LONG LIVE THE QUEEN IS AN ARTS AND MUSIC FESTIVAL IN HALIFAX CURATED BY MUSICIANS FOR THEIR COMMUNITY MAY 21-23.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Extra! Extra! Festival Day 1

Photos by the one and only Ian Gibb


Diamond Rings

Bike Rodeo

Windom Earle

Ruby Jean

Jenocide

Myles Deck and the Fuzz

Union of the Snake

This just in: It was too nice a day to feel pain. But was it magic? The sheer power of a sun so bright, and a festival spirit so thickly enthusiastic you could wrap yourself in it?
When asked how it feels to house the festival's box office and Artist Market, the North Street Church groaned open its tremendous wooden mouth, blinked his window-shutter eyes and said "Well yes, I like it just fine. Especially those soaps, did you get your hands scrubbed yet?"

From within the Artist's Market on Friday, one man's crystals threw light onto eco-chic clothing. While the lenses in pairs and pairs of Ruby Boutique vintage glasses glimmered and gleamed. One young married couple greeted each other as if at an airport, embracing after the longest absence, when this reporter in fact knows it had only been a day. Witnesses looked on in happy awe, and silently ate their shortbread and rice krispy squares from the Queen's concession.

Then the Queen's opening night party was taking off like a bottle rocket in the middle of the commons-- with excited squeals emitting from the onlooking creators underneath.

Jenocide served hotdogs while peddling her tasty grrl-ectro jams. The stage was rushed at the appearance of Tupperware Remixers from another time continuum. Windom Earle chanted "Long Live the Queen" and served up a full platter of rock for frenzied dancers. The debut of a three-piece Ruby Jean was accepted with open arms. And Diamond Rings disrobed on stage to the tune of Janet Jackson. It was a beautiful beginning.

Later, at Gus' pub, folks reconvened to sample the likes of Cursed Arrows, Union of the Snake, Bike Rodeo, Myles Deck, and Iron Giant. Deck is rumoured to have "shaken what his mother gave him", only to be followed by Iron Giant's singer belting his perfect voice and gripping his special chain-link microphone stand.
Sources say one and all enjoyed a calm walk home in the cool night. Some guests returned home to their loved ones and cats. Others found a bouquet of flowers in her door handle.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT YOUR HEART


Take this personality quiz to figure out a personalized festival guide. Simply write down your answers, and add up the points after.

1) Sitting up in bed, stretching-- what was the first thing you thought of this morning?
a) That damn bird outside your window. And just how you're going to shut it up.
b) The run you need to go on. Now! Before anyone else is up.
c) Going back to sleep. Why is the bed always warmer when you've gotta get out of it?
d) ...Them

2) You're an astronaut. The best day of your life:
a) The first time you launched up into that great big sky and touched a star or two.
b) Coming home.
c) Looking through the reinforced glass window, back down at our blue green world, and giving it the middle finger while you slowly mouth -- "EAT IT, EARTH."
d) Hasn't happened yet.

3) And when you finally get all you want, you
a) Will be so surprised.
b) want to share it, before even understanding what it means.
c) probably won't notice until you find it crushed underneath your boot.
d) will scream.


4) At a horse race you
a) bet on the horse with your father's name.
b) opt to buy some binoculars instead. At least they're not a gamble
c) notice for the first time the real mad size of those bewildering beasts running.
d) yell until you're hoarse! (Excuse the pun.)

5) In the summer you will
a) swim, run, picnic, fly a kite or two.
b) have the hugest bonfires.
c) relish the nights, too hot for any jacket or sweater.
d)Finally live.

6) On a plane. You're going to
a) Paris, then Rome.
b) visit a dear friend, very far away.
c) bet your oxygen mask doesn't work.
d) sleep soundly.

7) Almost hitting a beautiful glowing person with your car, you tell them
a) "let me make it up to you by taking your phone number."
b) "you think because you're good looking you don't have to look both ways?! Typical."
c) "I knew something like this would happen today."
d) "Are you alright?"

8) Bad news comes. You just need someone to tell you:
a) "You've been brave".
b) "Suck it up. Quit yer whining."
c) nothing. Just be there.
d) "At least there's something worth caring about."

9) You think your horoscope is
a) sooo right. It's scary.
b) bullshit.
c) better than the crossword.
d) trying to tell you something.

10) No one knows
a) you speak French too.
b) you were in love once.
c) how you make that perfect recipe, every time.
d) where to find you.

Now find your results HERE

Painting by Steven Riddle

Shine Diamond Rings (The Coast)


John O’ Regan brings his tiara-worthy glittery folk pop to this weekend’s Long Live The Queen festival.
by Mark Teo
LONG LIVE THE QUEEN

Diamond Rings shine

If there's a single accuracy to High Fidelity's Rob Fleming, it's that devout music listeners are compulsive list-makers. And those quick to compartmentalize will surely reduce Toronto blog-buzz darling John O'Regan, AKA Diamond Rings, to the easiest, glam-drogenous denominators: Ziggy Stardust, Boy George, Adam Ant.

But layered eyeliner, animal-print tights and retina-scorching legwarmers aside, Diamond Rings, playing Friday at Long Live The Queen, isn't just retro night writ large. If anything, he says, O'Regan's channelling Gordon Lightfoot---sans moustache, of course.

"My songs are folk songs, that's how they're written," he says. "Like the disco version of 'If You Could Read My Mind,' by Starz on 54---that was originally a folk song. I wanted to tap into something like that, something malleable but distinct. Because a good song is a good song."

O'Regan, otherwise known as the bookish, boyish leader of Ontario post-punk act The D'Urbervilles, isn't just being brash here. In the space of a year, he's amassed more than 100,000 YouTube views and landed tours with Woodhands and Owen Pallett. One Big Silence, an upstart electro label headed by Fucked Up's Mike Haliechuk, selected a Diamond Rings single as its inaugural release, due this summer. He's enlisted Ohbijou's James Bunton to produce his forthcoming debut full-length, Special Affections. He's even wowed the jaded tastemakers at Pitchfork---in fact, they premiered his video for "Wait and See."

This, on the strength of two limited-release singles. But hard as it may be, O'Regan's pragmatic about the hype.

"It was wicked! When you looked at Pitchfork's sidebar, there was the record that we designed and pressed beside the cover of, like, the new Usher single or something. Total mindfuck, right?" he says, with a laugh. "But I'm aware that people are incredibly fickle. It's important to not look for validation from the outside to justify your own effort."

O'Regan approaches his music as work---he's wary of being "just another singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar." His bedroom dance-party starts with a MIDI keyboard, a six-year-old Mac and his rudimentary-but-improving Ableton and Garageband skills; live, he adds a smoke machine and an onstage persona he describes as a "veritable freakshow."

"I don't want to be the guy that everyone talks over," he says. "The sound, the look, it's a survival mechanism. I'm going to make it loud and visually arresting."

But then, there are the Flemings of the world. O'Regan says his sexual orientation's always in question; but those are the questions he wants his audience to ask of him and perhaps, of themselves. While immersing himself in queer theory---he cites philosopher Judith Butler and feminist art historian Amelia Jones---he became finely attuned to the concept that performance isn't limited to the stage. "People always want to say, 'It's a gay thing, it's a straight thing.' It's not about that," he says. "It's about the idea of viewing gender and everyday life as a performance. Being onstage in tights and makeup is no different than [Pavement's] Stephen Malkmus being up there in a plaid shirt and jeans."

But while O'Regan aims to challenge with his stage persona, he's still adamantly pop. Besides, he says, lo-fi indie snobs could learn a thing or two from Usher and crew. "It's easy to make something abrasive and openly confrontational---something no one likes," O'Regan says. "If you can make something that your mom will like, that's still fresh and raw and new, that's fucking hard. And that's what I go for.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Tupperware Remix Party



This Halifax foursome is "ever-grooving" from their sexed up funk licks right down to their robot-costumed toes. They are slinging electronica-infused dance rock and were awarded categories of best hijinx, best dressed, and most importantly, best band to dance to by The Coast this year. You can call them by their warrior names.

You can catch Tupperware Remix Party at the North Street Church on Friday, May 21st with Diamond Rings, Ruby Jean, Windom Earle, Jenocide, and the It Felt Like a Kiss DJ's. The show starts at 6:00 pm and is $12 at the door. Blast off.

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Queen hearts kids!



If Northrop Frye was right, youth is the Springtime of life. Everything is available, waiting and beautiful. In case you haven't been to the Halifax farmer's market on a Saturday morning, we should inform you that all the babies there are way cuter than anyplace else in the city.

The Queen is admitting babies free to all North Street church shows the weekend of the festival. Children under ten years of age can come for free, accompanied by their parents, babysitters, aunts and other important guardians.

This is to ensure that everyone in the neighbourhood feels extremely welcome, but also, The Queen is hoping some of the innocence and candour of youth will rub off on her.

Here's hoping kiddies!

-The Queen

p.s. don't forget earplugs

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

FREE DIGITAL LLTQ SAMPLER!



Long Live the Queen is Proud to give you the LLTQ sampler courtesy of Zunior!

13 Tracks from highlighted festival artists!

Grab the LLTQ sampler in one-click:
http://www.zunior.com/redeem
Code: LLTQsampler455

GET IT NOW!

LLTQ sampler features songs from Diamond Rings, Yellow Jacket Avenger, Cousins, Cursed Arrows, Rebekah Higgs, Jon McKiel, Julie Fader, Jenocide, Ruby Jean, Windom Earle, Daniel Ledwell, The Darcys and Heavy Meadows.

Download it for free today!

Monday, May 10, 2010

The Darcys



This onetime foursome and former fivesome is once again a foursome and listening to them play is like having an amazing threesome, twice.

Toronto born and Halifax forged, The Darcys have been described as a great guitar band but that hardly narrows it down. To be more specific they are a really, really great guitar band with a secret soft side and the beards to prove it.

The Darcys will play Gus' Pub Saturday May 22 with Heave Meadows, Gamma Gamma Rays, and Lovesinger at 10 pm.

Click HERE for a free download of their 7" The House Built Around Your Voice

ARTIST'S MARKET

ARTIST'S MARKET

MAY 21st- 23rd at the North Street Church

The Artist's Market will be open for the entire Victoria Day long weekend from 11am to 11pm in the North Street Church.

The Artist's Market will be home to our festival box office where you can pick up your weekend passes and purchase tickets for festival events.

The Artist's Market will feature all Merchandise, T-Shirts, Tapes, Vinyls and CD from all the bands performing at Long Live the Queen as well as

- Pottery, Masks, and Drawings by Zoe Solomon
- Paintings by Julie Fader
- Drawings and Paintings Stewart Innes
- Kelly Zwicker's Recipe Book
- Books from Invisible Publishing
- Deux FM Clothing
- Jewelry By Twiggs
- A Vintage Clothing, Shoes, Sunglasses and Belts Boutique
- Local Snacks and Beverages
- Yoga demonstrations and information from the Ashtanga Shala
- Soy Products from Solas Naturals
- Stuffed Monsters from Joy Hillier at Team Sleep.

You can purchase band merchandise and Festival Passes and Tickets through our box office. We accept Cash or Visa through Paypal, we will have computers set up for customer use!

This is FREE and OPEN TO ALL!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

GHETTOSOCKS

Is he a great Halifax MC or the greatest Halifax MC? It is a debate that has gripped this town for years. We prefer to think of him as a great MC from Halifax. Whatever one thinks of him it cannot be denied he is a gifted lyricist who has been recognized as the best MC by The Coast for three years running.

But what about those oversized fake glasses he wears? Do they affect his world view? Can he see rhymes the way we can see colors? He wears them on stage, but also while he's eating avocado melts named after him, and while walking Jenocide's bicycle. The Queen wants to know whether that boy's vision is as bad as his music is good?

Check out this Jason Levangie video treat for Ghettosocks' jam "Out for Treats". See his "world view" for yourself.




Ghettosocks performs at the LLTQ Closing Party at Gus' Pub May 23rd with Wordburglar, Fresh Flesh, James Reid, T-WOO and DJ Diamond Rings.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Union of the Snake will play their first show at LLTQ.



This is the first line of what I was sent by Jim MacAlpine when I asked him to send me some sort of bio for his new band: "Three guys from a bunch of bands, some celebrated, some reviled, get together to play some 'music'."

I'm not sure which of the bands represented by the members of Union of the Snake he's referring to when he claims revulsion. Union of the Snake consists of members from North Of America, VKNGS, and Kestrels to name a few. All of which were and are totally awesome, making me very excited to see this band. They will play at Gus' Pub on May 21st with Cursed Arrows, Bike Rodeo, Myles Deck and the Fuzz, and Iron Giant. The show is $10 and you should get there on time if you want to claim your space to check out Union of the Snake is all their heaviness.

- The Queen