiggest sporting events, and celebrations to ever hit Vancouver,” said Moray Keith, Chair of the 2011 Grey Cup Festival Committee.

The 2001 Grey Cup “Raise the Roof” Festival is a four-day festival taking place in downtown Vancouver November 24 – 27, 2011. There are free family events and ticketed concerts welcoming everyone to celebrate in Canada’s largest sporting event in 2011.

“Hosting the Grey Cup is a tremendous economic opportunity and a time for families and friends to celebrate a truly Canadian championship,” said Premier Christy Clark in an earlier statement. “The events wouldn’t be possible without the hundreds of volunteers who donate their spirit and time to the success of the Grey Cup Festival and make sure that everyone has a time to remember.”

Mayor Gregor Robertson was all smiles today as he welcomed the Grey Cup to Vancouver. “This year’s Grey Cup Festival is shaping up to be the best one yet, and we’re very excited to welcome it back to Vancouver in our 125^th Anniversary year.”

The 99^th annual Grey Cup Championship will kick off on Sunday, November 27, 2011 at BC Place in downtown Vancouver. Hosted by the BC Lions Football Club, the 2011 Grey Cup Festival is a four-day festiveal that will take place throughout downtown Vancouver from November 24 through 27, 2011. With events ranging from free family oriented entertainment to ticketed concerts, the events of the 2011 Grey Cup Festival aim to welcome Canadians to Vancouver in celebration of Canada’s largest sporting event.

[slideshow]

From November 14-20, 2011, Vancouver’s beer and scotch community will come alive for the 15^th annual Hopscotch Festival. The focal event is the Grand Tasting Hall sold out within the first 90 minutes of tickets going on sale, however, there are still tickets available for many of the other 27 events throughout the week including whisky pairing dinners, master classes and the much anticipated Sunday Morning Brunch.

The Junior Culinary Team of Canada will prepare the two-hour long Sunday Brunch feast. The team has won first place for the Americas over the past two years and will go on to compete in Torino, Italy on December 4, 2011, for the world competition title. Proceeds from the Sunday Brunch will go towards sending the Canadian team to Italy for the competition. There will be eight action stations sampling their culinary creations.

Attendees for this event are in for a special treat. The whiskies to be sampled at the Sunday Brunch event are all from a private cask, some of which are from a production of only 700 bottles. The six single malts include Craigellachie 8 year old sherry cask, Bunnahabhain 9 year old sherry cask, Clynelish 12 year old, Glendullan 12 year old port finish and Tombermory 16 year old.

The Sunday Brunch is hosted by Master Chef and Scotch expert, Marcus VanAlbrecht.

The Hopscotch Festival is Canada’s biggest combined whiskey and premium beer festival attracting over 5,000 attendees each year. The festival also includes premium tequila, vodka, rum, gin and other spirits. Tickets are available from The Hopscotch Festival website.

Modal continues to the be one of the best fabrics for underwear designers in 2011, and Vancouver specialty jock and pouch designer and manufacturer, McKillop U/W has just released the Classic 2.0 Jock collection.

Sustainable and environmentally friendly, the modal material is a manufactured cotton derived from quick-growth beech trees. The silky material is also known for its breathability and moisture-wicking properties, making the garment ideal for both every day and athletic use.

The new low-cut jock has been designed with an expandable pouch to enhance the natural movement, also providing additional support and lift. The leg straps lift and raise, giving the buttocks a firm and enhanced look, and the backless design allows dress-pants and exercise gear to hang in a natural position without showing seams and traditional underwear lines.

Other features in the new jock include a new easy-to-remove contents label, updated elastic waistband and in the pouch models, an optional support ring is included.

The new McKillop jocks are made from 92% modal and 8% spandex and are available in either black or white, in sizes small (28-30) to extra-large (40-42). They are machine washable in cold water and hang dry. Do not iron or bleach.

McKillop U/W is a unique boutique brand focused on design and quality over prints and mass production.

The Classic 2.0 Jock goes on sale next week and can be ordered online from the McKillop U/W website.

Overall Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)

DJ/Producer duo, the Perry Twins (Doug and Derek), from Los Angeles, California will be returning to Vancouver, BC, this Saturday, October 29 for an amazing one-night of fun at Celebrities Night Club.

The Perry Twins single, “Activate My Body” featuring Jania went #1 on several charts including Cashbox Magazine, Logo, and Perfect Beat, and was in the top 10 of the Billboard’s Hot Club Play Chart for six weeks.

The twins started DJ’ing professionally in the late 90’s and have played at the hottest clubs, parties, pride festivals and events all across North America.

Celebrities Night Club, the largest gay dance club in Western Canada, welcomes the Perry Twins back as the featured DJ’s for the B You Halloween party. The Tim Burton inspired theme party boasts a top prize of $500 cash for the best Tim Burton costume.

Advance tickets are available at Little Sisters, Priape or online.

Fall is the perfect time to set yourself up for a good routine of healthy eating and exercise, and this Saturday, October 29 and Sunday, October 30 at the Vancouver Convention Centre is the 21^st Annual Vancouver Health Show.

The 2011 Vancouver Health Show features a host of free seminars hosted by top national health speakers and experts including TV Celebrity Tommy Europe of SLICE TV’s Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp.

The Vancouver Health Show will showcase hundreds of products and an abundance of experts to demonstrate, educate and facilitate individuals’ personal wellness experiences.

“The show offers the empowered health consumer the opportunity to explore, educate and inform themselves of the products, treatments and options available for themselves and their families and make the choices that fit each individual and family,” said Virginia Ritchie, Show Manager. “Attendees can explore our aisles to discover an abundance of healthy products and services and the latest in fitness trends and bodywork treatments, all at special event pricing, and all in one convenient location.”

Ticket have been reduced by 50% this year and are only $5 per person. For more information, visit the 2011 Vancouver Health Show website.

After nearly a year-and-a-half of renovations at the cost of nearly $563 million, the newly refurbished BC Place is once again welcoming people once again.

“This is clearly a magnificent building, and a tribute to those who had the vision and skill to design and build it,” said Premier Christy Clark. “By revitalizing BC Place, we have essentially created a whole new facility for half the price of a new building. It’s something all British Columbians can be proud of.”

On Friday, September 30, Premier Christy Clark officially cut the ribbon and opened the doors for the first event inside, a CFL game between the BC Lions and the Edmonton Eskimos.

“The revitalized BC Place is a world-class stadium that will provide an incredible fan experience,” added Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Minister Pat Bell.  “This is a remarkable public asset and will be a great home for British Columbians to cheer on the Lions and Whitecaps for decades to come.”

The renovations include a cable supported retractable roof. The highly flexible centre portion of the room collects inward, creating a roof opening as long as the playing field below. The roof can open and close in under 20 minutes. The outer roof is made up of fabric panels, that even when the retractable roof is open and it is raining, is said to protect all 55,000 spectator seats.

The playing field has permanently installed Polytan LigaTurf 240 RS+, an all weather turn that meets FIFA’s two-star top rating. During concerts, events, shows and other events, the turf will be covered with a custom floor cover.

Other renovations features include the second-largest hanging HD screen in a stadium in North America (second only to the Dallas Cowboys), measuring 68 by 38 feet each. There is a new state-of-the-art sound system, LED panels below the roofline for displaying a light show, wider stadium seating and a new light system.

BC Place is the largest sports, exhibition and entertainment venue of its kind in British Columbia, hosting the province’s most notable events including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

[slideshow]

7:45am on the nose, the shot rang out and the 2011 BMO Okanagan half marathon was underway. The weather was perfect. Overcast skies, 8’c, a light rain and no wind. These are the best race conditions.

The route for 2011 was the same as 2010, which was a new, ‘old’ course. It’s incredibly flat; a total rise of about four metres, which in race terms is nothing. This makes the course fast and furious and most runners can easily score a personal best.

In fact, the Okanagan Marathon has one of the highest percentage of qualifiers of any other North American marathon. In 2010, over 10% of runners qualified.

My three goal times for this year were to complete, finish at two hours, and my whisper time was 1:45. Having not trained all summer and only competed in a few races and keeping up with my weekly 10k runs, I thought these were fair goals.

Lining up at the start line, I was with the 1:45 pace bunny. They were going to run 10-and-1’s. I thought this would be a good strategy. At their first walk break I was just getting my legs moving and I wasn’t ready to walk, and I fell into step with the crowd around me, something seasoned runners should never do.

At the half-way mark I saw a few people who I knew were there to cheer me on and it really did give a boost of adrenaline. As I continued on I felt pretty good. As expected around km 15 – 17, I was getting tired, but the small groups of people standing with signs and cheering were just the inspiration that I needed.

As I crossed the 17km mark I knew I was going to have an epic finish. I had ran most of the route with a small group of people who were all clock-watching and pacing pretty good. By 19km I knew I decided this was it and I had to push it to the finish.

