Portlandia

I don't go to the movies anymore but given all the talk about the labour of love that was Wildwood, I decided to go to an afternoon showing on Thursday. After 16 years of stop-motion animation work, Laika finally released this film based on a children's book. It really was a wonder to watch and take in all the details. There were two references in the movie to this type of effort in the age of AI. Early on, at a Portland artisan market, there was a brief shot of a sign stating "Buy hand-crafted art - before it's too late". During the credits outro, we see the flickering shot of animators posing the characters as they "come to life" and walk back to their house.

After decades of Lord of The Rings and other fantasy stories on film and in popular novels, the story is in a familiar territory: Prue, a teen who was getting too old for magic, stumbled into a hidden wood filled with talking animals. Her baby brother has been kidnapped by Alexandra, a witch-queen consumed with grief over her dead son. What made Wildwood stand out was the craft and the voice acting.

But there were 2 elements that didn't sit right with me. Despite being a children's movie, it was clear that there were actual deaths especially in the climactic battle. Some characters also reacted in a traumatic way. But with all of the "good guys" surviving, the lesson about the consequences of violence – specifically organized violence – was diminished. The erasure of Indigenous people was also disturbing. Obviously there were mostly white people in the Portland (the whitest big city in America) scenes even if Prue's mother was Asian. That was expected given the historical fact that Oregon was founded as a whites-only state. But even the wild wood lacked any Native traces. The good guys were Celtic druids, small-town peasants, and bandits descended from "The Ancients", a sort of lost Viking culture. The bad guys were coyotes wearing the British red coat and crows. These were not only European tropes but most egregiously, coyotes and crows are sacred in Indigenous culture.

After the movie, the nearby chain restaurants (Montana's, State and Main, Moxie) weren't tempting though I briefly considered East-side Mario's – the epitome of affordable, but classy dining for teenage me. I finally returned to Lazare's after a year. Its quarter-chicken combo (increased to $22.55) with rice, slaw, and plaintain was still delicious. After dinner, I concluded that I haven't gone more often because Lazare's was a tad too greasy at my age and the portion felt small for $28.05 (tax and tip).

Two For Two

On Saturday, I went to another new collaboration ($20 + $.6.85 fees) at The Rainbow Bistro. This venue in The Byward Market has been on my radar for a while. With shows every day, it seemed more like a Toronto spot. Recently, a cousin attended her brother-in-law's wedding there complete with Death from Bill and Ted's as the officiant.

The narrow stairs going up reminded me of The Silver Dollar or Sneaky Dee's but it was cleaner inside and small, too: take The Monarch Tavern, chop off the last third, and move it up into a small balcony overlooking the stage. The bar chatter was equally loud but unlike The Monarch, fell silent during the performances. Opened in 1984, The Rainbow wasn't quite as venerable as The Horseshoe but had a similar well-loved vibe.

Ada Lea started her solo set at 9 pm. This was unfortunate – more on that – because unlike the late Toronto crowds, Ottawans are on-time. When I entered 10 minutes after doors at 8, it was already bustling. The space was fully-packed by the listed 8:30 start time. I had seen Lea twice before and was impressed with her latest 2 releases. I was a bit disappointed with the chintzy drum track and synth selection (a Nord was usually quite good). She fared best with just herself and guitar. Lea closed with "bob dylan's 115th haircut", about how she couldn't write his songs but he couldn't write hers. This ode to self-esteem, complete with harmonica segue, ended a well-received set.

So Faint was the project – so new that their debut album officially came out 10 days ago – of Hannah Georgas and Lyn Heinemann (Drawn Ship). According to Georgas, the two met at a production studio in 2009 when she lived in Vancouver. They stayed as pen-pals over the years, exchanged musical ideas in 2023, and finally So Faint was born. Backed by a 3 piece, including the still mustachioed but no longer pomaded Feurd from The Elwins, they played a mid-tempo but lively set. Half-way through, the head-liners also did solo turns. Heinemann played a wistful version of Georgas' early synth-pop Shortie (with crowd sing-along) and a new song ironically named Winning (spoiler: she did not win her love). Georgias' covered Heineman's Glass Eye (a Gorey-esque folk-pop) and one of her older tunes called Robotics.

The crowd clearly knew about Georgas'  (including her recent stint with Broken Social Scene) even if I had mostly missed out on her career. I would have loved to hear more but I did not stay for the rest of her mini-solo set (she had one more song) nor So Faint closing out the night. With Ottawa transit only running every half-hour in the evening, I had to catch my 11 pm commute home. If Lea had started on-time, things could have worked out better. I liked The Rainbow's vibe, but if they usually run late like some notorious Toronto venues, I won't attend too many events here.

