U2 shows why they’re still the biggest rock bad in the world today

July 6, 2015 karimkanji

Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. proved that their band from Dublin, Ireland called U2 is still the biggest band in rock and roll today. And they can still deliver one of the best live performances in music.

On July 7, U2 brought their critically-acclaimed tour to Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. and for this long-time U2 fan, they did not disappoint. By the end of the concert I was dripping in sweat with a smile permanently fixed on my face. This was my fifth time seeing U2 live. I saw them at old Exhibition stadium during their Zoo TV tour, I saw them at ACC at the Vertigo Tour, and I saw them twice (or was it three times) during their last U2 360° Tour at the Skydome.

The current i+e tour stage set up was something to behold!

If you’re wondering if you should catch U2 on their current iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour do yourself a favour, don’t read the critical write up by Jane Stevenson of Postmedia/Sun.

Here’s the setlist:

One of my highlights, which I’m sure you’ve already read about, was when the U2 tribute band were invited on stage to play with U2. They played Desire.

U2 have teamed up with technology giants Apple and Blackberry in the past. On this tour they have teamed up with startup, Meerkat to livestream various aspects of their tour.

U2’s stage. The most interactive stage in music history. Not only did it display images but the entire band opened the second set playing inside the stage. Freaking amazing!

Thanks U2!

Music, podcast

Welcome! Episode #7: Gregg Tilston

July 3, 2015 karimkanji

Just before he finished working with Flight Centre as it’s global head of social media, Gregg Tilston and I sat down to chat about music, touring, Toronto, travel, social media and lots of other things.

You can listen to the show on my Girth Radio page.

Or you can also listen to the show via the links below:

Girth Radio
MixCloud
iTunes
Google Play Music
Stitcher
TuneIn
You can also subscribe to the podcast via RSS Feed if you’re so inclined.

Welcome! Episode #7: Gregg Tilston by Welcome! By Karim Kanji on Mixcloud

podcast

Welcome! Episode #6: Hessie Jones

June 26, 2015 karimkanji

It’s been a while but I’ve finally uploaded my conversation with good friend, author and entrepreneur Hessie Jones.

Check it out on my Girth Radio page.

Or listen to it below.

Enjoy!

Girth Radio
MixCloud
iTunes
Google Play Music
Stitcher
TuneIn
You can also subscribe to the podcast via RSS Feed if you’re so inclined.

Welcome! – #6 – Hessie Jones by Welcome! By Karim Kanji on Mixcloud

podcast

My favourite podcasts

June 22, 2015 karimkanji

I’ve written about podcast before on this site. Multiple times in fact. However, I feel the need to write another one for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, there are a few new podcasts I’m listening to that I want to tell you about. Secondly, everyone on my team at work doesn’t listen to podcasts! The horror!

Ready? Here we go!

Birds All Day. This is the most recent reincarnation of the old Drunk Jays Fans podcast. Starring Andrew Stoeten and Drew Fairservice, Birds All Day is a weekly podcast about Blue Jays baseball. I also happen to support this podcast through Patreon which enables content creators to monetize their work.

WTF. WTF stands for What The Fuck. Hosted by comedian Marc Maron, WTF was recently voted the best podcast by Slate magazine. specifically his conversation with Louis C.K. WTF is filled with longer length conversations between Marc and guests from the world of music, comedy, and soon to be politics (as of this writing Marc is has just posted his interview with U.S. President Barak Obama).

Canadaland with Jesse Brown. Canadaland is another podcast that I support through Patreon. Jesse Brown’s podcast and accompanying website is dedicated to shining an uncomfortable spotlight on Canada’s media industry. If you haven’t heard of Canadaland you’ve most likely heard of one of the biggest stories that broke in recent Canadian media history: The Jian Ghomeshi story. Yup. It is because of Jesse Brown’s investigative journalism that we now know of many issues that Canada’s mainstream media refuse to cover or even acknowledge.

Toronto Mike’d. Hosted by Mike Boon of the Toronto Mike website, Toronto Mike’d started as one man’s look at Toronto from the west side of the city. Today, this podcast is a must listen to show for everyone and anyone interested in Toronto sports and Toronto radio. Here’s a list of some of the more recent guests: Roger Ashby, Matt Galloway, Steve Anthony, Roz Weston, and James Mirtle.

Here are some of my other favourite (current and past) podcasts.

Oh yeah! I also have my own podcast. It’s called Welcome! You can find it here. And soon it will be up on Girth Radio.

concert, Toronto

#R40Live: RUSH in concert at the ACC

June 22, 2015 karimkanji

Last week I had the opportunity to see one of the top musical acts of all time, RUSH. According to multiple sources, RUSH stands just third behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold or platinum studio albums by a rock band.

I’ve never been a huge fan. But I’ve been very aware of their musicianship, their hits on Q107 in Toronto, and the wizardry that is Geddy Lee on bass, Alex Lifeson on guitar and the most talented drummer to ever live, Neil Peart.

