Bravo!Fact Short Films Screening

Mark Slutsky (center), late observer of Leviticus 19:27

King Khan & BBQ Show Fish Fight

There's a screening of Bravo!Fact short films downtown tomorrow, including the film Day Before Yesterday, written and produced by the incomparable Sarah Beckett, and directed by Patricia Chica, who was responsible for last year's Rockabilly 514, with a score by Courtney Wing. Also, they'll be screening Paul Neudorf's dance film Refractions, scored by Gabriel Dharmoo, and Vengeance, a mystical fish-out-of-water story directed by Lanan Adcock, scored by King Khan & BBQ Show and featuring a number of actors associated with Automatic Vaudeville Studios*, including Goldkicks RSS subscriber & RSS technical consultant Mark Slutsky & Laura Wills (of Pony Up and recently, The Dears). Not to be confused with the 2009 film of the same name: this film has drunken fishermen in it, not France's Elvis Presley, Johnny Hallyday.

Mark Slutsky, Water Lord

Mark Slutsky on the lingering impression Vengeance made on his, prior to then, shaven life:

"This month marks my two-year beard anniversary. This beard was started

because director Lanan Adcock asked me not to shave for the month leading up to the shoot so as to create a rugged fisherman look. I liked it so much,I've had it ever since!"

Mr. Slutsky, in repose

Thursday, August 27th, 2009
6:30pm
Le Social
1445 Bishop Street

* Keep an eye out for their first feature, Peepers!

"PHILOSOPHUM NON FACIT BARBA"

It was the only photo of Ryan I had...
Himalayan Bear - Aloha.mp3

Unless I'm mistaken, which occasionally happens (and how!), Vancouver Island is about as close to Hawaii as one can get in Canada... Which makes this track all the more apt. Himalayan Bear is the nom-de-chanson of silken-voiced Ryan Beattie, he of Victoria's Chet, whom (if you were watching) dropped a gorgeous album Kau'ai (Hive-Fidelity - in Europe on Labelman?) earlier last year that spent some time on the college charts and more time in my CD player. (They've apparently got another one on the way.)

Ryan's distinctive voice, capable of baritone and falsetto leaps that would injure most other human beings terribly, working with a lap-steel, makes the perfect sound for this song, which suits my current desire to escape the damnable Montreal cold for tropical beachland. Even if I have to wear a grass-skirt.

Aaargh Records will be releasing the Lo, Lonesome Island! EP, from which the above song is taken, in a month or two. Jump on it!