Yesterday and last night were very interesting. Down at The Embassy, in Kensington Market, I saw Henri Faberge and The Adoreables play live in a space not that much wider than my dorm room. I found out about The Adorables through a friend who is actually in the band. Her name is Ruhee and she plays tenor sax. She got the gig by emailing the band and auditioning. Pretty awesome I’d say.
If I were to describe the style of music that The Adorables play it would be pop rock (due to the happy, upbeat nature of most of their songs) with crazy instrumentation like clarinet and tenor sax. The Adorables just released their first record about two weeks ago, so I will definitely get it.
The Embassy deserves a little explanation. It is a long hole in the wall. The band is about midway along the length of the place, so people crowd on either side and in the case where I was (right in front of the band) tend to mosh about and even have the band mingle with the crowd during the show.
I had insane amounts of fun there and am considering going back again (The Adorables are The Embassy’s resident band, they play there the first Wendsday of everymonth) and this time bringing a super8 camera and doing an experimental film. I think that would be amazing, so does Ruhee and I just need to run it by the band. They are really good about people photographing their shows, seeing as other people promoting you is the cheapest.
Another thing happened earlier yesterday, the student group to “Stop the Israeli Apartheid” set up shop in Vari Hall. I watched as a man walked up to the display and started ripping down signs. I found that a rather shocking demonstration of the tention that exists between ethnic groups.
My first thoughts on this were what do they mean by apartheid? Are they fanatical people not bent on listening to reason? I hung around for while and listened to one of the reps talk. He was intelligent and unlike my earlier prejudices (let us call them what they are, but not all prejudice is bad if you make an effort to get educated). Their main objection was to the security wall the Israel is erecting. They feel that it is unfair to separate people like this. When I asked the man what his oppion on the wall and how one deals with a country (if you can call Palestine that, seeing as its ruling government does not have control over its militias or people) in which there are groups who publicly avow the distruction of another country, he was unable to give a satisfactory answer and quickly moved on. I also asked him what he thought of the two state solution. He said that is was possible, but he would rather see a one state solution. I found that almost as shocking as the guy who ripped the posters down.
There is a similar situation with the militia in Lebanon as there is in Palestine, the elected government is helpless to deal with well organized, well equipped (and in many cases, better equipped) militias. So how does one react, as a sovereign country, when a militia that the lawful government, of which those militia members are citizens, will not or cannot do anthing to stop crosses international boundaries and commits acts that if perpetrated by a country, would be an instant declaration of war? For all intents and purposes, Hezbollah is the de facto government in southern Lebanon so that puts Israel in a tough position when something like the kidnapping of the soldiers occurs.
For all you readers, I am curious to read your opinions on this matter.