I’ve never been as amazed as I was last Wednesday night. Words cannot describe the experience. And photos cannot capture the energy and enthusiasm of both the band and the crowd.

Here’s a copy of the setlist:

Toronto

10 things to do in Main Street Unionville

June 22, 2015 karimkanji 1 Comment

Main Street Unionville is very similar to Niagara-On-The-Lake. The only difference is that there are no Niagara Falls and no Shaw Festival. Other than that, there are great shops, lots of activities during the summer, and even plenty of spots to enjoy a picnic.

Here are my top 10 things to do in Main Street Unionville.

1.) Ice Cream. The Old Firehall Confectionery (at 170 Main Street) specializes in a wide variety of old fashioned, handmade sweets and treats.

2.) Live music. Every Thursday evening, during the summer, you can find live bands playing under the Bandstand. Concerts start at 7:30pm until 9pm.

3.) Classic Cars. I don’t know what it is about Main Street Unionville. You will almost always find a classic car or two. Either driving slowly along the boulevard or parked just off the street.

4.) Fun art installations. You won’t find anything huge. But you’ll see plenty of small and interesting pieces scattered throughout town.

5.) Quiet places to read.

6.) The Frederick Horsman Varley Art Gallery. The Art Gallery is named after Frederick Varley, an artist from the Group of Seven.

7.) Shopping. Yes, there’s lots of shopping to do on Main Street. What would an old town be without shopping? 🙂

8.) Festivals. One of the best things about Ontario are the festivals. My favourites are the Markham Jazz Festival and Unionville Festival.

9.) Wildlife! Check out the pictures below!

10.) Too Good Pond.

crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, kickstarter

My new Markhor shoes

June 14, 2015 karimkanji

Kickstarter (and Indiegogo) is one of my favourite websites. I’ve had the honour (and excitement!) of funding a number of projects. I’ve funded everything from the Pebble Time to Neil Young’s Pono music player. However, there is one project that I was really excited to fund: Markhor.

The story of Markhor goes something like this: a group of Pakistani entrepreneurs wanted to design and craft local shoes. They turned to Kickstarter to raise funds so that they would be able to raise enough money to source local materials and hire local designers and shoemakers to make shoes. You can visit Markhor for the longer version.

Well, my shoes came! And I’m so excited to show them to you. And wear them!

travel

Flamenco Dancing in Seville, Spain (2015)

June 2, 2015 karimkanji

I was down at the New Amsterdam
staring at this yellow-haired girl
Mr. Jones strikes up a conversation
with this black-haired flamenco dancer
She dances while his father plays guitar
She’s suddenly beautiful
We all want something beautiful
I wish I was beautiful

So come dance this silence down through the morning
Cut up, Maria! Show me some of them Spanish dances
Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones
Believe in me
Help me believe in anything
I want to be someone who believes
Mr. Jones and me tell each other fairy tales
Stare at the beautiful women
“She’s looking at you. Ah, no, no, she’s looking at me.”
Smiling in the bright lights
Coming through in stereo
When everybody loves you, you can never be lonely
I will paint my picture
Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray
All of the beautiful colors are very very meaningful
Gray is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a gray guitar and play

When everybody loves me, I will never be lonely
I want to be a lion
Everybody wants to pass as cats
We all want to be big big stars, but we got different
reasons for that
Believe in me because I don’t believe in anything
and I want to be someone to believe
Mr. Jones and me stumbling through the barrio
Yeah we stare at the beautiful women
“She’s perfect for you, Man, there’s got to be
somebody for me.”
I want to be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more
funky
When everybody loves you, son, that’s just about as
funky as you can be
Mr. Jones and me staring at the video
when I look at the television, I want to see me staring
right back at me
We all want to be big stars, but we don’t know why
and we don’t know how
But when everybody loves me, I’m going to be just
about as happy as I can be

Mr. Jones and me, we’re gonna be big stars

– Counting Crows, Mr. Jones

travel

Windows Nokia Lumia 1020

May 31, 2015 karimkanji

My friends at Microsoft Canada loaned me a Windows 8 Nokia Lumia 1020 for my recent trip to Spain and Morocco. For me, this device has the best phone camera in the market.

More importantly, it has always-on GPS. As a Canadian, I feel screwed by our carriers not giving us an affordable way to stay connected, through our mobile phone, with the internet and social media. While in Spain and Morocco I relied heavily on WiFi (pronounced “wee-fee” in many places). But the Lumia’s built-in GPS helped us navigate throughout Spain and Morocco.

Thank you Microsoft Canada for the device. NOTE: I was not paid by Microsoft nor are they a client of mine. Neither am I a professional photographer. The photos I take are for my own personal and family use.

Here are some photos I took with the 41 MP camera: