Thanks for the good times, Whippersnapper

The Whippersnapper is not like other art galleries. Located in the heart of Little Italy in Toronto, the artists that run the gallery have for the past five years embraced the arts in every sense of the word. In addition to supporting emerging talent from the visual arts community, the Whippersnapper has been a source of support for Canadian independent music. Artists including Bruce Peninsula, Sebastian Grainger, Spiral Beach, Chad VanGaalen, The Bicycles, $100, Two Hours Traffic, and Dinosaur Bones, are among the long list of musicians to have performed at the gallery.

Unfortunately, Whippersnapper founder Luke Correia-Damude announced last week that the gallery will be closing its doors come May. Although we lose a great supporter of the Canadian independent music scene, the Whippersnapper will always be remembered as a place where we were reminded of the art of music.

So, to this, I say cheers Whippersnapper, and thanks for the good times.

Rose Palmieri

If you want to know more about the Whippersnapper check out:

http://www.blogto.com/arts/2010/01/whippersnapper_gallery_moves_on/

http://www.whippersnapper.ca/

Video of live performances at the Whippersnapper:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYRgk1LdH5Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CyXE0VslnU

Sheezer NYE Debut at the Tranzac (Toronto)

If you think cover bands are lame, you clearly haven’t seen Sheezer in action. Sheezer is an all-girl tribute band to legendary ‘90s pop-rock band Weezer. The band, comprising of established Toronto indie musicians, includes Dana Snell (The Bicycles, Gentleman Reg), Laura Barrett (Laura Barrett, The Hidden Cameras), Alysha Haugen, and Magali Meagher (The Phonemes).

I was fortunate enough to be able to share in Sheezer’s debut performance at the Tranzac in Toronto for New Year’s Eve 2009. You could feel the excitement in the crowded front room of the venue. Eager fans packed tightly into the small space and cheered on Sheezer as they geared up to begin their 30 minute set.

In recent months, Sheezer has gained a significant following via Facebook where fans (who had yet to hear the band live) have posted messages praising the girls for their cover project and expressed their excitement in anticipation of eventually seeing Sheezer play live.

Well folks, Sheezer did not disappoint. They pleased the crowd by playing Weezer classics “My Name Is Jonas” and “Buddy Holly”. You could really feel their passion for Weezer shine through their live performance. It was like being at home with Sheezer in their garage, with all your friends rocking out and singing along to old Weezer favourites.

If you do see Sheezer live, do not expect the tribute band to play any recent Weezer music. The band only covers tunes from what they (and pretty much the rest of the world of Weezer fanatics) argue to be the best Weezer albums; those being The Blue Album (1992) and Pinkerton (1996).

I honestly couldn’t think of a better way to spend my last few hours of 2009. I felt particularly nostalgic because the 2000s was my ‘coming of age’ from teenage-hood to young adult-hood. Like most tweens and teenagers of the ‘90s and ‘00s respectively, I went through my own Weezer phase. Listening to Weezer is like a rite of passage into your young adult years. The music of the California based band defined adolescence. It was simple, fun, care-free, rocking, and dare I say a little rebellious.

Sheezer took me on a trip through memory lane, allowing me to re-experience this last decade before we moved on to the next. Thanks Sheezer.

What to know more about Sheezer? Check out:

http://www.facebook.com/sheezer

http://www.myspace.com/sheezerfanclub

Sheezer playing “My Name is Jonas” from Weezer’s The Blue Album at the Tranzac:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r01vLrOy7v4

Rose Palmieri