Modern Muse

My recent enthusiasm (sort-of) for Ottawa outings continued on Friday. I was back at The NAC but not at Fourth Stage. I had to make my way down to the Canal level to get to the larger Azrieli Studio for a night of indie music ($34). On the way, I passed by other studios. It was impressive considering The National Ballet's Four Seasons didn't have similar facilities. Too bad the main stage of Southam Hall was an indifferent venue.

The opener Orchidae (Yolande Laroche) was a local from Gatineau. Normally a "back-up" musician with bands like Pony Girl, she has decided to explore solo musicianship. Sitting at the baby grand along with a synthesizer, Laroche played a set of self-professed "sad girl" music. Certainly, whether it was about the problematic love of an ex or the unconditional one of a pandemic pet, the set was about slow beats, sustained chords, and wistful vocals with reverb and delay. I preferred Laroche's lower register which was richer in tone.

When head-liner Charlotte Cornfield came out with her band, I expected folks from The Royal Oak Family Singers like Stephen Foster since Cornfield often played with them. But this 4-piece roster from Toronto were all new faces including lawyer and bassist Kate Palumbo. Then again, though I do go back to The Big Smoke several times a year, I was no longer a regular to its music scenes. Despite a discography of 6 releases, Cornfield only sang a few older songs, with the rest of the set comprising of music from her latest album Hurts Like Hell.

This was all right with me as the tunes were uniformly strong. She spoke admiringly of seeing Bonnie Raitt this year. Well, the country-tinged music, combined with Cornfield's concise, witty rhymes and evocative lyrics was Raitt-like. They were the viewpoints of someone, slightly older and wiser, fondly looking back: a missed connection at an indie show (Squiddd), the hodgepodge lifestyle (and love life) of a 20-something (Long Game), or the sad antics of a faded musical hero (Lost Leader). Cornfield related wryly that the verse of that number ("There are too many dudes in the room") was too ironic on her recent UK show in a record store. My favourite number (and the crowd's) was the final (pre-encore) song Kitchen. They loved it because of the chorus ("it [love] could come natural/grounded and factual/passionate and actual"). I loved it because the verses described haunts from my old neighbourhood like Wise Bar and Dufferin Grove.

I don't know her current fan-base size in Toronto because I saw Cornfield early on or as a back-up singer or drummer. But there were around than 220-250 people tonight (Azrieli would be full at 300). Along with close to 20 folks waiting at the merch table after the show, it should be a good payday for the band.

Celebrate Mood Times

About a week ago, I went through Rothwell Heights to the Beacon Hill mall. The new development scheduled for this genteel neighbourhood haven't started yet. For visits last year to The Hill Bakehouse, I stuck with samosa and Jamaican patty. But with a hankering for cheap Chinese food a la South Pacific, I went back to a small fried rice ($5) and 2 chicken nuggets ($0.50/each). The nuggets were ok but the rice was only passable. Despite being directly off the wok, they lacked wok hei and were a bit tough. I think the combination of being cold from the fridge (food safety rules) and insufficient heat during cooking made them subpar.

On Sunday, I went to visit some friends. I was again pleasantly surprised by the speedy transit. Although speedy still meant an 80 minute trip. They were once again hosting a birthday lunch for another friend who lived nearby. But we ended up with a lot of food because the latter and their family couldn't make it. Earlier in the morning, her dad was admitted into the emergency room and might need surgery. They spent several pandemic years building a multi-generational home. So it would be a shame that they might only get to share it for only a short while.

The food, all home-made except for the filipino sausages, was a generous spread of crab dip, two delicious Malaysian mains of grilled chicken and beef rendang, a rich peanut sauce, and some garlic fried rice. With the bad news, we also talked about our own family situation. Luckily our parents were still healthy though they have certainly slowed down. I shared that I might have some property left by my father back in the old country. But I haven't pursued it yet because there were likely some messy legal knots with other heirs. The wife related how her late mother gave a house overseas to a nephew because her kids didn't need it in North America. This was still a sore point for my friend. The husband may inherit some ancestral properties from various aunts and uncles, but they would mostly be ruins in a remote village.

With only one teenager around for lunch this time, I asked about his graduation plans for next year. He was keen on pursuing medical school but his father cautioned him that he must be prepared for disappointment. Many people fail to get an acceptance including a mutual friend some few decades back, who finally settled for a military career. About 12 years ago, my own cousin also failed several times to pass the interview process. They were now a bureaucrat, like many in Ottawa, with a family out in the suburbs. The teen seemed undeterred and why should he be? Young, optimistic, with no aching back and wonky knees, the future was bright.