One of the girls I had paced with got ahead of me, but I passed her again just before km 20. At the exact 20km point my left calve started to cramp and about 10 strides later worked itself out, but I knew the small pedestrian bridge was coming up quickly.

Sure enough as I took three giant leaps up the bridge and overtook the crowd, I felt both of my calves cramp causing me to almost fall to the ground. I was panicked for a short moment but knew there was only .3 km left to go. ‘Get ‘er done’ I said to myself.

As I entered the park there were masses of people who were clapping and cheering. I could hear the accouncer and got super excited. As I turned onto the final home stretch I put it into high gear, sprinting to the finish line and collapsed into the arms of the BMO staff member who put my finishers medal around my neck.

I turned around to look at the clock and it was ticking at 1:41:45! I knew at that exact moment that I had just smashed all my previous half marathon finish times and achieved a new personal best!

The BMO Okanagan Marathon is by far one of the best courses in the BC half-marathon circuit and I would encourage any runner to come and run. It was an amazing experience and I cannot wait to come back and do it again.

For spectators, friends and family, they were treated to being able to see three amazing races all happening at the same time – the full 42.2km marathon, the 21.1km half marathon and the 10km.

Congratulations to all the participants in the 2011 Okanagan Marathon and thank you to the volunteers, support staff, sponsors and spectators! A fantastic, well-done job! You all are winners in my mind too!

Official Results:

• Gun Time: 1:41:56
• Chip Time: 1:41:41
• Pace: 4:50
• Overall: 117 / 1331 (top 9%)
• In Sex (M): 87/472 (top 18%)
• Division (M30-39): 26/139 (top 19%)
• 10km Time: 0:47:54 (booo!)

Blogger Brian Webb holding his half-marathon finishers medal after participating in the 2010 BMO Okanagan Marathon

The Okanagan TELUS Community Ambassadors are going to be out in full force this coming weekend as they prepare to welcome and host over 3,500 participants for the BMO Okanagan Marathon, Sunday, October 9, 2011 in Kelowna, BC.

The volunteer coordinator for the 17^th Annual Okanagan Marathon is Jane Fletcher, Kelowna’s 2008 Woman of the Year.

“We have volunteers doing everything including parking, driving and manning water stations,” said Fletcher.

Course Marshalls play the largest role on race-day. They are the team that are responsible to ensure the course is safe for runners, that they obey the race rules, and ensure participants clearly know where they are going.

Each of the 300 volunteers required to put on the Okanagan Marathon attend a short orientation session the Thursday evening before the event to ensure everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. They also receive a commemorative t-shirt and are eligible to win a variety of prizes.

A drop-in style Volunteer Orientation Night is planned for Thu, Oct 6 from 5:00-8:00pm at the big tent located in City Park.

But the TELUS Ambassadors aren’t the only volunteers out and about. Title sponsor, BMO brings out their staff too. They are the ones responsible for hosting the Saturday kids day events, hand out gloves to participants, man water stations and most importantly, placing the coveted finishers medal around the neck of each successful half and full marathon event finisher.

If you would like to sign up to be a volunteer at the 17^th Annual BMO Vancouver Marathon, go to www.okanaganmarathon.ca and click on the volunteer button.

Just as important as the volunteers, spectators are encouraged to come out and cheer on all the participants at the BMO Okanagan Marathon.

Kesha – Rogers Arena – September 9, 2011

Try to imagine attending a party in the basement of a frat house and multiply the shenanigans by 10 and you’ll have an idea of a Ke$ha show.

Appropriately titled the “Get Sleazy Tour” and she makes sure her tour lives up the name, the audience does a pretty good job of helping it along as well. The full house at Rogers Arena in Vancouver was filled with young ladies (some of the youngest ones with their moms) wearing remarkably short skirts and revealing tops, boys in neon tank tops and short shorts with everyone covered in copious amounts of glitter.
Behind the trashy clothes and bravado Kesha does  seem to proclaim her own style of girl power and the mostly female audience, felt the power.  Except for a moment during the ballad of the set, the audience was up, dancing, cheering and having a great time, right from the opening numbers, “Sleazy” and “Take It Off” to the encore anthem “We R Who We Say We R” and Beastie Boys cover of “You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party”

Without a huge catalogue, Kesha made the most of her set, turning each song into a bit of a spectacle.  Even though, it was surely rehearsed, the choreography, banter and set up for each song seemed natural and spontaneous as thought. Although “Ke$ha” is a carefully cultivated persona that stays intact throughout the show, Kesha makes sure she can back it up with her musical ability. Of course, there’s most likely a backing track helping her along but she can actually sing and plays numerous instruments through the show.  As her catalogue grows and her career matures, surely her shows will as well, for now, this down and dirty party vibe is just right.

[slideshow]

Sunshine, blue skies and rainbows is what pride organizers ordered, and that’s what was delivered this past weekend for the 7^th Annual Salt Spring Island Pride.

Salt Spring Island Pride is not about the latest fashion, headliner DJ’s, big-name entertainers, or political leaders. It’s about a community coming together; a true, grass-roots, Pride festival. People from all walks of society are proud to come together in a safe environment where they can let loose and express themselves freely.

Thursday evening the organizers hosted a panel discussion on international gay rights, followed by the screening of Beyond Gay, the Politics of Pride. It was hosted outside in the vineyard of a local winery.

“The Thursday night Salon was incredible,” said Salt Spring Island Pride Chair, Amy Phillips. “It was the setting, the set-up, and the attendance. The panel members were great and they brought such quality to the event.”

Members from every facet of the Salt Spring community came out to Fulford Hall on Friday evening for Ze Cabaret. From violins, poetry and folk music, to salsa dancing, burlesque and a saw-fiddle performance – the fun evening of eclectic talent from local performers made for a evening the entire room thoroughly enjoyed.

Following the Friday evening variety show was a dance with music by local DJ’s who mashed up 1920’s flapper music with the likes of Rihanna. It was lively but very home-grown, laid back fun.

“There were big expectations for both Thursday and Friday night,” said Amy. “People were glowing with awe and appreciation. Something special happened that [Friday] night. The Cabaret event took on a life of it’s own.”

On Saturday morning the men threw on their dress and wig, the 20-something’s grabbed whatever they could find with a rainbow on it, and the ladies strapped into their corsets – and all together they marched proudly down the street proclaiming Pride on Salt Spring Island.

“The parade route was new for 2011,” Amy explained. The parade halted traffic for an hour along the central street in Ganges village. Hundreds of people lined the streets to see the parade. The parade included support organizations, local politicians (the Green Party’s very own MLA, Elizabeth May, rode in a horse-drawn carriage!), and members of the LGBT community.

“Numbers were down this year,” said Salt Spring Island Pride Chair, Amy Phillips. “Tourism is down on the island in general. Fewer people on the Island turned out for the parade this year.”

Following the parade was Pride in the Park; an afternoon in the park where family and friends could gather and enjoy the beautiful weather, listen to local music and hear speakers talk about issues the trans community still faces.

“Pride in the Park is what kept the events going,” explained Amy. “Folk music and dancing is what people wanted. The trans theme came from a workshop we attended earlier this year. Trans are still not covered under the human rights in Canada.”

Saturday night a Pride Dance was held at Barbs Buns. The venue was ideal – a dance floor inside, a set-bar for quick service of refreshments, and an outdoor patio for fresh air and socializing.

It is evident there is interest on Salt Spring Island for more LGBT gatherings throughout the year. Pride weekend felt like the entire community opened a giant bag of happy and they needed to consume it all at once.

Salt Spring Island is a place where people are comfortable with themselves and accept their neighbours for who they are, not what they are.

As much as the organizers believe their event is about raising awareness of human rights, the people of Salt Spring Island were all happy to join in community events that brought them together, leaving them with a feeling of a greater sense of personal being, pride and acceptance.

[slideshow]

Dragonette, the Canadian electro-pop trio of Martina Sorbara, Dan Kurtz and Joel Stouffer have really broken out this summer.  With their featured status on the infectious Martin Solveig hit “Hello” they have been in ears around the world.

Martina’s poppy, energetic vocals have become a favourite of collaborators everywhere as they’ve been featured in in singles by Kaskade, Don Diablo, Basement Jaxx plus 4 tracks with Martin Solveig.   This keeps the band very busy, in addition to the frequent collaborations they have two full albums, “Galore” and “Fixin’ to Thrill” which featured their breakthrough single “Pick Up The Phone”.

Dragonette are currently completing their third full-length album, to be released some time later in 2011.  Their Euro-dance style sound certainly is influenced by their London, England home base and must keep them abreast of the latest sound trends in Europe.  Their constant touring and great energetic stage presence on the European music festival circuit have led to a strong European fanbase which is reflected in their chart status. ”Hello” approached the top of the charts in a number of countries around Europe and Canada but barely cracked the top 50 in the USA.

With the release of their third album we’ll be seeing and hearing more from Dragonette.

Blogger, Brian Webb, with Dragonette at the 2011 North America Outgames Closing Ceremonies in Vancouver